Pantera - Fucking Hostile (remix)
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Around the late ’90s/early ’00s, many were complaining that drum ‘n’ bass had become too metal. Thanks to Bad Company (the dnb collective, not the classic rock group) and their many imitators, dnb dancefloors rumbled with distorted basslines and militant two-step beats. Unsurprisingly, actual metal eventually worked itself into dnb. (DJ Dieselboy has been known to open sets with The Haunted’s “Privation of Faith Inc.”) In 2002, Kemal Okan and Rob Data produced a white-label, unauthorized remix of Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.” Due to its illegal nature, the remix never saw official release. Over time, the tune gained mythic status. After years of searching, I finally found it last year. It’s top-shelf techstep, floating Phil Anselmo’s voice over eerie strings and rolling beats.
The “Hostile” remix is fierce, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Okan and Data’s most well-known tune, “Messiah.” Recorded under the name Konflict, “Messiah” is one of the most, um, godlike pieces of music I’ve ever heard. A long ambient intro leads to a monstrous bass drop with a spine-chilling voice hovering above. The bassline is like a fireball scorching the sky. After a short breakdown, it returns at 4:03, evoking a flamethrower sweeping the ground. When “Messiah” dropped in 2000, dnb dancefloors practically turned into moshpits. Simon Reynolds has referred to dnb basslines as “riffs,” which is apt. The two-note riff here is like cyborg doom metal. Turn it up, bang your head, and try not to break anything.
Despite phenomenal success in dnb, Okan left the scene for his native Turkey. In 2007, he resurfaced with Nomadiqa, an electronic project with Middle Eastern influences. (I reviewed its first album, Sans Frontières, here.) Despite decidedly slower tempos, Nomadiqa has traces of Konflict: haunting vocals, dark atmospheres, and some of the same drum kits. The sound is like a less ethereal version of Deleyaman. Sans Frontières was one of the best non-metal albums I heard last year. Yet I feel a great affinity between metal and Middle Eastern music, as both often share similar tonalities. If Behemoth or Nile heard the skulking beats and spicy instrumentation of “Orient House,” they’d probably dig it.
