RFI : Earth Leakage Trip

Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while... I dimly recall that Earth Leakage Trip was an early pseudonym of Rob Playford, who went on to found Moving Shadow, make records as 2 Bad Mice (amongst others) and produce Goldie, and, presumably, to invent the phrase "audio couture" which signalled the beginning of the end... (Simon Reynolds has more to say about this, I think).

I also dimly recall that the ELT record(s) - and maybe there was only one, although someone may be able to correct me - were something of a holy grail amongst 94-era junglists looking back towards Rave to trace the first crucial seeds of D&B. No mention of it / them on the ace www.backtotheoldskool.co.uk site, though...

[...potters online...]

Aha - as I suspected : a quick look at the discography at movingshadow.com reveals :

Earth Leakage Trip
No Idea / Psychotronic / Over 92
SHADOW1 : VINYL Single (Released 13/05/1991)

Well I had the Ice Cream Van fom Hell on an old K-tel(!) compilation then I heard "no idea" on the Orbital Back to Mine thing, and last night I found Magic Horse on P2P. All great, classy and weird rave / proto-jungle tracks that don't sound dated.

I haven't heard any of it for years, but most of Playford's work from that era seems to have stood up pretty well, so I'm not surprised to hear that it's still rocking. I'll have to dig some out, which will mean going through my brother's vinyl crates...

Strangely, Rob's latest biog (at http://www.record-producers.co.uk/default.asp) doesn't make mention of Earth Leakage Trip :

ROB PLAYFORD – Producer/Mixer/Writer

Rob has recently produced the Melanie C No 1 ‘I Turn To You’ with Rick Nowels, plus tracks for Snowpony for Radioactive NY at his own studio in He is currently working with Justin Robertson on new Lionrock material. He recently co-produced a Jennie Lofgren track and produced Marlo from Bomfunk MCs. Rob’s musical career began in 1985 as a DJ, spinning soul
and hip hop platters around local venues in Hertfordshire. Early influences included the Human League, Heaven 17 and Depeche Mode but by the time Run DMC and the Beastie Boys hit the music scene, Rob’s interest was fixed firmly on dance music. From here he embarked upon a career that has taken him around the world DJing, seen him achieve huge critical and financial success through Moving Shadow Records, arguably the worlds premier drum & bass label, and on to produce & write one of dance music’s finest classic albums, ‘Timeless’, with Goldie. Rob has been instrumental in pushing
developments in drum & bass music and technology and has, via Moving Shadow Records, showcased some of the finest and most innovative dance music to emerge from the UK in the last 10 years. Recent projects include producing Japanese songstress Monday Michuru, remixing Tin Star, The Fugees, Bush, Garbage, Black Grape, Hard Knox, David Bowie, Control Freq and Lisa Hall. At present, Rob is working on projects with Rick Nowels and Chris Kimsey.
Credits Include:- (P= Produced W=Written E=Engineered R=Remixed)
Artist Project Label
Melanie C I Turn To You (Co-P) Epic
Jennie Lofgren New tracks(Co-P) Epic
Lionrock New tracks(Co-P) Reverb
Snowpony New tracks(P) Radioactive
Goldie Timeless.&.Saturnz Return LP (W/P/E) FFRR
Corduroy ‘Click’ album (P) Big Cat / V2
Tin Star Fast Machine (R/E) V2
Monday Michiru Double Image & remix (W/P/E) Polydor/Kitty
Dom & Rob Distorted Dreams (W/P/E) Moving Shadow
Rob & Goldie The Shadow (W/P/E) Moving Shadow
Bush Swallowed (R/E) MCA
Fugees Fu-Gee-La (R/E) Sony Columbia
Garbage Milk (R/E) Mushroom
Babylon Zoo The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes (R/E) EMI
Audioweb Sleeper (R/E) Mother
Abstract Truth Get Another Plan (R/E) Talking Loud
Chico Maracato (R/E) FFRR
Black Grape Fatneck (R/E) Radioactive
Loretta Heywood Ghost (P/E) T.B.C.
Lisa Hall Comatose (R/E) Reprise
Ingrid Schroeder Waterbaby (R), Bee Charmer (R/E) East West
King Just Warriors Drum (R/E) XL/Big Beat
Ice Cube & Scarface Hand Of The Dead Body (R/E)
Sly & Robbie Crazy Bald Heads (R/E) Island
Ruffige Kru Fury (W/P/E) Moving Shadow
2 Bad Mice Bombscare (W/P/E) Moving Shadow