DJ Magazine reviews issue 500

I've not been blogging here lately due to work commitments and running the label. But I will start popping up my reviews page from DJ Magazine on a monthly basis at the very least! Music forward>>



Martyn
Masks (Brainfeeder)
The Dutch rascal who dwells in the USA is one of the most successful artists to cross genres and scenes with seamless finesse, outgrowing each of them at their peak and opting to forge new paths with pioneering fearlessness. This single drops well ahead of his second album 'Ghost People' (out in October), and barely moves the goal-posts, but 'Masks' is still a cracking fragment of angular bass music that needs to be owned.
8/10



Deco and Linker
Verus (Deceast)
The fourth release on this Californian imprint comes from label honcho Deco and fellow West Coast hombre Linker, and boy can you hear the Cali heat oozing from these two. If Dr Dre had G-funk, then these two have dub-funk: check 'Greenthumb Funk' for some seriously purple vibes similar to Silkie and Quest. On the A-side, 'Verus' locks a tight riddim and rocks out a decaying technoid half-step flex, a very tidy affair.
8/10



Daedelus
Overwhelmed EP (Ninja Tune)
Since the good ole days of his equaled "crunchier than a mouthful of glass and gravel" hip-hop, to the past couple of years where it has meant a very skewed take on psychedelic electronica, Daedelus's inventiveness and character has always shone through. This remix package welcomes three soldiers of fortune in the guise of Manchester's Star Slinger, London's Raffertie and New York's Sepalcure for a confection of bass-laden treats.
7/10



Illskillz
Fire Everyday feat Dub FX (Illskillz)
Drum and bass stalwarts DKay and Rawfull, aka Illskillz, offer up a triplet of dubstep tunes before their new album drops this summer, just to prove they can mix it up with the best of 'em. 'Gold Streams' and 'Memorizer' are both piss-weak efforts, leaving 'Fire Everyday' to mop up the effluence, luckily avoiding the emo-stained melodies for balls out beats and a bassline that punches the wind from your chest.
5/10



Damu
Mermaid (Local Action)
The sixth release on the Local Action label sees Mancunian new boy Damu get his first pair of long trousers with a snug four-track EP featuring three originals and one zeitgeist-channeling Juke remix from the legends of Baltimore, Rashad and Earl. But before we get too erect, let's saunter back to the rather heady 'Mermaid', which sounds like classic broken beat with a dose of nitrous-boosted euphoria, a very pleasant conclusion to an evening's waltzing.
7.5/10



Saint Rider
D.A.T. (Section 8)
As always, a number of these records start off in a promising manner and 'D.A.T.' is no exception; washy synth lines, a few stabby piano-esque bits and a smattering of nifty claps build up to a frankly slag-infested drop. I have no doubt this goes off in the "rave" and sweaty teenagers from across the world are losing their small, underdeveloped minds to it, but it just pummeled me into a spiraling abyss of despair because of its obvious lack of originality.
4/10



Aquasky
You Take Me There (Passenger)
If you were a joyriding, feckless little teenage shite tearing around council estates in less salubrious parts of Berkshire 19 years ago, then you'll probably also remember when massive gurn-inducing piano riffs dominated the (pirate) airwaves, and rave flyers promised never-ending psychedelic blow-jobs in a smiley-faced hinterland. Yes, Aquasky capture 1992 with aplomb, only for Cutline to take it by the greasy ponytail and slap its slack-jawed chops with a dubstep back-hander. Irritatingly infectious.
6.5/10



Clouds
Lots Of Calls From No One Part 2 (Deep Medi)
Flying well under the radar for some time now, the reclusive Finnish duo have popped one or two bits out over the past few years, but are far from prolific. Thankfully this can be forgiven, as they have clearly shut themselves away in a dusty, vinyl-filled basement wigging out to Dilla and Davis whilst imbibing chronic quantities of cheeba cheeba. Please buy this two-tracker as it will take you to delicately fuzzy and moodily whimsical places.
8/10


Quickies

Ak0pian
Waterfoul (Echodub)
A syrupy four-track EP from the Italian producer who explores blessed out dub with syncopated techno aesthetics.
6/10

Gerry Read
Untitled (Fourth Wave)
A bright talent, this Home Counties lad is a prolific producer and is banging out raw, unadulterated house music with a hollow tip edge. Keep an eye on this one.
8/10

Tallullah
Colourblind (Transducer Records)
Did someone put the wheels back on my tricycle wonky? That's exactly what Actress does to 'Colourblind', expect spasmodic electronica with high levels of umami.
7.5/10

2 Bit Thugs
Keep The Faith EP (Corrupt Music)
Terrible name, but boy do they make brilliantly nostalgic (2-step) garage/house music to shake your fillings out. Pop this on, get loaded and have a good time.
7/10

Jan 2010 Dubstep Reviews in DJ Magazine

My dubstep reviews in DJ Magazine, January 2010

http://bit.ly/3C8Ymv

New 2nd Drop - J:Kenzo & LD

2562 (Tectonic) - “J:Kenzo track is nice, liking the stripped down percussion n bass flavour :)”

Joe Nice (Dub War) - “Conqueror has been tearing up the dancefloor”

Diplo (Mad Decent) - “I love your label!!!”

