Trap Magazine 007

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2012

07

E V E RY B A S S C O V E R E D

FREE

M U S I C I FA S H I O N I A R T

WILEY

HE’S NOT A WEIR DO BUT HE’S PRETTY INTERESTING

THE WORLD IN

HIGH CONTRAST

STYLO G

THE UK’S VERY OWN DANCEHALL SENSATION BR INGS THE SWAGGA

DRUMZ OF THE SOUTH RARE AND INTIMATE PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE GOLDEN ER A OF DUBSTEP

CHAMPION

EAST LONDON’S UK FUNKY MASTER TALKS INSPIRATIONS AND ASPIRATIONS

CHEO

COM IC-BOOK ART ON A MASSIVE SCALE

+

ZONE7STYLE KAHN RODIGAN B.TRAITS GEORGE FITZGERALD WWW.TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

07

Photo: GEORGINA COOK

THE DROP

07

TRAP MAGAZINE F E B R U A RY / M A R C H 2 0 1 1 WWW.TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

REGULARS

FEATURES

HYPE THINGS WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT

06

WILEY

23

MONKI

09

DRUMZ OF THE SOUTH

26

URBAN NERDS

11

CHAMPION

32

FIFTY FIFTY

13

HIGH CONTRAST

34

TRAP FASHION

14

CHEO

39

TRAP X THE DAILY STREET

17

STYLO G

44

BOSS SELECTIONS DJ’S TOP TENS PLUS IN-DEPTH CHARTS

18

ZONE7STYLE

46

FASHION INTO THE ZONE

48

MUSIC REVIEWS

57

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

64

23

26

32

34

44

FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’ TWITTER: @trapmagazine EMAIL: info@trapmagazine.co.uk

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: Nick Hills COVER: High Contrast by Andrew Attah. www.andrewattah.com PICTURES: Laura Lewis, ASHES57, Georgina Cook, Spencer Murphy, Andrew Attah, Shifteye.

WORDS: Jon Cook, Kasha Malyckyj, Jason Gardener, Sam Bates, Belinda Rowse, Sean Kelly, Sam Collenette, Jeryl Wilton, Amy Stiff, bassmusicblog.com, Sophie Thomas, Jon Carter, Tim Rayner, Adam Scotland, Dave Cotgrave, Geoff Wright and Sophie James.

THANK YOU: Dane @ Two Plates, Leo @ Darling, Adam @ Backdrop, Ben @ Run, Rob, Tom & Ollie @ The Blast; Johnny @ Outlook; Danna @ Takkako, Scott @ Fabric, Lee @ Muzik Hertz, Steve @ Cooshti, Tom @ Basslaced, Lisa & Suz, Louis, Rich & Sid @50/50, Cheba & Sam @ WOC, Johnny & Ben @ Outpost, James & Sophie @ Found, Steve & Diccon @ Chemical, Chris @ Idle Hands, Danny Keston.

006

HYPE

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

07

THINGS WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT

INDOOR FESTIVAL 2012 WIN TICKETS! On Sunday 6 May, four separate venues across Nottingham will be taken over for one huge event – Detonate’s annual Indoor Festival. Delivering an unbeatable line-up of acts from across the full breadth of the bass-music spectrum in the city’s Rock City, Forum, Stealth and Rescue Rooms venues, 2012’s edition promises to be one of the best events anywhere in the UK that Bank Holiday weekend.

DUBPLATE LOVE The guys over at ultra-esteemed dubstep label Black Box have come over all Willy Wonka and are running their own very special ‘golden ticket’ competition.

The next release on BB’s sister label Box Clever,

by Finnish producer LAS, will be limited to 500 10” vinyl copies, and hidden within 10 of those will be a ‘golden’ ticket that can be exchanged for a special one-sided dubplate cut by Dubstudio. Vinyl and dubplate culture is close to all our hearts and the label deserves applause for this wicked concept.

After last year’s incredible event, the Trap team will be in full attendance once again, and we’re offering two readers the chance to join us. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, just click ‘like’ on both the Trap and Detonate facebook pages, and email your name, postcode and DoB to competitions@trapmagazine.co.uk.

Competition closes 14 March and all entrants must be over 18.

The record is out in March, and we’ve managed to secure one of the dubplates to give away to one of you lot, as well as the last five Box Clever releases and a brand-new Black Box teeshirt! To enter, just email competitions@trapmagazine before 14 March with ‘Dubplate Love’ as the subject line. A winner will be selected at random.

www.detonatefestival.com

facebook.com/trapmagazine

LAKOTA RELAUNCHES Legendary Bristol rave den

SONIC ROUTER LABEL One of the most respected

NEW HOME FOR BLOC After five years of infamous

Lakota relaunches in February with

electronic music websites around,

parties at Butlins, BLOC is moving

a fresh set of promotions for 2012.

Sonic Router has built a rep as a

to a new home. Taking place on 6

After losing its license late last year,

resource for only the most credible

and 7 July, BLOC will be calling the

and with rumours regarding its sale

sounds and movements. Having just

London Pleasure Gardens home for

for development into flats, the

celebrated its third birthday, SR is

2012, promising an incredible

long-running venue was presumed

launching its own eponymous record

environment in which to hear the

finished by many. Thankfully,

label. Release one comes from

world’s finest electronic musicians

Lakota’s future is secure for now.

Dutch producer Torus and is out now.

do their thing.

ELEPHANT iD If you’re a sneakerhead and into your customs, head on over to NIKEiD where the iconic elephant print has been added to the design options. Most famously known for its use on Air Jordans, the print is limited to just 750 pairs of the classic Air Force One

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

OUTLOOK LAUNCHES LINE-UP AND NEW SISTER FESTIVAL FOR 2012 It’s no secret that we at Trap are massive fans of Outlook Festival. If you’re a regular reader but have never been, you’re probably sick of reading us bang on about how amazing it is every year. If that’s the case, then make sure you don’t miss out on 2012’s edition of the life-affirming, four-day celebration of bass-music culture in the Croatian sun.

With a capacity of just 3,000, Dimension’s promises a intimate festival with a line-up that digs deeper into underground electronic music. Featuring a stunning roster of stellar names from the worlds of house, techno and way beyond, including the likes of Marcel Dettman, Joy O, Scuba, Kyle Hall, BenjiB and dBridge, Dimensions takes place the weekend after Outlook. Tickets for both festivals are on sale now.

www.outlookfestival.com

www.dimensionsfestival. com

Tickets are now on sale and the first part of the line-up for 2012 has just been released; once again, it reads as a who’s-who of bass music culture. New Zealand’s Fat Freddy’s Drop currently sit top a line-up that includes everyone from DMZ and Goldie, to Souls Of Mischief, Loefah and Calibre.

The exciting news from Outlook HQ doesn’t stop there, though. New for 2012, the team are launching Dimensions Festival, described as ‘Outlook’s fit little sister’ and taking place in the evocative Fort Punta Christo that’s the heart of the Outlook site.

VALVE RETURNS

WINSTON RILEY RIP

DIRTEE MIXTAPE

VANS iPHONE CASE

Legendary record label Valve is returning for 2012 with big plans and a new musical agenda. After 15 years as one of D&B’s premier labels, the imprint is diversifying its sound and February will see house/garage duo CRST make their Valve debut with ‘What I Want’ / ‘Pressure’.

One of the most important producers in the history of bassdriven music passed away in January. Winston Riley produced some of reggae’s most loved and famous tracks, including ‘Ring The Alarm’ and the Stalag17 riddim.

Search his name on YouTube to discover just how rich his legacy is.

Dizzee Rascal’s label Dirtee Stank are setting a benchmark for 2012 with the release of the free to download ‘Dirtee TV’ mixtape.

Mixing comes from DJ MK, while JME, Kano, Newham Gens, Chronik and, of course, Dizzee himself take care of vocals. Grab it now from dirteetv.com.

Vans have announced that they’ll be releasing another batch of their hugely popular iPhone cases. If you’re never seen without a pair of Vans on your feet, then make like a true fan and stick that iconic waffle sole on the back of your iPhone. www.vans.com

0 07

008

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

XOYO VERSUS East London art and club space XOYO has just launched a new series of Friday night events for 2012. The concept is to challenge some of the biggest names and brands in UK bass-music to go ‘Versus’ and bring their own sound, artists and crowds to the Old Street venue.

January saw the launch of Versus, with Ms Dynamite taking control of the first of the monthly ‘Presents’ parties, where a major player from the bass-music world is given the chance to invite the acts they rate most to play at their very own event.

The coming months bring the tantalising prospects of Plastician Presents (featuring Joker, Logan, Slimzee, Scruffizer and more) in February, and then Redlight Presents in March, with Loefah, NYTA, Lil Silva and Champion all in attendance.

With Chew The Fat, Wheel & Deal, Ingredients and London/Nottingham powerhouse promoters Basslaced (see right) taking care of the intervening Fridays, make sure you reach Versus at some point this spring.

WWW.XOYO.CO.U K

BASSLACED Arriving in the capital just a year ago, Basslaced has quickly established itself as one of the premier bass-music promotions in the UK. Happening every month in both London and its original home city of Nottingham, Basslaced can now call two of the county’s finest venues home. Each second Friday of the month, Basslaced packs out Nottingham’s Stealth with only the biggest and most

hyped names from D&B, dubstep, grime, funky and everything in between and beyond. One week later, the team head back to the capital to take over XOYO, with February and March promising Mistajam, Friction, 16bit, True Tiger, Mosca, Kito and many more.

Watch out for the new website launching soon.

WWW.BASSLACED.COM

STATE OF JOY

BRUM’S MUSIC HQ

COMPA vs MAVADO

ARTIST STUDIO

Master of synth-soaked, R&B inspired dubstep Guido has just launched a new label, State Of Joy. The first single was out in late January, featuring two of Guido’s own productions, and 2012 will see more releases and the unveiling of a four-piece live show.

Birmingham’s HQ Muzik has just opened a brand new shop bang in the centre of the Second City. After an opening party that saw Emalkay, Bassman, Skitty and more drop by, the new HQ Muzik has quickly established itself as Birmingham’s bassmusic hub.www.hqmuzik.co.uk

Young North-West based producer Compa has been turning heads over the last couple of months with his surprisingly mature and thoughtful take on dubstep.

February sees the release of a solo 12 for Boka and the long-awaited arrival on vinyl of his Mavado bootleg, ‘Dem A Talk’. Watch him.

Eastpak are launching a fresh Artist Studio concept for 2012, letting musicians, artists and designers design their own bag for exhibition and eventual auction. You can view all of the 200-plus custom bags at E London’s Jaguar Shoes before they’re sold off in March.

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

009

FM’s Monki presents her regular run-down on all the things she’s vibing on right now…

I LOVE…

Joker and Rustie team up on ‘Light Years Popsicle’ - first played on Plastician’s show just before Christmas. Epic, yes, it is. Lots of crazy percussion, huge synths and an electricguitar solo thrown in there for good measure. Just what you’d expect really.

ONE TO WATCH MANARE

NIGHTS

CATCH ME AT:

ABANDON SILENCE

WINTER / SPRING 2012 RINSE TOUR

Held in the basement of The Shipping Forecast in Liverpool, this night is small and sweaty, with a low ceiling that’s ideal for its Function One soundsystem lovely stuff. Each month, Abandon Silence set the standard high with line-ups that never disappoint. 2011 saw Blawan, Pearson Sound, Oneman, Breakage, SBTRKT, Girl Unit, James Blake, BenUFO and Joy Orbison all drop by. They’ve already pulled in Lvis1990 and Bok Bok for a five-hour B2B set for their first party of 2012.

RinseFM and a selection of its DJs

51°27

Manare - if you haven’t heard of him, you have now. Last year he put out the ‘Pearl’ EP, released on French label Youngunz.

Playing gigs all over Europe and across the pond in Miami, 2011 was a good year Manare, but with lots of production ideas in the pipeline, 2012 may well be his year. Look out for him!

One local to Trap, 51°27 calls that ship/club you’ll know as Thekla home. I love playing in Bristol because people really know their music, and this night pulls exactly that crowd. Previous line-ups have included Julio Bashmore, Boddika, French Fries and Ossie. 2012 holds Spencer, Loefah, Ikonika, Oneman and many, many more in store.

will be going on tour from February until April, hitting up eight cities on the way. Expect Zinc, Roska, Plastician, P Money, N-Type, Jamie George, Brackles and more.

Coming to a city near you (no doubt) check out the dates here w w w. r i n s e . f m

MINT CLUB LEEDS Mint in Leeds is already well known for hosting Bigger Than Barry, and with DJs like Rustie blessing the decks last month, plus that trippy LED ceiling, they’ve pretty much got things on lock down already...

However, they’ve taken things one step further and opened Mint Warehouse. A 1000-capacity space with three rooms, including an outdoor terrace that’s perfect for outdoor raving in the sun. So, look out for some huge summer line-ups this year from Mint Warehouse, I reckon it’ll be very messy.

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

011

“

P r o b a b ly o n e o f the best NYE

wa r e h o u s e pa r t i e s in the world REDLIGHT

We give our friends from London bass-music collective extraordinaire Urban Nerds their very own page. Read on for the latest happenings on planet Nerd...

Urban Nerds & Basslaced New Year’s Eve, Hearne Street Carpark, East London.

www.urban-nerds.com

URBAN NERDS AT We’re back at Snowbombing in April for the fourth year in a row, and 2012 will see an extra-special addition in the form of Rompa’s Reggae Shack.

Situated on the slopes, 5000 feet above sea level and surrounded by mountains, Snowbombing’s newest venue will be dedicated to playing reggae in all its forms.

Resident DJs include Daddy Nature, The Farm Yardies and Dusty Lungs, and watch out for the series of very special guests who’ll be passing through to bless the venue with their favourite reggae vibes, including Shy FX, DJ Tayo, Oneman, Marcus Nasty, Barry Ashworth and Sgt Pokes!

Running for all four days of the festival, Rompa’s Reggae Shack will be a retreat for anyone looking for a few beers, a bit of food and some serious dub and reggae riddims after a morning on the slopes.

You can catch the rest of ‘Team Nerds’ at a whole host of venues around the festival, and don't miss the main event at the Schlussel on the Thursday with Toddla T, Roska, Oneman, Marcus Nasty, Rattus Rattus & Klose One hosted by Illaman.

Book through Urban Nerds to receive your limited-edition teeshirt.

www.snowbombing.com/urbannerds

RATTUS RATTUS HOT 5IVE THE NERDS RESIDENT SHARES HIS FIVE FAVOURITE TRACKS OUT THERE RIGHT NOW...

