- "I'd like to see someone stand still when this shit drops," Zomby once said of The Brothers Grimm's "Exodus (The Lion Awakes)," a 1992 hardcore anthem that pairs a Definition Of Sound sample with Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells." "Exodus" emerged during an especially fertile stretch for Phil Fearon's Production House Records, which also released Acen's "Trip II The Moon" and Baby D's "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" in 1992. "Exodus" swaps hardcore's rave piano stabs and air horns for noxious acid splashes and ragged bleeps. Its status as a classic owes a lot to the reggae vocal's eerie mysticism, but the long-delayed bass drum stabs at the climax—there are three breakdowns—are what most stand out.
You won't hear this euphoric coda on Sneaker Social Club's 25th anniversary reissue, which opts for a shortened "Original Mix" instead. The remixers take various liberties with the source material, and the results are, for the most part, impressive. DJ Die and Addison Groove's remix samples "Tubular Bells" too heavily, so the sample and bass drum seem to wrestle. Special Request, AKA Paul Woolford, shows sharper instincts. Where "Exodus"'s dense breakbeats were pestled together, Woolford's crisp hi-hats and snares are given more space. The benefit of his lighter percussion becomes clear as he injects sub-bass into the guts of the track. The two other remixers take different approaches. In his collage of chants and effects, Luke Vibert pays cheeky tribute to hardcore's heyday. When The Maghreban strips "Exodus" down to its bones, he extracts a hip-hop-inspired banger that will shake souls and bodies.
Tracklist01. Exodus (The Lion Awakes)
02. Exodus (The Lion Awakes) (Luke Vibert Remix)
03. Exodus (The Lion Awakes) (The Maghreban Remix)
04. Exodus (The Lion Awakes) (Special Request Remix)
05. Exodus (The Lion Awakes) (DJ Die & Addison Groove Remix)