PEOPLE ISSUE TWO
People is a bi-annual, British music and culture focused zine for forward thinking, innovative creatives.
Through inspiring visuals and interviews with a generation of independent, dream following individuals, we aim to bring together and celebrate a community on a platform where stories and innovations are shared. Let our voices be heard and our empires be built, as we are the future of British culture.
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THE
JUNGLIST
revolution
that time i met
congo natty
“Hey, so I know you have tickets for tonight, but do you need guest list?” were some very unexpected words to hear over the phone hours before I was due to attend Lively Up Newcastle’s event starring jungle MC’s Congo Natty and Nancy & Phoebe. I had been speaking to Kaya, a 21 year old singer, artistic creative and daughter of
excited voices of the growing queue. A mixture of drunk and high bodies gathered in the February cold, ready to load their gun fingers to some jungle beats. I met Kaya outside; the first thing I noticed was her hair. It was braided into several sections with different patterns throughout, and it was cool. Kaya wore an Adidas Originals tracksuit top and baggy trousers; she looked ready for a night of raving.
“I could have been one of the most notorious I got saved by the king and his grace is so glorious” one of the most notorious faces in Jungle music, Congo Natty. Tonight, Kaya would be attending the jungle music event and singing on stage alongside Nancy & Phoebe. And I was going to be listening, dancing and enjoying every moment of it.
We fought through the heavy crowd, having a little dance here and there and eventually made it to the backstage area of the club.
As I opened the door into the artist’s lounge, a wave of marijuana smoke hit me like a gust of wind. The room was As I approached the venue small and plain with a kitchen (a small intimate club hidden top and two sofas. On these away on a dead end road at sofas sat three people who had the bottom of the town centre) made a significant impact on I could hear the bass from the my life for a lot of my teenage sound system mixed with years. Keep. It. Cool. Georgia.
when when ii say say
kyah you you say say
fyah
I took a seat on the floor next to Congo and introduced myself as Kaya poured me a generous glass of Mount Gay rum. Smoking a spliff across from me, Phoebe continued her story about her experience of visiting the refugees in Calais. Phoebe, Congo Natty and their crew had visited the refugee camp some days before to pay their respects and spread love and unity across the camps. We sat and spoke about our favourite festival experiences. As I was listening, I realised that all of these stories were from festivals that I had been to and witnessed as someone in the crowd. It was difficult to put into perspective the fact that I, a normal girl with an appreciation of jungle music, and one of the most internationally well known and respected Junglist MC’s found ourselves in the same confined room sharing drinks and telling each other of our most memorable stories, of which happened to be at the same festival, in the same field, at the same time.
ONE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC, WHEN IT HITS YOU, YOU FEEL NO PAIN We left the room and made our way to the stage. I felt like Moses crossing the red sea as the crowds parted in front of me. It was exciting to me that I was considered as part of the Congo Natty entourage. I situated myself next to the stage and watched as the crowd began to shift closer to the decks. Redemption Song by Bob Marley was the first tune to be played during Congo Natty’s set. As Nancy, Phoebe and Kaya sang “cos all I ever have, redemption songs”, I looked across to the crowd; it was magical how quickly the vibe inside the room evolved into a
harmonic expression of love, peace and unity. As the night developed, the bass from the sound system boomed throughout the walls. The crowd, an ocean of sweaty heads danced side by side for hours and the electricity running through the venue was enough to light up the whole of Newcastle. As the set ended and the crowd lessened, I left Kaya and the crew to settle down. It was hard to make sense of the encounter that had just happened and definitely one that I’ll never forget.
NEWCASTLE's underground SOUNDS
Underground, electronic music has played a crucial role in my social life, my fashion taste - and my happiness since the age of 16. As a learner, listener and lover of this movement since my first encounter with a Funktion One sound system at a music festival in 2011, there’s a lot I’ve experienced whilst growing up with these sounds in my ears.
