The Portuguese production duo, Octa Push, just linked us their refix of RQM's 'You She Me.' Originally produced by Robot Koch, RQM dropped some pornagraphic verses on it and Baba Jahcoozi sang the hook, but on this version the Octa Push boys chop and screw the whole thing up, vibing properly off the micro diced vocal cuts.
After listening to a lot of the margins music commonly referred to as 'skweee,' of late I'd been mulling over the best writing options afforded to me in my quest to document a style of music I was becoming more and more besotted with. Not knowing much of the gentry or history behind the movement itself - hailing from Scandinavia, the primitive sound has really blossomed over the last few years - but sharing a common love of the sound I approached Brighton based producer Boss Kite, hoping to harness his passion for the genre and his productions as the source of a further investigation.
Catch him in the chat and the mix over at The Quietus.
Following up ‘The Golden Handshake’ EP from Low Limit and Lando Kal, collectively known as LazerSword, and the anthemic ‘IfUWantMe’ from Deadboy, the freshly minted Numbers imprint are serving up the ‘Bare Blips’ EP from London resident, Redinho, next month. Anyone who caught his bombastic live show at the label launch at Plastic People late last year can testify that Red's squashed syrup of low end frequencies and hip hop swagger is frankly, intense. Micro produced and with a strong focus on intensity the full EP is a glory to behold; flickering from the thump of the eponymous track to the flutter of the aptly named ‘Pitter Patter,’ Red explores ideas quickly, seemingly mastering each mood with ease.
Ahead of his slot at the Numbers fabric takeover this Friday, he passed us a minimix of the forthcoming EP and being that he’s one of the nicest dudes you ever shall meet, we shot him a few quizzical probes for dramatic effect.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Redinho: I’m about to drop my debut EP, ‘Bare Blips,’ on Numbers.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
Tom Calvert aka Red. On the daily, I’m a professional nine to five avoider.
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?
I spent a lot of time making music with my two brothers. I started playing drums, and my brothers got a guitar and bass. It’s weird because my parents aren’t musical in the slightest. I remember making recordings right from the start using a village tape recorder with a built in microphone ‘hole.’ We would set the drum kit up in one corner of the room, and place the tape recorder in the opposite corner, and my brother would “rap” as I played the drums. That way, if he rapped loudly (i.e. screamed), some sort of mix balance was achieved between the drums and the vocals on the recording.
Even more elaborate recording techniques were invented to combat our lack of equipment until we managed to borrow a multi track tape recorder. I used to rinse that thing until it was literally burning hot. Looking back on it, it was always recording that I loved. I didn’t really practice playing instruments; I just practiced writing and recording. I would make loads of tracks where I played everything from the drums, guitars, bass to vocals. Without realising it, I was producing, and it was something that I naturally loved to do and haven’t ever been able to stop doing since.
What’s your production set up like?
Laptop, vinyl, plus a few toys and whatever else I’ve managed to “borrow” from people.
Where do you take inspiration from when making music?
Gigs of all sorts leave a lasting impression on me. Also there’s just so much good music out there - past and present.
How would you describe your sound?
Some have described ‘Bare Blips’ as a fusion of electronic, beats and grime. I’m happy with that. The newer stuff I’m making has a different feel to it, maybe a more glorious vibe harmonically, but you can still hear those reference points in it.
What draws you to the mentally contorted, hip hop sound?
I’d say hip hop is essentially 'funk' music; I’ve always liked funk music, or music with a strong beat.
Your first release is out imminently on Numbers right? Can you tell us a bit about that...?
The ‘Bare Blips’ EP will be out on Numbers very soon. I made most of it in a week. I tuned into one of those autopilot zones. I just wanted to make something that excited and entertained me.
What else have you got coming up? (releases, gigs/plug the fabric show etc etc)
I’m playing live at fabric on this Friday in the Numbers room alongside Rustie, Martyn and Jackmaster. I'm also playing a Numbers thing in Glasgow on the 17th April with Deadboy.
Release wise, there's ‘Bare Blips’ v. soon, then I’ve got a track with Riz MC, and some more Redinho stuff to follow.
As befits a nuum-generated music, funky seems to be undergoing a real creative expansion at the moment. It’s largely due to the magpie-like nature it shares with its closest cousins, reaching outward and grabbing any scrap of particularly shiny detritus to throw into the melting pot; from defiantly acoustic elements - traditional Middle Eastern melodies (Monkey Steak) and ritualistic drum-circle percussion (DVA) – to more typical electronic influences like first-wave Detroit (Roska) and Berlin (Cooly G, xxxy). Typically, the most interesting developments are happening at the bleeding edges, those regions that become increasingly difficult to define but ever harder to resist. The single most exciting aspect of these crossover points is that funky’s basic beat pattern remains an irresistibly danceable weapon, providing an unusually flexible backbone for experimentation. Recent tracks by Cooly G, DVA and this new release by Deep Teknologi’s T.Williams, pushes the sound in strange and often difficult directions, which taken separately from such an addictive dancefloor structure could well lose momentum. The best funky is aimed intensely and inseparably toward both body and mind in equal measure, crucially remaining tied to its origins as club music.
On the new ‘T. Williams EP,’ Deep Teknologi place themselves firmly within that group of artists pushing the sound in unprecedented new directions. In terms of intent and pure sonics, these three tracks by co-founder T. Williams are probably closest to Cooly G’s recent Dub Organizer material – intrinsically related to house music in its purest form, but infused with London attitude. All share early grime’s sparseness – all synth stabs and trancelike repetition, ‘Anthem’ could be a cousin of Cooly G’s ‘Narst,’ bristling with barely restrained aggression which is never released, simply building over the track’s length and leaving real tension in its wake.
Arriving immediately afterwards, ‘Flooring’ makes a b-line for Berlin, underpinned by slowly rotating columns of white noise and static synth before tearing apart to reveal a beating heart hidden within. All three tracks are sparing in the extreme, each containing only what is necessary and nothing more. This could as easily have resulted in a set of decent and merely functional DJ tools, but proves far more effective, highlighting each individual element like a high-powered lens. ‘Afric’ is the best example of this: a simple organ figure pivoting above tightly locked percussion and bass, but brimming with such an excess of energy that it seems a wonder that there isn’t a set of musicians performing it live in front of you. Recalling Miles Davis and mnml (shhh) in equal measure, it’s one of the best dancefloor tunes I’ve heard in a long time, sending the mind out on a Sun Ra-style tangent towards the heart of the solar system.
