In the midst of the explosion of the acid house and rave scenes in the late 80s there were no strict genres – back then pigeon-holing was a nonexistent entity – and amongst the raft of visionaries introducing breakbeats into a rave scene still dominated by 4/4 kick drums was a young Danny Williamson, aka LTJ Bukem. With beginnings as a DJ on London’s soundsystem scene, followed by the acid house days alongside the likes of Kid Batchelor and Mr C, it was a fascination with the sampler that sprung his career into pace.

“One day, I found myself in a studio with Paul Waller. That was when I saw a sampler for the first time, and over a series of months I worked out how a sampler works and how to sequence: I had found my calling. I could be a DJ, I could do my soundsystem, but I could also buy a sampler and carry on making music where I had left off with the piano. So I got my first sampler, and the first track I made was ‘Logical Progression’ in 1990. It was a whole transitional period musically, but ‘Logical Progression’ was at a time when drum & bass wasn’t really there – only a few producers were losing the kick drum and making the breakbeat the main part of the tune – and my track had a big breakbeat in it; so it was kind of the start of drum & bass.” – LTJ Bukem

Whilst the likes of the Ragga Twins were fusing breakbeats with ragga samples and creating proto-jungle, Bukem’s masterpiece, firmly rooted in his jazz piano background, was melodically and musically of another planet. His early productions that followed – including ‘Demon’s Theme’, ‘Atlantis’ and ‘Music’ – which built the foundations of the nascent Good Looking empire – carved out a defined niche in the developing scene. It wasn’t long before other young beat makers rushed to get their music into Bukem’s hands, from PFM to one Rupert Parkes aka Photek (“no one had heard of Photek until I was playing out all these sets of his productions”). As the 90s moved on and drum & bass began to develop as a distinct genre, Bukem and long time friend and supporter Fabio set up Speed at the Mars Bar in London’s West End, a night that became integral to D&B’s development.

“We first started Speed on a Tuesday night and about twenty people turned up – a few producers came to hear their tracks and that was kind of all it was. I remember to a certain extent Fabs wanted to give up, and I was like, ‘It’s a perfect place for us to play our music, just give it a few more months.’ He agreed, and then I remember about three weeks later, I walked up to the Mars Bar and there was an almighty queue round the block. And from that moment on, for the next few years every week was packed, and I still don’t know to this day why or what happened to turn it around. The night had a massive effect on me and Fabio personally, because it was around that time that I started getting loads of enquiries from abroad, and it was becoming an international thing – people were flying over to come to Speed.” – LTJ Bukem

In 1996, Bukem released ‘Logical Progression’ – a compilation whose impact on the scene is considered by many to be the equal of Goldie’s ‘Timeless’ and Roni Size & Reprazent’s seminal ‘Newforms’ – bringing together some of the finest moments of the Good Looking catalogue. This has become a hallmark of Bukem’s career: the constant development of the Good Looking empire, a collection of labels that transcended the drum & bass scene for the best part of a decade, sometimes at the expense of his own artistry. For running the Good Looking stable and developing their ever-talented roster was time consuming, and it substantially reduced his beloved studio time: “I had no time to sit and write music…I am at heart a music maker, and I’ve had to sacrifice my art to do some other things, things that benefitted other artists or the label.”

After clearing his release schedule and releasing his artists to pursue label plans of their own, Bukem took a well-earned sabbatical from the Good Looking operation in 2004, and over the subsequent few years experienced a personal and musical rebirth. “I met my original mother two years ago, I was adopted at a very early age. As you grow up, as a person, you need to know who you are, and I never did actually know who I was until a couple of years ago when I met my mother for the first time, and now I feel a totally different person because of it.” – LTJ Bukem

And as he was being given a new lease of life on a personal level, he was also being reinvigorated musically by a glut of new producers: “I just suddenly became engulfed in a world of new music. This is the music that I represent, and I’ve got to support it, so about three years ago I decided to go for it and get the label going again. Now every day I get up feeling inspired, the music that comes through my computer, the new artists, their way of thinking, their work ethic, everything.” – LTJ Bukem

And it’s these artists that Bukem is representing on FABRICLIVE 46. A bold mix of new and burgeoning talent, this is a seventy minute sneak peek at the future of drum & bass. It’s a simple formula – one genius, two decks and 18 great records. This is the mix which will re-establish LTJ Bukem as one of electronic music’s maverick selectors – not afraid to shun the big tunes and, instead, stick to his principles, support the fam and remind the record buying world that Good Looking is still the relentless musical force it always was.

“With the mix I really wanted to highlight what I’m doing as a DJ. I could’ve sat there with a computer and done what a lot of people do: a computer mix, which is great fun as you can do what you can’t do live. But for me personally, I wanted it to be exactly what I do on a Friday night, strictly dubplates and records. I also wanted to represent people on the mix that I am working with on Good Looking, who I have a strong belief will have some longevity in what they are doing, and are going to be prolific artists in their own right. For me, it doesn’t matter who the artist is, it’s just about good music. That’s been my ethos since day one.” – LTJ Bukem

Released
UK/R.O.W. on 15th June 2009
USA on 14th July 2009