Bomb The Bass

Into The Dragon (Reviewed by wavemeister):

Bomb The Bass 'Into The Dragon', released in 1988 by Rhythm King/Epic, Hip Hop/Freestyle/Crossover
Tracklist:
Beat Dis (US 7" Mix)
Megablast Rap (Version)
On The Cut
Don´t Make Me Wait
Dynamite Beats
Megablast (Hip Hop On Precinct 13)
Hey You!
Shake It
Say A Little Prayer
Beat Dat (Freestyle Scratch Mix)

1988 was a year that saw many changes in the music scene - new trends like Acid House and Balearic Beats dawned on the horizon, while Wave Pop was slowly fading (although most of the fans weren´t aware of this development back then).
Among the many new music styles which rushed in the ears of the listeners, some DJs and producers had the idea of mixing Hip Hop and Dancefloor - another new style was born which went under different names, from Hip Hop over Freestyle to Crossover.
The 4AD (!) project M/A/R/R/S paved the way for this genre with the massive hit 'Pump Up The Volume' (German Single Charts #2) at the end of 1987, and the beginning of 1988 saw the follower to this success - Bomb The Bass' 'Beat Dis'.

19-year old DJ Tim Simeon from Brixton (UK) saw the potential behind the hit of M/A/R/R/S, and so he started to produce his first single, for only 150 British Pounds. 'Beat This' soon rushed up the charts (German Single Charts #6), and an album was the logic consequence.
'Into The Dragon' featured an outstanding comic-art cover and a clever mix of the new sounds and old-school Hip Hop. 'Shake It' featured some elements of Acid House, while 'Megablast (Hip Hop On Precinct 13)' based on the theme of John Carpenters cult movie 'Assault on Precinct 13'. 'Don´t Make Me Wait' and 'Say A Little Prayer' (originally written by Burt Bacharach) became also hits, although they didn´t charted as high as the first single.
This album was also a rendezvous of other artists which had hits at this time or were famous, like Mark Moore (S-Express) and Jazzy B (Soul II Soul).

The success of Bomb The Bass and other artists of the same genre was only of a short time, especially in Germany when Techno took over on the dancefloors. But this album is memorable for it´s groundbreaking role and the featured tracks.