DJ support from Caspa (Dub Police), Benga (Tempa), Untold (Hemlock/Hessle Audio) Mary Anne Hobbs (Radio One), Ramadanman (Hessle Audio/2nd Drop), Shortstuff (Blunted Robots), Reso (Civil Music), Sinden (Kiss FM), Desto (Ramp), Modeselektor (BPitch Control)

Another slick double artist 12” from the 2nd Drop camp and for this, our 9th release, Soushakerz head honcho and Kent second finest achievement after the Channel Tunnel, J:Kenzo, offers a blistering A side with Conqueror. This moody, skittish and intense bongo led firecracker that descends into a thumping bass skank out on the drop, is pure dancefloor dynamite.

On the flip sees the return of LD, who continues to take the percussive elements deeper on Derailment, adding in ravey synth line and switch up 2nd Drop that compliments Conqueror perfectly. Two tracks that will never leave the box.

As always, 2nd Drop commissions some fresh and totally bespoke artwork, welcoming back one of Portugal’s finest illustrators and guerrilla artists, Uiu, last seen on 2nd Drop 006, interprets Conqueror in his own unique style. (http://www.uiu-uiu.com/)

J:Kenzo - Conqueror (2nd Drop Records) from Markle on Vimeo.

LD - Derailment (2nd Drop Records) from Markle on Vimeo.

Rebel Skankin - Friday 27th Nov 09

Reading stand up!

27th November 2009 @ The Venue, Reading
10pm – 4am
£3 before 11pm - £5 after
£1.50 a pint!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------
Dubstep / Jungle / Drum & Bass / Hip Hop / Bassline / Crack House / Dub / Reggae / Funk / Soul
-------------------------------------------------------


Room 1

10-11 Martial b2b Acronym
11-12 Savage Henry b2b Dub Chambers
12-01 2nd Drop Records
01-02 Dusty Lungs b2b Saine (Old School Jungle set)
02-03 Hijak
03-04 Benny Page


Room 2

12-01 Ritch
01-02 Martial b2b Acronym
02-03 Daddy Nature
03-04 Room Closed

-------------------------------------------------------

Hijak (Deep Medi/Tectonic/)
http://www.myspace.com/thehijak

Benny Page (Digital Soundboy)
http://www.myspace.com/bennypage1

2nd Drop Records
http://www.myspace.com/2nddroprecords

Daddy Nature b2b Pneuma (Urban Nerds)
http://www.myspace.com/audiorevolution1

Dusty Lungs b2b Saine (STEP:ONE/ Urban Nerds)
http://www.myspace.com/dustylungs23

Savage Henry b2b Dub Chambers (Tasty Bits)
http://www.myspace.com/djsavagehenry

Martial b2b Acronym (Acetate)
http://www.myspace.com/rsollydesign

Ritch (Junction)

We Wah Ten @ Scala

It's nearly here! Wah Wah's Tenth Birthday!

So, with a stupidly sick main room and the awesome One taste in room three, I am going to be rather selfish and big up the dubstep room (2), and boy what a line up! Loefah, Ramadanman and LD all bringing their unique take on where bass music is right now.

Loefah is one third of the legendary label and club night, DMZ, along with Mala and Coki. These three men have been instrumental in defining the early dubstep sound, and continue to break boundaries with their musical output. Loefah now concentrates much of his time on his own Swamp 81 imprint, and released the debut album by Krytpic Minds in October.

2nd Drop was lucky enough to work with Ramadanman on one of his first dubstep projects, releasing a rather naughty bootleg of Nina Simone's Feeling Good in 2007. Now, his music has been championed by key tastemakers Ricardo Villalobos, Rob Da Bank and Modeselektor among others. He has recently mixed the latest Dubstep Allstars 7 with Chef. He is one of the most exciting and forward thinking of producers and DJs in underground music, so expect dubstep, funky, electronica, techno and everything else in between.

Apart from holding one of the most important roles in dubstep - cutting dubplates for the scene's key DJ's and producers - LD is also a wicked producer with a distinctive and vibrant style. With releases on Hyperdub, Ringo and 2nd Drop, LD offers a heavily percussive sound that is both unique and brilliantly effective.

Also joining the fray is Reeps One who is currently the 2009 UK Beatbox champion. Saw this guy at one of our Big Dirty nights in Birmingham, he tore the place up.


TICKETS ARE SELLING SUPER FAST!! BUY YOURS NOW!! ONLY £12!!

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=wahwah

New 2nd Drop - LV ft Errol Bellot "Don't Judge"

Diplo (Mad Decent) - “I love your label”

Untold (Hemlock/ Hessle Audio) - “Love the Fantastic Mr Fox Remix”

Mary Anne Hobbs (Radio One) - “Oh yeeeeeah!! I love this”

DJ support from…) Sinden (Kiss FM), Alex Nut (Rinse FM), Starkey (Seculsis/ Planet Mu), 2562 (Tectonic), Alex Chase (One Handed Music), Wrong Tom (Resonance FM), Geoim (Berkane Sol), Brackles, Clouds, Dave Q, Sully, Dom Servini etc etc.

LV ft Errol Bellot
A. Don’t Judge
B. Don’t Judge – Fantastic Mr Fox Remix
2ndrp12008 Release date: 12th October 09


Following in Ramadanman's supreme tribal tracks, comes South London production outfit LV. Fresh from two releases on Hyperdub and remixes for Hemlock, the quartet deliver the rootical Don't Judge featuring vocals from seasoned UK rootsman Errol Bellot, who has worked with King Tubby among others.

