SATURDAY 5TH OCT
CARL COX: THE REVOLUTION
FRIDAY 27TH SEPT KERRI CHANDLER'S BIRTHDAY
IN:MOTION LAUNCH
KERRI CHANDLER B2B CASSY B2B DYED SOUNDOROM HYPERCOLOUR: HUXLEY LUKE VIBERT / ALEX JONES SAM MOLE / GOLESWORTHY SHANTI CELESTE REAL NICE VS PIFF: CASH BACK / ORIGINAL HP LIAM B / YANIS KOUDJ ROSS ARDLEY
TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 + BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
SATURDAY 28TH SEPT
UKF
NOISIA & FOREIGN BEGGARS PRESENT I AM LEGION FRICTION / WILKINSON DISMANTLE / CULPRATE CULTURE SHOCK / DIMENSION SLY ONE / LOKO / COEXIS HOSTED BY: LINGUISTICS VISIONOBI / MAKSIM
TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 + BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
FRIDAY 4TH OCT
HOSPITALITY
CAMO & KROOKED HIGH CONTRAST / DANNY BYRD RONI SIZE / NU:LOGIC / FRED V & GRAFIX / TECHNIMATIC HOSTED BY: WREC DYNAMITE MC / AD TUNNEL CURATED BY DANNY BYRD: DANNY BYRD (GARAGE SET) FOUNDATION AKA STICKY & SCOTT GARCIA / ARTFUL / BOBBY TANK ORIS JAY / A.QUAKE. HOSTED BY: KOAST / SPARKERBOI CAVE HOSTED BY MED SCHOOL: ETHERWOOD / LUNG / BLU MAR TEN / PAPERCHASE. HOSTED BY: RUTHLESS / TEXAS TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 + BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
CARL COX / EATS EVERYTHING JUST BE / TOM RIO EMPATHY: COPY PASTE SOUL STEVE PARRY (SELADOR) STUART WILKINSON / ADAM KENT 4OURS: GLENN ASTRO / CRUMP KEADY / ALTUS & CHRISTIAN SEAN WILLIAMS / ALEX SAUNDERS TICKETS: £19.50 / £22.50 + BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
SOLD OUT.100 TICKETS ON THE DOOR
SATURDAY 19TH OCT TROUBLE VISION PRESENTS
HOTFLUSH VS AUS MUSIC
SCUBA / GEORGE FITZGERALD DUSKY / MIDLAND / WILL SAUL DENSE & PIKA LIVE SOUTH LONDON ORDNANCE RECONDITE LIVE / MR SOLID GOLD PARK RANGER / HESSELTIME TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 +BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
FRIDAY 25TH OCT
FRIDAY 11TH OCT
DUB MOTION
DJ SHADOW DJ SET COLDCUT DJ SET FT: JON MORE & MATT BLACK / DJ FOOD & DK CHEEBA PLUS SPECIAL GUEST BENJI B. CIVIL MUSIC: OM UNIT DEBRUIT LIVE / RESO / BRASSICA LIVE / CIVIL MUSIC DJS INFLECT PRESENT: EAN ADAM ELEMENTAL / COLECO WASCAL / DAFFY / KENSEI
£16.50 / £18.50 / £20.50 + BF. 22:00 TILL LATE
ALL BASSES COVERED 2013
TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 / £22.50 + BF. 22:00 TILL LATE
SATURDAY 12TH OCT
SUBSOUL
REDLIGHT LIVE / SHADOW CHILD MARIBOU STATE / FRIEND WITHIN PEDESTRIAN / DRUMS OF DEATH AZ & TOR / APEX COLLECTIVE ORGINS PRESENTS SYMBOLS: KASTLE LIVE / IO SOUNDS / ATLAS LAKOSA / ORIGINS SOUND SANCTUARY: GOTSOME / PURSUIT SO STANDARD / SANCTUARY DJS TICKETS: £10 / £12.50 / £15 +BF. 22:00 – TILL LATE
FRIDAY 18TH OCT THE BLAST PRESENTS
STB
SHY FX / DJ HYPE PLASTICIAN PLASTICMAN SET B.TRAITS / TC / GORGON CITY DARQ E FREAKER & D DOUBLE E WOZ / MONKI / DAFFY / FRACTURE KRUST / SAM BINGA / TRAP MAG DJS / A.QUAKE HOSTED BY: STAMINA MC / IC3 / TEXAS / KOAST JUMA / NUSENSE TICKETS: £16.50 / £18.50 + BF.22:00 – TILL LATE
DAVID RODIGAN / MR VEGAS DUB PHIZIX & STRATEGY STYLO G / MUNGO’S HI FI FEAT MR WILLIAMS / FIREMAN SAM RUFFNEK DISKOTEK: JUS NOW DJ DIE / DUB BOY / DUTTY INSPECTORS / STYLATRON BROTHER WETLANDS WICKED WICKED: RANDELL HISTORY SET TAYO JUNGLE SET / DADDY NATURE (URBAN NERDS) A.QUAKE JUNGLE SET
SATURDAY 26TH OCT
JUST JACK HALLOWEEN FREAK BOUTIQUE
JOY ORBISON / SOUL CLAP BEN UFO / ZIP / MR G LIVE LEON VYNEHALL / TOM RIO & DAN WILD / PARDON MY FRENCH FEEL THE REAL £15 / £17.50/ £20 / 22.50 + BF. 23:00 TILL LATE
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PHOTO:
Sarah Ginn
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2013
T H E
D R O P #16
REGULARS 06 14 17 19 20 24 26 68 71 82
HYPE FA S H I O N DOCTORS ORDERS URBAN NERDS STREET BOUTIQUES FIFTYFIFTY RISE UP BOSS SELECTIONS REVIEWS BASSPOINTS
F E AT U R E S 30 32 34 36 39 42 50 54 56 66
SPECIAL REQUEST ARCADIA CLAUDE VONSTROKE I AM LEGION TOO MUCH R U D I M E N TA L ART: VIBES JUBEI FA S H I O N S H O OT WILKINSON
FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’ TWITTER: @trapmagazine EMAIL: info@trapmagazine.co.uk
COVER SHOOT RUDIMENTAL: PHOTOGRAPHY: Ollie Grove STYLED BY: Kasha Malyckyj MAKE UP: Rebecca Ryther using M.A.C Cosmetics AMIR wears Jacket Blood Brother, T Shirt Fly 53, Jeans Levis, Shoes Gourmet KESI wears Jacket and Cap Crooks & Castles, Jeans Weekend Offender, Shoes Nike DJ LOCKSMITH wears Jumper Crooks & Castles, Cap Starter, Jeans Levis, Shoes Nike PIERS wears Jacket Hype Shirt Soulland Jeans Weekend Offender, Shoes Nike EDITOR: Jon Cook CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj REVIEWS EDITOR: Gwyn Thomas De Chroustchoff SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen WEB: All That Good Stuff & Nick Hills
PICTURES: Ollie Grove, Adam Robinson, Sarah Ginn, Andy Hayes. WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj, Oli Grant, Monki, Sam Bates, Tom Root, Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff, Sean Kelly, Jeryl Wilton, Justin Iriajen, Amy Stiff, Jamie Peters, Tim Rayner, James Rompani, Spindoctor. THANK YOU: Anna @ Catrin, Erin, Lucy and Toni @ Listen Up, Johnny & Jack @ Outlook, Taponeswa @ Atlantic, Daria @ Canvas, All @ Urban Nerds, Adam @ Backdrop, Rob & Tom @ The Blast, Oli & Saul @ Fabric, Louis, Rich & Syd @50/50, Adam @ Exclusive, Jamie @ Hypercolour, Cheba @ WOC, Henry, Greg & Olly @Stackhouse, Oli @ WHP, James @ Detonate and everyone else we forgot.
H Y P E #16
T H E
H O T T E S T H A P P E N I N G S I N W O R L D T H I S A U T U M N
FABRIC WINTER SEASON
I
f you're reading this magazine, you should know all about fabric already. The London club has been providing a weekly home to the very biggest names that dance music has to offer for well over a decade and it's become a right of passage for ravers of all musical persuasions to lose themselves for eight-plus hours within its walls at least once in their lives. Taking cue from the many other 'seasons' happening nationwide at this time of year, for 2013 the Farringdon venue has launched the entire autumn/winter programme for its Friday-night FABRICLIVE events in one go and, for the first time, is offering reduced price 'early-bird' tickets through its website.
One look at the line-ups prove that, as it enters its fourteenth year this October, fabric is still leading from the front, promising everything from an eight-hour main-room set from Four Tet on 4 October to the launch of Oneman's latest mixtape a couple of weeks later. Check the fabric website for info and to get your hands on those early-bird tickets. ---
FABRICLONDON.COM
Y O U R
H Y P E
AMSTERDAM TRIP AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 RAVES
T
his tidy little hardback book is the result of journalist Marcus Barnes' enviable research visiting almost every festival in the world you've heard of - and plenty you haven't. From Glastonbury to Burning Man, they're all here, with the ins, outs and whereabouts of each recorded in detail. Our sort of travel guide, 'Around The World In 80 Raves' is out in October through Dog'n'Bone Books.
A
s reported last issue, we'll be joining our good friends at Urban Nerds on the weekend of 17-19 October for their first-ever 'Amsterdam Trip'. For a stupid-cheap price, you can join us for three days and two nights in everyone's favourite city. Non-smokers, fear not – the trip coincides with the weekend of the Amsterdam Dance Event, so there'll be plenty to keep you busy while your mates lie comatosed in a cloud of smoke... ---
URBAN-NERDS.COM/DAM
@DOGNBONEBOOKS
NIKE SNEAKERBOOTS
W
ith the cold weather drawing in, Nike has unveiled its new SneakerBoot collection, taking four modern classics and adapting them for the season ahead. Adding height, weatherproofing and greater traction to the Roshe Run, AirMax 90, Free Run 2 and LDV models, the SneakerBoot collection brings durability and fresh looks to four much-loved shoes. Available at selected stores from October. ---
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NIKE.COM
H Y P E in:motion KEEPS IT MOVING
S
ummer’s over, but don’t despair; autumn doesn’t just bring the dark, rain and cold – it signals the beginning of party season here in the UK. Now hitting its fourth year and enjoying a reputation as one of the best series of events of its kind anywhere, 2013’s In:Motion season at Bristol’s cavernous Motion raises the bar yet again. Kicking off on Friday 27 September with a birthday party for one of house music’s most legendary names, Kerri Chandler, and from there moving through everything from full-pressure D&B, to speaker-shaking dub and reggae, and back to the trendiest strains of house and bass-driven music, this year’s 24date series does its home city’s reputation as a global centre for dance-music culture proud. Local institutions such as Hypercolour, The Blast and Futureboogie will all take turns to bring what they do best to the warehouses and terraces of Motion, complemented by parties from some of dance music’s biggest brands. Aus Music, Trouble Vision, Subsoul, UKF, Hospitality, Cocoon, Bugged Out!!, Edible vs Screamizm and AMP are just some of the raves in store, bringing with them the likes of Carl Cox, Mr Vegas, Joy O, Redlight, Scuba, Pearson Sound, Dixon and many, many more, while DJ Shadow and the legendary (and we mean legendary) Roy Ayers add the cherry on top with their own dedicated evenings. Tickets for all shows are on sale now from the In:Motion website, and for those of you who think Bristol is the other end of the earth, it’s really not – jump on a train and you can be there in an hour and a half from London, and Motion is right by Temple Meads station. Opposite, you’ll find four events we’re particularly gassed about between now and our next issue. You can find the full programme and grab tickets on the In:Motion website. ___ bristolinmotion.com
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H Y P E trAP / iDlE HAnDs / DonUts FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER We won’t lie, this is the party we want you all to reach. Trap links with Idle Hands and Donuts for what we think is In:Motion’s most on-point line-up. Pearson Sound is joined by the genius talents of Floating Points to headline the main room, with support from a very special unannounced guest, plus Happa, Zebra Katz and Trevino playing back to back with Pangaea. Idle Hands present a full L.I.E.S. showcase in the Tunnel, while Donuts invite Eglo boss Alex Nut to play a four-hour set in the Cave. Make sure you join us for a killer party. ___
in:motion lAUncH PArtY KErri cHAnDlEr’s birtHDAY FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER Kicking things off in style, house god Kerri Chandler is joined by Dyed Soundorum and Panorama Bar’s Cassy in the main room, with the untouchable Hypercolour Records inviting Huxley, Luke Vibert and Alex Jones to join them in the Tunnel. ___
sUbsoUl SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER YouTube channel supreme Subsoul makes its In:Motion debut with a line-up that pushes the best of dance music’s more recent soulful and bass-heavy sounds. Redlight tops the bill, with stellar support from Shadow Child, Maribou State, Friend Within and many more. ___
DUb motion FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER Bringing something totally different to the series, Dub Motion delivers an eye-popping reggae-inspired line-up. With Jamaican dancehall super-don Mr Vegas (yes, really) and Rodigan heading a roster that includes Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Dub Phizix, Stylo G and Jus Now, this one looks unmissable. ___
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H Y P E T H R E E O F T H E B E S T M I X T A P E S D R O P P I N G T H I S I S S U E . . .
MERKY ACE 'PLAY YOUR POSITION'
U
nlike the other two featured mix tapes here, this isn't a free download, or even a mix – it's a mixtape in name only. Billed as the second part of grime MC Merky Ace's two-part 'mixtape', 'Play Your Position' drops on No Hats, No Hoods on 14 October. One of the most determined MCs working in grime at the moment, this makes for essential listening for fans of the genre and recent converts alike. With regular collaborators Faze Miyake and Rude Kid joined by man like Shift K3Y and Mr V on beat duties, we recommend you check this.
