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L I F E I S A V I B R AT I O N SUMMER 2014
R E D L I G H T
KAHN & NEEK FATIMA SPORTS BANGER MS DYNAMITE MUNGO’S HI FI KLOSE ONE W W W. T R A P M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K
A BUMPER WEEKEND OF LOVE LOV O E OV
CASTLE CA C AS A STLE ST LE PARK PAR PA RK K BRISTOL BRIST STOL OL UK UK
FEATURING SAT 24TH MAY
SUN 25TH MAY
- MAIN STAGE -
- MAIN STAGE -
ANNIE MAC
EATS EVERYTHING / HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR
SBTRKT
JAMIE XX / CLEAN BANDIT / NENEH CHERRY W. ROCKETNUMBERNINE / JOHN TALABOT
CLEAN BANDIT / MARIBOU STATE B2B PEDESTRIAN ETON MESSY / SOLOMON GREY / MOKO / FEEL THE REAL
GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB / QUANTIC / JAVEON / LAID BLAK
- JUST JACK STAGE -
- CRACK MAGAZINE -
NINA KRAVIZ
CRAIG RICHARDS / SUBB-AN TOM RIO / DAN WILD
- FUTUREBOOGIE STAGE -
TODD TERJE
MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE / CRAZY P SOUNDSYSTEM PBR STREETGANG / HACKMAN CHRISTOPHE & LUKAS / JOE 90 & DAVE HARVEY - BLACK BUTTER STAGE IN ASSOC. WITH APEX -
KIDNAP KID / MY NU LENG / WOZ / KOVE GOTSOME / SNAKEHIPS / APEX COLLECTIVE - THE DANCE OFF -
DJ EZ / DJ Q / KB & AIRAYD HIPHOPPAPOTAMUS / PYTHAGOSAURUS - HORSE MEAT DISCO TENT -
HORSE MEAT DISCO
ANDY BUTLER / FELIX DICKINSON / PEOPLE LIKE US - COCKTAILS & DREAMS -
4OURS / SHAPES / PIFF / ORIGINS SOUND FOUNDATIONS / DJ FUTURE - SHAMBARBER -
WAIFS & STRAYS / BODHI / CHRISTOPHE WAIFS
BILLY DISNEY / HANNAH MULVANY
SHERWOOD & PINCH SPECIAL REQUEST / DJ RASHAD & DJ SPINN / LIVITY SOUND TESSELA / A SAGITARRIUN / FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA B2B FANTASTIC MAN / PARDON MY FRENCH - DIGITAL SOUNDBOY IN ASSOC. WITH TRAP MAGAZINE -
SHY FX / B.TRAITS / MS DYNAMITE / BREAKAGE JAKWOB / DISMANTLE / SPECIAL GUEST MIKE SKINNER - THE BLAST -
CONGO NATTY FT. NANCI & PHOEBE STYLO G / THE HEATWAVE / JUS NOW / SAM BINGA FT REDDERS / ASBO DISCO FT GARDNA / DUBKASM FELIS / A.QUAKE & FIRE MAN SAM - TEACHINGS IN DUB -
ABA SHANTI-I (ALL DAY LONG) - SOUL TRAIN -
GREG WILSON
LAMINATE RADIO / SOUL TRAIN DJS / BEDMO DISCO - COCKTAILS & DREAMS -
DIRTYTALK / DURKLE DISCO / DUTTY GIRL
FALLING UP / IDLE HANDS / ANDY SCHOLES / STEVE RICE - SHAMBARBER -
ADMIN / ALFRESCO DISCO / DRAMA DJS / HANNAH MULVANY B2B ANDRES B2B PATO / JAM THE CHANNEL DJS / LUKE LANGSON SHAPES DISCO SPECTACULAR / SUMMITS
TICKETS
T H E
SUMMER 2014
D R O P #19
F E AT U R E S
REGULARS 06 15 19 21 23 24 74 77 88 90
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NEWS FASHION DOCTORS ORDERS MONKI URBAN NERDS FIFTY FIFTY BOSS SELECTIONS REVIEWS GAMES REVIEWS BASSPOINTS
28 31 33 37 41 48 55 60 64 66
RISE UP T R A P M I X TA P E : MUNGO’S HI FI KAHN & NEEK FATIMA REDLIGHT F A S H I O N S H O O T : P L AY I N G T H E JON BLACK SPORTS BANGER MS DYNAMITE FA S H I O N S H O O T: WONDER KID
GAME
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COVER SHOOT REDLIGHT by Ollie Grove. www.ollliegrove.co.uk. EDITOR: Jon Cook jon@trapmagazine.co.uk CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes andy@trapmagazine.co.uk FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj kasha@trapmagazine.co.uk REVIEWS EDITOR: Gwyn Thomas De Chroustchoff gwyn@trapmagazine.co.uk SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn iain@trapmagazine.co.uk MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen justin@trapmagazine.co.uk WEB: All That Good Stuff & Nick Hills PICTURES: Ollie Grove, Adam Robinson, ASHES57, Sarah Ginn, Alex Digard, Tom Horton, Marc Sethi, Leo Sharp. WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj, Oli Grant, Monki, Sam Bates, Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff, Sean
Kelly, David Clark, Jeryl Wilton, Erin Mathias, Justin Iriajen, Tomas Fraser, James Wesson, Nacho JP, Christian Newman, Chris Thomas, Deanne Ball, Tim Rayner, Rompa, Spindoctor, Shaun Philips. THANK YOU: Josh @ Exposure, Naomi @ Totem, Sarah & Lauren @ Rainbow, Erin, Lucy and Toni @ Listen Up, Johnny, Jack and Andy @ Outlook, All @ Urban Nerds, Adam @ Backdrop, Dave, Tom, Lucy & Zeina @ Team Love, Rob & Tom @ The Blast, Oli & Saul @ Fabric, Louis, Rich & Syd @ 50/50, Ant @ Metalheadz, Adam @ Exclusive, James @ Detonate, Jack & Paul @ LWE, Baz, Louis, Jose & Ram @ Studio 22 and everyone else we forgot. C 2014 Camouflage Media Limited. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine or its contents may be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher. Disclaimer: The views expressed in Trap Magazine are not necessarily the views sharedby its staff or publisher. While we strive to ensure the information in Trap Magazine is correct, changes can occur which effect the accuracy of the copy, for which Trap Magazine holds no responsibility.
N E W S #19
DJ RASHAD
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rap wishes to pay its respects to DJ Rashad, who unexpectedly left this world on 26 April at the age of just 34.
As a figure head and ambassador for the Chicago footwork scene, Rashad was one of the most important and influential DJs of his generation. The Teklife movement he spearheaded and his productions and DJ sets helped take the fast-paced, 808-driven sound of his home city global - and he was widely loved across the world as a result. A true pioneer, Rashad and his music were years ahead of the game and his contribution to our world was immense. Trap would like to thank Ashes57 for this photograph, and we send love to Rashad’s family, friends and all those touched by his passing.
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TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK ALL-NEW WEBSITE
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rap has always been all about the physical paper product you hold in your hands right now, but we know we can’t be stubborn forever, so we’ve finally launched a stand-alone website to help take our message worldwide. Now you can get your Trap Magazine fix on the regs, wherever you are, with all the best bits of the magazine supported by daily news updates, exclusive interviews, mixes, competitions and much more. Get online now to check it out. ___ TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
OUTLOOK FESTIVAL MORE LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENTS
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he seventh edition of Outlook takes place 3-7 September in the now-famous ruins of Fort Punta Christo, near Pula in Croatia. Now well evolved from its roots as a dubstep festival, Outlook’s bill for 2014 boasts the sort of hip-hop and reggae superstars that any major festival in the world would be proud to have. The likes of Busta Rhymes, Lauren Hill and Horace Andy gilt a line-up that remains, at its very core, the most comprehensive and informed gathering of underground bass-driven music artists in the world, with everyone from Loefah to dBridge, Jah Shaka and Logan Sama bringing all shades of the sonic spectrum. Tickets for Outlook are still available – and if you’re reaching, watch out for news of the Trap Boat Party with our friends The Blast, as well as dozens of others, on the Outlook and Trap websites soon. ___ OUTLOOKFESTIVAL.COM
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N E W S
REGULATE SUMMER SESSIONS
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ollowing a memorable NYD party featuring Skream, Richy Ahmed and Mosca, Regulate returns to London for a series of three events this summer. Two of the dates will see link-ups with Hideout and Unknown festivals, and Regulate Summer Sessions promises to make the most of both indoor and outdoor areas at iCan Studios in Hackney Wick with Funktion One sound, Caribbean food and top-drawer line-ups including Paul Woolford, Justin Martin, Boddika, Maribou State, Artwork and more. The three parties take place on 31 May, 12 July and 30 August – check the Regulate facebook page for more info. ___ FACEBOOK.COM/REGULATE.LDN
DETONATE FESTIVAL
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n Saturday 7 June, Nottingham Racecourse will be taken over by the city’s premier party-starters Detonate for an all-day festival featuring the very best and biggest names from hip-hop and house to D&B and grime. Celebrating their fifteenth year in business, Detonate are clearly cutting no corners on line-ups and production across the five stages, with acts confirmed so far including Pusha T, Noisia, Redlight, Big Narstie, Gorgon City, Andy C, Meridian Dan and Huxley. Tickets are on the final tier at the time of writing, costing £37.50, so cop yours quick if you plan on heading down. ___ DETONATE1.CO.UK
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N E W S
THE RAINBOW VENUES SUMMER IN THE SECOND CITY
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irmingham’s Rainbow has been busy celebrating 10 years of parties this year by bringing some of the biggest and best looking raves anywhere in the UK to its ever-growing complex of venues and spaces in the city’s Digbeth area. Following the recent MADE weekend event, and huge parties from regular Rainbow promoters FACE, Seedy Sonics, 2:31 and Below, the team behind Rainbow are gearing up for a non-stop summer of special events, weekly parties and massive raves, covering every facet of the dance music prism. Friday 25 May will see the opening of, believe it or not, a beach in the middle of Birmingham – and there’s a tasty-looking
2:31 party to celebrate, featuring Tom Shorterz, Artful Dodger, Shift K3y and Marcus Nasty. The beach will be open weekly from that weekend onwards. Further weekly happenings come from one of the Venues’ newer nights, Black Dot, which brings the best in underground house and techno to the intimate Next Door space a couple of streets away from the main Rainbow Warehouse. More quality house and techno can be found on 24 August, when Rainbow stalwart Below hold their second daytime party of the summer following the recent bash at Rainbow Pub and Courtyard, while Friday 6 June sees Seedy Sonics Summer Festival, with Rodigan, Shy FX, My Nu Leng, EZ and many more bringing the bassweight to Brum in emphatic style. Believe it or not, this isn’t everything going on at Rainbow this summer – make sure you check their website for more details of even more parties. ___ THERAINBOWVENUES.CO.UK
LOVE SAVES THE DAY DIGITAL SOUNDBOY POSTERS
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ook carefully inside this magazine and you might just find one of 500 special-edition Digital Soundboy posters, made to celebrate our link-up with Shy FX’s legendary record label at Love Saves The Day on 25 May. Check page 64 for an interview with Ms Dynamite, who joins Mike Skinner, Shy and loads more on our stage that day and check the LSTD website for tickets and more info. ___ LOVESAVESTHEDAY.ORG
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TheRainbow TheRainbowVenues The Birmingham
RAM WAREHOUSE PARTY BEACH LAUNCH WITH 02:31 DOLCE VITA 4TH BIRTHDAY SEEDY SONICS SUMMER FEST
. MAY 24 . MAY 25 . MAY 31 . JUNE 6
Lower Trinity Street. Digbeth. Birmingham.
OUTER LIMITS PRESENTS TIME & SPACE BLACKDOT PRESENTS STRUCTURE W/ SASHA BLACKDOT W/ LEVON VINCENT
. MAY 17 . MAY 23 . MAY 30
N E W S
EASTERN ELECTRICS 2014
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n Saturday 2 August, Eastern Electrics take over the grounds of Hatfield House in Hertfordshire for an all-day celebration of the very best in house and techno. This year’s EE will see the likes of Steve Lawler, Route94, Laura Jones, Daniel Avery and Loefah play to over 10,000 party-goers across seven different stages, both open-air and under cover. Rinse FM, mulletover and Art In The Dark will all be hosting their own spaces, helping ensure no corner of the house and techno world is left unrepresented, while we’re promised plenty of other distractions and and on-site production to keep wondering minds and feet busy. Make sure you check the EE website for more info and to grab tickets, and watch out for news of a competition to win a pair of tickets on the Trap website soon.
