Wookie: Down On Me/Scrappy (Manchu Recordings 1999)

The Wookie Sound became nearly ubiquitous in dubplates, official remixes and vaguely sleazy bootlegs. This Double A record is a pure, distilled version of it, drawn from concentrate. “Battle” was a hit, “What’s Going On” and “Back Up (To Me)” were yet to come but “Down On Me” backed with “Scrappy” was a hellcannon in a DJ’s arsenal.

“Down On Me” features a palette of deep vibes and hip hop swagger – almost sounding like a DJ tool to start (and used as such on occasion), Wookie layers the vocals, the organs and a big fat bass on top of one another. “Scrappy” doubles down and was the UK Garage underground smash back in the day.