RECOMMENDED: Slackk – Synthetic / Hervey Jenkins - Steelo [Forefront]

Putting out your debut label release is a big statement. Colouring in your imprint’s grandiose mission statement with just two cuts is a tough ask, but the Hull based Forefront guys seem to have straddled that quandary with ease on their first single - a split between the fractured personalities of Slackk and Hervey Jenkins.

Slackk, the obsessive figure behind the essential grime archive and resource, Grimetapes, has been turning his attention further towards UK funky of late, brining that grimey edge to his own productions - you may have caught on to his Wiley loving Eski-house experiments via his last 12” on the formidable Numbers or checked his beats all over the radio from Dusk & Blackdown and beyond… ‘Synthetic’ sees Slackk at his bumpin’ best, channelling the house aesthetic through his grimy lens. Rumbling echo drenched drums boom and bubble, whilst bleepy synth motifs twist with an urgent tension against some addictive shuffling hi-hats and bongo rhythms, that’ll definitely get you shaking a leg.

The flip comes courtesy of a mysterious garage don from way back when, Hervey Jenkins. He’s the kind of guy who’d give Chicago house legend Maurice Donovan and NY’s very own Frankie Solar a run for their money in a dance off, powering through the voguing until they were all down to their string vests. ‘Steelo’ is a sweaty slice of R&B chopped and flexed into a tough garage number that’ll have you skipping across the dance floor, champagne in one hand with fixed gun fingers on the other.

Words: James Balf // Out: Now via Rubadub

RECOMMENDED: Kahn - Like We Used To/Helter Skelter [Punch Drunk]

Accurate or not, there’s always a certain canon that immediately springs to mind when you think of Bristol. The likes of Peverelist, Rob Smith, Headhunter/Addison Groove, Appleblim and Pinch make up part of a core group who’ve had a major hand in developing the scene into its current state of health. Up until fairly recently it felt as though they remained the central hub in the city, but over the last couple of years or so there’s been a real burst of activity from a newer generation of producers taking inspiration from those that came before them. With new music coming from people like Hodge and Artifact on what feels like a daily basis, and the rise (and rise) of Julio Bashmore, it feels as though Bristol is currently poised to unleash another wave of sound on a largely unsuspecting rest of the country.

Kahn’s another one to add to that list; part of the Sureskank collective (which also includes recent Punch Drunk signee Superisk), he’s an established DJ presence within the city already and recently released the garage-infused Altar EP on A Future Without. This new release for Punch Drunk represents a considerable step upward though – along with Superisk’s ‘Find Your Way’ it’s another great example of Peverelist’s seemingly effortless ability to squeeze great tracks out of newer producers. In this case, fitting neatly with their casually hipster-psychedelic (hah) artwork, both ‘Like We Used To’ and ‘Helter Skelter’ wring surprisingly dance-friendly results from tightly meshed layers of synth.

The former betrays a sophisticated grasp of melody and composition, setting a deftly sliced vocal refrain adrift in space above a gradually developing percussive backbone. Impressively, at certain tiny moments the two appear to snag upon one another as momentary harmonies flicker before dissipating. The same trick is used, sans vocals, for ‘Helter Skelter’, which, as its name suggests, spirals around buoyant pulses of effervescent synth and diffuse, skittering percussion that’s not a million miles away from Peverelist’s own signature drum sound. The overall effect is both energising and calming at once, perhaps mimicking that wobbly lucidity it’s only possible to achieve at three or four in the morning, assisted by a headful of sub-bass and cheap booze.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Links:
http://sureskank.blogspot.com
punchdrunkmusic.com

RECOMMENDED: V/A – Tax Haven 1 [Iberian Records]

Conspira, 23Hz and Numaestro’s label, Iberian Records – those who gave Octa Push an outlet with their eponymous EP – step out once again and bring out the good time vibes with their latest collated 12”, Tax Haven. Featuring a track a piece from Relocate, Mr Gasparov and Nehuen the three producers all bring a different vibe to this pre-emptively tropical release, providing cut-up, sample heavy break-laden garage, laid back, loved-up, sun blazing dance floor soul and raw, colourful UK funky hybrids.

Relocate turns in an energetic diva blazing bumpy garage number with ‘Soul Survivor,’ the beats kick hard and relentlessly like a cross between UKG and jackin’ Chicago house. The bass is deep, the samples euphoric and its all brought together with cut up horn stabs and disco strings. It’s all pretty reminiscent of hey-day 4x4 UKG and thankfully it’s addictive as hell, thanks in no small part to the beautifully percussive drum breakdown. The summer time vibes really shine through on Mr Gasparvo’s cut with vocalist G.Rina ‘Transient Love,’ It’s a punchy dubbed-out shimmering, tropical gem that sounds like a laid back beach party replete with Care Bear waiters and bubble gum fixtures and fittings.

The flip is the all out dancefloor track on the EP and Nehuen’s ‘Between Love and Hate’ is made up of the raw artefacts of UK funky: relenteless snares and bass that just never gives in. Those bass tones make me wonder if I’ve heard it in Petchy set (though I probably haven’t) especially when they’re played off by the heavy handed beats. There is an eerie urgent air to the production brought on by that swirling grime-esque dubby mouth organ melody but it’s all brought back down to earth by warm chord stabs that bubble along in their own blissful way.

Words: James Balf
Out: Now


Relocate - Soul Survivor [Iberian]

Links:
http://iberianrecords.bandcamp.com

RECOMMENDED: FaltyDL - Hip Love/Jamie XX Remix [Ramp]

It’s deceptively easy to get swept away in the constant barrage of new material coming from the post-garage/dubstep/UK-bass axis. Individual stand out pieces of music often end up fading into the background in favour of an unbroken mass of newness. The end result is a feeling of quantity over quality, or at the very least a serious case of split attention span. That feeling has escalated over the last couple of years as the scene’s increasingly gone global and split off into a thousand different strands. But once in a while something comes along that forces you to sit back and take stock for a little while, or holds your undivided love and attention for long enough to ignore the masses of sound streaming past on either side.

Drew Lustman’s music under his FaltyDL moniker is one of those rare things. Nothing he’s released thus far has fallen below the ‘utterly essential’ benchmark, largely because it so rarely stands still. Rather than remaining content to churn out 12” after 12” of re-arranged but essentially identical sounds, everything he’s put out so far - from the US/UK hybrid garage of Love Is A Liability to Endeavour’s restrained house experiments – has stood totally apart from its predecessors. In essence, Lustman is one of the very few musicians operating within this sphere that use their influences like gene pools to draw upon for individual flashes of inspiration, rather than allowing them to restrict the breadth of their ambitions.

That’s the reason he appears to be so strikingly original – with only a love of Luke Vibert and early breakcore binding everything together, his shifts between tempo passing those sounds through various different filters: house, garage, dubstep, electronica. ‘Regret’, his forthcoming contribution to Hotflush’s Back & 4th label compilation, is one of the most sophisticated examples of that approach so far. After allowing a bass-less breakbeat to gather momentum and intensity over a backdrop of swelling ambience, Lustman finally allows all it’s pent up tension to release in a deft two-step groove. It’s both utterly energizing and curiously relaxing, as though by suspending hyperspeed drums in mid-air he strips them of their grounded, floor-filling effect. It’s a similar trick to the one used by ambient junglists like LTJ Bukem and Source Direct - accelerating breakbeats to the point at which they’re faster than the body’s metabolism; when, as Simon Reynolds writes, “rhythm itself becomes a susurrating, soothing stream of ambience.”