On the flip side, Wolverhampton’s Fantastic Mr Fox takes the big tools to the original and refashions an epic remix with a wicked 2 step swing. Nuff said, enjoy!

As big fans of illustration and graphics, over the last seven releases the label has commissioned some truly wonderful art from a slew of talented artists including Remi/Roughe, Uiu and Phil Blake. For 008, London based Mat Pringle was given the chance to design our first 12” sleeve. His wave and bamboo illustration is wicked and is hand printed onto just 500 limited edition sleeves.

Please check his blog for more stunning works of art: http://www.matpringle.blogspot.com

Falty DL - Bravery (Planet Mu) Album Review

Still deep within the grooves of Drew Lustman’s debut album for Planet Mu, Love Is a Liability continues to dominate the audio tapestry of my life. Released in July, his debut marked an emergence of a interesting new talent from New York, here was a producer with a toe in the world of dubstep, but actually, much like Burial, is much more than that. So, it was a little surprising to hear that there was a new album dropping in October.

Entitled Bravery, the mood is darker, morehttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4977582656427216755 dissonant than his previous material. There is an overt sense of progression in both the sound and production; the record pulses forward, none more so urgently than on Tronman, an epic, rolling beast of eerie, panning synths and wailing soul vocal snippets. The intensity is only heightened on Play Child, which has a charged air of Axelrod about it. Mother Beam wonks and samples its way around – Nas’s It Ain’t Hard To Tell sneaks in sporadically. Title track Bravery is some space age, wigged out p-funk, alongside Discant, rife with Herbie Hancock harmonies and Roy Ayres strings. Whilst Pressure jacks a ton of speed and creates hyper funk, opening track Made Me Feel So Right is the most beautifully discordant piece; mournful, stinking of decay and perfect for the post-Burial blues. Album of the year? Quite possibly.

Sub FM 27/07/09

Artwork above is by Remi/Rough and is entitled 2nd Drop. Nice.

Markle on Sub FM – 27/07/09

Markle27Jul09SubFM.mp3 http://bit.ly/fgYbp

Lone - Karen Loves Kate (?)
Paul Weller – Wild Wood (Sheared Wood-Portishead remix) (Go Beat)
Mount Kimbe - 50 Mile View (Hotflush)
Blue Daisy - Space-ex (Black Acre)
Ras-G - Stealth Mode (?)
The Alkoholicks - Damm (Loud)
Mark Pritchard and Om'mas Keith - Wind It Up (Hyperdub)
Krystal and Shabba Ranks - Twice My Age (Greensleeves)
Mungo's Hi Fi ft Tippie Irie - Ruff Mi Tuff (Scotch Bonnet)
Daddy Freddy - Dirt (Ninja Tune)
Terror Danjah - Zumpi Hunter (Swindle remix) (Plantet Mu)
Falty DL - Tronman (Planet Mu)
Spectrasoul - Insignia (Exit)
DRT - Girlstar (Unreleased)
Pangaea - Memories (White)
High Planes Drifter Vs Goldspot - Sholay (Tempa)
Sully - Toffee Apple (Unreleased)
Silkie - Concrete Jungle (Deep Medi)
Breakage - Higher (Digital Soundboy)
Akira kiteshi - Boom N Pow (Black Acre)
James Blake - Air and the Lack Thereof (Hemlock)
LV ft Erroll Bellot - Don't Judge (Fantastic Mr Fox) (2nd Drop)
Geeneus - Yellowtail VIP (Rinse)
Untold - Just For You (Roska Remix) (Hotflush)
Floating Points - Vacuum Boogie (Eglo)

Silkie City Limits Launch Parteeee

Silkie celebrates the launch of his brilliant debut album on Deep Media Musik (see review below) at Corsica Studios on Thursday 23rd July. The line up is:

Silkie
Quest
Mala
Chef
Harry Craze
& support from Antisocial


Reviewed in ATM Magazine, July 09 Issue
Silkie – City Limits Vol 1 (Deep Medi Musik)
23 year old Soloman Rose is a rare breed in dubstep. A meticulous craftsman of melody and gifted with a capital G, listening to Silkie’s debut album, City Limits Vol 1, you would have laid money on this youngster being much, much older. The palate of sound used is eclectic and almost timeless: deep within its digital canvas you find a plethora of texture and layers; rich seams of reggae, jazz, soul, jungle, garage. Check Turvy for its jazz funk smoothness, the low-riding g-funk on Concrete Jungle, the broken beat swing of Horizon and Mattaz, channeling the classic West London vibe of Bugz In The Attic inna 2009 stylee.

At once refreshing, City Limits brings something unique to the dubstep genre. If you just dip a toe into the 13 tracks on offer it will sound like no other. Sure, the gargantuan basslines rumble form the speakers like slugs on steroids, but they are vibrant with funk. More importantly they underpin a lush and detailed sound panorama that can traverse from darkly hypnotic to palatial in a single tune - Head Butt Da Deck, Beauty and Quasar are perfect examples. Buy this album to truly realize the flexibility and potential of dubstep, but also buy it because it’s a bloody good listen.

Ramadanman Interview

My latest interview for the mighty Media Contender music portal is up!

Check Hessle Audio's very own Ramadanman talk about effective wood block deployment and the nuances of drinking milk in France! Plus there is a free download of his first release on 2nd Drop Records never before available!


Media Contender interview here

I wanted to pop the interview below too, if you can't be arsed to go to the other website.

