| Going through Bryan Gee's life story is like opening the bible of dance music. Since his move to London in the 80s, Bryan has been at the cutting edge of new music and has been a crucial link in the logical evolution of the sound that has now led to drum and bass. No one better than him can explain that this sound, that seems to come from nowhere, is the result of a long and very natural progression, and is deeply rooted.
Born in Gloucester, DJing at reggae sound systems from the age of 13, Bryan moved to London at 18. Briton, where he settled, has always been a rich cultural melting pot and Bryan made the most of it. Bryan started listening to all kinds of music: jazz, soul, funk, then rare groove and hip-hop when it reached the UK in the mid-eighties. But the major element in the equation had to be the emergence of acid house in 1987, that Bryan followed, going to Spectrum and The Beat Route. His friendship with Jumping Jack Frost, met while DJing, blossomed. They both set up Passion, a pirate radio station in Balham and acquired quickly a huge following. Bryan?s reputation grew further than South London.
Highly respected by cutting edge record labels and artists, he always managed to get high profile guests like Frankie Bones and Louie Vega, and was probably one of the first British DJ to play 'French Kiss' on air. Bryan?s daytime jobs at Republic and Rhythm King?s subsidiary Outta Rhythm, where he was promoting Warp?s LFO, Leftfield, Baby Ford, Dave Angel, Joey Beltram and Moby (one of his tips for the top by then !) show that, this stage already, Bryan was showing strong A & R flair and earning respect across the board.
Around the time Rhythm King disintegrated, Bryan came across a demo tape and loved its combination of soulful, reggae vibe and sharp breakbeats. Bryan went to Bristol and met the people behind the tape; two guys called Roni Size and DJ Krust. Dismissed by the A&R people he approached who did not believe in this new, explosive sound, Bryan set up V Recordings with Frost and released the tracks on the tape. It sold very little but the units increased quickly and steadily. With a healthy number of releases on V and subsidiary Philly Blunt, including some classic gems like 'The Burial' by Leviticus, 'The Calling' by Roni Size, and 'Jazz Note' and 'Angles' by Krust, Bryan and Frost became busy men, running the label, DJing around the world, and doing radio shows on Kiss and pirate station Kool FM. V was voted 'best Label' at the Hardcore Dance Awards in 1996. Bryan Gee and Jack Frost decided it was time to make a stronger statement.
'V Classic' - the album ? featured all the usual artists, as well regular contributors Dillinja and Lemon D as well as Goldie. Released in April 1997 to unanimous acclaim, it topped the dance charts only to be relegated to number 2 by the Wu-Tang Clan. More than any label, V seems to attract all styles of DJs: from Ed Rush to Kenny Ken, they all found on the 'V Classic' album tracks to incorporate in their usual sets.
Bryan found a great opportunity to showcase his new releases in London with weekly club 'Movement' at Bar Rumba on Thursdays, started with Emotif Records and promoters Bulldozer A regular monthly night at The Mass in South London followed in December 1998. The club nights have proven to be the most versatile drum and bass showcase in London.
'V Classic' was released in America, through Ultra, a Payday subsidiary, in autumn 1997. The launch party held at the legendary club Twilo in New York was the talk of town, attracting writers from the New York Times who wrote a stunning review of the night, which has now turned into a regular monthly club event.
Back in England, V comforted its position amongst the biggest sellers with a trail of devastating releases hailed as classics, including Krust's 'Warhead' ('Definite Anthem' - 5/5 - MixMag) in 1998, the dark and groovy 'Funktion' by Ed Rush and Optical ('An awesome encounter with the legendary V' -10/10 - Muzik), the irresistible 'Brand New Funk' by Adam F ('Huge' ? Update single of the week), fronting the best carnival party of the year with 'Planet V' at Bagleys that gathered over 3,000 people. The 'Planet V' album, with tracks and remixes by Roni Size, Die, Suv, Ray Keith, Peshay, Ram Trilogy, Adam F, Dillinja, Ed Rush & Optical followed in 1999, with unanimous critical acclaim ('another benchmark' - Jockey Slut Album of the month, 'Top notch' ? Sky, '21st century punk rock' ? GQ).
With constant touring, the packed Movement sessions, the parties (including the roadblocked 'Planet V' launch at Fabric last year and the Carnival party at Home), more anthems with some remix EPs and another subsidiary label Chronic dominating the critics? choice, as well as mixing an album retracing 3 years of Movement residency, Bryan Gee is kept busy and happy. |
