ADVERT
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SAT U R DAY 1 8 T H M AY
CIRCUS PERFORMANCE
B E AV E R WO R K S
CONTENTS Urban Underground Culture is bigger now than ever in Britain, but what defines Underground Culture? Underground Culture is all things operating outside of mainstream society. Urban Roots looks at all genres of underground life from fashion to art, sport and music.
Pages 6 - 7 Jungle Jam Review 10 - 13
History of Graffiti
16 - 19 Street Fashion 22 - 23 Leicester Deep Review 26 - 27 Street Dancers 28 - 29 Local Dancer
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jungle’s still Many people beleive that Techno and House are the future of the underground music scene leaving drum and bass and jungle behind as nothing but a fond memory. Well if that’s what you think you can forget it. Jungle and Drum and Bass are returning in force and Jungle Jam is right at the heart of its revival. After a two months absence following their unforgettable eight birthdays Jungle Jam returned with a line-up that could not possible disappoint. The likes of Hazard, Annix Kenny Ken and Mc Navigator Brockie and Det Nicky Blackmarket, Marvellous Caine all under one roof set Jungle jam up for what could well be the biggest drum and bass night not only for Jungle Jam but for the whole of Leeds. From the minute the doors opened, the lights dropped and the bass hit it was constant electric vibes and smiley bass faces. Once again Leeds was bearing witness to what has to be the biggest and most loved drum and bass night in the country, that again and again proves Jungle really is still massive. The faithful jungle jam following again returned to their holy ground and by no means were disappointed, after the last two epic nights Jungle Jam hosted in the city they had a lot to live up to which they more than achieved. Regulars were as always completed blown away by the undeniably amazing music and atmosphere that pulsated from corner to corner and the Jungle Jam virgins were as we all were the first time we attended a Jungle Jam, completely in awe.
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The images of the night speak for themselves, gun fingers bass faces and huge cheeky jungle riddled grins etched across every last face in the building. Exactly the vibe anyone who attends a jungle and drum and bass night loves to be a part of. DJ Hazard whose respect among the junglist and drum and bass following is completely undeniable was the headline act in room one. His respect comes from years and years of smashing the scene both with his DJ’ skills and brilliance in production and has made so many bangers he could easily get away with a straight hour of purely his own music with minimal mixing, never his style. Hazard mixing from the moment he stepped up was seamless, pulling out some of the most loved and most recognised tunes over the past two decades he had the system pumping so had it shook your eyes, but who needs to see, close your eyes and listen. Hazard stepped off the decks to one of the biggest ovations mint warehouse has ever seen, well and truly deserved for and unbelievable set and the night just went on from strength to strength.
MASSIVE Annix picked up where Hazard finished delivering some unbelievable low end bass lines that shook the foundations of the club. Their first set for Jungle Jam went down a storm both with the crowd and the organisers and will no doubt be making a return to the jungle soon enough. Kenny Ken stepped up next, pioneer of jungle and legend in the game took to the turntables alongside Mc Navigator who needs no introductions. Both have been in the scene from its roots and delivered a unbelievable raga set that oozed experience. Brockie and Det set continued the vibes playing a fully jungle set with massive low end and up tepmo sounds setting everyone up perfectly for Nicky Blackmarket for the graveyard set. Known by many as the friendliest face in drum and bass Nicky Blackmarket took position and as was always beaming from ear to ear. A beam that was mimicked by every last person in the room after what had been an unforgettable night. Nicky saw the night out perfectly and had the ravers bouncing to the bitter end. The quality of Jungle Jam is undeniable it is quite simple the best jungle night in the country, if you have not been yet it’s about time you did.
