ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

NOVELISTMOONYNOTION

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MURLO / NOTION / NOVELIST / MOONY / ALTERED NATIVES / VEX RECORDS / 2013 > 013 > 130 / EDWIN ORGAN / TUMBLE AUDIO + MORE

T O O M U C H H Y P E I S S U E # 1

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R o s s J o r d a nO W N E R / D E S I G N E R

K y l e B o lt o nO W N E R / E D I T O R

H ay l e y H a t h e r e l lW R I T E R / E D I T O R

F i o n a G e m m e l lW R I T E R / E D I T O R

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I N T E R V I E W : M U R L O

MAKEITFUNKYFOR ME

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ALTEREDNATIVES

ALTEREDNATIVES

Altered Natives (aka Danny Yorke) is a prolific producer, wannabe film director and graffiti artist turned DJ. Head of the Eye4Eye family and known for the Tenement Yard Volumes, Yorke’s style is definitely rough and ready, with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get attitude. The method in his madness translates fluidly into his music making it perfect for both the underground clubbing scene and those who wish to party hard with dark and dirty beats at home. We caught up with him to find out more about his career, his desire to potentially branch out into the film industry, the latest DD Black EP and what it takes to make it in an industry where arses don’t just kiss themselves.

You’re known to speak your mind no matter what and to be quite candid. Are there any instances where this has not translated into your music, or is this something you strive to do no matter what?

Musically it’s just self-personalization, if anything that’s what sets tracks apart. Its personal identity, story and sense of character is what gives it its purpose. Or it’s another painting of a vase of sunflowers after another.

Will you still continue to put out music and why have you stopped the Tenement Yard Volumes?

The ending of the series was just to kill complacency in something I could do seemingly forever. I loved the project and the love it received was amazing, but I didn’t want it to become a ‘Now That’s’ type thing. With an obvious expectancy from people who were becoming overly familiar with just one aspect of

my production. If anything I’ll be releasing a lot more music now.

Tell me a little bit about the release with DD Black, what does the EP mean to you, in the sense of style and sound?

DD is one of the world members of the Eye4Eye family, he’s been pretty prolific in his output and has created a strong identity in his sound over the last few years. He’s very much influenced by what we do in the UK but his twist is unique as he’s translating it all from the other side of the world in Japan and making it his own, this EP is the first from Yoshinari. I’m looking forward to his second EP and the rest of the Eye4Eye family’s projects this year. The EP in general is very upbeat and very energetic.

You’ve commented before about starting off as a graffiti artist, has that graffiti style, the nitty-gritty of the street and that sort of ‘illegal’ artistry influenced or affected your musical style?

‘Nitty gritty of the street and illegal artistry’ influencing or affecting my musical style: I’d say I’m more a product of living in a city who grew up to witness, live among and experience amazing cultures and movements. What drew me to graffiti was I was always very artistic from a small child, despite its stigma and misunderstanding, I embraced graffiti more out of witnessing the explosion of the electro/hip hop scene through very young eyes when it was really expressive physically and artistically.

You often title tracks and refer to them as a sort of ‘diary’ – have there

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been any songs that you’ve produced just for the hell of it, and why?

Only remixes to be honest, they’re the only bodies of work because it’s someone else’s story. I actually like remixing because of this, it’s a different treatment, it gets the same love and commitment. But I’ll make the track I’m remixing as much a part of me as possible. Like retelling their story but, rewriting bits and adding some UFO’s and unicorns. That’s kind of how I actually listen to remixes like, ‘Let’s hear your version of the story’. As for the idea or personal relevance behind certain tracks that’s just how it works for me. Some titles sound silly, or pretty obvious but for me it’s as close as you’ll ever get to meeting me.

What really puts you off about bedroom producers now-a-days? Do you think people are becoming too cocky and producing work that’s substandard?

I think there’s an over focus these days on hype over content, wherever you choose to write music. I don’t begrudge any producer, bedroom or studio. It’s easier these days with technology to make music production accessible. I can’t judge anyone to call them substandard, plus we all do things for different reasons. Some people are simply in this because they think they should, simply because they can own music software and someone showed them how to use it.I like meeting people who write because it’s their passion to write, not because software is affordable and you want to be popular because you weren’t at school or something.

You’ve got kids, family etc. Do you think you’ll be doing this until you’re a pensioner? Has there ever been a slight notion that you’d want to try your hand at something else, or something you used to do?

I enjoy music as my creative outlet a lot. I do however have a strong interest in film direction and production. I’ve always been interested in cinema, so maybe one day I might try my hand at directing something. Who knows?

What do you think are the three key elements that make a producer successful in the UK scene and why?

I honestly haven’t got a clue. I don’t consider myself successful, slightly acknowledged, respected: maybe. I still feel like I’m new compared to some people. Ironically, I’d say kiss the right arses, big up the right DJ’s, say you like shit you don’t really like. I don’t know. All I know is not doing those things made it take longer to just simply get me acknowledged. I just believe in earning your stripes, not a PR campaign for a recycled idea. My advice if you want to do it my way is to simply, respect your art as a producer, you are an artist. People won’t respect your work if you don’t. Be inspired when you write, it’s all-good if you’re using the right sounds, but add some of your personality to it. Pointlessness has a limited shelf life and soulless music stagnates quickly.