Hailing from Bristol, Furesshu, has been in our peripheral vision for a while now; probably due to his role running the Seasonfive nights in Bristol, and his position on the flyers with a bunch of the scene's leading lights. After a 12” popped up on the newly minted Project Squared label – a subsidiary of Project Mooncircle – recently, he hit us up touting his wares.
Coming from the deep end of the spectrum echoing shards of sharp edged chords particularly fluently, he’s offering Sonic Router readers the chance to bag his ‘Milennia’ track for free…
“I first got into producing music about 3/4 years ago, messing around on Reason with a Mac at Uni,” he informs us. “The sound of Bristol's take on dubstep was very inspiring factor for me to start my own productions...”
“After releasing digital only on the net label Echodub, my debut vinyl release on Project Squared has just dropped which I'm really excited about, I was really happy to hear Marcel Dettmann playing my track ‘Untitled’ from the Project Squared 12" recently at Bloc Weekend. Asusu has done a remix of ‘Horizons’ which is forthcoming on Immerse and later in the year I will be dropping something else on Project Squared. In my spare time I'm writing more music in my bedroom studio and saving up for some kit to go in it. I have also recently recorded a mix to promote the release which is available for download through my soundcloud; it was also featured on Super Ultra Mega's Podcast.”
You can catch Furesshu at “Bristol's premiere techno night” under_score in April, MIMM in Nottingham in early May and Monochrome, also in Bristol, at the end of May.
Surely, if you've read this elongated page before you'll be well aware of our love affair with Untold and his potent brew of riotous drums and his relentless musical schedule. Similarly you'll have seen the Glasgow Numbers conglomerate name checked here a bunch of times, whether its been in promotion of some of their legendary club nights or the announcement concerning the formation of the uber label - bore from the fusion of the Stuff, Wireblock and Dress 2 Sweat energies.
Well - the deal is this: Numbers just launched their brand new website - http://nmbrs.net - and they're offering a recording of Untold's set from one of their September '09 Glasgow bashes as a celebration.
Go and buy the first Numbers release 'The Golden Handshake EP,' from both parties behind the LazerSword project, Lando Kal and Low Limit. Its in stores now and you need it for 'Trapperkeeper' alone.
And look out for the Deadboy 'IfUWantMe' release in early April too - some super special single sided laser etched business...
Oh and make sure you attend the clique's next fabric takeover next Friday:
When you score an exclusive mix from a pretty hype producer like LA beatsmith Shlohmo - he who only offers your boy T-Money the opportunity to stream a duo of tracks on the Dazed Digital site - you must know you're on some shit right..?
Its no wonder the cats at Disruption - the Leeds based blog and club night of the same name - we're duly hyped when they tapped us up for some coverage. Truth is yo, you just pinched a loaf in our wish basket...
But, hands down, we love you for it. Here's to blog rivalry... oh and to Shlohmo, the kid from San Francisco with a whole fistful of positively awesome beats.
Californian producer TAKE celebrated his Alpha Pup signed full length, 'Only Mountain' , this past week with a free download of the first single 'Neon Beams.' When he got got in touch we excitedly shot him a quick correspondence to get the low down...
Sonic Router: When we spoke last you you hinted at a long player... now its come to fruition on Alpha Pup. How does it feel to be in such good company with artists like Nosaj Thing and Free The Robots?
TAKE: This time around its feeling really good. Alpha Pup is quickly becoming a power house for Los Angeles music of this nature. Its like a big family whose tree branches extend out from the Low End Theory night! I feel at home there, amongst friends and I'm also very confident in AP's ability to market, and sell music. Its a great business structure.
What can we expect from the album in terms of style and direction?
With the 'Only Mountain' release, I wanted to stretch my self. I wanted to do more than just a "beat" record. To me its pretty important for an album to play like a real album, front to back. Often, that's something lacking from many albums these days. So that said, you can expect the unexpected... lol. I'd say this is my most mature endeavor by far. Its the culmination of everything I've ever done but refined into an album. I'm really pleased; I think there is something for everyone on this album.
Its out April 20 on double vinyl, digital, CD on Alpha Pup Records.
Your giving up a free DL too! Thanks! Is it a good indication of the album you think?
The free download is 'Neon Beams.' I think its pretty indicative of the album, but like I said, this record is a journey. I'll let the listeners be the judge.
Is there anything else new you wanna share with the world?
Much love to all of you reading this! Like large pro said: "buy the album when i drop it.."
Post Red Bull Music Academy, London has been all too quiet. Parting, for me anyway, with Brainfeeder at fabric it was an intense month; packed with shows from DOOM at the Roundhouse, Jamie Vex'd, Mike Slott, Scuba and the unrelenting Untold at TBar and a rather special Deviation in the basement of Camp. As well as the headliners, resident DJ Benji B and Skream - dropping a disco set, there were sets that night from beat protege 00Genesis and Manchester's Illum Sphere.
Now any regular followers of us will know the work of Mr. Hunn excites us deeply, so it was a touch to finally catch him spinning, eventually chat him up; and learn of his impending release on Martyn's soon to be further blossoming 3024 label. We caught up with him once again - re-visiting old email transcripts to figure how it happened - and asked him a few questions in search of that all important update...
Sonic Router: I've spoken to a few participants since the end of term and the feeling definitely seems to be one of... hollowness... How are you finding life after the Academy?
Illum Sphere: I think we've all got depression haha. I really miss being in that environment and all the people there. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and 100% worthwhile, I can't thank the people in charge enough for letting me on.
So how did you link up with Martyn for the forthcoming 3024 12”?
