Trap Magazine 001

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#001 D DOUBLE E DANNY BYRD DEADBOY OUTLOOK BREAK ALEX NASH & WELCOME TO THE ROLLER EXPRESS TODDLA T REDLIGHT At the beating heart of the bass-music generation. music | fashion | art october | november 2010 FREE

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Trap Magazine 001

Transcript of Trap Magazine 001

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#001 D DOUBLE E DANNY BYRD DEADBOY OUTLOOK BREAK ALEX NASH

&WELCOME TO THE ROLLER EXPRESS

TODDLATREDLIGHT

Atthebeating heart of thebass-music generation.

music | fashion | art

october | november 2010

FREE

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IT’S A TRAP...

Welcome to the very *rst issue of Trap Magazine,your indispensable guide to the wonderful worldof bass-heavy music.

Born out of genuine passion for the music culture welove and a desire to spread it as far as possible, we aimto make Trap the most essential and on-point musicmagazine on road. From interviews with scene-leadingDJs, producers and MCs, to original fashion shoots withthe freshest brands, to photography, art, reviews andlistings; our purpose is to celebrate all aspects of theculture that so many of you live your lives by.

And the best bit? All this is yours for absolutelynothing… So sit back, relax and get caught in the Trap…

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REGULARS.

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

TRAP FASHION THE FINEST GARMS AND ACCESSORIES

SCENE REPORTOUTLOOK FESTIVAL 2010

BOSS SELECTIONS DJ’S TOP TENS PLUS GUEST REVIEWS

FASHION DONUTS

STREET ART INKIE

MUSIC REVIEWS

TRAP ILLUSTRATED

EVENT FOCUS SHIT THE BED

FEATURES.

ALEX NASH THE CREATIVE COBBLER

DANNY BYRD HOME TRUTHS

TODDLA T & REDLIGHT ROLL IT OUT

D DOUBLE E BLUKU BLUKU

DEADBOY THE TEARJERKER

BREAK CALLING THE RESISTANCE

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#001 FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’TWITTER:@trapmagazineEMAIL: [email protected]

FRONT COVER: Roller Express by Zo Om. www.zooms-photography.coms-photography.comWORDS: Jon Cook, Oli Marlow, Kasha Malyckyj, Sam Bates, Belinda Rowse, Sam Collenette, Jeryl Wilton,Callum Reece, Amy Sti<, bassmusicblog.com, Mike Burgess.PICTURES: Sim Higginson, Lisa Wormsley, Zo Om, Zachery Saitoti, Dan Mariner, Craig Minchington.

EDITOR: Jon Cook [email protected] DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes [email protected] EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj [email protected] & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn [email protected] & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen [email protected] NETWORKING: Amy Sti< [email protected]: Nick Hills

THANKS: Jamie & Tom@ donuts; Rob, Tom & Ollie @ The Blast; Johnny Scratchley @Outlook; Jess Tickles;Ben@ Run Music; Adam@ Backdrop; Tom@Hospital; Leo@ Darling Department; Carly @ Don’t Panic;Mark OD; Baz & Olly @ FOO; Dave Cotgrave; Lizzie Pyzer.

TRAPMAGAZINE, Unit 14, The Coach House, Upper York Street, Bristol BS2 8QN.

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Neil Schuyleman; thanks for watching man.

WWW.TRAPMAGAZINE.CO.UK© 2010 Trap Magazine #001. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine or its contents may be reproduced without prior written consent of thepublisher. Disclaimer: The views expressed in Trap Magazine are not necessarily the views shared by its sta> or publisher. While we strive to ensurethat the information in Trap Magazine is correct, changes can occur which a>ect the accuracy of the copy, for which Trap Magazine holds no responsibility.

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THE HOTTESTEVENTS ONPLANET BASSurban nerds halloween specialV&A street art tourbigger than barryrodigan fabric launchin:motionlistings

BASSPOINTS

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BASSPOINTS

URBAN NERDS.HALLOWEEN SPECIALSATURDAY 30 OCTOBER

Urban Nerds make the move to newLondon club XOYO for a Halloweenspectacular that takes in the bestbass-heavy music around. Dubstepluminary Joker and MC Nomad headline inRoomOne, alongside a Circus Recordsshowcase featuring Flux Pavillion, CookieMonsta and the man behind‘Sweetshop’ Doctor P.

Room two takes things a little darker,with Rinse FM’s Marcus Nasty and grimeoriginator Terror Danjah, plus sets fromRack N Ruin and Trap favourites WarriorOne. As always, support will come fromUrban Nerds own Rattus Rattus,Klose One and Ordio Kid.

XOYO, 32-37 Cowper St, London, EC2Tickets: £6, £12, £15otd

STREET ART.HERBERT ART GALLERYOCTOBER

Coventry’s Herbert art gallery is the =rstvenue to play to host to a new touringexhibition from London’s V&Amuseum –‘Street Art: Contemporary Prints from theV&A’. The show runs until January andpromises to bring a selection of the bestprints from some of the biggest artists inthe street art scene to the West Midland’scity of Coventry.

The creations of Shepard Fairey, Pure Evil,D*Face, Sickboy (pictured) and, of course,Banksy all feature in the show, as well asfresh work commissioned by the Herbertfrom six emerging UK street artists.

The Herbert Art Gallery, Jordan Well,Coventry, CV1 5QP. Free Entry.www.theherbert.org

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BIGGER THAN BARRY, LEEDS.EVERY TUESDAY@MINT CLUB

If you live in Leeds, then there really is nowherebetter to spend your Tuesdays than at Bigger ThanBarry, with some incredible bookings set to drop inover October and November. Picks include garagegod Todd Edwards alongside Rinse FM funky selectorRoska on 9 November, and New York City’s NightSlugs producer Kingdom on 23 November.

Mint Club, 8a Harrison St, LeedsTickets: £5/£6

OCT / NOV 2010

FRIDAY 22/10/10NINJA TUNE@AUDIO, BRIGHTONToddla T + Guests.

SATURDAY 23/10/10BEDLAM PRESENTSMTA@ LAKOTA, BRISTOLChase & Status, Circus Records, S.P.Y, Rack N Ruin,Gatekeeper.

FRIDAY 29/10/10MOMENTUM@WIRE, LEEDSKlute, Kasra, Ant TC1 b2b Subterra,Distilled & Seamless.

THRASHER / TOYA TOYA@WAREHOUSEPROJECT, MANCHESTERMagnetic Man, Flying Lotus, Katy B, Joker, Martyn, DMZ,Joy Orbison.

TURBULENCE VS HOSPITALITY@DIGITAL, NEWCASTLEHigh Contrast, Netsky, Nu:Tone, Craggz & Parallel.

SATURDAY 30/10/10SPECTRUM@HMV INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAMSubfocus, Stanton Warriors, Kissy Sell Out, Jaguar Skillz.

TUESDAY 02/11/10WILEY: THE ILLUSIVE TOUR@KOKO, LONDONWiley, JME, Fugitive.

SATURDAY 06/11/10JUNGLE JAM@BEAVERWORKSWAREHOUSE, LEEDSDoc Scott, Commix, Kenny Ken, Conscious Sounds.

THURSDAY 11/11/10MURKAGE@ SOUTH, MANCHESTERTodd Edwards, Dialog.

FRIDAY 12/11/10SIGNAL VS SHOESTRING@ THEKLA, BRISTOLBSE, Fresh, Klute, Ulterior Motive, Stamina MC.

FRIDAY 19/11/10DIGITAL SOUNDBOY@XOYO, LONDONShy FX, Breakage, Donaeo, Toddla T & Redlight,MJ Cole, Hatcha.

NUMOTION vs TRAP@CAFE 1001, LONDONAndy Mystic, Thirst, Trap AllStars, Mantmast.

SATURDAY 20/11/10SHOGUN AUDIO@AUDIO, BRIGHTONFriction, Nero, dBridge, Spectrasoul, SP:MC, IC3.

SATURDAY 27/11/10MARKY & FRIENDS@ SPACE2WAREHOUSE,BIRMINGHAMDJ Marky & GQ, LTJ Bukem, S.P.Y, Stanza.

CLUB LISTINGS

FABRICLIVE 54:DAVID RODIGAN LAUNCH PARTYFRIDAY 22 OCTOBER 2010

Imagine if Rodigan was your dad… how sick wouldthat be? The most famous reggae selector in theworld, a close friend of King Tubby and AugustusPablo and the owner of probably the best collectionof dubs in the world, Rodigan is nothing short of abass-music legend. With the rise of dubstep, a wholenew generation has been switched on to Rodi’ssound, a fact not lost on the ever-astute Fabric,who’ve enlisted the great man for the next edition intheir FABRICLIVE mix series.

With a FABRICLIVE mix always comes a launchparty… and this one is just a little bit special, featuringShy FX, Toddla T, Buraka Som Sistema, Alix Perez andmore supporting Mr Rodigan on the night.

Fabric, 77a Charterhouse St, London EC1Tickets: £15/£10/£6

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BASSPOINTS

EVENT FOCUS:IN:MOTION

Bristol is already known for having some of the best nightlifein the UK and this autumn the In:Motion series of events isset to solidify that reputation. Between October and NewYear’s Eve, In:Motion will bring an impressive roster of thevery best promotions in the country to the city’s hugeMotion venue every night of every weekend…

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CRAZY LEGS vsURBAN NERDSSATURDAY 23/10/10

Bristol meets London for

this link-up between two of

the hippest nights in the

country; Crazy Legs and

Urban Nerds. With a focus on

grime, garage, house and

funky, and Ms. Dynamite, EZ,

Sticky, Deadboy, Scratcha

DVA and manymore

con@rmed to play, this is one

of the most essential events

of the entire In:Motion series.

SUBLOADEDFRIDAY 29/10/10

Subloaded is among themost respected and long-running dubstep dances onplanet earth. The brainchild ofone of the founding fathers ofdubstep, DJ Pinch, Subloadedis consistently able to attractthe very brightest stars fromthe scene. And with DMZ,Breakage, RSD, Doc Scottplaying jungle and TeachingsIn Dub in the second room,Subloaded’s contribution toIn:Motion is immense.

RUNSATURDAY 06/11/10

What originally started asD*Minds Tuesday-night D&Bknees-up in a tiny (and nowsadly closed) club calledNative has grown and grownto become one of the biggestraves in the country. Movingwith the times, Run invitesMistajam, Scratch Pervertsand Joker to headline themain arena alongside Hypeand Grooverider, while Bar 9and Jakes drop the dubstepin room two.

NINJA TUNE XXSATURDAY 13/11/10

Ninja Tune XX parties havebeen popping o? all acrossthe UK of late, as the labelcelebrates 20 years in thegame. With a line-upsecond only to the recentEwer St Car Park event inLondon, In:Motion’s XX bashbrings some of Ninja Tune’sbiggest stars to Bristol.Coldcut, The Bug, DJ Foodand Jammer are joined bylegendary US turntablistMixmaster Mike.

WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM

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1. PENFIELDWith memories of amazing summer festivals still freshin our minds, thinking about a winter wardrobe is,unfortunately, a necessary evil at this time of year. Soallow us in the Trap fashion department to ease youinto the colder months with the latest collection fromUS Label Pen=eld.

With styles for both guys and girls and a newcollection aptly named “a long meadowmorning”,paying homage to the great outdoors is somethingPen=eld does e<ortlessly. Earthy colours with fur andleather detailing adorn super-snug pu<a jackets, whileplaid shirts and camel-coloured chinos will look as athome in the city streets as they do in the sun-kissed,fresh forest that sets the scene for their winterlookbook.

PENFIELDUSA.COM

3. NASTY GALVintage shopping can sometimes be a bit ofan ordeal, let’s face it trawling round a shophauled with rails of slightly sour smellinggarments isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Youalways hope, often in vain, that the rapid railrummage will pay o< and you will =nd theone item that will make people stop andask “where did you get that?!

Well, if you’re keen to put the days ofseparating old grandad cardis fromPat Butcher cast-o<s behind you, andgo somewhere where they only o<erthe really good stu< (without evenleaving the house), then look nofurther than online store Nasty Gal.