MÉLÉ MÉLÉ VANELÉ VOL 2
---
NOHATSNOHOODS.COM/MERKYACE
M
élé is a badman selector. If you'caught the Liverpool-born DJ play recently, you'll know exactly what we mean. As well as producing beats for labels such as Mixpak, Grizzly and Digital Soundboy over the last couple of years, the Liverpudlian is quickly forging a reputation as one of the best DJs our corner of the music world has to offer, playing everything from grime and bashment to 90s dance anthems to increasingly bigger crowds. Packed with his own forthcoming and recent productions (including the brilliant 'DMX'), the video-game themed 'Mélé Vanelé Vol 2' is available as a free download from 30 September. ---
SOUNDCLOUD.COM/UKMELE
ONEMAN PRESENTS SOLITAIRE VOL. 2
R
egular readers of Trap will know we're big fans of DJ Oneman – so much so we invited the South Londoner to grace the cover of our last issue. After going in deep on all things Oneman last issue, we'll save you from too much chat about the man himself and just let you know that the
second instalment of his 'Solitaire' mixtape is set to drop this autumn. As with any Oneman set, it's better to expect the unexpected, but you can be sure it'll be packed with best bass-ridden club sounds from both sides of the Atlantic, with the odd classic thrown in for good measure. Make sure you keep an eye on djoneman.net for more news, and check out the launch party at fabric on 18 October. ---
DJONEMAN.NET
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M O S T T H I S
I S S U E ’ S
W A N T E D F I V E
M U S T - H A V E
I T E M S
02
01
03
05
04
01 CROOKS AND CASTLES ROLEX TEE £40 WWW.THREADSADDICTION.COM EASTPAK X APC BAG £130 WWW.EASTPAK.COM 03 ADIDAS GAZELLE £65 WWW.ADIDAS.COM LAZY OAF BOMBER JACKET £75 WWW.LAZYOAF.COM 05 KENZO JEANS €240 WWW.KENZO.COM
02 04
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F A S H I O N #16 WORDS:
SOULLAND Combining signature Scandinavian tailoring with quirky subtle prints, Danish brand Soulland will keep your wardrobe rolling effortlessly through the season with its most recent collection 'Home vs Away'. From well-cut shirts in muted tones to cosy printed knitwear, this range epitomises understated elegance.
SOULLAND.COM
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Kasha Malyckyj & James Wesson
F A S H I O N
CHRISTOPHER SHANNON British designer Christopher Shannon delivers a fresh look at A/W with the latest offering from his diffusion line, Kidda. Known for his luxe approach to sportswear, the collection makes seamless use of geometrical Celtic prints through t-shirts, jackets and sweats. Two-pieces are a big look right now, so the trousers and tee are a must to rock together.
CHRISTOPHERSHANNON.CO.UK
COOLSOCKS If you're all about styling your socks, it's time to step out of yesterday's plant-life print and into a pair of these from CoolSocks. Taking the Nike Elite style and printing iconic images onto each pair, these sportswear essentials have beenupgraded with the popular culture treatment.
COOLSOCKSBRUH.COM
DKNY X OPENING CEREMONY We were all over this collab for Spring, so when we heard that DKNY were meeting with Opening Ceremony for round two our excitement levels peaked. That iconic 90s designer branding combined with OC styling makes for a match made in designer heaven. Long-sleeved tees and sweats are offered in unisex sizing, alongside sporty bodysuits and dresses for the gals. Out now, the collection offers a nostalgic hit for all those high on that nine-zero life.
OPENINGCEREMONY.US
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T H E D O C T O R ’ S O R D E R S #16 WITH
Spin Doctor
T
RAP IS PROUD TO INVITE LONDON HIP-HOP INSTITUTION THE DOCTOR'S ORDERS TO OUR PAGES FOR THE FIRST OF ITS REGULAR COLUMNS ON THE WORLD IT LOVES...
I
t's been an exciting couple of months here at the surgery (as I've called it since right now). Not only do we have a brand-new column in Trap, but East Village’s closure forced a move to The Scala upon us. It's a venue we already love and one that I, through a combination of my age and growing up in North London, even remember as a cinema.
OLD SCHOOL:
We kick off on 19 October with an incredible line-up, including boom-bap godfather DJ Premier and Stones Throw head-honcho Peanut Butter, alongside The Nextmen and our crack squad of residents including Mr Thing and yours truly!
NEW SCHOOL: Rocking our world for a few months now are two producers and masters of the re-edit, Tall Black Guy and Kaytranada. Both have an incredibly soulful sound, clearly influenced as much by Dilla as disco. Check the Tall Black Guy album on First Word and Kaytranada’s Soundcloud page for some sweet sounds.
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As I write this on what would have been Michael Jackson’s fifty-fifth birthday, I have to give props to the King Of Pop. Despite his obvious faults, there's no denying MJ’s talent. His influence on hip-hop, through sample use alone, is huge (Nas / Q-Tip / Jay-Z to name a few) and his classics still rock a party. Check Jazzy Jeff’s ‘He’s The King, I’m The DJ’ mix on th ed oc t ors o rde rs . co m for a reminder
THEDOCTORSORDERS.COM
7 NEW ARTIST COLLABORATION DESIGNS OUT NOW AT ANYFORTY.COM
TR AP
10
U R B A N N E R D S #15
W
ITH SUMMER FINALLY OVER, ALL FOCUS IS NOW ON AMSTERDAM AND NYE. WITH OVER 12 REGIONAL PARTNERS TAKING PART IN THE #URBANNERDSDAM TRIP DURING THE AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT (ADE) ON THE 17 - 20 OCTOBER, THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD. ALSO WITH SNOWBOMBING 2014 JUST CONFIRMED AND WITH SOME BIG NEWS ON NYE ABOUT TO DROP, WE’VE BEEN KEEPING BUSY HERE AT URBAN NERDS HQ!
RATTUS RATTUS TOP 5 THIS ISSUE, THE NERDS RESIDENT SHARES HIS FIVE TOP LABELS OF THE MOMENT... 01
GET SOME
Deep, dark and bassy, Get Some are a rising force in the UK's new brand of garage. With some truly stellar releases from Pedro 123 and Llesca already, they're a label to watch.
#ONESTOWATCH Our #Ones2Watch mix series has now all been uploaded to our YouTube channel with downloadable links, so to hear exclusive mixes from the likes of: Paleman, Logan Sama, Tom Shorterz, Hatcha, Ty & Big Ted and many more then head to w w w. yo ut u be. c om/ urb a nn erd s .
02
MADTECH
Run by house don Kerri Chandler and home to some of the scene's brightest emerging talents, every release raises the bar. With Citizen, Voyeur, Applebottom and Walter Ego on the books, this trend is certain to continue. 03
FOUR40
Going from strength to strength over the last couple of years, Four40 has cemented itself as one of bass-music’s driving forces. Showcasing the likes of Hybrid Theory, I Killed Kenny and Shorterz. 04
AUS MUSIC
After seven years of pressing bangers, Aus Music has become a dominant force of late. With varied releases such as Midlands 'Trace' and Dusky's 'Nobody Else' in the AUS back-catalogue, it's easy to see why. 05
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FOOD MUSIC
Food's brand of bass-heavy house is smashing raves throughout Europe, the brainchild of industry heavyweights Kry Wolf and Shadow Child, Food is only going to grow.
S T R E E T B O U T I Q U E S #16
FOR THE SECOND IN OUR SERIES LOOKING AT THE MOST ON-POINT STREET-LEVEL EMPORIUMS ON EARTH, WE HEAD OUT EAST TO SHOREDITCH'S THE GOODHOOD STORE. STOCKING MUCH MORE THAN JUST TRAINERS, CLOTHING AND THE OCCASIONAL BRANDED CUSHION, GOODHOOD PUTS THE STYLE FIRMLY INTO 'LIFESTYLE', WITH EVERYTHING FROM JAPANESE STATIONARY TO KILLER HOMEWEAR ON SALE IN STORE. READ ON FOR AN INSIGHT INTO ONE OF LONDON'S MOST INTERESTING INDEPENDENT STORES...
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S T R E E T
TRAP: What is The Goodhood Store? The Goodhood Store is an independent lifestyle boutique based in East London. We curate goods for the independent mind worldwide. We are passionate about good design and are always excited to source out new and fresh brands from every corner of the globe. We tend to not follow trends, but influences and styles that develop from subcultures. Goodhood is a concept of lifestyle. Why did you decide to open the store? We were at Coney Island and put a dime in the Zoltar machine, which told us to open a store called Goodhood in East London. We also couldn't find everything we wanted in one place, so thought it was time to do it ourselves. You stock some of the most revered brands around – which are you proudest to hold? We've developed a fixation with Japanese stationary. My favourite stocked item right now is the Craft Design Technology propelling pencil, because it has an articulated nib and a smooth writing action that helps us create amazing doodles when we're doing business forecasts. Tell us about the Goods collection. The Goods collection is a seasonal in-house clothing line, designed by Goodhood Creative. The aim is to design and produce quality goods, inspired by a plethora of subcultures we have lived through. And you recently converted your adjoining gallery space into the 'Life Store'? Yes, The Goodhood Life Store extends our lifestyle offering into the world of interiors and homeware. It's located just across the street from our existing store, and the foundations or our mini 'hood.' And finally, what advice would you give to anyone else looking to set up a store? Do things differently and sharpen your mathematics.
GOODHOODSTORE.COM
B O U T I Q U E S
D O C K E R S A L P H A S E R I E S
O
n 3 October, East London's Number Six store will be transformed for the night, hosting talks, DJ sets and street-art from some of London's most successful and inspiring creative figures. Celebrating the arrival of the Alpha Khaki Collection, which builds on the success of the Dockers Alpha Khak with an assortment of head-to-toe looks, the event will see the San Francisco brand link with London's Urban Nerds collective to launch the Alpha Series - the basic premise of which is to get a bunch of sceneleading heads together to celebrate cultural entrepreneurship and creative innovation. These are values that we at Trap hold dear, so we're keen to get down to Brick Lane on the night and check what it has in store. With talks from Olly Wood (founder of Black Butter Records, home to this issue's cover-stars Rudimental) and James Benenson from the FOUND series, plus DJ sets from PBR Streetgang, Gorgon City and Krankbrother, and street art from the legendary VIBES (also featured this issue), this is one heavyweight evening that's sure to inspire.
For your chance to attend, email do ck e rs @u rba n -ne rds . c om and make sure you check the Dockers website for more on the Alpha Khaki Collection. We'll see you down there. ___ DOCKERS.COM NUMBERSIXLONDON.COM
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F I F T Y F I F T Y #16
D T T F F A A S
R O P P I N G I N W I T H H E L A T E S T F R O M H E I R W O R L D , T H E I F T Y F I F T Y A M I L I A B R I N G N O T H E R L O O K A T L L T H I N G S K A T E B O A R D I N G . . .
This issue's featured rider is L a yt h Sa mi , who can be seen here frontside flipping an infamous Bristol 10-stair that he's claimed many a trick down over the years.
W
e've been super-blessed with an amazing summer this year and the whole fifty fifty camp has been taking full advantage of this. We've been out shredding up the streets and the team has been busy racking up the footage for several video projects we're working on - watch out for these online in the near-future. There are edits up from the two UK Demos the fifty fifty team did at South Bank in London and the amazing New Bird DIY spot in Liverpool. Head over to w w w. s ide w a lk . mpo ra . co m to check these out.
We also have the third year of the Big 3 Jam upon us, in association with DC and Monster. We run two Fun Jam qualifiers in Liverpool and Newcastle, with the top three from both Jams winning trips to come down to the main Lloyds Jam. We're expecting a super-good turn out this year, with some serious contenders to take the cash - watch out for a full report in the next issue. 024 TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
5050STORE.COM @FIFTYFIFTYSTORE
F I F T Y
F I F T Y
LEVIS This issue's chosen brand is Levis, who has just released its first-ever skateboarding collection. The line features high-quality denims, manufactured using original Levis silhouettes and cuts, with added durability and stretch to make them work and feel perfect out on the streets. The collection also features a collaboration with Thrasher for a set of photo-tees shot at iconic spots on the streets of San Francisco. We're really stoked on this new line it's always rad to go and skate in some nice threads and not destroy them!
VANS In-store, we've had massive turn-outs for a bunch of events that we'd like to thank the entire Bristol skate scene for. We were included in the Vans Global Team tour in September, with nearly the full US team and top European riders dropping by. We had a lot of stoked kids getting boards and tees signed by the likes of Geoff Rowly, Dustin Dollin, Jonny Layton, Gilbert Crocket and Chima Ferguson.
T
RISE UP #15
H A N N A H
WA N T S
I am... Really cool.
Both powers combined would be a lot more interesting.
You may already know me for... My DJ sets, or the track 'Dappy'.
If I was an animal I’d be... A mix between a rhino and a platypus. A rhino because I’m not exactly the most light-footed human and a platypus because I like the word.
I’d describe the music I make as... House music… with big bass! Although, I do like to opt for some deeper vibes at times. When I’m not working, you’ll find me... Not moving on the sofa! My work life is so crazy-busy at the moment that I rarely get a day or night off, so when I do, I literally like to do nothing. Chinese, sofa, snacks and a good film is the one!
