ACCIDENTAL HEROES

[Wood]

Accidental Heroes


Out of the dark shadowy streets of south west Manchester appear the illuminated figures of the Accidental Heroes. A short stroll later and we arrive at the control centre from where they have concocted their own brand of fabulous, future funk.

An encounter at a city centre club triggered off their collaboration. Sonic was a student with a strong musical and technical background, while Silver had been working within event promotion and as a DJ/MC. Fusing their very different qualities and backgrounds they formed the Accidental Heroes to record cutting-edge drum & bass. Like many of their contemporaries, the city of Manchester has provided a platform to express themselves musically and they remain in the city drawing inspiration from the streets around them. Definitely time to delve deeper...

"At the moment we are able to produce whatever we feel like," explains an animated Sonic. "In the past we have developed our sound for labels like Freeform and Formation but as we are no longer working solely for one label, it means we are able to be more creative and versatile."

What then is influencing their sound at the moment? "We are influenced by loads of people at the moment," remarks Silver. "The scene is changing rapidly and we dig deep for our samples, old records and CDs. We even like the scratch marks, fingerprints and dust found on vinyl.

"In our music you can hear the warmth and cleanness of modern analogue synths offset against dirty samples," Sonic continues, "it's a contrast you could describe as a bit of sparkle with a bit of grit!" One track that typifies this contrast is 'Yard', due on J Majik's forthcoming Infrared compilation. A luscious intro creates a celestial, organic sound that is brutally punctured by militant pitched down Amen drums and sub to tingle your nose.

Another key figure who has picked up on their latest work is A-Sides. Two deeper rollers, 'Closer' and 'Motion' have been snapped up, receiving play on Radio One from the legendary John Peel. The boys have also captured the imagination of Clayton down at TOV. Following releases from Manchester peers like Future Cut and Marcus Intalex & ST Files, the Heroes have signed 'Bushwacka', '21 Gun', 'Lucas' and 'Heatwave' to the TOV group.

Having documented the duo's rise since the very beginning, I have noticed a distinct theme in their recent work. How do they describe their sound at the moment? "Our sound is dubwise," says an emphatic Sonic. "Music is the key and hooks to the tracks, not just noise. We love dipping into old skool sounds and our stuff can be heavy but it will always have melody."

Their sound has much in common with Digital and I am informed he has taken two pieces. "I am feeling Digital at the moment, the man is on fire," admits Silver. There is a degree of reverence in his voice like the way in which a martial arts apprentice might talk about his mentor. "We do get nervous sending our work to Digital because of how highly we regard the guy," states Sonic. Digital has taken 'Tell Me' and 'Backhanda' for the L-Plates label: 'Tell Me' is a bubbly affair based around flirty vocals, piano keys and tasty bass, already gaining play from the likes of Fabio. Conversely 'Backhanda' goes straight into battle with the dirtiest of drum & bass tracks.

We move onto their biggest coup. Where some imitate, Reinforced always innovates. Under their individual IDs, Sonic and Silver, they will soon add their names to the elite group of producers on the R. As Silver readily admits, "4 Hero have been there since day one and we have always been massive fans of the label. We played with Reinforced at a Subliminal Science event in Manchester and Mark loved our stuff. On the flip there is gonna be 'Gyro', another track that has had a wicked response."

Sonic, who is pulling hard on a 'bughead marley', brings up completed versions of the tracks on screen and soon the room rumbles with fat amounts of drum & bass sub. DJs, be warned to expect a riotous response if you plan to pull this out of the box. Again the mellower side of their style is represented through 'Only One' and as a result of their Dollis Hill connection, a four track EP has been devised called 'Rise Up!' Tracks on this will be the militant 'Soldier Business', 'Generation Dub,' plus the heavenly 'Rise Up!' and "a 110 bpm live funk thing" called 'Playin' On My Mind'.

Their incredible present strike rate has been in part fuelled through a change in their method of work. They used to have a unit at New Mount Street Studios but now work at a location closer to home. These boys just don't stop with an astonishing 16 - 20 tracks in the shops and scheduled for release. Silver is keen to stress that they, "have been and are going to continue working very hard."

Sonic concludes showing that their sights are set firmly on the future. "Once we have kept everyone we are working with happy, we want to sort out a distributor and put out work on our label called Science Fiction."

Words: Mark O'Donnell
Picture: Leo Sharp