PSYCHEDELIC, DARK & DANGEROUS! 2CDS OF SUB-BASS MUTATIONS WITH EXCLUSIVES FROM ZED BIAS, GEIOM, HENY G, EVOL INTENT & MORE
COMPILED & SELECTED BY JOE MUGGS CD & DOWNLOAD
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IT’S A TRAP...
#004 JUNE / JULY 2011
#004
FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’ TWITTER: @trapmagazine EMAIL: info@trapmagazine.co.uk
REGULARS. HYPE EVERYTHING WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW
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TRAP FASHION THE FINEST GARMS AND ACCESSORIES
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BOSS SELECTIONS DJ’S TOP TENS PLUS IN-DEPTH CHARTS
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ART | PHOTOGRAPHY ASHES57
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FASHION CLUB TRAPICANA
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MUSIC REVIEWS
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BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS
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BASSPOINTS THE MAIN EVENT
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FEATURES. ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL GUIDE 2011
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SCRATCHA DVA
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RODIGAN
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HYETAL
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EMALKAY
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FOREIGN BEGGARS
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BROOKES BROTHERS
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FRONT COVER: David Rodigan by Laura Lewis. Assisted by Andy Stow. WORDS: Jon Cook, Oli Marlow, Kasha Malyckyj, Sam Bates, Belinda Rowse, Sam Collenette, Jeryl Wilton, Amy Stiff, bassmusicblog.com, Sophie Thomas, Sean Kelly, Jon Carter, Tim Rayner, Leyla Eroglu. PICTURES: Laura Lewis, Zachery Saitoti, Sim Higginson, ASHES57, Sam Neill, Sebastian Matthes, Tom Bunning, Jacob Bours, Shifteye. EDITOR: Jon Cook CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen SOCIAL NETWORKING: Amy Stiff WEB: THANKS: Leo @ Darling, Adam @ Backdrop, Ben @ Run, Carly @ Don’t Panic, Baz @FOO, Rob, Tom & Ollie @ The Blast; Johnny & Jack @ Outlook; Danna @ Takkako, Scot @ Fabric, Lee & Courtney @ Muzik Hertz, Louisa @ Dutty, Cheba & Sam @ WOC and Anya the little G. TRAP MAGAZINE, Unit 14, The Coach House, Upper York Street, Bristol BS2 8QN. This issue is dedicated to the memory of Jim Fletcher.
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hype
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EVERYT HING W ABOUT R E'RE EXCITED IGHT NO W...
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WE, THE PEOPLE BRISTOL 2011
hype
We, The People is a brand new festival taking place in Bristol city centre over the first weekend in June. With three arenas constructed around the city’s harbourside area hosting some of the biggest names in music by day, and a whole series of after parties at venues across town by night, the line-up boasts some of the most important and popular acts from across the full timeline of bass-music history. While Chase & Status and The Streets top the bill, hip-hop legends Doom and Ultra Magnetic MCs make rare UK appearances and Lee Scratch Perry headlines a Sunday afternoon curated by dubstep pioneer Pinch. Trap favourites Redlight, Yasmin, Jammer, Ben UFO, Seiji and J-Wow are just some of the names who will all be in attendance alongside an incredible roster of Radio One darlings and underground icons. Trap has a pair of tickets to giveaway – just email competitions@trapmagazine.co.uk and tell us why you deserve to win. We, The People takes place on Saturday 4 June and Sunday 5 June at Bristol’s Harbourside. Tickets are £35 a day, or £60 for both days.
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ST PAULS CARNIVAL
NERO PHILHARMONIC
DEADSTOCK ALERT
DUBSTEP ADVENTURES
One of the best Caribbean street parties outside of Notting Hill takes place on 2 July in the St Pauls district of Bristol. Getting bigger, better and more popular every year, expect loads of the city’s world-renowned artists playing on massive soundsystems along with some very special guests.
Signed to Chase & Status’s MTA label and already on the path to conquering the world with their own high-energy take on dubstep, Nero join forces with the BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra on 6 June for a ‘Dubstep Symphony’ that will be broadcast live on Radio One at 7pm.
Soho sneaker store Foot Patrol has just started selling deadstock snapbacks straight from the US. If you are a fan of the ever-popular but often difficult-to-find vintage headgear, then either get down there or check the website. WWW.FOOTPATROL.CO.UK
Ministry Of Sound release the second volume of their ‘Adventures In Dubstep’ compilation series on 6 June. Once again MOS have invited dubstep journalist Joe Muggs to select the tracks, so this promises to be something a little more thought out than your usual big brand compilations.
BUGGSY THE GREAT ESCAPE There are few fresher and more determined voices in UK rap music than Buggsy. A true original in every way, the dreaded St Pauls, Bristol raised MC has been turning heads for a while now, thanks to his rapid-fire lyrics, inimitable personality and incisive street-level messages. Now, after spending the last few years working with some of the most respected producers and MCs around, Buggsy’s debut LP ‘The Great Escape’ has finally dropped. Featuring 15 ultra-hot tracks produced by the likes of Gemmy, Skitz, this is without doubt one of the heaviest underground releases of 2011. The Great Escape is available to buy now on iTunes or through the WOC store in Bristol. FACEBOOK: ‘BUGGSY OFFICIAL’
hype STIK Anyone who lives in or regularly visits East London will be all too familiar with the deceptively simplistic street art of Stik. Wander the streets of Hackney or Shoreditch and you’ll see one of Stik’s creations looming large from walls, doorways and even chimneys, subtly conveying emotions that defy their seemingly naive and facile form. Carnaby Street’s LAVA gallery has invited Stik to exhibit a selection of large pieces and smaller canvases at their Kingly Court space – if you’re around those ends before 4 June, make sure you drop by.
VANSXSUPREME
REGGAE ROAST
DYLAN SHIPLEY
FREE SPILLZ
News that’s guaranteed to get all you brand whores salivating, NY’s Supreme have again collaborated with Vans to create their own take on the classic Chukka Boot. These are sure to sell-out fast, and come in five colours complete with tonal laces. WWW.VANS.COM
London’s Reggae Roast is going from strength to strength, with regular events at CAMP and a whole host of festival bookings for the summer, not to mention a healthy release schedule for their record label of the same name. Watch out for the ‘Lick It Back’ compilation in July.
Legendary comic book artist Dylan Shipley has provided Trap with this issue’s centre pull-out and is holding his first solo exhibit at the freshly re-located Weapon of Choice gallery. Running until 7June, make sure you check it if you can.
Central Spillz are releasing a free remix EP of tracks from their recent ‘Space Travel’ LP, which introduced the group comprised of producer Superisk and Redskin, Shadz, Koast, C-Strike-Z and Mackie to the world. With hidden tracks from Joker and Guido, go grab it from their facebook page.
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FABRICLIVE58 GOLDIE
The man of many talents has been pretty busy lately. In between his starring roles in TV shows, Goldie has been keeping true to his roots and firing out some of the finest D&B around on his Metalheadz imprint over the last few months. This obviously hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people at Fabric, who’ve decided finally to bestow the D&B legend with the honour of providing the next instalment in their untouchable FABRICLIVE series. Watch out for the album dropping soon and the launch party at Fabric on 15 July.
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SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA
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After wowing festival and tour audiences across Europe over the last year with their unique blend of live dubstep, soul, jazz and dub, Leeds’ Submotion Orchestra release their debut album in June. Featuring the achingly beautiful voice of Ruby Wood and packed with talented musicians that include Gentleman’s Dub Club’s Tommy Evans and Ranking Records’ DJ and producer Ruckspin, ‘Finest Hour’ promises to unveil Submotion Orchestra to the wider world. The album sounds incredible - look out for a full review in the next issue and catch the band at festivals all summer long.
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WOW!
PANHEAD
SBTRKT
WU TANG
Dubstep producer and purveyor of the purple-wow sound Gemmy has just launched his own label, World of Wonder – or W.O.W. for short. The first release is out now and features two tracks from the man himself; ‘Jah Know’ and ‘They Live Under The Stairs’.
Weird name, wicked concept; Panhead is the brainchild of Baobinga and ID, and aims to bring the best of Bristol’s bass music fraternity to your laptop live every other Wednesday. Guests so far have included Break, Die, Dub Boy, Mensah and Gemmy. Check facebook for info.
The masked enigma that is SBTRKT will release his self-titled debut album on 28 June. Featuring vocals from Jessie Ware, Sampha, Roses Gabor and Yukimi from Little Dragon, SBTRKT looks set to take bass to the masses in style this summer.
It’s not just those reaching Glastonbury this year that will get the chance to see one of the most important hip-hop acts of all time. The mighty Wu Tang Clan have announced five other dates between 11 and 15 June in Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and London.
BOAT PARTY TICKETS ON SALE
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We at Trap could not be more hyped about this year’s Outlook in Croatia, which is set to be the ultimate bass-music festival anywhere on planet earth this summer. Tickets have now sold out, but for the thousands of you who actually managed to get your tickets sorted, now is the time to book your places on one of the many boat parties that are an essential part of the Outlook experience. With 22 different boats to choose from, hosted by everyone from Hessle Audio, Foreign Beggars and Mungo’s Hi-Fi, to Shogun Audio, Circus Records and Congo Natty, if you’re going to Outlook this year make sure you don’t miss out. You’ll find us on the Hot Wuk boat getting bare drunk and dancing badly to dancehall.
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 1 SEPTEMBER Boat 1– Hit&Run Boat 2– Hot Wuk Boat 3 – Tuesday Club vs New Bohemia Boat 4 – Mungo’s Boat
Boat 11 – Rankin Records Boat 12 – UKF vs Circus Boat 13 – Skream & Plastician’s “Booze Cruise” Boat 14 – Deep Medi Boat 15 – Subdub Boat 16 – Dispatch
FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER
Boat 5 – Hessle Audio vs Hemlock Boat 6 – True Tiger vs Vagabondz Boat 7 – Congo D&B Boat 8 – Hot Flush Boat 9 – Renegade Hardware Boat 10 – Detonate
Boat 17 – Channel One vs Reggae Roast Boat 18 – Tectonic Boat 19 – Sin City Boat 20 – Shogun Audio Boat 21 – Foreign Beggars & Friends Boat 22 – Swamp81
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Tickets are on sale from 31 May priced at £15 from WWW.OUTLOOKFESTIVAL.COM.
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WORDS: KASHA MALYCKYJ
LAZY OAF 001
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British label Lazy Oaf have unveiled their collection for Summer 2011. Known for their graphic, pop colour styles, the range is full of the kind of tropical inspired prints that we at Trap are mad about right now! The palm tree cropped tee is the perfect summer staple teamed with cut-off denims and fresh white Vans, and we’re also feeling the t-shirt dresses that come in a variety of bold prints.
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Lazy Oaf have a flagship store just off Carnaby Street where you can find all of the above as well as menswear, accessories, art and stationary. WWW.LAZYOAF.CO.UK
HORACE 002 Described as a collection inspired by ‘the 80s and 90s Reggae movement mixed in with a bit of Salt n Peppa chic’, Horace’s summer offering is right up our street! Rainbow coloured Aztec prints and faded denim are combined with loose knitwear and the label’s signature leather pieces. Standout styles include this amazing printed jumpsuit and oversized Delta Force tee. If you haven’t yet heard of Horace, then get to know! WWW.HORACE.TV
NICHOLAS KIRKWOOD KEITH HARING 003 We at Trap have always been massive fans of 80s artist Keith Haring’s work, so we could hardly contain our excitement when we saw this collection from shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood. Combining Haring’s signature pop art graphics and Kirkwood’s masterful heel design, there’s only one word to describe these shoes and that’s perfect! You’ll find the full range in the Mount Street store in London.
STUSSY MARVEL 004
When you have over three decades of credibility behind your name, you can collaborate with just about anyone you choose – as legendary streetwear brand Stussy has been
proving time and again over recent years. After unveiling their first series of collaborative tees with Marvel Comics in April, this second series has just dropped, offering more
creative interpretations of Marvel’s famed comic book icons. Head over to the Hideout website to check the full range. WWW.HIDEOUTSTORE.COM
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The biggest DJs in the game let us in on the tracks they’re playing right now…
IN DETAIL
‘JACKMASTER NUMBERS BLAWAN ‘Getting Me Down’ Dub This is a massive tune from Blawan that everyone's going nuts for. I've been playing this at every gig this year and it never falls short. It’s probably gonna be the release of 2011 for me. TEENGIRL FANTASY ‘Cheaters’ (John Talabot's Classic Vocal Refix) Hivern Hard to believe this isn't from 1988. John Talabot flips Teengirl Fantasy's ‘Cheaters’ on its head and comes up with some classic Chicago vibes. REDINHO ‘Edge Off’ EP Numbers Follow-up to the amazing ‘Bare Blips’, Redinho gets his talkbox on for the ‘Edge Off’ EP. There’s everything from classic electro-funk to juke and UK funky in here. DEADBOY ‘Here’ Numbers The next release on Numbers - Deadboy bringing the house and funky flex and an eight-minute disco epic, ‘Wish U Were Here’. It’s probably his most accomplished work to date. BOK BOK ‘Silo Pass’ Night Slugs Hard to believe this is Bok Bok’s first full debut EP, and on his own label Night Slugs, which was, for many, the label of 2010. They are gonna own 2011 if they put out anything else half as good as this. DJ SNEAK ‘Operations Sneak’ (Original) Radikal Fear Vintage house from one of the dons; I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of this earlier. Easy to hear where Thomas Bangalter drew all his inspiration for the Trax On Da Rocks stuff. JOHN CONVEX ‘Falling Again’ 3024 Unclassifiable genius from the other half of Instra:Mental alongside Boddika. The kind of tune I wish I’d signed myself.
