After hearing the vaguely mysterious Berlin/London duo’s album, 'Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Reel,' from last year on I couldn’t quite see what all the fuss was about. Maybe it was the auto-tuned crying baby or Pokemon samples that put me off a bit, but all the blatant use of samples just didn’t work for me. The ideas were good but it never really sounded like it worked that well, plus plenty of other people (labels like Not Not Fun, Editions Mego, Olde English Spelling Bee) have been doing this hazy, spaced out, slow motion, genre clusterfuck thing well enough for Hype Williams not to hit home too much. So when their latest album One Nation arrived on the Hippos In Tanks imprint, the fact that i bonded to the content took me by surprise.
There are four tracks in particular that make One Nation. The first is the opener ‘Ital’ and it’s screwed, smeared atmospheres, pulsing warm bass lines and those dissonant synth sounds that morph in speed and texture like they’re being played on a broken tape deck. It’s a key sound to the album that appears again and again and puts it head and shoulders above previous material. The sample baiting has been addressed here too, with the duo making them less obvious; notably the only time a sample is really prominent is with with the spoken word stoner wisdom on the second standout, ‘Untitled;’ the contortion of the melodies is tantalizing and when the bass drops through them the muffled euphoria really comes.
The hyperactive hi-hat workouts on ‘Warlord’ offer a quicker, more serious, junglist edge - whether or not it’s a juke influence at work here remains to be seen but the tempo fits, as do the drum machine cow bell flourishes. ‘Mitsubishi’ feels like a warped take on Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works all slow, shape shifting house complete with child like lead lines. The production, or seeming lack of it, means that it doesn’t really punch like house music does, but it’s a hazy take on the sound but it works a treat amongst the static of the other tracks.
The brilliantly titled ‘Your Girl Smells Chung When She Wears Dior’ has a sunny shimmer, complete with hip-hop drums it plays out like an opening to a movie fucked purposely into new shapes. The hazy glow of ‘William, Shotgun Sprayer’ sounds like your favourite summer jingle being played on the last dregs of battery life through your walkman whilst while ‘Jah’ is the most intense noise exploration on the album, giving off a anxiety soaked train ride through a dystopian city sort of vibe. The album soon melts back into that sweet hazy bliss though when ‘Break4Love’ enters the equation and Hype Williams let its widescreen mellowness, sink in.
Primitive in its processes, One Nation is almost blissful, but completely blazed out; the most mature approach to date from an act whose ramshackle experiments in sound are on everyone’s – including Hyperdub boss Kode 9, who has confirmed they’ll be releasing an album on his label at some point in the future– lips right now. Much like the work of Actress, the production techniques may sound like you’re listening to the album through someone else’s iPod on a noisy tube train, but inherently, therein lies some of its out of body charm.
Back in August of 2009 a video appeared on youtube from UK funky production team and Rinse FM regulars, Ill Blu and ever since that track has been lodged in my brain. That tune turned out to be ‘Meltdown’ the title track on the first 12” to be released on Numbers in 2011. With only a few other releases on wax - the phenomenal ‘Time To Get Nasty’ from The Fantastic 4 EP, the undisputed anthem in their ‘Pull It’ w/ Shystie, the odd remix here and there plus last year’s Hyperdub release of ‘Bellion’ b/w ‘Dragon Pop’ - it’s a pleasure to see them unleash some of that fire. Listeners to their ever growing collection of dubplates - which you can hear when you tune into their Rinse show (Tue, 11-1am) – will be more than aware of their combination of rude bass and supple hard-hitting percussion is on show here.
‘Meltdown’ comes right out the gate with galloping tribal drums, showcasing that irresistible percussive vibrancy that Ill Blu personify. Before you know it those skipping snare hits -that five in a bar flutter they’re so good at - skits over the bass tones and you’re shaking so much more than just a leg. Coupled with pulsing bass drops, acidic alien synth tweaks and melodramatic melodic ascents, - one of which sounds suspiciously like when you get spotted by a guard on Metal Gear Solid and have to go into hiding – well... let’s just say this one is a banger.
