2 Bad Mice

Formed in 1991, 2Bad Mice earned early recognition as one of the initial U.K. hardcore outfits to integrate breakbeats extensively into the genre. The trio comprised Sean O'Keefe, Simon Colebrooke, and producer Rob Playford, who founded and runs Moving Shadow records. They remained fixtures of the hardcore circuit from the early through the mid-1990s and played a key role in guiding its gradual evolution toward jungle and drum'n'bass. Their pioneering method of dissecting sampled beats into rhythmic fragments and reassembling them in fresh patterns reached full maturity on the 1992 hit single “Bombscare,” an approach widely viewed as the template for jungle’s signature breakbeat manipulation. As the hardcore movement declined, the group largely ceased production, with Playford redirecting his efforts toward Moving Shadow, which grew into one of jungle’s biggest and most influential imprints. A career-spanning compilation of their material surfaced on the American Sm:)e Communications label in 1995. Playford maintains an active recording presence within Metalheadz alongside the label’s founder Goldie, while O’Keefe and Colebrooke have issued occasional tracks under various aliases.