trap magazine 008

EV ERY BASS C OV ER EDMUS I C I FASH I O N I A RT

APRIL | MAY 2012

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TELLS ALL ON THEUNDERGROUND’S HOTTESTMOVEMENT

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2012 FESTIVALGUIDE

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INDOORFESTIVAL

2012INDOORFESTIVAL

2012BANK HOLIDAY SUNDAY 6TH MAY 8.30PM - 6AMROCK CITY, STEALTH, RESCUE ROOMS & THE FORUM. NOTTINGHAM

16BIT /ALIX PEREZ /AKKORD /ANDY C /ARP 101 /BENGA / BEN UFO /BLAWAN /CALYX & TEEBEE /CAMO & KROOKED /CONGO NATTY /DADDY FREDDY /DAVID RODIGAN (MBE)/DEADBOY /DJ MADD /DUB PHIZIX /DYNAMITE MC /ENEI (FIRST UK TOUR)/EXODUS /FLUX PAVILION /FOREIGN CONCEPT /GANG COLOURS /GEMINI /HIGHNESS SOUNDSYSTEM /JAGGA (LIVE)/JEHST (LIVE)/JON PHONICS /KASRA /KIDKANEVIL /KILL THE NOISE /KOAN SOUND /LENZMAN /LOWQUI /LX ONE /MALA - DIGITAL MYSTIKZ /MESSY MC /METSKE /MUNGOS HI FI /NERO /NETSKY /OM UNIT /PMONEY /PEDESTRIAN /PHACE & MISANTHROP /PLASTICIAN /REDLIGHT /RENEGADE BRASS BAND /ROYAL T /RUDE KID /S.P.Y /SCUBA /SKREAM /SP:MC /SYNKRO /TRANSIT MAFIA /WE ARE AVENGERS /WILKINSON /YOUNGMAN /ZED BIAS /ZINC + loads more TBA

TICKETS: WWW.DETONATE1.CO.UK | WWW.DETONATEFESTIVAL.COM

T H ED RO P


APRIL | MAY 2012

08

FR E E



FEATURING


S P E C I A L

+FRICTION

PREDITAH

KASRA

2012 FESTIVALGUIDE

FASHION RECORDS

FASHIONREVIEWS

CLUB LISTINGS

FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’

TWITTER: @trapmagazine

EMAIL: [email protected]

EDITOR: Jon Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes

FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj

SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen

SOCIAL NETWORKING: Amy Stiff

WEB: Daddison.

COVER: Loefah by Ashes57.

PICTURES: Elise Rose, ASHES57, Loefah, Spencer Murphy, Shifteye.

WORDS: Jon Cook, Kasha Malyckyj, Jason Gardener, Sam Bates, Belinda Rowse, Sean Kelly,

Sam Collenette, Jeryl Wilton, Amy Stiff, bassmusicblog.com, Sophie Thomas, Oli Grant,

Tim Rayner, Adam Scotland, Geoff Wright, Joanna Ranson.

T RA P MAGAZ I N Ea p r i l / MAy 2 0 1 2WWW . T R A PMAGAZ I N E . C O . U K

THANK YOU: Dane @ Two Plates, Adam @ Backdrop, Ben @ Run, Rob, Tom & Ollie @

The Blast, Leo @ Darling, Johnny @ Outlook, Danna @ Takkako, Scott @ Fabric,

Andy @ The Bank, Steve @ Cooshti, Louis, Rich & Syd @50/50, Cheba & Sam @

WOC, Johnny & Ben @ Outpost, Steve & Diccon @ Chemical, Chris @ Cable,

Chris @ Idle Hands, Danny Keston, Jo Williams, Charlotte James.

HYPE THINGS WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT

MONKI

URBAN NERDS

SURUS

TRAP FASHION

TRAP X THE DAILY STREET

FIFTY FIFTY

BOSS SELECTIONS DJ’S TOP TENS PLUS IN-DEPTH CHARTS

FASHION INTO THE ZONE

REVIEWS THE LATEST MUSIC & GAMES

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

RISE UP WOZ / COMPA

FESTIVAL GUIDE

PREDITAH

FASHION RECORDS

KASRA

LONGFOX

SWAMP 81 / LOEFAH

REGULARS FEATURES

24 33 37 38 42

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DOLLOP LONDON

Originally promoting parties in

Nottingham, the guys behind Dollop

have been making waves in London

with their bang-on line-ups. After

March’s warehouse party at Netil

House, 20 April sees an Eglo

takeover at Corsica Studios,

warming up for Garden Festival.

dollopdollop.com

BENGA ALBUM

It’s set to be a big year for

dubstep superstar Benga, who

drops his second album ‘Chapter 2’

in August. The album will be

released through major label

Columbia, and the debut single ‘I

Will Never Change’ is out now.

benga.co.uk

CARHARTT E1

Utility streetwear dons Carhartt

opened a brand new store in East

London in March. Joining the two

Covent Garden stores, the new

shop can be found on Shoreditch

Highstreet and will carry all the

latest Carhartt WIP products and

future collabs.

carhartt-wip.co.uk

SPECTRASOUL HYPE

Shogun Audio’s Spectrasoul are

readying themselves for the release

of their debut LP in the autumn.

The first single is out now, featuring

the incredible ‘Light In The Dark’

with Terri Walker and the rugged

‘Shackles’ with vocalist Fox,

suggesting massive things for the

album. shogunaudio.co.uk

HY P E08

000066 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K

TRAP WEBSITE(FINALLY) LAUNCHESWe’re pleased to announce that we’l l belaunching a brand-new Trap website on 20 Apri l.We’re opting for the ‘less is more’ approach tostart with, selecting the best content from theprinted mag and combining it with some choiceonline-only features.

You’l l be able to download the latest mixes inour new ‘Rise Up’ series (see page 24), read al lour issues old and new and find out where tograb your next paper copy of the mag from.Make sure you check it once it’s l ive.

www.trapmagazine.co.uk

SHOWTIMES...

FRICTIONMONDAY2-4AM

CHARLIE SLOTHTUESDAY2-4AM

TODDLA TFRIDAY2-4AM

SCREAM & BENGAFRIDAY11PM-1AM

BASS GENERATION

On 2 Apri l, Radio One launched a brand-new dance music DJ roster, giving five ofbass music’s new generation of stars theirown permanent shows.

Some of the station’s daytime presentersmight make you want to pull your eyes outand vow never to l isten to commercial radioagain, but come nightfal l, Radio Onetransforms into one of the greatestunderground music platforms anywhere inthe world. The new additions to the rosterwil l make sure this tradit ion continues.

And while we lament the loss of GilesPeterson and Fabio & Grooverider’s longrunning, legendary shows, the l ikes ofToddla T, Friction, Charl ie Sloth andSkream & Benga wil l breathe fresh,bass-heavy l ife into one of our mosttreasured musical institutions.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/playlist

IT’S A SECRET

We couldn’t really find any

space for it in our festival guide,

such is its idiosyncrasy, but we

thought we should make some

room for Secret Garden Party,

which this year takes place on

19-22 July. Tickets are selling

fast so get yours now!

secretgardenparty.com

NIKE BOXPARK

With Nike’s spot in Shoreditch’s

Boxpark now finally open, April

sees the launch of a special NIKE

ID exhibition at the unique East

London retail complex. Nike have

commissioned 11 artists for the

show, so if you’re nearby, it should

be worth checking.

boxpark.co.uk

RUMOUR CLUB

Rumours abound of a new club

opening soon in Bristol, promising

to fill the current void for a decent

mid-size venue. With the team

behind one of the city’s most

successful venues apparently

behind it, and some of London’s

sickest nights on-board, keep

your eyes peeled for news.

PHOTEK KICKS

Photek has again been making

his mark on the dance music

world over the last 18 months,

releasing EPs, collaborating with

Pinch and DJing worldwide. He’s

just added his name to the

awesome list of names to have

provided a mix for K7’s DJ Kicks

series. dj-kicks.com

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 000077

TRAP LINKS WITH STBFOR SUMMER SPECIALWe’re massively hyped to bring you news of the massive STBSummer Special taking place at Bristol’s Motion this June, andoffer you a chance to win a pair of VIP tickets for the night!

STB is known for bringing massive l ine-ups from across al lgenres of bass-driven music to Motion’s multiple rooms, butJune’s extra-large edit ion adds a whole other enormouswarehouse to proceedings. And we’re proud to announce thatwarehouse wil l be hosted by your very own Trap Magazine.We’l l have EZ, Mosca and more in our space, while in theTunnel Room you’l l f ind a Calibre-headlined Exit Recordsshowcase, and in the massive main room there’s Skream,Loadstar, Plastician, P Money and loads, loads more.

We have a pair of VIP tickets to give away, just [email protected] with your name, DoBand post code before 1 June for your chance to win.

www.motionbristol.com

W I NVIP TICKETS CABLE

A few years back, as venues closed across the capital, itlooked briefly l ike the London club scene was set on acourse of terminal decline. However, in a city with musicand raving in its blood, the closure of some of London’smost revered night spots was never going to leave apermanent scar.

Since then, new or revital ised venues have flourished –and none more so than Cable. Home to some of the bestbrands and labels in underground music, the LondonBridge club can now quite rightly claim to be one of thecapital’s most important venues. Shogun Audio, SubDub,Renegade Hardware and Get Darker are just some of thestel lar brands currently cal l ing Cable home, while therecent opening of the more intimate Relay sub-venueupstairs has added another dimension to the club’simpressive roster of events.to w

in.

www.cable-london.com

BOOMTOWNAnother festival we couldn’t

squeeze into our guide, Boomtownreturns this year on 9-12 August,in an undisclosed southernEngland location. With a world-class reggae line-up and amassive bill of premium bass-music names, plus a full Arcadiashow, Boomtown looks strong.

www.hqmuzik.co.uk

TRAPSTAR DROP

London independent

streetwear brand Trapstar drop

their new collection online on 16

April. Entitled the ‘World Is

Yours’, expect fresh tees, caps

and signature pieces from a

brand that keeps on doing its

own thing..

iamatrapstar.com

DRS READIES LP

Manchester’s MC DRS has been

in the game for time, renowned for

his refined D&B hosting for the

likes of Bukem and Soul:R, and as

part of hip-hop act Broke’N’

English. Now he’s finished his

debut album, and it’s set to be

immense. Roll on autumn...

soulr.co.uk

VANS X KENZO

Iconic French fashion labelKenzo (if you don’t know thename, you’ll remember thesweaters when you see them) arelinking up with Vans for acollaborative set of shoes.Featuring some sick all-overprints, these will be causing somestir when released in the summer.

vans.com


HQ MUZIK NEW STORE

These days, any newsregarding a record shop isnearly always bad. With somany vict ims of the downloadrevolution, i t’s rare to read ofa record store not shutt ingdown, but thriv ing andgrowing. That’s exactly what’shappening up in Brum, whereHQ Muzik has just relocatedto a bigger premises in theheart of Birmingham citycentre.

Much more than just a shop,with weekly in-store DJs,a studio out the back thatanyone can hire to recordtheir mixes, MP3 downloadpoints and loads more, HQMuzik has quickly becomewhat al l the great recordshops of yesteryear were –a real hub for their city’smusic scene. Check thewebsite and, if you l ive inthe Midlands, make sureyou support.

www.hqmuzik.co.uk

BANK OF STOKES CROFTTo many outside the city, Bristol’s Stokes Croft area hasrecently built a reputation as some sort of creative utopia,thriving with quirky independent shops and bi jou cafes andhome to freethinkers and radicals. And while some ofthat’s true, in reality, it’s a bit of a shit hole, most of theshops are boarded up and the crackheads that populatethe pavements are only marginally more repulsive than thebe-dreaded home-workers sipping lattes overtheir MacBooks.

Despite al l this, there are a few shining l ights for thepeople that actually l ive and work round Stokes Croft,instead of f lying in to feel ‘edgy’ for the day. Just acrossthe road from Trap’s new offices, we thought we shouldshow some love for The Bank of Stokes Croft.

Open unti l 4am at weekends, and with some of Bristol’sbest DJs regular popping by, we love The Bank. So muchso, it’s where we hold our regular issue launch parties,with the next one l ined up for this very issue on 20 Apri l.Black Butter’s Woz is joined by Durkle Disco’s Superisk forwhat’s set to be a heavy party. If you’re in Bristol,come down!

www.thebankofstokescroft.com

TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 000099

NIGHTS

DIRTYBIRDWAREHOUSEPARTYAs part of the Dirtybird tour,Claude VonStroke andfriends hit London on 7April. With 15 hours ofmusic and 11 headline acts,including Julio Bashmore,French Fries, EatsEverything, Von the donhimself and loads more. Ifyou’re into your housemusic, this is a must. Heldin an East Londonwarehouse, this is set beextra special, as Dirtybirdwill be celebrating 10 yearsin the game.

GRIZZLY TOURLondon/LA based Sindenwill be jetting back to the UKfor a three-week UK &European tour over April andMay alongside fellow Grizzlyheads Melé and KrystalKlear. Dates include London,Glasgow, Amsterdam,Norway, Aberdeen andFrance. Grizzly had a huge2011 and this year will be nodifferent - with Sindenworking with rappers such asRiff Raff and stars such asAndy Milonakis, Essex istaking over Hollywood!

FM’s Monkidrops the hottest,hypest happenings inher world right now…

I LOVE…Hudson Mohawke & Lunice -‘Bugg’n’

I first heard this on HudMo’sEssential Mix and then down atDeviation – it went down a bloodytreat! HudMo teams up withLunice for another great LuckyMe release. Joining forces underthe name TGNHT expect an EPon Warp from them later this year.

ONE TO WATCHNYTA

New York Transit Authority - youmay already know him as Mensah,who needs no introduction, buthe's now releasing music under anew alias. The first tune I heardfrom NYTA was ‘Off The Traxx’,which was released on Redlight’sLobster Boy label. Expect much,much more from his new projectand catch NYTA playing up anddown the country

CATCH ME AT:

14 APRIL - ANNIE MACPRESENTSI've played a few AMPs over the

last year, but I'm especially looking

forward to this one at London’s

Koko. The line-up is huuuge…

Joker, Jessie Ware, Annie, my little

self and Mike Skinner (DJ Set).

Mike Skinner DJ set?! Oh goshhh.

His debut gig as a DJ; apparently,

he's a big fan of Moombahton so

it’ll be interesting to see what

he plays.