And Lustman certainly deserves to be ranked at the same level as the pioneers. He’s not merely regurgitating his influences - he’s remoulding them into the shape of a unique and exciting cross-Atlantic narrative. His new single ‘Hip Love’ for Ramp (his last before fantastic new album You Stand Uncertain is released on Planet Mu) is ample evidence of that, as it’s probably his finest single track so far. Once again set around rapid-fire programmed beats that form a curiously downbeat backdrop, he playfully sets shards of brass and a yearning vocal sample to ricochet across its surface, occasionally colliding in glorious flashes of harmony. The end result is at once exhilarating and exhausting, and imbued with more emotion (both implicit and explicit) than almost anything yet to have emerged from the fray surrounding dubstep. Yeah, it’s that good.

On the flipside, Jamie XX’s remix would always have struggled to match the stunning original, and it’s to his credit that he doesn’t attempt to. Rather, he builds an entirely different sort of track around it base elements, a thick drumfunk that swings unsteadily back and forth before dropping to the floor. It’s a surprisingly unique take on bass-heavy floor music, and bodes well for his upcoming Gil Scott Heron remix album.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: 28th February 2011


FaltyDL – Hip Love [Ramp]

Link:
http://faltydl.com

INTERVIEW: Royal T [Butterz]

Grime has been finding its feet again recently. Whilst the pop charts have been under an onslaught of 4x4 electro house beats with emcees riding the pulse, the underground roughness has always been there, bubbling under the surface and exploding out in peaks. Making some incredibly notable noise right about now a new wave of producers are coming through and taking back the scene; sounding fierce and releasing physical product. It’s all pretty refreshing to see the coverage the resurgence is getting with players like Butterz crew Elijah & Skilliam leading the charge from the regular slots on Rinse FM.

Releasing music on the Butterz imprint is Southampton based producer, Royal T. He caught a lot of people’s attention last year with his beat ‘1UP’ on No Hats No Hoods, a track that samples Nintendo’s pixelated flagbearer Mario, had a top quality vocal by P Money and even got spat on by Dizzee Rascal live on radio. After releasing a couple of other soundsystem heaters like ‘Beat Fighter’ and his ‘Hot Ones Remix’ he’s about to roll out the Orangeade EP on Butterz.

Bringing the rave back to grime T is taking his sound back to the dancefloor rather than the mixtape, putting down his gaming controllers and making some hyped-up-funk-infused grime beats that hit hard. With other remixes floating around for the likes of TRC and Wiley, that have a serious flex to them, building heavily on the garage vibe, he’s proving that he’s no one trick pony, showing he’s adept at tackling different approaches with vigour.

We caught up with Royal T, grabbing the chance to premiere his new ‘Special Stage Mix’ (aka Sonic Router Mix #65) as we did it...

Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from what do you get up to on the daily?

I'm Mark Taylor, also known as Royal-T and I’m a Grime producer from Southampton, England. I can't swim, I’ve never watched a Star Wars or Lord of the rings film in my life, I love my football, my beer and I will kick your arse at FIFA if need be.

What got you into grime in the first place?

This question's always hard for me to answer because I always struggle to think of a definitive moment. I feel like I’ve been listening to grime all my life. My earliest memories of listening to it was from stealing random garage and Sidewinder tape packs from my brother’s bedroom when he was out - also I was one of the first people in my primary school class to have the first So Solid Crew album, I walked into the playground thinking I was some gangster. I took the typical garage into grime journey of listening before really understanding what grime even was. I was always that 'go to guy' for all the grime music at school on our Nokia's sending random tunes through bluetooth.

How did you get into making music, did you jump right into grime beats or have you dabbled elsewhere?

My Uncle gave my brother and me a copy of Fruity Loops 3 when we first got our computer. I've never been musically trained or anything, I didn't take up music for my GCSEs so I've basically orchestrated everything I’ve ever made just from ear. I've been making grime beats ever since I started. There's been times in the past where I might have experimented with tempo or styles but even those tunes had that grime influence.

What’s your production set-up like?

I just make and mix down tunes in my bedroom. The process from bedroom into bedroom/studio started from when I got a part time job. I saved up to buy some big monitor speakers, a MacBook, some decks and everything else and that's all I’ve been doing since. I installed Windows on my MacBook and use that side just for Fruity Loops. My Dad and me constructed some little workspace for myself with everything I need on it. I bought a double bed recently and now I practically have no walking space in my room at all. It's all good though, it's for the music but I no longer have any space for activities (step-brother’s joke).

How do you go about laying a track down?

Most of the time I have an idea or an influence in my head already, so I’ll try to put that into Fruity like putting ideas from pen to paper and then just go from there. It's just like finishing a painting by colouring over a drawing I’ve made. The time it takes for me to finish a track varies but it means I can come back to the project a few days later with completely fresh ideas. On the new Fruity you can see how long you've spent on a project and most my projects average out at about 8 hours when finished now. That does includes all the time for mix downs and for all the time I’m not even making the tune and just browsing the internet or playing Football Manager with Fruity Loops open.

Where are you getting your inspiration from right now?

I'm only really going through old CDs I’ve found in my house at the moment, like loads of old school garage compilations, Oxide and Neutrino's first album and a lot of Mike Skinner's material. My mum even came and sat down with me the other day when I was making a tune, telling me the bits she did and didn't like. She's my greatest critic; she'll tell me if she doesn't like a song I’m making. A good indication of knowing whether she likes a tune or not is that if she ain't dancing to the beat when she comes in the room, hoovering or cleaning, it's probably not that good.



You’re really bringing back that skippy ravey grime vibe with a load of your tracks, there are some garage influences creeping in, some nice 8-bar switch ups and some tough twisted drops. Is it something that you thought was missing when you first started making beats?

Yeah in the last couple of years I felt that there really was a lack of danceable or club standard grime tunes about, it’s just iPod music for teenagers - nothing really musically stood out and everything was about the MC and his mixtape. To breakthrough as a producer it used to be all about how many vocals you could rack up. Due to my location this was nearly impossible for me because I could hardly meet MCs or be introduced to anyone as I literally came in the scene on my ones. The only people who would listen to me and my music were DJs. So I was making music for them to play and I adapted my sound to something no one else really was making at the time. I took a bit of a shortcut but it paid off eventually.

Your new EP, Orangeade, is out right now; tell us a bit about those tracks...

‘Orangeade’ is just me having complete fun with grime without having to parade it as dubstep or ‘trap music’ in disguise. I just made the grime I think we all used to and still do love to hear. I made ‘1UP,’ ‘Hot Ones,’ my ‘Air Bubble Remix’ [original by Terror Danjah] all with the same vibe. It was my sort of statement to the scene about us nearly forgetting our sound. ‘Orangeade’ came about because Teddy mentioned on Twitter that 'the best grime tune around at the moment is Gucci Mane's ‘Lemonade’ instrumental.' I just thought 'eff this' and ‘Orangeade’ was born.

Your remix of TRC’s ‘Oo Aa Ee’ is too much, what made you go for that garage flex? It’s a pretty interesting meeting of minds when a bassline producer makes a grime beat then a grime producer flips it into a garage track...

Thank you. Well, DOK made a really good grime remix so me making another grime remix wasn't really going to achieve anything. At that time I’d been making loads of garage drum patterns, messing around with swing and thin cut drums. Now, going on with what I was saying about the grime sound progression, I notice that people are starting to clock and re use the 2-step formula which I’m completely happy with, but I’m just enjoying doing the complete opposite every time. I like to think people attach music to memories so I want to make tracks that not only make you nod your head, but take you on a little journey at the same time.

