4hero

小簡介
站在 Drum'n'Bass 最前線的 4Hero，成立于1989, Dollis Hill, London, UK
主要成員為 Dego 與 Marc Mar 兩位頂級電子樂制作人。
4Hero 成立初期，風格傾向于 Breakbeat 與 HipHop 的電子舞曲，并加入了少量的Rap
之后，于1991年開始，曲目制作方面，開始嘗試融合一些Jazz,Soul等元素
從而，進入了使 4Hero 大獲成功的 Drum&Bass 領(lǐng)域
在電子曲風上，4Hero 采用 較為柔和的背景樂
協(xié)調(diào)以密集低沉的鼓點，和大量華麗的Soul女聲
再配合以，反復(fù)變化的間斷Bass低音
在聽覺上，展現(xiàn)出了一個柔美的電子樂世界
抹殺了純電子樂的單調(diào)冰冷的疏離質(zhì)感
從1991至2006，4Hero 一共發(fā)行了5盤專輯
其中，于1995發(fā)行的 Parallel Universe 頗受好評，使樂隊聲名鵲起
之后幾年，又相繼發(fā)行了 Two Pages 與 Creating Patterns
以高超的音效處理，展示出 Drum'n'Bass 的巨大魅力
也奠定了 4Hero 在 Drum'n'Bass 曲風中的領(lǐng)軍地位
繼續(xù)音樂之旅的 Dego 與 Marc Mar
于2007年2月，發(fā)行最新專輯 Play with the Changes
收錄了從01年以來，精心制作的16首曲目
在曲風上，繼承了 4Hero 的一貫 Drum'n'Bass 風格
優(yōu)美黑人女聲加以碎脆低沉的電子鼓點
而且 多首曲目 加入了合聲混音的處理
進一步抹殺了電音的單調(diào)枯燥
從整體上提高了專輯的耐聽度
by John Bush
Consistently on the front lines of the drumnbass battleground, the duo of Dego (McFarlane) and Marc Mac (Mark Clair) nevertheless failed to receive the exposure of luminaries like Goldie and Roni Size, mostly because they didnt release much 4hero material during jungles crucial crossover years, from 1994 through 1997. Despite beginnings in Londons hip-hop underground during the mid-80s, the duo moved into the hardcore/rave scene later in the decade and recorded classics like Mr. Kirks Nightmare and Journey from the Light for one of the scenes best labels, their own Reinforced Records. The tracks were among the first to chart the dark side of the rave scene and presage the more sinister tendencies of drumnbass. Quite ironic then, that while the jungle scene caught up with (and grew increasingly obsessed by) 4heros innovations during the late 90s, the duo had already moved on to a more polished, fusion-inspired sound with their major-label breakout, 1998s Two Pages.
In the beginning, the name 4hero did actually mark the presence of a quartet. Marc Mac and Dego first hooked up with Iain Bardouille and Gus Lawrence in 1986, through their mutual adoration for hip-hop and involvement in the Strong Island FM pirate radio station, which operated out of Londons Camden area. By 1989, Marc Mac and Dego were recording percussive breakbeat experiments and becoming increasingly involved with the rave and hardcore breakbeat scene, while Bardouille and Lawrence gradually moved into management of the quartets newly formed Reinforced Records. The label debuted with the Rising Sun EP by Marc and Dego, credited to 4hero. The second EP, Combat Dance, became a big seller in the dance community, though a shady distributor reneged on payment of the profits. The pair crisscrossed the country during the late 80s and early 90s, DJing and playing at raves while they struggled to earn enough money for Reinforced to stay afloat. After approaching the group at one show, Goldie began working as an A&R man and engineer for the label. He soon became a familiar face at Reinforced headquarters and learned much about production techniques from Dego and Marc Mac.
Though they were still in the rave scene, 4heros subsequent recordings also revealed a growing interest in the flip side of raves increasingly elegiac feeling. The single Mr. Kirks Nightmare included samples of a policeman telling a suburban father that his son has died of an overdose, and the statement of intent in the titles Journey from the Light and Cookin Up Ya Brain was self-evident. 4heros 1991 LP debut, In Rough Territory, also sketched a sinister path through the breakbeat scene, leagues ahead of other producers and on the cutting edge of a style that wouldnt peak for well over five years later.
Instead of continuing down the darkside breakbeat path, however, 4hero began to diversify. Dego introduced his Tek 9 side project, which united his love of hip-hop, jazz fusion, and occasional breakbeats, while Marc Mac debuted the straight-ahead hard techno of Nu Era. Two compilation albums were the next LP releases for Reinforced — Calling for Reinforcements and Definition of Hardcore — with obvious contributors 4hero and Tek 9 alongside newer projects like Goldies Rufige Cru and Marc Macs Manix. Three years after their debut LP, 4hero released another album, Parallel Universe. The smooth sound reflected more of a debt to old-school Detroit techno and Chicago house, much farther away from the hardcore of In Rough Territory. As jungle began to explode as a commercial force in 1994, 4hero was often name-checked as a godfather of the movement. (Great Britains BBC-TV even borrowed the title of a Tek 9 track for its jungle documentary, A London Sumtin.)
The duo was relatively silent during 1995, though Reinforced continued its release schedule with a debut full-length from Nookie (The Sound of Music), another compilation (Jungle Book), and several singles from Doc Scott. One year later, Marc Mac released a Nu Era full-length (Beyond Gravity) and Dego put out the first Tek 9 LP, Its Not What You Think It Is!?!! Also, Dego and Marc Mac added yet one more alias to their stable during 1996, with a self-titled album recorded as Jacobs Optical Stairway. Released on R&S Records, the LP became the duos most polished effort extant, with high-pitched synth and spacy fusion breakbeats, in addition to help from technocrat Juan Atkins and dance superstar Josh Wink.
Three years after their last 4hero full-length, Dego and Marc Mac signed to the British nu-groove label Talkin Loud and released their third album, Two Pages, tied to earthier forms of jazz fusion than their Jacobs Optical Stairway material. It was nominated for Britains Mercury Prize and prompted the remix album Two Pages Reinterpretations in 1999. Creating Patterns appeared in late 2001, boasting collaborations with a trio of groove specialists from several decades: Mark Murphy, Terry Callier, and Jill Scott. Six years later, the very similar Play with the Changes was released, with contributions from Larry Mizell, Jody Watley, and Darien Brockington.