"Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (also titled "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place London)") is a

hard trance Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music which originated in Western Europe (Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands) in the early 1990s as the Breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic m ...

song by Scottish

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

group

Public Domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

, written and produced by the group's three members: Mark Sherry, Alistair MacIsaac, and James Allan. It samples a remix of New Order's song "

Confusion In medicine, confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"

", which was featured in the 1998

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

'', the source of the track's title. "Operation Blade" is also based on the theme to the 1982

science-fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

''. The song was released on 20 November 2000 as Public Domain's debut single. On 26 November, it debuted at number five on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and stayed at that position for another week. Throughout December 2000 and early 2001, the track charted in at least 10 other countries, peaking within the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Germany, and Norway. It was also critically successful, with British publication ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' calling it "hardcore brilliance". In April 2001, it was included on Public Domain's only studio album, ''Hard Hop Superstars''.

Critical reception

British

music journalism Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

website ''

'' called "Operation Blade" a "gleefully manic song" and described it as "no-frills hardcore brilliance". Matthias Völlm of Swiss CHR radio station Radio 105 called the song "good" but doubted its airplay potential.

Track listings

UK 12-inch vinyl # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (original mix) – 8:22 # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (B'n'G Mix) – 5:44 European and Australian CD single # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (7-inch radio edit) – 3:07 # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (original mix) – 8:21 # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (B'n'G vs. Musico remix) – 5:43 12-inch vinyl (2006 remix) # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (2006 remix) – 8:15 # "Operation Blade (Bass in the Place)" (2006 XXX remix) – 7:54

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

The story behind "Public Domain – Operation Blade" with Mark Sherry Muzikxpress 064
{{Authority control 2000 debut singles 2000 songs 2001 singles Acid house songs Trance songs