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L I F E I S A V I B R AT I O N MARCH / APRIL 2014
T.WILLIAMS JUST BLAZE GREG LUCCI BUSHKIN DUSKY WEN DJ DIE W W W. T R A P M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K
A BUMPER WEE
CASTLE PARK
SATURDAY 24TH MAY
ANDY BUTLER / ANNIE MAC / APEX / BLACK BUTTER / BODHI / CHRISTOPHE & LUKAS / CLEAN BANDIT / CRAIG RICHARDS / CRAZY P SOUNDSYSTEM CYRIL HAHN / DAN WILD / DJ Q / EATS EVERYTHING / ETON MESSY / FEEL THE REAL / FELIX DICKINSON / FOUNDATIONS / FUTUREBOOGIE / GOTSOME HACKMAN / HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR / HORSE MEAT DISCO / JOE90 & DAVE HARVEY / JUST JACK / KIDNAP KID / KOVE / MARIBOU STATE B2B PEDESTRIAN / MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE / MOKO / NINA KRAVIZ ORIGINS / PBR STREETGANG / PEOPLE LIKE US / PIFF / SHAMBARBERS SHAPES / SNAKEHIPS / SOLOMON GREY / SUBB-AN / THE DANCE OFF / TODD TERJE / TOM RIO / WAIFS AND STRAYS / 4OURS
EKEND OF LOVE
K BRISTOL UK
SUNDAY 25TH MAY
A SAGITTARIUN / A.QUAKE / ABA SHANTI-I / BREAKAGE / CONGO NATTY WITH NANCI & PHOEBE / CRACK / DIGITAL SOUNDBOY / DIRTY TALK / DISMANTLE DUBKASM / DURKLE DISCO / DUTTY GIRL / FALLING UP / FELIS / FIRE MAN SAM / FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA B2B FANTASTIC MAN / GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB / GREG WILSON / THE HEATWAVE / IDLE HANDS / JAKWOB / JAMIE XX / JAVEON McCARTHY / JOHN TALABOT / JUS NOW / LAID BLAK / LIVITY SOUND / MS DYNAMITE / NENEH CHERRY & ROCKETNUMBERNINE / PARDON MY FRENCH / QUANTIC / SAM BINGA FT. REDDERS / SBTRKT / SHERWOOD AND PINCH / SHY FX / SIP THE JUICE / SOUL TRAIN / SPECIAL REQUEST / STYLO G TEACHINGS IN DUB / TESSELA / THE BLAST / TRAP
TICKETNSOW! ON SALE
APRIL
JUNE
fabric — London Ec1 www.fabricLondon.com
FEATURING: AC SLATER BASEMENT JAXX BEN PEARCE BEN UFO BUKEM IN SESSION BUTTERZ CALIBRE COKI CRITICAL SOUND DANNY DAZE DJ EZ DJ HYPE DJ MARKY DRS (LIvE) DUBPHIZIX & STRATEGY ED RUSH & OPTICAL FABIO GOLDIE HESSLE AUDIO HIT&RUN HOYA:HOYA HYPERDUB JACK BEATS JESSE ROSE JIMMY EDGAR KEYSOUND KLUTE
KRYSTAL KLEAR LAUREL HALO LOADSTAR LUKE vIBERT MALA MATTHEW HERBERT MEFJUS B2B PHACE METALHEADZ METRIK MONKI & FRIENDS NEWHAM GENERALS PANGAEA PEARSON SOUND PLANET MU PLAYAZ PLAYERS BALL PLEX RASHAD & SPINN RINSE ROUTE94 SHY FX SKEPTA SOPHIE SOUL:UTION SPECTRASOUL TECTONIC vS CHESTPLATE ZED BIAS PLUS MANY MORE...
T H E
MARCH / APRIL 2014
D R O P #18
F E AT U R E S
REGULARS 06 15 19 21 23 24 70 73 84
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HYPE FASHION DOCTORS ORDERS MONKI URBAN NERDS FIFTY FIFTY BOSS SELECTIONS REVIEWS BASSPOINTS
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RISE UP T R A P M I X TA P E : D J D I E JUST BLAZE BUSHKIN T. W I L L I A M S ART: DIANA BURAKA DUSKY GREG LUCCI FASHION SHOOT
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COVER SHOOT T.WILLIAMS by Laura Lewis. www.lauralewis.co.uk. Photographed at Oslo, Restaurant and Live Music Venue in Hackney, London. www.oslohackney.com EDITOR: Jon Cook jon@trapmagazine.co.uk CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes andy@trapmagazine.co.uk FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj kasha@trapmagazine.co.uk REVIEWS EDITOR: Gwyn Thomas De Chroustchoff gwyn@trapmagazine.co.uk SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn iain@trapmagazine.co.uk MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen justin@trapmagazine.co.uk WEB: All That Good Stuff & Nick Hills
PICTURES: Laura Lewis, Ollie Grove, Adam Robinson. WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj, Oli Grant, Lucy Monkman, Sam Bates, Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff, Sean Kelly, David Clark, Jeryl Wilton, Erin Mathias, Justin Iriajen, Amy Stiff, Olivia Dawson, Tim Rayner, James Rompani, Spindoctor. THANK YOU: All at Oslo Hackney, Annoushka & Sarah @ ANON, Naomi @ Totem, Erin, Lucy and Toni @ Listen Up, Murray & Eme @ Big M, Mark @ Haddon, Johnny, Jack and Andy @ Outlook, All @ Urban Nerds, Adam @ Backdrop, Dave, Tom, Lucy & Zeina @ Team Love, Rob & Tom @ The Blast, Oli & Saul @ Fabric, Louis, Rich & Syd @ 50/50, Henry @ AD, Adam @ Exclusive, James @ Detonate, Jack & Paul @ LWE and everyone else we forgot. C 2014 Camouflage Media Limited. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine or its contents may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher. Disclaimer: The views expressed in Trap Magazine are not necessarily the views sharedby its staff or publisher. While we strive to ensure the information in Trap Magazine is correct, changes can occur which effect the accuracy of the copy, for which Trap Magazine holds no responsibility.
H Y P E #18
BANKS UK TOUR
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A songstress BANKS has announced her debut headline UK tour for this spring. The American has been turning heads since her ‘London’ EP last year announced a powerful vocal talent with impeccable taste in production partners – including Lil Silva and Jamie Woon. Her most recent track ‘Brain’ alongside fellow Californian Shlohmo has taken the hype surrounding BANKS up a level – make sure you catch her before she goes stratospheric. ___ HERNAMEISBANKS.COM/SHOWS
20.03 21.03 23.03 24.03 26.03 28.03 29.03 31.03 01.04
BRISTOL, TRINITY CENTRE BIRMINGHAM, LIBRARY GLASGOW, 02 ABC2 SHEFFIELD, LEADMILL MANCHESTER, RNCM OXFORD, 02 ACADEMY 2 BRIGHTON, CONCORDE LONDON, KOKO LONDON, KOKO
DANNY BROWN UK TOUR
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eanwhile, fellow American Danny Brown rolls into the UK in the final week of February, before heading off around the rest of northern Europe to promote latest single ‘25 Bucks’. Those of you reading this in time, check the website for news of shows in Manchester, London, Glasgow, Dublin and Brighton. ___ XDANNYBROWNX.COM
H Y P E
LOVE SAVES THE DAY RETURNS
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ack for a third year, Bristol’s Love Saves The Day has announced plans for 2014. Building on the sold-out, sun-kissed success of last year, the city-centre festival returns with another heartfelt selection of the very finest names in everything from house, soul and techno to D&B, grime and dub. Taking the city’s Castle Park as its venue, bang in the centre of town, LSTD is the work of the guys behind Team Love, renowned for their work programming Glastonbury’s Silver Hayes area and the In:Motion series at Bristol’s Motion mega-venue. As such, it’s little surprise that dance music royalty such as Jamie XX, Nina Kraviz, SBTRKT, Shy FX and Eats Everything have all jumped at the chance to play during the weekend. Just like last year, Trap will be hosting our very own stage on the Sunday – with the whole Digital Soundboy family lined-up to play for us. We cannot wait for a re-run of what was our favourite weekend of 2013. Grab your tickets now and make sure you join us! ___ LOVESAVESTHEDAY.ORG
H Y P E
LONDON ELECTRONIC MUSIC EVENT
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he third annual London Electronic Music Event takes place at Rich Mix in Shoreditch on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 April. Comprising Q&As, seminars, workshops, performances and parties from the cream of the industry including Ben UFO, Legowelt, Hypercolour Records, Ableton and BLOC, for anyone serious about a career in electronic music,, this is well worth the entrance fee. Tickets are available now from the LEME website. ___ LONDONELECTRONICMUSICEVENT.COM
UNITED NATIONS OF DUB
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s reported last issue, United Nations Of Dub returns this March for another weekend of dub, reggae and soundsystem culture. Taking place at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales and promising world class sounds from noon to 5am over three days, if reggae is your thing, grab your tickets now. ___ @UNOD_WEEKENDER
BEAT BOX: A DRUM MACHINE OBSESSION
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verybody knows about 808s and 909s, but this brand new hardback book takes a long and loving stare at the world of classic drum machines in all their vintage glory. Over 200 photographs of 75 different drum machines from the author’s personal collection are complemented by interviews with MPC designer Roger Linn, house music legend Marshall Jefferson and hip-hop original Schoolly D. ‘Beat Box: A Drum Machine Obsession’ by Joe Mansfield is out now via Get On Down. ___ GETONDOWN.COM
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H Y P E
LONDON WAREHOUSE EVENTS
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fter the enormous success of their New Years Day extravaganza at London’s Tobacco Dock (and massive party the night before at Building 6), London Warehouse Events are sharpening their claws for another huge year of unforgettable parties alongside dance music’s biggest brands. Firmly committed to finding new, exciting spaces for their events, the LWE team already have two rather special parties lined-up for the coming months. First up, is the Pan-Pot Second State showcase on Saturday 15 March, bringing techno to Shapes in Hackney Wick, before April sees D&B luminaries Shogun Audio touch down for the first time at Pulse in South London. Check the LWE website for more info and tickets for both. ___ LONDONWAREHOUSEEVENTS.COM
RODIGAN IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
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hree years ago, Trap were lucky enough to spend a few hours interviewing and photographing the one and only David Rodigan MBE for our fourth cover feature. The photographer that day was Laura Lewis, who earlier this year received news that the cover shot she’d taken for us had been accepted into the National Portrait Gallery. We couldn’t be prouder of both Laura and the fact that one of our covers is now within such a venerable institution.
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U.N.O.D ARENA PARTNERS
MARCH 28―30 2014 TH
TH
PONTINS ‘PRESTATYN SANDS’ SELF CATERING PARK North Wales, UK
U.N.O.D.SOUND SYSTEM ARENA ON THEIR OWN SYSTEMS
JAH SHAKA JAH TUBBY’S ABA SHANTI-I IRATION STEPPAS KING EARTHQUAKE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE OBF MAASAI WARRIOR WORD SOUND & POWER U.N.O.D. x MUNGO’S HI-FI ARENA FEATURING
MUNGO’S HI-FI ALPHA & OMEGA (DAN I, CIAN FINN & JONAH DAN) ADRIAN SHERWOOD ALPHA STEPPA DUBKASM ft SOLO BANTON VIBRONICS meets BRAIN DAMAGE ft PARVEZ & MADU MESSENGER DON LETTS EARL 16 ZION TRAIN (PERCH & DUBDADDA) MARTIN CAMPBELL MURRAYMAN ASKALA SELASSIE JAH REVELATION MUZIK (CECIL REUBEN MC TROOPER BROTHER CULTURE) KIBIR LA AMLAK ‘LIVE SHOW‘ TWILIGHT CIRCUS CHARLIE P REGGAE ROAST SALOMON HERITAGE I-MITRI NUCLEUS ROOTS SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM VIBRATION LAB RIDDIM TUFFA ft EL FATA ADAM PRESCOTT SELECTORS ARENA POWERED BY BTSS & WONKEY HI-FI FEATURING
AKASH AMP OUTERNATIONAL ANNA MYSTIC ANTI-BYPASS ASHANTI SELAH BOUT’40 SOUND BREEZAK BTSS CHEFF CHUNGO BUNGO COUNTRYMAN SOUND DISORDA DUBASS SOUND DREAD LION HI-FI ft MRDILL LION WARRIAH DUB SMUGGLERS ft KUNTRI RANKS EARTHPIPE EVERMOOR SOUND FREEDOM SOUND FULNESS GATA STYLE HAILE BLESS IBI I&I DUBWISE ft DUBITERIAN IMAN INSTRUMENT OF JAH JAH HAMMA JAH STATION JAH MILITANT JAH RAGGA JAMJAH SOUND KING CLEGG KING OF EYE KINGS HI-FI LIONPULSE SOUND MOST HIGH WARRIORS MR FASO ORGANIC ROOTS PEACE FOUNDATION PRESSURE SOUND SYSTEM (WALES) REBEL LION REVELATION SOUND ROOTS FACTORY ROOTS INSPIRATION ROOTS REVIVAL SOUND ROOTICAL SHALAMANDA HI-FI S’KAYA SKARUMBA HI-FI STALAWA SOUND SUB FOUNDATION THE MIGHTY ITALS VIOLINBWOY WILL TEE WONKEY HI-FI
H Y P E
OUTLOOK & DIMENSIONS 2014
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n annual pilgrimage for all of us here at Trap, Outlook and Dimensions return to the ruins of Fort Punta Christo in Croatia this September. Boasting one of the most unique locations of any festival in the world and with a hard-earned reputation for bringing underground heroes and international superstars alike to the sun-soaked Adriatic coast, if you’ve not yet made it to either, now’s the time to start planning for 2014. Swapping things round this year, Dimensions take place on the final weekend of August, with Outlook following the week after. Wednesday 27 August will see the third Dimensions festival sparks into life with an opening concert at the see-it-to-believe-it Roman amphitheatre in nearby Pula. Caribou and Darkside headline that show, setting the bar high for the weekend ahead. With the likes of Jon Hopkins, Roy Ayres, Juan Atkins, Nina Kraviz, Ben UFO, Giles Peterson and Mala confirmed to perform, for those who like their electronic music a little more refined and experimental, Dimensions looks unmissable. One week later, the seventh Outlook Festival kicks off on 2 September with an opening concert headlined by no less than Lauren Hill. After that, it’s four days of daytime beach and boat parties and four nights of stomping the ground in the spellbinding surroundings of Fort Punta Christo. And with what looks like Outlook’s best line-up yet - including Busta Rhymes, Barrington Levy, Moodymann, Rodigan, Bishop Nehru, Wookie, Source Direct, Special Request, Loefah, Kahn, Goldie, Digital Mystikz – 2014’s edition of the greatest bass music festival on Earth is looking stronger than ever. Tickets are on sale now for both festivals from their respective websites. ___ DIMENSIONSFESTIVAL.COM OUTLOOKFESTIVAL.COM
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BRISTOL — EST. 1984
FEBRUARY FRIDAY 21 — 51°27’ MELÉ / DEVOLUTION / WILFRED GIROUX / DURKLE DISCO DJs / TS2W / MAJORA FRIDAY 28 — SOLID STATE 1UP / 4OURS / 4 SEASONS / APEX / DIRTY NOTE / GET BORN /.HALFNAKED / PSYCHED / PTS / VII.Y.P
MARCH FRIDAY 07 — BODYNOD PAY AS U GO CARTEL / ROSSI B & LUCA / LANCE MORGAN / CRAZY COUSINZ FRIDAY 14 — CRITICAL SOUND KASRA / D-BRIDGE / SAM BINGA & REDDERS / EMPEROR / SP:MC & BASSLINE FRIDAY 21 — 51°27’ LINE UP TO BE ANNOUNCED — FIFTYONE27.NET FRIDAY 28 — HOT WUK THE UK‘S MADDEST BASHMENT PARTY FEAT. THE HEATWAVE & FRIENDS
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F A S H I O N #18
WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj & James Wesson
PENFIELD SS14 A go-to brand for heavy-duty outerwear during colder seasons, you’d be forgiven for overlooking Penfield when it comes to your holiday wardrobe. However, for SS14, the label has it covered - from easy Spring city styles, to full-blown beachwear, updating the classic Penfield silhouettes with softer tones and sugary pastels. Bold key pieces such as the 70sinspired floral cotton canvas shirt and bucket hat are a must, as are the simple printed sweat and paisley two-pieces. ___ PENFIELD.COM
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F A S H I O N
FILLING PIECES We’re all over the latest collection from Dutch brand Filling Pieces, whose ‘catwalk to sidewalk’ footwear cuts that sporty but classic vibe effortlessly. The low-top style is a favourite, mixing a solid white rubber sole with a contrasting, embossed nubuck upper. ___ GSRNNFILLINGPIECES.COM
NA DI STUDIO Na Di Studio is the brainchild of Beijing-born designer Na Di who launched the menswear label to much acclaim after completing her MA. Citing hip-hop and contemporary street culture among its inspiration, the brand delivers a combination of beautifully cut silhouettes and prints that are illustrated, embroidered or printed by hand. The latest collection focuses on a palette of monochrome and deep reds with a re-worked sports luxe look. ___ NADISTUDIO.COM
F A S H I O N
BLACK SCALE Black Scale has carved a strong niche with its gothic-inspired streetwear. For SS14, however, the US label lightens up a little with a collection that steps beyond dark-arts references. While the consistent use of Illuminati imagery works season after season, the label has put itself firmly on the fashion map with this varied collection. Highlights include the printed sweats, military bomber jacket and colour-blocked shirt. ___ BLACK-SCALE.COM
BILL+MAR Bill+Mar is one of those labels that doesn’t just churn out the latest trends for its collections, but spawns pieces that will become true wardrobe favourites. Channelling a feminine aesthetic, with a bit of an edge, the brand’s offering for this season is a tasty mix of bold graphic prints and relaxed shapes, with a few sexy bodycons thrown in for good measure. ___ BILLANDMAR.COM TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 15
UPCOMING BONOBO EATS EVERYTHING MR THING RAHAAN FUTUREBOOGIE FEEL THE REAL BEHLING & SIMPSON SHAPES DJS STEVE RICE PARDON MY FRENCH FALLING UP JACKIE BROWN APEX DJS KELLY TWINS LEVANNA MACLEAN STUDIO 89 DJS Sundays : Back To Ours 7.30 - close : A new weekly session featuring a host of local and not so local DJs coming down and spinning a Sunday selection of music you may not be used to hearing them play, digging through influences, inspirations and beyond. Keep 'em peeled as we have some big 'uns planned for this. Free admission every week.
