The fifth installment of the Uncle Albert mix series comes via talented 'Deep Teknologi' protege J Bevin. Despite first meeting J at a pub in Ealing alongside label-mate T Williams over numerous pints of cider before stumbling along to YoYo in Notting Hill, it became clear almost instantaneously that he has the potential to really establish himself in the world of electronic music. Fortunately for Uncle Albert, J decided he'd put an exclusive hour-long mix together just for us! Carefully selected and intelligently worked, the mix highlight's not only Bevin's ability behind the decks but also genuine craft, something easy to overlook upon the first listening. Incorporating tracks from the likes of Ben Westbeech, Justin Martin and T Williams as well as some of his own productions, it serves as the perfect post-summer hangover cure (albeit for 63 minutes) and deserves extended listening. Very highly recommended.
TRACKLIST:
Hot Natured ft Ali Love- Forward Motion
Kink- Kiss The Sky
Maya Jane Coles- Nobody Else (T Williams Remix)
Steve Bug - ice 'n Fire
Ratcatcher - Rain
T Williams - Go In
J Bevin- When It Comes (Altered Native Remix)
Untitled
Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You
Traas van de Voorde - The Game
J Bevin - Triple B
Ben Westbeech - Falling (Deetron Remix)
Eats Everything - Entrance Song
J Bevin - Beat Dis
T Williams - Synthia
Justin Martin - Le Boom
The mix is soon to be uploaded to J Bevin's souncloud but in the mean time you can download the mix in full from mediafire here: http://www.mediafire.com/?iiywkcmivcnc56a
Having produced arguably one of the defining tracks of a generation back in 2004, Dexplicit has remained a dedicated ambassador of the UK underground scene. Admittedly surprised by the magnitude of 'Forward Riddim' / Pow's success, Dexplicit has spent the last 7 years producing for a whole spectrum of UK artists. Currently working closely with a number of Grime emcees and producers alike, Dexplicit has had an exceptionally busy 2011 to date. I was lucky enough to catch up with him last week on everything from a deep set love of melodies to the story behind 'Pow':
"I've been really busy recently, especially since I'm producing a lot of club stuff at the moment. I've just sorted out Preeyah Kalidas' new track 'It's a Problem' featuring Scorcher and I've also worked on a track called 'Aim For Me' by Meleka. There's also a bassline / garage track that I've been working on with Lauren Mason. Emcee wise, I've had 'Pull Up Riddim' released via Launchpad Records and 'Gas Leak' featuring Big Narstie which has had a lot of good feedback. There was also 'Groundwork' which was released on Dimples' EP - that was another all-star track like 'Pull Up Riddim' and saw the return of More Fire Crew's Neeko. More recently, I've sorted out a track called 'Favourite Game' with 9 Milli Major so look out for that. I was actually hoping to release my own EP not so long ago but a few instrumentals were vocalled so I've had to put that on the back-burner for the moment. When it finally is released, it'll be called 'Wizard of the Raves' - it's actually all pressed up and ready to go so hopefully I can get that together once the vocalled tunes are aired.
It's been nice to get back to producing because for the last 2 years or so I was deejaying a lot. I realised that the tunes I was making were dominating my sets and I'd made them purely to play out. I decided that I should perhaps switch focus and so for the last year or so I've aimed at producing as much as I can for the scene as a whole."
As with a number of producers I've spoken to over the last few months, Dexplicit accredits his dad with first introducing to him to the world of music although not many could claim they mixed with the likes of David Rodigan as a teenager:
"Ah it was my dad, straight up. He was a reggae producer and had his own band - he was actually involved with David Rodigan and everything he was doing at the time. He first showed me a few things when I was about 13 and by the time I was 15, I'd learnt how to put a track together. From there, I was hooked and it just carried on naturally. I used to make jungle tunes first - I used to proper love jungle as a school kid. After that, the Garage thing happened and it was hard not to be caught up in that - before long I was making Garage and all the old jungle heads accused me of selling out (laughs). I guess I've always made what I love. I'm never satisfied making this genre or that genre, I just make whatever I like!"