After moving to Newcastle in 2013 to start my journey as an undergraduate fashion student, I played in and around the surroundings that Newcastle had to offer. My first thoughts were that Newcastle was like a hunting ground, where promoters of club nights were in competition with one another on who could catch the freshest prey and have them attend their club nights. Not for me. I needed to find a venue that hosted the DJs and artists that I understood as real music; those who fed me sounds that I could feel in my
stomach as they resonated deep within my eardrums. This, I found in World Headquarters; an intimate club nestled away down a one way street that runs on the values of equality, love and unity. A far cry from the pretentious and competitive venues I had come to loathe. My first experience of World Headquarters? November 2013, when I witnessed one of my all time favourite reggae and dancehall selectors, David Rodigan. At the tender age of 64, Rodigan’s passion for
Jamaican music is reflected in his presence and dance moves on stage. A veteran of his trade, he’s highly respected by other musicians in the industry. The crowds inside World Headquarters on that night united on the level of their appreciation of the music and their respect for one another. This was expressed as the whole venue sang in harmony to Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved?” with a Red Stripe in one hand and a lit cigarette lighter waving around in the other.
"Newcastle has witnessed a comeback of the '90s and noughties musical scene"
World Headquarters hosts a range of musical genres; from drum & bass to UK garage, grime to soul and funk. Event organisers who run underground music nights in the venue such as Pirate Material and Lively Up are responsible for some of the most notorious faces that have graced the club’s stage, such as the original gangsters of dubstep music, Digital Mystikz and UK garage royalty, DJ EZ. Ever since the explosion of Skepta’s 2014 grime banger “That’s Not Me”, grime has
blown up throughout the country and beyond. Its revival has seen World Headquarters grow in popularity with the youths of Newcastle, due to its constant celebration and clear appreciation of bass music. Since then, Newcastle has witnessed a comeback of the ‘90s and noughties musical scene, with grime and UK garage music playing a significant part in the musical and fashion tastes of a fresh community of underground music lovers within the youth culture of the city.
"World Headquarters has always been there for Newcastle's lovers of underground music"
This New Wave Renaissance of electronic music has inspired creative people throughout Newcastle to feel passionate about something. Like me back in 2011, they’re now experimenting with their fashion choices, ditching the dolly shoes for Reebok Classics and mastering all the words to Lethal Bizzle’s original 2004 “Pow!” World Headquarters has always been there for Newcastle’s lovers of underground music.
The club caters to the needs of its loyal customers by exceeding expectations and bringing in some of the most internationally well-known artists of electronic music. For decades it has understood what the people want. It knows what they need to bring them happiness. And it does just that by providing a dance, 160bpm sounds and a welcoming vibe.
INTERVIEW WITH...
JAKE VAN DER VELDE Jake Van der Velde is a 22-year-old independent events organiser born and raised in Newcastle. Jake hosts events at one of Newcastle’s most popular clubs for underground music, World Headquarters. He has over three events that vary across a range of genres: Pirate Material, Lively Up and SoulJam. Jakes events have expanded across the UK and now operate in cities such as Sheffield and Manchester. Interview by Georgia Barningham & Photography by James Hastie
“We had really grafted hard to pull it all together and make it a free, anti-racist festival that represented something really important for the North-East” When did you start throwing underground parties/events? We threw our first party in August 2011, it was just a small thing with friends and local DJ’s playing but we thankfully made enough money of that to book a headline DJ for our next one and just grew from there! What inspired you to start your own nights? It has been something I wanted to do from about the age of 15. I think it stemmed from having house parties at my Dads and just loving the feeling of bringing all my mates together and having a great time with them. I also discovered going clubbing myself around this time so it just felt like the next thing to do, especially as the house parties kept getting me in trouble at home!
Do you have a favourite memory over the years of holding your own nights? There’s been so many good times over the past few years... It’s hard to compare them against each other, but I think maybe the best of the lot was from Newcastle Unity Festival in Leazes Park last year. We had really grafted hard to pull it all together and make it a free, anti-racist festival that represented something really important for the North-East and also personally for me. On the day when it all came together and 8000 people turned up in the park in the blazing hot sunshine it was a really special time and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I Think I even had a little tear in my eye at one point!
Design by Sick Styles
Other special memories from being in World Headquarters are the last time General Levy came up in January 2016 which felt like a milestone for us. After nearly 5 years of parties it was one of the best Lively Up’s we’ve done. It was great to see that we’re still improving and also my youngest sister came down which felt like the next generation coming through!
Out of anyone ever, dead or alive who is the one act you would love to have play the most? Well, Bob Marley is the obvious one for me! It’s a bit of a cliche but his humanitarianism and the fact he had such a big impact on my life and the way we run our events that no one else would come close.