KITCHEN & GRILL • SERVING •
BURGERS SLIDERS PIZZA PIES BY THE SLICE BAGELS SUNDAES & MUCH MORE
PREMIUM QUALITY SERVING FROM 12 TIL 10PM
T H E
D O C T O R ’ S O R D E R S WITH
Spin Doctor
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#18
‘m writing this lying in the recovery position after the most demanding and exciting event in our calendar: ‘J-Dilla Changed My Life’ weekend. This year, we were joined by Dilla’s mum and bro for events in Bristol, Manchester (shouts to Andy @ Sip The Juice and Oscar & Wiggie @ Juicy) and, of course, London, where Scala was packed to the rafters for the fifth year in a row. There are always a couple of spine-tingling moments and this year delivered again, as Ma Dukes made Illa J blush by telling 1,200 people how proud she was of him. Can’t take mums anywhere! If all that wasn’t enough, we also threw two non-Dilla related events in London, meaning that nearly 3,000 of you came party with us over the weekend. We’re truly grateful! ___ THEDOCTORSORDERS.COM
NEW SCHOOL JUST BLAZE As you’ll see from page 33, I spent a couple hours racking up my phone bill chatting to the incredible Just Blaze. The dude is so open minded and forward thinking, it’s little wonder he’s still on top of his game. There are very few producers who are so quintessentially hip-hop, yet so happy to jump genres. I’m super excited to have him headlining our #TDO295 show on 8 March.
OLD SCHOOL RIP UNCLE PHIL For many of you, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air will be little more than part of your hangover ritual alongside Lucozade and Pizza. For me, it was part of my hip-hop education Not only were Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince bonafide Grammy-winning stars, but it was produced by Quincy Jones - and Will always wore the dopest kicks. As such, I had to give a mention to James Avery, aka Uncle Phil, who recently passed away. The father of the show reminded me of my own dad in many ways, even though mine was never on Soul Train...
M O N K I #18
Ba c k a f t e r a f e w i ssu e’s brea k, ou r regu la r colu m nist Mo nki takes time fro m her manic schedule o f g i g s a n d R a d io O n e sh ows t o ru n u s d own on every thing she’s vib ing o n right no w...
NIGHTS PAUSE LIVERPOOL As I’ve told you before, ‘Pause’ in Liverpool is a night that will not let you down. Obviously, the line-up always matters, but I can safely say that even the residents hold it down all night long. Held in the basement of The Shipping Forecast, a small, 250-capacity sweaty room in the backstreets of Liverpool, this night has an amazing vibe full of enthusiastic heads in a really personal space. Run by Chibuku residents John McAndrew and Andrew Hill (the brain behind Abandon Silence), you’ll be in safe hands. Past line-ups include: Mele, Oxide & Neutrino, Mak & Pasteman and more.
I LOVE BENTON ‘BRIAN’ There’s no release date on this yet and no proper stream on Soundcloud either. Search for it on YouTube and you’ll get a gritty ripped version from a Klose One set. Old-school rave breaks, a bassline that will knock your head off and even a Timbaland sample in there for good measure... I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more of this tune. If you like the sounds of Tessela and Special Request, you’ll love this.
CATCH ME AT BUGGED OUT WEEKENDER 8 MARCH March starts with a big one. This year will be my first at Bugged Out Weekender, so I’m especially looking forward to it! The line-up is an army of big-room names like Erol Alkan, Julio Bashmore, Sasha and Seth Troxler and if you still want to get a bit mad in the rave, the likes of EZ, Skream and Jackmaster will provide you just that. Plus, the best thing about the weekend - no tent! ___ BUGGEDOUTWEEKENDER.NET
ONE TO WATCH MY NU LENG
SNOWBOXX 27 MARCH
These two Bristol-based lads seem to be making all the right moves recently. They first grabbed my attention with ‘The Grid’ and after that they joined forces with Shadow Child to create a track for my ‘Monki & Friends’ EP. Now they’re set for some big releases on Black Butter – and they’re rather good at DJing too. After joining me on the Leeds date of my Monki & Friends tour and absolutely smashing it, I had to mention them here. Expect big things from these guys!
At the end of March, I’ll be heading to the Alps for Snowboxx. Who doesn’t enjoy a party up a mountain? Last year saw the birth of this festival - and with parties like Pause (Liverpool) working on the line up this year, I ensure you it’s one to watch. So, if you fancy watching a few DJs embarrass themselves on the slopes, check the website for tickets and more info.
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___ SNOWBOXX.COM
TING A R B E CEL ONA4TE T E D F O 999 / 201
S R A E Y 15 1
07.06.2014 ∙ LOCATION TBA ∙ NOTTINGHAM 2 MILES FROM CITY CENTRE FIRST HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED...
MACHINEDRUM PRESENTS VAPOR CITY
TICKETS & INFO: WWW.DETONATEEVENTS.COM
U R B A N
N E R D S #18
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hat a way to start 2014! We write this fresh from our Snowbombing warm-up party with Sick Chirpse at East London’s most impressive club space, Village Underground. It was an amazing night the legend that is DJ EZ proved he certainly hasn’t lost his touch, and the epic four-deck set from Marcus Nasty and Chris Lorenzo with Jonny Banger on mic duties finished things off in style. Big up to everyone who made it down. ___ URBAN-NERDS.COM
SNOWBOMBING So, now all eyes are on Snowbombing on 7-12 April - and we can’t wait. Alongside Rompa’s Reggae Shack, we’re going to be very busy throughout the festival. The Urban Nerds event will see Artwork, Skream, Route 94, Citizen and Rattus Rattus take to the decks for what promises to be one of the top events of the week. There’s still time to get your tickets, book with Urban Nerds and get your super limited-edition t-shirt free follow the link for more info: ___ URBANNERDS.SNOWBOMBING.COM
TEAM SOUNDS WHAT’S ON OUR IPODS RIGHT NOW... MARCUS NASTY: CAUSE & AFFECT FT. JAMIE GEORGE – ‘Another Time’ RATTUS RATTUS: BENNY BLANCO – ‘Majora’ ROMPA: ARIES, GOLD, BEVAN & ANDY SIM – ‘Chem Trails’
CLOTHING
MARK: ROUTE 94 – ‘My Love’
We’ve extended our clothing sale exclusively for Trap readers for the duration of February, simply use the code UNTRAP in the discount code box and get 30% off until 31 March.
LUKE: PAUL WOOLFORD – ‘Untitled’ DAVID: S. CHU – ‘Closure’ TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 023
F I F T Y T
F I F T Y #18
he Xmas and New Year period is now long gone and we’ve all sobered up just enough to tell you what’s been going on in the world of fifty fifty...
We were stoked to be nominated in the Top 5 skate shops in Europe at the Bright Trade Show award ceremony, which took place in Berlin last month. Thanks to all involved for the recognition. We had a cracking time; Berlin is a really good city with plenty of amazing skate spots and night life – pay it a visit soon if you can. Read on for news of our latest collab and for a look at the new line from one of our favourite brands. ___ 5050STORE.COM
FIFTY FIFTY X CHOCOLATE SKATEBOARDS We were super happy to release a limited capsule pack with one of our all-time favourite brands, Chocolate Skateboards. Featuring art work by the legendary Evan Hecox, we’re still stoked on how this collaboration came out. The designs are super clean and bold, available on boards and a selection of different garments. We couldn’t have asked for more with this one. ___ CHOCOLATESKATEBOARDS.COM
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F I F T Y
F I F T Y
POLAR Pontus Alv is the mastermind behind Polar, which hails from MalmÜ in Sweden. The brand has a very unique homegrown identity with a tight bunch of friends who skate together taking care of the aesthetics, including all the graphics and photography. Everything the brand puts out is top quality, pushing a tight array of graphics, logos and colourways. There’ll be plenty more treats from Polar rolling through the door for Spring 14 very soon, alongside a load of bangers from all the brands we carry, so keep an eye on our online store and social media for the latest info. ___ POLARSKATECO.COM TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 025
TA I L B OA R D S L I D E : O l l i e L o c k PHOTO: Jason Lewer
RISE UP #19
WEN
I AM... Wen.
IF I NEED INSPIRATION, I... Listen to rappers and MCs, tip-offs courtesy of my brother Elz. Those crossover female rapper/singers too... the sexy ones.
YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW ME FOR... The ‘Commotion’ EP, ‘Swingin’, or my ‘Strings Hoe’ Refix.
I CAN’T START MY DAY WITHOUT... Tea, two sugars and a shortbread biscuit.
I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS... A cool breeze in the sticky rave.
IF I WAS AN ANIMAL, I’D BE A... Falcon. Flying would be the one, especially at high speed.
WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND ME… Vampin’ with people close to me.
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT... I’m a junior architect.
MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC IS... That mysterious feeling of hearing something amazing and personal, yet so far out of reach. I still crave that excitement every day. IF I WAS INVISIBLE FOR THE DAY, I’D... Probably acquire some stuff I didn’t have before...
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY MIX ARE… Ex. Clu. Sive. MY LIFE WON’T BE COMPLETE UNTIL... Skepta and Youngs Teflon vocal my instrumental. ___ @WEN_BEATS
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RISE UP #20
JOE FORD
I AM... Joe Ford. I make music under my own name; keeps things simple. YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW ME FOR... My recent EP on Inspected, or my debut on Shogun Audio, ‘Stride’. I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS... Sonically interesting dance music. Generally, I make aggressive drum & bass, sometimes venturing into other tempos, but carrying the same musical ideals. WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND ME… Smashing heads on Battlefield 4, chilling with my girlfriend or watching Netflix. When summer comes back round, I’m definitely getting back on my board, though. MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC IS... When I was younger, I was completely uninterested by music; I have no explanation as to why. The first music I remember seeking out was whatever my brother was listening to, likely Linkin Park or Lost Prophets... IF I WAS INVISIBLE FOR THE DAY, I’D... Follow a friend round pretending to be his conscience.
