VIDEO: Future Sound

Future Sound is a short documentary that looks into a small cross section of London's forward-thinking underground dance music scene, exploring some of the things that define and affect it as it moves into a new age of digital innovation.

Featuring interviews with Roska, Scratcha DVA, Blackdown, Mark Fisher/K-Punk, and the Wire's Lisa Blanning, plus footage from a live SBTRKT DJ set.

Dir: Jamie Whitby & Rachel Lob-levyt // UK // 2010

PRE-ORDER: DJ Naughty - Firepower EP [Roska Kicks & Snares]

UK Funky has been branching out of its thriving London underground roots with great success of late. Names like Lil Silva are getting picked up by Night Slugs, Ill Blue have a Hyperdub release slated in, Altered Natives are dropping a 12” on Martyn’s 3024 label and Roska made funky work over an album on his recently released Rinse presents album. Roska’s Kicks & Snares label has done a lot to help forge the sound he’s gone on to trademark and the next 12” from the imprint, ‘Quicktime’ by DJ Naughty, helps cement his rep as a global representative of this sound.

Stepping up himself with a remix of ‘Quicktime’ Roska adds tough syncopated drum patterns that roll elegantly under a fully loaded sub bass line designed implicitly to make you shake it. The melody pops in and out, all dubby and funky, reminiscent of music one would expect to hear in searing out of portable radios in a Cuban town centre. The highlight of the release though has to be Naughty’s soulful soca roller ‘Firepower;’ it bumps and shimmies at you like a subtle variant of the foundations Scratcha DVA laid in the landscape with his ‘Jelly Roll’ release. Its less loony tunes than that and becomes more meditative, utilising a dub vibe alongside the sine wave workouts. The low down and funky drum workout on ‘Gearshift’ makes your hips move even before the dubbed out samples and bassline drops, a full and proper minimal roller that just keeps going, ready for the long teasing mix.

Words: James Balf
Out: Now

Links:
www.myspace.com/djnaughtyuk
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

DOWNLOAD: Bleep.com x Sonar Festival Giveaways

Bleep.com have teamed up with the minds behind Barcelona's iconic Sonar Festival to offer the world a taster of the British artists performing at this years festival, taking place between the 17th -19th June.

Cue gumpf:

"Bleep.com will be giving away 2 MP3s a week, every week for a month in the lead-up to Sonar Festival 2010. The 8 artists involved in the giveaway are Hudson Mohawke, Fuck Buttons, Broadcast, Roska, King Midas Sound, Sandwell District, 2020 Soundsystem and The Blessings.

With many of the 8 tracks being exclusive or previously not on general sale, this is a unique opportunity to have an upfront taste of the music that will be soundtracking Barcelona in June and get your hands on some rare recordings by these incredible artists."

This week, to launch the scheme, tracks from UK funky don Roska - an exclusive opportunity to grab his '124 Miles' track, unavailable elsewhere - and a 12 minute epic, 'Olympians' from Bristol noise duo Fuck Buttons are up for nabbing at the URL link below; all yours for the price of an email...

DOWNLOAD: Roska/Fuck Buttons - Bleep x Sonar Giveaways

Links:
http://bleep.com
http://2010.sonar.es/en/
www.myspace.com/rosiroska
www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons

STREAM: Roska - Sonar Mix

Roska's album Rinse presents Roska fully cemented him as one of the forefront producers of this new breed of house tempoed music dubbed UK funky after its release, what, a month or so ago now? Album cuts like 'Squark,' 'I Need Love' and 'Hey Cutie' all highlighted his knack for percussion, crazy catchy hooks and dancefloor prowess, and his own label Roska Kicks & Snares is going from strength to strength - he's releasing his first non Roska plate on the label by DJ Naughty shortly (full review to come).

Its not really a surprise then, that experimental airwave champion Mary Anne Hobbs has selected him (alongside Joy Orbison and Flying Lotus) to appear of her stage at this year's Sonar Festival in Barcelona. To mark the gig Roska has put together an exclusive mix which you can check out on Sonar's site.