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MK ‘Love Changes’ Charisma Hands-in-the-air US garage from the master. Pretty cheesy, but if you drop it at the right moment, then grown men are gonna cry right in front of your eyes.
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RANDOMER ‘Obtuse’ VIP Unreleased Off-the-wall acid techno madness from Randomer, who’s definitely one of the most underrated producers around right now. V/A ‘116 & Rising’ LP Hessle Audio A various artist album on Hessle Audio featuring the full crew, though the tracks from Pearson Sound, Pangaea and Blawan are my highlights.
BASHER. RAM 1. BASHER ‘Transmission’ LP Ram 2. CALYX & TEEBEE ‘Nothing I Can Say’ Dub 3. AUDIO BULLYS ‘Shotgun’ (Basher Rmx) Cooking Vinyl 4. WILKINSON ‘Overdose’ Ram 5. SHIMAH ‘Swordfish’ Playaz 6. INSIDE INFO ‘Honey Bee’ Viper 7. BLADERUNNER ‘Mercenary Dub’ VIP 2 36 Hertz 8. BASHER & XTRAH ‘Hubble’ Subtitles 9. CLARE MAGUIRE ‘The Shield & The Sword’ (Loadstar Rmx) Polydor 10. FRESH ‘The Gatekeeper’ Ram SMUTLEE. YOYO 1. SCHLACHTHOFBRONX ‘Chambacu’ (Smutlee Rmx) Mad Decent 2. V/A ‘Flatlands Riddim’ Federation Sound 3. DJ NAUGHTY ‘Pasa’ White 4. GREENMONEY FT ROSES GABOR ‘Into You’ Greenmoney 5. NADASTROM FT NATALIE STORM ‘Gal Where Yuh Come From’ (Atki2 Rmx) Mad Decent 6. JOOK 10 ‘Megatron’ Soulserious 7. BURGABOY ‘Starship’ White 8. HEARTBREAK ‘The Legend’ White 9. MR LEXX ‘Cyaan Stop You’ White 10. DJ EASTWOOD ‘I Wanna Funk U’ White THE HEATWAVE. RINSE FM 1. ADELE & JAMIE XX VS CECILE, MR LEXX & TIMBERLEE ‘Rolling In The Heat’ (The Heatwave Refix) 2. MAVADO ‘Star Bwoy’ 3. RIHANNA & VYBZ KARTEL ‘What’s My Name’ (Federation Rmx) 4. BEENIE MAN, FUTURE FAMBO & BUSTA RHYMES ‘Rum & Red Bull’ Rmx 5. YT & MR WILLIAMZ ‘Smiley Culture Tribute’ 6. MAVADO ‘All Dem A Talk’ 7. CHAM, BOUNTY KILLER & MYKAL ROSE ‘Stronger’ 8. VYBZ KARTEL ‘Benz Punaany’ 9. LEFTSIDE & SHAGGY ‘Jump Up Around’ 10. KES THE BAND ‘Wotless’
IN DETAIL
ELIJAH. BUTTERZ 1. P MONEY & BLACKS ‘Boo You’ Butterz 2. TERROR DANJAH ‘Full Attention’ Hardrive 3. SWINDLE ‘Mood Swings’ VIP Butterz 4. KATY B ‘Easy Please Me’ (Royal T Remix) Rinse 5. CHAMPION ‘Lose Control’ Hardrive 6. BOK BOK ‘Silo Pass’ Night Slugz 7. ROYAL T ‘Music Please’ (TRC Remix) White 8. TRIM ‘I Am’ Butterz 9. WILEY ‘Numbers In Action’ Big Dada 10. D.O.K ‘East Coast’ Hyperdub BAOBINGA. BUILD 1. HYETAL ‘Broadcast’ LP Black Acre 2. GUIDO & BAOBINGA ‘Ballin’ Build 3. RANDOMER ‘Brunk’ Hessle Audio 4. GEMMY ‘They Live Under The Stairs’ WOW 5. DIGITAL ‘Waterhouse Dub’ Function 6. SKINNZ ‘I Know’ Well Rounded 7. GRACE JONES ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’ Island 8. T. WILLIAMS ‘Heartbeat’ (Paul Woolford Rmx) Local Action 9. JON CONVEX ‘Falling Again’ 3024 10. BAOBINGA ‘Make Me Feel’ Build T. WILLIAMS. DEEP TEKNOLOGI 1. T.WILLIAMS FT TERRI WALKER ‘Heartbeat’ (Paul Woolford Rmx) 2. T.WILLIAMS ‘In The Deep’ (Zander Hardy Rmx) 3. NGUZNNGUZU ‘Mirage’ (Girl Unit Rmx) 4. MAYA JANE COLES ‘Pace Yourself’ 5. MA1 ‘Do It Better’ 6. CHARLIE XCX ‘Stay Away’ (T.Williams Rmx) 7. DON MORRIS ‘In Da Groove’ (Bok Bok Rmx) 8. SEJII ‘Sticks’ 9. PAUL WOOLFORD ‘Can’t Do Without’ 10. ADDICT FOR YOU ‘Wildcats’ (Dexter Kane & Lee Brinx Rmx)
BREAK & DIE ‘Slow Down’ VIP Symmetry A slightly polished and reworked version of the original, but still keeping the same flavour and massive sub-bass. One of my favourite tunes to play out at the moment; hands in the air, but still real jungle. TOTAL SCIENCE & S.P.Y ‘Castaway’ CIA Dark, stepping classic flavours on this one. Crisp breaks slip seamlessly into rolling subs with grimey mid-bass squelching over the top, wicked fx and cool edits. This one grooves along nice; really feeling the darker vibes on CIA. PROLIX & DOSE ‘No One Else’ Dub This is one of my favourites from these guys. Wicked uplifting deep pads and vocal build up to the breakdown, before a tasty drum fill brings in the bass, which switches key when it drops. Not many tunes pull that off, but it really works on this one. Heavy.
SILENT WITNESS FT SARA MITRA ‘Leave You’ Trippple Seed Taken from Silent Witnesses forthcoming album. Floating guitars and a melancholy jazz vocal drop into a jungly wall of bass and drums. Great on the dancefloor, but has genuine soul and flavour. VILLEM ‘Do You Wanna’ Symmetry The first track I signed to Symmetry; I’ve played this in every set for over a year. Wicked old-skool ravey intro, switching into hardcore -style piano and dropping into perfect minimal jungle bass. A lovely track to mix. ENEI FT RIYA ‘No Fear’ Critical This has a wicked stepping beat and cool use of a spoken word vocal from Riya in the breakdowns. Simple, but totally effective. I’m loving a lot of Enei's tunes, he’s definitely got the flava right now.
NEED FOR MIRRORS ‘Skip Rope’ Symmetry As soon as I heard this, I loved it straight away; it’ll be the flipside of ‘Slow Down’ VIP . A genuine stepper with cool Jonny L influences and constantly changing details throughout, which is why I thought this stood out. You can mix it all day long. SILENT WITNESS ‘Magnetise Tripple Seed Slightly different angle for Silent Witness on this. Quite minimal and clean sounding, it drops with a bouncy techno bassline that builds as the track goes on. Really works out on the floor and sounds like Klute vs Spectrasoul. He nailed the vibe just right. BREAK ‘Something New’ Symmetry A track I made this year, trying to come with something a bit fresh and different. I used a few weird new techniques, so it’s subby and fizzy, but clean and fat at the same time. Goes very minimal when it drops, but sounds big and warm in club. FOREIGN CONCEPT ‘Jaipur’ Ingredients Lots of good music coming on this label, and this is one of my favourites. Amen-style beats with a fat kick and snare bring in slick spacious bass with all the elements I like; dubby vocals, nice percussion. The half-time percussive breakdown brings the drama.
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‘BREAK SYMMETRY
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ivals heavy fest best bass- Europe... e th f o k d in r pic the UK an gs you ou Trap brin er, both at home in m m su this
01 11 – 14 AUGUST ONE HOUR FROM LONDON £93 Unlike the other events we’re covering here, Boomtown is what you’d call a proper festival; with tents and mud and people dressed like mentalists. It also happens to have one of the best line-ups you’ll find anywhere in the UK this summer, with the ‘Bassline Circus’ and ‘Lion’s Den’ arenas offering an astonishing array of the very finest bass-heavy and reggae artists. Worth the entrance fee alone for a rare appearance from JA’s Capleton, Boomtown is obviously the proud creation of some really passionate people, and gets Trap’s wholehearted recommendation.
Acts include... CAPLETON, BARRINGTON LEVY, ZINC, FOREIGN BEGGARS, TODDLA T, MS DYNAMITE, THE BUG, REDLIGHT, THE HEATWAVE, EMALKAY. WWW.BOOMTOWNFAIR.CO.UK
02 15 – 17 JULY VICTORIA PARK, LONDON £28.50+
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Held for the last eight years in East London’s Victoria Park, Lovebox is the closest thing you can get to a proper festival without having to leave the capital. Taking place over three days, this year’s event is headlined by Snoop Dogg, performing his classic ‘Doggystyle’ LP live, and he’ll be joined on the main stage by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Maverick Sabre. For us, though, it’s all about the FWD>>Rinse and Vice arenas on the Friday and the Rodigan-headed Hospitality stage on the Saturday.
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Acts include... SNOOP DOGG, MAVERICK SABRE, ZINC, SKREAM, APPLEBLIM, RODIGAN, HIGH CONTRAST, HUDSON MOHAWKE, FLYING LOTUS, KODE9. WWW.LOVEBOX.NET
03 11 – 12 JUNE PLATFIELDS PARK, MANCHESTER £58.50 Park Life Weekender returns for a second instalment after the huge success of last year’s two-day event in Manchester’s Platfields Park. With seven arenas confirmed, hosted by the likes of Hospitality, Horse Meat Disco and Metropolis, this year’s Parklife provides a spectacular roster of artists from across the full spectrum of electronic music. With Chase & Status, Doom and Kelis headlining, there’s plenty of star quality on show, backed by a massive list of the very finest DJs in the game.
Acts include... KELIS, CHASE & STATUS, NERO, SKREAM & BENGA, JAMIE XX, KATY B, DJ SHADOW, SUB FOCUS, GRANDMASTER FLASH, ANDY C. WWW.PARKLIFE.UK.COM
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OF THE
GLADE NORFOLK 10 – 12 JUNE Tickets: £135 NASS SOMERSET 8 – 10 JULY Tickets: £72 SECRET GARDEN PARTY CAMBRIDGESHIRE 21 – 24 JULY Tickets: £125 GLOBAL GATHERING STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 29 – 30 JULY Tickets: £99 SW4 LONDON 27 – 28 AUGUST Tickets: £85 BESTIVAL ISLE OF WIGHT 8 – 11 SEPTEMBER Tickets: £170
4 – 5 JUNE BRISTOL HARBOUR £35 With the template set by the likes of Lovebox and Parklife, the bass-loving residents of Bristol finally get their own city-centre weekender, with the arrival this year of We, The People. With three arenas set up around the city’s harbourside, WTP takes Bristol’s rich tradition of bass culture and runs with it, delivering the sort of festival that could only really happen in a town that lives and breathes bass music. Check the Sunday session curated by Pinch and The Blast’s Saturday rinse for proof of good WTP is set to be. Acts include... CHASE & STATUS, LEE SCRATCH PERRY, THE STREETS, REDLIGHT, JAMMER, J-WOW, ROOTS MANUVA, MALA, MJ COLE, YASMIN. WWW.WETHEPEOPLEFESTIVAL.CO.UK
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14 – 17 JULY BELGIUM €117 As we at Trap discovered when we visited last year, there’s far more to Belgium than Poirot, French fries and Dr Evil – the tiny country is also home to one of the world’s sickest festivals. The 23rd Dour takes place over four days in mid-July, and delivers a diverse line-up that’s pleasantly rich in all forms of bass music. With some of the UK’s most on-point DJs and producers booked to perform across the weekend, alongside an impressive list of Jamaica’s finest reggae and dancehall artists, and all the usual main-stage rock and pop acts, Dour offers a unique festival experience. Acts include... CYPRUS HILL, RUSKO, NETSKY, CLAUDE VON STROKE, PEARSON SOUND, JOKER FT BUGGSY & SKARZ, TRUE TIGER, NIGHT SLUGS, JOY ORBISON, HORACE ANDY , BUSY SIGNAL. WWW.DOURFESTIVAL.BE
02 1 – 3 JULY ISLAND OF PAG, CROATIA £89
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There’s a fair few festivals in Croatia these days, but that hasn’t stopped the team behind Hideout from coming up with their own interpretation of what makes for the perfect one. The brainchild of the people behind Warehouse Project, Wax:On and Metropolis, Hideout not only promises an amazing selection of electronic music in a gorgeous setting, it’s also pretty damn cheap too. Taking place on a beach, with two stages, swimming pools and a night club all hosting music, as well as plenty of boat parties and daytime beach raves, Hideout may not be treading new ground, but it sounds like it could be something special.