Founded in 2006, the US store is atreasure trove of hand-pickedvintage clothing and accessoriesand unique, new designer pieces.O<ering more than just aclick-and-buy option, a virtual tripto the Nasty Gal shop is a visualfeast of beautifully photographedgarments, all expertly styled witha nod to the current season andtrends. The only painful part of theNasty Gal experience is choosingwhat to buy and waiting for yourgoods to be shipped over, butbelieve is, it’s worth it!

SHOPNASTYGAL.COM

2. SKANKYSKANKY

Check out Trap coverstar Toddla T’s latestT-shirt collab with UK labelTrainerspotter. Now availablein black, the ‘SKANKY SKANKY’tee boasts a bespoke =t andKeith Haring style graphics.Available from Toddla’s ownwebsite, grab yours quick asthis limited-edition design is aguaranteed sell out.

TODDLAT.COM

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4. VANS

Despite dropping in July, thesenew oBerings from Vans arefreshly prepped for the newseason. With an autumnal paletteof navy-blues, blacks and browns,these shoes are available in eitherthe classic casual Era 59 or theslightly dressier Zapato Del Barcodeck-shoe option.

SHOP.VANS.COM

5. MY TIMEXLook to the wrist of anyone thatknows and you’re sure to Cnd adigital watch made or inspired bythe classic Timex 80 brand.Whether vintage metals, pop-artcolours or techy calculators,there’s a diBerent style foreveryone’s taste. And, now thetimepiece super brand has goneone better by getting in on thecustomising game.

So, if you like your style a littlemore exclusive, head over to theMy Timex section of their website,where purchasing your next digitalaccessory becomes a test of yourcreativity! Simply choose yourfavourite colours and select thecomponent you want to change.The only hard part is decidingwhat combination to go for.

TIMEX80.COM

7. LOOKING FOR…SOMETHING ELSE

With the UK high street saturated withcarbon copies of the same look,standing out from the crowd isn’talways easy. Cult Australian brandSomething Else is the perfectantidote to this sartorial dilemma andif you’re the kind of girl that likes tomix it up with eye-catching keypieces, their Autumn/Wintercollection will have you squealing withdelight. Renowned for an eclectic mixof ‘clothing as canvas’ and luxuryessentials, Something Else stay trueto form this season with monochrometribal print knits and painterly,oversized t-shirt dresses. Top ofTrap’s ladies’ list are the Aztecleggings… catch us wearing ours witha Cerce pair of heeled boots and aslouchy jumper. Something Else isavailable in selected Urban OutCttersstores across the UK.

WWW.SOMETHING.NET.AU

6. BAKE DESIGNSONE TOWATCH OUT FORSince Bake Designs burst on to the scenein 2009 with their simple but eBective,t-shirts, they’ve made a BIG impact, withplenty of hype thanks to some immenseinternet coverage and music industryendorsement.

One tee in particular, emblazoned with thetagline “Pugs Not Drugs”, caused a big stiramong Baked’s loyal band of Twitterfollowers and ensured an instant sell-out.With those designs now dead-stock,Trap is pleased to announce that Bake areback with some brand new heat and, trustus, these babies are just as good as theCrst drop.

Our favourite follows on from where thepug tee left oB, this time using a shark asthe focus. “Live Every Week Like It’s SharkWeek” is the message, which we’re sureyou will while rocking this t-shirt.

BAKEDESIGNS.BIGCARTEL.COM

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scenereport.

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IT’S HARD TO EXPLAIN JUST HOWGOOD THISYEAR’S OUTLOOK FESTIVAL REALLYWAS. IF YOUWENT, YOU’LL KNOWWHATWE’RE SAYING, AND IFYOU DIDN’T THEN YOU’RE PROBABLY SICK TO DEATHOF HEARING ABOUT IT FROM YOURMATES THAT DID.IF YOU FALL INTO THE LATTER, YOUMIGHTWANT TOSKIP THESE PAGES, AS THEIR DEDICATED ENTIRELYTO THE INCREDIBLE FOUR-DAY RAVE IN A CROATIANFORT THATWAS OUTLOOK 2010.

Although only in its third year, Outlook moved tolocation number three for this year’s festival, upping thecapacity massively and delivering a much bigger andbroader line-up of artists than ever before. The 6rstinstalment of the festival back in 2008 was pretty muchan all-dubstep a5air, and although that genre stilldominated this year’s line-up, Outlook 2010 wasde6nitely a celebration of wider bass music culture in allits glorious forms. From Roots Manuva and D Double E,to Skream and The Bug, to Alix Perez, Heatwave andRoska - all bass music was here.

But the biggest and most tantalising aspect of thisyear’s festival was the new location. An abandoned forton a beach-lined peninsula is enough to captivate theimagination of even the most jaded raver, so for those ofus still in the midst of our raving careers, the prospect ofthis year’s line-up in that location was enough to makeOutlook an essential mission.

After arriving at our (extremely cheap) apartment in oneof the nearby towns, we headed to the beach within thefestival campsite. What we found was a massive,crystal-clear rig blasting out the heaviest of basslines allover a huge crowd of ravers in beachwear. Amazing.That night, we made our 6rst venture to the incrediblefestival site itself and after losing our minds to DJ Zinc’smain arena history lesson in rave and getting all b-boy’dout to Alexander Nut’s classic hip-hop selection in theOutside arena, we managed two hour’s sleep back atour apartment before stumbling down to the port for avery special boat party.

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It’s the boat parties that add that killer touch to Outlook.Beginning just after mid-day, these maritime mash-upsare de8nitely not for the lightweights out there.Thankfully, at Outlook there doesn’t seem to be toomany of them. When we boarded the Noah’s Ark trip onFriday lunchtime to the sounds of DRS and Broke’n’English, we were still drunk from the night before, but wesomehowmanaged 8ve hours of going mental in thesunshine to the perfect JA soundtrack of Heatwave andMungos Hi-Fi.

After that, the Friday night was all about D&B for us and,surprisingly, a lot of the Outlook crowd, with a stunningselection of DJs from D&B’s most credible andforward-thinking side all in appearance. The massiveoutside arena to the front of the fort was given over todrum & bass for the evening with Commix, Spectrasoul,Break, Alix Perez and Icicle giving a lesson in quality toan immense crowd.

After this point in the weekend, our memory of whathappened becomes a lot less clear. That says a lot for

both the festival and how good a time we had. What wecan pick out from the mental haze is the incredible vibein the Mungo’s arena for the DMZ and Hessle Audioshowcases on the Saturday and Sunday nightsrespectively, Nymfo making the walls bleed in theDungeon arena, TOKiMONSTA charming us senselesswith her slouched-out beats, the near religiousexperience of witnessing Congo Natty on the mainstage and the sheer HYPE of seeing D Double alongsideP Money and Badness over Kutz’s set. If none of thatappeals to you, then put this magazine down and goread Mixmag.

Probably the best testimonial Outlook could have isfrom the people that went. And, as our Facebooknews-feeds declared over and over again in the daysafter the festival, for everyone that did go it wasn’t justone of the best festivals, but experiences of their lives.With next year’s event now con8rmed to take place inthe same location, it may be 11 months away, but we’realready hyped about Outlook 2011.

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The biggest DJs in the game let us inon the tracks they’re playingright now…

‘THE HEATWAVE RINSE FMVYBZ KARTEL, GAZA SLIM & POPCAAN ‘Clarks’Still a huge tune, still running dances. I wish my neighbours would stopplaying it 10 times in a row and singing along, though.

MR LEXX & CONGOROCK ‘Babylon’Funky bashment x chainsaw electro + one of our favourite Jamaican MCs =a crowd-destroying, rewind-demanding monster.

GYPTIAN ‘Hold Yuh’Still the biggest, sweetest, most anthemic and excellent tune in the worldright now.

SPOOKY ‘Coolie Dance Re(x’An old grimey bashment remix that we unearthed recently. Mad energy andhype.

DAMIANMARLEY & NAS ‘As We Enter’The intro on this tune sends crowds mad every time we play it, even beforethe beat and verses kick in.

J BOOG ‘Let's Do It Again’Sweet, poppy lovers' reggae from a promising new singer.Should be a chart hit if there’s any justice.

MSDYNAMITE / NATALIE STORM / REDLIGHT ‘MDMA Riddim’Redlight's rolling bass-heavy instrumental has been absolutely destroyed byMs. Dynamite and Natalie Storm's bashment 7ows.

MR LEXX ‘Wine Pon Me’‘I Got 5 On It’ in a dancehall style, from weed to winding. What's not to like?

VYBZ KARTEL ‘Turn & Wine’One of Kartel's creeper hits for 2010, bubbling consistently since its releasein February this year. A real grower.

BEENIE MAN & FAMBO ‘Drinking Rum’The 'getting drunk in the sunshine' anthem for 2010. Big sing-along chorus,even if you think rum and Red Bull is a suspicious combination.

GUEST REVIEW

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WARRIOR ONE. KING PIGEON

1. DREADZONE ‘Yeah Man’ (Warrior One Rmx)2. AFROJACK & GREGOR SALTO ‘I'll Be There’3. PROFFESSOR GREEN ‘Monster’ (T.E.E.D. Rmx)4. DJ ZINC ‘Nexx’5. SEIJI ‘Weedkiller’6. FIS-T ‘Night Hunter’7.WARRIOR ONE ‘Lord Of Bashy’ (Douster Rmx)8. INCREDIBLE BONGO BAND ‘Apache’ (Warrior One Rmx)9. N'WAGEZANI ‘My Love’10. TOBY IOI ‘Make You Feel’

STARKEY. PLANETMU

1. STAGGA ‘Wild For the Night’ Slit Jockey2. LILWAYNE FT DRAKE ‘I'm Single’ Cash Money3. KAISER ‘The Art of War’ (Ulterior Motive Rmx) Slit Jockey4. KASTLE ‘Better OD Alone’ Seclusiasis5. EPROM ‘Feldspar’ Unreleased6. BIG BOI ‘General Patton’ Def Jam7. FLINCH ‘Midnight Hustle’ (AC & Del Remix) Party Like Us8. SPLURT ‘The Return VIP’ (Mega ReEx)Oil Gang9. LIL JON ‘G Walk’ (ft Soulja Boy) Universal10. DEV79 ‘Live N Die 4 The Street Bass’ Seclusiasis

R1 RYDERS. COMPILED BYDJ/ PRODUCER KARNAK

1. R1 RYDERS ‘On Ur Marks’ Dub2. R1 RYDERS ‘Jus A Feelin’ Dub3.OPTIMUM ‘Max Power’ Planet Mu4. CARLY BOND ‘Ain’t Wastin’ No Time’ Dub5. R1 RYDERS ‘Hydraulic’ Dub6. JAZZY JAZZY ‘Swanky’ Dub7. R1 RYDERS ‘Pop Shit OD’ Dub8. SILKIE ‘Get Up & Dance’ Dub9. UNTOLD & ROSKA ‘Long Range’ Numbers10.MARCUS VISIONARY ‘Carib LP’ Liondub

TROLLEY SNATCHA. DUB POLICE

1. SUBSCAPE ‘Nothing’s Wrong’ Dub Police2. TROLLEY SNATCHA ‘Circle K’ Dub Police3. THE OTHERS ‘OD TheWall’ Dub Police4. SHOCK ONE ‘True Believer’ (Phetsta's Dubstep Rework) Viper5.MEDISON ‘Harry’ (Barenoize Remix) Dented6. EDDIE K & BEEZY ‘Serial Killer’ Hench7. CASPA ‘I Beat My Robot’ Sub Soldiers8. LAID BLAK ‘Red’ (Chasing Shadows Rmx) Aei9. DREADZONE ‘Gangster’ (Trolley Snatcha Rmx) Dubwiser10. TROLLEY SNATCHA ‘We Rock The Forest’ Dub Police

