Genaside II

About

Genaside II was an influential British breakbeat/rave/UK hardcore band, active from 1990 till 2001, and often cited as one of the pioneers and forerunners of "jungle" and "big beat" genres. With Kris Ogden (also known as Kao Bonez and Uzi Da Fluzi) as the founder and principal member, the Genaside II crew originated from the south London's Brixton district. Ogden worked in a duo with Paul Hamilton (Chilly Phats) on most of the band's core album material, with a rotating cast of members and collaborators over the years.

In 1990, Kris Ogden produced and released the first few 12" singles under the "Genaside II" moniker on a critically-acclaimed underground label Jumpin' & Pumpin'. It wasn't until Kris joined forces with Danny Griffiths (of the Archive band), however, that Genaside II gained prominence. Ogren and Danny Gee formed a production duo G Double E, debuting with a "cut'n'paste" raggamuffin/jungle Fire When Ready 12". The next year, they produced and released the instant hit Narra Mine for the Hardcore Urban Music label. With soulful vocals by Sharon Williams and intense breakbeat ragga beats, it became one of the season's "bangers" on the local hardcore scene. Along with 4 Hero's Mr. Kirk, "Narra Mine" subsequently has been recognized as one of the milestones in the early D'n'B history, marking the beginnings of a trend towards much darker, harder sound.

Genaside II caught the attention of Liam Howlett from The Prodigy, who praised the band's innovative big beat sound. Howlett commissioned the "Jericho" remix from Genaside II for the '92 Fire • Jericho CD/12". Four years later, The Prodigy reused Narra Mine's core rhythmic pattern and beat in the '96 massive hit Firestarter; albeit, the sample was uncredited. Despite the massive and instantaneous success, Genaside II couldn't capitalize on the established publicity and went on a hiatus for several years due to personal conflicts within the crew, without any new material released for the next four years. By 1995, Kris Ogden revived Genaside II, now producing new music with Chilly Phats. The band got signed by a "major" dance electronica label Internal, sub-division of Internal.

In 1996, the band's debut full-length album, New Life 4 The Hunted, came out — available on CD, 3x12" and a compact cassette. The record featured several prominent guest musicians, including Wu-member Cappadonna, who Genaside II met through members of The New Power Generation after they performed together in the United States, Jamaican reggae star Eek-A-Mouse, and vocalist Rose Windross. Three tracks were recorded at Wu-Tang Studios, Shaolin in NYC. The project's sophomore album, the '99 Ad Finité CD, came out three years later on Tricky's label Internal. In June 2002, their third and final album, Return Of The Redline Evangelist CD, followed. Genaside II had been inactive since then.