If I need inspiration, I... Listen to random genres of music… there are so many hidden gems or classic tracks that can get you to a different level and inspire. I can’t start my day without... A shower and a large bottle of water. Exciting, I know, but it’s habitual and true. It’s important to stay hydrated! Evian, holla!
My earliest memory of music is... My mom used to have music blaring through the house as I grew up… Everything from R.E.M. to Radiohead, to Soul II Soul and dance music, so I had no choice but for it to be instilled in me from a young age!
You may be surprised to know that... I’m really not cool. At all.
If I was invisible for the day I’d... Probably see if I could fly, too.
@HANNAH_WANTS
Three words that describe my mix are... Different. Journey. House. My life won’t be conplete until... I reach the top.
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RISE UP #16
C H I M P O
I am... Chimpo - producer, DJ, MC, kitchen lord.
If I was an animal I’d be... Don't need to answer that one... If I need inspiration, I... Do things.
You may already know me for... Big tunes, shit jokes, mad mixes, wild shorts.
I can’t start my day without... Coffee and cigs for that sexy fresh breath.
I’d describe the music I make as... Hypement. Big, dutty, stinkin drums and bass at many tempos.
You may be surprised to know that... I went in the crowd on Jeremy Kyle and caused a ruckus. I made a girl cry. Sorry luv.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me... Cooking, watching cartoons and getting shedded. My earliest memory of music is... 'Hangin Tough' by New Kids On The Block and 'Do The Bartman' by Bart Simpson. My taste in music hasn't changed at all since. If I was invisible for the day I’d... Do the Bartman.
Three words that describe my mix are... Tall, dark and handsome. My life won’t be conplete until... I do a tune with Devin The Dude, own a monkey and skydive. With the monkey. @CHIMPOMCR
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T R A P M I X T A P E #07
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or the seventh instalment of our mixtape series, Trap has teamed up with Manchester's Warehouse Project to bring you an exclusive 60-minute mix from one of our favourite DJs and producers of the last couple of years, T.Williams. After building a solid rep as a grime producer under the name Dread.D, the Londoner made the switch to his own bass-driven form of house music around four years ago, firmly announcing himself as T.Williams with 2010's winning collaboration with vocalist Terri Walker, 'Heartbeat'. Since then, T.Williams has signed to PMR Records, home to the likes of Jessie Ware and Disclosure, and has just dropped the 'Feelings Within' EP for the label. Make sure you check that release and for those heading to Warehouse Project in the next few months, look out for T playing as a resident. ---
SOUNDCLOUD.COM/TRAPMAG THEWAREHOUSEPROJECT.COM @TWILLIAMSMUSIC
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W O O L F O R D
Oli Grant
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lanking Paul Woolford’s ‘Untitled’ anthem on Hotf lush - a release typical of his more widely recognised house guise - something raw, uninhibited and positively darker has been under construction. Intersecting multiple sounds from the gritty underbelly of UK underground dance music, the Leeds native's Special Request project has captured imaginations and ears from all corners, manifested through a series of essential white labels, records on fabric’s Houndstooth imprint and an intense DJ schedule of dates spanning many of Europe’s bastions of clubbing culture. Inspired by consuming music via pirate radio during his formative years, as Special Request, Woolford revisits the grainy transmissions and obstreperous nature of stations such as Dream and Energy FM to deliver one of the year’s stand-out LPs. Due for release in October, ‘Soul Music’ hits hard and low with unparalleled physicality, encapsulating the illicit energy of those legendary stations of days gone by. The album is thrillingly executed, fusing an amalgamation of vintage hardware-forged sounds and unconventional production techniques in a whirlwind of fragmented breakbeats, pounding sub-frequencies and grimy atmospheres. With early hardcore, jungle and techno aesthetics recrystallised into a devastatingly fresh sound belonging very much in 2013, an electrifying buzz has been building around the release among both younger generations of clubbers and seasoned veterans alike. Trap was lucky enough to snatch some time from his packed calendar to pose Paul Woolford a few questions on the release… TRAP: Pirate radio is a key influence for you and the Special Request project. Do you feel we've lost the thrill and mystique now in this internet-connected age of instant and endless accessibility to music? The natural answer to this question is yes, but I would say it depends upon the listener. If you're intrigued by something and it fires your imagination, then, depending on how tuned in to it you are, you can build ideas of mystique or other traits and assign them to anything. This is why pseudonyms can be so powerful. The less information existing means there's more that can be projected onto something. How thrilling this can be depends entirely upon the level of connection you have. An artist can only manipulate so much; the music has to have its own wings.
The tracks on the LP involved a FM transmitter in their construction process. What was the idea behind this? Any artist achieves the end results through process. For some time I was aware that I was at the end of the process in some ways, so although it is me using the equipment, turning the dials and so forth, I felt it was almost like divining. The days when my mind was the clearest yielded the best results, as you'd expect. I wanted to alter this in a more radical way, and try and break the surface of the tracks themselves. Once I started to use the transmitter I steered away from some of my initial ideas and started to put entire tracks through it, so what you hear on 'Forbidden' is entirely broadcast, for example. These broadcasts were then sampled again and the results re-incorporated back into the track. The process would repeat through multiple stages and, at some point, you're lost inside the track. Time and perception become skewed. Special Request has been a new direction for you sonically. It seems appropriate to be released through a similarly fresh label in Houndstooth... Houndstooth is a label that has a fierce dedication to its artists and I have to pay tribute to Rob Booth, Rob Butterworth and Leo Belchetz for running with this project. When we had the first meeting, I'd already built and re-built this album. I had about 40 tracks done, but I knew I had to keep on. I didn't tell them that; they thought it was nearly completed, but they gave me the space, time and belief to finish the project in the way I wanted to. Any ideas I've had that relate to anything about the project, they considered. To any artist, the value of innate understanding is priceless. Does the title ‘Soul Music’ describe a deep-rooted and personal desire to release an album in this direction? That's the case; it's the most accurate description. You've influenced a lot of people over the course your career, but is there anyone from the younger generation of producers who's particularly inspired you? Right now, I'm really enjoying what Blocks & Escher are releasing on their Narratives label. Juniper from Manchester... Huerco S in New York has made some incredible suspended-animation house and techno. Anthony Naples, again from New York, is excellent. There are people crawling out of the woodwork all the time.. How much time do you have?! SPECIAL REQUEST'S 'SOUL MUSIC' IS OUT IN OCTOBER ON HOUNDSTOOTH. @PAULWOOLFORD
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A R CA D I A PHOTO:
Sarah Ginn
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hat you see here isn't some CGI-still from a 21st-Century remake of Mad Max. This is Arcadia's Spider, the fire-breathing, mechanical audio-visual monster that provided an unforgettable centre-piece of festivals such as Boomtown and Glastonbury this summer. This thing doesn't just look incredible – it's a fully functioning (and incredible sounding ) 'stage' in its own right, positioning the DJ deep in its belly high above the thousands of awe-struck people below.
We could go on, throwing adjectives and analogies at you to describe this utterly unique spectacular, but we won't. Instead, just look at this fucking thing...
ARCADIASPECTACULAR.COM
C L A U D E WORDS:
V O N S T R O K E Sean Kelly
D
irtybird head-honcho Barclay Crenshaw, aka Claude VonStroke, marks the label's onehundredth release with his third album this autumn. Ditching the bird suit, he introduces us to the 'Urban Animal' - a breed increasingly at losses with the stif ling nine-'til-five grind and mundane reality of inner-city life. Often seeking sanctuary in dank warehouse spaces and shadowy corners, they crave the warmth that only a hefty speaker stack can offer, unified by primal grooves and interconnected by a mutual love of the dance. 'Urban Animal' is the soundtrack to their escapism and is VonStroke's most considered and varied offering yet. As the California-based producer prepares to unleash his 'Urban Animal', we caught up with Claude VonStroke to discuss the inspiration behind the album, the future of Dirtybird and his well-documented love for drum & bass... TRAP: So, your new album is about to drop. What can we expect? A little of everything. Way less actual house music than usual, but it's still got my vibe all over it. There's some funk, some drum & bass, some deep house, tech house, quasi trap music; lots of different sounds on there.
where I grew up as a kid. It sticks to that theme of pulling pieces of the world and making them into something new and beautiful. Even so, I will say that California probably has a much bigger inf luence over my music than Detroit does. That's where I live now, so that's what I see every day. Tracks such as 'Oakland Rope' see you delve into drum & bass territory. How does it feel to revisit this sound and tempo after all these years? I'm still a big fan of that sound and, I have to say, that track is probably my favourite on the album for a few reasons. One - I almost never work with vocalists and I think Fox and Py smashed it on the vocals. Two - that tempo is the one that really makes my feet wiggle the most. Most D&B nowadays is way up past 170-175bpm, but I really, really love the old 160-165bpm jungle stuff. That tempo is still really fun to dance to and it just clicks something in my brain - like there's some serotonin switch that goes 'Oh shit, 165 amen break - move your ass dood!'
“Originality is merely a restructuring of old ideas into a new form.”
How does ‘Urban Animal’ differ to your previous two albums? The first two albums were really focused on the 4/4. This is a little more free f lowing. It's not really experimental, it's just that I tried to go more places this time. I'll also say, this one is a tad bit shorter than the last two. Not as many tracks, but they all say something about me.
To us, 'Urban Animal', seems your most diverse and mature album yet. Was there any particular inspiration behind it? Yes, the thematic message that holds it all together is that everything in the world is made up of tiny bits and pieces of other things. Everything is part of something else in the end. Originality is sometimes merely a restructuring of old ideas into a new form. On this record I tried to make something that pulled pieces from all the different bits of my brain, my heart and my family into a musical form. You are originally from Detroit, has the industrial nature of the city had any influence on 'Urban Animal'? Yeah the album artwork is actually animals constructed out of little pieces of buildings all around Detroit and Cleveland
Dirtybird, as a label, has always championed new, up-and-coming artists, such as Julio Bashmore and J.Phlip. Has this been a conscious decision? Yeah, actually, I feel like that's one of the biggest assets of the label. Quality A&R . I love to break new artists. I love to get the new shit that nobody else even bothered to listen to. We have released a ton of people's first records, from Catz n Dogz to Julio Bashmore. Some artists move on from us, but I feel like that also has something to do with their personality. The people that tend to stick around on dirtybird kind of have the same fun-loving mindset and are genuinely happy to see each other. The people who leave dirtybird are usually the ones who don't really click with the crew very well. These days, I don't worry about who's coming and who's going, as long as the genius Justin Martin stays on board, then I'm happy. What's next for Claude VonStroke and dirtybird? My album tour of course! I'm starting in North America, then to Australia for Stereosonic, then to Europe. It should be a blast. I'm also working on an Essential Mix and a Boiler Room appearance. Lots of cool stuff coming through! CLAUDE VONSTROKE'S NEW ALBUM, 'URBAN ANIMAL' IS OUT NOW ON DIRTYBIRD. @VONSTROKE
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Jamie Peters
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hatever your thoughts on The Bible, there's no denying the power of the language used within its many pages. Phrases from that controversial old tome litter our daily parlance like Shakespeare, finding new meaning through fresh association and context, but without ever losing their linguistic force. “I am Legion” is one such Biblical phrase, made new through recent use. Adopted (and contorted slightly) in recent years by everyone's favourite geek vigilantes, Anonymous, the phrase is taken from the Book of Mark. “I am Legion, for we are many” is the full quotation, and with Noisia's three-man production team linking with Foreign Beggars, the meaning – and power - behind the name becomes immediately clear. Releasing their eponymous album, built over five years of scattered recording sessions, and launching a 20-date European tour this September, I Am Legion represents the unison of two musical powerhouses. Promising to combine the production finesse of the universally acclaimed Noisia with the lyricism of one of the UK's finest-ever hip-hop crews, I Am Legion is a project that demands your attention. Trap grabbed time with Nik from Noisia alongside Metropolis and Orifice Vulgatron of Beggars to find out a little more about how the project came to be and what to expect from the album and tour... What is ‘I Am Legion’? Metropolis: I Am Legion is the medium Noisia, a Dutch production outfit, and Foreign Beggars, a UK rap collective, have chosen through which to explore our collaborative music making. It's not definable by any single sub-genre, it's just what we choose to make at any given time. How did this you guys first meet and when did you first work together? M: We first met in Glastonbury in 2008, I think. We'd played our set the night before and were sleeping in our tents when we suddenly heard that unmistakable Noisia sound playing close by. I went to go check the set and afterwards managed to meet Martijn and their manager Walter. We kept in touch, and eventually they called us out to Groningen to demo vocals for their 'Split The Atom' track. In that same session we made 'Contact', 'Soul Purge', 'Shake It' and 'No Holds Barred'. We knew then that we had serious chemistry. What was it about each other's music that made you keen to work together? Nik: A few things really; firstly, their understanding of electronic music and ability to complement it. The dynamic between their voices and their lyrics. And Metropolis' trousers... M: Those guys are wizards. Plain and simple. They've been way ahead of the game in drum & bass for many years, but they're not just limited to that. We'd go to their studios and be blown away by the sheer range of their production. I think that's been a key thing for us, because we've always been open to working in different genres. To be honest
though, I don't think there are many people who would shun the chance to work with Noisia. The tracks on the album have been some time in the making - when did the first track get made? M: The oldest track on the album is 'Ice' - Noisia gave us that beat at the end of our very first session with them about five years back. After that, we'd arrange short trips over there for sessions. It was after the third session that we looked at everything we had and it started to feel like album material. The plan was always to release the music we were making together, but it only came under the name I Am Legion earlier this year. What do you feel Noisia bring to the Foreign Beggars sound? Orifice Vulgatron: Working with Noisia was one of our most interesting forays into electronic music. They're very diverse producers, who have a thorough understanding and passion for all genres. We feel a great freedom when working with them. Their interest and willingness to experiment with hip-hop, coupled with the fact their skills are possibly some of the most advanced in the world, meant that we were able to try things that we didn't even know were possible. What are the highlights of the album for you and why? N: If I had to pick a favourite moment, it would be the second part of 'Sunken Submarine', because of the textures of the sounds and the stealth bass-stabs. As a complete track, 'Loose On The Leaves' is probably my favourite - I just love the beat and the f lows. OV: I'd have to say the highlights are 'Choosing For You', 'Loose On The Leaves', 'Foil' featuring D.Ablo and 'Dust Descends'. I don't think those tracks could have been made by anyone else other than Foreign Beggars and Noisia! Plus, they feature two of our favourite artists, D.Ablo and Strange U, and really give you the most insight into what we are trying to achieve with this project. This whole half-time D&B thing, as demonstrated on several of the tracks here, is gathering some serious pace right now... OV: I think it's interesting, because the half-time gives more space for the MCs to deliver interesting f lows, as well as lyrics. It's given space for MCs to really add their f lavour to tracks and give the music a different dimension. And for Noisia and Foreign Beggars beyond this project what next? OV: With this project, we're launching our new label ParExcellence and we have some really interesting ideas and artists lined up, so watch this space. N: We just finished a bunch of stuff - two remixes ( one of which is a remix of the mighty 'Arrakis' from Black Sun Empire), the next single on our label Vision, music for two video games. And, after all the touring, we're going to start work on our next Noisia album. ___ 'I AM LEGION' IS OUT NOW ON DIVISION. FOR TOUR DATES, CHECK IAMLEGION.CO.UK
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or the first in a new series focusing on the fashion brands we love, Trap tracked down the guys behind one of our very favourites – TOOMUCH. London to the bone, and referencing everything from haute couture to reggae culture through its range of tees and, more recently, cut-and-sew pieces, TOOMUCH's seasonal offerings lead from the front with their designs and impeccable quality. In a world awash with baseless home-brew tee-and-snapback brands, it's reassuring to know that some people are still doing things properly. Read on for an insight into what it takes to rise above the crowd from one of the UK's most on-point independent outfitters...
