trap magazine 014

TRAP

MAGAZIN

E14

APRIL|MAY

2013Life

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ADDISON GROOVE (LIVE)ALEXANDER NUTALIX PEREZANDY CARTWORKA-TRAK B2B JUST BLAZEBOY 8 BITBRACKLESBREAKBTRAITSCALIBRECALYX & TEEBEECASPACHIMPOCULTURE SHOCKCUTLINECYANTIFICDANIEL AVERYDARQ E FREAKERDBRIDGEDISTANCEDJ DIEDJ HYPEÉCLAIR FIFIFABIOFAKE BLOODFOREIGN BEGGARS (LIVE)GOLDIE

GORGON CITYGOTH TRAD (LIVE)

GTAHATCHAHAZARD

ILLUM SPHEREJ:KENZO

JAKESJUNE MILLER

KASRAKILLSONIKLOADSTAR

LOGAN SAMAMARCUS INTALEX

MARTELON-TYPEPASCAL

PAUL WOOLFORDPEVERELIST

PINCHROCKWELL

ROSKASCRATCH PERVERTSSHACKLETON (LIVE)

SYNKROTRUE TIGER

XXXYZINC

COMING SOONwww.fabriclondon.com

14

PHOTO: Ollie Grove

11AMTIL

11PM

JAH SHAKASOUNDSYSTEM

TAKEOVERALL DAY PARTY

JULIO BASHMORE

MAIN STAGE

SOUL II SOUL / MS DYNAMITEGHOSTPOET / CLEAN BANDIT / SAM SMITHLULU JAMES / RAINY MILO / BABYHEAD

PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED !PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED !

TRAP MAGAZINE PRESENTS

MELE & SLICK DON

SOUL TRAIN VSREGGAE TRAIN

JACQUES GREEN LIVE

CRACK MAGAZINE PRESENTS

JUST JACK STAGE FUTUREBOOGIE STAGE

BEN UFO / PEARSON SOUNDTHE EEL (EATS EVERYTHING & LUKAS) / BEN PEARCEARTIFACT / MY NU LENG / ZIRO / FORGET ME NOT

TROJAN SOUND SYSTEM / SOOM T

DUB BOY & TENJA / RIDDUM TUFFA / 2 KINGS / STEVE RICE

RUFFNEK DISKOTEK PRESENTS

YOUNG WARRIOR/ ADAM PRESCOTT PRESENTS REGGAE ROASTNECESSARY MAYHEM / CURTIS LYNCH AND MR WILLIAMS

GREG ALEXANDER / DEZZI RANKIN

DJ DEREKQUEEN BEE & MR BENNMIKE VITTI / CONROY / RICKY 2 TUFF

B.TRAITS / LIL SILVA / HACKMANSQUAREHEAD / WALTER EGODUTTY GIRL / TRAP DJS / MISTAFIRE

HOSTED BY SIP THE JUICE

1ST RELEASE

£19.50PLUS BOOKING FEE

2ND RELEASE


3RD RELEASE


2ND RELEASE


3RD RELEASE


4TH RELEASE


SATURDAY TICKET HOLDERSGOT A SATURDAY TICKET? WE ARE OFFERING ALL EXISTING TICKET HOLDERS

THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUY A TICKET FOR SUNDAY AT£15.00 PLUS BOOKING FEE UP UNTIL THE END OF APRIL.

SOLD OUT!

SETH TROXLEREATS EVERYTHINGJOY ORBISON / JACKMASTERCHRISTOPHE & LUKAS / TOM RIO & DAN WILD

AME/DEETRON/BICEPMAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM

MARCO BERNARDI / FUTUREBOOGIE DJSWAIFS & STRAYS / OUTBOXX

DIGITAL SOUNDBOY

SHY FX / BREAKAGE / DISMANTLE / ROSES GABORWOZ & BROMLEY / GORGON SOUND / DUBIOUS / A-QUAKE

SPECIAL GUEST TO BE ANNOUNCED

MR SCRUFFBABY MALC / JOHN STAPLETON & FRIENDS JUS NOW / SLY-ONE / THE DANCE OFF DJS

THE DANCE OFF

ONEMAN / MONKIMICKEY PEARCE / PALEMAN

SHANTI CELESTE - IDLE HANDS / PARDON MY FRENCHCRUMP & KEADY / LUKE LANGSTON / HALF NAKED DJS

COCKTAILS & DREAMS

ETON MESSY DJS / APPLEBOTTOM / JAY L - FALLING UP

11AM TIL 11PM

MAIN STAGE

BONOBO LIVEREDLIGHT LIVE DEBUT / CRAZY P LIVEALUNAGEORGE LIVE / DUSKY / BONDAXTHE OTHER TRIBE LIVE / FEEL THE REAL

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS RUDIMENTAL LIVE

T H ED RO P

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 & Nick Hills

COVER: Alix Perez by Ollie Grove.

PICTURES: Ollie Grove, Gareth Rhys, Sarah Ginn, Satoshi Minakawa, Mark Read.

WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj, Sam Collenette, Matt Riches Jason Gardener, Monki, Sam Bates,

Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff, Sean Kelly, Jeryl Wilton, Justin Iriajen, Amy Stiff,

Sophie Thomas, Oli Grant, Tim Rayner, James Rompani, Leyla Eroglu.

T RA P MAGAZ I N EA P R I L / MAY 2 0 1 3WWW .T R A PMAGAZ I N E . C O . U K

THANK YOU: Dane @ Two Plates, All @ Urban Nerds, Adam @ Backdrop, Ben @ Run,

Rob, Tom & Ollie @ The Blast, Erin @ Columbo, Sam @ Red Bull, Lua @ Dutty, Will @

Coda, Jack @ Pack London, Saul @ Fabric, Andy @ The Bank, Louis, Rich & Syd

@50/50,Toni @ Listen Up, Adam @ Exclusive, Jamie @ Hypercolour, Cheba & Sam @

WOC, Chris @ Cable, Chris & Joe @ Idle Hands, Danny Keston, James @ Ninja Tune,

Ollie Grove, Neil @ Kish and everybody else we forgot.

RISE UP CHUNKY / FRIENDWITHIN

MELÉ TRAP MIXTAPE #5

ART: PHELEGM

FESTIVAL GUIDE 2013

ALIX PEREZ

BICEP

STUSSY X GOLDIE

FRENCH FRIES

ART: AIR MAX

REGULARS FEATURES

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HYPE LATEST NEWS AND HYPEST HAPPENINGS

MONKI

URBAN NERDS

FASHION

FIFTY FIFTY

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

FASHION SHOOT YOUNG HEARTS

REVIEWS THE LATEST MUSIC & GAMES

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

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OUTLOOKFESTIVAL 2013TRAP & THE BLASTBOAT PARTYAny regular reader of Trap wil l know all aboutour love affair with Outlook festival. We’l lsave you from the gushing descriptions of howit’s the best and biggest celebration ofbass-music culture anywhere on the planet,and just let you know that this year Trap wil lbe hosting a very special boat party with ourfriends The Blast.

The l ine-ups for al l the boat parties are yet tobe announced, and we’re not giving anythingaway just yet about what we have planned,but keep checking the Outlook website formore news and ticket detai ls.

outlookfestival.com

EASTERN ELECTRICSFESTIVALWIN A PAIR OF VIPWEEKEND TICKETS!As reported last issue, during the firstweekend of August London house and technopromoters Eastern Electrics are putting on amassive two-day party at the legendaryKnebworth Estate, just outside London.

The l ine-up is enormous, with RicardoVil lalobos headlining a bi l l that spans the ful lspectrum of house and techno music. MayaJane Coles, Masters At Work, Sasha, Blawanand Shadow Child are just a handful of theother DJs booked to play.

Tickets are on sale now on the EE website, butTrap has a pair of VIP weekend tickets to giveaway to one lucky reader. To be in with achance of winning these, simply cl ick ‘l ike’ onthe Trap facebook page and email us [email protected] why you deserve the tickets.The best, funniest or weirdest answer winsthe prize...

easternelectrics.comfacebook.com/trapmagazine

CONGO NATTY

June wil l see Congo Nattyrelease ‘Jungle Revolution’through Big Dada. Thisalbum has been years in themaking, and a release onthe label that brought RootsManuva to the worldpromises much for thejungle legend.

bigdada.com

ROSHE iD

Nike’s design-your-ownshoe service, iD, has beenspoiling us with optionsrecently and has just addedthe Roshe Run to the list ofavailable models. A realfavourite of all at Trap,lightweight Roshes are theperfect summer shoe.

nike.com/nikeid

HY P E14


TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 007

STREET FEST 2013An a l l -day ce lebrat ion of Br i t ish st reet cu l ture in the hear t of East London,the s ix th annual Street Fest takes p lace on Sunday 5 May.

Happening on Hearne Street in Shored i tch, Street Fest br ings togethercreat ives f rom the wor lds of ar t , skate, des ign and music for a un ique par tythat keeps on growing every year. Wi th a heavy emphas is on audiencepart ic ipat ion, inc lud ing workshops on the day and numerous compet i t ionsgiv ing uns igned ar t is ts the chance to sh ine, Street Fest gets Trap’s fu l lsupport . Make sure you come down and check i t out – no matter what yourinterest , there wi l l be someth ing go ing on for you.

streetfest.net

CHIMP STORE

Trap is now availableexclusively in Leeds in thecity’s finest streetwearboutique, Chimp Store.Stocking all the heavy-hittersand located in a VictorianArcade, we’re proud to be ontheir shelves. If you’re not upNorth, check their online store.

thechimpstore.com

TRAP XTHE BLAST

This summer Trap will beteaming up with one of theUK’s biggest promoters forsome very special parties inour home city of Bristol.Expect genre-spanningline-ups in rarely-usedspaces and keep an eye onour website for more info.

trapmagazine.co.uk

LOVE SAVESSUNDAYTRAP HOSTSOWN STAGETrap is over-hyped to announce thaton Sunday 26 May, we wil l behosting our very own stage at LoveSaves Sunday in Bristol. After themassive success of last year’s LoveSaves The Day, this year Team Love(who are also the mastermindsbehind Glastonbury’s dance areas)have added a whole extra day tothe party.

While Soul I I Soul, Chic and JulioBashmore headline, and Jah Shakatests his legendary system all daylong, we’ve got no less than DJ EZ,Lil Si lva, B.Traits, Mele & Slick Don,Hackman, Squarehead, Walter Egoand Dutty Girl on our stage. Ticketsare on sale now - go grab one andwe wil l see you there!

lovesavestheday.org


ARC FESTIVALAUDIO VISUALEXTRAVAGANZAHITS BRISTOLBristol has long been regarded as a global hotspot forexperimental music and art, breeding and fostering aseemingly endless stream of creative talents whoseimpact has been felt far beyond the scruffy streets ofBritain’s most laid-back city.

Arc Festival, which takes place on Saturday 27 Apri lin Eastvi l le Park, seeks to build on Bristol’s reputationas an epicentre for cutting-edge creative arts byadding a unique new thread to the city’s cultural fabricin the form of a one-day audio-visual spectacular.

Some of the world’s leading AV artists wil l be invitedto let their creativity run wild within the site’s twototal-blackout marquees and three geodesic domes,while a truly varied selection of the most interestingacts from electronic music provide theall-important soundtrack.

Now, we know this al l could all sound a bit pompous,but believe us, Arc really does look like somethingtruly unique and special. With the Hypercolour andApplepips record labels on board, you know the musicis gonna be good, and just check the videos on theArc website for an idea of how deep the team behindit are going to make sure this is an unforgettable andtruly immersive event.

www.arcfestival.co.uk

ARC FESTIVALEASTVILLE PARK, BRISTOL27 APRILTICKETS: £35

Line up includes:

CLARK, JAMES HOLDEN, MARTYN, DJDIE, ALSO, LIVITY SOUND, WILL SAUL,TARIK BARRI, ARKIST & KOMON, PINCH,BASS CLEF, NATHAN FAKE.



BUSSEYBUILDING -PECKHAM

East London has long hadmore than its fair share ofnights, so it's only naturalthat the party has startedto move elsewhere. BusseyBuilding in Peckhamseems to be becoming oneof the venues of choicesouth of the River. It's adark and dingy top-floorclub with whitewashedwalls, brick work andpil lars; a great space for atucked-away rave and italso has a rooftop!

PAUSE -LIVERPOOL

Garage is very muchrooted in London, butLiverpool is f lying the UKGflag high by dedicating awhole night to it! I guesswith the influx of garageSoundcloud kids comingthrough, it's quite fitt ing ina city heavi ly populatedwith students. Held in thedark and dingy ShippingForecast, the next nightincludes Oxide & Neutrinoalongside Mele & SlickDon doing a strictlygarage set.

Trap’s regular columnist, and one of thefinest young DJs out there, swings by withthe latest happenings in theclub-music jungle...

I LOVE…

KARMA KID ‘IN MY ARMS’

Karma Kid has had a fantastic year with hisfirst single 'It's Always' getting plays on bothRadio 1 and Rinse FM, plus a supportive nodfrom Disclosure. He stormed through the restof 2012 with a load of successful remixes andnow he's ready to release his next single, 'InMy Arms'. First debuted on my In New DJsshow, the feel good vibes, summer chords androll ing vocal make for a sure-firefestival banger.

ONE TO WATCHSHADOW CHILDA new project from an already established DJand producer, this al ias has been around for ahot minute. With a hefty number of remixesunder his belt, including Delphic and LianneLa Havas, plus a release on house don ClaudeVon Stroke’s dirtybird, this wil l surely behis year.

CATCH ME AT:

31 MAY -FABRIC

I’ l l be in my hometownat the end of May andheading to Fabric toplay for Urban Nerds.You can catch mealongside EZ, Breakageand many more acrossthe club’s three rooms.If you can’t make it,fear not; Urban Nerdsare also hosting theStreetfest after partyon 5 May.

