Crate Diggin’: Stanton Warriors revisit their mix compilation, The Stanton Session

Bass, garage and breaks. That’s pretty much the story with Dominic Butler and Mark Yardley, the UK duo better known as Stanton Warriors. Emerging during a golden era for UK garage in the late 90s, the pair famously helped spearhead a new breakbeat sound, bridging the two genres in their early releases and DJ performances. For the last two decades they’ve dominated the breaks scene, something that’s only been cemented with the release of this year’s Rise LP. During the height of their rise they also became FABRICLIVE mainstays, helping to define our night’s breaks-happy musical approach alongside the likes of Krafty Kuts, Plump DJs and Evil Nine. Next Friday the duo host a special old school FABRICLIVE night to launch their Rise LP, and ahead of joining us, they took some time to look back on their seminal mix compilation, The Stanton Session.

Shut Up & Dance – Action [Shut Up And Dance]

These guys pretty much invented the blueprint for breakbeat and then jungle in the late 80s. This track of theirs was just a white label but it used to rumble up fabric back in the day whenever we dropped it. It's a perfect fusion of breaks, garage vibes and dirty bass!

The Streets vs DJ Zinc – Has It Come To This? (Distraction) (Stanton Warriors Mix Concept) [679/Locked On]

This is actually a Streets acapella over a Zinc breakbeat garage track that we did on the decks, which actually became a tune in itself and got signed up. We had heard The Streets on a pirate radio station and managed to get an acapella of him. Not sure if anyone had really heard him before this!

Sole Fusion – Bass Tone (House Nation Mix) [Strictly Rhythm]

One of many aliases of Little Louie Vega, one half of Masters At Work. A super simple groover of a track that worked so well in our sets. We were then, and still are, all about interesting broken beats and how we can weave them into a set.

Renegade Soundwave – The Phantom (Layo & Bushwacka Remix) [10 Kilo]

The boys from the legendary The End club made some amazing tech breaks back then, and this remix was one of their best moments in that style. The original was already a classic but they managed to take it up a notch into a monster of a remix!

PMT – Gyromancer [Acetate Ltd]

Coming more out of the progressive house world, this broody, techy, yet bass-solid track was something to behold on a big sound system. Another case of less is more. It never failed to grind the floor into a frenzy. It's something that the Sashas at the time would play, but when we threw rap acapellas over it, it almost became a garage tune!

Groove Chronicles – Stone Cold [Groove Chronicles]

An absolute masterclass of a track. Take a jazzy 2-step beat, add a Reese bass line, Aaliyah vocals and you get a deep, moody, sexy as fuck track that worked at peak time as much as it did at 5am on the floor. The crossover between breaks, deep techno and garage was always edgy and exciting with these kinds of records.

Azzido Da Bass – Dooms Night (Stanton Warriors Vocal Mix) [Club Tools]

Yes it’s a remix we did, but the original also crossed over so many musical divides. Literally played by everyone from Pete Tong, Fatboy Slim over to DJ EZ and Sven Väth! Something we have always ascribed to! Melting genres one beat at a time!

Mr Reds vs DJ Skribble – Everybody Come On (Can U Feel It) (Stanton Warriors Remix) [FFRR]

This is another live DJ mix we did with two tracks: Mr Reds, and a DJ Skribble acapella. Pete Tong started playing this part of our The Stanton Session volume 1 compilation on Radio 1, and then we were asked to make it into an actual tune. It ended up on Top Of The Pops at number 13 in the charts!

Basement Jaxx – Jump ‘n Shout (Stanton Warriors Remix) [XL Recordings]

Full track We ended up doing three remixes for the Jaxx boys, but this one was definitely our favourite. Again, we wanted to do something that couldn’t be pigeonholed but could just damage sound systems. With the incredible ragga vocals of Slarta Jon, we went to town on this one!

Plump DJs – Move It With Your Mind [Finger Lickin’]

The Plumps were also FABRICLIVE residents around the same time as us and made so many killer tracks. This one in particular was so simple, yet heavy, and cemented their career as kings of the breakbeat world. Their sound design and mix downs were a cut above everyone else back then and still are!