After a heavy weekend of hard hitting Drum and Bass in Southampton and Bristol it was a nice change of scenery to witness one of the best up and coming dub producers, Phaeleh. Hailing from Bristol he has made waves in the underground scene for a few years now and despite only just beginning to hear his tunes i was very excited to see what the fuss was all about.
Walking into the intimate venue that is Unit, it was an ideal setting for some chilled 140 vibes and there was the right amount of people there to create a relaxed atmosphere. His set was brilliant from the word go and he played a few tunes from his 2010 album "Fallen light" including "Lament" the mixture of soft vocals and deep bass provided a onslaught of emotion and peaceful serenity. He followed with "Afterglo" which featured the talented vocals of Soundmouse, a personal favourite. The lyrics take hold of you and heighten the senses in a way i haven't experienced from an artist since Burial. A bit cliche i know, seeing as Phaeleh is often compared to the anonymous producer but they both have the same soul and effortless simplicity which is impossible not to love.
During his set he turned it up a gear and played some heavier dub. DJ Madds remix of Digitals "Deadline" automatically got the crowd going and showcased his talent as a diverse and exciting DJ. He also veered towards a more commercial route towards to end of his set which pleased a lot of the crowd, Including some dance floor hits such as Breakages remix of Sidney Samsons "Riverside". Although the party had only just got started it was unfortunately the end of his set. However he nailed it from start to finish. Phaeleh has certainly changed my view of the genre and reminded me that if you peel back the wobble exterior of Dubstep you will find the beauty underneath.
Video from LJA Productions including my interview with Phaeleh will be available to watch soon...
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Monday, 14 February 2011
Digital Soundboy at Junk...
Last Friday Digital Soundboy debuted at Junk. Shy Fx, Breakage and BTraits were on the bill alongside Raygun residents Gerra and Rocksteddy and it was set to be a night of many styles and tempo's fusing together.
I arrived at Junk about half way through BTraits set. I had not heard much about her til now so i didn't know what to expect. Her set though was very energetic and although i didn't hear her play any 170 sounds (maybe she did before i arrived) she certainly got the crowd going. Her choppy mixes and hard hitting electro beats thumped through the club and it was good to see a young female DJ smashing the decks. Definitely one to watch out for in the future.
Next on was the Digital Soundboy boss. Shy Fx is a legend in his own right and slating him would be in total bad taste. However some people felt that he had veered away from his trademark jungle sounds to more of a house style, which doesn't really fit his reputation as one of the leading pioneers in the Jungle scene. I understand Jungle is not appreciated as much nowadays but it is up to DJ's like Shy to re-introduce the style that created all the other Drum and Bass sounds you hear today. Saying that he did belt out his classics such as "original nuttah" and "Shake your body" which got the crowd going, a pretty standard set from the Jungle legend.
Man of the moment Breakage was the last of the headliners and what everyone had been waiting for. He is known for his more deeper styles and after a night of party anthems it was about time for some underground vibes. The first half the set was impressive and he played a lot of old treats such as M.I.S.T.S hit "Clockwork" and Alex Reeces "Pulp Fiction". Accompanied by Shogun Audios SP:MC, it was a match made in heaven. The second half of his set returned to the theme of the night, House. Breakage is known for his variation in style but hearing house again got a bit tedious for me. Despite this he is still one of my favourite producers, i think my personal music tastes got in the way of appreciating the range of styles that Digital Soundboy showcased.
Gerra and Rocksteddy ended the night with a lively Jungle set, smashing out the classics and keeping the dance floor moving. As of late their sets have consistently been great and tonight was no exception, definitely the best set of the night.
Digital Soundboy are obviously a label promoting diversity, which is a good thing as music is always evolving. However the lack of Drum and Bass was a little disappointing and i expected a lot more from some of the DJ's. All in all though it was a good night and a great success for Raygun Youth and Bang Bang.
I arrived at Junk about half way through BTraits set. I had not heard much about her til now so i didn't know what to expect. Her set though was very energetic and although i didn't hear her play any 170 sounds (maybe she did before i arrived) she certainly got the crowd going. Her choppy mixes and hard hitting electro beats thumped through the club and it was good to see a young female DJ smashing the decks. Definitely one to watch out for in the future.
Next on was the Digital Soundboy boss. Shy Fx is a legend in his own right and slating him would be in total bad taste. However some people felt that he had veered away from his trademark jungle sounds to more of a house style, which doesn't really fit his reputation as one of the leading pioneers in the Jungle scene. I understand Jungle is not appreciated as much nowadays but it is up to DJ's like Shy to re-introduce the style that created all the other Drum and Bass sounds you hear today. Saying that he did belt out his classics such as "original nuttah" and "Shake your body" which got the crowd going, a pretty standard set from the Jungle legend.
