Black Sun Empire / Ill.Skillz – B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix) / Soulshaker (BSE Remix)

Black Sun Empire / Ill.Skillz – B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix) / Soulshaker (BSE Remix)

Black Sun Empire / Ill.Skillz – B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix) / Soulshaker (BSE Remix) is a heavyweight early-2000s drum & bass 12" pairing two respected names from the darker, more technical side of the scene. Released in 2004 on Ill.Skillz Recordings as ILL 004, the record features Ill.Skillz's remix of Black Sun Empire's “B'Negative” alongside Black Sun Empire's remix of Ill.Skillz's “Soulshaker.”

The release comes from an important period in the development of neurofunk and techstep-influenced drum & bass. Black Sun Empire, the Dutch production trio from Utrecht, had established a reputation for complex programming, dark atmospheres, powerful basslines and highly detailed electronic production. Their original “B'Negative” appeared on the 2002 The Rat / B'Negative 12", before receiving this heavier Ill.Skillz treatment two years later.

On Side A, Ill.Skillz – “B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix)” brings the Austrian duo's own production style to the Black Sun Empire track. Ill.Skillz were closely associated with the technical, dark side of European drum & bass, and their own label, Ill.Skillz Recordings, was founded in Austria in 2003. The label's catalogue confirms ILL 004 as the 2004 release pairing these two remixes.

The flip reverses the roles, with Black Sun Empire – “Soulshaker (BSE Remix)” providing the B-side. This back-and-forth concept makes the record particularly interesting: rather than simply presenting two unrelated tracks, it documents a creative exchange between two production forces working within the same heavyweight drum & bass underground.

For collectors of Black Sun Empire, Ill.Skillz, neurofunk, techstep and early-2000s drum & bass, B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix) / Soulshaker (BSE Remix) is a strong period piece. It belongs to the era when the increasingly precise, aggressive sound of European drum & bass was moving beyond classic techstep towards the highly engineered neurofunk style that would become hugely influential throughout the following decade. The record was still circulating among serious drum & bass collectors and DJs years later, appearing in specialist record-sale discussions alongside artists such as Cause 4 Concern, Konflict, Optical, Technical Itch and Calyx.

Side A

1. Black Sun Empire – B'Negative (Ill.Skillz Remix) – 6:20

Side B

1. Ill.Skillz – Soulshaker (BSE Remix) – 6:39