I remember playing this one time while living in a first floor flat in London.A request came up from the apartment below, asking if I’d turn it down a bit as all their ceiling tiles were raining down around them.
It took a surprisingly long time for the worlds of hip-hop and punk to collide, and it was fitting that genre ambassadors Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon were to come together to create the fusion that became known as rapcore.
In fact, another name should be added to that pairing and that’s Bill Laswell, as he was instrumental in the collaboration, producing and arranging it and adding the thumping bass line to this seminal bit of musical history.
As well as working with Laswell, Lydon found himself amongst Laswell’s cohorts: Bernie Warrell, Nicky Skopelitis and Aïyb Dieng; significant because two years later Lydon would work with them again on the excellent PiL album: Album, or as it’s now known: Compact Disc (or a little more up to date perhaps: Download).
Two versions are available here on this original 12" release: the single version and a superb and frightening instrumental version peppered with sirens, battle sounds, spoken word samples and dynamic percussion.
It still sounds great; and hey, if it can't raise your roof then maybe it can bring the house down around ya.
Ooh, speak about destruction!
Time Zone - World Destruction (1984)
Vinyl rip @320kbs
Bring the house down here