A lot of people differentiate between producing and DJing, some are better at one than the other, do you see yourself as a producer or a DJ and do you think it’s important to have a specific focus?

Nah, I’m a Producer/DJ. DJing is just part of a bigger picture in showcasing my work and the Eye4Eye family with my production DJ sets. I’m never going to play live, yet as I produce enough music to consistently play pretty much a set full of unreleased work each booking. I do however

play music from other artists outside too in my sets.

Do you think it’s a good thing genre’s are starting to become blurred?

This is an interesting topic, but I think it’s just part of natural musical evolution.A lot of the lines blurred are by producers slowly maturing out of what they used to do. Which is natural, we all age. Like how certain producers are moving into a more house and techno direction, it’s no bad thing. Plus, I’ve never really aimed at being one thing, I just want to write music full stop on any level. If anything I’ve always been blurring lines to make the transition points connect within my own work.

The latest Eye4Eye release sports tracks with more dub/African inspired rhythms and others a more melodic sound, do you feel this is the type of music that people should be listening to keep the party going, or is it more of a smoke and chill-out-on-a-sofa vibe that you try and keep? Why?

I’d put this EP definitely out in the club rather than on the sofa. But I get to listen to it in both environments, so it’s all good. Eye4Eye isn’t fixed to one thing genre wise. If you check the back catalogue of Eye4Eye it doesn’t start with Tenement Yard Volume One. The Guild of Synchronists wasn’t a techno compilation.If anything that’s still the direction, full stop. I have no intention of releasing music that I don’t personally like either. As for where it belongs, that’s the listener or the DJ’s choice. I base it simply on this: if you like what I do, and I like what these guys do, then

“IRONICALLY, I’D SAY KISS THE RIGHT ARSES, BIG UP THE RIGHT DJ’S, SAY YOU LIKE SHIT YOU DON’T REALLY LIKE.”

“IF ANYTHING I’VE ALWAYS BEEN BLURRING LINES TO MAKE THE TRANSITION POINTS CONNECT WITHIN MY OWN WORK.”

surely you’ll like their work as well.

From your playing at Stereo Café in Glasgow, what differences do you see between the Glasgow and the London scene?

Not much other than batter on everything [laughs]. Glasgow has good night life, I saw a lot of good DJs listed on club line ups while I was there. I had a good laugh when I came up. I liked Glasgow a lot.

Your favourite ends and why?

London. I grew up here, it’s home, all my love and inspiration was born here.

HAYLEY HATHERELL

BY

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MAKE ITFUNKYFOR ME

When speaking with Xlr8r in 2009, rinse fm boss, Geeneus explained this by saying, “The funky thing came about because girls had stopped dancing in clubs—[grime] was more of a show thing, so people could just dance again, you know?” As the garage and grime scene depreciated a bit, UK funky came to light. A new sound which critics found hard to pin down and define, due to all the different influences and

elements in it. UK funky is truly dance music – made to make the people dance. Production wise, whilst instruments used vary a lot, synthesisers and drum machines are highly common in the funky sound. The most prominent feature of funky is definitely the drums. The african/tribal inspired percussives give UK funky a beat which sets it aside from the other genres to come out of the UK. The drums are key to any funky track and

give it the rolling quality which in turn makes it this dance appropriate genre. When the drums seem to shuffle on it catches into the crowds in the clubs, and they keep going with it, unlike other genres which are maybe too hard and would get tiring to keep on dancing to. The influence from garage is apparent through rhythmic and some vocal styles. However funky is the outcome of a whole lot of genres, with their best

In the mid 2000’s a new genre of music showed its powerful presence across London. UK funky began to spread across pirate radio stations. Coming from influences of soulful house, afrobeat, soca and UK garage - UK funky pushed itself into the dance music scene as proper party music.

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“ As funky grew and people thought of it as a simple, crowd pleasing sound, the grime/MC influence seemed to grow. “

assets all mixed in together – with tribal, afrobeats drums, broken beat, bassline and soulful house influencing the beat and the either grime MC influence in vocals or the RnB/garagey smooth vocals. Returning to the point of drums, not just used for rhythmic progression in funky tracks, hi hats and snares play a key part in many funky tracks also. In any sense of talking about funky it would not be half the genre it is today if the drums were not featured so much. With the snares/hi hats often combining with the bass and creating a real banging throughout tracks. This in turn acts as a que for clubbers and listeners, a real sense of timing comes into the dancing and listening to UK funky. When UK funky first reared it’s head, it seemed hard to categorise it into a sub-genre. Whilst showing similarities to garage, the sound of UK funky proved too complicated to fit into a sub-genre of a simplistic genre like garage. With heavy influences from deep, soulful and bassline house, it became apparent that UK funky was it’s own genre. A new creation, which took a bit from so many different inspirations that it became something completely new, instead of being like an improved or beta version of some other genre. UK funky was pushed by Supa D, DJ Pioneer and Marcus Nasty to name a few. With Marcus Nasty pushing the sound heavily on Rinse.fm funky began to spread. However as it grew in popularity it seemed to pose a bit of a contradiction to itself. Where the complexity of funky as a genre is apparent when analysed, or when a track is deconstructed into single elements. When listening to a funky track it sounds just like a few minutes