The other two track ‘Overdose’ and ‘Chelt’ aren’t to shabby either; skippy rhythms that ooze energy, rudeness and pure vibes are handed out in spades. ‘Overdose’ bleeps and bubbles in fine style, Ill Blu know how to get some dramatic dance floor tension rolling, here playing the vibey bleeps against over-saturated buzzy bass tones. The rolling snares and rushing synths on ‘Chelt’ make you feel like you’re at carnival, those raw bass hits are back and coupled with a euphoric electro rush and spaced out key melodies.
If by the end of this EP a robotic voice chanting “Ill Ill Blu Blu…” isn’t music to your ears then you’re just going to have to reach for the rewind.
Since their earliest releases, which saw them travel through dubbed-out, post-Mystikz headspaces, London-based Hyperdubbers LV have stubbornly resisted pigeonholing at every turn. Revisiting the likes of 'Globetrotting' and 'Dream Cargo' now, the clues were always there as to their shifting identity - the former a rootsy stomp as comfortable played from midsummer speakers as headphones on a cold winter evening, the latter a more muscular take on Burial's melancholy images of London. After 'Turn Away', which brightened the opening segment of Hyperdub's 5 compilation with a shot of synthesised colour, the 38 EP earlier this year was a drastic departure. A concept album in miniature, it mapped the psychosocial spaces of a London bus journey, moving in and out of different personae like quicksilver. Sonically it saw the group experiment with form and tempo a little more, but unless you'd been paying attention to their interview and excellent Okzharp mix for Blackdown earlier this year their latest for Hyperdub would, I'd imagine, come as a real surprise.
In the wake of a trip to South Africa (his country of birth), LV's Gerv started to piece together a spring-loaded, London-soaked variant on the kwaito/house flavours he encountered there. The result is a formidable dancefloor double header: both 'Boomslang' - the most maddeningly catchy track this side of Mujava's 'Township Funk' - and 'Zharp' brim with a restless excess of nervous energy. There's so much pent-up tension in the skeletal beat of 'Zharp' that it sounds spring-loaded, liable to burst at any time - it's the kind of tune that could take someone's eye out. Fittingly for the African/reptilian implications of the title (and the glorious artwork), it's a snakelike riddim, slithering and shuddering to a sudden pinpoint stop. The A-side is likely to decimate dancefloors for the foreseeable future, and perhaps the only worry it's possible to hold onto for too long is that it'll burn itself out through overplay, in the manner of 'CMYK' or 'Footcrab'. Durban MC Okmalumkoolkat's semi-nonsense chatter drifts between tightly syncopated stabs of bass and snare, and its central bleep melody lasts for a tantalisingly short period of time before disappearing again. Both tracks are short, sharp shocks, far removed from LV's previous material, and point towards enjoyable new developments, even if this 12" proves more a one-off than a wholescale change in direction.
Despite the runaway dancefloor success of Martin Kemp’s brilliantly oddball releases on Blunted Robots, there has been comparatively little of the same sort of stuff appearing from other sources. It could well be because Kemp’s take on broken house is a delicate kind of alchemy, and one that’s difficult to replicate outside of optimum laboratory conditions. It’s certainly true that the tricky sense of swing and timing that makes ‘No Charisma’ and ‘What U Got’ so fiendishly addictive – and impossible to avoid dancing to – is a tough balancing act, and one that very few have managed to match. Cooly G’s new 12” for Hyperdub is one contender, though both ‘Phat Si’ and ‘Up In My Head’ are still tied to a far more traditional house template. DVA’s upcoming Hyperdub release again touches on similar territory, but so far this new release from Bowly is the closest anyone’s yet come to matching the unique tension between rigidity and flexibility that marks out Kemp’s tunes.