Ummm... well, I did the remix for 'Brilliant Orange,' and we'd chatted about maybe doing something for 3024. Martyn was quite into this demo tune I had called 'Technopolis' which was a way off being finished. I then sent him 'Titan,' and he showed interest in signing that and a finished version of 'Technopolis,' before suggesting I do another nugget for it. So I did 'Go Killum,' and that was that really, from the initial interest to finalising was rather quick.
What can the world expect from it? Does it differ from the Fat City material in your opinion?
I think it shows a broader range. 'Titan' and 'Technopolis' are two very different tunes, sound very different to stuff I've done, yet sound like me, if that makes sense? 'Go Killum' is more like the Fat City stuff, but still definitely different, I think anyway...
Speaking of the Fat City stuff, when is the 2nd part of your LP dropping?
It's gonna come out fully first, in the summer. I'm gonna switch it around a bit, maybe ditching some of the stuff from the 'Long Live The Plan' EP, playing with the order a bit more and trying to include as much new stuff as possible...
::
And to quote a subsequent and somewhat ominously relevant conversation with label boss Martyn: "Following up on the two remix 12"s that were released in January, I'm really happy we're able to put out Illum Sphere's EP. He's one of those new producers that effortlessly blends different styles and sounds."
And looking towards the future for the label he also divulged that: "after this release in May, we'll have Altered Natives for 3024-009 with 'The Bitch' and 'Crop Duster.' Then later in the year Deadboy will do a record on 3024 as well. So all in all: there's forthcoming bits from three people who aren't easily classifiable, but are busy developing their own sound."
Having hit DJG up with a successful pitch to helm one of our mixes months ago after hearing a couple of rips of ‘Avoid The Noid,’ our correspondence fell by the wayside, caught in the midst of conflicting schedules and missed myspace messages; he recently got in touch admitting a pang of guilt at his failure to seal the deal. Delivering what he’s nicknamed his ‘Deep Rave Tape’ on the eve of a string of awesomely assorted releases has only really made us love him even more; and I can confirm we’re super stoked, proud and excited to be able to bring G’s Sonic Router Mix - the 40th (!!) in our ongoing series – to the internet’s attention.
Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Gladly, my name is Dean Grenier and D.J.G. are my initials. I’ve been making dubstep since 2007, inspired early on by DMZ and N-Type’s Rinse.fm show. I was born in San Jose, an hour south of San Francisco. I’m a middle child. My mother is from South Africa and my father is from Sri Lanka. My favourite fruit is watermelon. My astrological sign is Gemini, and my Myers-Briggs Type is INFP.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I’m a workaholic and thrive off doing too many things at the same time. Predominantly I split my time pretty evenly between making music and doing freelance graphic design. Creative work is all I’ve ever been good at. I also help run the Surefire Sound record label, consult a San Jose-based shoe company called PLSTK, and travel a lot for DJ gigs. I live in the Lower Haight district of SF and as far as daily… lately I’ve been redoing my kitchen and living room cause my girlfriend and friend Ryan Comma just moved in to my apartment!
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?
I’ve been making music all my life. Some of the earliest memories I have are playing the violin. I was in punk and industrial bands as a teenager and started messing around with samplers, sequencers and computer-based music about 11 years ago. Probably more than anything I think what inspired me to make dubstep music is going to the DMZ 2 year anniversary in March ’07. In all honesty I probably visualize the inside of Mass at least once every time I build a track.
What’s your production set up like?
Well it used to be quite a bit more exciting sounding because I have a background in using gear in my studio (also known as “my bedroom”) like old mixing consoles and hardware compressors and effects and synths. A few years ago though I ditched just about all of it and now solely work in Logic with an Apogee Duet and a simple midi controller. It just allows me much more freedom to work how I need to at a given moment without physical constraints, while adding the benefit of greater control over the sound of my mixdowns.
Where do you take inspiration from when making music?
This is a difficult question to answer for me; when I start to think about all the music that has inspired and affected me over my life I get overwhelmed and could probably write a short book about it all. Aside from my friends and peers I would say I take inspiration from the city, San Francisco; the nature, the ocean, the trees, the culture, the food, the insane people, the crackheads, the beach, the hippies, the hipsters, the romance, the moodiness, the weather, the magic. This city kind of has it all and it’s a daily source of inspiration. And in sort of a reactionary way I also feel inspired to write the kind of deeper dubstep stuff because I’m one of very few people in America doing this sound - the role of subversive or renegade suits my anti-social side very well hahahaha.
How would you describe your sound?
I’m gonna steal XI’s answer to this same question: manic depressive.
What draws you to the deeper, melodic, rolling end of the dubstep spectrum?
It’s really just what resonates with me as an artist; it’s not much more complicated than that. I just love emotive music, music that is personal and expressive, but I also have such a strong love for the energy of a dark room full of people dancing to bass music through a massive sound system. These two things propel me to make the music I make. I often am just trying to blend those two vibes (to varying degrees of success).
There are some tech-ier elements to your sound, does that come from a profound love of techno?
Yes I would say I have a deep love of some styles of techno, both conceptually and sonically. Obviously I find a lot of the emotive tension and sort of tribal repetition - within a dance-music context – inspiring and I tend to draw from those ideas. My techno education begins with Berlin, and through all that back to Detroit. Most of the stuff I like though is 10 or 15 years old now. A lot of the newer stuff feels a bit rehashed.
What’s the scene like over in San Francisco, who’s representing?
I would say that the dubstep scene in San Francisco is pretty vibrant. Like the rest of the States the drum & bass influenced ‘brostep’ sound has sort of taken over the big shows but there are a few nights like the monthly Surefire Sound event where experimental sounds get support.
You’ve done a few collaborations (Headhunter, XI and Jus Wan spring to mind), how did they come about and how did you work together?
Those all just came about through friendship and mutual respect. I generally always like to have one session in the studio then I like to work on my own. A lot of producing is just tedious busy-work and experimentation which is best suited for loners like me.
Are there any other collabos on the cards?
Yes...
You’ve got a positive glut of releases hitting wax and shops imminently. Can you take us through them?