21 APRIL - SIMIANMOBILE DISCOI'm not playing this one, but think

I’ll have to go down and check it

out. I’ve always been a fan of

Simian Mobile Disco, but haven't

seen them since Bestival two years

ago. Their new album 'Unpatterns'

will be released on 14 May and if

you can't catch them on this date,

don't worry - they'll be jetsetting

around the world as per usual, with

15 dates in May alone! Also, their

new single features samples from

Cilla Black, so what's not to like!

Our bass-music buddies overat Urban Nerds drop thelatest instalment of theirregular page for Trap...

www.urban-nerds.com


RATTUS RATTUS HOT 5IVE

FIVE TRACKS THE NERDS RESIDENT IS BATTERINGRIGHT NOW...

1. REDLIGHT MOSQUITO (LOBSTER BOY)Basically, if you haven’t heard this I don’t know where you’ve beenbut you should probably go back there hanging your head in shame!

2. PUSHERMAN STILL FEEL (DENCH!)The fol low-up to their ‘Shake It Off’ EP. The Pusherman lads don’tdisappoint, bringing yet more dancefloor-friendly goodness.

3. TESSELA DARLENE (2ND DROP)A real rol ler of a track with a sick garage twist. The bassline’sa kil ler!

4. OBJEKT THE GOOSE THAT GOT AWAY (DUB)More of a garage soulful vibe to this track; It’s a real sonic delightand is definitely on very loud daily at my house!

5. NIMMO & THE GUANTLETTS DEALING DESIRE(RATTUS RATTUS & L MAJOR RMX) (DUB)Erm, yes this is by me and L Major. A garage inspired, bass-heavyaffair, it’s been l ighting up the dance floors where people havebeen playing it. Check out the band Nimmo And The Guantletts -ones to watch for 2012.

Everything’s moving nicely in the Urban Nerds camp for 2012,with a host of excit ing events in the pipeline! To keep you inthe loop, we’re here with the top-five places to catch the crewover the coming months.

Nerds recently launched in Brighton, teaming up withSupercharged to present the new l ive show from Jack Beats.The next city in our sites is Bristol on Friday 1 June, wherewe’re joining forces with legendary Bristol promoters The Blastfor a very special Ram Jam showcase from Sir David Rodigan!

29 April - 25 Hour Party People, Sweden 25hourpeople.com

5 May - Urban Nerds at Camden Crawl, Londonthecamdencrawl.com

6 May - Urban Nerds at StreetFest, Londonstreetfest.net

26 May - Urban Nerds 5th B irthday at Scala, Londonurban-nerds.com

1 June - Urban Nerds & The Blast presentRodigan ’s Ram Jam, Bristolurban-nerds.com

POWERING THE DIRECT-TO-FAN STORES OF THE BEST ELECTRONIC MUSIC RECORD LABELS

SURUS.CO.UK FACEBOOK.COM/SURUSLTD TWITTER.COM/SURUSLTD

PEARSON SOUNDLAUNCHES STORE

David Kennedy, the man onceknown as Ramadanman and nowplying his trade under the PearsonSound moniker launched his ownstore on Surus in March.Coinciding with the release of thedebut single on his brand-neweponymous label, Pearson Soundis another excit ing addition to theSurus ranks.

That debut release is available tobuy now through the store, both onvinyl and mp3 formats andfeatures the ‘Untit led’ track thatthe likes of Ben UFO, Loefah andJamie XX have all been givingsome serious love.

“I felt that lots of people wanted tosee 'Untit led' get a release, and Ididn't want to put it out on anyother label,” the man himselftel ls us.

However, with Kennedy awell-know vinyl evangelist, thefl ipside ‘Footloose’ is not availablein mp3 format, and is reservedexclusively for those buying the12, who also receive a free mp3 of‘Untit led’ with their vinyl.

“With a release like this,” Kennedyexplains, “I just wanted to put itstraight out there, and avoidpre-sales and any promo campaignbehind it. Surus as a platformallows me to do that.”

‘Untit led’ / ‘Footloose’ is availablenow in the Pearson Sound store.

LABEL FOCUSEXIT RECORDS

One of the most respected labelsin electronic music, Exit reflectsthe tastes of D&B legend and labelboss dBridge with consistentartistic verve.

“Exit is an outlet for myself andlike-minded people to produceemotive music,” dBridge explains.“I need to connect with the music Isign, honesty is important in thatrespect. The label mandate has andalways wil l be ‘true to the craft’.”

RECENT RELEASES:Consequence ‘Test Dream’ LPDub Phizix & Skeptical ft Strategy‘Marka’

FORTHCOMING:Dan Habarnam ‘From TheKnown’ LPAmit ft Rani ‘Amit’ EP

LABEL FOCUSCHESTPLATE

DJ Distance’s ChestplateRecordings is one of dubstep’slongest running and most highlyregarded imprints, with a strongfocus on developing new talent.

“Chestplate is dedicated to thedeeper, darker sounds of dubstep,and new artists who are pushing thescene in fresh directions,” saysDistance. “My goal for Chestplatehas always been to create a crew ofproducers and help them develop.”

RECENT RELEASES:Tunnidge– ‘Aftershock’ / ‘Blame’Sleeper & District – ‘Terraformed’/ ‘Zeroday’

FORTHCOMING:Razor Rekta – ‘Loko Motive’ /‘Development’Cyrus – ‘Nostalgia’ / ‘Rupture’

If you’re a fan of cutting edge,quality electronic music, you’l l nodoubt already be well aware ofSurus. The online destination ofchoice for those looking to pick upthe latest, freshest and mostexclusive offerings from electronicmusic’s premier labels and brands,Surus is much more than just astand-alone store.

Offering artists and record labels adirect-to-fan platform to reach andinteract with their audience, andproviding fans complete access totheir favourite labels, Surusprovides a truly unique way to buyand sell music. With exclusivestores from only the finest labelsacross the ful l breadth ofelectronic music, whether you’re aserious collector or occasionalmp3 purchaser, you need to makesure you check Surus.

Trap are proud to l ink up withSurus and provide them with theirvery own page to make sure youlot know all about the latestreleases and store openings.

www.surus.co.uk

INCA

I t can be hard f ind ing good v intageon the internet wi thout hav ing toscour eBay or head over to theAmer ican s i tes and part wi th ext ra Pfor postage. Few UK reta i le rs havemanaged to match the US big gunsand encapsulate that perfectcombinat ion of wel l bought, one-offt reasures wi th a commerc ia l eye.With that in mind, we were del ightedat the launch of Inca, a new onl inefash ion empor ium that does a l l ofthe above.

Offer ing an impress ive co l lect ion ofcut t ing edge, but t rend huggingv intage pieces, as wel l as newsty les, Inca a lso has a ‘Bout ique’sect ion that features tasty des ignert reats f rom the l ikes of Versace,Chanel , Moschino and YSL.The s i te is updated weekly sobookmark that page ASAP!

Words: Kasha Malyckyj& Jason Gardener

FAS H I O N08


STÜSSYWOMENSWEARSS12

Ladies, look to Stüssy th isseason for a l l your summerstap les. The brand pays dues toi ts or ig ins as a surfwearcompany by combin ing c lass iclogo p lacements wi th ala id-back beach v ibe,

We’re par t icu lar ly fee l ing theswimwear, which offers somenice ly cut swimsui ts andpr inted b ik in is .

HOUSE OF BILLIAM XDOVER STREET MARKET

QUINTIN CO

Check out the newest drop fromLA brand Quintin. The rangefeatures over 15 pieces of newheadwear, including 5-panel capsand fitted snap-backs, in an array ofcolour- ways and materials.Noticeably branching out with itsclothing range, Quintin is bringingsome serious heat to the streetweargame. Trap favourites include thechecked pastel 5-panels, and the shortsleeve buttoned-up shirt; perfectsummer garms.

London label House of Bil l iam hascreated an exclusive eight-piececollection of reversible varsity jacketsto celebrate its addit ion to theprestigious Dover Street Marketroster. Available at both the Londonand Tokyo stores, the capsuleemulates everything the fledgling,bespoke brand is known for; classicstreetwear cuts combined with finelysourced fabrics.

FAS H I O N08bac k pac k

sTrap selected some of our favourite bags to carryyou through this season…

BARBOURCARAMEL CANVASBACKPACK£159.99

CARHARTTPARCELBACKPACK£110.00

CARHARTTTRAMPBACKPACK£80.99

ENCLAVEAPPARELVOID PACK£65.00

HERSCHELPOP QUIZBACKPACK£65.00

BAGGUNEONBACKPACK£40.00


‘Spring 2012With spring well and truly underway, andsummer just around the corner, wetake a look at some of the bestchoices for the warmer weather.

7e Air Max 1 has been a little mistreated of late, with so many make-ups falling short of the mark, due to poor materials andsub-standard colourways. 7is spring, Nike look set to right the wrongs, as this ‘Cyber Yellow’ canvas Air Max 1 suggests. Itmight be a tough pill to swallow at 8rst, but bosh a pair of white laces in these and you’re set to break necks all summer long.Nods to Airwalk’s Jim Sneaker and Alife’s ‘Tennis Ball’ Reebok Pump are certainly there - this could be one of 2012’s 8nest AirMax releases.www.hanon-shop.com

B-Side, by acclaimed British designer Walé Adeyemi, hasproduced some excellent products for this year and thiscustom satin varsity jacket is a particular highlight for us.Simple in design, but carrying huge impact, this jacketrepresents the perfect lightweight outerwear option thissummer. It’s big a statement maker that will probably leaveyou looking a little Ferris Bueller – but that's de8nitely nobad thing. Move quick; these won’t be around long.www.b-sidebywale.com

UK brand indcsn has been a favourite of ours since 8rstappearing in the summer of 2010. With a background thatmixes hardcore punk, skateboarding and streetwear, indscnhas produced some of the most unique and exciting releasesto come from the UK over the past couple of years. 7ebrand’s spring collection drops shortly and, from the teasersreleased so far, looks set to be one of the best yet - we’reparticularly excited to get a closer look at the button-upshirts. www.indcsn.com

TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 00 1199

Air Max 1Cyber Yellow

B-Side by WaléCustom Varsity Jacket

INDCSNSpring 2012

For more, head over towww.thedailystreet.co.uk

Well, we seem to have made through the

winter moths relatively easily. There’s

been plenty of surprisingly mild and dry

weather that’s been greatly appreciated

by the fifty fifty familia, with loads of

footage getting racked up for a few

projects we’re working on and plenty of

outdoor skating getting done by all.

Here’s what to watch out for from us in

the next couple of months, and a look

at five of our favourite independent

brands out there…

WWW.5050STORE.COM

dates foryour diary

So, we have the first jam of the yearlined up at Dean Lane, Bristol, whichwill be part of a series of jamssponsored by Relentless on 9 June.There will be contests for sponsoredand unsponsored skaters, with a£500 cash purse and a bunch ofproducts up for grabs. If you’re inthe area, make sure you pop along.

We’re also getting involved with anurban sports exhibition in the galleryspace of the M-Shed on Bristol’sWaterfront, which opens 22 May andwill run until 9 September. The skateside of the show will see some of ourbacklog of boards on displayalongside other goodies from the fiftyfifty vaults.

To coincide with the exhibition, therewill be a mini-ramp outside theM-Shed and on 16/17 June ridersfrom the team will be doing demosand helping out with a mini-rampjam. The show is free to enter andopen daily, so make sure you comedown and check this out.

HELASHelas is a new French brand manufacturingquality headwear, and is the brainchild ofone of the country’s finest exports,pro-skater Lucas Puig .With a large list ofheavy hitt ing riders representing the brand(including plenty of UK skaters), we expectHelas to be getting a lot of love this year.This second collection sees six new 5-panelcaps in assorted materials and interestingsize adjusters. All the caps have a pinstripel ining and nice embroidered detai l ing.

WWW.5050STORE.COM

RIP N DIPRip N Dip is another relatively new brandthat chooses to focus heavily on 5-panelcaps using a wide array of fabrics and prints.Some of this season’s highlights include theall-over Nermal and Wolf printed caps, andthe liberal use of microsuede. Also includedin the drop are 3-cut and sew-pocket tees,with pockets to match the caps! All thegarments are made to a really high spec inLA and are available in very l imitedquantit ies.

WWW.RIPNDIPCLOTHING.COM

STATECIDEAnother homegrown brand that’s rising fastwith some super good graphic tees. Thisseason sees a rerun of the popular ‘No TV’graphic, as well as other new designs andcolours. There’s also a fresh colourway ofthe rol l beanie and the guys have come upwith an ingenious skate lanyard aimed at al lthose who cycle around cit ies searching forspots - the lanyard comes complete with aleather pouch that’s pretty small and fits inyour pocket. Who needs a backpack?!

WWW.STATECIDE.BLOGSPOT.COM

SKATEBOARD CAFÉSkateboard Café has gained a great rephere in Bristol, as well as other cit ies in theUK, with some of the finer skate storesgetting behind it. The spring drop sees are-up on the popular Starf*cks tee and anew charcoal crew sweat and mug. Thereare also two different pocket tees, whichinclude a nice cut-and-sew piece with all-over polka detai l ing, and a classic logo hoodand pocket tee. We know this is only the tipof the iceberg for these guys.

WWW.SKATEBOARDCAFE.COM

Here at fifty fifty, we pride ourselveson the fact we’ve supported manyindependent brands over the past 14years. With the increasingly wideavailabi l i ty of the larger street andskatewear brands, we’ve decided touse this space to show some love forthe up-and-coming independents!

independentlove


CVLT NATIONCvlt Nation is an online magazine focusingon the darker side of l ife, covering art,fashion and music that relates to metal andpunk sub cultures. This carries through intothe brand’s apparel l ine, using a wide arrayof i l lustrations from artists from all over theglobe. All the garments are manufactured inthe States and the printing of the shirts issecond to none. Contributing artists includeAlexander Brown and Halseycaust. A branddoing its own thing.

WWW.CVLTNATION.COM

BOBBY CALDWELL –‘OPEN YOUR EYES’This takes me back to when I was very,very young and is probably the first realmusic I came into contact with. My dadused to listen to a lot of soul, peoplelike Alexander O’Neal, Sylvia Striplin.This track is always in my head. One ofthose tunes where you hit play and it’sjust instant.

SNOOP DOGG – ‘GIN & JUICE’Going a few more years down the linewhen I’m a little older, my favourite filmis Boyz N Da Hood and G-funk era hastaken over. Many, many big tunes fromthat era, but this is my favourite.Summertime vibe.