A veteran of the underground scene, Dexplicit is quick to define his own sound as 'energy-driven' but insists that melodies are always at the creative heart of whatever he produces:
"I guess I define my sound as energy-driven club music that retains melody or something like that. When I'm making a track, I'll envision the tune in a club but not from a deejay perspective - I'll be in the crowd raving! If it makes me want to jump up and hype around then I know the tune is coming along nicely - I don't even consider finishing a tune until it makes me feel like that! I love melodies toot though - I always try and incorporate a good melody in every track. If you can capture energy and melody in equal amounts it can be very powerful. One of the problems I have with producing so many different tracks is working out where to start - it can be difficult starring at a blank canvas. I usually start with the drums and tend to see what happens. The odd time when I'm out of the studio, melodies will just come into my head and I'll have to get back and capture them on screen as soon as I get back but that doesn't happen too often. I suppose i like it best when it all just comes together naturally from a blank canvas though!
When I'm producing, I much prefer to be in the studio on my own - I enjoy the vibe. A lot of people don't understand how I produce, I'm always chopping and changing patterns and people often get confused so I find it easier on my own. I actually caught myself the other day drawing my hand towards myself, almost summoning more from this tune I was putting together!"
Despite the enduring success of Lethal Bizzle's 'Forward Riddim' back in 2004, Dexplicit admits he didn't see the instrumental's potential at first:
"I actually built that tune at my friend's house and he had a setup on his bedroom floor - I finished it in about half hour, maybe 40 minutes - it was really quick and as with all the tracks I make, whatever I've just put together tends to be my favourite until I've rinsed it to death. I didn't anticipate the success of it though, not at all. I played the instrumental to a lot of people but nobody picked it out except Bizzle. There was only really Slick D who used to play it out in his sets - Lethal actually heard it for the first time alongside the rest of More Fire Crew through Slick D. Lethal Stopped and was like 'WHO MADE THIS?!' and everyone pointed at me. It was pretty mad really."
With Teddy's 2011 refix of the original charting at number 38 on the UK Top 40 back in December, Pow's legacy is unquestioned and Dexplicit feels the track has been instrumental in Grime's development over the last few years:
"I think its done a few significant things for the scene - that tune showed that it is possible to put out a completely un-dilluted grime track with zero radio support. No one supported us at the time at all and the police would often shut down PAs, plus internet support was nothing like it is now and yet we still charted on Christmas week! More than anything it demonstrated unity in a way - despite all the hurdles, it showed that when everybody comes together, big things can be achieved. I think 'Pow 2011' was a gentle reminder of the original's appeal - I don't actually think they had to make it so commercially viable because the emcees who featured on the track chart anyway. It was still good to see it out there though."
Looking to the future, Dexplicit is pleased to see Grime artists finally 'getting their business on' and is full of praise for the rise of new independent labels:
"Everyone is getting their business on now which is what the scene has been missing for a long time. The scene has been churning out big tracks for years so it made sense for people to release stuff professionally and its made for a much more solid scene than it ever used to be. Guys like Royal-T and Preditah are particularly inspiring too - the guys are at the forefront of the sound and they're not even from London! It just shows the appeal that grime has and its a beautiful thing really. The more people that get involved and help contribute, the better! I think that feeds in to how open everything is now too and not just grime either - even pop music is seeing a change in thinking. The way genres are blurring together is great and I'm sure it'll carry on. It's a lot more fun for deejays now too - a lot of people who used to focus on one specific sound now go to clubs and are able to play whatever they like. There's no pressure anymore."
As a talented deejay himself, Dexplicit explains he is still available for bookings but isn't actively promoting due to his commitments in the studio:
"I'm still available to be booked but I've been so focused on producing, I've not really bothered to put myself out there - its like tunnel vision at the moment! I'm doing a lot of artist-based stuff so it takes up a lot of my time, I end up just churning out track after track. I do love deejaying though - not only do you get to test out new tunes, you get to witness how people react to them first hand. I used to play an hour of my own tunes in every set I did, wherever I was in the world and seeing that reaction is crazy inspiring. It is hard to balance the two though - I think its important to concentrate on either producing or deejaying at any one time because like i've done, you can always switch back and forth."