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Acts include... ANDY C, JACK BEATS, CASPA, REDLIGHT, TODDLA T, SHY FX, JAMIE XX, BREAKAGE, FRICTION, BASHMORE. WWW.HIDEOUTFESTIVAL.COM
SONAR SPAIN 16 – 18 JUNE Tickets: €155 SUMMERJAM GERMANY 1 – 3 JULY Tickets: €92 GARDEN CROATIA 6 – 13 JULY £90 WORLDWIDE FRANCE 6 – 10 JULY Tickets: €89 - 129 SOUNDWAVE CROATIA 22 – 24 JULY Tickets: £89 OUTLOOK CROATIA 1 – 4 SEPTEMBER Tickets: Sold Out
03 18 - 27 AUGUST BENICASSIM, SPAIN €160 - 230 After being forced by the Italian authorities to relocate to Spain last year, Rototom has dusted itself off and is ready to reclaim its crown as Europe’s leading reggae festival. Taking place over 10 days, Rototom gives you the chance to see some of Jamaica and the world’s biggest reggae and dancehall stars in an atmosphere of pure peace and love. We warn you, there are a lot of hippies at this party, but don’t let that put off those of you who have never been to India or lived in a squat... despite the drumming workshops and naked people, if you love reggae, then Rototom is you.
Acts include... KEN BOOTHE, GYPTIAN, MR VEGAS, BUNNY WAILER, JIMMY CLIFF, LUCIANO, CHANNEL ONE, SHAGGY, HORACE ANDY, TOOTS & THE MAYTALS. WWW.ROTOTOMSUNSPLASH.COM
04 7 – 10 JULY NOVI SAD, SERBIA £105
Acts include... PORTISHEAD, DANNY BYRD, S.P.Y, DSB SOUNDSYSTEM, LOEFAH, BODDIKA, BOK BOK, JAM CITY, GIRL UNIT, ONEMAN. WWW.EXITFEST.ORG
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EXIT is now well established as one of the essential European festivals to experience. Now in its thirteenth year, EXIT began as a student protest during the final years of the Milosevic regime in what was then Yugoslavia, and that spirit of youthful defiance remains at its heart to this day. Beyond the boiling-hot weather, crystal-clear soundsystems and stupid-cheap booze, what really makes EXIT so special is that once the headline acts are finished on the mainstage, the UK’s finest dubstep and D&B DJs take over the massive main arena and play way past dawn to thousands of ravers in the dusty fort old fort in Serbia.
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SCRATCHA DEVIATES
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WORDS: OLI MARLOW PHOTO: JACOB BOURS
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RINSE FM’S IMPRESSION ON THE WORLD OF MODERN MUSIC IS MORE THAN APPARENT. WITHOUT THE LONDON-BASED RADIO STATION, GENRES SUCH AS GRIME, DUBSTEP AND FUNKY WOULD NEVER HAVE ACHIEVED THE GLOBAL RECOGNITION THAT THEY HAVE - FOR A TIME IT WAS ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES ANYONE COULD HEAR SUCH BOLD MUTATIONS IN SOUND. OVER THE LAST 16 YEARS THE FORMER PIRATE, NOW COMPLETELY LEGIT AND WHOLLY UNCOMPROMISED RADIO STATION HAS NURTURED TALENTS, GIVING VOICE TO PRODUCERS AND ARTISTS SUCH AS WILEY, DIZZEE RASCAL AND SKREAM & BENGA, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SINCE GONE ON TO DEFINE YOUTH MUSIC IN A MONUMENTAL WAY.
“It’s easy talking to Rinse’s social group, so normal jokes can just run and run and no one gets offended. Only old people who are bored go and complain to Ofcom about the Chinese accent I did…” he quips from behind his now trademark heavy-set spectacles. “It’s a little different now we have a license, but it’s still a new way of hearing breakfast radio, which I like. It gives me a chance to be heard; it’s a platform and that’s the main thing.” From just a few minutes spent talking with Scratcha, you get the feeling that there’s a lot more savvy thinking that takes place away from the limelight. For all his charisma and otherworldly banter – our conversation skips from music to live on-air dumpings and the time “We done some internet grooming to get some guy on the show, then we rang him up and [his former producer] Dave put on a girl’s voice and told him they should go link at a train station” – there’s a devout intelligence there. Plus, Scratcha is an ingenious producer whose unique and fun take on London dancefloor music has earned him stripes, with releases on Hyperdub and Blackdown’s Keysound sitting pretty with the singles put out on his own label, DVA Music. “Release wise, I’m completely open,” he enthuses. “The label was started to push diversity into the grime scene at a time when everything was a bit samey. DVA stands for Diverse Artz - though I ended up abbreviating it to match the catalogue number because it’s easier and Diverse Artz sounded really shit - it was started by myself and a
school friend Stephen Foster (Kobey) who was interested in the same kind of sounds and genres as me, so we kind of bounced ideas off each other.” From the very first release, DVA wanted to be different and it’s ended up home to seven completely unique 12”s at the time of this interview, all of which contain some of Scratcha’s own work. It’s hard to pin down anything that Scratcha’s production style mimics, he layers his productions with quirks and whistles, vibing as much off a percussion loop on tracks such as ‘Natty’ as he does borderline annoying, earworm-like nursery rhyme melodies on tracks such as ‘Ganja’ or ‘Jelly Roll’. “I make tunes,” is his matter of fact response when asked to describe his work. “Some are dance tracks and some ain't. I don’t really care. I’ve always gone in the studio to do whatever I want. Unless I’m doing a remix, it’s a completely blank canvas and the session could go in any direction. But yeah, I do understand [the classification confusion] because when I’m out dropping tracks like ‘The End’ and someone asks me ‘what music is this?’ I don’t even know. It’s just a different style; I’m not even trying to call it post-funky of funkitechstep…” he trails off through a smile.
ONLY OLD PEOPLE WHO ARE BORED GO AND COMPLAIN TO OFCOM ABOUT THE CHINESE ACCENT I DID.
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“The label DVA Music and my production is a completely different engine,” he continues needing little prompt to open up on the subject. “You could generally turn on my radio show and you could hear anything, and I mean anything going on…” Just as Trap’s train of thought veers back to Scratcha telling us about the time he recreated ITV’s dating show Take Me Out on air, he snaps us out of it; “you might even turn on and think it’s the wrong station, but with my label, each decision is more carefully planned.” “Making music was my entry into this world; not DJing, hosting or sound engineering. From listening to the show you wouldn’t necessarily get a description of what I might be releasing next on the label and on the flip you wouldn’t buy a DVA release to get an idea of what I get up to every morning. Dems a double life there; and I kinda like it that way.”
CATCH SCRATCHA EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING ON RINSE FM FROM 8:30 – 11AM.
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Leon Smart, aka Scratcha DVA, is one of Rinse’s stalwarts. His ‘Grimey Breakfast’ show has formed a staple part of what makes Rinse such a unique broadcaster over the last five or so years, coming packed every weekday with upfront music and a sometimes overwhelming dose of humour, delivered through Scratcha’s incredibly endearing view on life. A man who fully admits to putting Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles above any kind of intoxicant on his rider, the former grime turned mutant funky producer often positions himself as the joker of the pack, preferring to crack wise and enjoy the moment rather than delving inside himself to provide pithy answers to a journalist’s questions. “I’ve been doing the radio show for about five years or more now I think,” Scratcha tells Trap, his memory clearly wrestling with the notion of his tenure. “It’s been consistent, other than the odd couple of weeks here an there, I’ve literally been there everyday for five years… I’d like to say it’s planned, but 90% of the show is definitely winged. I mean; I have regular features like YouTube Tuesday and The Music Conference, where people send me Soundcloud links and I just randomly play them. I rotate other features back and forth, because if I didn’t it would be a total mess,” he chuckles knowingly.
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LEFT: ASHES57 BY CEDRIC BRUNETTI TOP RIGHT: JEHST BOTTOM RIGHT: SILKIE
WE AT TRAP HAVE BEEN MASSIVE FANS OF THE WORK OF ASHES57 EVER SINCE WE FIRST LAID EYES ON HER STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS OF LAST YEAR’S OUTLOOK FESTIVAL. A SELF-PROCLAIMED BASS ADDICT, WITH AN OUTLANDISH TALENT FOR ILLUSTRATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY, FRENCH-BORN ASHES57 IS ALSO THE CURATOR OF THE LAVA COLLECTIVE GALLERY NEAR LONDON’S CARNABY STREET AND HAS WORKED WITH BRANDS AS IMPRESSIVE AS MTV, THE NORTH FACE, OBEY, ALIFE AND SWAMP81. WE CAUGHT UP WITH ASHES57 TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER FASCINATING CAREER SO FAR AND TO BRING YOU A SELECTION OF HER PHOTOGRAPHY, CAPTURING BASS-MUSIC ICONS AT THEIR VERY BEST...
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You now live in London, but you’ve lived all over the place... “Yes, I was born in the east of France but I moved to Grenoble for university and ever since I’ve never gone home. I’ve lived in Yutz, Nancy, Grenoble, Ossegor, Montreal, Vancouver, LA, New York and London.”
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When did you move to London and why? “I first moved to London in 1999 and I stayed until 2002. At that time, I was spending three months of the year in Oregon, Canada and I didn't really like London. I moved to Montreal and then America and it wasn’t until September 2008, for the exhibition of Shepard Fairey, that I came back to London. I came to London for my love of dubstep music. I’d been in New York, where I was involved with Dub War, designing monthly flyers for Dave Q's party. But whenever I visited London, I felt like I had to be there, where the movement was bubbling.” H
How did you begin taking photos? “I always wanted to take photos but I wasn't really equipped to at first. I remember playing with disposable cameras and getting the odd good shot. I bought my first camera in 1999 and I was overwhelmed by everything I saw and couldn't stop taking photos. But it was in 2000 that I finally had the courage to buy a proper SLR. It was a Nikon with a decent lens and the first shot I took with it was for a snowboarder in Mt Hood, Canada. I used to think I would become a snowboarder or a sport filmmaker, but after spending my first summers working there I developed a taste for graphic design - especially snowboards and clothing. “But it was only when I moved to New York that I started to take photography seriously. Right away, I bought a Cannon Rebel with a 28mm lens. My style started to develop from then. The colours and the amount of things I was digging in NY pushed me to take photos.
Since then, I’ve never left my camera at home. My love for photography began there.” What does your role at LAVA involve? “I’m the curator and the art director of LAVA Collective. I’m in charge of finding new artists, and picking the artwork for our weekly shows at LAVA Gallery, and I’m also in charge of some pop-up shows in East London. I’ve curated 20 shows so far. I’m also in charge of the layout of the gallery.” What are your plans for the future? “I want to keep doing what I do but bigger and better and maybe eventually get into movie production.” Any shouts? “Big thanks to Loefah, Mala and Pokes for their support, DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn for being mad cool, Jehst for his upcoming album. Prefuse73, Donuts, Paddy from LAVA Gallery and the Super Chron Flight Brothers.” WWW.ASHES57.COM
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LEFT: LOEFAH TOP RIGHT: PINCH AT THE BOILER ROOM BOTTOM RIGHT: YASMIN AND JAMIE XX AT THE BOILER ROOM
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RODIGAN THE
GENTLEMAN
SELECTOR
WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Laura Lewis
F
or all their myriad influences and disparate strains of origin, the styles of electronic music collectively known today as ‘bass music’ are forever indebted to one genre – reggae. Whether hidden deep in their genealogy or blindingly obvious, it’s no exaggeration to say that without reggae, and its dub and dancehall offspring, there would be no drum & bass, no dubstep, no garage... Our lives would have been poorer without the Jamaican musicians who got there first, who realised the importance of bass and placed it at the centre of their musical world. And within that mind-blowingly rich and resilient genre, one man is respected as having no superior when it comes to knowledge, passion, and most importantly, selection. That man is David Rodigan, a legendary sage and DJ to reggae fans, and to onlookers a fascinating figure who over a forty-year career has ridden a wave of genuine passion and sheer enthusiasm that’s enabled a middle-class, university educated Englishman firstly to infiltrate and become hugely respected in the world of Jamaican music and then, more recently, experience new-found fame in a realm usually occupied by DJs more than half his age, the world of dubstep and modern raves. Beginning his career as a DJ way back in the 1970s, when the profession attracted little of the glamour and attention it does today, Rodigan has never neglected the music he first discovered in late-1960s Britain as a teenager. With over four decades of collecting records to draw from and some of the most envied dubplates on earth, Rodigan holds a reputation as not only a peerless selector, but as an inspirational figure to all those who dedicate their lives to music.
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There was a deafening hush as they realised this guy Rodigan from London who they’d heard on the radio was actually a white guy.
“Originally a ‘dubplate’ was an exclusive mix of a track that only you had. You’d go to King Tubby and say ‘I want a dubplate mix of Michael Prophet, ‘Gunman’,’ and Tubby would do you a mix that only you could play; because he’d do it there and then, cut it straight on to the acetate. He’d have the four-track; mix, cut out the bass, put the sub tone button in, chase the vocal; he’d give you the vocal mix, then he’d give you a pure dub mix. That was a dubplate. Then in the late-80s, soundsystems like Body Guard and Stone Love in Jamiaica started getting the artists to come to the studio and voice the same song with their own name being mentioned in the dubplate by the artist. And that was the beginning of a different style of dubplate, the customised, personalised dubplate – that’s the way the name was changed.”