NEWORDER – ‘BLUE MONDAY’Easily one of the most classic, iconicUK tunes of the last 30 years and inmy opinion probably one of the original‘dance’ tunes spawned from the 80selectronic scene.

JAMES BROWN – ‘FUNKY DRUMMER’Probably nothing that I can say aboutthis man that hasn’t been said already,this tune just epitomises how muchsoul the man had. Wonder how manytunes have used that classic breaksince then!

NIRVANA – ‘LITHIUM’When I was an angsty teenager, I wentthrough a big indie/grunge thing.Listening to bands like Pearl Jam,Smashing Pumpkins and SoundGarden. The dons of that era wereNirvana and it would be so easy just topick ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. In fact, Icould have gone with any track from‘Nevermind’; one of the bestalbums ever.

KROME & TIME – ‘THIS SOUND ISFOR THE UNDERGROUND’Through the Prodigy and some of theother early dance acts I got into the

The Shogun Audio boss and legendary DJshares the ten tracks that he’ll love forever...

GOING IN DEEP

FRICTION

rave scene at a fairly young age,although couldn’t get in anywhere thatwasn’t an under-18 event, due to thefact I looked about 11! What I loveabout this and so many others like itwas the way tunes were made, withno preconceived ideas and just a vibe.Still listen to a lot of these tracks fromthat era for inspiration.

GOLDIE – ‘INNER CITY LIFE’It’s 1994, rave has turned intohardcore and hardcore has turned intojungle. It was the time when junglewas exploding all over the UK and itwas also a time when a man fromWolverhampton was taking thingsforward in his own unmistakeable way.Beautiful strings and spine-tinglingvocals make this one of myall-time classics.

MASSIVE ATTACK – ‘UNFINISHEDSYMPATHY’I wanted to try and cover all baseswith these ten tunes, and this is justan amazing piece of music that’sstood the test of time for years.‘Blue Lines’ has to go down as one ofthe best albums ever made, too.

PRODIGY – ‘POISON’One of the most inspirationalproduction outfits in my, and probablymany other people’s, careers. Afterbeing part of the whole raveexplosion, what always amazed mewas how Liam Howlett and crewmanaged to re-invent themselves aftereach album. This track was takenfrom their second LP and was justtotally different to anything else outthere at the time.

GANGSTARR – ‘FULL CLIP’Gonna finish off with another bit ofhip-hop, though heading over to theEast Coast this time. The unbeatabledream-team combo of DJ Premier andGuru couldn’t be tested in the mid-90s and probably still can’t be today.RIP Guru.

N-TYPEWHEEL & DEAL

1. LAXX &WALSH – ‘LATEST

TECHNOLOGY’

2. N-TYPE & SURGE FT PYXIS -‘SEPTEMBER SUN’

3. LAXX & FARKUS – ‘ARCADE’

4. CRUSHINGTON – ‘CHUG’

5. ROSSI B & LUCA FT FLOWDAN- ‘BUN DAT’

6. LX ONE - ‘ON MY OWN’

7. NORTHBASE - ‘RUFFNECK’8. BIG BLACK DELTA - ‘I FLY’(N-TYPE & SURGE RMX)

9. ARC88 - ‘POWWA MOVES’

10. JOKER FT NEWHAMGENERALS - ‘YOU SHOULD

KNOW’

SPOOKYGHOST HOUSE

1. SPOOKY – ‘PULSE 007’

2. SPOOKY – ‘CIRCLES RIP’

3. SPOOKY – ‘DRAGON VILLAGE’

4. DISCARDA & MIK – ‘LORD OF

THE HYPES’

5. SIR PIXALOT – ‘GRIMEHOT’ VIP

6. J BEATZ – ‘SARGENT’

7. NEON BEATS – ‘ATTACK’ VIP

8. DARQ E FREAKER – ‘YELLOW

DIAMONDS’

9. SOFIA MARIA – ‘SWAGGER’

(AVERY CAINES 2011 RMX)

10. ROSSI B & LUCA – ‘MIND THE

GAP’ (SPOOKY RMX)

ADDISON GROOVE50 WEAPONS

1. ALEX COULTEN – ‘CANDY FLIP’2. MAETRIK – ‘THE REASON’3. ADDISONGROOVE– ‘I GO BOOM’4. RADIOACTIVE MAN – ‘KNOWSUP MR BROWN’5. 214 – ‘ANTARTICA’6. LANDOKAL– ‘RHYTHM SEKTION’7. UNTOLD – ‘MOTION THEDANCE’8. ADDISONGROOVE– ‘ACID BLOW’9. JOHN CONVEX – ‘BUBBLEGUM’RMXSLICK SHOOTA – ‘LOVE YOUYOU YOU’

ARP101EGLO

1. KODIAK – ‘SPREO SUPERBUS’

(ACTRESS URAEUS MIX)

2. KROMESTAR – ‘OUTER LIMIT’

VIP

3. JAI PAUL – ‘JASMINE’

4. DARKHOUSE FAMILY –‘SNAGGLETOOTH’

5. GHOST MUTT – ‘DREAMS OF’

6. METRONOMY – ‘‘THE LOOK’

(TIP SHOOK SHOOK RMX)

7. SLUGABED – ‘MOUNTAINS

COME OUT OF THE SKY’ (ARP 101

RMX)

8. ACTION BRONSON X RIFFRAFF – ‘BIRD ON AWIRE’)

9. LUNICE & HUDSON MOHAWKE(TNGHT) – ‘UNTITLED’

10. JIMMY EDGAR – ‘THIS ONE'S

FOR THE CHILDREN’

DUB PHIZIXEXIT / CRITICAL

1. MARCUS INTALEX, TYLER DALY& DRS – ‘IT’S NOT EASY’

2. FRACTURE – ‘GET BUSY’

3. SKITTLES – ‘BLUSE’

4. BURAKA SOM SISTEMA –‘ESKELETO’’

5. TERRY CALLIER – ‘LOVE

THEME FROM SPARTICUS’

6. DUB PHIZIX & FOX – ‘NEVER

BEEN’

7. THE EYES – ‘TROUBLE COME

CALLING’

8. PEDESTRIAN – ‘HEI POA’

(FREDERIC ROBINSON RMX)

9. FOREIGN CONCEPT – ‘MOB

JUSTICE’ (ENEI RMX)

10. SKEPTICAL – ‘TUNDRA’

DJ MADDBLACK BOX

1. DJ MADD FT REBEL MC – ‘NO

TOMORROW’

2. VICIOUS CIRCLE – ‘NOT

AFRAID’

3. TMSV – ‘STRESS’

4. PHAELEH – ‘LOW’ VIP

5. J KENZO – ‘INVADERZ’

6. BENNY PAGE & ZERO G FT

TENOR FLY – ‘RAGGAMUFFIN’

7. TUNNIDGE & DISTANCE –

‘BLAME’

8. DJ MADD – ‘RIGINAL’

9. CYRUS – ‘RUPTURE’

10. CONGO NATTY – ‘GET READY’

(SUKH KNIGHT RMX)

MYNAME IS...WOZYOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME FOR...The two EPs of mine that Black Butter havereleased, called 'Seen' and 'Oakay', plusvarious remixes that I’ve done for the likes ofRack N Ruin, Marco Del Horno & Swerve,Nero, Rudimental, C4 and Preditah.

I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS...Fun. I always make my music with thedancefloor in mind. I wanna make people gomad to something that sounds new, but isinstantly recognisable. I don't want my musicto be taken too seriously; I don't try to createa masterpiece when I sit down to write a beat.I just try to create a vibe and see where itgoes from there.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LLFIND ME...Either at the gym, with friends or out in Bristolor London.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I DREAMED OFBEING...To be honest, whatever I was into at thetime... footballer, skater... I never had a fixedaspiration from a young age. I found musicproperly when I was 16 and haven't lookedback since! I'm so thankful it's what I do fora living.

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...Haha, I really don't know... I don't think I’dbe doing anything creative or artistic; musicseems to be the only thing that draws thatside out of me, or at least a side that I haveconfidence and belief in.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THEWORLD TO ME IS...Family, friends and not wasting theopportunity I've created for myself over thepast year.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TOKNOW THAT...I was the ‘Amateur British Inline VertChampion’ at one point, haha...

THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER HAD IS...“If it sounds good, it is good.”

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...I wanna be DJing, making music, in thestudio and travelling constantly.

THE THREE WORDS I’D USE TODESCRIBE MY MIX ARE...DOUBLEU OHH ZEEE!

01

We’re massively proud topresent the first two instalmentsin Trap’s new regular mix series,‘Rise Up’, availableexclusively fromwww.trapmagazine.co.uk.

Focusing on the very hottestproducers and DJs out there,each month we’ll be bringingyou a mix from a differentburgeoning bass-music talent,offering them the chance toshow us all what they’re about.

The series will cover all stylesand sounds, and, for April andMay, we kick off with two of themost exciting new namesaround. Up first is Bristolianrave-razer Woz, whose remixesand Black Butter releases overthe last year have made aninstant and notable impact,while May’s mix comes fromthe North-West’s Compa,whose ultra-deep, roots-respecting take on the dubstepgenre belies his young years.

Check the Trap website for theirrespective mixes, and read onfor your introduction to twonames we’re backing forbig things...

MYNAME IS...COMPAYOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME FOR...My debut 12" on Boka Records, my remix ofMavado's 'Dem A Talk' that I released on myown limited white label series WX/WL, or forrunning the club night, mix series and vinyl-only label WR/WX (We Are Wax).

I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS...Dark, low-end meditation music. Music builtfor sound systems.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LLFIND ME...Spending time listening to, building, mixingor reading about music. If not that, atuniversity, where I study sound engineering,out drinking with friends, or at homewatching Peep Show in-between mixdowns.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I DREAMEDOF BEING...A professional skateboarder for many years,until I was introduced to DJing at 13, thatchanged everything for me. Music gotinside me and changed my life.

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...Be in trouble, serious trouble.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THEWORLD TO ME IS...Family, friends and respect.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TOKNOW THAT...I've been producing music for just over twoyears, and I’ve only ever played vinyl and cutdubplates (I've been DJing since age 13,nearly nine years now).

THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER HAD IS...”Chase your dreams and never look back” -Mary Anne Hobbs.

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...I’d like to be sustaining a career as arespected music producer, and beginning toprepare my debut album; something I’ve beenthinking a lot about recently. I'd like to releasea special limited-edition vinyl-only album.Three plates, nine tracks.Take people on ajourney and go in deep.

THE THREE WORDS I’D USE TODESCRIBE MY MIX ARE...Dark, meditation, acetate.

02


HIGHLIGHTS.. .SQUAREPUSHER,

GHOSTPOET CARIBOU,HUD MO, GRIMES, RUSTIE,

ZINC, SMD, LUNICE,LONE, NATHAN FAKE,

B+S, DEADBOY.

SIMPLE THINGSBRISTOL6 MAYTickets: £30 + BF

Another one-day festival hitt ing Bristolthis summer, Simple Things brings anachingly hip blend of cutting-edge musicand art to existing and special ly openedvenues across the city centre. Followingthe success of last year’s inauguraledit ion, for 2012 Simple Things isdrawing seriously deep, bringing a hostof the most excit ing acts in electronicmusic to the West Country for a uniqueBank Holiday party.

Squarepusher, Caribou and HudsonMohawke are tantal ising headliners on aline-up that includes a ful l Numb3rsrecords showcase, bringing a litt le pieceof Glasgow to Bristol for the day. Let’sjust hope they leave the weather northof the Border...

WWW.SIMPLETHINGSFESTIVAL.CO.UK

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

SNOOP DOGG, RICHIE

HAWTIN, SWAMP81 VS

NUMB3RS, FOUR TET,

DIGITAL MYSTIKZ, JAMIE

JONES, MOSCA, DUSKY,

HYPE WILLIAMS.

BLOCTHE LONDON PLEASUREGARDENS6 & 7 JULYTickets: £99

After init ial outcry from Bloc aficionadosat the festival’s relocation from itslong-running Butl ins home to EastLondon, it’s now clear that this year’sBloc is going to be somethingincredibly special.

Happening on the first weekend of July,Bloc 2012 wil l take as its home thehugely excit ing new London PleasureGardens; a huge industrial space that’sbeen transformed by the team behindGlastonbury’s infamous Shangri-La.Promising beautiful gardens, watersidebars and huge music venues, the Pleas-ure Gardens should provide the perfecthome for Bloc’s impeccably curated ros-ter of electronic music demi-gods. Theline-up needs to be seen to be believed.

WWW.BLOCWEEKENDER.COM

There’s no need to spend theweekend exposed to the greatBrit ish weather and dealingwith thousands of crusties justto get your festival kicks thissummer. Here’s Trap’s pick ofwhere to find amazing vibesand bri l l iant music - without theshame of being forced to rockwell ies - at one of the manycity-based ‘festivals’ poppingoff this summer...

002266 TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK

There’s no need to spend theweekend exposed to the greatBrit ish weather and dealingwith thousands of crusties justto get your festival kicks thissummer. Here’s Trap’s pick ofwhere to find amazing vibesand bri l l iant music - without theshame of being forced to rockwell ies - at one of the manycity-based ‘festivals’ poppingoff this summer...

EASTERNELECTRICSFESTIVALCENTRAL LONDON4 AUGUSTTICKETS: £40

London’s EE present an all-dayoutdoor party featuring thecream of house, techno andbeyond, including Jamie Jones,Kerri Chandler, Joy Orbison,Julio Bashmore, Maceo Plex,Tensnake and more.

W W W . E AS T E R N E L E C T R I C S F E S T I VA L . C O M

PARKLIFEPLATTS FIELDMANCHESTER9-10 JUNETICKETS: £67.50

An incredible l ine-up of thebiggest names in dance music,with everyone from major starssuch as Azealia Banks andDizzee Rascal to undergroundheroes like Rodigan, Zinc andBenUFO dropping by.

W W W . PA R K L I F E . U K . C O M

LOVEBOXVICTORIA PARKLONDON4 AUGUSTTICKETS: £29 - £99

Celebrating its tenth birthday,Lovebox brings three days ofmusic to East London’s VictoriaPark, with arenas fromRinseFM, Hospital ity, DSB andHorsemeat Disco backing thehuge headliners.