of fun, dance music, almost deceivingly simple sounding. As funky grew and people thought of it as a simple, crowd pleasing sound, the grime/MC influence seemed to grow. Skanks, began to increase in popularity, at clubs and on tracks. The purpose of the funky scene seemed to almost collapse on itself. Where funky began to provide something for everyone to dance to, the introduction of skanks, precise dance movements kind of showed a bit of restriction on the accessibility of the music. You couldn’t just go and join in at a funky night, you would need to be prepared and almost work with the MC’s to keep the vibes going as you churned out all these different moves ‘skanking’ all night long.Funky is one of the most fast paced genre progressions we’ve seen. In the early days it seemed to almost have a constant ‘under construction’ label around it, with lots of little changes happening to the music. Roska spoke to xlr8r about the progression of funky saying; “The genre has moved so quickly, it’s unbelievable. In the space of a year, you’ve seen it rise from loads of singing tunes to instrumentals to MCs jumping on. I don’t see none of it as a bad thing – all the parts have their place – but it’s just weird to see how fast it’s moved.”Perhaps it was due to this quick progression that the big hype around funky seemed to fade, however maybe this is a good thing. There was a point where the funky scene was saturated with new producers coming in and doing lots of different things, however it seems that majority of the producers still repping the funky scene these days are fairly like-minded and are all about the original idea of funky – fun.

FIONAGEMMELL

BY

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NOTION FIRSTLY BROUGHT INTO THE PUBLIC EYE BY CHAMPION OF FORMULA RECORDS, 19 YEAR

OLD PRODUCER, NOTION HAS MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AS A KEY PLAYER IN THE UK FUNKY AND BASS SCENE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO TALK ABOUT

PRODUCING, CLUBS AND MORE .

NOTIONYou’ve been working with Champion on Formula Records for a bit over a year now, can you give us a little insight to working with him/the label? Do you think it’s changed your sound any? Yeah, I met Champion in Hereford sometime in 2011. I was a resident for a club called Jailhouse at the time & was playing on the same lineup, burned him a CD of some music I was making and asked him to have a listen. I’d been speaking to a few artists around the same time that had worked with/knew Champion and he took an interest. I think one of the tunes on the CD was Digits and then from there we just built a release. He’s been a massive help to me, bringing me into the scene around London where I was unknown before and pushing my music forward. I don’t know if it has ‘changed’ my sound so much since but early on Champion’s music definitely had influence on me, when I first heard Lighter, it was the perfect coming together of all the funky & grime elements. I was like ‘this is the sound I want to be making’. How would you describe your own music and why did you choose the funky/bass route to follow in producing as opposed to other genres? Have you always wanted to make this kind of music, or were you a bit experimental? I would definitely rather not label it under a specific genre & I definitely like to experiment but my music takes influence from everything - some grime & funky but also reggae, bashment, hip hop, jungle, literally whatever. It doesn’t even have to be music, sometimes I see a movie or something happens and I get a mad idea for a tune. To be honest, I don’t sit down & say I’m going to make this kind of song. I just start putting things together and see what it develops into. I do actually make other genres of music but the 130/140 stuff is what I’m focusing on releasing and building up. I used to play/produce drum & bass and jungle for a couple of years as well as a lot of the old DMZ dubstep and that kind of thing. What sort of music do you listen to in your spare time? Any influences that help you get into producing mode? Most of the time I don’t like to listen to the kind of music that I’m making. I’ve always loved hip hop so most

of the time that’s what I listen to but I take influence from all sorts of styles of music, old & new. There are a lot of people that seem to love compartmentalising music into genres and that spoils it a bit, so I try to be a bit more diverse with what I’m doing. Anything can influence me to make a beat or a melody, quite often it’s just some random sound I’ll hear & want to recreate that in a musical way. What do you use when producing and have you any tips for new producers trying to make it? I produce on Ableton & just a Duet 2 audio interface & KRK Rokit 6s. No midi keyboard, hardware or any of that stuff. I find it too easy to get distracted by things I don’t need when I’m producing so I like to keep it basic and focus on the actual music I’m making. I think hardware/gadgets etc can be inspiring but they can make you forget why you’re actually producing too. Something that we’ve seen being brought up a lot recently is people discussing how music is repeating itself, hence why disco is getting a bit more recognition again. However there seems to be more fresh sounds coming from the UK for example 130, what’s your stance on that? Yeah some older stuff is coming back a bit but it depends how you look at it, nobody’s music is ever 100% original (especially when modern music relies on so much sampling) because every idea has been thought of before. It’s just how you put those ideas together & what you come out with that is different. Even a lot of the 130 stuff probably isn’t as fresh as your thinking. The whole jacking sound that’s influencing a lot of 130 house/funky music at the moment is nothing new, or the garage influenced sounds in some of the deeper stuff – it’s just how people are doing their own thing with that. We’ve noticed on twitter you’ve spoke about how club closures seem to be getting more recurring now. What affect do you think this will have on the music business, if any? The first two venues I played in London (Cable & East Village) closed in the last couple of months, as well as some more local venues in Bristol and it seems to be happening more and more. It’s not a secret that these days most of the money in music is generated by

