Vinyl Junkie Interviews - Austin // Phuture Assassins

I was never signed to Suburban Base. I heard that two friends from school Dave and Reesh had a record out, and that their track ‘This is the B Side’ was doing well at the wrong speed! It was a slow track pressed at 33rpm and played out at 45rpm.  I asked them about it and they directed me to Boogie Times record shop in Romford where they would listen to your tape. I went in with an early version of Shot like Dis and soon found myself accepting the position of in-house engineer for the as yet unrealised SB Records. Early releases Shot Like Dis, Please Don’t Stand In My Way and I Get High were recorded in my bedroom at my family home. One session was attended by SB founder Dan Donnelly, myself, both of M&M and my mum on the hoover. My equipment was then moved into Dan’s Mum’s garage where I began recording with DJs and other musicians for the label at what is known as Sub Base Studio’s.   Some aspects of it were amazing, especially getting to work with the likes of DJ Hype, Mickey Finn and Krome and Time. On my first session with Krome & Time ‘Fireball’ they told me they had sampled a choir sound off I Get High, so my imposter syndrome wore off very quickly.

Phuture Assassins has had a few different line-ups since it first started in 1990 with “I like Techno” which is not credited to you but a guy called Dave Jay. What happened here? Were you involved with that release? And could you please tell us about how the line-up evolved over the years?

Reesh and Dave Jay (formally Dave B)  Were the original Assassins. They recorded the ‘I Like Techno’ EP for Boogie Times Records in 1990 which included ‘This Is The B Side’  and was engineered by Aston Harvey (Blapps Posse/ Freestylers). They also recorded a 2nd EP with Aston called ’Time Unlimited’ which was never put out by Boogie Times.  Sometime later when SB were looking for an artist name for the Shot Like Dis release, Phuture Assassins was suggested and nobody voiced any objections.  Dave Jay and I were in the same group of friends from school and he would often just turn up for studio sessions.  Dave plays keys on the original version of Rydim Come Forward and also recorded with me at SB studio’s for SB offshoot label Fruit Tree under the name Dave Jay Project.  While I’m here, he also recorded the Wet Nose mix of E17 House of Love with me and was vocalist and co member of my band Soul Hooligan in the late 1990’s. Shot like Dis the second Phuture Assassins release was just me. The original version of Future Sound was just me assisted by Danny Breaks who dropped a second sliding break into the mix.  Krome and Time came on board afterwards and co-produced Freedom Sound and a remix of Rydim Come Forward for that EP.  Roots n Future was a collab between myself and Krome and Time and was recorded in another bedroom in Brentwood known as Chase Rd Studio’s in 1993 and within a week or two of The Slammer sessions which produced the last full release I did for SB. The last PA recording for SB Roots n Future (Refections in Dub) was just me.   All Following Phuture Assassins releases are just me. Firstly in the mid 00’s Unbreak My Hardcore, Alone, Ganja Madness and Forever for Warehouse Wax Records and myself again in 2021 for Knight Force Recordings.   That’s fairly comprehensive. I hope it’s cleared up any confusion.

Your first release as Phuture Assassins on Suburban Base was Shot Like Dis (Subbase 003). Then Subbase 004 saw you release the massive anthem “I Get High” under your own name, Austin. Why did you find it necessary to have an alias so early in your career?

I didn’t. The Alias’ were the work of SB, they chose the artist name for each release. It could have been a Phuture Assassins record but it was put out as Austin. I think the general idea was to keep public focus on the label as a whole rather than any specific artist and also to appear to have more artists on the label than actually existed in the early days, that’s all good by me.  Same thing happened with Kromozone, Timebase and Krome and Time. All the same act, three different names.

Blame had to remove the Seal vocal from the track “Music Takes You” for copyright reasons but you sampled Seal on “I get High” around the same time and totally got away with it. How did you pull that off?

SB attempted to clear the sample and went to ZTT but only got as far as the receptionist. I believe they were told it would be ok as long as the record wasn’t a hit.  The record label worked together with the distributors to stagger the sales.  I Get High went in and out of the bottom end of the top 75 maybe three or four times during the autumn of 91 without touching the top 40 - That’s how ya do it !

I always really liked the Austin EP… that never saw a full release. Why was this? 

Still a mystery.

The early years of Suburban Base saw you engineering / producing (and probably co-writing) a big chunk of the music that was released. How was that…?? Please tell us the highs and lows of working with Suburban Base in those times. 

Umm.. This is a big ol’ interview VJ. I fear the answer is too long.  I’ll pass for now..

Am I correct in saying that you engineered the massive “Far Out” anthem by Sonz of a loop da loop era? Rumour even has it that it was you that played that iconic piano riff. Is this true and what are your memories associated with this tune??

Danny Breaks was one of the talents to come from behind the counter at Boogie Times. - and created a whirl wind in the studio over the two day session.  In my opinion Break’s Dropping Science label was responsible for some of the best early DnB.  The tracks of his that were recorded with me at SB studios were the product of his own musical imaginations,  After putting together some unusually healthy beats and scratching Mr Breaks suggested a piano riff akin to’ Your Love’ and offered me the keyboard.  I took a chord structure that I used to play on the guitar and put it to the rhythm of the Prodigy piano anthem. As the mix went down to DAT I remember being quite amazed at how good it all sounded, almost having to pinch myself. For a week or so I think Far Out was the best sounding hardcore record out there. Its success was down to everyone.. Danny Breaks, the record label, the DJ’s and the ravers. I’m grateful to have played a part in it.