Just who is LTJ Bukem Ground breaking
DJ Inspirational musician Record label entrepreneur Club
visionary, perhaps When the man behind those wire rimmed
glasses and that disarming smile writes his job description
just what does he put The man who took the drum and bass
concept from a small venue off London's Charing Cross Road
to the nation's superclubs and then onto the international
stage The geezer whose records launched breakbeat into a
brand new galaxy of sound Or maybe he just writes 'Renaissance
man for a digital age'. In truth LTJ Bukem is all of the above.
Although he wouldn't like to admit it, LTJ Bukem is the living
embodiment of the post-acid house entrepreneurial creative
spirit. He is a mild mannered energy flash whose panoramic
musical vision has found success in every area he has explored.
From running soundsystems to cutting up breaks at raves, from
relocating the heart of breakbeat culture to redefining the
spirit of drum and bass, the man known to his friends as Danny
Williamson has sat at the forefront of breakbeat evolution,
lighting the way with little more than a zest for life and
a love of music. In other words, LTJ Bukem is a man on a mission!
Bukem's first introduction to music was, like so many others,
through piano lessons as a child. Unlike so many others however,
the young pianist turned out to possess a natural talent and
he quickly moved through the piano grades.
Classical music represented the soundtrack to his home life.
Both parents having a passion for Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky
that rubbed off on their son. However it was when the family
moved to Watford and Bukem changed music teachers that he
developed his first true musical love. Thanks to a progressively
minded teacher called Nigel Crouch - with whom he lost touch
but, after a long search, has recently found again - he was
introduced to the world of jazz fusion, a style which has
informed his work ever since.
In the mid eighties, at the age of seventeen, Bukem discovered
the joys of clubbing. The teenager regularly checked out the
local soul clubs and legendary rare groove all dayers. As
a keen record buyer he soon became interested in the idea
of putting over his own version of the club soundtrack and
before long he got involved with a sound system.
Throughout this time he also had a jazz funk band, although
this had never presented itself as a serious past-time just
fun. The DJing was his main thing and by 1987 he gained something
of a reputation for his sets. However it was 1988 that Bukem
first realised that DJing could offer a full-on career.
In 1990, LTJ Bukem got his first big break at Raindance.
Booked to play between 1 & 2 AM in front of 10,000 people,
it was the first true test of the fledgling DJ skills. It
may have taken all his mates to push him onto the stage but
it proved to be a set that he'll never forget. From the first
track he ripped it up and LTJ Bukem, the world class DJ was
truly born.
Around this time Bukem had also ventured into the studio
to record a track which was to become one of the most influential
records of the era. Called 'Logical Progression' it surfaced
on the newly formed Vinyl Mania imprint. At once anthemic
and relaxing it offered the first true blueprint to Bukem's
sonic vision.
By the time of his follow up to 'Logical Progression' Bukem
had set up his own imprint. Run from a small office in Harlesden,
London, the label was christened Good Looking and its debut
offering came in the shape of 'Demon's Theme'. Finished in
mid 1990 and pressed up onto dub-plate, Bukem dropped it into
his sets for a full year just to test the reaction before
he finally released the track officially in July 91. 'Demon's
Theme' caught people's imaginations immediately, its soulful
combination of rushing breaks, lush ambience and mellow vibes
opening up fresh vistas within the increasingly dark ambience
of the rave.
Bukem's next release was 'Apollo' in 92, however his biggest
breakthrough came with his next release 'Music' in 1993. In
1994 Bukem unleashed '19.5' while the release of the similarly
epic 'Horizons' coincided with the opening of the legendary
"Speed" at the Mars Bar off the Charing Cross Road
in London. It was an important time for Bukem. The label was
gaining ground with its growing catalogue of must-have tunes
and his own in-demand DJing. The launch of Speed was intended
to run hand in hand with the growth of Good Looking while
also offering a focal point for the growing drum and bass
scene.
After a shaky start, which almost forced the night into
closure, "Speed" quite literally took off one night
in the summer of '94.
Typically for Bukem he made the most of the situation to
forward his vision. He used the sudden media limelight to
highlight Good looking Records and its label roster. In 1995
the label licensed a compilation to London Records. Called
"Logical Progression" it featured exclusive cuts
from the roster alongside old tracks and is still one of the
highest selling drum 'n' bass Compilations to have been released.
"I wanted to see the label grow, I wanted to invest
in the people who were signed to the label, so the move had
to happen. It was never simply about LTJ Bukem, it was about
Good Looking Records, Logical Progression and the sound."
Bukem's own music never took a back seat. There were remixes
(including astounding reworks of Jodeci's "Feenin"
and Michelle Gayle's "Sweetness"), his own addition
to the label Compilations and a collaboration with David Arnold
on the infamous James Bond theme to "Thunderball"
In the middle of all of this rampant activity Bukem also
managed to release the "Mystical Realms EP" in March
98. The EP featured "Twilight Voyage" with some
somber flute refrains, chopping keys and outer world ambience.
The vocal and instrumental versions of "Orchestral Jam",
with its urgent break, echo dropped sonar and dissonant violins,
and final track; the reflective, Herbie Hancock-esque "Journey
Inwards". Three new tracks, each representing a deeper
development of the Bukem sound, further underlining Bukem's
position as a sonic leader of post rave breakbeat culture.
Bukem went further and continued to produce and mix some
of the World's best Drum 'n' Bass and cross-over Compilations
that have ever been put out. Titles such as Progression Sessions,
Earth and further instalments of Logical Progression series
have become notorious for their and exciting directions that
Bukem has always strived to take, but without losing sight
of his original musical roots and all the things that inspired
him in the beginning.
The begining of the 21st century saw LTJ Bukem continuing
his extraordinary musical odyssey with his long awaited solo
album Journey Inwards. A diverse and multi directional album
of Drum 'n' Bass, Soul, Downbeat and house tracks that opened
the eyes of those that had no faith and warmed the soul's
and inner belief's of those that did. He has also added to
his impressive remixing portfolio with his interpretation
of "The Essence" by jazz legend Herbie Hancock.
On top of this he has continued the Progression Sessions series,
with a storming live performance from the USA captured on
CD, compiled the highly acclaimed Soulfood and Soul Addiction
Compilations, released not one but two Producer CDs, and continued
to set the venues of the world alight with his stunning DJ
sets.