IF I NEED INSPIRATION, I... Watch sci-fi films, play games or look at artwork. Creating soundscapes based on the ideas I get, visually and sonically, from games and films is an interesting and efficient system for me. I CAN’T START MY DAY WITHOUT... Blasting a track from my ‘Morning’ playlist. Although, recently, ‘Mid-Afternoon’ playlist would be more accurate. I suck at sleeping. But then, some of my best work is done in the late hours. IF I WAS AN ANIMAL, I’D BE A... Ruby-throated hummingbird; you’ll generally catch me in woodland areas, but I also frequent gardens where flowering plants are plentiful. YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT... I actually really enjoyed that Justin Bieber tune that came out recently; the guitar is fantastic. I might come to regret writing that in an interview…. THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY MIX ARE… Big. Juicy. Tight. ___ @JOEFORDMUSIC
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T R A P M I X T A P E #09
dj DIE
F
or our ninth mixtape, we’ve called on one of the most important, influential and consistently relevant figures in our world – the irrepressible DJ Die. Beginning his love affair with dance music back in the late 80s, Die’s career spans the full time-line of the UK underground. From playing infamous openair raves in the early 1990s, to earning his place at jungle’s top-table with his scene-shaping productions for V Recordings and winning the Mercury Prize with Reprazent, all the way through to his role today as boss of the genre-smashing Gutterfunk imprint – this is a man who really has done it all. With a love and enthusiasm for music that infects anyone in his radius, it’s no surprise that while many of his peers from the golden age of rave, jungle and D&B have faded into irrelevance (whether by choice, or not), Die is still playing, producing and championing new music through his DJ sets and Gutterfunk label. Expect, then, the unexpected from this exclusive mix Die has put together for Trap in conjunction with our friends at The Blast. Promising sixty minutes of the best in bass music, get on to the Trap website from early March to grab this and any other of our previous mixtapes. TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK THEBLAST.CO.UK
+ BRISTOL + LONDON + ONLINE + INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS + VINTAGE + LIFESTYLE + WWW.SHOPDUTTY.COM
Just Blaze WORDS: Spin Doctor
GEEK OF THE BEATS I
f you were looking for a poster-boy for nerd cool, then you could do no better than Justin Smith. With hip-hop, R&B and dance-music superstars clambering to work with him, the man known to the wider world as Just Blaze would never have reached this point were it not for his inner geek. Ahead of spinning for The Doctor’s Orders at Scala in March, Trap columnist and man behind said parties, Spin Doctor, spent a couple hours on the phone to the ‘Meagatron Don’ in his ‘Rebel Base Studios’ to find out more about how he went from tech-geek kid to producing beats for the biggest names in hip-hop and beyond...
J U S T
TRAP: You’ve said that the UK’s very own Soul II Soul inspired you to make music. How so? I saw the video to ‘Back To Life’ and Nelly Hooper was using a Macintosh 2SE with his keyboard. I realised I could make music through the computer, so I begged my mom to the computer store. I had no idea what I was looking for, but asked for the program that let me make music on my computer and they had something called Midi Workshop. When you’re a kid, you think there’s gonna be instant magic. Obviously, I didn’t immediately become the new Soul II Soul, so it sat there disused until I persuaded my mom to buy this piece of hardware called the Roland JS30. Aged 11, I figured it out from there. Your parents always encouraged you? It was definitely the support of my mom and family that made this happen. My mom was an amateur singer and my dad was a jazz keyboard player, so it was no surprise I had a little bit of talent. When you started making beats, who were your influences? For me, it was more about engineering at first. I was obsessed with Marley Marl’s ‘In Control’ album; I would stare at the cover for hours. Later, I wanted to make music as good as Pete Rock & The Bomb Squad; my tracks sounded like all of them put together. Large Professor was also a favourite; I still don’t feel I’ve made a record as good as ‘Looking At The Front Door’. You tread an interesting line between backpacker souldrenched hip-hop and more commercial club bangers. Was that intentional? I didn’t go out to bring underground sounds to the mainstream, but it wound up working out that way. I became the producer making mainstream crossovers that the underground heads would accept. My heart was always in the underground, it kept me grounded. The same week I made ‘Show Me What You Got’ for Jay, I was in the studio with MF Doom. I never do music for the pay-cheque. However, some music you make to be successful from a financial standpoint, others you make because you love music, but I have to maintain that balance. Mase’s ‘Harlem World’ was the first time I was in a studio with an established artist. I got paid $10,000 and it sold 50,000 copies. To this day, that’s the record I’m least proud of, because it wasn’t representative of my sound. How come you didn’t end up signed to Bad Boy and Puffy, then? I never wanted to be signed to anyone. I admired those that signed other people, not those that were signed. One of my life philosophies is; do you want to be YouTube or do you want to be Google? YouTube make a bunch of money, but Google came
B L A Z E
and snapped ‘em up. When I was an intern in studios, I would fax contracts and wonder why if the company is being paid $75,000, the producer is only making $15,000? So how did you work it to be part of the Roc-A-Fella camp? I was never signed to Roc. They would pay up front for a bunch of music. I was always free to work with anybody. That said, it was a great relationship - Jay-Z was arguably the greatest rapper at the time, but I didn’t owe them anything but music. Do you know when you’ve made a hit record such as ‘Live Your Life’ with TI? Sometimes, you have a good feeling about a record and know it has a chance. I started making that record as a bit of a joke, but once I listened to the chord progressions, I thought “This could be a huge record.” The next day, TI calls me to ask if I had anything for him. He loved it and once we decided to get either Rhianna or Justin Timberlake on the hook, I knew it would be a smash. Is there one record you’re most proud of? I like all my records, like a parent cares for their children. That said, ‘Public Service Announcement’ has stood the test of time. It’s a staple in the Jay-Z catalogue, one of his big concert records and when it plays on the radio or in a club, people still react like it’s a new record. And is there one beat you wish you had made? I was always fascinated by RZA’s ‘Protect Your Neck’. It’s so off-kilter and sonically wrong, but it works. A lot of RZA beats don’t make sense, but that’s what gives them their charm. They must have been on the best angel dust in the world to let these mistakes go, but that’s what makes it so raw and dope. Funny thing is, I read an article where he was asked that same question and he said Jay-Z’s ‘You Don’t Know’... Lastly, you came up through dance music and recently worked and toured with Bauer. Do you have plans for more of these projects? Yeah. I put a new record up on New Year’s Day called ‘One Up’ that we did with a bunch of Mario Brothers sounds. In fact, Mister Jam has been playing it out there. Up next, I’m in the process of mixing my EP for Fools Gold, which is all disco-house. I also have a super-group of producers working with Slaughterhouse right now. I’m just making whatever I want to make, but I’m never turning my back on hip-hop.
Just Blaze plays London’s Doctors Orders on 8 March, plus Bristol’s Sip The Juice on 26 February. THEDOCTORSORDERS.COM
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“ M Y H E A R T WA S A L WAY S I N T H E U N D E R G R O U N D . ”
GARMS FOR D AY S
BUSHKIN STYLING: Kasha Malyckyj PHOTOS: Ollie Grove
S
ome sub-cultures are all about the music. Some are all about the look. For those involved in the UK garage explosion of the 1990s, it was all about both.
Taking its cue from the ashes of the London jungle scene, UKG became synonymous with sunglasses, champagne and designer labels. The movement’s most dedicated followers thought nothing of saving money all week, just to spend on prohibitively expensive brands such as Moschino, D&G, Versace, Castelbajac and Iceberg to rock on the weekend. It really was all about the look – and none had that look more nailed than Heartless Crew. Bushkin, Fonti and Mighty Moe were as much known for their outrageous outfits as they were their vibe-packed shows at garage raves nationwide. From the all-over randomness of Moschino’s crazy prints, to Castelbajac and Iceberg’s cartoon colours and the multi-colour madness of Versace, it’s little wonder the collective are still remembered as much for their garms as their music. With all things 90s and designer-label firmly back in fashion, the opportunity to spend a day photographing Bushkin in some of the hundreds of outfits he has locked away in storage was one we couldn’t pass up. Here, we present several pages of some of Bushkin’s most impressive and memorable pieces, modelled by the man himself with all his inimitable swagger and charm. A true enthusiast for fashion and the labels he loves, Bushkin’s collection is easily one of the most impressive anywhere in the world. We spent hours sorting through and photographing suit after jacket after shirt, as Bushkin reminisced on the memories attached to each. We hope you enjoy the photographs as much as we enjoyed our day submerged in priceless designer pieces – check online for more images and for a full interview with Bushkin soon. @BUSHBASH
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21 March 2014
1 Roska Presents JME (Live) Roska Breakage Wookie Hannah Wants Preditah Faze Miyake Billon Jamie George
2 Drumsound & Bassline Smith Scratch Perverts Hatcha Cyantific Crissy Criss Lung MCs: IC3 AD
3 Cold Recordings Pinch Acre Elmono Batu Transient
Advance tickets: www.fabriclondon.com. Image taken from Dead Slow, watch it online at fabriclondon.com/deadslow
T. W i l l i a m s WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Laura Lewis
F
or some, success on their chosen path is the result of years of determined planning, personal development and unwavering focus on their goal. For others, it comes seemingly in an instant; their initial contributions to their field immediately recognised and exalted. Unusually, Tesfa Williams’ story is that of a man who has experienced both these routes to success, firstly as renowned grime producer, Dread D, for whom fame seemingly just fell in his lap, and then, several years later, as T.Williams and one of the new breed of UK house producers and DJs helping carry their bass-centric take on the genre to new audiences and heights. Some factors have remained consistent throughout the West Londoner’s story to the top, though. An ever-present, total obsession with music, combined with a relentless urge to do his own thing, regardless of the pressures of family and real life, meant that Williams was, in retrospect, always destined for success, whatever pathway he took, to whatever chosen field. That success is now clear for all to see, following a 2013 that saw the 30 year old from Northolt in West London take up a residency on Radio One, tour America twice and release his debut EP for the untouchable PMR imprint – home to chart-troubling underground heroes such as Disclosure, Jessie Ware and Julio Bashmore. The living embodiment of the musical times we live in, the story of how an ex-grime producer came to be making, playing and accepted by house music was one we at Trap were keen to explore. On a cold day in early February, we dragged Tesfa from his West London home all the way over to Oslo in Hackney and set about digging to the bottom of his fascinating journey so far...
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“ G R I M E WA S N ’ T A G E N R E , W E W E R E J U S T T RY I N G T O M A K E G A R A G E . ”
T . W I L L I A M S
TRAP: Hey T. The best place to start is at the very beginning. When did you first start making music? “I started producing at a really young age. I did music through school and went on to studying music tech at college. That’s where I met a guy called DJ Dice, a good friend of mine still now. He introduced me to Jon E Cash who liked what I was doing and started playing, then signing my tunes to his Black Ops label. I produced under the name Dread D and did a track called ‘Invasion’ that was pretty big - that was the start of things really. “At that time, grime wasn’t a genre. We were just trying to make garage. Obviously, it was different, dirtier; I was using the rawest equipment and my brother’s computer to make music. I didn’t have a desk, compressors, none of that, so it sounded raw compared to the garage that was around at the time. “I was always more focused on the bass, too, coming from my early influences like jungle and drum & bass. I wanted to bring that to it from early. And people like Wookie and Sticky; I hailed them as producers; they had a sound. They had the garage soul, but with a grit to it. That was what I was about at the time, so in attempting to make that sound, along those lines, we stumbled into what people eventually began to call grime. We were calling our stuff sublo at the time. You achieved a lot of success at a young age... “Yeah, the period with Black Ops was great. We had a good time in the early 2000s, travelling to America, Holland, Spain, playing things like Sidweinder in the UK. Selling a good amount of records; it was a great time. I was 18 and making decent money for my age; I had a car, could take my girlfriend on holiday. I blew the money, but it was fun, I was young. And although music was always what I’d done and wanted to do, I felt like ‘Yeh, music is good, but I’ll go off an do something else eventually, go off and teach or get a normal office job.’ “My parents, I think that’s what they wanted, too. I’m from a musical family, it was always around me. My dad sang in a band, and him and my mum are massively into roots reggae, soca, soul. But I was always the one that played the drums, where my sisters and brother played the flute or piano. In terms of them thinking I had a career in music, I don’t think it was an obvious thing for them. “I got into DJing at a young age, as well. I was always buying records from the age of 13. So, I guess, I was the rebel one – I bought records, went to clubs. It wasn’t something my parents saw as a career for me.” You said you played the drums? “Yeah, I played drums from the age of about seven until I was about 13 or 14. I was in a band, doing indie stuff. We’d play charity events or summer fêtes, doing covers of Oasis, Supergrass; the commercial bands of the time. To be honest, I wasn’t really into that music, but for playing drums it was good. It wasn’t like I was gonna start playing the amen break any time soon on a drum kit! It was cool, but eventually, like so many bands, the lead singer fell out with the guitarist, and I thought ‘You know what, I’ve had enough of this.’ “That was my brief moment in a band; a couple of years of my
teens. But then I found DJing and production, which I could do on my own; it seemed a better route.” You were playing Supergrass covers in a band at the same time as making grime? “Yeah at the same time! I guess that seems strange looking back on it. But it was just music, music, music – I was always staying after school really late in the rehearsal rooms playing with the band. It really set the foundation for me thinking of music as something I wanted to do with my life. So, when I went to college, I was adamant about networking, meeting people, getting out there and giving people my music. “Before I met Jon E Cash, me and my mate Ryan used to go to raves just to give DJs dubplates. I’d spend £35 on getting each one pressed myself and go to try and find Martin Larner or EZ to give it to. They might never play it, but it was about getting it to them. College days, that’s what it was about; it was a real hard hustle. So yeah, meeting up with Jon E Cash when I was about 16 or 17, in the first year at college, he had the finance to put music out. When he told me he wanted to put out my tracks, that was a big thing for me.” And after college you went on to uni? “Yeah, I studied a degree in music composition with professional media; music for TV and film, basically. That wasn’t for me either. It was satisfying, but more about ticking a box for my parents, you know. After that, I actually got a normal 9-5 job working in IT. I was doing IT sales. “Like I said, I think I always thought I’d end up teaching music tech or something. But when I did come out of my degree and worked a normal job, I knew it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a go-getter, I didn’t want to go out and get a promotion; it wasn’t me. Even when I was going into schools assisting with music technology teaching, my mind was elsewhere, I was thinking about the next email that was gonna come through about a tune, checking the plays on Myspace... “And then I got made redundant, about five years ago now. One of my good friends, S.E.F., he said to me ‘Don’t go back to work, stick it out with music, it will work out.’ That’s when we started the Deep Teknologi label. I was hesitant about going for it fully, but got a little redundancy payment and that was the little kick to say go and do it. I’d chat to people, I’d mention I made a tune called ‘Invasion’ or I was called Dread D and they’d be like ‘Oh wow, you’re part of Black Ops...’ The conversation was easy, it was an opening.” You’d left grime long behind by now? “I never stopped making grime, and never have! I’ve always gone into the studio and made little 140 loops, sometimes I make a 140 loop and turn it into a 130 thing. I’ve never stopped making it, I just stopped showcasing it to the world.” But the change had happened – you were T.Williams now and putting out house music on your own label, rather than Dread D putting out grime for someone else? “Yeah. We’d started the new label, just doing house music and UK funky or whatever. I decided I needed a name fitting the style of music I was making, not so grimy and gully, a little bit nicer, more house music; T.Williams worked.”