Who is the best act you have had the pleasure of hosting? Such a hard one to answer! Because we do a few different nights that cross very different genres it would be hard to compare one against the other but I’ll do my best! David Rodigan has to be up there for his legendary status and DJ EZ has to get a mention just for pure talent and energy. Hunee and Bradley Zero were also both amazing and technically great DJs at our ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ events last year too and something really refreshing for me after promoting a lot of bass events previously. Top Cat & Demolition Man at Lively Up too, they’re both such talented vocalists and to hear them live is a pleasure everytime! And its been great to have some of the bass DJ’s on too like Flava D who had only just got into the game when we started but is now one of the biggest names in the scene and also so much fun when she plays! What advice would you give to someone trying to start up their own events business? Don’t get distracted by other events and people doing their thing, if you just concentrate on your own stuff and make sure it is the best it can be then you should be fine. Don’t give up is another one, I see so many first time promoters do one or two shows and then lose heart because they haven’t made loads of money. It took us a year to make our first real profit and even now while we can make a bit of cash one month, the next we can lose it all again, so if that’s the reason you’re doing it then you probably need a re-think. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? By the time I’m 30 I plan to be running my own music festival which is a priority for me and ideally own/run a nightclub too... As Jimmy Cliff says, you can get it if you really want!
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HOLY HOLY
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FOR THE
LOVE
OF GARMS Fashion and music have lived side by side since before anyone can remember. When you imagine a particular movement, you can visualise the music scene and the fashion trends that followed. Think of the skinheads with their statement Dr. Martens boots, or UK Garage and its association with Moschino shirts, Gucci loafers and Moët & Chandon. Skate brands have shifted into high fashion street-wear, and I’m not talking about Vans or Converse here…
I’m referring to the more niche brands such as Palace Skateboards, Supreme, Stüssy and more. These garments, once exclusive to skater boys have fallen into the wardrobes of the new faces of underground music culture. It’s hard to say exactly when the emerging hype over streetwear brands first started. As someone who has been on the scene for some years, I can definitely tell you that it was before Adidas started sponsoring Stormzy.
"The cross pollination of music and fashion is currently triumphing the underground music scene" And obviously I’m not talking about the 1990’s when Run DMC was adorning Helly Hansen, or Snoop Doggy Dog sported Tommy Hilfiger. I’m talking about the recent times of the grime revival that has created a community of underground music and fashion lovers, and these brands have capitalised from it. The cross pollination of music and fashion is currently triumphing the underground music scene.
High fashion street-wear brands are collaborating to create super high fashion, super rare, super sought after garments that a community of British youths “need” to own. For example, the likes of Palace x Adidas Originals, Stussy x Dover Street Market and Supreme x Nike have excited this community of streetwear fanatics. It is almost a challenge of who can wear the freshest garments. As the saying goes, “if you know, you know.”
However, at what point does this movement shed its skin of underground and become mainstream? We can’t all be underground. We can’t all be exclusive. We are at a point now where original gangster brands of the street-wear world are finding themselves in the hands of Topshop customers. Is that really “underground”? The likes of Facebook groups such as Wavey Garms and The Basement, two well-known pages for all things streetwear are now shared with over 80,000 people between them a not so intricate figure.
This has not been unnoticed. You can find many individuals who see the amount of people coming into their underground community as an inconvenience. But they forget that they were once the new kids on the scene. So should we embrace the fact that underground music culture is turning the heads of mainstream society? Or should we move onto something else and leave the world of “underground” behind and create a whole new meaning of the word? It’s time to find a new new.
INTERVIEW WITH...
JOEL MIGNOTT
“I’m happy with the direction my life is going in, I can just be myself and that is good enough” 19-year-old Joel Mignott is a model from Leeds. Since his modelling career began two years ago, Joel has worked for brands such as Adidas and Diesel and walked on the runway for Vivienne Westwood’s Fall/Winter 2016 collection in Milan. The boy is here to break boundaries; as a mixed race model he has faced some hurdles along the way but he is now kicking ass with his career.