GREENMONEY. FOOL’S GOLD

1.MZ BRATT ‘Selecta’ (Greenmoney Rmx)2.MJ COLE &WILEY ‘From The Drop Dubb’3. C.R.S.T ‘Good Love’ (Doc Daneeka Rmx)4. GREENMONEY ‘Headbash Riddim’5.MISTAMEN ‘What You Do To Me’6.MARCUS NASTY & BASSBOY ‘Drip 2’7. GYPTIAN ‘Hold Yuh’ (Funkystepz Rmx)8. END GAMES ‘Ecstacy’ (Jam City Re@x)9.OMAR ‘Dancing Now’10. DVA FT FATIMA ‘Just Vybe’

SPECTRASOUL. SHOGUN AUDIO

1. BREAK & NICO ‘Salvage’ Symmetry2. PHAELEH ‘Afterglow’ (dBridge remix) Afterglow3.MIKAL ‘The Chant’ Dub4. SYSTEM ‘Sy Fy’ Integral5. PESSIMIST ‘Niche’ Critical6. BREAK & SPECTRASOUL ‘Martyr’ Symmetry7. GOAPELE ‘Milk & Honey’ (Joy Orbison ReEx) Dub8. JUBEI ‘Gateway’ Dub9. HALOGENIX ‘Comandeer’ Dub10. FALTY DL ‘PhreqaFex’ Planet Mu

ALIX PEREZ. SHOGUN AUDIO

1. BREAK ‘All That's Left’ Symmetry2. ENEI & EASTCOLORS ‘Cracker’ Dub3. ROCKWELL ‘Noir’ (Ulterior Motive Rmx) Critical4. FRICTION & K TEE ‘Set It OD’ (Icicle Remix) Shogun Audio5. ALIX PEREZ ‘Dark Days’ EP Shogun Audio6. JUBEI ‘Gateway’ Dub7. NOISIA & SPOR ‘Falling Through’ Vision8. ALIX PEREZ & NOISIA ‘Underprint’ Invisible9. ULTERIOURMOTIVE ‘Featherweight’ VIP Subtitles10. BREAK & NICO ‘Salvage’ Symmetry

EXCISION. ROTTUN

1. DOWNLINK ‘Biohazard’2. DANSETTE JUNIOR ‘Paranoid’ (Tom Encore Rmx)3. EXCISION & DATSIK ‘Deviance’4. LIQUID STRANGER ‘Exit The Vault’5. GEMINI ‘Feel Stronger’6. EXCISION & DOWNLINK ‘Reploid’7. CRISSY CRISS ‘Stop’8. NOISIA ‘Alpha Centauri’ (Excision & Datsik Rmx)9. LECASTLEVANIA ‘Nobody Gets Out Alive’ (Noisia Rmx)10. DATSIK ‘Firepower’ (Levela Remix)

‘BROOKES BROTHERS BREAKBEAT KAOSGUEST REVIEW

BROOKES BROTHERS ‘Beautiful’This is a forthcoming single from our album. Robert Owens hasalways been one of our favourite vocalists and we've always wantedto work with him. This is the result.

FRESH VS SIGMA ‘Cylon’Huge rave vibes on this one with BBK boss Fresh hooking up withSigma. Brutal mentasms make way for some dirty stabs and properrolling percussion. Bigness.

BROOKES BROTHERS ‘War Cry’Another track forthcoming on our album - tribal percussive vibes withvocals from an amazing Hindustani group called Advaita. It was a lotof fun recording this one!

DANNY BYRD ‘Ill Behaviour’More wicked party-time D&B from the Byrdman. Seriously fun,danceAoor business with a catchy vocal hook; no wonder this hasmade it onto the Radio 1 A-list.

FURLONGE ‘This Love’Wicked soulful D&B from Furlonge, featuring vocals from his sister

Katie. It’s all about the lush half-time intro and as soon as that vocalhits, you know you're onto a winner.

FRED V & GRAFIX ‘One Of These Days’Young guns Fred V & Gra@x are sickeningly young and talented; I don'tthink we even knew what Cubase was at their age!

AGENT ALVIN ‘Move’Another killer from the man like Alvin; no one does it quite like thisguy! Quirky and energetic in equal measures, we can't wait to seewhat he cooks up next.

NETSKY FT DARRISON ‘Escape’One of our favourites from the Belgian badboy’s album; musical asever with Darrison doing a top notch job on vocal duties. Go Boris!

CHASE AND STATUS ‘Let You Go’ (Brookes Bros Rmx)It was an honour to do a remix for C&S. We only had a few days to doit so it’s been great to see it going down really well in our sets!

TANTRUMDESIRE ‘Runaway Blues’Love the big sleazy vibes on the breakdown of this track and the dropis murder. These boys are killing it right now.

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‘THECREATIVECOBBLERalex nashWORDS: KASHA MALYCKYJ

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SNEAKERS, KICKS, TRAINERS, CREPS…WHATEVER YOU CALL THEM, WHEN IT COMES TOTHE SHOES ON YOUR FEET, WE ALL KNOW THATEXCLUSIVITY IS KEY. EVERYBODYWANTS TO ROCKTHE FRESHEST FOOTWEAR, AND NOONE’S IMMUNEFROM THAT HORRIBLE FEELING OF SPOTTINGSOMEONE ELSEWEARING THE SAME KICKS AS YOU.ANDWHILE MOST OF US SIMPLY STICK TO COPPINGQUICK-STRIKE DROPS OR BUYING ONLINE TOENSURE OUR FEET ARE UNIQUELY ATTIRED,THERE EXISTS OUT THERE A BREED OF SNEAKERAFICIONADOSWHO SEEK TO DISPEL HOMOGENY BYCUSTOMISING, HYBRIDISING AND COMPLETELYRE-INTERPRETING CLASSIC SHOES INTOSOMETHING ENTIRELY NEWAND, MOSTIMPORTANTLY, UTTERLY INDIVIDUAL

Of all these training-shoe tinkerers,, Alex Nash isundoubtedly king. Over the last eight years, the 32-year-old Londoner’s hand-crafted creations have taken himfrom selling shoes in a London sneaker store, to <yingaround the world designing them. Having recentlyworked with the likes of Lacoste, DC and Nike, Nash isjust about to jet o: to South Africa for his latest hush-hush project when Trap tracks him down to talk abouthis fascinating career so far…

“I left school at 15; I didn’t really get any GCSEs,” hebegins frankly. “I was never academic, but I always hadideas, I love marketing. I love tinkering with things and Iknow what I like. My mum’s an interior designer andshe’s really creative. Growing up, I picked up a lot fromher; that creativity was always around me.

“I spent many years doing shit jobs before I startedworking in a sneaker store, Size? In Portobello, in about2002. I wasn’t a sneaker head or a collector. I didn’t seethem as a design aesthetic. I mean, I loved my sneakers,but it was really just from when I was school and beinglike most 14-year-old kids wanting the newest ones,rather than collecting them.

“Around that time, I had a pair of moccasin shoes that I’druined, but when I tried to buy another pair, I couldn’t.Then I had this idea to do a mix of a sneaker - the NikeAir Force 1 - and a moccasin. So for the cost of a pair oftrainers and a needle and thread, I just started playingaround. And that’s where it all started really.”

Surrounded by sneakers all day long at work, and havingfound a new outlet for his creativity and long-forgedideas, Nash began to work hard at his new hobby. As hisskills improved, it wasn’t too long before his creationsbegan to catch the attentions of the sneaker-freakcommunity, and Nash and his Nash Money brand beganto catch ;re.

“I’ve got to thank Woody from Sneaker Freakermagazine,” Nash re<ects. “In issue ;ve, they did a

LACOSTE X NASH

SOME VERY SPECIAL JORDAN III’S

NASH BUTCHERS UP SOME AIR MAX 1’S

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I’D LOVE TO WORKWITH CLARKS

SHOES, I THINK ICOULD DO A LOT

WITH THEM.“

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NEARLY £500 OF ELK SKIN, REALLY.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THOSE LITTLE DETAILS

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competition called ‘Custom 99’, where the best 99customised trainers would be featured in the followingissue. I didn’t win, but I was in the top-ten. After thatWoody kept featuring and supporting me, and fromthere I got recognised and people began to pick up onwhat I was doing.”

But it wasn’t just trainer-obsessed fashionistas andcollectors that began to notice Nash. The brands thathe’d spent years ripping apart and re-imaging began toacknowledge his talents. Before long, Nash was meetingwith some of the biggest names in streetwear andmaking the leap from home hobbyist to fully-sanctioneddesigner. Collaborations with DC shoes, Mishka andSecond Son followed and, most impressively, 2010 sawthe unveiling of his ‘Bravington’ shoe for Lacoste.

“The Mishka hat came about from them seeing mycustomised hats and just asking if I wanted to work withthem,” he explains. “Sometimes I have to pitch forthings… I’d love to work with Clarks shoes; I think I coulddo a lot with them. But all my collaborations with bigbrands have come naturally, and to work with Lacostehas been a great honour.

“The initial meeting with them came from me saying ininterviews that I admired Lacoste’s history as the :rstbrand to use a logo on their garments. When I :rst metthem, they said ‘We aren’t up for collaborations butshow us what you’ve got’. They asked me what I wasfeeling for next season, so I went away and came backwith a drawing of a desert shoe, a deck shoe and arunning sneaker. Then they pulled out all theseconcepts from their secret cupboard and it was allworking with what they were doing.”

“In the near future, I’m going to be working with Edwin;they’ve got a blog called ‘Tinker Tailor’ and have givenme a pair of pants I can customise the way I want. It’sgonna be a big mish-mash of di9erent things - it doesn’thave to be something you can necessarily wear. Also,I’m part of the Nike 78 project and I’m also doing a littleproject with Puma and Audi.”

Working with these sorts of stellar brands is a hugeachievement for anyone, never mind a guy that leftschool at 15 and never went to fashion college. Butthat’s not what Nash is about – the sort of creativity hiswork exhibits can’t be taught. And despite what youmay initially presume about someone working withinsuch an achingly hip arena, as his :nal words prove,Nash is nothing but grateful for it all…

“Making the front cover of Sneaker Freaker has been mybiggest achievement. I printed it big and put it up on mywall. It meant a lot to me; it set a precedent. And also,collaborating with the big brands – it’s more than I couldhave ever asked for. I feel like I have given something toa community, whether it be streetwear or footwear, andbeing able to make a living out of it is really special.”

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WORDS: JON COOKPHOTOS: DAN @ ISPYPHOTO

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“EVERYBODY GETS SUCCESSFUL AND THENTHEY FUCK OFF TO LONDON. I LIKE BEING A BIGFISH IN A SMALL POND…” LAUGHS DRUM & BASSPRODUCER AND LIFE-LONG BATH RESIDENTDANNY BYRD AS HE HURTLES DOWN ACHILDREN’S SLIDE FOR THE BENEFIT OF TRAP’SPHOTOGRAPHER. “PEOPLE SAY IT’S BETTERTHE OTHER WAY ROUND, BUT NOT FOR ME.”

We’re stood ankle-deep in sand, deciding whetherto make Danny go on the climbing wall, Breman’spole or scary-looking swings next; and he’s happilygiving everything a go, no matter how ridiculous itmakes him look. With his rave-inspired secondalbum for Hospital Records about to drop, and justhaving found out that the Brst single from that LPhas done the unthinkable for a D&B record andmade it onto the Radio One play-list, the 31-year-oldis clearly enjoying life right now.

“Why do I still live in Bath? Good question,” he says,intimating that this is something he’s asked himselfmore than once before. “I’m happy here – if you’re ina happy space, you’re in a creative space. I alwayshad that notion that moving to London was thebigger step, but I’ve realised that it doesn’t matterwhere you live, as long as you’ve got the contactsand I’m deBnitely at my most creative when in mystudio at home. I feel more motivated living herethan anywhere else, it keeps me very grounded.Maybe it sounds big headed, but it feels like localpeople are proud of you and what you’re doing,because you’re on Radio One or whatever butyou’ve still stayed in the city, you haven’t moved.”

So the citizens of Bath should feel proud. The tinywest-country city is world-famous for its tea rooms,Roman baths and Jane Austin museum; not for itscontribution to music, let alone drum & bass. Andeven though Danny’s career will inevitably step up alevel now he has a Radio One A-list record in theform of ‘Ill Behaviour’ under his belt, he’s clearlydetermined to stay true to his roots.