Some say he‘s a musical terrorist. Wild rumours suggest he makes his music in a cave. Others mutter behind cupped hands that he’s a clean living Dorset lad. But what we do know about Ramadanman is that he has an almost biblical talent for making critical beats and running one of the finest labels in dubstep. Middle eastern inspired (although nothing to do with to fasting, prayer and the Prophet Mohammed) non-de plume aside, 20-year-old David Kennedy, got hooked early on the raw energy of UK Grime which helped kick start his production career. But you’d be hard pressed to find the rudimentary elements of the most urban of genres in his output these days. Having carved out a stripped back, skeletal integrity on labels such as Soul Jazz, 2nd Drop, Tempa and his own imprint Hessle Audio, which he runs with Ben UFO and Pangaea, for 2009 Ramadanman is delving deeper into his musical artillery, drawing on house and techno with a distinctive, yet off kilter, tribalism to take on dubstep’s stereotypes and take the music world to its knees. Markle catches up with him to talk wood blocks, milk drinking and 2008 being a killer year.

Markle:
How is living in France working out? Is it having any impact on your music?

Ramadanman:
I suppose it has an impact on my music as I am in a different production environment so it has taken some time to adjust. Also I don’t have all my equipment with me so I am working with a basic setup. I do have more spare time out here, and I don’t go to a lot of nights so I guess maybe subconsciously it is affecting my music. I did sample some local accordion players on a recent tune so there a few overt influences coming into my music!

M:
I can often hear playground noise and atmospheres lurking in the background of your music (Carla, Dubwar podcast). Is this some regressive tendency, or a sonic nuance you think is particular evocative?

R:
I think adding extra ambience adds a huge amount to a tune, taking you right to the place or recreating the mood of where the ambience was recorded. I record a lot of ambience myself now (not the blimey samples!) and I think as you say it can be very evocative. If anything it’s more for personal reasons to remind me of a particular place, or otherwise to add some texture to a tune where I think it needs it.

M:
You have a fierce percussionist trapped inside of you that is unleash on many of your tunes, none more so than Revenue, which feels like Blimey’s steroid dependent brother. Where is this stripped down tribalism emanating from?

R:
I don’t know, but I am into rhythm and I always wanted to play the drums. I often find myself tapping out rhythms on the tabletop when I am bored and stuff like that, so maybe it’s the repressed drummer in me? Most of my favourite music is just beats and bass, so I guess it’s a continuation of that.

M:
Never afraid to diverge from the proscribed templates of dubstep, give us an insight into what drives your creativity and vision, and the need to offer such excellent left of centre music?

R:
I often don’t feel 100% happy with a tune if I can hear that it sounds like someone else, so I think I am keen to make sure my stuff sounds like me. When I first got into the ‘dubstep’ sound, its definition was very loose, and in my mind it still is. So for me as long as the tempo is in the right region (for mixing), anything goes. People can spend too long pondering whether something is or isn’t dubstep, but that doesn’t really bother me anymore. I remember Skream being asked in an interview ‘what is dubstep’, and he replied ‘I don’t know’.

M:
I would have to say 2008 was a pretty good year for you. Not least Hessle Audio becoming one of the must have labels. What has it been like from your perspective?

R:
2008 has been cool, it was nice to see quite a few of my tunes make it to vinyl. It has been great as well to travel a lot, and meet lots of interesting people. I really enjoy travelling to different cities and meeting people from over there – a lot of people are on a similar vibe and it is cool to see what they are doing to push interesting music in their cities. It is an honour to be asked to go somewhere to play!

M:
Your own productions have been gathering some deserved attention; support from across the scene, but more importantly the cross over with Technophiles and the likes of Villalobos. Has this been a surprise to you in any way?

R:
Well there was quite a lot of excitement about this whole dubstep techno crossover malarkey, and for a while it was perhaps kinda trendy and exciting, but yes it was a surprise to have someone send me a video of Ricardo Villalobos opening with two of my tunes at some techno festival in Germany. I have never met the guy, and it was really bizarre to be watching a video on the internet of my tunes, being played off vinyl that I had seen been mastered, through the same speakers and computer that I made them on a few months earlier. Much respect to the guy, he comes across as a very interesting guy, and I’d hope to meet him sometime, just to say thank you!

M:
You are kinda fond of the odd wood block.

Ramadanman:
Never been a fan of rip your ears off super snares, so I quite often use a woodblock! I was discussing woodblock EQing with Pangaea earlier today as it happens….good times.

M:
Are we going to see a Ramadanman album this year?

Ramadanman:
No plans for an album nah. This year should be quite exciting. My tune Humber should be out by the time this magazine is published on Appleblim’s label Applepips. Other than that, I have just remixed the Ragga Twins for Soul Jazz. I have made a couple of tunes with Appleblim, which should come out this year. Also I have tunes under different names which should be coming out, including an EP at 170 bpm, a 140 bpm 12” and perhaps some funky stuff… other than that I have been working on collabs with Alix Perez and Brendon Moeller, and I am working with a filmmaker to provide music for a documentary about an amazing martial arts family in Brazil!

M:
I know there is talk of you starting a funky label. Can you tell us a little more? Are you making Funky?

Ramadanman:
Haha, I’m not sure where you heard that one. I am interested by some of the stuff in this new ‘funky’ vein, especially the tougher stuff which is more percussive, with lots of sub bass – such as Lil Silva, Apple, Roska etc. I have been making some myself, and it has been really fun to try my hand at something new. I am pleased with the results too, and Marcus Nasty has been dropping some of my bits and bobs.