Indeed I can. In the last three weeks three records of mine have come out, after almost no releases in 2009. My 12” for LoDubs (‘Obsessed’/’The Gate’), Surefire Sound 002 (‘Putney Says’ w/ XI) and my Pushing Red 12” (‘Avoid The Noid’/’Duality’) are all out in the shops now and selling quickly. In the next few months my 12” for N-Type’s Wheel&Deal label (‘Pressure’/’Spacecake’ w/ Headhunter) as well as a 3-track 12” for Headhunter’s Transistor label (‘Time Is The Fire’/’Lost Time’/’Escape Pod’). I’ve also contributed my track ‘NYC’ to a Various Artist album N-Type is putting together.
What else have you got coming up?
The most over-used word in music today: album.
Can you tell us a bit about the mix, what did you just have to put in there?
Well I really just wanted to try and capture the kind of set I’ve been playing in the dances and raves over the last 12 months. I made the tracklist as I went along, though it did take two takes to record as the first one was just too sloppy! I recorded it with turntables, so it’s not really surgically perfect or anything but I enjoy hearing that to be honest. It’s not very conceptual, but I think it does present a statement about what I do with dubstep, and features a lot of my own tracks which was important to me. I wasn’t able to get everything I wanted on there; I sacrificed quite a few tunes by other people so that I could fit more of my own stuff. In a way I approached it less as a DJ mix but more of a presentation of the kind of sound I’m feeling - heavy deep rollers.
The Butterz label drop their debut release with three grime bombs, built purposely to shake floors by Terror Danjah and his evil twin D.O.K., who here turns in a remix. Label owners and Rinse.fm grime DJs Elijah and Skilliam have been making waves of late tearing up the airwaves with solid sets of instrumental fire that’ve been a force to be reckoned with; as well as a refreshing change of pace from emcee led mixtape beats that all too often lack the vitality grime can deliver.
That tell tale gremlin cackle signifies Terror’s return and kicks ‘Bipolar’ into action all bright and chirpy first with neon synth pulses aplenty before dropping into some gravely bass tones. The whole track feels like Terror in dubstep mode, but his very unique raw and energetic approach is evident, it’s simultaneously hype and dirty. The most addictive track onhere has to be ‘Air Bubble’ though, the bursting popcorn rhythms get under your skin and bring the boogie as the hyper-funk synth lines and bass manoeuvres twist, turn and play off the bubbling percussive loops perfectly.
D.O.K. gets his ‘Sidechain’ remix moving with a geezer mantra as a voice chants “come on lets ‘av it” before the monstrous bass, funk stabs and sirens hit and the pumping kicks are let loose. So much so that by the time the next vocal comes in, “if I’m going to have it, I’m going to have it large” it feels like you’ve been sucked into a techno party in another dimension.
According to his twitter Shortstuff is stranded at an American airport, his flight delayed, his blackberry running low on power and he's left his suitcase in a cab someplace... So please spare a thought for him and his plight while you download his latest mix he made in promotion of the Icee Hot night he played at recently.
01. Dizzee Rascal “Brand New Day” (XL) 02. Terror Danjah “Air Bubble (Geiom RMX)” (Butterz) 03. Guido “Mad Sax” (white) 04. Machinedrum “SXLND” (white) 05. Roska “Squark” (Rinse) 06. Jam City “Let Me Bang RMX” (white) 07. Lemonade “Lifted (Shortstuff RMX)” (True Panther) 08. Egyptrixx “The Only Way Up(Ikonika RMX)”(Night Slugs) 09. Shortstuff “Fig Rolls” (Ramp) 10. DJ Dom “UCSM” (white) 11. SBTRKT “Sleep in Tokyo” (white) 12. West Norwood Cassette Library “What It Is” (white) 13. Untold “Come Follow Me” (white)
Look out for Blunted Robots (his and Brackles label) 3rd release featuring them two and Bok Bok - in shops now, and Shorty's 'Tripped Up' 12" coming soon on Ramp Recordings.
The next edition of Sonic Router on URB.com is live now, presenting a snapshot of the dubstep releases that are imminent or ominously close on this date in March 2010. It includes words on Addison Groove, Ramadanman, Shortstuff, Blunted Robots, Joker, Pariah, those Mount Kimbie remixes, DJG, Simon/off, Milyoo and this particularly handsome sentence:
"my position deep in the colon of James Blake is patently well documented if you’re adept enough to use google at even a novice level"
Followers of Blackdown's blog will no doubt be up on the LHF crew - comprised of Amen Ra, Double Helix, No Fixed Abode, Escobar Seasons, Low Density Matter, Octaviour and Solar Man. In the Keysound Recordings boss' own word their music sounds like "Sun Ra's hijacked Rinse FM and is using it to communicate with the heavens."
High praise indeed, and to demonstrate they're handling the latest Pipedown mix (100% comprised of the crew's productions) ahead of the Keysound Label's showcase - featuring sets from Dusk & Blackdown, LHF, Kowton and Pipedown residents - at Rhythm Factory in London next week.
No Fixed Abode – Sirius Nanotech Double Helix – TSR-1 Low Density Matter – Blue Steel (Forthcoming Keysound) Double Helix – Shadows of the City Amen Ra – Song For Auset (feat. Double Helix and No Fixed Abode) No Fixed Abode – Indian Street Slang Double Helix – An Eastern Philosophy Amen Ra- Fragments Of A Love Story Amen Ra – Final Chapter Catta – Fourth Motion (Double Helix Remix) (Forthcoming Dubsquare) Amen Ra – Unbroken Chain Double Helix – The Chains No Fixed Abode – Strangelands Amen Ra – One Way Ticket
B. Bravo’s new wave of boogie funk is an interstellar tangle of limbs, lube and straight mad computer lovin’. The San Franciscan producer, born Adam Mori, has the synth hero battles, the heavyweight trunk drops and that innate Fred Wesley meets Roger Troutman cosmic funk running thick in his veins. With his ‘Computa Love EP’ out now on the Frite Nite label, perfectly picking up from where his ‘Analog Starship EP’ left off a year ago and his presence in our somewhat springtime capital for the recent Red Bull Music Academy we caught up with him to figure a few things.
What is it about The Bay that is musically different to the rest of the West Coast?
I love that funk is a big influence in The Bay. Mob Music really had a big influence on me as far as making beats and that stuff is all just basically funk…
Can you introduce the Frite Nite label?