“I jumped up and down,” he says grinning whenasked for his reaction to the news that he’d joinedthe likes of Jason Derulo and Beyonce on theprime-time playlist. “I had a steak and a bottle ofBollinger – I never celebrate, but I just thought,‘A-list: steak and Bollinger!’

“It’s weird how it happened; Hospital took threetracks from the album to Radio One, who initiallysaid they liked ‘Ill Behaviour’ most, but couldn’t hearit on daytime radio; more for their specialist shows.So we decided to go with that, get it to Mista Jam,Annie Mac and people. Anyway, by chance it made itonto the playlist; the C-list. We never planned forthat and were really surprised… then it went B-list.Then, last Wednesday, I got a text from Tom atHospital saying ‘A-LIST’.

“It’s crazy, to be a D&B producer, on the Radio Oneplaylist, at a time when D&B isn’t perhaps at itsmost popular… I can’t take it in. I don’t know whyit’s on the A-List, but I’m just thankful it is. It’s oneof those career-deBning moments. It gives me a lotof optimism for D&B again.”

Optimism for D&B? So has Danny been losing faithin the music that he’s dedicated his life to and isnow an integral part of?

“I do think underground D&B is in a bit of a badstate, I feel like I’ve heard it all before… But it willonly move forward. I think things have changedover recent years; a big promoter said to me at afestival, there’s a big diAerence now between thetraditional D&B DJs, that perhaps aren’t as big asthey were, and D&B acts. Luckily, I think I Bt into thelatter.”

Danny’s status as one of the new breed of D&B‘acts’, that sell more albums than 12-inches andstill pack out shows, is no doubt thanks to theclever management and marketing he gets fromthe ever-astute Hospital Records camp behind him.Hospital understands how to push anddevelop their artists while building them intopowerful brands in their own right. An essentialpart of all this is the albums that each Hospitalartist provides every couple of years. ‘RaveDigger’ is Danny’s second for the label and thosewho’ve followed his career will know thatproducing his debut LP ‘Super Sized’ wasn’t aneasy process for all involved, with him nearlygetting dropped by Hospital and having to beliterally locked in to his house every day to ensurehe got it Bnished on time… So, with that experiencebehind him, is Danny any more of an adult now?

“Not really,” he laughs. “I still had to be locked in.I knew the pressure of a deadline this time; I knew Ihad to not leave it until the last minute and have amassive panic like last time. I kept writing, the lastweek before deadline I wrote a new 140bpm ravetune, ‘We Can Have It All’, that made the album andwill be the next single. A big thing, though, was thatI knew what I wanted to do with this one, with thewhole rave concept, so it was a case of just sittingdown and working hard.”

So, the rave concept… one listen to ‘Rave Digger’leaves you in no doubt of Danny’s love forold-skool hardcore; the musical mish-mash ofinCuences and styles that was not just thesoundtrack to the early-90s but the genetic soupthat every genre of electronic music today can betraced back to. Danny’s remix of the 1992piano-led rave anthem ‘Sweet Harmony’ last yearwas the Brst hint of what was to come, and now thealbum’s here, Danny’s deBnitely been busyrekindling his old passions within a D&B template…

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I remember when I was a kid buying‘Everybody In The Place’ on cassette

and thinking ‘This is the coolestthing I’ve ever heard.

“I used to love hardcore,” he says without amoment’s hesitation. “I remember when Iwas a kid I bought The Prodigy’s ‘EverybodyIn The Place’ on cassette and listened to itover and over again while making computergames, thinking ‘This is the coolest thingI’ve ever heard’.

“There was a shop in Bath called BassBomb records, and there was a guy in therecalled The Producer who was huge on therave scene. He was a massive inspiration –imagine as a 12-year-old kid, going to therecord shop and seeing this guy who’smaking money out of playing records. Hetold me the score, how it was – as a kid, Ididn’t know you didn’t have to take yourown Technics to a gig! I’d go and buy awhite label every week with my pocketmoney - I loved rave.

“The thing I realised making this album, allthat old hardcore stu7, we don’t give itenough credit – we think ‘oh, yeah, jokevocals whatever’… but melodically it’s socomplex, there’s ri7 after ri7 – to make thatisn’t easy. It was so much more interesting.Now we settle for things just dropping andlooping and that’s it. I wanna say ‘No!’. Wedeserve more for our money!”

‘RAVE DIGGER’ IS OUT NOW ONHOSPITAL RECORDS.

RAVE DIGGING.Danny excavates his 8ve favouritetunes from the golden age of rave…

MANIX – ‘FEEL REAL GOOD’One of the best rave tunes andpiano lines ever! On one of my very8rst rave mixtapes.

THE PRODIGY – ‘EVERYBODY INTHE PLACE’This track still sounds fresh now! Itgot me really hooked on the idea ofproducing my own music.

ACEN – ‘TRIP TO THE MOON’This sampled the James Bondtheme - the perfect combinationfor me. Imagine if Acen was makingD&B now?

SL2 – ‘ON A RAGGA TIP’Another one of those tunes thatjust sounds right, even now. 250kcopies were sold back in 1992!

SONZ OF A LOOP DA LOOP ERA –‘PEACE & LOVEISM’One of the 8rst 12s I bought. DannyBreaks was a total genius andinspired so many people in D&B.

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ROLLER EXPRESS IS ABOUT PUSHING OURSELVESAND THE MUSIC AS FAR AS WE CAN.IT’S GOTTA BE DIFFERENT. IT CAN’T BE A PAR!“

TODDLAT & REDLIGHTROLL IT OUT.

WORDS: JON COOKPHOTOS: ZOOM

Over on Brighton Street, where the Dirt sound-systemresides, two DJs are taking to the decks and preparing to pushthe notorious rig to its absolute limits. With his waist-lengthlocks trailing behind him, MC Dread stalks the stage, hyping thecrowd for the show that’s about to begin. And then, to the soundof Vato Gonzalez’s ‘Badman Riddim’, the whole street erupts intoa frenzy of waist-winding insanity that continues over two hoursof ultra-energetic, genre-defying bass music. Those two DJsare Toddla T and Redlight, and this is the RollerExpress….

Two month’s later, with the euphoria of that day a distantmemory, Trap has ventured across London to meet Toddla Tand Redlight to try to discover, ahead of their freshly-announced12-date club tour, what exactly Roller Express is and what thefuture holds for two of the most exciting people working inBritish music today.

“St Pauls carnival was the >rst gig we did as Roller Express,”explains Redlight across a very rickety table outside the caféwe’ve opted to meet in. “I think that was perfect, that’s whatwe’re about; that carnival, festival vibe. And then we did a gig inBrighton; myself, Toddla, Serocee, Dread. We just had a giggle,didn’t we?”

“Yeah, it were a right laugh,” Toddla con>rms in his unmistakablybroad She?eld accent. “It was a three-hour gig and everythingjust >tted. It was right good, it made us think…”

Having just moved into a new shared studio in west London,close to their new homes in the capital, and with their >rstcollaborative productions beginning to surface, the two quicklyrealised that combining their respective sounds into somethingbigger than just a back-to-back DJ set was a pretty good idea…

“Ideally, I’d like eventually for it to be a full thing; with the Dirtsound-system. I wanna see tiles falling o= the ceilings,”declares Redlight with the air of a plotting mad scientist. “MCDread’s an integral part of Roller Express. He joins the dots forthe crowd; when they’re getting lost and thinking ‘What thefuck is this?’, Dread will bring them back in, he’ll help themthrough; he’s like the guide.”

“Dread’s a key player,” con>rms Toddla, “but there’s a few ifwe’re honest. We want it to be much more than just a coupleof DJs and MCs. It’s a sound-system, a sound. And of coursethere’s the music we’re making together and the studio too…”

Indeed, Roller Express is much more than just a sound-system, it’s also the name the two producers have given totheir studio collaborations, which so far are limited to theirinsanely bashy reworking of Wiley’s ‘Electric Boogaloo’ andtheir recent remix of Labrinth’s ‘Let The Sunshine’. Moreexcitingly though, as Toddla hinted, Roller Express is also thename he and Redlight have given to the new studio they builttogether following their arrival in the capital…

“We were moving to London at the same time and we bothneeded a studio,” explains Redlight. “London’s not cheap, sowhen we found the place up the road, we thought ‘Yeah, let’shook up, build a studio, and roll it out’. Once we got it all going,we needed a name – we came up with Roller Express. It’s justtwo rooms and a vocal booth and all you hear is kick drums.”

“I hype it up like it’s a big deal,” adds Toddla with a smile. “Andit is, the music that’s coming out of there, but really it’s justtwo rooms. I’m not putting much music out at the minute, buthe is, and what he’s doing is the most exciting shit about, soit’s amazing for me to be blagging a bit of props o= him…”

IT’S EARLY JULY 2010 AND IN THE ST PAULS AREA OF BRISTOL, CARNIVAL IS IN FULL FLOW. AS THE SUNDROPS BEHIND THE HORIZON, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE STILL PACKING THE TIGHT STREETS, BLOWINGWHISTLES, EATING CHICKEN AND GENERALLY PRETENDING THEY’RE JAMAICAN FOR THE DAY. ALL LIFE ISHERE: ELDERLY RASTAS CHAT ANIMATEDLY ON STREET CORNERS,YOGHURT-WEAVING HIPPIES SIT CROSSED-LEGGED ON THE GRASS LECTURING ONE ANOTHER, TEENAGE RUDEBOYS DRESSED ALL IN BLACK PATROLTHEIR STREETS, AND FLUFFY-HAIRED STUDENTS RUN EXCITEDLY FROMONE SOUND-SYSTEM TO THE NEXT INSEARCHOF ‘DUBSTEP, YAH!’. THIS IS CARNIVAL, BRISTOL STYLE.

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At this point, Redlight shakes his head, but Toddla carries ontalking regardless; “We’ve got the same management and I’vealways really liked what he was doing, even right back to thedrum & bass, he’s someone who I’ve always really respected.”

Toddla’s respect for his new-found musical consort isevidently mutual, and it’s obvious that it’s the pair’s sharedmusical direction (however unclear they’d prefer that to be)that really binds them together in what they’re doing.

“One of the reasons I moved out of Bristol was that no onethere was doing what I’m doing,” says Redlight. “If I was stillinto D&B or I was doing straight dubstep, then Bristol’s brilliantfor that, there’s a community there. But when you’re makingthis music that is still genre-less, really, a bit dubstep, bithouse, whatever, it’s diBerent.

“So, I came to London, and Toddla was doing the same thing!It’s perfect really, because sharing that space and being on asimilar tip, we both inspire each other. We both love workingwith vocalists. It pushes you on; Toddla won’t be there for aweek and then come in and Cnish three tracks in two days,and I’ll be like ‘What the fuck!’. If you hear something goodcoming out of the other room, it inspires you. That’s what agood working environment is. That’s what studiosshould be like.”

“The thing I wanted was a place where, even though it’s meand Redlight, it’s Roller Express,” says Toddla. “People cancome down and get involved. Whether they just wanna dropin and cotch, or make a tune – it’s slowly becoming a networkof people who are there quite a lot.”

As anyone who’s watched either Toddla or Redlight’s careersso far will know, while their music shirks deCnition by its verynature, the one common thread running through much of it isthe use of vocalists. Toddla’s most recent single, ‘Sky SurCng’

for Ninja Tune (with who he recently signed a multi-albumdeal), featured vocals from JA dancehall star Wayne Marshall,while Redlight’s stock has soared in 2010 thanks to thegenre-defying ‘Stupid’ with Roses Gabor and, more recently,his immense collaboration with Ms. Dynamite on ‘What YouTalking About’. And that’s not even to mention Toddla’s ownrecent track with Ms. Dynamite for Ninja Tune’s ‘XX’compilation, or Redlight’s powerful link-up with Mz Bratt on‘Selecta’. With all this in mind, we’re curious as to just exactlywho those people dropping by the Roller Express for a cheekycotch and studio session are…

“Roses Gabor, Donaeo, Ms. Dynamite, my friend Martellocomes down and sits about,” reveals Toddla. “Jammer, J2K,D-Double’s coming tomorrow, Mz Bratt… a lot ofdiBerent people.”