EASTERN ELECTRICS 2014 SATURDAY 2 AUGUST HATFIELD HOUSE, HERTFORDSHIRE TICKETS: £39.50 - £79 EASTERNELECTRICSFESTIVAL.CO.UK
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01 VERSACE £160 WWW.SUNGLASSHUT.COM MIU MIU £205 WWW.SUNGLASSHUT.COM 03 EYE RESPECT £185 WWW.EYERESPECT.COM SUNDAY SOMEWHERE £240 WWW.SUNDAYSOMEWHERE.COM 05 ASOS £12 WWW.ASOS.COM 06 TRIWA £115 WWWTRIWA.COM
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F A S H I O N #19
WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj, Deanne Ball & James Wesson
THIS IS WELCOME An amalgamation of sports, streetwear and luxury elements, This is Welcome is the freshest collection of pared-down basics to hit SS14. The London-based womenswear label offers a variety of cool and contemporary pieces from relaxed sweats in muted hues, to some seriously ghetto girl earrings - punctuated throughout by the distinctive and on-point ‘This is Welcome’ logotype. Prices start at around £25 and the range is available from their website now. ___ THISISWELCOME.COM
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F A S H I O N
EYTYS The clue to these kicks is in the name; pronounced ‘Eighties’, this Stockholm-based unisex footwear brand comes with a retro twist. Sticking to a classic shape with a solid white sole, the shoes are available in a mix of colours and materials, including canvas, suede and leather, plus Eytys has switched it up for SS14 with the introduction of prints to the range. ___ EYTYS.COM
GRAND SCHEME Australian streetwear brand Grand Scheme hits this season’s print trends bang on with its latest collection. Consisting of long and short sleeve shirts, bucket hats and shorts, in everything from tropical florals to distorted camos, this vibrant collection is packed with clever details and neat touches. Available now from selected outlets nationwide. ___ GRANDSCHEME.COM.AU
F A S H I O N
KENEMA The term ‘ethically sourced’ might have you thinking more of hippies than hipsters, but Kenema is here to wash away those preconceptions. The brand’s début collection of 90s-inspired styles works traditional African textiles into modern shapes. We love the unisex reversible bomber jackets, plus the printed shirts and trousers that neatly tick the current two-piece trend. ___ KENEMACO.COM
MADE IN PARADISE Hong Kong-based brand Made in Paradise takes a fresh look at mens’ swimwear with its latest collection of lifestyle-themed printed shorts. From classic cologne bottles to old-school Nokias and foreign currency, we’re all over the sick range of styles on offer. The shorts are coated with a unique Teflon spray to help ensure they stay fresh through the summer, making them a suitcase essential! ___ 1800-PARADISE.COM
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SATURDAY 7 JUNE ⁄⁄ NOTTINGHAM RACECOURSE ⁄⁄ COLWICK PARK CLOSE ANNOUNCED SO FAR... DJ SET & ID
NEW HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED:
ED RUSH ANDY C FRED V & BAD COMPANY GRAFIX CLASSICS SET FRICTION BIG NARSTIE GORGON CITY BODDIKA GRUM BONOBO DJ SET HIGHNESS CATCHING FLIES SOUND SYSTEM DJ SET DAVID RODIGAN HUXLEY JIKAY DIGITAL KASRA MYSTIKZ KENNY KEN DJ EZ JUNGLE SET DJ MARKY FULL LINE-UP A-Z:
LENZMAN LEVON VINCENT LORCA LTJ BUKEM MACHINEDRUM ‘VAPOR CITY’ LIVE
MASSAPPEALS MEFJUS MERIDIAN DAN MIDLAND MURLO NOISIA PREDITAH
PUSHA T REDLIGHT SAM BINGA SECONDCITY SHY FX STOOKI SOUND SUB FOCUS DJ SET FT. ID
TESSELA THE FOUR OWLS WILKINSON + MORE TBA
TICKETS: WWW.DETONATEEVENTS.COM facebook.com/detonateuk
twitter.com/detonateuk
Instagram - DetonateUK
T H E
D O C T O R ’ S O R D E R S WITH
Spin Doctor
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y the time you read this, there will be a new member of The Doctor’s Orders clan, as I’ll be a dad for the first time! Talking of birthdays, The Doctor’s Orders celebrates turning nine this summer with a line-up including Jurassic 5’s DJ Nu Mark and the incredible J-Rawls. In fact, plans are already under way for our tenth birthday next year. We’ve made a lot of memories over the years and thrown some great parties, but none were possible without you, so thank you for the continued support here’s to new beginnings! ___ THEDOCTORSORDERS.COM
NEW SCHOOL FESTIVAL FRENZY
OLD SCHOOL ILLMATIC BACK AT IT
The feeding frenzy at the top table of hip-hop acts continues with more festivals throughout the UK and Europe relying on BIG hip-hop names to shift tickets. Even ‘bass’ festivals are headlined by mainstream hip-hop and R&B acts these days. Times have changed from when the only rapping found in a field was a cider-fueled freestyle. Indeed, you can even catch The Doctor’s Orders at Glastonbury, Lovebox and Boom Bap this year!
There’s been a pretty loud fanfare around the recent anniversary of Nas’s classic debut ‘Illmatic’. And the man himself is apparently fully supporting the official re-release with TV appearances, live performances and interviews a-plenty. Any chance this has anything to do with the great deal Nas got 20 years ago that saw him pocket a decent return on all of the album’s sale? It ain’t hard to tell...
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M O N K I #19
Tr a p c o l u m n ist Mon ki ret u rn s wit h h er run do wn o f every thing go o d right no w...
NIGHTS XOYO TWO BEARS RESIDENCY XOYO in London kicked off its Residency Series in January, asking four DJs to each play 12 consecutive Saturdays in 2014. With all-night sets and a bunch of guests supplying you with good times, it’s a great idea! Eats Everything successfully started off proceedings and now it’s the turn of the loveable Two Bears duo. Hot Chip, Bestival, Greco-Roman and Four Tet will all be involved in the Two Bears takeover, so it’s set to be a good one!
CATCH ME AT
I LOVE MUMBAI SCIENCE ‘DÉJÀ VU’ Belgian duo Mumbai Science release their debut album ‘’Déjá Vu’’ on 16 June via Lektroluv. This has to be one of my favourite albums of the year so far; tunes like ‘King Of The Top Floor’ and ‘Control’ really got my attention, transporting me back to when I’d go watch Erol Alkan, Tiga and all the Ed Banger crew in a dingy warehouse and dance the night away as an eager 18 year old. It’s a fun album with a bunch of guests, a few quirky interludes and makes for one hell of a listen!
ONE TO WATCH NOVELIST South London producer and MC Novelist is still in his teens, but has been grabbing the attention of producers like Mumdance and appearing on line-ups such as Rinse vs FWD. You might have first heard of him late last year on his JDZmedia Spitfire video and since then he’s appeared on Mixmag Lab, had an instrumental EP out of his own and been on NTS and Rinse FM numerous times. I’m looking forward to watching this guy grow as an artist, go check him out.
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Trap Magazine is taking a little break over the summer, while we prepare for bigger things in September, so you can catch me at quite a few places until then! Along with the usual club gigs, festivals and Ibiza season, there’s a few I’m especially looking forward to. Over the coming months, catch me at: Monki & Friends @ fabric on 3 May, Sonar Festival on 14 June, Ibiza Rocks on 18 June, Lovebox on 19 June, AMP @ Creamfields on 22 August and AMP @ Bestival on 6 September. For all my dates head to... ___ FACEBOOK.COM/MONKIDJ
S E E DY S O N I C S SUMMER F E ST I VA L
FRIDAY 6 JUNE ‘14
THE FULL RAINBOW VENUES & STREET CLOSURE DIGBETH,BIRMINGHAM
22:00 - 06:00
DAVID RODIGAN DJ EZ SHY FX & STAMINA MC WAZE & ODYSSEY MY NU LENG TOYBOY & ROBIN KASRA / MEFJUS SAM BINGA/MC AD TOM SHORTERZ KLOSE ONE & JONNY BANGER (SPECIAL GUEST JUST ANNOUNCED)
MISTANOIZE / ANDME & BASTIAN / LFM & MALI / BBC SMAK PONY / BROWN BEAR / OLEE & MORRI / IGGY PLUS FUN & GAMES ON THE STREET WITH...
POLICE RAVE UNIT & BEARDED KITTEN
U R B A N
N E R D S #19
SNOWBOMBING We’re back and now fully recovered from our sixth year at Snowbombing. What a week it was. With the festival reaching SOLD OUT status, the vibe and atmosphere were unrivaled. With so much going on day and night, it was hard to keep up with all the action, so we’ve picked our top-five favourite moments of the festival...
TOP-5 SB MOMENTS Skream’s set at Urban Nerds Mr Motivator’s set at Rompa’s Reggae Shack Austrian Filter House at The Street Party Harrimannn’s set at The Pool Party Rudimental at The Racket Club
FESTIVAL SEASON With festival season already underway, we thought we’d list our top-five UK festivals that need to be checked out first hand: WE ARE FSTVL 24 – 25 MAY wearefstvl.com
TOP THREE TRACKS FOR SUMMER:
FOUND 14 JUNE foundfestival.com
WARRIOR ONE ’5THS’ This is a seriously BIG tune - just wait for the drop on this one.
GLASTONBURY 25 – 29 JUNE glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
ED WEST & DADDY NATURE ’MORGAN’S RAIN’ A tropical-based 140 banger.
BOOMTOWN 7 – 10 AUG boomtownfair.co.uk
MANIK ’BECAUSE OF YOU’ Causing damage on the dance floor right about now.
FESTIVAL NUMBER 6 5 – 7 SEP festivalnumber6.com TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 023
F I F T Y F I F T Y #19
SKATEBOARDING SUPREMOS FIFTY FIFTY RETURN WITH NEWS OF THEIR LATEST ANTICS AND IN-STORE HOTNESS... WA L L I E S H O T: O l l i e L o c k PHOTO: Leo Sharp
F I F T Y
F I F T Y
5BORO NYC The first featured product this issue is from our friends and past collaborators over in New York, 5Boro NYC. The brand has just dropped a super-rad series of pin-up boards and matching tees, featuring artwork from Brooklyn’s Smith Street Tattoo Parlour. The boards each feature a different pin-up girl, representing one of NY’s five boroughs in a wide array of sizes and colours. 5Boro is a brand that’s always stayed true to its roots and goes from strength to strength every season – we can’t wait to see what it comes up with next. ___ 5BORONYC.COM
POST Post Hats & Details is a relatively new brand based in Malmo, Sweden that’s recently arrived in store. The brand is the work of good fifty fifty friend Daniel Stankovic and filmmaker and photographer Martin Ottoson, who put a long-term vision into a reality by creating a premium headwear brand with an apparel line to run alongside each drop . The first line features two colour options of anti-fit cord 6-panel caps (which are a store favourite), two snapback options, roll beanies in an array of colours and some super-nice tees and long-sleeves with the brand’s hydrant graphic. All the products have amazing attention to detail and are custom manufactured at the highest level in Europe. Plenty more bangers are gonna drop from Post throughout the year, so keep an eye out! ___ POSTDETAILS.COM
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ith some fine spring weather kicking in, the fifty fifty familia has been out on them streets racking up plenty of new clips. This issue, though, it’s all about our recent ‘Keeping It Rhyl’ road trip to North Wales. Following a tip-off of un-seen territory, we set off to the Welsh coast, stopping off in Shrewsbury to get a quick hour’s skate in on the newly revamped skate-park. The first rain of the trip soon hit, so we played a few games of darts in the local before heading off to North Wales. Rhyl is an ‘interesting’ place to say the least and, out of season, the scouse holiday haven felt distinctly desolate. We immediately found an array of rad spots to hit, but as it was piss-wet that evening, we went into town for fish & chips and to meet some fightready locals! The next morning, we woke up in our glorious £7-a-night camp site to be told to move our tents, because they were “too close together”. Seriously. That is why we try to avoid camp sites!!! We spent two full days in Rhyl; skating spots, finding new ones and stacking footage, while dodging the rain and taking shelter in amusement arcades. After this, we headed along the coast, checking every town along the way and unearthing plenty of un-touched gems.
While in Bangor, we hooked up with Wales’ answer to Animal Chin, Welsh Rob, who took us to an indoor mini vert ramp. It sounded interesting, but when we got there it was even better; the ramp hadn’t been skated for a bit, so, after removing half a ton of sheep skin from the flat bottom, we were good to go... Apart from the lingering smell of the dead sheep next to the ramp!!! Campsite free, Welsh Rob took us to a rad spot on top of a local hill overlooking Bangor. A good ol’ campfire and plenty of stubbies made for a great night, after which we awoke to amazing views over the Welsh coastline. That was the first night. On the second, a storm hit us, and I woke to cries of “Help, I’m stuck!” and looked out to see a tent of five people flat on the ground! Luckily, ours only lost a pole or two and it meant there was less to pack down before we got back to driving up and down the coastline, dodging the rain, racking up footage and shooting plenty of photos. It was a good road trip for sure, with a deep army of our team smashing the spots to bits! Make sure you check the edit over on our blog, and get yourselves out in the sunshine and get a shred on. See you on the streets! ___ 5050STORE.COM
RISE UP #21
KLOSE ONE
I AM... Klose One.
IF I NEED INSPIRATION, I... Raves, raves, raves, parties and a bit of radio...
YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW ME FOR... Raves, raves, raves, parties and a bit of radio.
I CAN’T START MY DAY WITHOUT... How can I say I can’t start my day without a spliff without saying I can’t start my day without a spliff ?
I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS... House-y, techno-y, bass-y, garage-y stuff.
DURING THE WORLD CUP I WILL BE...... Hoping German player Klose doesn’t score.
WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND ME… Catching up on missed sleep, chilling with mates, walking my dog Beans.
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT... I played on a North London ice hockey team as a kid along with Nick from Dusky, Mat from Gorgon City and a few others.
MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC IS... My mum’s old records, in particular being confused and upset by Sam Cooke - ‘Sad Mood’. I couldn’t understand why or how someone’s baby would leave them.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY MIX ARE… No. Tracklist. Available.
IF I WAS INVISIBLE FOR THE DAY, I’D... Probably visit the bank.
MY LIFE WON’T BE COMPLETE UNTIL... I have a wood-fire pizza oven and a jukebox full of my 7-inches in my kitchen. __ @KLOSEONE
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RISE UP #22
NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS
WE ARE... No Artificial Colours.
good club or chill at home to some favourite old stuff.
YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW US FOR... Some songs we’ve done and the ridiculous shirts we have worn. WE’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC WE PLAY AS... House. Proper house music.
DURING THE WORLD CUP WE WILL BE... What? If we don’t get a call up ourselves? Well, we hope we can catch some games in between London and Ibiza!
WHEN WE’RE NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND US… Eating. Nandos of late.
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT... Ryan : I’m a straight-up badboy on the steel drums. Lewis: I’ve DJ’d at few travellers weddings – I was stabbed in a foot with a cocktail stick by a six year old at one of them. No, I didn’t say anything...
OUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC IS... Lewis: In my dad’s car; Lou Rawls Vibes! Ryan: At home with my dad, Gary Newman albums. IF WE WERE INVISIBLE FOR THE DAY, WE’D... Tie Pitbull up and throw him in the sea. Hope he doesn’t see this; he looks quite HENCH and we’re about 6ft combined, but we’d give it a go. IF WE NEED INSPIRATION, WE... Just go back to listening to music for enjoyment’s sake, go to a
WE CAN’T START OUR DAY WITHOUT... Ryan : Checking Twitter. Lewis : Coffee.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR MIX ARE… To. The. Point. OUR LIVES WON’T BE COMPLETE UNTIL... That DFS sale is over! ___ @NACSMUSIC
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T R A P M I X T A P E #10
MUNGO’S HI FI
A
fter bringing you everything from house and grime to jungle, juke and dubstep, for the tenth edition of Trap’s exclusive mixtape series we thought the time had come for us to take things back to the roots of it all, and inject some serious sound-system music into proceedings. We could think of nobody better to ask than reggae, dub and dancehall sound-system champions Mungo’s Hi Fi. Despite a typically packed summer of festival appearances for both the crew and their incredible sound-system at festivals across Europe, and a busy release schedule for their Scotch Bonnet record label that includes the recent album ‘Serious Time’, Mungo’s thankfully for us – and you – said yes. Perfectly timed for summer, the Glaswegian crew have promised 60 minutes of everything they do best for this mix. Check the Trap website in June to grab their selection and if you’re reaching Outlook festival, make sure you find your way to the Mungo’s Arena for some serious bassweight. TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
W O R D S : To m F r a s e r
PHOTO: Alex Digard
K
(and it’s talent) in a way that challenges the ‘throwaway’ musical culture we currently reside in; a point Kahn alludes to in this interview.
As part of both Gorgon Sound and Young Echo, and with their grime-centric label Bandulu, they represent the city’s music
Vociferous exponents of a physical product, particularly with regards to vinyl, the pair have taken the art of releasing back to basics; working against the digital grain to elevate both themselves and the music they represent to new heights. In essence, Kahn & Neek are the resilient upholders of a culture few are dedicated enough to explore; they are as real as it gets.
ahn & Neek’s deep-set relationship with their city goes much further than your average pair of DJs. From first sneaking into D&B raves as teenagers, to playing old Slew Dem records at Neek’s house after heading to early Sureskank parties, Bristol’s underground has remained at the core of their musical output since the very beginning.
TRAP: You two have been close friends since you were young – how did you first meet? Neek: I was 17 and Joe was 16 when we first met. The first time we did anything music related together was at the very first Sureskank event in late 2006. Joe wasn’t booked to play, but he just arrived and slung on some breakcore records at the end of the night. Even though I moved away to Brighton for university soon after that party, we stayed in touch and became good friends. Kahn: Yeah I just hijacked that party and have been hijacking house parties ever since to be honest. Going out to the Sureskank parties at that time was one of the first places I heard grime and the new 140bpm stuff that was coming out of Bristol, so it was interesting knowing Neek as a DJ first and then getting to know him more as a person. I remember going to his mum’s house and him showing me all these old Slew Dem 12s and stuff he had that I’d only heard on old radio sets and recordings from Sidewinder. I was coming more from a reggae and live music background, so in a sense I got more into grime in those early years through Neek’s passion for it really. You both also make up Gorgon Sound and part of Young Echo - what do these other projects facilitate that’s not possible as Kahn & Neek? N: Gorgon Sound is our way of indulging our love of reggae and dub, making steppers music for the sound-system. That scene has a different pace to grime and other dance music; it’s more of a slow burning thing, something to keep working at. And Young Echo lets us be experimental in a different way to working as Kahn & Neek or Gorgon Sound, it allows us the space to make non-dancefloor tracks and more traditional ‘songs’, I suppose. K: Each project is essentially a separate channel for us to push the different energies of music and sound that we’re interested in. We like to keep the projects clearly separate. As Neek mentioned, we share a passion for Jamaican sound-system music and it was an area we knew we wanted to explore alongside the more grime influenced material we were making as Kahn & Neek. It’s been great becoming more involved in the sound-system community; we get to play at events that just wouldn’t work for the Kahn & Neek project and we’ve met some amazing and inspiring people through pursuing both projects simultaneously. Young Echo, for me personally, is a space for real musical freedom, away from trends and the concerns of being easily accessible or understandable. All the artists involved in the collective (there’s 10 of us now) share a love of a wide spectrum of music and I feel blessed to have a community of like-minded people in which to explore all the different sounds that interest us. Bristol seems very much a bedrock of the majority of your production work. How important is the city to your music? N: From sneaking into drum & bass parties at 15 and then discovering dubstep at 17, the underground movements in Bristol have always been my inspiration. It’s what made me want to start playing records, run parties and then go on to make music. K: Bristol is our identity, not just as musicians but as people. We’re proud of the musical heritage we’ve grown up surrounded by, and we like to think of our musical ventures as a continuation of that history and culture. And more generally, how important do you think city-centric bass movements are? N: It definitely helps having a good community of producers and DJs around you to solidify a sound. Bristol benefits from being a small place, everyone works together and collaborates, regardless of genre.
Bristol’s instrumental grime scene is thriving at the moment who should we watch for? N: Obviously Hi5Ghost, who did the most recent single on Bandulu. Boofy, who featured on the third release, and his partner in crime at the Sector 7 record label, Lemzly Dale. Also OH91, Oatz, Breen and Trends are all badmen! K: It’s really exciting to be involved with what’s going on at the moment in the city. While the dubstep scene has gone very quiet in Bristol in recent years, for whatever reason, it’s been great being involved in the growing grime scene here, which the city isn’t historically as well known for. I’d concur with Neek on his selections of who to watch out for in the city, though I’m sure there’s plenty of people doing their thing that we have yet to discover, and that’s what’s exciting right now. What’s the secret to keeping your music so synonymous with the UK underground without limiting it’s appeal elsewhere? Your music seems to almost transcend those boundaries... K: It’s hard to say, although we both share a love for music from all over the world, so I guess that while we certainly identify ourselves as UK artists, subconsciously we’re always taking influence from sounds outside of our immediate environment. N: It’s probably just the amount and variety of music we listen too. That filtered through our love of UK underground music creates something a bit different, I hope. What’s the story behind your label, Bandulu? N: We started the label as a place to release our and our friends’ instrumental grime. It’s inspired by those old forgotten gems, the instrumental you can’t remember the name of. Keeping it vinyl-only is our way of continuing that lineage of quality grime beats that you can only get full quality on wax. K: We knew we wanted to start a record label since the early Sureskank days. Vinyl and dubplates are an important element to all the music projects we’re involved in and it seemed only natural for that ethos to pass over into our record label. You’ve also released on Hotline Recordings, another label with a similar, back-to-basics approach to releasing music. Is it a deliberate part of your thinking to almost shy away from digital in favour of traditional physical formats? N: We play out vinyl and dubplates; it’s just the way we prefer to showcase our music. As I’ve said before, I like to keep people guessing by having white labels and dubplates. That’s part of our craft as DJs, to keep that aspect of mystery and keep people hungry to hear and buy new music. K: It’s an issue we seem to always be debating and, really, it’s just down to personal preference. It seems that the way most music is released and consumed online nowadays has meant that, in my opinion, a ‘throw-away’ culture has arisen that’s at odds with how we personally like to discover and enjoy records. Is that an aesthetic you’re both keen to continue pursuing? K: While the vinyl and dubplate format is still relevant to the music we make, I don’t see a reason why we’d stop. N: Yeah its something I feel passionate about continuing and upholding in a digital age.
Which other cities do you think are playing a key role in the development of UK dance music? N: I’d say Manchester is on point at the moment, the slow-fast D&B coming from there is real breath of fresh air.
And finally, what are you hoping to achieve, both individually and collectively, by the end of 2014? N: Just to get more music out there, but sticking with quality over quantity, for sure. And, hopefully, to keep playing great shows all over the place!
K: Yeah I’d agree, it’s definitely one of our favourite places to play out. The crowds are well up for it! We played there recently on separate occasions as Kahn & Neek and then as Gorgon Sound and both were great experiences.
K: Yeah just to keep playing our music and the music we love to as many people as possible, all over the world. We’re excited to keep pushing our Bandulu record label as well as working with other artists and labels that we respect.
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Fatima WORDS: Gwyn Thomas De Chroustchoff
CITY CITY
TO
I
mmediately as I begin my long-distance conversation with Fatima Bramme Sey in New York, it’s obvious she’s not one for sticking to the daily grind. In just the few years since relocating from her native Sweden to East London on Halloween in 2006, she’s been a go-to vocalist for the city’s broken beat producers, worked with LA legend Dam-Funk, accidentally become a figurehead for the vibrant and exciting Eglo record label and crew, and now has a début album, ‘Yellow Memories’, under her belt. Produced by the cream of 2014’s most accomplished modern beat-makers, from the USA and beyond, including Computer Jay, Snoop Dogg collaborator Scoop Deville and Detroit deity Theo Parrish, it’s an album that demands attention.
F A T I M A
It seems that relocation, both literally and in an artistic sense, has made Fatima who she is today. Spending her youth soaking up the atmosphere and the milieu of Stockholm’s clubs, singing was just something she’d always done, without giving it too much thought. After attending music school for a spell, where she recorded her first demo, she decided to move away, having tired of living in the same city. “I liked London so thought I’d try it out, and I stayed,” she explains.
As a whole, ‘Yellow Memories’ is aesthetically quite an outgoing album, in contrast with Fatima’s own modesty. She’s obviously brimming with ideas, opinions and musical passion, though, and the album’s maximalist use of vibrant melodies and gripping harmonies reflects this. The weird computerfied jams we previously heard in collaborations with Funkineven are abandoned, for the time being, with something more homespun surfacing instead.
It was the city’s heady club culture that forced Fatima into admitting that music was what she was really about. The clubs that were still playing a lot of broken beat and hip-hop beat-driven music that still retained the soul that she responded to - were a force that pulled her in and bounced her into the people she needed to be in contact with.
“This is the thing, it kinda depends on who I work with; I could’ve gone a bit more that way. I guess it’s got a lot of contrast within it and it’s got some sides of me that people haven’t heard before. When you’re not hidden behind crazy production or massive bass; it’s just the piano and the voice. I think that can be the beauty of it, because it’s the space between... It comes through in a different way. All I know is that soul and hip-hop are always gonna be the core inspiration. And the music - I always call it soul music - even though it’s got different colours to it and I’m working with different people.”
“I knew I wanted to do something with music, but didn’t know anybody. A lot of people around me were listening to broken beat, so it got into my brain. It was really inspiring, because I never used to hear stuff like that in Sweden. I’m really blessed, because it was a special time. Co-Op - IG Culture’s night Deviation, Nonsense, CDR; through these clubs I met loads of people, like the Eglo guys... through the dancefloor.” Plastic People, which hosted a lot of these nights (along with being the original home of FWD>>) was obviously a real catalyst. It was here, singing or toasting occasionally, or just hanging out, that Fatima first met Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), followed by Alex Nut, around the time that the two DJs were forming Eglo records. “Alex gave me a mix CD he’d done called ‘We Love Radio’. That was at the beginning of his time at Rinse FM and he asked me to come on his show. I was looking for a room, and mentioned it to him, he was renting one, so we ended up living together and becoming friends.” It’s a friendship that’s endured and provided a happily close-knit collective for some like-minded, albeit highly individual, musicians. “It’s not like you’re on some massive label and you’re just some little dot, a little screw in the machine, like, some number. We actually have some personal connection; we’re actually really good friends. Alex, Sam and all the other people that are on the label are really good people, you know. That’s why we say “the Eglo family!” - because it’s just a really good group of people, a good atmosphere. And it’s good that it makes people feel that way. We’re together, even though we’re different. It all goes together, even with all the different styles.” Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Eglo label is that, in spite of a outwardly disparate discography that includes the ghetto machine-funk of Funkineven, the jazz-laced orchestral beat odysseys of Floating Points and bass-whomping hip-hop of ARP.101 (aka Alix Perez), each new signing just seems to fit the Eglo ‘idea’ perfectly. Fatima is understandably satisfied with her début album, which has been two years in the making, becoming part of it too. “Now we’re finally ready and I’m really relieved about that. I’m happy about all the artwork, and everyone that’s been brought in to contribute and put it together.”
This nakedness reaches its climax at the finale; the Floating Points collaboration ‘Gave Me My Name’ is a expansively dynamic yet intensely personal track whose complex harmonies arise from a close collaboration between the two. Fatima is earnest about her desire for her lyrics to be given attention and when I quiz her about the “falling for it” refrain on fLakoproduced track ‘Technology’, she’s more than forthcoming about her take on the ambiguities of our digital lives. “I was just thinking, a lot of people, the way they portray themselves online is really fake, and people get addicted to the attention, the ‘likes’ and so on. Everything has got a good and a bad side to it, and we are online all the time; I think it’s fun and I don’t disagree with being a part of it. I just think it’s problematic when you’re spreading this kind of plastic-ness; just be yourself, you know!? And I just think it’s bad if you get too caught up in it and you can’t see things objectively; I think that’s a problem. Things are just escalating into something else; if you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you can see how fast it’s evolved. Like, now my phone is an extension of my arm! I love it in many ways and I hate it in many ways. I just think it’s hard to keep the balance; I’m working on it myself!” Articulating something so close to home is difficult, and even though Fatima knows she does it best through the music, you catch other glimpses of attempts to do so on the album, such as during the skit introducing ‘Family’, where we hear a much-younger version of the artist and her sister play-acting at being on the radio. “I will forget the Swedish language!” she roars in mock-anguish, this intrusive reminder of Fatima’s mother tongue and upbringing is remarkably poignant in the middle of an album whose beats, sounds and accents are so heavily marked by the US and the UK. “I grew up on a lot of Swedish music and all that, but you wouldn’t hear it in my stuff necessarily. So yeah, maybe I’m symbolically representing my original ends! This album is rooted in experiences from my past; my memories. The title comes from my grandma’s yellow house: a symbol of my childhood, love, family, and growing up.” FATIMA’S DÉBUT ALBUM ‘YELLOW MEMORIES’ IS OUT NOW ON EGLO RECORDS.
038 TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
“ YO U
F E E L
B E C A U S E E V E RY
I N S P I R E D
YO U
P L A C E
D AY- T O - D AY R E A L I T Y
K E E P
M O V I N G .