What is TOOMUCH? TOOMUCH was started in Brixton, South London by two of us back in 2005/6. We began like most brands by printing t-shirts. The brand has grown organically and we're now producing and concentrating on a lot more cut-and-sew products. What motivated you to start the brand? The idea behind the brand was to produce and design high-quality goods for a niche market. When we started, the scene within London was still quite small – there were only five or six brands doing it, many of which are no longer going. The brands people were wearing were all from New York. There was a gap in the market for us, which we took and made a name for ourselves within. At present, there are too many people trying to start their own brand and the whole scene has been saturated with shit - even the major labels and high-street shops have jumped on the bandwagon and really fucked things up. People will always love products that aren't on the high street, though, and that not every other person you see is wearing. We wanted to provide small runs of high quality products to a niche market. We never wanted to blow up and start selling to the masses. Look at Obey for example; fair enough, he must be making a lot of money, but he sold out. I wouldn't be seen dead in that shit. What's your primary source of inspiration? We get inspiration from everywhere. I don't think I can name one place where we draw inspiration from; it comes from all aspects of life, everything you see and hear. I think the whole reason for the scene we're in is to not follow fashion and to do your own thing. We produce what we like and what we know people we know would like to wear. You didn't see us putting metal studs all over our shit, or producing some tight leather trousers just because Kanye West started wearing them. In terms of culture, I suppose it comes naturally. We're all into the same things, so that's our culture. That's why you see us doing the things we do. Goldie told us in a recent interview that the fashion brands that survive are the ones that are 'built on something'. What's TOOMUCH built on? Yeah, this is true. That's knowledge. Brands do need to built on something to survive; the British brands you see still standing are all built on something. A brand needs foundations and culture to survive because you need to be appealing to an audience. That's why these skate brands do well - skating will never die, so there will always be people buying your products if you're making good shit. So called 'streetwear' brands will die quickly if they're not part
of a culture or directing their brand in the right way. That's just the way I see it, and you can see it too if you look closer into which brands are still around today. We're heavily linked with graff, due to the friends we choose to par with. It only seemed right to go into that direction. We try not to let that culture shine through too much when it comes to our designs, because it doesn't seem to work. I think Stüssy are the only people that have ever got away with a tag on a tee! What lines have you been most proud of? We were very happy with the ATG x TOOMUCH collection we produced a year or so ago. I spent a lot of time with the ATG crew, getting to know them and getting into all sorts of stupid shit before we actually started the design work for the project. The guerilla campaign we decided on made an real impact; we were out most nights hitting up stickers and pasting up posters before the clothing drop. I remember going out during the London riots to try and hit some posters up, which was a bad idea - I got chased by police in full riot gear. We also went to NYC together and got locked up in Central Booking for 24 hours! I also like a lot of our old designs, which most people probably haven't seen - we used to get a lot of inspiration from old reggae and dub music and we produced some really impressive shit. We've recently been producing some British Millerain Wax jackets, the quality is incredible and we're very happy with the outcome. You recently launched the TOOMUCHSPORTS line – what was the thinking behind this? TOOMUCHSPORTS came about after seeing all this terrible streetwear on the market recently. I don't wear so called 'streetwear' myself; I tend to wear a lot of sportswear. I've always loved wearing tracksuits; those old Lacoste and Nike ones, the new-style Stone Island tracksuits; so it seemed right to go into that direction. The inspiration for the collection came mostly from vintage clothing, I love the style and artwork from some of the brands in the 90s. Benetton and Polo Sport were big inspirations for that collection. And finally, what are your plans for the future? The future for us is to grow organically, as we have been doing since we started. We never pumped any money into our brand and have no investors. It was started by two of us and is still run by two of us. We do everything within the business. Quality over quantity. Look out for the Autumn/Winter '13 line dropping soon and we also have another collaboration under way that the real heads will appreciate! ___ TOOMUCH IS AVAILABLE AT SELECTED STOCKISTS NATIONWIDE AND THROUGH THE BRAND'S WEBSITE. TOOMUCHPOSSE.COM
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B R I N G I N G I T H O M E WORDS:
Jon Cook
A
s strange as it may still seem to older readers, we live in a time when it's no longer unusual to switch on your TV or radio, walk into a high-street coffee shop or even get dragged along to some dodgy nightclub on a work do and be greeted by what were once the most underground strains of dance music blasting out in the background. Over recent years, bass-music has become big business. As the major labels and commercial world have woken up to the charms (and earning potential) of drum & bass, dubstep and grime, what were once the most impenetrable and splendidly isolated forms of UK dance music have suddenly found new acceptance and audiences from a world they were for so long happy to live without. While the purists may lament what's become of the genres they always saw as their own, for those who've followed the UK underground over the last decade with less personal attachment, the developments of those years have been fascinating to observe. Few can argue that, even in a diluted form, it's got to be better to have a bass-ridden garage or D&B track in the Top Ten than another horrendous Aviici or Guetta 'banger'... And, although it took the work of devoted originals from each scene to push their respective sound into the limelight, it's mostly been a new generation of producers taking advantage of the acceptance and opportunities now afforded to the music they love and grew up with. Among these, few can
PHOTOS:
Ollie Grove
match the success of Rudimental, whose achievements over the last 12 months could never have been imagined possible by the pioneers of the sounds they've taken and presented to the world on an unprecedented scale. After their first couple of singles found huge underground favour but made little wider impact, suddenly in May 2012 the Hackney four-piece found themselves at Number One with the gospel-soul-meets-D&B of 'Feel The Love' – the first-ever drum & bass track to hit the top position. From there, the touchpaper was lit, and April of this year saw Rudimental again reach the summit of the singles chart and, most incredibly, grab the Number One spot for their debut album 'Home'. All while relentlessly touring the world with their full nine-piece band. With 'Home' having just gone Platinum, and the band receiving a Mercury Prize nomination, it's impossible to ignore Rudimental and the impact that their music and live shows are having as they take British club music to the world. As the dust settles on a summer they'll never forget and just before they embark on a huge national tour, we thought we better get to the bottom of the Rudimental phenomenon, so headed over to East London to meet with Amir Amor, Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden and DJ Locksmith in their Hoxton studio to find out just exactly where they've come from and where they plan to go.
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TRAP: First things first, your album is called 'Home' – where's home for you guys? KESI: We all grew up in London – Amir grew up in Camden and the rest of us are all from Hackney. So how did you first link? PIERS: We've known each other for a long time. Myself, Kesi and Locksmith grew up and went to school together, played football together and have been making music and DJing together from an early age. We met Amir about two years ago. LOCKSMITH: We've been going under the name Rudimental for about eight years; we used to DJ together playing a lot of different types of music - house, grime, garage. When we were about 13, we'd be over at one of our mum's houses, with a pair of decks and about 20 mates MCing. And from there, we took that to pirate radio stations like Mystic FM and Deja Vu. P: Yeah, it was that classic pirate radio thing - cockroaches, crackheads outside... L: Mattresses on walls! P: We spent a long time making beats, playing them on the radio and DJing in bars, clubs and raves. AMIR: I was running this studio we're in now, Major Toms, for about six years, producing for other people and doing behind the scenes stuff. I was working with Plan B a lot – I grew up with him. We used to make grime tracks, I guess. He'd MC, I was making the beats.
What was that music that you were into growing up? A: I'm 28 now, so the garage era was my thing, that's what I grew up on. When grime started, I was really anti it at the start; I hated it. I used to work in a youth club - I was a student there and then started teaching there; the same as what the other boys were doing in Hackney, but I was in Camden. I was a snobby garage head, and all the kids coming in, they'd be trying to make grime and I just wasn't feeling it... P: Me and you wouldn't have got on at that point! That was a time when all the garage heads hated the grime coming through. I was a bit younger than Amir, so I was massively into grime. I missed garage, jungle, D&B, as a raver. But I learnt through my sister, and my dad was a massive jungle fan. I lived round the corner from Kool FM, so he used to show me all that. I thought it was cool, but grime was for me. L: I always think, a lot of the music we were into growing up, we had no right to know about. Like Piers said, we learnt off our brothers or sisters or by going and finding out for ourselves. Like the jungle era; I totally missed that. I'm 26 now, so I didn't get to rave to that. But I'd hear about my sister going Telepathy, I'd hear it on the radio stations, and always just loved that sound, so I'd implement it into my sets when I deejayed out.
“MUSIC IS JUST
EMOTIONAL; IF IT CA N D R AW A N
EMOTION OUT OF YOU, IT DOESN'T
M AT T E R W H AT I T I S OR WHERE IT'S
When I was about 17, myself and Plan B entered a song-writing competition and won a couple of grand each. I bought a guitar and a bass and started messing around. I taught myself to play and then eventually started this studio. I was working with a lot of bands, producing for people like Maximo Park.
COME FROM.”
All of this has made us who we are today, because as well as what was around us as kids growing up in London at that time, we went out and explored music, new and old, soulful music, 80s music... K: Growing up as a kid, I was very into the whole hip-hop thing. I wasn't into garage at first, that came later on, round college time.
L: Yeah, I used to teach Kesi about garage! P: We'd be like, “What's all this American rubbish man?”
I was making a living out of it and that was cool, but it was always working to someone else's brief. And I'd grown up making garage music and grime and hip-hop, but with this I was always working to someone else's ideas and plans.
K: I went to school in Hackney, and the postcode was North and, literally, the whole school listened to hip-hop; no one listened to garage. But then a mile down the road, where it was East, everyone listened to garage. It was really weird.
So it was really refreshing and satisfying to meet the boys and start working together. The first few tracks we did were 'Spoons', 'Feel The Love' and 'Not Giving In' and we just clicked. I made the best music I've ever made and that I think all of us ever have. That started it. We share this place together now. It's no longer my private studio, Major Tom's is a hub now for all the artists we're bringing through on the album.
I remember the first album I bought was 'The Score' by The Fugees, even now that is one of my all-time favourite albums. I'd listen to Tupac, Biggie, loads of hip-hop artists, while at the same time I was learning classical piano. That was my upbringing.
L: It's mad, because although we didn't know Amir years ago, we've sort of been in parallel, working in youth centres and stuff. We probably crossed paths several times.
K: Nah, I did Grade Five, but I just got bored of it; it was too rigid. But it was great to learn that; it gave me the freedom to write my own music, an understanding of chords and melodies and stuff.
A: Yeah, I think some of us went to the same college at some point. There was definitely a crossover, we were part of the same world. We had the same inf luences were into the same music.
You're classically trained? P: He got to about Grade Two!
A: I think that's the great thing about Rudimental; we can play and record live instruments, we're as into that as we are the whole sequencing and sampling thing.
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“WE ARE FOUR STUBBORN GUYS, WE BELIEVED IN O U R M U S I C . I T WA S J U S T A CA S E O F P R OV I N G T H AT TO THE LABELS”
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P: Yeah, I was really heavily into blues and jazz, but also into dance music. My dad was a musician, I used to play in rock'n'roll wedding bands with him when I was about 11. It was an Essex wedding band that would go round playing weddings!
doesn't suit what you're doing.' But now we're being nominated for a Brit Award and the Mercury Prize...
L: I'd go knock for Piers; 'Where is he?', 'He's at a wedding!”
