‎– Playing With Knives Label:  ‎– STORM 38 Format: , 12", 45 RPM 
Country: Released: Genre: Style: , 
APlaying With Knives (Quadrant Mix)6:46BPlutonic6:22 Companies etc Recorded At –  Mastered At –  Pressed By –  Phonographic Copyright (p) –  Copyright (c) –  Distributed By –  Credits Design [Cover Design] –  Engineer –  Management –  Mastered By – , * Written-By, Arranged By, Producer, Mixed By – *, *, * Notes

Track A samples: 
Vocal from Circuit -  
Vocal from Cuba Gooding - Happiness Is Just Around The Bend

Track B Samples: 
Vocal from Sterling Void - It's Alright 
Synth from Set Up System - Fairy Dust

Barcode and Other Identifiers Barcode: 5 017687 303862 Matrix / Runout (Etchings side A): STORM 38 A2 PR-E Mike's - The Exchange Inga's Canine EQ Pre-Cut Matrix / Runout (Etchings side B): STORM 38 B1 PR-E Inga's Hardcore Mix Mike's - The Exchange
 as reviewed by  Jan 18, 2005 edited over 2 years ago 
 
Although Playing With Knives is an anthem of anthems, and was dropped pretty much everywhere in any set, from its original "STORM 25" release circa early 1991. I got rather fed up of it after a couple of months. Although it was quite commercial, it definitely was a ground breaking tune and definitely has its place in rave history, without any shadow of a doubt. 

However, the track which is often overlooked resides on the flipside, which is angrier, grittier, darker, and uses the Roland Alpha Juno 'mentasm' sounds explosively, together with trippy, tubular type of bells in-between, deep synths, complex 909 patterns mashed-up, and the famous 'Helter Skelter/Radio Babylon' breakbeat throughout. One other notable sample is the well known scree sounding riff lifted off from Set Up System's seminal belgian techno slammer Fairy Dust causing extra havoc. 

Best played in a hardcore techno set rather than a hardcore piano/house set. Saying that, don't know what came over the producers...Perhaps they had enough of the hard, ear bashing they were inducing themselves to? Only near the end the track, it flips into an extremely melodic, mellow, ambient string, epic flutey bit, which fades out. 

This breakdown section was sampled by the likes of Mike Slammer & DJ Red Alert on their Slammin' Vinyl release, which was a hardcore jungleistic chipmunk rinser 'In Effect', pitched up to the max! Which appealed more to the 3rd generation of raver (chavvier or rudebwoy type, you know who your are :P) about two to three years later. Who had more of an alliance with happy/chipmunk hardcore & jungle than the original acid house, techno or the original hardcore sounds of 1990/91.

Bizarre Inc were a /  from , , that formed in 1989 as a  of   Dean Meredith and Mark "Aaron" Archer (not to be confused with the of ).

Contents   []  Career []

The group formed as Meredith and Archer formed a duo to start an acid-house/techno project under 'Blue Chip Records'. The first releases were (and still are) only available on 12'' vinyl: "It's Time To Get Funky" (BLUE C14R), later renamed to a mere "Time to Get Funky" (BLUE C14RR); and the 6-track debut  Technological, both  and  by Meredith and Archer.

By 1990, Archer left Meredith to work as producer and writer with different house and techno projects, a greater part of which were for Network Records. He was also known as DJ Nex for a long time; later on he released material under names such as Mr. Nex, O.P.D., Xen Mantra; and others including Nexus 21 and  with co-producer Chris Peat. Still in the same year, two other experienced DJs joined Bizarre Inc, thus forming a new : Andrew Meecham and Carl Turner. The first 12'' they released together was "Bizarre Theme" / "X-Static" on the now-defunct , . This first track got a moderate acceptance, but the next, "Playing With Knives" was to be their greatest success, whose vinyl (7'' and 12'') releases were issued on a couple of different European labels.

One year later, the album  followed. In 1993 Bizarre Inc twice went to  on the  . "I'm Gonna Get You" spent two weeks at number one in January (also hitting number 47 on the ) and was followed by "Took My Love," which was number one for two weeks in late April. Both tracks featured lead vocals by female , . A third song (featuring Yvonne Yanney, "Love In Motion," peaked at #4 on the U.S. dance chart in late 1993.

All three of Bizarre Inc's hit singles appeared on their second album, , in 1992. They also released a third album, the more commercial Surprise, in 1996. This album credits the singer  as part of the band line-up, rather than as a featured artist, and she was also the co-writer on several tracks. It featured three singles, "Keep The Music Strong", "Surprise" and "Get Up Sunshine Street".

Meecham and Meredith have continued releasing new music together under the name . In the , their biggest singles remain "Playing with Knives" (#4) and "I'm Gonna Get You" (#3), the latter of which was a  dance-pop hit and was one of the biggest sellers of that year.

Discography [] Albums [] Technological (1989) Blue Chip Records  (1992)  The Super People" (Unreleased)  (1994) Surprise (/) (1996) Singles [] YearTitle


1989"Time To Get Funky" (aka "It's Time To Get Funky")---1989"Technological"---1990"Bizarre Theme" / "X-Static"---1991"Playing with Knives"43--"Such a Feeling"13--"Playing with Knives" (re-release)4--"Raise Me"---1992"I'm Gonna Get You"31471993"Love in Motion"-4-""191-1996"Kee The Music Strong"33--"Surprise"21--"Get Up Sunshine Street"45--1999"Playing with Knives" ()30--