ZION TRAIN

zion train history

> zion train have been together as a sound system since 1990, initially making music for dubplates and DAT for sound system selection. the first few zion train vinyl releases were limited edition roots 7"'s on their own zion records imprint which were very well recieved on the roots scene. the first single 'power one' immediately sold out on release and is an established uk sound staple, the next cut 'power two' was a big favourite at shaka dances in '92/93. the third single featured studio one veteran devon russell on a fierce remake of his classic 'jah holds the key'. this track and the deep dub and spiritual dj cuts really established zion train as a roots force, it was placed in the boomshackalacka top ten roots tunes of 1992 and played on sounds all over europe and performed as part of a radio one session for andy kershaw. 

> the first zion train lp 'passage to indica' was a mellow dub collection which sold to a much wider audience than the previous singles and has continued to sell ever since. at this time zion train began their association with the tassilli players, a loose collection of musicians from africa, india, japan, the caribean and europe. zion train oversaw the production of the first tassilli players lp 'great sporting moments in dub' and began a long road of production and remixing that has taken in extremadura, knights of the occasional table, gary clail. the shamen, chumbawamba, afro-celt sound system,junior reid, loop guru, hawkwind, the ruts dc, new model army, spiral tribe, kissing the pink, slipstream and a host of others. 

> the next zion train release marked a turning point in style as the dub and roots influence of earlier work welded itself to the loops and analogue frenzy of early us acid house, 'follow like wolves' was an underground club hit all over europe, david holmes in belfast, dj dmitri in amsterdam, ecce recca in naples & slam in glasgow all played the tune regularly and as a result a remix ep was issued on the new zion train owned universal egg imprint. remixers included the camberwell butterflies' dave shakra, the trancemasters and, the remix debut of, club dog's michael dog. 
> zion train have also established themselves as a live favourite with concerts in every part of the uk (including the shetlands), holland, germany, italy, eire, france and belgium. on average 150 gigs a year over three years. the performance from 1994's glastonbury festival was recorded in front of a 3,000 strong crowd and released as a limited edition cassette on universal egg. 

> the follow up to 'passage to indica' was the nme four star rated 'natural wonders of the world in dub' which entered the independant charts at no.18. again a mellow outing in comparison to the 12" releases, this reflects the zion train ethic of making the music fit the format, an lp, or ideally cd is a good chance to expand on idea's and develop an experience whereas a 12" single should make you jump about. 
> throughout 1994 universal egg records released a string of zion train collectors series ep's with collaborations with artists like the knights of the occasional table, diatribe, conscious and the trancemasters, so great was the demand for these limited to 2,000 releases that the best tracks from the zion train sides were gathered together for the lp 'siren' which debuted in the independant charts at no.9. 

> in 1995 zion train signed a deal with china records, home of the levellers and the art of noise, and the first single under this new deal was 'get ready' released on 27th february 1995. the debut lp on china 'homegrown fantasy' was released on june 9th 1995. the follow up, 'grow together', came in 1996. between 1994 and 1996 zion train played 301 gigs. 

> zion train accept and exploit new technologies but never to the exclusion of all before them. the internet, a pencil, a radio transmitter, a telephone or a photocopier are all as important as one another in the communication explosion. 

> 1997 has seen a string of successful club and festival dates across europe, the zion train live show developing into a freer more relaxed affair as always developing from easy dub to pumping breakbeat techno over the length of the set. 

> 'the cd-rom that we created is an application of our imaginations to this new media, not a marketing ploy but a genuine interactive album, where the possibilities that multi media offers are exploited to complement and expand upon our other activities. through our net sites, our recorded music, the live shows, our fact gathering and artworks, the wobbler and the cd-rom we can present a whole range of idea's and ideals in a way which has not been possible before.' 

> 'we now have a music industry where the means of production are moving into the hands of the workers, no fat arsed 'producers' living off the sweat of the earnest musician, we can do it ourselves now.' 

> 'zion train is a collective of people who can see a different way of doing things and who can, through the support that we generate for ourselves put our idea's into practice. we are in control of the various businesses that we operate from and are under no illusions as to the reality of business, music or otherwise.' 

> 'zion train believe that each aspect of what we do should be approached to get the maximum from it. for us a 12" single is for dancing to, an album is for listening to, a gig is for leaping about at, an album cover is the space to put out information beyond what is contained within the recording.' 

> 'being alive is a brilliant thing, the world around us is amazing, the peoples of the world are extraordinary and diverse in their cultures and creeds and we revel in and celebrate that. we enjoy good humour and fight oppressive mentalities. we are honest and respect others as long as they respect us.' 
 
 
 

zion train albums

zion train singles

zion train productions: singles

zion train productions: albums

remixes

afro-celt sound system 'sure as not' 

chumbawamba 'amnesia' 

> 'zion train support any kind of communication, we embrace interesting idea's and we support those who seek to propogate them.' 

> 'being zion train is our life and it involves work, care, humour, concern, excitement, disgust and exhilaration just like everybody else's life. we reclaim popular music as a place where intelligence can exist, resistance can be expressed and people can be excited and moved.'