Bowly’s not entirely there, in the sense that both tracks still pivot around a recognisable house pulse, but they aim for something else entirely. With its slow pace and delicate conga rolls, ‘Bleeps’ is a slightly more contemplative take on the UK funky sounds Geiom’s recently been putting out, hitting similar humid notes as ‘Sugar Coated Lover’ or the best of Hackman’s music. ‘Idee D’un Tropique’ is the more interesting thing here though, and it’s a fantastically supple track, riding off a broken beat that seems to contort into a thousand different shapes over the course of its five-minute runtime. What’s most enjoyable about both these tracks though is how strongly they remain connected to the evolutionary lineage of UK bass music – you can hear grime’s heatshocked synths exploding in the backdrop of ‘Idee’, and the descending chords of ‘Bleeps’ are straight out of the first wave of funky. But alongside the likes of Cooly G, Kemp and Hackman they’re breezily unconcerned with where they end up along the way, and all the better for it.
Over the last couple of years, since the dazzling blast of Ikonika’s ‘Please’ first electrified listeners, the impact of the sort of hyperchromatic fare she’s renowned for putting together has dulled slightly. Its less due to any failings on her part – or on the part of many producers writing tracks within similar regions – than a sense of over familiarity, the deliciously new and alien feel of those early tracks gradually settling down to something approaching a formula. Having said that, out of the many synth driven mutations currently bursting out of dubstep’s cracked exoskeleton Ikonika’s sound retains an intangible brilliance that’s tough to isolate in many of her contemporaries. The muggy, lo-fi feel of her excellent Contact Love Want Have album was a welcome shot of gritty adrenaline, and this follow-up EP on Planet Mu retains many of its traits to much the same effect.
The DCKHDBTCH EP, then, is Ikonika doing what Ikonika does best. Hardly a complaint when what she does is so compulsive, though the tunes here largely fit with the languid flow of the first half of her album than the jet-propelled pace of the final few tracks. The title track will be instantly recognisable to anyone who’s been to see her play in the last year or so, though taken apart from the sheer pace and frenetic energy of her DJ sets it’s a considered move though purple-tinted territory. ‘Ingredients’ is cut from the same cloth, riding off a peculiar broken beat that never really goes anywhere, instead choosing to hang somewhere in space between head and floor. That’s perhaps the one criticism it’s possible to level at the EP – it’s a little tough to figure out where it’s supposed to take you – though as usual her ability to infuse even the most wispy tracks with a real sense of melancholy remains fully intact. Final track ‘Shouldn’t Be Here’ is its real gem then, all muted synth pads and distant vocals over a slow-mo house pulse. It points in an entirely new direction for her music, as it drifts into view and remains for what feels like an all too brief moment before disappearing again.
A busy couple of weeks for Hyperdub boss Kode9 then... he's just spun together a FACT mix comprised solely of jungle records, he has a label showcase off Sonar next Thursday featuring Cooly G, Darkstar and himself and the release of his DJ KiCKS mix on !K7 is rearing its head later this month. I kind of get the impression he thrives of this kind of a ram out attention schedule and maybe its not just the mandatory 'mpfree' most labels seem to be offering up around the release of the album, but google will probably see a heavy increase in Kode related traffic when word gets round that the Dub version of the exclusive track he made for the DJ KiCKS album is available for the price of an email address over at the album's minisite.
'You Don't Wash Dub,' appears on the mix in this vocal-less format that is up for downloading whilst the single versio - due out early July also on !K7 - features long time Kode collaborator Spaceape on mic duties. Splattered with nuances and a bracing groove ‘You Don’t Wash’ benefits a touch from The Spaceape’s phrases, almost every one is coated by Kode9 in layers of delayed decay, sprawling his deep tones on into the depths; but the dub version loses none of its potency without them. Both versions are a unique insight into the mindset of the producer and given its summertime release date, the vitality and soca flourishes of its drum pattern it seems destined to mark a new territory for dancefloors, providing something light and vehemently danceable for the dark underbelly of bass music.
The three man production team, LV, have a sound all of their own; a subtle concoctive blend of digital dub and future thinking territories that’s caught the ears of A&Rs across the spectrum from Kode9’s Hyperdub to 2nd Drop and Untold’s Hemlock imprint. The 38 EP is a concept record for Dusk & Blackdown’s Keysound Recordings, that’s based around London’s 38 bus route that runs from Victoria station to Clapton Pond in Hackney. Harnessing the vocal collaborations of vocalist Josh Idehen, who takes on the persona of five separate passengers, spitting street poetry from their points of view the record sits somewhere between the urban dread and decay of Kode9 and Spaceape’s beat-less ‘Sine Of The Dub’ and a less post apocalyptic version of London Zoo by The Bug though LV fully carve a more human, free flowing niche that echoes the spoken word of Gil Scott-Heron as much as it does London’s bass continuum.
