Pure DJs - Tango & Ratty
Tango & Ratty first met in 1992, when Ratty was handed a dub plate of what was to be the first of many releases for Tango, at a rave event in Birmingham.
A hip hop DJ and bonafide b-boy since the early 80’s, Ratty had already earned his reputation as a big name DJ. Since playing at Fantasia in 1991, his career had exploded, playing every major event up and down the country. He had quickly become well known for his much-copied choppy style of mixing and scratching, and his selection of up front music. Friends in the right places meant that Tango (also a hip hop DJ and one time DMC competitor) was also getting DJ work, with spots at venues such as Shelleys in Stoke on Trent and J-Jays in Wolverhampton showcasing his tried and tested DJ skills. The pair soon discovered they shared very similar musical tastes, and struck up a friendship, with Ratty being the first to play Tango’s early material. Further to the release of Tango’s debut 4 track EP “Impact” (the first outside artist EP to be released on DJ SS’ new Formation records imprint) and the subsequent remixes, the two got together in the studio to produce the now classic “Tales from the Darkside /Final Conflict.” A remix EP followed, featuring Mickey Finn and Bay-B-Kane’s mix of “Tales…” which continues to smash dancefloors to this day. Tango went on to produce several more tracks for Formation, including the reggae influenced “Project 1” and the seminal “Future Followers,” a move towards the darkside that would become a feature of Grooverider’s sets for several months to come. In the meantime, Ratty went into the studios at Formation to create the “Taste of Things to Come” EP, which also received widespread DJ play and is acknowledged as one of the classic Formation Records releases.
Ratty’s DJ work continued to flourish throughout the early to mid ‘90’s, playing extensively around the country and taking him to the USA and Australia, while Tango started to follow suit with sets around the UK and into Europe. During this time, Tango notched up a host of remixes for various labels, including Moving Shadow, Suburban Base and Formation, as well as producing the re-work of Dance Conspiracy’s massive “Dub War” (“War for ‘94”) which received airplay from the legendary John Peel. 1995 saw the release of several Tango tracks for DJ Pulse’s Creative Wax imprint, including the landmark “Understanding” (which was later to be remixed by Total Science) and a mix of Alex Reece & Wax Doctor’s “Frequency.” 1997 signalled Tango’s first move into TV music, with “Fever” (produced for the Moving Shadow LP “The Transcentral Connection”) being used by Lexus for an advertising campaign in the USA. During 1998, Ratty’s drum & bass label Method Records was also launched, with Tango & Ratty’s “Train Track” the debut release.
Following a break, the duo returned to the studio properly again in 2002, and a string of strong new material followed, including releases for L-Plates, Funktion and Basement Records, and remix work for Total Science and Outrage amongst others. They had also started to play back to back Old School sets, which were proving increasingly popular. During this time, Tango also produced a stream of Breakbeat releases with Pulse, as Apollo Kids, Initial Research and Quiet Killas, including remix work for Stanton Warriors (“Da Virus”) and Koma & Bones. More Radio 1 airplay followed, this time from Pete Tong.
In 2007, Tango & Ratty collaborated on several drum & bass tracks for an album of library music, siting it as another step forward creatively and a chance to experiment with new ideas. A year later, they were contacted out of the blue by Outrage, who informed them he was “doing stuff at 145bpm again” and urged them to get involved. This lead to them becoming front runners in the current new school Jungle Tekno (J-Tek) scene, a genre of music which they helped pioneer in the early 90’s. Digital label Steel Fingers was launched in May 2009, and releases such as Tango & Ratty’s “Is It Live?” and Tango’s “Lost Tribes” have already made their mark with a host of leading drum & bass DJs, including Randall, Simon Bassline Smith, Bailey and Fabio to name but a few.
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