M:
I heard Ben play nearly an hour of funky and house on your Ruffage show on Sub FM. Is this an indication of a change of direction or just adding found sounds to your armoury?

Ramadanman:
I see it as another mutation of garage and it all fits into the history of new UK music and I think rather than a change of direction, it just fits with what we enjoy! I think variety is very important

M:
What does the future hold for Ramadanman?

Ramadanman:
Just trying to make more music really, and visit more places in the world, as well as trying to link up with more of the interesting people I have met over the past few years. I am very excited for 2009, it seems like musically everyone is moving in very exciting directions.

M:
Are you addicted to Milk?

Ramadanman:
A certain friend does call me ‘milky boy’, but recently I have toned down my milk drinking to be honest. Also I’ve switched to semi skimmed, and it’s just not the same. Oh and finally, UHT milk is not the one, it is difficult to find fresh milk in France

Salt Beef - Bank Holiday Sat!!!

Hatcha interview & Mix

Pic: Cleveland Aaron

“Sitting there flicking through tunes, picking out ones that were all similar, I started piecing all these together into sets and at the same time, while I’m doing that you’ve got Benga and Skream bringing their own interpretation of it. So yeah, I was piecing together everyone’s stuff and trying to form something.” That ‘something’ turned out to be dubstep.

Hatcha’s story is a classic one: a young gun calls up a pirate and through shear chops gets a set DJ playing garage on south London pirate. A job behind the counter of the legendary Big Apple Record shop in Croydon fuels his obsession for the dark garage coming from the likes of EL-B, Zed Bias, Oris Jay, Arwork and Benny Ill. A flock of local, freakishly in tune, yet brutally raw producers feed their latest creation to him, which he in turn channels through a residency at new underground night Forward, providing the perfect platform to forge the nascent sound of esoteric, no frills garage coined dubstep. Mark Gurney braves the noxious wind of a one-year-old Pitbull called Oscar to catch up with Hatcha, better know to his mum as Terry Leonard, to talk belching, launching his new night and why he thinks dubstep has much more to come.

A lot of importance is placed on the Big Apple record shop as the incubator for dubstep. Do you have any fond memories from the shop?
It’s heartbreaking it’s gone. That shop was so funny. Had some of the best days in my life in that shop. We’d get all the boys in mixing up records. Skream and Benga were like 13 at the time. l think I took Benga to his first party and his first gig, he was still at school at the time.

Your radio career has been a classic tale of from illegal to legal. You were on Upfront first, and then the first dubstep show on Rinse. What attracted you to Kiss FM?
When you aim to be a DJ in life, if you can be a DJ on a Legal station and get paid for it, surely it’s a dream come true. Rather than paying to play on a station, fuck that. But it’s a circle, they’ve got to do it, to help it run, and to help push themselves (as DJ’s).

Whilst researching this interview I stumbled back across a Blackdown blog post which had two photos of the dubstep scene circa 2001 & the class of 2006. You were in both of them. Do you think you will be in the 2011 shoot?
This is me, for life. Forward and upwards man. I’ve got no intentions of fading away. I can only get stronger.

Who do you think is gonna be in the next picture?
Well, you’ve always got the youngers coming through. It’s what makes the scene evolve. It’s still fresh, whoever is here now is still representing. You just have to raise your game.

Skream broke through with Midnight Request Line, Benga & Coki with Night. What do you think is the next thing to blow?
I don’t think these guys have even bust yet. Benga, Skream, Digital Mystikz, Distance, Jakes, these are talented people. And every month I get more tracks from them, they improve. Yeah, Night and MRL laid the foundations, but they have a lot more to come yet.

Do you agree with the view that the sound has essentially polarized into grotty jump up vs techno x?
Yeah, you have got the different sounds, which is good. That’s why it’s always gonna be interesting. You’ve got jump up; you’ve the grotty, hard industrial sound, which is my sound. I’m not really into the jump up stuff, but it works. If we all played the same it would be repetitive, and would end up like every other scene out there. You can have Benga, Caspa, Kode 9, Digital Mystikz, put them on the line and you not gonna hear the same tune twice in one night. It’s good there is a spectrum of sounds within dubstep, that’s why it’s fresh.

Rusko is working with Katy Perry, Benga with Rhianna. Is this dubstep selling out or just realizing its potential?
It’s just about the potential. Without a doubt.

You’ve also recently started up your own night with N-Type called Sin City @ Herbal. How’s that going?
It’s nice to have another dubstep outlet. We wouldn’t be doing it if FWD was still on a Friday. It’s brilliant; we get all our friends down there mixing. Next one is 20th March. Upstairs we have Funky House and old skool and downstairs we have dubstep. Every night we’ve done has been rammed!

What’s coming on the Sin City label?
A new double pack, we’ve got Benga, Chef, Coki & N-Type, Lost, Crazy D, Kutz. I’m waiting for the vinyl to come through now. Should be the next couple of weeks.

Do you have any odd habits?
Every time I burp I say bollocks. How funny is that. It’s terrible. I shouldn’t have told you that. What else? I get up in the middle of the night, every night of the week, I will get up between 2 and 5 in the morning and semi conscious go down to the kitchen and feast. Wake up chocolate all over me and biscuits on the floor. It’s a scary.

For Hatcha DJ bookings contact opa@wma.com
www.myspace.com/djhatcha
Catch Hatcha on Kiss FM, Tuesday night/ Wed Morning from 1am-2pm.