1. REDLIGHT PLANET X (LOBSTER BOY) As usual, Redlight delivers an absolute bass onslaught with this dancefloor monster.

2. DJ NARROWS KIK DA FLOW (KRONIK) UK Garage newness from Scott Garcia's Kronik label. It's hard to select just one track from the sensational ‘Emancipate’ EP.

3. DJ SUNDAY ROAST TROITECH (SOUL SERIOUS) A proper roller until the subs kick in, and then it literally knocks people over!

4. D1 RAY BAN RIDDIM (DUB) With its high-end ear searing build-ups and chest cracking drums, this is a real gem.

5. MELLA DEE FOOT SOLDIER (DUB) One half of the brilliant Mista Men, this is a grime banger I can't stop playing

One of the most respected skate and streetwear boutiques on the planet, Bristol’s Fifty Fifty store has been a integral player in the UK skate scene since it first opened its doors almost 15 years ago.

With all things skateboarding well and truly back in the limelight, we thought it was time we started repping our favourite pastime in the pages of Trap.

And who better to recruit than the guys down at Fifty Fifty? Read on for the first instalment of their regular colum for Trap....

NEWS With winter passing and spring on its way, the recent dry spell we’ve been blessed with has meant there’s been plenty of action out on streets. Taking advantage of this has been Fifty Fifty’s Korahn Gayle, who’s been making massive noise online with his web ad, filmed and edited by George Nevin over at GN Films www.gnfilms.co.uk.

The ad has been featured on a host of leading skate/street sites and blogs and received over 8,000 views in its first five days online.

It’s the first in a series that’ll be appearing throughout the coming year, so be sure to keep your eyes out for those on the Fifty Fifty site.

Korahn’s second pro board will be dropping very soon for Crayon skateboards, and all the Fifty Fifty apparel featured in the web ad is now available from the store.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

HOT ITEM VANS SYNDICATE

We’ve got a few dates for your diaries coming up. On Saturday 4 February, we’ll be hosting a launch of the Nike SB x Grey Magazine special format ‘The Edition’, which is a special one-off magazine that the Nike SB team have quietly been working away on for the past year or so. It promises loads of guest contributors and photographers and looks set to be something really special.

Vans syndicate is a very small, top-tier sub-brand of Vans that’s available at only four stores in the UK - and Fifty Fifty is fortunate to be one of those!

To follow up the featured holiday burgundy W Taps pack (available now in very limited quantities), Syndicate has invited skate legends Jason Dill and Anthony Van Engelen to take three classic Vans silhouettes and adapt them using premium materials and some very interesting printed patterns. These will be available in early March, alongside a strong Spring 2012 line of core skate and classic footwear and apparel.

On Friday 17 February, we’re joining forces with our good friends over at Rock Solid Distribution for the premiere of New York’s finest, 5Boro’s latest film ‘Join Or Die’. Going by all the latest edits we’ve seen, this should be a banger. The premiere takes place from 7pm at the Big Chill bar, so if you’re in the area, come along and check it out.

To keep up to date on all this make sure you check www.5050store.com and follow us on twitter @fiftyfiftystore

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

013

F A S H I O 0N7 a Ma lyc kyj Wo rd s: Kash Ga rd en er & Jaso n

CTRL SS 12 Look to CTRL f o r a n ed g y tw i s t on your typical Sp r i n g/S u mme r p a l e tte.

Aptly named ‘An i ma l C hi n’ , th e collection pr o vi d e s a n a cco mp l i s hed mix of casua l b a s i cs an d ‘a va n t ga rde’ piece s to sa te a l l yo u r sa rtorial wis h e s th i s s e a s o n .

I nspired by th e Bo n e s Br i ga d e f ilm ‘The Search f o r An i ma l Ch i n ’, that mid-80s ska te vi b e i s p u l l e d o ff cleverly in s tyl e s fo r b o th gu ys and girls.

We’re fee lin g th e s ca tte r e d l e o pard print, in the f o r m o f a p e r f e ctl y fi tting shirt d r e s s , o r s u b tl y o n the cuff of an ov e r s i ze d te e s h i r t.

Complete th e l o o k a nd mak e l i k e a true CTRL ga l b y te a mi n g th e a b ove with some s l a s h e d d e ni ms .

The collectio n w i l l b e av a i l a b l e to buy online s o o n .

014

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

MYOB Every n o w a n d th e n , w e s tu mb l e u p o n a b r a n d so good w e a lmo s t d o n ’t wa n t to te l l yo u ab o u t i t. MY OB, o r ‘Mi n d Your Ow n Busine s s ’, is o n e o f th o s e b r a n d s ...

Based in Ne w Yo rk a n d s pe ci a l i s i n g i n stateme n t a cce s s o rie s , th e l a b e l i s th e brainch ild o f J a p a n e s e d e si gn d u o Co mi a n d Tanimi, w h o re lo ca te d to th e Bi g Ap p l e a f te r their cre a tio n s to o k o ff in th e i r n a ti ve l a n d .

“We figu re d if th e y a re h ot i n J a p a n , w h y wouldn ’t th e y b e h o t h e re ? ” An d h o t i s th e only w a y w e ca n d e s crib e th e s e a ma zi n g pieces o f je w e lle ry!

LISTEN SUPPLY Rarely d o e s a n e w b ra n d co me a l o n g a n d s i t so effo rtle s s ly in th e h a rd to cr a ck ma r k e t that is me n ’s clo th in g. Liste n Su p p l y a n d th e i r debut co lle ctio n d o e s ju s t th a t.

Prese n tin g a tid y ra n ge o f me n ’s te e s , sw eats h irts , ja ck e ts a n d h a ts , Li s te n ’s r a n ge is pack e d w ith th e s o rt o f cl a s s i c, w e l l produce d p ro d u cts th a t e a r n a brand lo n ge vity.

Check th e fu ll co lle ctio n a n d gr a b yo u r s e l f one of th e firs t p ie ce s o n th e Li s te n w e b s i te .

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

015

016

FA S H I O N

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

07

ONLY NY

www.onlynylives.com

Check out the latest offerings from streetwear staple Only NY. This huge collection, consisting of around 30 pieces, mixes the typographic prints the brand is known for with a fresh Spring palette. With styles to suit most tastes, from emblazoned logos to subtle iconic stylings, Only doesn’t disappoint.

MOREPORKS New Zealand-based headwear specialist Moreporks is stepping things up a gear this season. Taking its name from a species of owl indigenous to the country, the brand presents a collection of fresh, 5-panel caps complete with block tones, nautical-themed prints and specially sourced fabrics.

YOGHURT WARRIOR Freshen up your wardrobe with a bold blend of pre-historic imagery and acid rave influences from UK brand Yoghurt Warrior.

Originally lending their unique, hand-pulled designs to a line of black and white tees and sweatshirts, their ever-expanding range now includes hand-stitched label bobble hats.

NEW BALANCE 577 'MADE IN ENGLAND' Trainer manufacturer New Balance are proud of their British heritage – a fact their 577 ‘Made In England’ model boldly attests.

Originally released in 1989, the shoe is completely hand-made in the UK at New Balance's factory in Flimby, Cumbria, and has been a staple among sneakerheads for over two decades now.

With the fresh colour-ways slated for release this Spring, the 577 is showing no signs of slipping. Classically set in suede and mesh, there are four builds available: navy/grey, soft blue/navy, grey/mint and, standing out as the brightest of the foursome, a cherry red/cream with blue accents. A great start to 2012 for a brand that’s always been at the forefront.

‘Fresh Kicks

The early part of the year is always the most exciting for any sneaker head, as it brings news of releases scheduled for the months ahead.

With that in mind, we take a look at some of the most exciting releases planned for the spring season, including something ‘old’, something new, and something that’s a little bit of both...

Words: Adam Scotland

Gourmet The 35 Gourmet is one of the strongest independents in a footwear market dominated by the majors. The brand’s Italian-American heritage is represented in the fusion of classic sports footwear and premium materials.

This season, it’s The 35 that caught our eye. The cross-trainer inspired shoe features an upper coated in imported, leopard-print suede, and near-invisible branding on the tongue, all sitting above a teched-out outsole. Beastly: www.crookedtongues.com

Nike Huarache Free 2012

Air Jordan IV

Nearly 20 years after its debut, the much-loved Huarache receives a Frankenstein-style mash-up, with the upper sitting confidently on the new Free sole.

This stealth/blue colour-up is one of the first to drop in a series that looks set to continue throughout 2012.

We're definitely fans, and for us the Huarache Free is a clear choice for the (hopefully) lighter and brighter months ahead: www.urbanindustry.co.uk

The world’s been set ablaze with Jordan fever over the last year, with some of the greatest OG make-ups returning in spectacular form. As we head into 2012, it's all about the IV, kicking off with a 1989 Air Jordan IV retro in its original white/cement grey colourway. Don’t hold out for another 10 years – this is one of the cleaner Jordan make-ups and a true timeless classic: www.jumpman23.com

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

0 17

The biggest DJs in the game share the secrets of their selection...

GOING IN DEEP

DAVID RODIGAN MBE THE ABYSSINIANS – ‘DECLARATION OF RIGHTS’ A haunting, beautiful recording by one of Jamaica’s greatest vocal harmony groups, relating to the journey from civilisation in Africa to slavery in the plantations of Jamaica. “Fussing and fighting among ourselves... It's worse than hell...”

BUNNY WAILER – ‘BLACKHEART MAN’ The title track from his first solo album, having left The Wailers. The entire set, and especially this title track, is testimony to the depth and power of real authentic reggae and the significance of Rastafarianism in the development of the music. This song describes how, as a boy, Bunny was warned to stay away from the “Blackheart Man...The Rastaman” and how Jamaican society treated them as social outcasts.

BOB ANDY – ‘UNCHAINED’ One of the all-time great reggae protest songs by one of Jamaica’s most prolific and gifted songwriters, this is a reggae anthem that cries out against injustice; “Take these chains away and set me free, remove me out of bondage... Too long I have been a slave... I'd rather dig my grave than be locked behind the door, I want to help myself, be and independent man.”

Recorded in the late-1960s at Studio One, Jamaica.

ALTON ELLIS – ‘I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU’ (1967 ORIGINAL VERSION) A love song to beat all love songs.

A heartfelt cry from a young man who had lost the love of his life. She didn't know how to love him and yet his love for her knew no boundaries; haunting and, oh, so true.

MARVIN GAYE – ‘WHAT'S GOING ON’ The title track of one of the greatest albums ever made. It defied belief and as students we literally sat up all night listening to it, over and over again.

CURTIS MAYFIELD – ‘MOVE ON UP’ It could be any song by Curtis really, as he was a genius, but this song is so full of hope; “Move on up to a greater day, if you put your mind to it you can surely do it.”

Blazing horns and an uplifting rhythm lift this song way up high. “Hush now child and don't you cry, your folks may understand you by and by.” How true is that line for any young person trying to pursue their dreams?

JAMES BROWN – ‘I LOVES YOU PORGY’ Yes, this is the George Gershwin song from ‘Porgy And Bess’ given a most moving and spiritual rendition by the king of soul.

An awesome rendition that never fails to leave me spellbound.

GREGORY ISAACS – ‘POOR AND CLEAN’ The late Gregory’s work stretches back over 40 years, but it was in the 1980s when he produced his own recordings that he made some of the greatest tracks in reggae music. This song epitomises that golden era. Unique vocal style and delivery with a wicked rhythm section and steppers drumming; “I would rather live poor and clean than live rich in corruption, a rich man’s heaven is a poor man’s hell.”

BOB MARLEY – ‘WAITING IN VAIN’ Bob was responsible for popularising reggae music all over the world and it’s easy to understand why when you listen to this beautiful love song. The perfect example of his magnificent skill as a songwriter and as a superb vocalist.

OTIS REDDING – ‘SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY’ In the early and mid-60s, soul music was underground, so to speak, as opposed to being today’s pop music. Otis epitomised the sound of soul and this song was a powerful and moving masterpiece that stands as a testimony to the sheer undiluted brilliance of Stax Records in Memphis.

INTERFACE SHOGUN AUDIO

MELÉ GRIZZLY

1. INTERFACE – ‘DESPERATE

1. MELÉ – ‘BEAMER’ (CLUB EDIT) (GRIZZLY)) 2. KW GRIFF FT PORKCHOP - ‘BRING IN THE KATZ’ (DUB) 3. NICKI MINAJ – ‘STUPID HOE’ (YOUNG MONEY) 4. LUNICE – ‘FANCY FORTY’ (RUSTIE RMX) (LUCKY ME) 5. RIHANNA - ‘COCKINESS’ (DEF JAM) 6. GREENA - ‘MARACAY’ (ROSKA RMX) (DUB) 7. MELÉ - ‘ASTEROIDS’ (DUB) 8. THE HOUSE CREW - ‘KEEP THE FIRE BURNING’ (PRODUCTION HOUSE) 9. IVAN O - ‘COME AGAIN’ (DUB) 10. ZINC - ‘JUICY FRUIT’ (DUB)

MEASURES’ (SHOGUN AUDIO) 2. JUS NOW – ‘1 TIME’ (DUB) 3. CRITICAL IMPACT – ‘SPINTOP’ (DUB) 4. JOKER & RUSTIE – ‘LIGHT YEARS’ (POPSICLE) 5. DIE & BREAK – ‘GRAND FUNK HUSTLE’ (DIGITAL SOUNDBOY) 6. INTERFACE & JAY WILCOX – ‘RUNNAWAY’ (SHOGUN AUDIO) 7. TC – ‘NEW STYLE’ (DON'T PLAY) 8. BREAK – ‘THEY'RE WRONG’ (SYMMETRY) 9. SKEPTICAL & DUB PHIZIX FT

BEHLING & SIMPSON FUTUREBOOGIE 1. ALEX COULTON – ‘REPRESENTATIONS’ (ALL CAPS) 2. BEHLING & SIMPSON FT SHANTI – ‘CLOSER’ (DUB) 3. NASTY HABITS – ‘SHADOW BOXING’ (31 RECORDS) 4. T.O.M. PROJECT – ‘RENAISSANCE’ (SOUND SIGNATURE) 5. SIMPSON – ‘TIL U WERE DEAD’ (FUTUREBOOGIE) 6. RON TRENT – ‘ALTERED STATES’ (WAREHOUSE) 7. BEHLING & SIMPSON – ‘THE CIARA EDITS’ (DUB) 8. NUYORICAN SOUL – ‘IT'S ALRIGHT,

STRATEGY – ‘MARKA’ (EXIT)

I FEEL IT!’ (MAW 12" MIX)

10. INTERFACE & CRITICAL IMPACT –

(TALKIN' LOUD)

‘EVIL EYES’ (DUB)

9. TREY SONGZ – ‘UNFORTUNATE’ (ATLANTIC) 10. BEHLING – ‘LAST CHANCE’’ (FUTUREBOOGIE)

DISTANCE CHESTPLATE 1. PINCH – ‘SWISH’ (DISTANCE RMX) (DUB) 2. CYRUS VS DISTANCE – ‘TITAN’’ (DUB) 3. TUNNIDGE – ‘AFTERSHOCK’ (CHESTPLATE) 4. TUNNIDGE VS DISTANCE – ‘BLAME’ (CHESTPLATE) 5. SLEEPER – ‘ZOMBIES’ (CHESTPLATE) 6. SLEEPER & DISTRICT – ‘TERRAFORMED’ (DUB) 7. LOKO:MOTIV – ‘RAZOR REKTA’ (DUB) 8. J:KENZO – ‘RUFF HOUSE’ (DISTANCE RMX) (DUB) 9. DISTRICT – ‘PAINTING THE MIND’ (DUB) 10. RAZOR REKTA – ‘BANG YA DOOR’’ (DUB)

NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY LOBSTER BOY 1. NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY – ‘OFF THE TRAXX’ VIP (LOBSTER BOY) 2. ANIMAL YOUTH CLUB – ‘SIXTY FOUR ZERO’ (LOBSTER BOY) 3. NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY – ‘LONG TIME COMING’ (DUB) 4. BREACH – ‘GUN FINGER’ (LOBSTER BOY) 5. REDLIGHT – ‘‘MOSQUITO’’ (LOBSTER BOY) 6. NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY – ‘SWARM’ (DUB) 7. ANIMAL YOUTH CLUB – ‘AIRLINE’ (LOBSTER BOY) 8. TOYC & ZULU – ‘NEEDS TO BE SAID’ (DUB) 9. SWINDLE FT TAKURA – ‘HAVE A GO’ (DUB) 10. CONQUEROR – ‘HIGHEST ORDER’ VIP (LOBSTER BOY)

LOGAN SAMA KISS FM / EARTH616 1. PREDITAH – ‘CIRCLES’ EP 2. OGZ – ‘OH GEEZUS...’