“There’s a few people dotted about round here; out West, it’sdiBerent. For us it was cheaper than going East… and now,since the ‘It’s Cool To Be A Dickhead’ video has ruined East’sreputation, well…” Redlight Dashes a cheeky smile as he saysthis, before digressing into the top-ten potential of the year’smost on-point viral YouTube satire. Back to the music, though,and back to what the future holds for Roller Express…

“I really wanna do an EP, but we’re both busy with our ownthings right now,” says Toddla. “I guess the main thing withRoller Express; it’s about pushing ourselves and the music asfar as we can. It’s gotta be diBerent. It can’t be a par!”

WE WANT PEOPLENOT TO BE ABLE TOGUESS WHAT ATRACK’S GONNADO AFTER THE FIRST20 SECONDS.IT’S GOTTA KEEPPEOPLE GUESSING.

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“Yeah, we’ve both got our own sound already, so if we cometogether, it’s gotta be good,” Redlight concurs. “We wantpeople not to be able to guess what a track’s gonna do afterthe <rst 20 seconds. It’s gotta keep people guessing… I thinkthat’s what dance music is good at, but at the same time,people can get a bit lazy at it – I’ve been there before. It’s allabout pushing things and new sounds really.”

So is there any point of de<nition the guys can o;er for theirmusic? Can it be de<ned by anything beyond the presence ofbass and heaps of attitude? Is there a preferred tempo atwhich the guys would like to sit their sound?

“Nah, it doesn’t matter… that’s the beauty of it,” Redlight sayswithout hesitating.

“Yeah, my recent album’s mostly under 100bpm, on thatreggae, hip-hop tempo,” adds Toddla, “so there’s no reasonwhy I’d wanna restrict myself to a certain tempo.”

With such an open mandate for their music, and withRedlight’s past history in the genre under his Clipz guise,would either of the two producers, either alone or as RollerExpress, consider working at that end of the beats-per-minute scale occupied exclusively by drum & bass?“I’m ready for that, me! Bring it on!”

Toddla’s typically enthusiastic response isn’t mirrored by hiscounterpart. Under the name Clipz, Redlight was one of thebiggest names in drum & bass, and as happens so often inthat scene, was worshiped and despised in equal measure forhis unashamedly up-beat, melody-ridden take on the genre.Has the Bristolian got any motivation to return to the genrethat he dedicated so much of his life to?

His response is immediate: “No. You go through re-hab, andthen you can’t lick the pipe again, can you?”

“I’ve never worked at that tempo personally,” Toddla adds.“I like drum & bass, but I was never a part of it, and never gotsaturated by it, so I still <nd it quite exciting…”

“It’s not that I don’t <nd D&B music of a certain era stillexciting,” Redlight a=rms. “I do - I just don’t <nd the new stu;exciting. I think I over-exposed myself to making it, so itdoesn’t excite my ears, it’s like a background noise. I knowloads of good people who still love drum & bass and dance toit like psychos. It’s just me and the music. I still respecteveryone in it, but it’s a creative thing. I’m an artist; if I’m not insomething, I’m not gonna do it. I’m not in it for money, yeahmoney helps, but when you stop thinking about all that shit,good stu; starts happening.”

“I’m the happiest I’ve been for a long time, probably ever,because there’s no constraints. And the music culture ingeneral, everyone’s open to everything now. No one wants tohear eight hours of one type of music. If they did, eight hoursof house, dubstep, d&b whatever, they’d hear the same bigtunes played eight times. When you get a bit of everything,you get pockets of di;erent things, and if you’ve got the rightopen-minded crowd in a dance… They’re used to it now. Thenew generation, that’s what they’ve been born into. It’s roundtwo really, it’s 1990 again.”

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‘BLUKUBLUKUD DOUBLE E

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THIRTY-YEAR-OLD D DOUBLE E HAILS FROMFOREST GATE, NEWHAM, EAST LONDON. THE TOUGHAREA HE GREW UP IN HAS DONE MORE THAN JUSTINFLUENCE THE NAME OF HIS GRIME/DUBSTEPCREW, THE ‘NEWHAM GENERALS’ - FORMED WITHLONG-TIME FRIENDS MC/ FOOTSIE AND DUBSTEPSTALWART DJ TUBBY - IT LEAD TO HIS IMMERSIONIN A WIDE SPECTRUM OF BASS MUSIC FROM AYOUNG AGE, AND POSITIONED HIM AT THEEPICENTRE OF THE DEVELOPING GRIME SCENEWITHIN WHICH HE WOULD GO ON TO BECONSIDERED A PIONEER AND LEGEND BY MANY.

Long lauded as ‘The MC’s MC’ by grime followers, 2010has seen D Double’s charismatic, clever wordplay andunique ?ow come to the attention of much wideraudience. First came his and Footsie’s link-up withBreakage on ‘Hard’ and his indisputable ownership of SX’s‘Woo Riddim’ on ‘Bad To The Bone’ and then, morerecently, the enormous ‘Street Fighter Riddim’ with DJSwerve. With a new album set for 2011, the next yearlooks set to be even bigger for D Double and his fellowNewham Generals, and as such Trap just had to hunt himdown for some words of wisdom from a truelegend of grime.

One of the distinctive markers of D Double’s vocaldelivery is that it seems almost no one can have aconversation about his music or lyrics without doing animpression of his bars. It’s this uniqueness that’s broughtD Double E to the top of the ridiculously competitivegrime scene and he’s more than happy to begin ourinterview by explaining how he cultivated hisunmistakable style.

“When I >rst started, I used to do sets in my friend’sbedroom recorded on tape, I used to go there on aSaturday and stay there all day. When I wasn’t spitting,I was mixing Jungle. When I was on the mic, I would feel sofree and I just did what I wanted to do, mucking about notcaring and that’s how certain things came up, things likethe echo and the way I say things, experimentation, justtrying to do di=erent stu=. I would listen back and think‘Whoa, that sounded deep!’. All that from back then,they’re tools I still use now. Also, the things I say are partof my personality; they’re part of me from before.”

All this talk of bedroom sets, TDK tapes and back in theday, leads naturally to a discussion of grime’sbeginnings. Despite the fact the genre now has a wholehost of artists dominating the charts, D Double still looksback on a the revolutionary and chaotic early days of thescene with fondness.

“I miss the old days, man. If it wasn’t for the old days, theway we used to do things, I wouldn’t be such a veterannow. I’ve learnt skills that you can’t learn just by joining thescene now, I’ve been through a lot. All the skills I’ve learnton the way have made me get stronger and move on.”

“Going on radio was the main bit of the olden days forme, I used to look forward to going on and making sure Ihad new bars to spray to everyone who didn’t knowthem. Nowadays, I can’t just go on radio and max out,things have changed. Now it needs to be a big song notjust a big bar. But I guess back in the old days I wasn’tgetting feedback how I am now; ‘Street Fighter’ gotnearly a 100,000 hits on Youtube in a week! The loveback then was minimal, no one knew my face. To getthrough that, you had to have a deeper love for themusic.”

As he talks about the past, D Double exhibits a sort ofnostalgic reminiscence that only comes withexperience. Although there’s plenty he misses aboutthe early years of grime in which he >rst cut his teeth asan MC, D Double’s aware of the positive changes thathave occurred as the scene has matured.

“Grime has watched the way other music sceneshave worked; the work ethic and making itwork in an independent way. Now, if you’rea young MC, it doesn’t matter who youare, as long as you’re doing things theway you are meant to be doing them.You don’t have to be an instantsuccess, if you use your brain youwon’t have to be going throughthe same things as me. If I was ayoung MC now, there are a lotmore opportunities to getbigger quicker. As long as itlooks good and sounds good,it can work.”

There can be little argumentwith this statement. Thanksto the path cut by DizzeeRascal, the wider musicworld now seems ready toaccept grime and the MCsthat have come through itsscene. 2010 has seen thecharts besieged by MCs whomade their name in grime,although often the beats they’respitting over are little more thansaccharine pop-tunes and disco-fodder. As you’d hope and expect. D Doublebelieves he doesn’t need to change tokeep up.

“I’ve got my own style of pop. If ‘Bonkers’ ispop, I’d say, yeah, I am going to be doing pop,because to me that tune is >lthy. I’ll be doingstu= like that. I wouldn’t completely change upmy style; my style is varied enough for me tonot have to switch it drastically. I’ve got thoseranges so it >ts in.”

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HIS FAVOURITE STREET FIGHTERCHARACTER IS SAGAT.

‘BLUKU BLUKU’ IS A POSITIVEPHRASE THAT CAN BE USED IN MANYCONTEXTS FROMA GREETING, TOPOINTING OUT THE ATTRACTIVENESSOF AWOMAN.

HE MADE A CAMEO IN RECENT FILM‘SHANK’ AND HAS BEEN RECORDINGHIS OWN INTERNET TV SHOW‘BLUKKA BLUKKA TV’.

HE’D LOVE TO COLLABORATEWITHSNOOP DOGG, VYBZ KARTEL, BUSTARHYMES…. AND THE TING TINGS.

One of the main driving forces behind NewhamGenerals’ growig fame is the admiration they’ve

received from the dubstep scene. D Doubleexplains this wasn’t a bandwagon they jumped on

because of its popularity, but a whollynatural development.

”That came about through DJ Tubby, we used tobe on De Ja Vu FM before Rinse FM, then when we

made the move to Rinse we started doing setswith Tubby, this was before dubstep was calleddubstep. We would go on Rinse every week andjust rinse out, the sound changed a bit, everyone

started calling it dubstep and it started blowing up.We’ve been on it since the beginning.”

As for the di6erence between grime and dubstepraves; “There’s no di6erence except for the way

people feel it. If I go to a grime rave there’sprobably going to be a 7ght, because

the way they receive the music iskinda mad. When you go to adubstep rave it’s di6erent, it’s

more friendly and peopleare out to just have fun.

There’s the sameenergy and

madness, with noiseand reloads, but it’sjust a lot friendlier.”

The as-yet untitlednew album D Double isworking on with Footsieand Tubby will be their

second for label boss DizzeeRascal’s Dirtee Stank, following 2009’s ‘Generally

Speaking’. With so much attention now on NewhamGenerals, D Double’s con7dent their follow-up willmake an impression on not just the wider music

world, but their many fans within the grime scene.

“When we brought out the 7rst album, thepromotion missed out the underground

community that we’re known within. So when ‘Hard’,‘Woo Riddim’ or ‘Street Fighter’ came out, we werepromoting those tracks all around and had a muchbetter result. The next album is going to be horrible,we know what we are doing and how to do it even

better. 2011 is going to be the year man, we’regoing to be following up a big year, we’ve got somedeep collaborations and everything we’ve got in the

pipeline is going to smash it.”

NEWHAMGENERALS’ ‘BAG OF GREASEEP’ IS OUT NOW. D DOUBLE E’S ‘BLUKU BLUKU

EP’ IS OUT SOON.

‘DUNKNO4 D DOUBLE FACTS:

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TWITTER.COM/VINTAGEGOLDMINE

Now extended UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

&

Island Fever Record Shop: For allyour Reggae/Roots and Dub needs!

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Nathan wears:T Shirt by toomuchposse! £35Chinos by Norse Projects £90Trainers, Model’s own

OUT OF THE CITY.

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Nathan wears:Shirt by Norse Projects £90

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‘THETEARJERKER’deadboy

I DON’T THINKYOU CAN

DISTINGUISHBETWEEN

GENRES.

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Looking at the widely-used press shot of a backlit)gure exhaling smoke as London’s )nancial districtlooms in full illumination behind it, while listening toDeadboy’s music, it slowly becomes obvious howwell the photographer (Rinse FM DJ and blossomingproducer Steve Braiden) has captured his image.Enhanced by the hue of the light pollution, Deadboycuts a kind of thoughtful )gure - both visually and onrecord - seemingly at odds with both the city in thedistance and the night that surrounds him; full of thesame kind of bittersweet epiphany that’s been morethan prevelant in the music he’s released to date.