Exclusive mix for ATM Magazine by Hatcha.
Download it here: ATM Mag Hatcha Mix *

* important note! You need to enter these 5 digits: 01482

Track by Track - -

Mala - Eyes
Brilliant track. Proper Deep Medi material, you can hear Mala sound in it perfectly. Lazer style synths with plenty of twisted soul; It was the perfect track to set the vibe for the mix.

Skream – Rollin
Brand new Skream biznezz. Not sure when this is coming out on as it’s a freshly cut dubplate. A good bouncy track with plenty of stomp to keep the mix moving.

Kutz – Freak
Right, time to get aggy and rough it up. Kutz brings the ruckus and starts putting on the pressure and heating up the heels.

Jakes – Justice
It’s not all about Croydon on this mix, and Jakes brings his Bristolian touch. This track is doing it for me at the moment.

Distance – Twilight
This is murdering the dancefloor. When I speak to Greg every couple of days and he says he’s gonna throw over another track, I think yes, coz I know it’s gonna be messy.

Jakes – 3K Lane VIP
This one is a nice little special for me. Another twist on a massive track, just giving it a new angle.

Distance – Menace
More Distance pressure with Menace. Distance is getting a lot of feedback right now, and I’m loving his metal sound. A massive dancefloor worker.

Benga – Transform
Stepping up the tempo on this one. Speaks for it self.

Chimpo – Pump Action
Chimpo is from Manchester and we’ve signed this for Sin City Recordings, so expect to see this out soon. Big tune.

Lost – Slaughtered
A Croydon young gun coming through. I met Lost through Kromestar, keep your eye on this guy.

Benga Vs Kutz – I’ll Kut Ya
This one is tearing through the crowds at the moment. Wicked collaboration.

Benga vs Distance – Untitled
Bangin track, I’ve been playing this for months on dubplate. It goes off!

Benga – He He He
Good little bubbler that really comes into it’s own on a big system. You can hear the typical Benga sound on this one.

Coki – The Shizbiz
Coki Madness! Welcome to Coki’s mad little world. You can’t listen to this shit on a walkman!

Skream – Metal Mouth
A nasty, brutal peak time monster that will getting every set of feet moving on any dancefloor, anywhere.

Jakes – Rock The Bells
Again, this one blowing up the dancefloor. Sampling some old hip hop records to maximum effect. Killer.

Sub FM Monday 9th March 2009

Available on iTunes and Sub FM archive

The Dramatics – In The Rain (Volt)
J-88 – The Look of Love – JDilla remix (Groove Attack)
John Robinson – Don King (Fat Beats)
Lashley – Lash Beat (Unreleased)
Bullion – Time For Us All To Love (One Handed Music)
Wynd Chimes – Baby You’re The One (Lotus Land)
Michagan & Smiley – Diseases (Greensleeves)
Micky Simpson - Don’t Cry Version (Original Music)
Horsepower Productions – Damn It (Tempa)
2562 – Kontrol (Tectonic)
RSD – Kingfisher (Earwax)
Lo:Tek – Timewarp (Unreleased)
Skream – The Shinein (Deep Medi)
Synkro – Music Makers (Z-Audio)
Compound One – Get Loose (Compound One)
Joe – Rut (Hessle Audio)
Guido – Orchestral Lab (Punch Drunk)
Gemmy – Wata Down Sound (Unreleased)
Joker – Digidesign (Hyperdub)
Reso & ID – Shifty (Civil)
Cluekid – Soul Vibe (White)
L Wiz – Prayer Room (Red Volume)
Untold – Dante (Hotflush)
Ramadanman – Revenue (2nd Drop)
Fantastic Mr Fox – Plimsoul (Hemlock)
Zinc – Submarine (Bingo)
Shed – Warped Minds (Ostgut Tonträger)

Run Dem Crew running mix

I created a special studio mix for Run Dem Crew. Inspired by the LCD Soundsystem creation for Nike, i wanted to get as near to the 'perfect' running track length as possible and just about managed it.

So, download it, sync it to your ipod and getting running!

http://www.divshare.com/download/6715381-ae3

Run Dem Crew special 2nd Drop Dubstep mix

Ramadanman – Good Feelin (2nd Drop)
23hz & Numaestro – Zumo (2nd Drop)
Natural Marcus – Talks of the Prejudiced - Clouds Version (2nd Drop)
DLX – Matter of Facts – Breakage’s Relatively Speaking Remix (Smog)
LD – Green Ranger (2nd Drop)
TRG – Broken Heart – Martyn’s DCM Remix (Hessle Audio)
Skream – Percression (Tectonic)
JKenzo – Conqueror (2nd Drop)
Cotti ft Jammer & Mr Party – Dem Fi Know (Argon)
Sully – Heartbeat (Mugwell Bill)
Desto - Cold (Unreleased)

Mix length = 46.14 mins

DJ Magazine Dubstep reviewer

I'm pleased to announce that DJ Magazine have asked me to take over their dubstep reviews page. I have my first page of reviews in the world renowned publication from March 09. I'll let you know when they are up on the website right here!

Zoop zoup!

New 2nd Drop - 23hz & Numaestro - Zumo

Hot off the heals (well for us anyway) of LD's Green Ranger 12", comes the ex-pat Barca crew, 23Hz & Numaestro (aka Relocate).