live shows & performances so of course with less venues to play in, musicians are going to be affected. There aren’t many new clubs/nights/labels starting associated with grime & funky at the moment and I think it is a shame but I don’t really know what we can do about it, other than take the issue into our own hands and create more business for ourselves. Talking of clubs, you recently played in Nottingham with friends of ours Tumble Audio. How did you get involved? Yeah, first time in Nottingham. I’ve been speaking to all the Tumble Audio guys for a while, since they asked me to do a remix for Killjoys Memories EP (out now on Tumble Audio) & that naturally just progressed into them asking me to come down. It was one of the best crowds I’ve played to for a long time & the whole night was a vibe. I’m definitely looking to return to a Tumble event in the future. What is the best club night you’ve played and why? Is it all about the crowd or the venue for you? I couldn’t really name one in particular but I think the people make all the difference. I’d happily play in a half empty room as long as there was a big sound system & the right crowd. A lot of the time people just seem to be going to raves just to say they go, or to show off their new creps, whatever. You could have the best club in the world & those people aren’t gonna make the night enjoyable, so it’s definitely all about the crowd for me. You’ve released a few remixes recently, including one on Nativ’s Bandulu EP, and one working with Tumble Audio. What can we expect to come from you next? I can’t give too much away just yet but there are a couple of things coming and I’m speaking to a few different labels at the moment about plans for the rest of the year which I’m really excited about getting underway. I’m currently in between houses so I have no solid studio space which is frustrating but I can say I’ll be back in full force after the summer though so watch this space.

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FIONAGEMMELL

BY

2013 > 013 > 130

Many say music comes in cycles. Genres from years back have a little bit changed or something added to them, and they become something new - a new genre is created or the original comes back into popularity again. However a growing trend in dance music has been one which has proved difficult to pin down to one genre. This new 130 sound has come

from a mixture of dubstep, funky and grime. Whilst naming this new sound isn’t yet concrete, 130 seems to be doing the job for now. The reason simply being that this music is all made at a tempo of around 130 beats per minute. Perhaps because the usual 140 tempo of dubstep and grime is a bit harder to integrate with other genres for DJ’s while mixing, also

London’s dance music scene has a new, deeper,

darker sound coming into it. 130, backed by Dusk

+ Blackdown, is creeping its way into listeners ears

and hearts. 130 is all about the rolling drums, tense

atmosphere and of course keeping at the 130BPM.

2013 > 013 > 130

reducing the tempo to nearer that of UK funky helps. With the three genres at around 130, it seems to make the influences from them a lot more apparent in these tunes. Some argue that looking back to classic grime and dubstep is counter-productive and does not help the progression of UK dance music at all but some listeners would disagree with this. When

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London’s dance music scene has a new, deeper,

darker sound coming into it. 130, backed by Dusk

+ Blackdown, is creeping its way into listeners ears

and hearts. 130 is all about the rolling drums, tense

atmosphere and of course keeping at the 130BPM.

grime first got big it wasn’t exhausted for all the new spin-off genres and changes that could be made from it, in that sense grime was a sort of short lived genre. This means that when people are looking back on grime they are not just regurgitating it, but they are adding, tweaking and honing in on the distinct elements. The point of being counter-productive would be more apt when talking about house music. House has been around for a much longer time than grime and has been altered and contorted into so many related genres, it’s hard to justify spending a lot of time trying to make something new out of it. However

the fact that grime and dubstep have not been exhausted and used to this level is definitely a good thing maybe it’s just because they are newer genres that they haven’t been edited various times. Mixing this with UK funky is definitely something big, while UK funky is very fresh and fun sounding, adding it to the other elements creates a very different sound. Listening to 130 beats the audience can tell the funky influence but the whole tone has been lowered to a deeper, darker and almost eerie atmosphere in some cases.130 is expanding to more labels, with releases coming from the likes of Glacial, Egyptian Avenue

and Niche n’ Bump, but the main label to look out for is Keysound. Run by Dusk + Blackdown, these boys are doing big things as far as 130 is concerned. Blackdown blogged in his 2012 roundup post on the 130 sound saying:“This section (Dark 130) was for me the real heart of 2012 and in truth it’s a flex I’d been long since feeling around for - check my remix of Bias and Gurley “Roll” which I did in 2010.”Although Dusk + Blackdown have been pushing the sound for a while, it seems to be catching on. With more labels getting a piece of the action and a big talent pool of new producers getting into 130.