With its infectious dub bounce and flow ‘Lost’ is a highlight right from the off. The opening lines “It’s obvious you don’t get on with this metropolis” roll of Josh’s tongue with ease, seemingly taking cues from grime syllable patterns but with an altogether looser flow. The track plays off the tension between people trying to get on with the city and how it sometimes seems to be working against you. The dark brooding nature of ‘Early Mob’ with its nocturnal beats, sounds like something taken from Thomas Bangalter’s soundtrack to French revenge flick Irréversible only with a more dub-wise sensibility. With lyrics about rolling with your crew and feeling like you own the place, its full of nonchalant swagger and pent up aggression. It’s a raw, menacing ride. The beat on ‘Your Coat’ comes off like a hybrid of digital dub and deep house, with flowing melodies and rolling four to the floor kicks. It’s here Josh really lets loose, unleashing an unhinged tirade, its infectious as the beats shimmy for position against the bass tones.
The flip side to the 12” is more laid back; ‘Walk It’ rolls with a subtle head nodding dub vibe and free flowing rhyming over the lounge lizard rhodes pianochords and conga rhythms. ‘Face Of God’, with its live sounding dub bass plucks and R&B finger clicks punctuating the bittersweet soul of the airy pads and heartbeat percussion ends the EP with a blissful vibe, musically at least - the vocals deal with religious beliefs and free associations to do with life, death and judgement.
Keysound often explore the culture of London via its bass led excursions, Dusk & Blackdown’s own Margins Music album took the listener on a ride through the cutural fringes of the city and this EP feels like it follows on from that, representing LV’s micro cosm of the wider picture poignantly. LV and Josh Idehen bring the winding bus journey to life through their street bass novella echoing the city’s atmosphere and people painting a sonic picture with words and sound. LV’s productions are quite often creepers, getting under your skin slowly with their subtle vibes, but this EP might be their most realised, instant and engaging musical vision.
Rootsy Londoners LV and Japanese circuit-fryer Quarta 330: perhaps not the most likely pairing, but then LV’s joint effort with Untold proved them to be ruthlessly efficient collaborators. That said, ‘Beacon’ still sounded like the product of LV plus Untold, the obvious tropes of each artist’s sound retained to create something that, whilst still excellent, never quite exceeded the sum of its parts. So it’s to their credit that this collaboration is so well integrated – rather than simply placing 330’s chiptune tendencies over a deep and dub-infused backline, both tracks on this latest Hyperdub 12” hint at new and hitherto unexplored directions. Perhaps it’s due to the project’s swift gestation - reportedly pieced together over a brief period of time when both were in London for last November’s Hyperdub fifth birthday bash - but these tracks crackle with an agitated spontaneity quite different from anything either party has yet recorded.
A-side ‘Hylo’ is a prime example. Rattling past at shocking tempo, its opening bars provide a decent approximation of a hard-drive losing the plot hard, before a caffeinated shuffle kicks it into restless life. Quarta 330’s mangled chip trademarks are downplayed throughout, emerging as mere glimpses through its jittery structure. On the flip, their remix of Dong’s ‘Suzaran’ offers slightly less of a curveball, 330’s heavily effected voice cutting across a backing that rises and falls as though infused with artificial life. Its slower speed and more overt melodic sensibility make for a more satisfying listen, but both sides showcase a progressive sensibility in tune with many of Hyperdub’s big-hitters. As it stands these still feel like worthy experiments, the primer for something fuller still, so here’s hoping that this is one group effort that lasts beyond a single release.
Thanks to the invention of twitter it seems nothing is sacred, and therefore half the world (the interested 50% anyway) will be aware of the fact that Kode9 is helming a DJ KiCKS mix for the !K7 label later on this summer.