3. GHETTS – ‘MOMENTUM’ MIXTAPE 4. JME – ‘96 FUCKRIES’ 5. JAMMER FT VARIOUS – ‘LORD OF THE MICS’ 6. DISCARDA – ‘RHYME ON’ (PREDITAH RMX) 7. D POWER & BIG NARSTIE – ‘GO NUTS’ 8. DAVINCHE – ‘RESET’ 9. NU KLEAR – ‘THE EXPERIMENT’ EP 10. PLASTICIAN – ‘HARDKORE’

ON THE UP.

TRAP GRABS A FEW MOMENTS WITH THREE OF THE FRESHEST TALENTS AROUND...

COMPILED BY SOPHIE JAMES

GEORGE FITZGERALD RAPIDLY ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS AN ASSET TO THE HYBRID SOUNDS OF HOUSE, TECHNO AND GARAGE, GEORGE FITZGERALD’S TIME IN BERLIN SAW HIM FREQUENT THE INFAMOUS BERGHAIN AND PANORAMA BAR WHILE EARNING SIGNINGS ON SCUBA’S HOTFLUSH AND CONCEIVING THE SUPER-FRESH MAN MAKE MUSIC IMPRINT. DEFINITELY ONE TO WATCH IN 2012, FITZGERALD PLAYS TRIX ON 9 MARCH AT HIDDEN, LONDON.

MY NAME IS...

George FitzGerald.

YOU MAY KNOW ME ALREADY FOR...

Rel easi ng a house/techno/garage mis hmas h on label s such as Hotflush and Aus Mus ic.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING YOU WILL FIND ME...

Wandering ai ml essly around Bethnal Green l ooki ng for a new cafe. I l i ke to get out of the studi o someti mes, you s ee...

MY AMBITION FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS IS...

To move my l abel Ma n Make Mus ic on to a next level . We're on our third releas e now and have l ots of great things planned for thi s year, right across the spectrum, from house to dubstep, to techno and even IDM. I f I fi nd ti me to make an album, that woul dn't be too bad ei ther.

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...

Be frustrated, unfulfi l l ed, bitter, but probabl y ri cher.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...

I n another life I as pired to prance around in a w ig and gow n for a living. I'm not s aying any more than that...

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...

The is land, the country, the city, the f amily that I'm from.

THE ULTIMATE DREAM IS...

To keep doing w hat I'm doing until I'm fat and bald and no one could pos s ibly think I'm cool or interes ting anymore. No, s erious ly, probably to uncover an artis t for my label w ho becomes totally s eminal, like Burial for example. That is a big daydream of mine...

I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS...

Somebody w ith s tandards but little ego.

The mus ic w orld is full of people w ho either manage only one of thos e, or are entirely the oppos ite. www.manmakemusic.com @georgefitzmusic

KAHN PRODUCING HIS OWN HEADY BLEND OF GRIME, GARAGE, DUBSTEP AND MORE, KAHN IS THE LATEST BRIGHT YOUNG BASS-MUSIC THING TO COME FROM THE CITY OF BRISTOL. A TRUE INDIVIDUAL WITH A UNIQUE SOUND AND SENSE OF STYLE, KAHN HAS BEEN TURNING SERIOUS HEADS OVER THE LAST YEAR. WATCH OUT FOR HIS FORTHCOMING ‘BRIGHT LIGHTS’ REMIX ON DURKLE DISCO.

MY NAME IS...

Kahn.

YOU MAY KNOW ME ALREADY FOR...

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...

Probably have completed my A-Levels and be in £30,000 debt, w hich thankfully didn't happen.

The Sureskank Conventi on and Young Echo crews, DJi ng around Bristol for quite a few years, or my rel eases on Punch Drunk and Box Clever.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING YOU WILL FIND ME...

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...

I w ear eyeliner on the regs . Ye ah, and w hat?

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...

My family and my friends . Without them I'd be nothing.

Perched up agai nst the bar at The Croft, drowni ng my sorrows. E ither that, or stumbl i ng down Stoke’s Croft s pitting D-Double-E l yrics at DJ Neek.

MY AMBITION FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS IS...

To make more gri me, s tart my own vinyl-only record l abel and travel the world performing and meeti ng peopl e.

THE ULTIMATE DREAM IS...

To mak e mus ic for the res t of my li fe and never have to get a ‘real’ job I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS...

The only grime DJ to w ear make-up and not get s hanked.

www.youngecho.co.uk www.soundcloud.com/kahn

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

0 21

B.TRAITS AN INTEGRAL MEMBER OF THE DIGITAL SOUNDBOY CAMP, CANADIAN BLONDE BOMBSHELL B.TRAITS HAS BEEN WELL KNOWN IN THE D&B SCENES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. 2012 LOOKS BRIGHT FOR THE BRITISH COLUMBIA-BORN PRODUCER AND DJ, HAVING JUST RELEASED HER DEBUT SINGLE ON DSB, ‘FEVER’ FEATURING JUNGLE AND UKG VOCAL LEGEND ELISABETH TROY...

MY NAME IS...

B.Tr aits, BB, Young Br eezy.

YOU MAY KNOW ME ALREADY FOR...

My shar p blonde f r inge... and maybe a f ew tunes. I ’m par t of a r eally cool collective of ar tists called Digital Soundboy. I’ve remixed a few things; Shy FX’s ‘Raver’,Taiwah’s ‘Sweet Me’ and Liam Bailey’s ‘You Better Leave Me’.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING YOU WILL FIND ME...

Wor king - on something else cr eative. Designing clothes, blogging, wr iting, designing jewelr y… or cooking and eating!

MY AMBITION FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS IS...

To be as cr eative as possible. I want to make as much music as I can. I ’m so excited that my new single ‘Fever ’ is f inally out ther e and people can hear it. I have a f ew pr ojects on the go r ight now too, so I ’ll f inish them and then move onto my next goal, such as wor king towar d my own album. I also plan to do many mor e gigs this year and to tr avel to mor e amazing places. I live f or per f or ming and networ king with likeminded /cr eative people.

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...

Possibly be designing menswear /str eetwear ? I love menswear, it’s the major ity of what I design when I ’m not ‘wor king’.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...

I ’m actually a decent cook! Or so I ’ve been told! I also love the outdoor s; I ’m f r om a tiny mountain town called Nelson in Br itish Columbia, Canada and I of ten miss the f or est. I love hiking, skiing, biking, snowshoeing etc.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...

My f amily and f r iends. I wouldn’t be the per son I am today without them. They ar e my backbone!

THE ULTIMATE DREAM IS...

To be a par t of a sustainable f utur e - in all senses.

I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS...

A pr olif ic ar tist. Someone who had a decent taste in music.

A LWAY S E V O LV I N G WILEY

P H OTO S

Spencer Murphy

TRAP_Hello Wiley. How are you today? What you on?

“Yeah, I’m good! I’ve been finishing the album I’m doing with Manga from Roll Deep. We want 12 tunes for it and have finished ten so far. We’re gonna have a few days break now, so we’re not talking about the same stuff when we go back in.”

TRAP_You’re working on another album already? You’ve released two in the last six months!

“Yeah, I’m in rush. Haha. I’m not, but it’s my job. I just wanna keep working and making sure I’m not lazy.”

TRAP_You never get creative block?

“No, not any more. When I was younger, but not now. I think you’ve got to be open minded musically; if I’m on a beat, I just try not to stop, I do something, even if it’s just eight bars. I’m on music 20 hours a day minimum. Even if I’m not doing something in those 20 hours, I’m always around it, checking it.”

TRAP_At your level, some would have relaxed by now and be doing one album every couple of years...

“You know why it is though? It’s the lack of achievement, that’s why I’m doing it. Because if I’d achieved properly, I wouldn’t even have to be fucking about doing all this pop. I’d be living in million pound mansions and that. So that’s another reason I keep going – because I know there’s been times when I might not have applied myself properly, or because I looked at the game from a different angle and tried to stay in the hood. There were loads stupid elements, but now, I’ve just flushed all of that out and I’m just trying to keep everything positive.”

equals. I am Wiley. It could seem that a certain person is higher up now, but at the same time there’s something that I’ll always have that they only might lose if they go too high up.

“I don’t believe that any of the MCs have gone anywhere in terms of music. So and so might be blowing up in America, but music wise, on the mic and ideas wise, I don’t think any of them are far ahead at all actually. They’ve stepped up. But none of them have stepped up and taught me anything. They’ve stepped up and showed me they’re big, but nothing more.”

TRAP_Do you want that? Someone to step up and teach you?

“Nah nah nah. I learn from other people. I listen to a lot of different music. I learn from a lot of Radio 2 from Elton John and that. I learned from Stevie Hyper D and MC Det and those people!”

TRAP_Do you sometimes feel like you did all the hard work and building, just for the newer generation to come in and reap the rewards?

“Yeah, how it is now with music here - it’s what we always wanted.

Thing is, we’re all 30 now. I wish I was 20 so we could take advantage of it! You get older and you’re like, ‘Fuck. I’ve done all that graft for them.” It’s not like that really, that’s a bad way to think... The garage people must have been like that when we came in, though, and said we’re not doing garage, we’re doing grime – Norris Da Boss and them lot must have thought ‘You fuckers.’

“It’s mad. Maybe it’s a bit of karma. But you know what though?

I’m friends with karma mate, I’ll put Karma in a head lock, put it there and tell it to hold on; I’ll be back in a minute. I will get there with karma, trust me.”

TRAP_You do want to achieve, then? You want that million pound mansion?

“I do! It’s not that I couldn’t get it anyway if I wanted, but someone like me is meant to be more. That’s all. If you put someone like me in a different country, like Jamaica or America, where there’s a scene that’s worldwide, I don’t think I’d be in this position.

“I do understand, I need to have a repent, not repent, but a little session where I’m chilled, and I understand everything that’s gone on, and then just re-invent and move on.”

“You know what it is? I love music and all of that, but I don’t love the bullshit side of trying to be famous. And in England that’s what it is, I’m not putting us down, but here the entertainment industry is under control. They limit it. It’s controlled – who goes through the door, who’s playlisted, who wins the awards... But I don’t moan, I don’t think ‘Oh, you didn’t win a MOBO,’ – I just think they missed it.

TRAP_Which is the name of your album, ‘Evolve Or Be Extinct’...

“Exactly. I was trying to just make an album that I had fun with and was happy with, instead of one that I was, not forced, but asked to make and then not happy with it after. I wanted to do two in one year, but it got pushed into 2012. I’m wanting to work with other people more now...

“Sometimes I think, I never got the chance, sometimes I blame myself. But then I think, if you don’t get along with people for whatever reason, you’ve got to move on. So I’m not gonna hate on the people who didn’t see me, but I just wish they did...”

TRAP_Such as Major Lazer?

“Yeah I got a tune on there. It’s not gonna benefit anyone except them. I shouldn’t say that, it will benefit me. I like Major Lazer.

You know what I’ve realised? That guy Diplo is in a position of power that people don’t even know exists! Power bruv. I’m sitting there thinking ‘I wanna be like one of them then! Why the fuck am I breaking my neck when this geezer, on the decks for an hour, giving people a couple of riddims they love, doing some tunes, and then in the end, Beyonce’s took his fucking track and he’s fucking laughing the geezer! He’s laughing mate, now I know what his goal is, and I like that goal, it’s a goodun.”

TRAP_Do you think there are things you could now hold your hands up to and say ‘You know what, I probably didn’t make it easy for myself there?’

“Yeah, definitely. Relationships and arguments. I often fell out with people – not necessarily a fall out, but things where it made it awkward for us to speak anymore. There’s been millions of situations, I don’t want to hold a grudge with anyone, I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with, it’s true.”

TRAP_You think after reaching 30, you’ve learnt?

“Yeah, I have learnt but at the same time, I’m not gonna go back.

I’m gonna try and get to 40 so I’m content. We’re men now. No one can help me. You just got to go on, not go back and say ‘Oh, I’ve changed.’”

TRAP_You were one of the pioneers of grime. Many of the scene’s early stars have risen to massive fame, and have, it appears, used grime as a stepping stone to it. How do you feel about that?

“They didn’t use me. If I took them to Westwood, or I put energy into them to help make them into who they were, then we’re just

TRAP_Back to grime - with the rise of road rap over the last couple of years, do you think grime still has the relevance it did?

“Grime could have been the be all and all, but the front runners all ran in different directions because they all wanted to be their own king. Some failed and came back to the floor to build up again.

Some didn’t fail, but they’ve gone and earned loads of money and lost the reason they’re good.

