Timeless

Spin (12/95, p.63) - Ranked #17 on Spin's list of the `20 Best Albums Of '95.' Spin (12/95, p.81) - 9 - Near Perfect - "...a fall of light into the urban endzone....Goldie has taken jungle to a more expansive level here, fusing its ominous bad-boy polyrhythms with gorgeous diva vocals, rich piano playing, and upbeat jazzy chords that dissolve into ambient clouds....brings jungle to a new level of cross-fertilization..." Alternative Press (1/96, p.80) - "...Starting with the increasingly familiar....palette of jungle/drum and bass music, Goldie and his Metalheadz sculpt expansive sonic constructions that elude the linear confines of descriptive language..." Melody Maker (12/23-30/95, pp.66-67) - Ranked #8 on Melody Maker's list of 1995's `Albums Of The Year' - "The jungle underground's figurehead....Massive and jaw-droppingly ambitious..." Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #23 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. New York Times (Publisher) (1/6/96, p.C16) - Included in Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums of `95 - "...the frenetic break beats of England's jungle dance-music rub against lush ambient music, live instruments and a technology-addled sense of soul..." NME (Magazine) (12/23-30/95, pp.22-23) - Ranked #10 in NME's `Top 50 Albums Of The Year' for 1995 - "...an astonishing...symphony of whizzing breakbeats, fluid soundscapes and mind-warping moodswings..."

Goldies full-length debut built on the momentum of several singles as Rufige Kru and Metalheads that helped establish jungle and drumnbass in the early 1990s. Signing with Pete Tongs FFRR, he crafted an ambitious, introspective statement that drew from his upbringing as a breakdancer and graffiti artist, incorporating influences from soul, hip-hop, and jazz fusion into deeply emotive compositions filled with lush synths and tough, gravity-defying breakbeats. Much of the albums production and programming was done by Rob Playford (2 Bad Mice, Kaotic Chemistry), with 4Heros Marc Mac and Dego engineering and contributing additional production, but its all clearly Goldies vision, and he essentially acts as a director for an audio film about his life to that point (with the 1998 follow-up Saturnz Return being even more of a widescreen autobiographical epic). The albums opening title track is a 21-minute suite constructed with sweeping, nearly orchestral synths and tumbling breakbeats, and most importantly, the soaring vocals of Mancunian diva Diane Charlemagne. The main section of the suite was released as a single, Inner City Life, which eventually hit the Top 40 in the U.K. and has endured as one of jungles defining anthems. Almost all of the remaining tracks are just as strong, in different ways. Saint Angel (one of a few songs upgraded from earlier versions released as singles) is a euphoric burst of energy glimmering with twisted Hoovers and Blade Runner samples, with some of jungles most exciting buildups and payoffs ever. Its sister, Angel, also with Charlemagne, is significantly less giddy, tempering its darkside edge with mellower vibes and simple, hopeful lyrics. Kemistry, named after the pioneering drumnbass DJ who was Goldies girlfriend when the song was first written in 1992, remains the albums most devastating moment, with Charlemagnes voice ascending to the stratosphere over confoundingly complex beat patterns and deep, tunneling bass. Sea of Tears is one of the records other unforgettable highlights, a 12-minute inner-child confession graced by Pat Metheny-style lead guitar, choppy live drums, and dolphin cries. A Sense of Rage starts out with a slow electro-funk bassline and looped sighs before attacking with faster breaks, a drawn-out hip-hop sample, and an aggressive yet spacy bassline. State of Mind is closer to a conventional R&B tune, with harps, somewhat loose drums, and jazzy basslines, revolving around Lorna Harris confident vocals. She also appears on You & Me, which initially seems like a sort of uptempo orchestral soul tune before getting swept away into heavier breakbeats and hallucinatory effects. The only track that lands with a dull thud is the acid jazz slog Adrift, but its easily skippable, and does nothing to diminish the sheer impact and significance of the album. Timeless was a major breakthrough, hitting the Top Ten in the U.K. upon release and earning across-the-board praise as one of the best albums of 1995, and several decades later, it remains a singularly powerful experience. ~ Paul Simpson

Respected by the underground for his production skills and lauded by the press for his star potential, Goldies album debut proved he was no fluke on either count. But from the first few minutes of Timeless, new listeners might wonder whats so different about jungle and its first superstar. The sweeping synths and lilting female vocals that form the intro to the title-track opener could be taken from any above-average house anthem. All questions are answered, however, once the beat kicks in. Manic, echoey percussion rolls around and through the song while a muscular dub bassline pounds additional sonic territory. The beat fades in and out, appearing and re-appearing with all the stealth of a charging rhino. The seven other tracks are just as uncompromising, even adopting a hip-hop beat for the R&B flavor of State of Mind. Though jungle might be jarring for first-time listeners unused to mid-tempo melodies functioning as a bed for hyperspeed beats, Timeless makes it a much smoother ride. ~ John Bush