Renegade Soundwave

Renegade Soundwave (sometimes shortened to RSW) was an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Danny Briottet, Gary Asquith and Carl Bonnie.

History

Debuting on the Rhythm King label with the "Kray Twins" single, their early records mixed together the sound of the then embryonic dance scene, east-end hip-hop, dub and electro-industrial noise. Later singles such as "Biting My Nails" (a perplexing cover version of an obscure cabaret-pop song by Yé-yé girl Genevieve Waite, third wife of The Mamas & the Papas' John Philips, off her bizarre 1974 cult album, Romance is on the Rise) and "The Phantom" became early dance-floor classics, with "Probably a Robbery" eventually reaching number 38 in the UK singles chart in 1990.

A switch to Mute Records brought the release of the debut long-player Soundclash in 1989, swiftly followed by In Dub. The Japanese version of In Dub featured a second disc of the cuts, previously available only on their early Twelve Inch singles. At this point, Bonnie exited to pursue a solo career (citing musical differences), leaving Briottet & Asquith to continue as a duo. After two more albums, the group formally disbanded in 1995, leaving behind a legacy of four long playing albums and twelve singles.

Equally well known for their skill as producers and remixers as recording artists in their own right, the RSW influence was felt throughout dance music in the 1990s. Genres such as big beat and drum and bass, whose sounds were not defined until well after the release of the first RSW records, all owe a debt to Renegade Soundwave, while The Chemical Brothers have cited RSW as one of the biggest influences in their sound.

In 2003, Layo and Bushwacka remixed "The Phantom".

2005 saw the appearance of a white label entitled "Robbery", which featured remixed versions of RSW tunes such as "Ozone Breakdown" said to be remixed by the band themselves.

As of 2009, Briottet is producing and recording/remixing under the name of Red Star and Gary Asquith is in a band called Lavender Pill Mob^[1] with Kevin Mooney, formerly of Adam and the Ants working alongside electro artist Simeone.^[2]

Discography

Albums

• Soundclash (Mute, 1989) - UK #74^[3]
• In Dub (Mute Records, 1990)
• In Dub (Japan-only 2-CD Version) (Mute Records, 1991)
• Howyoudoin? (Mute Records, 1994)
• The Next Chapter of Dub (Mute Records, 1995)

Compilations

• RSW 1987-1995 (Mute Records, 1996)
• Music for All Persuasions (DJ mix album, Ark21, 2001)

Video collections

• In Video (Mute Film, 1991, VHS)

Singles

• "Kray Twins" (1986)
• "Cocaine Sex" (1987)
• "Biting My Nails" (1988)
• "Probably a Robbery" (1989) - UK #38
• "Space Gladiator" / "The Phantom" (1989)
• "Thunder II" (1990)
• "Women Respond to Bass" (1992)
• "Renegade Soundwave" (1994) - UK #64
• "Brixton" (1995)
• "Positive ID" (1995)
• "Positive Dub Mixes" (1995)

^[3]

Remixes

• Bassomatic - "Ease On By" (Claudia Canniggia Mix) (1990)
• Double Trouble - "Celebrate" (Renegade Soundwave Mix) (1990)
• Double Trouble - "Celebrate" (Renegade Soundwave Dub Mix) (1990)
• Pop Will Eat Itself - "Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina" (The Renegade Soundwave Mix (Smoothneck)) (1990)
• Nitzer Ebb - "Lightning Man" (Renegade Soundwave Mix) (1990)
• Bassomatic - "Fascinating Rhythm" (Claudio Caniggia Mix) (1991)
• Gary Numan - "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (The Renegade Soundwave 1991 Mix) (1991)
• The Shamen - "Light Span" (Soundwave) (1991)
• Depeche Mode - "I Feel You" (Renegade Soundwave Afghan Surgery Mix) (1993)

Danny Briottet's remixes include

• Moby "Why Does My Heart"
• Cypress Hill "Freak Dat Funk"
• Depeche Mode "Only When I Lose Myself"
• Barry Adamson "What It's Worth"
• Radiohead "Planet Telex"
• Tappa Zukie "MPLA"

References

External links

• RSW Discography
• BBC Radio Peel Session
• Renegade Soundwave @ Chaos Control Digizine