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You’ve mentioned UK funky. Was that the natural stepping stone between grime and house for you? “Yes, definitely. I was there at the very beginning of that scene. I used to rave in here, when it was Hackney Central. Deja Vu did parties in here with people like Supa D and Wigman playing here. It was a good time. This was a popping place for that, but it was before there were the proper UK funky English producers. It was when, at a funky rave, they’d play Tom Novy ‘I Don’t Want Nobody’, Mylo ‘Drop The Pressure’, but then a DJ Gregory track... “It was house music, but a different vibe to what a traditional house or funky house DJ would do. This would chop between that and a Masters At Work track, something afrobeat, a combination of a lot of different things. Broken beat, this, that - it blew my mind. DJ sets bringing all those house influences together in one place. And then also garage! “And I thought, you know what, I can produce grimy stuff with a broken beat or a 4/4, and these parties would play that. It would go down a treat. I had to think to myself, ‘How am I gonna sell this to that world?’ “Coming from where I came from, grime, an 8-bar track could go a long way. These tunes had progression; vocals, sometimes live instruments. I spent time learning what made house music tick, I didn’t just jump into the deep end and get involved. I took the time out, sat back and thought to myself, ‘I need to get my production skills up, learn the techniques needed for good house music.’” It was a fresh challenge? “Yeah, it was a completely fresh challenge. I took my time with it and made sure I was ready. By the time I was, the UK funky scene had taken off; Roska and that were doing their thing. I was a little more house than they were then already, though. I was constantly thinking about house music and being different. About what would make someone want to listen to my music rather than anyone else’s. I knew if I tried to be like the biggest tune out there, I wouldn’t get noticed. I had to do something fresh. “Coming from grime, I had to re-train myself to break out of that grime mentality and look beyond that. When I was involved in grime, I found it limiting. The rules were strict and it couldn’t progress as a track; it was all about the reloads. I still love making a grime tune now that’s pure impact, but house is something entirely different. “I feel like I’m fulfilled as a musician and producer at the moment. I’m able to showcase the whole time-line of my musical journey from the age of 13 to now, the whole 17 years.” Which explains your most recent ‘Pain & Love’ EP for PMR, which veered from slick vocal-led soulful house to heavier grimeimbibed sounds.. “Yes, exactly. I want to showcase the whole reference. It’s something I try to do in my DJ sets, and my Radio One show. I want to show where I’ve come from.” And PMR as a label – it’s quite the powerhouse to be involved with. Do you know those guys from growing up in West London? “No, I didn’t know them before. I should have! There were so many times our paths could have crossed. I did a remix for them of a Javeon track that got played by Radio One and that led to them giving me a call and saying we should talk. If I’m honest, I had a few deals being offered to me at that time, but I thought I should go with the coolest people, who I actually got on with. That was PMR. At that time, it was pre Disclosure, it was Javeon, Bashmore, Jessie Ware; that was it. So it’s been amazing to watch the label grow.”
Talking of Disclosure, you toured America with them last year. How was that? “Disclosure are massive out there, a big vibe. The crowds out there get it, it’s not just EDM. They’ve moved on from dubstep, and are embracing stuff like Disclosure, but also people like Hot Since 82, Breach, Gorgon City. People are really embracing it; I went out there with 16,000 followers on my Soundcloud and game back with 1.3 million! “As well as the Disclosure tour, I did another tour out there with Mosca. It was a totally different vibe on each, playing house clubs with Mosca and proper venues with Disclosure. It was an amazing experience, I saw so many different cities and vibes. Playing for Disclosure as an opening DJ, it was a different skill. It was great, every day was different.” Stepping back a few years, it was in 2010 with the release of your track ‘Heartbeat’ featuring vocals from Terri Walker that established the T.Williams name outright. How did that come to be? “Terri Walker was managed by my brother. Like I said, I’m from a musical family... She’d always said she’d do something with me, ever since I was a kid. I think I sent my brother the beat, Terri heard it at a birthday party at his house, liked it, came to the studio a day or two later, vocaled it in a one-hour session, got the vibe. I sent it to Tom Lea from Local Action records and that was it. “Roska did an amazing remix of it; when I heard that, I knew it was gonna pop off. It was early, not when the garage vibe was a bait thing to do, the progression in his remix was amazing. And then Paul Woolford hit me and said he wanted to remix it. You couldn’t get anyone better, and he just wanted to do it. “So I had the bass world on it, and the house world on it. It was in two worlds; Mosca played it, Seth Troxler played it at Watergate. It was amazing to me that that would happen, coming from the world we came from, the bass world, that was acceptance. And for Paul Woolford to remix it, the people that ended up playing it, it was unbelievable.” In those intervening years, those two worlds have moved closer together, both culturally and sonically. Have these changes made it easier for you to be accepted by the more established and traditional house institutions? “Yeah, for sure. There’s been a big change. The bookings I’m getting now for Ibiza and certain clubs, just a couple of years ago, they wouldn’t have had me. Now, I think people understand what I’m trying to do. I’m not trying to ruin your party; I’m trying to play house music. That groove has always been something that grabbed me, I’m just trying to play music I like. I love house, but I have a love for bass, too. “I don’t like rules, don’t like being locked up. I’m not about musical elitism. For me, it’s free for everyone to enjoy. If someone comes along and plays a certain track, as long as it’s what he wants to do, I’d never knock that. “I’ve seen people change genres and I understand that. If you’re not enjoying that music, that vibe, move! It’s not about the money or hitting a certain crowd; even if you never make a penny, just enjoy what you do. “I can honestly say, no matter how much money I have or I lose, I will always make music. Even at my most broke times, where I was working in a 9-5 and there was no outlet for me to put music out, I still made music. I always have. It’s what I have to do; get home, put the computer on, hit some keys, make a track. That is what I’m here to do.” PMR’s ‘From 20 Square Feet In Acton’ compilation is out soon. TWILLIAMSONLINE.CO.UK
“ I ’ M N O T T RY I N G T O R U I N YO U R PA R T Y; I ’ M T RY I N G T O P L AY H O U S E M U S I C . ”
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DIANA BURAKA
D
iana Buraka sites herself as a ‘photographer, tattooist and adventurist’. Born in Soviet Union Latvia in 1990, she then grew up in Germany before later living in Milan and studying communication design in Dusseldorf and Barcelona. Drawing from the age of 13, she began turning her scribblings into some pretty unique tattoos in 2013. Using simple lines, and drawing influence from everything from prison and gang tattoos to memories of her grandfather’s own inkings, Diana’s style is truly unique. Check her website and Tumblr for more of her work. DIANABURAKA.DE BURAKAPHOTOGRAPHY.TUMBLR.COM
D U S K Y WORDS: Olivia Dawson
W
ithin the current, rapid state of electronic music there seems to be a small breed of artists that, despite the necessity for success, have managed to attain a particularly humble mentality. For some, it’s a kind of mindset that can be tricky to find, yet for Alfie GrangerHowell and Nick Harriman, it was more like an aesthetic that slowly grew over time. Threading together the exact right ingredients throughout the years to form that signature, Dusky dancefloor sound, the duo share a slick working dynamic and unusually grounded outlook on the industry. It’s the exact reason why, a little bit of luck aside, that the duo have flown above and beyond the stratosphere of contemporary clubland and towards a status as two of the most in-demand DJs the UK has to offer. So, post their recent ‘9t8’ release for Loefah’s School Records, Trap tracked down the duo to chat deep-house charts, Australian tours and their Dusky Presents FABRICLIVE next month…
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TRAP: Your latest single ‘9T8’ has just dropped. What’s the reaction to it been like so far? A: The reaction so far has been really positive, it gets a good response in the clubs and lots of DJs we respect have been playing it out. It’s a very functional club track, exactly what we need at the moment as we’re playing so many shows. We saw you remarking about its Beatport classification online… Do you feel like that type of confusion happens a lot with your output? Is it something you really care about? You’re in a pretty strong position with people such as Loefah pushing your music, but do you ever feel lumped in? N: Confusion does happen with regard to genre definitions, and yeah we do find it amusing that so much disparate music falls under the banner of ‘deep house’ these days. But maybe that kind of confusion is inevitable within a scene that changes and evolves as rapidly as dance music does. We need names to describe sounds and sometimes the existing labels don’t serve us very well. But, luckily, it doesn’t really affect us. Ultimately, it’s not important to us how people categorise our music, as long as it’s getting out there and some enjoyment can be taken from it. A: We don’t feel lumped in, no. When our music first started getting attention, we somehow managed to straddle various scenes without trying, which was great. These days, we try and maintain that by playing a wide range of shows and parties. We’re in a position where we’re able to experiment with a broad scope of sounds in our productions, too, which is great from a creative point of view. You’ve obviously figured the dynamic out for yourselves, but what’s your working partnership like? N: Production wise, it really varies from track to track and it’s changed quite a bit since we’ve started touring so much. At the moment, we normally start tunes on our laptops while we’re on the road on the weekends. Once we’re back in the studio during the week, we swap ideas, decide what we think is working and then develop the ideas into tracks. A: For our DJ sets it’s been consistently the same for years, we play back to back, essentially one track each. The system works for us, as it keeps us on our toes. When one of us drops a track the other isn’t expecting, you have to react and make a decision where to take the set next. It can result in a much more musically dynamic performance, especially during longer sets. It seems like you’ve made a lot of good decisions down the road to get you to this point – do you ever look back on how things might have ended up a little differently? N: Definitely. You need a bit of luck and good timing for things to take off. It could so easily have gone the other way. Everything just seemed to fall into place for us during 2011, the timing was right for the music, we met some great people who really helped to push us and we were prepared, skillswise, to take on the opportunities as they arose because we’d been practising for so many years. Since then, we’ve just been trying to push on and maintain consistency in our work, as well as develop musically.a much more musically dynamic performance, especially during longer sets. You’ve already taken on both American and Australian tours. How do those countries compare to the scene over here? A: The UK is our favourite place to play in the world, as there’s a really unusual mix of a hyper energetic but super knowledgeable crowd. Even in other parts of Europe, the crowd really know their stuff musically, but sometimes don’t give so much energy to the dancefloor, which can be a shame. Obviously, this is a rash generalisation, as it changes from club to club and city to city, but in the US and Australia the crowd has great energy, but you sometimes get the feeling that
they’d dance to anything and aren’t really that fussed about the nuances of the music and the performance. Hopefully, this will improve over time as underground dance music becomes more prevalent there. You’re doing your very first Dusky Presents show at FABRICLIVE in March – where you’ve personally hand-picked the roster. Can you tell us a little more about who you picked and why? N: Youandewan is warming up Room 1; we’re long-time fans of his music. It has a great warmth and depth to it that should set the night off nicely. A: We asked Loefah to close the room as he’s been a big supporter of our music and is an amazing DJ. He can keep a crowd at a club until the early hours and destroy it - we’ve witnessed it enough times to know. It’s a really exciting prospect. N: For Room 2, we’ve gone in a more techno direction, with Artwork returning as Grain, the alias under which he produced some of our favourite techno tracks of the 90s. Alongside him will be Joey Beltram who should need no introduction as one of the most influential artists on the UK rave scene. His pioneering tracks such as ‘Energy Flash’ and ‘Mentasm’ went on to inform the future of UK dance music, especially the moodier side of drum & bass established by labels such as Metalheadz and Virus. A: Jimmy Edgar is also performing; we’re huge fans of his as he’s been one of the most consistent artists for us in recent years. We’ve also asked Paleman to play and represent School Records. He’s developed such a unique sound, completely doing his own thing and smashing it in the process. N: Room 3 will be representing UK garage with Grant Nelson playing a ‘Nice N Ripe’ set, his record label, which released a number of tracks that were really big for us growing up. A: Benny Ill, another legend within the scene, will also be in Room 3. Through his own tracks and his work with Horsepower Productions he helped to lay the foundations of what eventually became Dubstep, a true pioneer. Our good friend Klose One will also be joining; he’s an incredible DJ and his garage sets are untouchable. Artwork, Loefah and Grant Nelson have all been imperative parts of London’s underground culture and the club circuit. I think it’s fair to say that the scene has been going through quite a transitional period the past few years. Where do you see it evolving to in 2014? N: It’s impossible to predict where it’ll go, there’s so much happening and sounds come in and out of fashion so quickly. It’s definitely a particularly transitional period as you say, but then again UK dance music has always had a history of evolving and changing very quickly and we believe it’s something to be embraced. A: We’re just going to stay focused on what we do and continue to write what we believe is good music. Hopefully, that will put us in a good position, whatever scenes we may end up being involved with. Finally, who should we be listening to this year? A: Nikola Gala is on a roll at the moment too, as is Jack Dixon. N: We mentioned Paleman already, but he’s definitely one to watch. Leon Vynehall is smashing it at the moment, both under his own name and as Laszlo Dancehall with Christian Piers (aka A1 Bassline). Dusky Presents takes place Friday 14 March at fabric, London.
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Greg Lucci WORDS: Jon Cook
YO U A R E W H AT YO U E AT
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hey say you can judge a man by the shoes on his feet. However, in a moment in time where all it takes to be a ‘sneakerhead’ is a few simple clicks online, and twee tabloid fashion editors command the clueless to don New Balance and Air Max 1s in their painful ‘Trainers With Everything!’ editorials, that old adage doesn’t work so well in 2014... So, while it may feel sad to watch some of your all-time favourites slink miserably into ubiquity thanks to Joey Essex and the Office concession in Top Shop (Huaraches, we’re looking at you), thanks to brands such as Gourmet, there are still plenty of ways to make an original statement with your footwear - without resorting to rocking dad shoes or DMs. Combining luxe and innovative fabrics, bags of style and genuine functionality, Gourmet’s rare success in the near impenetrable realm of fashion-led sports footwear is based on much more than just good looks. Built on years of experience in the world of fashion retail and design, the guys behind Gourmet have being doing it right, in their own unique way, since day one. Visiting the UK for the first time in years, Trap caught up with Greg Lucci - one of the brains behind the brand - in a plush East London showroom packed with Gourmets of every shape, size and colour. Read on for a fascinating insight into one of streetwear’s most original and influential characters - and brands.
