Pulse X

"Pulse X" is a grime instrumental by producer Youngstar of the crew Musical Mob. First released on 12" vinyl in March 2002 and given a wider release in July of the same year, Pulse X is widely considered to be the first ever grime beat and has been described as "year zero" for the genre.[1] It was re-released by White Peach Records on 16 November 2015 in the form of an extended play.

"Pulse X"
Single by Youngstar
Released8 July 2002 (UK)
GenreGrime
LabelInspired Sounds
Songwriter(s)Daryl Nurse

Style and influence

Pulse X is noted for its aggressive minimalism and original sound,[2][3] consisting of a single 16 bar loop, with some minor variation to the patterns in the second half of the song, with a more typical 2-step garage style for 8 bars followed by a stripped down snare and kick for 8 bars. The song has no introduction and the outro is a simple fade out. A voice sample saying "Musical Mob royal pon the map" plays once every 32 bars throughout on the switch from one 8-bar pattern to the other.

Pulse X was very influential on early grime productions and the wider post garage landscape of the electronic music scene in London in the early 2000s, with the instrumental continuing to influence grime's new wave of producers in the early 2010s[1][4] Bok Bok called Youngstar's early music as "simplistic, brutalist genius" in 2014 describing "Pulse X" his favourite example of the producers work.[5] The minimalism and empty space on beats such as Pulse X set the foundations for the development of grime as a more MC centric genre than its forebear UK garage with MCs preferring to spit over the new style of beat in raves and on pirate radio.

Remixes and alternative versions

The song has spawned many remixes, five of which were released through Liminal Sounds on 25 January 2013.[6] Mystry's instrumental "Pulse 8" is inspired by the track, and was used as the opening beat on Jme's 2015 album Integrity>.

Track listing
2013 remix EP
No.TitleLength
1."Pulse X" (Visionist Remix)4:43
2."Pulse X" (Blackwax Remix)4:21
3."Pulse X" (Slackk Remix)5:58
4."Pulse X" (Pedro 123 Remix)4:13
5."Pulse X" (Elsewhere Remix)3:48
2015 re-release[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Pulse X"5:16
2."Revival"3:38
3."Formula"5:18
4."Formula 2"4:47

References
  1. "The 20 best Grime records ever made - Page 2 of 16 - FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". factmag.com. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  2. "RA Reviews: Four Tet - FabricLive.59 on Fabric Records (Album)". residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  3. "Introduction to: Grime Instrumentals - Cherwell - Oxford's Independent Student Newspaper". cherwell.org. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  4. "Youngstar's O.G. Grime Anthem 'Pulse X' Turns 10, Gets Remixed | SPIN". spin.com. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  5. "The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Creation Of Worlds: Bok Bok Discusses 13 Favourite Albums". thequietus.com. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  6. "Pulse X Remixes - EP by Youngstar". iTunes. 25 January 2013.
  7. "WPR007 - Youngstar - Pulse X EP, by Youngstar".
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