Over the many years of his career, Rodigan has developed from a mere selector into a unique one-man show, who stands out front on the stage and schools his crowd on the importance and relevance of each track he plays. It is the recordings of these speeches that have led to a whole new generation of bass obsessives discovering Rodigan, as a DJ, a performer and a figure of huge respect, and you’re now just as likely to hear the man deliver his impassioned, almost sermonic, monologues at Fabric as you are at a clash in Montego Bay. It’s clear, then, that beyond his perennial career as a reggae icon, there is a new Rodigan in town, increasingly lionised by a whole new audience eagerly lapping up his words, his presence and, most importantly, his music. “Yes. There is a new Rodigan in town,” he begins in a clear-cut and very English accent, miles from the thickened patois-inflected tones with which he addresses his audiences at shows, “and I’m very grateful to the dubstep fraternity for welcoming me in the way that they have. It takes me back to 1972 when dub music hit these shores from Jamaica. It was so exciting, it was a revelation musically. And I can see and hear that same excitement in this music, dubstep. When dubstep first kicked in, my two sons were seriously into it and made me aware of it. Obviously, I was fascinated by it. Then I found out I was being sampled; speeches I’d made years ago. Don’t ask me where those speeches were made because I can’t remember... Breakage’s ‘Together’, was a very important track, it became immensely popular and then there was the Newham Generals version. “I was absolutely blown away to be getting all this attention and it was a big surprise when Caspa said, ‘Look I want you to be on my album and do the intro,’ and then to be invited to Fabric to play at Dub Police with his selectors. For me it was fantastic because it enabled me to once again play these King Tubby, Lee Perry, Joe Gibbs, Errol Thompson mixes – those great engineers in Jamaica who made this dub music that I wasn’t really able to play anymore. For me to be invited into that world; it’s enabled me to join the dots up musically; there is a direct musical heritage and lineage that can be traced back to those origins in western Kingston. And some of those King Tubby dubs that I’m able to play in a dubstep session connect completely and utterly with that audience. I can see it on their faces as the bass drops in or out, I see them getting it exactly as I got it. So yes, some have referred to it as a ‘career renaissance’ – my career was certainly absolutely fine, because it was in a world where I’ve been working for over 30 years; reggae. But this new world into which I’ve been welcomed is fantastic.” As he talks, the passion that informs Rodigan’s every word is infectious, and it really is remarkable to hear a man who is, on paper at least, almost triple the age of many of you reading this talk with such verve for what is very much a young person’s sound and invention, dubstep. And although Rodigan is a man who’s played to some of the biggest and, in the early days, most suspicious crowds possible, the
gravity of being asked to play at Fabric and then provide a mix for the London club’s world-renowned FABRICLIVE series is not lost on him. “The first of my gigs to incorporate dubstep was at Fabric. I walked onto the stage and I could hear what The Others were playing from the DJ booth across the other side of the dancefloor. The smoke machine started going, it was quite cold, the place was packed and I thought to myself ‘What have I done?’ And I actually got nervous; I haven’t been that nervous in a long time. I looked into this very young audience and thought ‘What am I gonna play?’ And there was a moment of doubt. And then I thought ‘I’m gonna play what I decided to play days ago when I first thought about this gig. I’m gonna play these dubs that I think are relevant and I’m gonna tell one or two stories that relate to them and show a couple of album sleeves that connect this thing up.’ I just did it... And the response was amazing. The love I got back from that audience; the anticipation, the shining eyes, the smiling faces when the dubs dropped... “I’d bought out one of my first ever King Tubby dubplates that I hardly ever take out the house, I played that and I’d chosen one or two dubstep tracks that I liked, things that I’d heard that I’d enjoyed. So now what I do, when I’m playing in those sessions, is I sprinkle a little of the kind of dubstep that I’m enjoying in. Not too much though, because I don’t want to look like I’m hitching my horse to a bandwagon, because I’m not. I’ve been invited into a world where I’ve been very well received and I come in, humbled by the attention, because it is a very special time in my career that this should be happening for me. “I’ve been given the opportunity to play the music I love. We must never forget that as DJs, all we ever want to do is share our love of music with like-minded souls. And you know you’ve got the DJ sickness when you’re 14 years of age, and you’re playing in your bedroom and you look out the window to see if anyone in the street is taking any notice. If you’ve ever caught yourself doing that, and peeping out from behind the nets curtains to see if anyone’s stopping in the street, in the hope that what you’ve just played has excited someone, you have the DJ fever. And there isn’t really an antidote to it; once you have that fever of wanting to share, and wanting to endorse and pass on, it never leaves you. So that’s what’s happened again here; I’ve been invited into a world where I can share what I think is important. And when you get the response back from the audience, you can’t buy that high. It’s almost illegal; it’s so good and it’s so rare.” Sharing his vast knowledge and zeal for the music he loves is at the very heart of what Rodigan does. Whether to a clued-up reggae crowd at a clash, or to a mostly uninitiated rave full of bass-hungry students, Rodigan’s uncontrollable tendency to stop the music and introduce each track with a story about its history or impact is what’s made him a superstar across geographical and musical boundaries. But how did this happen in the first place? What drove Rodigan to stop simply playing records and take to the microphone?
“It’s interesting how that developed,” he muses from behind his spectacles, “because originally when I first started DJing there was no talking. Let’s put this in context, in the 1960s the DJ didn’t have the status he does now, he was regarded as the nerd in the corner who had the records. You had records and you played them on one turntable. In Jamaica, someone would jive talk while you took that record off and put another one on. “When I first started professionally playing reggae in clubs in London in 1978, it was not acceptable for the selector to talk – the MC talked, that was the tradition, as it still is now in dubstep and drum & bass. So for me, as a white man playing in black clubs in 1978, you had to have a mic man. What used to happen was, you’d play the vocal, then you’d flip it over and play the rhythm and the mic man would talk and rhyme to it. The selector didn’t speak; I used to work with an MC called Papa Face, he was my MC from the 70s to the 80s. Then it changed. The new style of dubplate [See ‘Dubplates’ Box] meant you no longer needed a mic man, the whole business of someone toasting the flipside began to fade away, and it was all about having customised dubs with your name in them. “So I found myself not requiring an MC in the traditional way, but just playing the dubplates. I started telling stories about a particular song and soon I found myself almost not able to contain myself in wanting to share something about that moment. It just started to happen, and then people would ask, ‘Why didn’t you talk so much about the music this time?’ Then I knew I’d stumbled onto something. I found out that Jamaican MCs were doing impressions of me on stage ‘If Rodigan was here, let me do it in a Rodigan style’, and I realised then it had become something that people expected of me.” For MCs to be imitating an English-born white man at reggae shows in Jamaica is an indication of just how respected Rodigan was, and remains, on the Caribbean island. His is a reputation built purely on respect for his all-conquering love of Jamaican music, and in his 30-plus years of visiting the island Rodigan has not only earned the respect of the crowds, but also that of those at the very top of the reggae industry. “The love I’ve been given in Jamaica, from the first show, has been incredible. I went there in 1979 and cut my first dubs at King Tubby’s and then in 1983 I did my first radio show over there. I’d gone to Jamaica to record shows to be broadcast on Capital Radio where I worked at the time. I asked Barry G, who was the number-one DJ, if he’d do a top ten for me. So he did and said, ‘I’ll reciprocate, come on my show.’ So I went along that Saturday, he turned to me when the news was on, and said, ‘By the way, rather than you just being my guest from England and playing the top records from there, let’s do a clash!’ I said ‘Thanks for the warning!’ [See ‘Clash’ Box] It started at 8pm that Saturday night, and it finished at 2am, and it was the talk of Jamaica. Inevitably, after that radio show, we started doing live shows. The first I did in Kingston was at the New Kingston Drive In. I walked on to stage and there was a deafening hush as they realised this guy Rodigan
from London who they’d heard on the radio was actually a white guy. And after the initial shock, I was given a whole lotta love, as I always have been since whenever I play in Jamaica.” Jamaica is, unsurprisingly, a place very close to Rodigan’s heart and, as a man almost without parallel when it comes to awareness of the music emanating from the isle, his views on the state of Jamaican music today are of real interest. Having previously gone on the record to express his dissatisfaction with so much of the music coming from there these days, his opinions on the latest styles and fashions coming out of JA make for interesting reading... “Jamaican music is forever changing. But it seems to me it’s become somewhat obsessed with a new style of music, which I don’t identify as being reggae or dancehall, I identify it as a hybrid of pop, R&B and dance. I think the internet has enabled Jamaicans to see what is going on elsewhere. That sounds terribly patronising, but you have to remember that Jamaica is an island, and before the digital revolution, it was its own world in a sense; the music being made was always very Jamaican, the way they dressed was, it was unique. “Now, they see and hear Usher, Jay Z, whoever, and think ‘I could do that’. So a lot of the music has this hip-hop kind of flavour to it as its backdrop; I find that inadequate. It doesn’t move me, it doesn’t excite me; it doesn’t generate any passion in me to want to go out and own this rhythm, capture this beat. A lot of it doesn’t have the weight and bottom end and depth of what I would call traditional dancehall and reggae. Now a lot of the music is hypey-hypey for dancing, but it doesn’t have any substantial message or emotion in it other than just fun and vibes. And a lot of the topics and subject matters, in my opinion, leave a lot to be desired. So, I’m bitterly disappointed by a lot of that, I can’t get my head round it musically. There are new artists coming through, but in comparison with how it used to be in the 70s, 80s and 90s it is not as substantial as it was. That would be my observation. But like everything, you never know what’s around the corner. “Which is why I find the new world into which I’ve been invited by the likes of Caspa so very exciting. Jamaicans aren’t making dub music anymore; it’s not part of their musical vernacular. So to be able to play this great dub music, which I haven’t able to play for years because the reggae world haven’t been particularly interested in it, is amazing. So for me, going right back to your first question, yes, it’s like the summer of 73 again; I’m 22 again. I’m not saying that to defend my age, but age really is just a number. When you have a passion and a genuine love of something, it never leaves you. Music is so important in our lives. And the thing about music is, when it hits, as Bob Marley said, you really do feel no pain.” Look out for ‘Rodigan’s Dubwise Showers’ compilation on BBE records and exclusive David Rodigan T-shirts and signed screen prints coming this summer. Check www.rodigan.com for info.
ttle. sh is a musical ba “In essence, a cla ur opponents yo te na mi eli u yo The idea is ga rounds, by playin through a series of In more m. the n tha songs better selection of g vin been about ha recent times, it’s u - if exclusive dub to yo everything as an ur name yo th wi ing someth you’re not playing uld co u yo , t. Originally it, it doesn’t coun s. But it’s ord rec g yin pla t have clashes by jus you have d to the idea that long since evolve custom made for en be ve ha t tha unique dubs me in them. you, with your na judges h round the crowd At the end of eac systems nd sou y wl slo d an your performance so a voting process, are eliminated by soundsystems o tw th wi t lef e ultimately you’r one’. You own as a ‘one for who do what’s kn the best it’s lly ua e, and us play one, I play on clared. “ de is er nn wi a y of ten, eventuall
We must never forget that, as DJs, all we ever want to do is share our love of music with like-minded souls.
xdylanshipley
WORDS: SEAN KELLY PHOTO: SHIFTEYE
HYETAL Bristol is a city that is built upon a solid foundation of dub and sound system culture. There is bass music around every corner, grime in every tower block and jungle lining the very streets. It is also a city that is constantly evolving, both culturally and musically, and in recent times the changes are becoming more noticeable than ever. After years of waiting at the back gate, house music has finally schmoozed its way in. The often rigid functionality of techno and the wiggling roughness of acid have not only managed to infiltrate the boxes of some of the city’s biggest players, but have started to shape the music they produce. Amidst this tide of change stands a shimmering neon sign, emitting a warm luminescent glow that is unlike any colour you have seen before. A radiant hue that is impossible to place. Beautiful and exotic, introspective and positive… this is the sound of Hyetal.
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Dave Corney, as he is known by day, is certainly no newcomer - in fact, he’s quite the opposite. Having already notched up several high-profile releases on a slew of respected labels such as Punch Drunk and Night Slugs, as well as collaborations alongside luminaries such as Julio Bashmore and Peverelist, he’s already made a significant mark on Britain’s vibrant underground music scene.
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We touched base in Bristol’s Idle hands record shop to discuss his highly anticipated debut album, his dynamic live show, his love of R&B and soft synthetic fabrics... "I’ve always been very open to music and loved dance music, but I’m not from a dance music background,” quips
Dave. “When I first got into dubstep, I felt like an outsider; the whole culture of music to be released on a 12” just wasn’t something I was a part of growing up. With the music I was into, it was all about albums." ‘Broadcast’, scheduled for release on Black Acre Recordings, is exactly that. Not just a collection of club tracks but an actual album, in the traditional sense. “I Iove experimental, avant garde ideas but in a pop context,” enthuses Dave. “With the album, I wanted it to be listened to all the way through, so this mainly involved scaling things down in length and working with more conventional song structures. I think a big part of that was using a vocalist; it meant I could write weird pop songs with choruses. It was important for me to represent that on the album.” ‘Broadcast’ however is a far cry from the over-polished, coffee-table pop that seems to dominate the commercial music charts at present. It’s an unpredictable and multi layered journey taking in everything from warped VHS atmospherics (‘The Chase’), bold, densely textured synthscapes (‘Phoenix’) and 80s-inspired psychedelia. All of which are loosely tied together with Alison Garner’s wistful vocals and a healthy dose of submerged bass. With such a genuine authenticity resonating throughout the album, it’s unsurprising that this aesthetic features heavily in Hyetal’s live show as well, which ,despite being in its infancy, has received rave reviews.