You only did your first live show last summer? Your live act seems so tight... P: Yeah that's right. We had three days to rehearse for our first live show; we got a phone call asking us to do Hackney Weekend and couldn't refuse. We got the band together by drawing on people we'd been working with from making the album and that we knew before.
P: I learned then how to play in a band. It was jokes, but it taught me how to play with people from an early age. That was definitely an experience that I could draw on when Rudimental went live. L: We've grown up together in the same worlds, but at the same time we all had our own musical paths. We can draw on all our individual experiences, not just in the studio but when we perform live as well. It makes us that little bit more special than the average dance music act. P:: And I think all this is why the Rudimental sound is so eclectic. We have such varied inf luences. Music is just emotional; if it can draw an emotion out of you, it doesn't matter what it is or where it's come from. That eclecticism is definitely something that's defined Rudimental so far. The first we heard of you was your track house/garage track 'Spoons' early last year, which you then quickly, and surprisingly, followed with 'Feel The Love', a drum & bass track. Coming from the backgrounds you have, did you set out to make a D&B track? K: I don't think we ever set out to make a certain genre of music; we just start creating ideas and the music finds itself a direction, the ideas just come together. I know a lot of people wouldn't call it a straight-up drum & bass track; it's inf luenced by that and has that bpm, but it has a lot of other elements in it, there's a lot of soul in there. P: Music is so deep - funk and jungle are so closely linked. The original pioneers like Shy FX were taking funk loops and speeding them up, tying them with reggae basslines and so on. And again, it's that growing up in London thing D&B, garage, grime is just a big part of your culture, even if it's just learning about it from older brothers or sisters, or in my case my 60-year-old dad. With 'Feel The Love', our thinking was more like 'What would happen if you put a trumpet solo and some church organ over a D&B beat?' We didn't think about it consciously, we just vibed it. Obviously, at the time, labels were saying to us 'What are you doing, you just made a house track!” But we were like, “No, trust, this is what we want to do.” We stuck to our guns. From DJing places, we were used to mixing Ben Howard with Dizzee Rascal and then playing Marvin Gaye over a jungle loop. We just carried that on into our studio work. L: It all works in harmony; it comes from all our inf luences. When you walked down the street me and Piers grew up on, you'd have a Jamaican family playing their reggae music out one window, an Irish folk band playing next door to Kesi's house, to us playing our garage and grime and our mum's Anita Baker records. You can't run away from that. That's what's embedded in you. We brought that to the table; we are four stubborn guys, we believed in our music. It was just a case of proving that to the labels. Yes, a lot of people said 'This isn't gonna work', it
P: We just cracked on. Then 'Feel The Love' hit Number One and we suddenly found ourselves doing live shows.
K: It was very easy to translate to a live setting, because so much of the music on our album was actually recorded live. It was simple to take it to stage. L:: It's funny, because for that first year of touring, we were touring an album that wasn't even out yet. We did it backwards; we got a hit single and started touring off the back of that. So we were touring an album people had never heard before but they were embracing it! Tracks like 'Waiting All Night' weren't even released and the response we were getting from performing them was great. These were tracks that were produced with our instruments in the studio, but at the same time it was missing something - we had to tour it. And I think that's why the album is so good, because we had the opportunity to tour it on great systems, in huge arenas. You get such great feedback from the audiences and the process of playing live itself. And finally, you guys have achieved things over the last year that most musicians can only dream of. What's left for you to do? A: We've only just scratched the surface. L: I want a bigger house! A: Haha, yeah and hopefully we'll make some money and stop spending it all on our live show! K: We're touring again this autumn, though, and have a February tour lined up for next year too – we're doing some big shows, including Brixton Academy and our own thing at Warehouse Project in Manchester. P: I think when you get to the stage we're at now, you start looking at how many albums the people you looked up to growing up had, and you start thinking there's so much more to give. Our goal is, in ten years time, to have an array of albums and shows to look back on. A: I don't think having hits is that important. We've been lucky enough to have them, but that wasn't something we specifically aimed to do. We just want to carry on making good music and, hopefully, let that be timeless into other generations. L: I want my three year old son to grow up and go to school and his friends still be into our music. If we can do that and stay relevant, I'll be grateful! ---
RUDIMENTAL'S DEBUT ALBUM 'HOME' IS OUT NOW AND YOU CAN CATCH THE BAND TOURING ACROSS THE UK THIS AUTUMN. ---
@RUDIMENTALUK
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ondon-based Vibes is widely recognised as one of the best graffiti writers working in the capital today. With over a decade and a half of history behind him, 2013 has been one of the busiest yet for the artist, with his fourth solo exhibition taking place in August and the blossoming of his Any Surface creative agency. After randomly bumping into him painting the wall of a Hoxton bar, Trap grabbed the chance to bring you a look at some of his work and a few words with the man himself. TRAP: For those unfamiliar with your work, give us a brief run-down on who you are and how long you've been doing what you do... Born and bred in London, my name is Will Vibes and I've been painting walls publicly, privately, commercially, legally and illegally, for over 15 years. You recently curated a four-day show in London, Forward Motion. What was the idea behind this? Forward Motion was my fourth solo show. I hadn’t done one for a while, so decided it was time to put something together. My last two shows had been hosted by existing galleries, but with this one I wanted to do something different. I managed to get my hands on a disused old burrito bar on Great Windmill Street in the heart of Soho. The place wasn't in a healthy state; everything was completely covered in grease, head to toe, rats' shit everywhere... To really put the pressure on, I had one day to convert the shop into a respectable art gallery. We went in like 60 Minute Make Over, de-greased the shit out of it, sterilized the shit out of it, literally, built a new shop interior, painted the inside and outside of the building and hung 29 canvases. The main challenge was to curate the whole show over a few months and then make it all happen in 24 hours. I knew I'd achieved what I set out to do when people on the opening night asked me how long this 'gallery' had been in Soho.
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And you're now heading up your own creative agency, Any Surface. How's that working out? I created Any Surface as a small collective of skilled artists based across the UK . Painting large-scale murals is a true passion. As well as graffiti, I also like to paint other styles of murals from trompe l'oeil to more fine art pieces. I paint walls for a living as well as leisure; making a difference in any environment through the application of putting colour to a blank wall is something I'll never get tired of. Any Surface has developed at a quick pace with some really exciting new projects in the pipeline. Finally, looking back over your career as an artist, what piece are you most proud of? It’s to hard to say any one in particular; I take a lot of pride in all aspects my work. I've worked on a lot of community and youth murals across London that make a positive difference to areas and have found a lot of satisfaction in doing that. When I first painted a track-side piece at the age of 14, spending all night working on these letters that were twice my height and longer than my back garden, and then seeing it from the train with my mates on the way to school the next morning - that was a very proud moment. All the way up to present-day murals, graffiti and painting publicly gives you a lot of self confidence and a massive sense of achievement, it's a great character builder and through dedication, persistence, blood, sweat and tears, it's built me to be who I am and what I represent today. That in itself is what I am most proud of. ___ ANYSURFACE.CO.UK
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“ Y O U G E T I N S P T O P R O D U C E H E A R I N G D J P L A Y G O O D M U
I R E D B Y S S I C ”
J U B E I
O N E
F O R
T H E
H E A D Z WORDS:
To m R o o t
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etalheadz is among dance music's most important and respected record labels. In its near twentyyear history, Goldie's imprint has helped launch countless careers and delivered many of jungle and drum & bass's most seminal works.
f lip. Following that, there’ll be a 10” limited press of my new track with Flowdan called 'The Moment', backed with the Marcus Intalex collaboration featuring DRS, 'Tip the Scales'. Then the full album will drop, which will be a triple-pack vinyl and CD.
Pushing forward stronger than ever, the last few years have seen 'Headz sign up some of the new school of D&B's sharpest and brightest talents, bolstering the label's reputation as home for the most artistic and thoughtful productions and producers the genre has to offer.
There are some exciting collaborations! Did you always want to get others involved? There are more collabs in there than I originally planned. Initially, I just wanted it to be all me and a couple of guests, but it’s just the way it panned out. For me, working with Goldie and Marcus Intalex was a real achievement. To sit in the studio and make a track from scratch with those two...
Standing tall among these has been Jubei, who, after debuting on the 'Genesis' EP in 2009, has become one of Metalheadz's key artists, turning out various EPs, 12s and collaborations with everyone from Alix Perez, to dBridge, to Flowdan. Now the time has come for the London-based producer and DJ to do that rare thing – unleash a full solo album on Metalheadz. Titled 'To Have And To Have Not' and featuring collaborations with Marcus Intalex, dBridge, Youngsta, J:Kenzo, DRS and Goldie, Jubei's debut LP is shaping up to be one of the finest moments in electronic music this year. Trap tracked down the man himself to find out more... TRAP: Your first release was back in 2006 – what led to that breakthrough? SP:MC and I have been friends since we were 17. A mutual friend of mine and MC GQ’s used to come round - one night, I was mixing at a party so I gave him a CD of me and SP. It wound its way through to GQ, who had just started the nights at Dingwalls. He rang us up and said 'I want you two to be residents.' That was the beginning of both our careers, really. Back then, you could just be a DJ and get gigs. I even went to Japan to DJ, but then it changed and you needed to be a producer to get booked. That’s when I had to fall back a bit and re-evaluate how I was going to get myself gigs. I never sat down and said ‘I need to do this'; studio work just happened naturally and I enjoyed every minute of it. And now, seven years later, your debut album is about to drop on Metalheadz... Yeah, in October. There’s going to be a 12” sampler with 'Rufige 11' on the A-side and 'Visions' with J:Kenzo on the
Have you been consciously aware of trying to create more than just a collection of singles? It’s my first album and I wanted it to be what I wanted it to be, rather than changing what I do or like in the hope that it will affect someone else. It’s what I want and that’s it. I wanted it to be a collection of tracks that were coherent and had a thread that ran through them all. How have you found balancing your DJ and studio schedules while producing the album? It does interrupt your creative f low. Towards finishing my album, there were a couple of months where I had two weekends off in a row, which meant I had a full run of 14 days solid studio time to get things done. I’m not sure whether you can balance between the two, they do kind of run alongside each other. You get inspired to produce by hearing DJs play good music. There’s no better place to be than in a club hearing it loud, because that’s where you were when you fell in love with it in the first place. Do you feel that the darker, rolling side of the music is still flourishing with the increased popularity of many looser, half-speed variants of D&B? Of course! It’s underground music, isn’t it? It’s not into fads - other stuff will just come and go. It’s the undercurrent that’s constantly there and stuff drifts above it, fizzles out and comes back down again. For now, I'm just excited to get my album out there. JUBEI'S DEBUT LP, 'TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT', IS OUT IN OCTOBER ON METALHEADZ. @PAULJUBEI
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s we've already discussed in this issue's front-cover Rudimental feature, in 2013, it's not unusual to hear drum & bass or dubstep dominating drive-time radio playlists or providing the music for adverts for German cars or the latest mobile phone. We all know, it wasn't always this way, but the rise over recent years of the likes of Chase & Status, and Sub Focus from underground heroes to mainstream mainstays has helped reposition what were once dance music's most impenetrable genres at the very heart of popular culture. Joining them on Radio One's A-lists this year (and their home label of Ram Records) has been a new name – Wilkinson. Doing the commercial thing with swagger and style, Wilkinson's most recent vocal anthem 'Afterglow' demonstrates the young Londoner's skill for crafting quality drum & bass that just happens to sound good on the radio. With his debut album, 'Lazers Not Included', due to drop in late October, Trap met with Wilkinson to find out more about what the future holds for a man we're tipping firmly for the very top... TRAP: For those that might not know you, who is Wilkinson? My parents call me Mark Wilkinson, I'm 24 and I'm from South West London. I predominately make drum & bass, but if I'm feeling a bit crazy I might dabble in some other genres. I also produce a bit of pop music for other people now and then. This funds an obsession with chicken goujons and other breaded foods. Your debut album is released on Ram in October, home to some of the biggest names in bass music – is it an intimidating or exciting prospect to be joining the ranks of C&S and Subfocus? I'm not sure I'm joining the ranks of Chase & Status and Sub Focus; they've been in the game a lot longer than me and I've always looked up to them. They both have amazing live shows - that's something I'm not quite ready for, yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how my album goes down and I think that will determine my next move. You quickly went from unknown producer to being a key artist at Ram – how did that happen? I've just been working really hard on my album over the past few years and have been fortunate enough to get a lot of support from DJs and radio for my singles building up to my album. I think becoming an album artist really changes things, people can understand who you are. I see an album as a statement of intent; summing up what you've done so far and what you might do in the future. When did you first discover D&B and what was your journey to becoming a producer?