Frite Nite was started by (Paul) Salva as a means to release music from his friends and the artists he was into. In its short existence it's grown into a tight family and crew spanning from experimental hip hop to dubstep producers and DJs.
What’s next after the ‘Computa Love EP’?
A lot of remixes… Brian Deady from Ireland, Approach featuring Reggie B is out soon, there’s a Spinnerty and John Robinson 7" coming out in summer and I’m working on a project with the Japanese artist Broken Haze.
What’s the deal with the Bayonics?
Bayonics is the band I play saxophone with. We've been doing our thing since 2002. It’s a full on band (nine guys) doing Latin music, hip hop, funk… good parties; lots of dancing. We tour around and play shows all the time. Our second album is being mixed now and should be out soon.
So when did you get into playing keys?
Growing up we always had a piano in my house. One day I saw a commercial on TV where a kid was playing Fur Elise. I was determined to learn it, so I found some sheet music and basically taught myself.
And finally, the most important question of the Bay; where’s the best mission burrito?
La Taqueria on Mission/25th. Chicken in red sauce with beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa and hot sauce. There is no rice in their burritos… The best.
1. B.BRAVO - Swing my Way RMX 2. Norrit - Nobody Baby (Salva Remix) 3. Epcot - Grav i Be (B.BRAVO RMX) 4. Martyn - Twenty Four 5. Caspa & Rusko - One of the Same 6. Cosmin TRG - Strobe Lick 7. Pangaea - 5-HTP 8. Breakage - Late Night 9. Clue Kid - Shifty 10. Silkie - Planet X 11. Joker & Rustie - Play Doe 12. NastyNasty - No Names 13. Turbo Weekend - Something or Nothing (2000f & Jkamata RMX) 14. Africa Hi-Tec - Too Late (ft Rio) 15. B.BRAVO - Computa Love
3rd release on the Blunted Robots imprint marries Bok Bok's throbbing 'Citizens Dub' with a collaborative wamper in the form of 'Pipey D' from label heads Brackles & Shortstuff.
The younger brother of the Kemp clan, Martin, drops what I think is the third [?] (we were the first, but who's counting/gloating...?) in his line of mixes, ahead of the Accordant show on the 26th March at the Rhythm Factory, London.
The line up is pretty much flames with 4 Rootah favourites vying for your dollar bills... Ikonika, Martin Kemp, Hyetal and Greena (who duppied fabric when he played at the Apple Pips night) are all on the bill alongside ledge Sticky and local support.
01. Brackles and Martin Kemp - Untitled, 02. Donga and Blake - small hours (Geiomix) 03. Procedure - Sunshowers 04. Martin Kemp - Terr 05. Rishi Romaro - African Forest 06. Deep Teknologi - Anthem 07. Zinc ft Ms. Dynamite - Wile Out 08. Brackles - I Can’t Wait 09. United Sounds of London - Making Love 10. Martin Kemp - What You Got 11. Bok Bok - Citizens Dub feat. Bubbz
Mr. Dibiase just dropped a fresh little beat showcase for BTS Radio neatly dropping alongisde his split release on All City Records with fellow beat merchant P.U.D.G.E.; the first in a series of 10 x 10"s coming on the label, with the simple premise of two producers on each release.
Made after a plague of delays, silent bus journeys and forced walks home, Sonic Router Radio turns 8 editions old in style with another selection of hardrive heet.
This episode should soon come to mixcloud.com too.
We wrote about 10-20’s debut album for the Highpoint Lowlife label a while back, dipping our ears into “the poison and pollution of a lifetime spent pondering numerous genres of electronica” and loving every last echo we found. Since then he’s released a series of landform EPs – geographically themed snapshots of a journey through dystopian landscape called ‘Island,’‘Lake’ and ‘Mountain’ - for the label, with the fourth and final installment, ‘Isthmus’ (apparently its a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side), due at some point in the next month.
Much like the eponymous album, much of the work on these releases channels numerous elements of sound; aligning whirrs you’d be accustomed to finding on Autechre records, with the static wash of Burial and the unquantized bump of Dabrye. Out of the three EPs already available ‘Lake’ is possibly the highlight, thanks in no small part to the disjointed mess that is ‘Endzone’ and the insistent post Dilla thump of ‘Boat’ when its given a telling sound designer’s overhaul. ‘Ishtmus’ only further displays 10-20’s ferocious talent for textures; merging the distorted greyscale static of Boards of Canada with his twisted version of a 2-step beat on ‘Halogen.’ The tear out white noise manipulation and ominous throb of ‘Athens’ follows, complete with typewritter chatter percussion, elongated chimes and trickles of awkward melody before it all subsides into the slow motion drum programming of ‘Zizec,’ its kick drums and disturbed chants bumping like it came straight out of a late nineties era Anticon producer’s MPC.
Ultimately these four releases build up the second essential as hell album from 10-20, a scary talent whose productions properly flesh out his noise heavy post-electronica ideas. Thanks to the kind people at HPLL you can download ‘Zizec’ in full glorious technisound here...
DOWNLOAD:10-20 - Zizec [Exclusive Sonic Router download]
You can catch 10-20 alongside Roof Light at the first of HPLL's monthly parties this coming Thursday at the Big Chill Bar, London.
First appearing on Spatial's FACT mix, Leeds based producer, Jamie Grind, is making some kind of waves over here with his clipped vision of the current bastard bass spectrum. He just dropped a mix for the Its All About blog.
"I wanted to put together a mix that showcases a variety of styles of music I'm feeling at the moment," Jamie told SR when speaking with us recently; "I guess it's mainly stuff derived from that dubstep/garage blueprint, with a few of my own [tracks] thrown in there along with a bunch of dubs from some fairly new names like xxxy, Pariah, Skips and George Fitzgerald. Of course you'll find a couple of old gems tucked away in there as well. I reckon its safe to say its this sort of stuff that keeps me interested in producing, I love the way music has progressed over the past few years and how the mixing of genres allows people to experiment more."
Look out for Jamie's Infrasonics release, 'Balloon' b/w 'If You Want,' set to hit shops and download sites imminently.