What couldn't be properly conveyed in 140 characters though, is the complete tracklist:
Kode9 - DJ KiCKS
1. Lone - Once In A While 2. Aardvarck - Revo 3. Kode9 - Blood Orange 4. Kode9 - You Don't Wash (Dub) [DJ-Kicks exclusive] 5. Cooly G - Phat Si 6. Ill Blu - Bellion 7. Ikonika - Heston 8. Scratcha DVA - Jelly Roll 9. Mr Mageeka - Different Lekstrix 10. Grievous Angel - Move Down Low 11. Sticky feat. Natalie Storm - Look Pon Me 12. Sticky - Jumeirah Riddim Sequel 13. Mujava - Pleaze Mugwanti 14. DVA - Natty 15. Aardvaarck - Re Spoken (Nubian Mindz Released Mix) 16. Morgan Zarate feat. Sarah Ann Webb - M.A.B. 17. Rozzi Daime - Dirty Illusions 18. Zomby - Spiralz 19. Kode9 - It 20. J*DaVeY - Mr. Mister 21. Digital Mystikz - 2 Much Chat 22. Terror Danjah - Stiff 23. Digital Mystikz - Mountain Dread March 24. Zomby - Godzilla 25. Digital Mystikz - Mountain Dread March (Reprise) 26. Addison Groove - Footcrab 27. Kode9 vs. LD - Bad 28. Maddslinky - Cargo 29. Ramadanman - Work Them 30. Terror Danjah - Bruzin (VIP) 31. The Bug - Run (feat. Flo Dan)
Note: Kode's 'You Don't Wash (Dub)' is exclusive to the compilation. Out: 21st June 2010.
Ikonika becomes the second of the promised Hyperdub artists to deliver a full length album, post Kode 9's announcement of forthcoming HD material on Benji B's show last year; and thankfully Contact, Love Want, Have really delivers what is a "superbly strong and relentlessly inventive debut album."
Ikonika’s 'Contact, Love, Want, Have' album is a strikingly impressive vindication of the keen melodic sense displayed on her earlier releases. Even so, what’s so impressive about the album’s first single, 'Idiot,' is how seamlessly it reconciles the more lopsided aspects of a track like ‘Please’ with the kind of razor-sharp dancefloor material her DJ sets have brimmed with in the last year or so. Riding off an instantly recognisable and insanely catchy (seriously, I’ve spent the last two weeks wondering around shrieking it at people) bleep melody, it manages to pitch itself somewhere in the strange bass hinterlands where the most stripped-back and grimey London house meets the Megadrive-funk of Joker and Gemmy.
But even to reduce it to such a simplistic ‘Artist X meets Artist Y in the badly-lit back room of a dodgy basement club’ definition feels tantamount to sterilisation. Despite the ease at which it fits into its surroundings ‘Idiot’'s core melody is anything but straightforward, displaying a raw and distinctly human arrhythmia quite at odds with the delicately sequenced nature of so much dance music. Combined with a real sense of narrative movement – each successive cycle of the track sees a new layer of complementary counter-harmony added, building to a climax of slowly piroutetting bleeps more akin to Reich than Roska – the effect is dizzying and compulsively replayable. Watch the rewinds hit this beast hard.
The Altered Natives mix on the flip seems conscious of what it’s got to live up to, and it’s to his credit that he doesn’t attempt to mess with the original’s precarious chemistry. What we get instead is a precision rewiring of ‘Idiot'’s bottom end, streamlining Ikonika’s swagger-step mechanics for a driving house workout. Staying hypnotically swung throughout, incremental tonal shifts across its length reveal striking depths – it’s pretty strong testament to Altered Natives’ production skills that he’s put together a funky track that really needs to stay in the mix for its entire length to reveal its full power on a dancefloor. Along with Kyle Hall’s effortless fusion of Detroit and London styles on ‘Kaychunk,’ it points towards a bold fusion of styles that Hyperdub, as ever, continues to usher into wider consciousness.
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.
