Operating from the depths of London’s musical underground since the late ‘90s, Infinity Plus One has been quietly toiling away, letting his music do the talking for the past two and a half decades. Cyphon Recordings draft in the veteran producer for a rare four-track EP of Detroit-infused, future-facing house and techno laced with the compelling lyricism of JaronX.
The Rebellion EP sees Infinity Plus One in some of his finest form to date. Fusing lyricism with the depth and dynamism of house and techno’s roots, Infinity Plus One hardwires meaning within his music. Visceral and thought-provoking, it’s a welcome respite in a sea of conformity.
We ask the North London producer to talk us through ten tracks that made a dent in his musical world.
1. Don’t Stop till you get Enough – Michael Jackson
My Dad was always playing “Off the wall” when I was growing up – he actually had a makeshift disco in his living room at one point which sometimes would get going after dinner much to our embarrassment :-). Such a fabulous album, musicianship and quality of production are class. They are all great songs but this one gets the pick due to the strings.
2. Roxanne’s Revenge – Roxanne Shante
One of the best rappers to ever grace the microphone. I got into the Electro albums via the Mike Allen show in the early eighties and those compilations featured some of the biggest early hip-hop and electro tracks of their day. This track was made in response to UTFOs Roxanne track when she was very young but she handles it like a pro. I think it’s something about her tone that I really like combined with her super tight flow, the rawness of the production and the bravado she displayed to take on much older guys who were well established. Drake and Kendrick could learn a thing or two from her.
3. Release Yourself – Aleem
Another discovery from the Electro albums which really soundtracked my early days. This one was more of a soul funk boogie thing than straight up Electro but is such a great song sung with a huge amount of passion and energy . Great vocal harmonies, funky bassline and synth stabs, massive claps – what more do you need?
4. Land of Confusion (Confusion Mix) – Armando
In between taping hip-hop shows like Mike Allen I began to get distracted by these weird squelchy hypnotic sounds coming out of the many pirate radio stations that were being broadcast in London around that time. Before I got into Fantasy FM I remember Friends FM and all they seemed to play was acid in its rawest form. I didn’t have a clue who I was listening to at the time but this was a record I picked up a couple of years later and it’s still one of the best 303 grooves ever.
5. InfoWorld – Model 500
There wasn’t many radio stations (including pirates) playing Detroit techno back in 1990 but Colin Dale and Colin Favor always had a good dose of it mixed into Eurobeat and other styles. This track is simply magical. The bassline is out of this world – as are the bleeps and the undertones. Really sounds like the machines are trying to say something.
Probably one of my favourite Juan Atkins tracks and I followed his output closely ever since.
6. Vit – Future Sound of London
Seems weird to select one track from Lifeforms as the whole album needs to be digested as a whole but this is maybe one of my favourite “moments”. I spent many many hazy days and evenings listening to my Lifeforms tape – it was way more than just ambient (I hate that term) – it crossed so many paths and boundaries. I’d had quite a few FSOL records under their many aliases prior to that, I just hadnt realised it was the same two people. Once I started piecing all their work together I had so much respect for their work and their low profile approach.
7. Abyss – Dave Angel
I’d heard Dave Angel DJ a few times at the point I bought this record but not really heard any of his productions. This was a proper WTF moment for me though, he’s managed to take Techno somewhere new and exciting that I’d not heard before. For me it felt like a cross between the warmth and harmonies of Detroit Techno with the production values and energy of Drum and Bass from around that time. Still sounds unique. Amazing EP. I bought much of his stuff on sight after that.
8. Love, You and I – Jazzanova
I was totally blown away by this whole album and I didn’t listen to much for a while afterwards as I was trying to work out how they made it. What they were doing with their samplers was next level. They had some serious session musicians on these tracks as well but they were always great at getting the balance right between repetition and improvisation.
9. Building – Blk Sunshine
I bought this CD when travelling through South Africa in 2005. I remember being immediately touched by the rawness and optimism they expressed in their lyrics. This particular song is about nation building, obviously a very relevant subject in South Africa at that time and how many songs have you heard about that? Their stripped back acoustic productions reminded me a little of Tracey Chapman but with the occasional choir accompaniments and percussive twists. I think as a band they split after this which is such a shame.
10. Struggle is a Constant – Infinity Plus One
I am listing this as I’m not sure if I would currently be producing music if this hadn’t been picked up and released in 2022. After a long break from making music a label from Berlin (Molar) reached out to me about an old track I had uploaded to Youtube several years earlier. They loved the track and we agreed to get it pressed up for a vinyl release – it got a surprisingly good reception and sparked a lot of interest from other labels which was amazing but also gave me a massive kick to get making music again. Shouts to David Mast and the Molar crew.
Thank you.
We hope you enjoyed this journey through the musical influences that have shaped Infinity Plus One. A massive thank you to Infinity Plus One for sharing his story and insights with us. Be sure to check out his new release, the Rebellion EP, available on both vinyl and digital platforms. Stay tuned for more artist interviews and exclusive content. Don’t forget to follow us for the latest updates!
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