Man of the moment Breakage was the last of the headliners and what everyone had been waiting for. He is known for his more deeper styles and after a night of party anthems it was about time for some underground vibes. The first half the set was impressive and he played a lot of old treats such as M.I.S.T.S hit "Clockwork" and Alex Reeces "Pulp Fiction". Accompanied by Shogun Audios SP:MC, it was a match made in heaven. The second half of his set returned to the theme of the night, House. Breakage is known for his variation in style but hearing house again got a bit tedious for me. Despite this he is still one of my favourite producers, i think my personal music tastes got in the way of appreciating the range of styles that Digital Soundboy showcased.
Gerra and Rocksteddy ended the night with a lively Jungle set, smashing out the classics and keeping the dance floor moving. As of late their sets have consistently been great and tonight was no exception, definitely the best set of the night.
Digital Soundboy are obviously a label promoting diversity, which is a good thing as music is always evolving. However the lack of Drum and Bass was a little disappointing and i expected a lot more from some of the DJ's. All in all though it was a good night and a great success for Raygun Youth and Bang Bang.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Recent antics...
It's been a while since i last wrote anything on my blog but seeing as i overslept and missed Uni (again!) I have decided to be productive.
The past couple of weeks have been fairly momentous musically. Shogun Audio touched down in Southampton for the first time in the form of Friction, D Bridge and The Prototypes a couple of weeks ago. This was a wonderful treat for the So'ton Drum and Bass scene. I'm not going to lie i was pretty messy that night which means i cannot really comment much on specific song moments but it was a Shogun night, says it all really...
Last Friday i travelled to Reading alongside And.i.shoot and LJA productions for Metalheadz at Sub89. The boys did a bit of filming for Jungle Drummer and DJ Vapour whilst i had a brock out with my good friend Laurel. Drummer and Vapour literally tore the place apart. Before that night i had only seen Drummer on Youtube so actually witnessing him live was something special indeed. I cannot fathom how hard it must be to drum at that tempo for an hour! He was even drumming one handed in some parts. I was also excited about seeing Metalheadz boss Goldie for the first time too! It was pretty cool being backstage so i could see his djing (and epic amount of gold jewelry) at a closer angle.
A personal highlight for me that night had to be Commix. Guy Brewers minimal beauts were the perfect way to round off the night and i even had a little chat with him after his set. I'm Looking forward to interviewing Commix at the next release event alongside SpectraSoul in Southampton on the 18th February.
Talking of interviews I'm going to round off nicely with the video from the last Release night back in January. Critical Sound Southampton was a brilliant night and Release finally got the recognition it deserves with a packed venue. Although Release is strictly for the "heads" it was nice to see more people appreciating the deeper styles of Drum and Bass. S.P.Y was an absolute pleasure to interview and a generally nice bloke too! Check out the video by LJA productions...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNH2lKCsJCI
The past couple of weeks have been fairly momentous musically. Shogun Audio touched down in Southampton for the first time in the form of Friction, D Bridge and The Prototypes a couple of weeks ago. This was a wonderful treat for the So'ton Drum and Bass scene. I'm not going to lie i was pretty messy that night which means i cannot really comment much on specific song moments but it was a Shogun night, says it all really...
Last Friday i travelled to Reading alongside And.i.shoot and LJA productions for Metalheadz at Sub89. The boys did a bit of filming for Jungle Drummer and DJ Vapour whilst i had a brock out with my good friend Laurel. Drummer and Vapour literally tore the place apart. Before that night i had only seen Drummer on Youtube so actually witnessing him live was something special indeed. I cannot fathom how hard it must be to drum at that tempo for an hour! He was even drumming one handed in some parts. I was also excited about seeing Metalheadz boss Goldie for the first time too! It was pretty cool being backstage so i could see his djing (and epic amount of gold jewelry) at a closer angle.
A personal highlight for me that night had to be Commix. Guy Brewers minimal beauts were the perfect way to round off the night and i even had a little chat with him after his set. I'm Looking forward to interviewing Commix at the next release event alongside SpectraSoul in Southampton on the 18th February.
Talking of interviews I'm going to round off nicely with the video from the last Release night back in January. Critical Sound Southampton was a brilliant night and Release finally got the recognition it deserves with a packed venue. Although Release is strictly for the "heads" it was nice to see more people appreciating the deeper styles of Drum and Bass. S.P.Y was an absolute pleasure to interview and a generally nice bloke too! Check out the video by LJA productions...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNH2lKCsJCI
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