“I’d say that this is more reflective of a lot of

new producers coming through with a more

‘classic’ dubstep or grime influence to their

sound. But it’s not just this little pocket in one

camp; if this is a thread about the extended

Keysound label then fair enough but this is

definitely bigger than that.” - Slackk

Slackk commented on the origins and the growth of the genre saying:“I’d say that this is more reflective of a lot of new producers coming through with a more ‘classic’ dubstep or grime influence to their sound. But it’s not just this little pocket in one camp; if this is a thread about the extended Keysound label then fair enough but this is definitely bigger than that.”Producers may be picking up more on 130 but club nights don’t seem to have bought into it as much, perhaps just because it is early days. With the dark vibes comes a bit of tension when

listening - a kind of marmite situation, listeners either buy into the whole uneasy tension brought by the rolling drums, while others may prefer standard upbeat dance music. Some would say, the key to getting into 130 is to accept the tension as a good thing, as more of excitement as opposed to anxiousness. The similarities between dubstep and 130 are mainly the bass, however 130 is more percussive because of the other musical influences involved. Being bass centred genres, they both make use of delays which definitely adds to the tense atmosphere in a lot of 130 music. One thing about

dubstep is that the instruments are sometimes overlooked in tracks, however some producers (i.e. Beneath) basically just make dubstep at a 130BPM, not only does this add to the atmospheric, dark feel of the music, but it adds emphasis to the instruments, which relates onto early grime influences. The delays, instrumental use and the drums combine the three main influences perfectly creating this smooth, yet eerie, dark sound. The sound of the UK.

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FIONAGEMMELL

BY

NOVELIST

NOVELIST

Is it intimidating being your age and being immersed in the grime scene?

I’ve never felt that being a young MC has ever been intimidating or scary. I’ve grown up around older MCs and MCs my own age and we all share mutual respect, regardless of age. I see being this young as an advantage because I’ve got many years to do my own thing and not make the mistakes MCs before my time made.

Is it strange playing shows, where the audience is 18 and you’re under age?

I’ve performed in a few places now and the audiences have been older than me but it’s never really been awkward in all honesty. I just see it this way: I’ve come to showcase my music so either way I’ll perform to my

best standard because you want to be remembered as that guy that ‘did his ting’ on stage.

Not a lot is known about you, could you tell us a bit about your story/how you got involved in this genre?

I first started MCing at the age of 7 when I was introduced to grime fully. My uncle would play grime and house shows on Rinse FM when it was a pirate radio station and I would lock in as well. We had the 1st ‘Lord of the Mics’ DVD and ‘Risky Roadz 2’ DVD and that’s when I knew grime was in my blood. I began to learn from the MCs, I watched and imitated how they MCd. I find this funny now but that’s how it all kicked off for me. My uncle produces so I’ve always been exposed to different music software’s from a young age and that’s how I’ve always been into

beat making as well as spraying bars.

Where do you see yourself in 6 months?

In six months time my first CD should be available hard copy and digital, one or two instrumental EP releases and all that jazz. I’m working hard, and with hard work, progression comes. I’m just pushing my sound in better ways to be honest.

Where do you draw inspiration/which artists have influenced you the most, if any?

I’ve always been influenced by what’s going on in my world, for example: I might name an instrumental I’ve made after something interesting I’ve seen recently or

Don’t be fooled by his age, when it comes to MCing, Lewisham born Kojo Kankam aka Novelist is well beyond his years. Rounded up with the likes of up and coming artists such as: Koder, Tempo & Ghostly, Novelist was featured on SBTV’s Cypher video. We caught up with this young, but extremely talented artist to find out what is going on in the UK grime scene and if YouTube is the way to get your talent noticed.

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write a lyric regarding something I’ve seen or felt. There aren’t many MCs that influence my sound but there are a few that influence my way of handling music because you can see what works and what doesn’t work when looking at the ‘grime Scene’. I’d say JME from BoyBetterKnow is definitely a good example of a well-organised MC. I can say too many MCs inspire me, but I appreciate all good music.

Do you think your music will mature with you, or do you feel you’ve found your sound?

My music has allowed me to gain a strongly focused mindset because if you want to succeed there must be order and work rate, which requires focus. I can’t be distracted by what’s not relevant. My sound is old school and new school, I believe I’ve found my sound but now it’s time for it to grow and become a trend.

A lot now a days in terms of grime, is done through

notepad and type my lyrics with a beat playing in the background. It’s as simple as that.

What do you say to people that feel that the UK music scene has lost its grime-y roots and has reverted to Hip Hop? Do you think there’s a resurgence of grime?

I say, the UK sound will always be the UK sound in the same way a mother will always be the original mother of the child, no matter how the relationship goes. Grime is a London born genre, so no matter how many people choose to become rappers, singers, producers etc. there will always be someone making grime because this is what we do in the UK. All I can do is play my part in this big game.

YouTube channels such as SBTV and Link Up TV, do you see this as progress or something that hinders a genre that’s always been classed as quite underground?

In all honesty, all the top UK YouTube channels for music have very little to do with how much someone wants to be successful in a genre of music. I’d agree with anyone that says they can help with promotion, but being proactive and doing more than what’s expected of you will get you where you want to be, regardless of how many freestyles and music videos you could have on these channels.

Let’s get general. How do you go about writing lyrics? What process do you go through?