25 MAY -LOVE SAVESTHE DAY

I’ l l be playing at thisBristol ian festival inMay and I can't wait!I’m sure Trap is alreadygiving it plenty of lovein this issue, but I hadto mention this partyhere. You can catch mealongside Oneman,AlunaGeorge, Bicep,Dusky, Jackmaster,Rudimental, Shy FX anda whole lot more!


ÂmeAnja SchneiderAtaBen UFOBlawanBrian SanhajiCatz N DogzChez DamierChris LiebingChristopheClaude VonStroke ClimbersClockworkDamian LazarusDave ClarkeDeetronDixonDJ KozeDJ SneakDJ TennisDroogDyed Soundorom Eats Everything Ellen AllienFelix Dickinson Francesca Lombardo Futureboogie DJs

Special GuestRichie Hawtin

Weekend Camping tickets available from £115

Single Day ticketsfrom £30

Tickets available at easternelectrics.com

Gavin Herlihy GeddesGerdGiles SmithGuy GerberHeidiHuxleyInfinity InkJackmasterJames Priestley Josh WinkJoy OrbisonJozifJustin MartinKerri Chandler Krankbrothers Kyle Hall Laura JonesLevon Vincent Luca PilatoLukasMaceo PlexMagdaMasters At WorkMatt Tolfrey Matthias Tanzmann Maurice Fulton

Maxxi Soundsystem Maya Jane Coles Michael Mayer Miguel Campbell MK ModeratNick CurlyNo Artificial Colours Pan-PotPBR StreetgangPlanetary Assault Systems ProsumerRalph LawsonRareshRobert JamesRichy AhmedRoman FlügelRyan CrossonSashaSeth TroxlerShadow ChildSoul Bros:—Soul Clap—The Martinez Brothers SpencerSubb-anTama Sumo

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We welcome back Urban Nerds for thelatest update on their world…

w w w . u r b a n - n e r d s . c o m

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 013

MARCUS NASTYHOT 5IVE1. Pete Graham, Marc Spence &Lorenzo ‘Who Dat’

2. Jakwob ‘Fade’

3. Cause & Affect ‘One’

4. DJ Kismet ‘Bionics’

5. B3 ‘Whose Laughing Now’

SNOWBOMBING2013The Urban Nerds crew has just gotback from five amazing days andnights of raving at Snowbombing,which means festival season isofficial ly underway and summer is justround the corner. With too manyhighlights to mention we wanted to saythanks to al l involved in making it sucha great festival.

OTHER EVENTSThere’s s lot going on with UrbanNerds over the next few months. On 5May we’l l be hosting the official StreetFest after-party at Victoria Vaults inLondon, and later in the month we’rerunning another Sin City take over inBrighton. Oh, and there’s our Room 2takeover at Fabric on 31 May, too.We’ve also got a couple of otherexcit ing projects in the pipeline thatwe wil l be announcing soon.

5 May – Urban Nerds host StreetFest After Party @ Victorian VaultsLondon

31 May – Urban Nerds room 2takeover @ FabricLondon

UNMOTWWe have recently launched the UrbanNerds mix of the week series so check outthe @urban_nerds twitter for the latest#UNMOTW.


DANIEL PALILLOdanielpalillo.net

Sty le meets swagger wi th the latest co l lect ionf rom Finn ish des igner Danie l Pa l i l lo .

Known for an avant-garde approach to h is craf t ,the SS13 offer ing, ent i t led ' Invas ion' , is a headycombinat ion of exaggerated s i lhouet tes andbold graphics.

The l ine is a crossover of both guy's and gi r l 'ssty les, f rom out land ish overs ized tops andsweats to the wearab le dresses and sk i r ts thatg ive a d is t inct nod to Pal i l lo 's qu i rky edge.

FAS H I O N14

WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj



Statement shoes don' t come any st ronger thanfootwear brand Mi is ta’s offer ing th is season.

Stacked Perspex heels and jute rope p lat formscombine wi th dreamy paste l hues to create themust-have shoes to take you f rom beach to c luband everywhere e lse in between.

The t rend-t ick ing, i r idescent brogues h i t the top ofthe Trap ga l 's wish l is t , so put you best foot forwardand h i t up the Mi is ta webs i te now.

MIISTA MIISTA.COM

GRAND SCHEMEgrandscheme.com.au

Estab l ished back in 2006, Austra l ian brand GrandScheme is now ava i lab le on UK shores.

Combin ing brazen graphic pr in ted tees wi th premiumcut-and-sew p ieces inc lud ing sh i r ts , sweats andouterwear, Grand Scheme’s recent co l lect ions havecaused a rea l s t i r, w i th the ‘Maui Wowie’ pr in t prov ingpar t icu lar ly popular.

For the f i rs t UK drop, Grand Scheme is re- issu ing thepr int in a range of hats, tees shor ts and sh i r ts ,accompany ing a st rong Spr ing/Summer co l lect ion, whichshould be ar r i v ing in s tores just about now.



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Inspiring just as much love as its eldestbrother, the third Air Max model remains amuch-worn classic after more than twodecades in production.Packed with the then-latest technology,the 90 combined a distinctive TPU panelaround the air-bubble with the latestsynthetic materials and sported one of themost eye-catching colourways in footwearhistory; the ‘Infrared’, shown here.With its bulkier shape, the 90 was afavourite during the baggier-jeaned timesof the late-90s and early-00s, but an iconlike this never goes out of style.

The first and, many would argue, still thebest; 25 years since it first appeared, theinaugural Air Max shoe is now considered adesign classic.Taking inspiration from the inside-outconstruction of Paris’ Pompedieu Centre,designer Tinker Hatfield’s decision to put theinner-workings of the shoe on display througha small window in the heel-unit revolutionisedsneaker design.There have been hundreds of colour-ways ofthis classic trainer over the last 25 years, butthe OG red and blue models will neverbe beaten.

Boldly futuristic, these two hi-techmembers of the Air Max family areregarded as the two other true classics ofthe range.Immensely popular in the years following theirreleases, but then shunned over the lastdecade as consumers opted forsimpler, more classic silhouettes andmaterials, both these models are nowmaking a well overdue comeback.Packed with the futurism of the pre-Millennium era, and with colourways andmaterials to match, rocking these feels likeyou’ve stuck your feet into a coupleof spaceships.

NIKE AIR MAX OGSIt’s a whole quarter century since Nike released the first Air Max, so we thought we’d take a proper look at thefour most-loved incarnations of the legendary training shoe in their original, and recently re-issued,colourways and constructions...

018 TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK

FAS H I O N14AIR MAX

97

AIR MAX

95

AIR MAX

87

AIR MAX

90

Trap links with one of our favourite stores out there,Cooshti, to share some of spring’s hottest footwear drops...


ASICSGEL-SAGA & GEL-LYTESome stunning recent re-workings ofrunning-shoe specialists ASICs’Gel-Saga and Gel-Lyte models havegiven the Japanese brand a new leaseof life. The Gel-Saga in Black/LightGrey features a speckled sole unit andsome killer touches of teal, while theeye-popping Gel-Lyte III offsets greysand blues with bold neon touches.

GYM CLASS HEROESThree hot-as-hell takes on classic shoes from a trio of brands that definitely weren’t cool back when we

were at school....

NEW BALANCE576: 25TH ANNIVERSARYPACKBritish firm New Balance is another classicbrand that’s been feeling some unlikelyhipster love of late and, like the first Air Max,is also marking its twenty-fifth birthday thisyear. To kick off the celebrations NewBalance is re-issuing the classic 576 style invintage form. Timeless colourways and thehighest quality materials, crafted in the UK.

SAUCONYGRID 9000First released back in 1994, the GRID 9000by American running brand Saucony has oneof the finest silhouettes out there. Followingon-point link-ups with Packer andBoston-based boutique Bodega, the brand ismaking the most of its moment with somedope Spring/Summer colourways lined-up.The Tan/Brown and Navy/Citron models areour favourites.

All these shoes and many more available at Cooshti WWW.COOSHTI.COM



Eric Koston 2 Pro Launch

Over Easter, we at fifty fifty were stoked to get involved withlaunching the new Eric Koston 2 Pro model from the NikeSB camp.

The UK launch happened down in London and featured a minigolf course made up of infamous spots that Koston has shutdown during his years in the game. A few of us were luckyenough to get invited and tee off against the man himself.It was a fun night out for sure and big thanks to Nike forputting it on.

Meanwhile, back in Bristol, Nike provided some bangingwindow graphics for the in-store launch of the new shoe,which has dropped in five colourways including an alldigital-pink option that is pretty bold.

Loosely based on a golf shoe and adapted to Koston’s ownspecifications, this is a really versati le and comfortable skateshoe. The golf influence is laid bare in the second limitedspecial which comes in sophisticated black leather.

All colour options are available now in-store and online.

WWW.5050STORE.COM


Chomp Ollie Tour

On Saturday 6 Apri l, f ifty fifty hosted one of the UK legs ofthe Chomp Oll ie tour, which saw the Nike crew roll throughtown in a old-skool pizza van, providing a kicker to couchobstacle that got shut down by a whole sea of Bristolregulars. There were plenty of freebies as well as free pizzaand good tunes; with the sun final ly coming out, it proved tobe a fine day indeed!

The official edit wil l be dropping very soon. No spoilers here,but a big thanks to everyone who came through andgot involved.

Polar Skate Co

Sweden’s Polar Skate Co has just dropped their Springapparel l ine, delivering a rad new collection of logo andgraphic-based tees and sweats.

As you’d expect from Pontus Alv (the mastermind behindPolar), the attention to detai l and quality of the garments issecond to none. Polar is exclusively available at legit skatestores, which is also an amazing touch in the current cl imate.Make sure you check this brand.

WWW.polarskateco.com


Project1.e$S:Layout 1 12/4/13 02:22 Page 1

Scott Garcia and Sticky are UK Garage royalty. There from the beginning, these two figures have dominated dances withtheir shrewd selections and landmark productions since the mid 1990s.

With the garage sound as popular as it ever was, the two Londoners have joined forces for a new project, Foundation, andhave a massive summer of gigs ahead. We tracked the duo down to discover the ten tracks that built their foundations...

S C O T T G A R C I A & S T I C K Y : F o u n d a t i o n

SCOTT GARCIA:

BAFFLED – ‘I WANNA HO’I was lucky enough to work with Baffled in the late 90s. When I heardthis l itt le gem on a big system for the first t ime it blew me away!I remember it was at a Sunday morning rave called Space, which tookplace at the Chunnel Club, and I was pretty messy! I went home andlistened to the track over an over again in total awe! Baffled were amassive inspiration to me and played a huge part in my early career.

DUB MONSTERS – ‘WAITING’To this day, ‘Waiting’ goes down as my favourite piece of work from mymusic career. It was made in a day with my now long-time mate RayHurley and it was actually the first t ime we ever went into a studiotogether. I sti l l play it in most of my sets and it always goes down well.I remember a few raised eyebrows when I said I wanted it to go on thefl ip of Its ‘A London Thing’; glad I stuck to my guns!

TUFF JAM FT XAVIER – ‘TUMBLING DOWN’Tuff Jam were my heroes and I fol lowed them with massive enthusiasm.I was so happy the day I final ly got this on vinyl from Release The Groovein Piccadil ly. For me, it’s the perfect blend of great vocals and skippydrums, synth stabs and bass, and really defines what the ‘Unda Vybe’sound was all about. Such a great track.

RESTLESS NATIVES – ‘I WANNA KNOW’You know when you hear a song and it’s l ike the words were written justfor you? I fel l in love with this song the moment I heard it. A realsing-along anthem and perfect party vibes after a hard week’s work!

RHYTHM IS RHYTHM – ‘STRINGS OF LIFE’There’s not much you can say about this track that hasn't already been

said. It’s one of the first rave songs I knew the name of and that’sbecause it was such a stand-out piece of music at the time. I sti l l getgoosebumps from the intro and it just seems to sound fresher and morebreathtaking the older it gets!

STICKY:

MDUBS – ‘OVER YOU’I aquired this classic when I was working in the Wax City record shop inCroydon. The ‘Breakbeat Mix’ was my favourite. There are hardly anysounds in it, but it’s completely infectious.

NESHA – ‘WHAT'S IT GONNA BE’ (STICKY 2STEP MIX)This was my first attempt at making a garage record and my first bigbreak. This was the tune that changed the whole direction of the music Iwas making; before this track, it was strictly hip-hop and R&B for me.

GENERAL PECUS – ‘BODY WORK SHOP’Yep. This, for me, was the first Bogle/dancehall tune. I went to tendifferent record shops trying to get this l itt le 7-inch. Every shop keptsaying they’d sold out! It was a new sound in dancehall reggae and I wasinvolved. Without this tune, ‘Booo’ would never have existed.

PHAROAHE MONCH – ‘SIMON SAYS’This is one of my top-five hip-hop beats of al l t ime. Maaaad brass intro.........then the drop "Bah bah bah bah!” Urrrrrgh!!!!!!!

AALIYAH – ‘ONE IN A MILLION’Timbaland is one of my favourite producers, Missy one of the very bestsongwriters and then to top it al l, you have Aaliyah’s vocal talents.This tune is what got me seriously into making beats. Timbo issti l l inspirational.

