Valley of the Shadows

Last updated

"Valley of the Shadows"
OriginUnknown.jpg
1996 vinyl release label
Single by Origin Unknown
A-side "The Touch"
Released1993
Genre
Length4:33
Label RAM
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Andy C
  • Ant Miles
Origin Unknown singles chronology
"The Touch" / "Valley of the Shadows"
(1993)
"Truly One" / "Mission Control"
(1995)

"Valley of the Shadows" is a song by English drum and bass duo Origin Unknown. [1] Considered to be a highly influential jungle track, it was originally released as the B-side of "The Touch" before its re-release as a standalone single in 1996, both released on RAM Records. [2] "Valley of the Shadows" proved a lot more popular than the A-side, "The Touch", and the single went on to become one of the label's best-selling releases.

Contents

Background

Two vocal samples are used extensively throughout the track. The phrase "Felt that I was in this long dark tunnel" was sampled from an episode of the BBC documentary series Q.E.D. , first shown in 1988, concerning out-of-body experiences. Most of the drum sounds were sampled from the free CD from the first issues of the magazine Future Music in the UK in February 1993. The track was recorded in four hours, and despite being placed on the B-side as it didn't fit the mould of most breakbeat hardcore tracks at the time, it became one of the biggest-selling and most enduring releases on the label. [3] [4]

The title is perhaps inspired by Psalm 23 in the Bible, but is probably more likely to be a reference to "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress , which, in turn, is inspired by the Psalm.

The title also lends itself to Kodwo Eshun's masterpiece 'More Brilliant Than The Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction'.

Formats and track listings

Vinyl (1993) – "The Touch" / "Valley of the Shadows" [5]
No.TitleLength
1."The Touch"4:38
2."Valley of the Shadows"4:40
Vinyl (1996) [6]
No.TitleLength
1."Valley of the Shadows" (original mix)4:33
2."Valley of the Shadows" (Awake 96 remix)6:16
CD (1996) [7]
No.TitleLength
1."Valley of the Shadows" (edit mix)3:46
2."Valley of the Shadows" (original mix)4:33
3."Valley of the Shadows" (Awake 96 remix)6:16

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [8] 60
UK Dance (OCC) [9] 3

Related Research Articles

Andrew Michael Clarke is an English DJ, record producer and co-founder of RAM Records, a label in the drum and bass genre.

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References

  1. "RA: Andy C Biography". Resident Advisor . Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  2. "Answers - the Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com .
  3. "In Conversation: Ant Miles". Don't Be Afraid. 15 April 2019.
  4. "Andy C: By The Horns". DJ Magazine. 22 May 2014.
  5. "The Touch" / "Valley of the Shadows" (Liner Notes). Origin Unknown. RAM Records. 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) RAMM 004
  6. "Valley of the Shadows" (Liner Notes). Origin Unknown. RAM Records. 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) RAMM 16
  7. "Valley of the Shadows" (Liner Notes). Origin Unknown. RAM Records. 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) RAMM16CD
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  9. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2019.