B E C O M E S N O R M A L
E V E N T U A L L Y. ”
Now Or Never WORDS: Jon Cook
PHOTOS: Ollie Grove
REDLI IGHT
R E D L I G H T
M
uch has changed since Trap’s first issue back in October 2010. In the three and a half intervening years, we’ve watched house music take over the underground, dubstep retreat to the shadows and grime be re-born... We’ve seen the renaissance of American club music and we’ve observed enthralled as the bass-driven sounds this magazine was originally set up to celebrate have topped the charts and made global superstars of teenagers.
TRAP: Anyone big passed through the new studio recently? “Yeah, we’ve had some big artists down... And some new ones, too. What I really wanna do at the moment, though, is get new people that no one’s ever really heard of and produce albums for them. I’m looking for those people; I want to do that.”
All we need do is flick through our first edition for a permanent and physical reminder of just how much has changed. Peering out from that inaugural issue were two fresh faces who personified everything about the moment and culture we were trying to capture in print. Embracing the new and boundary-free musical terrain they found themselves in, good friends Redlight and Toddla T provided a perfect first cover for us.
You’re talking about much more than just dance music? “Yeah, not just dance music; I’m making a lot of RnB, working with singers from that style of things. I’m really into song writing, I love it, and I find producing songs for artists, you can get involved in a different way than when just making tracks. You can push the artist and yourself in other ways - because the pressure isn’t so much on you as a producer, you can drive an artistic angle through them. If they’re up for it, you can get some really good things going on.
Despite the innumerable changes in fashions and musical trends of the last four years, both remain the ultimate Trap Magazine poster boys, not just playing and making the music they love, but actively pushing it forward at every chance.
“I like working with people. As a producer, you can get so caught up in your own world, so it’s great working with big teams and creating something. That’s a big reason why we moved to this place. It’s bigger, more people can come in.”
But this isn’t about Toddla, it’s about Redlight. And with a recent EP featuring Wu Tang’s Raekwon hinting at a massive year ahead for the West London-based producer and DJ, we knew the time had come to ask a past coverstar to grace our front page for the second time... Meeting Redlight on a late-spring morning at his impressive studio in North London, it’s immediately clear the last few years have been kind to a man who famously gave up everything to do what he loved. With an all-black German whip and a studio space that looks more like the sort of flat you usually see four people crammed into in London, this is clearly a man at the top of his game. Inside the studio there’s more vintage and high-end equipment than we’ve ever seen in one place in our lives, and the custom-built speakers shake the room as Redlight flicks through some of his latest tracks on a MacBook while seated at an enormous Neve mixing desk. As an old friend of the magazine, things feel far more relaxed than the usual cover-shoot and interview process, and over a coffee in a nearby café, conversation naturally begins on the subject of the time that’s passed since we last met...
More people like Raekwon, who featured on your recent ‘36’ EP... How exactly did a British dance music producer end up in the studio with one of Wu Tang Clan? “It’s something I didn’t see coming. I never thought ever, ‘Oh, I’ll do a track with one of Wu Tang one day.’ Of course I never thought that! And I was never looking for that. For that to fall in my lap... That was a lot of fun.” Fun is a bit of an understatement, surely? That must have been a real ‘fuck-me’ moment? “Yeah it was. If you’d told me when I was 16 that I’d end up doing that, I wouldn’t have believed you! But going to America, working with those artists, you realise; ‘Hang on, there’s no point shitting myself here, I’ve managed to get here for a reason. I don’t know how, but I’m here, so let’s try and make something happen. “And nine times out of 10, when you work with people like that, they’re up for it. Someone like Raekwon, he’s toured and recorded all over the world, he’s worked with a lot of different people, so he’s very easy to work with. But you have to be very respectful of their art form; what they do and what I do, it’s different. I like playing around with vocals, cutting them up and reworking them. With that track and with Raekwon, I couldn’t really do that.”
“I’d only just moved to London then. A lot has changed. Toddla’s still down there, but I left there at the end of last year. I just needed a bigger place to do what I want to do. Working with my management company, Stackhouse, we’ve taken on this place in Kentish Town that we’re using fulltime. It’s a professional spot, we’re renting it out to different people and it enables me to do more of what I’m moving into as a producer now; producing for different artists. We’ve had quite a few passing through there already and there’s another session on Sunday... It’s louder, too... We can make noise in there, basically!”
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R E D L I G H T
“I love playing those parties, I’m down with that. You can use tracks as tools, or keys. ‘Lost In Your Love’ was a tool, a key to different parties and audiences, having some fun and a ball-out summer! But that’s not the only place I want to be. Like two years before, when I was making tracks like ‘Source 16’; you don’t just want to make tunes to rewind in a rave. Everything has a feeling behind it and to it, it’s just about where you wanna be at that point. The EP was a statement that said ‘We’re doing something different and we’re having fun with it.’”
So as a producer working with an artist, you have to play second fiddle to what they want? “Exactly, I’m not gonna help Raekwon write a verse! I could have really gone in and tried loads of different techniques on it, but I realised; you know what, it’s a moment, it’s a picture, it’s us walking into that room and that track is what we got. “What’s been really interesting about it all, which has been a massive eye opener for me, has been tapping into a fan base you never thought you’d have any impact on. You see it through social media. All of a sudden, I was getting 400 tweets a day when the video clip went up, people saying ‘Oh my god this is amazing’, to ‘What have you done?’ and ‘Raekwon’s making EDM’... “Suddenly, this huge thing called America is sprawling all over your twitter feed, people accusing the track of having a political message, blasting on about ‘derogatory lyrics’. Nah, it was just people having fun! It’s not about waking up at 7am to get on the stock exchange or hustling on the street; it’s just a track, man! A bit of music. “It’s cool, I got some good response off that track, people I didn’t expect to be into it were feeling it, but then there were those that perhaps only knew me for more commercial stuff like ‘Lost In Your Love’, and they didn’t understand it. It was a nod to where I’ve come from and my personal journey for me being a kid going to hip-hop shows and jungle raves. It was a nod to that, rather than ‘Hey, let’s make a track with Raekwon.’ It was a photo moment.” You mention your roots as a hip-hop and jungle kid, and we all know about your past life as a D&B producer. All that makes the lead track from your recent EP ‘36’, which is all boogie vocals and shimmering pop sensibilities, quite a departure from the music you first fell in love with and produced... “Lotti who sang on that track is a good friend of mine. The way I make music and work with different people is, if the vibe ain’t right, we’re scrapping it and we’re going again. It was one of those with that tune. It was a hip-hop track originally, we went back in, had some fun and made something totally different. We wanted a smacked-up heroin feeling, but instead we made a disco tune!” After tracks like ‘Lost In Your Love’ and ‘Get Out My Head’, some might have had you down as a man purely gunning for those main-stage festival slots and Radio One playlists....
Which, surely, is what Redlight is all about after leaving D&B behind? If you wanted to just do one thing and make one style of music, you could have stayed there... “Yeah, exactly. I don’t even know what I’m doing, I’m just trying to do something different! Sometimes you pull it off, sometimes you don’t. I’m proud of the EP, because it was a lot of different things. The track ‘Thunder’ – I always play an RnB tune in my set; a Kelly Rowland, The Weeknd or Jeremih tune, but now, I can draw for one of my own. “But I wanna do it like the yanks; I don’t wanna do some corny British pop RnB. I wanna draw for some gully shit! X-Rated porno stuff! It’s a movie, man! I wanna make movies, not three-minute tunes to get me into charts or on the biggest festival stages. If that happens, great, but I wanna make movies!” You mean with your music? “Yeah... Well, I wanna make movies too, but that’s another thing! ‘Thunder’, to me, is an 80s movie. That’s how you want it; a verse that gives you a feeling, a chorus that takes you to the next stage... You want explosions, depth, and then a happy ending when the credits come up. If I’m using full vocals, that’s how I’m looking at tunes these days. If it’s instrumental, that’s different; you can just listen to a kick and a 909 high-hat all the way to the drop. I love that, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve done that most of my life, so I’m looking for something more now.” Raekwon isn’t the only hip-hop legend you’ve been working with either. We saw a photo of you on facebook with Mobb Deep a few months back... “Yeah, we’ve done two tunes. They’ve done a version of ‘Thunder’. It’s fucking sick, part two – the redux! The extended edition! They’re just re-editing the scenes, but their story is over the top, the chorus is still in there, but it’s very much on the New York street now. They picked that track. My experience of working with hip-hop artists is that you play them a bunch of tunes for them to choose from; they picked that one and rolled it out.” Mobb Deep, though! Do you not pinch yourself when you’re in that sort of situation recording with legendary rappers like those two? “My friend Dread was with me as well, which was wicked, it’s nice to have crew there. If I was there on my own, it would have been a bit daunting; they all roll in 10-man deep. You’re in the studio with 10 people you don’t know and they’re all looking at you like ‘What have you got for us?’ If you fail at that moment; it doesn’t matter, but it will hurt for a minute. But you have to not be scared of failing; ‘If you’re in my shit, you’re in it. If you’re not, who gives a fuck?’”
044 TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
“ S U D D E N LY, T H I N G
H U G E
C A L L E D
A M E R I C A A L L
T H I S
O V E R
T W I T T E R
I S
S P R AW L I N G
Y O U R F E E D . ”
“ Y O U T O
D O N ’ T
M A K E
R E W I N D
J U S T
T U N E S I N
A
WA N T
T O
R AV E . ”
R E D L I G H T
Did you get any idea of how they perceived you, as a British dance music producer? “There’s a massive difference between how everyone works in the states and how everyone works in the UK. Here, in the UK, people are like, ‘Nah I’m not going with that guy on that line-up, I don’t want to work with that person, it needs to look this way...’ It’s all about perception, who you’re associated with, how people look at you and if you’re cool or not. “In the states, it’s just about getting money. They get it any which way they can, they just wanna get up. The UK, it’s smaller, and it feels like everyone is doing their own thing again, keeping it to themselves, whereas a few years ago, it wasn’t like that here. It opened up a few years ago here, everyone on one line-up, from Jackmaster to Skream to Hype to EZ to Breach – it wasn’t about ‘this should only be here, and that should only be there’. And now it feels it’s gone back to that more.” People might be working together less than a few years back, but it’s prettyclear plenty of UK producers are doing exactly what Raekwon says on your track – getting money. We’ve had Duke Dumont and Route94 hit Number One and Disclosure go Platinum in the last 12 months. Is a Number One something you strive for? “It’s not something I want. I’d take it., But it would have to be on my terms; I wouldn’t want a Number One with a tune that I’m not into. That’s what’s so good about Route94 being Number One – watching that do so well made me really happy, because it’s just a club tune; it wasn’t made to be a Number One record. It’s great that the doors are open to that.” And you’re still dedicated to the underground – your Lobster Boy label and its artists have been putting out some serious club bangers recently... “Lobster Boy is going really well. It’s a label I’m really proud to have, and the artists on there are great - NYTA, Mak & Pasteman, Last Japan. With the new studio I can bring people through, I love A&R-ing, and it’s good to dosomething against the grain. It’s all about all of it. From mainstage house music through to the club bangers... It’s like food; you might like a bit of chocolate, you might like some broccoli, why can’t music be like that? Haha.” That’s quite a statement. Although, it kind of feels like everything you do as a producer and with music is done to make statement? “Yeah, I think that’s just me as a person. Talk to anyone who knows me, that’s who I am. Sometimes it’s good for me to be that person, sometimes it’s not. I know I can be irresponsible when I’m making music; I’ll make a track I don’t really like, but I make it cause that’s how I’m feeling at that moment. Then all of a sudden, that’s the tune everyone wants! And then the tune I’m really feeling; no one is even interested.
“It’s the same with music; you can be so experimental that you’re never gonna make any money and no one is gonna listen to your music, because you’re too far ahead. You may as well be making ABBA hits; it’s not good being too far ahead. It may be great to feel like Mr Creative, but if your music’s so future, no one will want to listen to it. Sometimes you have to think about that...” It’s not just about being creative, then? “No. You’ve gotta survive man. And that’s an art-form in itself. And also, you wanna make people dance; it’s dance music. It’s not about loving your own progressiveness or musicality. It’s a really interesting time, because so many people have created things in the past are now moving on to new styles or genres, which can only be a good thing for moving things up.” Well, yourself for one? You left the D&B sound you helped create behind... “Yeah. But it wasn’t just that for me, I was going round in circles. I didn’t feel like I was feeding off it any more; there wasn’t any more creativity or spark there left to give. I’d do it again...” And now that you’re in that studio, you’re working with artists like Mobb Deep and Raekwon and bringing through new artists, have you found the spark you were looking for? “Yeah, I think I have. You’ve just gotta go for it. It’s like Damien Hirst, the artist. The money his success has brought him, all it’s really allowed him to do is use a better canvas. Now he can use diamonds to decorate a skull, before he would have had to use diamantés from the pound-shop! “Money enables you to create things that you couldn’t before. I wouldn’t have been able to get Raekwon or Mobb Deep on a track, or have a studio that I can go into and make music on a bigger scale. “I’m allowing the money I’ve made over the last couple of years to put me on a different platform, so I can go again and create something different again. Not saying it will be better than before, but you’ve got to give it a go. And why the fuck not? It’s now or never...” @UKREDLIGHT
“People know what they want, it’s like fashion. I’ve started a fashion brand with my friend who’s a designer, Jeff James. We can make a nice varsity jacket right now and people will want it, but put a load of yellow paint all over it and give it big lapels, no one will want to wear it. But in 50 years they might, but you’ve missed your market.
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B
ehind every artist, scene and record label, there’s a hidden clutch of talented and driven individuals taking care of the business end. They are the label managers, distributors, mastering technicians, PR specialists and designers whose work plays a vital role in packaging and pushing the music you love, but who invariably remain hidden silently behind the end product. One such unsung hero from the world of underground dance music, and more specifically drum & bass, is designer Jon Black. If you bought any release from that scene’s leading labels back in the 1990s or 2000s, chances are you’ve not just seen Jon’s work, but watched it rotate at 45 revolutions per minute on the label of a 12-inch slab of wax.
