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The legendary importance of Grooverider in the creation of Drum 'n' Bass is inestimable. Beginning with partner Fabio as an Acid House DJ in the late 1980s, it was at their London club Rage that the mythology surrounding their work was first constructed. Playing a mix of House, rave Techno and Hardcore, the duo were at ground zero as breakbeats infiltrated raves and the scene fractured into Techno, Jungle and modern House. Masters of the London underground, Groove and Fabio had the capability to establish an artist by merely playing them, and it was this support that gave a critical boost to producers such as Goldie, Photek and Ed Rush. As styles further diverged, Grooverider pushed on into ever darker and harder areas, coining the term Hardstep to describe the rougher sounds he was playing; with his Prototype label (begun in 1994), he was instrumental in the development of the even harsher sounds of Techstep. Throughout the '90s, Groove was at the heart of the music, releasing influential tracks as Codename John and building the reputations of Matrix and Boymerang with releases on Prototype. In 1997, he consolidated his activities with a compilation on Prototype and followed a year later with his debut artist album Mysteries of Funk, which broadened his sonic palette to include a range of soulful flavors along with his trademark Techstep.
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