W W W . L O V E B OX . N E T

DETONATE INDOORFESTIVALNOTTINGHAM6 MAYTickets: £30 + BF

Nottingham’s Detonate rol l out theirannual ‘Indoor Festival’ on May BankHoliday Sunday. Packing 60 artists intoeight arenas at four different venues citywide, this year’s festival is thebiggest yet.

Taking place at Nottingham’s Rock City,The Forum, Stealth and Rescue Rooms,Detonate are teaming up with OutlookFestival, Crit ical Music, BassLaced,Mimm and your very own Trap to delivera massive l ine-up of bass musicsuperstars. With unrestricted FunktionOne sound throughout al l night long andno chance of getting your trainers cakedin mud, this is a festival to suit the moststubborn city dwellers.

W W W . D E T O N AT E F E S T I VA L . C O M

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

MAYA JANE COLES, JOKER,

JAMIE JONES, FOREIGN

BEGGARS, TEED, EATS

EVERYTHING, SOOM T,

JOY O & PEARSON

SOUND, DUB BOY.

LOVE SAVES THE DAYCASTLE PARK, BRISTOL3 JUNETickets: £25/£29.50 + BF

Whatever your views on the Royal Family(Prince Harry aside), thanks to theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrationsthis June, we all get an extra BankHoliday. Boom. There are parties all overthe UK taking advantage of the extra dayoff work and down in Trap’s home city ofBristol, Love Saves The Day promisesan all-day rave in a city-centre parkjam-packed with a massive l ine-upof DJs.

The brainchild of Team Love, the guysbehind Glastonbury’s WOW Stage (andwho are also one half of the groupbehind the city’s annual In:Motionseries), this is one inaugural festivalyou know definitely won’t flop.

W W W . L O V E SAV E S T H E D AY . O R G

HIGHLIGHTS.. .DAVID RODIGAN MBE,CONGO NATTY, ANDY C,PLASTICIAN, ALIX PEREZ,NERO, SCUBA, REDLIGHT,OM UNIT, MALA.


3 MORETO CHECK...

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

RICARDOVILLALOB

OS,

CHASE & STATUS, SETH

TROXLER,SKRILLEX,

SKREAM & BENGA,

REDLIGHT, SHY FX, FOUR

TET & CARIBOU, JACK

BEATS, RUSTIE.

HIDEOUT29 JUNE – 1 JULYTickets: £99

After the success of last year’s debutfestival, Hideout returns to Croatia,bringing a unique mix of dance musicsuperstars and underground heroesalong for the ride.

Combining the cream of house andtechno with bass-music’s biggest names,Hideout fi l ls its niche nicely, withVil lalobos and Seth Troxler sat next toChase & Status and Skri l lex on aneye-popping line-up. Call ing the idyl l icsandy shores and four nightclubs of ZrceBeach home for four days and nights,and with boat and pool parties hosted bypremier labels and club brands such asHot Creations, Metropolis andMulletover, Hideout is this summer’sult imate beach holiday.

WWW.HIDEOUTFESTIVAL.COM

OUTLOOK30 AUGUST –2 SEPTEMBERTickets: £135 + BF

Trap’s favourite festival anywhere in theworld, returning for its fifth instalmentthis year, Outlook can now be quiterightly considered the king of Croatianfestivals.

A true celebration of bass-music culturein al l i ts forms, from reggae to hip-hop,dubstep, D&B and beyond, Outlook’smission is to give attendees the weekendof their l ife while educating them in thehistory and context of the music at thefestival’s heart. With a world-class mainstage, sublime boat parties andunbeatable soundsystems in every nookand cranny of the sprawling ruined fortthat houses the festival, Outlook setsthe standard for others to fol low.

WWW.OUTLOOKFESTIVAL.COM


HIGHLIGHTS.. .FAT FREDDY’S DROP,SKREAM, JAH SHAKA,ANDY C, THE BEATNUTS,ZINC, MUNGO’S HI-FI,SOULS OF MISCHIEF,PEARSON SOUND,LOEFAH, DBRIDGE.

With amazing weather, cheapbooze and none of the soundrestrictions that come with EUmembership, Croatia hasestablished itself as the spot ofchoice for more than a fewUK-run festivals. Here’s whereyou’l l f ind the Trap fam goingwild this summer...

ECHO FESTIVALMAKARSKA22 – 24 JUNETICKETS: £35

A tiny festival we know nothingabout other than that it’s stupidcheap and the line-up is great.Koreless, Spectrasoul,Hackman, Midland, Deadboy,Lenzman, Pariah, Midland,Bailey and more.

WWW.ECHOFESTIVAL.COM

GARDEN FESTIVALTISNO4 – 11 JUNETICKETS: ££90

The original festival in thismuch used location, with astrong house and electronicaslant. Eglo Live, Nicolas Jaar,Behling & Simpson, Ben UFO,Appleblim, FunkinEven, EatsEverything, Kenny Dope

WWW.THEGARDENFESTIVAL.EU

EXITNOVI SAD, SERBIA12 – 15 JULYTICKETS: £95

In neighbouring Serbia, EXIT isthe original fort party, with amassive l ine-up of acts frompunk metal to house andtechno. Richie Hawtin, BarakaSom Sistema, R&S Records,Plan B and many more.

WWW.EXITFEST.ORG

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

DE LA SOUL, SUBMOTION

ORCHESTRA, FINK,

GHOSTPOET, PLAID, EGLO

RECORDS, ELIPHINO,

OM UNIT, DJ KENTARO,

TEEBS.

SOUNDWAVE19 -23 JULYTickets: £105 + BF

If you’re looking for a more chil ledCroatian festival, that’s as much aboutstunning location and like-minded peopleas it is fantastic music, then Soundwaveis for you.

With a capacity of just 3,000, and athoughtful ly gathered line-up of bandsand DJs playing music that mirrors thebeautiful surroundings of the DalmatianCoast, Soundwave offers a completelydifferent experience to the otherfestivals featured here. With mainstages, boat parties, an onsite nightcluband a boutique campsite, you’l l comehome from Soundwave inspired andalive, rather than beaten to a pulp and inneed of another holiday!

WWW.SOUNDWAVECROATIA.COM

3 MORETO CHECK...


DIMENSIONS6 – 9 SEPTEMBERTickets: £120

Finishing the summer in style, the teambehind Outlook launch a brand-newfestival this year, aimed at the deeperend of the electronic music spectrum.

Taking place on the weekend afterOutlook, Dimensions is far smaller thanits celebrated big brother, and offers youthe chance to spend four days with thefinest artists from electronic music’scutting edge, al l doing their thing in theintimate, evocative space of the ruinedFort Punta Christo. Expect techno,house, electronica and the deeper sideof D&B and dubstep playing onshockingly good soundsystems in aunique, vibe-packed setting.

WWW.DIMENSIONSFESTIVAL.COM

HIGHLIGHTS.. .MOODYMAN, LITTLEDRAGON, MARCELDETTMAN, SCUBA, BENKLOCK, THEO PARRISH,MALA, BLAWAN,MACHINE DRUM,FLOATING POINTS.


HIGHLIGHTS.. .SVEN VATH, ANDY C, RUSKO,TODDLA T, VITALIC,HYPERCOLOUR RECORDS,PINCH, ADDISON GROOVE,BLACK BUTTER RECORDS,RASHAD, SL2, BODDIKA,FOREIGN BEGGARS+ MANY MORE.

GLADE HOUGHTON HALL,NORFOLK14 – 17 JUNETickets: £135 + BF

After returning in style last year, Glade isback again for 2012 with one of thebiggest and best l ine-ups of electronicmusic you’l l f ind anywhere in the world.

From its roots as a renegade soundsystem at Glastonbury, Glade’s story asa stand-alone festival is an interestingone, surviving bibl ical f loods, hideousnoise restrictions and multiple locationsover the years, before making a gloriousreturn to the festival circuit in 2011 at anew site. Not used for any other festival,the open parks and woodland ofHoughton Hall provide the perfectpermanent home for Glade’s 14 stagesand four days of madness.

And while in past years, Glade’s focuson the most impenetrable ofunderground sounds and heavy leaningtowards psy-trance may have put al l butthe most determined and alternative ofelectronic music fans sl ightly off thefestival, this year Glade’s l ine-up ispacked with major stars l ike Rusko,Toddla T and Sven Vath, as well asultra-hip underground darl ings such asJimmy Edgar, Mosca andAddison Groove.

With the team behind the untouchablybri l l iant Secret Garden Party, who areknown for their astonishingly highproduction ethos, now in charge ofGlade and bringing new l ife to thefestival without betraying its psychedelicroots, we can’t wait to check out thisyear’s edit ion. We’l l see you down there;just make sure you keep that UV paintaway from us!

WWW.GLADEFESTIVAL.COM


RELENTLESS NASSFESTIVAL THE ROYAL BATH & WESTSHOWGROUND,SHEPTON MALLET6 – 8 JULY Tickets: £15 - £79 + BF

There really is nothing else quite l ikeNASS festival. Bringing together thebiggest names in extreme action sportsand dance music for a unique three-dayparty, NASS give you the chance towatch the world’s best skaters and BMXriders by day, while raving to the biggestnames in bass-heavy music by night.

Taking place at the Royal Bath & WestShowground (which once regularly plaidhost to legendary raves such asDreamscape), about an hour outside ofBristol and perfectly located for theextreme-sports obsessed south-westcorner of the UK, NASS 2012 promisesto be the biggest and best edit ion yet.

With a main stage hosting bands andthe more commercial side of bass-music(DJ Fresh, we’re looking at you), it’s thetantal ising prospect of the DNBA vs GetDarker and UKF stages that’s getting usexcited. Andy C, Friction, Loadstar, RoniSize, Sigma and more wil l be smashingup the former, while Zinc, Doctor PDatsik, Drumsound & Bassline Smith andTrap’s very own Cutl ine wil l be keepingthings mental on the UKF stage.

Bigger and better than ever before,2012’s NASS promises increased prizemoney and new courses to ensure thebest skaters and riders are in attendanceand us spectators get the best showpossible. With ful l camping and al l theother festival attractions on hand, NASSreally is the only place you can spendthe weekend not just raving, but skatingand riding, deep in the Englishcountry side!

WWW.GLADEFESTIVAL.COM

HIGHLIGHTS.. .DJ FRESH, ZINC, ANDY C,RONI SIZE, DOCTOR P,DATSIK, LOADSTAR,FRICTION, & MC CARASEL,WILKINSON, SIGMA,GEMINI, CUTLINE, KOANSOUND, AMC, SUBSCAPE+ MUCH MORE.

There’s something stirring in that often musically maligned partof the UK known as The Midlands. With a stream of grime talentfrom the region making serious noise over the last 18 months,the area is becoming, in hip-hop terms at least, the ‘West Coast’to London’s ‘East’ (without the ridiculous beef, of course).

Grime has always been present in the region, particularlyBirmingham, but has rarely made an impact on a very London-centric scene. In 2012, however, the Second City is keeping thespirit of grime alive, with multiple weekly pirate radio sets,regular live clashes in front of hundreds of fans and, mostimportantly, originality and talent.

And it’s not just MCs such as Lady Leshurr, Sox and C4 making anoise on a national level – there’s a growing cohort of Brummieproducers turning out some of the sickest instrumentals in grimeright now.

Among those, Preditah is currently king. The last six months haveseen the 23 year old work with all of grime’s biggest MCs and histracks have been spun by the most essential DJs in bass-music.With a style that has the energy and syncopation of early grimeproductions from the likes of Terror Danjah and Alias, plus theswing of old school garage, touches of Joker-esque synthlushness and enough bass to rattle anyone’s chest, Preditah’sproductions are among the very hottest out there. Trap trackedgrime’s producer of the moment down to find out more…

TRAP_Yes Preditah. How would you describe the music youmake to someone who has never heard it?I would describe my music to a stranger as ‘refreshingly original andcatchy’.

TRAP_What influenced and inspired you to make the musicyou do?2-step and garage songs, instrumentals and dubs influenced me tomake the music I do today. Also, you may be surprised to know thatgospel music has strongly influenced my sound.

TRAP_Coming from outside of the capital, how difficult was itto gain recognition within the notoriously London centredgrime scene?It wasn't difficult because it was never an aim (if that makes sense). I'vejust always composed music for the pure love of it, not for therecognition.

TRAP_Dot Rotten recently sparked a debate on Twitter withyourself and others, where he distanced himself from grime

and advised you not to pursue your association with a scene hebelieves has bad connotations and is ‘dead’ - what are yourthoughts on his comments?I think his comments were coming from his own experience and he usedthat experience to advise me. The only issue is that I didn't ask for anyadvice in regards to what to do with my music career. I 100% stillrespect him either way for reaching out to me

TRAP_The Birmingham grime scene seems to be making amuch bigger impact nationally recently, why do you think thisis?I wouldn't personally say 'The Birmingham grime scene' because thereisn't a grime scene up here. I'd say 'Birmingham based musicians andindividuals', but I don't know. I do know, on my behalf, that a lot ofpeople were surprised I was from Birmingham and not London at onestage. I do love the fact that the scene is more open for people fromother parts of the UK not to feel like outsiders any longer.

TRAP_Who is your favourite MC in Birmingham?I don't have a favourite MC in Birmingham, but I'd say C4. Even thoughhe’s my brother, he surprises and excites me as if he wasn't my brother.I'm not being biased, just honest.

TRAP_You have recently collaborated with C4 on a track called‘Off Track’, which has had a strong reception. Should we expectany more projects from you twoThe response has been crazy because we both didn't expect so manypeople to love such a different grime track and for it to do so well.Naturally we will always do music together anyway so, yes, there areallot more projects coming in the near future.

TRAP_What can we expect from you from here? Do you plan totry and take authentic grime mainstream? Or will we see youfollow the path of so many from grime and make adifferent form of watered down music to chart?Well I'm sitting on a lot of music with various artists at the moment, sohopefully they will all do well in their own ways, like ‘Off Track’ has.However, I am very open minded when it comes to music, so I'll becomposing whatever I feel is right for me to compose in due time. I dohave a BIG dream of pushing grime to the mainstream. I know I will do it.I have to…

TRAP_Finally, what should we watch out for from Preditahin 2012?My next EP will be entitled the 'Red Bull EP' because it has a veryenergetic sound and has my own grime formula. Follow me on twitter forall my bookings and regular updates from myself.