“It’s iffy. I could say, ‘you know what I wish I didn’t have to struggle – I wish I’d went that road’. But if I had gone that road, I’d be sitting there going ‘Fucking hell man, I can’t even bust weight with the likkle dons.’ And I’d be pissed, cause I’d have been meant to buss weight with anyone.”

TRAP_So credibility is key to you?

“Yeah. It’s pros and cons. You know what, it’s slipping away, I was listening to some tunes I’d done the other day and thought ‘I’m starting to sound like an old MC now,’ I thought I’d be able to throw and spit like a young MC forever, but you can tell man.”

TRAP_Some might say your antics on uStream, twitter etc, where you quite plainly speak your mind, or let people see you cooking lunch, could affect your credibility. You don’t seem to mind sharing your life online...

“The internet is exciting. I never had it when I was younger. So I’m new to it, I want to be involved in it. I wanna show people me as a human being. Just because he does music, doesn’t mean he’s not a human being. We all went to school, we all fell over, we all tried to ride a bike – people forget the normal things. That’s what I try to show on there.

“People say ‘You’ve gone mad!’ and I’m like, well OK, being normal is actually mad. My nan made me a boiled egg. So is she mad? When I get older and make one, am I mad? The world’s crazy, not me. In your mind; there’s things stored in there. For me, boiled eggs and soldiers is one of them. Or a cup of tea, I don’t know. What else was I making? The other day I made breakfast.

“You know what it is, when you’re doing music and you’ve got this image to keep up and everyone thinks you’re a bad-boy MC; they take away the right for you to be normal, the fact I play football on the grass. I’m so normal, I feel like people don’t accept you for being as normal as them, because when you’re a star you’re not meant to be.”

W I L EY’ S N E W A LB U M ‘EV O LV E O R B E E X T I N C T ’ I S O U T O N B I G D A D D A N O W.

“

I ’ m f r i e n d s w i t h k a r m a m at e ,

I’ll put Karma in a head lock and tell it to hold on; I’ll be

back in a minute.

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

025

Photography GEORGINA COOK

Clockwise from top-left: Mala & Coki, Loefah, Kode9 & Space Ape.

Now ar guably the biggest, noisiest and most popular of all the bass-music genr es, it’s har d to believe that just six year s ago dubstep was a niche inter est pr actically unknown outside the M25 or Br istol.

Dur ing the nascent days of the developing sound and scene, no one could have imagined the success and f ame that would f all upon the genr e’s ear ly pioneer s, and just how f ar the music itself would evolve f r om its dub-centr ic, bass-weight obsessed r oots.

Those that wer e ther e will r emember just how magical the per iod of time f r om 2004 to 2007 was. For those that wer e not, that long-passed er a is f or ever wr apped in legend, locked away in the memor ies of those lucky enough to exper ience the explosion f ir st hand.

Thankf ully, those ear ly days wer e captur ed thr ough the lens of South London local Geor gina Cook, and collated on h er Dr u mz Of The So u th b l o g. Fr o m 2005 to 2007, Ge o r gi n a documented the dubstep scene as it emer ged f r om the ashes of UK Gar age, taking photos of what she was witnessing at FWD> > and the ear l DMZ dances.

So small and tight was the scene then, Geor gina became the go-to f or pr ess shots of then little-known ar tists such as Bur ial, Shackleton and Kode9. H er shot of Youngsta has a per manent place in dubstep histor y r eser ved thanks to its use on ‘Dubstep All Star s Volume 2’.

Now wor king and living in Par is, Geor gina continues to exhibit and take photos, and Dr umz Of The South r emains an outlet f or her impr essions of music and city living.

The photogr aphs over these pages captur e a unique moment in time, and as well as showing the likes of Skr eam, Benga, Loef ah and Mala in th eir younger days, ser ve to highlight just how much the dubstep scene has changed over the inter vening seven year s. www.drumzofthesouth.com georginacookportfolio.tumblr.com

DJ CHAMPION

TRAP_EZ Champion. First things first, you’re often described as a UK funky producer - how would you describe your sound?

“I don't know any mor e! I suppose ther e ar e two ways to look at it - one is that I pr obably do make UK f unky; it’s just ver y d iff er ent to the other s, whose sound has became the standar d 'UK f unky' sounds. The second is that I never r eally f elt that I made 'UK f unky', but when I came about it was easier to f it into that br acket. To an extent, it still is easier. But then ther e’s a conf usion r egar ding that ter m because UK f unky is n ow consider ed commer cially dead - and at the point it got that status, I star ted getting bigger !”

TRAP_Yo u p ro du c e a ver y mo der n sty le and so u nd o f danc e mu sic . W hat was the mu sic yo u grew u p listening to and insp ires yo u to c reate now ? “ I 'm inspir ed by the music of my childhood such as r eggae, jungle, late gar age and ear ly gr ime. I t’s what I gr ew up listening to as a kid, f r om my dad playing tunes in the house or a t par ties, to when I got a little older and stayed with the tr ansition f r om gar age into gr ime.

HACKNEY-BORN PRODUCER AND DJ CHAMPION IS ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT PRODUCERS ON THE BASS-MUSIC BLOCK RIGHT NOW. OSTENSIBLY A UK FUNKY PRODUCER, HIS SOUND IS MUCH MORE THAN THAT LABEL SUGGESTS OR ALLOWS. CHAMPION’S BASS-DRIVEN TAKE ON THE GENRE HAS SEEN HIM RECEIVE THE BACKING OF GRIME HEAVYWEIGHTS SUCH AS TERROR DANJAH AND ELIJAH, WHILE TRACKS SUCH AS LAST YEAR’S SUBLIME ‘SENSITIVITY’ WITH RUBY LEE RYDER AND 2009’S ‘TRIBAL AFFAIR’ AND, OF COURSE, ‘LIGHTER’ HAVE PUSHED CHAMPION’S NAME FAR AND WIDE. AFTER A 2011 THAT SAW RELEASES FOR TERROR’S HARDRIVE AND THE LAUNCH OF HIS OWN FORMULA RECORDS IMPRINT, THE COMING YEAR PROMISES MUCH FROM CHAMPION. TRAP GRABBED THE YOUNG PRODUCER TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS INSPIRATIONS AND ASPIRATIONS...

“Musically, my dad was a r eally impor tant inf luence. I took all his musical char acter istics – I love a good bassline like him ( his car actually held a r ecor d f or having the second loudest bassline in the UK and has won tr ophies f or it) . I like all the same music he does and my ear ly mixdowns mimicked the way his sound was tuned, which meant lots of tops and sub!

“My mum, in her day, was signed to I sland as par t of a UK r ap gr oup, and my uncle was a well known gar age MC on Fr eek FM called Dollar s. Then I ’ve got uncles and cousins that ar e DJs or soundmen over her e and in Jamaica, so you can imagine the f amily par ties I gr ew up with; they wer e basically r aves!”

0 3 2 __T R A P M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

TRAP_Yo u’ re know n fo r yo u r links w ith Ter ro r D anj ah and the B u tter z lo t – w hy do yo u think yo u and yo u r mu sic have b een emb rac ed by bastio ns o f gr ime su ch as these?

“I think, even though I specialise in diff er ent music f r om them, they f ully got and f elt the vibe I put into my pr oduction and latched onto it. Ter r or actually told me when the f ir st time he hear d my tunes was - he was with E lijah at Cor sica studios

when H ea rtle s s w e re p la yin g th e r e a f e w ye a r s b a ck a n d th e y dropped ‘Trib a l Affa ir’; h e s a id h e w e n t cr a zy! Fu n n y th i n g i s , they both d o n ’t lik e fu n k y o n e b i t, b u t Te r r o r s a i d th a t tu n e reminded him of something he would have made back in the day.”

producer from the Midlands called Swifta Beater – I’ve heard some of his unreleased bits and they’re deadly! Also, I’m rating people like Roska, Funkystepz and the artists on Butterz (Royal-T, Swindle etc). I’ve also heard some undercover Terror Danjah & DOK bits that are crazy, so watch out for them!”

TRAP_Yo u ga i ne d no to ri e ty fro m yo u r re wo rk i n g o f th e cl assic jungle t rack ‘ L i ghte r ’ – h a s ju n g l e / D & B b e e n a st ron g inf lue nce o n yo u?

“See the th in g is , w h e n I firs t ma d e th a t tu n e , I d i d n ’t a ctu a l l y have the ju n gle ‘Ligh te r’ in mi n d a t a l l – i t’s o n l y w h e n i t w a s done that I fe lt it n e e d e d s o me th i n g a n d p u t th e s a mp l e f r o m the origina l o n th e re . Bu t ye a h , l i k e I me n ti o n e d e a r l i e r, j u n gl e and D&B i s a s tro n g in flu e n ce o ve r a l l - o n l y th e 90s s tu ff though, th e n e w s tu ff ju s t go e s h a n d i n h a n d w i th d u b s te p i n being mad n o is y, w h ich is n ’t r e a l l y my th i n g.”

TRAP_What are your plans for the year ahead and your career beyond that?

“I suppose it’s just to release more music for the people and develop Formula further. Beyond that, it’s hard to say because two or three years ago, I never imagined that I would be where I am now. There were always plans in my head to achieve certain musical goals but I’ve always known that I just wanted to be bigger and to still be having fun, so I suppose that’s the plan!”

TRAP_I n re lat i o n to that , s o m e h ave s a i d th a t U K fu n ky is the cl o s e s t th i ng a ro und r i g h t n ow to c a p tu r i n g th e vibe of th e e a rly j ungle day s . D o yo u a g re e ?

“Yeah, I do , e s p e cia lly in re la ti o n to my tr a ck s . Wi th th e e a r l y jungle days , it’s a lmo s t lik e th e y o n l y p u t i n th e k e y e ff e cti ve

TRAP_ Any final shouts, thanks and big ups?

“Yeah, shouts and thanks out to Terror Danjah, Elijah and Roska for all there help and support. Big up Two Plates, DJ Shandy, Music House and Cargo Records for all their work on Formula. Big up Notion and the rest of the producers to work with Formula in the future, and everyone supporting me and my tracks.”

“

M y t r a c ks h a r d ly h av e a n y m usi cality i n th em. I j ust

m a ke th e bass a n d d o

i t a l l i n s t i n c t i v e ly .

elements o f a tra ck to ma s h u p a d a n ce – th e b a s s a n d d r u ms and just we n t w ith a n e n e rgy f r o m w i th i n , w h i ch i s h o w I w o u l d describe p a rt o f my p ro ce s s o f ma k i n g a tu n e , a n d i s p r o b a b l y why my tra ck s h a rd ly h a ve a n y mu s i ca l i ty i n th e m. I j u s t ma k e the bass a n d d o it a ll in s tin ctive l y mo s t o f th e ti me .”

TRAP_You r un yo ur own la b e l , Fo r m u l a . W h a t’s th e mand ate fo r th e i mpri nt ?

“The vision I h a ve fo r th e la b e l i s q u i te s i mp l e – I w a n t i t to b e o ne of thos e u n d e rgro u n d p la tf o r ms yo u tu r n to f o r ‘th a t tu n e I h eard last n igh t’. I t s ta rte d o ff b e i n g j u s t my tr a ck s , b u t I’m e ventually cre e p in g in d iffe re nt a r ti s ts , b o th n e w a n d e stablished . Th e n e xt re le a s e h a s a Te r r o r Da n j a h & DOK remix, the re ’s a p la n n e d re le a s e f o r a s i ck n e w p r o d u ce r ca l l e d Notion, an d DJ Na u gh ty w ill b e d o i n g s o me w o r k f o r my l a b e l this year to o . Th e re ’s a fe w o th e r p l a n s b u t I d o n ’t w a n t to s a y too much to o e a rly!”

TRAP_Wh o do yo u ra te ri gh t n ow ? W h o s h o u l d we b e watchin g o ut fo r i n 201 2?

“I ’m definite ly fe e lin g No tio n r i gh t n o w ; o n l y a h a n d f u l o f p eople have his tracks but they’re doing a lot. There’s this

Twitter: @Champion_DJ mixcloud.com/championdj Catch Champion at Butterz & Hardrive at Cable on 28 March.

I

t’s a freezing cold, but surprisingly sunny, day in early January and Trap are stood outside a tiny rural train station, marvelling at the silence. We’ve left London for the day, taken three trains and arrived at a curiously named stop in the depths of Wales to meet one of dance music’s biggest names in his home environment.

There is no one else about. Other than the occasional ‘whoosh’ of a passing car somewhere in the distance, the silence is astonishing. After a couple of minutes waiting, reading aloud the mysterious conglomeration of letters that is the Welsh language from surrounding signs, the unmistakable figure of High Contrast, or Lincoln Barrett to his mum, appears in the distance on an overgrown path.

Beaming a relaxed smile and with his trademark massive hair restrained beneath a cap, we make the short walk to his very normal looking house and settle into the brightly lit living room.

All this is definitely not what we’ve come to expect from the bass-music superstars that usually adorn Trap’s front cover.

Typically, we’ll find ourselves in a city-centre studio or plush flat, or the headquarters of a major record label in the West End – a suburban house in Wales is the last place we’d expect to meet one of the world’s biggest drum & bass producers and DJs. But then, High Contrast has never been about being or doing the expected. From the groundbreaking disco-sampling tracks that made his name over a decade ago, to remixing The White Stripes and Adele, to working with Tiesto and reworking The Who – the Welshman has always trodden his own path and done his own thing, regardless of what anyone else thought. With his first album in almost five years, ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’, about to drop on his career-long home Hospital Records, Trap knew the time was right to take a little trip into the unexpected...

WO R D S P H OTO S

Jon Cook Andrew Attah

“

I’ve never made anything to

a p p e a l t o a c e r ta i n d e m o g r a p h i c , o r m o n e y o r r a d i o , – t h at ’ s

just not how I think.

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

0 35

“I never felt the need to move away or even had the time to think about it too much,” Lincoln begins in his calm, unmistakably South-Wales accent as he fetches us a drink from the kitchen awhile we admire the fireplace packed with awards. “I went to university locally to study film, and I signed to Hospital just before I graduated – I never had a proper job, I just went straight into the whole drum & bass thing and was immediately travelling the world.

“I happen to be born here, so I live here. To be honest, I feel like I’m more of an internal person anyway, I live in my mind rather than a physical reality. Maybe one day I’ll do something radical and move to the other side of the world; I would like to spend some time in LA. I think I’d need to be there to get something happening, film-wise. I like it there, it’s a mysterious place, I think. Maybe it’s just all the film noir I’ve seen, but I just love being in that environment.”