INTERVIEW BY GEORGIA BARNINGHAM
"the way I dress and my taste in fashion does not follow any trend"
How did your career in modelling begin? My modelling career began around two years ago when I was scouted after doing a shoot with friend and photographer Daniyel Lowden. When the images were released I had an influx of requests to visit agents, which is where I came into contact with my current agency AMCK, and my agent Patrick.
from every spectrum. Whether it’s a designer or a model and everything in between, their passion inspires me. In general the way I dress and my taste in fashion does not follow any trend, it’s just what I like.
What is your favourite aspect of modelling? I love the travelling, not many people can say that at 19, they have travelled as much as What/who inspires your taste I have. I really do think it’s and interest in fashion? the best way to learn in life, One thing I can say that inspires overcoming invaluable life me about fashion is the amount lessons that aren’t easy to of HARD work people put in come by in every day society.
SA A L
IL B HE L" T IT O D E F LY E M L EA RAC R ER XED V E MI N I "
JOEL MIGNOTT
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JOEL MIGNOTT
JOEL MIGNOTT
JOEL MIGNOTT JOEL MIGNOTT Have you ever found difficulty in getting work because of your race? Jheez ... I could write a lot here but I’m going to keep it short and sweet. For me yes, as I’m racially ambiguous I never really fit ‘the bill’ as a mixed race model. It’s weird it seems that the lighter your skin is, the less work there is as you don’t fit the clients racial quota or criteria… But hey I’m here to break down barriers and others like me, its slowly happening. Where would you like to be in 10 years time? I don’t know where I’ll be next week never mind in ten years. My life is spontaneous and very
JOEL MIGNOTT
JOEL MIGNOTT
drop of the hat. Who knows what i’ll be doing in 10 years. Would you say you were a different person now from when you started modelling? 100%, I was young when I first started. I was nervous and expecting too much. Modelling is hard work and it is now who I am. I’m happy with the direction my life is going in, I can just be myself and that is good enough. All photos taken from Joel’s Instagram @joelmignott. With thanks to @sirius.film, @hateboy2, @elliotbeach, @Stephytchan, Maurice Sinclair and Photogenics LA.
BABY girl
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princess
I’ll Bring you flowers in the pouring rain
RACHET queen
OUT OF THE CLUBS
INTO THE
FIELDS
TOP 10 underground
music favourites
10. Blinded by the Lights – The Streets I remember their last ever performance at Leeds fest 2011. Everyone else had gone to see Ed Sheeran play but I stayed and witnessed The Streets play for my first and last time.
9. Colourful – Skream I heard this tune for the first time when I was watching Skins season 1, episode 8 where Effy overdosed on heroin. I’ve loved it ever since.
8. Dominica - Bicep Dominica reminds me of New Year’s Eve 2015. My friend held a rave in his garage with a full sound system and this song came on. Everyone was dancing and singing along to it. It holds special memories.
7. That’s Not Me – Skepta Before this song got rinsed to an inch of it’s life, I heard it during Wookie’s set at Tokyo Dub in Bristol. The whole crowd was going mad and singing along. It was experience that perfectly sums up being “in the zone.”
6. Neighbourhood – Zed Bias You could say this tune brought back garage in 2013. I was once at a vinyl fair in London and found this track on record for £1, it’s still one of my favourite purchases.
5. P’s and Q’s – Kano From back in the day. My love for this song purely comes from the lyrics “locked down from London to Leeds”. Big up Leeds, my hometown.
4. DJ Zinc – Ready or Not I first heard this song at my first ever underground music rave - Jungle Jam when I was 16. The venue was a warehouse where the walls were covered in camouflage with nets and leaves, a jungle theme.
3. Respect Me – Dizzee Rascal A tune from back in the day, before grime was popular and Dizzee sold out the genre for mainstream and money. When I listen to this song I feel like a badass, it gets me through a stressful day.
2. Poison Dart – The Bug ft. Warrior Queen Warrior Queen in this song reminds me of female empowerment with her fierce tone of voice and lyrics. I went to see Benton play at Cosmic Ballroom in 2014 and he dropped this tune. Most of the crowd departed as they were there for techno but I remained with a few friends and had plenty of space to dance.
1. Cays Cray’s (Digital Mystikz Remix) – Fat Freddys Drop The serenity mixed with bass creates such beautiful sounds. I once went to see Digital Mystikz play in Newcastle; this was a big thing because they never come up North. During the set, Mala picked up his bottle of rum and poured me a glass. That experience is still today the best memory of living in Newcastle.
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