Valley of the Shadows
Encyclopedia
"Valley of the Shadows" by Origin Unknown is a highly influential jungle music
track from 1993 released on Ram Records
. Originally featured as a B-side of the 4th Ram Records release "Valley of the Shadows" proved a lot more popular than the A-side, "The Touch", and the 12" went on to become one of the label's best-selling releases.
Origin Unknown is the recording pseudonym
of long serving Drum n Bass DJ/artist Andy C
and veteran producer Ant Miles.
It has two famous samples, which are often used by DJs and dance music
aficionados to identify the record:
Most of the samples that were used to make the tune were taken from the free CD that came with the first issues of the magazine Future Music that came out in the UK in February 1993.
The title is perhaps inspired by Psalm 23
in the Bible
, but is probably more likely to be a reference to 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death' in Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress'
, which was itself inspired by the Psalm.
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
track from 1993 released on Ram Records
Ram Records (UK)
Ram is a dance music record label, primarily releasing drum and bass music.Established in 1992 by Andy C with the help of close friend Ant Miles, the label and business today is run Andy C and business partner Scott Bourne Ram is a dance music record label, primarily releasing drum and bass...
. Originally featured as a B-side of the 4th Ram Records release "Valley of the Shadows" proved a lot more popular than the A-side, "The Touch", and the 12" went on to become one of the label's best-selling releases.
Origin Unknown is the recording pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of long serving Drum n Bass DJ/artist Andy C
Andy C
Andy C , born Andrew John Clarke, is an English DJ and producer and co-founder of the RAM Recording Studio. He is the son of Mick Clarke, bass player and founder member of the Rubettes, who had hits in the seventies like Sugar Baby Love, Tonight and I Can Do It.He is considered a pioneering force...
and veteran producer Ant Miles.
It has two famous samples, which are often used by DJs and dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
aficionados to identify the record:
- The phrase "Felt that I was in this long dark tunnel", sampled from an episode of the BBC documentary series Q.E.D.Q.E.D. (BBC TV series)Q.E.D. was the name of a strand of BBC popular science documentary films which aired in the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1999.-Format:...
, first shown in 1989, concerning out-of-body experienceOut-of-body experienceAn out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
s.
- The phrase "Thirty-one seconds", from the Apollo 11Apollo 11In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
countdown to the Lunar Module landing on the moon in 1969 (as voiced by then-Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space CenterThe John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
Chief of Public Information Jack KingJack King (NASA)John W. "Jack" King is a former Chief of Public Information and Public Affairs Officer for NASA. He is best known for his work as Kennedy Space Center Chief of Public Information during projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. As part of this role, he provided public announcements and commentary for...
).
Most of the samples that were used to make the tune were taken from the free CD that came with the first issues of the magazine Future Music that came out in the UK in February 1993.
The title is perhaps inspired by Psalm 23
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, but is probably more likely to be a reference to 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death' in Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress'
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been...
, which was itself inspired by the Psalm.