Creating futuristic graphic landscapes for the likes of Metalheadz, Ram Records and Virus to name a few, Black’s work provided livery for many of D&B’s biggest anthems and was a significant force in defining the tense, sci-fi aesthetic that became synonymous with what was then dance music’s most forward thinking of strains. With the recent Metalheadz twentieth anniversary stirring our memories of those now long-gone days, we decided the time was right to look back and showcase some of Black’s most significant work for Metalheadz and many of the UK’s other now legendary dance labels. For a full interview with Jon Black and to view more of his work, make sure you check the new Trap website. TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
METALHEADZ #1
METALHEADZ #2
SPORTS BANGER
S
ports Banger is a lifestyle brand with a difference. A big difference. The work of Johnny Banger, a man loved and loathed in equal measures for his on-mic antics over Swamp81 sets on Rinse FM and at festivals and raves nationwide, you’ve no doubt come into contact with the brand’s twisted genius staring out at you from a ‘Free Tulisa’ or ‘Team Nigella’ tee-shirt - and you’ve no doubt got an opinion on it. You get the feeling Johnny Banger doesn’t care what anyone thinks though, and if he’s hated, he likes it that way. Whatever your thoughts on his MCing, the Sports Direct referencing scumbag-chic he cheekily pedals, or his omnipresent tee-shirts that are worn with both lashings and not the slightest bit of irony at the same time by hipsters and Essex birds alike, you have to applaud the man’s marketing genius and knack for seizing the cultural zeitgeist... Or maybe you don’t. But we at Trap do, even if that culture is plucked from the pages of The Sun and notices on the back of toilet doors in dingy clubs; it makes us laugh. So here’s a bunch of pictures to take you further into the world of Sports Banger. Enjoy. Or hate. It’s up to you... SPORTSBANGER.COM
MS DYNAMITE Original Soundgirl
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ith a career that’s taken her from the most credible corners of the underground to the top of the UK charts and back again, without ever losing her appeal, Ms Dynamite is quite rightly considered a UK bass music legend. Now a much-loved fixture of the UK festival circuit, the London-born singer and MC this year kicks off her summer when she performs on the Digital Soundboy x Trap Magazine stage at Love Saves The Day in Bristol on Bank Holiday Sunday 25 May. The full DSB family will be in attendance on the day, with Ms Dynamite joined by Breakage, Dismantle, B.Traits and Jakwob alongside Soundboy boss Shy FX and Mike Skinner of The Streets. Ahead of that show, we caught up with Ms Dynamite for a quick chat about the day itself and the festival season ahead... TRAP: Hey! You’re performing on our stage at LSTD this year and we can’t wait! What should we expect from your set? Lots of vibrant energy and positive vibes - people need to be prepared to let go and let loose ‘cause we go innnn and love to drag everything in sight with us! You’re playing as part of Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy camp at LSTD. Like yourself, Shy is quite the legend – what does he and his music mean to you? Shy has always been innovative, ahead of the game, authentic and a pioneer as both a DJ and producer. His amazing energy and passion for music come through anything he touches and his sets as a DJ are both a problem and the only remedy at the same time! He always has and still continues to inspire me! You play plenty of festivals these days - what’s your favourite festival experience that you remember? I won’t name names because, honestly, I’ve done so many festivals and there’s not been one that I haven’t enjoyed beyond belief! One experience that springs to mind (that I’ll never forget) was a London festival two summers ago, where I took my son and some younger brothers and sisters aged from eight to 15. They were stood on the side of the stage, all shy and embarrassed, but by the second song, my son couldn’t contain himself and was right beside me jumping up and down screaming “What you talking about!”
What’s the best thing about UK festivals? I’ve literally done festivals all over Europe, in Dubai, The Caribbean, Australia and, like I said I’ve loved every single one, but UK festivals definitely resonate within me in a unique way! The UK is home to me, so there’ll always be something super special about being in a massive tent or on a huge stage in front of thousands of people going nuts to ‘our’ vibe and ‘our’ music! And what’s the worst thing? When its cold and wet! Although the festival go-ers never let it get them down, I personally can’t stand trudging through knee-high mud and skidding all over the place in wellies. I usually end up covered in it before I’ve even set foot on stage! Are you a willing welly-wearer, or a stubborn sneaker-sacrificer? Haha, I LOVE my trainers to the point that I am unwilling to have them sacrificed! I do wellies until the stage, then put the kicks on and remove them straight after my performance! Best of both worlds... Festivals must be pretty incredible places to perform, but where’s the most memorable location you’ve ever played? There are too many to say just one! A beautiful gigantic amphitheatre in Perth, a sandy white beach in Martinique, magnificent and glorious clubs in Dubai with princesses and sheiks, a Hotel with a built-in aquarium, buzzing festival streets in Barcelona, massive snowy mountains all over Europe, cool and quirky dens and hideouts in Asia, crazy wacky Uni balls, private parties in mansions, fields, farms and skyscrapers, the biggest, boldest and brightest festivals, all the way to some of the coolest clubs on the planet right here in London. The list is endless!!! I’m totally blessed and don’t take it for granted for a second! What three items would make it into your essential festival survival kit? Water, wet wipes and wellies! And finally, what other festivals should we look out for you performing at this summer? I’ll be at Glastonbury, High Definition, Birmingham Pride, Plage Du Palais (Cannes), Boomtown and more!
Catch Ms Dynamite at Love Saves The Day in Bristol on 25 May and check @ms_dynamite for more info on other shows throughout the summer.
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B O S S S E L E C T I O N S #19
GOING IN DEEP... KEVIN SAUNDERSON
I remember hearing this in New York on the mix shows, when Tony Humphries played it at the Zanzibar and Larry Levan would play it and he would start it over and play it for about an hour... 04 CYBOTRON ‘ My Cosmic Cars’ Cybotron was Juan Atkins and Richard ‘3070’ Davis. I knew Juan, I went to high school with him and I remember going to his place when he was working on this music. He had all these funny gadgets before I’d thought about making music and all of a sudden I heard this record on the radio and DJs playing it out. It was definitely inspirational and it really opened my eyes to the electronic tools that you could use to make music. 05 KRAFTWERK ‘ Computer World’ I thought this track was so futuristic and ahead of its time. I got to know Kraftwerk through Derrick and Juan. I really love this. 06
CYBOTRON
‘Alleys of Your Mind’ Another Cybotron record that blew my mind. I thought, ‘How can he be making music like this?’ He was thinking on such a unique plateau compared to the music you heard everywhere else. It was so unique and different. 07
MR. FINGERS
‘Distant Planet’ (Original Mix) This is one of my favourite house records, the sound of the bass and the mood. I first heard this in the Music Box with Ron Hardy and I loved the sound of it. It’s almost heavenly, the way it was created. 08
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E USE THE WORD ‘LEGEND’ A LOT IN THIS MAGAZINE, BUT IN THE CASE OF KEVIN SAUNDERSON, WE REALLY MEAN IT. WITHOUT THE NYBORN, DETROIT-RAISED PRODUCER AND DJ’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO ELECTRONIC MUSIC SINCE ITS 1980S GENESIS, IT’S A COLD FACT THAT DANCE MUSIC WOULD NOT SOUND THE WAY IT DOES TODAY. REGARDED AS ONE OF THE INVENTORS OF TECHNO MUSIC ALONGSIDE HIS CHILDHOOD FRIENDS JUAN ATKINS AND DERRIK MAY, SAUNDERSON IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR LATE-80S CHART CLASSICS SUCH AS ‘GOOD LIFE’ AND ‘BIG FUN’ AS PART OF INNER CITY AND ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE ORIGINATOR ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNISABLE SYNTHBASS SOUNDS OF ALL TIME – THE REESE.
01
CERRONE
‘Supernature’ I heard ‘Supernature’ at the Paradise Garage around ‘82. It was a very unique track; it was different, it was futuristic, it was disco, it was dance, psychofunkanetic... One of my favourite tracks that I remember. 02
CHAKA KHAN & RUFUS
‘Ain’t Nobody’ A great vocal song, a great production, so smooth. It’s a great club record, a great record for radio, a great song. I heard this in New York on the radio; this is when I used to live in New York originally. 03 STEPHANIE MILLS ‘Put Your Body In It’ (12” Version)
MARSHALL JEFFERSON
‘ Move Your Body’ Obviously, this is a classic. It was an anthem from the first time I heard it, the keys, the message, the vocals; they just grabbed me. I remember hearing it on Chicago radio and all the DJs were playing it. 09 ROYAL HOUSE ‘ Can You Party’ This was the first time I’d heard a record sampled where it was put together so uniquely. It had ‘Move Your Body’ as the sample sound and it really captured a certain energy that made people want to dance, taking it to another level. 10
RHYTHM IS RHYTHM
‘Strings Of Life’ I grew up with Derrick and I heard this track when he was first creating it. It was originally a slow song, a ballad, that he turned into this magical anthem. These tracks were inspirational.
B O S S
S E L E C T I O N S
CHRIS LORENZO DIRTYBIRD
01
ZINC FT. MS DYNAMITE
‘Wile Out’ (Cause & Affect remix)
02 HANNAH WANTS & CHRIS LORENZO ‘Breathe’ 03 AMINE EDGE & DANCE
‘Halfway Crooks’
CAUSE & AFFECT ‘Operation 60’ CHRIS LORENZO & MARC SPENCE ‘Eviction Notice’ 06 FOAMO ‘Rep Your Manor’ 07 STANTON WARRIORS VS. CAUSE & AFFECT ‘Bounce’ 08 CLAUDE VON STROKE ‘Who’s 04 05
Afraid of Detroit’
CAUSE & AFFECT ‘The Tickle’ HANNAH WANTS & CHRIS LORENZO ‘Kneadin’ 09 10
MUMDANCE
S.P.Y
TECTONIC
BENTON
HOSPITAL
SWAMP81
01 LYNX, TERRY TIPTOE & MC FATS ‘Nothing More’ 02 ASIDES & MC FATS ‘Moment in
time’ (S.P.Y Remix)
01
MUMDANCE FT. NOVELIST
‘Take Time’ 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
DARK0 ‘Sweet Boy Tears’ MITE ‘Cemetery Seance’ WEN & PARRIS ‘Caught’ MUMDANCE ‘The Sprawl’ RENE HELL ‘Le Kitchen Map’ DJ ODDZ ‘Victory’ PINCH & MUMDANCE ‘Turbo
Mitzi’ VIP 09 10
RABIT ‘More Memories’ LOGOS ‘No Skyline’
03 EASTCOLORS, TRAFFIC & NOEL FT. MESSY MC ‘Dreams’ 04 DR MEAKER ‘Fighter’ (Unreal V.I.P
Remix) 05 06 07
KONISHI ‘Engulfer’ SUB FOCUS ‘Close’ (Ivy Lab Remix) S.P.Y & TOTAL SCIENCE ‘Whonga’
(Chroma Remix)
DLR & SCRIPT FT. MARTYNA BAKER ‘Blue Room’ 09 BCEE ‘Back To The Street’ (S.P.Y 08
Jungle Vip) 10
S.P.Y & MARKY ‘Give Me Your Love’
(Mutated Forms Remix v1)
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01 02 03
BENTON ‘The Callin’ FALTY DL ‘Power’ CHUNKY & PALEMAN ‘Came To
Cut Shapes’ 04 05 06
BODDIKA ‘Tricky’s Team’ BENTON ‘Airtight’ MICKEY PEARCE & NYTA
‘Campari & Soda’ 07 08 09 10
MUMDANCE & LOGOS ‘Drum Boss’ GARVO ‘Typewriter’ BENTON ‘KT2’ PALEMAN ‘Beezeldub’
9TH BIRTHDAY
DJ NU MARK THE NEXTMEN J RAWLS J U R A S S I C
4
L O N E
D E C K
5
S E T
C A T A L Y S T S
/
R & B
S E T
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R E V I E W S #19
T i m D u b B o y , O l i G r a n t , O s c a r , H e n s o n , J u s t i n I r i a j e n , N a c h o J P, F i r e M a n S a m , E r i n M a t h i a s , C h r i s t i a n N e w m a n , B o r o , J o n C a r t e r, S a r a h B o n , S h a u n P h i l l i p s , Chris Thomas & Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff.
PHOTO: Ashes57
CONTRIBUTORS:
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘HYPERDUB 10.1’ (Hyperdub)
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o label has more vibrantly reflected the morphing spirit of underground dance music, with its unpredictable shifts and transactions across the past decade, than Hyperdub. Various species of modern inner-city sounds - garage, dubstep, grime, UK funky, house, techno, footwork, trap-music and RnB – have mutated and infected each other during the label’s time. Likewise, scattered producers and vocalists from London, Chicago, Detroit, Tokyo and elsewhere have all found support and collaboration under the wing of founder Steve Goodman (aka Kode 9).
As the influential label reaches its tenth birthday, Goodman is forced celebrate it appropriately, so ‘Hyperdub 10.1’ is the first of four compilations to mark the triumphant achievement. With a discography so diverse and ever-adapting, the contents of these two discs – representing the last five years of output – are as wide-ranging as you’d expect. While the second disc covers older releases from Burial, Cooly G and others, the first disc contains almost entirely new material, of an unrelentingly high standard. The grand list of contributors includes almost the full spectrum of highly-rated Chicago footwork producers, reflecting the label’s prime preoccupation of late.
TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 077
Two of these tracks feature DJ Rashad, whose untimely recent death adds poignancy to this landmark year for Hyperdub. ‘Acid Life’, with Gantman, revisits footwork’s original acid and ghettotech source material, but with a fresh, warped perspective. Spinn’s ‘All My Teklife’ is another breathtaking whirl of feeling and motion. Elsewhere, new contributions from Mark Pritchard, Helix, Kode 9 himself, dubstep genius Mala, and Detroit’s Kyle Hall rank with their best ever – the disjointed half-step of the latter’s ‘Girl U So Strong’ is a stunning new angle for him. This is powerful stuff, no doubt about it. GTDC ___
R E V I E W S GERRY READ ‘SOCIALIZE’ / ‘CHARCOAL’ (Fourth Wave) ___
S
The impertinent Gerry Read returns on his usual label with two functional doses of typically percussive-leaning tracks. ‘Socialize’ morphs from forlorn beginnings into a crass headbutt to any empathy that the opening chords suggested. ‘Charcoal’ is the stronger track, and retains a sinister vigour in spite of its bounding bassline. You know he’s looking for trouble and, knowing Read, he will almost definitely find it.