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
Unless you count Joker, whose sound easily flits between the genre cracks, Hyperdub haven’t released any grime before, which is a pretty amazing feat considering Kode9 has always been a strong advocate of the sound. Maybe there just wasn’t much need for grime on Hyperdub over its 5 year tenure, the labels dark distopian sound in the early years may not have suited grime so afluently; but now the horizons have expanded and the raw synth led hyper-funk of more recent material opens the doors back up for producers like Terror Danjah and DOK.
‘Acid’ sees Danjah on an old skool rave tip merging his hard skipping dense funk with ’92 Hoover synths that aren’t far off being a homage to The Prodigy’s ‘Charlie,’ minus the cartoon cat samples, here replaced with some seriously big hooks and drum programming to die/dance for. ‘Pro Plus’ sees Terror Danjah hook up with the underrated DOK - a producer sometimes described as Danjah’s evil twin who stays in the shadows, lurking with intent - who also has a distinctive sound that’s maybe a little more percussive than Terror’s. Sub bass grooves and swirling synth melodies ensue getting things bumping with a a spacious drum groove.
In case you’ve not been on the internet for the last month or so: The Red Bull Music Academy is coming to London this month - from 7th Feb - bringing with it an enviable slew of upcoming producers you’ve read about on here if you’re a regular reader, that are too many to individually name check.
Cue G=gumpf:
“The Red Bull Music Academy is a platform for those who shape our musical future, a music workshop that has been traveling the world since 1998. Setting up our EQ HQ for two fortnight-long 'terms' in a different musical metropolis each year, we pull together pioneers of days-gone-by and musical legends of tomorrow from all aspects of rhythm and sound.”
Along with lectures (you can see an exclusive excerpt of the Kode 9 interview from a few years back below), studio workshops and radio workshops for the lucky few selected, there are also numerous events coming to the metropolis of London.
Keep your eyes peeled for news on events and happenings.
Former XLR8R cover girl and Hyperdub signing, Cooly G, fixes up the latest installment in their podcast series. Apparently theres a 2nd section to this mix coming via her twitter, so eyes out for that...
01 Cooly G "Intro" 02 Cooly G/DVA "Ol' Dirty" 03 DJ Gregory "Traffic" 04 T Williams "Hardcash" 05 Zander Hardy (exclusive) 06 Ben Westbeech & T. Williams (exclusive) 07 Martyn "Megadrive" 08 Artist Unknown "Glow" 09 O.B "ER" 10 Artist Unknown "Get Slapped Up" 11 Artist Unknown "Gain" 12 Artist Unknown "Dougsanna" 13 DJ Gregory "Work Me" 14 Sami Sanchez "Air Raid" 15 MA1 "Samurai Remix" 16 Wbeeza "Deep Underground" 17 Bowly (exclusive) 18 Major Notes "Friend of Mine Dub"
Ahead of her full length album on Hyperdub and the slew of forthcoming remixes she's got listed on her myspace page, including mixes of Egyptrixx, DJ Madd and Illum Sphere, Ikonika has put together a mix for the clothing label Fenchurch.
Production trio LV today submitted a new mix to the Rhythm Incursions site, aiming to wrap up your ears and offer comfort in this icy turmoil textured time.
Biosphere – From a solid to a liquid Pole – Taxi Hieronymus – Honeydrops Conjoint – Earprints Oskar Sala – Klangfarben Caprice [V] Burnt Friedman and the New Dub Players – Cassock Attack Klaus Roeder – Kristalisation 9 (LV mix) Sigha – Prayer Asusu – Taurean Untold – Yukon (FMF remix) Flying Lotus – Auntie’s Lock/Infinitum Zomby – Digital Flora FaltyDL – To London
Rinse FM resident, Scratcha DVA, functioning here simply as DVA, drops his debut 12” for the iconic Hyperdub imprint, with his own take on the funky sound; one that the grime producer has been perfecting for some time. Hyperdub always seem to ‘do funky’ differently, be it the smeared secular synths of Kode9 or the loved up deep and spacious sounds of Cooly G, and after his infectious ‘Jelly Roll EP,’ Scratcha’s hitting back with two prime cuts of dark no nonsense percussive funky.