You’ve had some bangers with the OGz (P Money, Blacks, Little Dee, etc), ‘Hot Ones’ and ‘1 Up’ where big ones for me. You’ve got some good chemistry together. What’s it like working with them and have you got more in the works with those guys?

I've been in contact with Blacks for a while now. He was the first well known MC to really listen to what I had to offer musically and he stuck by me. My first time having anything played on Logan Sama's show was a Blacks vocal. I had only spoken to P Money once or twice before he vocalled ‘1UP’ and I’m so pleased to see him go further, he deserves it. We both have the same ideas and focus on how we want our songs to sound like. We have tons of tunes on the way. Otherwise there are plenty of sets you can download with him spitting on my tracks.

What other MCs are you feeling right now?

Someone who has stood out for me recently is Merky Ace. I think he's sick. We have a tune together pending release which should be about soon. He should have a huge year I hope, along with Kozzie and the rest of the MCs that have had a buzz in 2010 and I always look forward to hearing any new MIK material too. I always carry his vocals in my DJing playlists.



Talk to us about Butterz, how did you get involved, what tracks got their attention and what’s it like working with those guys? There seems to be a cool community vibe to it all with producers hooking up for collaborations and remixes all the time.

The first time I ever got any sort of radio play with my music was around 2 to 3 years ago on a University Radio Station by two students who go by the names of… you guessed it, Elijah and Skilliam. They played my old ‘World War 4 Remix’ that I made ages ago. Elijah was the first person I sent ‘1UP’ to and he aired it on radio before anyone else did so I actually owe a lot to them both for their support. I think he still has that e-mail somewhere. We've stayed in contact the whole time exchanging ideas and just working really so it was only right somewhere down the line that we were bound to have some sort of project together. The funny thing is even after a nice 2010 we haven't even got started!

You’ve remixed Yasmin’s ‘On My Own’, it’s got to be one of the first commercial grime remixes to appear in god knows how long. How did that come about and what was it like messing with that kind of music compared to what you’re normally used to?

I was really proud to see the reaction it got by the people on twitter, soundcloud and everywhere as there were some cool names on the other remixes but my track achieved more hits in two days than any of the other remixes did in something like a month. It was great to finally work on a track with a female vocalist officially as I’ve always been too lazy to write tracks with vocalists before. The great thing is I didn't have to change my sound to get it heard. I kept it true to my sound and how I would have liked to make it and its bloody great to see it get recognition from other audiences.

There is a sick mix you’ve done of Wiley’s ‘It’s Wiley’ floating about right now that’s sounding large. You’ve got that garage rhythm going on and a load of cheeky bits that flip old Wiley signifiers back into the mix. How did that all come together?

Elijah got into contact with Prodigal, who did the original, about getting a remix sorted by me and I was a lucky git and got the acapella. I actually started the tune on Christmas day too. Unfortunately Father Christmas didn't bring me anything to keep me occupied that day and there's only so much enjoyment I could get out of Shower Gel and Deodorant combos. I really wanted to push the boundaries again and almost make it a tribute to Wiley and the Eski era. I was listening to a lot of old Wiley sets and the famous Wiley ‘Grimetapes’ collection in preparation where he was spitting on a lot of beats you wouldn't normally hear him on, like some nice old school dark garage, 4x4 and early grime stuff and it had been a while since I’d heard him on anything like that so i thought 'why not?'. It's really set the pace for 2011 for me.

What releases have you got on the horizon?

I've got the ‘Orangeade’ vinyls floating about now and the digital version will be due around the end of January. The Yasmin remix will be getting a release with the original single and the Wiley remix will be getting a full vinyl release scheduled for early February hopefully. Then onto the next few months I have some unreleased Butterz material to unleash and I have a couple of tracks with P Money and Blacks on my hard drive begging to be heard. I cannot wait for everyone to hear them.

Any words of wisdom, for our readers?

Stay focused on what you want to achieve and do whatever it takes to get to your goal. If you want to be able to move forward, sometimes, the simplest way to take the first step is by changing your whole outlook. As soon as you're able to accept that you may not always be right, you'll already be on the right track.

Oh and Nando's is overrated, don't believe the hype.

::

DOWNLOAD: Royal T – Sonic Router Mix #65



Tracklist:

0. Sonic 2 - Emerald Hill Zone
1. Royal-T - Chaos Emerald
2. JME - Shut Up And Dance
3. Royal-T - Shut The Funk Up
4. Royal-T - Bounce
5. Spooky - Spartan (DOK Remix)
6. TRC - Oo Aa Ee (Royal-T Remix)
7. S-X - Woooo Riddim (DJ Q Remix)
8. S-X - Woooo Riddim (Royal-T Remix)
9. D Double E - Bad To The Bone
10. Oxide - Nuff Of Dem Watch Me (Instrumental)
11. Wiley - It’s Wiley (Royal-T Remix)
12. Royal-T - Orangeade VIP
13. Swindle - Mood Swings
14. Yasmin - On My Own (Royal-T Remix)
15. Mr Slash - 1999
16. Royal-T - Royal Rumble
17. The Streets - Skills On Toast

Words: James Balf
Photo: Rob Vanderman

Links:
www.myspace.com/royaltbeats
www.twitter.com/royaltmusic

DOWNLOAD: Hackman & Jamie Grind - Saw The Light (Mista Men Remix)

The Footwork EP on Glasgow's Fortified Audio imprint, out digitally today, marks the debut solo release for Yorkshireman, Jamie Grind. After releasing on Spatial's Infrasonics label with the resplendent 'Balloon' and 'If You Want' on a split 12" with Irish producer Gon, Grind has been a staple in our Hivemind FM sessions, often providing a melodic respite to the overloaded drum workouts we're prone to.

Featuring 4 tracks, including the constant drum machine trickle of 'Without You' whose high pitched percussion line bubbles over snatches of Grind's 2step blessed drum lines, the EP shines thanks to a collaboration with fellow Leeds resident, Hackman. Called 'Saw The Light' its more subtle than the other three tracks, peeling off in tangents, before the snatched vocal merges with the roughened bass line, creating an emotive house tempoed workout that gets better with each listen.

To mark the passing of the EP, we've been bestowed the honour of passing out the Mista Men refix of that Hackman collaboration. In the Doncaster trio's patent leathery style (check out their recent SR mix) they focus a little more on the interplay between 4x4 pulse and the bass, splicing apart the tunes melody whilst managing to retaining the same kind of harmonic linearity.

DOWNLOAD: Hackman & Jamie Grind - Saw The Light (Mista Men Remix)



Links:
www.myspace.com/jamiegrindmusic
www.myspace.com/fortifiedaudio

INTERVIEW: Eliphino [somethinksounds]

Tom Wrankmore is a guy who feels blessed by his luck in music. If there is one thing you can say about Wrankmore, and his work under the Eliphino moniker, it’s that he’s worked hard to get to where he is today. After circulating beat tapes and self releasing his 2005 hip hop tempoed album Out of Phase, he’s now on the precipice of big things. With a record out through Brownswood and his first solo EP for somethinksounds in shops now his music has morphed pace but retains the sort of characteristic that made his early work, re-presented by First Word Recordings, so listenable.

I reach him by phone early on a Saturday morning Melbourne time, 8pm on a Friday night his time, at his current abode - a warehouse space in central London. He is amazingly modest considering he has been working in DJing and at music for the last ten years - since he was 15 years old. Having recently made the move from Manchester to London things are quite fresh for him right now.

"Both cities are quite vibrant but obviously there is a lot more stuff going on in London I think..."

I guess it makes sense for an artist to be close to things?

