Description
#christophdebabalon #vinyl #vinylrecords
If You’re Into It, I’m Out Of It, Christoph De Babalon’s late ’90s neo-noir ambient jungle masterpiece, remains a timeless gem on the music continuum. With frozen gear reminiscent of Thomas Köner, this album has been endlessly copied but never surpassed in its distinct niche.
A pivotal figure in Digital Hardcore, Babalon blended UK rave music with experimental techno, hardedge politics, and Teutonic influences. Unlike his labelmates, Babalon’s sound went beyond aggressive breakbeat energy, encompassing icy ambient atmospheres and a desolate romanticism. If You’re Into It, I’m Out Of It captures the essence of an era when the once utopian outlook of rave had given way to a darker, more melancholic tone, reflecting a disillusionment with dance music’s commercialization and a pre-millennial tension. It became the perfect soundtrack for ravers immersed in virtual lives or too young to experience the culture firsthand, witnessing only the diluted remnants that had transformed into garage, trance, and prog house.
The album straddles extremes, delivering intense rave anthems like “Dead (Too)” and “Water,” while simultaneously haunting listeners with the epic opener “Opium,” the Gas-like ambiance of “Brilliance,” and the funereal bliss of “High Life (Theme).” Babalon forged a path that merged DJ Scud’s rugged jungle breakcore with the sonic landscapes of Thomas Köner and Deathprod, paving the way for contemporary artists like Raime, Blackest Ever Black, Demdike, and Pessimisst. If You’re Into It, I’m Out Of It remains a potent statement of artistic intent, an aesthetic that continues to resonate and influence to this day.