After debuting the show in the UK just over a month ago at London’s XOYO, it’s obvious that, like most things Hyetal turns his hand to, the live show goes above and beyond the norm. A timeless merging of old and new, a place where next-level MIDI devices can stand side by side with dusty Akai samplers, where Alison’s vocals and Dave’s laptop co-exist in harmony; an experience that is not only musical, but also visual.
realised that despite having very different sounds, they shared very similar musical tastes. “Matt and I, to a certain extent, are from very different backgrounds,” he reveals, “but there was obviously a cross-over point there, we were both into John Carpenter, Prince and Daft Punk, and it was also around that time that we both started getting into boogie too.”
“I always express stuff much better by hitting pads and keys than programming notes. It’s definitely a physical thing for me... and also a listening thing.”
What emerged from this was the sum of their influences, a sound that paid homage to, but was outside of, what they produce individually: man-made yet silky smooth. Velour was born.
This hands-on approach to performing and making music is something that Hyetal developed at a very young age and has remained a constant throughout his work ever since. As a youth he followed the conventional route of playing in bands, but it wasn’t until he caught the hip-hop bug during his teens that this really took hold:
“We just play R&B really. It’s something I’ve always been into from hip-hop,” he says without a shred of irony in his voice. “It’s great to go out and play that kind of music; it’s nice to play to a load of girls that aren’t afraid to show their appreciation by dancing rather than nodding in a corner with a hat on.”
“The first time I started making electronic music was when I made hip-hop,” he explains. “I was trying to make music like J Dilla and DJ Shadow. I bought an MPC because that is what they used. I was all about trying to do it as authentically as I could, because I wasn’t a part of it and felt that I had to do it the proper way.”
Hyetal is an artist who wears his influences on his sleeve and clearly isn’t afraid to bare his soul through his work. The album and live show are both testament to this. As society becomes more fleeting and attention spans grow ever shorter, this genuine passion and honesty will ensure a longevity that’s rare in modern electronic music. While trends and fads will come and go, the warm neon glow will continue to shine bright.
This deep-rooted love of hip-hop and a penchant for a good pop song came full circle upon meeting Matt Walker, aka Julio Bashmore. After exchanging emails, they soon
‘Broadcast’ is out now on Black Acre.
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“
WHEN I FIRST GOT INTO DUBSTEP, I FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER.
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MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF ANY SORT OF UNDERGROUND MUSIC WAS JUNGLE.
Birmingham born Emalkay is exactly one such individual, still managing to find room for originality and expression within the established 140bpm dubstep template, and consistently producing the kind of tracks that destroy dancefloors without ever having to resort to the obvious. Signed to Caspa’s scene-leading Dub Police imprint in 2009, it was the release of anthem ‘When I Look At You’ last year that really made the world sit up and take notice of the Brummie beatsmith. Now, Emalkay’s debut album ‘Eclipse’ has just been released on Dub Police to wide acclaim, delivering a versatility of sound and influence that will no doubt surprise many, and have Dub Police’s army of fans skanking out in their bedrooms just like they do at the label’s monthly parties at Fabric. Trap caught the train to Birmingham and met with Emalkay in a coffee shop in one of the second city’s many shopping malls to find out more...
Trap: Your album ‘Eclipse’ has just been released on Dub Police, one of dubstep’s biggest labels. How did you end up signed to the imprint? Emalkay: “The first point of contact with Caspa was over AIM, the instant messaging service producers use to pass beats around on. I’d just made ‘Explicit’ – a very heavy, wobbly tune – and sent it to him and I think he pretty much signed it there and then. I was putting out tracks for Boka at that time, so he knew about me already and I’d met him a couple of times. I was looking where to go at that point, so it was perfect timing that he snapped that track up when he did.” “Anyone that asks the question ‘how did you get signed to that label’, I’ll be honest; there is some luck involved; circumstances, coincidences. I could have quite easily seen someone else on AIM that night and passed my tunes to them rather than Caspa. You need a bit of luck, but it will happen over time if you’re grafting long and hard enough. Eventually, if you keep going, you’ll get that luck. Being on Dub Police has suited me to a tee, and it all culminates in this album. It’s been a snowball effect.”
So tell us a bit more about the album... “I like to think the album covers everything I’ve been doing for the last five years. It’s all 140bpm; the idea was, rather than play around with tempos, to play around with beat structures. So, all the tracks are quite different; I get bored if I make the same sort of sound day in, day out. The album, if you listen to it, it’s more like a set. I like to think each track is its own thing; has different energies.” Some of the tracks on ‘Eclipse’ will surprise a lot of people who may be expecting 12 tracks of standard half-step dubstep. ‘Crusader, for example, is closer to jungle than dubstep... “Yeah, people have said this, but dubstep wasn’t always half-step with the snare in the middle. I’ve always made two-step and breakier stuff. But the way the scene was, there was no hunger for that sound for a while, it died down. Then over the last couple of years I started hearing more
DJs playing their take on their old-skool influences, their roots - hardcore, jungle etc. So I thought it was about time I showed where I come from musically and the sounds I really love; not copy it but take influence from it, take what I like and work it into dubstep.”
So you’re a big fan of jungle? “My first experience of any sort of underground music was jungle. There were tapes passed around the school playground when I was about 11. I told my dad about it, and for my birthday he bought me this tapepack. I didn’t even know what a tapepack was really, didn’t know tunes were meant to be mixed into each other. That was around 1995. So a track like ‘Crusader’ on the album, I drew from that, all those little sounds that stayed in my head; I just put them on the canvas. Obviously, it doesn’t sound exactly like jungle, that’s not the idea; it’s just that vibe, bought up to the modern day.” Birmingham’s not known for its dubstep scene; how did you become involved in the music? “I’ve been DJing since I was 15, and been DJing on pirate radio since I was 16; on Silk City FM in Birmingham. Back then it was garage, not garage in the traditional sense, at that time it was getting darker and breakier. So I wanted to make that sort of music; instrumental music that my MCs could host. And then from there, it went to grime. While grime was going on, there was a slight split to more of a producers’ way, whereas grime was about the MCs. Back then it didn’t have a name; we used to call it ‘Easy Bass’. The tracks coming from MRK1, Oris Jay, Coki, Plasticman; they were produced better than grime; they were made to be listened to. “I left grime, the market wasn’t really there for it as a producer, and there was a really bad vibe for it in Birmingham; you’d be in fear in a rave. If you heard a shout or a bang, you’d just run. I walked away from it; I wanted nothing to do with it. So I went the other way, the producers’ way. It was a gamble because in the beginning it was a very small market, mainly in Croydon; there was only a few people doing it and I’ve just seen it grow and grow. So I always say, I never say I started making dubstep; it just got called dubstep at a certain point.”
So having been there from the start, do you think that dubstep has longevity? “Now this tempo, this bass music is here, it’s gonna be around as long as drum & bass; there’s no alternative. Everything we’ve gone through, jungle, dark garage, breakstep, grime – it’s all the same thing, and it’s always gonna be there. Dubstep, there’s so many strains of it, just like D&B It will go in circles. Looking at the figures and the market, it’s growing and growing, it’s been around so long, it’s more than just a craze. As long as the heads are still buying records, then it’s only gonna keep going.” Now the album’s done, where next for Emalkay? “I’m just doing what I’ve always done, making this music. But with this album finished, that covers everything I’ve been doing for the last five years or whatever, now that’s out the way, the door’s open for more experimentation with tempos, using more vocalists. I’ve got a new studio, new software; it’s exciting. All I really wanna say now, though, is make sure you go buy the album!” ‘ECLIPSE’ IS OUT NOW ON DUB POLICE
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As dubstep continues to grow at breakneck pace, and with so many of the scene’s original creators now moving into more experimental, house and techno inspired realms, it’s good to know there’s still some real talent pushing the genre forward as it closes in on its first decade in existence.
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CLUB TRAPICANA. Beachwear, high shoes and big earrings, Trap goes glamorous for a tropical night... PHOTOGRAPHY: Shifteye Photography. facebook.com/shifteyephotography STYLED BY: Kasha Malyckyj. Assisted by Charlotte James. MAKE UP: Victoria Joy Wade and Katie Smith. MODELS: Maya, Lucy and Mel.
From left to right. Lucy wears: Swimsuit: Motel www.motelrocks.com Earrings: Shop Dutty £6 Sunglasses: Spitfire at Motel £18 Maya wears: Bikini top: H&M £12.99 Bikini bottoms: H&M ££7.99 Mel wears: Bikini: Urban Outfitters £28 Earrings: Forever 21 Sunglasses: Spitfire at Motel £18 Shoes Model’s own
Maya wears: Vintage swimsuit: Shop Dutty ££15 Sandals: New Look £19.99 Earrings: Forever 21
Lucy wears: Black studded bikini top: Stylists own Printed shorts: Urban Outfitters £32 Shoes: Topshop Feather earrings from a selection at Shop Dutty Necklace: Stylist’s own
Maya wears: Tropical playsuit: Pop Boutique £18.00 www.pop-boutique.com Shoes: Model’s own
Mel wears: Mustique dress: Shop Dutty £16 Earrings: Shop Dutty £6 Sunglasses: Spitfire at Motel £18 Shoes as before
Maya wears: Vintage dress: Shop Dutty £16 Earrings: Shop Dutty £6 www.shopdutty.com Shoes as before
STILL GETTING IT...
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WORDS: JIMMY PARHANDS
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TRAP MAGAZINE CAN CONFIRM THERE IS ONE THING THAT FOREIGN BEGGARS CAN’T DO; PICK A BAD PRODUCER TO WORK WITH. ON THE CUSP OF RELEASING ‘THE HARDER THEY FALL’, THE FIRST IN A THREE-PART SERIES OF EPS FOR LONDON-BASED LABEL NEVER SAY DIE THAT FEATURES PRODUCTION FROM SKRILLEX, ALIX PEREZ, MENSAH, LAZER SWORD AND MORE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO MAKE CONTACT. “After ‘Stray Point Agenda’ we were down to collaborate on lots of different types of beats,” divulges Metropolis, eager to explain Foreign Beggars switch from hip-hop to dance music based tracks. “At some point it felt like we had reached the glass ceiling that the top UK hip-hop acts could reach; widely recognised across the UK and high up in the genre’s hierarchy, but still pretty much unknown on a broader musical level. We did some work with Sub Focus, which was never released, and around the same time we met Noisia whose music we really liked.” “I guess one thing fed into the other. We were open to other opportunities and versatile with our rhyming and it seemed that for a stretch we’d done a lot more dance music collaborations than hip-hop ones. We started to bring that influence into our live shows and after a while it seemed like a no-brainer to start making our own D&B and dubstep tracks.” “We all listen to different types of music so we’re always on the look out for new styles we can flip on. A lot of the collabs also come from touring. Just being on the road and meeting heads we feel we can work with. It’s an organic process. Sometimes we hit people up, sometimes they hit us up, a lot of the time though it just seems natural.” Talking of being on the road, we’d heard that Foreign Beggars have been on tour constantly for the last seven years. So how do they find the time for all of these collaborations while they’re busy travelling and playing shows? “It’s not ideal in some ways. A lot of the time, it’s a purely internet process, sending instrumentals and vocals back and forth, but it does enable us to work quickly with people, no matter where we are. With the Noisia joints, we would go to their studio in Groningen, sit down together and discuss what kind of track we wanted to make. We’d have some input on how the beat turns out and they, in turn, would give us input on the vocals.”
“The first Skrillex collab was some craziness. Orifice Vulgatron met him in Groningen and introduced him to Bare Noize. They worked on the beat and sent it through to us. I had no idea the joint would have so much impact to be honest, but seeing what it does to crowds on the dancefloor, I guess it makes total sense.” “It’s great when the blend of different styles mixes so well. Collaboration is all about chemistry and I think it works really well on ‘Scatta’ and the new Skrillex track ‘Still Getting It’. Same with ‘Contact’ and ‘Shellshock’, and the stuff we've been doing with Alix Perez. If we can connect on a level, then it’s sure to bring out some good music. We actually have a new project we're working on with Alix under the name Par Excellence; you should keep your ears peeled for that one!” All these hook-ups are great for those of us who already follow bass music and its undulating waves of innovation but, for established artists, switching genres can be a dizzying affair, as they straddle the balance between one fanbase and another. With the hip-hop formula barely changed in 30 years, it’s certainly a risk to push beyond the envelope, but the Beggars feel confident they won’t be leaving their old fans behind. “I think our fans are able to appreciate what we’re doing. We always get asked if we’re ever gonna make another ‘Asylum Speakers’, but most fans realise that artists need to evolve. The key is that you have to remain progressive otherwise you don't grow as an artist. We always introduce the new tracks into our live set to test them out and show the fans what we’re trying.” “Its good that UK hip-hop is finally getting the mainstream support it deserves, too. It’s sick that someone like Wretch32 can get a Top 5 single and still be rated as an underground artist. Even guys like Skream and Benga, who are essentially underground music makers, are owning the mainstream and that’s a good thing for all of us. Hopefully the Vato Gonzalez single will open up our fanbase even further and get more people into all the different music we make. It feels like 2011 so far has been all about breaking barriers. Good music is good music and it’s great to be able to make the music you want and still get respect from the underground.” We’re inclined to agree. Even as dodgy daytime ‘DJs’ like Chris Moyles are playing Foreign Beggars tracks on Radio 1, somehow, it doesn’t leave a bitter taste in the mouth like it used to. While the group rub shoulders with some of the most exciting producers from all corners of bass music, we’re happy to say Foreign Beggars are definitely still getting it. THE FIRST FOREIGN BEGGARS EP FOR NEVER SAY DIE IS OUT NOW.