B O S S S E L E C T I O N S

GOINGIN DEEP


BARELY LEGALBBC 1XTRA

1. IRONSOUL – ‘YOU DON'T KNOW’(SWEET BEETZ RECORDINGS)2. WEN - ‘PATWAH’ (WOZ REMIX)(DUB)3. MYNU LENG& PASTEMAN–‘2TWOS’ (DUB)4. SLK FT LETHAL B – ‘LETHAL HYPE’(DUB)5. KID LENG - ‘MORGUE’ (RMX) (DUB)6. WEN - ‘COMMOTION’ (VIP)(KEYSOUND)7. ZED BIAS - ‘BEEN HERE BEFORE’(DFL)8. BENNY ILL AND HATCHA -‘HIGHLAND SPRING’ (TEMPA)9. DRU HILL - ‘HOW DEEP IS YOURLOVE’ (GROOVE CHRONICLES RMX)(DUB)10. AKA - ‘WARNING’ (SUNSHIPVOCAL) (MIKK)

HUXLEYHYPERCOLOUR

1. BREACH– ‘JACK’ (DIRTYBIRD)2. EATS EVERYTHING –DAS HAUSORGAN’ (DUB)3. ANNIE ERREZ – ‘MARCHING’ (MR GSTRUTTING RMX) (SAINTS & SONNETS)4. HOTNATURED – ‘REVERSESKYDIVING’ (SHADOWCHILD RMX)(FFRR)5. CLEAN BANDIT– ‘MOZART'SHOUSE’ (XXXY REMIX) (ATLANTIC)6. HUXLEY – ‘LITTLE THINGS’ (DUB)7. TOM FLYNN– ‘PUSHINWEIGHT’(DUB)8. KRYSTAL KLEAR – ‘ADDICTION’(EXTENDED EDIT) (RINSE)9. FUTUREFOUR – ‘INTOORBIT’ (DUB)10. SAM RUSSO – ‘LOSING THINGS’(LEFTROOM)

FRICTIONSHOGUN AUDIO

1. ROCKWELL – ‘DETROIT GHETTOTECH’ (SHOGUN)2. ALIX PEREZ – ‘ANNIE’S SONG’(S.P.Y RMX) (SHOGUN)3. FRICTION & SKREAM – ‘KINGPIN’(SHOGUN)4. LOADSTAR – ‘REFUSE TO LOVE’(RAM)5. TECHNIMATIC – ‘EVENING LOOP’(SGN:LTD)6. LENZMAN – ‘EMPTY PROMISE’(METALHEADZ)7. XTRAH – ‘SHOCK TREATMENT’(SGN:LTD)8. RANDOM MOVEMENT – ‘ALONETHIS WAY’ (GLR)9. METRIK –‘BREAK OF DAWN’ (HOSPITAL)10. BCEE – ‘OUR TIME’(SPEARHEAD)

OM UNITCIVIL1. GORGON SOUND – ‘FIND JAH-WAY’ (PENG SOUND)2. ELECTRIC STREET ORCHESTRA –‘THE NATIVES’ EP (DIRT TECH RECK)3. ITAL TEK – ‘GLOKK’ (PLANET MU)4. BOBBY TANK – ‘VORPHEUM’(MOFO HIFI)5. PAULWHITE FT. DANNY BROWN– ‘STREET LIGHTS’ (DABRYE RMX)(ONE HANDED MUSIC)6. DANNY SCRILLA – ‘FLUXUS’ EP(CIVIL MUSIC)7. V.I.V.E.K. – ‘OVER MY HEAD’(SYSTEM MUSIC)8. HOUSE OF BLACK LATERNS –‘TRUTH AND LOSS’ (FRACTURE'SASTROPHONICA RMX)(HOUNDSTOOTH)9. GEORGE KURTS – ‘MONITORYOUR THOUGHTS’ (REBEL INSTINCT)10. ASC – ‘POLEMIC’ (SAMURAI REDSEAL)

CHIMPOESTATE RECORDINGS

1. CHIMPO & DEE:SEE – ‘DUMB’ (DUB)2. CHIMPO, SKITTLES & DRS –‘BUMBA’ (ESTATE)3.DJQ&CHIMPO– ‘CHOPSHOP’ (DUB)4. MYNU LENG & PASTEMAN –‘2 TWO'S’ (DUB)5. CHIMPO FT FOX – ‘FRONTLINE’(CALIBRE RMX) (SOUL:R)6. OM UNIT & SAM BINGA –‘SQUARES’’ (EXIT)7. ENEI FT CHIMPO – ‘VICTIM’(CRITICAL)8. MYNU LENG & CHIMPO – ‘‘WARSPECIALIST’ (DUB)9. CALIBRE FT CHIMPO – ‘STARTAGAIN’ (SIGNATURE)10. MYSTIKAL – ‘HIT ME’ (CASHMONEY)

SWINDLERINSE FM

1. ROYAL T – ‘I KNOWYOUWANT

ME’ (RINSE)

2. JOKER – ‘GULLY SIDE’ (KAPSIZE)

3. SILKIE – ‘NECKBACK’ (DEEP MEDI)

4. SWINDLE – ‘DO THE JAZZ’

(PREDITAH REFIX) (DUB)

5. CHEFAL & BLUESY FT RAGGA

TWINS – ‘GANJA PARTY’ (VON D

REMIX) (SUBFREQ)

6. FLAVA D – ‘HOLD ON’ (BUTTERZ)

7. SPOOKY – ‘BABY’ (DUB)

8. SANGO – ‘OWE ME’ (TAKU RMX)

(DUB)

9. PREDITAH – ‘LOOSE CANON’

(DUB)

10. STARKEY – ‘COMMAND’

(PLASTICIAN RMX) (CIVIL MUSIC)


I AM...Chunky.

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME FOR...Being one of the voices coming through the speaker at various parties and onradio shows.

I'D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS...

Groove-orientated bass music.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU'LL FIND ME...Eating or sleeping.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I DREAMED OF BEING...Boddika..

IF I WASN'T DOING MUSIC, I'D...Like to think I'd be doing something creative, where I could meet people whilebuilding things and situations.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...To not be a prick!


Trap’s Rise Up mix series rolls

on in style with sets from two

hot young things working

with a couple of dance

music’s most on-point labels.

Swamp81’s MC-turned-

producer Chunky drops #011,

while number twelve comes

from the latest signatory to

the mighty dirtybird, the

mysterious Friend Within…

To download these or any

other mixes in the series,

go to

www.trapmagazine.co.uk

I Am...C H U N K Y

11MY MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURE IS...Johnny Gill, ‘Rub You The Right Way’.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...There is more hair on a square-inch of an otter’s back than on anentire human head.

THE BEST ADVICE I'VE EVER HAD IS...“It’s not being there, it’s about the journey up.”

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY MIX ARE...Shit I like!

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...I’ll know what people think of the collaborations and solo projectsI’m working on now...

@mcrchunky



I Am...F R I E N D W I T H I NI AM...Friend Within. A mysterious producer who likes to remain anonymous.

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME FOR...My debut EP on Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label, plus tunes on Pets andHypercolour. Oh, and a refix of ‘Renegade Master’.

I'D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS...

House with a bottom-end focus, but not always. It can be a little bit

garage sometimes…

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU'LL FIND ME...In front of the TV or down my local pub playing darts.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I DREAMED OF BEING...A DJ or someone who made graphics for computer games.

IF I WASN'T DOING MUSIC, I'D...Be making graphics for computer games.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...My other-half.

MY MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURE IS...I heard Right Said Fred ‘I’m Too Sexy’ today and thought itsounded good.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...A member of my family has won the European Cup.

THE BEST ADVICE I'VE EVER HAD IS...Wear earplugs. Took me a while to heed it, but well worth it.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MY MIX ARE...Tunes I like.

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...I’ll be on Trap’s front cover, with any luck.

@friendwithin

12



TRAPMIXTAPE005

For the fifth edit ion of Trap’s mixtape series, we’veinvited one of our favourite DJs in the game to show usall exactly what he can do.

After dBridge’s old-skool jungle selection for instalmentfour, we thought we’d completely f l ip the script, andbring things bang up to date. Melé is the perfect manfor the job, having smashed his way to the top of l ine-ups at raves nationwide with his inimitable DJ sets thattake in everything from classic house, garage and hip-hop, to the freshest bass-music and nastiest grime.

There’s much more to Melé than just his ski l ls as a DJ,

>Download the mix from www.trapmagazine.co.uk

and as an avid and self-confessed production geek, hiswork in the studio has earned him releases on New Yorkimprint Mixpak and Sinden’s Grizzly, as well as remixingmajor names l ike Disclosure and Gucci Mane. And now,things are about to go up another notch for Melé, with arelease on its way for the mighty Digital Soundboy and asummer schedule packed with festivals.

Check the Trap website and Facebook for the mixdropping sometime in May, and check our Soundcloud foral l the previous mixes in the series.

@ukme l e

Me l é


nly launched back in September of 2012, Canal Mills in Leeds has quicklyestablished itself as one of the city’s hottest music venues, and theconverted industrial space is now ready showcase its visual side with the

launch of its arts programme.

Canal Mills have invited Newcastle-based Unit44 to curate the venue’s firstpermanent installation, which sees anonymous and highly renowned muralistPhlegm incorporating his unique characters into the nooks and cranniesof the space.

Watch out for news of more cutting-edge music and art at Canal Mills as theyear goes on.

O

canalmi l l s . c omun i t - 44 . comph l egmcomi c s . c om

14UNIT44 XCANAL MILLSPRESENTS: PHLEGM


Clothing, Footwear & Vintage Items

Asics / African Apparel / Brooklyn We Go Hard / Clae / Colourway / Drifter / Fjallraven / Garbstore / Norse Projects / Percival / Perks & Mini / Ranks / Rockwell / Stones Throw / Super Eyewear / The Decades Hat Co. / The Quiet Life / The Trilogy Tapes / Too Much Posse / Wood Wood

8 Perry Road, Bristol. BS1 5 BQ.Monday - Saturday. 11.00 - 19.00www.donutsthestore.co.uk


It ’s that time of year again when we all lose our shit in fields and parks,so here’s the first part of Trap’s guide to the best festivals coming up

in the next few months.

Read on for our pick of the best city-based and overseas parties happeningin summer’s first few months, and check next issue for even more.


LOVE SAVES THE DAY /LOVE SAVES SUNDAY

Bristol25 & 26 MAYTickets: £39.50 (final release)

Love doesn’t just save one day this year, buttwo, with the addit ion of a whole extra day toturn the Bristol city-centre daylong party intoa ful l-on weekend of festivit ies. You can readmore about Love Saves Sunday in our newssection (including Trap’s own stage hostingthe l ikes of EZ, Melé and more), so we’l l usethis space to tel l you more about the Saturday.

Taking place in Bristol’s Castle Park, bang inthe centre of town, this year’s LSTD delvesdeep across the ful l dance-music spectrum,with Bonobo headlining and stages from theDance Off, Just Jack, Futureboogie, DigitalSoundboy and more. Last year it rained, butLSTD was sti l l one of the best parties Trapattended al l year. We can only imagine whatwil l happen if the sun comes out...

WWW.LOVESAVESTHEDAY.ORG

FIELD DAYLondon25 MAYTickets: £54.50

Fie ld Day returns to Victor ia Park in EastLondon on 25 May, wi th another bo ldl ine-up combin ing the some of the mostinterest ing acts f rom the wor lds of bothe lect ron ic and ind ie music.

With a capac i ty of 30,000 and wi th in easyreach of anyone stuck in the Capi ta l overthe Bank Hol iday weekend, F ie ld Day pr idesi tse l f on prov id ing a t ru ly immers iveexper ience in the hear t of London. Hostedby the guys behind Bugged Out! and EatYour Ears, you know the musica l menu onoffer here is go ing to reach deep and wide,serv ing up everyth ing f rom Canadian h ipsterqueen Gr imes, to HudMo and Lunice’sTNGHT and the fu l l Hess le Audio fami ly.

WWW.FIELDDAYFESTIVALS.COM

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

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

BONOBO, ALUNAGEORGE,

SETH TROXLER, SHY FX,

JOY ORBISON,

RUDIMENTAL, DUSKY,

PALEMAN, MAXXI

SOUNDSYSTEM,

BREAKAGE,

JACKMASTER.

HIGHLIGHTS.FOUR TET, DJANGODJANGO, GRIMES,PEARSON SOUND,DISCLOSURE, TNGHT,MOUNT KIMBIE, BEN UFO,

SHED, DANIEL AVERY.



WE ARE FSTVLEssex25 MAYTickets: £95

Yes, another mass ive par ty tak ing p lace onSaturday 25 May, We Are is a new fest iva llaunching for 2013. Happening at DamynsHal l Aerodrome in Essex, and wi th acapac i ty of 15,000, those down in theSouth-East and l i v ing outs ide of Londonnow have someth ing to get exc i ted about foryour Bank Hol iday weekend.

Focus ing on the b iggest and br ightestnames f rom a l l corners of dance music, WeAre promises a pret ty un ique locat ion –a sprawl ing ex-WW1 a i r- f ie ld – and a heavyemphas is on product ion, wi th a beach areaand mass ive stages made f rom sh ipp ingconta iners, p lus heavyweight soundsystemsin each of the many arenas.

WWW.WEAREFSTVL.COM

HIGHLIGHTS.. .SCUBA, TEED, JOEY

BADA$$, ANDY C, MAYAJANE COLES, ZINC, HOTNATURED, NETSKY, JAMESZABIELA, RODIGAN,DAMIEN LAZURUS,

DANNY BROWN.

PARKLIFE WEEKENDERManchester8 – 9 JUNETickets: £69.50

For i ts four th insta lment, Park l i feWeekender has a new locat ion atManchester ’s Heaton Park. Growing stead i lyyear on year, the fest iva l has outgrown i tsor ig ina l locat ion at P lat ts F ie ld and is nowready ing i tse l f for i ts b iggest and mostexc i t ing ed i t ion yet .

Now we know that these pages are meant tobe a l l about hype, but be l ieve us, theprogramming across the weekend looksstagger ing ly s t rong, wi th e ight main stagescurated by the l ikes of WHP, Ci rco Loco,Parad ise, Hospi ta l i ty, Metropol is , Rodigan’sRamjam and even ‘HudMo Presents’ hostedby Hudson Mohawke and boast ing a rareshow f rom Act ion Bronson. We wi l l be there.

WWW.PARKLIFE.UK.COM

HIGHLIGHTS.. .