@preditah


K I L L E RI N S T I N C T

WWOORRDDSS F i re M a n S a m

P R E D I T A H

Here at Trap, we feel a duty to ensure that we alwaysmake some room in our pages for the roots of our scene– the reggae music and soundsystem culture to which allforms of today’s bass-driven music are forever indebted.

Over the first few months of 2012, Fashion Records, oneof the most important UK-based reggae labels of the 80sand 90s, will be releasing its entire back cataloguedigitally for the very first time.

Fashion Records began in 1980, founded by reggaeobsessed Chris Lane and John MacGillivray, and was anatural evolution from MacGillivray’s famous Dub Vendorrecord shop in Clapham, South London.

Indiscriminate in its embrace of all forms of reggae,Fashion happily flitted between dancehall, lovers, duband even, later on, jungle. The likes of Smiley Culture,General Levy and Top Cat all first made their namesthrough Fashion releases, and the label provided a hometo music from Jamaican reggae legends such as JohnnyClarke, Horace Andy and Alton Ellis.

Here, we present a selection of images taken over theyears at the label’s recording studio in the Dub Vendorbasement and the shop itself. The first volume ofgreatest hits, ‘Fashion: In Fine Style’, is out now indownload stores - grab yourself a copy and get educatedon the very first chapters of UK bass culture.

F A S H I O NR E C O R D S

WWOORRDDSS J o a n n a R a n s o n

As the driving force behind one of drum & bass’s mostrespected brands, Kasra Mowlavi has dedicated the last decadeto pushing the music he believes in, regardless of passingtrends or fads.

His Critical Music imprint was launched in 2002 and hasprovided seminal releases from groundbreaking artists such asRockwell, Break, S.P.Y. and Marcus Intalex to name but a few.Much more than just a faceless label boss, Kasra has alsospent the last decade building a reputation as one of D&B’smost interesting selectors, utilising his first name for his DJmoniker to play out worldwide and at his regular residency atLondon’s legendary Fabric.

Priding himself on supporting underground artists and nurturingnew talent, Kasra remains one of the most inspirational figuresfor drum & bass’s younger generation. And with Critical Musiccelebrating their tenth anniversary this year, slowing downdoesn’t seem to be on the London based DJ’s agenda.

Trap caught up with Kasra to discuss his new FABRICLIVE mix,which dropped in March and has been receiving critical acclaimfrom artists and fans alike.

TRAP_You’ve been involved within drum & bass for anumber of years now, what was the crucial point whereyou thought, ‘I’ve actually made it’?I have to say I’ve never thought “I've made it” this al l feels l ikethe beginning!

TRAP_Critical Music is highly regarded for releasing tracksby producers who may not be that widely known. What’sthe best thing about discovering and nurturingnew talent?For me, outside of DJing, working with new producers and helpingthem develop is the excit ing part of what I do. Helping new art istsachieve some of their dreams is real ly inspir ing, you can helpsomeone who’s never released a record before, or played music ina club, go on to have their tunes in the sets of the great and thegood and then play alongside their favourite art ists.

TRAP_Where are you hoping to take the label in terms of


expansion and development?I ’m definitely looking to release more art ist albums and bui ld acamp of musicians who release on the label regularly; it would benice to be more self sufficient. I’m also looking to experiment withsome other tempos.

TRAP_Tell us a little more about the FABRICLIVE mix, whywas the time right for you to do it?When I was offered the opportunity it just seemed perfect. Theprofi le of the label is bui lding nicely, I’m working with someincredible producers and the residency at Fabric has been goingfrom strength to strength. I have to be honest, though, I hadnothing to do with the t iming. Fabric asked me, I bit their arm off.

TRAP_You recorded the mix live and you’ve said that theimperfections add personality to it. Why did you choose torecord it this way, with so many other options availablethese days?I wanted it to feel l ike a Kasra set from Fabric on a Friday night.To be honest, it’s probably more to make me feel better as mostpeople won’t notice! When you mix l ive, you do things you can’tdo with a computer; it feels a lot more natural. I hope thatcomes across.

TRAP_How did you go about selecting the tracks forFABRICLIVE? What was the process like?I sat down and wrote a l ist of tracks I knew I had to include, thenwent about speaking to fr iends and other producers aboutunreleased bits or forthcoming tracks. I think the l ist ran to about55-60 tunes. I then had to work out which I felt would go bestwith which and whitt le it down to 70 minutes of music. Sometracks that I wanted, we couldn't get, because of l icensing issues,but we got some amazing music and I love every tune on there.

TRAP_What’s next for Kasra and Critical Music?More label work, more DJ work and hopeful ly some solo music wil lcome out. I’ve been threatening to release music of my own for along time. It feels l ike the time is r ight now...

FABR ICLIVE 52 M IXED BY KASRA I S OUT NOWwww.cr it icalmus ic.com@kasracr it ical

K A S R A

T H I N K -I N G

LONGFOXlongfox.tumblr.com


Long Fox is the meet ing of three very creat iveminds. Uni ted just a few months ago by apass ion for “ ref r igerated je l ly beans and foxesthat have been stuffed wi th p lanks” , the tr io ofBarb ie Lowenberg, Ia in Sel lar and Zoe Venessdescr ibe the ethos behind Long Fox as “Threegood blokes drawing, l is ten ing to Clutch andlunging to Andrew WK.”

Tak ing obv ious insp i rat ion f rom trad i t iona l tat tooar t and rock imagery, the Long Fox tr io havebeen daubing the i r incred ib ly deta i led ar tworksover everyth ing from tee-sh i r ts to pub wal ls overrecent months, rap id ly making a name forthemselves in the i r home ci ty of Br is to l ’s v ibrantar t scene. Here’s a look at just some of whatthey get up – check the i r tumbl r for more.


t’s winter 2009 and a cold, miserable night in therain-hammered city of Bristol. Seminal dubstep nightSubloaded is celebrating its tenth edition at the

infamous Black Swan and an expectant crowd pack themain room awaiting a set from one of the sound’s mostimportant figures.

That figure is Loefah, founding member of dubstep-defining record label and dance DMZ, and a man who atthis point, has been suspiciously quiet for the last yearor so. Stepping out from the backstage shadows, Loefahplaces the first acetate on the decks and begins his set.Reaching for the classic sub-driven half-step with whichhe and his contemporaries had wowed the world only afew years before, it’s clear from the look on his face andthe music he’s playing that this is a man uninspired byand detached from what he is doing...

Fast forward just a couple of years and it’s now March2012. Loefah is back in Bristol, headlining ultra-hip house/garage weekly 51.27 and he’s an hour late to come onstage. Eventually, grinning from ear to ear, the Londonerappears, plugs in his laptop and unleashes two hours ofpure vibes on a rapturous, bouncing crowd.

Playing everything from classic 80s house and techno, togarage and even pitched-down dubstep, around a solidcore of indefinable, bass-driven and often exclusive dancemusic, this is a man clearly loving what he’s doing, andpouring passion into his performance. In stark contrast tothat Subloaded set a few years before, this is the sound ofLoefah in 2012, and this is Swamp 81...

Without any doubt the most exciting movement in electronicmusic right now, Swamp 81 is much more than just anotherrecord label. Through a combination of years of astuteplanning, careful team building and unshakable belief,Loefah has developed Swamp 81 from another dubsteprecord label into a musically ambiguous artistic movement,providing a secure home and creative playground for anexpertly headhunted band of musical veterans, rookies,geniuses and eccentrics.

The first few months of 2012 have seen Swamp firing outgroundbreaking vinyl-only tracks one after another, helpingdefine the post-dubstep world, and fostering the redirectedtalents of some of dance music’s most original thinkers.From bass music royalty such as Zed Bias and Pinch, tonew alter egos such as Boddika, Trusta and Mickey Pearce,the fresh talent of Chunky and the experimentalism of Falty

DL, the Swamp 81 team draw deep in terms of geography,history and influence. And with the frighteningly talentedASHES57 onboard taking care of the label’s visual side andensuring every release is stunningly presented, it’s easy tosee why Swamp is making such a noise right now, and whywe at Trap were so keen to secure the first ever featurewith the full Swamp family.

It’s a bleary eyed, slightly dishevelled Loefah that we meetstood finishing a spliff outside Bristol’s Donuts store, themorning after his set at 51.27. Obviously tired, but buzzingwith activity in preparation for his flight to Amsterdam forthat evening’s DMZ party, we eventually wonder across theroad to a sun-soaked cafe, and over several coffees,innumerable cigarettes and a good couple of hours, setabout getting to the bottom of Swamp 81.

“I was lost personally for a while. That’s why I startedSwamp,” Loefah begins after we’ve remarked on thecomparison between his set the previous night and that wesaw at Subloaded in 2009. “My agent talks about it as my‘watching period’. I hadn’t released anything in a while;I was watching. I wasn’t playing out much and when I was,I was playing what Skream, Mala, Coki or Distance hadgiven me that week. And I didn’t like all the tracks, I wasplaying them for a reaction; I was ultimately playing musicI didn’t feel anymore, to crowds who I didn’t associate withanymore. I felt like a fraud.

“I didn’t get in this to be on my own and play to crowds;I like working with people and creating things, being with ateam. Doing something for a reason, you know, having areal purpose; not just writing a beat, copying what someoneelse has done, sell a few, make some money and be OK.That’s bullshit. So I thought, ‘Right, I’m gonnastart Swamp.’

“I started the label doing the more traditional half-step,subbed-out stuff. The first single was by Kryptic Minds, andwe did their album too. And then I thought, ‘This isn’t doinganything new, it’s not pushing things. So I was getting a bitunsure; I was still playing the dubstep raves, but sets I feltwere more credible, but the vibe that was there in thebeginning was completely gone.

“And then, around this time, ‘Footcrab’ by Addison Groovefell in my lap. And I was like ‘What the fuck? This isamazing!’ I got that feeling from it, And I thought, ‘Wow,why haven’t I been doing this?’”

WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Ashes57

everything for a reason

L O E F A H


S P E C I A L

Addison Groove’s ‘Footcrab’, a pounding slice of juke inspired,genre-defying bass music made entirely with an 808 drum machinewas unlike anything else that had gone before it. One of the firstto see its potential and immediately snapping it up for Swamp, thetrack was exactly what a very bored Loefah had been looking for...

“That track was a big turning point. I’d forgotten what I liked andthat reminded me. What I like isn’t necessarily just droning subsand half-step beats – I like drum machine shit! In my heart is thisdrum machine shit, I love it, I love that sound; raw drum machines,samples, subs, grooving. I thought, let’s do it, let’s switch it up;now Swamp has no genre, it’s just electronic music that I pick.”

“So I pressed it and I was getting really confused reactions when Istarted playing ‘Footcrab’. But the thing is, when we first diddubstep, people just stood and stared at us. I’ve got experience ofplaying shit that people didn’t like and standing there saying ‘No,you will like this, give it a minute.’

So I thought, fuck it let’s do it. I was prepared to leave the wholedubstep thing and thought I was gonna have to get a day job.I really thought it was just gonna be a labour of love, two releasesa year, 500 press, whatever.”

Really? You’d have preferred to work a day job and push themusic you love, rather than keep getting paid hundreds of poundsa set to play dubstep?

“Yes. 100%. I would have preferred to get a day job and do this,rather than feel like a fraud. I love this shit, it’s what I love. I hadto get out of dubstep. Everyone was recreating 2006 and I justthought ‘Why can’t you let it be that you were a part of that? Youhad that and no one can take that away from you, stop moaning.’There was a lot of moaning going on. And I was doing a lot myself.But I thought, ‘Fuck it, don’t be bitter, be better.’

“Just before I released ‘Footcrab’, when I was waiting for thestock to come back, that’s when Ramadanman sent me ‘WorkDem’. I thought, ‘Wow, it’s taking it a stage further!’ It had a breakin it; for me as an old hardcore head, that worked. Things weretaking shape. And at that time, I’d met Instra:Mental. Me and AlBoddika had met at an afterparty after FWD>> one night andreally hit it off. Three days later, I’m on the phone to him geekingout about drum machines. I went round his studio, and Al’s partnerin Instra:Mental, Damon was off touring Australia, leaving Al in thestudio alone. And this Boddika thing just appeared. We sat down,hatched a loose plan and went for it.

“At this point, it hit. I was like, ‘OK, I know where Swamp’s atnow.’ It started to make sense, it had a purpose, and I thought‘We can do something, we can contribute to this dance scene.’There’s so much that’s rinsed out. The majors get hold of thingsand rinse them. I feel like music has to be honest, or it has tobring something new.”

But do you feel like, with the embrace of acid, house and garageover the last couple of years, that there is anything new going on?A track like Boddika’s ‘Basement’ is pure nostalgia, surely?

“Yeah, I think there is something new. When things start gettingconfused, you return to the source, don’t you? When the 4/4 beatcame around, it was weird. I thought, ‘Am I really gonna do this?Am I, with my history, essentially gonna go out and play housemusic?’ And I thought, ‘I think I am.’ It made sense becauseeverything got fucked up in my head, so you return to the source.Having that 4/4 beat there, it’s just like a blank piece of people,I can go anywhere now. Right now, I can play so broad in mysets. Last night, I played an old New Jersey house track, oldStrictly Rhythm tracks, old dubstep tracks; I play Benga ‘Metro’ allthe time at -6. It goes off. It’s great to not just draw from theclassics, but not from your own scene but from your own history.I love doing that. So yeah, the music we at Swamp and others aredoing, it is something new. Future retro, innit? That’s not a newgenre name by the way!”

Recalling how he accidently coined the term ‘post dubstep’ in aninterview with a Japanese magazine, and his distaste at the zeal ofthe music press for labelling and categorising new sounds, Loefahmakes it clear that genre names are not something he’s interestedin. And he’s not alone. Not since ‘dubstep’ has there been a go-to

K A T I EL A B E L M A N A G E R

We all know that when it comes to paying bills, keepingappointments and filling in forms, creative types aren’tthe most reliable people. As you’d expect, this is thecase with Loefah, who by his admission says he’s“useless” at such things. Running the label with years ofexperience behind her working for D&B power-brandsMovement, V Recordings, BBK and Bad Company, KatieThiebaud is the one who keeps the hidden innerworkings of Swamp moving...

Loefah on Katie:“Katie is someone I’ve known for years; she used to workfor Bad Company and all that. And then at the time Ineeded a label manager, I was having a joint birthday partywith Benny Ill and I was chatting to her pissed out of mymind, and was like ‘Yeah, let’s do it. You’re working forme.’ She’s brought it all together and the label wouldn’t runwithout her.”

