Depth Charge

As Block, Spider, Octagon Man, Grimm Death, and (most often) Depth Charge, DJ/producer Jonathon Saul Kane has been one of the more consistent and innovative forces on the U.K. dance scene since the late '80s. Recording classic tracks such as "Bounty Killers" and "The Demented Spirit," as well as remixing everyone from Eon, Bomb the Bass, and Sabres of Paradise to Senser, Silver Fox and S'Express, Kane's work has kept in constant touch with dance music's hip-hop, funk, and electro roots, a fact which places him at the nexus of a number of recent hybrids and resurgent styles. His 1989 Vinyl Solution 12-inch, "Bounty Killers," is roundly considered one of the earliest examples of uptempo trip-hop, mixing chunky sampled breakbeats with brutalizing bass and kitschy kung fu samples (a style which marks his popular Depth Charge work to this day). Additionally, Kane's two labels, D.C. (trip-hop and dub) and Electron Industries (electro and techno), have been responsible for some of the more memorable moments in mid-'90s underground dance music, and have included releases from Damon Baxter (Sem, Deadly Avenger), Ian Loveday (Eon), and Delta, as well as Depth Charge and Octagon Man releases such as "Shaolin Buddha Finger," "10ft. Flowers," "The Legend of the Golden Snake," and The Exciting World of Octagon Man. Many of Kane's earlier (1991-1994) Depth Charge releases were compiled on the compilation Nine Deadly Venoms, released in 1994. Several singles and EPs followed on DC Recordings during the next few years, but it wasn't until 1999 that Kane returned with another Depth Charge full-length. First, the mix-album Electro Boogie: Shape Generator dropped in April 1999, then the production album Lust followed in October. Lust Vol. 2 followed shortly in February of 2000. Kane also helped found Made in Hong Kong, a film festival and video label (through Vinyl Solution) focusing on the promotion and distribution of films in the Hong Kong action cinema genre associated with actors and directors such as Chow Yun Fat, Ringo Lam, Wong Kar-Wai, John Woo, and Jackie Chan. [See Also: Octagon Man]