Despite working on an array of projects already in 2011, Dexplicit has much more in the pipeline, starting with the launch of a new artist-driven EP series:
"I'm gonna be starting the 'Rave Locker' series as the next project and the first one will be with Big Narstie. I'm hoping to release a good number of those - they're basically artist-driven EPs full of club madness! I've also got the 'Rise of the Centaur' EP due for release and another one lined up but I'm waiting for those vocalled tracks to be put out before I release all my instrumental work. There's also a release due out on my label, 'DXP Recordings', from Skilioso called 'Ultra Man' and something from P Jam on the horizon too. I am definitely looking to take the label to new heights so we'll see how that goes. I should be putting out an LP too but it'll be on somebody else's label - I won't say just who yet though!"
Following on from the release of his excellent debut EP, 'A Hint of Menace', Leeds' Debian Blak is back with his first video. Put together to accompany EP-track 'TISW' (Today I Should Win), the video itself is hauntingly effective in its simplicity and only adds to the already considerable appeal of the track. Definitely one for fans of the likes of Mount Kimbie and James Blake.
In the latest of pieces for our friends over at Sonic Router, Uncle Albert caught up with MIK last week to preview his forthcoming single, 'Donny Don'. You can find out what he had to say over at Sonic Router here:
After celebrating their first birthday back in March with the likes of Boddika, Pangea and T Williams, 'Tropical' are back with another intriguing line-up to welcome in the new academic year in Leeds. Teaming up with Uncle Albert's friends over at the excellent 'Inhabit' site, Tropical are proud to present the brilliant Cosmin TRG, alongside Leeds debutant Braiden and the up-and-coming West Norwood Cassette Library with support from Tropical & Inhabit residents.
As one of Uncle Albert's favourite party spots whilst at university, Tropical continues to set the benchmark for forward-thinking bass music in Leeds. A great atmosphere, excellent sound-system and reasonably-priced Savana Cider work together in perfect harmony to guarantee a good night. Highly recommended.
Cosmin TRG's debut release on Hessle Audio
TROPICAL X INHABIT at Wire Club, Leeds - Friday October 14th
In the latest of his 'Grime Ain't Dead' mix series, Nasty FM's Selecta Fewie is looking to put together a 'future' edition, aimed at casting the spotlight onto up-and-coming, less established talent. Producers and emcees alike will be pleased to know that tracks can be sent over to Fewie for his consideration at: selectafewie@hotmail.co.uk
Should tracks be sent over, it's requested that they should be sent at 320 kbps and be of mix-worthy quality. Fewie is hoping for the mix to be ready by late October too so get sending!
After first progressing through the sounds of Grime and 2-Step, T Williams has gone on to establish himself as one of electronic music's most refined performers. With a sound combining elements of everything from Deep House to Dubstep, Williams has released across an array of labels including 'Hypercolour' and Portugal's 'Enchufada', not to mention his own imprint 'Deep Teknologi'. With 2011 arguably his most memorable year to date, I was fortunate enough to catch up with him at his local over (probably too many) pints of Bulmers on everything from Brockie's dubplates to playing at Notting Hill Carnival:
"I hit it off this year back in January when I put together the first podcast of 2011 for 'XLR8R' which I really enjoyed doing. In the same week I was featured in DJ Mag as 'One to Look Out for' and soon after that I played a 'Boiler Room' session alongside Roska, Cooly G, MA1 and Scratcha. I also played at FWD for the first time on my jack jones too! I travelled to Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, France and Scotland to deejay as well, the highlight being Brodinski asking me to play at the Social Club in Paris. I also joined 'Buraka Som Sistema' in Portugal and released 'Getting Mine' on their label 'Enchufada - they invited me over to play at a night they run called 'Hard Ass Sessions' at one of Portugal's big boy clubs called 'Lux'. I had a good laugh and I think guys like Bok Bok and Brenmar have also played out there too. Production wise, I got asked to remix Skream's 'Where You Should Be' that got put out earlier this year and I've got two releases due out this month actually - I've remixed Maya Jane Coles' 'Nobody Else' which is landing on 'Hypercolour_LTD' and I've also reworked Dusky's 'Lost in You'. I've kept on top of everything with my label 'Deep Teknologi' too - we put out a big remix compilation at this year featuring Danny Native, JTRP, MA1, Bok Bok, Scratcha and others that got a lot of love. This year's been amazing to be honest. I got my first festival booking at 'Glade' festival too - I played Garage in Hypercolour's ice cream van, madness!"