MUNGO’S HI FI ‘SERIOUS TIME’ (Scotch Bonnet) ___
___
T
SP
“
he dub-reggae and dancehall production unit - and the heaviest soundsystem crew in Scotland - ready their fourth album of crisp and heavy riddims with a mighty selection of vocalists. It’s their most radio-friendly opus yet, starting off with plenty of ska and rocksteady horn sections for smiling skankouts. We’re happy to see the return of Warrior Queen, though her style on ‘Can’t Stand It’ is more meek than you’d expect from that formidable figure. There’s some quality digisteppa action on ‘Bike Rider’, with Pupajim’s gently-voiced patois riding the beat. Heaviest riddim award goes to the Soom T collaboration ‘Thinking Of An Island’, with a sub-rubbing bass pulse in contrast beneath the sweetly-sung and enigmatic lyrics. Alongside the heavier electronic tracks with Solo Banton, Mr Williamz, Charlie P and others, the closing tune with the legendary Cornell Campbell is undoubtedly the jewel in ‘Serious Time’’s dub crown.
___
GTDC
DIRTY DANGER
‘DANGER SEASON’ EP
(Ruff Sqwad Ent) ___ As one of the key members of Ruff Sqwad, Dirty Danger’s distinctive production is no secret. Interestingly, this EP has picked up some hip-hop styles, sampling Dead Prez’s biggest tune and featuring Atlanta’s Bayku, alongside a bunch of grime legends. He remains grounded, though; ‘Ride’ harks back to emotive Dizzee classics, while ‘Hero’ reverts to Ruff Sqwad’s penchant for sampling dodgy 1980s pop tunes. This is a well-rounded release showing a refreshing progression.
LUKE VIBERT ‘RIDMIK’ (Hypercolour) ___
S
hock and scepticism were this reviewer’s first reactions to the announcement of this album. Firstly, because Hypercolour are usually more concerned with showcasing new talent than veterans such as Vibert; and then because I was briefly mistaken that he would be offering some kind of trendy bass-oriented house. After listening, it’s clear that the 303 virtuoso has achieved creative freedom, as this work fits with the massively enjoyable eccentricity and selfindulgence of Vibert’s previous LPs. There’s no concession to trends or hype; it’s just what the man does best, pushing his 303 to the limits and exploring the borders and inner soul of acid music, be it downtempo, house or techno. Syrupy bass, imploring synths and crisp 808 drum machine rhythms fill a lengthy session of knob-twiddling fun; ‘Ridmik’ is Vibert in top shape.
___ NJP
___ FMS
FUTURE ‘HONEST’ (RCA) ___
A
tlanta’s brilliantly-named Nayvadius Cash finally drops his second album in bombastic style, with huge guests including Kanye West and Drake. The simplistic MCing and overblown, emotive narrative won’t be to everyone’s taste, but this is what ‘Honest’ is all about. The production here absolutely kills it; the big monsters being ‘How Can I Not’, ‘Sh!t’ and, above all, ‘Move That Dope’. On the latter, trap-music wunderkind Mike Will smashes out a 16-wheeler of a beat, which features some of album’s best flows, courtesy of Pusha T, Casino and Pharrell Williams. Andre 3000’s carelessly cool verses add some much needed levity, though he stumbles over a clumsily-penned and inappropriately sweary chorus. And say what you will about autotune - Future bloody loves it, and uses it to create some stirring moments of all-engulfing, egotistical earnestness here, the pompous, rushing tragedy of ‘Never Satisfied’s denouement, for one.
___ CN
078 TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK
R E V I E W S BREAK SL ‘ATLANTIC OCEAN ROAD’ (Uncanny Valley) ___
S
Long-term label affiliate Break SL returns to Dresden’s finest label with a bustling concoction of nifty melodicism and taught, mechanical percussion. ‘Atlantic Ocean Road’ unfurls behind muted, glacial pads and a buoyant pulse, while the sharpened drums and rumbling bass of ‘FM 4 Life’ establish a tough and nimble groove. The twisted polyrhythms of ‘Trocadero’ then give way to the tumbling kicks and masterful synth work of ‘Malstroem’, completing a package as musically astute as it is rhythmically effective.
FATIMA ‘YELLOW MEMORIES’ (Eglo) ___
___ CN
POINT B ‘HEART OF MATTER’ (Frijsfo Beats) ___
T VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘PLATINUM BREAKS 4’ (Metalheadz) ___
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latinum Breakz’ is one of D&B’s most prestigious and longest-running series of compilations, although it’s been well over a decade since Volume 3. Like its predecessors, a cursory look at the tracklist suggests that the sheer weight of trailblazing producers here makes it worth the wait. There are too many treats to mention in full, but a few of the highlights include: the first single, AI’s ‘War Horse’, on which MC DRS builds the tension before a heavily distorted bassline is unleashed; Ivy Lab and Hydro’s silky smooth ‘Make It Clear’,and Om Unit’s ‘Timelines’ is classic Metalheadz, with its atmospheric backdrop and outstandingly intricate percussion. This is looking like a strong candidate for D&B album of the year. JCARTER ___
his sometimes underrated, always brilliant producer makes a welcome return to Frijsfo with a slick follow up album to 2012’s ‘The Veld’. After taking time out to focus on production last year, on ’Heart of Matter’ Point B delivers his signature 2-step, UKG and dubstep fusions, but with a distinct change in the predominant mood, as the LP shines with a new, ethereal brightness and sanguinity. The introspective qualities of previous works remain - particularly on the haunting soundscapes of ‘Jasenovac’ and ‘Notiluca’ - but with a general sense of optimism and a summery glow shaping the tone throughout. These melodically vivid, rhythmically varied constructions flow together seamlessly and, with no obvious stand-out, are perhaps best appreciated listening from start to finish. A beautiful long player.
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fter a short, but vibrant, music career, the voice of Eglo records has finally crystallized her ever-changing sound into a sparklingly soulful debut album. The production by Floating Points is one of the defining features here, soundtracking one third of the tracks, and it’s some of the most ambitious and jazz-informed work we’ve ever seen from him. There are a raft of other keen talents though, and much adept melding of beautiful vocals and cool, swinging, sophisticated production, including some contribution by Theo Parrish to the brilliant opening track, ‘Do Better’. A-list hip-hop guy Scoop Deville crafts a throbbing, bluesy stand-out with ‘Ridin Round (Sky High)’. The lovelorn synths of ‘Underwater’ bring a lump to the throat, and ‘Biggest Joke of All’ sees Fatima and Floating Points unite for a toe-tapping heartburster worthy of the finest Winehouse.
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MOLESKIN ‘GCA003’
(Goon Club Allstars) ___ A sense of urgency underpins this hybrid club release from the label’s founder, following the underground success of Mssingno’s ‘XE2’. ‘We Been Ready’’s kwaito-swing carries a triumphant horn section; ‘Clemency’ has strong Baltimore-club and vogue elements, with short, switching sections sparring for the central role. On the B-side, nauseous pitch-shifts dominate ‘Chips’, with what sounds like a long, stretched, exasperated gasp providing the half-beat. Obnoxious in noise and thunderous in rhythm.
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R E V I E W S ALEX SMOKE ‘RS1403’ (R&S) ___
Alex Smoke returns to the classic-yet-reinvigorated label with four measures of skittering, layered techno. Smoke’s own vocodered vocals provide a subtle euphoria on opener ‘Green Man’. The scythe-like synths on ‘LSD’ seem to groan in turmoil during the track’s climax, and the unabashedly trance-indebted arpeggios of ‘Tommy Knockers’ make for an engaging pairing with the almost dancehall-like rhythm laced underneath. A stellar record from an artist who’s addition to the R&S roster is making more and more sense with each release.
S MARTYN
‘THE AIR BETWEEN WORDS’ (Ninja Tune) ___
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he third LP by the Dutchborn Martijn Deijkers is an album that shows a more organic side to the producer’s vivid house and techno. Compared to the hi-tech structures of previous LP Ghost People, here he we hear him focusing more on the finer details of sound design, with a more raw, back-to-basics attitude where composition and production are concerned. ‘The Air Between Words’ reflects the artist’s eclecticism and displays a wide, colourful sound palette without losing cohesiveness; his vibrant, epic Four Tet collaboration on ‘Glassbeadgames’ is particularly striking. It might not be Martyn’s most boundary-pushing effort, after his history of innovation in D&B and dubstep too, but it’s packed with bold, exciting sounds and rhythms. We can only be thankful for having such an interesting character in the game.
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MURLO VS TRC ‘YOU & ME’ (Crazylegs) ___
Murlo revisits one of TRC’s recent vocal killers for the Bristol label to devastating effect, stripping it back to the yearning vocal and starting afresh. Glacial chimes and pitched up-vocals help construct something entirely new, albeit with a nod to emotive grime classics like ‘Ghetto Kyote’ and the kind of R&B that classic UKG borrowed from. Minimal drums give the vocal and melody space as strings, stabs and warming bass throbs propel the track’s spiralling beauty.
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FATIMA AL QADIRI ‘ASIATISCH’ (Hyperdub) ___
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his Brooklyn-based artist takes a characteristically conceptual approach to her debut LP; armed with the crosscultural sound of ‘sinogrime’ (search for Kode 9’s mix on Youtube), she travels an ‘imagined China’, aiming to examine western perceptions of Asian culture. What results is a compelling album that certainly feels like a journey. Her haunting, evolving palette of bells, gongs and eastern vocals hang inquisitively, joined by swells of synthetic tones that colour a landscape that’s often at its most powerful when beatless, her tough but cautious beats moving the listener to the next sonic scenario. Highlights like ‘Wudang’ and ‘Shenzhen’ prove devastatingly beautiful, but it’s as a whole that this album truly shines; it’s quite unlike anything else out there and certainly succeeds in meeting ambition with talent.
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MOSCA ‘NO SPLICE NO PLAYBACK’ (Not So Much) ___
Mosca’s 4/4 refinement continues as he launches his own label. ‘Suckle (Twenties)’ bounds forward with his usual swagger, before the lead line takes centre-stage. Like experiencing Carnival from the depths of a Temazepam coma, it’s an instant earworm, after which things quickly roll downwards to sub-sea-level depths. The twitching groove of ‘Vinny (Flamingo)’ on the flip makes for a more downcast expedition that would work as well early doors as it would in the small hours. SP
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BUNJI GARLIN ‘READY FOR THE ROAD’ EP (VP) ___
Trinidadian soca artist Bunji Garlin is one of the most exciting names in the Caribbean right now. This EP collects all his big hits from this year’s carnival, including the huge ‘Differentology’ and ‘Truck On D Road’, his 2014 street anthem with hotter-than-hot production duo Jus Now. Newer cuts ‘Red Light District’ and ‘Carnival Tabanca’ continue to expertly showcase the variety to found within soca music. Bunji’s not someone you can ignore at the moment.
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R E V I E W S ISHAN SOUND ‘NAMKHA’ EP (Tectonic) ___
Young Echo’s Ishan Sound continues to develop his trademark breed of soundsystem essentialism on this remarkable new 12-inch for Pinch’s label. The rhythmic intensity of ‘Namkha’ is maintained almost entirely by a juddering low-end, underpinning his instantly recognizable synth work; scooped, hollowed-out melodies, constantly warping and detuning above the weight of the bassline. Both ‘NN Special’ and Kahn’s remix go on to re-imagine ‘Namkha’ as distorted, menacing and loping. Absolute excellence.
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IMPEY ‘BANGCLAP’ / ‘4TITUDE’ (Sector 7 Sounds) ___
Boofy and Lemzly Dale’s vinyl-only label has announced its second release, this time from Impey, a fellow Bristol grime kid who is set to make waves. His take on the genre fuses old-school grime with spaced-out ambience and an occasional sense of dread, reminiscent of the golden era of dubstep. The standout is ‘Bangclap’, a half-step riddim whose intricate synth layers, vocal samples and midi string arrangement recall some of grime’s legendary producers.
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RABIT/LOGOS
‘GLACIAL SOUND VS MISNOMER’ (White Label) ___
S S.P.Y ‘BACK TO BASICS’ (Hospital) ___
ANSWER CODE REQUEST ‘CODE’ (Ostgut Ton) ___
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t’s been a while since Berghain, the truly legendary Berlin club, set its gamechanging trajectory in the monumental nightlife of that city. In this time, the club has served as a platform to stardom for many resident DJs, including Ben Klock, Marcel Dettman and, more recently, Answer Code Request. His debut LP on Berghain’s affiliated label is a reflection of the sound signature that has defined the club. This is techno in its most darkly hypnotic form, but it also takes the melodic influence of Detroit on-board, while leaving further space for experimentation, too. ‘Code’ is an excellent and balanced work that doesn’t get old or overplayed after multiple listens - on the contrary, it gains more with every new play. A great addition to the Ostgut Ton canon.
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razilian maestro S.P.Y returns with an unashamedly brash follow-up to 2012’s ‘What The Future Holds’. As the album title suggests, the producer reverts back to the jagged beats, painfully raw basslines and intense synths that first brought his sound to our attention. There are constant, but subtle, reminders throughout of the parent label’s influence, from the lusciously soulful tones of legendary Hospital affiliate Diane Charlemagne on intro roller ‘Dusty Fingers’, to the stomping title track. Unlike its predecessor, this release maintains all the power and intensity that listeners should rightfully expect from a S.P.Y album. Other notable contributions come from Total Science, Rene La Vie and DRS who each complement S.P.Y’s overall sonic forcefulness. The perfect second album.
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LAS ‘PIRATES’ EP
(Innamind Recordings) ___ For such oppressively sub-heavy music, the groove, funk and swing on ‘Pirates’ is immense; this is an absolute corker, built to dance to. Innamind’s landmark tenth release is celebrated with a double 12inch, featuring three other similarly ingenious and mystifyingly good future-classics that remind us just why Finland’s LAS is one now of the top dubstep producers for those in the know. Heavyweight soundsystem music with a difference.