Katie on Swamp 81:“I've known Loe for a good seven years now. We work welltogether and I like his vision for the label. Swamp 81reminds me of the early days of running jungle labels whenthere was a natural buzz around the music and scene.

“Swamp 81 is a collective of creative people, who all sharethe same vision but each brings something unique. I'mreally looking forward to developing album projects withsome of our artists on the label and getting the creativeagency off the ground working with ASHES57.”

term to describe the electronic musical landscape of the lastcouple of the years. ‘Bass music’ seemed to work for a while, butthe current house imbibed sound has made even that broadest ofterms inaccurate. Everybody seems happy to do away with genrenames and parameters for now, which has no doubt helpedproduced the increasingly cross-pollinated and vibrant sounds ofrecent times. So what does Loefah think of the genre shirkingnature of the sounds he’s pushing through Swamp?

“That’s good! It’s on purpose! It’s not about genres anymore, it’sabout sound now. There’s a sound to Swamp and that’s what’simportant. It’s just good music, and I represent a certain portion ofmusic through my label. Just good, honest creativity is what I like.”

Creativity is a word that comes up a lot talking to Loefah, andgoes far beyond just music for the Londoner. With a life-longpassion for graphics and design, and a Fine Art degree under hisbelt, when Loefah finally got round to starting the label he’ddreamed of since leaving school, it was always going todistinguish itself as much through visual identity as it did musicaloutput. And that’s exactly what Swamp has done.

“Yeah, my three things are graphics, DJing and A&R, and actualmusic production. Having the label enables me to have a focusand when I get bored I can switch from one thing to the other.That’s what Swamp is; a creative outlet. That’s what a record labelshould be. Like I said, everything has to have a reason. It doesn’tnecessarily have to have an over politicised manifesto, but it doesneed a reason. And just putting it out for people to buy isn’treason enough for me. So yeah, we’re making a statement; we’resaying here’s a sound, and here’s a graphic look. I get involved inthe graphic design, I’m the art director. Delphine called me thatthe other day and I was so proud. I sit over her shoulder and say Iwant this here, there. I’ve done a couple of the sleeves myself;I did the Ramadanman one, the ‘Swims’ one...”

And so to the final essential piece of the Swamp jigsaw –Delphine, or she’s better known in the worlds of graffiti, art andmusic, ASHES57. Responsible for overseeing the visual directionof the label, in between her role as curator of London’s LAVAgallery, she’s a figure that Loefah holds in high regard.

“Delphine’s my teacher. She’s taught me loads, and I’m stilllearning from her. I love it. She’s excellent, on point, so creative;she’s an integral part of Swamp. Swamp is the artists, me,Delphine and Katie, the label manager. That’s the team. And it is ateam now; I’m not signing anyone else. Everyone brings somethingso different, and we’re all on this mission together.

“It’s like we did a Swamp night in Manchester the other week. Itwas completely sold out, the vibes were unreal. On a Mondaynight. And the thing was; everyone in there, they were all dancing.Dancing. Not moshing, not posing; dancing. The kids are learninghow to get down to groove-based music again, rather thandrop-based music. We’re educating them how.

“There was about 15 or 20 of us on stage, we were all dancing,not nodding our heads, actually busting a couple of steps in thegroove. I caught everyone at it, and I’m guilty as well. People aredancing again. I couldn’t be happier to be playing the music thatmakes people do that.”

L O E FA H

I ’v e g ot ex p er i e n c e o f

p lay i n g s h i t t h at p eo p l e

d i d n ’t l i k e a n d sta n d i n g

t h er e say i n g ‘N o , yo u w i l l

l i k e t h i s , g i v e i t a m i n u t e .

“P I N C H

A friend of Loefah’s since the beginnings of dubstep,Pinch has provided two 12s for Swamp, showing adifferent side to his productions, with the brilliantly named‘Croydon House’ helping set the pace for the label early on.

Loefah on Pinch:“He’s a lynch pin, He’s been my confidant for years. When Istarted Swamp, he’d just got a new mixing desk so I bulliedhim into writing some stuff at 128bpm. He eventually did it,and it was perfect. He’s our guy we take it to Berlin with. Hesells Berlin.”

Pinch on Swamp 81:“Loefah was one of the first people I brought up to play inBristol from London, and I’ve known him since the early partof 2004, he’s a good friend. He was talking about Swamp fora good few years, it’s an idea he’s had inhis head.

“But the vibe of the label has found itself organically – youcan’t start with a Kryptic Minds release and then go intogroundbreaking 130bpm territories all pre-planned from theoffset. It’s become a really strong label, but I alwaysexpected it to be. The prints, the artwork; it’s all done to animpeccable standard. I’m very happy to be a part of it and tocontinue releasing things that I might not necessarily get toput out on Tectonic.”

S P E C I A L

B O D D I K A

Swamp’s most prolific producer to date, with a trio of 12sand an EP already behind him, Boddika has played apivotal role in the label’s development. Moving on from hishistory in experimental D&B duo Instra:mental, Boddika’srecords are the sound of an artist cut loose creatively anddoing what he loves.

Recent single ‘Acid Jackson’ / ‘Basement’ demonstratedthe man’s obsession and skill with classic hardware andeven more classic sounds, while the gargantuancollaboration with Joy Orbison on ‘Swims’ took theBoddika name to everybody’s lips.

Loefah on Boddika“Boddika has done some amazing stuff for the label so far. Ireally connect with the guy and he’s so good at what he does.We’ve got a Boddika album due at the end of the year – it’sgonna be huge, he’s working so hard on it.”

Boddika on Swamp 81:“When I heard ‘Footcrab’ by Addison Groove; that wasreally exciting to me, I’m such a big lover of vintage drummachines. Loe gave me the tunes and I started playing themin our Instra sets. There was a big turning point for mearound that time.”--


A S H E S 5 7

Ashes57 is the French-born illustrator, photographer andartist responsible for Swamp’s all-important visualdimension. Having lived all over the world, Ashes movedto London a few years ago after working as renownedstreet artist Shepard Fairey’s assistant in LA, and quicklyset about immersing herself in the music world shefound in the British capital.

Illustrating record sleeves, documenting the Swampparties through her camera and creating the enormousillustrations that adorn their walls, Ashes is a prominentand vital part of the Swamp team with plenty of excitingprojects ahead of her...

Loefah on Ashes57:“Delphine is essential to Swamp. She’s briiliant. We share apassion for mad typographical graphic shit. It’s what goeson in her head; she’s a completely mental French artist. Butperfect. I love her; she’s a dream to work with.”

Ashes57 on Swamp 81:“I am the in-house designer for Swamp 81. I design therecord covers, do the layouts; sometimes we have otherartists, sometime me and Loefah work together. I rememberI was at a festival a few years ago, and Loefah was talkingto me about this project he was going to start. He knew Iwas a designer so asked me to do him a logo. Six monthslater he got in touch. He liked my designs and he wassomeone I was very interested in working with.”

“I work with a lot of different people but, for me, Loefah issomeone who knows exactly what he likes, which isimportant with design. Also, he’s open-minded and willingto talk about things in an interesting way. He has an eye fordesign; he used to do the DMZ flyers. For him, I think it’sanother way to be creative.”

“I used to be a 100% designer a few years ago, but nowit’s a third designing, a third creating artworks and a third isphotography. I’m trying to document not just the Swampnights, but all the music I like; I’m trying to see differentsides of underground music. When I go out, I like to takephotos.

“I’ve always thought music and art were connected. InSwamp there’s a lot of inspiration around me, musicians arevery inspiring. It’s good to be able to feed the inspiration into everything. Now the label is growing and I’m growing asan artist, my art is going in different directions, we’ve justdecided to start some sort of creative section to Swamp,focusing on the visual side, where I can beheavily involved.”

L O E FA H

I t ’s n ot a b o u t g en r es a nym o r e ,

i t ’s a b o u t s o u n d n ow .

“

S P E C I A L

F A L T Y D L

New York’s Falty DL adds another fascinating facet to theSwamp prism, with his second instalment in the ‘MeanStreets’ project for the label due out now. Limited to just 500copies and beautifully presented, the EPs sound unlikeanything else on Swamp.

Loefah on Falty DL:“He’s a fucking genius. The final third ‘Mean Streets’ EP will beat the end of the year. NY has been a bit stale for a while, likeLondon, and they both seem to have got energy again. He’sgonna run a label for me out there; a proper sister to Swamp,graphically and everything. The New York Swamp.”

Falty DL on Swamp 81:“I don’t have quite the freedom the others do, as Loefah has avery specific idea in mind with the Meant Streets project. He’sexplained to me the whole vision for it, which nobody reallyknows apart from us; at the end it will be incredibly worth it.

“All the ‘Mean Streets’ tracks have been very Afrobeatinfluenced. Also, in my mind, I had a picture of the Scorsesefilm ‘Mean Streets’ – a badass landscape, a guy strollingalong, a little bit cruel; a vibe. And the photography andartwork from Ashes, the way it’s presented on 180gm limitedvinyl; the whole thing is just bad ass.

“I think the stuff I’ve done for Swamp, it’s less Englishsounding to me than my other releases. They’re moreinfluenced by soul and living here in New York. I can’t be sobold to say that in America, we’re taking it back, but NY isstarting to bubble up, and Chicago and Detroit are kicking somuch ass right now.”

M I C K E Y P E A R C E

Another new name for an established artist, Mickey Pearcehas been releasing difficult-to-define bass centred musicunder the name Shortstuff since 2008. However, after hisgame-changing debut for Swamp, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Get’,you get the feeling his best is yet to come...

Loefah on Mickey Pearce:“He’s gonna have such a good year, you watch. He’s such atalent; he’s got his own sound, unlike anyone else.”

Mickey Pearce on Swamp 81:“Creatively, I’ve never been happier. The people I’m workingwith, it’s never been better. ‘DADG’ was a one-off; the next 12,‘Take Your Socks Off’, is very different.

“Loefah gives an impression of being very laid back, but he’sdeceptively on it. The artist he’s got on the label are milesapart; I think he picks up on individuality, a lot of peoplereplicate that but fall short.”

Photo by Loefah

Z E D B I A S

One of the most important figures in British dance musicover the last decade and a half, Zed Bias is abass-music demigod. With a hand in the evolution andprogression of everything from UK garage to dubstep,and regularly remixing major acts, the Manchesterproducer is renowned for his versatility, as he provedwith last year’s ‘Stubborn Phase’ double-packfor Swamp.

Loefah on Zed Bias:“Zed Bias is a King. He’s a complete genius. If there was aBritish equivalent to Larry Levan, I believe it would be ZedBias. He’s been involved in so much behind the scenes.He’s done everything. I think he’s been misrepresented overthe years and I want to represent him how he should be.The double pack he’s just done for us, I think it’s some ofthe best music I’ve ever heard.”

Zed Bias on Swamp 81:“Me and Loefah met on tour in Australia. We were on alayover in Harry’s Bar in Singapore Airport on the way out,and got talking over a drink and realised that both our realmusical passions lay in US house and bits and pieces ofclassic techno. We had very similar music tastes and thatbrought us together. That was it really; we started aconversation in 2009, and we’re still having it now!

“Swamp is a safe haven for me, I haven’t gotta worry abouthow many units I’m gonna sell or what DJ is playing it. It’sjust straight up; if I like it and Loe likes it, then it’s jobdone. It’s just really nice to have a place where I don’t thinkon a commercial level and go a little bit deeper than Iusually can.

“I don’t think Loefah could have predicted the EP Idelivered, but looking back at our conversations you cansee that’s where I got a lot of my direction from. I had anidea of carving out a new sound but with a heavy influencefrom the likes of Kenny Dope, Nuyorican Soul and theDetroit techno scene of past, but then also adding a big hitof what I do – I’m known for basslines and quite hard beats;things that work on a club level. So it was my intention tomix all of that together in a big pot and see what come out;and this is what’s come out!

“It’s just the start of what we’ve got planned. At somestage I’m gonna be doing a long-player for Swamp and Ihave an EP out towards the end of the year. Swamp; I can’tdescribe it, but it’s something that keeps me grounded. It’sa musical process, not a hype thing.”

C H U N K Y

Swamp’s inimitable MC, Chunky injects personality intoeverything he does. Well loved for his ego-free hosting alongsideLoefah and at the Swamp nights, the 23 year old Mancunian istipped for massive things as a producer too. With an EPforthcoming, Chunky is Swamp’s secret weapon.

Loefah on Chunky:“As an MC, he’s just got the vibe. And he’s making tunes that I’mplaying every set and are going off. Chunky’s got this mad sound;I’m a bit jealous of it if I’m honest. Swamp 23 will be a double packfrom him.”

Chunky on Swamp 81:“We were introduced by a friend when Loefah was still doingdubstep. Then the next few times I saw him play, at first I didn’tunderstand what was going on. He was playing all this music, someof it was old, some of it was new; it was confusing but really exciting.

“After a bit he said ‘I’ve got some things lined up for you.’ The lastyear’s been crazy. I’ve been learning a lot from everyone on the firm.They’re all Gs; super dons! It’s mad for me.

“Loefah shocked me. I’d made a tune, ‘Deckard’; Zed Bias hadhelped me finish it. Loe said he wanted it and would give me a 12. Iwas like ‘No!’ I thought he was doing it for me just ‘cause I was hisMC. And then at EXIT festival, he played it and it was banging. Afterthat I’ve been more comfortable, finishing grooves and everything’sfallen into place. Everyone’s really encouraging; I’m in afortunate position.

T R U S T A

Trusta is a name that will be unknown to most. In fact, theproducer behind the enormous ‘Feels So’ and ‘Hypnotic’ islong-serving Finnish dubstep producer Tes La Rok, who addsanother international edge to the Swamp team.

Loefah on Trusta:“He’s a great guy that, obviously, I know from the dubstep years.He had these sick beats that were perfect; a cross between the2006 style and what we’re doing now. He loves his shit; buyingnew equipment every day.”

Trusta on Swamp 81:“When I finished my Tes La Rok album about 18 months ago,I got into this weird state of mind, where I couldn’t finish anydubstep tunes. All my life, I’d been producing music usingcomputers, but about two years ago, I started buying hardwareand I knew ‘This is what I’ve gotta do.’

“Trusta is about using hardware and doing raw music like theguys did 20 years ago. Going back in time in a good way,bringing my own angle and approach.