RICARDO VILLALOBOS,

SVEN VATH, RUDIMENTAL,

DYED, SCRUFFIZER,

BODDIKA, KERRY

CHANDLER, BREAKAGE,

DEETRON, HUXLEY, EATS

EVERYTHING.


ECHOCroatia6 – 9 JUNETickets: £65

With a l l the hype and huge numbers nowsurrounding so many other of the manyCroat ian fest iva ls , Echo offers someth ing al i t t le deeper and more in t imate for thosewho take the i r e lect ron ic music ser ious ly,but s t i l l know how to par ty.

Tak ing p lace over four days and n ights in abeach-s ide locat ion on the idy l l ic Is t r ianCoast , Echo is unashamedly forward-th ink ing wi th i ts l ine-up, br ing ing togethersome of the most cr i t ica l ly acc la imed DJsfrom the wor lds of techno, house, drum &bass and everyth ing in between. Tickets arestup id ly cheap, and ons i te apar tments costjust €20 per person per n ight . We suggestyou check i t .

W W W . E C H O F E S T I VA L . C O M

HIGHLIGHTS.

MAGDA, SPACE DIMENSION

CONTROLLER, KASSEM

MOSSE, ANDRES, DBRIDGE,

XXXY, LOCKED GROOVE,

MARCUS INTALEX,

DJRUM, SYNKRO.

HIGHLIGHTS.. .CHASE & STATUS,SBTRKT, CLAUDE VONSTROKE, ANDY C,FLOATING POINTS,BAAUER, JULIOBASHMORE, PENDULUM,WILL SAUL, JOKER.

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

HIDEOUTCroatia30 JUNE – 5 JULYTickets: SOLD OUT

One of the b iggest and best-known UK-runCroat ian fest iva ls , Hideout is a l ready longsold out , but we couldn’t poss ib ly notinc lude i t here. Mix ing the b iggest dancemusic superstars wi th the underground’shot test ta lents in an amaz ing locat ion, i t ’seasy to see why t ickets went so qu ick.

Kick ing off on Sunday 30 June and ro l l ingthrough to the fo l lowing Fr iday, the sandyshores of Zrce Beach and i ts n ightc lubs wi l lp lay host to everyone f rom Modeselektorand SMD to DJ Hype and Toddla T. Add tothat boat and pool par t ies hosted by thel ikes of AUS, Hess le Audio, 2020 andDig i ta l Soundboy, and you have one bar-set t ing fest iva l in the sunsh ine. .

W W W . H I D E O U T F E S T I VA L . C O M


T r a p m ag a z i n e . c o . u k 035

HIGHLIGHTS.. .SNOOP LION,

BUSY SIGNAL, ALBOROSIE,TARRUS RILEY, PROTOJE,FAT FREDDY’S DROP,ROMAIN VIRGO, JUNIORKELLY, GENTLEMAN.

SUMMERJAMCologne5 – 7 JULYTickets: €99

No Trap fest iva l guide is complete without agood reggae fest iva l , and they don’t come anybetter than Summerjam. Reggae has long beenhugely popular with our cont inental breathren,so there’s no shortage of specia l ist Europeanfest iva ls dedicated to the sound, butSummerjam is, in our opin ion, the king.

Taking place in Cologne dur ing the f i rstweekend in July, every year Summerjammanages to del iver once-in-a- l i fet ime l ine-upsthat ref lect the ful l t imel ine and sonicspectrum of reggae music in a l l i ts forms. Frombonaf ide current dons l ike Busy Signal,Popcaan and Tarrus Ri ley to legendaryperformers such as Ken Boothe and cross-overacts l ike Major Lazer and Snoop Lion, youwon’t f ind a better party outs ide of Jamaica.

WWW.SUMMERJAM.DE

HIGHLIGHTS.. .KRAFTWERK, SKREAM,SHERWOOD AND PINCH,DERRICK MAY, DIPLO,OBJEKT, MAJOR LAZER,NICOLAS JAAR, MARY ANNHOBBS, SOUL WAX,SKRILLEX.

SONARBarcelona13 – 15 JUNETickets: €175

This year marks the twent ieth Internat iona lFest iva l of Advanced Music & New MediaArt , or Sonar to you and I , in Barce lona. Afest iva l in the t rad i t iona l sense of the word,rather than a booze-fue l led bender in apark, f ie ld or the Croat ian sun, i f you caremore about the music you’re hear ing thananyth ing e lse, Sonar is for you.

By day, Sonar offers concerts, showcasesand network ing events, whi le by n ight anerud i te ly programmed roster of the mostprogress ive and forward-th ink ing e lect ron icmusic ians f rom across the g lobe. Thel ine-up rea l ly makes for some interest ingread ing – a l l we need te l l you is i t veersf rom The Pet Shop Boys to Major Lazer v iaSkr i l lex and Maceo Plex. . .

WWW.SONAR.ES


B L U R R I N G

T H E

L I N E S

A l ix Pe r e z


WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Ollie Grove


ince the early days of rave in the late 1980s, dancemusic has taken many fascinating evolutionary turns.From acid house to hardcore, from jungle to grime anddubstep, the last quarter of a decade has seen

innumerable sonic evolutions take their brief turn in the limelight.And while many styles, sounds and their respective scenes seemto melt away as quickly as they erupt, certain genres persistentlyendure, regardless of passing trends or what magazines like thisone have to say.

After nearly two decades in existence, drum & bass can nowquite rightly be considered alongside house or techno as one ofthe immovable bulwarks of dance-music culture; taking its time inthe sun when fashion dictates, but then happily retreating to theshadows to do its own thing while passing trends carry the mediaand masses’ attentions elsewhere.

And so, in this current house-music-obsessed moment, where itseems every producer is setting their rhythms to a slower paceand every raver pretending they’ve been dancing to 4/4 groovessince the days they were, in truth, chewing their day-glo facesoff at Hospital ity or pinching their dad’s credit card to buy thelatest Lethal Bizzle track on iTunes, despite what the internet istel l ing you, D&B is sti l l doing its thing the way it always has –pushing the sonic envelope, with its hood up and head down,and with two fingers proudly up against the rest of thedance-music world.

With the public’s attentions focused elsewhere, and the genre’srepresentation on mainstream radio giving many theimpression that D&B has transmogrif ied into some horrendousstrain of vocal-led, fast Euro-trance, the true exponents of thesound have been left to do their thing, free from the hype-beasting and trend enslavement that affl icts any cultural formwhen it reaches an apex of popularity.

One such exponent is London-based, Belgian-born, Alix Perez,an effortlessly cool 27-year-old DJ and producer signed to DJFriction’s Shogun Audio record label who, as Trap discovered ona blisteringly cold day in early March ahead of the release of hissecond album, exhibits the artistic stubbornness and self-conviction that any true creative must possess by default. Ratherthan jumping ship into the swirl ing ocean of bass-music hype,Perez has opted to stay on board, and help steer the vessel in adirection that he wants it to go. As his new album, tit led ‘ChromaChords’, rudely demonstrates, that direction is a bold andinteresting one, which wil l leave many questioning their ideas ofwhat drum & bass actual is, and can be...

While others may have strayed from D&B to return to the technoroots that ignited their love for electronica in the days beforejungle or D&B even existed, Perez’s relatively younger years andhis upbringing in the South of France and the rural South-Westof England mean that his heritage lies very much elsewhere...His was an adolescence soundtracked by French and US GoldenEra hip-hop; a love that’s never strayed far from his heart andthat’s shown itself through both his drum & bass productions asAlix Perez and, more recently and more directly, his painful lysoulful instrumental hip-hop tracks under the ARP101 monikerfor Alexander Nut’s revered Eglo imprint.

‘Chroma Chords’ is, therefore, quite unlike any D&B albumyou’ve heard before. Focusing mostly on half-time, 85bpmrhythms that could just as easily be termed hip-hop as drum &bass, and featuring a slew of incredible new vocalists andlegendary UK rappers, Perez’s sophomore long-player casts boththe producer and his genre of choice in a new light. And as Trap

discovered when we sat down with him in the kitchen of hisDalston flat, that was exactly his intention all along...

“I’ve l ived in London for many years now, but I’m original ly fromBelgium; I grew up there unti l I was five.

He begins, exhaling a thick plume of smoke across the table ashe explains how he first arrived in Britain.“I don’t remember much of it. I moved to Montpell ier in the Southof France from there and then, when I was 14, I moved to theUK, to a tiny vi l lage just outside Exeter. It was a bitoverwhelming. I couldn’t speak hardly any English; it was tough.I was in a brand-new environment, didn’t have any friends andgot a lot of stick for being ‘French’. So, I battled through it atfirst, but then, I’d always been a skateboarder and there weretwo skaters in the school; they pretty much saved me, I guess.

“They were listening to tapes of D&B and stuff, and my mum,she used to DJ and go to the early Metalheadz nights at BlueNote and stuff l ike that, so I’d already discovered the musicthrough her. When I hooked up with those guys at school, theywere on the same page.”

Back then, in the late 1990s, before the internet was in everyhome and an mp3 was unheard of, D&B was pretty much sti l lexclusively a UK thing, only heard either at raves, on tape packsor pirate radio. With that in mind, what was the teenage AlixPerez l istening to on his skateboard back in France?

“Hip-hop. A lot of it,” he declares instantly. “Obviously, I was only12 or 13, so a lot of guilty cheese music l ike anyone that age,but then I was skating a lot and everyone just l istened to Frenchhip-hop like I Am and NTM. And I’d just discovered the New Yorkstuff; Rakim, Big L – those guys are sti l l my top MCs. But then Imoved here... If I’d stayed in France, it would have just been allabout hip-hop for me.”

It’s an admission that wouldn’t surprise anyone aware of Perez’swork over the last eight years. The track that really announcedhis presence on the then bristl ing D&B scene was his 2007link-up with Sabre, ‘Solitary Native’, a true classic of the genrethat brazenly and beautiful ly makes use of the same Bil lyCobham sample as legendary US hip-hop outfit Souls OfMischief’s seminal ’93 Til Infinity’. The hip-hop influence hasalways run deep in Perez’s work, and he has no hesitationconfirming that it wil l always be his true love...

“It most definitely is,” he states, looking us straight in the eye.“I l isten to all sorts, from punk to jazz to hip-hop; I need to. I playdrum & bass and I’m aware of what’s going on, but I spend mostmy time listening to other music, and that’s where I try to takeinfluence from.”

This statement is backed in force by one listen to ‘ChromaChords’. Packed with half-time grooves and featuring bars fromMCs including Foreign Beggars, Jehst and the indomitable Riko,alongside new London talent They Call Me Raptor, it’s a real stepforward for the producer. And it’s a progression that could beheard coming a couple of years back, when the Londonerdropped a couple of ultra-fresh hip-hop instrumentals for theachingly on-point Eglo imprint under his ARP101 guise...

“I purely started the alias thing because I was contractually tiedin with Shogun,” he explains, leaning back in his chair. “It was abit of an accident; I made a few bits and sent them to Alex Nutand he picked up on them. I really rated Eglo, so that was anice surprise.


“ I c a n ’ t k e e p m a k i n g t h e s a m e t h i n g o v e r a n d o v e r,I n e e d t o c h a l l e n g e m y s e l f . ”

S


“In the last 18 months, I’ve being doing the album, and I foundwhen I was making it, there was a lot of crossover and influencecoming from the ARP101 stuff. I wanted to be free with thisrecord and write what I wanted, really try and bring in myinfluences... The template is 85bpm, so half the tradit ional170bpm. So that was the idea, to sti l l work at that tempo butbring something new to it; to the point where people are not quitesure if it’s 85bpm or 70bpm or whatever... You know, blurring thelines a litt le bit.

“And then just bringing a world of influence. There are a lot ofnods to Brainfeeder, Eglo, Amon Tobin, Actress, Two Inch Punch,Om Unit, to Kendrik Lemar and the musical rap music that’s sucha breath of fresh air r ight now. I wanted to create something atthe D&B tempo, but that brought those vibes and flavours...Of course, there are nods to my first album, I didn’t want toshock people too much; I wanted to warm them to the directionI’m heading now. Obviously, I sti l l love writ ing D&B, but I thinkthere are a lot more things we can do with it. That was my point.

“A lot of the tracks, although they’re not straight D&B,” hecontinues breathlessly, “I play them in my sets and they work. Itbrings diversity to that hour I’m playing in a club. And it works; itcatches people’s attention, provides those ups and downs, whichis how it should be; not just one linear set where everything is sosimilar it blends into one track...”

All this explains neatly Perez’s musical vision and why hisproductions - and more specif ical ly the new album - sound theway they do. However, you only need to look at the man and hisobvious love for the finer things in style and fashion to know thatthis is someone who cares how the outside world perceives him.With that in mind, we have to question whether his motivations towork under an alias and his determination to bring something newand relevant to the D&B template were driven by a desire to provewrong those who might dismiss the genre, and therefore theproducer himself, as irrelevant and creatively bereft...

“Well, that’s exactly my point with the album; to break that barrier,put myself out there where I can be regarded as a producer, notjust pigeonholed into one style and overlooked. In bass musicnow, your average person was into jungle or D&B at one point,but I guess people want to feel l ike they’ve moved on and wil l justdismiss the entire genre. I don’t blame them, I get it, but I thinkit’s quite sad, as there’s some amazing music that can sti l l bemade at that tempo.

“So I’ve built a template with this album where I can cross over toother things and shift in tempo; I need that to keep myselfinterested. I can’t keep making the same thing over and over, Ineed to challenge myself and try to be innovative and bringsomething new. I hope people get it, but at the same time, I wrotewhat was in and on my mind; it was a natural process.

“It’s just me. It’s a snapshot of where I’m at and where I’m aboutto go. I’ve been quiet since the last album, it’s taken me a longtime to deliver this, but I didn’t want to rush it and I had a lot ofideas behind it, so it took a while. But I’d rather that than put outstraight-up D&B tunes every week that are all the same; I’d rathercome with an actual project that shows me and my diversity asa producer.”