Glacial Sound, arguably Grime’s freshest label, meets Rabit’s brand new Misnomer imprint on a devastating white label of club-smashing refixes. ‘Creeper’ and ‘Pulse X’ receive worthy updates by Rabit and Logos respectively, and the pair combine again as Logos re-imagines Rabit’s ‘Double Dragon’ with icy brilliance. The highlight though is an certified earworm from Rabit, as Kelly Rowland’s ‘Dirty Laundry’ receives the eski treatment.
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elijah & skilliam — FABRICLIVE 75
“Packed with exclusives, instrumental cuts and stellar mc contributions... a killer.” — clash Forthcoming in the series: Deetron, Calyx & TeeBee, Marcel Dettmann. www.fabriclondon.com
Elijah & Skilliam of East London outfit Butterz are arguably grime’s ambassadors, having helped raise it to the forefront of the electronic music landscape through their long-running label, Rinse FM show and FABRICLIVE residency. Showcasing the breadth of the music without diluting their own identity, FABRICLIVE 75 includes tracks made specifically for the mix, exclusive dubplates and VIP versions, amongst a host of unreleased heavy hitters, creating a landmark release for the grime scene.
R E V I E W S
hip-hop, R&B and soul. Followers of the producer’s sound should be excited, as Lenzman indulges in all we’ve come to expect from him - smooth rolling basslines, wispy female vocals, rich textured drum patterns and plenty of bottomless sub-bass.
LENZMAN ‘LOOKING AT THE STARS’ (Metalheadz)
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fter a succession of highly-rated releases for some of the scenes most credible imprints, Dutchborn producer Lenzman has finally delivered his first full-length album, offering his unique spin on a genre that means so much, to so many, around the world. The result is a beautifully crafted collection of tracks taking clear influences from the genres that all great jungle and D&B has always borrowed from - jazz,
FACTA ‘LOVELESS’ / ‘TUNGSTEN’ (Idle Hands) ___
Trap contributor Oscar Henson brings some pendulous dubstep-techno to Bristol’s genre-blending, locally-sourced stable. Enthusiasts of the transitional sounds circa 2007/8 that blended techno machinery and dubbed-out garage swing-and-whomp (e.g. 2562 and TRG) will enjoy ‘Tungsten’ no end, while ‘Loveless’ blends the rhythms and moods of early Pinch and DMZ to perfection, in a treacle-thick tribute to the masters. Though the influences are obvious, this is masterful in its own right.
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Right from the off, the influences are refreshingly apparent - ‘Lazy Days’ shimmers and flows with a classically understated R&B vocal hook, while the distinctive keys and augmented double-bass of ‘Just Can’t Take’, featuring Mancunian mic-man DRS, borrows heavily from jazz. At other times, the references are more stark, taking things firmly outside the standard D&B framework - interlude ‘It’s Yours’ is a straight up hip-hop track, in both tempo and composition, whereas ‘Anticipate’ is a classic slice of soul complete with emotive vocals and a smooth guitar hook. ‘Looking At The Stars’ is an accomplished debut album that reaches into the very core of what fuels the enduring appeal of drum & bass music, carrying and subsequently reshaping myriad influences from multiple musical eras, movements and sounds into whole new shapes and directions.
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FLAVA D ‘IN THE DANCE’ EP (Formula) ___
This South Londoner has become one of the grime and garage scene’s brightest lights in the past year. Champion’s taken note, signing three tracks that fit his label’s mutant UK funky style rather well, though this is true bassline, embellished with the warrior garb of grime. Warping basslines, colossal orchestra strikes and sly sampling; if you’re not ‘ard enough then just exit the rave when these ones get dropped.
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R E V I E W S MR ONE HUNDRED ‘PALM TREE DESTRUCTION’ EP (Mixpak) ___
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Mr One Hundred’s debut release is some next level, hi-octane soca rave madness that cleverly loops hyped vocal chops over banging 808-drum workouts. Described as ‘power soca music from the future’, the EP joins official soca heavyweights Machel Montano, Fay Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin with Mr One Hundred’s hyperactive techno-ised production. This is unashamed sweaty club music set to mashup the raves this summer.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
‘FRIENDS WILL CARRY YOU HOME III’ (Pets Recordings) ___
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atz and Dogz compile a third volume of their label’s flagship compilation series, bringing together a rousing, peaktime selection that includes cuts from KiNK, Phil Kieran, Axel Boman, Danny Daze and plenty of other less well-publicised names. There’s a new production here from the collaborative project between Catz and Dogz themselves and Bristol’s big-room bouncing house king Eats Everything too, in the shape of ‘Calling Everyday’; a swaying, jaw-rolling clapper. The Bulgarian powerhouse KiNK’s remix of his associate Rachel Row’s ‘L Square’ is, as is usually the case, pretty large; his style is somehow inherently popular-sounding yet all his own. The peak-time pace doesn’t let up, with joist-shaking, bleepy acid courtesy of KRL, but there’s some spacier, more balearic cuts too, so there should be something here to please most house heads.
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THELEM
‘HAUNTED HARMONICS’ EP (Artikal) ___
Thelem kills it here with a monster release at two tempos. ‘Haunted Harmonics’ might just be the most exciting dubstep tune we’ve heard all year, almost reminiscent of early Joker with its broad, mesmeric synths and punchy kick/bass combinations. Deep dread vibrations resonate at your core on ‘Shottaz’, before he agitates the pace for a pair of steamrollering D&B weapons; ‘Forces of Nature’ and ‘Obsessions’.
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COPELAND ‘BECAUSE I’M WORTH IT’ (Self-Released) ___
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ensive, melodic and rhythmically driven, Copeland’s debut solo LP broods both vocally and musically on ‘the city’, describing both its tensions and its freedoms. ‘Faith OG X’ challenges from the opening, with lush chords hidden amongst digitally-replicated tinnitus. Actress collaboration ‘Advice To Young Girls’ offers the addressees the city at night, with deliberated drums and samples pausing before tumbling synthwork releases the emotive payload. ‘Fit 1’ and ‘DILIGENCE’ bare similar construction; studied, restrained beats underpin reflective tones and lyrics. Elsewhere Copeland draws on jungle and D&B; Metalheadz techstep and chords are dynamically reframed, soaked in bubbling effects; closer ‘L’oreal’ comes darkside as Photek. ‘Because I’m Worth It’ is another killer development of the unique style this artist has been evolving since her work as part of Hype Williams.
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PAUL WOOLFORD ‘EROTIC DISCOURSE’ REMIXES (Hotflush) ___
Woolford is perhaps more known to our readers as darkside jungle revivalist Special Request, who was actually a formidable presence on the house and techno scene for much of the last two decades. Dense & Pika and Kowton are picked to rework this bizarre, muntered classic. Of the two efforts, Kowton’s is predictably perfect, retaining the original’s diseased bassline and plugging the gaps with his warped and grimey low-frequency impacts.
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MARCO BERNARDI ‘FLOATING’ EP (Happy Skull) ___
The Glaswegian techno don, also known as Octogen gets another EP signed to another top-dollar Bristolian label, after outings on Hypercolour and Futureboogie (he lives there, you see). This is rawer house music with a disturbing edge; ‘Floating’ is so wonky and headspun it bears comparison with A Made Up Sound. ‘Broken’ is some mystic alien jack, beating Legowelt at his own game. Finally ‘Upside In’ is a caustic, skin-crawling shakedown that’ll make you throw some deeply upsetting shapes.
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R E V I E W S FLOWDAN ‘SERIOUS BUSINESS’ EP (Hyperdub) ___
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The scariest voice in grime (remember ‘Skeng’?) is back on Kode9’s all-conquering label with four short, sharp shocks of pure destructive, frowning weight. The production credits are ridiculous, and perfectly chosen, with Newham Generals’ Footsie and The Bug on the first side. But it’s the relatively unknown newcomer Masro that takes the biggest track; the bashment-tinged ‘No Gyal Tune’. Sharing the B-side, the Coki-produced ‘F About’ is basically Flowdan ranting about crap music, and everyone should hear it.
WILL SAUL ‘DJ-KICKS’ (!K7) ___
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BOK BOK ‘YOUR CHARIZMATIC SELF’ EP (Night Slugs) ___
Bok Bok is the co-founder of the morphing, pioneering London label Night Slugs. His first proper release for some time is as original and vibrant as ever, mixing elements of grime and 80s boogie into a peculiarly Night Slugs sonic palette, with tense, funky gravitas. Amongst the thrills, ‘Melba’s Call’, with Kelela, is as beguiling, sexy and futuristic as her extraordinary mixtape last year; ‘Da Foxtrot’ is a writhing, sharp-heeled thing. File next to fellow ‘Slug, Jam City; this is pure club magic.
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CAUSE & AFFECT ‘OPERATION 60’ EP (Bullet Train) ___
Birmingham bass-house production machine Chris Lorenzo is one of the most important and influential producers in UK dance music right now. This latest EP alongside Kane, as Cause & Affect, delivers all the trademark bass heavy grit and restless 4/4 drums you’d expect, over four solid tracks. Released on London-based Bullet Train, the EP follows another for the USA’s dirtybird – showing the increasing appeal of this sound far beyond the Midlands.
ALTERED NATIVES ‘SIN ELEVATED ART’ (Eye 4 Eye) ___
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he decidedly outsider genre-destroyer Danny Yorke brings out yet another album so expertly created and full of detail that it feels like an odyssey. ‘Callaloo’ is a skittish and nostalgic ode to his jungle upbringing; ‘Dominator’, sexy and brash, shakes out acid-house demons; ‘Majestic Pussy Purr’, with its drooping minor chord progression embodies early dubstep’s gloominess. References aside, the artist’s considerable studio prowess is really at a peak here. ‘Cold Infinity’ turns itself inside out on every other beat, all slow-motion and squid-like movement. Vocal samples are used for humour, and intentionally repetitive (see: ‘Big Black Dildo’); that challenging menace is evident throughout. In ‘Hello Kitty’, the rumbling pace and the rolled Rs imitate sexual rhythms and moods, with nasty minor chords in galling contrast. Yorke says this is “music made to dance to,” but it goes deeper than that. It lets us get inside him, and it reminds you no one’s good, in the end.
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n the last few years, Will Saul has aligned himself favourably towards the forefront of the unerringly popular, loosely-bordered house resurgence in the UK. He’s no bandwagon jumper, though, having been producing and, via his Aus label, releasing nuanced, emotive electronic music along the lines of house and techno for way longer than that. Saul’s efforts have been recognised publicly here with his entry into !K7’s classic mix CD series, and he represents his own imprint fully with artists who’ve previously released on the label. His DJ-Kicks blends subtle, melodically accomplished and toughly grooving tracks from Leon Vynehall, Sei A, Bicep, October, George Fitzgerald, Cottam, Lee Jones and Komon – himself a decidedly reinvented figure, with a history as doom-filled dubstep wrong’un Komonazmuk. With tracks by others too, including Legowelt and Gerry Read, Saul’s experience and vision doesn’t go to waste; the sleek, overarching tone achieved throughout is striking and memorable.
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STRAY ‘CHATTERBOX’ EP (Exit) ___
Stray is currently at the top of his game, both as a solo artist and as part of the incredible Ivy Lab production unit. This ambitious, distinctive four-track EP for dBridge’s game-changing, ten-years-deep label finds the produce in typically unrestrained mood. He veers from tightly-programmed, hard-hitting rollers to slouchy, atmospheric, hiphop drenched beats – and everything in between. This is progressive and plate-shifting D&B at its finest.
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TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 085
+ BRISTOL + LONDON + ONLINE + INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS + VINTAGE + LIFESTYLE + WWW.SHOPDUTTY.COM
PHOTO: Jimmy Mould
R E V I E W S
ELIJAH & SKILLIAM ‘FABRICLIVE 75’ (Fabric)
JUS NOW FT BUNJI GARLIN & STYLO G ‘TUN UP’
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rom the beats and sounds, to the fans, raves and important DJs, grime has changed profoundly over the last decade, and yet the essence of the genre remains the same, despite some undeniably creatively-dry patches. Though it’s undergone a recent renaissance, centred on a new wave of producers making innovative and experimental music, focused on instrumentals rather than vocals, these figures have always been aware of their debt to their predecessors. Not only are Elijah and Skilliam electrifying DJs, they’re totally dedicated to the scene, and their Butterz label has been at the forefront of this reinvigorated movement. They are, therefore, the perfect choices to bring grime to fabric’s prestigious mix series. With this CD, the pair avoid simply catering to those looking for today’s big tunes; their take on the genre shows how they’ve helped to push it to the forefront of the UK’s underground music. In the early pirate radio days, grime was never a clear-cut or easily defined sound; there were always diverse strains and styles represented, as there are here. UKG influences from Royal T, DJ Q and Flava D; boogie-dubstepping synth vibes from Swindle, Joker and Silkie; Murlo’s experimental melodies and spaces; unreleased Darq E Freaker bangers; sweet vocal cuts – there’s so much covered here. In addition to all of that, ‘fabriclive 75’ does a great job of reflecting the electric vibes found at a Butterz rave, complete with audio samples of the events to prove it. This mix is a solid statement of intent for the year: essential listening.
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(3Beat/Gutterfunk) ___
After the underground success of Jus Now’s debut, ‘Tun Up’, over 12 months later, the track is getting a well-earned re-release. Stylo G, UK dancehall’s man of the moment, jumps on the new version, adding some seriously hype verses to Garlin’s original vocals, taking the nu-skool anthem’s alreadyformidable excitement levels through the roof. Remixes from Dismantle, GotSome and the bassbin king, Kahn, make this an even more crucial purchase.
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HODGE ‘AMOR FATI’ / ‘RENEGADES’ (Dnuos Ytivil) ___
Hodge and Livity Sound continue to explore the ever-fertile space between Berlin techno and Bristol grit. The rough-edged sounds of grime, UK funky and dubstep have always excelled when tempered with techno’s sleek grayscale minimalism, a fact perfectly exemplified here on the latest offering from the dnuoS ytiviL offshoot label. ‘Renegades’ bangs about in a flurry of jungle snares and terse strings: an anthem-to-be that’s both classy and GULLY, in equal measure.
