Often credited for being a lynchpin in the developing the tech-funk genre (an amalgamation of breaks, house, techno and electro) he has released a series of highly successful singles in the past few years, finding broad support from DJs and musicians across the board, including the likes of James Zabiela, Sasha, Crystal Method, Laurent Garnier and Fatboy Slim to name but five. In 2008 released a semi-retrospective double album’s worth of remixes and re-workings of a 12-year back catalogue, with over 25 mixes coming from such luminaries as Miles Dyson, Rogue Element, Deepgroove, Dylan Rhymes & Calvertron.
In addition to these solo singles, Meat Katie has been a regular collaborator with Elite Force, a relationship that had begun in 2003 with the massive-selling 'Toba', and that will see their creative relationship come to fruition in 2009 with the launch of their new joint project under the name ‘Dustbowl’, as well as a series of singles under the ‘Meat Katie & Elite Force’ banner.
As a remixer, Elite Force has always been in huge demand, with re-workings for the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Crystal Method, Jungle Brothers, Stereo MCs, UNKLE, Infusion, Rennie Pilgrem, Shiloh and Dylan Rhymes all contributing to his reputation as one of the most creative and effective remixers around.
Elite Force's music has also been the soundtrack to many a movie, with a huge list of impressive A-list credits to his name, including the likes of the Matrix, Charlie's Angels, Arlington Road, Mortal Kombat, Crow, The Bone Collector, The Jackyll, Spiderman 2 and his music has appeared on a wide array of TV shows, from CSI to Top Gear, from Football Focus to LA Doctors. He's also soundtracked a number of computer games, including no fewer than 5 FIFA games, several of the Wipeout series, The Matrix and Motorstorm 1, and he is currently writing some bespoke music for forthcoming games for Ferrari and Motorstorm2.
On the decks, Elite Force has been a prime mover since 1990 when he cut his teeth playing huge student nights and self-promoted acid house nights in the South West of England, before moving up to London and ultimately gravitating towards his tech-funk style, with which he now has a full diary of global bookings. He has become known as one of the top technicians on a circuit that has included massive shows in Belarus, Hungary, Australia, Italy, USA, Czech Republic, India, Turkey, Spain, Japan, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and China, amongst others, as well as numerous festival slots including Glastonbury, Coachella, Bloom, Wickerman and the Glade.
He was also responsible for the hugely influential Strongarm Sessions webcasts which became something of an institution since their inception back in 2001, receiving as they did around 20,000 downloads per show, but now put on the backburner to concentrate on other projects, such as his own blog (Techfunkmanifesto) and his other musical projects, such as Dustbowl and Zodiac Cartel.
LINKS
Elite Force Space : http://www.myspace.com/shackforce
Tech Funk Forum : http://www.strongarmsessions.co.uk/techfunk
Twitter : http://twitter.com/eliteforce
Strongarm Sessions : http://www.strongarmsessions.co.uk
Tech Funk Manifesto : http://www.techfunkmanifesto.blogspot.com
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elite-Force/13109361137?created
Elite Force Press Shots : http://www.strongarmsessions.co.uk/press
Discogs.com : http://www.discogs.com/artist/Elite+Force
Elite Force iLike : http://www.ilike.com/artist/Elite+Force/
Youtube Channel : http://www.youtube.com/user/djeliteforce
Heart of Darkness
Elite Force Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Possesses me and makes me whole
Heart of darkness in your soul
Obsesses me beyond control
This heart of darkness in your soul
Possesses me and makes me whole
Heart of darkness in your soul
Obsesses me beyond control
Lost in the moment she was savage and superb
Tragic and fearful, the darkest thing I′ve heard
She was ominous and stately and the hush it fell around
Wild-eyed and magnificent, she never touched the ground
You will be lush, she was lowering her voice
Be loyal to the nightmare, the nightmare of your choice
Something's pure about this place, these noble burning words
Brooding air of menace, sense of the absurd
Lost in the moment with the drone of the machines
Beating back the water, breathing smoke into your dream
She made no answer, I thought I saw her smile
Come crawling through the madness, the long forgotten trial
This heart of darkness in your soul
Possesses me and makes me whole
Heart of darkness in your soul
Obsesses me beyond control
This heart of darkness in your soul
Possesses me and makes me whole
Heart of darkness in your soul
Obsesses me beyond control
The lyrics of Elite Force's "Heart of Darkness" speak about a person's obsession and possession of the darkness that exists within another. The phrase "heart of darkness" is derived from the novella of the same name by Joseph Conrad, which depicted the journey of a man into the Congo region of Africa, where he found himself battling against the dark forces of the human mind.
The song's lyrics highlight the allure and attraction of the darkness that resides in someone's soul, and how it can captivate and possess another person. The singer is lost in the moment, mesmerized by the savage and superb nature of the darkness that he sees in the other person.
The lines "something's pure about this place, these noble burning words, a brooding air of menace, sense of the absurd" are intriguing as they depict the complexity of the situation. The person in question possesses a darkness that the singer cannot resist, and although there is menace and absurdity in it, there is also something noble and pure. The song goes on to describe the trance-like state that the singer is in as he becomes entwined with the blackness he has found.
Line by Line Meaning
This heart of darkness in your soul
The deep and disturbing darkness within you, which seems to control your thoughts and actions.
Possesses me and makes me whole
I am deeply affected by your darkness, and it feels like a part of me, like it completes me in a way.
Heart of darkness in your soul
Reiterating the existence of the darkness within you which engulfs those around you.
Obsesses me beyond control
I cannot help but be fixated and consumed by the darkness in your soul, to the point where it feels like it has taken over me completely.
Lost in the moment she was savage and superb
Refers to a specific moment in which someone was wild and untamed, but also incredibly impressive and powerful.
Tragic and fearful, the darkest thing I′ve heard
Describing a fear-inducing and sorrowful event that is the worst thing the singer has ever experienced or heard of.
She was ominous and stately and the hush it fell around
The woman was grand and imposing, and everything around her became quiet and tense in her presence.
Wild-eyed and magnificent, she never touched the ground
She was fierce and glorious, seeming to float above the ground with the power she exuded.
You will be lush, she was lowering her voice
She speaks with confidence and a low voice, telling someone that they will be successful and have abundance in their life.
Be loyal to the nightmare, the nightmare of your choice
Choosing to remain devoted to a bad situation or decision, that which you willingly chose to cause, even if it causes emotional turmoil and pain.
Something's pure about this place, these noble burning words
There is something truly good and righteous about this particular place they are in, as seen in the passionate and powerful words that are spoken by someone.
Brooding air of menace, sense of the absurd
A general feeling of danger and a sense of strangeness and irony in the situation, causing unease and confusion.
Lost in the moment with the drone of the machines
Being caught up in a moment of time with the incessant hum of machines around, drowning out everything else.
Beating back the water, breathing smoke into your dream
Fighting back the forces of nature, even if it means polluting your own dreams and consciousness with negativity and darkness.
She made no answer, I thought I saw her smile
The woman did not respond verbally, but the singer interpreted a smile on her face, which could have meant approval or something else altogether.
Come crawling through the madness, the long forgotten trial
Surviving the insanity of life and traversing past a difficult and traumatic obstacle that had been buried in the past.
Writer(s): Simon Keith Shackleton
Contributed by Alexandra R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.