A defining moment in the history of UK Dance. Amongst the Disco dross that was stagnating on the dancefloors across Britain there arose a new sound. 'Hi-Tension' battered its way through the crowd with its "Bless The Funk" chant, nobodys feet were still. A few months later the 'British Hustle' shimmied onto the floor with its incessant guitar and percussion. New life was injected into the artery of the dance scene, albeit short lived.
Pioneering Brit Funk group Hi Tension evolved from NW London band Hot Waxx (which included Phil Fearon, later of Galaxy). They created a big buzz in a short period of time and certainly left their mark. The band split in the early '80's with David Joseph pursuing a solo career. They enjoyed much airplay on the 90's Rare Groove scene via the resurrection of their 1979 release 'There's A Reason'. After David's solo career lost its impetus, the group reformed for a short spell covering the Surface classic 'Happy'.
Pioneering Brit Funk group Hi Tension evolved from NW London band Hot Waxx (which included Phil Fearon, later of Galaxy). They created a big buzz in a short period of time and certainly left their mark. The band split in the early '80's with David Joseph pursuing a solo career. They enjoyed much airplay on the 90's Rare Groove scene via the resurrection of their 1979 release 'There's A Reason'. After David's solo career lost its impetus, the group reformed for a short spell covering the Surface classic 'Happy'.
- You're My Girl
- Searchin'
- Autumn Love
- Power And Lightning
- Unspoken
- British Hustle
- If It Moves You
- Hi-Tension
- Peace On Earth
The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Hi Tension 1978.rar Filesize: 70.22 MB
Many thanks! I still have the original vinyl LP complete with its original poster, but haven't been able to play it in years!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to re-living some great memories :-)
It was a sad day when I finally had to retire the Hi-Tension T-shirt that came with my copy. Haven't heard the track itself in ages and had never heard the rest of the album, so many thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteJust a side note on the sound quality. I've cleaned and digitised many vinyl albums in the past (a real labour of love). I noticed that the sound levels were a little lower than they could be. My suggestion is that you normalise the sound so that it peaks at 0db. (in my view) This will give you a better, sharper result. I have done this to Hi Tension and if you like I'd send it to you so you can compare for yourself...
Cheers,
Michael
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested in advice (even when I don't take it) or constructive criticism, coz any education is a good thing.
Just to explain my actions, I use Sound Forge 6 and I do record a little low. I then normalise to 0db before reducing volume by 90%. I think that the audio benefits from a little breathing space. I present the recordings to you, as near to authentic as possible but at a standard balanced volume. I figure YOU can max the volume or EQ, if you feel the need, but if it's already spiking, you can reduce the volume but it will still be degraded.
For my own use, I often use Loudness Maximiser to increase the punch but I'm cautious due to my equipments poor sound quality.
BTW, I never got a T-Shirt? :-(
Thanks for explaining Mickey,
ReplyDeleteI know Sound Forge pretty well, having used it to clean up of my past vinyl rips (straight-ahead jazz). My comments are solely from this experience - am not pretending to be a pro sound engineer. Agree with you on breathing room - when the levels are too high, the music tends to end up right in your face and is very tiring to listen to.
On the other hand, when levels are too low, the music lacks presence, and that's probably why you need to feel the need for your Loudness Maximizer on playback.
I've found it's a bit of a judgement call, because each original is recorded differently. Looking at the waveform for High Tension, there are a very few peaks and these are substantially higher than the rest of the recording Because the process of normalisation is driven by these, the result turns out quieter than expected. As a matter of interest, do you normalise to 0dB peak or average RMS? If you do the latter (setting reasonable levels and selecting clipping options) you should end up with a recording that needs no post-treatment (apart from more volume!)
The T-Shirt? There was a coupon for it in the 12" record sleeve.
I can't say exactly Michael, I don't do the same on every recording. As you say, it's a judgment call but in general, average RMS, normalize to -16db, ignore below -45db using equal loudness contour with clipping at 0db and 200ms attack and release. That is my general normalize setting after which I often use Loudness Maximizer on a gentle +3 gain to give it a little beef (I have another 'Kick' setting for those fuzzy productions that need a little high end) and if it gets to close to the top I decrease the volume by 90% to allow some clarity.
ReplyDeleteAll of that is a general starting point though and I thank the Lord for the Undo History.
At present I only have the left speaker and some lame headphones. Add to that my age and years of abuse (live music and night clubs) and you can imagine, I'm struggling? :-(