“With Tes La Rok , I was locked to dubstep, people expectedthat from me. But with Swamp, I can do whatever I want. Beingpart of Swamp 81 is massive for me; so many guys I’ve lookedup to; it’s amazing to be part of such a talented, wise group.But sometimes good things just happen.”


WWW.SWAMP81.COMWWW.ASHES57.COM

CANDYSHOPPhotography Elise Rose

Styled by Kasha Malyckyj

ASSISTED BY Charlotte James

Hair and Make Up JO WILLIAMS

MODELS Dayana @ Leni’s models and Daniel @ Gingersnap

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Ram Records LTD, PO Box 70, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 3NR.T: +44(0)1708 445851/227753 F: +44(0)1708 223558 E: [email protected]

RAM RECORDS PRESENT

DC BREAKSFIREZ EPOUT 7TH MAY 2012Available on 2x12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.

OUT NOWAvailable on 12” Vinyland all Digital Formats.

HAMILTONDEEP IN MY HEART//RICH KIDS

OPTIV & BTKZERO HOUR//BESERKEROUT NOWAvailable on 12” Vinyl and all Digital Formats.


REVIEWED BY: BASSMUSIC BLOG, SAM COLLENETTE, DUB BOY, GEOFF WRIGHT, JON CARTER, SEAN KELLY, OLI MARLOW,

DAVE COTGRAVE, JERYL WILTON, FIREMAN SAM, JUSTIN IRIAJEN, NICK HILLS, OLI GRANT, BELINDA ROWSE.

LOGISTICS‘Fear Not’(Hospital Records)

The man respons ib le forla t ter-day drum & bassanthems such as‘Together ’ , ‘The Tr ip’ and‘Release The Pressure’returns wi th h is four thar t is t a lbum for long-t imehome Hospi ta l Records.Expect the unexpectedwi th ‘Fear Not’ , as thea lbum covers a var ie ty oftempos and sty les acrossi ts 15-t rack durat ion, a l lf i rmly s tamped wi thLogist ics’ un ique ident i ty.Par t icu lar h igh l ightsinc lude unanimous Trapfavour i te ‘2999(Wherever You Go)’ ,which cha l lenge precon-cept ions wi th c l ick ingdrumstep beats and udder ing subsonic warps.Also worth a shoutis recent ly re leaseds ing le ‘We Are One’ wi thi ts c lass ic rave soundsand catchy voca l hook, aswel l as the superb futurejungle of ‘Ear ly Again’ .Another s t rong co l lect ionof top-notch cuts f romour man in Cambr idge,and wi th SPY’s debuta lbum for Hospi ta l not faraway, the beginn ing ofwhat looks l ike a verycred ib le remainder of2012 for the labe l .


ADDISON GROOVE‘Transistor Rhythm’(50 Weapons)

As the hardwareresurgence cont inues, thesound of the 808 hasbecome common p lacewi th in the wor ld of bassmusic. However, the longawai ted debut a lbum f romAddison Groove provesthat when i t comes tobanging the box, heremains untouchable andan ar t is t very much at thetop of h is game.'Trans is tor Rhythm'showcases h is t rusty drummachine in a l l i tsd iverse g lory, exper t lycraf ted drum t racks mergewi th c l ipped voca l ed i ts, juked-out tom l ines, warmanalogue bass and theoccas iona l cr ispy cowbel l ,to create a sound that ist ru ly h is own. Whether i tbe mid tempo creepers l ike'Savage Henry' orpeak-t ime workouts suchas 'Beeps' featur ing SpankRock, the re lease as awhole never loses s ight ofthe dance f loor. Whi le thesk i t ter ing jazz insp i reddrums of ‘Rudeboy’ andpost jungl is t s ty l ings of'Entropy' show that theBr is to l-based producerisn’t af ra id to venture in towi lder more exper imenta lter r i tory.

M U S I C R E V I E W S

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JIMMY EDGAR‘Majenta’(Hotflush)

‘Majenta’ is Detro i t producerJ immy Edgar’s debut forHotf lush, and neat ly fo l lowslabe l boss Scuba’s ‘Persona l i ty ’LP wi th i ts g l is ten ing 1980ssynthet ic sheen and g lor ious lye lect ron ic take on house andelect ro. Poss ib ly one of thes leaz iest records we’ve everheard, ‘Majenta’ oozes sexua lenergy, choos ing to e i therexp l ic i t express i ts f i l thy mind ontracks such as ‘Take Me On ASex Dr ive’ , or do so more subt lyand son ica l ly through s lowfuture R&B grooves such as‘At tempt To Make I t Last ’ or thePr ince- insp i red e lect rosat is fact ion of ‘ I Need YourContro l ’ . Unl ike any other recordin these pages, i f you’re a guywho’s conf ident in yoursexua l i ty, g ive th is a l is ten. I fnot , i t might f reak you out a b i t ,so you’re probably best s t ick ingto your brostep.

TEDDY MUSIC ‘Hoods Up’(Teddy Music)

Lil Jon sampling, uncompromisinglyheavy grime from one of thegenre’s most consistent andenterprising producers. Featuring aslew of the top MCs riding aninfectious beat, with talents asdiverse as Ghetts, Lady Leshurrand Canada’s TreMission, this is alyrical rally. The beat hints atinspiration from other genres, butmaintains its grime feel and theproduction more than matches thecalibre of MCs involved.

DATA‘Making Simple ThingsComplex’ (Black Box)

Accompl ished D&B producerData lends h is f ine ly honed sk i l l sto the f i rs t of two 140bpm EPson Black Box, pack ing fourt racks wi th some of the mostr id icu lous ly cr isp product ionyou’ l l hear th is year. He f lexesh is musica l i ty on ‘La id Bare’ andthe beaut i fu l l y pens ive stepper‘The Fa l l Of Phaeton’ , wi th apa i r of tough, techy sub-heavyro l lers on p late two ba lanc ingthe EP perfect ly. Essent ia lpurchase mater ia l .

RUSKO ‘Songs’(Mad Decent)

Sometimes an album comes alongthat totally switches up yourperception of an artist, maybestarts to you even make hear theirpast output in a fresh light.Unfortunately, that’s not whatwe’ve got here, as Rusko seemshappy to churn out the templatedubstep and flick through the samesounds he’s always used. EversonAllen of original badmanjungle/hardcore outfit Ratpackmakes a welcome appearance on aremix of DJ Hype's classic 'RollThe Beats', and it’s Rusko’sobvious love of the dub and jungleroots of the music that provides thenecessary depth to ‘Songs’. A manof undeniable talents and vision,it’s a shame he couldn't bringsomething more original to thetable, not that the kids in theRusko tee-shirts will care...

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘SUB 150’(Hospital Records)

With this latest offering, Hospitalleave their comfort zone to explorethe 'sub 150' bpm side ofbass-driven music. This 20-trackalbum contains down-tempo piecesfrom label heavyweights such asNetsky and Logistics, with othermajor contributions drawing fromexperimental sister label MedSchool’s clutch of producers and ahost of other guests. The mostinteresting of all is the broken beatinfluenced 'Three Blue Note' byearly dubstep pioneer Darqwan(aka Oris Jay). Other highlightsinclude Submerses' garage infused'This Time You're Not Wrong' anddancefloor stepper 'Snakes' fromN3gus and MC Carasel. If you’reD&B fanatic looking to reach outand find other interesting forms ofbass music, then this is a goodstarting point. A refreshing,unexpected step by Hospital.

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STYLO G FTWARNING ‘More Ganga’ (OliverTwist Yard Rmx) (Warning Records)

UK bashment’s br ightest s tarde l i vers an exp los ive gan ja t rackhere, wi th Ol iver Twist prov id inga dutty house r idd im for Sty lo Gand Warn ing r ide wi th ap lomb.The resu l ts are superb. Funkybashment has been a l i t t le s lowover the last year, so th isbr i l l iant t rack is a t imelyreminder of the he ights that th isd is t inct ly UK genre can reachwhen done r ight . Th is one’s ananthem in the making.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Fashion In Fine Style’(Fashion)

Throughout the 1980s and 90s,Fash ion Records bu i l t up aformidab le reputat ion as theUK’s top reggae labe l ,re leas ing a huge amount ofsemina l tunes and break ingar t is ts such as Top Cat andGenera l Levy. Af ter a lengthyh iatus, the impr int is return ingto re lease i ts back cata logue ind ig i ta l to remind us of the greatbody of work the labe l hasamassed. ‘ In F ine Sty le’co l lects a se lect ion of h i ts f romFashion’s i l lust r ious h is tory,inc lud ing mass ive tunes f romCutty Ranks, Tippa I r ie , DaddyFreddy, Frank ie Paul and Al tonEl l is . A l l these serve to exper t lyshowcase the var ie ty ofFash ion’s output , f romdancehal l , to lovers rock, toroots and heavy dub. A must ofa l l fans of UK reggae, th is is ap iece of h is tory!

WALTON ‘All Night’(Hyperdub)

Hyperdub continues to pick up thepace for 2012 with the return ofManchester-based producer Waltonfor a second EP of fluoro synthsand hyperactive drum work. ‘AllNight’ picks up where the last EPleft off, with spiralling arpeggios,cascading rhythms and grimey basstones, ‘Mallet’ works a nifty UKFunky rhythm around the centralhook while the appropriately titled‘Kush’ explores late night g-funksynths over crackling drums.

SFR‘Vha Venda’ / ‘Nci Nci’ (Wheel & Deal)

South Afr ican bass veteran SFRbr ings the heat to Wheel & Deal ,prov id ing k i l le r h igh octanedance-f loor ammuni t ion for therav ing mass ive. ‘Vha Venda’manipu lates a t r iba l voca l ,coupl ing i t w i th min imaldrum-work to revea l amonumenta l bass thump and thef l ip ‘Nci Nci ’ cont inues in thesame ve in, cata logu ing acacophony of b leeps and voca lsn ippets aga inst energ isedrhythmic pat terns. Exc i t ing beatsto rock c lubs down to the i rfoundat ions.

DISTAL‘Civilization’(Tectonic)

ATL meets Bristol, as one ofelectronic music’s most uniquetalents lays down his wildlyeclectic debut album for Pinch’sbass institution TectonicRecordings. Distal f lagrantlydisregards any predefined notionsof genre boundaries, marryingtogether elements of dubstep withjuke, techno and hip-hop flavoursin an effortless manner that worksso fluidly over the LP format.‘Civi l ization’ is f looded withengaging poly-rhythms, manicvocal loops and vividly colourfulsynth soundscapes, al l del iveredaround 130bpm with the famil iarguttural low end so apparent inDistal’s previous releases.Highlights include themesmerising slow lean and buzzof ‘Feed Me’, the dark stabs of‘Venom’ and the rude dread bassof ‘Rattlesnake’ in what is astartl ingly fresh body of work, andamong the most excit ing andrelevant releases of 2012 so far.

DAVE KELLY‘Tun Up Tun Up Riddim’ (First Name Music)

Legendary dancehal l producerDave Kel ly comes through wi thh is brand new product ion and,as a lways, i t doesn’t d isappoint .Str ipped down to destroy, ‘TunUp Tun Up’ is a min imal ,pu lsat ing beast of a r idd im,g iv ing ar t is ts inc lud ing Cham,Agent Sasco and Spice thespace to wax ly r ica l on a pret tylewd se lect ion of top ics. Ruffand rugged, th is is hardcorebashment that ’s not for thefa int hear ted.

JUBEI FT FLOWDAN‘Say Nothing’ /‘Accidental Note’(ft Consequence)(Metalheadz)

Since its inception, drum & basshas remained fresh and relevantthanks largely to its abil i ty to drawinfluence from other genres.Metalheadz has always been atthe forefront, challengingperceptions and this latest releasefrom stable producer Jubei is nodifferent. 'Say Nothing' infuseselements of grime, raga anddubstep with incredible vocalsfrom The Bug collaborator andRoll Deep veteran Flowdan – ifyou l iked ‘Marka’, check this.

CHAMPION‘Crazy’ EP (Formula)

UK Funky may not be at itscreative peak in 2012, butChampion is leading the wayamong the producers who’vestuck by the genre. ‘Crazy’ is atypical hard percussive and bassstrewn Champion production, withthe added touch of one of thegenre’s leading vocalists, PrincessNyah. Backed with an instrumen-tal version and a Terror Danjahmix that takes the original to awhole next grimey level.

M U S I C R E V I E W S


XXXY‘Everything’(Well Rounded)

Well Rounded’s run of warm anduplift ing contributions to the UKbass scene continues with thelatest from XXXY, a produceralready renowned for fusions ofbass-driven dance floor energywith melodic synths and vocaledits. ‘Everything’ continues trueto form with an instantly catchyhook. On the fl ip ‘I Know ThisCan’t Be Love’ brings a moremelancholy edge, while vinylheads are treated to bonus‘I Can’t Stop’.

RAZOR REKTA‘Loko Motive’ /‘Development’ (Chestplate)

The latest addition to the Chestplateteam is the Anti-Social affiliatedRazor Rekta, debuting on Distance’simprint in fine fashion with two lethalcuts of crushing bass pressure.Check the thunderous snare crashesand vicious, snarling whips ofmidrange alternating with passages ofvivid pipe backdrops in‘Development’, and the supremelydark industrial aesthetics dominating‘Loko Motiv’. A pair of dank andcommanding riddims from Mr Rekta.

SLUGABED ‘Sex’ (Ninja Tune)

With the announcement ofSlugabed’s debut album for Ninja tunecomes the release of the first single tobe taken from it, ‘Sex’. The title trackties Slugabed’s hyperactivearrangements and funk-fuelledfoundations to a smoother work flownicely, while ‘Molecules’ warps thistemplate into something more abstractbut no less endearing. Daedelus andGroundislava rework ‘Sex’ into sultryelectronica and taut 8-bit funkrespectively.

LAST JAPAN ‘Ambush’ / ‘Tactics’(Lo Note)

Following hot on the heels of theirtop-notch inaugural release fromPusherman, Lo Note ramp things upwith their second instalment,courtesy of young and prodigiouslytalented Londoner Last Japan.‘Ambush’ is a deadly slab of sparsebeats and low-slung bass that tearsthrough the speakers with venom,while on the flip ‘Tactics’ rewiresjungle breaks through the tribalrhythm over diving bass tones topowerful effect.