We’re still just minutes into the interview, and already Lincoln can’t help but talk about his well documented other love beyond music – film. A life-long fanatic of the art form, Lincoln began making films at just 11 and eventually studied the craft at university with the ambition of joining his cinematic heroes as a film-maker. As he’s just suggested, that passion, and ambition, has never faded, with the Welsh producer directing the video for his most recent single himself and clearly fostering dreams of returning to his first love.

“I’m more interested in actually making films rather than scoring them, because I still don’t really think of myself as a musician; I think of myself as more of an editor of sounds. I guess, I am a musician, but mentally I don’t approach it like that. The tools we use to make music and film are very similar. With the software we use, the interface is the same, you’re getting your raw material together and editing it, restructuring and composing that way. So, in my head, the two are intermingled and I would like to make films that are more like music, and I try to make music that feels more like a film.”

We can’t help but wonder whether this visionary approach is the secret to Lincoln’s success as a producer. Does he conceptualise his tracks before making them in the same way that a film might be planned, with a clear story arc and concept?

“Yeah, but I don’t think you can approach things completely directly. I don’t think it’s as conscious as that, the artistic process.

I think it’s more your subconscious taking over, and for me it’s about getting into that zone and you’re almost going on automatic reactions and the music’s just coming out of you, you’re not consciously directing it’s just sort of happening.

“Often the best tunes come out that way – that definitely happened with ‘If We Ever’. For years and years, I’d laboured trying to make an old-skool style piano anthem tune, and just could never get it. And then, when I wasn’t thinking about it anymore, I sat down one day and wrote it. So it’s clearly there – something that was building in my subconscious was unleashed – but you can’t do it directly, it’s got to come from a more subliminal place.”

These are profound words indeed, and demonstrate a depth and freedom of thought that suggests Lincoln is clearly right to harbour creative ambitions beyond merely dance music. Having dreamed of working in film from an early age, was it not difficult to leave it all behind just as soon as he’d finished studying?

“It was more of a struggle for my parents,” he explains. “I think going to uni can often kill your passion for something; 036

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

when people say to me they want to be a music producer and are going study music tech at college, I don’t discourage them, but I try and make them aware you run the risk of it becoming like work and you lose your passion. I’m just wary of people getting caught up in the technical side of things rather than the creative, passionate side. Studying film killed my interest in it for a while.

Most of the time I was at uni, I was really just thinking about making music.

“I think one of my most productive times was when I was in uni and working in Catapult Records part-time. All I wanted to do was make tunes, but having that thing stopping me meant I wanted to do it even more, so when I did get in the studio, I just let rip and I made tune after tune. But now, I don’t have that so much; the DJing does provide a break, but I wish I was more productive – it’s been five years since the last album!”

It may be hard to believe, but it’s been an entire half decade since the last High Contrast album proper. While ‘Confidential’, a greatest-hits compilation of his finest moments was released back in 2009, it was way back in 2007 that Lincoln’s third album ‘Tough Guys Don’t Dance’ dropped.

“After three albums and the greatest hits, I needed a break from it,” he explains when asked what he’s been up to. “I was spending a lot of time making videos and short films, and writing scripts, too. I have been working... Mentally, I felt I couldn’t just make another album. It felt right for me to stop for a while. I’ve needed that break to come back with different ideas and angles.

“I think the new album does sound different to previous works – it definitely has a different sonic palette. Dare I say, it’s a more mature work. I’m really interested to see how people react to it, it’s still me , it’s still got my vibe. But this time, there are no samples on the album, which is a big change as I’m known for using big samples. The bigger the label has got, the harder it’s become to sample, it has to be cleared and that can be a long process. “So I’ve had a different approach, where I’m actually writing music like a musician. Some tracks there are real horns, cello, violin and almost every track has an original vocal on it.

I wrote the lyrics for quite a few myself too, which I’ve never done before. I’ve always had a fascination with words and word play – I used to MC many years ago, believe it or not, although I never had the voice for it.

“The vocalists I’ve chosen, there’s something almost choir like about them; the album’s called ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’ and although I’m an atheist, I feel like I’m channelling something – ideas on religion and people’s spirituality. I think as humans we need to believe in something outside of ourselves. A lot of people place that on a god, but for me, I place that more on art and music, so it’s almost religious music without the religion. In my head anyway, there’s something in the subconscious of the tracks.

“There are two tracks with Karl Hyde from Underworld, one track with Clare Maguire who has worked with Chase & Status, there’s one with a local girl called Jesse Allen who’s done some stuff with CRST, and three with Selah Corbin who used to be in a band I did a music video for. I’ve consciously not used diva, typically D&B or house style vocalists; I’ve tried to use people with a different thing going on. It’s more interesting to me to try to make something different. I’ve tried not to do what I’ve done before.”

As we’ve been discovering ever since we arrived, it’s this motivation to break conventions and do the unexpected that lies at the heart of everything that not just High Contrast the artist does, but also Lincoln himself. As his name attests, it really is all about contrast for the Welshman.

“

A n e w pa r a d i g m h a s b e e n

e s ta b l i s h e d , s o i t d o e s n ’ t

i n t e r e s t m e s o m u c h t o d o w h at

i s a c c e p ta b l e o r e x p e c t e d o f m e .

HIGH CONTRAST

“When I first started buying disco records to sample on D&B, people couldn’t believe that’s what I wanted them for.

Like everyone into D&B then, I didn’t listen to house; it was what the enemy listened to. Nowadays, the idea of disco-style D&B is completely accepted. Therefore, the notion of making a disco D&B track interests me less because it’s the norm. So that’s why my newer tracks don’t sound maybe like my older ones. A new paradigm has been established so it doesn’t interest me so much to do what is acceptable or expected of me.”

If Lincoln was looking to really shatter the established paradigm and kick out against expectations, then he could not have done anything bolder or more controversial than hook up with the biggest trance DJ in the world and the vocalist from a legendary 90s dance act... We’re talking of course about ‘The First Note Is Silent’, the debut single from ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’’ that features the voice of Karl from Underworld and – sharp intake of breath – Tiesto. Yes, that Tiesto – the biggest DJ in the world, a man who easily sells out 10,000 capacity gigs on his own and is known for a distinctly commercial brand of dance music, far, far removed from the original sound and ethos of D&B.

in small venues, so the tracks had a smaller, more intimate feel.

But then as I got bigger and played to bigger crowds, for me DJing and production go hand in hand, so whatever the platform I’m on as a DJ, that feeds into the kind of tracks I make.

“If you’re playing to thousands of people, you need a bigger sound to bring them all together. If you play in a 300-capacity club, you can play deeper tunes and they’ll go off, but if you try to play them at a huge stadium event, they get lost. When you have that many people, you need something very strong to bring them together. It needs to be something that unites people, a powerful riff or sound. But really, I don’t think in commercial terms. I’ve never made anything to appeal to a certain demographic, or money or radio – that’s just not how I think.

“I find it amusing when people say ‘The First Note Is Silent’ is selling out, or being done for the money; it literally never crossed my mind. I made it because the opportunity came up and I loved how unusual the concept was to make a D&B track with Tiesto and Underworld. That fascinates me as an idea - how making a track with the biggest DJ in the world is a controversial thing.”

“Just mentioning to people in the D&B scene that I was gonna do that track, the look of horror on their faces, made me convinced that I had to do this,” he declares, allowing a tiny smile as he does so. “After making something like ‘If We Ever’, a bona fide jungle anthem, what do I do? Make another tack like that? I’d just be preaching to the converted. You have to upset people sometimes, but with something positive.”

“Nothing is off limits to me. If I think it will make a good interesting beautiful piece of music, I’ll go anywhere. I know a lot of people would stop themselves before they do anything like that, people complain about the rules from outside, the society, the things that are stopping them, but really the worse thing for an artist is the self-censorship; stopping yourself before you even start. That is limiting. Nothing is off limits to me.”

There wasn’t a commercial consideration at work behind that most surprising of collaborations? We’d be wrong to view it as marketing ploy, or as a sell-out to the money gods?

High Contrast’s new album ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy‘ is out

“I can only speak for myself, but there is no consideration for that.

It’s purely a subconscious thing, when I started out I was playing

February 24 on Hospital Records.

Catch him in person for a special in-store launch at Catapult, Cardiff on 3 March.

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

037

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

CHEO

Ther e ar e f ew places in the UK, if not the entir e wor ld, wher e gr aff iti cultur e r uns deeper than Tr ap’s home city of Br istol. Over r ecent issues, together with our f r iends at Weapon Of Choice Galler y, we’ve bought you the scr ibbling, doodles and extr avagant mur als of a whole host of diff er ent ar tists that call the city home.

H owever, ther e’s always been one individual that we wer e mad keen to f eatur e, but never quite able to gr ab – Cheo. With a f ull solo show r unning thr oughout Febr uar y at WOC, we knew the time was r ight to tr ack the much r espected gr aff ar tist down to let us pr int some pictur es of his amazing spr ay-paint and mar ker-pen cr eations.

H eavily inspir ed by the wor k of legendar y comic book ar tist Vaughn Bode, Cheo’s bold, colour f ul pieces have a playf ulness to them that cannot f ail to char m.

The show r uns until 21 Febr uar y, and pr omises plenty of aff or dable pieces, teeshir ts and pr ints. I f you’r e in the ar ea make sur e you check it, and hit up the Tr ap website f or a f ull inter view with the man himself .

04 0

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

041

043

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

STYLE & S WA G G A WO R D S

STYLO G

Sam Bates

THE CURRENT LEVEL OF INTEREST IN DANCEHALL, OR BASHMENT, IN THE UK HASN’T BEEN SEEN SINCE THE HEADY DAYS OF THE LATE 1980S, WHEN THE POPULARITY OF SOUNDSYSTEMS SUCH AS SAXON AND COXSON SIGNIFIED A WIDER INTEREST IN REGGAE AND DANCEHALL MUSIC BEYOND ITS EVER-LOYAL CORE AUDIENCE. NOW, AFTER A 2011 THAT SAW THE GENRE’S POPULARITY SKY-ROCKET IN THE UK, MANY ARE SUGGESTING THAT THIS WILL BE THE YEAR THE SOUND ONCE AGAIN BREAKS THROUGH FROM THE UNDERGROUND. There’s n o o n e b e tte r p la ce d to l e a d th e ch a r ge th a n J a ma i ca born, Sou th Lo n d o n ra is e d Styl o G. A b r a gga d o ci o s d a n ce h a l l MC (or DJ to J a ma ica n s ) w ho u n l e a s h e d a s tr i n g o f h i ts througho u t 2011, in clu d in g th e h u ge ‘Ca l l Me A Ya r d i e ’ a n d ‘Sw agga De m’, Stylo G h a s a l l th e f o u n d a ti o n s i n p l a ce f o r a massive 2012. Tra p ca u gh t up w i th th e U K ’s d a n ce h a l l l e a d e r to find ou t mo re a b o u t th e ma n w i th th e s w a gga ...

TRAP_You moved to England as a teenager. What was that like for you after growing up in Jamaica?

“It was a cu ltu re s h o ck co mi n g f r o m Sp a n i s h to w n to Lo n d o n ; everythin g ch a n ge d fo r me w h e n I s a w a d o u b l e -d e ck e r b u s .

I was 15, b u t I k n e w it w o u ld b e a b e tte r p l a ce f o r me a n d my brother, w ith mo re o p p o rtu n i ti e s , a l th o u gh I w a s a l r e a d y mi s s ing Jama ica . My fa th e r P o iso n Ch a n g h a d r e ce n tl y p a s s e d , s o I felt like I w a s s ta rtin g a ga in a n d E n gl a n d w a s my n e w h o me .

“Being h e re in th e U K fo r s o l o n g, w h i ch i s s u ch a mu l ti cu l tu r a l country, me e tin g p e o p le a n d go i n g to s ch o o l h e r e , I l e a r n t a l o t about life . H a vin g w h ite a n d As i a n f r i e n d s , a n d gr o w i n g u p i n Bermond s e y, I le a rn t ma n y w a ys to s o ci a l i s e w i th p e o p l e .”

TRAP_Do you think your Britishness has helped you stand out in the Jamaican dancehall scene?

“Yes, my s tyle a n d my u n iq ue vo i ce a r e s e p a r a ti n g me f r o m th e rest. I utilis e th e co n ce p ts I h a ve f r o m th e U K , l i k e p u tti n g i n Nigerian la n gu a ge , Co ck n e y s l a n g a n d s tr e e t ta l k . Yo u ca n h e a r everythin g in my lyrics a n d I’ve l e a r n t f r o m my s u r r o u n d i n gs , s o w hen I b le n d th e m to ge th e r, yo u ge t Styl o G”.

TRAP_What are the differences between the Jamaican music scene and the UK one?

“In Jama ica th e mu s ic s ce n e i s ve r y d i ff e r e n t to h e r e .

For examp le , w e h a ve d a n ce s i n th e s tr e e t th r o u gh o u t th e ye a r and a lot o f th e p a rtie s a re f r e e to a tte n d , w h i l e i n th e U K i t’s mostly clu b s in d o o r w ith time l i mi ts . In J a ma i ca w e d o n ’t f i n i s h till early, ve ry e a rly, in th e mo r n i n g. Mo vi n g h e r e , I n o ti ce d th e music wa s mo re u p -te mp o h e r e , th e r e w e r e mo r e gr o u p s th a n solo artis ts a n d th e mu s ic w a s w a y mo r e co mme r ci a l th a n in Jamaica .”

TRAP_Dancehall is clearly undergoing a resurgence in the UK, with a new and unexpected audience enthusiastically taking to the sound. How do you feel the scene has changed here?

“Recently, dancehall music in the UK has been on a r ise, especially in the last two to thr ee year s. You know, I ’ve been going to the clubs and hear ing so many genr es of music but yet d ancehall seems to be standing out and the people ar e loving it.

“Local DJs ar e star ting to f eel good about pr omoting UK dancehall talent and the f act we’r e her e to per f or m makes us mor e accessible. Because of the buzz, pr omoter s seem to be booking mor e UK dancehall ar tists as well and the quality has changed - it’s like going back to the days of Tippa I r ie and Maxi Pr iest now. I t’s a new age and UK dancehall is hitting its peak.”

TRAP_The Heatwave’s ‘Showtime’ party was undoubtedly the biggest event in the UK dancehall calendar last year. You played that show – do you think it will be looked back on as a pivotal moment for the UK scene?

“It was an experience for me. The funny thing is, I must have seen only two other Jamaicans in the audience. With a venue jam packed with white people from all over the UK and Europe, it was crazy seeing them singing along to ‘Call Mi a Yardie’. This can only bring a positive influence to highlight UK Dancehall.”