STREAM: Roska - Sonar Mix

Tracklist:

Martyn & Dbridge - These Words (Roska's Speechless Mix)
Zinc - Nexx!
Roska & Jamie George - Love 2 Nite
Crazy Cousinz - Always Be My Baby
Roska - Jackpot
Deadboy - If U Want Me
Roska - Squark
Dj Naughty - Firepower
Roska Ft. Anesha - I Need Love
Laidback Luke - Step By Step (Roska Edit)
Roska & Jamie George - Wonderful Day
Zinc - Blunt Edge
Geeneus & Dynamite - Get Low (Roska Special)
Roska - Tomorrow Is Today
Bingo Players - When I Dip
Youtam Avni - Coke Bouquet
Fingaprint - It's On You
Brackles - El Gordos

Roska also gave away an unreleased remix of Hard House Banton's 'Reign' via his twitter recently. Kop that before the DL limit kicks in here:

DOWNLOAD: Hard House Banton - Reign (Roska Remix) (via Sendspace)

& finally... jump on the podcast of Roska's last Rinse.fm show which featured Untold as the super special guest.

DOWNLOAD: Roska w/ Untold - Rinse.fm Show 18.05.2010 (Direct link)

Link:
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

READ: Sonic Router on URB.com

This month's Sonic Router: Suburban Sine Wave Surfing URB.com column is now live-o.

Focussing on the forthcoming long players February has brought announcements of, it includes words on works from Ikonika, Vex'd, F, Kontext, Roska, Eleven Tigers and Clubroot.

READ: Sonic Router on URB.com

VIDEO/DOWNLOAD: Roska - Squark/Disko404 Podcast

As the world drools at the prospect of a Roska (Roska-Roska-Roska...) full length album, the man like Monsta has been making animated birds sing on a short preview clip for 'Squark.'



And ahead of the release of what is essentially the first UK funky artist album of any merit to date on Rinse Recordings on the 27th March, Roska has given out a few track previews which you can stream at your leisure over at the excellent Pipedown blog.

STREAM: Roska - Album Track Previews

::



Roska has also just put together a mix for the Austrian night Disko404's podcast series.

DOWNLOAD: Roska - Disko404 Podcast

Tracklist:

1. D-Malice - Visions - Roska Special
2. Roska - In Your Handbag - Fingaprint Remix
3. Deadboy - If You Want Me
4. Roska - Feeline VIP
5. Zinc - Music Makers
6. Roska ft Nikki - Energy
7. Altered Natives - Rass Out
8. Sticky & Paleface - Open Your Eyes (Roska Loves Congos Mix)
9. Roska - Time Stamp
10. DVA - Nasty Nasty Nasty (Roska Remix)
11. L-Vis 1990 - Zahonda
12. Untold - Just For You (Roska Remix)

Link:
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

DOWNLOAD: Roska - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix

Roska comes with a lil exclusive mix for the Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! crew to mark their event on Saturday at Plan B.

Info on that here.

DOWNLOAD: Roska - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix

Tracklist:

01. Zinc & Dynamite - Wileout (Roska Special) - Bingo Bass
02. Roska - Feeline (Original Mix) - Roska Kicks & Snares
03. Baobinga - Tongue Riddim (Roska Remix) - Build
04. Geeneus & Dynamite - Get Low (Roska Special) - Rinse
05. Gucci Vump - Shta Shti (L-Vis1990 Remix)
06. MA1 - Static - Karnival
07. Roska - I Need Love - Rinse
08. Marco Del Horno - The Only Way Out Is Down - Bullet Train
09. Roska & Jamie George - Wonderful Day

Link:
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

EVENT: Hyp! Hyp! Hyp!

HYP!HYP!HYP! - 16/01/2010
Plan B, 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY

JAMIE VEX'D
ROSKA
GEMMY
SUBEENA
MOSCA B2B UNKNOWN SOULJA
P45
HYPONIK DJ SQUAD

£8 otd / £5 advance
Doors: 2200-0500

Tickets // Facebook Event

AND to give this event that extra clout (as if Mr Vex'd didn't do that already) the Hyponik fam have sourced an exclusive mix from Subeena.