"When events that I love to go to are so close, and every weekend, I can just see whoever I need to see. But there is so much going on, you literally have to pick and choose what you can afford!" he laughs.

Starting his bedroom production experiments at 17 years old after buying an MPC, he followed with roughly two years of DJing at a big club night in his home town. "I grew up in Leeds and there was a night called Drum Major. I got to be the resident DJ before I was even supposed to be in the club, when I was under 18." He confesses, sounding slightly incredulous about his luck. "I managed to DJ with Madlib, Q Bert and all those sort of hip hop guys who were smashing it around that time in the early 2000s."

"So I was really kind of blessed in the early days and I got to DJ a lot. Then I got addicted to production when I got my first sampler."

How did it feel to be invited to DJ as a resident at Drum Major?

"It was dope man. I think it was basically because I started off with, and I was quite enamoured with, the scratch stuff - the DMC battles and the ITF and all of that. So I practised on that level quite a lot and got to know quite a few people around the city who were into that. There were a couple of guys called Matman and Mike L who have both been in the DMC finals and they took me under their wing. I guess they might have seen some potential and then I got to be the resident of that night as a result of DJing with those guys."

That type of mentoring is commonly a huge part of the hip hop scene but it extends through artistic channels worldwide. As much as there is competition, the leading lights always seem to shine through. "I thought, for a while, that the availability of software might have changed the amount of people who make music. But I don't think that will dilute the quality of music coming out because it's only going to be the good stuff that gets the attention in the end."


Eliphino - Let Me Love You Forever [Brownswood]

"Someone who has been really forthright in terms of helping me out is Martyn. I have never met him because that's the nature of things nowadays, being online. I really look up to him because his productions are super tight and he is really willing to give time to break down one of your tunes. He's very honest about what he does and doesn't like."

"Also there's a guy called Illum Sphere up in Manchester. When I was living up there it was top that he and Johnny Dub were running Hoya Hoya - it was always somewhere good to go. I don't think I would site him as a mentor," he laughs.

A drinking buddy maybe?

"Yeah!"

Wrankmore has also gained support from a stalwart of music, Gilles Petterson. "We actually hooked up through the antiquated method of Myspace! Alexander Stevenson, who works at Gilles' label Brownswood, was in charge of compiling Brownswood Electr*c for Gilles on the label. He got in touch with me and it ended up being one of the two tunes that got pressed [onto vinyl]. That was around the same time as I moved to London so it was the best welcome that I could possibly have!"

The new Eliphino EP on somethinksounds, Undivided Whole, is a wonderful collection of beats, rolling melodies and morphing synths. The A-side of the EP bursts forth with ‘You'll Know’ - a kind of post-Burial garage gem that rolls out the stepper vibes - and continues with ‘L.F. (I Know)’ which forms a perfect twin track. The B side opens with ‘Condensation,’ is a far more muted house/funky affair, with ‘I Just Can't’ finishing off proceedings with a minimal, shuffling beat that is soaked in a single, mutating, droning synth. All-in-all it's a fascinating snapshot of a very talented producer.

"It has only been recently that I would consider myself to have been making songs," he reflects. "A lot of that has been through using Pro Tools and cleaning it all up."

"I have known the guys at somethinksounds for quite a while actually. We've come up in music together, somewhat. They've had the idea to start the label for a while and they finally put their heads together and got it to fruition. They're planning to have me as the first release on the label."

And for Wrankmore there is an added bonus: "It is being pressed on vinyl which has always been a main aim for me. So it's been relatively successful for me so far but we'll see how it goes. It's been kind of a strange road, I guess. I have always been into music, and I have been trying to make music and play it since I was about fourteen or fifteen. Around that age I was just listening to hip hop, old school Jungle, and a bit of garage as well. So it has always been a big melting pot of genres if you know what I mean."

"Dilla was a big influence, as was Madlib, but recently I have increased the speed of my tracks quite a lot. That's just a result of there being a lot of energy around certain genres and I have been more inspired to make music in that field."

Agreeing that it's a nice place to be right now with a great supportive community around the world he continues: "Yeah definitely. No one is raising eyebrows right now if people skip genres for each different release. You don't have to be dead set on one thing because it's all amalgamating now and everything is feeding off each other. It's good for creativity because there are no rules about what you're allowed to do."

"I'm definitely looking forward to [putting out] more releases. I have promised the lads that I will do another EP on somethinksounds. I have just finished a remix for a guy called Duffstep which is going to be on a label called Join The Dots - FaltyDL and Young Montana are on the same 12" so that's great to be on there with them… There is some cool stuff in the pipeline for next year; some labels are asking me for music... I'm considering changing direction in terms of the sound. I'm not really sure what it's going to be yet but I need to freshen up a bit. I will just keep making as much music as I can."

It's about being true to the music you want to create, right?

"Yeah totally. I usually get a melody in my head or mess about on the synth. Then I will work on a tune until it sounds alright - I will usually do the percussion on my MPC because it's easier for me. But I won't finish it as a song. I leave it for a month and forget about it and then I will load it up. I will either realise that it's awful or I will be surprised and finish it off."

"There are days when you will make something and half an hour later it will be done,” he continues. “I'm lucky enough to not have to work full time right now. I am living in a warehouse with no rent, doing freelance web design and DJing. So I get to sit around and mess about with music ideas all day anyway. I have enough time to get as creative as I can."

Words: Simon Hampson

::

Eliphino’s Undivided Whole EP is out now on somethinksounds.

Photo: Benjamin Eagle

INTERVIEW: Mista Men [Greenmoney]

Standing as the only outfit to ever submit two seperate versions of a Sonic Router mix, the Doncaster affiliated trio Mista Men, have been lighting up radio playlists with their own take on UK club music of late. From hearing tracks on Rinse FM selector Braiden’s show at some point in the last few months, we all of a sudden found the slower realms of our radio show planning dominated by music with this particular crews heavy 4x4 pulse. With what seemed like a constant barrage of music, all centering around the same ballpark tempo with a similar clubwise lean, we learned of the releases on Car Crash Set and Bass Tourist and realised that it wasn’t just us becoming more and more reliant on these kind of textures to link between 2step led garage jams and more straight up house rhythms.

Given that tracks like ‘Watermelon’ and ‘Lengthy Riddim’ were early highlights and the fact that the trio’s simplistic moniker evoked memories of herbicidal cartoon watching in an attic room in Hanwell, West London, we followed our nose and got chatting. Ahead of the Greenmoney backed 12” – available on Juno from the 6th December and in shops the week after – we caught up with one of the group, Mella Dee, who is so beautifully on it, that he scrapped the first version of their Sonic Router mix at the 11th hour. Lovingly re-assembling a second take with a truck load of care, attention and style, he included some of the crew and their friend’s freshest material as he did it.

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

Mista Men: Well basically Mista Men is a trio of DJs and producers from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. We like to make music for the clubs; just whatever we’re feeling at the time. We've been doing the whole Mista Men thing for a year or so, but have all known each other since being younger. Woozee knows Kid Kosy from their school days, and I met through us all skateboarding together.

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

I work putting up shutters and doors and as, an apprentice sparky, henegral graft! Kid Cosy goes to college doing graphic design in Leeds and works at a pub on a part time flex. Woozee works at a restaurant as a barman in Doncaster.

What’s your production set up like? How does it work with the 3 of you producing? Do you all just make your own shit and then merge it under the Mista Men name... ?

We utilise drop box; start things on our own then pass then on for the next man to have a bang at normally. Because of the fact that Cosy lives in Leeds, it makes it harder for us all to link at once, but myself and Woozee tend to try and get together as often as possible

How would you describe your sound?