Although initially taking to production through Grime, it was Brockie and DJ Hype who first fueled Williams' desire to be involved in music:
"In all honesty, it was basically when I heard DJ Brockie on an old 'Roast' tape, some legendary old Jungle rave - I just wanted to be like him man! Hype aswell, he was another one. They both made me realise that I needed to be doing music. Yeah that was it really, Brockie's dubplates and Hype's scratching - that was me."
When it comes to describing his own sound, Williams admits its hard to say where his work fits within the spectrum of bass music:
"I would say its indescribable really and I'd like it to remain that way because I draw influences from so many different places. Its difficult to say where my sound lies I guess - one day I can make hard, gritty stuff with that electro/dubstep edge to it and the next I can make something like 'Heartbeat' with Terri Walker. Yeah, it's probably indescribable (laughs). As far as musical influences go, like I said I take bits from everywhere; reggae, dance hall, jungle, garage, grime, original RnB, rare groove, funk, disco, house - everything really, even dubstep! I really try not to listen to much of the genre i'm making though to keep it as original as I possibly can."
With such a variety of styles influencing his production work, Williams is an advocate of continued experimentation within the bass music scene:
"Right now is the best time for it really. When I was first making Grime, besides messing around with the R & G concept (Rhythm & Grime), I was pretty limited in terms of what I could make. Now everyone is making whatever they like without worrying about what genre they're stuff is gonna fit in to. Without the freedom to experiment like people are at the moment, you'll never get to fully know a track's potential. I see it as vital to the future progression of bass music."
As well as releasing on a series of labels over the last 3 years, Williams has also established his own 'Deep Teknologi' imprint alongside his friend Sef:
"Basically, the label came about through my friend Sef meeting a guy called Don Morris. He asked me if I wanted to get involved and I decided I would - we'd both had separate projects running before and I'd known Sef for years so it made sense. It was never really the intention to release my music on the label but I had interest every time a tune of mine was uploaded onto Myspace as it was then, so we decided to start releasing some tracks. We put a CD together consisting of a load of requested tracks and from there it all really started. For the future, it'll be a label that will act purely as the home of our ideas - there's no big grand plan and definitely no plot to take over the world or anything like that! It'll represent good music and it'll represent me and Sef, that's it."
As a deejay, Williams has been fortunate enough to play at some of Europe's most distinguished night-spots but he insists Notting Hill Carnival remains a personal favourite:
"In general, Notting Hill Carnival always goes down as one of my favourite experiences - playing old school Garage to thousands of people is just amazing. Got to say Glasgow was pretty amazing too - I played a 2 hour set there at 'La Cheetah' and that was a wicked night. I actually just played before Paul Woolford at 'Eastern Electrics' during Carnival weekend and that was sick. I've had memorable nights in Cologne and Amsterdam too - Holland is always super cool to play because they understand the London vibe. Social Club was also amazing because it was my birthday and the crowd were proper responsive. To be fair though, I've enjoyed every set recently from the big to the small."