While Perez’s influences and approach are uniquely his, the newperspective on drum & bass that he’s so keen to push is currentlyshared by a handful of his peers, with the l ikes of Om Unit, DubPhyzikz and of course Exit Records boss dBridge and label matesSpectraSoul al l wowing the crit ics with recent releases that haveproven the D&B template is far from exhausted, exploringalternate rhythmic structures and bringing new influences to thesound. With that in mind, does the producer believe the genrereally has a long-term future, or is al l this just a clever way toplot an escape plan?

“No, not at al l, I love this music,” he says without hesitation.“I don’t want to al ienate myself from drum & bass at al l, becauseI love it and love playing D&B nights, and I want that to carry on.But I just hope we can let be what it can be, and not be somil itant about ‘how it should be’ – there’s no way it should be.

“For me, in terms of receiving music from other people, I hatereceiving clones of clones of clones, it’s quite depressingsometimes and that can occasionally push me away a bit and makeme reconsider where I am and what I’m doing. But, l ike I said,that’s the point of the album; drum & bass can be so much more.I want to diversify and be able to play at different nights and stuff.I just think, the way genres can and are crossing over, there’s justso much potential. And I’m hoping people are gonna carry onbringing more to the table; there are others, it’s not just me.

“Om Unit is a great example; his music is at a D&B tempo, butit’s so different. It’s great; it t ies things into the juke sound, andwhen you look at it at 85bpm, it’s really close to so many thingsthat are happening at the moment, l ike the whole Hud Mo thing.At half-time, it’s just a few beats per minute separating D&Bfrom so many other sounds. It al l blends in, and that’s what I’mnow able to do with my sets.”

Listening to him talk, you’re left in l i tt le doubt that this is anindividual who feels he has a point to prove to the wider world.For a man with cultural interests and passions as broad as his,the respect his name receives within the world of D&B clearly,and understandably, isn’t enough. However, although heprofesses hip-hop as his f irst love, and much of the music henow makes is eons away from the tradit ional form of drum &bass, Alix Perez is sti l l there, unswayed by the temptation to jointhe house-music hype train and keeping true to what he lovesand believes in...

“Drum & bass is sti l l hugely important to me,” he says pensively,stubbing out his third cigarette of the hour and watching its bluesmoke trai ls slowly rise between us. “I just wish people gave it abit more time. I’m less frustrated now than perhaps I once was;because I’m doing my thing and it’s working for me. But Iunderstand that if you don’t know where you’re looking and onlyseeing the surface, then you might not f ind that music interestingor challenging and think the genre’s lost its way. But underneath,there’s just so much...

‘Chroma Chords’ is out 20 May on Shogun Audio,the first single ‘Annie’s Song’ is out now.

a l i x p e r e z . c o m

“ I s t i l l l o v e w r i t i n g D & B , b u t I t h i n k t h e r e a r ea l o t m o r e t h i n g s w e c a n d o w i t h i t . ”

A l i x P e r e z


ince the conception of their award winning‘Feel My Bicep’ blog, Andy Ferguson and MattMcBriar have been benching up. In fact,

between the 90s piano grooves of ‘Vision Of Love’ andbreaching Will Saul’s superlative Aus label, theNorthern Ireland duo have held down residences atManchester's Warehouse Project and set up their ownWax Slingin' imprint.

Ahead of their release on Aus, Matt and Andy tooksome time out with Trap to discuss their clubbingroots, the Feel My Bicep imprint and collaboratingwith Simian Mobile Disco....

TRAP_Let’s start from the beginning. We heard that youguys were friends from a young age, but what broughtyou together musically?Matt: Well, our love for dance music actually spawned from theclubbing scene in Belfast. It's funny because people don'tnormally think of the city as a clubbing destination, but thescene's really good over there! When we were younger we usedto go to this night called Shine where you'd regularly see actsl ike Green Velvet, Richie Hawtin and Underground Resistance.

Andy: Even Dave Clarke was a resident there... People look up

S to him as one of the most influential f igures in techno, but backthen he was just a resident at our local club.

TRAP_Was it these clubbing experiences in particularthat influenced the Feel My Bicep blog or was it inspiredfrom nights further afield...A: Well, al l of our friends used to love going up to this club nightcalled Optimo in Glasgow. That was the one night out that youcould convince everyone to go to. It was a really eclectic partythat mixed techno, punk, weird disco tracks... Pretty muchanything! It felt real ly fresh, especial ly with the monotonousminimal movement that was dominating the scene at the time.That night in particular was one of the main things that inspiredour Feel My Bicep blog and, natural ly, when you get into talkingabout music a lot, you want to take the next step and produce...

TRAP_Had either of you done any production priorto Bicep?M: Well, we'd always dabbled. I can remember my first everrelease. It might have been under Fifeapple or something likethat... The tracks were made with a demo of Ableton and inthose days you couldn't even save on the demos, so I'd actuallyrecorded the tracks out to mini-disc and then recorded themback into a Sound Forge audio recorder. On one of the tracksyou could actually here a bleep from the mini-disc player...It was ridiculously shit!


“ We s p e n t a c o u p l e o f y e a r sg e t t i n g o u r h e a d s d o w n ,j u s t p r o d u c i n g a n d b e i n gr e a l l y c r i t i c a l o f o u r s o u n d . ”


But anyway, it got to a stage with Bicep where we thought: let’sbuy a bit of hardware, let’s get a good computer and let’s startproducing seriously. We spent a couple of years getting ourheads down and really understanding it. No sending out tolabels, none of that. Just producing and being really crit ical ofour sound...

TRAP_ 'Vision of Love' has been the only release so faron your label Feel My Bicep. It was a massive hit for you;what’s next for the label?M: We've actually got the next release for the label f inished andit's being remixed as we speak. I think that when you have alabel, you don't want to put out a record every month becauseunless you've got a good EP to release every few weeks, youshouldn't really bother. Our next release sounds quite differentas well, so that was another reason for leaving a bit of time....Let's just say there's no more 90s house or thumb pianos.

TRAP_How do you think people will react to the changein sound?.M: It's funny, because as anybody who's brought al l our stufffrom the beginning wil l know, Bicep's sound has alwaysshifted... Our first release on Throne of Blood, 'Drippin', wasactually really dark and the release after that was packed withloads of camp disco edits. It's only because of tracks like'$tripper' and 'Vision of Love' that people have tarred us with

this 90s house brush. So with that, our new Aus release and acollaboration with Simian Mobile Disco coming out, it's going tobe interesting watching people’s reactions....

TRAP_We'd heard rumours about this Simian MobileDisco collaboration. How did you make that particularconnection?A: Well, we actually share the same management and have beenfriends for years, so it was just something that came up inconversation natural ly. After we'd agreed to do it, we got tospend a couple of days in their studio and learnt so much. It's alabyrinth of amazing equipment and even just to go in there andsee how they work was pretty amazing...

M: We were also lucky enough to warm up for them a few timesrecently and it's really interesting to see how they try to take thestudio on tour with them. Now, if I watch live shows I just don'tthink it’s proper unless they're doing it l ike the SMD guys.

TRAP_Any desires to do a live show like that yourself?M: Yeah, definitely. We've actually been stockpil ing lots of drummachines and synths over the past year... It's going to be a slowprocess but it's definitely something we'd like to pursue.

Bicep's Stash EP is released on Aus music on 16 April.Catch them playing at Eastern ElectricsFestival, 2-4 August, Knebworth Park, Hampshire.


F l e x i n g T h e i r sWORDS: Matt Riches


WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Ollie Grove

“ A l l o f t h e s e c l o t h e s h e r e , t h i s i s t h e h a r d c o p y m y f r i e n d . ”


“ I n e v e r w a n t e d t o g e tp a i d b y S t ü s s y t o w e a r

t h e i r c l o t h e s , b e c a u s e i tw a s m y l i f e s t y l e . I t w a s

a s r a w a s t h a t . ”

ere at Trap, when we’re not sweating blood and tearsto get this little magazine together every two months,we spend our time daydreaming about fantasy

interviews and features we’d love to do. Ever since our very firstissue, we’ve had a crazy idea of somehow convincing Goldie tolet us raid his legendary collection of Stüssy clothing, photographit and interview the man himself about his life-long obsessionwith streetwear’s most enduring and iconic brand.

And that’s all it was – an idea. Until, that is, we heard thatGoldie was granting press access ahead of the release of hiscareer anthology, ‘The Alchemist’, reflecting back on his mostinfluential and important sonic works. Seizing our chance, andwith no expectation of even hearing back, we sent our pitch toGoldie’s press team and forgot all about it.

Then we got the call. Goldie had read the pitch and was onboard. “Meet Goldie at his house next Friday, you have threehours with him; he’s getting some choice pieces ready for you.”

One week later we arrived at Goldie’s large suburban house onthe outskirts of London, Dictaphone and camera ready. Whatfollowed was an experience none of us at Trap will forget. As90s kids that grew up on jungle and rocked Stüssy whenever ourpocket or birthday money could afford it, we were, as you’dimagine, just a little bit excited.

Over the next three hours, we rooted around in Goldie’s bedroomand clambered through the crates and crates of neatly packedvintage Stüssy in his loft, dragging hundreds of sweats, tees,hats and varsity jackets downstairs and placing them around thegold-toothed one as he watched Sky Sports News on a massiveL-shaped sofa in his lounge. The amount of pieces in Goldie’scollection was staggering – we knew he was obsessed with thebrand, but it was hard to actually take in the sheer volume ofclassic, ultra-rare vintage streetwear from the 1980s and 90sthat he has in his possession.

As we unpacked the crates of garms around him for the benefitof our cameraman, occasionally, a certain piece would catch hiseye; a vintage waistcoat sample, then a Japan-only varsity, thena sweat he wore in an ID photoshoot, and he’d bark at us withexcitement as he explained exactly what it was.

We were, to coin a cliché, kids in a sweetshop. Once we’dfinished unpacking what we could around him, Goldie snatchedthe Dictaphone from my hand, placed it on his lap and let loose anear-monologue on his memories of discovering, rocking andobsessing over the king of streetwear brands...

TRAP_When did your Stüssy obsession start?“When I came back from Miami in the late 80s, there was a crewof really trendy London kids that were way ahead of their time.I’m not talking like trendy kids you get today; I’m talking King’sRoad. So I started to hang around these people, and I used to goto the Brain and the Wag, two old clubs that are long gone now.One guy I met down there, who was probably the daddy ofStüssy back then, the man about town really, was Lord Barnsley.

“He wasn’t a Lord, but he was from Barnsley. He was a bit of alegend, and I’d go and hang around these places and meet thesepeople and it was amazing; we’d go out hang out at Brain andWag, get shitfaced. From there, I started meeting people likeGordon Hagen, who went on to become a big player at Sony, andpeople like Michael Kopelman.

“Michael K is a fucking legend. That guy is responsible for whatyou are wearing now. He’s the guy behind so many brands in theUK. He is the man who made it happen. He had the Stüssy storein London, and he obviously now has The Hideout. I love him; heis the quietest guy you’ll ever meet.

“But anyway, so I was hanging around with all these amazingkids, and I kept hearing about this Stüssy store on NewburghStreet. I remember my biggest influence in fashion was and isNelly Hooper. Nelly was part of Soul II Soul and Massive Attack.Without him, I wouldn’t be rocking what I am right now. Nelly andBarnsley, they were the dons. Nelly was wearing the sheepskin


S t ü s s y x G o l d i e

coat and hat with the Puma States and Stüssy tee... And DJMilo; now we’re talking. That’s the shit. I had my first pair ofhi-tops from Milo; Wilson black hi-tops; those guys taught methe style.

“I just wanted to be like them. But, at the time I was more‘Alright, I’m, like, Goldie, from Wolverhampton.’ For me, seeingthat crew; that’s who I wanted to be and that’s what it wasabout. That was the lifestyle, and Stüssy allowed me to live thatand be that. I just started hanging out with them, got asked to doa few photoshoots. And then I did a few canvases for Stüssywith Kemistry; I did a rare Stüssy logo for Michael for a shootwith Face or ID or something.

“That’s where it all started for me. I just got really taken by thelifestyle of it – it was this b-boy hybrid, rocked by trendy kids.And when I say trendy, back then, it was trendy. We used to goto a place called Quiet Storm, you had Brain club, then The Wagand then Quiet Storm came along. We used to go down and hearguys spinning rare cuts. There was this big Japanese connection;I was looking at all these trendy kids from Japan coming over,walking through the door, way before Bathing Ape or anythinglike that. It was an amazing time.

“And I just started going down to the warehouse and hangingout, getting as much Stüssy as I could, hustling. Getting otherlabels like Soviet and selling that out of boxes in the back of thecar, just to go and hook up some more Stüssy, you know? Itbecame an addiction.”

TRAP_The brand really stuck out that much, evenback then?“Oh, yeah, Stüssy was all that it is mate. Stüssy was to streetfashion what Metalheadz was to D&B. I ain’t blowing smoke outmy arse; you look at what Stüssy first released and how peoplelooked at it as a brand at the time and the brands that followed

H


“S tü s s y was to s t r e e tf a sh i on wha t

Me ta lh eadz wasto D&B . ”


“ I u s e d t o p u l l u p i n ar e d F e r r a r i a n d t h i n k I

h a d t h i s g o d - g i v e nr i g h t t o j u s t t a k e a s

m u c h s t u f f a s I l i k e d . ”

its path like Supreme. I think, for me, it was all about ‘What isStüssy? What the fuck is it?’ And Michael fil led me in, he toldme about how Sean Stüssy had started the company doingsurfwear, he was living in Hawaii and had retired...

“It was surfer wear that had transcended into being cultstreetwear. Now that’s really fucking rare. It went straight fromsurf into style. It was about people having threads. Stüssy wasthe lifestyle. It captured that exaggerated b-boy culture thatspilled into Manhattan from the Bronx.”

