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Per
· May 20, 2024
Hardcore and jungle are essentially English creations. Although Chicago and Detroit are the birthplaces of house and techno, the British spin on those styles and their offshoots almost overshadows them, as do the number of subgenres and microscenes that have sprung up in their wake. That makes Tommy de Roos aka FFF’s rise to the top of raggacore that much more impressive. Hailing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands — of comparative electronic background — the producer emerged in 1997, amid a growing schism between the drum & bass and jungle movements: DNB was entering its liquid, ambient era, while the junglists were going deeper and noisier, laying the groundwork for breakcore of the new millennium.
FFF belongs to the latter camp, punishing their listeners with deafening breakbeats and apocalyptic sampling. This places him firmly alongside noisy hardcore stars like Christoph De Babalon and Alec Empire. But while many of the pioneers of the movement left for pastures new, FFF stuck to their tried-and-true hardcore, playing music regardless of whether it was beloved or unloved by the wider dance music culture.
What follows is a selection of FFF’s best tracks, splits, EPs and albums, spanning from the mid-90s to the present day. While his forte is pulsating hardcore—and indeed, there’s a lot of it—he’s a skilled genre-jumper, using traditional Jamaican riddims, fluid d’n’b, fast-paced garage grooves and loads of noise to create lightning-fast melodies, the kind he later leaves behind sound systems. broken. FFF’s discography is one of junglist synthesis and history, perfect for anyone who’s ever wished they were alive to go to The Edge or The Sanctuary in the 90s, or visit Fantasia or Dreamscape.
FFF
Death is beautiful
The first chronological release of FFF on Bandcamp, Death is beautiful, burning. de Roos firmly establishes his sonic framework of laying nasty breaks over a thick fog of noise, as on “We’re All Punx,” but he can wear many hats and is far from one-dimensional. “Anti-Technology” gives off Autechre vibes in its rigid techno, and “Techno Terrorism” invokes the Canadian boards of BOC Maxim. The titles of FFF’s songs suggest that he thinks the Industrial Revolution and its aftermath were a disaster for the human race. Whatever the underlying ideology, the music remains compelling and unwavering.
FFF/Urban Guerrilla
Direct action
Great minds think alike Direct action. The jungle/noise divide shows how compatible the two styles can be when brought together by producers with similar visions—but here’s the twist: Tommy de Roos is FFF and UrbanGuerilla. He takes on an alter-ego to continue the absolutely discordant sounds in the second half of the split, while the jungle half works in an equivalent fashion, with songs like “Are You Afraid To Die?” and “Destroy Human Life” which acts as a real blitzkrieg for your ears.
FFF
I was afraid
de Roos likes to keep you on your toes. “Noise” is a prog song compared to the usually fast gusts of jungle, slowly rising until it blows, smoothly combining hardstyle and d’n’b. “Ultraviolent” follows it leveling a full onslaught of noise, breakbeats engulfed in the full violence of modernity. With 3 songs in a piece over 8 minutes long, de Roos experiments with the hardcore form, bringing twists unseen in the wider jungle community, making every beat a new experience for listeners.
FFF
A sudden cultural purpose
By 2006, the FFF seemed to have exhausted its motive for technological terror and violence. So, with A sudden cultural purpose, went back to the drawing board and took a left-field thematic turn, saturating the album with occult themes. Instead of the aggro noise that listeners are used to from him, the sound here is sullen and gothic, but also syncopated in a way that suggests a significant Aphex Twin inspiration, especially Richard D. James albuma record that also draws heavily from the jungle in its own weird way.
FFF
20,000 hardcore members can’t be wrong
Enough time had passed that by 2011, going back to the early jungle days was a fresh way to keep the spirit alive. 20,000 hardcore members can’t be wrong is proof of that, as the classic raves and clubs of early 90s England and her MCs can be found everywhere on the album. Although, in true FFF style, he cranks up the delivery to 11, using “raggacore” as a way to synthesize new and old in an exciting way. What better way to get nostalgic than from someone who was there?
FFF
Eternal mind
The latest LP from FFF, Eternal mind his sound is the most diverse so far. There are hints of footwork on “Axehead” and “Twilight Emerge,” acid techno on “Magnetic Mountain,” liquid d’n’b on “What We Once Were” and “Curve Of Forgetting,” and of course, those sweet, sweet breaks nestled sporadically everywhere. It’s a refreshing change of pace for the producer, who continues to draw inspiration from every genre of dance music he comes across filtered through that fearless jungle eye.
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