Williams remains an advocate of vinyl too although he admits it will struggle to fight its way back into clubs:
"I definitely feel it still has a place - that physical product with the art work and everything else is always going to be worth something to people. I went over to a shop to frame some of my vinyls today funnily enough so it still means something to me. I played a vinyl only garage set on Rinse with MA1 recently so we're not gonna be throwing ours out anytime soon. i understand the practicalities that come with it though - if I'm in London, I can play it out in clubs but playing vinyl-only sets abroad would be really difficult. In terms of buying vinyl, 'Discogs' has become my best friend recently! Getting your hands on those rare gems will never lose its appeal - I'm hoping it will come back stronger in that respect. We still release vinyl on Deep Teknologi and we won't stop doing so over the coming years - it's something tangible you can give to your mum you know? (laughs)"
After the year he's had, you'd think it'd be difficult for Williams to top anything he's achieved in 2011 but with word of an album dropping in 2012, I wouldn't count on it:
"I've got a release coming on the 19th September - the 'Analog Tour' EP is due out on 'Local Action' and has been getting a lot of love from guys like Fourtet, Hannah Holland, Tayo, Ikonika and Scratcha which has been a bit unexpected. There's a big EP of mine due late this year on 'Enchufada' too. I've also been in talks about releasing an album next year and had lots of interest so hopefully it'll all come together in 2012 - I'm looking forward to that. Besides that, it's more of the same; more music, more variation, just generally trying to keep everything interesting. Hoping to do some more work on the label too, particularly with some remix compilations so keep a look out for everything next year!"
Uncle Albert and his good friends over at Sonic Router have joined forces once again, this time to present an exclusive debut mix from one of Grime's rising stars, Faze Miyake. You can check out the interview, track list and mix over at Sonic Router via: http://www.sonicrouter.com/2011/09/faze-miyake-sonic-router-x-uncle-albert-mix/
& look out for more Uncle Albert x Sonic Router goodness in the coming months!
Seb Chew has been a hugely influential figure in UK music for over a decade. From his role as head of A & R at Polydor Records to running the distinguished 'YoYo' club night for the last 9 years, Seb has been involved in music at almost every conceivable level and I was lucky enough to meet up with him over a few pints in Notting Hill to get his humble take on his experiences in music thus far:
"I run 'YoYo' every Thursday with my friend Leo who I've known since my school days and we've just had our 9th birthday. I also have my show on Rinse every Monday night 1-3am which has been going almost a year and a half now and then there's also the day job - I'm director of A & R at Polydor Records. I've also started my own label called 'Good Years' alongside my friend Scott and we've just released Lil Silva's 'Patience' EP. Those are the things that take up the majority of my time although I do quite a lot of other music work on a consultancy basis."
With such a wealth of experience, Seb admits its hard to single out specific moments that inspired him to get involved with music but does recall hearing 'Thriller' for the first time:
"Hearing 'Thriller' for the first time definitely made me want to get involved. Public Enemy's 'It'll Take a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back' was another one and then hearing Groove Rider's dubplate of 'Arsonist' in a rave - those 3 were defining moments for me before I started out in music. Since being involved in music, there's been a million and one points though - I could think of some but I wouldn't be able to name them all! I've never considered my own role specifically, I've just known that I wanted to be involved with music in whatever way I could. I've never set out to be any of the things I am or do today - I never set out to promote nights or deejay or be an A & R man, I just always knew I wanted to be involved. I guess the reason I've become those things is just as a result of how things have turned out - I'm just as happy now as when I was working in a record shop for £25 a day when I left school."
Having been a part of the Rinse setup for just over a year and a half now, Seb's relationship with the station stretches back almost a decade:
"The whole thing came about firstly by way of me being incredibly impressed with every show that I'd heard on there. Secondly, there's nobody weak on there in their respective fields and I've known Sarah Lockhart for many years. I also signed Zinc about 10 years ago and he was the first signing I ever made as an A & R man. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea because it didn't work out at the label I was at during that time. However, it formed the basis of a relationship and we've remained friends ever since - I've always been impressed with every move Sarah and Zinc have made since too. With regards to my show, I saw Sarah and told I her I was really into what they were doing and I'd love to be involved somehow - I ended up doing a few guest shows and before long a space came up and that was that!