I always say, ‘you can’t build a house with no foundation’ and this applies with music. When I want to write bars, I draw for the pen and pad as standard. More time, if the pen isn’t there, I’ll switch on my PC and use

HAYLEYHATHERELL

BY

“I say, the UK sound will always be the UK sound in the same way a mother will always be the original mother of the child”

CATCHING UP WITH:

EDWIN ORGAN

You recently played at Too Much Hype (TMH) in Paisley Union, what was it like in terms of the atmosphere and crowd?

Yeah the night had a good vibe and it was nice playing to a crowd that get the music you’re playing. I’ve been booked to play shows before and the audience’s knowledge of electronic music goes about as far as Steve Angello. So it was nice not to be glanced at like “how do I dance to this?” every second song.

How important do you think nights like TMH are for places like Paisley, or even Scotland as a whole?

It’s good seeing people coming together and actually putting on a night featuring music they want to hear. Especially in somewhere that doesn’t have a thriving music scene, and, where there are probably a lot of young people looking for something alternative to a Guetta sound tracked piss-up.

Have you been hard at work producing any new material? What is it like?

I’ve been working on a lot of new material and experimenting with my own voice, which has lead to a slight change in direction. That’s mainly to do with tempo more than anything else. Getting in the mind-set of making tracks for the club is cool, but I tend not to let BPM dictate what to make, as you can loose good ideas through that process.

What are your plans for the future, in terms of gigs? Well I’ve decided that I’m going to expand on my live set and I’m looking to bring in a few friends to help me out with this idea. A lot of producers do live shows, but some just seem to be them hitting a couple of drum samples to a backing track. So I’m going to try and bring more of a performance element to shows, but it’s all very much in the planning stage right now.

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The first guest to DJ along side hosts, Nativ and Syndakit, Edwin Organ definitely brought the hype. Producing quirky and whimsical tracks, Organ has been creating gems and adding his own unique spin on remixes.

HAYLEY HATHERELL

BY

MOONYThomas Mason AKA Moony is an ambitious young producer and DJ from the south coast. Having started DJing at the mere age of 11, Moony’s love for music saw him become intrigued in producing. By the time he reached 16, he was regularly producing, now by 20, he is releasing records and DJing across the UK, getting support from DJ EZ, Swindle, Dusk & Blackdown and many more. We caught up with him to see what all the hype is about...

What/who made you want to start creating music?

Music itself I guess…just hearing a type of music that really struck a chord (no pun) [haha] -with me. I found that simply playing the music I liked in a DJ capacity wasn’t enough and got a lot of joy from basically trying to recreate my favourite tracks on Fruity Loops, eventually this evolved into me developing a style of my own. You started DJing at the age of 11, do you think that the length of time you have spent engrossed in music production gives you an edge over other producers and DJs?

Maybe but who knows, I find a lot of other producers/DJs I know have all been into music from a young age even if they weren’t actually mixing/making music. I will say that having an understanding of structure and arrangement from a young age has helped. Also being able to not just like a track but mentally break it down and understand why I like a track, again since a young age has definitely made life easier as a producer in the long run. Listening to your music it’s clear to see the heavy garage influence but in a refreshing way which you pull in influences from grime, UK funky, dubstep and bassline too. Do you think growing up alongside garage and grime has influenced how your music is produced?

Yeah I think again just from DJing for so long you see genres and sub genres come and go but looking at the bigger picture I see all these styles are really under the same umbrella, so I think that’s just reflected in my production now. It’s good to move with what is fresh and current but there’s always a shadow of what I used to make/play in my production.. And DJ sets for that matter.

Can you describe your producing set up for us? Any tips for budding producers?

In a word minimal haha. I have a lot of equipment I rarely use, essential my day to day working set up is a half decent laptop with FL Studio 10 and a lot of sounds/Vst’s, a cheap 2 octave midi keyboard, Senheisser HD25 mk2 headphones and Wharfdale Diamondback moniters. As far as advice for aspiring producers it’s a massive cliché but just be original and experiment. Sounding like your favourite producer won’t get you anywhere. It is fine to have influences obviously we all do but just be subtle and don’t second guess the listeners, make what you want to make not what you think people will want to hear.

You do a lot of radio work as well as playing in clubs, tell us a bit about working with Nasty.FM and how it compares with playing in a club?

So we’ve actually had a bit of “down time” at Nasty, currently in the process of rebranding and relaunching the site which is good news.. But yeah I really enjoy radio for two reasons. One is the fact it keeps me technically sharp as a DJ with work, family commitments etc it’s not always easy to find as much time as I’d like to practice but with radio it gives me 2 solid hours every week. Two it forces me to keep up to date and in contact with new music and artists, which in turn enhances my club sets.

You’ve landed a spot at Outlook this year and done an exclusive mix for them, how did this come about?

Last December I got a call about it from one of the Outlook organisers (Jack Robinson) who also offered me a position on the booking/management agency he runs (Archetype Artists) it was surreal and at the

time I was surprised but it goes without saying I accepted. I’m very happy with the team and Jack has had a lot of personal influence on my career this year and been a great help in a lot of ways. Can you give us a heads up on any producers you’ve spotted along the way?