Greg Lucci
TRAP: Hey Greg, our readers will know all about Gourmet, but perhaps not you. Please introduce yourself... My name’s Greg Lucci and I’m originally from New England, but I’m now based out of LA, where we founded Gourmet. I moved to LA in the early 90s, but went back to New York to work for Zoo York for a while around 2002. I did a bunch of things over in New York, including working creatively to help out at the start of Complex Magazine. After that, I headed back to LA and started Gourmet a few years later. You’ve worked with some of street fashion’s biggest brands over your career – did you study fashion at college? Nope. I actually got into fashion through retail. I opened a store in the early 1990s in California called Chaos and, through that, I met a lot of people in fashion. I’d help out people with ideas and things like that, and it just all went on from there. So, tell us more about the store... It was heavily centred on music, by that I mean a lot of concert tee-shirts, from every genre from hip-hop to rock, combined with skateboarding and what people call streetwear today. But it was the start of things, the early 90s; the start of all that. It was unique. Almost everything in my spot, apart from the skateboard stuff; it was pretty much the only place you could find it, stuff people hadn’t seen before. A lot of the merch in there was East Coast stuff, which was weird for California. It was risky, but it turned out well. You’ve lived in both New York and LA, and we’re sat now in London. As style cities, what are your perceptions of the differences between the three? London has always been a fashionable city, for me. From a fashion perspective, you kind of get it. I like the eclecticism of how people dress out here, it’s not just one thing or another, it’s a lot of different worlds thrown in together for a look. And that’s one of the spirits of what Gourmet has always been about - it’s about the high, the low, the curation of all that and how it looks together. It’s a style-based thing. I like London for its style. I think style and fashion are two different things. I love the eclecticism of it. It’s refreshing. People dress to make statements, you say who you are through your outfit, but I like the mix. That’s what I’ve always been about and I find London is like that. And that’s great for Gourmet, too. And New York and LA? Is the perception of the cold hip-hop world of the East and laid-back surferdom of the West a true one? Yeah that’s a true perception; California and New York are two completely different environments. Although, you can travel the world, but there’s no place like LA. That place might as well be another planet, it’s different to anywhere you’ve ever been. LA is entertainment industry based. It’s a very transient city; people come from all over to make their way and to try to become famous. That shapes you as a person; everyone there is very self motivated. It’s an interesting place and very unique. It’s a place you can go and make a fresh start. You were involved at the start with Complex Magazine – who recently hailed London as the ‘sneaker capital of the world’. Would you agree? That doesn’t shock me at all. The trainer culture here, ever since the early 1990s, has always been on another level to anywhere else I’ve been. In terms of the selection available, and the consumers here who will buy all that stuff, I think it’s amazing. You guys are very much a trainer culture – there’s real diversity between the athletic and fashion. I’ve always enjoyed that.
So, which is your favourite style city? Where inspires you most? The things I get inspired from, when I travel, are nothing to do with fashion or culture. I’ll go somewhere to surf, do something completely different. That’s where I take my inspiration from. I like to go out of my head and see how it works. If you’ve always only got your eyes on what’s going on, then that’s all that will inspire you and you’re then going to be making something that’s already old. I never liked that philosophy; I’m always inspired by something, but it’s never a product. You’ve mentioned your fascination with combining the worlds of fashion and practical athleticism – it seems this is at the heart of Gourmet as a brand too? It’s everything. It’s the nature of this brand. I’ve always been someone that was athletic and, I guess, I’ve always had some kind of style. I never understood why the best performance and functionality had to look so awful. I was always fascinated with crossing that line between function and fashion and making it work together on a bigger platform. And that’s the DNA of Gourmet. It’s the understanding that style is not fashion. There are beautiful things that are cheap as anything, and those that are really expensive; it’s the understanding of how you can wear both those things together. How you can wear a $10 track pant with a $3,000 shirt, and someone will always ask you ‘Where d’you get the $10 track pant...” All those things combined, from the high to the low, fashion to function, that’s really what Gourmet has always been about. That was your motivation to start the brand? It really was. My partners and I are all American-Italian kids; so we framed it up under an odd culture reference that wasn’t just one place or another. Being a certain descent, but being raised in a completely different place, all those things together. When it came to the product, it was always function and form and where that met with style; the high and low together. When we started we made American sportswear in high-fashion factories in Italy. The Dior factory, Missoni – but we were building sweat pants and hoodies... Given your success, what would your advice be to anyone looking to set-up a brand? It’s a tough business. Whatever you’re gonna do, make sure you have a timeless concept and a bigger idea that enables you to navigate in and out of whatever trend is going on at the time. A lot of people trying to be creative do so off a trend that’s happening and they’re here today gone tomorrow, because they’ve made their brand so focused on what’s cool for right now. I see a lot of the young people, I love and appreciate what they do, but they start it off with what’s popular and they become known for that one thing. Then, when that trend has gone, they’re looked at in one dimension. The way to avoid that is to have a bigger idea. And finally, 2014 is set to a big one for Gourmet. What should we watch out for? I’m very excited about our Quadici shoe, which has been redesigned into a lightweight template – it’s a very light, functional running shoe, but it’s a duck boot! We also have a new low-top running silhouette. Then, the other stuff I’m very excited about, well, that doesn’t come out until the season after, so I cant talk about that right now...
GOURMETFOOTWEAR.COM
“ S T Y L E A N D F A S H I O N A R E T W O D I F F E R E N T T H I N G S . ”
T H E G O O D G I R L
PHOTOGRAPHY: GARETH RHYS STYLED BY: KASHA MALYCKYJ AND TAZMIN OSBORNE SANDERS HAIR AND MAKEUP: JOANNA WILLIAMS MODEL: CHARLI AT UNION MODELS
JACKET: £45 SHORTS: £25 TOP: ASOS £6 WWW.ASOS.COM BAG: MOTEL WWW.MOTELROCKS.COM
JUMPSUIT FROM A SELECTION AT: BEYOND RETRO WWW.BEYONDRETRO.COM SHOES STYLIST’S OWN
TOP: MOTEL £30 DRESS: MOTEL £40 WWW.MOTELROCKS.COM
TOP: ISOLATED HEROES £42 SKIRT: ISOLATED HEROES £60 WWW.ISOLATED-HEROES.COM SHOES: ADIDAS ORIGINALS £62 WWW.ADIDAS.CO.UK SOCKS: TOPSHOP £4 WWW.TOPSHOP.COM
BIKINI TOP: MOTEL £39 TROUSERS: MOTEL £40 SHOES: JUJU JELLIES WWW.JUJUSHOES.CO.UK SUNGLASSES: QUAY EYEWEAR WWW.QUAYEYEWEAR.COM
JACKET: BEYOND RETRO TOP: MOTEL £28 SHORTS: MOTEL £38 BAG STYLIST’S OWN
TOP: MOTEL £25 SHOES: JUJU JELLIES AT OFFICE £48 WWW.OFFICE.CO.UK SOCKS: TOPSHOP £4 VINTAGE FRED PERRY SKIRT STYLIST’S OWN
JACKET: ISOLATED HEROES £140 TOP: BEYOND RETRO SHOES: JUJU JELLIES NECKLACE STYLIST’S OWN
JUMPER: MOTEL £45 SKIRT: BEYOND RETRO
B O S S S E L E C T I O N S GOING IN DEEP... ROY DAVIS JR.
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HIS IS WHERE TRAP OFFERS UP A PAGE OF OUR MAGAZINE TO ONE OF DANCE MUSIC’S TRUE LEGENDS, GIVING THEM THE CHANCE TO SHARE TEN TRACKS THAT SHAPED AND INSPIRED THEIR LIVES AND CAREERS. NONE COME MORE LEGENDARY THAN US HOUSE/GARAGE DJ AND PRODUCER ROY DAVIS JR, WHOSE 1996 TRACK ‘GABRIEL’ IS WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE THE TOUCHPAPER FOR THE UK GARAGE SCENE. AS SUCH, WE’RE ESPECIALLY PROUD TO INVITE ROY TO SHARE HIS MOST MEMORABLE MUSICAL MOMENTS WITH YOU...
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YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA
‘Computer Games’ This is one of those old b-boy/Chicago house heads’ type of records that was no joke once it got dropped. The arrangement was so musically laid out, you could tell this band wasn’t playing around. Created to make you dance. 02 LOGIC ‘ The Warning’ “Red rose or black rose, no in-between.” A clever way to make a statement, and those in the know understood just what Wayne Gardner was trying to say. With the killer swing on that 909 drum machine, dope pads and chord stabs, this was a special moment in time for music at Strictly Rhythm. 03
PAL JOEY’S EARTH PEOPLE
‘ Dance’ The music on this track does exactly what the title says - “Just Dance!” A sick beat and a nasty horn sample lick that you just can’t get out of your head – a real 90s floor stomper. 04 LARRY HEARD ‘ Black Oceans’ What can you say about Larry Heard? Pure genius, with both his past and present work. The truth in real house music; the different layers of sounds composed with a strangeness of chords and melodies that only Larry can do. Beauty in its rawest form.
#18
05 LIL’ LOUIS ‘ Club Lonely’ (Radically Lonely Mix)
A true banger from one of the founders of Chicago house music; this track jumps off from deep space. Minimal keys combine with a driving beat and whistles for the perfect track to end your set with. 06
MODEL 500
‘ No UFOs’ One of the first Detroit electro records, by Juan Atkins under the Model 500 group name, this song can never be duplicated; it’s a classic! With a super-crazy bassline that you hear in your sleep for days and days after, heavy claps and nothing but analogue keyboard sounds; this was most definitely a piece of electronic art. 07
STEVIE WONDER
‘ The Secret Life Of Plants’ I always found this song a miracle. Stevie describes the Earth with such poetic beauty; it’s almost as though he created everything he sings about. A true illustrator of music, this particular song has acoustic guitar and piano that takes you on a love ride through the clouds to heaven. 08
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
‘Find A Way’ Kings of the boom-bap! The female vocal hook sets the vibe off right, with the strings and rhodes keyboard melting into the background beneath some of the best rappers of all time. Symphonic to the soul. 09
THE DOORS
‘ Riders Of The Storm’ On the band side of things, one of my favourites ever. The Doors’ music is so deep and mystical. Starting with a little bit of misty rain, jazzy Rhodes and a bassline walking up the rhythm of the softly played ride. Jim Morrison comes in, his perfectly painted vision told in words. What a poet and storyteller. This song is just pure magic. 10 ROY AYERS ‘ Searching’ Soul and jazz at its best, Roy is in his zone on this one. Kicking off with a horn-riff and live vibes played on that cool tip. With his silky voice singing “I’m Searching”, the way he put it all together on this reels you in to a melodic trance. Piano slashed in on the bridge and a dope sax solo to set that right mood - it can’t be topped. Just perfection! BBQ Music.
B O S S
S E L E C T I O N S
MUNGOS HI-FI SCOTCH BONNET
01
TRADESMAN ‘Know Bout Style’
ft Parly B
02 MAJOR LAZER ‘Smooth Sailing’ ft Mr Williamz & Mungo’s Hi-Fi 03 MUNGO’S HI-FI ‘Scrub a Dub Style’ ft Sugar Minott (Prince Fatty Rmx) 05 HI5 GHOST ‘Kung Fu Kick’ (Kahn & Neek Rmx) 05 MUNGO’S HI FI ‘Rules of the Dance’ ft Charlie P (Kahn Rmx) 06 SUBACTIVE ‘Pepper Dem’ ft Speng B 07 UNKNOWN ARTIST ‘The Stinger’ 08 NARAM ‘Mayhem’ ft Asher Senator 09 BUSY SIGNAL ‘Same Way’ 10 MIKEY MELODY ‘Soldier In Town’
ETHERWOOD
SLACKK
MED SCHOOL
01
INTELLIGENT MANNERS
‘Best Place Ever’ 02 REDEYES ‘We All Try’ 03
FREDERIC ROBINSON
‘Particles’ 04 05
LOZ CONTRERAS ‘Baby It’s You’ HUGH HARDIE ‘Tearing Me Apart’
ft Ryan Kuatois 06 07 08 09 10
SILENCE GROOVE ‘I Really Mean It’ OM UNIT ‘Governers Bay’ PROKTAH ‘Elephant March’ GRIFTA ‘Icarus’ ICICLE ‘Dumbstep’
FAKE BLOOD
BOXED
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
JT THE GOON ‘Twin Warriors’ EP FINN ‘Keep Calling’ NOVELIST ‘Sniper’ (Murlo Rmx) MILKTRAY ‘Hotel’ SLACKK ‘Ancient Dolphin’ SSS ‘Rollin’ PHANTOM ‘Complex City’ LAZIO ‘Go On & Hit It’ SHRIEKIN SPECIALIST
‘Black Dress’ 10
JL SANDERS V HI5 GHOST
‘Kung Fu Kick Rmx’’
TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 071
BLOOD MUSIC
01 02
FAKE BLOOD ‘Waiting’ OWINY SIGOMA BAND ‘Nyiduonge
Drums’ (Champion Rmx) 03 HUXLEY ‘Inkwell’ 05 DON FROTH ‘10000CC’ 05 DJ HAUS ‘Hey Now Wait A Minute’ 06 TURBO TURBO ‘Jack Your House’ (Kaptain Kadillac Rmx) 07 MOUNTER & MIFI ‘Fiercely Pretty’ 08 FRIEND WITHIN ‘The More’ 09 AVALON EMERSON ‘Pressure’ 10 ERRBODY & TRVE ‘Get Right’
RA INY
MI LO
T H I S T H I N G O F O U R S THE
DEBUT
ALBUM
03.03.14 Limey
www. RA I N Y M I LO - O F FICIA L .CO.U K
R E V I E W S #18
T i m D u b B o y , O l i G r a n t , O s c a r , H e n s o n , J u s t i n I r i a j e n , N a c h o J P, F i r e M a n S a m , E r i n M a t h i a s , C h r i s t i a n N e w m a n , B o r o , J o n C a r t e r, S a r a h B o n , S h a u n P h i l l i p s , Chris Thomas & Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff.
CONTRIBUTORS:
ADDISON GROOVE ‘PRESENTS JAMES GRIEVE’
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t’s exactly four years since Tony Williams emerged from the ashes of his Headhunter days, reinvented as Addison Groove and armed with ‘Footcrab’, a record that helped trigger a cascade of Chicago juke influence throughout UK soundsystem music. 2012’s Transistor Rhythm continued to synthesise the frenetic bounce of juke with sparser, sub-140bpm structures. On ‘James Grieve’, however, shifting his focus to still-higher tempos, Williams explores an exhilarating convergence of juke and jungle; a mutant sound with a distinctly UK-centric identity that he clearly relishes. Collaborations with fellow Bristol producers Sam Binga on ‘11th’ and ‘Rzor’, and jungle hero DJ Die on ‘167 Blast’, as well as the breath-taking solo effort ‘Ain’t It Love’ typify this aesthetic mesh, combining the skittering
808-bassline-driven pulse of juke and footwork with tightly coiled, half-time D&B rhythms. The addition of vocals is another welcome development in Williams’ repertoire, represented by MC DRS’s terse rap on ‘Rzor’ and Josefina’s husky voice on a trio of evocative rollers. There’s a balance of styles too, with interjections of beatless sketches, not to mention the acidic squelches of techno-leaning numbers such as ‘Bad Seed’ and ‘Space Apples’. ‘James Grieve’ succeeds brilliantly in unifying Williams’ pioneering appropriation of juke with the freshest incarnations of the D&B sound he’s loved for years, and it’s surely this return to his roots that makes the album blossom, while sounding evolved and mature. This is a thrilling body of music.
