Timeless

To appreciate TIMELESS, one must imagine a time when the renegade snares of drum n' bass were alien to Madison Avenue. Hard as it might be to believe now, with the breakbeat science put to the service of peddling anything from automobiles to undergarments, Goldie and his Metalheadz posse blew minds with their 21-minute "Timeless." Diane Charlemagne's voice swoops through a world of synth sirens, bass girders, and riveting breakbeats. Other TIMELESS standouts, including the crushing "Saint Angel" and "Jah The Seventh Seal," are seemingly extracted and distilled from "Timeless." Even now, it's an impressive slab of future-pop. In 1994, Goldie's was the implacable voice of ragga-punk alienation--and it was the most exciting noise heard from the underground in a long while. In his wake DJs young and old initiated a game of rhythmic/psychedelic one-upmanship and time-stretching insouciance that turned music on its ear. Pirate radio thrived in the early days of jungle. With his sparkling pop sensibilities, Goldie quickly ascended to drum n' bass super-stardom. Tracks such as "This Is A Bad," "Kemistry," and "You & Me" harness jungle's technological flash to R&B's soul. TIMELESS is, at heart, a pop album. As such, it holds up exceptionally well.|