I try to incoporate good quality British dance music on my show and I guess my taste doesn't fit into any one genre or any specific BPM. If I get sent some good Grime tracks for example, I'll play them. Good music is definitely the focus in everything I do."
Alongside his radio show, Seb also runs 'YoYo' at the Notting Hill Arts Club, a night that remains very much close to his heart:
"There's no aim for 'YoYo' besides putting on a 200-capacity venue with my best friend and music we love. There's no hair gel range or any gimmicks, that's just it! I don't want to make it bigger or take it to another club, I'm just very happy with it as it is. YoYo is a club night at a certain place at a certain time that I love very much. It actually came out of another night that I went to for most of my teenage life called 'Rotation' that ran for about 10 years. That stopped at the end of the Garage era because the club had some trouble and it ended up closing down. As with a lot of things, a reaction of not having that around anymore was to make something yourself and that's kinda why we went for it."
As for the day job:
"I started out 11 years ago with a lady called Jade Richardson - she was an old friend who'd just signed Ms Dynamite. We started an imprint together called 'P Records' and it ended up with only 4 or 5 releases. The first of those was 'Are You Really From The Ends?' and the second was Ms Dynamite's 'Ramp'. The third was a 'Scandalous Unlimited' EP and they've now gone on to be 'True Tiger'. We also put out Ms Dynamite's album and Zinc's 'Faster' album, all over the course of about 2 years or so. It was good fun but it didn't really fit with the label's outlook at the time. Jade ended up leaving, leaving me doing A & R on my own and the next thing I did was sign the Scissor Sisters! It sounds a bit mad and might not make sense but to me it made perfect sense. Ultimately, I've had 7 or 8 years of doing A & R at a major label and I've worked with many acts at many levels across many different types of music and I guess that's lead me to my position as head of A & R today."
Despite playing a pivotal role at a major label, Seb Chew remains a firm advocate of underground electronic music. After receiving some unexpected feedback in response to playing a number of Grime tracks on his show two weeks ago, Seb explains that he's never placed any significance on how music is classified:
"I have honestly never cared about what a type of music is called and as much as scene's are very important in some way, my commitment and output to music is not according to scene. It's my job to find music and I don't care for any scene-snobbiness in any way, shape or form. If people like music and want to support music then thats a positive thing. That leads in to the reaction to my show - me playing Grime caused such a stir but to me its dance music at 140BPM and thats it really. I've never put any rules on what I play other than do I think it's good or not? Its actually been really interesting meeting people on this journey - the people I think are the best are those who don't act funny when I call up and say 'I love your tune, can you send it over because I want to support it?' I guess being involved in all the different worlds I'm in means I can't care for a closed mind."
Seb is a big fan of Birmingham's 'Preditah'
Bearing this in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that Seb attributes the establishment of his 'Good Years' imprint to the music and people he's been surrounded by at Rinse:
"'I just felt very inspired by the people I'd been around during the year and a bit I'd been on Rinse. The deejays, the labels and the way in which they're run all impressed me. I guess deejays on there like Marcus Nasty, Scratcha, JJ...in fact all of them kinda made me tune back into labels. It felt like there were certain people who were so strong in terms of identity putting out such great music - Swamp 81, Butterz, Hessle Audio - they all inspired me to go for it and I'm not particularly experienced in independents.
With regards to Lil Silva, Scott who I run the label with manages him - we used to be completely hooked on Marcus Nasty's show and Silva was always getting played, he was massive. Scott made contact with him and the decision to put an EP together was made, the sampler thing happened and that was it, our first release."
Plans for the future? An emphasis on good music remains key:
"I've never had a plan and I think the only thing to focus on is putting out good music on my label, booking good people at YoYo and playing good music on my show. That's my only aim - wherever it goes from there, it goes. I'm just happy to be in it an earning a living surrounded by new, exciting things and like-minded people."