I guess it's hard, we like to make all sorts of different stuff. Personally I think it’s all just UK Bass. It’s easier to say that than trying to describe what we make really. I guess a lot of what we do falls under the garage category of things; even our take on house tends be heavily garage influenced.


Mista Men – What You Do To Me/Hold On/C.R.S.T. Remix Preview (forthcoming Greenmoney)

What is an inspiration for you?
With there being 3 of us, you get a large amount of different influences, as I said before though, I think garage plays a large part in things. I'm very influenced by hip hop and RnB as well but there's also techno, jungle, drum & bass and house influences to our sound. It’s just a big mix of what we all like basically.

Where do you see your sound developing?

We’ll just keep doing what we do, making music we like, not being tied down to one tempo or sound. We just love music and want to make good music in general. Getting some hardware is one step we really want to take; I feel there’s a lot of potential in using it to push our sound further.

What’s the scene like in Doncaster? Any recommended jams? As it goes not really, it's a bit waste here. You could go to the Warehouse and get serious to some bouncy hard house if that’s your thing like…

Are there any producers you rate that the world should know about? Any peeps not getting the props you think they deserve?

Well 2 lads I run tropical in Leeds with are doing some big beats right now Jera & Jangle. Also there’s a new guy coming from Leeds called Tessera, whose got some serious bits. Didz from Cardiff has a nice sound… Hodge from Bristol… there's sooo much good music being made right now, this whole sound has so much freedom.

Your Greenmoney release is imminent... What else have you got forthcoming?

Well aside from the Greenmoney release of ‘What U Do To Me,’ therse ‘Ashanting Cub’ and ‘Rvrse’ set to drop on NSA dubs. There’s a couple of remixes, and hopefully we’ll be lining some other bits up soon!

Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve put together for us…

The Tessera bit near the end is doing it for me right now, Jera’s ‘Another One’ is such a big track, we’re just working on our remix of that. The Jay Weed track is seriously big to. My personal fave has to be the new Martin Kemp one though, it’s too big! It was hard doing the mix; I had so many bits I wanted to get in there, I could of done about three mixes…. Haha.

::

DOWNLOAD: Mista Men – Sonic Router Mix #62



Tracklist:

1. Hackman - Made Up My Mind (Hodge Undecided Mix) (Dub)
2. GuGu - Rocka Bye Baby (Forthcoming DVA)
3. J:Kenzo - Ruckus (Mr Tickle V.I.P Remix) (Dub)
4. Jay Weed - Prism (Forthcoming 502)
5. The Bug ft Warrior Queen - Poison Dart (Scratcha Remix) (Ninja Tune)
6. Martelo & Canblaster - Cannibal (Club Mix) (Dub)
7. Jangle - Egyptian Turkey Cat (Dub)
8. Mista Men - Pantha (Dub)
9. Mista Men - Redemption (Dub)
10. Martin Kemp - Know We Can (Dub)
11. James Fox - New Jack Swing (Dub)
12. Mista Men - What You Do To Me (Forthcoming Greenmoney)
13. Mr Tickle - Higher Stakes (Dub)
14. Jera - Another One (Dub)
15. Mista Men - Sure Footed (Dub)
16. Tessela - You Give Me Something
17. Gucci Mane Ft Pharell & Nicki Minaj - Haterade (Mista Men ReRub) (Dub)
18. Mista Men Ft Robert Green - Drawn (Dub)

Link:
http://soundcloud.com/mistamen

INTERVIEW: C.R.S.T [No Hats No Hoods]

The Welsh quartet of C.R.S.T. have made a big impact on us of late. First jumping out with their garage tinged selections in promo mixes, their solo and collected productions started to seep out in the wide world of the internet through releases on perfectly formed labels like Well Rounded and Car Crash Set. Bordering the lines between 2-step, syncopated funky and straight house, their remixes have infiltrated our Hivemind.fm selections completely, seemingly popping up without fail, in the run up to the prep for every show.

With their Good Love EP for London based label No Hats No Hoods, out in shops imminently, plus work forthcoming on label’s like Doc Daneeka’s Ten Thousand Yen and tracks like ‘Cervantis Riddim’ heating up our regularly checked blog network, we caught up with the guys to figure how their formula works with 4 pairs of hands reaching for the mouse at any one time and grab our the 60th mix in our ongoing series.

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

C.R.S.T: C.R.S.T stands for Chesus, Rodski, St.Rowdy & Tony Blitz… We are 4 DJs/Producers from Wales that focus on making garage and house and all the stuff in between, basically we like to make tunes that get you moving in the club. We have been making tunes together and playing out as C.R.S.T for just over a year now and things have been moving pretty quickly. Chesus, St.Rowdy & Tony Blitz are from Barry and we have known each other from a very young age and all have similar interests in music. Rodski is from Ystrad Mynach and met Chesus selling trainers in Size (Cardiff). Chesus & Rodski started playing at a few parties together and became Chesus & Rodski and shortly after, came to Barry and started making beats with St.Rowdy & Tony Blitz so it made sense to all come under one name eventually as we were churning out so many tunes in a short space of time.

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

Chesus is a part time scrappy and has his own microphone to shout "Rag n Bone" out of the window of his transit tipper.

Rodski is half man half mattress so if he's not making beats or on chat roulette, he's sleeping.

St.Rowdy (aka JDS) works at a heating spares company, if you need to know about a boiler, he's your man! you can usually find him at the back door of his works slyly passing his non ferrous scrap metal to chesus.

Tony Blitz works for a large law firm in Cardiff dealing with selling repossessed houses.

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?

Like we mentioned previously, 3 of us are from sunny Barry and have known each other since our first pube, so as we were interested in the same music and all loved to DJ, it seemed like the obvious choice to start making tunes together. Chesus originally got into music by playing garage in the early years and then went on to focus on hip hop as Metabeats. At the same time Tony Blitz was mainly focusing on producing drum & Bass and St.Rowdy was the scratch master of us all. Rodski started off playing breakbeat as a young student. Over the last year and a half, we have all been bit by the garage bug, some call what we do 'future garage' but its straight garage and that’s what we are trying to bring back, all good vibes!

What’s your production set up like? How does it work with the 4 of you producing? Do you all just make your own shit and merge it... ? You’ve had a lot of releases in a short spurt – do you attribute that to the proficiency of the core quad, spewing out beats?

We don't have a set way of working although we have adopted a 'musical chair' style production system. basically if you are at the helm ,and are not getting any ideas out that are any good, you move over and let someone else take over and have a go. We think it helps get a good idea out quick. Sometimes one of us will start something and bring it to the studio and we will all work on it to get it done and sometimes we will all make our own tunes and put it out under the C.R.S.T name. We like to keep a consistent workflow so these techniques allow us to do so. The current main studio is at Tony Blitz's yard but Chesus' studio is nearly done also so expect even more beats to be flying out!

How would you describe your sound?

That’s a hard one, we have made a few different styles but at the moment I think it’s very 'speed garage' orientated.



What is an inspiration for you?

Hearing good new music, there are a lot of up and coming producers and some of the stuff that’s getting played at the moment is amazing.

Where do you see your sound developing?

As there is 4 of us, there is always going to be a number of styles that are involved in any particular tune so it’s hard to say if it will be more on the housey tip or 2step tip. Who knows, we may even develop our own genre and call it Basrastep!

What’s the scene like in Wales? Any recommended jams?

There are a few good nights in Cardiff, there is a Friday night in Cardiff Arts Institute which always has a good little line up; as well as a new night called Signature which also has some good acts. Martyn was down last week, also Mount Kimbie... To be honest, we are always in the studio if we are not playing out so we don't have time to check out too many nights.

