A guest posting by Acid Ted
Another dance related ICA for you but with a heavy dose of guitars. The influential but short-lived Renegade Soundwave. This takes in samples from The Sex Pistols and The Clash. And Panorama. And there’s the usual remix 12” alongside.
Renegade Soundwave (RSW) were formed in 1986 and dissolved by 1995 leaving two albums and a couple of dub remix albums. A West London trio of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet. Asquith said “Renegade Soundwave started in a New York loft space that belonged to a member of a group called Live Skull when I first started jamming with Karl Bonnie in 85.” They were always a fractious, spikey outfit. Briottet recalls ““We had a pretty bad attitude, looking back. Arrogant, punky in our approach to everything. Anti-establishment, anti the music business, anti kind of everything.”
But in that time they had a Top 40 hit, disrespected East London and sampled freely in the era before it all got clamped down in rights battles. Here’s an album’s worth of key moments in a non-chronological order.
Renegade Soundwave (Leftfield Remix)
Had to start here. It’s the track that has lasted best, and it’s a remix by Leftfield. The original is a cool swaggering 1994 track celebrating a house party. “ I was just coming back from a house party. My ears were numb, I was feeling excited.” Leftfield, at the height of their creativity, dump the guitar and most of the vocal. Instead, they turn everything up to 11 to deliver a bass driven monster.
The title track from their 1994 album. Another that opens with a squall of electric guitar before the beats come in. And opening with the provocative “Just out of college. With all of my knowledge. The cockney bastards cannot rhyme.” A careering thrilling out of control wall of noise.
Back to 1989 for their biggest UK hit. Getting to No.38 this bouncy electronic track is based on a botched robbery. Their tongue in cheek humour apparent on the advice to “Pop into Lloyds and get yourself insured.”
From 1990 album Soundclash this track is, in part, about biting your nails. It’s an observed piece and mixes brass and guitars in the slashing main hook.
This track also from 1990 is one that was hugely influential on electronic artists with its focus on bass, heavy beats and Afro chanting. It’s been remixed several times but the slightly tinny quality of the 80s sounding original included here for the surprise that comes with the Clash sample at the midpoint.
From 1992’s RSW In Dub album, this is a slower track which throbs along with the bass. No idea what this was about but it has a sensuous kick.
Sticking with more chilled track, here’s something from 1995’s The Next Chapter of Dub. This takes on West London dub in a big spaced track. A bit of melodica and strings provide the hook. Utterly stoned sound.
A personal favourite this one. Offers reverbed guitar alongside the dubbed beats. This is the sound of an after party come down.
Thunder (Nookie & Binary State Rewire)
This is a 2026 track based on one from 1990. It’s part of the RSW Rewired series. Note rewired, not remixed. As the site explains “Every invited artist worked from newly recorded stems [by Danny Briottet] created specifically for the project.”
Of the track, Briottet says “I could tell from the opening couple of bars it was going to be good. He chopped the bass up and re-quantised it, made it different. It’s like renegade house, I’d call it. Then it goes into this breakdown at the end with a vocal singing ‘Renegade Soundwave’, almost a soul take on it, completely unexpected.”
And so to the Remix 12”
Depeche Mode – I Feel You (Renegade Soundwave Afghan Surgery Remix)
RSW didn’t do many remixes. But this is probably their best known. I have to admit, I’m not a great fan of this 1993 remix. There’s a thudding bass and some squealing tyres. But meh.
Pop Will Eat Itself – Underbelly (Renegade Soundwave Blackout Mix)
PWEI (ICA here) were another that mixed sampling and hip hop. This 1995 remix is a six-minute trip through psychedelic madness filled with eerie strings, booming dubbed guitars and wood chimes.
Orbital – Beelzedub (Danny Briottet Mix)
This is a 2012 mix by Briottet for Orbital (ICA here). Easily the most challenging track of this ICA. This revels in dark distorted noise more akin to Grime and Future Bass than anything else.
Here’s the entire ICA on Spotify. Click here.
And all the RSW Rewired tracks released thus far are here
Acid Ted
JC adds……..
Once again, in case you don’t know the back story…….Acid Ted has been the blog’s longest-serving guest contributor and he was also the first non-Glasgow blogger I ever met face-to-face, as far back as October 2009. And above all else, he was the person who stepped in back in 2010 and 2011 when a couple of deaths, firstly to my brother and then my best friend, meant I had to take a couple of extended breaks.
If you’re remotely interested in dance music, then his place is an absolute treasure trove. Click here.