Bomb the Bass

  • Bomb the Bass
  • Into the Dragon (Rhythm King) 1988 

Tim Simenon was only 19 years old when he recorded a relentless dance collage of stolen sounds and break beats entitled “Beat Dis” in early 1988. Released under the name Bomb the Bass, the single was not just a major hit in Britain and a club smash in America, but the birth of the DJ record and the UK dance explosion. Bomb the Bass led the charge of anonymous hi-tech groove producers; unmoved by the lure of pop stardom, Simenon hid behind other vocalists and rappers on subsequent hits, which ranged from the urgent hip-hop of “Megablast” to the updated cover of Aretha Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer.” On album, this mishmash sounds a little confused, a sense perhaps shared by Simenon, who attempted to cement Into the Dragon together with radio segues.

[Tony Fletcher]