Tactical Support

Two remixes by artists of each other’s work from the tail end of the 20th century for today. Two Lone Swordsmen remixed Kenny Hawkes, the Brighton based DJ and producer who kickstarted Girls FM, an important London pirate radio station, and who played at several London club nights including Space at Bar Rhumba. Sadly, Kenny died in 2011 following an illness.

Ashley’s War opens with some amusing vocal samples at the start the TLS remix of Ashley’s War settles into a laid back, languid groove with no particular end in sight, just some downtempo head nodding from late 1999.

Ashley’s War (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix)

In return Kenny remixed a track from Two Lone Swordsmen’s Stay Down album, their 1998 experimental, dub techno excursion into underwater minimalism. Kenny’s remix appeared on a 12″ single Two Lone Swordsmen Receive Tactical Support which coupled Kenny’s remix with the C-Pij remix of Big Clapper (C-Pij being a Nina Walsh pseudonym) and Silicon Scally’s remix of Black Commandments. Just another obscure and high quality release hidden away in the Andrew Weatherall back catalogue. Kenny’s remix of Hope We Never Surface is propelled by a clattering drum beat and some dark synths along with the crackle and hiss of late 90s Two Lone Swordsmen.

Hope We Never Surface (Kenny Hawkes Remix)

Surface Noise

Acid Ted featured Two Lone Swordsmen’s remix of the Kenny Hawkes’ track Ashley’s War on Monday, a new one to me and very nice it is too. This is the return leg- Kenny Hawkes remixes Hope We Never Surface by TLS, a good length piece of electronic funk. Hope We Never Surface was on the Stay Down album (the one with the painting of the deep sea divers on the cover), which I listened to over the Christmas holiday and was struck by two things- firstly, it was much better than I remembered, full of lovely bass, weird noises, laid back sounds and drums, and a load of depth I’d not noticed when it came out- really good understated electronic music. Secondly, the sleeve was crinkled where the cat had pissed on it.

Hope We Never Surface (Remix By Kenny Hawkes).mp3