T H R O U G H I started producing music when I was 14, but it wasn't until I was 16 and my brother gave me a Mini-Disc with a drum & bass mix on that I realised that was what I wanted to make. I already had a love for breakbeats and bass and I just started playing around with some ideas. It took me five years of producing everyday, bunking off college, before I started to be happy with my tunes. Since then, I've just been trying to fine-tune my sound and production. You're part of a group of bass-music producers that enjoy both mainstream and underground success. Which is more important to you? I've found they work hand in hand. Radio, especially day-time, is a great form of promotion and a great way to introduce people to your music. I get people contacting me all the time, saying they heard a tune of mine on the radio and they've gone on Soundcloud or Youtube and discovered all my other music. When I'm at a rave I love to mix it up, no-one wants to hear vocal after vocal - that's where the filthier tunes I make come in to play. What was the idea behind the album? The idea was to sum up me as an artist. I think that's what a first album should do; you're introducing your stuff to the world. I love making all sorts of music, from chilled vocal stuff to bassline stompers; it depends on the mood I'm in. This album was written over three years, I decided to make it more about the music, rather than an onslaught of offensive screechy sounds, which I think have made electronic music a bit stagnant over the last few years. Which track are you proudest of? I can't pick one, they each have a story and memory behind them. I wrote 'Need You' on the f loor of Moscow airport after missing a f light. I produced 'Afterglow' when I was on tour in New Zealand. I started 'Redemption' sitting next to Andy C on a f light to Portugal trying to compete for the dirtiest bassline. I'm just proud of the album as a whole; it sums up me and my style of production. What’s next for Wilkinson? I'm still non-stop in the studio and touring, plus I'm doing a lot of writing and producing for singers and pop acts. And I'm going to be touring my album around the world over the next year whilst working on my next album. The big show I'm looking forward to is at Brixton Academy on the 1 November. WILKINSON'S DEBUT ALBUM 'LAZERS NOT INCLUDED' IS OUT 21 OCTOBER, WITH THE SINGLE 'AFTERGLOW' DROPPING 14 OCTOBER. @WILKINSONUK
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B O S S S E L E C T I O N S #16
GOING IN DEEP... DJ EZ
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HERE ARE FEW BETTER D J S P E R F O R M I N G T O DAY THAN DJ EZ. A LEGEND IN T H E U K G A R AG E S C E N E , T H E LONDONER HAS NEVER STOPPED WOWING CROWDS AND KILLING DA N C E S W I T H H I S M I N D - B E N D I N G TECHNICAL SKILLS AND EXPLOSIVE SELECTIONS.
A F T E R A Y E A R T H AT 'S S E E N H I M AS BUSY AS EVER ON THE CLUB A N D F E S T I VA L C I R C U I T – A S W E L L A S C O M P L E T E LY D E S T R OY I N G T H E B O I L E R R O O M IN SEPTEMBER, EZ JOINED THE PRESTIGIOUS LIST OF DJS TO CONTRIBUTE A MIX TO THE FA B R I C L I V E S E R I E S . T H E S E A R E T E N O F H I S A L L - T I M E FAVO U R I T E T R AC K S – R E A D O N F O R A H I S T O RY L E S S O N F R O M A T R U E D O N ...
It reminds me of the mid 90s, when I was on Freek FM and my career was starting to take off. Memories aside, this was one beautiful track.... 06
01
TODD EDWARDS 'Feelin Lonely' (Sample Choir EP)
Everyone knows I'm Todd Edwards' biggest fan and love every track he's produced and remixed. 'Feelin Lonely' (and 'The Praise') was one of the tracks that ignited my flame to be a part of the UK garage movement! 02
KRAFTWERK 'Tour De France'
This is real electro from back in the day and another track that assisted my interest in electronic music at the very start of my DJ career many years ago. 03
DONNA SUMMER 'I Feel Love'
One of my favourite tunes ever! Again, this one was a fave during my childhood and I think the style of this has followed me all the way through to the current day. 04
MATLOK / MJ COLE 'Rocket'
RIP PRODUCTIONS 'RIP Groove'
Quite an obvious track and not necessarily one of my favourites from RIP Productions ('Mellow Works' has to be their best), but because this track is still one of the biggest in my sets after so many years, it deserves to be in this list. 07
TUFF JAM 'History Of House'
Tuff Jam - Karl Tuff E Nuff Brown and Matt Jam Lamont - were among the pioneers of the UKG scene with productions and remixes that put the scene on the map.
JAY COLLINS ‘'Don’t Turn Your Back On Love' (Sunshine Bros Rmx)
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No longer a secret, Todd Edwards produced some amazing tracks under this alias and this is one of the most beautiful 4-to-the floor UKG production ever made. 09
MR VIRGO 'Hypnotiq'
The legendary MJ Cole has also played a part in my UK garage journey. This was one of his first UKG productions, under the name of Matlok. An amazing track.
My love for Bassline will never die and this one was one of the stand-out tracks from the genre.
AFRIMERICAN COALITION ‘'No More Weeping' (Vsmq Underground Mix)
Any DJ worth his salt has a few productions or remixes by the legendary Mark Kitchen. I have a serious library of tracks from MK, but this is one of my all-time favourites.
10 05
No More Weeping' brings back so many good memories for me.
BETTE MIDLER ‘To Deserve You’ (MK Mix)
B O S S
SAM BINGA
CRITICAL MUSIC
S E L E C T I O N S
FAZE MIYAKE
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MAX B ‘Drop That Top’
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SKREAM ‘Scrooge's Revenge’
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ADJOWA ‘8 Ball’
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FOOTSIE ‘Riding Dirty’
TESSELA ‘Hackney Parrot’ (Sam Binga's Crackney Parrot ReBax)
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SPLURT DIABLO ‘Eurostar’ FAZE MIYAKE ‘Fusion’ DARQ E FREAKER ‘Ironside’
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MORESOUNDS ‘Blood’
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SAM BINGA FT. REDDERS ‘Ayo’
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TRAZMAN ‘Footworkin On Air’
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KOWTON & BASHMORE ‘Untitled’
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CHIMPO & DEESEE ‘Dumb’
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SAM BINGA, FRACTURE & RIDER SHAFIQUE ‘Bubble’ HYETAL ‘Northwest Passage’
ÉCLAIR FIFI LUCKY ME
CYRIL HAHN
RINSE FM
PMR RECORDS
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02 03
DARKNESS ‘Derpina Derpington’ RUDE KID ‘11PM’
FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB ‘Deeper’ KORELESS ‘Never’ (8prn rmx) COSMO'S MIDNIGHT ‘The Dofflin (Wave Racer Remix)’
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DEFT ‘Rising Sun’
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PALE ‘All Silver’
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YOUNG BRAISED ‘Murakami’
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EJECTA ‘Jeremiah’ (The Denier)
HUCCI X GAMEFACE ‘Leaves Are Brown’
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IMPEY & ODESSA ‘Bleepz’
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JACQUES GREENE ‘Body Party’
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BRACKLES ‘Overtime’
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JAW JAM ‘Change Tha Game’
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NAYSAYER & GILSUN ‘Blue’ (Eliphino Remix)
S-TYPE ‘Rosario’ A. G. COOK FT. PATRICIA EDWARDS ‘Did U Ever Love Me’
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VISIONIST ‘Escape’
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OBEY CITY ‘Quantum Phase’
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SFV ACID ‘Upperhands’
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DJ YOLO BEAR ‘That Good Good’
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JAISU ‘Lazarus Syndrome’
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A$AP FERG ‘Fergavicious’
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RUSTIE ‘Daftyy’
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DJ DEEON ‘The Baddest’
R E V I E W S #16 CONTRIBUTORS: T i m D u b B o y, F i r e M a n S a m , D r o o l s H o l l a n d , Oli Grant, Justin Iriajen, Erin Mathias, Shaun Phillips, Chris Thomas & Gwyn Thomas De Chroustchoff.
LIVITY SOUND 'LIVITY SOUND' (Livity Sound)
L
ivity- ‘live’ and ‘unity’ spring instantly to mind, and Bristol owes a great deal to the Caribbean soundsystem culture that these words suggest. Peverelist was certainly affected. He and his associates' music f loats around the city, brightening it, ego-less and free. He's long been a singular voice in dubstep, drawing heavily on his junglist past. Kowton, an equally esteemed explorer of sonic zones, and Asusu, fellow musical fusionist and highly skilled programmer, complete the trio. This project from that trio of producers focuses on reduction, firmly grounded to the bare essentials for maximum possible effect. There's real grit all over this music - no over-deliberated synthetic FX or polish, just poised drum placement, free-moving decays, effects generated in the play of parameters. They climb inside a sound space and sing. Bass is melodic here, and skilfully deepened, making use of drums as accents and edges. Weighty kicks cluster together with deep sine-waves, adjusted in space, creating a sense of truly physical movement. 'More Games' fuses urgent strings with syncopated, industry-raw beats and bass, as cracked claps f ly through the mix. 'Sister' skips, serenely stripped, a weighty tribute to Detroit’s finest. 'Aztec Chant' represents an indescribable and completely unique creative energy. 'Remnants', 'Vapours' and 'End Point' will set jaws dropping, and bodies in motion. As Livity Sound take it to the clubs, this music will sound across many a system. The depth of content is breathtaking, placing this collective beyond genre and delivering an album we insist you investigate. CT --TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 071
NVMBR.CO
R E V I E W S
SEAN PAUL FT DAMIAN MARLEY 'RIOT'
LEA LEA ‘LEA LEA’
(Ghetto Youths International) ---
(WAH WAH 45S) ---
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ackney-born Lea Lea strides in with a stunning debut album. At a shallow level, this is pop music at its best: songs are consistently catchy and possess the most consumable elements of what’s going on in electronic music today. But Lea Lea’s self-titled album is more than just an ode to pop electronica. At the core of this intrepid debut is bold musicianship, thoughtful lyricism, cool vocal skill and an emphasis on hooks. Of Trinidadian/Italian descent and well-travelled, Lea's attitude towards musical style is revealed to be open-minded and experimental as the album spreads out its arms and gathers in all genres. Scatty percussion and playful pipes clash with bold horns and rhythmically powerful vocals in ‘Dead Girl Walking’, while the low-end, rolling verses of ‘AK47’ are repeatedly shot down by obnoxious synths and a sickly-sweet vocal melody.
HANNAH WANTS & CHRIS LORENZO 'WHAT I WANT'
This conf lict exists in Lea Lea’s lyricism, too: sometimes, she prods the listener with painfully perceptive lines – “she never smiles – just a twisted jaw” (‘Dry’) – while in others she promotes worldwide political awareness with despairing, droning hooks (‘Aparteid’). Reinforcing all this is how Lea Lea manages to combine soft, vocal soulfulness with an almost preachy shoutiness: a voice to be heard. Lea Lea proves that you can manipulate musical conf lict – either by combining the elements stylishly or letting them clash wildly – to create powerful, moody music. There's an empty space in female-fronted electronica and Lea Lea deserves to occupy it.
Jackin - the garage subgenre that developed during the ongoing house pandemic - started raising eyebrows 18 months ago, and this has long been a staple track. A weird compound of bassline and tech-house, it's addictive and sickly, like sweetened MCAT. It's brutal too, with sinewy bass and a slinky, creeping rhythm. Jackin's obnoxious charms are well conveyed by the original, while the remix worth bothering with is Notion's re-fit, offering a more traditional speed garage bubble.
EM
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Two bona fide reggae superstars team up for the first time ever, to create one of the best combination tunes of 2013. 'Riot' is a superb example of cuttingedge reggae music. The riddim is a tough hybrid - classic roots samples, crazy trap synths and heavy dubstep beats - and Sean Paul & Damian Marley ride it brilliantly, swapping wicked socially conscious verses in rapid-fire clips. This is rude!
(Formula) ---
GTDC ---
DB ---
ADJOWA '8 BALL' / 'RED LEATHER' (Happy Skull) ---
The first release on this new label run by the Kelly Twins was an innovative blend of ideas, and with this strutting, drum-machinepowered trio of beats, the Bristol duo has done it again. This time, the '80s elements are even more pronounced, as this new producer shares his vision of dramatic, side-scrolling electro-gunk. Funkineven, the obvious choice for the remix, taps into the same rich vein, making this a focused and inspiring package of seatthrobbing futurist boogie, with enviable levels of swagger.
GTDC ---
R E V I E W S TRADESMAN & PARLY B 'DUBPLATE FASHION' (Reggae Roast) ---
DELTRON 3030 'EVENT II'
(Caroline/Bulk Recordings) ---
D
el The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator and Kid Koala return for more high-concept dystopian hip-hop. Following up to 2000's cult LP, which dealt with similar themes, this moves along the same lines: indie-rap boom-bap. Sprinkled with narrative skits and clever meta-references throughout (including a poetic prologue by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), it serves as fine example of single-centric, box-ticking modern rap albums. Assists from Damon Albarn, with whom Del and Dan collaborated with as Gorillaz, RATM's Zack De La Rocha and The Lonely Island, bringing a needed comedic angle, keep the ears fresh, though move slightly away from their previous stoic underground roots. That's not to say that Del has lost one step in his acerbic stance of yesteryear – it's a much needed balance for a genuinely interesting and absorbing long-player.
B’TOL ---
FRANKEE 'BLACKHEART'/ 'WONDERLAND' (Ram Records) ---
Following releases on offshoot label Program, D&B's legendary Ram records introduce this Londonbased newcomer to their expansive roster. 'Black Heart' combines an intricate blend of techy sub-bass with upfront groove-laden synths. 'Wonderland' takes you back to the classic jungle sound; deep basslines layered alongside rattling drums, all rounded off with rave-friendly piano licks and female vocals.
JI ---
CLAUDE VONSTROKE 'URBAN ANIMAL' (Dirtybird) ---
C
VS's third LP (and the 100th release on his label) sees the addition of diverse ingredients to dirtybird's inf luential brand of sub-driven, digestible house. The newer elements sometimes succeed; see the D&B breakbeats (and patois) on 'Oakland Rope', and the electrofunk slide of 'Sugar & Cinnamon'. Elsewhere these outside inf luences can miss the mark; the focused frenzy of juke is rarely mastered, and title-track's stuttered rhythms and 'The Bridge's ricocheting vocals don't quite pull it off, while the glitchy electro hip-hop of Plasma Jelly leaves you craving the Neptunes. The classic dirtybird sound is clearly where Claude VonStroke excels; the marching acid thump of 'Dood' attests to this. As does 'The Clapping Track', with its classic-house-evoking organ fanfare that cuts, carnival-style, through the body-jerking mix of robust bass and slapping percussion. A mixed bag, in more than one respect. GTDC
---
After a debut release on Scotch Bonnet, two of UK dancehall's rising stars come correct for their first outing on this influential British label. Tradesman's expertly-built version of the classic 'Rumours' riddim is a joy and is well complimented by Parly B's distinctive vocals. The release comes packing a skunked-out dub version and a heavy dubstep remix from Adam Prescott.