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as ever thusiasm
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Humans have b 40,000 years ag use the nearest be it either text
Graffiti was born form was pionee what became kn ings for people t began to grow.
armed with aero carriages was th all 5 of new york
with Writing quic competition bet new ways to ele to train yards so were stationary of getting caugh
in the late 70s m ing graffiti as its writers frequentl other artists . fro an artists didnt l the word toy ove simply cross it o
Although graffiti seen and recogn identity has bec more than ever, graffiti artists, w at a jail term , a graffiti is still on
the us judicial sy concerning graff years while no o over two years . mon place and n and see any, be criticised of art due to seeing it
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OING UP TAGGING
ve been writing on walls since the stone ages , with the earliest known cave painting dating back over s ago , so long infact its been inbuilt to the human psyce , give a small child a pen they will more than likely rest wall as a surface to draw on. every society has had people leaving their mark by some form of graffiti ext or pictures.
born in the US in the late 60s, although widely debated where it started be it new york or philadelphia the art oneered by the american youth , the youngsters started marking up the city adorning walls and buildings with me known as a tag , generally a combination of a writers name and street number placed on walls and buildple to see, of course other kids saw this and wanted there names up there aswell and so a network of writers ow.
aerosol cans the movement quickly took off , even more so when people realised that putting tags on train as the best way to get recognised using the new york subways cars artists could spread there work through yorks boroughs by the linked train system.
quickly moving from the streets to the subways between artists increased pushing them to seek o elevate the art form . Writers began gaining entry s so they could hit many subway cars while they nary in a short space of time and with less chance aught .
0s mid 80s Hip Hop came on to the scene adopts its visual language. Like hiphops rappers, graffiti uently found themselves in conflict or beef with . from this came the culture of ‘toying’ . where if dnt like another artists piece then he would write y over it short for Trouble Over Your system or just s it out to show there dissapproval.
affiti is an art form based around having your tag cognised as much as you can, hiding your true become just as important in this day and age now ver, with courts clamping down on the sentencing of ts, with established writers more than likely looking m , although this has served as little deterrent and ll on the rise.
al system holds a firmer stance over sentencing graffiti handing out length sentences of up to 8 no one in the uk has been sentenced to anything ars . since the 60s graffiti has become more comand now its actually hard not to walk down the street y, because of this it has become one of the most f art forms because everyone has an opinion on it ng it nearly every day.
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‘A mans going up ‘ , yeah right i though, skint ,no job , no girl where is it exactly you are going , ‘on a fair few w I became acquainted with seven through a series of unsavoury events where we both found ourselves serving age and the only people with long hair, we were immediately drawn to each other through the sea of chavs an ed up conversation by finding out how we had landed ourselves in there, while studying graphic design and fine ing of small he began doing quick throw ups and tags around his hometown of manchester, as he learned mor were the true heart of graffiti allowing writers to have there tags roll through multiple town and cites up and do , after much debate he gathered a crew of writers to make a daring raid on a train depot where carriages wer the crew made the raid on the depot everything went to plan no problems or interruptions resulting in 4 carriag had got away with it, a feet that nowadays seemed nearly impossible as a result of ccttv and other precautio cess and the buzz that it brought them the crew began planning another raid this time linking up with a crew fr careful planning and deliberation they struck the depot this time covering eight carriages. But all didn’t go to p arrived on the scene apparently tipped off by a passer by , they were all arrested and kept in the cells over n crossed .
After serving are orders we kept in touch ,the stories he had told me and a examples of his work he had show began taking me out with him tagging , taking my camera with me I began documenting his work . A few week another graffiti artist had wrote the word toy over one of Sevens pieces ,common practice in the world of graf our paint used and the hand style of the artist seven was certain that it was a writer who had been tagging the ensued to cover or toy any of debz pieces that he saw around the area. unfortunatly it was through this that se
this was to be the end of sevens tagging not wanting to risk a trip to one of her majesties fine establishments out the game or so he tells me .
