WE ARE 3 AND WE HAVE SOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY COMING OVER FOR A CELEBRATION!
STAGGA & MONKY Undoubtedly the leading force of Bass music in Wales and a killer combo since their Optimas Prime days. Also both card carrying members of the Chrome Kids family.
LANDSLIDE Been a little quiet for a while but now based here in Cardiff, the original Fwd>> Resident is back with a stunning new soulful, bass heavy album called ‘Peak’ which drops very soon.
ITAL LION One of the founding fathers of the dance music scene in Cardiff especially for the Dubstep / 2Step generation. Ever evolving and ever progressing, he’s still one of the best in the city.
RATCATCHER Since riding solo from the CRST crew, the artist formerly known as Rodski has pursued his premier love of House to great achievement, with some of the best sets / tunes we’ve heard.
MR HEALAN Not necessarily a newcomer to the scene but definitely making a lot of noise right now after reinventing himself using updated, forward thinking Electronic parts, like a Cyber(bad)man.
BBC Radio 1 linchpin and fellow Welshman, Huw Stephens has teamed up with our current headquaters, Cardiff Arts Institute, to bring a fantastic selection of Bass friendly DJs and producers over the Severn Bridge to The Lock Tavern in Camden. Alongside two of Northern England’s rising stars, is a heavy representation of our native city’s talent. The event runs from 3pm to 11pm on Sunday 19th June and it's completely free, so come and say hello if you're in the area.
Fantastic Mr Fox (Live) With James Blake and Pariah hailing him as the next big thing, The XX taking him away on tour with them and all the hype backed up by some stunning releases on seminal labels Black Acre and Hemlock, it’s suprising we’ve heard little from Manchester producer Fantastic Mr Fox recently, but seems like he’s been hard at work in the den working on his live sets, which he shall be heading up proceedings with for you here.
Jamie Grind Leeds rising don of skittering electronic riddims has made a big impression on the scene with his first 2 fantastic EPs on respected labels: Infrasonics (Spatial, XXXY, Hot City) and Fortified Audio (Submerse, XXXY, KingThing) and his forthcoming releases on Wicked Bass and Chicago Juke label Ghettophiles prove he is definitely one to keep watching.
Ratcatcher After cutting his teeth on the Cardiff clubland as part of Skinny White Boys and C.R.S.T. – Ratcatcher (formerly Rodski) is now riding solo and has returned to his first love, House Music! His residencies at Cardiff Arts Institute and Dalston’s popular underground Rhythm Talk parties have shown him to be one of the most astute DJs on the scene and remixes for the likes of Crystal Fighters, Lokiboi have shown him as a more than worthy producer on the rise.
Didz + Chico Despite their early Grime background, Didz (aka Diddy aka Ill Diddy) + Chico have always hinted at deeper more uplifting side in their DJ Sets and productions. Stalwarts of Cardiff’s music scene, Chico was better known as an MC and Diddy remained largely in the shadows until their anthemic garage track ‘Something New’ on Doc Daneeka’s ‘Ten Thousand Yen’ label, which was rinsed by the likes of Marcus Nasty, Seb Chew, Julio Bashmore, TRG, and Mosca.
Kaptin Holding it down for the Welsh massive for years as a DJ, MC and Promoter, Kaptin heads up the Chrome Kids family alongside Stagga and Monky, recording mixes for the likes of BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio Wales and Knowledge Magazine and playing firing sets at Glastonbury, Bestival and Swn amongst others. He is also part of the Big Swing Soundsystem (alongside DJ Moneyshot + Matt The Hat) and is in charge of bookings at Cardiff Arts Institute.