Ones to watch are DeadBeat, PVC, Conducta, Marchmellow, Killjoy, I Killed Kenny, DJD, Sebba.. These are some of the lesser known guys I’ve been playing but obviously there people like Spooky, Flava D, Mr Mitch, Royal T etc who are already established. What can we be expecting next from you? (events/releases promotion etc)

Ok the big one is Outlook 30th August. I have an EP coming out on Progressive Intelligence in the next month. I have a track featured on the next Fabric Live compilation mixed by EZ, out in September. As well as a few remixes here and there. Lastly, can you leave us with your 5 essential garage tracks?

01. PVC - Diamond Life 02. DeadBeatUK - Chicago 6am 03. Killjoy - Memories 04. Conducta & Twofold - If U Leave Me 05. My Nu Leng - Levels

Follow Moony:

www.twitter.com/MoonyProwww.soundcloud.com/moony

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FIONAGEMMELL

BY

MURLOAs electronic music continues to

increase in popularity, it’s becoming

harder for producers to stand out.

Some would say the hardest thing

is to create a completely individual

sound. One producer who definitely

has that down to a tee is Murlo, aka

Chris Pell. Murlo’s sound is one which

combines funky, bashy and soca

with some elements of grime. Chris

leaving his hometown of Shepshed,

lead to his introduction to all different

kinds of dance music. It was while

studying in Brighton that he began to

DJ more with friends and planned to

launch a radio show named Chateau

FM “Music to Make you Whine.” With

each DJ having a different wine related

pun turned alter ego, Pell’s being

Merlot, which evolved into Murlo.

We caught up with Chris to learn a

bit more about him, his sound and

success.

Firstly, how did you find growing up in Shepshed? As far as we’ve heard the scene there is pretty dead – just like our hometown. Do you feel it held you back with your producing? Or would you say it kept you more open minded to different genres and mixing them?

[Ha] yeah. Well I listened to a lot of different stuff as I was growing up. Some genres reached me when I was in school through the radio and such, but others didn’t really make it up there. The town is pretty close to Nottingham and Leicester which both have vibrant scenes but to be honest I couldn’t actually afford to go out very often when I lived up there. I wasn’t interested in wanting to produce seriously until I moved away to study in Brighton. Brighton opened me up to DJing and then eventually led on to producing.

Your sound is definitely one of the most individual we’ve heard, did you experiment much with music when starting out before creating such a distinct sound?

I started out DJing parties and fundraisers for my course. Eventually I started a small club night with some friends. I wanted to play all the

music I was listening to at the time dancehall, grime, funky and garage etc – so naturally, I got on to making edits and the ball kinda rolled from there. I’m still learning as a producer but I’m most happy with the stuff I’m making right now.

Was there any artists that influenced your decision in producing or, more interestingly any that put you off making certain genres?

There have been tonnes of producers that have spurred me on to produce, who have been consistently putting out great stuff for years. Dubbel Dutch is a guy that I’ve been bouncing back and forth stuff to for a few years. He can turn his hand to most BPM ranges which was something that got me wanting to produce more varied music. As for avoiding genres, I make what I want. I can’t speak for other producers, but making music should be about developing your own voice.

What are you listening to in your free time? Any heads up on some new artists?

I listen to a lot of and dancehall in my spare time, I am also enjoying a lot of the new grime instrumentals being

made at the moment. Slackk’s monthly mix series are a great source for some of the great weird side of grime being made at the moment.

Where’s the best place you’ve played to date and why? Is there anywhere you really want to play?

I’ve been lucky with being booked a lot in Europe so far this year. It’s always a pleasure when promoters have been so hospitable to me. The regular spots I play in London with the HDD (Hipster’s Don’t Dance) crew and in Manchester Swing Ting are always the most fun, playing to a regular crowd is always a pleasure. However, I really want to play on a boat.

Living in Glasgow, our clubbing scene is pretty saturated with deep house and techno, it’s refreshing for us to hear a bit of bass/funky/garage on a night out. As far as we know London is a lot more diverse, what could we expect from a standard night out with you down there? (i.e. are the scenes mixed well like hearing grime and dancehall in one club or is it all segregated?)

Yeah you’re right with London being

26

diverse. There’s a lot of house down here too, but I think there’s a lot of room for other genres to flourish as well. Luckily there are a lot of promoters down here wanting to push dances that go through a range of styles in a night. I was invited to play with the Don’t Watch That guys last month at Birthdays and that party was a good example of that.

2013 has already been a pretty good year for yourself, with the All Murlo Mixtape going down well, a lot of remixes up and Beyoncé dancing to your song (is this true!?) What would you say has been your highlight so far this year, or do you reckon it is still to come?

The highlight without a doubt was being invited by Brackles to do a guestmix for his show on Rinse. For me it is such an important station in regards to who has the pulse on the music getting played in London clubs, it was wicked to be a part of it. Oh and yeah. Apparently she did [lol].

What can we expect from you next, any plans to pay us a visit up in Scotland anytime soon?

