Shy FX resurrects his 45 Roller alias for some new tunes
Shy FX has been a king of the jungle since the mid-’90s. The man behind seminal anthems like “Bambaata” and “Original Nuttah”, Shy FX has been a unique voice cutting through the clutter of drum & bass, bringing a soul and aesthetic that most new school producers aren’t even up on.
Recently, Shy FX dropped his “Honey, I Shrunk the Rave” mix for Annie Mac on Radio 1, taking 30 minutes to drop a host of his own selections alongside material from Breakage, Need for Mirrors, L-Side, Bou & DJ Marky, and many more. Shy later released the mix for mass consumption, which is serving as quite the preview ahead of his 2021 release.
One of Shy FX’s aforementioned bits was a tune called “Rain” under his 45 Roller alias, which we’ve not heard from officially since ’98. You’ll know this tune; it’s the one that flips the same Ann Peebles sample that was featured in Missy Elliott’s massive 1997 single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” into a throwback jungle bootleg jam. Good to hear the horns from the original being used as well.
This tune is for those of you who remember what Shy FX and T-Power did to the Isley Brothers’ “Between the Sheets” on “Sheets” (or that bootleg of Koffee’s “Toast” from Clipz), this one should be right up your alley. Dare we say that we need more of this energy in today’s scene…
“Rain” is one of two tunes that Shy FX 45 Roller released after being named the “Hottest Record” on Radio 1 (big up Clara Amafo); the second is “Outrun”. Both 45 Roller tunes hit your favorite DSPs and can also be picked up for whatever you want over on Bandcamp; “I also appreciate times are mad right now,” Shy said on Instagram, “so for those who don’t stream or just prefer to download tunes, they’ll be available exclusively on Bandcamp for free, or Pay What You Want.” What a legend.