Released in 2000 on London's cult Oblong label, 100HZ's sublime 'Whisper / Funkin' is back on the streets. If you were doing the rounds in Soho back in the day, you will have undoubtedly copped some fine records from Berwick Street's 'Vinyl Junkies' store, the Oblong label was heavily connected to the store and to Bushwacka's equally cult Plank record label. 100HZ were one part of a pool producers connected to these crews and the burgeoning tech-house scene that was making waves at the turn of the millennium in the capital. Deep, sparse, taut and melodic production, strange sounds and left-field sonics, these were the ingredients of these extremely inventive and original UK sounds.
Elements of breaks, garage, Detroit techno and more all fused to create a truly groundbreaking sound. Since '89, 100HZ's Lee Renacre and James Chapman managed to craft a few classics, 'Whisper / Funkin' is just one of them! The a-side is a sleek, melodic cut with phased, vocoder-ish vox, an internal monologue touching on the stresses of modern city life and escapism. A contemporary classic. Side-B is some tight funk! Ultra stripped back production, killer drum programming, the sound of gliding along through a futuristic metropolis. Highly polished and progressive late-night house sounds right here. Essential all round! The real sound of London circa the millennium. Check it.