Are there any producers you rate that the world should know about? Any peeps not getting the props you think they deserve?

Well there is a big pool of talent in Cardiff: Monky & Stagga have been killing it for a while now and there is Darkhouse Family which Chesus is one half of. Diverse Concepts has been making great music for a while now and also Didz & Chico. People need to check out the stuff coming out from people like Magenta, Mr Healan, Lung and Dan Marshall too.

Like we said, there is a lot of talent, it’s a shame there are not enough nights to showcase them all.

Your NHNH release is out. What else have you got forthcoming?

We have a track coming out on Ten Thousand Yen (Doc Daneeka's label) called 'Roulette' which is the AA side of Didz & Chico – ‘Something New.’ It's a dancefloor smasher for sure! We have a more techno styled release through Catapult Records with a remix from Cooly G and then we have the 2 part EP (6 tunes) coming out through 'Cheap Thrills' early next year. We also have a number of remixes coming out at various dates in between but we have no idea when, including remixes for Kele (Bloc Party), Diamond Lights, Monarchy, The Drop & Mista Men.

We have also just produced the BBC Radio 1 United Nations Theme track which was a bit weird, they gave us 4 lame records to sample and make a beat out of. we did it and you can download it from our soundcloud for free!

DOWNLOAD: C.R.S.T - BBC Radio 1 United Nations Theme

Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve put together for us…

As you can see we had to cram some garage in. Especially 'Melody' by Masterstepz and the Baffled remix of 'Steppin Through Time'. Another one is the Julio Bashmore remix of Mosca's ‘Tilt Shift.’ Have a listen and you'll see why.

It’s more like an inspirational mix of old and new.

Any words of wisdom, for our readers?

Don't throw away your metal.

::

DOWNLOAD: C.R.S.T. – Sonic Router Mix #60



TrackList:

01. Behling and Simpson – Stress
02. Jera – Another One
03. Mosca – Tilt Shift(Julio Bashmore Remix)
04. JTRP – You Want It
05. Hackman – Made Up My Mind (Hodge’s Undecided Mix)
06. Zomby – A Forest
07. Midland and Ramadanman – Your Words Matter
08. Somore ft. Damon Truett – What You Want (Industry Standard Mix)
09. Tuff Jam – Need Good Love (Tuff Jam D.I.Y. dub)
10. Jeremy Sylvester – Chunky Beats
11. Phillip Bailey – Steppin’ Through Time (Baffled Remix)
12. Mistamen – What Uou Do (C.R.S.T. Remix)
13. Masterstepz – Melody
14. Tina Moore – Nobody Better (Dem2 Unlimited Dub)
15. Didz & Chico – Can’t Compare

The Good Love EP is out on the 15th November on No Hats No Hoods. It features remixes from Doc Daneeka, Mosca and D Malice; oh and it bangs.

Link:
www.myspace.com/crstuk

STREAM: Jack Dixon - Substitue EP [Silverback Recordings]

Versed, as you all should be by now, in our love for all things Polish this post comes to kill two birds with one stone. Silverback Recordings are putting out the debut EP from Jack Dixon, a name you may have seen littered accross our Hivemind.fm show's tracklists, and the 'Substitute EP' features 6 original tracks from the producer coming equipped with remixes from Damu, Cairo, Swarms, Daily and one of our new obsessions, Polish producer, The Phantom - who turns in the stand out remix of the EP with his version of 'I Let You.'

A big fan of synthesized swells, Dixon's production is clean and perfectly measured. With an obvious emphasis on the use of vocal snippets tracks like 'Needin' U' and 'Be There' hint at the talent he possesses - fusing a house tempoed pulse with his freewheeling melodies and thick, almost inaudible low end.

Stream: Jack Dixon - Substitute EP Preview



'Subsitute EP' is out digitally 22nd November.

Link:
http://soundcloud.com/jackdixon

INTERVIEW: Spatial Talks Cross Media Releases

From the first times we got our hands on a mysterious Infrasonics release, a white 10” sleeve daubed with orange and grey squares and no information, we were hooked. Label boss Spatial seemed intent on keeping a little of that mystery at our first point of contact, choosing to leave us hanging on for clues to his tracks strictly numerical monikers whilst keeping the releases coming. Now very much open to our prodding he’s on his 4th solo 10” release for the label and he’s also put out three split 12”s, from Ike Release & Hot City, xxxy & Ike Release and Jamie Grind & Gon respectively, something regular readers of this blog won’t have failed to notice.

And whilst you might be aware of the releases, the digital tracks that form the ‘cross media’ aspect of all of Spatial’s solo releases could have been a little overlooked. Whilst choosing to put out physical product in this day and age could be considered risky, given the climate and habitual torrent abuse by so called music fans, Infrasonics stands as a bastion for physical quality and the digital age, embracing the digital format (as most labels do, selling downloads as MP3s, WAVs and FLACs) and new technologies as they do it.

Take the latest physical release for INFRA004: not only is it, in SR’s opinion, the most realised and danceable set of productions from Spatial to date, but it also comes complete with a postcard insert which when held up to a webcam unlocks a third track for the purchaser to download. Whilst we could probably explain the mechanism in some kind of surly, inaccurate laymen’s terms, we thought the topic of digital extras of note and asked Spatial to help us understand a little more.

SR: So, your latest release comes with a card that you have to register via a webcam to unlock the digital accompaniment to the physical release. What made you go to such, intuitive lengths?

Spatial: It's really just trying to be creative with the technology that’s out there and provide something extra of interest. To me, there's as much creativity in hacking as there is in other art form so some of it is indulging that interest. We were also keen to try and give more focus on digital component of the release.

Could you give us an idea about the technology behind it? How does it work?

There's a postcard that comes with the vinyl that has a url and a marker or pattern on it. You hit the url in your browser, and present the postcard to your webcam when prompted. Once it correctly recognises the marker it unlocks a section of the site that provides a stream and download of an exclusive track, plus some extra eye candy.

The idea came out of some proof of concept/R&D work that some friends were doing with Augmented Reality libraries in Flash. Essentially, the libraries are able to recognise shapes and patterns and overlay a video feed with other animations. We kept the mechanism as a straightforward lock/key implementation for this version but there's a lot of scope to extend the idea.

Having always released digital bonus tracks, that are obviously just as labour intensive to produce musically, do you think the cross media platform has been properly broached by labels?

Traditional models of consumption are pretty well defined so we're aiming to challenge that a little. It seems fairly clear to me that the masses are moving toward a service based model where the notion of file ownership will eventually seem quaint. It's a bit different in the marginal areas that we operate in but I think there's room to try be creative with a release. I’d like the two mediums to feed off each other.

Without entering into the vinyl vs. digital debate do you think it’s helped the label, offering up digital extras?

Absolutely. Seeding free tracks in streaming services like last.fm help to get the word out. I also hope it helped to convince people to pay for the other tracks. It seems quite hard to get much notice in the press though as journalists normally review what they find in the "shops" despite what we send out in the PR, so the focus is normally just on the vinyl. The exception to this would be Joe Mugg's Wire review for infra001.

It's also about offering a wider contrast with the material. I always wanted to use 10"s, largely for aesthetic reasons, and there's only so much music you can fit on them. In that sense the release is an E.P. that goes cross medium.

What else is coming up for the infrasonics imprint?