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SUBMORPHICS ‘BURNING PARK’ EP (Liquid V) ___
California-based Submorphics is gradually elevating himself to become one of liquid D&B’s frontrunner talents, with numerous releases on the scene’s most highly-regarded labels. This four-track EP showcases the producer’s diversity, even within the confines of subgenre. ‘Higher Ground’ allows TRAC’s laidback vocal flow to shine, whereas ‘Forward Boulevard’ is reminiscent of a mid-’90s Good Looking release. A must for those who prefer their 174bpm beats with a soulful tip.
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G A M E S #19
WORDS: C u t l i n e
THE LAST OF US: GROUNDED BUNDLE + PS4 VERSION NAUGHTY DOG (PS3, PS4) OUT NOW
Those of you who’ve been paying attention to this page will know we’re massive fans of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic stealth-em-up, The Last Of Us. So, it’s with much excitement we can unveil the details of their third (and last) DLC: the Grounded Bundle. A mixture of single and multi-player content, the Grounded Bundle is packed with new maps, weapons and abilities for online play, as well as a new single player mode that proposes to be your toughest The Last Of Us challenge yet. According to developer Naughty Dog, Grounded Mode will be the hardest challenge you’ll ever face as you try to complete the single-player campaign of The Last of Us. Meanwhile, fans of the multi-player mode will be treated to the Reclaimed Territories map pack, five new weapons - one of which will be available free to all players - and eight new survival skills. As if all that wasn’t enough, Naughty Dog has also revealed plans to re-master the game for the PS4 later this year. The PS4 version will include all downloadable content including the Grounded Bundle and The Last Of Us: Left Behind.
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS - COLD, COLD, HEART WARNER BROS (PS3, PC, WII-U, XBOX360) OUT NOW
MAD MAX WARNER BROS (PS3, PS4, PC, XBOX360, XBOX ONE) OUT 2015
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 ACTIVISION (3DS, PS3, PS4, PC, WII-U, XBOX360, XBOXONE) OUT NOW
It’s been a week since the events of Xmas Eve in Gotham and Batman man is called forth once again when a terrible laboratory accident causes the birth of a new ‘villain’; Mr Fries. Where Origins suffered with pacing and a meandering narrative, this DLC shows that Warner Games have learned from its mistakes. The strong story, great action and Bat’s new toy (the somewhat bulky, but still pretty cool EX suit) make this a welcome addition to the Batman saga. Bring on Arkham Knight!
In 1979, the film Mad Max gave us a sneak peek of a dystopian future where Australia is ruled by motorcyle gangs armed to the teeth and running riot. Here, we look to the future again, as Warner Bros gears up to release a brand-new game based in the Mad Max universe. Set to release in 2015, Mad Max promises open world gameplay, where your aim is to build the ultimate war vehicle and escape from the dangerous Wasteland. It’s a while away, but the trailer looks fun - check it out on YouTube now.
Another superhero tie-in this month, as Activision releases the latest Amazing Spiderman game just as the film is taking over several screens of your local cinema. Leaving aside clichés about how you’ll be swinging into web-slinging action, we can safely say you that you know what you’re going to get if you pick up this game. If you’re a Spiderman fan and the idea of working your way through an open-world version of New York City fighting supervillains sounds like your kind of thing, then you’re onto a winner.
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XBOX ORIGINALS
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BIOSHOCK MOVIE BACK IN PRODUCTION?
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he internet rumour mill is ablaze right now after gaming website Kotaku reported that Sony Pictures have registered the domain names bioshock-movie.com, bioshock-movie.net, and bio-shock. net, giving credence to the possibility of a film version of 2k’s hit game. Originally the movie rights rested with Universal Pictures, with Gore Verbinski on board as director and an estimated budget of $200 million. Unfortunately, there was a difference of opinion over how much blood and guts the appropriately named Gore would be allowed to portray and it seems the studio got cold feet about putting so much money into what would essentially become a blockbuster horror film. Now, with Sony registering domain names, we could well be looking at a resurgence for the BioShock movie.
icrosoft has revealed more details about its planned Xbox TV service, which will see the company moving into Netflix-style territory by creating original content for their subscriber base. Given the catchy moniker ‘Xbox Originals’, the new Xbox TV shows will range from reality TV and documentaries, through to original dramas and comedies; some of which Microsoft promises will create unprecedented levels of interactivity between games and TV. Launching with ‘Every Street United’, a football based reality TV show that ties in nicely with the World Cup, Xbox Originals confirmed programs also include ‘Humans’ (an adaptation of a Swedish sci-fi drama that centres around robot servants who develop free will), and the new Halo TV series produced by Steven Spielberg. Xbox Originals will also include coverage of live events, starting with a simulcast of the thirteenth annual Bonnaroo music and arts festival. Meanwhile, the names kicking around on the list of potential original programs being created for Xbox TV are impressive to say the least. From Seth Green and Matt Senreich, creators of Robot Chicken to adaptations of New York Times bestseller Warren Ellis and an as-yet-untitled comedy project from JASH, a group originally founded by Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim and Eric and Reggie Watts. It looks like the next generation of consoles has also sparked the next generation of TV production.
TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK 089
B A S S P O I N T S #19
SATURDAY 14 JUNE FOUND FESTIVAL HAGGERSTON PARK, LONDON
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aturday 14 June will see Haggerston Park in East London taken over by FOUND Festival, gathering together an expertly selected line-up of the very best in house and techno. With a few special guests and headliners yet to be announced, the acts confirmed for the day already include Damian Lazurus, DJ Sneak, Heidi, Moodymann, Magda, Bicep, Ben Pearce and many more. Tickets are selling quick, so check the FOUND website for more info, plus details of the official after-parties. ___ FOUNDFESTIVAL.COM
B A S S P O I N T S
4 MORE FESTIVALS WE SUGGEST YOU CHECK...
12 OF THE REST... FRIDAY 16 MAY MATERIALS LABEL LAUNCH PARTY @ THE NEST, LONDON MAK & PASTEMAN, MICKEY PEARCE, MAISON SKY
BOOMTOWN WHEN? 7 – 10 AUGUST, WHERE? WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE WHY? HIGH-GRADE REGGAE AND TOP QUALITY BASS MUSIC – BE WARNED, THOUGH, BOOMTOWN REALLY IS THE MADDEST CITY ON EARTH... MORE INFO: BOOMTOWNFAIR.CO.UK
BUTTERZ & FABRICLIVE @ FABRIC, LONDON ELIJAH & SKILLIAM, SKEPTA, NEWHAM GENERALS + MORE THURSDAY 22 MAY FWD>> @ DANCE TUNNEL, LONDON JAMIE XX, FUNKINEVEN, WILL BANKHEAD
SECRET SOLSTICE WHEN? 20-22 JUNE WHERE? HOT SPRING VALLEY, ICELAND WHY? MASSIVE ATTACK, JACKMASTER, ONEMAN, EATS EVERYTHING, BODDIKA AND MANY MORE PLAYING IN 72 HOURS OF UNBROKEN DAYLIGHT. MORE INFO: SECRETSOLSTICE.IS
SECRET GARDEN PARTY
FRIDAY 23 MAY BASSLACED PRESENTS RAMJAM BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON, LONDON DAVID RODIGAN, GENTLEMANS DUB CLUB, RANDALL & MC GQ + MORE SATURDAY 24 MAY SATURDAY 24 MAY CONTACT @ VILLAGE UNDERGROUND, LONDON YOUNGSTA, J:KENZO, MUMDANCE, PROXIMA, COMMIX SUNDAY 25 MAY LOVE SAVES THE NIGHT: TRAP X DURKLE DISCO @LAKOTA, BRISTOL LOGAN SAMA & NEWHAM GENERALS, SPECIAL REQUEST, PINCH B2B BLAZEY, CHAMPION, TOM SHORTERZ, SAM BINGA, JUS NOW + MORE. FRIDAY 6 JUNE DEVIATION @ XOYO, LONDON BENJI B, TODD EDWARDS, JAY DANIEL
WHEN? 24-27 JULY WHERE? NEAR HUNTINGDON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE WHY? ENCHANTING ON-SITE PRODUCTION, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND A HUGE UNANNOUNCED LINE-UP THAT ALWAYS DELIVERS SOME OF DANCE MUSIC’S FINEST NAMES. MORE INFO: SECRETGRADENPARTY.COM
SATURDAY 7 JUNE LOVE BEAT @ THE BRIGHTON COALITION, BRIGHTON MELE, WOZ, TOM SHORTERZ JUST JACK & STAMP THE WAX @ THE BOXING CLUB, BRISTOL JOY ORBISON, TAMA SUMO, HUNEE + MORE
FIELD DAY WHEN? 7-8 JUNE WHERE? VICTORIA PARK, LONDON WHY? THE HIPPEST LINE-UP IN TOWN PACKS EVERYONE FROM THE PIXIES TO DUSKY, LUNICE AND DANNY BROWN INTO AN EAST LONDON PARK. MORE INFO: FIELDDAYFESTIVALS.ORG
FRIDAY 13 JUNE THE BLAST X SWAMP81 @ THEKLA, BRISTOL LOEFAH, BENTON, CHUNKY FRIDAY 20 JUNE NIGHTSLUGS 6TH BIRTHDAY @ OVAL SPACE, LONDON BOK BOK, L VIS 1990, KINGDOM, GIRL UNIT + MORE TBA SATURDAY 21 JUNE LWE PRESENTS MTA RECORDS ALL DAY @ SECRET LOCATION, LONDON MTA RECORDS ARTISTS & SPECIAL GUESTS
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FEATURING SAT 24TH MAY
SUN 25TH MAY
- MAIN STAGE -
- MAIN STAGE -
ANNIE MAC
EATS EVERYTHING / HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR
SBTRKT
JAMIE XX / CLEAN BANDIT / NENEH CHERRY W. ROCKETNUMBERNINE / JOHN TALABOT
CLEAN BANDIT / MARIBOU STATE B2B PEDESTRIAN ETON MESSY / SOLOMON GREY / MOKO / FEEL THE REAL
GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB / QUANTIC / JAVEON / LAID BLAK
- JUST JACK STAGE -
- CRACK MAGAZINE -
NINA KRAVIZ - FUTUREBOOGIE STAGE -
SHERWOOD & PINCH SPECIAL REQUEST / DJ RASHAD & DJ SPINN / LIVITY SOUND TESSELA / A SAGITARRIUN / FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA B2B FANTASTIC MAN / PARDON MY FRENCH
MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE / CRAZY P SOUNDSYSTEM PBR STREETGANG / HACKMAN
SHY FX / B.TRAITS / MS DYNAMITE / BREAKAGE JAKWOB / DISMANTLE / SPECIAL GUEST MIKE SKINNER
CRAIG RICHARDS / SUBB-AN TOM RIO / DAN WILD
TODD TERJE
CHRISTOPHE & LUKAS / JOE 90 & DAVE HARVEY - BLACK BUTTER STAGE IN ASSOC. WITH APEX -
KIDNAP KID / MY NU LENG / WOZ / KOVE GOTSOME / SNAKEHIPS / APEX COLLECTIVE - THE DANCE OFF -
DJ EZ / DJ Q / KB & AIRAYD HIPHOPPAPOTAMUS / PYTHAGOSAURUS - HORSE MEAT DISCO TENT -
HORSE MEAT DISCO
ANDY BUTLER / FELIX DICKINSON / PEOPLE LIKE US - COCKTAILS & DREAMS -
4OURS / SHAPES / PIFF / ORIGINS SOUND FOUNDATIONS / DJ FUTURE - SHAMBARBER -
WAIFS & STRAYS / BODHI / CHRISTOPHE
BILLY DISNEY / HANNAH MULVANY
- DIGITAL SOUNDBOY IN ASSOC. WITH TRAP MAGAZINE -
- THE BLAST -
CONGO NATTY FT. NANCI & PHOEBE STYLO G / THE HEATWAVE / JUS NOW / SAM BINGA FT REDDERS / ASBO DISCO FT GARDNA / DUBKASM FELIS / A.QUAKE & FIRE MAN SAM - TEACHINGS IN DUB -
ABA SHANTI-I (ALL DAY LONG) - SOUL TRAIN -
GREG WILSON
LAMINATE RADIO / SOUL TRAIN DJS / BEDMO DISCO - COCKTAILS & DREAMS -
DIRTYTALK / DURKLE DISCO / DUTTY GIRL
FALLING UP / IDLE HANDS / ANDY SCHOLES / STEVE RICE - SHAMBARBER -
ADMIN / ALFRESCO DISCO / DRAMA DJS / HANNAH MULVANY B2B ANDRES B2B PATO / JAM THE CHANNEL DJS / LUKE LANGSON SHAPES DISCO SPECTACULAR / SUMMITS
TICKETS
COMING SOON
ADDISON GROOVE ALIX PEREZ ARTWORK BEN UFO BREAK BREAKAGE CALIBRE CALYX & TEEBEE COOLY G DANIEL AVERY DJ HYPE DJ MARKY DUBPHIZIX & STRATEGY ED RUSH & OPTICAL ELIJAH & SKILLIAM FATIMA AL QADIRI GOLDIE B2B DBRIDGE HAZARD IVY LAB JACK BEATS JME JUBEI B2B LOXY KASRA
KODE9 & FLOWDAN LAUREL HALO LENZMAN LTJ BUKEM LUKE VIBERT MACHINEDRUM (DJ SET) MALA MARCUS INTALEX MATTHEW HERBERT (DJ SET) NEWHAM GENERALS PANGAEA PEARSON SOUND PEDESTRIAN ROCKWELL ROSKA SCRATCHA DVA SKEPTA SPECTRASOUL THE UPBEATS TOTAL SCIENCE PLUS MANY MORE...
Advance tickets: www.fabriclondon.com FABRICLIVE 73: Pangaea, Out Now. FABRICLIVE 74: Jack Beats, Out Now. FABRICLIVE 75: Elijah & Skilliam, Out 19th May.