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few walls mate ‘ ving a community service order together . Being around the same s and carrear criminals , as is common in a place like that we startd fine art at collage seven was drawn into the world of graffiti , startmore about the history of the art , it occurred to him that the trains d down the country , and seemigly the best way to get recognised were stored over night for the day ahead , after careful planning rriages being covered top to bottom .even more of a success they autionary methods protecting places like that , fuelled by the sucew from the Liverpool area aiming to hit another depot , again after to plan just as the last writer was finishing his piece , multiple police er night and charged with criminal damage , upon attending court a
hown me got me interested in learning more , at my request he week into my documentation of him an interesting situation arose, graffiti when an artist disapproves of another’s work, by the colg the word debz around the area , over the following weeks seven at seven would again find himself in court. Going over one of debz
Glossary Toy - if an artists deems a peice of graffiti as poor then they will wite this over the peice (Trouble Over Your system) Tag- the name or word that the artist writes and leaves his mark. black book- A graffiti artist’s sketchbook where new pieces are planned . Going up - when ana artist has a lot of tags around the area and is stating to get reconised by other artists. Throw-up- a medium size peice generally consists of a one-color outline , done quickly to avoid attention. and
ents for a few months he decided to hang up his spray cans and get
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In the fashion industry, everything goes retro except the prices
-Criss Jami
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street fashion Are fashion trends from the past becoming back in style? Find out where to find vintage clothes, who are buying them and why they are becoming back in style with the young generation.
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BLAST from the
PAST S
treet fashion is generally associated with youth culture. There are many trends that can relate to being part of the urban lifestyle that go by the term ‘street fashion’. This youth subculture has brought trends back into fashion from the past. The main fashion that seems to become back on trend is the Hip Hop culture. trend seems to catch on through students especially. The items worn by this trend, for males, are usually snapbacks, statement tops, Nike trainers, Tie-Dye tops and retro jackets. Females will be seen wearing leotards, disco pants, crop tops, snap backs, Nike trainers, Tie-Dye tops and also retro jackets. Tie Dying has become very popular with young adults over the years, especially those of the youth culture. It is a cheap and easy way to make your own clothing fashionable. Tie-Dying was brought into fashion in the psychedelic phase of the 1960’s. Since then it has been an on/off trend that seems to be making a re-appearance with confident people in their late teens. Usually with the urban lifestyle of the hip-hop culture, the clothes they wear are not modern like the clothes you find in well promoted shops like Topshop and River Island, which are very popular shops for the younger adults of the modern age, but they wear clothes that will be found in small shops. This ruins the chance of the majority of people wearing the same clothes. Most males and females respond to well promoted big shops where they can also buy clothes online if not found in the shop itself. With small vintage shops you cannot do this. All of the clothes are made separately and are only a small amount of choice. The people of the Hip-Hop and festival cultures like this because they can look individual knowing that they are one of the only people to own that item of clothing. The clothes that seem to be making a re-appearance from the past can usually be bought in vintage shops, charity shops and street corner shops that
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are usually small and dingy. This creates a niche audience for the fashion that is an ongoing trend. A very popular shop for these young adults is ‘Blue Rinse’. Blue Rinse is a shop that sells all types of out of fashion clothes, which therefore makes them fashionable for the urban culture. The shop is a big success with young adults who like to dress different from the modern world. It is one of the biggest vintage shops in the UK selling every type of clothing for mixed gender. Blue Rinse originated as a second-hand stall on Leeds Market before becoming a big success and having shops all over the UK. The biggest of which is in Leeds itself. The shop is such a big hit because they take stall’s to festivals and shows all over Europe, thus becoming popular with the festival fashionista’s looking for unique and second-hand clothing that will fit their style , they also have an Ebay account where they also sell second-hand items to people who do not live in a city that has a BlueRinse store. The shop is well thought out as to what people want and are willing to buy. They produce clothes that look the same but are totally different. They’ll have a different fabric, or maybe a rip in the material. It is very well thought out because they know what the customers want and they know who
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their target audience are which is why they are so successful. Charity shops are aso a very popular please for younger people looking for vintage clothing at a cheap price as well as online stores that let people sell their own clothing at a chosen price. Online stores such as ASOS and Ebay let people sell clothing they have customised or have grown out of to other people interested in their style. You may come across clothing from the 60’s that are now back in style and know you’ll be the only person wearing it! Vintage shops may be difficult to find but online shops are the easiest way to find vintage clothing. It’s not just vintage clothing that is becoming back on trend, but also jewellery and accessories are a big hit with the urban culture. Snapback for men are one of the biggest accessories that has come back from the past along with Hi-Top trainers and logo t-shirts. It seems the whole street population is turning back to the 60’s 70’s and 90’s for popular items that are ready to be brought back into the industry, by themselves, and not by studio’s or promotion. I spoke to street fashionista’s Elizabeth McVeigh and Fraser Glossop about the fashion trends for the youth culture.