TRAP_You famously went to meet Sean Stüssyhimself for Channel 4’s Passengers series in the early1990s. Tell us about that.“For me, going and seeing Sean; I just wanted to go find theman at end of the Yellow Brick Road and look behind the curtain;because it was Wizard of Oz shit man. It was a dream; nodifferent to me meeting Grooverider or meeting Bikram or any ofmy heroes, meeting Sean Stüssy was like that for me. I wasdoing crazy shit, on tour in America with Jane’s Addiction,playing clubs like The Troubadour in LA and getting all thesecrazy hook-ups.

“And I remember hearing that Michael was coming to LA; thereare documentary makers in town for Passengers... I thought,‘Fuck it, let’s go to Kauai and go meet Sean.’ I got to go toHawaii and interview Sean Stüssy! That, for me, is as major asgetting the chance to go and play at Buckingham Palace. It wasmajor man. Meeting him, it wasn’t disappointing like so many ofmy heroes have been. You realised, speaking to Sean, howlaid-back he was. He was that West-Coast surfer dude; ‘Yo man,take it easy man; it’s just the flavour man.’ Meeting his familyand being invited into his home, it was amazing.

One thing Sean said to me was ‘We’re never gonna bedisposable heroes.’ But now, they have made us disposableheroes, it’s all digital and disposable. But this, all of theseclothes here, this is the hard copy my friend.”

TRAP_So, in this disposable age, why do you thinkthe brand has endured?“It’s endured, because it was built to last. They said it, they statedit; ‘Yo, it’s built on shit man.’ Stüssy was built on shit because itwas the lifestyle first. For instance, they acknowledged people likeme by sending you a tribe jacket; they made you feel like a part ofthe brand. It wasn’t about going into Adidas and having someoneknock you up some boots with a few sequins on them for somePR stunt. It wasn’t about that. It was about being down. I can goonline now and see the brand and see what it is. But it wascollectable back then; you had to work to find and get it. You hadto go to the shop, go on the journey, if you didn’t know anyone,Miles or Michael, then you just didn’t know.

“I’d go down to the store in London, and Michael, I’m sure heused to cringe when I rolled in. I used to pull up in a red Ferrari,get out and go ‘Right! Wahoo!’ I used to think I had thisgod-given right to just take as much stuff as I liked. And I did; Iused to come out with bin-liners full. But I’d go out there andwear it, it was cool. And then I’d see Michael and he’d have avarsity for me...

“It was the unspoken word; I never wanted to get paid by Stüssyto wear their clothes. Because it was my lifestyle; it was as rawas that. Other brands pay, but when it comes to Stüssy; I wasjust the kid that grew up on it. And I lived the dream with it, andnow I’ve got all this...”


TRAP_It’s an amazing collection...“A lot of this will become vintage one day, if it’s not already.Getting romantic and nostalgic collecting Stüssy was a big thingfor me. I remember coming back from Hawaii and the States onsuch a buzz and then going back when Frank bought thecompany and running into the Stüssy warehouse and him sayingto me ‘Yo, Gold, you wanna have a rummage around? Go nextdoor into the other warehouse, there’s shit in those cages nomotherfucker’s seen for years. Go knock yourself out.’ And I’dgo in there and it’d be all the rarest stuff, and I’d be runninground pulling shit out, putting it all in crates and taking it back toEngland. The rarest shit; the leather baseball jacket over there isa great example, you’re never gonna see that again. I had it inevery colour. I was borderline OCD and frantic with it.

“I had so much of the stuff, I just lived it. But then, if I had apound for every piece of Stüssy I’d given away, I probably wouldbe a mill ionaire. I’ve given so much Stüssy away; turning peopleon was what Stüssy was about. You gave someone a piece. LordBarnsley gave me my first piece. It was a mustard orange tee,with a little stickman with little locks. I took that teeshirt and Ijust wore it.”

TRAP_These days there are hundreds of streetwearbrands out there. Finally, as a man that’s seen thewhole show, what do you think it takes to build abrand that lasts like Stüssy has?“We don’t know what brands are gonna make it, brands comelike The Hundreds, Supreme, but we are talking here aboutsurfwear that made it big on the street and transcended. Obeyfits very nice when you contain it into a teeshirt - because itscoming from the lifestyle of the street; it’s like you manifest theculture, the ethos, the whole thing, into hard copy; it manifestsin that shirt.

“Whereas now, you’re getting a lot of people that are trying to bebrands, but they’re having to take from lifestyle, they’re notcoming directly from and as a result of that certain lifestyle. It’sjust coming from the youth culture of now, hot off the press likea dubplate straight to the DJ. There’s not the backing, the basisbehind it. People spend years doing this shit. That’s what ittakes to build a brand that lasts and is real; and that’s whatStüssy has in mass.”

Trap would like to thank Goldie for letting usinvade his house for the afternoon. His careerretrospective ‘The Alchemist: The Best of1992 – 2002’ is out now.

@mrgoldiewww.stussy.com

S t ü s s y x G o l d i e



WORDS: Sophie Thomas

C L E KC L E KB O O M

F r e n c h F r i e s


s a French kid growing up on a musicaldiet of West Coast hip-hop and Southerncrunk, it's easy to see where Valentino

Canzani Mora got his Americana-themed artistname, as well as his penchant for grimy, ghettodrenched house music. After grabbing theattention of home-grown Night Slugs boss BokBok, French Fries has made the world takenotice with releases on his own ClekClekBoomlabel and Claude VonStroke’s dirtybird. Glockpops, dirty vocal samples and vibrant synths,all strewn over never-soft bass lines, are whatmake French Fries’ distinctively Gallic strain ofbass-heavy house stand out from the crowd.

The label he heads up epitomises what's goingon across The Channel in terms of bass musicright now. Artists such as 50 Weapons-signedBambounou, veterans Ministre X and The Booand fresh meat Manare and Coni all came upthrough the ClekClekBoom school and, afteronly a year in attendance, the underground’seyes are firmly upon them. Young, excited andwith their ears to the ground, the ClekClek-Boom gang are putting out some of the mostrelevant and engaging electronic music aboutright now… We thought we better sit downwith the main man to get an education in howit's done, the French way.

TRAP_You’re on record as being a massivehip-hop fan. Which artists would you say haveinfluenced your current sound, and how did youmake the transition into being a house producer?When I was young, I l istened to artists such as Three 6Mafia and Paul Wall. I l ike the idea of keeping a ghettovibe when I make house tracks. There's this DJ Paul andJuicy J mixtape called ‘Da Exorcist Vol.2’ thatparticularly influenced my productions; some tracks wereproduced like stripped-back house music in terms ofstructure; a beat, a sample, and a vocal loop. No verse,no chorus. The grooves are definitely hip-hop but itsounds like it was produced by DJ Deeon!

Hip-hop has had a massive influence on me, but that’snot to say that other genres like Chicago house,Baltimore club, grime and baile funk haven’t too…

TRAP_Your family is Uruguayan, and there’sdefinitely a Latin flair to your productions; howimportant are your roots in what you do now?Well, my father is a sound engineer and a Latinmusician; he sings and he plays guitar. I hear Latin musical l day long at my parents’ house. I remember being inthe middle of a Murga in Uruguay during the carnivalwhen I was younger; I was fascinated. I do use a lot ofSouth American percussion in my productions, but thebest thing about having a Uruguayan family that l ives inFrance is that they made me listen to music from allaround the world from a young age. When I was reallyyoung, I l istened to Prince, James Brown, Fela Kuti,Caetano Veloso… I actually sti l l have all those records.

TRAP_That collusion of influences and cultures isapparent in the set-up of your label,ClekClekBoom. What’s so special about the label?ClekClekboom is a family; we wouldn't be what we aretoday without every member’s contribution. Each artistbrings something to the label, everyone has their own

A f lair and their own background. We spend a lot of timetogether, we listen to each other's work and we helpeach other. Artists l ike Jean Nipon always surprise me;every time we listen to a new track of his we're l ike,"wow this is the best tune you've ever done" and threeweeks later we'l l l isten to a new one and it’ l l be evenbetter… Or Bambounou, who can make a club trackwithout using any kicks, but sti l l make it work somehow.

TRAP_For those that are new to theClekClekBoom back catalogue, which releaseswould you chart as the most important in thelabel’s history?Every release is important to me. But if I had to choose,I would say that Bambounou’s ‘Night / Brawl’, JeanNipon’s ‘Put It In The Trunk’ and my collaboration withBambounou, ‘Champagne / Hugz’, are all importantreleases for the label because they created a specif icClekClekBoom sound.

TRAP_Describe the French electronic music sceneright now, especially what’s happening in terms ofbass music.There are a lot of new producers in Paris, and I'm prettysure they all know who Burial is now… haha. A lot ofproducers here mix bass music and hip-hop with techno,which is really excit ing. The crowd is growing too, peopleare more clued up; they know about the UK DJs, they'renot so afraid of ‘alternative music’ anymore. There's alsoa big underground techno scene at the moment, thanksto the Concrete parties. It's funny because everything’ssort of coming together in the city. I love that.

TRAP_What’s the approach to ClekClekBoomlabel parties?We organise parties in Paris every two months and wealso tour together al l around Europe. Our point is not tobook big names or anything like that; we just want tohave fun together and sometimes invite some friends ofours, or artists that we like, to come and play. Labelnights are different, for us it’s the opportunity to create avibe from midnight to 7am, to have fun and to share itwith our crowd.

TRAP_Bok Bok often guests at your ClekClekBoomevents and you’ve worked with each other ’s labelsin one way or another. It seems that you two geton well?Well, f irst of al l, Bok Bok is a good friend of mine; hedid a remix on my very first EP. I did a remix for Girl Unitduring the early stages of Night Slugs, too. I think NightSlugs is definitely one of the best UK labels right now.They have a really specif ic sound, they're really creativeand they have a strong image. What brings us closermusical ly is that we have very similar influences, we bothtry to recreate this 90s rave vibe when we do our parties.We like to mix old school with a very futuristic side ofelectronic music.

TRAP_What’s next for ClekClekBoom?We just celebrated our first anniversary, so we workedreally hard on this new project ‘Paris Club Music Vol I’.It’s a double CD, 12" and digital compilation, whichcontains a selection of the best releases from the labeland also seven brand-new original tracks. After that, mynext white label wil l see a release and a new EP fromConi is being pressed right now.

‘Paris Club Music Vol I’ is releasedApril 22 on ClekClekBoom.@mrfrenchfries

TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 0 53

WORDS: Sophie Thomas

C L E KC L E KB O O M


PHOTOGRAPHY: Gareth RhysSTYLED BY: Kasha Malyckyj

ASSISTED BY: Tazmin Osborne SandersHAIR AND MAKE UP: Nelson Catar ino

MODELS: Laela at Union Models and Joshuaat AMCK Models

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NIKEAIRMAXREINVENTEDEXHIBITION

he most iconic l ine in sneaker culture is marking 25years in existence throughout 2013. In March, Nikebrought the celebration to London with the Air MaxReinvented exhibit ion at Hoxton Arches, invit ing five

local artists to ‘reinvent’ a different Air Max in their own styleand using their own special ist medium.

Getting to work on the 87, 90, 95, 97 and 2013 models of theclassic trainer were designer Rosy Nicholas, i l lustrator OscarBolton Green, set design and photography team Gemma Tickleand Bruno Drummond, graphic artist Sam Coldy and animatorMatt Box.

Over the next four pages, we present some of the final piecesand images capturing the works in progress. Check online towatch Matt Box’s animated take on the 87...

T

14


Matt Box Air Max 87

Bruno Drummond & Gemma Tickle Air Max 90


Sam Coldy Air Max 2013

Oscar Bolton Green Air Max 97


Rosy Nichols Air Max 95



REVIEWED BY: OLI GRANT, MATT RICHES, SEAN KELLY, JUSTIN IRIAJEN, LEYLA EROGLU, SOPHIE THOMAS, DJ DUBBOY,

GWYN THOMAS DECHROUSTCHOFF, JERYL WILTON, SAM BATES.


RINSE 22Kode 9(Rinse)

Steve Goodman has been at dubstep's core sinceday-dot, a stalwart of the scene responsible for one ofthe most consistent and forward-thinking labels in modernbass music. Joining the dots between garage, grime, UKfunky, electronica and footwork with ease. Hyperdub hasa truly eclectic back catalogue, where the only constant isKode 9's exquisite ear for detai l and a penchant forspeaker-bothering bass.

His new mix for Rinse is a true reflection of thisaesthetic. A seamless blend of upfront tracks from acrossthe bass-music spectrum, which manages to offerdarkness and l ight in equal measure and go from 120 to160bpm in the bl ink of an eye.

The swung groove of Theo Parrish's 'Kites on Pluto'comes cruising out of Burial's dystopian lament 'Truant'l ike a Cadil lac from a rain cloud. The pressure soon risesand the pace quickens as more house leaning cuts fromJoy O and Funkystepz, get thrown into the pot. Beforelong we are are balls deep in footwork territory, a soundKode 9 has been championing of late. Many of the OGchicago cats feature such as RP Boo, Manny and DJRashad. Addison Groove and Sam Binga represent the UKwing of the juke continuum adding extra jungle snares andblue note pads to a half-time workout on '11th’.

A lot has happened since the early days of dubstep, thesound has splintered off into a mil l ion different directionsand moved well beyond the strict 140bpm framework.This mix perfectly encapsulates al l this. If you l ike honest,high energy, intr icate dance music, then this is for you.

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

HOUSE/TECHNO GRIME DANCEHALL/REGGAEDUBSTEPDRUM & BASSBASS GUIDE:


T.O.K.‘Walk & Broad Out’(Stickle Productions)

After the recent dancehall successof acts such as RDX andVoicemail, it’s excellent to see thereturn of the original JA boyband,T.O.K., with an overdue galanthem. This is pure dancingvibes, with lyrics urging the girlsto whine, broad out and muscle-updem bodies. As always, T.O.K'smelodies and harmonies standout, and this track is utterlyinfectious as a result. Tip!

