Released on 24th July 1995 via XL Recordings, 'Culture' was Liquid’s debut full-length album, and a defining moment in UK Dance music. Fused with elements of deep house, early trance, piano-driven breakbeat and progressive rhythms, it landed at a pivotal time.
In a post-rave world where genres were diverging, 'Culture' offered a unifying sound. It resonated with both mainstream and underground audiences and caught the attention of key players of the time as some tracks from the album were remixed by the likes of Tall Paul and Way Out West, who brought their own progressive and club-ready interpretations to Liquid’s emotional core. At the time, NME called it "sophisticated, soulful techno", while Mixmag praised how it "works beautifully." Nearly three decades later, the record still surprises with its emotional depth.
Above board, 'Culture' is lush storytelling and a journey that captures the shifting spirit of a genre. Among the highlights are tunes like:
'Liquid Love' - the opener of the album with warm pads and breakbeat precision has that cinematic sense setting the mood for what follows. 'One Love Family', featuring IGad on the vocals, blends Balearic energy with John Themis touching flamenco guitar riffs. It was no surprise that Mixmag named it a Single of the Week that time.
'Liquid is Liquid (Journey Into Dub)', reworked by Red Jerry of the Hooj Choons fame, stretches out rave-era themes into a dub-inflected emotion. 'Closer' delivers percussive clarity and emotional drive. 'Rise' is a euphoric union of house and early trance, overflowing with uplift. 'Drug Culture' sets a moody attitude with haunting synths and a feeling of comedown contemplation. 'Snowstorm' and 'Mist' dive into ambient introspection, revealing a deeper side of Liquid.
Co-founded by Eamon Downes and Shane Heneghan, Liquid burst onto the scene in 1991 with the iconic 'Sweet Harmony', a timeless rave anthem built on CeCe Rogers’ 'Someday' and layered over breakbeats. Originally pressed on 500 white label copies, the record exploded, leading to a full release on XL Recordings and embedding itself into UK club history.
Some essentials of the group’s early work (e.g. 'The Future Music EP', 'Time To Get Up EP') were collaborated with producer Jezz Wright at Blockhouse. These formative recordings cemented instantly Liquid’s status as an innovating rave act.
After Shane Heneghan's departure, Eamon Downes continued Liquid as a solo project, pushing the sound further with releases like 'Time to Get Up' and 'One Love Family' (both Mixmag's Singles of the Week).
After 'Culture', Eamon kept evolving. In 2017, he teamed up with Sanxion (a.k.a. Mark Coupe) to make a big studio return. First he released 'Energy Flows' on Music Mondays, the label run by his good friend Billy Daniel Bunter. This sophomore Liquid album presented 12 standout tunes marking a mature return where rave spirit meets club wisdom. That was followed by the harder-edged 'Spacemonkey' (2019) and 'Lethal' (2021) - both released on Kniteforce Records. The latter one pushed beyond genre lines, capturing a sound that was both timeless and forward-thinking.
"Once I got into it, I couldn’t stop producing. Working with Sanxion made it less like a tortured Van Gogh experience and more collaborative.” - Eamon Downes, interview at DMC World (source)
"Spacemonkey was all about tough, underground beats. Energy Flows felt like delivering on what I’d committed to Daniel’s label. Lethal — I hope — transcends rave as a genre. Not that it was a conscious objective, but I hope it’s the result.” - Eamon Downes, interview at UKBassMusic (source)
Aside of these, Eamon also explored music beyond the dancefloor. Together with Mark Coupe, they formed the award-winning Clerkenwell Sound Collective composing for TV, film, and advertising. As composers, they crafted high-quality, emotionally resonant scores across multiple genres, further proving their versatility and creative ambition.
“This is going to sound like cliché central, but one key purpose of music is bringing people together - to see there’s something deeper going on in our passing presence on this planet than work and pensions.” - Eamon Downes, interview at UKBassMusic (source)
That purpose never left him - whether in rave production, radio, or cinematic score. And then, just days before the 30th anniversary of 'Culture', came the news no one was ready for. The world lost Eamon Downes, and the sad news came early of the week from Billy Daniel Bunter who wrote the following message on Instagram:
“It’s with heartbreaking sadness that I’m letting the world know we’ve lost Eamon Downes, devoted husband to Stella, proud dad to Bea, and one of my closest friends ever. This one really hurts. We started out in a record shop in ’89, before I was DJing. Before 'Sweet Harmony.' From curry and chips in Stepney, to Labrynth, to him dropping me at Kings Cross chewing my lips off, some of the best memories of my life with Eamon. I still remember him playing me 'Sweet Harmony' down the phone before it got cut. When XL signed it, he was buzzing. Sending dubplates by bike to Pete Tong and then straight to me at Labrynth, he loved that side of things. Even when he was topping charts, our friendship run deep. 'Liquid is Liquid' came from our shared love of Balearic and dub, and him wanting to make music that could be played at Labrynth at 5:30am. We spoke every day. Even when he moved to Italy, 5, 10, 20 times a day. The laughs, the wind-ups, the mugs, the posters, the stupid quotes he turned into gifts. I’ll miss that so much. He fought so hard the last five years. I’m thankful me and Sonya got to visit, to laugh, to sit with him, to just be together. I’m thankful he got our message before he passed, his family said he waited for it. Every time I play a tune from ’89–’92, he’s with me. Every time I look at Bea or speak to Stella, he’s with me. Every rave, every radio show, every moment. I miss you already, Eamon. I love you always”
His wife, Stella, also shared a deeply emotional message:
“Babe, Bea and I miss you more than words can say. We are lost for words for all the love and messages from family, friends and so many other people who appreciate your music and the person you were. Missing so much your kindness, silliness and energy... Love you loads xx If anyone wishes, you can send donations to the hospice where Eamon spent the past two months. They were simply outstanding in providing care for Eamon and emotional support for our family.”
Link to donate: https://donaora.policlinicocampus.it/hospice/~mia-donazione
On a personal note, I first saw Eamon Downes playing a Liquid live set in 2012 at Plissken Festival in Athens. A year later, I had the honour of interviewing him for the Strictly NuSkool Blog, followed by another in-depth talk in 2016 this time in person and on camera, at Brainstorm event in Thessaloniki, Greece, just after his explosive set.
He was my first ever video guest - and that moment stayed with me. All the laughs and good chat we had off the camera too. A year after in 2017, he joined me once more for a radio special this time featuring an an interview among an exclusive Liquid guest mix - broadcasted on Planet Rave Radio on behalf of his studio return with the 'Energy Flows' album.
“Ah, congratulations on the economics studies - that’s amazing. Man, don’t want distractions when you’re doing that!”
It was short, sincere, thoughtful and the type of message that showed his kindness, authenticity and generosity.
As a personal tribute, my next show on Aaja Radio (scheduled for August 12th) will be a special Liquid showcase. It’s the least I can do to honour the legacy of an authentic man who gave so much to the scene, and to all of us who felt his music.
REST IN PEACE - REST IN HARMONY, EAMON DOWNES (LIQUID)
No comments:
Post a Comment