TRAP_Finally, what should we expect from Stylo G in 2012 and beyond?

“E xpect the unexpected. Futur istic music, big beats, club banger s - Stylo’s my name so you’r e always gonna get style with it. I n the next f ew year s I can see myself next to Shaggy and Sean Paul, but in or der to achieve that I have to stay f ocussed and keep making good music.

“I ’m cur r ently wor king on my new album, with tr acks f eatur ing Gyptian, Chipmunk, Sneakbo, member s f r om my War ning Family, plus mor e sur pr ise f eatur es. Most of the album is being pr oduced by Adde f r om Sweden who had the hit single with Vybz Kar tel ‘Summer time’, Smoodf ace who pr oduced ‘Swagger Dem’ and my br other Kodi Star r who pr oduced ‘Call Mi a Yar die’, he was par t of Cr azy Cousins so we know he’s always going to deliver some cr azy, sick beats. Fur ther than that, my lips ar e sealed.”

The ‘Ca ll Me A Ya rdie’ EP is a va ila ble to buy on iTunes, a nd Stylo G will be performing a t H ot Wuk Bristol on 18 F ebrua ry. tw i tter @ Styl ogee

“

I ’ m c at e r i n g a n d

representing for both th e U K an d Jamai ca.

Soo n call m e a British STYLO G

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

04 5

INTO THE ARCHIVE WO R D S

Kasha Malyckyj

VINTAGE CLOTHING HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE THE DAYS OF MOTHBALL-RIDDEN CARDIGANS AND DODGY RETRO DISCO-WEAR. A BRAND WITHIN ITSELF, SAYING ‘IT’S VINTAGE’ GIVES THE OWNER THAT ALL IMPORTANT SENSE OF EXCLUSIVITY THAT’S SO KEY IN THE EVER SHIFTING WORLD OF FASHION. Now adays, w e a ll k n o w vin ta ge i s e ve r yw h e r e , s o th e r e ’s no thing quite lik e o w n in g a p ie ce o f r e a l f a s h i o n h i s to r y to ma ke sure yo u s ta n d o u t fro m th e cr o w d . An d w h e n w e s a y r eal, we mea n th e b ig gu n s - th e f a s h i o n p o w e r h o u s e s th a t de fine w hat w e w e a r to d a y - d e si gn e r vi n ta ge .

Among the co u n tle s s ca fe s , b o uti q u e s a n d b a r s o f E a s t Lo ndon, there ’s a s ma ll s p a ce fi l l e d w i th a ca r e f u l l y cu r a te d collection of s o me o f th e mo s t s o u gh t-a f te r d e s i gn e r vi n ta ge ar ound. Zone7s tyle is a tin y me cca p a yi n g h o ma ge to f ashions pas t, w ith a ra il fille d wi th a n a b u n d a n ce o f colourful prin ts a n d cla s s ic s h a p e s , a n d d r a w e r s n e a tl y s tashed with s u n gla s s e s th a t s cr e a m s u p e r i o r i ty. Ve r s a ce , Moschino an d Ra lp h La u re n a re a mo n g th e b i g n a me s th a t s i t alongside mo re o b s cu re la b e l s th a t o n l y yo u r a vi d collector and e n th u s ia s t w o u ld k n o w a b o u t.

You can find a ll th e s e b ra n d s a n d a n e n ti r e b a ck h i s to r y o f the collectio n o n th e vis u a l fe a st th a t i s th e Z o n e 7s tyl e b l o g an d online sto re . We p h o to gra p he d a f e w o f o u r f a vo u r i te pi eces and a s k e d th e ma n b e h in d th e b r a n d s , Se th Br a d l e y, s o me questio n s …

TRAP_What is Zone7style and how did the concept for the store come about? “ The concep t fo r Z o n e 7s tyle w a s b o r n o u t o f a n o b s e s s i o n f or design - fro m th e firs t time I s a w a Ni k e Ai r s h o e i n a catalogue I wa s h o o k e d . I mo ve d u p to Lo n d o n w h e n I w a s 19 and I was b u yin g a lo t o f vin ta ge s h o e s a t th a t ti me . I al so started ge ttin g in to th e a p pa r e l s i d e o f Ni k e . 1996 w a s a big year for me ; it w a s my firs t ti me i n Ne w Yo r k , w h i ch changed my p e rs p e ctive o n clo thi n g a n d cu l tu r e . A f e w ye ars later, I e n d e d u p w ith a la r ge co l l e cti o n o f r a r e f ootwear and clo th in g. “ Back w hen I s ta rte d Z o n e 7s tyle I w a s tr a ve l l i n g a r o u n d Lo ndon to ca r-b o o t s a le s a n d ma r k e ts l o o k i n g f o r i n te r e s ti n g i tems. At tha t time , th e re w e re o n l y s i x zo n e s o n th e un derground ma p s o I th o u gh t I ’d ca l l th e p r o j e ct Zone7style; p ro d u cts fro m a Z o n e th a t d i d n ’t e xi s t.”

TRAP_Where do you source your vintage? “ I do a lot of tra ve llin g in Eu ro p e a n d Ame r i ca , a l th o u gh , be lieve me, it’s n o t a s e a s y to fi n d th e s e p r o d u cts a s p e o p l e

ZONE 7 STYLE

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

047

might think. I have a good online pr esence, so I get a lot of collector s contacting me to help them sell their old acquisitions. I have a ‘by any means necessar y’ policy.”

TRAP_You hire out your products for fashion shoots and to celebrities, what is your typical customer base?

“I have a br oad customer base r anging f r om the mor e aff luent customer who likes to dr ess in a f lamboyant manner to collector s.”

MOSCHINO

TOMMY HILFIGER

TRAP_You carry a pretty impressive range of Versace silk shirts. How did you feel about the recent H&M Versace collaboration? Has it had a positive or negative effect on the business?

“I knew that the H &M r ange wouldn’t aff ect my business, as they cr eated a r ange that was available to ever yone; the pr ice p oint was ver y low making it mor e accessible than the or iginal pr oducts we car r y. I think it was a positive move f or Donatella and it’s gr eat to see some elements of the old pr int designs coming back.”

TRAP_What’s your favourite fashion era?

“My favourite era would have to be the 1990s. That was when many brands were in their prime, from Ralph Lauren in America to Chipie in Europe. The 1990s was an era of re-appropriation; Ralph Lauren was still working on bettering classic work-wear and European brands were obsessing over Americana.

Sportswear was becoming more technical and digital printing was having an influence on print design.”

MICHIGAN RAG COMPANY

TRAP_What are some of your most sought after brands?

“For me the br ands that I admir e the most ar e Chouinar d ( star ted by Yvon Chouinar d who now r uns Patagonia) , Willis and Geiger ( Amer ican outf itter s that had militar y contr acts and made jackets f or E r nest H emmingway, bought by Land’s end in the 1990s, but sadly no longer in existence) , Chipie ( bought by another company that now only makes kids-wear ) , Best Company ( no longer ar ound) , Ralph Laur en and a f ew other s that I can’t r emember r ight now.”

“The br ands I like to collect ar e changing all the time. I f ind inspir ation in all elements of clothing design f r om pr int, cut, f abr ic and colour.”

MOSCHINO

MOSCHINO

TRAP_Do you source according to trends?

“Trend is manufactured, I like to be spontaneous. I would never stock items in my shop based on the premise that it would fit into current trends. Although, of course, this does end up happening unintentionally.”

TRAP_What’s your number one style or trend tip for the coming months?

“It’s still going to be cold so I would recommend finding a rugged boot to wear, Danner make some great models. Go for a colour-blocked button-down shirt or something similar, if you find something roomy you can layer up nicely. Down can be bulky but it’s the warmest option, I like the jackets Rab make and they’re from England, too.”

TRAP_Where would you like to see Zone 7 style in five years’ time? Any grand ambitions?

“That’s a difficult question to answer, but I’d hope to have a larger space and create more exhibitions. In the meantime, watch out for a couple of side projects coming later this year.”

www.zone7style.blogspot.com

SAMANTHA wears:

Vintage VERSACE SHIRT Zone7Style £450

OPPOSITE PAGE

Vintage Versace flares Zone7Style £200

Crop top Topshop Shoes New Look

OUT OF THE ZONE Photography Lucy Eleanor Brown

Styled by Kasha Malyckyj and Ashley Cover

Hair and Make Up Nelson Catarino using Laura Mercier make up

MODELS David at AMCK Models and Samantha

SAMANTHA wears:

Vintage Moschino JEANS Zone7Style £150 Swimsuit stylists own

Moschino belt stylists own

OPPOSITE PAGE David wears:

Vintage Versace shirt Zone7Style £450 Jeans Topman

DAVID wears:

Vintage Moschino SHIRT Zone7Style £150

OPPOSITE PAGE David wears:

Vintage Nautica shirt Zone7Style £85

Jeans Topman

Shoes Nike SB Fifty Fifty £52 Samantha wears:

Vintage Versace jeans Zone7Style £110 Top Topshop £30

Belt Stylists owN

Boots Topshop £65

DAVID wears:

T SHIRT VINTAGE BEST COMPANY £80

HAT VINTAGE VERSACE Zone7Style £200 Jeans Topman

Shoes Vans Fifty Fifty £70

Samantha wears:

Vintage Versace jacket Zone7Style £300 Vintage Versace jeans Zone7Style £150 Shoes Stylists own Top Forever 21

R EV I EWS REVIEWED BY: BASSMUSIC BLOG, SAM COLLENETTE, DUB BOY, GEOFF WRIGHT, JON CARTER, SEAN KELLY, OLI MARLOW, DAVE COTGRAVE, JERYL WILTON, FIREMAN SAM, JUSTIN IRIAJEN, NICK HILLS, OLI GRANT, BELINDA ROWSE.

ESSENTI A LISTENI L NG

FABRICLIVE61 ‘Pinch’ (Fabric) Af ter a wealth o f to p -d r aw e r Fab r icLive mixe s l a s t yea r, Br isto lian lyn ch p in an d Te cto n ic bos s ma n Ro b E llis kicks o ff th e 2012 se r ie s w ith a ma s ter f ully cu r ate d jo u r n e y th r o u gh th e cutti ng-edge o f su b te r r an e an b ass mu sic.

The r es ul t is a su b lime b le n d o f d u b ste p , te ch n o a nd hous e i n sp ir e d f lavo u r s th at’s ar gu ab ly o n e of the hea vie st o ff e r in gs f r o m th e Fab r ic stab le s yet. Both s tar tin g an d f in ish in g w ith th e r o vin g bea ts of Di s tal’s ‘Ve n o m’, yo u co u ld liste n to Pi nch s k i l f u lly n avigatin g acr o ss a var yin g r an ge of tempos p e r p e tu ally w ith o u t b r e ak - a u n iq u e i dea a nd a te mp tin g o n e at th at, co n sid e r in g th e s heer vol ume o f e xclu sive an d b ar e ly h e ar d ma ter i a l f r o m th e sce n e ’s mo st in -d e man d pr oducer s .

Ma ny of the h igh ligh ts ar e p r o vid e d b y P in ch hi ms el f , i nclu d in g le th al d an ce -w r e ckin g co llab s wi th Photek an d Distan ce , a b e au tif u lly i mmer s i ve 4x4 ste p p e r w ith Qu e st an d se ve r al cl a s s y r ewo r ks. A r e mar kab le mix o f e xce p tio n al vi s i on, a nd a r e le ase n o t to b e misse d .

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

0 57

R E V I E W S 07

058

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

HYETAL ‘Searchlight’ (Night Mix) / ‘Stay’ / ‘Stay’ (Remix) (Black Acre)

DVA ‘Pretty Ugly’ (Hyperdub) DVA, for mer l y k nown a s Scratcha DVA, i s the host o f RinseFM’s much-l oved ‘Gr ime y Breakfa s t Show’ a nd enj o ys a positio n a r ound the hea r t o f both the gr i me a nd UK f u n ky scenes . H i s pr oducti on w o r k highlights not j us t a ta l en t f o r lush mus i ca l l a nds ca pes , b u t th e fact th a t he’s never conf o r me d to genr e conventi ons or tr e n d s.

This ma k es DVA the per fe ct f it for Hyper dub, wi th i ts r eco r d f o r releasing s ome of the mo st in teresting s ounds a r ound. ‘P r e tty U gly’ i s el ectr oni c mus i c at its most exci ti ng, wi th i nf l ue n ce s that sp a n techno, gr i me, h o u se , U K funk y a nd even f i l m s co r e s.

In parts , the tr a ck s a r e glitch y and wo nk ey, yet s ti l l pos s e ss a funk, r hythm a nd s wi ng th at adds to thei r a ppea l even mo r e , while the s uppor ti ng ca s t o f soulfu l voca l per f or ma nce s comple ment the pr oducti o n brilliantl y. H i ghl y r ecomme n d e d .

COKI ‘Don’t Get It Twisted’ EP (DMZ) Four dangerously heavy riddims from Coki on the legendary DMZ imprint, showcasing his unique production skills and including a long-awaited release for ‘Tree Trunk’, with its manic midrange synth riffs having duppied dances for years on dubplate. The real jewel in the crown, however, is ‘Celestial Dub’, harking back to the classic dubinfused Digital Mystikz sound, punctuated with FX-swathed percussion, haunting organ loops and all-enveloping bassweight.

Al b u m tr a ck ‘Se a r ch light’ sees a n e w l e a s e o f l i gh t, with the r e l e a s e o f th i s r e w o r k backed by a r e mi x f r o m e n i gma tic Mancunian collective Sta y+. The ‘Ni gh t Mi x’ b o l s te r s th e d r i ve o f the or iginal w i th r e i n f o r ce d p r o p u lsion and w e b s o f s h i mme r i n g synths, while o n th e f l i p Sta y+ r i p it apar t and r o u gh i t u p w i th a cl atter ing dr um l i n e a n d d i s to r te d s ynth swells th a t gi ve th e tr a ck a viscer al vi ta l i ty.

SCUBA ‘Personality’ (Hotflush) Hotflush boss Scuba dives deep for his most on-point album to date.

The aptly titled ‘Personality’ is a sub-aquatic adventure, awash with colourful synths, smoky 4/4 jams, contemporary rollers and authentic vinyl crackle. Opening track 'Ignition Key' utilises rippling acid lines and P-funk inspired grooves to great effect. 'July' follows in a similar vein, taking an intensely fractured rhythm and injecting Mr Fingers square bass, creating a sound that straddles the line between teary eyed nostalgia and next-level futurism. 'Cognitive Dissonance' offers a slow/fast cut that will have the Autonomic contingent chomping at the bit, while 'NE1BUTU' takes us straight back to 92 with classic breakbeats and thunderous rave stabs.