Mr Healan Definitely showcasing a more Hip-hop approach to future music, Mr Healan has been making a strong name for himself on the Welsh scene supporting acts such as Daedelus, Bullion and James Blake, whilst his productions have received play on BBC Radio 1, Radio Wales and 1Xtra and being picked up by the likes of Distance, Starkey and Darkhouse Family. PUT EM' ON BLAST! MR HEALAN by Mr Healan
Ifan Dafydd After handing some of his own productions to BBC Wales’ presenter Adam Walton, the keyboard player to Wales’ fantastic festival band Derwyddon Dr Gonzo bounced round some of the Beeb big dogs until his unofficial (and unfinished) Amy Winehouse remix ‘No Good’ aired on Gilles Peterson’s show and he caused an instant blog / forum blast. With an obvious ear for great music, we look forwards to hearing what Sunday afternoon delights arise from this exclusive DJ set.
To celebrate the fact that Daedelus shall be coming over to see us on March 11th we are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to the gig (which also features Darkhouse Family and Mr Healan - whose new mix has been firmly lodged in our CD player for a few days now) as well as 2 signed copies of 'Love To Make Music To' which the lovely chaps at Ninja Tune have kindly given us. To enter the competiton (UK only sorry guys, we're skinflints on postage), simply tell us which Daedelus album name checks a region of Wales.
This track's from their new Mini Album dropping next week. You can get more tasters on last week's Chrome Kids show when luckily Traxx from the group managed to come to the studio with Curtamos last minute when my laptop was killed and all the tunes for the show lost.
Plus here's a new mix from DJ Comfort of the crew. Catch all the fellas alongside Magenta, Curtamos and a battle between Beatbox Major and Beatbox Fozzy on Thursday December 9th at Cardiff Arts Institute.
Due to my involvement with Cardiff Arts Institute, I probably bang on about it more than you readers from the rest of the world are bothered about. However just as the blog is an extension of my excitement over the wealth of incredible music out there at the moment, so is the CAI a labour of love that gets me pretty damn excited so it shall probably crop up quite a bit (hopefully) for some time still. Also, don't be too quick to disregard these posts, I intend for the venue to be an upto date marker in music as well (not always an easy task in this fair city of ours) so anyone you see playing there, should definitely be in your radar. With this in mind, here's a few of the acts that shall be appearing over the rest of this month.
Most of you will already know Tomb Crew, however you may not already know Ital Lion or Exotope who shall both be appearing on this night.
Ital Lion is one of the founding fathers of the Welsh Dubstep scene, having first made his way through the Jungle, Garage and Grime scenes first before reaching a unique, almost tribal sound that has always had more than a passing respect for the Dub part of the genre's moniker. This particular track has had alot of play from me recently (sorry no d/l on this as he's still negotiating a release for it).
I only recently met Exotope but had already enjoyed his beat for the Astroid Boys tune Party & Bullshit (which was also released on his Juvenile Scum label). His Dubstep outings are straight dutty stinkers for the filth generation but still maintain a fun element. No doubt all these factors have since triplicated since he became the tour DJ for the Dirty Sanchez boys.
Swn Festival is a fantastic multi venue weekend event here in the city curated by John Rostron and BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens. For a full line up check their site, it's not an instantly obvious line up but that's what makes it so great, as it's stacked full of new and exciting acts to discover. We shall be hosting the launch party on Monday but also a few different events over the weekend. Here's a couple of acts playing here that I'm particularly looking forwards to.
Seams (Monday 18th October)
A late addition to the already exciting prospect of Toro Y Moi, Seams caught my ear through his remixes for Gold Panda and Bibio but his solo productions don't disappoint either. This latest offering is inspired by the Brummie producer's time in Berlin and amidst the shuffling, atmospheric Four Tetesque Techno is 'field' recordings made using his phone or an old tape recorder.
Okay so the prospect of yet another Indie / Electro / Disco act hasn't instantly got me moist but Shake Aletti are definitely near the top of the new crop and this remix from their fellow Sheffield musical exponent Toddla T helps as well.
Nedryare one of many bands to have been likened to The xx, but that's just lazy. They're actually like a Portishead for the modern generation. S**t, okay that was even more lazy. Either way they combine dreamy ethereal vocals with deep up to date electronic beats that waver somewhere in the Dubstep region... and they do it very well.
