Dave Clarke releases iconic ‘Red 1’ for the first time digitally: Listen

Electronic dance music has a strong history in underground clubs and innovators who created unique rhythms and orchestrations that helped build the foundation for the global music scene that exists today. One of those pillars of the past is Dave Clarke whose iconic releases in the early 90s provided inspiration and a soundtrack to fans and artists through the years.

In 1994, the music landscape was very different as grunge acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam topped the charts while Green Day released their breakthrough album Dookie as rock dominated the scene. Of course, not all artists and fans gravitated to the distorted guitars and heart-on-their-sleeve lyrics as underground dance music still held a place in clubs around the world. One pioneer going against the grain of the mainstream was Dave Clarke who had debuted on XL Recordings a few years prior but was about to garner even wider acclaim for his Red series. Released via his own imprint, Magnetic North, the Red series began in 1994 with the release of Red 1 before Clarke would complete the trilogy in 1995.

These incredible tracks catapulted his career and led to him getting the opportunity to remix prominent artists such as The Chemical Brothers, New Order. and Underworld. Unfortunately for fans, these tracks had not been available digitally for decades, until now that is. As of October 2023, Red 1 has finally made an appearance on streaming services allowing fans new and old to discover and rediscover these landmark productions in Dave Clarke’s career. While there is no word on when Red 2 or Red 3 will appear digitally, the access to the classic tracks Protective Custody and Zeno Xero is certainly exciting for techno fans everywhere.

Read Dave Clarke’s message on the recent upload and stream Red 1 below:

Today is a day that took way longer than I thought, for many many years Red 1 and that whole period of recording had been held back and not been made available at all via digital platforms, yes it would pop up occasionally on weird physical “bootlegs” that I had no control over and I have no idea how many units they sold, but last year I got my rights back and Skint, whom have been my label since “Devil’s Advocate” back in 2002/3, are now releasing it today with my blessing. The whole crew are incredibly excited and have been very supportive throughout the “journey” of me getting these rights back as has my music manager Ade, who worked with positivity throughout. So today is quite a big step for all of us.

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