Jamie Grind - Balloon [Forthcoming Infrasonics] Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix) [Dub] Hackman - More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix) [Dub] Mosca - Nike [Night Slugs] George Fitzgerald - Painted Jezebel [Forthcoming Doldrums] Jeremih - Birthday Sex (Skips Bootleg) [Dub] Untold - You Didn't Win the Holiday [Soul Jazz] 2562 - Dinosaur [Tectonic] Jamie Grind - If U Want [Forthcoming Infrasonics] Jamie Grind - Remember Those Days [Dub] Ill Blu - Blu Magic [Insatiable Music] So Solid - Since You Went Away (Funky Mix) [MEGA & Co.] Cosmin TRG - Since Last Night [Tempa] Paraiah - Crossed Out [Forthcoming R&S] Burial - Distant Lights [Hyperdub] Bonobo ft. Andreya Triana - Eyesdown (Floating Points Remix) [Ninja Tune] xxxy - Flew [Dub] Jason Herd vs Flashlight - My Girl (Agent X Dirty Bassline Mix) [3 Beat Blue] Low Deep - Down Like That [Colourful State] Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo (Andreas Saag's House Perspective) [Dub] Scuba - You Got Me [Hotflush]
Tom Ford makes music as Peverelist; his debut album, 'Jarvik Mindstate' (read the SR penned RA review here), came out late last year to mass acclaim. Its not everyday you get a Pev mix -the only one I recall seeing at this moment in time is on the DubWar NYC podcast - so its a coo for FACT and for the world to be treated to a mix from the Punch Drunk kingpin.
Former Sonic Router mix giver Micky, owner of the spectacular [nakedlunch] label, contributes the first mix in the Irish Dubstep blog's mix series and as always his selection is very much on point.
Look out for Instra:mental's 'Vicodin' 10" dropping on [nakedlunch] shortly.
The Bruk DJs, Elgato and Bilal, just linked up a mix ahead of their appearance at fabric for the 4th Hessle Audio takeover which features Ikonika, Ramadanman, Pangaea and Ben UFO - names you'll be no doubt familiar with if you've glanced our way over the past year.
Catch Bruk on Sub.fm - they've taken over the old Ruffage slot on Thursdays between 8-10pm.
The West District Allstars feat. Natasha Watts - Reach Up (Enzyme Black Stripped Dub) Kid Majesty - Desfile De Los Santos Tadow Productions - Rising Sun Stephanie Mills - Free (Domu Stripped Down Remix) Sony - Sugar Rush DVA - Nasty Nasty Nasty (Roska Remix) Xara - You Got Me Crazy Cousinz - Sonar Tonya Renee - About You (Karizma Boucha Remix) DJ 2face - I Love You Plastic Cash - Store Card Ultramarine - Hooter (Carl Craig / Ver. 1.1) Karizma - Necessary Madness Argy - The Storm Thommy Davis - Mars Needs Women
Hovatron is a Turbo Crunk affiliate - a micro genre born out of the party scene in Montreal. After a couple of low key self released EPs he's put out his first physical product, a 7" with 'Let's Get Wet' b/w 'Gold Star Radiation,' on the Spanish Lo Fi Funk label and to mark it he's dropped a mix for the blossoming Lowriders Collective blog.
Hailing from Finland, Non Person, came highly recommended to us by Dead-O of Clouds; a fact that remains near impossible to ignore considering that particular Finnish duo’s sublime discography to date. After dialogue and dubs were swapped it became obvious that the recommendation we’d so informally received was infact the buffing of a bonafide gem. We’ve since become incredibly smitten with his off key lurching into snare drums and jagged melodic patterns, reloading the deep omnipresent bass tones he produces for months now.
Ahead of his debut 12” release, ‘Presener’ b/w ‘Mi Empress,’ on Dead-O’s Channel Zero imprint we caught up with Non to pry a little about his geography and his use of technology. Oh and... dude drops a killer mix too.
Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
I’m a producer from Helsinki, Finland. I’ve always enjoyed being on the experimental side of things, and have been lucky enough to find like-minded people to work with. I’ve been blessed to be able to learn and develop my craft as a part of a group of friends/musicians/artists. Making music and performing with my friends RRKK, Teeth and Kirill Lorech, DJing on the radio weekly, playing clubs, working on a few sound installations and making deep listening music is what I’ve been concentrating on in the past years. Then I started developing my current sound a bit over a year ago, and became Non Person.
Now exploring this sonic world has become my first priority.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
Outside of music I live a simple life. I go for walks, or out to hear music, or just chill and drink tea. I like to read, eat, think and stare at walls; or at the sky outside during summer. I travel whenever I can and spend time with people I love. I also work as a freelance writer and translator.
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?
I’ve always wanted to make music; to me it’s been the most effective form of human culture ever since I was little. I taught myself to play some guitar and bass and played in some bands when I was younger. At some point I got into making beats for fun, inspired by American alternative hip-hop and Murmurecordings.
But it was deep and meditative electronic sounds of labels like ~scape, Chain Reaction, City Centre Offices, Mille Plateaux, Rhythm & Sound in its various forms, and other artists like Autechre, Boards of Canada, The Bug and Portishead that opened up my mind, inspired me to take production more seriously, and gave me courage to experiment. Then at some point I got the MPC I’d always wanted, and eventually built a small studio with a friend. Discovering dubstep was another significant step. It pushed me into a new direction and taught me how to make harder beats.
What’s your production set up like?
My main tools are Ableton Live, a MacBook Pro and a pair of nice Dynaudio monitors. I have an analogue filter by Akai which I still use, but I’ve sold most of the hardware I had at some point. I share my studio with other producers, so there are people coming and going, lending or just forgetting synths and other equipment for undefined periods of time. There’s always something lying around to pick up and start messing with. But I’m buying an MPC again, I miss having one. I’d also like to get the equipment to control midi synths with a guitar.
Where do you take inspiration from when making music?
Emotions, things people say; the weather, the city, nature, changes in life, stillness and all the music I hear. I pick things up easily, consciously or subconsciously, and they end up in my tracks in some form. I think life is such a fucking trip, that it’s impossible not to be constantly inspired.