I've got great new material coming to my inbox from all the current artists plus a few interesting bits from outside. It's just a matter now of getting the right configuration for the 12"s and getting it in the system. I'm thinking about doing something with all the 10"s in the series also…

Personally, I've got a podcast up on Bassmusicblog now(ish) and a studio mix coming for DJ mag in early Nov. In the wider eco-system: Jamie Grind has a new night called Modulate in Leeds which looks ace. xxxy is now with Reprise so catch him playing near you soon. Gon, his missus and an obscene amount of vinyl just moved over from Dublin which is cool - watch out for that man.

Lastly, we're gonna throw another warehouse party at the end of Nov - sign up to one of the propaganda streams to keep on top of that. Last one was off the hook: 2 Funktion one stacks in an intimate darkened space, pure vibes. The real deal.



INFRA004 (previewed above) is in shops now.

Links:
http://infrasonics.net/
http://soundcloud.com/spatial
Spatial – Sonic Router Mix #10

Photo: Thomas Sergeant

DOWNLOAD: Dynooo – Rewind Rework

As besotted as we got with Dynooo’s beats around the time of our Sonic Router mix with him things fell a little quiet in the aftermath, with us having to stay content listening to his gun sound percussion on repeat. With that said the Belgian producer has today linked us with the exclusive download rights to his reworking of Craig David’s ‘Rewind’ which was one of the highlights of our early Hivemind.fm shows.

His Mac Fly imprint is curating a night at Nijdrop on the 10th September in his native Belgium featuring Mike Slott and Dimlite with support coming from a special combo set from Dynooo himself and beat sparring partner Cupp Cave alongside Richard Colvaen (whose beats stood a mile out on Dynooo’s SR mix) and Sagat. For more info on that go here.

Look out for more info on his new projects as soon as we get it...

DOWNLOAD: Dynooo – Rewind Rework



Links:
www.myspace.com/dyno
http://macflyisthenewblack.com

DOWNLOAD: Brackles - Blo

Ahead of the release of Songs For Endless Cities, his first ever official mix CD - and the inaugural mix in a brand new series being released at the end of August on the !K7 Records affiliated imprint, Cool In The Pool - Blunted Robots co-owner, Rinse FM DJ and all round face, Brackles, is offering out a free download of 'Blo,' the exclusive track taken from the compilation.

Jumping from Flying Lotus, through Zomby, Roska and his Blunted Robots counterparts Martin Kemp and DJ Dom the mix features some huge releases from this year included 2562's 'Dinosaur,' Deadboy's 'IfUWantMe' and something of a signature Brackie Fudge jam, Dorian Concept's 'Trilingual Dance Sexperience.' Basically it is well worth your attention.

The cover looks like this:



Hi Rob.

DOWNLOAD: Brackles - Blo (via Mediafire)



Link:
www.myspace.com/brackles

Photo: Steve Braiden (again)

RECOMMENDED: FaltyDL - Phreqaflex EP [Planet Mu]

As insanely prolific as Drew Lustman is, it’s still been possible to trace a definite forward shift in his music, between the glassy urban surfaces of last year’s excellent Love Is A Liability long-player and Bravery’s cooler, more reflective ambience (and again between this year’s housey All In The Place EP and this new release for Planet Mu). Phreqaflex is the first of two new 12” releases for the label, showcasing the two-step side of his musical persona before the slower moves of Endeavour. And it’s both instantly recognisable as FaltyDL – it’s nigh on impossible to mistake a Lustman production for anything else, what with his fragmented grasp of melody and the distinctive swish of his hi-hats – and a definite progression, experimenting with downcast moods and a strikingly coherent sense of pace. All three tracks are short, pensive and exist in a peculiar vacuum, as though viewed inside the modern equivalent of a snowglobe.

The title track has been appearing in sets here and there over the last few months, and it’s the closest Falty’s productions have come to the sort of dark swing pioneered by the likes of El-B and Horsepower Productions. Still, where those early tracks were marked by an almost total absence of light, ‘Phreqaflex’ is set in a car speeding through the cosmopolitan night, lit up with streaks of halogen light and the odd fragment of music spilling from the doors of local bars. ‘Because You’ is set in the same twilit landscape but is beset by a deep, unnerved sense of melancholy, as though reeling from the aftermath of an sudden and unexpected break-up. That narrative is made more explicit in final track ‘My Friends Will Always Say’, led by a supremely lonely vocal and jazzy, In A Silent Way-esque key work, bringing an end to a tantalisingly brief experience. Here’s hoping for album number two soon; there are very few producers out there operating with Lustman’s sheer consistency.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: 26th July

Link:
www.myspace.com/faltyd
http://www.planet.mu

PRE-ORDER: C.R.S.T. – Revival EP [Well Rounded]

The Brighton based Well Rounded label follow up a couple of pretty addictive releases from the likes of Deadboy and Hackman with another bumpy offering from new Welsh crew on the block, C.R.S.T. who are channeling those old school garage vibes and are really running with them. Where some of the new wave of ‘future garage’ dubbed music doesn’t have that slinky garage bump this EP vibes off the old school for sure; you can hear Armand Van Helden’s speed garage or DJ Zinc’s rave-adled broken garage as much as you can MJ Cole or El-B but its kept vibrant from the sheer rawness and dance floor energy.

Phone lines bubble into action on the opening number ‘Dial The Operator’ with simple bleepy melodic stabs and snappy garage beats before a big old Bingo era Zinc-esq bassline pulses underneath it all. Things get a little more four to the floor on ‘May Not Be Real’ but it gets funked up with skippy percussive accents and bitter sweet diva samples bubbling over it all. Things get kind of Van Helden on ‘Need You’ - its reminiscent of his hit ‘You Don’t Know Me’ in the drums at least - it bumps along in fine style before dropping some plastic jazz samples for good measure and the ultra skippy ‘Walk On’ lilts with its little percussive flutters that play off the one note bass pulse that sounds like an alien species of frog trying to get your attention.

Well Rounded are making moves; dropping releases that keep on creeping up on you. The Deadboy and Hackman 12"s are so musical and infectious that reaching for them in a set just puts a smile on your face and the Revival EP has the same draw, though they do it a little bit tracky and with a stronger garage flex. This is one for the mix when you want it fun and bumpy.

Words: James Balf
Out: "Late July"

Links:
www.myspace.com/crstuk
www.myspace.com/wellroundedrecords

RECOMMENDED: George Fizgerald - The Let Down EP [Hotflush Two]

Over the last couple of years Hotflush’s little sister imprint Hotflush Two has been responsible for some of that community’s deeper and more experimental cuts. Sigha’s first two EPs operated with a defiantly minimalist agenda, and Pangaea’s jazzy ‘Mosaix’ is among the most opaque things he’s yet committed to tape, all tightly syncopated upright bass and mournful Berlin shimmer. But then again, it’s also home to Joy Orbison's 'Hyph Mngo’, so it’s hardly as if it’s totally neglected populism in favour of stranger treats. George Fitzgerald’s debut EP finds itself somewhere between those two poles; the humid synths of ‘The Let Down’ easily match that track’s dancefloor heft, but flipside ‘Weakness’ proves to be something else entirely.

It’s probably worth getting it out of the way early: Joy Orbison comparisons are going to flow thick and fast from many quarters keen to write Fitzgerald off as some kind of copyist. And the similarity is undoubtedly there - you’d have to have lived under a rock for the last eighteen months or so to miss it – but anything deeper than a cursory listen should suffice to highlight their differences in approach. It’s largely down to structure; both tracks on this EP show a more obvious garage influence, and Fitzgerald certainly knows his way around a bassline. Both these two tracks and others doing the rounds currently like ‘Don’t You’, are driven by huge, sinewy pulses of sub that solemnly refuse to engage with any other element of the music. Instead they brood darkly in the background like unshakeable monoliths, while at the top end diffuse strands of melody curl around two-step percussion.