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HAVING CONQUERED THE WORLD OF UK HIP-HOP, CLOCKED UP THREE MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS FOR ONE OF THEIR TRACKS, SHOT TO THE TOP OF THE BEATPORT CHARTS WITH ANOTHER AND BEEN REWARDED WITH DAYTIME RADIO 1 PLAY FOR THEIR NEW SINGLE WITH VATO GONZALEZ ON MINISTRY OF SOUND, IT’S FAIR TO ASK “IS THERE ANYTHING THESE BOYS CAN’T DO?!”
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WITH A DEBUT ALBUM READY FOR RELEASE, THEIR LATEST SINGLE PLAYLISTED ON RADIO ONE AND A DJ SCHEDULE THAT TAKES THEM AROUND THE GLOBE, THINGS ARE MOVING NICELY
amazing; my first time there and I really enjoyed it. Every gig was wicked; packed, great vibes, lovely people. They’ve got a really good scene there for D&B and dubstep.”
FOR THE BROOKES BROTHERS. TRAP: THE ALBUM’S COMING OUT IN JUNE, BUT WE’VE BEEN THE SOUTH LONDON DUO LEAPT TO FAME BACK IN 2008 WITH
WAITING FOR IT FOR AGES! WHAT TOOK SO LONG?
THE RELEASE OF ‘TEAR YOU DOWN’, AN IMMENSE VOCALLED SLICE OF SUPERFAT DRUM & BASS THAT WAS NOT ONLY HUGELY INFLUENTIAL WITHIN THE GENRE, BUT MASSIVELY POPULAR BEYOND IT TOO.
The Brookes Brothers (who really are brothers) have always been about quality over quantity, and taken their time with their releases for label Breakbeat Kaos (owned by Adam F and DJ Fresh), so it’s no surprise that their long-awaited debut album has taken a while to surface. Currently receiving masses of daytime-radio hype for their first venture into dubstep, ‘In Your Eyes’, while their disco-D&B monster ‘The Big Blue’ destroys the raves, Trap tracked Dan and Phil Brookes down for a quick chat…
D: “A few things really, we moved house halfway through, so it took a while to get used to the acoustics in the new studio. But mainly it’s trying to balance our lives, because we split the DJ work, we’re always both DJing at different times, so it’s hard to get both of us in the studio at the same time. Also, though, we’ve been trying to get it right; we’re perfectionists so we’ve been trying to make an album that you can listen to from start to finish, we didn’t want to rush it.” P: “It’s been ready to go for a while, but it’s nice to put it out just before summer. ‘In Your Eyes’ is on the radio and getting a lot of good promotion.” TALKING OF ‘IN YOUR EYES’ IT’S A DUBSTEP TRACK, AND THERE’S ELECTRO ON THE LP TOO. WAS IT ALWAYS YOUR INTENTION TO
TRAP: EZ GUYS… WHAT YOU BEEN UP TO?
PUT OTHER STYLES ON THE ALBUM, OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU FELT OBLIGED TO DO?
Dan: “I’ve just got back from chilling at my mum’s in Portugal for three weeks. I got a head injury in March, so I took a little breather. It’s been nice hanging out with my mum and mates, but now I’m looking forward to getting back on the beats!” Phil: “And I’ve been out in Australia and New Zealand DJing. It was
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BROOKES B ROT H ERS
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P: “They’ve always been part of the plan for the album. We always wanted to make it more of a listening experience and put some different tempos on there. We love all kinds of music, we’ve never just been about listening to one genre, so we wanted to branch out
and put our stamp and style on other sounds.” D: “Yeah, we’ve never just been drum & bass guys. We love D&B, that was what we used to go raving to when we were young, but we love all dance music, as long as it’s got the vibe. We just wanted to reflect that. We kept it primarily D&B, but I’m glad we have the others on there. Tunes like ‘In Your Eyes’ and ‘Corpse Bride’, the electro tune, they’re the tracks that seem to be getting the biggest response, and that’s wicked.” WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE INEVITABLE CHARGES OF
AWAY FROM THE MUSIC, YOU TWO ARE ACTUALLY REAL BROTHERS… HOW DOES THAT WORK? ANY SIBLING RIVALRY OR FIGHTS OVER THE LAST PACKET OF CRISPS?
P: “Absolutely, we start every day with a thumb war… But seriously, we get on really well, we’ve always been close and there’s only a year between us. When it comes to music we’re both very passionate and we will argue. There can be beef over a hi-hat, but we have very similar tastes. We work really well together; we choose to stay together because, on our own, we know the music wouldn’t be as good.”
BANDWAGON JUMPING THAT WILL COME FROM YOU TURNING
AND FINALLY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN’T
YOUR HANDS TO DUBSTEP?
MAKING RECORDS AND FLYING AROUND THE WORLD TO DJ?
P: “I’m aware people will say that, but you couldn’t say we’ve copied anyone else. It sounds like a Brookes Brothers dubstep tune – that’s what we wanted to do. Take that sound and put our stamp on it.” D: “We don’t care what people are saying. It’s all music, we don’t own drum & bass, no one owns any genre. You make what you want to make; if you feel like there’s something you can do in another genre, you should go and do it and not care what people will say. We’ve always been D&B producers, but nowadays we play at a lot of nights where there’s dubstep being played in the same room, and we’re exposed to a lot of it. The more we were exposed to it, the more we thought we should try and do one. I’m glad we’ve don’t that - it was the first dubstep track we even attempted.”
BROOKES BROTHERS SELFTITLED DEBUT ALBUM IS OUT 6 JUNE.
WE’VE NEVER BEEN ABOUT LISTENING TO ONE GENRE. WE WANTED TO PUT OUR STAMP AND STYLE ON OTHER SOUNDS.
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“
P: “I’d probably still be doing what I did before I went full time with music. I used to work for The Sun selling advertising space, it sounds more glamorous than it was. The little classified porno ads, that’s what I used to sell; XXX ads in the back of The Sun… It was nice to leave that for music.” D: “And I’d probably just be sleeping on the streets... I don’t know, I mean I used to play the piano a lot in my teens, I wanted to do that professionally at one point but wasn’t quite good enough. I could probably play in bars and stuff, but I love production man. The only thing I could ever imagine myself doing from now is writing and producing music.”
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REVIEWED BY: BASSMUSIC BLOG, SAM COLLENETTE, DUB BOY, LEYLA EROGLU, JON CARTER, SEAN KELLY, OLI MARLOW, DAVE COTGRAVE, JERYL WILTON, FIREMAN SAM, BELINDA ROWS E, ANDY HAYES, JUSTIN IRIAJEN, JON COOK.
REVIEW GUIDE:
DRUM & BASS
DUBSTEP
HOUSE/FUNKY
GRIME/HIP HOP
DANCEHALL/REGGAE
EMALKAY ‘Eclipse’ (Dub Police)
FABRICLIVE 57 Jackmaster (Fabric) Over the last couple of years, Numbers cohort Jackmaster has built a reputation for being one of the finest and most interesting DJs in dance music. As such, the Scottish selector has now been invited to join the elite rank of DJs who have provided a mix for the FABRICLIVE series. Glasgow’s finest certainly doesn’t disappoint, offering up a wonderfully eclectic selection, brimming with twists, turns, unusual blends and impeccable mixing. A timeless mix where house classics such as Inner City’s ‘Big Fun’ and Larry Heard’s ‘Sun Can’t Compare’ rub shoulders with more contemporary cuts from Addison Groove and SBTRKT. Where Boy Better Know merges effortlessly into AFX, and early Miami bass stands side by side with Radiohead. A real DJs’ DJ, Jackmaster manages to take risks and throw curve balls without ever wondering into self-indulgent territory. This is dancefloor music devoid of obvious clichés and presented in a truly unique and exciting way.
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There are very few producers who manage to make the sort of dubstep that destroys dancefloors at 1am without resorting to wobbly clichés and all-out manly aggression, but Emalkay is most definitely one of them. After seeing his profile explode following the release of one of the defining dubstep anthems of last year, ‘When I Look At You’, the hype around the Birmingham-based producer and the album he’s been working on has been steadily building since the release earlier this year of the jungle- inspired ‘Crusader’. Both those tracks feature here along with nine other extremely diverse and very solid slices of pure 140bpm music, regularly looking to the past with references to jungle, hardcore and breakstep on tracks such as ‘Keep Going On’ with legendary rave songstress Baby D, while also bounding head on into the future on tracks such as ‘Fabrication’ and ‘The World’. A hugely accomplished album that reminds that dubstep can still do the damage in a dance without losing its groove and originality.
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T. WILLIAMS ‘Heartbeat’ (Paul Woolford Remix) (Local Action)
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Evolution 2’ EP (Shogun Audio) The quality of releases on Friction’s Shogun Audio has rarely disappointed since the Brighton-based D&B label’s inception in 2004. ‘Evolution 2’ doesn’t buck this trend, delivering a strong EP that will appeal to connoisseurs of deeper, darker sounds. Rockwell’s glitchy roller ‘BTKRSH’ and guest producer SPY’s powerful stomper ‘Pressure Drop’ are stand-out tracks. Excellence is achieved once again by the Shogun camp.
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BASHER ‘Transmission’ (Ram)
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Basher completes his impressive rise from contributing to Ram sister label Frequency to releasing a full album for Andy C’s prestigious label. Rarely has a producer’s name seemed more apt than here, with Basher delivering a solid wedge of hefty b-lines and beefy beats across the album. What really lingers, though, is the menacing atmosphere that accompanies most of the tracks, providing a darker edge than what we’ve grown accustomed to from Ram releases of late. Album opener and uncompromising stomper, ‘Androids’ epitomises the sinister nature of this record, and from the distorted bass tear-out of ‘Xerox’ to more subtle efforts such as ‘Devotion’, Basher might not be breaking new ground, but he has the diversity and production skills to offer something new and credible to the legendary label’s discography.
BAOBINGA & CO ‘Joint Ventures’ (Build) Since relocating to Stokes Croft, the ‘cultural epicentre’ of Bristol, Boabinga’s been busy collaborating with a multitude of fellow bass music luminaries such as Mensah, Guido, Hyetal, XXXY and Kowton to create ‘Joint Ventures’, the first LP on his Build imprint. It’s a technicolour soundclash of crisp beats and oodles of melody, featuring the cream of the recent output on Build alongside some totally fresh jams. Opener ‘Heartburst Riddim’ with Ginz is an epic purple adventure, all screaming synths and square wave bass, and ‘Wang It’ with long-time production partner ID is a pulsating melting pot of electro tribal house. ‘Rockfall’ with Gemmy charters into half-step D&B territory and solo outing ‘Make Me Feel’ is a spaced out sci-fi groove. A unique snapshot of the bass-music sound in 2011.
FOREIGN BEGGARS ‘The Harder They Fall’ EP 1 (Never Say Die) Remember King Midas? You know, the tale about a man who turned anything he touched into gold? Well Foreign Beggars must be related by blood, because everything they do at the moment, including this momentous EP featuring Skrillex, Alix Perez, Lazer Sword, Medison, Ruckspin, Duuurty Goods and Black Sun Empire, turns to pure, unadulterated, speaker-busting gold. Ignore this at your peril; it’s the best thing since sliced 140.
Perhaps not a remixer you’d have chosen to rework this much-loved track, but Woolford has created something really interesting here. Starting with clean rolling drums, only the subby kicks hint that this is not going to be clean tech-house... And when the vocal drops, the rhythms switch up, the bass starts to growl with a satisfying squelch, and everything gets much more engaging. Classic, without bring retro. Absolute killer!
VARIOUS ARTISTS '116 & Rising' (Hessle Audio) Hessle Audio prove once again why they’re one of the most revered record labels in modern electronic music. ‘116 & Rising’ – the camp’s first ever compilation, reads like a who’s who of next-level beat makers of the moment, and stands as a true celebration of innovation and forward thinking dancefloor dynamics. From the heavily swung, percussive riddim o Elgato’s ‘Music’ to the 808 meets post-junglist stylings of Pearson Sound’s ‘Stifle’. Ben UFO et al work hard to leave no corner of the bass music lexicon untouched. Throw in Peverelist’s shimmering ‘Sun Dance’ and an impenetrable slab of half-step pressure from D1, and you have a collection of tracks that will excite your ears and cave in your speakers.
SEROCEE ‘Oh Na Na’ (Jambrum)
ROSKA ‘Error Code’ / ‘Abrupt’ (Hot Flush)
NINO ‘Classe De 1984’ (Donky Pitch)
UK dancehall maestro Serocee teams up with Jamaican super producer Tony Kelly for a funky bashment monster. ‘Oh Na Na’ incorporates a great ragga vocal and an uplifting riddim that perfectly captures the fertile ground between house and dancehall. The release includes a series of quality remixes led by Interface & Laza Beam’s carnival jungle lick and Famous Eno’s tough moombahton remix. Top quality.
UK Funky don Roska follows up a recent contribution to Hot Flush’s ‘Back & 4th’ compilation with his debut solo outing for the label. Retaining the tough percussion and rude syncopated rhythms that he’s known for, this release sees Roska move into new and exciting territory with the shimmering arpeggios of ‘Error Code’ and dubbed-out futurism of ‘Abrupt’.
The second release from Donky Pitch comes courtesy of Barcelona-based beatsmith Nino. The ‘Classe De 1984’ EP features five original tracks, each exploding with enough hyperactive funk-soaked synths, rattling drum lines and warped low-end to force the sun out from behind the clouds. Top class remixes come courtesy of Offshore, Kelpe and Krsur to complete a great package.