The snares on ‘Natty’ have that off-centre skippy nature, like skimming a pebble over open water; really giving the track a lilting groove, which plays off the tribal percussion in fine style, switching from one subtle groove to the other only to be enhanced by the pulse of a ragged bass tone that really makes things swing. It’s incredibly simple but so effective, a dark side funky track that really gets under the skin. ‘Ganja’ is less reliant on the percussive interplay and instead hinges on the catchy sinuous bass line that winds its way around the track not unlike DJ Mujava’s ‘Township Funk,’ a cycle of whining bleeps that twists into dance floor oblivion.
You catch Scratcha alongside Ramadanman and Heny G at the Tropical Launch Party at the Wire Club in Leeds on the 10th Feb, for which he's done a mix...
Veteran grime producer Terror Danjah has been producing his own strain of grime since day dot as part of both the Aftershock camp and the Nasty Crew before breaking out and making beats for the biggest names in the scene. Last year the Planet Mu label released an instrumental retrospective of his productions, entitled ‘Gremlinz’ it brought his unique horror film funk style into focus for a whole new audience.
This year he’s set to continue that trend, doling a few more of his productions out to Kode 9's Hyperdub label, oft reffered to as seminal across the specturm of December 2009's end of year polls; and the freshly birthed Butterz imprint. With a truck load of history and a bright future we thought it was high time we pinned him down for a chat...
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Terror Danjah: I am a producer from East London, one the original pioneers of Grime. I started of as a jungle/drum & bass DJ; I ran my own crew called Reckless Crew, members included where D Double E, Hyper, Bruza, Triple Threat (known as Lethal MC), Scratcha DVA, Mayhem, & DJ Interlude. In early 2003 I started my own label called Aftershock, which had big releases such as Crazy Titch 'I Can See U,' 'Cock Back' by myself which featured Hyper, Crazy Titch, D Double E & Riko, 'Get Me' by Bruza, 'So Sure' by myself featuring Sadie Ama & Kano, 'Frontline' by Big-E-D, 'So Contagious' by myself featuring Shola Ama & D Double, etc etc…
More recently, I have released two instrumental CD's 'Zip Files Vol. 1' and 'Gremlinz, The Instrumentals 2003 -2009' via Planet Mu. A vinyl EP entitled 'Industry Standard part 4' which includes Swindle's 'Zumpi Huntah' remix & 'Sidechain' is also on Planet Mu and theres the 'Hardrive Grime Compilation (Hardrive volumes 1 & 2).'
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I don't do anything but music. I'm sad really…
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?
Well when I was a Jungle DJ, I wanted specials with my name in it, and I started to put my name in tunes. A lot of the drum & bass producers where tight with giving out tunes, you had be apart of the elite to get tunes. It was hard most times but I got lucky, DJ SS, Pascal, Bad Company, Brockie, Shy Fx, DJ Kane all used to look after me. That's when I decided to make my own tunes, mainly because I was getting all the tunes to compete.
What’s your production set up like?
A Quad Core PC (yes a PC lol), EMU 1820m soundcard, Neuman U87 Mic, Liquid Mix pre channel, KVK 12" Monitors speakers, Cubase 5, M-Audio Radium Controller Keyboard, Sony DAT machine, and billions of sly VST's & VSTi's (now that really would be telling… mwahahaha)!
How would you describe your sound to someone zoning in for the first time?
I couldn't, I have too many different styles, its hard, some of my sound is minimal techy, some days more R&B and hip hop like, other days ther'es a drum & bass influence… I dunno where to start…
What inspires you musically?
Different things like watching films, new VSTi's plugins and sample packs/sample CDs… going to different types of raves where I wouldn't normally go… hearing new albums or new tunes from every genre. Even sometimes being pissed off inspires me!
Your sound is really unique and not just the cackle; you’ve got this heavy funk, wide screen horror sound track thing going on. What draws you to the sounds you use/make do they just come instinctively?
I guess its more instinctively, growing up in the 80's & 90's listening to Jackson 5, Earth Wind & Fire, Afrikka Bambatta through to Notorious BIG, Tupac, Wu Tang etc has left an impact on me.
You’ve collaborated with some quality grime producers recently with DOK, Rudekid and Swindle, what do you like about hooking up with those guys and have you got more in the works with them or any others?