DOWNLOAD: Subeena - Hyp! Hyp! Hyp! Mix

Tracklist:

01. Lemonade - Sunchips (Ghosts On Tape remix)
02. Steve Summer - Shake the House (Clone Jack for Daze Series)
03. Rene Breitbarth - Pump (Deep data)
04. Major Lazer feat. Ms Thing - When You Hear the Bassline (Cooperative Music)
05. Oliver $ feat. Deize Tigrona - Com Medo de Mim (Man Recordings)
06. Hot City - No More (Infrasonics)
07. Hyetal - Neon Speech (Soul Motive)
08. Kazey & Bulldog - Fo Da Real Gs (Dress 2 Sweat)
09. Underground Resistance - The Force (UR)
10. Grand Puba - Get It (12th Planet Remix) (Scion Audio)
11. Kanji Kinetic - D Stomp (Electrostimulation)
12. Shortstuff & Hyetal - Don't Sleep (Forthcoming Punch Drunk)
13. Planetary Assault Systems - X Speaks To X (Appleblim & Al Tourettes remix)
14. Move Down Low (Grievous Angel remix)
15. Subeena - Picture (Forthcoming Opit)
16. Kid 606 - Monsters (Doshy Remix) (Tigerbeat6)
17. Royal T - Beat Fighter (Bok Bok remix) (No Hats No Hoods)
18. Face A Face - Galash (Ebola Remix) (LO Dubs)
19. DJ C ft MC Zulu - Body Work (Octapush Remix)
20. Photonz - Red Rooms (Forthcoming ?)
21. Diplo & Luke Laidback - Hey (Dre Skull Remix) (Southern Fried Records)
22. Unknown
23. Stereotyp feat. Edu K & Joyce Muniz - Jece Valadao (Man Recordings)
24. Cooly G - Jus Wanna
25. Bingo Players - Get Up (Diplo Remix) (Stealth Records)
26. Mad EP - Fire (Akira Kiteshi Remix) (Forthcoming Spectraliquid)

Links:
www.hyponik.com
www.plan-brixton.co.uk
www.myspace.com/subeena

PRE-ORDER: Scratcha DVA – The Jelly Roll EP [DVA Music]

Grime and funky have been creating some common ground of late with things starting to get really interesting when the smooth house grooves got the rude boy treatment from the grime heads, who added a bit of raw dance floor power into the mix. Rinse FM’s Grimey Breakfast DJ and all round badman producer Scratcha DVA has turned his hand to funky after creating some big grime anthems like ‘Nasty Nasty Nasty,’ the simply poisonous ‘Bullet A Go Fly’ and the monster riddim ‘Kill All A’ Dem.’

The ‘Jelly Roll EP’ opens strong with the title track, which will bring a smile to even the badest of a badman’s face with its unashamed cheesy and down right stupidly catchy hooks. Don’t get it twisted though, that isn’t even a dis, ‘Jelly Roll’ is a full on dance floor bomb for exactly those reasons. It comes on like a smoother, heavily swung and less annoying version of Felix Da Housecat’s ‘Cry Baby’ with the ascending and descending riffs getting persistently tweaked and flipped into bouncy synth lines that keep it rolling over the laid back soca-esque drum patterns.

The grime beats that is ‘Nasty Nasty Nasty’ makes an appearance on the flip in the form of two remixes, one from funky maestro Roska , who adds his very own deep dark and down right danceable vibes to the track, and the other by dubstepper Sukh Knight who spaces things out and adds his trademark distinctive wobble. The real mystery comes in the form of the deep house vibes of ‘Guro Triba’ by Soule Power, which finishes off the EP succulently with it's distinctly smooth groove brought on by some bongo action and a steady four four pulse.

Words: James Balf
Out: 14th Sept 2009

Link:
www.myspace.com/scratchadva

VIDEO: Roska on Hot110

Hot110 interview with Roska from Hot 110 on Vimeo.

Link:
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

INTERVIEW: Reecha [Dirty Canvas]

Ahead of Dirty Canvas' Room 3 takeover at fabric this Friday we went direct to the source with one of the night's promoters, armed with a laptop, a copy of Ga(y)rage Band and an industriously inquisitive look splashed on our mug.