Bristol dubstep producer Gemmy has been quite for a minute, but this pair of tracks for his own freshly-launched World Of Wonder label proves he’s not been slacking off. ‘Jah Know’ sees Gemmy flaunt his Super Mario inspired purple synth lines, offsetting their lightness with a snarling grimed-out bassline drop, while ‘They Live Under The Stairs’ is all off-kilter rhythms and creepy synths. Gemmy is back.
HEAD HIGH ‘It’s A Love Thing’ (Powerhouse Recordings) With the Chicago house revival in full swing, Berlin producer Shed steps in to show people how it's really done. ‘It’s A Love Thing’ is a barrage of pounding 909 drums, clipped vocal edits, compressed claps and sweaty warehouse vibes. Throw in some anthemic rave pianos and you’ve got a track guaranteed to lift any dancefloor to new levels of hysteria.
J MAJIK & WICKAMAN ‘Old Headz’ / ‘Ritual’ (Metalheadz) Let’s be honest here, a lot of people didn’t think J Majik had this kind of music in him anymore; especially when combined with his regular modern-day production Wickaman. Known more recently for trance-inspired vocal anthems or floor-flattening jump-up, these two beautifully deep and perfectly Metalheadz slices of sonic art prove wrong anyone that thought the J Majik of old was dead and buried.
FIRE CAMP FT LADY LESHUR & SCRUFIZZER ‘Move!’ (360 Records) Lethal B’s Fire Camp return with yet another club banger, alongside two plaudit-stealing performances from future grime stars: Lady Leshurr from Birmingham and Scrufizzer of the Nu Wave. They rip apart one of the biggest instrumentals in grime at the moment, Teeza’s ‘Bounce’. As we’ve come to expect from the Fire Camp, the chorus makes this a call-andresponse, shout-along anthem.
ZED BIAS FT OMAR & FOX ‘Dancing’ (Tru Thoughts) Stevie Wonder collaborator and UK Soul legend Omar stars on vocal duties on this track. From carnival to festival, this is destined to be one of the anthems of the summer, and reps UK Funky at its absolute best. All the ingredients are there: an amazing soul vocal, soca influences, a staccato steel drum hook, broken beats, a driving bassline and even a bashment guest verse. Tropical bass music made for skanking!
DEADBOY ‘Here’ (Numbers) Inspired as much by glam R&B as he is garage and dancehall, Deadboy returns to Jackmaster’s Numbers label once again with ‘Here’ - a three-track EP that veers ably from his own inimitable brand of stylistic, woozy dancefloor heartache to deep gilded disco on the eight-minute plus opener, ‘Wish You Were Here.’
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GEMMY ‘Jah Know’ / ‘They Live Under The Stairs’ (W.O.W.)
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ULTERIOR MOTIVE ‘Tesla’ / ‘Seven Segments’ (Subtitles)
BOP ‘The Amazing Adventures Of One Curious Pixel’ (Med School) Saint Petersburg-based Med School signing Bop returns with the follow-up to his 2009 debut album ‘Clear Your Mind’. The evocative, genre spanning opus ‘The Amazing Adventures Of One Curious Pixel’ takes in house, techno and dubstep and combines it with Bop’s signature stripped back, half-time funk and jazz-inspired 170bpm sound. Expect clipped beats, hazy synths and digital 8-bit bleeps from the off. Pulsing 128bpm venture ‘Sunrain’ stands out, as does ‘Intercontinental Meltdown’, which takes inspiration from Ashraf and Akhtar’s classic Pakistani film soundtrack ‘Good News For You’. Make sure you check Bop’s remix of Subwave’s ‘I Need You’ and the two digital exclusives that are available with this release. A superb and surreal three-dimensional trip into one of electronic music’s most enigmatic minds.
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DONAEO 'Check My Swagger Out’ (My Ish)
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Donaeo is gearing up for the release of his debut album later this summer in style with the release of this latest genre-busting slice of sing-along bass music. Having leapt to fame over the last 18 months with singles like ‘I’m Fly’ and ‘Riot Music’, ‘Check My Swagga Out’ suggests we’re set to hear a whole lot more goodness coming from the multi-talented vocalist over coming months.
Teebee’s Subtitles is a label that has always consistently delivered, but in the last 12 months or so the imprint has hit a purple patch. Like much of UM’s productions, ‘Tesla’ is heavily reminiscent of the late-90s D&B sound, kicking off with a tense, cinematic intro that steadily builds into a hard-edged roller. ‘Seven Segments’ is equally raw on the flip. Ulterior Motive maintain the levels.
HYETAL 'Broadcast' (Black Acre) With a swathe of attention grabbing releases on Punk drunk, Planet Mu and Orca already under his belt, Hyetal drops his stunning debut LP on Black Acre. Washed in analogue warmth and fizzle, ‘Broadcast’ feels like the dark futuristic soundscapes they dreamt up in the 1980s being realised in the Twenty-First century. Switching between styles with finesse, the album goes from atmospheric to uplifting, drifting in the realms between house and dubstep. Setting the tone, new single ‘Diamond Islands’ (featuring Alison Garner) is a stripped-back, melancholic ride on bassweight that’s as gripping as it is hypnotic. Effervescent synths, pulsating bass and shattered percussion orchestrate ‘Beach Scene’, sounding like an epic ode to cult show ‘Twin peaks’. While the atmospheric moments in tracks such as ‘The Chase’ and ‘Transmission’ further cement the overall cinematic feel of the album.
DISASZT 'Shadow & Lightening’ (Mainframe) Austria has earned a reputation over recent years for having one of the healthiest drum & bass scenes outside of the UK. And while the likes of D.Kay and more recently Camo & Krooked have enjoyed a high level of notoriety here, one of the most important figures in Austrian D&B has always remained relatively unknown to us Brits. That man is DisasZt, head of the ever on-point Mainframe label and one of the most respected D&B DJs in Austria and Europe, who’s now ready to establish himself at the top of the game with this impressive debut LP. Featuring a whole host of collaborators, from veterans like Chris SU and Shimon to new Austrian blood like Kos & Tenchu, this album delivers 16 tracks that will all shake dancefloors, and that represent almost every style and sound of D&B within nearly every track.
GUIDO & BAOBINGA 'Ballin’' / 'Bumba' (Build) After his recent collaboration with Hyetal, Baobinga again works his collaborative magic with one of the most intriguing producers out there, Guido. ‘Ballin’ sees crunkinflected drums and constantly moving synths gradually build to epic dimensions, before switching for an unexpected sting in the tail. ‘Bumba’ marries classic Guido riffs with chunky drums, live finger snaps, shakers and a marimba. Both have been getting early love from Jackmaster and Sinden.
As we all know, everybody is clamouring for a piece of the dubstep pie these days, and over the last year many of the traditional dance music powerhouses have been muscling in on the genre and churning out dubstep compilation CDs to great marketing fanfare.
ID ‘Once Again’ / (Flore Rmx) / ‘Handbagger’ (Baobinga Rmx) (Bass Music) ID strips it back with this release, channelling the sounds of classic breakstep for a pacey swing through rolling basslines, hyped-up snares and junglist samples. Staying energetic without resorting to midrange wobble, this will fit into dubstep and breakstep sets alike. On remix duties we see France’s Flore, who drops the tempo for a tropical-vibed rave stomp, and Baobinga coming through with an astonishing Amen rinse-out.
SZARE ‘NY Fizzzzz’ / ‘Action Five’ / ‘Volya’ (Idle Hands) Bristol-based Idle Hands blur the boundaries between garage, house and techno with two impressive cuts from Manchester young 'un Szare. 'Volya' shuffles along in a suitably subdued fashion, applying cavernous bass licks to a fractured, low-slung groove while 'Action Five' takes things even deeper into the fog with submerged kicks, crunchy atmospherics and gritty vocal snippets. Dark and deadly.
Praise, then, has to go to Ministry Of Sound for their approach to their own inevitable dubstep compilation series, in which this is the second instalment. Rather than offering up a faceless compilation or hiring a big-name DJ to mix it in an afternoon, never to think of it again, MOS have once again invited respected dubstep journo Joe Muggs to compile a
deeper, more thought-out cross section of the ever broadening genre over two CDs in an unmixed format. With 34 tracks packed in, ranging from lost classics to exclusively created dubs, Mr Muggs burrows deep into dubstep, unturning almost every shade and style of the sound and highlighting how rich and creative it can still be. A worthy demonstration of the true depth of the genre.
GYPTIAN ‘Yea Yea’ (Clifford Ray Music)
FAZE MIYAKE ‘The Take Off’ EP (Woofer Music)
It was always going to be a task following up ‘Hold Yuh’, but Gyptian scores another winner here with ‘Yea Yea’. He rides an excellent re-lick of the ‘Murder She Wrote’ riddim in fine style, referencing the original ‘Bam Bam’ melody in a subtle but utterly infectious manner. ‘Yea Yea’s’ classic 90s throwback vibe continues to further Gyptian’s reputation as one of reggae’s brightest stars.
Newcomer Faze Miyake makes a big impression with only his second-ever release. Title track ‘Take Off’ is minimal, sub-heavy and threatening; it’s Dirty South meets grime, and a perfect instrumental for MCs. This is backed up with more traditionalsounding grime, including ‘Blackberry’ a track recently used by P Money for his mixtape. With vocal cut-ups, 2step drums and computer game sounds, this goes full circle, sounding like 2001 UKG colliding with 2011 Grime rawness.
DARK SKY ‘High Rise’ / ‘Armour’ (Blunted Robots) Dark Sky have been enhancing their reputation with every release lately, and this keeps up the momentum. 'High Rise' blends mellow spacious pads, a catchy, swaggering bass riff, and tough skittish drums that recall the classic days of breakbeat garage. The flip, 'Armour' takes a similar template but heads down a more militant, industrial avenue, which will appeal to techier heads, but lacks the sense of fun of the A-side.
DFRNT ‘Emotional Response’ EP (Nu Directions) DFRNT is the vowel-less moniker for Edinburgh’s deep bass-music experimentalist Alex Cowles, who as DFRNT has carved a niche for his own style of forward thinking dubstep and techno productions. This project, a year in the making, is an extended player that ticks all the boxes and is an eclectic collection of tracks that totally define Alex’s DFRNT sound. The package also contains sterling remixes from ASC, Jus Wan and Jack Dixon.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Adventures In Dubstep’ Vol 2 (Ministry Of Sound)
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PHOTEK ‘Aviator’ EP (Photek Productions
BROOKES BROTHERS 'Brookes Brothers' (Breakbeat Kaos) No one does uplifting dancefloor drum & bass quite like the Brookes Brothers. Always managing to avoid crossing the line into all-out cheese by giving their vocal and melodic sound a seriously solid backbone of bass and beats, tracks such as 2008’s ‘Tear You Down’ (which features here) have positioned the duo within the bracket of D&B producers that mainstream radio seems happy to support. Ironic, then, that the track that many will discover this predominantly D&B album through is the enormous ‘In Your Eyes’, which is in fact the only dubstep track here. Elsewhere, ‘Corpse Bride’ sees the duo flex their versatility again, this time with electro, and there’s more than enough main-room D&B to keep the ravers happy too. Definitely worth the wait.
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SINISTARR ‘Mainstay’ / ‘Solar 9’ ft Redeyes (Metalheadz)
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Wow, it must be that time once again to turn on its head the hallowed phrase that has haunted the lives of music journalists since 1995; “Drum & bass is not dead!” It was merely sleeping, waiting to be woken up by Sinistarr and a very fresh sounding 12” for Metalheadz. Irony points go out to the label for snapping up the Redeyes collaboration too. Goldie can clearly still pick ‘em.
Here’s a man with a lot to live up to. Having spent the last decade holed up in Los Angeles writing film scores, Rupert Parks continues his return to dance music with mixed results. While ‘Aviator’ sounds fresher to our ears than his recent ‘Avalanche’ EP, it’s no ‘Ni Ten Ichi Ryu’, but then again, what is? Newcomers to Photek check it, old timers may be expecting something more.
CHRISSY MURDERBOT ‘Women’s Studies’ (Planet Mu) Whilst artists like Addison Groove, Rashad and Spinn gain most of the plaudits for current interest in Chicago’s juke scene, Chrissy Murderbot has been just as important in introducing the sound to the UK. Planet Mu have recognised this and given him room to explore Chicago’s energetic take on house music through a full album. On ‘Women’s Studies’ Murderbot unleashes a batch of wilfully eclectic juke tracks coupled with some bashment and house explorations as well. The results are both impressive and a huge amount of fun, combining fast, wild drum rhythms, punishing sub bass and playful references to its many influences such as hip-hop, disco and jungle. Guest vocalists such as Warrior Queen, Rubi Dan and MC Zulu all contribute quality hooks that further the album’s raw, unabashed vibe.
BUGGSY 'The Great Escape' (Riddim-Holic) Buggsy has spent the last few years building a rep as one of the most interesting and talented MCs around. Working with likes of Skinnyman, Skitz and DJ Die, the Bristol-based rasta MC has grabbed plenty of hype with his thousand-mile-an-hour flow and totally unique style, but now he steps up to the plate with his debut solo album. Featuring the massive ‘Born In A System’ produced by Skitz, alongside hip-hop, grime and dubstep beats from the likes of First Aid and Gemmy and guest spots from Jehst & Farma G and Broke’n’English, ‘The Great Escape’ showcases everything that sets Buggsy apart from the crowd. Demonstrating incredible intensity, both in terms of delivery and subject matter, Buggsy spits syllables like no one else you’ve heard, with all the charm and swagger of the greats.
