Bomb The Bass

Hailing from Brixton with Malaysian and Scottish ancestry, Tim Simenon emerged as the driving force behind Bomb the Bass, fashioning intricate sample-based productions rooted in British hip-hop while also shaping two landmark international successes: Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance” and Seal’s “Crazy.” His fascination with dance-music craft took shape after he completed studies in studio engineering and spent time spinning records at London’s Wag Club, a hub that drew like-minded breakbeat enthusiasts including S-Express’ Mark Moore and Coldcut’s Jonathan More and Matt Black.

During 1987 he assembled the tongue-in-cheek DJ cut “Beat Dis,” weaving together fragments from Public Enemy, Ennio Morricone, and the theme music of Dragnet and The Thunderbirds. Presented as an anonymous white-label import, the track first circulated underground before its official release on Rhythm King propelled it to an unexpected number-two position on the British singles chart in early 1988, soon followed into the Top Ten by Coldcut’s “Doctorin’ the House” and S-Express’ “Theme from S-Express.”

Later the same year Simenon expanded the Bomb the Bass roster for the album Into the Dragon, bringing in producer Jonathan Saul Kane—later known for his Depth Charge work—alongside vocalists Maureen Walsh and Lauraine McIntosh. Two singles drawn from the set, “Megablast” and a fresh reading of the Burt Bacharach–Dionne Warwick staple “Say a Little Prayer,” also climbed into the British Top Ten. At that point he began assisting Neneh Cherry, stepdaughter of free-jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, on her debut recordings; both “Buffalo Stance” and “Manchild” reached the UK Top Ten. After finishing construction of his personal studio he contributed the track “Killer” to Adamski and handled mixing duties on “Crazy” for Adamski’s protégé Seal, which soon registered Top Ten success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Outside commitments delayed the next Bomb the Bass album for nearly three years. Unknown Territory finally surfaced in 1991, fronted by the Top Ten single “Winter in July,” whose mid-tempo hip-hop approach later drew retrospective praise once the trip-hop label gained currency. Throughout the early nineties Simenon produced material for artists ranging from Eternal to Sinéad O’Connor. Further collaborative results appeared in 1995 on the third Bomb the Bass album, Clear, which showcased vocal contributions from O’Connor, Justin Warfield, Bernard Fowler, Bim Sherman, and Leslie Winer while incorporating instrumental work from Tackhead and On-U Sound associates Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish, and Skip McDonald.

In the late nineties he again concentrated on external projects, supplying remixes and productions for David Bowie, Depeche Mode, U2, Gavin Friday, Curve, Booth & the Bad Angel, and Hardfloor. After releasing the EPs Clear Cut and Tracks in 2001, Simenon placed Bomb the Bass on hold to manage his Electric Tones label. He revived the project in 2006, constructing nine new pieces almost entirely on a mini-Moog synthesizer; the resulting collection appeared two years later as Future Chaos. Fresh material followed more rapidly, culminating in the straightforward dance album Back to Light, issued early in 2010 with co-producer Gui Boratto. Paul Conboy joined as co-producer on 2013’s In the Sun, an album that emphasized additional vocals and conventional song forms compared with earlier outings.