Skream (Tempa/ Rinse FM) - “Two deep bombs”
Breakage (Digital Soundbwoy) - “Zumo’s got a wicked vibe to it. BAD!”
Bunzer0 (Sub FM) - “I love them!”

DJ support includes Sully (2nd Drop), Atki2 (Werk), Dave Q (Dubwar), Phillip Sherburne (Pitchfork/ Wire), Furiouz (Sub FM) and Rob Da Bank (Radio One)

Like many legendary duo’s - Ike and Tina, Torvil and Dean, Hue and Cry - the chemistry is all-important. And for 23hz & Numaestro it’s no different. The ex pat Barcelona residents are a blend of super techy engineer (23hz) with experienced DJ (Numaestro) whose joint musical journey has mutated through hip hop, soul, drum and bass and techno, into dubstep via UKG and the early sounds of Groove Chronicles, EL-B and Horsepower, is precisely what gives their sound its probing and hypnotic quality. This their third dubstep release, after previous tracks on Bristol based Immerse and as their alter-ego Relocate, Zumo and Fantasmas is already getting props from key players in 2009.

Zumo kicks off the A side, a wailing banshee impregnated with a filter-bomb, rides atop a bulging sub and pulsing electro refrain which nags and rolls with hypnotic effect, a tell tale sign of the duo’s production style. It’s not all about bangers! And these guys know how to develop a mood and pocket of rhythm up their with Digital Mystikz.

Fantasmas on the flip is a bassbin destroyer! The phrase “how low can you go” should have originated from this track. A bouncing bassline that could have been stolen from a grotty jungle record dominates, accompanied by a haunting Mediterranean-infused vocal refrain.

As always, 2nd Drop commission some fresh and totally bespoke artwork, with this release designed by Portuguese illustrator, Uiu

The Roots of El-B

Whilst writing my review of the new Roots of El-B compilation forthcoming on Tempa (see below), I was researching El-B interviews and facts and came across this 2001 interview by Kode 9 on his Hyperdub website and reproduced on the Riddim.ca website

A particular sentence struck me.....

K9: "Do you still check drum'n'bass?"
El-B: "Yeah, I still have love, particularly if it's not amen stuff. I've never liked the way that sounded on club systems. I like the separates. I like the low frequencies of a bass kick, the mid of a snare and the high frequencies of the high hats. I think the only reason that the amen is coming back is because they know it is selling to the students."

It just resonated with what is happening to the dubstep sound right now. The preponderance for grotty, jump up, mid range noise-core, which in my mind takes the place of the 'Amen stuff' that El-B cites. And this trend is catalyzed and propelled by the new crowds that come to dubstep everyday.

At the risk of sounding like a reactionary, some of this stuff is effective, but to the detriment of everything else.....?

Anyway....the review:

El-B – Roots of El-B (Tempa)
Following on from the Roots of Dubstep also compiled by Martin Clark aka Blackdown and Ammunition (peeps behind FWD and Tempa), the next installment is from a true pioneer of the sound, pretty much the most important figure who pushed the dark garage sound in the early 2000’s which came to provide the blueprint for, and then mutate into, the sound we know as dubstep. Those new to El-B or indeed unaware of his music and the nascent scene populated by the likes of Zed Bias, Oris Jay and Groove Chronicles (who El-B engineered for) will hopefully be able to make the connection with it’s evolved brother, dubstep, with it’s stripped down aesthetic, dependency on heavy basslines and moody, esoteric vibes. Indeed, even though the half step and wobble motifs dominated 2006-2007, 2008 and 2009 has and will see the resurgence and deeper excavation of this swing based 2-step form. The likes of Burial, TRG, Martyn and Sully are already pushing these sounds into new territories. Therefore this collection couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve no real need to go into detail on each track. This is essential music history for those that missed it the first time round, and a neat aggregate of the classic vinyl tracks gathering dust for those who were.

Martyn Album Launch

Martyn's Great Lengths album party....Gonna be silly.

Roll call!!!

From the album expect 12 new tracks plus his previously release single Vancouver and Natural Selection making up the rest. There is a killer collob with Space Ape, which is a particular highlight for me, but expect an expansive sonic tapestry from Great Lengths...definitely an album that pushes and probes boundaries.

Awesome art by Erosie as standard!

LD Interview

Not to be confused with EL-B or Hyperdub label mate LV, Leon Day aka LD is very much his own man, with very much his own sound. Ever since the scattering Swing Dat Skirt really made heads sit up and listen, Leon has been diligently developing his production skills, most impressively in between a full time job at dubstep’s revered mastering studio Transition Mastering. And it takes a certain caliber of person to keep their head when their debut dubstep gig is not only at the mother of all dubstep nights, DMZ, but also on their 2nd birthday party (March 2007), “I had to pull myself together and be like, ‘right this is my chance, I can’t miss it’”, he says. “I saw the line up and it made it worse”. Playing alongside Kode 9, Skream, Hatcha, Benga and Plastician, LD showed little fear, opening with one of the most insane mixes of the night, still talked about in dubstep circles now - the intro of Benga and Walsh’s Panic Room was building to the drop and at that exact moment LD switches the mix into Flames by Benga as it reaches its first drop. The place erupted, and the rest is history. Now with well received releases on established labels such as Dub Police, Subway and 2nd Drop, a killer remix of the funky house classic Do You Mind by Kyla, and imminent releases on Ringo and the seminal Hyperdub, the 24-year-old Peckham lad is all set up to make 2009 his year. Mark Gurney managed to pin him down to get his views on his unique sound, high profile collaborations and how Transition is his dream job.