TR ---
BOOFY & LEMZLY DALE ‘CATCH A BODY’ / ‘BANSHEE’ (Sector 7 Sounds) ---
On this debut 12”, two young producers have managed to filter the raw energy of original grime pioneers such as Jon E Cash, Big Shot and Oddz through a filter of dread, suspense and layered bassweight more reminiscent of early dubstep. Add to that the hard hitting, neck-breaking snares playing off against the strings and samples to brilliant effect, and this becomes a sure-shot release from two promising newcomers.
FMS ---
VARIOUS ARTISTS 'ZERO POINT ONE' (Convex Industries) ---
On his own electro/techno label, Instra:mental's Jon Convex lands, armed with a Jimmy Edgar vocal, for 'Move Your Body'; a nimble work out, strict and raw. Wraetlic steals the A-side, building to disarming synths via deft drum and bleep work. The flip holds some dark, carnivalesque gloop-thump from Sei A and J. Tijn, wrapping an upbeat freaker in some crisp saturation. Expect lots of air at techno parties all over.
DH ---
R E V I E W S CYRIL HAHN 'PERFECT FORM' FT SHY GIRLS (PMR) ---
One of the most inlfluential (and big selling) labels around brings back Cyril Hahn, the rapidly risen Swiss-Canadian R&B bootlegger and doyenne of the Eton Messy mindset, for a doe-eyed paean to female anatomy - and his first ever original track (ie non-remix). Jamie Foxx-esque vocals from Portland's Shy Girls wind their way through house rhythms, with trance arpeggios cascading overhead. Out of shot, the undergarments of many thousands of young men and women become completely sodden.
DJ EZ 'FABRICLIVE: 71' (Fabric) ---
I
GTDC ---
MURLO & FAMOUS ENO 'ARIEL' (Mixpak) ---
Grime/bashment/garage experimentalist Murlo teams up with Famous Eno of Warrior One for one of the most novel tracks we've heard this year. With its unassuming tempo, you might expect 'Ariel' to be another slice of by-numbers 'bass music'. But no; a metallic synth, marching-band drums and deep low-end combine for an post-bassline rhythm of infectious energy. Backed by a crazy dancehall-style remix from Spooky, this is a must-check for originality alone.
FMS ---
MORGAN ZARATE 'TAKER' EP (Hyperdub) ---
Another superb release from one third of the seemingly-defunct future soul band Spacek, with restless drums and killer sound manipulations throughout. 'Pusher Taker' and 'Far Too Late' bring crystalline synths and flurrying effects into contact with soaring vocals from Roses Gabor and Taiwah. 'Katsu' lends trap throb and spooked samples; 'Tayo' is all gong hits and synth switch-ups, while the digital-only track 'This' is a killer grime-indebted tool soaked in Zarate's unique atmosphere.
DH
---
SPECIAL REQUEST 'SOUL MUSIC' (Houndstooth) ---
W
ith the release of a two-CD album so early in the lifespan of his new Special Request alias, Paul Woolford is ensuring that no one can mistake this new jungletechno slant for a mere vanity project. However, after the deadly string of limited records that announced the long-time house mainstay's new move, that was unlikely anyway (those tracks are reissued on the second disc here). What we have here is a sizable collection of completely picture-perfect 90s darkside jungle, replete with MC chatter from the raves of yore. Every breakbeat, sub attack and tooth-chipping switch-up benefits from Woolford's 2013 studio knowledge, and the style of composition is vintage enough to have all its techno and hardcore elements in place. That versatility gives it the edge over similar recent throwback works, bar Tessela, who features here too, alongside a discerning selection of Woolford's peers doing remix work. GTDC
---
t's taken a while for this garage deity to be invited to join the most long-running and popular CD series since Now That's What I Call Music. EZ's talented, energetic mixing is always a joy to hear - especially when he reaches beyond obvious crowd pleasers, as he does here. That's not to say brilliant classics by Ed Case, Dem 2, Wookie and Smokin' Beats are missing, but here they back up contemporary club-crack from the grime-funky-bassline orbit, as well as the new 'jackin' sound. Cause'n Affect (the new dirtybird-signed alias of old hands Dub Melitia) provide a fierce example of that sort-of-new garage strand in 'Kamikaze' steroid-riddled, grimacing bass with a not unwelcome similarity to old bassline house. EZ is exemplary here, for his energy, currency, and STILL being able to find new ways to drop into Wookie's sassy, whiplashinducing mix of 'Little Man'.
GTDC ---
PAUL WHITE 'WATCH THE ANTS' EP
(One Handed Music) --It's not often you hear a real hip-hop record that's drenched in psychedelic, new-wave soundscapes, but Paul White's latest makes you wonder why‌ especially with Sean Price, Homeboy Sandman, Trim and Danny Brown providing the vocals. The result is a warm, eclectic and, frankly, knock-out collection from the man Brown recruited to produce the lion's share of his debut album. Think HudMo meets early Dylan and you might not be too far off.
B’TOL ---
R E V I E W S ETCH 'OLD SCHOOL METHODS' (Keysound) ---
Nostalgic in mood, but forwardthinking in execution, Keysound’s newest intern twists fragmented breakbeats, guttural dread basslines and bleak griminess at sub-140bpm tempos; glimpses of the classic jungle aesthetic mutated into tough, eminently fresh beats for the here and now. Etch is no doubt one to watch, his slick 2-step collaboration with J- One is a stone-cold beauty celebratory club-banging beats made with real ingenuity.
JUBEI 'TO HAVE & HAVE NOT' (Metalheadz) ---
T
OG
---
GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB 'FOURTYFOUR' (Ranking Records) ---
F
MACHINEDRUM 'VAPOR CITY' (Ninja Tune) ---
M
achinedrum presents his eagerly-awaited exploration of a dreamworld, with each track representing a district of a city he only encounters in recurring dream. Travis Stewart's great mission with Machinedrum - as separate from his JETS project with Jimmy Edgar and the Sepalcure alias alongside Rush Hour's Braille - is countering the intense rhythmic energy of dubstep, jungle and juke with washes of vocals and a melodic force that pulls you into desolate rapture and painful nostalgia. 'Don't 1 2 Lose U' rolls a vocal emission of terrifying regret around raving stabs-to-the-heart in a half-speed f loat; the segue into 'Centre Your Love's warm relief female guidance perhaps - indeed suggests that Stewart is merely transcribing a multi-faceted, half-buried story from the subconscious. All solemn, Shaolin poise and keen edges, 'Vapor City' shines.
GTDC ---
ollowing an intense 2013, that's seen Gentleman's Dub Club touring the world, playing every festival worth its salt and even reaching as far as the beaches of Goa with their uniquely British take on all variants of reggae music, October sees the release of the band's debut album. From ska and dub, to lovers, steppers and roots, the thirteen tracks here span reggae in all its forms, embellished by elements of UK electronica and energetically led by the charismatic vocals of front-man Johnny Scratchley. From the deliciously mellow dub of 'London Sunshine' and 'Play This', to the horn-licked digital reggae of 'Slave' and the climatic raw energy of 'Riot' and 'Forward', 'FOURtyFOUR' succesfully captures everything that makes GDC's live shows so invigorating and announces the arrival of one of the best British reggae bands of our lifetime. We love this record. DD
---
his album seemed to take an eternity to arrive, but we knew it would be worth the wait. The voice of legendary grime MC Flowdan opens proceedings on ‘One Of Those Moments’, setting the tone for an intense exploration of the Jubei’s dark, brooding, minimalist sound. The producer's clever use of space is prominent throughout the record. Forever keeping things minimal, what really brings each track to life is the subtle way this space is filled. Whether it’s the slicing edits of menacing roller ‘Block Code’ or the grizzled synths of token dubstep track ‘Visions’, the tightly programmed beats are given vitality by Jubei's refined intricacies, with the various nuances combining to form a wonderfully dark and moody yet completely accessible album. JI
---
NINETYFIVE 'SKY HIGH' (FT EVA LAZARUS & ILLAMAN) (Nice Up) ---
These newcomers drop a banger on the ever reliable Nice Up! records, based out of London. This is a sick electro bashment track that really sets things off in the club. Dub Mafia's Eva Lazarus lays down a ferocious vocal on the riddim, demonstrating her talent for excellent pop hooks and feisty rudegyal rapping, and she's ably hyped up by Illaman's guest verses.
DB ---
R E V I E W S DEEP SPACE ORCHESTRA 'HIPSTER MASSACRE'/ 'SMOKING BUNT' (YCO) ---
RIKO DAN 'RISE OF THE FARDA'
(Adamantium Music) ---
S
ince many of grime’s finest MCs are now spewing forth new US -mimicking rap mixtapes by the week, it's been a barren time for MC -led grime. It is, therefore, a breath of fresh air to know that one of grime’s originals has dropped a mixtape out of the blue, and it's turned out this good. The patois-inflected MC is a former member of both Pay As You Go and Roll Deep, and this 13-track collection features both new and old material, including collaborations with Trigga, Flowdan, Gods Gift, Hatcha and Terror Danjah. Stand-out tracks include the dancehall flavoured grime bangers ‘Skeng Teng’ and ‘Dark Crawler’, and straight-up bashment of ‘They Never Kill Pon Sunday’ and ‘Badboy For Who’. The whole tape is a testament to Riko’s longevity and well worth getting hold of whether you are familiar with his work or not.
FMS ---
SAM BINGA 'AYO' FT REDDERS (Critical) ---
Hold on tight; Binga has built a monstrous, scene-defining release here featuring the rudest of slow-fast D&B. ‘Ayo’ agitates the dance with crunchy half-step rhythms, brash synths and Redders’ lethal machine-gun fire flow; this one will shut down raves guaranteed. The flipside, ‘Freezy’, bangs just as hard with buoyant, meaty subs taking centre stage, and ‘8 Barr’ adding a grimier angle to a similar rhythmic template. Serious!
OG ---
CHASE & STATUS 'BRAND NEW MACHINE' (EMI) ---
O
ne of the most successful acts to ever rise from the U K dance music underground, Chase & Status release their third album this October. Headlining festivals worldwide and a near-constant fixture of prime-time radio playlists, it would have been easy for C&S to disappeared off to America to make woeful E DM by now. Thankfully, they've done no such thing, and although this album and the singles it will spawn will no doubt top charts, it's clear C&S aren't the sorts to forget their roots. Making heavy nods to the 90s, tracks such as 'Count On Me' and 'Deeper Deviation' regurgitate the spirit of rave, while 'Blk & Blu' is an homage to U K garage and 'What Is Right' and 'Heaven Knows' slide proceedings smoothly into trip-hop territory. Sure, this is an undeniably commercially orientated album, with every track featuring vocals (Major Lazer and Pusha T included), but what's also undeniable is the quality of the music on offer here. This is how to make a hit record without sacrificing your principles.
DD ---
If YCO001 was the incident of limbless abandon on the floor at peak time, then 002 could well book-end such a moment. The A-side captures the throb of expectancy at the start of a big night, churning forward with an almost menacing intent, while the flip is the sound of the much needed rub-down found during the small hours, when you're wondering what just happened. Two PROPER deep house cuts from Cardiff's most in-the-know crew.
SP ---
SLACKK 'FAILED GODS' (Local Action) ---
Not only one of instrumental grime’s most on point DJs right now, Slackk’s 7 highly diverse productions on his latest 12 are nothing short of essential. He skilfully traverses sleek hip-hop swing, icy synth-led 'devil mixes' à la Wiley, full blown eski bangers and even some sleazy late-night juke for good measure, with the EP’s pinnacle being the utterly militant sonic warfare of ‘Shogun Assassin’. For my money, his best record yet.
FMS ---
OUTBOXX 'THE FADE' EP (Futureboogie) ---
Bristol's Jacob Martin and Matt Lambert return to their local house imprint for a clutch of varied, soulful and impeccably polished tracks, once again featuring Naomi Jeremy's strong vocals and lyrics. 'The Fade' and 'Rikkie's Groove' are Outboxx's sleekest, most jumping bits of floor-fodder yet, in deep and tactile head-space somewhere between Atjazz and Tony Lionni. Elsewhere, the cut-up, oceanic washes and New Jersey swing of 'Need You' offset the hummable softness of the Eglo-esque 'Letting Go'.
GTDC ---
R E V I E W S DOM & ROLAND 'UNOFFICIAL JAH'/'OUTTA ENDZ' (Metalheadz) ---
Dom Angas is an undisputed legend and this is his first release on the equally legendary Metalheadz label. That's surprising, as the label is an exact match for the producer, both having begun journeys from jungle into the darker, more technical strain of drum and bass in the early 1990s. Laying down two slices of precise amen edits, deeply gouged basslines and super-chunky percussion, this is buy-on-sight for devotees of the producer's trademark sound.