I rate them guys highly, I like collaborating with other producers like how MCs/artist would. It brings a fresh sound to whats already there. A new mix and blend.
You’ve worked with some of the biggest MCs in grime; do you have a favourite vocal of one of your beats?
Its quite hard to say, it depends what mood I'm in, but if I had to pick a favourite, it would be 'So Sure.'
Are you working with more vocalists at the moment?
Not really, I'm more concentrating on myself as a Producer/DJ. I'm getting back to my roots of making instrumentals, but saying that, I have submitted tracks for D Double E, Smurfie Syco, Griminal & Mz Bratt's albums.
Tell us a bit about the latest Hardrive compilation; what’s the thinking behind those?
My motive for 'Hardrive' was really to showcase my diversity as a producer and to highlight a few artists that weren't getting heard like One 4 One & Dream Mclean, Yazmin etc. Also there aren't hardly any grime compilations out there. I wanted to stray away from the name mixtape, because I didn't feel like it was an album as such.
Your retrospective Gremlinz on Planet Mu really got you attention from people all over the place that maybe weren’t following grime very intently before; tell us about how that comp came about?
I had featured on Mary Anne Hobb's 'Warrior Dubs' compilation, which was released on Planet Mu. I had tune on there called 'Give It To Em' which featured Mz Bratt & Bruza. Mike from Planet Mu contacted me and suggested the idea, and I was on it. The 'Gremlinz' album actually gave me a new lease of life, I didn't realise alot of people never knew I existed (I guess I was caught up in the whole grime bubble...).
Having the album out on Planet Mu really opened doors for me, so I have to thank Mike and all the Planet Mu staff!
What was your favourite instrumental from it and what did it mean to be put out there by that kind of label?
'Zumpi Huntah' is still one of my favourites; I didn't think about making the tune, it just made it self. Because I mostly had my own label Aftershock, I didn't feel the need to release my tunes any where else but I'm actually glad I've released my tunes with other labels; they each have different reaches, outlets and their own cult following!
You’ve got releases coming on Hyperdub and Butterz, tell us a bit about those tracks and how the hook ups came about?
I've known Kode 9 for while, he's the main reason why the interest is all on me, I've kinda known but never really realised that throughout the years Kode has been playing all my old material. Over the last 12 months people have been asking me like, "I've heard Kode 9 playing a new version this and that etc etc..." I always get confused by people asking for tunes that had been released in 2003 so obviously I had to return the favour and do something on Kode's label, Hyperdub!
I made two tracks on the Hyperdub release, 'Acid' & 'Pro Plus.''Acid' is like a ravey type of track thats got the elements of acid rave era synth stabs; Kode said it reminds him of 'Charley Says' by The Prodigy. Also there's an 8 bar drum & bass build up going through the track a few times to help split it up, plus theres a minimal tech sort of bridge. 'Pro Plus' is a more typical grime track; its myself and D.O.K collaborating on the production.
I know Elijah [from Butterz] through Loudmouth. Over the last year he and myself have been talking a lot about grime music and he told me that he wanted to start a label. The jokes thing about 'Bipolar' and 'Air Bubble' - which both feature on 'The Bipolar EP' - is that he was on the phone while I was making them! The EP also features D.O.K remix of 'Sidechain.'
What do you want to see happen in grime this year?
More proper and stable releases… more raves and more singing vocals on grime tunes but not the cheesy ones, lol!
Will you be DJing more in 2010?
Yeah defo, I'm full time DJ now, a mans got to eat! My bookings are already stacking up, I got Dublin, Glasgow, Nottingham and a few London dates coming.
What else have you got on the horizon with your music in 2010?
Along with the Hyperdub and Butterz 12s, I've got releases on True Tiger and No Hats No Hoods. I don't wanna say too much, I gotta keep the element of surprise, so just keep your eyes peeled at myspace.com/terrordanjah and twitter.com/terrordanjah.
Finally, have you got any words of wisdom for our readers?
Don't listen to no one, follow your heart and gut feeling. Take this music game with a pinch of salt whether its good or bad.