Dam Mantle + Quinoline Yellow (Friday 22nd October)
The guys from the Electroneg label celebrate the release of a new compilation with their first live outing including: Cian Ciaran from Super Furry Animals and Acid Casuals; Plyci; Quinoline Yellow; and an incredible new producer calledDam Mantle, from that bastion of Avante-Bass, Glasgow. His Purple Arrow EP has been gaining some heavy rotation from us recently and although the whole line up is strong it's these latter two that I'm most looking forwards to.
The Friday fun doesn't stop with Swn however. Once they close up shop at Midnight, the guys from One Mission (the University D'n'B + Dubstep society) shall be taking over the proceedings for the rest of the evening and have got our good friend Stagga flying in from Berlin for a long awaited set back on home turf. Very much looking forwards to this one.
Although Crooks & Lovers has been on heavy rotation, I'm yet to join the masses of people I've met recently who can say "Oh my God did you Mount Kimbie at (insert Festival here), they were amazing." I figured it was time to put this right and bring them some place where I can't fail to catch them.
Joining them on the night shall be a long term Chrome Kids favourite in the shape of Zwolf and a relative newcomer to our radar by the name of STD.
I think that's probably enough to take in for now. No doubt you shall be hearing me shouting further praises from it's rooftop in the coming weeks. If you are in town, pop in.
Once upon a time there were little things called genres. They helped to put life into little boxes and kept things organised. Particularly pleased with this was Radio 1. It let them easily explain what each of the shows were supposed to be doing and who should be listening to what. Of course John Peelpaid no attention to this but that’s fine cos he was easily categorised as ‘the one who broke the rules’.
Recently however it seems that the rules have been bended, twisted and turned every which way but loose and nobody knows what’s what. Dubstep became House and Techno became Hip-hop and Jazz became Rave, then they all became some confusing hybrid of everything. So where does this leave the poor Radio 1 DJs? Gilles Peterson starts becomingMary Anne Hobbs,Annie Mac becomes Zane Lowe and John Peel is left beyond the grave chuckling at the mayhem he helped to create and the station’s attempts to contain his efforts within just two DJs (even if they are the fantastic Huw StephensandRob Da Bank).
For us however it's a fantastic spectacle to see some of our favourite artists gaining exposure across the board and one such example of this is the latest selection thatAlex Stevenson from Patchwork Pirates has put together for the pioneering ‘future jazz’ label Brownswood, ran by his boss and all round musical legend, Gilles Peterson.
Despite being tricky to pin down musically, it is possible to easily accept the flow and musical current that ties Brownswood Electr*ctogether. Most of the artists have grown out of the ‘post’ Hip-hop and ‘post’ Dubstep categories that have been wandering the internet desperately trying to find their own individual tags but failing miserably thanks to a production ethos that is more fluid than the creative juices of us lowly writers. Tribal and Tropical rhythms, Garage Step, Rave Stabs, Jazzy Synths, Soulful Vocals and the occasional gnarly Bassline all find a place on this album, often at the same time and a quality line up of guests includes current golden boys such as Mosca, Von D, Mount Kimbie, Pearson Sound (better known under his Ramadanman moniker), Shlohmo and even 16bit (who fits surprisingly well amongst the rest) along with the next wave of names on everyone’s lips such as Eliphino, George Fitzgerald and Rockwell(who we’ve only just realised is our old amigo from Cardiff, now living down in London). Very similar in atmosphere Fabric's Elevatoralbum, this is going to be the perfect accompaniment to a blazing hot summer.
Speaking of Eliphino, we shall be heading down to check him out at the Beachbreak Live Launch Party tomorrow at CAI so have been rinsing out a few of his productions here at Chrome Mansions. He’s certainly switched up since his days at First Word Records, where he was more on a Dilla-esque Instrumental Hip-hop tip. Nowadays it seems he’s floating around the 130bpm region making the kind of deep dance tracks that sit some place between Garage, Dubstep, Broken Beat and the sort of Tribal and Tropical groove that reminds you of Carnival at dusk. Here’s a little taster plus a free download of his new Randomer & Fife remix courtesy of XLR8R.