DJ RASHAD‘Rollin’ EP(Hyperdub)

Probably the most UK-accessiblefootwork EP ever released,Rashad's entry into the Hyperdubfold sees him presentingjuke/footwork alongside ideasgrabbed deftly from jungle andhardcore. He pulls it off incrediblywell; 'Roll in' and 'Let It Go' bothdrop pitch-shift ing vocalsmasterful ly alongside tranceytwinkles and hard, street rhythmsthat wil l knock most dancers tothe ground, while 'Drums Please'and 'Broken Hearted' get evenmore outlandish. Crazy good.

NU:LOGIC

‘What I’ve AlwaysWaited For’(Hospital)

The brothers Gresham bring usthe highly anticipated debutNu:Logic album on Hospital

Records. Having brought us theexcellent ‘New Technique’ EP in2010, the pair went their separateways for 2011-12, before comingstorming back this year. ‘WhatI’ve Always Waited For’ is a14-track opus with a vocal-driven,melodic core, featuring the talentsof Lifford, DRS, Robert Manosand fellow Hospital signing S.P.Y.Highlights from across the selec-tion include blessed-out opener‘Morning Light’ as well as thetough, gnarly sounds of ‘TrippingIn Space’ and of course, tit letrack ‘What I’ve Always WaitedFor’. Breathlessly bri l l iant fromstart to finish, this is a must foral l D&B heads, new and old.

14T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 071 M U S I C R E V I E W S

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Tectonic Plates Vol.4’(Tectonic)

From the embryonic days ofdubstep, to 2013’s increasinglymutated forms of the genre, thePinch-curated Tectonic strongholdhas been at the forefront ofsub-frequency innovation. Theadventurous collection of stylescompiled on ‘Plates Volume 4’ isa reflection of their currentdiversity, with everything from thehyper-futuristic grime ofMumdance & Logos’ ‘Drum Boss’,to the belching tech malevolenceof Beneath’s ‘Fl ight’, and thecavernous sub assault of KrypticMind’s ‘Convoluted’ among thehighlights. ‘Volume 4’ serves as afantastic indicator of Tectonic’srude health and eclecticism,unearthing fresh talent Acre andhis propulsive ‘DXTR’, togetherwith heavy cuts from famil iarfaces such as Jakes, Guido,Distal and Armour. With theirtenth birthday approaching,there’s no sign of Tectonic’sinfluence waning.

DEETRON ‘Out Of My Head’(Music Man)

This cut is further indication thatDeetron's forthcoming LP wil l besomething that mostly f loatsabove the dancefloor, rather thanshake it, but that doesn't meanthe Swiss producer's latestoffering won't get hips swinging.In fact, with its tropical vibes andbreezy vocal hooks, 'Out Of MyHead' sounds perfect for theimpending Balearic summer andcomes backed with remixes fromGeorge Fitzgerald and KiNK.

DJRUM

‘Seven Lies’(2nd Drop)

An impeccably tasteful collectionhere from Felix Manuel;'atmospheric' dubstep with 2-stepinfluences. The problem is that, overthe years and across thediscographies of many labels andproducers, the 'atmosphere' inquestion is rarely at all surprising,fluctuating between sullen night-busmelancholia and gasping, gurningelation. Little more is on offer here,though it’s all brilliantly composed.Opener 'Obsession' is perfectlyhoned poignant euphoria; 'Honey'melts throaty soul into bubblingcaramel bass, with bitingly crisppercussion, while 'Anchors' silkilypropels ethereally-voiced folk intoopoid momentum. Wet-eyed synths,crisply programmed structures ofcrafty, ninja-swift polyrhythms andtightly interlocking sub-bass parts;everything here's as polished and asergonomic as a really “wow!” caradvert. This is not a bad thing, andDjRUM does it with grace.


072 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K14M U S I C R E V I E W S

JUSTIN JAY ‘Static’(dirtybird)

The 19 year old Justin Jay hasappeared on dirtybird a total ofthree times in the last two years,yet when you l isten to ‘Static’, itfeels l ike he's been on the rosterfrom the very beginning. Skitteringlayers of percussion and a gargan-tuan bassline bring the 119bmptit le track to l ife, while the tuned808s and rol l ing grooves of 'TheReturn' hark back to a classic fairfeathered sound. Definitely keepan eye on this young gun.

CASPA ‘Alpha Omega’ (Dub Police)

The fol low up to 2009’s‘Everybody’s Talking, Nobody’sListening’ sees Caspa cement hisevolution from fresh-faceddubstep pioneer to ful l-blownelectronic dance music superstar.However, any l istener expecting15 straight-up club bangers maybe a l itt le disappointed. Althoughthe Londoner’s dubbed-out,dancefloor-shuddering style doessti l l shine through, it’s hiscollaborations and features thatreally give this album definit ion.Prodigy front man Keith Flint,r ising bass-music star Dismantleand legendary vocalist DianeCharlemagne are just some of thetalent cal led upon – helping toelevate this album beyond thestandard dubstep template. Thecrossover hits craved by today’sbass-hungry generation are al lhere, and Caspa proves he is sti l las fresh and relevant as ever.

HYETAL ‘Modern Worship’ (True Panther)

Bristol's Dave Corney confirmshere that his discography hasconstantly reflected an ever-progressing journey. Recent single'Speedway' – from his Velourside-project – hinted at thedirection he’s now taken. Often atthe forefront throughout are fuzzy,almost live-sounding drum raspsand synths that seem to reference80s boogie as much as anythingelse. Stretched, echoing breathsand sublime harmonic bursts dapplethe album, meeting the jittery drummachine rhythms at a dawn-litjunction, resplendent with soulfulvision and originality. It's long beenapparent that, for Corney, style andgenre are just transient means toan end. ‘Modern Worship’ shouldbe his breakthrough moment, withits enormous breadth anddeeply-felt warmth. Hyetal's keyconstant is shown here to simply bean awestruck, evocative andoverpowering feeling of beauty.

CHAMPION ‘Hydra Sound’/’PrinceJammy’(Formula Records)

Champion returns after a busy2012, with two cuts packed withthe hallmarks of his recognisableproduction style - sound effects,congas, sharp snares and clapswith a contagious swing; al lanchored by a deep bass. ‘PrinceJammy’ is the standout here, withits name a nod to a dub pioneer.Although not pushing his sound ina new direction, both cuts aresure to be dancefloor favourites,containing the elements of grooveand funk that make his style socompell ing.

HARDRIVE PRESENTS‘Hard Wired’ (Hardrive)

Terror Danjah follows up the releaseof his highly rated sophomore album,Dark Crawler on Hyperdub lastSeptember, with a compilation albumvia his Hardrive records imprint. Manyof his collaborators andcontemporaries are present on thisexpertly curated collection of new andold music, which somehow managesto remain coherent despite thediversity of producers on show. Thecompilation represents moderninstrumental grime at its best, but lessobviously touches on UK funky, UKgarage, dubstep, jungle and evenexperimental electronica. Much hypedTerror Danjah collaborations such as‘Gully Goon Estate’ with Joker areincluded, alongside new work such asthe outstanding ‘Iceberg History’ withthe legendary Zed Bias. D.O.K weighsin with some particularly impressivetracks, alongside big names such asKode 9, Bok Bok, Champion, Royal Tand More. Unlike most compilationsalbums, there is an aesthetic andquality present throughout that willkeep you hooked.

EMPEROR ‘Begin’ EP(Critical)

Rising talent Emperor putstogether a razor-sharp EP for thesuper-credible Crit ical imprint.After a clutch of mainlyneurofunk-influenced releases,the producer looks to establishhimself as a more rounded artist.There’s undoubtedly a morediverse feel – with soaring femalevocals, electro bass and jazzinfluences al l shining through.However, the energy anddancefloor sensibi l i t ies soprominent in earl ier productionsthankfully remain.


ISHAN SOUND FTRAS ADDIS‘Clash Of the Titans’(Peng Sound)

After the roaring success of theirdebut release, Gorgon Sounds'Find Jah Way, Bristol's PengSound return with their secondoffering from one of the city'srising reggae producers, IshanSound. The beat is a luscious,deep dub cut that rol ls everforwards and is heightened by RasAddis' hypnotic chants. Also, besure to check the excellentDubkasm remix on the fl ip. Apromising debut from anexcit ing talent.

KAHN‘Kahn’ EP(Black Box)

There is absolutely no stoppingking Kahn right now. His latestmasterstroke comes in the form ofan ocean-deep five-track EP ofpoignant musical visions, rife withshow-stopping vocal performancesfrom the likes of Flowdan, Jabuand Rider Shafique. Rudebwoylyricism, all-envelopingbassweight, melancholic poetryand mystic dread converge toformulate what might just beKahn’s most accomplished workto date.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

‘This Is How We Roll’(Keysound)

In their long-running role ascurators and explorers, Keysoundand Rinse FM's Dusk & Blackdownpresent a focused and inspiredblend of UK funky, grime, darkgarage and dubstep, showing thatthe latter genre's embryonic statestill inspires new talent. This has alot in common with seminalreleases such as ‘TempaAllstars’ and ‘Grime I’ & ‘II’ onRephlex, which is interestingconsidering the decade that'shappened since. As usual, Beneathis on amazing form, the bashy,snakelike rhythm of 'PVO' showingmore confidence than anything elsehere, while his collaboration withVisionist and Wen is happilyreminiscent of D1's early releases.Double Helix, Gremino, Mumdance& Logos and Rabit impress too.The influences here are varied, theideas diverse and engaging, andthe execution often excellent.


VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Paris Club Music’(ClekClekBoom)

At the forefront of Parisian,bass-focused output is theClekClekBoom crew, whocelebrate their f irst anniversarythis month with the double-disccompilation,‘Paris Club Music VolI’. Featuring brand-new exclusivetracks, as well as a summary ofthe label’s f irst eight releases, theselection epitomises the labelartists’ youthful, abundant energyand penchant for ghetto houseand techno, stained vocals andbasslines more associated withBow than the Boulevards desMaréchaux. The stand-out trackis, without question, label bossFrench Fries’ ‘Yo Vogue VIP’, adark, eerie synth-laden housetune with al l the bravado of ahip-hop instrumental. 50Weapons-signed Bambounoushowcases his kooky productionstyle on ‘Night’ and Manaré, Coniand Jean Nipon also providenotable heavy hitters.

EASTWOOD‘U Ain’t Ready’(No Hats, No Hoods)

After re-re leas ing a batch ofamaz ing Ruff Sqwadinst rumenta ls last year, NHNHhave dec ided, af ter ten years, tore-press one of the p ivota l 8-Bartunes of the ear ly gr ime era. Theor ig ina l whi te- labe l v iny l re leaseso ld over 5,000 copies,becoming an anthem for thescene and earn ing pra ise farbeyond. Head mangl ing remixesfrom Unto ld and Spooky areinc luded a longs ide thedevastat ing ly s imple or ig ina l ,making th is a must-checkfor anyone.

LOADSTAR

‘Future Perfect’(Ram Records)

With a slew of dance-floor fillingmonsters already behind them, itseems like a natural progressionfor Loadstar to apply theirimpressive talents to an album. Aswith any Ram LP release, there area healthy number of big hitting ravesmashers here – recent hits ‘Black& White’ featuring Benny Banksand ‘Refuse To Love’ are included.However, what really impresses ishow the duo effortlessly switchbetween tempos and styles withoutcompromising their stadium-sizedsound. Tracks such as dubstepbruiser ‘Losing You’ and thejungle-rooted ‘Be There’ contrastin style, but still induce thathands-in-the-air emotion that theproduction duo have provenmasters of. After years plying theirtrade, this long-awaited albumpromises much for a highlytalented duo.


mozart’s house clean bandit

includes mixes from xxxy my nu leng out now


TUESDAY BORN‘Singing In The Dark’ EP(Audio Doughnuts)

This EP sometimes floats,sometimes mopes, in thesomnambulistic space that JamesBlake and Mount Kimbie helpedbuild. Though the slumpedrhythms and woozyaccordion-esque synthssometimes drag, there are somewell-crafted shoe-gazingmelodies, not least in the croonsof 'Sleep With Stars'. In 'Wake',the rich voice of the singer sur-vives unnecessary pitch switchingand the track lol lops nicely. Fansof Litt le Dragon and The XX wil lenjoy this.

CHRIS OCTANE‘Synthetics’/’Gaia’s Dub’(CO:RE)

Chr is Octane has chosen twos l ices of thudding,bassweight-focused damage tobegin l i fe af ter sp l i t t ing f romregular product ion par tner DLR.Dropping on his new label ,CO:RE, fo l lowers of h is prev iouswork wi l l not be disappointedwi th the bruta l i ty of lead track‘Synthet ics’ . ‘Gaia’s Dub’ on thef l ip is more exper imenta l as theproducer veers away from the174bpm template.

LURKA'Full Clip' / ‘BR Greeze’(Hotline Recordings)

Two engaging dancefloor monstersfrom Lurka grace the fledglinglabel’s sophomore 12”, marking anagile step away from the 140bpmconfines of his previous releases.The results are both infectiousand innovative; crunchy mid-rangesynth riffs are contorted overriotous dancehall-leaningslow/fast rhythms, ultra-tightdrums and colossal subs. Trulyhavoc-inducing beats and a uniquedirection that we would love tohear more of.

14TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 075 M U S I C R E V I E W S

RUDIMENTAL ‘Home’(Asylum)

Last summer, something strangehappened. Rudimental, a collectiveof producers making undergroundwaves off the back of deep housetrack ‘Spoons’, dropped a ful l-ondrum & bass anthem out ofnowhere. Even in these genre-shift ing times, the switch in styleswas pretty remarkable, but whatwas really amazing was that thistrack, ‘Feel The Love’ featuringthe vocals of John Newman, wenton to become the first ful l D&Btrack ever to chart at Number One.