JI ---
OH91 STEALTH / (SPOOKY RMX) (Coyote) ---
Yet more grime from a new talent. Unadulterated, unrelenting rawness here for this young producer's first vinyl pressing; this is reminiscent of Maniac's best. 'Stealth' begins with a synthline raw enough to murk a club on its own, followed by high-pitched lasers, hammering drums and a low-end built for the best soundsystems on offer. The B-side is yet another crazy remix from the prolific Spooky, mangling and reconstructing the original into something beyond rowdy.
FMS ---
DUSKY 'CARELESS' EP
(AUS Music) ---
Since Dusky's game-changing 'Flo Jam' EP last year for Dogmatik, the Loefah-championed production duo have continued to dominate the bassier end of house music with a string of essential releases and remixes. For their second outing on AUS, Dusky demonstrate more of their trademark brilliance soulful bass-licked brilliance on title track 'Careless', while delving slightly deeper and darker across the EP's other three tracks. More essential sounds from Dusky.
GTDC
---
DJ RASHAD 'DOUBLE CUP' (Hyperdub) ---
I AM LEGION 'I AM LEGION' (Division) ---
A
s you'll already know from our interview this issue, I Am Legion is the name taken by Dutch production geniuses and UK rap stalwarts Foreign Beggars for a collaborative project begun over fiver years ago that reaches its climax this autumn with this album and a massive European tour. Over recent years, the Beggars have been busy diversifying from their traditional hip-hop territory, exploring bass-heavy music by collaborating with a bunch of different producers – often with mixed results. Thankfully, any bad memories you may have from those tracks are quickly washed away by this project. Linking up with Noisia, one of dance music's most brilliant production outfits, was only going to bring good things, and the Dutch trio's tense, atmospheric soundscapes and razor-sharp beats gift the Beggars' vocals with the perfect platform to really show what they can do. Uncompromising, tough and packed with energy, 'I Am Legion' is an album quite unlike any you've ever heard before – make sure you check it. DD
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T
aking its name from the wave-inducing codeine fizz beloved of ghettos across America, traditionally drunk out of stacked styrofoam cups, Double Cup ref lects that culture in the psychedelic and off-kilter footwork Rashad blasts out at a furious rate. The windy throb of Chicago culture is conveyed with incredible passion as the American trackmaster, after a decade in the game, revels in the global enthusiasm that has greeted him since 2010. Rashad crams a nasogastric tube into your face and pumps it with the rawest vitamins his hammered MPC can produce. With plenty of guests sipping the cup (Spinn and Taso feature heavily), you get the feeling that Rashad and hisco-conspirators will long be thriving, exploring their twisted angles well after the f lighty hipsters have finished with their footwork fad.
GTDC ---
T.WILLIAMS 'FEELING WITHIN' EP (PMR) ---
The Deep Teknologi man's new EP contains his interesting past and ruthlessly whacks the buttons of today's young dancefloors. 'On My Own' is a powerfully catchy bit of poppy house music, while 'Mobb's frowning bassline and abrasive claps seem to reference the 'sublow' strand of dark garage/early grime, which T pioneered as DJ Dread D. His passion for vintage UK garage and 90s house is exposed nicely in the rolling blasts of 'Three Letters' and the meandering Basement Jaxx-esque string line of 'Smile'.
GTDC ---
G A M E S #16 WORDS:
Cutline
Splinter Cell; one of those series that manages to get more fans’ panties in knots than Borgore’s Twitter account. The last incarnation, Splinter Cell: Conviction, angered some for its overtly action-orientated gameplay, but it just so happened to be our favourite version. So, it’s with great anticipation that we delve headlong into Blacklist, intrigued to see how Ubisoft have managed that allimportant action/stealth balance. Rather cleverly, they’ve removed the problem altogether by enabling you to play your way through the rather substantial Campaign Mode in one of three styles. 'Ghost' sees you ducking, diving and generally stealthing it up all over the show without killing any enemies. 'Panther' enables you to stalk your prey, dispatching them from the shadows, while 'Assault' is fairly self-explanatory; kill people loudly and proudly until they’re dead, in the face.
SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST UBISOFT (PC, PS3, XBOX360) OUT NOW!
Add a mysterious group of terrorists known as The Engineers, who are dedicated to showing America who’s boss when it comes to the war on terror, and you have the perfect set-up for a Splinter Cell game you can play in the way that you want. This should keep us busy until the next-gen consoles drop!
RAYMAN LEGENDS GRAND THEFT AUTO V Grand Theft Auto V is one of the hottest games set for release as our fine British summer slowly fades into a bleak winter. So, what better way to keep your skin glowing than with a gamer’s tan? You'll switch between playing as three hardened criminals, Michael, Trevor and Franklin, whose sole goal is to execute six of the biggest heists Los Santos has ever seen. We haven’t played GTAV yet, but we’re betting that if you’re a fan of the series, then you’ll love it!
Once again, our hero is called upon to save the Glade of Dreams, as the Bubble Dreamer has managed to imprison the incredibly cute Teensies in his ever-more horrifying nightmares. In each nightmare, you're entasked with freeing the trapped Teensies from their prisons, gaining points and trophies along the way. With countless levels, hidden passages and a whole array of bonus items to collect, this game will keep you entertained for hours. Rayman Legends is possibly one of the most exhilarating and vividly beautiful 2D platformers ever created. 080 TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
LOST PLANET 3 It’s getting cold out here, so put on all your clothes. I am getting so cold, I’m gonna shoot your face off! Yes, a games review in the style of Nelly... Enough off topic nonsense though, let’s talk about Lost Planet 3. What can be said about this game? Well, it’s hardly innovative, the graphics leave plenty to be desired and we’re not convinced by the whole package. However, if you’re a hardcore gamer looking for something to fill the gap between triple-A titles, you might find some fun here.
G A M E S
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS WARNER BROS (PC, PS3, WIIU, X360) OUT: 25 OCTOBER
Christopher Nolan rebooted the films and now Warner Bros Montreal is rebooting the game. If the internet blogs are to be believed, then the latest version of Batman’s computer game series lifts several cheeky features from The Dark Knight et al. Sounds like this could be the best Bat-game yet!
OLD DOGS, NEW GAMES
Y
OU CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS, BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOU CAN PLAY NEW GAMES ON AN OLD CONSOLE. AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE’S A NEW GENERATION OF HARDWARE READY AND WAITING TO BE UNLEASHED JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME YOU CAN PLAY SOME NEW-GEN GAMES FIRST ON YOUR OLD MACHINE. HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO THE BIGGEST GAMES SET FOR RELEASE ON XBOX360 AND PS3 THIS AUTUMN – SOME OF WHICH GET RELEASED FOR PS3 AND XBOX360 FIRST.
ASSASSIN'S CREED 4: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT (PS3, WIIU, XBOX360, XBOXONE, PC, PS4) OUT: 1 NOVEMBER
“I’m on a boat, mother…” – okay, forget the Lonely Island lyrics and pay attention to one of the biggest games dropping on the old generation consoles in November. Assassin’s Creed goes all Pirates of the Caribbean on us - and from what we can see, that will add some extra playability to an already engaging series.
CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS
ACTIVISION (PC, PS3, PS4, XBOX360, XBOXONE) OUT: 5 NOVEMBER Obviously the new COD game is going to be a highlight of the next gen consoles, but if you want to play it first, you’ll be able to get the PS3 and Xbox360 versions a few weeks before their big brothers are launched. Plus, for those who want to upgrade to the new generation you’ll be able to do so for a measly £10. Not bad!
WATCH_DOGS
BATTLEFIELD 4
UBISOFT (PC, PS3, WIIU, X360, PS4) OUT: 22 NOVEMBER
EA (PC, PS3, XBOX360, XBOXONE) OUT: 31 OCTOBER
Once again, you’ll be able to grab this on PS4 later in the year, but get in there first and pick it up on release day. Already endorsed by the likes of IGN who dubbed this ‘Best New Franchise’ and ‘Best PC Game of E3 2012’, this is a game we can’t wait to get our hands on.
We go from Batman to Battlefield. Despite its name, Battlefield 4 is in fact the thirteenth instalment in the Battlefield series and we don’t think this will be an unlucky number for EA. Based in 2020, expect immense action, plenty of futuristic weapons and the looming threat of WWIII. TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 081
b A s s P o i n t s #16
wArEHoUsE ProjEct MANCHESTER
W
arehouse Project returns this autumn for another world-beating series of events at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse. Running all the way through to New Year’s Eve, this year’s season kicks off on 27 September and packs out the following 12 weeks with a run of events that only Warehouse Project could pull off. Highlights in the months ahead include MODESELEKTION, with Modeselektor inviting the likes of LFO, Ben Klock, Scuba, Dusky, BenUFO and Martyn to join him in Manchester, plus Julio Bashmore, Disclosure and Rudimental’s very own curated evenings and a set of performances from dance music demi-gods The Prodigy. Trap is proud to be partnering this year’s WHP, and will be hosting our very own instalment of the series’ Afterlife parties later in the season. Check the next issue for more info on that and make sure you download our exclusive mix from WHP resident T.Williams for a taste of what’s in store. ___ wArEHoUsEProjEct.com
b A s s P o i n t s soUnD HistorY toUr
12 oF tHE rEst...
VENUES NATIONWIDE
O
ctober sees the Sound History Tour touch down at six different venues nationwide, bringing together half a dozen leading figures from across the time-line of deep house and garage history for a unique show.
FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER DolloP @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAM JACKMAsTER, sAN sODA, CAshMERE CAT + MORE. sATURDAY 5 OCTOBER ritUAl @ UNDER THE BRIDGE, LONDON DJ EZ, CAlIBRE, BODhI, lAsT JAPAN, lEY lINE.
With Chicago house / US garage legend Roy Davis Jnr joined by UKG don Sticky and vocalist Shola Ama, plus new-school house darling Eliphino and the hotly tipped Oscar Luweez (D1 in his past life) and Moony, Sound History is an interesting concept that brings something fresh (and educational) to the packed calenders of the UK’s student cities this autumn.
contAct @ VILLAGE UNDERGROUND, LONDON YOUNGsTA, lOEFAh, ICIClE, J:KENZO, TRUTh, KIllAwATT, sGT POKEs. DonUts 6tH birtHDAY @ EMPIRE THEATRE BRISTOL FUNKINEvIl (KYlE hAll & FUNKINEvEN), ThE KEllY TwINs, TOM D.
Taking place in Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester and Brighton during the week of 15-22 October, keep an eye on your local listings site to find out when the tour hits you. ___
FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER rEDUX @ BRIXTON JAMM, LONDON KODE 9, DEADBOY, wOOKIE, NOODlEs + MORE. sATURDAY 12 OCTOBER mAKE mE: bEn UFo All niGHt @ AUTUMN STUDIO, LONDON BEN UFO All NIGhT lONG.
AUDio AsYlUm witH DUsKY & miDlAnD
ThURsDAY 17 OCTOBER liVitY soUnD @ PLASTIC PEOPLE, LONDON PEvERElIsT, KOwTON & AsUsU B2B All NIGhT.
WORLD HEADQUARTERS, NEWCASTLE
F
or the last couple of years, Audio Asylum has been pushing quality bass-driven music in its home city of Newcastle, bringing the likes of Joy O, Jackmaster, Redlight and Boddika to the World Headquarters venue. Celebrating their second birthday in style, Thursday 7 November will see two of the most talked about production outfits of the last year make the journey north – Dusky and Midland. Neither need any introduction here; if you’ve been paying any attention recently, you’ll already know all about these two acts. If you’re in the North East, make sure you reach. ___ FAcEbooK.com/ AsKAUDioAsYlUm
sATURDAY 19 OCTOBER Doctor’s orDErs @ SCALA, LONDON DJ PREMIER, PEANUT BUTTER wOlF, ThE NExT MEN. sATURDAY 26 OCTOBER toDDlA t soUnD @ XOYO LONDON TODDlA T sOUND, Mélé, ZED BIAs. TUEsDAY 5 NOvEMBER wiDE EYEs @ EMPIRE THEATRE, BRISTOL hANNAh wANTs + sUPPORT. FRIDAY 8 NOvEMBER soUnDcrAsH @ VILLAGE UNDERGROUND, LONDON MAChINE DRUM (lIvE), KING MIDAs sOUND, DJ RAshAD.
sATURDAY 16 NOvEMBER EsKimo DAncE @ INDIGO2, LONDON wIlEY, sKEPTA, JAMMER, JME, D-DOUBlE-E, FOOTsIE, FlOw DAN, RIKO, lOGAN sAMA, CAMEO + MORE.
E A S T E R N E L E C T R I C S PHOTOS:
Marc Sethi
O
n 2 August, London's premier house and techno promoters Eastern Electrics held an unprecedented three-day party at the Knebworth Estate just outside London. A huge success, watch out for news of next year's festival appearing online soon. ---
EASTERNELECTRICS.COM
TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 085
O U T L O O K & D I M E N S I O N S 2 0 1 3 PHOTOS:
Sarah Ginn
A
t the time of writing, we've only been back from Outlook and Dimensions for a couple of weeks, but our heads are still buzzing with amazing memories of two of the best festivals we've ever had the pleasure to visit. This was the year that Outlook got its vibe back, thanks to a smaller capacity and an incredible crowd, and that Dimensions properly established itself among the very best European festivals . Trap was out in Croatia in force and we'd like to thank everyone that we met along the way and, of course, the festival organisers for inviting us to host our own boat party on the first night of Outlook. We had a blast. Over the next four pages you can check some images from both festivals, courtesy of Trap photographer Sarah Ginn. If you've never been, tickets go on sale soon – you know what to do.
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