I’ve got a 12” coming out with Glacial Sound. Also an EP with Unknown to the Unknown. Both should be out around August/September time. I’ve never played in Scotland, so it would be wicked to come up.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF MURLO’S GUESTMIX FOR BRACKLES HERE:

https://soundcloud.com/DJmurlo/murlo-rinse-fm-guestmix

Keep up to date with Murlo on:

http://soundcloud.com/DJmurlohttp://www.facebook.com/DJmurlohttp://www.twitter.com/DJmurlo

FIONAGEMMELL

BY

ADVERTISEMENT

Tumble Audio was birthed as a sister label to MIMM Recordings. With a shared love for party basslines, power riddims and grime instrumentals, Killjoy, Hank Limit, Sergic and Lyka came together to create Tumble Audio at the start of 2013. Head of the label/event group, Oliver Gibbons decided to create Tumble Audio as he was getting sent over a lot of tunes that didn’t fit the general direction that MIMM was going in.

Genre wise, Tumble are all about a unique blend of house, funky, grime and garage. With a main focus being on tunes designed for the dancefloor at BPMs between 130 BPM - 140 BPM, Tumble is all about bringing the energy and having fun - music to move to. With four releases under their belt already, and a few lined up, the label continues to grow notorious for bringing out hard tunes and to throw the best parties in Nottingham.

We invited Tumble Audio to take over for a couple of pages to keep you up-to-date with one of the freshest, most exciting labels on the scerne right now.

OUT NOW

KILLJOYXTC EPOctober 2012

SERGIC/LYKABulletproof EPMay 13

MAJORABoss Key EPFebruary 2013

FORTHCOMING

UPCOMING EVENTS:

[TUM005] Sergic - Jedi EP[TUM006] Boofy - Nank EP[TUM007] Nativ EP[TUM???] Killjoy - Gyalist Riddims

TUMBLESaturday 7th September @ The Bodega Social, Nottingham. Free Entry all night.

TUMBLE Saturday 5th October @ The Bodega Social, Nottingham. £4 Limited earlybirds, more after. Line up TBA

TUMBLE x DURKLE DISCO 11th October @ The Bank, Birstol. Line up TBA

Urban Nerds AmsterdamWeekender 17th October - 20th October @ Amsterdam. With special guests + lots lots more.

KILLJOYMemories EPJuly 2013

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Vex is a new label to launch, can you tell us a bit about why you wanted to start it and how it came about? We noticed that there was too much UK underground music that there wasn’t really a platform for. Some newer undiscovered artists were not getting the exposure that they needed. We are huge fans of the scene and feel more people should be able to enjoy the music we do. We got together and brainstormed how we would go about

creating a label that would encompass those things.

Why did you choose to name the label Vex? We initially had a number of names to choose from, we decided on Vex because we feel it suits the music we are about the most. The dark and underground sounds are reflected in the name Vex. When we discovered the domain and social sites were all available under that name we knew it was meant to be.

What sets Vex aside from the other dance music labels around?

We are not just a label, we are a brand. From the visual - our artwork, to our artist relationships. We feel no need to try and compete we are doing what we feel is right for today’s electronic music.

How do you go about getting your artists on the roster? We are lucky enough to have established DJ Shy Dee working with us.

New London based label Vex records, which launched in March this year with an impressive roster of artists including Jook 10, Sunday Roast and our own resident Nativ, is a label to look out for. Having two compilations and two EP’s released with a 3rd compilation on the way, Vex are doing big things, and we caught up with label manager Zoe to chat about the rise and current success of Vex Records.

Using links that he has created with talented DJs and producers over the years. We are also inundated with demos which with his expert ears he helps us to whittle them down till we have the best artists to choose from.

What do you think is vital in a release to make it successful? Having a high calibre of talent and the right artwork. We only put out releases we are 100% happy with.

Do you feel being a new label hinders you/your artists’ progression or do you see this as more of a good thing?

Not at all we feel there is a place for everyone and the music speaks for itself. What is Vex’s biggest accomplishment to date? Being such a new label we feel as though we have already accomplished so much. Everything is so

fresh so each time we achieve something we are over the moon.

Two of Vex’s artists (Jook 10 & Nativ) have been featured on DJ EZ’s fabriclive album which is really big, how are you feeling about this? It’s a dream come true! We have been such huge fans of EZ since Freek FM days. We are also more thrilled for Jook 10 and Nativ to receive the exposure, they deserve it.

Are you looking to expand Vex into running events as well at any point in the near future? Yes, that’s very much on our agenda, however at the moment we are fully focused on our releases. We don’t want to loose track, we feel that’s the area where our attentions are needed at the moment.

What are your plansfor Vex, where do you

see it being this time next year?

We are looking into touring and expanding the brand. We also want to create more opportunities for our artists to grow within the brand. They’re a big part of what we do and we really appreciate them.

What can we expect from Vex in the coming months? We will be releasing Another Planet volume 3 (Various Artists LP). The album will be headlined by DJ Narrows & we have lots of surprises in store for you all......

“We are not just a label, we are a brand. From the visual - our artwork, to our artist relationships”

FIONAGEMMELL

BY

32

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130

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