Aye, pinch yourself; it’s real! A sheer masterclass in Amen break atom-splitting, ‘Get A Bearing / Dream’ is one of a handful of early works by DJ Fokus that rank among the most in-demand early jungle plates. Along with two earlier 12”s of more breakbeat hardcore leanings on Blueprint Records, and the equally deadly ‘Watch Out/Media’ 12” that we can only pray is getting reissued, too; Fokus’ formative works are jaw-dropping feats of technical suss crafted at the service of the ‘floor during a epoch never to be repeated (no matter how hard the wains try).
Both sides are most deftly in step with the revolution of late ’80s-into-‘90s breakbeat science, when new sampling and sequencer technology tore open the puzzlebox for dancers limbered-up on fast hip hop, acid and Belgian techno (and rushing on whizz, E’s and LSD), pushed the discipline to inimitable heights in a fast fwd feedback loop with producers, DJs, promoters, soundsystem engineers, and shotters. DJ Fokus’ early productions are, to our ears, an utter apex of that convo, comparable to the best works by A Guy Called Gerald, Dillinja, 4Hero, Goldie during its golden era.
