Adam F revisits ‘Circles’ for a modern makeover of the 1995 drum ‘n’ bass classic

MOBO Award-winning drum ‘n’ bass icon Adam F revisits his classic ‘Circles’, “one of the greatest tracks to ever come out of England”, out via 181 Recordings.

The ‘revisited’ version of the 1995 track – which reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart – precedes the release of Adam F’s upcoming rework album, ‘Colours Revisited’. For this project, he’s completely re-recorded and revamped his 1997-released MOBO Award-winning debut album, including ‘Circles’, enlisting top drum ‘n’ bass and jungle artists for a series of further fresh ‘revisited reboots’.

‘Circles Revisited’ brings out the acoustic bass, jazzy saxophone, and synths in stellar style. The sub-bass and drum breaks are sharper than ever, with each ride, snare and hi-hat sounding distinct and crisp.

Remarking on the incredible 29-year journey since its original release, Adam F reflects on how ‘Circles’ has become a cornerstone of UK dance music: “‘Circles’ is one of the first tracks where I could express my influences with no boundaries,” he says. “The music became known as Drum ‘n’ Bass but started off as hardcore Rave and Jungle. One of the greatest things about it for me was that I could express myself through that medium using all my influences; funk, soul, reggae and jazz – freely and unrestricted.

“I was incredibly humbled when I heard Gilles Peterson endorse ‘Circles’ on a live gig as “One of the greatest tracts to ever come out of England”. Further proof came when I was sandwiched between Erykah Badu and Jamiroquai in Brazil and the audience was singing along with my set. I was truly humbled.” 

“My music has crossed three generations and still feels relevant to the people. I was inspired to know that Pink Pantheress was into my music and opened the door for us to go into the studio together to record ‘Break It Off’. This provided new impetus and elevated ‘Circles’ to the next level as it continues to touch new audiences.” 

Liverpool-born producer, musician and songwriter Adam F – real name Adam Fenton – found early success with ‘Circles’, alongside tracks like ‘Metropolis’, ‘Mother Earth’, and ‘F-Jam’, often drawing from influences in jazz, funk, soul and reggae. He’s been named one of the Top 5 Producers In The World by MTV, achieved seven Gold and four Platinum certified awards, and won Best Album for ‘Colours’ at the 1998 MOBO Awards.

In 2001, Adam F ventured into hip-hop, co-producing Dead Prez’s ‘It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop’ with DJ Fresh, followed by the album ‘Kaos: The Anti-Acoustic Warfare’, featuring collaborations with LL Cool J, Redman and De La Soul. Shortly after the release of ‘Colours’, Adam F took a break from releasing his own music, launching – with DJ Fresh – record labels Kaos Recordings and Breakbeat Kaos in 2003. Breakbeat Kaos laid the foundations for staple names in modern drum ‘n’ bass, such as Chase & Status, Pendulum, Nero and DJ Fresh.

True aficionados recognise the poignancy of this release. Drum ‘n’ bass heads, get stuck into this revitalised ‘Circles’ version and keep an ear out for more of Adam F’s reimagined, rebooted classics leading up to February’s ‘Colours Revisited’ album.

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