Jungle Feelings: The Blade Runner special
“A merry little surge of electricity piped by automatic alarm from the mood organ beside his bed awakened Rick Deckard”.
This is the opening line of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” by Philip K. Dick, the book on which the movie Blade Runner is based, and it would go on my list of “Best first sentences in books ever”; but I’m not making that list today. I’m making the 7 best jungle/drum’n’bass tunes with Blade Runner samples.
Why?
Reason number 1)
Because today is the 19th, and Blade Runner is supposedly taking place in 2019, so there. JUngLEkalenderen likes number magic.
Reason number 2)
Because the official teaser trailer of Blade Runner 2049 was JUST released today. As in like an hour ago. IS THAT A COINCIDENCE? Most likely not, as nothing seems to be a coincidence in JUngLEkalenderen.
Reason number 3)
And last but not least, because this is how much space Blade Runner – The Director’s Cut took up in my teenage diary when I watched it on Monday 7th of December 1992 at the MGM Cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London.
“I’m looking out the window at all the city lights. I just watched Blade Runner – Director’s Cut so now all that neon and all those lights from the distant windows seem even more interesting and frightening and beautiful. Why is it so fascinating, all that neon and rain? I will never be done with this city. I feel like I haven’t even started yet”, I wrote.
This is the next page with Harrison Ford climbing those rooftops in L.A. anno 2019. That’s three years from now. As you can see, I wasn’t just into intelligent, cyberpunk’ish sci-fi, but also into Keanu Reeves.
But we shall stick to the Blade Runner samples in this post. Even though there might be some good tracks with samples from Point Break out there – and definitely som Matrix ones. But today is Blade Runner time!
Dj Fav: Lost in Time
A zoom of my diary will show that I have written All those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain in the blue globe above Harrison Ford.
That pre-death rooftop monologue by Rutger Hauer/Roy Batty has been sampled extensively through the years.
Back then I thought the Roy Batty character was super scary, but I could relate to his sadness: That all the stuff he had seen and experienced would be lost. What a shame.
My own human solution to the android problem was trying very hard to write down EVERYTHING I experienced so that I could hold on to it, somehow. It took me years to give up on that impossible mission.
Jonny L – More Life
On that note: This is my absolute favourite Blade Runner track. The I Want More Life! sample. Rutger Hauer’s modified voice. Drums EXPLODING in desperation. What a tune. The masterpiece of the list, for sure.
Dom & Roland – Deckard’s Theme
Quality drum’n’bass from Dom & Roland. A very very very dark mood from a very cold future.
Trace and Nico – Replicant
Finally some Harrison Ford voice on top of a cold techstep tune. I really like the fact that Blade Runner 2049 is starring both him AND Ryan Gosling. Bam.
Dom & Roland – Through the Looking Glass
“A new life awaits you in the off world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure”. Dom & Roland does it again. This track sounds like evil machines breathing.
Shroombab & Polarity – Bad Motions
Favourite thing: The very discreet “Time to die”, almost a whisper. Lots of very oldskool sounds in this one – and let’s just rejoice in the fact that someone uses the artist name Shroombab.
Breakage – Questions VIP
Favorite soundclip: “It’s not an easy thing to meet your maker.” I wish more artists would sample movies ALL THE TIME!
Extra bonus for the gamers:
In the MOST EXCELLENT point’n’click adventure The Dream Machine (highly recommended!) the main character (Victor) wears an exact copy of the shirt that Harrison Ford is wearing in Blade Runner. Everything is handmade in the game, so there’s room for that kind of ultra fandom stuff. I interviewed the creators of the game back at the release, and they explained their choice: “It’s just the nicest shirt ever”.
More games? Read Gamers and Ravers: The Amazing Similarities between the Two Worlds
Do you want more tunes? Try out The 7 most romantic jungle tunes ever
Did you miss a day of JUngLE? Find all three seasons here: JUngLEkalenderen
Christina Majcher 