Prototype Years. Story behind compilation with comments from Grooverider

Music

In 1996, the founding father of the jungle and drum‘n’bass scene, Grooverider, was offered a contract by Sony. Another influential figure of the movement has made a deal with the devil—this is how the incorruptible participants of the scene saw it. Grooverider responded: “I don’t fly the flag for nobody. I fly the flag for me and what I feel is right. The DJs and producers control the drum‘n’bass industry and we ain’t go no majors telling us you go to this and that.”

Grooverider was supposed to be involved not only as a DJ, but also as a musician—in two years he was going to release an album. And he did—Mysteries of Funk became his only album, made with the help of colleagues. Grooverider resurrected his label Prototype, which had been middling since its foundation in 1994. It quickly started putting out good releases and preparing a summary compilation—Prototype Years. “Most of the album is newcomers,” says Grooverider. “Guys like Matrix and Optical. It’s like scouting out the brand new talent. You’ve got to keep things rolling, fresh people and new sounds. You’ve got to hand it over to others sometimes. I would never release records purely for the sake of it. I only release things that I’m confident with and something that I really want on my label. Prototype isn’t about figures—it’s about good music.”