What happened next needs no introduction... well, it actually does, else you might be confused, but you dig the sentiment, right? Enclosed here is an interview and a completely live mix teased out in one take by Reecha.

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

Reccha: My name is Reecha. I co-run a night called Dirty Canvas and a label called No Hats No Hoods. We've just released our 7th record which is Tempa T's Next Hype - which has remixes by Brackles and Starkey amongst others.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

I am me and I make Ps

People say you’re the Asian George Clooney… Why pick the Reecha moniker when Asian George has an equally impressive ring to it?

I think that would be disrespectful to the rest of my heritage - as I am nearly as Welsh as I am Asian. However I am planning a folk gabba side project underneath the Asian George appellation. Reecha is the only nickname I had at school, whereas my likeness to the sometime Nespresso spokesman is something that occurred in later life.

What’s your involvement with Dirty Canvas?

Check question one, fool.

What can we expect from the fabric takeover?

I hope the same you can expect from any Dirty Canvas night. For me the biggest challenge is the find the balance between throwing a good party and being progressive musically. Although we have originally been more associated with grime, I like to think that our real base is garage - its all its forms and offspring - whether that's grime, funky or dubstep etc. I guess on the night that's pretty well represented by what both Brackles and Mumdance do - who both come from completely different places but manage to be great club DJs while still satisfying those who want to stand in the corner and scratch their beards (note I have a beard and have nothing against them). That for me is the most exciting thing about music right now - well the exciting thing about underground UK dance music at least - people seem to be becoming more open and being less obsessed with labels.

I think Alex Nut is a great example of that too - I pretty much listen to his Rinse show religiously and he's one of those few people who you really do trust to just bring quality whatever he's dipping into and Silkie is making really great music at the moment so I feel particularly proud of the line up.

In short, it will be amazing.



Tell us a little about the mix you’ve made for us…

Its crap.

Probably could have been tighter but there you go - its just some music I like at the moment. Its got some new stuff, but also some pretty old tunes - but I personally find it quite interesting to 'recontextualise' (i.e. pitch up +8 ) a record by placing it with something it wasn't intended to relate to. Its got on the new Martin Kemp remix he's just done for us [No Hats No Hoods] which I don't think anyone would have heard - its not intended to fully represent what Friday will be like but its just a glimpse of what I might play at least.

Can we expect any original Reecha productions at any point soon?

I used to make some fairly generic UK hip hop - but I stopped drinking tea and lost my backpack. I also wrote about 4 hours worth of punk songs about girls not liking me whenIi was in my teens so it would only be right for me to attempt to subject the world to more. I gotta sort out some shit then I'm gonna get back at it - aided by some people who are infinitely more talented than me.

You got any wisdom for the interweb you’d care to share?

You look uncannily like Gary Lucy.

::

DOWNLOAD: Reecha - Sonic Router Mix



Tracklist:

1. Floating Points - J+W beat (Forthcoming Planet Mu)
2. Karizma - Groove Accordingly (R2)
3. Donaeo - Party Hard (My-Ish)
4. Kerri Chandler - Bar A Thym (Nite Grooves)
5. Royal T - 1 UP (Martin Kemp Remix) (Forthcoming No Hats No Hoods)
6. Roska - Elevated Levels (Roska Kicks and Snares)
7. MJ Cole - Funky Dub (Unreleased)
8. Menta feat Ms. Dynamite - Ramp (Bigger Beats)
9. Shortstuff and Mickey Pierce - Tripped Up (Unreleased)
10. Tempa T v Dj Oddz - Strung Up Hype (DJ Oneman Mash Up)
11. Hard House Banton – Sirens (White)
12. Tiger Flight - The Great Escape (unreleased)

Links:
www.myspace.com/reechamusic
www.myspace.com/dirtycanvas
www.myspace.com/nohatsnohoods

PRE-ORDER: Untold - Just For You/Roska Remix [Hotflush Two]

The next one from Untold. Should be in shops today, features a particularly witty Roska remix on the flip.

Read the full review here: http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=6345

Link:
www.myspace.com/untolduk