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PHOTO: Godelivia Veira
(50 Weapons)
R E V I E W S RHYTHMIC THEORY ‘DECADENCE OF DELAY’ (Happy Skull) ___
S ANGEL HAZE ‘DIRTY GOLD’ (Island) ___
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y home is the music; it’s where I fall apart, it’s where I come to life.” Detroit rapper Angel Haze could be describing Dirty Gold itself. With an illustrious, if inappropriate, team lurking beneath this record, including Coldplay producer Markus Dravs, there’s too much faux innovation and lackadaisical Topshop aesthetic here. Some tracks - ‘Angels & Airwaves’, ‘Battle Cry’ and ‘Planes Fly’ - gun for the Top 40 with acoustic guitar-fuelled rhythms and vacuous lyrics; hip-hop heads, press the skip button. But there are some stunning moments of lyrical and musical marriage too. Quicktime, frustrated 4x4 claps prop up Haze’s arresting, iambic flow on ‘Tribe Called Red’; she’s “harder than nipples on bitches aroused.” On ‘White Lillies/White Lies’, she observantly and sensitively addresses a stripper. Storytelling with an aggressive flow, a literary flare and a dash of humour is what she does best.
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MERIDIAN DAN FEAT BIG H & JME
‘GERMAN WHIP’ (PMR Records) ___
It‘s been a while since a grime MC has delivered a song that’s become such an ubiquitous presence, capturing the people’s attention in raves, as well as via YouTube and radio. Meridian Dan’s return is a throwback to the era of Channel U grime classics, with an infectiously catchy flow and chorus. The beat draws on the current 808-led trap trend, but is layered with a break that gives it a more unique UK feel.
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘10 YEARS OF PHONICA’ (Phonica) ___
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oho’s stalwart vinyl outlet collate a 33-track anthology that pays homage to the vibrant and varied material that has run through its veins and kept it healthy for 10 remarkable years of trade. A balanced selection is clearly key to their success; contributors vary from the eminent Henrik Schwarz, Mr G and Roman Flugel, to the auspicious Red Rack’em, Medlar and Loshea, who all work cohesively to cover an expansive spectrum of moods. Despite variety that spans Tom Croose’s allaying and acoustic remix of Sandro Perri, Four Tet’s intensely primal production, and the billowing swamp monster that is Raudive’s ‘Health’, the compilation manages to maintain a consistent, intangible quality, communicating a sense of positivity, openness to change and a fervency for variety. This is aural evidence of Phonica’s winning ethos, and makes for a deeply pleasurable listen.
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A third blast of freshness for Bristol’s most exciting and wildly unpredictable new label comes from this shady techno-and-hardware freak. The coldly-lit, lumbering kicks and darkly trippy acid scatterings of ‘Decadence of Delay’ could soundtrack the murkiest warehouse in Antwerp, or the chase scene from Alien 3. The B-side is darker still; techno disjointed into huge factory-floor breaks, cruel textures and chilling cyberman monotones. This is not to be messed with, unless you have the guts (and the soundsystem) for it.
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GTDC
CLAP! CLAP! ‘TAMBACOUNDA’ EP (Black Acre) ___
Brilliantly eclectic afro-futurism is unearthed by Black Acre on veteran jazz musician C Crisci’s debut vinyl EP under his electronic alias Clap! Clap! He takes us on a trance-like joyride through spellbinding tribal motifs, African samples and time signature-shifting rhythms.The brash drum work and heavy bassweight underlay perfectly compliment the electric carnival atmosphere he creates; this is a quaint but intoxicating mix of sonic cultures.
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DEGO & KAIDI ‘DEGO & KAIDI’ EP (Eglo) ___
Floating Points and Alex Nut have made a perfectly pitched signing to their label here with two heroes of the late ‘90s broken beat scene. This four-track EP of syncopated, soulful rhythms has jazz in its bloodstream and is one of the strongest records of the year so far. ‘Stop Actin Up’, split into two parts, is finger-waggingly funky and totally anthemic. ‘Don’t Remain The Same’ is more achingly poignant, but none the less serious in its move-inducing groove.
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R E V I E W S IVY LAB ‘MISSING PERSONS’ EP (Critical Music) ___
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Yet another sublime release here from the uber-talented production trio. This 4-track EP conveys the full array of their talents; haunting vocals, warm soulful atmospherics and emotive keys are all beautifully employed. Fellow Critical signing Emperor adds his neurofunk influence on ‘Pepper’, and the boys switch up styles for squelchy hip-hop riddim ‘Sunday Crunk’. Another release that justifies the Ivy Lab hype.
WARD 21 ‘STILL DISTURBED’ (Germaica) ___
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ELGATO ‘LINKS’/’SUN’ (Galdoors) ___
Elgato follows his sought-after ‘Dunkel Jam’ with more murky minimalism on this London/Berlin label. The whittled, marching rhythm of ‘Links’ carries a disquieting Russian transmission with a rounded heartbeat that throbs below luminous cymbals - and the sort of reverb work that makes you take your headphones off to check you’re not going mad. ‘Sun’ patiently blossoms behind a radiant pulse as it gently ferries the listener into a trance. Elgato’s fourth EP is a masterful exercise in effective sparsity.
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ED WEST ‘TELEPHONE RIDDIM’ FT PARLY B & JAGO (Reggae Roast) ___
The ever-consistent Reggae Roast records have made a good shout by securing the debut release from UK dancehall producer Ed West. ‘Telephone Riddim’ is a prime cut of contemporary ragga that references classic early-90s styles effortlessly, and it’s complemented by two superb voicings from Parly B and Jago. These tracks have been mashing up dances on dubplate for a hot minute now and it’s very welcome to finally see a release on vinyl.
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ILLUM SPHERE ‘GHOSTS OF THEN AND NOW’ (Ninja Tune) ___
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n Illum Sphere’s ethereal debut LP, tracks feel like they could burst into bloom at any time, but are instead held back to emphasise the sanguine glimmers, like neon lights in black and white, or a kaleidoscope with the colours teasingly filtered out. The grim lurch of ‘Sleeprunner’ develops into a prismatic elation, before optimistic feelings are snatched away by a deadly drum flurry. ‘It’ll Be Over Soon’ is as bleak as its name suggests, all sneering synths, menacing piano and bullying drums. But even in the darkest moment, a strange positivity emerges; with the punishing crescendo, you’re left scowling in angry triumph. The three Shadowbox collaborations are great, with ‘Love Theme from Foreverness’ oozing a hopeless romantic resignation and the searing trance synth of ‘Embryonic’ providing a potent finale.
___ SP
t’s rare to find outstanding dancehall albums, but ‘Still Disturbed’ is already a contender for 2014’s best. Jamaica’s Ward 21 have been at the cutting edge of dancehall music for over a decade now, and here they have created their finest body of work. The album includes wonderful re-licks of classic riddims such as ‘Stalag’, ‘Heavenless’ and ‘Far East’, with plenty of fresh productions from King Jammy’s studio and Ward 21 themselves. Standouts include the lead single, ‘Mic Magician’, with its wicked Super Cat samples, and the brilliantly defiant ‘Spot The J’. There are also exclusive guest spots here from some of the biggest names, including Sean Paul and Konshens, but for the most part this is raw, leftfield bashment at its inspired best.
___ TDB
EPOCH ‘11:38’ EP
(Soundman Chronicles) ___ A compelling debut EP from Keysound affiliate Epoch here, on the promising Soundman Chronicles. Though reminiscent of early dubstep in the tension between crushing weight and airy space, this is a nuanced and remarkably fresh production. The stuttering rhythmic shuffle and chilling RZA-esque use of melody in ‘13:18’ and the discordant soundscape ‘Numatik’ render this utterly unique. Gantz, another of the sound’s most creative recently-emerged talents, provides a stunning, dreamlike remix as icing on the cake.
___ OG
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R E V I E W S KRESY ‘ODE TO NEW YORK’ EP (Freerange) ___
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Strong house music with echoes of early broken beat follows Kresy’s debut release on John Talabot’s label last year. These Atjazz-esque, so-called ‘musical’ tracks demonstrate why this producer has been attracting attention at a time when straight-up deep house is often misconceived, due to the current mainstream wobsession with the genre. Despite threatening to get overly indulgent at times, the forlorn melodies of ‘Midnight in Manhattan’ provide the standout moment.
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘WE ARE 18’
(Hospital Records) ___
1
8 years deep, Hospital Records are now firmly established as a seriously high profile dance label. Such is the palatability of many of their artists that the label has had a major role in the eventual acceptance of D&B as a staple of daytime radio playlists. This compilation, like many others before it, neatly bridges the gap between casual listener and weekend raver, providing 29 tracks that mainly explore Hospital’s hugely successful line in liquid D&B tracks driven by uplifting sub-bass and energetic vocals. But, dig a little deeper, and you’ll find tracks by artists such as Krakota, Anile and Ed-It that resonate with the idea that’s been at the very core of the label for nearly two decades – that of true progression within the genre.
___ JI
040 (SWINDLE & JOKER)
‘LET IT BE KNOWN’ / ‘MINORS’
(Butterz/Kapsize) ___ Both these producers share a clear affinity in their respective vibes, a fact showcased here to devastating effect. On ‘Let It Be Known’, dubstep meets classic West Coast g-funk, with the outstanding synth work you’d expect from these two. ‘Minors’ builds on layers of tribal claps, percussion and drums into a hyper-funk crescendo of neon synths and bass. The pair have managed a rare feat, a collaboration that really delivers.
___ SP
DORNIK ‘REBOUND’
(PMR Records) ___
EFDEMIN ‘DECAY’ (Dial) ___
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our years after his epic, inspirational ‘Chicago’, Efdemin’s long-awaited follow up is a slight twist for Berlin’s Phillip Sollmann. ‘Decay’ is less melodic than any of his previous releases, and much more focused on a deep and minimal techno sound, but it’s as much indebted to the powerful sound of Detroit labels such as M-Plant and Axis as it is to the dubby subtlety of Basic Channel. There’s something addictive about this record that makes you press play time and time again and, in fact, it takes several listens to realise the beauty hidden within. Once you find it, though, it suggests that this is Efdemin’s best work to date. SP ___
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Though Dornik’s name suggests a tear-out dubstep or electro house squib, this is an elegant bit of boogie-touched pop courtesy of the evidently talented singer and producer, with a production style that fits in with the label’s often-impressive ouvre, particularly Jessie Ware’s classier bits. It’s got a tartness to its Princeindebted slither that makes it just too cool for school. It’s going to be good to hear what other tricks this guy has in his repertoire.
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OOLY G ‘HOLD ME’ EP (Hyperdub) ___
Cooly G returns, aiming three tracks squarely at the dance. ‘Hold Me’ is classic Cooly: sultry vocal layers, lush chords and spacey effects deployed over a percussive broken house beat and sub. ‘Oi Dirty’ with Scratcha DVA straddles the pair’s signature sounds; manipulated percussion and vocals ride elastic sprung bass. ‘Molly’ lands in similarly playful fashion with techy drums for the floor, while a funk line and crushed chords work things out over weighty subs.
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R E V I E W S MAKO, DLR, VILLEM, ANT TC1
‘HUNGRY FOR ATMOSPHERE’/ ’A CERTAIN FLAVOUR’
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(Metalheadz) ___
Kicking off 2014, the Metalheadz camp welcome a clutch of hotly-tipped new producers to their iconic roster. ‘Hungry for Atmosphere’ evolves and twists as subtle, building strings lead to an infectious drop that makes you want to hear it all go round again. ‘A Certain Flavour’ reaches back to th e classic Blue Note era of real jungle raves with thumping subby B-lines over hefty 2-stepping breakbeats.
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JUS NOW FT BEENIE MAN & VANNA VEE ‘D WAY YUH WINE’ (Gutterfunk) ___
After an explosive 2013, Jus Now kick off the year riding a hot run of form. On their latest Gutterfunk release, they’ve have teamed up with none other than dancehall legend Beenie Man to create an inspired ragga-soca bomb! ‘D Way Yuh Wine’ combines catchy hooks from Beenie and Vanna Vee with Jus Now’s trademark heavy drums and tough bass, with a sheen of club-friendly production to make sure it hits the dance hard.
___ TDB
LUDACRIS
‘PARTY GIRLS’ FT. WIZ KHALIFA, JEREMIH & CASHMERE CAT (Def Jam) ___
The Norwegian RnB-trap beatmaker Cashmere Cat is moving in every direction at once right now, both underground (signed by Glasgow’s exceptional Lucky Me crew ) and outright overground, working Wiz Khalifa and Luda himself. There’s a lot of food for thought in this track, from Jeremih (you remember ‘Birthday Sex’) crooning a parody of the Aqua pop-classic ‘Barbie Girl’ to Ludacris, well, being ludicrous as usual. Cashmere Cat’s beat is like a silken hammer making it all go away.
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ACTRESS ‘GHETTOVILLE’
(Werkdiscs/Ninjatune) ___
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘STUDIO ONE ROCKSTEADY’ (Soul Jazz) ___
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oul Jazz’s latest exploration of soundsystem music is a compilation that delves into early rocksteady and soul from Coxone Dodd’s absolutely foundational Studio One label. Rocksteady is the slower, older brother of reggae, and it represents a period in music that, although short lived, was highly influential. Dodd’s label produced many shining tunes that defined the time; and this is as brilliant a selection as you’d expect from Soul Jazz. Classics from Alton Ellis, The Wailing Souls, Larry & Alvin and John Holt are all present, plus rarer gems from greats like Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe and The Heptones. As ever with this irreplaceable imprint, the timeless tunes are complemented by passionately informative sleeve notes, in this case written wonderfully by the respected reggae writer Lloyd Bradley. This is a fantastic record, which shines a much-needed light on an important era of reggae’s past.
___ TDB
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f you haven’t heard Darren Cunningham’s music before, I wouldn’t advise that you make Ghettoville your entry into his dark world; this is a work conceived as the end of the line for the Actress project, and the challenging sound reflects that. However, if you’ve followed his career since 2008’s ‘Hazyville’ - a much more accessible beginning - you’ll probably find this album as coherent and interesting as I do. It’s undoubtedly his darkest release yet, but at the same time it embraces a whole spectrum of different sounds and genres and takes each one to the limits of experimentation, be it hip-hop on ‘Rule’ or more techno-based tracks such as ‘Skyline’. Ghettoville is his most ‘urban’ sounding work to date, as the title suggests; it’s one of those albums best served in a dark room with good headphones and many repeat listens to embrace its full potential.