ADELE & JAMIE XX VS MR LEXX, CE’CILE & TIMBERLEE ‘Rollin’ In The Heat’ (The Heatwave Remix) (White) The Heatwave take Jamie XX’s remix of Adele’s massive ‘Rollin In The Deep’, and by rearranging the beat and dropping in some choice ragga verses from Mr Lexx, Ce’cile & Natalie Storm they create this summer’s dancehall anthem and confirm they’re status as the reggae re-fix masters! Expect to hear this at every festival you attend this summer. Download for free from www.theheatwave.co.uk.
RAM RECORDS PRESENT
OUT 13TH JUNE 2011 Available on 12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.
OUT NOW Available on 2x12” Vinyl and 13 track Digital Bundle.
OUT NOW Available on 12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats. Ram Records LTD, PO Box 70, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 3NR. T: +44(0)1708 445851 F: +44(0)1708 441270 E: info@ramrecords.com W: www.ramrecords.com
BASSPOINTS CLUB LISTINGS MAY / JUNE / JULY 2011 FRIDAY 27 MAY PLAYAZ @ FABRIC, LONDON Hype, Marky, Hazard , Die, Brookes Bros, LTJ Bukem + more. SATURDAY 28 MAY RUN XL @ MOTION, BRISTOL Caspa, Marky, Dillinja, Tempa T, Lenzman, Die, dBridge, Marcus Nasty, Plastician, Smutlee + more. SUNDAY 29 MAY DANCEHALL SCIENCE @ THE WIRE, LEEDS Firehouse Sound, Iration Steppas. The Roots Man ft De Bo General + more. WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE GEMMY’S W.O.W. @ BASEMENT 45, BRISTOL Gemmy, secret special guest DJ, Baobinga, Buggsy + more. FRIDAY 3 JUNE SHIT THE BED VS DIGITAL SOUNDBOY @ MOTION, BRISTOL Jack Beats, Shy FX, Joker, Breakage, Scratch Perverts, EZ, D Double E, Addison Groove, Bok Bok + more.
WWW.THEHEATWAVE.CO.UK/SHOWTIME
DOLLOP @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM Jamie XX, Joy Orbison b2b Jackmaster, Benji B, Julio Bashmore.
HESSLE AUDIO / TECTONIC 1 JULY @ Fabric, London
SATURDAY 4 JUNE SUBDUB @ VOX WAREHOUSE, LEEDS Iration Steppas, OBF, Jacin, Randall, Doc Scott, Vapour, DJ Madd.
As ever, there’s a whole bunch of sick nights coming up at London’s Fabric over the next couple of months, but this is the one that really caught our eye. Taking things deep over all three rooms, the Farringdon rave den’s main room will be taken over by Hessle Audio, while Tectonic take care of Room 2 and Sonic Router curates Room 3. The line-up is ridiculous, and Ben UFO going back to back with Oneman, with Trim on the mic, makes this dance essential.
FRIDAY 10 JUNE HOT WUK @ EAST VILLAGE The Heatwave, Sticky + guests. CRAZYLEGS @ BASEMENT 45, BRISTOL Kyle Hall (3 hours) + residents. SATURDAY 11 JUNE TROUBLE VISION @ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON Tensnake, Lee Foss, Space Dimension Controller, T. Williams, Dark Sky.
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Something seriously special here from Rinse FM’s dancehall purveyor supreme, The Heatwave. Bringing some of the UK’s finest MCs together to ride bashment and dancehall riddims live on stage, Showtime promises to be a unique celebration of British MC culture. With everyone from Wiley and Glamma Kid to Genral Levy, Lady Chann, Skibadee and Serocee, you can see why Wiley’s gone on record to say; “Showtime is gonna be when we do what Shabba and Yellowman and Ninja did back in the day. Kids are gonna watch it in a hundred years and think, ‘I wish I was there’.” Make sure you are.
DUB POLICE @ FABRIC, LONDON Caspa, Rodigan, Trolley Snatcha, Icicle, Fabio Ed Rush, Baobinga, Hyetal.
REDUX @ BRIXTON JAMM Newham Generals, Skinnyman, Broke 'N' English, Planas b2b Night Owl, Slimzee + more.
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SHOWTIME 15 JUNE @ Cargo
FRIDAY 17 JUNE BASSLACED @ CABLE, LONDON Loefah & Boddika, Silkie & Quest, Mumdance, Hatcha, Eddie K, Crazy D. WIGFLEX @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM Motor City Drum Ensemble, Ben UFO.
WWW.FABRICLONDON.COM
BASSPOINTS CLUB LISTINGS JUNE / JULY 2011SUNDAY 1 MAY SURESKANK @ CRASH MANSION, BRISTOL Kavsrave, Dark Sky b2b Khan, Superisk, Shadz, Koast, Sparkerboi. SATURDAY 18 JUNE SHOGUN AUDIO @ CABLE, LONDON Friction, Fabio, Alix Perez, Icicle, Krust b2b Die, Rockwell, The Prototypes, SP, Stamina. SATURDAY 25 JUNE RENEGADE HARDWARE @ AREA, LONDON Ink, Loxy, BSE, SPY, Ulterior Motive, C4C, Spirit, Skitty + more. CHEW THE FAT @ CABLE, LONDON Brodinski, Foamo, Evil Nine, Marco Del Horno, Last Japan + more. FRIDAY 1 JULY HESSLE AUDIO / TECTONIC @ FABRIC, LONDON Pearson Sound, Ben UFO b2b Oneman ft Trim, Jackmaster, Pinch b2b Distance, Loefah, Youngsta, Jack Sparrow, SP, Mosca, Redinho, MLR. SATURDAY 2 JULY SPECTRUM @ EWER ST WAREHOUSE, LONDON Zinc, Sinden, Redlight, Reso, Hot City, Pete Jordan + more.
Bristol’s undisputed champions of rave The Blast never do things by half, and June will see the biggest line-up yet for one of their immense Shit The Bed! parties at Motion. There’s an eye-popping artist list across all four rooms of the venue, spanning the full breadth of bass music, and the huge extra warehouse next door is also being opened for the night. With no less than the full Digital Soundboy family taking care of things in there, this is one of the biggest line-ups you’ll see anywhere this year. WWW.MOTIONBRISTOL.COM
THE BLAST VS YOYO @ BLUE MTN, BRISTOL Toddla T, Lil Silva, Seb Chew & Leo Greenslade, Smutlee, Serocee + special guests. FRIDAY JULY 15 HOSPITALITY BRISTOL @ MOTION, BRISTOL LE, Netsky, C&K, Fabio, Phace, SP, Photek, Distance, The Others, Crazy D, Jubei, Ulterior Motive. FABRICLIVE 58: GOLDIE LAUNCH @ FABRIC, LONDON Goldie, Scratch Perverts, Commix, Hatcha, Alix Perez, MistaJam, Heatwave, Sticky, Lenzman. FRIDAY 22 JULY MARKY AND FRIENDS @ FABRIC, LONDON DJ Marky, Ms Dynamite (LIVE), S.P.Y, Urban Nerds in Room 2 with Plastician, Rack N Ruin, Rattus Rattus WEEKLY RUNNINGS... HIT & RUN @ MINT LOUNGE, MANCHESTER Every Monday TUESDAY CLUB @ FUSION & FOUNDARY, SHEFFIELD Every Tuesday WOBBLE @ THEKLA, BRISTOL Every Tuesday SOME NIGHT @ EAST VILLAGE, LONDON Every Wednesday FWD>> @ PLASTIC PEOPLE, LONDON Every Thursday
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SHIT THE BED VS DIGITAL SOUNDBOY 4 JUNE @ Motion, Bristol
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BASSPOINTS THE MAIN EVENT
#004 URBAN NERDS EACH ISSUE TRAP TAKES A LOOK AT THE PARTIES AND PROMOTERS AT THE HEART OF THE SCENE WE LOVE. THIS ISSUE IT’S LONDON PROMOTERS URBAN NERDS TURN TO STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT… Love it or hate it, East London is the epicenter of British youth culture. Making your mark among the transient hipsters that flow through the streets of the capital’s eastern side isn’t easy, but after four years promoting some of the most interesting and varied party-centric line-ups around, Urban Nerds has established itself as one of the leading events in bass music. Celebrating its fourth birthday around the time this magazine hits the streets with a massive party at the Scala, Trap caught up with the guys behind the brand to find out more about one of our favourite raves… HOW DID URBAN NERDS START? “Urban Nerds started in 2007 at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane in East London. It was initially going to be a party for a magazine called Hooker that two of us were involved with, but the magazine ceased printing that year and the party needed a name and a focus; Urban Nerds was born.” WHO ARE THE MAIN PEOPLE INVOLVED IN URBAN NERDS? There are three main promoters (James, Mark and James aka Rompa) a number of DJs including Klose One and Rattus Rattus and other affiliates such as Tony Black, our designer, and a network of other team members who make it all run.” WHAT DEFINES AN URBAN NERDS RAVE? “There are a number of different factors - first and foremost it’s the ravers themselves; they set the tone and the atmosphere. But, of course, in order to entice them to a party you need a decent space, some talented DJs and MCs and, most importantly, a ridiculous stack of speakers to make sure the bass rumbles to its full potential!”
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YOU’VE DONE A FEW PARTIES IN CAR PARKS AND
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WAREHOUSES RECENTLY – WHAT’S THE ATTRACTION? “We’ve always tried to keep switching things up in terms of where we hold our parties and two years in, as dubstep and grime started to hit everyone’s radar, we found ourselves one of several bass-heavy promoters hitting the East End crowd. We always wanted Nerds to feel that little bit more
BASSPOINTS THE MAIN EVENT special and we wanted to keep the ravers excited… The warehouses and car parks seemed the perfect way to do that. The other attraction is that we can start from scratch in terms of décor, sound, lighting, staging etc so we can tailor it to our specific vision. Each one’s been immense and they’re here to stay; keep your eyes peeled as we’re constantly looking for bigger and better spaces to play with.” YOUR LINE-UPS CONTINUALLY DEFY DEFINITION, AND THE MUSIC HEARD AT ONE OF YOUR PARTIES COVERS ALMOST EVERY ANGLE OF BASS-HEAVY MUSIC. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MUSIC POLICY FOR URBAN NERDS? “Musically, we strive to keep our line-ups fresh and try to incorporate the massive boundary of sound that could be summed up as ‘bass music’. We try to lead and innovate with our line-ups so as not to stagnate the sound, we don’t pigeonhole ourselves by representing any one specific sound or genre; we try to encompass it as a whole.” WHAT’S BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT SO FAR FOR URBAN NERDS? “Looking back over the last four years, there’ve been so many to choose from. Being able to work with Fabric and Matter, Mixmag, Time Out and DMC’s has been amazing. Becoming part of the Ortofon and Ecler Pro team. Being involved with Volvo Snowbombing in Austria, Outlook and Hideout festival in Croatia are all big looks for us. Each new chapter in the Urban Nerds story brings with it a proud moment.” WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? “We’re currently working on a number of projects that will see Urban Nerds enter realms we’ve not touched before. We’re working on some exciting things with Addict clothing that will see our clothing label take shape and become established in its own right. Bigger and better parties, moving into Europe and America are steps we want to take. Just make sure you keep watching.” WHAT IS THE SECRET OF YOUR SUCCESS? “A lot of hard work, and all of the people who have helped us out over the past few years. You can’t get anywhere by yourself in this world and we’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of team support, our DJs who continue to fly the flag for the Urban Nerds sound, our designer and web designer and all of the press like yourselves who give us the time of day and tell the people what we’re about.”
28th May
4th Birthday at Scala, London
29th May
Street Fest in Shoreditch, London
1st-3rd July
Hideout Festival, Croatia
9th July
Main stage at Lounge on the Farm festival
22nd July
Room 2 at Fabriclive, London
WWW.URBAN-NERDS.COM
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URBAN NERDS UPCOMING EVENTS:
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Coming Soon A1 Bassline Adam F Alexander Nut Alix Perez Andy C Baobinga Ben UFO Blawan Braiden Break Brookes Brothers Butterz Caspa Chase & Status (DJ Set) Chunky Cinnaman Commix Culture Shock Cyantific dBridge David Rodigan DC Breaks Distance DJ Die DJ Hype (2 hr Set)
DJ Marky DJ Q DJ Zinc Doctor P Elijah + Skilliam Extended Players Fabio Flux Pavillion Geoim Goldie GQ Grooverider Hatcha Hazard Hyetal Icicle Jack Sparrow Jack Beats Jackmaster Jehst (Live) Jubei Kasra Kito Kryptic Minds Kutz
Lenzman Loadstar Feat Texas Loefah LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad Mistajam Mlr Mosca Ms Dynamite (Live) N Type Oneman Original Sin Pangaea Pascal Pearson Sound Pinch Plastician Potential Badboy Randomer Rattus Rattus Red One Redinho (Live) Redlight Rob Swift (X-Ecutioners)
Rockwell Royal T S.P.Y Scratch Perverts & AD Scratcha Dva Shed (Live) Shy Fx Sigma Soundproof Spectrasoul Spin Doctor Sticky Stray Stretch Armstrong Sub Focus (DJ Set) Tayo The Heatwave & Rubi Dan The Others The Prototypes Toddla T & Serocee Total Science Trim Wbeeza (Live) Youngsta