'Personality' proves that Scuba is not only one of the most prolific label owners in electronic music but an accomplished producer of the highest calibre.

STAND HIGH PATROL

‘Midnight Walkers’ (Stand High Records) France’s vibrant reggae scene has produced some exciting talents in recent years, and with their new album, ‘Midnight Walkers’, Brest’s Stand High Patrol give us plenty of reason to believe they’re one of our Gallic neighbour’s most crucial sounds. There’s a real variety of production across the 13 tracks here, with a healthy dose of 80sstyle digital dancehall (‘Commando’ / ‘Brest Bay’ / ‘Boat People’), esoteric hip-hop (‘Muskateer Sword’ / ‘Home Made’) and steppas and dubstep (‘Holiday Today’ / ‘Automatic Attack’). Vocal duties belong to Pupa Jim, who confidently brings cohesion to the tunes. His delivery is reminiscent of King Tubby’s infamous Waterhouse style, and brings a cool, haunting vibe to the musical spectrum Stand High create. This is a wicked album, full of strong material and a must for fans of Mungo’s Hi Fi and Jahtari.

CHAM ‘Wine’ (Cashflow) Ch a m h a s a l w a ys b e e n a vo ca l i s t fo cu s s e d o n q u a l i ty, a n d h e ’s o n tru e fo rm h e re w i th th e e xce l l e n t ‘Wi n e ’, ri d i n g Ca s h fl o w P ro d u cti o n s ’ ‘X te rmi n a to r Ri d d i m’. Lyri ca l l y p u re d a n ce h a l l , ‘Wi n e ’ i n co rp o ra te s a w i ck e d h o o k a n d Ch a m’s o w n d e va s ta ti n g d e l i ve ry to gre a t e ffe ct. Le w d , d i rty ro u gh -h o u s e ra gga a t i ts b e s t, th i s i s p o s s i b l y Ch a m’s gre a te s t tra ck s i n ce ‘Gh e tto Sto ry’. Ab s o l u te fi re a n d a n i n s ta n t ga l a n th e m!

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

R E V I E W S 07

0 59

POIRIER ‘Soca Road’ EP (Mixpak)

COMPA ‘Sentence’ / ‘Begining’ (Boka Records)

Montreal’s Poirier brings a hard, fast dose of pure roadmix soca on the increasingly essential Mixpak records. After his ‘Soca Soundsystem’ EP for Ninja Tune, the Canadian continues to bring his own take on 160bpm soca with four tracks that incorporate rave, electro and ragga, all driven by tight edits and intense drums. This is pure energy music that leaves you in a sweat. Reach for your horn!

Wh e th e r i t’s h i s p e rs i s te n ce i n cu tti n g tra ck s to d u b p l a te o r h i s p ro d u cti o n e th o s , Co mp a co n s tru cts s o u n d s re mi n i s ce n t o f e a rl y i n n o va to rs , e p i to mi s e d b y th i s ca ve rn o u s l y s p a ci o u s a n d to u gh h a l f-s te p 12. ‘Se n te n ce ’ i s u n d e rp i n n e d b y a p u n i s h i n g d re a d b a s s l i n e a cce n tu a te d w i th ra zo r s h a rp p e rcu s s i o n a n d ‘Be gi n n i n g’ d e l i ve rs d a rk , b ro o d i n g vi b ra ti o n s s te e p e d i n me ta l l i c re s o n a n ce ; tw o cu ts o f p re mi u m b a s s w e i gh t a mmu n i ti o n fro m th e yo u n g p ro d u ce r.

ITAL ‘Hive Mind’ (Planet Mu) Having b e e n th e s u b je ct o f widespr e a d a ccla im in 2011 f o r release s o n 100% Silk a n d h i s ow n Love rs Ro ck la b e l, I ta l release s h is s ta rtlin g d e b u t a l b u m via Plan e t Mu . ‘H ive Min d ’ provide s h im w ith th e mo s t freedom ye t to fu lly a rticu la te h i s leftfield h o u s e mu ta tio n s . Wo r k i n g around th e lin e a r s tru ctu re o f th e genre, I ta l s h a p e s a n d b e n d s i t into some th in g a lto ge th e r mo r e nebulou s a n d e xp e rime n ta l.

Loping o p e n e r ‘Do e s n ’t Ma tte r ’ sets the to n e , b u ild in g a gr o o ve out of th e lu mb e rin g b a s s lin e a n d tribal p e rcu s s io n , w h ile th e repeate d vo ca l cu ts th ro u gh w i th a fidgety a n xio u s n e s s . ‘Flo r i d i a n Void’ fin d s a p s ych e d e lic te r r a i n amongs t th e a s tra l p a d s b e f o r e ‘Privacy Se ttin gs ’ d e lve s into a black ho le o f d u b ch a mb e rs a n d unsettli n g a tmo s p h e re s . ‘I s r a e l ’ warps its w a y th ro u gh 10 mi n u te s of mesme ric tu mb lin g d ru m l i n e s and w arp e d p e rcu s s io n b e fo r e ‘First Wa ve ’ p u lls it b a ck fr o m the brink to e n te rta in cla s s i c ideas of h o u s e .

TEDDY MUSIC ‘Grime: The Compilation’

(Teddy Music) Te d d y ( f o r me r ly kn ow n a s Sile n ce r ) is o n e o f th e l e a d i n g p r o d u ce r s in gr ime . H i s mar ch in g d r u m p atte rn s , d a rk syn th s an d tr ad e mar k ‘Te d d y’ vocal tag h ave made h i m a sce n e stap le , w ith a l e ve l o f co n siste n cy r ar e ly ma tch e d b y h is p e e r s. As yo u ’d a s s u me fro m th e title , th is is a co l l e cti o n o f all Te d d y’s b igge st p ro d u cti o n s , an d e ve r y tr ack is vo ca l l e d b y an A-List me mb e r of th e s ce n e ( Do t Ro tte n , Te m p a T, P Mo n e y, Gh e tts ) . Th e only cri ti ci s m th a t co u ld b e le ve lle d at th i s a l b u m w o u ld b e th e lack o f fre s h mate r ial p r e se n t, alth o u gh ‘Th e Co mp ilatio n ’ co n tain s fo u r p r e vio u sly u n h e ar d tra ck s , th e h igh ligh t b e in g Ne w h a m Ge n s d ar k, su b d e str o yin g ‘Do o me d ’.

I f 2012 p r o mise s mo re gri me alb u ms as go o d as th i s , th e n th e sce n e lo o ks se t fo r o n e o f its h e alth ie r ye ar s.

SABRE, STRAY & HALOGENICS ‘Oblique’ Featuring.

Frank Carter (Critical) Cr i ti ca l Re co r d s co n tinue to pr ove to th e w o r l d th a t d r u m & bas can s ti l l b e p o w e r f u l , mo ving, deep a n d s o u l f u l . Th i s r e l ease br ings to ge th e r th e h i gh l y talented p r o d u cti o n tr i o o f Sa br e, Str ay a n d Ha l o ge n i cs . Le a d tr ack ‘Ob l i q u e ’ s e e s th e tr i o combine b e a u ti f u l l y w i th vo ca list Fr ank Ca r te r to cr e a te a f a st soul ma s te r p i e ce , s e t to b e one of the r e l e a s e s o f 2012.

COMMIX

‘Dusted’ Selected Works 2003 - 2008 (Metalheadz) Billed as a preamble to Commix’s long-awaited new album, due later in the year, ‘Dusted’ is a retrospective collection of works from the Cambridge duo, gathered from the period of time between 2003 and 2008. Most fans of the genre will remember this era as being dominated by tracks of the heavily compressed dancefloor smasher variety, while Commix’s debut ‘Call To Mind’ was a welcome breath of melodic and subtle fresh air; like a cooling ice pack after several concussiondealing blows with a sonic sledgehammer. ‘Dusted’ fits the ‘Call To Mind’ mould perfectly, bringing gentle touches and effortless flourishes of pure drum & bass class at every turn, and fans of the duo will be more than excited to see tracks such as ‘Audience’ finally see the light of day. Now, about that new album…

R E V I E W S 07

060

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

‘All Junglist’ EP (Unknown To The Unknown)

FRICTION ‘Led Astray’ / ‘Stand Up’ (Sigma Remix) (Shogun Audio)

1xtra’s DJ Q has been on fire recently, with his UK garage/R&B track ‘Brandy & Coke’ proving especially massive. Here, he returns to bassline house, producing two tracks that will light up many raves.

Confusingly, ‘All Junglist’ pays homage to jungle/rave, with amen breaks, early-90s rave synths and a sample that shouts ‘All Junglists’, before dropping into a club destroying bassline house track. Big.

Shogun boss Friction demonstrates his recent dedication to the studio with this next release on his scene-leading imprint. ‘Led Astray’ winds from a euphoric vocal-laced intro into squelching drumstep - a guaranteed hit with the UKF generation. On the flip, in case the original version wasn't big enough, ‘Stand up’ gets the Sigma remix treatment. Big dance floor vibes and then some!

DJ Q

HIGH CONTRAST ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’ (Hospital) After an anthem-packed decadeplus in the game, D&B superstar High Contrast delivers his fourth studio album for Hospital. Referred to by the man himself as his “most personal” album to date, ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’ is a collection of twelve tracks that seek to transcend the restraints of the genre and become ‘songs’ in their own right. Featuring original vocals and instrumentation throughout and spread thick with the melancholic euphoria that is HC’s trademark, this album will satisfy the Radio One playlist selectors just as happily as it does Hospital’s hoards of eager fans. Whether the recent collaboration with Tiesto and Underworld was your thing or not, this is an ambitious album that deserves to be checked, and achieves its creator’s desire to do something different, without ever straying from the all-important dancefloor ethics of drum & bass.

DJ MADD ‘The Real And The Shadow’ (Black Box) Hailing from Hungary, DJ Madd has been consistently serving up some of the finest dubstep since 2008, with releases on labels such as Black Box, Boka and Wheel & Deal. Always melodic and sub-heavy, the echoes of a youth spent listening to D&B shine through within Madd’s stark textures, snarling basslines and insistent rhythms. ‘The Real & The Shadow’ sees Madd explore new terrain with the aptly titled ‘Junglist’ and deeper jams such as ‘Kensal Avenue’ and ‘Kyoto Station’, which both showcase a more cinematic side to his sound.

‘No Tomorrow’, with vocals from the legendary Rebel MC, aka Congo Natty, is a nod to Madd’s earliest dubstep roots while ‘Bristol to Budapest’ is like a rocket to the future, with pounding metallic rhythms and face melting slabs of bass. Real dubstep.

POPCAAN ‘Party Shot’ (TJ Records) After making a real splash last year with his anthemic ‘Ravin’, Vybz Kartel’s young prodigy Popcaan is expected to do big things in 2012. ‘Party Shot’ follows up ‘Ravin’ in a similarly exuberant style, with Popcaan’s natural melody and talent for catchy hooks expertly showcased throughout. This joyous party track will keep dancehalls bubbling through the winter months and should cement Popcaan’s breakthrough this year.

WILEY ‘Evolve Or Be Extinct’ (Big Dada) As a re a d e r o f th i s ma ga zi n e , yo u ’l l b e w e l l a w a re o f Wi l e y; th e go d fa th e r o f gri me ’s mu s i ca l i n fl u e n ce to u ch e s a l l ge n re s o f U K b a s s mu s i c to d a y. Wi l e y’s va s t ca ta l o gu e o f mu s i c h a s b e co me i n cre a s i n gl y p ro l i fi c th i s b e i n g h i s s e co n d a l b u m i n s i x mo n th s - w h i ch ca n l e a d to a s a tu ra ti o n th a t i s o fte n h a rd to a b s o rb . Th i s s e co n d Bi g Da d a re l e a s e e n a b l e s Wi l e y to u n l e a s h a ga i n th e mo re a va n t-ga rd e p ro d u cti o n s tyl e th a t fi rs t d re w p u b l i c a tte n ti o n , a n d s o n i ca l l y i t co u l d o fte n b e co mp a re d to th e ra w ‘E s k i ’ s o u n d o f ‘Tre d d i n On Th i n I ce ’. ‘E vo l ve Or Be E xti n ct’ ca n n o t b e d e s cri b e d a s a s tra i gh t-u p gri me re co rd th o u gh , w i th tra ck s th a t h a ve mu ch i n co mmo n w i th e xp e ri me n ta l e l e ctro n i ca , p o p , e l e ctro h o u s e a n d n o d s to d a n ce h a l l . Th i s i s h i s b e s t a l b u m o f re ce n t ti me s , h o w e ve r, a n d a n o th e r re a s o n w h y Wi l e y w i l l b e re me mb e re d a s o n e o f U K mu s i c’s tru e p i o n e e rs i n ye a rs to co me .

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

R E V I E W S 07

0 61

TUNNIDGE ‘Aftershock’ / ‘Blame’ Ft. Distance (Chestplate) Tunnidge marks his second release on Chestplate with the colossal ‘Aftershock’, bristling with kinetic energy and a cascading bassline expertly engineered for maximum soundsystem impact. On the flip, he joins with label head Distance to build punishing eyes-down skanker ‘Blame’, saturated with an eerie synth-driven soundscape of cinematic proportions. A serious 12, as Chestplate continue to output quality sub-heavy beats heading into 2012.

BEENIE MAN‘Mob ’Come Over’’

(Big Ship) Be e n ie Man lin ks u p w i th o n e o f Jamaica’s h o tte st p ro d u ce rs , Di Ge n iu s, an d th e r e s u l ts a re migh tily imp r e ssive . Ri d i n g a n e xce p tio n al r id d im th a t’s a l l b ash y d r u ms an d ma d l i ck s , Be e n ie lays d o w n a cl a s s i c d an ce h all th r o w b ack vo ca l askin g p r e tty gir ls i n i ts y-b i ts y b ikin is to co me o n o ve r. Th i s tr ack is a time ly r e mi n d e r o f Be e n ie Man ’s u n d is p u te d a b i l i ty to cr e ate a h it an d i s s e t to ru n d an ce s in th e co min g mo n th s .

SPOOKY / DESET / TEEZA / MOONY ‘AllStars’ EP (Ghost House) Ghost House boss Spooky presents a diverse four-track EP from some of the most talented producers currently producing grime. Spooky’s own ‘I Scream’ features a crazy combination of dancehall drum patterns and industrial sounds, while Deset’s contribution is one of the most ferocious off-kilter grime tracks you’ll ever hear, and Teeza offers menacing head-nod vibes. The stand out is Moony’s ‘Music 4 U’, with female vocal samples providing crossover appeal.