As another of the new wave of producers spotted andpresented by tastemaker DJs such as Glasgow nativeJackmaster and Hessle Audio co-owner Ben UFO,Deadboy’s managed to explode onto the widerdubstep scene while remaining almost faceless at thesame time.

“To be honest I don’t really notice it,” he considerswhen pressed on the inCux of attention. “Apart fromplaying lots of shows, I’m pretty oblivious to hype. It’snice to be recognised and everyone likes to beappreciated, but I don’t think I’ve achieved anythinggreat yet. I guess I keep a bit of a low proBle, but onlybecause I only really go to raves I’m playing at thesedays… but when I do go out, I don’t hide in the corner;you can Bnd me drunk on the danceCoor.”

The reach of the DJs playing Deadboy’s music hasbeen enough for his name, and his succulentlyrepetitive anthem ‘If U Want Me’ (released onJackmaster’s Numbers imprint), to be at the top ofeveryone’s wish list. At one point, it was nigh onimpossible to go a day without hearing the track onRinse FM or amongst the internet’s bountiful catalogueof upfront DJ mixes. For a time, it really was thatweapon; cocked, loaded and ready for Bring in everyDJ’s bag.

“I never thought that tune would be as popular as it is,”Deadboy admits candidly. “I made it at the same timeas some tunes I thought were a lot better that havebeen lost in time. It’s great that that tune went sofar - Boy Better Know MCing over it, Katy B singing onit, it was on Rinse adverts, and gets played at technonights at Berghain and stuA. It’s really weird.”

Erupting with style as it did, ‘If U Want Me,’ wassuperseded for some by his earlier work for the WellRounded imprint and the awkward re-imaginings ofR&B songs he released under the T£ARJ€RK€Rmoniker on ‘Cash Antics Vol 1’. His debut EP asDeadboy was built around the inBnitely catchy ‘UCheated,’ and fully backs up the notion that Deadboy’sexceptional power to move a danceCoor lies in the wayhe samples and chops vocals. Letting his choice oftone and source material dictate the mood and paceof each track, he’s able to work his rhythms around acentral hook, rather than slice and dice them in as apercussive element.

“I love working with vocals,” he agrees. “I listen toalmost all types of music. I go through stages of beingobsessive about something for a while then move onto obsess about something else while still retaining allthe love for everything I was obsessing about before. Itmakes buying records very expensive.”

Therein lies the simplicity to Deadboy’s attitudetowards making music. It’s all for the obsession. It’s abeautiful thing to be able to do the things that you feellike and be in it for the fun of the process; somethingDeadboy’s also exploring with the Hyper Black Bassproject, an 8bit – Game Boy-powered dancehall duo inwhich he arranges chopped vocals over the riddims,something that he fully admits “started as a joke.”

“Obviously there’s elements of garage in the music Imake,” he muses when pressed on the use of the term‘future garage’ by journalists to describe his music asDeadboy; “and I guess I exist in that space of Londonmusic that is a direct lineage from garage, but Iwouldn’t consider my music to be garage. I would saygrime was the main catalyst that got me into makingmusic… but my childhood was pretty soaked ingarage.”

“I’ve bought black metal records, I’ve bought TammyWynette records, and I’ve bought Mahler Song Cycles.I don’t think you can distinguish between genres. Thereare either pieces of music you like or pieces of musicyou don’t, and it’s healthy to look for and listen to andappreciate as much diAerent stuA as possible,especially if you make music.”

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STREET ARTIN ASSOCIATIONWITHWEAPON OF CHOICE

’INKIE

London-based gra3ti artist Inkie 2rst picked up a spraycan back in 1984 and is now considered one of the

street-art scene’s greatest treasures.

Originally from Bristol, Inkie has built an incredible careerout of writing on walls. He painted at the legendary Wild

Bunch parties in his home city in the 1980s, joinedforces with Banksy in the late-90s and then moved to

London to design for Sega videogames.

The subject of numerous books and 2lms about the riseof gra3ti in Britain, Inkie is a an important part of the

history of the culture in this country, and as part of theSecret Wars collective (that takes live art battles to cities

across the globe), he continues to actively push hisbeloved art form forward.

WWW.INKIE.CO.UKWWW.WEAPONOFCHOICEGALLERY.CO.UK

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‘CALLING THERESISTANCEbreak

I’ve been tryingto work out away to serveup gourmetfood to thehappy-mealgeneration.

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WHILE ONE MUSIC MAGAZINE ONCE FAMOUSLYDECLARED “D&B IS DEAD”, OVER A DECADE LATER, WEAT TRAP WOULD LIKE TO GO ON THE RECORD ASSAYING “D&B WILL NEVER DIE”. THIS IS NO BRAVEDECLARATION ON OUR PART, MORE A STATEMENT OFFACT. FOR NO MATTER HOW SOULLESS AND SHALLOWSO MUCH OF THE MUSIC BEING PLAYED AS D&B NOW IS,DIG BENEATH THE SURFACE AND THERE’S ALWAYSBEEN AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF THOUGHTFUL,PROGRESSIVE AND DEEPLY SOPHISTICATED MUSICBEING MADE BY A WHOLE SLEW OF INCREDIBLYTALENTED AND DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS.

One of the chief exponents of all this is a 27-year-oldproducer who goes by the name of Break. Having releasedmusic on every credible label in the game, fromMetalheadz to Soul:R, Break is the true D&B head’s hero,refusing to dilute his sound and consistently turning out thevery purest of drum & bass, regardless of trends, fads orexternal pressures.

Now, his second solo album has arrived - tellingly called‘Resistance’ - and Break’s summoned together a band ofproducers who share his perspective to make a standagainst the cookie-cutter, rhythmically mundane screechfests that have hijacked the good name of D&B over recentyears. Featuring the likes of Spectrasoul, DJ Die, Calyx &Teebee, SP:MC and many more, ‘Resistance’ representseverything that’s good about D&B in 2010. Intelligent,opinionated and deeply passionate about drum & bass, Trapwas honoured to meet with Break to ;nd out more about hisalbum and how he sees his role in the scene…

The album’s called ‘Resistance’. There’s obviously a lot ofmeaning in that…

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to make a stand for drum & bass, toresist the thing where people are either speci>cally makingtunes for radio or producing cheesy dance?oor records. It’s aresistance against the whole culture of selling a crap record.A lot of D&B now is synth and sample-pack based; you getthis synthetic, soulless and overly precise sound. That wasthe big thing with the album, to make it sound real andorganic. All the music I love like funk and dub; that’s the vibeI’m trying to keep in D&B rather than all the electro synthsounds you hear now.

“I was talking with Nico (No U Turn) about it, and if the kind ofD&B we don’t like is plastic, then this music is wood. It’sorganic, real music, and not heavily relying on syntheticsounds – that’s what I’ve been trying to resist, the trends inthe way a lot D&B has gone. I’m >ghting against mycontemporaries; people are going down certain routes to selltheir album, that’s what I’ve been trying to resist.”

Do you not feel there’s a danger that what you’re resisting isactually the process of pushing the music forward andevolving the sound of D&B? Surely, it can’t stay thesame forever?

“It’s a hard one; you don’t want to do stu= that’s been donebefore and you want to be original; I hear some tunes nowthat sound like carbon copies of old 1998 tunes. I’m not intothat, but then I’ve found when you try to make that sound,

there are certain restrictions that mean for it to sound likethat, you have to do certain things. So I guess that’s what thechallenge is now, maintaining funk, groove, vibe anddarkness, but also do something that’s new and doesn’t justsound like a tune from 10 years ago.

“I tried with some tunes on ‘Resistance’ to just make a trackat 172bpm and not speci>cally aim for it to be a D&B tune.There are a lot of tried and tested techniques you can use ina D&B tune to make it work, and that’s what a lot of peoplerinse. I’ve tried to avoid that.”

So has there been a di:erent approach to your last album‘Symmetry’ from 2008? Was there anything you did ordidn’t want to do with ‘Resistance’?

“I guess the collabs on the album are the big thing. There’vebeen a lot of people I’ve wanted to work with over the last fewyears and it hasn’t happened, so this was a good opportunityto say; ‘Hey, let’s do a track for my project’. I was able to getthe cream of the sort of people I’m really into. I’m reallychu=ed to have those names on it. I think that gives this LP adi=erent dimension, as the music we’ve made togetherbrings other perspectives to the music.”

You talk so much about loving organic sounds, and you’vestated your distaste for a lot of the D&B out there right now.As a D&B DJ, do you ever worry that crowds at certainevents might not get what you play?

“Yeah, it’s tough, I might get booked on a line-up with certainDJs, and obviously in a big rave environment, a lot of DJs arenaturally gonna be playing the big crowd pleasers. Thestruggle I’ve always had is delivering something that peoplewill still really like on the night and not bring a downer bygoing too deep and moody for people, without playinganything too blatantly gimmicky.

“I do play jump-up raves, I did a Warning with Dillinja and I wasa bit worried, >rstly because I was playing with Dillinja, who’s ahero of mine, and then secondly because Warning has a bigrave crowd. But it went down really well, it was relieving in away because sometimes you worry the ravers aren’texpecting what you’re gonna play and not get it. I’ve beentrying to work out a way to serve up gourmet food to thehappy-meal generation without them realising. I think thetrack ‘Hold On’ sums up that approach for me. It’s still got amain-room vibe, a big build up, but it doesn’t drop intocheese and it’s not too over the top.”

Do you never get tempted to make a synth-heavy, wobblydance<oor track?

“No. I’m just not that into that sound or that music. I’m not intosynths as a starting point for a tune. It’s the drums; I love realdrums and it’s di@cult to make synthetic drums that actuallyhave good funk and groove, it’s quite static. That’s where mycore sound lies; the real drums and their sound, hence thename Break, and I never think anything can ever beat that.People have always danced to drums since the dawn of timeso a real drum beat is always gonna work.”

‘RESISTANCE’ IS OUT NOW ON SYMMETRY RECORDINGS.

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Get your music into all the major download stores like Beatport, Juno, Drum & Bass Arena, Track It Down, iTunes and moreNo upfront costs or membership feesSimple and easy method to supply your music

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BULLET TRAIN VOLUME 1Mixed by Marco Del Horno(Bullet Train)

After 10 years honing his skillsas a DJ, it seems 26-year-oldMarco Del Horno’s time has welland truly come. Over the lastyear, his weekly show on themighty Rinse FM has beenrapidly gathering him fans fromall corners of dance musicthanks to a selection policy thattakes in everything from garageto tech house to dubstep. Addto that DJ Swerve andP-Money’s recent re-working ofhis ‘Ho! Riddim’ and you haveone of the most talked-aboutmen in dance music right now.This 26-track mix couldn’t bemore current or on-trend if ittried, working its way throughmultiple genres of bass-heavydance music and consistentlysurprising in its constructionand delivery. Packed withproductions from the manhimself, the Bullet Train bossinjects massive tracks from thelikes of Seiji, Roska and Foamoto provide one of the mostcaptivating and accuratesnap-shots of UK dance musicout there right now.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING.

CONSISTENTLYSURPRISING IN ITSCONSTRUCTIONAND DELIVERY

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REVIEW GUIDE: DRUM & BASS DUBSTEP HOUSE/FUNKY GRIME/HIP HOP ???

REVIEWED BY JON COOK, JERYLWILTON, BELINDA ROWSE,SAM BATES, SAM COLLENETTE, CALLUM REECE,MIKE BURGESS & BASSMUSICBLOG.COM

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TERROR DANJAH‘Undeniable’(Hyperdub)

The Terror Danjah renaissancecontinues with force as theproliBc producer steps up toHyperdub with an LP to followtwo impressive 12”s - ‘Acid/ProPlus’ and ‘Bruzin VIP/Hysteria’ -for the label. Alleviated from theconstrictions of the EP format,Terror is able to experimentmore with the diAerent facets ofhis sound. Featuring vocalcontributions from the likes ofMz Bratt, Griminal, Bruza and DDouble E, there are a number oftracks primed for a peak-timedanceCoor, but he also caststhe net wider. The aquaticminimalism of ‘SOS’, the mutantrumbling of ‘Sonar (Selassi Mix)’and the soulful shuDe andbounce of ‘I’m Feeling U’ hint atTerror Danjah’s surprisingversatility, while remainingcohesive and undeniably him.This is the sound of a man atthe top of his game.