How would you describe your sound?
My tunes have strange rhythms, emotional melodies, some dirt, hissing, ambience, and heavy bass. I often operate at 140 bpm, but a lot of times I don’t. I do what comes naturally, and hope to sound original. If a gun was pointed at me, I think I would categorise myself somewhere in between hip-hop and dubstep, but there’s no gun, so I’m not saying it here… haha.
What’s the scene like in Finland? It looks pretty strong from the outside with the likes of you Clouds and more recently Desto coming to prominence...
For a city this size the dubstep scene is doing really well. There are a lot of different promoters doing different kinds of nights (almost too many parties at the moment). Just like there is variety of producers with different styles, all supported by the open minded and music loving crowds. Tes La Rok, obviously, Clouds, Desto, Late, Khid… too many to mention. Teeth has been making so many quality tunes lately. Jkrl is someone to keep an ear out for. And you’ll all need to take cover when RRKK’s tracks get the attention they deserve.
How do you think you geography affects your music? Like I guess being located in London we’re constantly bombarded by all these upfront mutant sounds that sometimes never really get a chance to fully develop before everyone moves on to the next thing... Do you think that being situated outside of that helps you define your own ideas a bit more?
For me this is definitely the case. I think a bit of ignorance can give you a more innocent approach, which can be a good or a bad thing. But it definitely allows free creativity, which results in a personal style. You can keep track of things pretty well online, but I only do that to a certain extent. It’s kind of naïve, but I try to hang on to a philosophy of listening to everything as just individual pieces of music.
From an outsiders, well from my own perspective, one of the most exciting musical forms in Scandinavia is skweee. I noticed a couple of producers like Coco Bryce and Mesak in the mix tracklist. Do you follow it much?
A bit, yeah. Mesak also keeps me up to date by sending me stuff. I’m happy to support those guys whenever I like some tracks. I think it fits into what I play. I think it’s an interesting phenomenon, kind of like a pirate genre… I like the attitude.
What producers are you feeling currently and why?
I like the latest good tune just as much as anyone, but what I really like is when someone does something personal, something that you need courage to do. I think Peverelist is one example of this, his sound has always stood out (album of the year, anyone?). Clouds keep constantly surprising me. James Blake and Mount Kimbie obviously, you can’t not like that stuff. TAKE is a producer with a special brand of catchiness, and so is Offshore. Illum Sphere I like for the deepness. Ras G for the attitude. I’ve also been feeling a bit of Roska, Dark Knight, Martin Kemp and Cooly G, because to me it sounds fresh. Mala’s ‘Livin Different’ has been playing for a long time, it’s a special track. I‘ve also been listening to The XX and Ben Frost. Oh and Bon Iver.
There’s a huge amount of good and interesting things popping up all around at the moment. It’s a nice time to live in, in terms of music at least.
So your debut 12”, ‘Presenser’ b/w ‘Mi Empress’ is coming up (hear it above) on the Channel Zero imprint. How did you hook that up?
Dead-O of Clouds runs the label, and he’s been a friend for a long time. Originally I know him from years ago, I used to buy his mixtapes and we had a lot of mutual friends. We’ve gotten to know each other well over the years and we’re both involved in running the Alas nights in Helsinki. He was starting the label around the time I finally sent him some tracks, this was about a year ago, ‘Presenser’ was one of them. He cut it to a dubplate and wanted to release it. He’s been liking most of the material I’ve given him ever since, and been helpful and supportive in a lot of ways. And I don’t mean just pushing my music, but also being a good friend.
Can you tell people what they can expect from it?
This one is two tracks for an open minded dance floor or headphones. Emotion disguised as synthetic; at 140 bpm… with big kick drums.
What else have you got coming up? (releases, gigs etc etc)
I’m working on songs all the time and some of them will end up on an EP for Channel Zero. I also did a remix for Michael Black Electro that’s coming out on Black Acre digitally. At the moment I’m working hard on a project with Teeth and two visual artists, we’re performing together at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in the end of March. And I’m playing a collaborative live set together with Clouds soon, to celebrate the release of the 12”. I’m looking forward to putting that together.
We also have James Blake and Scuba coming over to our Alas parties within the next few months.
Can you tell us about the mix you’ve done for us? Exclusives? What tracks just had to be included?
I wanted to make a mix with a range of some styles that I usually play, but on a bit of a headphones tip, it starts with some really easy vibes. A few exclusives, or one of my tracks is at least! The first track was the only one really obvious this time, I knew I wanted to start from there. After that the rest just took its form naturally.
Have you got any words of advise for our readers?
Pretty much what Bill Murray said to the kid he thought was his son near the end of ‘Broken Flowers.’ Look it up... and stay true.
Surefire Sound’s debut release features two fine beat makers in Eprom and FaltyDL. Both bring a skippy garage-esq variant to the table with San Fransisco resident Eprom – here deviating from his more prominent boom bap sound found on his forthcoming Rwina release - brings the source material and New York’s FaltyDL showed us his slant. The two seem to share a love for deeply hypnotic bumping garage, full of twisted, clattering drums and funky basslines that seem to echo with a spectral atmosphere.
‘Never’ the original is aimed more squarely at the floor compared to Falty’s remix. Eprom juggles sizzling high-hats, funky drum patterns, emotive cut-up female vocal samples and a bubbly urgent bassline against subtly progressing bleep-melodies. It’s got all the hallmarks of a post-garage track but steers away from cliché by having a sound that gets under your skin and manages to stay there.
Falty gets darker and more spaced out with his take, chopping the drums up into fragmented breaks and making the samples float even more ghostly. The bassline gets dubby and smeared into a pulsing buzz while all the other elements shuffle in all directions. The breakdown melts into sub territory before the breaks and a subtle synth melody takes hold again.
