Alex Jenkins is predominently known for his work as inhouse designer at XL Recordings. His most recognised sleeve is The Prodigy's Fat of the Land but he has also created work for one-off singles plus the previously referenced designs for UK garage-oriented material for sub-label Locked On and, artist, The Streets. Fitting nicely with Reynolds' 'Continuum', he also devised the look of the records for the drum & bass-propelled Jonny L and Breakbeat Era plus a featured release by The Freestylers [an act that, despite being aligned with the subgenres of big beat and breaks, actually feature a Kenny Ken jungle sample].
What I like about this work is the idea of a colour-coded, perhaps collectible set (as with the Locked On releases) and the feeling of a 'used' product (again, with Locked On and also evident in the Breakbeat Era series). There's a utilitarian aesthetic from both the stencil text and the bold sans serif fonts that I think is also important in terms of continuing a lineage of underground club records as functional items. However, they are - as with some of the other images that I'll be referencing - of a particular age while in tune with the scenes that they represented. Although I do want to create something that refences an aesthetic that belongs to a particular time and place, I would also like to ensure that it wasn't a simple pastiche and, in fact, want it to feel as much about now. That's important: the coverage and explanation of Reynolds' 'Hardcore Continuum' is, of course, about its continued relevance and influence.
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