___ NJP
MIDLAND ‘TRACE’ REMIXES (AUS Music) ___
Remixing one of Midland’s stand-out releases from this, his strongest year yet, Leon Vynehall continues to stand up to his early hype. His surging take on ‘FYCUO’ floods forward before finally losing its breath in a flurry of melancholic, worn-out strings. Magnetic Man’s Artwork, in his Grain guise, provides a chunk of loop-ridden and meaningful peak-time techno that will give younger fans an insight to just how deep this producers’s history goes.
___ SP
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HTH vs HTH
Akkord - Destruction (Special Request VIP) Call Super - Dewsbury Severance (Second Storeyˇs Quadraxx Mix) House of Black Lanterns feat. Ghettozoid Broken ( _Unsubscribe_ Remix) House of Black Lanterns feat. Rudi Zygadlo Pale December (Snow Ghosts Version) Second Storey - Still Seas (Call Superˇs Fraud Loop) Special Request - Lockjaw (Akkord Remix) _Unsubscribe_ feat. Bear Who? - Spek Hondje (House of Black Lanterns Remix)
Out NOW Only £1 (Mp3) / £2 (Wav) from www.houndstoothlabel.com Out NOW akkord vs Special Request 12” (limited to 500 copies)
Pangaea FABRICLIVE 73
“In short: thIs Is a techno mIx – a really good one.” – Fact Pangaea has become synonymous with a singular brand of off-kilter, sub-heavy music, releasing on some of the most reputable labels to emerge in recent times, as well as the Hessle Audio imprint that he helms alongside Ben UFO and Pearson Sound. With FABRICLIVE 73, he steps up to deliver a mix that’s as visceral as we’ve come to expect from the prodigious youngster, and one that exemplifies the fiercely unique approach he takes towards his work. Forthcoming in the series: Move D, Jack Beats, Maya Jane Coles, Elijah & Skilliam. www.fabriclondon.com
R E V I E W S
MO KOLOURS ‘MO KOLOURS’
ANDREW ASHONG ‘SPECIAL’
(One Handed)
(Which Way) ___
Three hazy, glowing love songs here from Ashong. Beautiful, restrained instrumentation and intuitive arrangements echo the soul greats, with vocals billowing gently through the mix. Opener ‘Special’ sees Ashong‘s sleepy tones reverbed into cloudy layers over a contemplative and slow-burning soul number. ‘Never Dreamt’ pours sunshine guitar and keys over more laid-back drums, while Ashong’s airy drawl echoes over itself. The upbeat, melodic shuffle and warm, closer vocals of ‘Love the Way’ close a fine EP from this emerging talent.
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oining the dots between On-Ra and Moodymann is producer, percussionist and singer Mo Kolours, signed to Paul White’s label - which is also home to Bullion and Fulgeance. Here, on his first album, after three years of attention-grabbing releases on the same label, Joseph Deenmamode shows off his scarcely believable talent for unshakeable grooves, as an impeccably funky montage of stumbled beats, hooky samples and crackly vocals flicker in and out your brain too quickly to process it all properly. Afrobeat, blues, soul, dub and all kinds of other shit go through the Mo Kolours beat-machine, including the Sega sound indigenous to Mauritius (where Deenmamode’s father is from), with a cast of voices deftly cut out from all over the place, both sonically and geographically. Out the other end come 18 fantastic hits of loose, sweaty and sometimes deeply emotive instrumental hip-hop and sample funk, each only lasting a minute or two;
___ CT it’s almost arrogant, and brilliantly frustrating. The finest moment is undoubtedly the three-track sequence beginning with the slow-fast, Theo Parrish-esque madness of ‘In Her Eyes (Funk Heart)’, floating through the disarming duet of gentle Caribbean tenor voice and rubbery electronic bass on ‘Child’s Play’ into the afrofuturist pressure chamber of ‘Natural Disasters Wish List’, coming like Coki space-jamming with Roots Manuva and Horace Andy. This is a warm, sensual and overwhelmingly diverse record that - in true hip-hop beat-tape style - all blurs colourfully together into an utterly sublime whole. GTDC ___
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GAGE ‘TELO’/’SHIFTIN’ (Crazylegs) ___
If you thought the new grime emerging lately was all pseudo-intelligent and poncey, take a listen to this. Gage’s berserk ‘Yoshimitsu’ was the most twisted thing to emerge from 2013’s war dub season, and he’s not calmed down since. ‘Shiftin’ is a terrifying flurry of laser punches and wall-breaking kicks and claps with reptile agility, and ‘Telo’ promises to shut down the dance faster than the po-po at Sidewinder circa-2006. This record will try to hurt you - do not attempt to defend yourself.
___ NS
R E V I E W S RATCATCHER ‘SOMEHOW’/ ’MOTION’ (Peach) ___
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This shimmering EP contributes to the currently formidable South Wales house and techno movement. Backed by a triumvirate of remixes, including a rigorous shakedown from fellow Welshman Ben Damage and a slightly uninspiring rework from LA’s new kids on the block Cromie and Sage Caswell. This is a solid package from the Brooklyn label and the winner here is the drunken, stumbling mania of Leon Vynehall’s hammered intensification of the lead track.
UNTOLD ‘BLACK LIGHT SPIRAL’ (Hemlock) ___
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ntold delivers his dense and futuristic debut album on his own label, enabling listeners to move unpredictably through a collision of raw and alien sounds. Opener ‘5 Wheels’ builds a chorus of sirens, synths and bass, suspended around a metronomic drum to mesmerizing effect. Convention and dynamic are often avoided in favour of experimental impulses: phrases looped and dubbed into walls of sound that unexpectedly flip and judder into rhythmic industrial monsters. Fragmented human sounds often recur in the mix; ‘Sing a Love Song’ reaches its ecstatic peak after looping piano and vocals over grindingly heavy drums. ‘Black Light Spiral’ is a mind-bending journey through suspended soundscapes and pulsing machines, twisting and turning to reveal apocalyptic constructions of noise and bass. Unique rhythmic impulses, enabled by immense production skill; Untold continues to push into previously vacant musical territory.
___ CT
SKEPTICAL
‘FOURFIT EP 1’ (SOUL:R) ___
Skeptical’s status continues its elevation with another release on one of the scene’s most respected labels. The standout track is ‘De’, where a piano hook nicely compliments Colette Warren’s sweet vocals before unleashing deep, shudder-inducing subs. Skeptical’s Trademark uber-low frequencies and hard stepping beats are a constant throughout the EP but each track is unique in its way too.
___ SP
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘THE HISTORY OF HARDCORE, JUNGLE & D&B’ (Suburban Base) ___
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f you grew up in the 1990s, you’ll know all about Suburban Base Records. Whether you were old enough to buy the records, or just desperately jealous of your big brother’s SB-emblazoned bomber jacket, the label and its unmistakable logo were part of the cultural fabric of UK rave in the 1990s. As such, this anthology of Suburban Base’s finest and most important moments is well overdue, yet perfectly timed for the recent resurrection of interest in all things jungle. Covering the period from 1991 to 1997, the breakneck pace of dance music’s evolution in that unprecedented decade is laid bare here – moving from classic vocal-led hardcore breakbeat such as M&M’s ‘I Feel This Way’ through to bonafide jungle classics such as ‘Chopper’, ‘Dark Stranger’ and ‘RIP’. For older heads, this is an essential anthology of one of the labels that soundtracked your youth, while for you young’uns, this is an unmissable history lesson in UK dance music.
___ SB
___ JC
DUBKASM MEET SOLO BANTON ‘MY MUSIC’ EP (Sufferah’s Choice) ___
Fresh off releasing the anthemic ‘Victory’, Bristol’s Dubkasm drop another unmissable release in their unique style, cementing their status as one of the UK’s premier roots-reggae acts with a six-track EP that features Solo Banton and oozes class. Pick of the bunch is anthem-in-the-making ‘My Music’ featuring Buggsy; it’s a joyous and powerful expression of the power of reggae music. The remaining tracks are superb 90s ‘Yard Style’ roots pieces that come alive in a soundsystem session.
___ TDB
NATIV ‘SHIFTY’ EP (Tumble Audio) ___
Glasgow’s Nativ brings that gully bassline pressure fused with infectious UK-funky-derived rhythms in a trio of smashers. He goes moodier than Tumble Audio’s previous output, while maintaining the irrepressible party-starting energy they’ve become notable for. Add two weighty remixes of ‘Shifty’ - Arctic’s brisk 4x4 garage version and Jook 10’s minimalistic take - and the EP results in some of the rowdiest dancefloor material we’ve heard in a while.
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R E V I E W S NASTY HABITS ‘SHADOW BOXING’ (OM UNIT RMX)
(Thirty One Recordings) ___
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Remixing the signature tracks of D&B’s golden era can get messy, so it’s great to see the baton passed to a producer such as Om Unit here. For all the eclecticism of Jim Coles’ musical journey - from slo-mo sci-fi twinkle to breakneck jungle-juke hybridity - D&B/ jungle has been an ever-present thread. Here, he wisely adheres to that old truism “you can’t mess with a classic”, mustering his surgical skill to simply flip the beat into a different step and apply subtle washes of his own vibe.
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘DIRTYBIRD BBQ’ (Dirtybird) ___
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FRIEND WITHIN
‘THE UNDERGROUND’ EP (Hypercolour) ___
Friend Within gets involved with Hypercolour for some backwardslooking speed-garage-tinged house with a definite 2014 tang. The chomping rhythms of ‘The Underground’ unfortunately fall away to reveal something rather more basic as the track peaks. ‘The More (Long Mix)’ references a clubland classic to create a hardcore-esque piece of dancefloor melancholy with a rolling Dirtybird-style bassline. The angsty, gangster sample in ‘The Trouble’ sounds uncannily like Chris Lilley’s S.Mouse character from Angry Boys; I hope it’s him.
___ NS
MUMDANCE ‘SPRINGTIME’ EP (Unknown To The Unknown) ___
“Wot do u call it!?” One of the most enjoyably high-octane labels of the last couple of years finally readies this wavy bit of gear that you’ve probably heard if you caught a Oneman set lately. It’s a buoyantly energetic, smiley track that simply mixes Youngstar’s detuned and rolling riddims with the 8-bit melody Ikonika used to peddle on her breakthrough tracks such as ‘Please’. A carnival-ready seasonal smash; yes come on.
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘WAREHOUSE MUSIC’ (Chronic) ___
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hronic, along with its sister label, V, has hosted some of the scene’s most revered D&B producers since its inception back in the late 1990s. The label’s latest project brings together over 20 different artists, clearly demonstrating that the jungle rave spirit is still with us. One thing that really shines through is the variety on show throughout the album. Bladerunner’s ‘Lockoff ’, with its dubby rave elements, are a definite highlight. Running basslines complement the echoed stabs and vocals perfectly; think Dope Dragon records with a 2014 twist. If you like things a bit tougher, then label stalwart Capone (Dillinja for you kids) delivers the musicality and crisp programming you’d expect from such a well-respected producer. A strong compilation that shows dancefloor D&B doesn’t have to just be screeching synths and monotonous drums.
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ome labels and producers are constantly watching what everyone else is doing. Looking over their shoulder at the Beatport chart, paranoid their latest releases aren’t what the kids are listening to and desperate to be part of the next big wave of musical trends and directions. Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird has never been one of those labels, instead content to do its own bass-soaked, oddball thing and to hell with anyone else. Thankfully for the label’s artists, and for us, what dirtybird has been doing over the last nine years has been consistently brilliant, pre-empting the bass-music fraternity’s adoption of the 4/4 template and helping a previously house-phobic generation realise and fall in love with the genre’s hypnotic charms. This compilation shows off everything we love about the label, from regulars such as Justin Martin and Catz’n’Dogz, to new blood including Justin Jay and Cause & Effect, all pushing that unmistakable dirtybird sound further forward than ever before.
___ SB
HAYFEVER
‘GROUND COLLAPSE’ (Formula) ___
DJ Champion’s name sums up his relationship with London’s amazingly-rhythmed twist on garage and house, UK funky, and his label Formula is the chief proponent now that the genre’s volume has faded considerably since its heyday five years ago. On Hayfever’s original, where a one bassline is bent into a silly curve, the sound has kind of merged with the new ‘jackin’ sound - increasingly the trend. Maddslinky, aka Zed Bias, and Mickey Pearce sweeten the deal with their remixes.
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R E V I E W S JUNE MILLER ‘OPERATION IVY’/’EMPATHY’ (Ram Records) ___
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After their first release on Ram last year, June Miller raise the bar with a double A-side release for the legendary label, packing a pair of tracks recently featured on the latest transmission from Andy C’s ‘Nightlife’ mix series. The duo has a great knack for seamlessly marrying atmospheric intros (especially cinematic in ‘Operation Ivy’) with hugely contrasting drops, displayed most explosively here on ‘Empathy’.
A/T/O/S ‘A/T/O/S’ (Deep Medi) ___
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eep Medi has never been much of an album label, with only five LPs to its eight year lifespan, but this selftitled debut by A/T/O/S, aka Amos and Truenoys, is one of the most accomplished dubstep long-players in some time. Sonically, the duo take the now well-trodden path between dubstep and hip-hop aesthetics, all cluster chords, snappy snares and woozy synthesis, aptly balanced by Amos’s conscious lyricism. But it’s the warped production by Truenoys that gives the record its real voice, and, accordingly, the best moments are when the beats are at their most eccentric. Admittedly, the 15-track collection could have been more concise - the quality wavers slightly though there’s enough charm here to bring the listener back again and again.
___ OH
LOCKAH ‘IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG...’ EP (Donky Pitch) ___
Irresistible club jams to whet our appetite for Lockah’s imminent LP on Donky. Neon-bright synth colouring, lucid piano riffs and tough, 80s electro beats run riot on the title track, while on the flipside, the Miami bass styled ‘Ayyo Tricknology’ is drenched in gloriously bold pop melodies and taut grooves. Accompanied by two lean and stripped-back versions, this 12” signifies the start of an exciting 2014 for both label and artist.
___ CT
WEN ‘SIGNALS’ (Keysound) ___
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en has been championed for a while by Dusk & Blackdown and their Keysound label, and understandably so; that pair have been close to the dark heart of garage-related UK music since dubstep’s salad days. ‘Signals’ certainly touches base with the ‘dark room and big system’ vibe, with minimal, deep-down rhythms and solid sub low foundations, and the subtly synth-painted atmosphere here has the skunky, streetlight prang-out feeling that Rephlex Records’ ‘Grime’ compilations propagated, combined with the ice-cold rhythmic flex of El-B and the urban mythology of early Kode 9 and Burial. Check ‘Swingin’ (LDN Mix)’ for the hard proof. This album behaves as if dubstep’s rapid mutation never happened, though; apart from the rolling snares of ‘Signal’ that reflect Wen’s past dabblings in UK funky, the beats are decidedly more on the garage/grime axis, albeit with plenty of dark, dusty airspace for the bass to fill.
