Artist profile · Drum & bass
Origin Unknown
Deep in the music.
Closer to the artist.
Origin Unknown was the studio partnership of Andy C and Ant Miles, known for Valley of the Shadows and its place in the early history of RAM Records.
Behind the music
About Origin Unknown.
Origin Unknown was the production partnership of Andy C and Ant Miles. Its records are an important part of the early RAM Records catalogue, with Valley of the Shadows becoming the best-known example of their shared studio work.
Originally released in 1993 as the B-side of The Touch, the track brought an unusually spacious approach to the developing jungle sound. Its vocal fragments about a dark tunnel and 31 seconds became immediately recognisable, but the arrangement was just as significant: a small set of elements created a distinctive atmosphere without the density of many contemporary rave records.
In DJ Mag, Andy C recalled making the tune with Miles and initially finding that the people around them preferred the other side of the single. RA’s later retrospective traced the recording’s samples and construction through the producers’ own accounts. The original and the later Awake ’96 remix remain separately identified in RAM’s catalogue.
The partnership subsequently connects with Shimon through Ram Trilogy. Keeping those credits clear helps listeners follow the music: Origin Unknown is the Andy C and Ant Miles collaboration, while Ram Trilogy adds another producer. Andy C’s solo DJ career is a further part of that history, rather than a substitute for the duo’s identity.
Artist styles
Source-reviewed associations with parts of this artist’s work. Individual releases may differ.
Jungle
Moderate confidence · Valley of the Shadows and the early-1990s duo period