Also from the Brownswood stable comes this Free EP from Ghostpoet, a Midlands artist now based in London who managed to charm his way into Gilles Peterson’s All Winners Broadcast with his blazed out poetical journeys over off kilter beats. Kind of like Galliano for the now generation, so you can see why Gilles was impressed, as are we. This introductory 4 track EP includes an appearance from ultra cool pop producer / songstress Micachu and a reworking of the classic Tribe track Electric Relaxation.
As we mentioned before, we're involved in this great venue here in Wales called the Cardiff Arts Institute. So far the weekend nights we've been booking in have been major fun and really successful. Fingers crossed this weekend should be another big one. Not only do we have the new signing to Rob Da Bank's Sunday Best label Sound Of Rum, headed up by super slam poet Kate Tempest on Saturday. But Friday we have some friends, family and f**king fantastic DJs who should be only too familiar to you lot.
Pangaea is one the most exciting producers in Dubstep right now and is part of the new guard really pushing the sound forwards. His releases on Hessle Audio (as well as others), a label he runs alongside Untold incorporate a soulful infusion of UK Funky, Garage and Techno and have helped make it one of today’s most progressive Dubstep labels. He is also a highly acclaimed DJ, with Mary Anne Hobbs calling his BBC Radio 1 mix "texturally one of the most exquisite mixes of the year … breathtakingly beautiful in every way".
Central Spillz are a lively Dubstep crew from Bristol who have helped to show that the MC can remain just as important as the producer in the scene. Working with some of the city’s top names such as Joker and Ginz, as well as their own inhouse producers Superisk and Sam Interface they switch up from party flows to thought provoking lyrics with an engaging energy between them that seems to be missing amongst many of todays MCs.
Our boy Monkyhas been an integral part of Cardiff’s music scene for many years since his days with top turntablist crew Optimas Prime. Along with long time partner in crime Stagga he has helped to project the city’s Dubstep scene into the wider world and his forward thinking productions have found favour with the likes of N Type, Starkey and Jamie Vex’d.
Drokkr has been flying the flag high (sometimes it seems even solo) for the Irish Dubstep fraternity with some of the gnarliest, gut ripping tunes going. Recently signed up to DZ’s Badman Press label, he has been stepping away from strictly 140bpm filth into Bass heavy Glitch hop territory and will be rinsing out all his productions for us here.
Adam Corner is one of those increasingly rare DJs who plays completely in the moment so you never quite know what’s going to come out of the bag, but you are guaranteed it’s always going to be just the right tune. From his time shifting vinyl behind the Catapult Records counter to his articles in Kruger Magazine(RIP) and nights such as Wonky Disco, he has always had his finger on the pulse and been an influential figure in the Welsh music scene.
We're involved in a great new venue in Cardiff called Cardiff Arts Institute . Some real incredible acts coming up on their new Fridays and Saturday nights from May but before then even there's a couple of beauties. On Friday 30th April the big man himself High Rankin will be dropping by, whilst the day before Kruger Magazine are bringing Bass Clef back to the city for some more One Man Bass antics. One of the new Friday residents and Kruger stalwart Adam Corner caught up with Bass Clef for some wordage before he arrrives.
Put the date in your diary – on Thursday April 29th at the Cardiff Arts Institute on Park Place, the one-man-band-like-no-other Bass Clefwill be in town. Following a late-afternoon performance in the lobby of the Cardiff Museum (part of the Artes Mundicelebrations, and quite possibly the first time live dubstep has been played in a museum), zwolf, Kruger DJs (Adam & Phoenix) and Mr Healanwill be warming up the crowd from 9pm in the Arts Institute, before Bass Clef takes to the stage at around 11.00pm.
I caught up with Bass Clef – AKA Ralf Cumbers – and found him waxing lyrical about the joys of playing in Cardiff. “I think I've done Cardiff three times, and each one has been a cracker, especially the last Swn show (in 2009), it was one of my all time favourites!”
A visit by Bass Clef is any city’s gain – and back in 2007, when Ralf played The Point as part of Mary Anne Hobbes’ Warrior Dubz tour, Cardiff knew he was something special. “I love the Cardiff crowd”, said Ralf, “if they're in to it they will really let you know!”