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Cash Antics Vol. 2’(Well Rounded)

Brighton’s Well Rounded crew,closely linked with the Edgeworldrecord store, have put togetheranother set of reBxes andreworkings that’ll work wonderson the Coor without everresorting to cheese. Deadboydoes Drake, Skinnz relicks Lloyd,Doc Daneeka & Gatto Voila touchup Angie Stone and Bad Autopsy& Gongon Bnish things up nicelywith their Mag reBx.

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DANNY BYRD‘Rave Digger’(Hospital)

In case you hadn’t alreadyguessed from the name, one lookat the front cover of ‘Rave Digger’tells you what the second albumfrom Danny Byrd is all about. Withthe Bath-based producerdressed in the sort of boiler-suitand face-mask combo thatearly-90s hardcore heroesAltern8 were famed for, this LPcontinues where his remix ofLiquid’s ‘Sweet Harmony’ left oAand attempts to bring the vibesand sounds of 20 years ago toD&B. What that means is plentyof peak-time piano lines, twistingmentasms and sped-up vocals,all weaved into the kind ofmassive, melody-rich danceCoorD&B you’d expect from DannyByrd. Radio One favourite ‘IllBehaviour’ pretty much sums thealbum up – it’s blatantly a bitcheesy, but underneath thecatchy vocals and synths, there’sa serious drum & bass backbonethat never forgets itself forcommercial acceptance.

TROLLEY SNATCHA‘One Trick Pony EP’(Dub Police)

Trolley Snatcha is renowned forbig-room bangers, and that’sexactly what he provides with‘Pass Me By’ and ‘Rocco’sRevenge’, the Brst two tracks ofthis EP for Caspa’s Dub Policelabel. However, he proves there’sa lot more to his sound with thewoozy rhythm of ‘Always On MyMind’ and the self-explanatory‘We Go In Deep’.

NUMAN‘Race Against Time EP’(Planet Mu)

Showing quite a drasticturn-around from his earlierreleases, the ‘Race AgainstTime’ EP showcases Numan’srapid development as an artist.From the twisted Eski stylings of‘Voodoo’ to the dreamy houseof ‘Photograph’, the EP swingsbetween Cavours, nailing eachone perfectly. The only criticismwe could level against it is thatNuman hasn’t quite yet shakenthe shadow of his inCuences.

ESKMO‘Eskmo’(Ninja Tune)

With releases on Planet Mu andWarp, ESKMO has been hypedas one of the most exciting andforward-thinking electronicproducers around. Aftereventually signing to Ninja Tune,he now drops his long-awaitedeponymous debut LP. Verymuch building upon previousreleases, ESKMO twists andcontorts the fundamentals of hissound into an array of diAerentmanifestations. Creaking,lurching drums snap, shards ofmelody ricochet oA each otherbefore smashing, and the bassdelves deep to plunder thedepths of physicality. The albumalso sees ESKMO lending hisvocals to a number of tracks,delivering recurring auto-tunedrefrains that trickle through thebrittle snares and elastic synths.An interesting record with plentyto immerse yourself in, but therestrictions of the sound palettestart to become apparent onrepeated listens.

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MJ COLE FT WILEY‘From the Drop’(A-List)

This meeting of one of UK G’smost respected producers andthe godfather of grime is boundto cause mass fanboy hysteria.Those expecting Wiley riding aclassic MJ Cole garageproduction will be disappointed,as MJ meets Wiley somewherein the middle. This is a minimal,bass-dominated, bongo-Alledcurve ball, over which Wiley laysbare his music industryexperiences.

RACK N RUIN FT NAVIGATOR& SLARTA JOHN‘Territory’

(Black Butter Records)Like your ragga vocals, hugebasslines and massive brokendrums? Rack N Ruin delivers yetanother storming track forBlack Butter. Following recentremixes for pop starlets, I BlameCoco and Aggro Santos,‘Territory’ delivers everythingthe man is hyped for, namelysick production and superbvocalists. Not wanting to beclichéd, but this is fun, fresh anddownright dirty.

SYSTEM‘Sy Fy’ / ‘Springy’(Integral Records)

As a producer, Systempossesses a unique style thatutilises contemporary tightdrum stabs married withbasslines that are reminiscentof jungle. ‘Sy Fy’ delivers anatmospheric intro that breaksdown into silence before ahard-as-nails bassline punchesinto existence to create a rollerthat, just like System’s MC style,keeps the listener continuouslybubbling.

B.RICH‘Everyday Hustle 2010’(Party Like Us)

Pittsburgh-based BarrettRichards is back, dropping hisrefreshed ‘Everyday Hustle’,complete with a new edit fromAC Slater and a stonking remixfrom Flinch. B.Rich’s dubstepre-working focuses on upliftingleads, gliding bass and tribaldrums, while AC’s edit delivers asubtle half-time drop, and Flinchtakes things up a notch with amassive drop and fast-pacedpercussive bass rhythms.

SUBSCAPE‘Time To Escape’ EP(Dub Police)

Big tunes here from Subscape.Kicking o@ with ‘Screw Up’,tortured vocals echo ghost-likeamong screeching synths,providing chaos and uproara-plenty. ‘Just Coz’ takes thingson an electro-infused tip withbleeping beats and pummelingstabs dancing enticingly aroundthe soundscape, while ‘MrKipling’ completes the packagewith juddering synths and a ravemelody – no sugar or additivesin this bad boy!

WARRIOR ONE‘King Pigeon EP’(King Pigeon)

Warrior One’s bashy,JA-inspired sound has madethem one of Trap’s favouriteacts of the last year. Afterexploding onto the scene with‘Bad Like Jimmy Cli@’ back inMarch, they’ve smashed up thelikes of Fabric and YoYo. Thisnew EP, packed with inBuencesfrom rave to niche to jungle isset to push the duo onto evengreater acclaim.

CENTRAL SPILLZ‘I Wish’ (Eddie K Rmx) / ‘What YaKnow About’ (Mensah Rmx)(Durkle Disco)

Central Spillz is theBristol-based collective madeup of producer Superisk andsome of the best young MCsworking in bass-heavy musictoday. Ahead of the release ofSpillz’s ‘Space Travel’ LP inNovember, this 12 sees HENCHbredrins Eddie K and Mensahget to work on two of thealbum’s bigger tracks withdevastating results. We love thisrecord.

DOC DANEEKA‘Television’ EP(PTN)

Doc Daneeka returns to Ramp’shouse-inclined sister label PTNfor the ‘Television’ EP. Switchingbetween the tough march of‘Mario’s Mushrooms’ and thesofter rave-inBected ‘ElectricSandwich Rhythm’, via thehard-hitting ‘Copz’ and dreamy‘Like a Fool’, he continues toprove his uncanny ability to buildtunes to get a danceBoormoving.

SLUGABED‘Donkey Stomp’ EP(Donkey Pitch)

The Donkey Pitch night fromBrighton starts its new label witha stunning e@ort of a four-trackEP. Slugabed’s ‘Donkey Stomp’is full of his inimitable swagger,bursting with riotous innovation.Mweslee re-imagines it as ahyper speed R&B track andGhost Mutt pulls unimaginableamounts of funk and soul out ofhis two alien contributions.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Adventures In DubstepAnd Beyond’(Ministry Of Sound)

Those who’ve been caught up in thedubstep hyperbole will undoubtedlyknow names such as Rusko andSkream, and perhaps evencongratulated themselves fordownloading the latest Nero remixand repeatedly rinsing YouTubeuploads of Mt Eden tracks after anight at Fabric. However, thoselooking to dig deeper into one of thepast few years’ most hyped-upgenres should look no further.Mixmag’s resident dubstepaCcionado, Joe Muggs, brings hisundeniable quality control toMinistry Of Sound’s latestcompilation. As such ‘Adventures InDubstep And Beyond’ is littered withhidden gems from Ikonika’s openingeuphoric remix of Egyptrixx ‘TheOnly Way Up’ to the closingoB-kilter grinding menace of J DaFlex’s ‘Knucklin’. As expected, thiscompilation is packed with qualityfrom start to end and should bepicked up by any dubstep fan,beginner or expert.

BLACK SUN EMPIRE‘Lights And Wires’(BSE Recordings)

One the Crst non-UK acts tobreak D&B, BSE have beeninfecting the sound since theearly Millennium with their brandof Clthy, face-melting beats.‘Lights and Wires’ is the Dutchtrio's fourth LP and covers a widerset of moods and tempos thanprevious outings without loosingthe gritty techno edge that’salways made BSE standout.Tracks such as 'Fuzzball' and'Black River Bay' see themexploring psyched-outelectronica, 'The 405' and'Wasteland' deliver a take ondubstep (and royally smash it),while the crew’s D&B fans will notbe left disappointed with trackssuch as 'Inspeak' and 'Fever'delivering the breakneckpunches. Guaranteed to satisfythe old fans and bound to winthem some fresh ears, 'Lights andWires' is a delicious combinationof dubstep and drum & bass.

NEWHAM GENERALS‘Bag Of Grease’ EP(Dirtee Stank)

This Cve-track EP from the highlyrespected NG’s is an essentialpurchase for grime fans. Productioncomes from S.K.I.T.Z beatz and theNG’s own Footsie, with guestSkepta and a posthumousappearance from Esco Bars on theanthem ‘I’m A General’. This is raw,uncompromising grime – the moodyand haunting, yet bouncyproduction provides the perfectbackdrop for the MCs. Grimeveterans showing the scene theystill keep it raw.

LV‘Boomslang’ft Okmalumkoolkat‘Zharp’(Hyperdub)

Kwaito gets a moment in thespotlight courtesy of Hyperdub,and this release sees LVchopping up Durban nativeOkmalumkoolkat’s vocals tostrong eBect. With a UK-funkyproduction on the beat and aninfectious riB, ‘Boomslang’ hasbeen massive in the dance allsummer. ‘Zharp’ strips thingsback to the bare essentials; lesscatchy but an engaging listennonetheless.

S.P.Y.‘By Your Side’(Spearhead)

Brazillian D&B producer S.P.Y. isof the most interesting artistsworking within the genre today.Finally getting released onSpearhead after months in limbo,‘By Your Side’ is easily one of themost beautiful and emotionalpieces of drum & bass we’veheard in about 15 years.Cinematic strings, house vocalsand an Amen workout for thedrop. Simple perfection.

ANDY C‘Nightlife 5’(Ram Recordings)

As drum & bass compilationsgo, they don’t come much moreessential than Andy C’s ‘Nighlife’series. As head of the mightyRam Records, which launchedand developed the careers ofChase & Status and Subfocus,Andy C knows a thing or twoabout spotting talent, and forthis Cfth instalment of thehugely successful mixseries, the man known as ‘TheExecutioner’ has obviouslybeen busy signing up some ofD&B’s most promising new acts.Built round a core offorthcoming releases on Ram,‘Nightlife 5’ is packed withexclusives that make this mixreally stand out from the crowd.After the slight disappointmentof the last two editions of‘Nightlife’, we’re pleased to saythat volume Cve is one of thebest D&B mixes we’ve everheard. Andy C really is a robot.

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HEAVYFEET FT ROD HOTLY& KID BLISS‘Last Two People’(Stamp! Beats)

Spacey vocals courtesy of RodHotly and a guest hot verse fromLondon-based MC Kid Blisscombine for a sexy, sing-a-longhip-hop original here. HeavyFeet’sown Club Dub delivers a thumping4/4 house mix, using less vocaland bringing epic synth stabs,while recent chart-topper DCUPdrops an all-out disco assault,complete with funky bass andpitch-bent chords.

PEVERELIST & HYETAL‘The Hum’ / ‘Rrr’(Punch Drunk)

A unique coalescence of theirstyles, these tracks take theidiosyncratic percussivetendencies of Peverelist andmatch them with the charismaticmelody work of Hyetal tobeautiful eBect. ‘The Hum’ isdriven by a woozy, tribal stompand shimmering glimmers ofsynth, while ‘Rrr’ tumbles over itsown percussive trickery as tight8-bit arpeggios hold it together.