Bristol bass fiends Atki2 and Hanuman – collectively Monkey Steak - have a pretty admirable record for pulling together the best bits of many of the globe’s bass mutations. The first release for their Steak House label was strangely psychedelic, despite its often rapid-fire nature – next to Mr. Gasparov’s comparatively delicate ‘1975’, Lisbon duo Octa Push’s pair of tracks were positively manic, both furiously addictive slabs of funky-infused electro noise. Meanwhile, their recent 12” for the Idle Hands label has proven to be one of the year’s best, notable especially for Atki2 and Dub Boy’s stunning ‘Tigerflower’. It also welcomed a less obvious aspect to their sound, favouring gradual change and melodic progression over simple dancefloor action.
The second release for Steak House sees Atki2 and Hanuman further explore both sides of that split personality: both tracks on the A-side hit like a ton of bricks from the off. ‘Hyped Up!’ and its counterpart riddim ‘Bombeiros’ rattle along at a nerve-busting 150 bpm, their tightly syncopated percussion and frazzled stabs of synth more akin to Octa Push or Buraka Som Sistema’s electrified kuduro than the slightly more sedate vibes of UK funky. The presence of Ghislain Poirier collaborator MC Zulu only serves to solidify this connection, his ever-escalating excitement impressively suited to the music’s manic nature.
The duo’s more experimental side, though, is far better represented on the flip. ‘Tigris Riddim’ is one of the most intriguing hybrids to have emerged so far this year, centred around a lopsided Arabian folk sample that curls around the beat like plumes of shisha smoke. It’s also one of the best, its cut-and-paste nature making it a pleasure to unpick on a decent pair of headphones. Though faster again, ‘Haarlem Drift’ continues in a similar vein, giving equal priority to musical development as to raw dance energy, and in doing so significantly upping its longevity. Though the scorched carnival atmosphere of Zulu’s contribution remains true to this music’s basic purpose, the slightly more exploratory bent they’re taking on the B-side suits Monkey Steak well. Long may it continue.
Today has been an exercise in endurance - thanks largely to the RBMA/RA at TBar... but thankfully its been spurred on by new kicks on Flatspot, mushy mint peas, every DOOM song on spotify and this... the latest Musique Large mixtape from the man like Coco Bryce.
Info on him is kinda sparse but he rolls with the Lowriders clique and did a split 12" with Slugabed, ample ammunition for our blog phallus to be lodged deep in his metaphorical windpipe.
Street Bass don Starkey drops another single from his forthcoming album ‘Ear Drums and Black Holes’ on Planet Mu. After the smooth R&B meets grime episode of ‘Ok Luv’ featuring the vocals of Badness comes another vocal cut but it’s on an entirely different tip. Featuring the vocal stylings of Anneka, who you may recall from Starkey’s ‘Build a Beat’ session on BBC Radio One the other month.
‘Stars’ comes in two forms here; the original is a warm, mellow and cosmic journey, whilst Brighton based beat merchant Slugabed takes that template and shatters it, in a freak experiment that leans it away from the headphones and more towards the dance floor. Anneka shines on both versions, either sweetly floating over the original’s deep space soul or chopped into melodic accents on Sluga’s refix. The remix isn’t as bat-shit as some of Slugabed’s previous material but he adds a nice bit of robo-boogie and keeps the vibe of the original in-between outbursts of smeared bass noise and clattering beats.
The two b-sides see Starkey back in the mode we’re most use to; on ‘Starting Gates’ he unleashes some of his evil bots, who I presume control the basslines as they’re pretty deviant, but as always Starkey’s melodic nature nestles inside the hype within the twisted musical progressions. It’s the wide screen cinematic experience of ‘Millennia’ that really takes the biscuit on the flip, Starkey shows his 3D sound ambition with massive builds full of sweeping synths before launching into a hyper-melodic bass drop and a positive flurry of snappy R&B beats.
Whilst North London resident and producer-du-jour, Untold, and his profile have risen up into the echelons of cultural notoriety of late, he's also managed to carve himself a neat little plateau to launch other artists, in his own Hemlock imprint. Stylistically, the label sleeve's uniformity - blessed with a dark all-over Hemlock crest screenprint and a stark flash of colour on the artist label - has become a signifier for quality, and somewhat of a collectors item given the print standard and limited run of the pressings.
Having released 3 x 12"s and a double pack EP of Untold material - he seemingly reserves some of his most ground breaking work (see 'Yukon' b/w 'Walk Through Walls' and 'Gonna Work Out Fine') for release on his own imprint - the label has also become a home to work by Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason on a collaborative single as well the ever blossoming harmonies of James Blake; who appeared on his first full 12" and on his dancefloor challenging re-work of Untold's 'Stop What You're Doing.'
For us, Hemlock truly is up there with labels like Ramp Recordings, Hessle Audio and Hotflush in terms of being a no-brainer for on sight purchase, and - ever so kindly - to celebrate both the label's new 12", a collaboration between Untold & LV which features a Mount Kimbie refix on the flip, and their takeover of Room 2 at next Friday's Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! @ Plan B in Brixton, they're offering a few lucky Sonic Router readers the chance to scoop a shit load of bounty.
Top prize: 1x Hemlock Sweatshirt 1x Hemlock T-shirt 1x Full Hemlock vinyl catalogue* 2x Guest list for the Event
3 x Runner up prizes consisting of: 1x Hemlock T-shirt 1xGuest list for the event
O' happy day!
EDIT - This competion is now closed.
Q: Walking through walls is a feat attempted in which recently released film starring George Clooney?
*Hemlock Catalogue to be won:
HEK001 12" Untold - Yukon / Walk through walls HEK001R 10" Untold - Yukon (Fantastic mr fox remix) / Walk through walls (LV remix) HEK002 12" Untold - Discipline / Bones HEK003 12" Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason - Plimsoul / Bleep show HEK004 12" James Blake - Air and Lack Thereof / Sparing the Horses HEK005 2x12" Untold - Gonna work out fine e.p HEK006 10" Untold - Stop what you're doing (James Blake remix) Untold - I can't stop this feeling (Pangaea remix) HEK007 LV & Untold - Beacon / LV & Untold - Beacon (Mount Kimbie remix) (Unreleased advance copy)
Guestlist to be won:
Hemlock Room:
Untold James Blake (DJ set) LV Fantastic Mr Fox b2b Rich Reason
Doors: 2200-0500 Tickets: £7 advance / £12 on the door
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