And what’s not to be into? The Bass Clef sound is visceral but sophisticated – a blend of dancehall rhythms, trombone flourishes and electronic production that never fails to blow the roof off. Most people’s introduction to him was through the stunning single ‘Cannot be Straightened’, lifted from his debut album ‘A Smile is a Curve that Straightens Most Things”. Operating in the same anthemic bass territory as Roots Manuva’s ‘Witness (1 Hope)’ or Dead Prez ‘Hip Hop’, dropping ‘Cannot Be Straightened’ is a shortcut to a skanking dance floor.
The new album – titled May the Bridges I Burn Light My Way and released earlier in the year on Blank Tapes – keeps up the pressure, although there’s a little more depth to the songs. “I had a few lovely reviews, but if one person out there gets it and loves it then brilliant” says Ralf humbly. “I’ve been gigging a load, plus writing a ton of stuff, some of which may or may not be the start of album three…I’m currently based in London and most of my music is recorded at home. But with the latest album I took my home recorded tracks to a fantastic south London studio called Snorkel, to add the stuff I can't do at home: brass, percussion, drums. It's something I'd like to build on, the blending of electronic and acoustic is the exciting thing for me these days.”
Bass Clef is only on his second album, but given the speed that electronic music seems to move at, it feels like he’s something of a veteran of the dubstep scene. “I guess in these accelerated times, having released records in 2006 would qualify me as the 2nd wave of old skool or something! God knows, ask someone who cares about the hardcore continuum thingy.”
It’s a refreshingly self-effacing attitude from a man who has done as much rummaging around under the engine of the dubstep-mobile as any of the more consciously cooler Hypedub crowd. While refusing to be pigeon-holed by lazy journalistic clichés is the prerogative of any underground artist, the acts that make up the prism of styles that dubstep has splintered into are sensitive about the way their music is labelled and described. It’s probably a sign of a scene filled with healthy self-confidence, but Bass Clef has a slightly different perspective: “I think I started on the outside edge of dubstep, now I've moved farther out and the egdes of dubstep have moved waaaay closer to the centre. I haven't ever thought about where I stand really. I just try and make tunes I think are good and true, and then whatever anyone wants to call it is fine with me.”
Whatever we do-or-don’t call it, 2010 is a ridiculously exciting time for electronic bass music with new acts and labels popping up everywhere, and Ralf is right in the mix: “Hell yeah, there's a ton of stuff going on. The new Mr Majeika tune on Numbers is absolutely rocking my world. 'Because of you' by Panagea is an amazing record. Geiom is kicking it as always. There's a new act called Raime that will release their debut 12" this year and it's absolutely stunning. I'm deep in to Kenyan Benga music from the 70's too. It's really stripped down, but so funky.”
With such an eclectic bag of influences, its no surprise that Bass Clef is such a unique artist. What other dubstep artist could play a museum lobby and the Scala in London in the space of a week? “I think the weirdest gig I’ve done would have to be at a Cambridge May ball. I played at 4am, after a Take That tribute band, in the courtyard of a beautiful old historic college, to a lot of drunk people in tuxedos and ballgowns. Good times! Well I say a lot. There were about 7 people.”
We’ve all been there…drunk in a tuxedo that is, not playing a trombone and Theremin at 4am in the morning at a Cambridge ball. But what next for the Clef-monster? “There should be a 12" of 'Promises' (single from his new album) with an absolutely beautiful Appleblim & Peverlist remix, then not one but two shows with the almighty Konono No.1, plus my first trips to Malta and Tel Aviv...and of course my return to wonderful Cardiffland!”
And wonderful Cardiffland is looking forward to his arrival…
Unless specified, any mp3s linked to on this blog are purely for promotional trial purposes only and should be deleted from a computer within 24 hours. If you like what you hear show respect to the person who made it and go buy the album.
If an artist or label spots material of theirs on this blog and is not pleased by this, contact me and I will remove it immediately.
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