JON PHONICS ‘Grid Games’ EP (Prism) Rising beat maker Jon Phonic inaugurates the new PRISM label with the ‘Grid Games’ EP, featuring three heavyweight collaborations backed with a trio of equally impressive remixes from Kidkanevil, Ghost Mutt and Pedestrian. From skittering R&B on ‘Jack Duckworth’ to warped steppa ‘ROMES’ with Pete Cannon and the frankly epic ‘Double Vision’ with Jeeks, Jon Phonics shows his versatility and pedigree. One to watch for 2012.

BREAK / XTRAH ‘They’re Wrong’ / ‘Cyrax’ (Symmetry) Break continues his reputation as one D&B’s finest and least predictable producers, flitting effortlessly between styles. This funk-infused track marks the tenth release for Symmetry and leads with ‘They’re Wrong’, delivering a dreamy intro that stretches out seductively before dropping into a warm roller filled with Break's trademark intricate percussion.

Up-and-comer Xtrah supplies a harder edged alternative on the flip.

FAZE MIYAKE ‘The Second Six’ EP (Woofer Music)

VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Diskotopia’ Vol.1 (Diskotopia) The Tokyo-based Diskotopia label came out of the blocks all guns blazing in 2011. Showing exactly how a digital label should be run, they’ve released a succession of beautifully packaged releases from the likes of label owners BD1982 and A Taut Line, Visionist and Slackk. Disktopia start 2012 with their first physical release in the form of this compilation. Taking the same far-reaching and forwardthinking approach, ‘Disktopia Vol.1’ debuts brand new material from a number of their growing stable.

Opener ‘Sunshine’ by BD1982 sets the bar high with a, frankly genius, re-appropriation of grime’s classic tropes. From there, the levels never dip with highlights such as Visionist delivering neck-snapping tribal rhythms on ‘Tropic’, sloppy low-slung funk on RLP’s ‘Kreeep’ and Optimum providing an ethereally beautiful 808 odyssey on ‘Ghost House’. A resounding artist statement that proves the worth of the dying art of compilations.

Faze Miyake has a lot to live up to after the run-away success of ‘The Take Off EP’, which can still be heard smashing up raves. Here, he retains the elements that made ‘Take Off’ so exciting - the heavyweight sub-bass, slick drum programming and hard-as-nails snares, while US trap music influence is evident in tunes such as ‘Boom’ and ‘Tom & Jerry’. More raw hype grime, which suits both the dancefloor and MC sets perfectly.

KAHN / SUPERISK ‘Se Fire’ Remixes (Durkle Disco) After both announcing their arrivals on the Punch Drunk label in 2011, Bristol based producers Kahn and Superisk drop a couple of outstanding remixes for Durkle Disco. The source material is hip-hop collective Se Fire, and the results are hugely impressive.

Superisk mangles ‘In Every’ with real style, while Kahn’s slow-paced, UKG-inspired remix of ‘Red Lights’ demonstrates why his is a name on so many people’s lips right now.

R E V I E W S 07

0 62

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

GAMES REVIEWS WITH CUTLINE

Welcome to the first ever Trap games page, presented by Cutline. You might ask what makes two grown men suitable for writing about computer games, and you’d be right to assume that we’re not experts in the field. However, when we’re not rewinding a new smasher umpteen times to hordes of gurning youths, or remixing whatever some random A&R has paid us ridiculous money to, we’re generally playing some kind of game; be it on our iPhones while travelling, or at home, sat in our pants, pretending we work for a living.

SONY LAUNCH PLAYSTATION VITA PlayStation has come a long way since its original launch in 1994, when it brought a swathe of titles that have since become classics to teenagers’ bedrooms the world over. This is Sony’s latest attempt at a handheld console and just a glance at the key features shows you why it’s set to be infinitely more exciting than the PSP ever was.

Features include ‘augmented reality’, social gaming, WiFi and 3G connectivity, a 5” Touch Screen, a Rear Touch Pad and PlayStation’s signature dual-analogue sticks, which all promise a completely immersive and versatile gaming experience.

Last year we played some games that sucked us in completely, like Bethesda’s incredibly apocalyptic Rage and EA’s equally terrifying Crysis 2, and we’re already looking forward to a mountain of new games to play in 2012. And while the latest editions of hotly anticipated games like Resident Evil, Mass Effect and Wipeout are still months away, there’s still plenty to get excited in the next couple of months. Read on for our recommendations...

MAX PAYNE 3

STREET FIGHTER X TEKKEN

PREVIEW MUNCH TIME

XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION3, PC

XBOX 360, PLAYSTATION3, PC

iPHONE

We’re long standing fans of the sinister, Sin City-esque Max Payne games. In fact, we once put a sample of a crying baby that we ripped from Max Payne 2 into a tune (thankfully, it never made it to market!) So we’re looking forward to the release of this third instalment, which sees Max unleashed on the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Out 18 May!

If, like us, you were a teenager in the early-90s, you’ll remember Street Fighter fever. Stripping your fingers to the bone with button combinations so complex they took months to master was a given. On 9 March Capcom smash together the infamous Street Fighter with Tekken, another classic fighting game, so you can pit Dhalsim against Kazuya, Yoshimitsu against Zangief, and so on. Fight!

Fear not DJs, businessmen and anyone else with spare time to waste sat at airports or on trains, Munch Time looks set to replace your Angry Birds addiction with mighty aplomb. A quick preview confirms that Munch Time is packed with fun, frustrating and sometimes dizzyingly complex levels. This will undoubtedly keep us occupied for quite some time.

BASSPO I NTS

07

CLUB LISTINGS

0 64

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

FEBRUARY 2012 FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY JUST JACK @ MOTION, BRISTOL J o y Orb i s o n , Ma ya J a ne Coles, Matt Tolfrey, Ben UFO + mo re .

SHOGUN

F E B R U A RY / M A R C H LONDON / BRISTOL / BRIGHTON

FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY BASSLACED @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM Sh y FX , Ne wha m Gens, Cha nnel One, The Others , P h ae l e h , Th e H ea tw a ve, Top Ca t, General Roots , La d y Le s h u u r, Sta mina MC.

THEM 3RD BIRTHDAY @ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON Ru s ti e , Ze d Bia s, Pa nga ea , Dea db oy, Royal T, SRC.

HOTFLUSH @ LAKOTA, BRISTOL Scu b a , Si gh a, Geor ge Fitzger a ld, Mortal, LMB.

SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY REGGAE ROAST PRESENTS JAM DOWN @ PLAN B, LONDON Ab as h an ti -I , E a r l 16, The Sha nti-ites , Cris es , Exel & Mo o d i e , Du bhunter + mor e..

HOSPITALITY

D& B’s mo s t cre d i b l e mo ve me n t take th e i r u n to u ch ab l e ro s te r o f arti s ts o n th e ro ad th i s Fe b ru ary an d March , to u ch i n g d o wn i n th re e o f th e U K ’s b e s t ve n u e s fo r a s e ri e s o f mas s i ve p arti e s s h o wcas i n g th e Sh o gu n s o u n d .

Lab e l b o s s Fri cti o n wi l l b e i n atte n d an ce at al l th re e , su p p o rte d b y th e l i ke s o f Ro ckwe l l , Al i x P e re z, Th e P ro to typ e s an d SGN n e w-b o y I n te rface . As yo u ’d e xp e ct, it’s th e Lo n d o n l e g th at l o o ks th e h e avi e s t, wi th p racti cal l y th e e n ti re Sh o gu n cre w p l ayi n g, s u p p o rte d b y n o l e s s th an d Bri d ge , Fab i o an d garage l e ge n d Wo o ki e i n Ro o m 2.

Watch o u t fo r th e Bi rmi n gh am l e g o n 31 March , to o . w ww. s ho g u n au d i o.c o. u k

@ DIGITAL, BRIGHTON Camo & K ro o k ed, Nu:Tone, Fr ed V & Grafix, Stanza, Wre c, Me s s y.

FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY BASSLACED @ XOYO, LONDON Mi s taj am, 16bit, TC, Kito, J a ck Swift, Script, Inja, AD + mo re .

FUTUREBOOGIE 1 0 T H B I R T H D AY F R I D AY 2 4 F E B R U A R Y

S E C R E T E A S T L O N D O N L O C AT I O N

TRAP VS SHIT THE BED @ THE BANK, BRISTOL Sp e ci al gu e s t DJ s + Tr a p, STB r es idents .

BASSLACED @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM P Mo n e y, P l a sticia n, J oy Or bison, Girl Unit, Redlight, Mi d l an d , Dre a d MC + mor e.

SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY HOT WUK @ TRINITY, BRISTOL Styl o G, Th e H ea tw a ve, Stick y, Reds kin, Fireman Sam + mo re .

FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY SUB DUB @ CABLE, LONDON Ir ati o n Ste p p a s Sound System , Cons cious Sounds , E arth p i p e , To p Ca t, Cok i, Disr upt & Solo Banton, Th e H e atw ave, J on Convex, Synk ro, Kahn.

Afte r th e s u cce s s o f th e h o me l e g o f th e i r te n th b i rth d ay ce l e b rati o n s , Bri s to l h o u s e mu s i c i n s ti tu ti o n Fu tu re b o o gi e h e ad u p th e M4 to b ri n g th e b e s t o f th e i r b u rge o n i n g s tab l e o f arti s ts to Lo n d o n fo r p art two .

Wh i l e Bri s to l h as l o n g b e e n wo rl d -re n o wn e d fo r i ts co n tri b u ti o n s to re ggae , D& B an d d u b s te p , th e l as t co u p l e o f ye ars h ave s e e n an o u ts tan d i n g ro s te r o f h o u s e mu s i c p ro d u ce rs ri s i n g fro m th e ci ty’s b as s -d re n ch e d co re . Ju l i o Bas h mo re , Be h l i n g & Si mp s o n an d Wai fs & Strays are j u s t so me o f th e n ame s p u tti n g Bri s to l o n th e h o u s e mu s i c map , a n d al l wi l l b e re p p i n g th e Fu tu re b o o gi e s o u n d o n 24 Fe b ru ary at a h u s h -h u s h s e cre t E as t Lo n d o n ve n u e .

TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK

BASSPO I NTS

0 65

07

CLUB LISTINGS

MARCH 2012

MAJOR LAZER TOUR APRIL

N AT I O N W I D E

FRIDAY 2 MARCH LDN DC @ NEST, LONDON Untold, Scratcha Dva, Alte re d Native s, Guy Andre ws + mo re .

DOLLOP @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM Jo y Orb i s o n , Scu b a, On e man + mo re .

KOOL KIDS KLUB @ XOYO, LONDON P i n ch , Dark Sky, Bre ach , P h ae l e h .

FRIDAY 9 MARCH An ea r ly hea ds-up on this one - as this is officially a tour and not a r a ve, it’s bou nd to s ell out quickly, s o we thought you’d a ppr ecia te the e arly warning...

Ma jor La zer should nee d little introduction. Diplo and Sw itch’s da nceha ll concept caught the imagination of the wor ld w ith 2009’s ‘Gun s Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do’ album a nd subsequent worldwide s hows .

Now, w ith da nceha ll more popular than ever and a new album to pr omote ( f ea turing the likes of Vybz Kartel and Wiley) , Ma jor La zer a r e touring the UK throughout April.

With Toddla T suppor ting on every leg, If you’ve never s een a ML show, w e suggest you grab tickets now.

TRIX @ HIDDEN, LONDON Si mo n Bake r, Mi d l an d , Ge o rge Fi tzge ral d , De ad b o y, P e d e s tri an + mo re .

CRAZYLEGS @ B45, BRISTOL Le von Vince nt, Ge rry Re ad, Obje kt, Ziro, The K e lly Twi n s .

DJ MARKY & FRIENDS @ FABRIC, LONDON DJ Marky, DJ Die , GQ, Me talhe adz in Room 2, Me d School in Room 3.

RINSE FM WINTER/SPRING TOUR F E B R U A RY / M A R C H N AT I O N W I D E

FRIDAY 16 MARCH HYPERDUB & CRITICAL @ FABRIC, LONDON K o d e 9, Scratch a DVA, Te rro r Dan j ah , I ko n i ka, LV, K as ra, P h ace B2B Mi s an th ro p , Cyan ti fi c, Ro ckwe l l B2B Jube i, Fore ign Conce pt, Alix P e re z B2B Sabre + more .

FRIDAY 23 MARCH REDLIGHT PRESENTS @ XOYO, LONDON Re dlight, Loe fah, Lil Silva, NYTA, Champion + more .

SATURDAY 24 MARCH BUTTERZ & HARDRIVE The now -lega l RinseFM is the heartbeat of the UK u nder gr ound music scene, broadcas ting the very bes t in e ver y style of ba ss-dr i ven mus ic from their London s tudios , 24/7. 2011 sa w the Rins e fam take their s ound acros s the UK, putting on ma ssive dances that let the res t of the UK s ee exa ctly how it’s done down in London.

@ CABLE, LONDON JME , Te rro r Dan j ah + Ru b y Le e Ryd e r, E l i j ah & Ski l l i am, Swi n d l e , Ro yal -T, Ch amp i o n , Marcu s Nasty, DOK .

Dur ing Febr ua r y a nd March, Rins e will be embarking on th eir biggest ever ‘tour’ of the UK, bringing the likes of Z inc, P-Money, Pla stician and many more to Newcas tle, Leeds, Sheff ield, Gla sgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and Br ighton f or a ser ies o f unmis s ible raves .

TROUBLE VISION

w ww. rinse . fm

Th e o P arri s h , Mo s ca, Bi ce p , H ackman , E l i p h i n o , Mr So l i d Go l d , P ark Ran ge r.

SATURDAY 31 MARCH @ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON

GET TRAP DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YO U R D O O R!

*£20 FOR 6 ISSUES *UK PRICE ONLY

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

COST

MISSED OUT?

and receive a free limited edition

A six issue subscription will cost

Back issues are subject to

white ‘I Love Bass’ tee and an

only £20.00 in the UK & £25 for

availability at £1 + P&P each.

assorted ‘It’s A Trap’ Sticker pack.

the rest of Europe (EU).

Check the website for details.

WWW.TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK/SUBSCRIBE

RAM RECORDS PRESENT

MIND VORTEX NOW IT’S TIME// HOTBOX OUT 13TH FEBRUARY 2012

Available on 12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.

DIMENSIONS FIVE EP OUT NOW Available on 2x12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.

WILKINSON TONIGHT// PISTOL WHIP OUT NOW

Available on 12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.

Ram Records LTD, PO Box 70, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 3NR. T: +44(0)1708 445851/227753 F: +44(0)1708 223558 E: info@ramrecords.com