Fantastic though the title track certainly is, B-side ‘Weakness’ is where the real heat’s at. Here Fitzgerald shows off in understated monochrome, crafting a roller that manages to strike a delicate balance between euphoria and crippling sadness. It shifts back and forth like mercury that’s escaped from a shattered thermometer, with a central melody so thin and evasive that each time you attempt to get a grasp it slips away like secondhand smoke. It’s certainly the equal of anything Orbison’s yet put out, and I’d argue that its subtler approach makes The Let Down an even more accomplished debut EP than 'Hyph Mngo' was last year.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
www.myspace.com/georgefitzgeraldmusic

RECOMMENDED: Sepalcure - Love Pressure EP [Hotflush]

Sepalcure’s Love Pressure EP serves as yet another reminder of how easy it’s been to love Scuba’s label over the last couple of years; as much as he’s managed to unearth some wonderfully obscure talents, it proves even more impressive that each seems to slot perfectly into the label’s wider aesthetic. I don’t think I’ve heard a Hotflush release recently that sounded like anything other than a Hotflush release; the fractured techno of Sigha’s recent Shake EP is as attuned to the whole as Mount Kimbie’s Crooks & Lovers album or Ramadanman and dBridge’s recent Autonomic-styled forays. Sepalcure are another weapon in their already sizeable arsenal.

The Brooklyn-borne Love Pressure EP is apparently the result of a ‘cathartic two week collaboration’ between Praveen and Machinedrum, and its swift gestation shows. All four tracks could almost have been recorded live, were it not for the delicate sample work throughout. Sepalcure’s music is coated in a thin haze of vinyl crackle, lending it a spontaneous, bedroom session feel far removed from the glossy sheen favoured by more dancefloor oriented producers. Which isn’t to say these tracks aren’t danceable – second track and EP highlight ‘Down’ is fiendishly so – but more that they reveal far more with careful inspection.

There’s a nervy, wide-awake feel to everything on here that seems to work in total opposition to the music’s ethereal fuzz. It’s akin to a sensation of chemically induced wakefulness at a time when you really ought to be asleep; elements emerge in turn before sinking again into the background as the attention moves elsewhere. Those focal points tend to be the vocal snippets that punctuate each track, which brim with crisp vitality and set up a delicious tension against their lo-fi backing. That conflict ramps up the energy quotient considerably, especially on the EP’s second side with the slower ‘Every Day Of My Life’ and the shimmering synthplay of ‘The Warning’. Once it ends, it’s almost impossible not to flip the record and start again.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
www.myspace.com/sepalcure

DOWNLOAD: Deadboy - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix

Facebook Event // Tickets

In celebration of this ^^^ event at Plan B next Friday, the Numbers/Well Rounded signed pulseless child, Deadboy, just put together a mix featuring a bunch of freaky deeky bits from people like D1, Cosmin TRG, DJ Naughty, Altered Natives and Kromestar...

DOWNLOAD: Deadboy - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix



Tracklist:

01. Cosmin TRG - Groove Control
02. Musical Mob - Sweet Sounds
03. C.R.S.T - Dial the Operator
04. D1 - Crack Bong
05. Baby Cham - Man & Man (El-B remix)
06. Umbra Productions - Everyday is a Gunshot
07. DJ Naughty - Firepower
08. Ultrasound - Heavy Roll
09. The Dub Monsters - Waiting
10. Altered Natives - Believe In Me (Zed Bias Club Dub)
11. Lil Silva - No Hooks
12. Musical Mob - Pulse Xtra
13. Lighter - Skanker
14. Addison Groove - Footcrab
15. Kromestar - Iron Soul

Link:
http://www.myspace.com/deadboysoundboy

RECOMMENDED: T++ - Wireless [Honest Jon’s]

So we reach the final transmission from Torsten Profrock’s ever compelling T++ project and as its final notes fade to nothingness it’s difficult not to feel a sense of sadness that his pairing with the Honest Jon’s label has come to a standstill so swiftly; when this one contains his most fully realised music yet. One cursory spin instantly reveals why. Spiralling ominously just within earshot, its source material stalks Wireless, lending these four tracks a sense of hanging dread but also, more importantly, a tangible presence in the physical world. Profrock has certainly taken full advantage of the sampling possibilities the Honest Jon’s back catalogue opened up – the label describes it as a kind of ‘remix project’, as each track has at its heart some of the label’s oldest 78 recordings of African music.

Working with this kind of disintegrating matter couldn’t be more right for T++. His music has always both signified and amplified the processes of decay, deconstructing his influences – techno, jungle, two-step – down to their barest elements before reanimating them with a blast of electricity. His remix of Shackleton’s ‘Death Is Not Final,’ itself a dusty approximation of flesh falling from bones, creaked like the undead: hard and permanent as ancient granite but also fluid, shot through with jittery junglist breaks and irresistible forward momentum. The same is true of Wireless, where he resurrects the musicians who originally recorded these tracks – at this point, who knows whether they’re dead or alive? - and gives each a new and eerily eternal life.

So during ‘Anyi’ voices rise and fall through the mix, accompanied by buzzing melodies that surface only to fall away under the weight of sub-bass and brittle percussion. His production is as gritty as ever, and placed alongside samples with such a weight of history manages to change the properties of his music to something more primitive than programmed. This is deeply ritualistic stuff – the metal wasps that buzz furiously around ‘Cropped’ moan like mourners at a burial rite, while its furiously driven pace brings to mind a macabre Day Of The Dead parade.

Of course, for all its neatly theoretical properties this is still dance music, and it fulfils that role far more directly than any previous T++ material. ‘Dig’ shuffles like garage, driven with hard edged pulses of sub-bass, and ‘Voice No Bodies’ operates on so many levels that it’s almost impossible to know which element your body is tracking. Both haunted and haunting, heady and hugely physical, Wireless is the most complete and rounded release in T++’s catalogue. It’s a shame the project’s come to an end, but if this is anything to go by whatever Profrock does next will be just as exciting.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
T++ on Discogs

PRE-ORDER: Pariah – Detroit Falls/Orpheus [R&S] & Fantastic Mr Fox – Brandy /Pariah – Badu [White]

London based producer Pariah’s debut 10” has been in the works for a while now, making its impression felt on all right the airwaves and publications and this release sees him drop his first original artist works to date. After his spaced-out garage re-work of indie darlings The xx and his refix of Ellie Goulding’s ‘Under The Sheets’ we get two opposing slices of his style.

‘Detroit Falls’ twists Motown soul into a lazy hip hop drum structure as he fractures aspects of the original vocal, chopping snatches of it over the piano riff and his bonus spacey bubbling synth melodies. The real highlight is the rolling medative garage displayed on ‘Orpheus’; sitting somewhere between the spectral 2step of Burial and the bumping dance floor styles of Scuba and the soul of FaltyDL - its deep and introspective but with simultaneous flex and and serious hypnotic bass tones.

Pariah’s also set to be popping up in online shopping carts the globe over with his bootleg refix of Erykah Badu’s ‘On & On’ which is getting a white label release on the the back of Fantastic Mr Fox’s remix of Brandy. Both artists make a uniquely off-centre, wistful and melancholy garage-esq take on some R&B big guns in fine style and not only are they fun counterparts to the artist’s original work but they also bring some serious soul to the dance floor.

Words: James Balf
Out: Shortly/Now

Links:
www.myspace.com/pariahbeats
www.rsrecords.com
www.myspace.com/fmforigami