MUNGOS HI-FI ‘Dutty Diseases Riddim’ (Scotch Bonnet)

Glaswegian soundsystemchampions, Mungos Hi-Fi comecorrect with their latest dancehallrelease. Re-licking the classic‘Golden Hen’ riddim, Mungos bringtheir trademark heavy production tothe table, creating a set of wickedcuts ready to mash up anysoundsystem! Standout tracksinclude YT’s ‘World News’ and MrWilliamz’s ‘Computer Age’, but allthe cuts will nice up any dance.Highly recommended.

C4‘O* Track’ EP(Adamantium Music)

Birmingham’s C4 l inks up wi thh is producer brother Pred iath tode l i ver a t rack that demonstratesrea l pop sens ib i l i t ies, whi lemainta in ing the rawness andinnovat ion assoc iated wi thgr ime. Pred i tah’s lav ish yetsubt le product ion a l lows C4sbars and hooks to sh ine, and theEP comes packed wi th remixesfrom BBK and Woz, whoseexce l lent UK funky / MajorLazer-sty le remix stands outa mi le.

ROSKA‘Roska’ 2(Rinse)

One of the original and foremostexponents of UK funky, Roska,returns with his second full-lengthsolo album of productions. Aftermaking his name pushing thenascent sounds of funky throughclub sets and his show onRinseFM, Roska achievedwidespread underground fame in2010 with the release of hismuch-acclaimed eponymous debut.Following up that project, thislatest long-player sees theLondon-based producer draw fromstyles beyond the confines offunky, while keeping his signaturesound in place. Jamie George isback on ‘Do You Like This’ and MzBratt and Sweetie Irie providevocals two of the LP’s mostmemorable moments. ‘Roska 2’lacks the hype-driven zing that itspredecessor enjoyed, but this isundoubtedly a broader soundingrecord from an important artist.

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TOTAL SCIENCE &S.P.Y FT. RIYAAND DAM FUNK‘Piano Funk’ (Toolroom Records)

As if to signal the arrival of warmerweather, 'Piano Funk' sees prolificproduction duo Total Sciencecollaborate once again with super-talented new Hospital signing S.P.Y toproduce a melodic, sun-drenched gem.‘Piano Funk’ is a classic liquid roller,enhanced by the dreamy vocals of Riyaand lifting keys of boogie-funk legendDam Funk. The perfect summer drum& bass anthem.


PROTOTYPE 2Activision (PS3, Xbox360, PC)Out 24 April

Set 14 months after the originalPrototype, Prototype 2 sees newprotagonist Sgt James Heller set out toeliminate Mercer, who he blames for thedeath of his family. Heller canshapeshift, assume other people'sidentities and memories, and usevarious tendrils to cause untold havocupon New York City. Promising waveupon wave of shoot ‘em up action,Prototype 2 looks set to be a worthyaddition to the series.

DEVIL MAY CRYCapcom (PS3, Xbox360)Out 4 April

There’s currently a fashion for takingold games, giving them a l ick of paintand throwing them back into themarketplace. Fans of the series andnewcomers al ike can now get theirhands on the Devil May Cry HDCollection, which brings the first threeoriginal Devil May Cry tit les togetherin one high-definit ion package for thefirst t ime; al l the iconic fun of theDMC series with stunning HD graphics.

MASS EFFECT 3EA (PS3, Xbox360, PC)Out Now

We’re huge fans of the Mass Effect series, and EA’s final instalmentdoesn’t pull any punches. Finally,Commander Shepard fulfils his destinyby uniting the galaxy to fight an epic waragainst the Reapers. Plot driven, butwith more than enough action to satisfythe most hardcore gamer, Mass Effect 3straddles the line between an incrediblyinvolving story with optional RPGelements and balls-out blast ‘em up fun.

08G A M E S R E V I E W S+

RESIDENT EVIL:OPERATION RACOON CITY

CAPCOM / SLANT SIX GAMES(PS3, XBOX360, PC)OUT NOW

With over 47 mil l ion units soldworldwide, Resident Evi l is one of themost successful games series ever.The original survival horror, RE hasbecome iconic, moving through fiveterror-inducing instalments with a sixthplanned for the end of the year.

Operation Racoon City takes that iconicseries and turns the gameplay on itshead. While fans of RE’s lonely, tensestyle may find themselves baffled at thefast-paced ‘team shooter’ action ofOperation Racoon City, this isn’t astandard RE game, setting out to be

packed with action and intense gunbattles. The zombies and Bio-OrganicWeapons add an extra dimension to thefight between the Umbrella SecurityService and US Spec Ops who arebattling for control of the now infamousT-Virus outbreak.

Approach Resident Evil: OperationRacoon City with the right attitude andyou’ll find the one-player campaign andonline eight-player team versus battles tobe huge amounts of fun. This is balls-to-the-wall gunplay with a survival horrorbackdrop and we love it!

When recent Speakerbox signingsCutl ine aren’t mashing up ravesor turning out bass-heavyanthems, you’l l usually f ind themsat around in their pants, playingcomputer games. And that’s notjust when they’re at home. Withthat in mind, and because wecouldn’t think of anyone better,we thought we’d get them toreview some computer gamesfor us...

GAMESREVIEWSWITH CUTLINE

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PS VITAROAD TEST

As most of you wil l know PlayStation’s newhandheld marvel, the Vita, landed in storesat the end of February promising homeconsole-quality gaming to everyone on themove. The technical specs of the Vita arehugely impressive, featuring a beautifulf ive-inch touchscreen, dual analoguethumbsticks, two quad-core processors andgames the PS3 would be proud of. We gotthe chance to road test the Vita, to see notonly what it’s capable of, but how it wouldfit into our everyday l ives. So how doesit fare?

Well, seeing as we travel thousands ofmiles on a regular basis and spend a lot oftime sat around airports and hotels, we cantel l you the Vita looks to be one of themost involving options for handheld gamingto date. No longer wil l your iPhone orBlackberry be the only choice when itcomes to devices to glue to your grubbymitts on trains and planes.

Between Wipeout 2048, Uncharted: TheGolden Abyss, ModNation Racers:Roadtripand Litt le Deviants we had plenty of greatgames to test out and while some may feelthat the PS Vita’s learning curve or thesometimes highly-involved games are al itt le too much for casual on-the-moveentertainment, anyone who wants to packthe challenge and power of home consolesinto their pocket should look no further.

ASURA’S WRATHCapcom(PS3, Xbox360, PC)

Amazingly over the topManga style nonsensethat’s tons of fun. Nowwith added DLC.

STILLHOT

UFC UNDISPUTED 3THQ(PS3, Xbox360)

We’re sure this would begreat if you didn’t have tospend 3 weeks learning allthe controls!

STILLNOT

MORTAL KOMBATWarner Bros (PSV, PS3, Xbox360)Out 4 May

Destined to be possibly the greatestMortal Kombat game ever, the originaldevelopers have re-worked theirmasterpiece for a new generation offans. Going back to its roots, the newMK invites you to participate in the mostbrutal tournament yet, all in 2D scrollingformat complete with glorious 2012graphics and 1990s nostalgia. Whetheryou were there when it made its debut,or you’ve become a fan along the way,don’t miss this!

Di l l in ja and Lemon D’s legendary (and we don’t use thatword l ight ly ) soundsystem makes a long-awai ted return toBr is to l on 27 Apr i l , pack ing out the enormous main room atMot ion wi th a l ine-up that reaches far beyond the drum &bass through which Valve made i ts name.

Ref lect ing the labe l ’s recent embrace of other bass-musicgenres beyond 174bpm, D&B legends such as Hype andSwif t rub shoulders wi th dubstep dons Caspa and Von D,and there’s p lenty of loca l f resh b lood on the mass ivel ine-up too, wi th Inter face, Super isk, St inkahbel l and RunTingz Cru a l l dropp ing by.

www.motionbristol .com

V A L V EF R I D A Y 2 7 A P R I L

M O T I O N , B R I S T O L

The combined bra inch i ld of th is issue’s cover star, Loefah,and Jan from infamous London graff i t i/music/ar ts co l lect iveATG, Staunch offers up i ts second insta lment of cut t ingedge club music on 28 Apr i l a t London’s Cors ica Stud ios.

After the success of the inaugura l Staunch in February,Apr i l ’s ed i t ion del ivers another fasc inat ing l ine-up,combin ing headl iner Dogmat ik’s Alex Arnout wi th BlackButter ’s Rudimenta l and gr ime legend Terror Danjah, as wel las the mighty Mid land and star res idents Dusky and KloseOne. Get down and see what the hype is a l l about .

www.staunchlondon.com

S T A U N C HF R I D A Y 2 7 A P R I L

C O R S I C A S T U D I O S , L O N D O N

APRIL 2012

006644 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K08B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

FRIDAY 20 APRILDUB POLICE@ FABRIC, LONDONCaspa, Emalkay, Youngsta b2b J:Kenzo, Reso,Groover ider, Ed Rush, Dusk & Blackdown, Jubei b2bDoc Scott , DJ Die, LHF + more.

TRAP #008 LAUNCH PARTY@ THE BANK, BRISTOLWoz, Super isk, Koast , Dubious + more.

DOLLOP @ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDONEglo L ive Band f t Fat ima & Ol iver Day Soul , p lusFunkinEven, A lexander Nut, Brad ley Zero + more.

SUBDUB PRESENTS DANCEHALL

SCIENCE@ THE WIRE, LEEDSSoom T, Dig i ta l Dubs, I ra t ion Steppas + more.

NU MOTION@ CAFE 1001, LONDONAndy Myst ic , Th i rs t , JNR, Mantmast + more

UKF THIRD BIRTHDAY@ PROUD2, LONDONKnife Party, Fr ic t ion, ShyFX, Mista jam, Breakage,16bi t , Koan Sound, S igma, Mensah, Cyant i f ic , Stamina,Messy + more. .

LIMINAL SOUNDS@ RHYTHM FACTORY, LONDONSl imzee (gr ime to jungle set ) , Youngstar, S lackk,Pedro123 & MIK, E lsewhere + more.

SATURDAY 21 APRILSHOGUN AUDIO @ CABLE, LONDONFr ict ion, Pendulum (DJ set , thank god), Ic ic le, A l ixPerez, Rockwel l , Ba i ley, Br inga, K i to, SP, Verse,Mantmast + more.

FRIDAY 27 APRIL

JACKMASTER & ONEMAN@ THE NEST, LONDONJackmaster, Oneman, TOYC, Kodiak, One Bandi tSoundsystem + more.

STEALTH 8TH BIRTHDAY@ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAMRust ie, Wai fs & Strays + much more TBA.

SATURDAY 28 APRILSTRICTLY WAX@ DRY LIVE, MANCHESTERV. I .V.E.K., Compa, Leadbel ly, Tomfoolery + more.

One of the ORIGINAL dubstep inst i tu t ions returns to i tssp i r i tua l home on 13 Apr i l , br ing ing to Br is to l ’s Black Swana sa l i vatory l ine-up of ar t is ts renowned for push ing only themost forward th ink ing bass-dr iven music.

Subloaded head honcho Pinch jo ins forces wi th Distance forthe debut performance of the duo’s new Deleted Scenespro ject , backed by Deep Medi scr ibb ler Tunnidge and loca lheroes Guido, Dub Boy and Neek. What sets th is danceapart though is the presence of Addison Groove andAppleb l im, who’ve now both moved far beyond the i r dubstepor ig ins, g iv ing th is Subloaded an int r igu ing twist .

www.subloaded.co.uk

S U B L O A D E DF R I D A Y 1 3 A P R I L

B L A C K S W A N , B R I S T O L

Prov ing there’s much more to Bi rmingham’s bass musicscene than jump-up drum & bass and thousands of shout ingMCs, long-running Mid lands promoters Break Thru arehost ing one of the best par t ies you’ l l f ind anywhere in theUK at the end of Apr i l .The Bass Indoor Gather ing is a fu l l sca le ce lebrat ion ofbass music in a l l forms – wi th a sat is fy ing ly broad l ine-upthat features the very best f rom the wor lds of reggae,dubstep, D&B and more, coming together in Bi rmingham’sHMV Inst i tu te for a very spec ia l par ty. Rodigan, Shy FX,Loefah, Breakage and MJ Cole are just some of thenames to expect .

www.facebook.com/breakthrupage

B R E A K T H R U P R E S E N T S :B . I . G .

S A T U R D A Y 2 8 A P R I L

H M V I N S T I T U T E , B I R M I N G H A M

MAY 2012

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 006655 08B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

SUNDAY 6 MAYGRIZZLY PARTY@ NEST, LONDON

Sinden, Mele, Krysta l K lear, Brenmar, Aruba Red ( l i ve) .

FASTER BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL@ CABLE, LONDONWilk inson, S.P.Y, Lenzman, Dom & Roland, MarcusInta lex, Break, Doc Scott , An i le .

FRIDAY 11 MAYTRIX@ HIDDEN, LONDON

Clone Records Presents: Basement Ser ies X

Roya l Oak.

SATURDAY 12 MAYREGGAE ROAST@ PLAN B, LONDON

I ra t ion Steppas, Solo Banton, Dubkasm, Manasseh,

Moodie, Ramon Juday, Daddy Nature + more.

FRIDAY 18 MAYSMD / TECTONIC@ FABRIC, LONDON

SMD, Objekt , P inch, Kode 9, Dista l , Youngsta,

Tunnidge, Chunky, Two Inch Punch, XI + more.

BASSLACED 4TH BIRTHDAY@ XOYO, LONDON

Tro l ley Snatcha b2b The Others, P last ic ian & D Double

E, Fred V & Graf ix , Dream, Jack Swif t , In ja MC.

SATURDAY 19 MAYRENEGADE HARDWARE@CABLE, LONDON

Ink, Loxy b2b Skept ica l , Tech I tch, Opt iv b2b B2K,

Fierce b2b Trace, Stap leton, K-Eye +more.

FRIDAY 25 MAYTROUBLE VISION@ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON

Tensnake, John Ta labot , Wai fs & Strays, Behl ing &

Simpson, Futureboogie, Mr Sol id Gold + more.

RUN 15@ MOTION, BRISTOL

SubFocus, Ed Rush b2b Break, 16bi t , Del ta Hevay,

Die, D*Minds, Jakes, Gemin i , Need For Mir rors + more.

SATURDAY 26 MAYWFS PRESENTS: BLUEPRINT@CABLE, LONDON

James Rusk in, Surgeon, S i lent Servant , S igha.


APRIL | MAY 2012

08

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