So guys, what is it about the hip-hop fashion sense that appeals to you so much?
Where do you buy your clothes?
E: Well usually I go into vintage shops in town, they’re everywhere and in their own little section so it’s not just one shop, I E: I think it’s the fact that it determines who you are as a person. You can learn a lot from also go into charity shops and buy clothes somebody’s fashion sense and that’s why it’s there. Some shops are cheap but some so important. vintage shops are so expensive! F: You can look at what somebody wears and F: To be honest I buy my clothes anywhere automatically see what they’re like as a per- and everywhere! I even look online for son, from music taste to personality you can second-hand clothing. Sometimes I even sort of know things about them. People that make my own clothes. It’s so easy to just dress like this are confident. It shows. buy the right equipment and make your own unique clothing for cheap.
Do you feel like you get judged for a particular lifestyle you may or may not have?
F: Everyone gets judged wherever they go. I don’t care what people think of me when they don’t know me. E: The particular lifestyle I presume is being drugs? It’s fair to assume I mean I have been on my nights out and seen people who are completely off their face! People just need to realise that not everyone is like that.
Do some people disagree with your choice of clothing? F: Of course. But someone’s style portrays who they are and what they’re like in my opinion. There’s a lot of people’s style that I don’t like so I don’t take it offensively if they don’t like mine. E: Well if you’re friends with people who understand your fashion sense and what you’re like then it should never really be a problem. If someone was to judge me on what I wear then I don’t really care about their opinion.
So you find you get prejudged a lot? E: Definitely. Prejudgment is ugly and it’s a wrong way to live your life. Never judge a book by it’s cover, you can be surprised by
what’s inside.
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back to bassics At the start of the drum and bass era Leicester City was at the forefront of the underground mupushing some of the biggest nights and names in the business Leicester really was the place to be in Leicester is now and has been for the past decade virtually non-existent although this could be about to change. Underground music culture is a massive part of
city fell out of touch with the underground music Drum and bass in the scene had lost its credibility as it was no longer a genre that operated purely outside of mainstream so it was no longer scene that fell completely under the mainstream rasomething that they could once again have as However no one seemed to push the newer with it the underground music culture in the city travel miles all over the country if they want to
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derground music DJ’s promoters and producers that all recognise the underground music scene is
What did come as a surprise was the number of
ing tonight’s not the same and maybe be the start of
hundred capacity basement level room with a
Honestly no one had much hope for a good
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system you really couldn’t have wanted anymore
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Take nothing but photos, Kill nothing but time, Leave nothing but footprints 24
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STREET DANCERS Current street artists perform everywhere and communicate with and understand their stories central London there are many different hot spots at where there will be street artists, either
near the London eye who imitate characters -
Leicester square is also a place where people -
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what career I have in my future, I will always -
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and i teach them stuff too i have made freinds
a club, sometimes for competition, sometimes they say about there future will be well within out there see the world meet people and dance
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LOCAL DANCER my body move!
always been inspired by different moves and the different
Do you want to be dancing all of your life? es at northern ballet and also dances in some
future?
dence where no matter how many people may
dancing?
da the same questions as the previous dancers Why do you dance? -
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