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RAINY MILO ‘THIS THING OF OURS’ (Limey/Virgin) ___
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ome seriously forward thinking R&B music here from a precocious 18-yearold female talent. Rainy Milo first grabbed our attention early last year through her Soundcloud, and now she’s readying her debut album on her own label Limey. Over soulful laid back grooves and tightly rhythmic tracks, Rainy’s distinctly British voice is free to soar, swoon and chat with a maturity and confidence that belies her young years. ‘Rats’ shows off her impressive vocal range atop a slouched-out hip-hop drum groove, while ‘Bout You’ sits a determined message over jazz instrumentation and breathless rhythms. Still incredibly young, ‘This Thing Of Ours’ is a solid declaration of the arrival of an impressive new British talent.
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G A M E S #18
WORDS: C u t l i n e
THE LAST OF US: LEFT BEHIND
NAUGHTY DOG (PS3) OUT NOW
Valentine’s Day is traditionally upheld as the most romantic day of the year; a day where millions of women are flattered with the attentions of prospective suitors and current squeezes alike. Unfortunately, ladies, if your boyfriend loves computer games, then Naughty Dog probably just killed your Valentine’s Day this year, by releasing the new single player DLC for 2013’s undisputed cult classic, The Last of Us. As the game (and the DLC) are very story-driven, it would be unfair to unveil too many secrets, but The Last of Us: Left Behind follows Ellie and her best friend Riley as they bunk off for the day in a kind of post-zombie apocalypse version of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. As you can imagine, the results are equal measures funny, touching and tragic, and again, you’ll be more emotionally connected to a computer game than you’ve probably ever been before. rumours abound of a sequel to The Last of Us, but in the meantime, Left Behind’s two hours of brand-new gameplay should satisfy you if you’re a fan.
THIEF SQUARE ENIX (PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XO) OUT NOW
THE EVIL WITHIN BETHESDA (PC, PS3, X360, XO) OUT 2014
SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH SQUARE ENIX (PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XO) OUT MARCH 7
Based on a game originally released in 1998, Thief is a reboot that will see you clambering up ladders, picking locks and filling your swag bag with enough treasure to make a dragon jealous. You play as Garrett, a master thief who intends to steal from the rich without resorting to Robin Hood-style benevolence. Style wise, the game appears to be a first-person version of Assassin’s Creed, with less killing and more breaking and entering. If you’ve ever wanted to be a burglar, but are afraid of the local constabulary, this is for you.
Developed by Shinji Mikami - creator of the Resident Evil series, The Evil Within promises a disturbing dive into the survival horror genre. Details are sketchy, as the game doesn’t even have a release date beyond “2014”, but all of the necessary elements seem to be in place. A gruesome and mysterious mass murder? Check. Confused protagonist caught up in a world full of unexplained hideous creatures? Check. Panic attack inducing levels of tension and anxiety? Check. Sounds simply lovely.
In a somewhat lighter vein, March sees the release of Ubisoft’s take on the deranged world of South Park. Playing a fourth-grade student and new kid in town you’re tasked with one almost unassailable aim: to become cool. As expected, the game incorporates plenty of twisted humour and looks like being one of the most amusing titles of the year. Undoubtedly, this will be a Marmite release, but for those of you who love South Park, it should definitely be on your radar.
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B A S S P O I N T S #18
FRIDAY 21 MARCH SEEDY SONICS THE RAINBOW WAREHOUSE & GARDEN, BIRMINGHAM
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or the second biggest city in the country, Birmingham has traditionally always punched well below its weight when it comes to quality underground nightlife. The last couple of years, however, have seen things change, with some real quality on offer from well outside the standard menu of D&B and house music that dominated the second city for so long. Leading the charge have been Seedy Sonics, whose eyepopping line-ups at the Rainbow venues have brought some much needed variety to an otherwise static scene. The next Seedy Sonics event on 21 March continues this mission in style, inviting deep dubstep innovator Phaeleh, Shogun Audio D&B pairing Alix Perez & Icicle and Bristolian bass-tinted house trio NYTA, GotSome and Komon to rub shoulders on a brilliant line-up. Tickets are on sale now from the Seedy Sonics website. ___ SEEDYSONICS.COM
B A S S P O I N T S 12 OF THE REST... FRIDAY 7 MARCH BODYNOD @THEKLA, BRISTOL PAY AS YOU GO, ROSSI B & LUCA, B-LIVE, CRAZY COUSINZ, NAPA (LIVE).
WEDS 5 APRIL ALL ROADS SECRET EAST LONDON LOCATION
DEVIATION @ XOYO, LONDON BENJI B, ZOMBY, CULT MUSIC SOUNDSYSTEM. SATURDAY 8 MARCH CANAL MILLS PRESENTS... @CANAL MILLS, LEEDS B.TRAITS, GOTSOME, FRIEND WITHIN, HANNAH WANTS, MAK & PASTEMAN.
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ll Roads is a new midweek night hitting East London on 5 April. Taking place in an as-yet unannounced Hoxton venue and powered by the Valve Soundsystem (yes, really), All Roads is the work of jungle legend Lemon D, who is now operating under the K-aze moniker and producing soul-heavy electronic music of all forms for labels such as Gutterfunk.
FRIDAY 14 MARCH HOTFLUSH RECORDINGS @ STUDIO SPACES, WAPPING. SCUBA, RECONDITE, DENSE, PIKA.
High-octane special guests are guaranteed to join K-aze playing on the night, with a musical mandate that promises to reach all corners of the underground. Keep an eye on our website for more details as and when they drop.
FRIDAY 21 MARCH TROUPE - BRISTOL BLOCK PARTY THE CORONERS COURT, BRISTOL
L
ondon’s Troupe have a solid name for providing quality, forward thinking house and techno parties. On 21 March they bring their guaranteed vibes to Bristol for a massive four-room party at one of the city’s most interesting events spaces – the old Coroners Courts just behind Stokes Croft. Bringing a little bit of Glasgow to the West Country, the indomitable Jackmaster is joined by fellow Scots Optimo in the main room, while Hypercolour’s Eliphino bosses Room Two and Hot Creations signing wAFF plays for the Piff crew in the third. ___ TROUPELONDON.COM
FRIDAY 21 MARCH SEEDY SONICS @ THE RAINBOW COMPLEX, BIRMINGHAM ALIX PEREZ B2B ICICLE, PHAELEH, NYTA, GOTSOME + MORE. ROSKA PRESENTS @ FABRIC, LONDON ROSKA, BREAKAGE, PINCH, WOOKIE, HANNAH WANTS, PREDITAH, FAZE MIYAKE, JME + MORE. SATURDAY 22 MARCH INNERSOUL @PLAN B, LONDON BREAK & MC GQ, FABIO & GROOVERIDER, UTAH JAZZ, TECHNIMATIC. FRIDAY 28 MARCH TODDLA T X TUESDAY CLUB @ FOUNDRY, SHEFFIELD. TODDLA T, SHY FX, MELE, JUS NOW, BOK BOK + MORE. SATURDAY 29 MARCH FACE @ THE RAINBOX COMPLEX, BIRMINGHAM FOUR TET & FRIENDS. FRIDAY 11 APRIL THE BLAST & OUTLOOK FESTIVAL @ MOTION, BRISTOL ALBOROSIE & SHENGEN CLAN, DAVID RODIGAN, CHANNEL ONE, RANDALL, DJ DIE, ICICLE, SAM BINGA, REDDERS. SATURDAY 12 APRIL DOLLOP @ SHAPES, LONDON T.WILLIAMS, CYRIL HAHN, JAVEON, THURSDAY 17 APRIL TREATMENT @CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON EATS EVERYTHING, BEN PEARCE + MORE.
WEEKEND TICKETS
£
140 €172 +BF
+BF
04—07 SEPT. 2014
• OVER 300 ARTISTS • Performing live at the opening concert
MS LAURYN HILL • WITH LIVE SUPPORT FROM •
SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA • FATIMA • ANDREW ASHONG Pula’s Roman Amphitheatre • 03/09/14
Performing at the festival • 04/09/14
BUSTA RHYMES
BARRINGTON LEVY • DJ PREMIER • ANDY C BURAKA SOM SISTEMA • HORACE ANDY JAH SHAKA • FRICTION • MOODYMANN DAVID RODIGAN • CHRONIXX & ZINC FENCE REDEMPTION • DIGITAL MYSTIKZ •GOLDIE DJ MARKY • DJ EZ • DJ ZINC • FLOATING POINTS MJ COLE • CALIBRE • SPY • DBRIDGE • BISHOP NEHRU • JONWAYNE • KAYTRANADA • ONRA SPECIAL REQUEST • ANDRÉS (SLUM VILLAGE) STWO • HIGH FOCUS RECORDS • YOUNGSTA LOEFAH • FUNKINEVEN • WOOKIE • ELIPHINO 03—07 SEPTEMBER 2014 Fort Punta Christo, Pula, Croatia
MICHAEL PROPHET & DUB ASANTE BAND • RANKING JOE • IRATION STEPPAS • SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA • THE BUG FT. FLOWDAN & MANGA • CHANNEL ONE • DILLINJA MUNGO’S HIFI • PINCH • ALIX PEREZ • DUB PHIZIX & STRATEGY • ICICLE • SPECTRASOUL • GROOVERIDER • THE HEATWAVE • MARCUS INTALEX • FLAKO • PRINCE FATTY & HORSEMAN AUTHOR • APPLEBOTTOM • HANNAH WANTS • MY NU LENG • ANDREWASHONG•STYLOG•MICKEY PEARCE • DADDYFREDDY • EGLO BAND • FATIMA • KUTMAH • DOC SCOTT • SKEPTICAL TOTAL SCIENCE • DJ DIE • KAHN & NEEK • SOURCE DIRECT • RADIKAL GURU+CIAN FINN • THE MOUSE OUTFIT • NECESSARY MAYHEM • GOTHTRAD • HATCHA • MR WILLIAMZ ALEXANDER NUT • SEVEN DAVIS JNR • V.I.V.E.K • J:KENZO • SUNSHIP • OBF • BLACKBOARD JUNGLE • MC GQ • STAMINA MC SP:MC • DLR • STICKY • KLOSE ONE • DUSK & BLACKDOWN • OPTIV • BTK • CHUNKY • FRACTURE • BUSHKIN • DJ Q • ANT TC1 WILFRED GIROUX • CHARLIE P • SAM BINGA • LOWQUI • MAFFI • PROXIMA • CHIMPO • GANTZ • LOGOS • WEN • COMPA • FOKUS Sound systems from: Martin Audio Longbow, Void Acoustics, Noise Control Audio, Mungo’s Hi-Fi
www.outlookfestival.com
27.08.14
END OF LOVE
Opening concert held in a 2000 year old Roman Amphitheatre Performing live:
Caribou Darkside With support from:
Nils Frahm Kwabs Performing at the festival:
BRISTOL UK
Jon Hopkins (live) Roy Ayers Moodymann Theo Parrish JuanAtkins & Moritz Von Oswald Present Borderland Underground Resistance Pres.Timeline (live) Gilles Peterson Metro Area (live) Nina Kraviz Floating Points Omar Mala (live) Kode 9 Tikiman (live)& Scion
SUNDAY 25TH MAY
Roman Flugel Blawan Pearson Sound dBridge John Roberts Lawrence Fatima & The Eglo Band DJ Stingray Baths (live) Kaytranada Vakula Laurel Halo Jessy Lanza Vatican Shadow Aux 88 (live) Fred P Ebo Taylor Andrew Ashong Funkineven Karenn (live) Pangaea Ron Morelli Cooly G Axel Boman Ø [Phase] Om Unit John Wizards San Soda Alexander Nut Underground Paris (My Love Is Underground)
Brawther (Mliu/Dungeon Meat) Italojohnson Anthony Naples Svengalisghost White Material - DJ Richard, Galcher Lustwerk & Young Male
Iration Steppas Mungo’s Hifi Alix Perez DJ TLR Lenzman Eliphino Damiano Von Erckert Leif Marquis Hawkes Cut Hands Awesome Tapes From Africa Jubei Skeptical Ulterior Motive MC GQ SP:MC Tall Black Guy Seven Davis Jr Opolopo Mr Beatnick Ant Tc1 Mo Kolours Josey Rebelle Exodus N>E>D Nightowl Thris Tian Jay Simon Dolan Bergin Andy Lemay Dan Shake Tom Smith Gilla David Martin Plus many more…
A SAGITTARIUN / A.QUAKE / ABA SHANTI-I / BREAKAGE / CONGO NATTY WITH NANCI & PHOEBE / CRACK / DIGITAL SOUNDBOY / DIRTY TALK / DISMANTLE DUBKASM / DURKLE DISCO / DUTTY GIRL / FALLING UP / FELIS / FIRE MAN SAM / FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA B2B FANTASTIC MAN / GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB / GREG WILSON / THE HEATWAVE / IDLE HANDS / JAKWOB / JAMIE XX / JAVEON McCARTHY / JOHN TALABOT / JUS NOW / LAID BLAK / LIVITY “Shake” SOUND / MS DYNAMITE / NENEHAnthony CHERRY Shakir & ROCKETNUMBERNINE / PARDON Karizma MY FRENCH / QUANTIC / SAM BINGA FT. REDDERS / SBTRKT / SHERWOOD AND Goldie PINCH / SHY FX / SIP THE JUICEBen / SOUL TRAIN / SPECIAL REQUEST / STYLO G UFO D / THE BLAST / TRAP TEACHINGS IN DUBMove / TESSELA Weekend tickets: £140/€172 (+BF)
(performing tracks by Rhythm & Sound)
Opening concert: from £25/€35 (+BF)
Use promo code BOAT2014 when purchasing for a chance to win free boat party tickets.
dimensionsfestival.com
Photo credit: Dan Medhurst
Motor City Drum Ensemble
TICKETNSOW! ON SALE
SPRING 2014 ELLUM WEEKENDER
KAOZ
SPECTRUM
COCOON LONDON
PAN-POT
SHOGUN AUDIO
MACEO PLEX / MAETRIK EAST LONDON WAREHOUSE TBA 21.02.14 / 22.02.14
KILL THE NOISE, CALYX & TEEBEE FIRE LONDON 28.02.14
CLINT STEWART, MARK D�GROUND THE LAUNDRY 15.03.14
KERRI CHANDLER, VOYEUR EAST LONDON WAREHOUSE TBA 21.03.14
SVEN VATH, TIMO MAAS BUILDING SIX 22.03.14
FRICTION, CALYX & TEEBEE PULSE 25.04.14
www.londonwarehouseevents.co.uk