THE GASLAMP KILLER‘Death Gate EP’(Brainfeeder)

Flying Lotus’ ever impressiveBrainfeeder imprint serves upthe ‘Death Gate’ EP from thehyperactive brain of GaslampKiller. A varied aBair, it swingsfrom bit-crushed beats andalien tremors on opener ‘FunOver 100’ to dusty breaks andpsyched-out melodies on‘When I’m In Awe’ ft GonjasuC,and back again. Both weird andwonderful.

DJ FRESH & SIGMA‘Lassitude’ / ‘Cylon’(Breakbeat Kaos)

Taken from DJ Fresh’s recent‘Kryptonite’ album, ‘Lassitude’sees the Breakbeat Kaos bosslink up with his label’s mostpromising young talents Sigmafor a trademark vocal-led sliceof D&B aimed straight at thedanceDoor. ‘Cylon’ oBers ahealthy point of contrast to thefeel-good A-side, bringing adarker vibe and more complexbongo-led rhythm.

B-LIVE FT SPYDA‘Modern Warfare EP’(Adamantium Music)

The latest single from veterangarage/grime MC B-Live comescourtesy of one of the bestproducers in grime; Teddy(formerly Silencer). B-Live morethan shows his lyrical prowess onthe original, but the remix featuringD Double E, Skepta and Footsieelevates this to a grime classic, asthe energetic production combinesperfectly with some of the genre’selite rhymers.

MAGNETIC MANMagnetic Man(Columbia)

After months ofhype, MagneticMan’s album isCnally with usand dubstephas found itsinevitable wayonto a majorrecord label.Following ayear that’sseen the trio ofSkream, Artworkand Benga stuckon the front coverof the NME andbitched about in TheGuardian, there’s amassive weight of expectationon this record from genuinedubstep heads to culture-whoring

music journalists. Dubstep hasCnally hit the mainstream and

‘Magnetic Man’ isperfectly timed to

make the most of itall, delivering a blend

of club-friendlyinstrumentals andfull vocal tracks in avery slick package.

‘Fire’ with MsDynamite, ‘Perfect

Stranger’ withKaty B and

‘Getting Nowhere’with John Legendare all exceptional

fusions ofsongwriting and

dubstep, providing‘Magnetic Man’ with

memorable highs andpromising to carry thesound of dubstep even

further still.

VELOUR‘The Velvet Collection’(Night Slugs)

Some undercover action hereon Night Slugs - the clues are inthe sounds, but I can't revealexactly who Velour are. There’sno need to worry about thatthough, as the music paints apicture of sleazy(un)sophistication; squelchingand twisting synths play aroundsleazy drummachines, creatinga UK take on both classic houseand modern R&B.

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BREAK‘Resistance’(Symmetry Recordings)

Break returns with his secondsolo album for his own labelSymmetry, and this time he’sbought some friends along.Featuring a who’s-who ofcredible D&B artists, ‘Resistance’is half collaboration project, halfsolo work, and all the better for it.While Break is renowned forproducing the very purest andmost sophisticated D&B around,his last LP su@ered slightly from amonotony of sound. Three yearslater, Break has opened up as aproducer and ‘Resistance’demonstrates a bredth of moodsand textures across 16 tracks ofutter sickness. With a deepervariety within his own tracks, thefeatured collaborations elevate‘this LP even further. Calling onthe likes of Spectrasoul, Die,Calyx & Teebee and Nico, Breakhas managed to deliver one ofthe Anest D&B albums we’ve everheard. Essential.

MUMDANCE‘Mum Decent’ EP(Mad Decent)

Mumdance is the Brighton-based producer with the bestname in dance music. Fact.After remixing for the likes ofSantigold and Gucci Mane, thisEP sees Mumdance deliverthree original tracks. With adiverse and scattered set ofsonic inBuences and featuringvocals from UK singer Esserand grime MC Badness, this EPis so hip it hurts.

FANTASTIC MR FOX‘Evelyn’ EP(Black Acre)

Fantastic Mr Fox is one of themost criminally underratedproducers around at themoment, as he exempliAes onceagain with the ‘Evelyn’ EP.Picking up where the preceding‘Sketches’ EP left o@, heamalgamates an R&B Bourishinto the 2-step leanings of‘Sketches’, drawing for soulfulvocals and colourful synths.An absolute must have.

SURVIVAL FT CHRISTINANICHOLA‘Hand It Over’ / ‘Operator’(Audio Tactics)

Survival links up with singerChristina Nicola for their thirdcollaboration in as many releases.With a downtempo albumforthcoming from the duo, this 12on Survival’s own Audio Tacticsimprint once again demonstratesboth his production genius andChristina Nichola’s haunting vocalcapabilities. Moody and foreboding,yet beautiful and delicate, this ispure quality from one of D&B’smost underrated producers.

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NEED FOR MIRRORS‘Super Earth EP’(Nu Directions)

After recent outings on some ofthe scene’s premier labels, NeedFor Mirrors (AKA HLZ and DJMosus) drop this experimentalextended player on Andy Mystic’sNu Directions imprint. Expectrazor-sharp production awashwith sci-A atmosphericsproviding four tracks of expertlycrafted D&B. Highlights includethe heavily rotated ‘PanoramicViews’, ‘Moving Pictures’ and, forthe collector, the CD versioncontains bonus track ‘Lasers’.Whether your a DJ or homelistener this release has gotsomething for you.

R1 RYDERS‘Full Throttle’ EP(R1 Ryders)

Hotly tipped new producers R1Ryders follow up their debut‘Burnout’ with a four-track EP ofgrime, dubstep, house andbassline inBuenced almost-Funkybangers. ‘Hydraulic’ is thestandout rave detonator, gettinglove from some of the biggestDJs around - with a dubstep-style build and infectious drivingrhythm, the twisted synths andbassline drop kills the rave!

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Scientist Launches Dubstep IntoOuter Space’(Tectonic)

Ask anyone who knows theirdub to name a favouriteproducer and, more often thannot, the name Scientist is whatyou’ll hear. Now, in a stunningcoup, one of dubstep’s mostrevered labels, Tectonic, hasenlisted the legendary engineerto rework 12 tracks from thecream of the genre's producersincluding Mala, Shackleton andKode9. Over a year in themaking, the results arebreathtaking as Scientist gets towork joining the dots betweendubstep and one of its mostobvious pools of inBuence.Enhancing the dread vocals ofKode 9’s ‘Abeng’, breathingorganic life into the modernismof Guido’s ‘Korg Back’ andoverhauling Mala’s ‘City Cycle’into furlongs-deep dub, theambition of this project is onlymatched by its brilliance.

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SINCE ITS FIRST EVENT BACK IN 2007, SHIT THE BED HASGROWN TO BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST RAVES IN THEUK AND EARNED A REPUTATION AMONG RAVERS, DJSAND FELLOW PROMOTERS THAT’S SECOND TO NONE.WITH AMUSIC POLICY THAT DEFIES DEFINITION, THEFIVE STB PARTIES THAT TAKE PLACE EACH YEARCONSISTENTLY SELL OUT THANKS TOMIND-BLOWINGLINE-UPS THAT TAKE IN ALMOST EVERY ANGLE OFELECTRONIC, BASS-HEAVY MUSIC.

With their next massive rave at their current home Motiononly weeks away, Trap caught up with two of the three brainsbehind STB, Rob Cracknell, Tom Hoyle (the third is Oli Ball) foran insight into one of the most exciting events in thecountry…

TRAP: HOWDID STB START?

Tom: “The Brst STB was on 6 May 2007 at Clockwork. It wasso sweaty the paint came oA the walls.”

Rob: “It was basically a bigger version of our regular nightthat’s still running now, The Blast. I guess it was an old-skooland jungle night really. We booked Congo Natty at a timewhen they weren’t playing that much and we’ve always lovedRatpack, so they were there too. The booking we were mostexcited about though was Nicky Blackmarket b2b Kenny Kenwith Fearless, doing a two-hour jungle set.”

Tom: “It sold out, it was amazing. We’d hoped to get about700 in, but we went well over capacity. Everybody loved it,despite how hot and busy it was.”

Rob: “After that, I think people looked at our night and startedto think ‘Maybe they’re not just dickheads,’ and started totake us a bit more seriously.”

AS YOU SAY YOURSELVES, THAT FIRST STB HAD QUITE ASINGULAR FOCUS IN TERMS OFMUSIC POLICY,WHEREAS NOW YOU’RE RENOWNED FOR THE BREADTHOF STYLES YOUR LINE-UPS COVER. HOWDID THE NIGHTEVOLVE INTO THE MULTI-GENRE MASH-UP IT’S BECOME?

Tom: “We started to really mix up the rooms when we movedfrom Clockwork to Lakota, after a Skream two-hour set inroom two. We didn’t realise quite how big he was getting –after that we knew he had to go in the main room. From thenon the biggest acts went in the main room, regardless ofwhat sort of music they played.”

Rob: “We were incredibly lucky to come up at a time whenmusic just changed. Dubstep came through, but we neverhad any worries of being labelled bandwagon-jumpers,because we were there at a time when it just happenedorganically. We never felt like we had to jump on anybandwagon.”

Tom: “When I was in halls at uni, I lived with guys that wereinto hard house, free parties, whatever, and it was reallydiCcult to Bnd a club that we could all go to together. Half ofus wouldn’t wanna go to a D&B night, half wouldn’t wanna goto a house night. Now, I think it’s better, people don’t care somuch and you have nights like ours with D&B, electro,dubstep, house all on one line-up.”

Rob: “STB’s got that eclecticism, but we always make sure atleast a third of the line-up are new acts that have neverplayed before at our nights. We want the music to becompletely on point and credible, but then you also want tohave that beaming face – don’t get me wrong something likeRenegade Hardware is an incredibly sick night, but if you cancombine that sort of musical integrity with a party thatmeans people leave with a beaming face and getting laid,then that’s the ultimate.”

YOU’RE KNOWN FOR BOOKING THE BIGGEST AND BESTARTISTS, AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIMES. BUT BEYONDTHE HEADLINERS, YOU HAVE A HEALTHY LIST OFRESIDENTS, TELL US ABOUT THOSE…

Rob: “One of the best things about STB is the family – EddieK, Interface, Koast, the Signal guys, Dub Boy,Fireman Sam, C- Stike-Z, Rachel on front of house. It’s afamily; everyone’s down the club early, we all drink togetherafterwards, there’s a really tight vibe and that helps.”

Tom: “All those guys, every time we book them they excel.We’ll walk into a room and think ‘What’s going on here?’and it’ll be the residents destroying it.

Rob: “And its great to see everyone getting bigger – Dub Boy,Eddie K, Interface are all doing really well, so we’rereally lucky to have those kind of guys around us, that’s amassive, massive thing…”

AND FINALLY, FOR ANY BUDDING PROMOTERS OUTTHERE, WHATWOULD YOU SAY IS THE SECRET OF YOURSUCCESS?

Tom: “Don’t take yourself to seriously”

Rob: “I remember Ken Mac from Hardcore Beats saying tome: ‘Without the ravers, there’s no rave’. That’s why you’vealways got to make sure the ravers get the best from a night.If you go to a rave, you’ll never be able to get that time backagain, so we have to smash it – we want every STB to bespecial

T: “Those nights when we were younger and we’d comehome talking about it for days afterwards. If we can createthat experience for someone, then that’s pretty special”

THE NEXT TWO SHIT THE BEDS ARE TAKING PLACE ON15 OCTOBER AND 4 DECEMBER AT MOTION IN BRISTOL.

EACH ISSUE, TRAP CASTS A LIGHT ON THE PARTIES AND PROMOTERS THAT ARE AT THE VERY HEARTOF OUR SCENE. THIS MONTH, WE HEAD WEST TO BRISTOL TO HEAR FROM THE GUYS BEHIND A NIGHTTHAT WE AT TRAP AND THOUSANDS OF YOU LOT DEEPLY LOVE… ‘SHIT THE BED’.

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WWW.BRISTOLINMOTION.COM

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15.10.10:

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