You have a wide palate of sounds in your music. Agile, percussive, even tribal I can here many influences oozing from your productions. You have one of the most rhythmical styles out there, do you feel you are carving out your own sound?

I love rhythmical patterns and organic sounds (wood's, birds, rain, etc), I love music with emotion, soul and swing especially when it is more up tempo - I wouldn't say that I'm carving out my own sound, I'm simply sharing my vision of how I think Dubstep should be and hopefully people like my view on the music too.

It's been great to hear your full range from the future soca dub of your remix of Sully's Give Me Up on 2nd Drop Records, to the monster technoid raspings of Bad coming soon on Hyperdub, you seem to move between light and dark with ease. How is this translating on the dancefloor?

I have a simplistic view when I make music. I just go into the studio and what ever comes out comes out. On a day when I am happy I will write a bubbly song, however, on a day when I am angry I would write a darker aggressive song. With the variation of feelings in my music it enables me to take people on a journey when I am DJing. I play a lot of my tracks along with other producers in the scene, I have had a lot of good feedback from my DJ sets so I guess the movement between dark and light is working well.

The collaborations with Benga, Kode9 and Cluekid are all great in the way your personality still shines through, and it sounds more like you have the dominant sound which is quite something considering the partners. Can we get an insight into the collaborative process? Are they all very different?

I really enjoy collaborating. So far the tracks I have done which are collabs have been going down well. All of the other producers have been open minded and easy to work with. There is a good energy when we work together and the second opinion from someone who is as passionate about sound adds another dimension to the music. I think my suggestions have been relevant whilst making these tracks, which is why my personality comes through.

Benga has a vast knowledge of production and is very talented in his ability to make his music sound 3D (Big, wide etc). Benga is definitely the most creative and inventive producer I have worked with. I feel my collab with Benga is techno based but with a hint of rawness in it.

Clue Kid has early jungle influences in his sound, which I was heavily into in the 90's and early 2000's - so I was interested in what we could do. His sound is quite different to mine; he has a raw/darker element to his production - the fusion of dark and light worked as if it was ying and yang. Clue brought a new dimension to my rhythmic style with a unique ability to reprogram jungle brakes so that they sound authentic at a slower tempo. He would then add additional hits in key places to change the groove of the jungle brake. He also has a different technique for creating bass sounds, he is very good at creating them from scratch using sine and square waves with a bit of compression and distortion to add some grit to the sound.

Kode 9 is an old school producer; he has some analog outboard equipment (which is right up my street) that sound incredible. The synth sound in Bad is an example of quality analog gear sounding at its best, for me that is what makes the track "bad". He, like myself, pays a lot of attention to detail, which is something that I admire. I was continuously impressed with his input in the tracks we made. He sometimes had different ideas to me but we were heading in the same direction, which is why I feel this track worked.

Even though dubplate culture is still strong, do you see digital and CD taking over in the future?

The only way that I can see digital mediums over taking analog is if digital technology can create an analog sound or if producers/Dj's no longer want an analog sound. I have recently done an article for Martin Clark that has a lot more detail on this matter.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/node/144602

Have you been able to find more time to produce or is mastering still taking precedence?

At the moment I have one day a week to produce so I make sure I use my time wisely. This suits me because I am naturally lazy so it insures that I use my time effectively not playing PES 2008 all day on my day off.

How did you managed to hook up the excellent remix of Kyla's Do You Mind, a massive funky house record that has been banging that scene for the past year?

I have known Paleface and Flukes for a long time. They were asking some people to do remixes of it for a remix release on Northern Line records, Paleface asked me to do one so I did. I was not sure how a full singing vocal dubstep track would go down but it seems to be going well. I am glad it’s doing well because I think Kyla has a good voice and this track is due out before the new year.

And your remix of Skream's 0800 dub has been tearing the arse out of every sound system it graces. You just nailed the vibe right there, bringing a classic right into the now. How did that come about?

Skream came down to cut some dubs a while back and I asked him to give me some parts to one of his tracks and he gave me that one.

With the release of more LD music, comes more gigs and DJ dates. How are you finding the crowds outside of London? Is there more demand for your time?

There is a much better atmosphere in clubs outside of London excluding a few. One of my best gigs lately was in Bristol (Monster Bass @ the Black Swan). People really enjoyed themselves and the feedback from the crowd made me play even better. There are a lot of international gigs that I have played at that have a similar appreciation for the music. Hopefully the momentum of dubstep continues.

How has your time at Transition helped develop/ influence your sound?

Working at transition is a dream job for me. I get to hear a lot of different music which all influences me in different ways. My boss Jason Goz has I high standard when handling music - this high standard has rubbed off on me in many different ways. Transition has also given me a critical ear, so things that are not so important are now very important e.g. insuring there is audio balance in the track (not to much of any frequency), insuring attack and release times of drums and synths are tight or loose depending on the objective, fine tuning sounds for desired feel etc. There is also a lot of friendly competition, as it is the place where most dubstep people cut their records. This means that when Skream for example makes a new tune, which I think is sick, I try to make a tune that can compete.

Myspace - www.myspace.com/transitionld

Starkey Interview

Check my interview with Philadelphian grime-bot Starkey on the excellent Media Contender website here

Big up PJ, Jonas EPM, Eric and Danny!