One year later, the Hackneyquartet are now ready to drop theirdebut album, ‘Home’, whichfeatures both of those pastmoments, alongside ten othertracks that, despite travell ing

styl istical ly through everything fromhip-hop to house to D&B, al l shareone common element; soul. Andwhile the productions are al lfault lessly executed and imagined,it’s the featured vocalists on everytrack on ‘Home’ that elevate it farbeyond the confines of the genresfrom which it takes its cues.

Fellow Hackney resident EmileSandé appears on two tracks,while MNEK, Syon and Disclosurecollaborator Sinead Harnett al l addtheir own blissful vocals to whatmakes for the perfect summeralbum and sets Rudimental up forthe festival season that ‘Home’makes it clear they (and their 12-piece l ive band) were bornto conquer


PEV‘Aztec Chant’ / ‘Livity’(Livity Sound)

Among the most confidentlyoriginal dance music producersaround, Peverelist alwaysoperates somewhere under theradar. 'Aztec Chant's acid housedrum machines and Photek-stylebreakbeats spiral into the heart ofthe bassbin. 'Livity' encapsulatesthe life-force its tit le refers to,almost maddeningly al ive withjabbing keys, a writhing spine ofbass and overwhelmingly layeredrhythmic patterns. Real dubstep;this record wil l make your bonemarrow buzz and your skin dance.

STUSH‘No Chorus’(Necessary Mayhem)

After the blistering 'Call MiPhone', Stush again teams upwith Necessary Mayhem's CurtisLynch for another superbdancehall cut. ‘No Chorus’ isa track laced with wicked stringsand a growling bassline. As youmay have guessed, Stush doesn’thave time for a chorus, she’s gottoo much to say, touching on thestate of music, racism, promoters,smoking and gun lyrics…Pure fire.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

‘New Blood 13’(Med School )

Med School’s ‘New Blood’ seriesis always one to watch out for.For the last three years, theenvelope-pushing label hasreleased a ‘New Blood’compilation album, bringingtogether tracks from a whole newgeneration of up-and-comingartists. Focused mainly, but notexclusively, around the D&Btempo, this year’s offeringfeatures a wide array of talentfrom across the globe. There aresome true gems in there – be itEtherwood’s awesome opener‘Unfolding’, Joe Ford’sRockwell-meets-Noisia-esque‘Frozen Sound’ or Barefoot’sdelicate ‘Rising & Fall ing’. Thereare four digital exclusives and amix, too. Whether it’s dubstep,downtempo, experimental beats orstraight up D&B you’re into, thisis well worth checking.

MERKY ACE‘All Or Nothing’(No Hats, No Hoods)

As a member of the new wave ofgrime MCs that burst onto the scenein 2010, Merky Ace has made aname for himself with his rapid-firedelivery and consistent releases. Thisalbum represents the first of atwo-part series and showcases theSouth East London MC’s lyricaldexterity to the fullest. Guest featuresare kept to a minimum, with onlyfellow FT Collective members presentbeyond Merky himself. While fullyrepresenting grime, the albumembraces elements of the hip-hopand trap styles that have come todominate much of the undergroundscene recently. Behind the thumping808s, masses of hi-hats and snarerolls are some of the best producersmaking gritty electronic bass music inLondon, including Teddy, FazeMiyake, Rude Kid and Deeco. This isone for those who like their MCsbacked by bass heavy, dark,neck-snapping beats.


ALIX PEREZ‘Chroma Chords’(Shogun Audio)

This issue’s cover star’s secondalbum for Shogun Audioestablishes a bold new directionfor the Belgian-born,London-based producer, andhelps further cement Friction’slabel’s reputation as one of dancemusic’s very finest. Interweavinginfluences from a childhoodpassion for hip-hop and a healthyknowledge of the current widerbass-music world, Perez hasproduced a D&B album like noother. Although there are a fewbeautiful ly constructed tradit ionall iquid rol lers, this album focusesmainly on half-time rhythms andfeatures vocals from the l ikes ofJehst, Riko and Foreign Beggars.Dripping with soul and emotionand al ive with detai l, ‘ChromaChords’ is one of most interestingand forward-thinking albums we atTrap have heard in some time. Ifwe gave scores, this would geta ten.

DJ MADD FT G.RINA ‘Never 2 Late’/’Murda Dub’(Roots & Future)

When it comes to reggae inspireddubstep riddims, few do it moreconvincingly than DJ Madd. Hisfreshly minted imprint ‘Roots &Future’ is here home to a pair ofsun-drenched skankers that glowwith real warmth and rich tonality,layering l i l t ing vocals, raspingwoodwind and bold brass soundsover those huge dread basslines.Rugged, raw and timelesssoundsystem music. .


078 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K14G A M E S R E V I E W S W I T H C U T L I N E+

The Tomb Raider series is one ofPlaystation’s greatest successes. Createdduring the Spice Girls era of Girl Power,Eidos seized the moment and crafted a partIndiana Jones, part posh totty lead thatwould simultaneously travel the globehunting down lost treasures and haunt thewet dreams of teenagers the world over.

This year sees Square Enix take up themantle of divulging Lara Croft’s originsstory, and they have smashed it out of thepark. The incredibly rich graphics are onlymatched by the thoughtfully detailed

storyline and intense combat, which all meansplaying Tomb Raider is an absolute joy.Square Enix have added several notches tothe gore meter, drastically changing the play-ing style of the series and creating a visuallystunning game without compromising once onthe golden rule: games should be fun to play!

If you’ve loved Tomb Raider in the past thenyou should welcome this game with openthumbs. If you’ve never played Tomb Raiderbefore – well, it’s like Uncharted but a lotbetter and with bigger boobs. What morecould you want?

DRAGON’S DOGMA: DARK ARISEN

CAPCOM (PS3, XBOX360)Out 26th April

We’re told that Dragon’s Dogma: DarkArisen “is the next exciting chapter in theDragon’s Dogma franchise delivering ahuge brand new area, missions, enemiesand more, plus all of the content fromthe original game.” So to all intents andpurposes this is a very large expansionpack, but for those of you who haven’tdived into Dragon’s Dogma yet, you cannow do so right from the start. If you likethe idea of playing a knight in an openworld hack-n-slash game with aDungeons & Dragons feel, this is for you.

SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2

CITY INTERACTIVE (PC, PS3,XBOX360) Out Now

It was remarked on our Facebook pagethat “It takes a certain kind of man toplay Sniper:Ghost Warrior,” and theyweren’t wrong! As the title suggests thisis the second instalment of the Sniperseries where you play, you guessed it, asniper. You creep, crawl and snipe yourway through a series of Black Ops-stylemissions in order to secure aBio-Weapon WMD. If your patience levelsare huge and you’ve always wanted toshoot people with a high-calibre rifle, thisis the game for you.

GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION

SONY (PS3)Out Now

Playstation’s origin stories keep coming.This time, it’s the return of Spartanwarrior Kratos in the most ambitiousinstalment of the God of War series todate. Taking you back to where it allbegan, God of War: Ascension gives youthe chance to see where it all began andguide Kratos through his first steps onhis legendary quest for freedom. This isunadulterated fun that will have yousteeped in Greek mythology andbatteringdown enemies in a combo-based combatstyle for hours upon hours.

TOMB RAIDER

SQUARE ENIX (PC, PS3, XBOX360) Out Now



MARS: WAR LOGS

SPIDERS (PC, PS NETWORK,XBOX ARCADE) Coming Soon

We know reasonably l itt le about thisgame, but an accidental watch of thecombat trai ler had us enthused enoughto check it out. Essential ly, this is acyberpunk-style RPG which “takes youto the red planet over a century afterthe catastrophe that threw the planetand its colonists into chaos.” You wil lplay as Roy Temperance, a renegadewho’s stuck in the middle of a war forMars’ water resources. Built on Spiders’own Silk Engine with some impressivelooking graphics, this looks wellworth checking.

ARMY OF TWO: THE DEVIL’S

CARTEL

EA (PS3, X360) Out Now

Working as mercenaries on the war-tornstreets of Mexico, Alpha and Bravo arepossibly two of the least charismaticprotagonists around. However, if pointlessdialogue and a fairly insubstantial storylinedon’t bother you, there’s fun to be foundin shooting down the local drug cartel. Gointo this with your eyes wide open and youcould find yourself thoroughly enjoyingwhat some might cite as an average shoot‘em up game. But if you’re looking forsomething with a story or half decentvoice acting, avoid like the plague.

GEARS OF WAR: JUDGEMENT

EPIC GAMES / PEOPLE CAN FLY(XBOX360) Out Now

One of Xbox360’s flagship titles returnswith its latest instalment. Truth be toldwe’ve never quite got to grips with theGoW combat system’s sometimesawkward camera angles, but we knowwe’re in the minority. So, for those of youwho want more of the same (and this ismore of the same), step right up and getyourself immersed in the GoW universeonce more. New touches include the‘Mission Declassification’ system andspontaneous enemy generation thatshould more than satisfy fans of the title.

Step into the shoes once more of BookerDeWitt. In the greatest of all fairy-tale stylestories DeWitt has to rescue a young girl,Elizabeth, from a tower high in the sky.But this protagonist is no prince.DeWitt is deep in debt to the wrong kind ofpeople and has one opportunity to save hisown. This decidedly dirty take on the age-oldtemplate puts BioShock Infinite in a leagueof its own as 2K Games build a 1912 worldof science fiction, corrupt politics, extremeviolence and a genuine bond betweenElizabeth and DeWitt as the backdrop.

Gameplay wise, BioShock Infinite is a real

14G A M E S R E V I E W S W I T H C U T L I N E+

BIOSHOCK INFINITE

2K GAMES (PC, PS3, XBOX360)

Out Now

treat to those bored of the standard firstperson shooter style. As in previous games,DeWitt has his ‘Vigors’ to call upon – specialpowers that grant him the ability to shoot fire,possess people and machines and more. Butthe real bonus is the addition of Elizabethwho runs around the sky city of Columbiacollecting cash, health and weapons onDeWitt’s behalf. Even more helpfully she canrip tears in the fabric of space-time to providedefences, new ways to move around the mapor caches of useful objects. BioShock Infiniteis glorious to play, engrossing to follow andundoubtedly one of the best games we’veplayed in a long time.


Regulate has been stead i ly bu i ld ing a rep as one ofthe capi ta l ’s most on-po int promot ions for a minutenow, regular ly l ink ing wi th the best labe ls aroundand turn ing out some ki l le r l ine-ups at SouthLondon’s Fi re venue.

Th is off ic ia l London pre-par ty for Ju ly ’s so ld-outHideout Fest iva l in Croat ia promises sets f romBreach, Mak & Pasteman, Blacksmif and the superta lented OH91 across i ts three rooms, but i t ’s a l labout the headl ine set , which sees Jackmaster andhis good mate Oneman doing three whole hoursback to back.

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Rodigan’s Ramjam show rol ls back up to Bristol foranother huge party on Saturday 27 Apri l, packingMotion’s three rooms with another massive l ine-up thatcovers the gamut of bass-music culture.

In the main room, Rodi is joined on stage by UK reggaelegend Bitty Maclean, with Toddla T and his soundsystem, The Nextmen and Dub Phizix & Strats providingample backing. Room Two gets a ful l Metalheadztakeover, with Goldie, Ulterior Motive, Amit and Mikal al ldoing their thing, while Motion’s Cave room wil l bekeeping things roots and dub with a set from ChannelOne’s Tudor Lion.

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APRIL / MAY

080 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K14B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G [email protected]

R E G U L A T E P R E S E N T S :H I D E O U T P R E - P A R T Y

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T H E B L A S T P R E S E N T S :R O D I G A N ’ S R A M J A M

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SATURDAY 20 APRILBUGGED OUT PRESENTS ONEMAN &FRIENDS@SECRET LOCATION, LONDONOneman + f r iends.

SUPERCHARGED@DIGITAL, BRIGHTONRedlight, Bondax, Karma Kid.

FRIDAY 26 APRIL:

SHOGUN AUDIO@GREAT SUFFOLK STREET WAREHOUSE, LONDONNois ia, Fr ic t ion f t P Money & Scruf i zzer, A l ix Perez, DJEZ, Rockwel l , SpectraSoul , Om Uni t + more.

DETONATE PRESENTS: RAM RECORDS@STEALTH, NOTTINGHAMAndy C, Just Blaze, Loadstar, Jubei , Sa lva,Mind Vortex, Ivy Lab.

APEX@BLUE MOUNTAIN, BRISTOLXXXY, Kidnap Kid, Ark is t , Woz, OH91.

SATURDAY 27 APRIL

DONUTS@SECRET CITY CENTRE LOCATION, BRISTOLSoundstream, Behl ing & Simpson, Tom D.

SYSTEM@MINT CLUB, LEEDSMarcel Dettmann, Tin i , Annie Errez, Bobby O'Donnel l .

VISIONQUEST 13@WHP, MANCHESTERVis ionquest , Seth Trox ler, Lee Curt iss, Shaun Reeves,Ryan Crosson, Laura Jones + more.

SWAMP81@FIRE, LONDONLoefah, Boddika, Zed Bias, Mickey Pearce, P inch,Skream, Dusky, Pa leman, Klose One, Chunky.

FRIDAY 3 MAY

FOREKAST@CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTONFloating Points, Hannah Wants and Dr Dr.

DEVIATION@XOYO, LONDONBenj i B, Omar S, Jackmaster.

SATURDAY 4 MAY

THE BLOCK PARTY@VARIOUS LOCATIONS, BOURNEMOUTHMiguel Campbel l , Jackmaster, Fr ic t ion, Bondax, DukeDumont, Maxx i Soundsystem + more.


One of Trap’s favourite promoters l inks with one offavourite record labels for a very special Naked Nakedshowcase at Dalston’s Dance Tunnel.

Run by the producer known as Breach, Naked Nakedonly dropped its first record last year, but a string ofsolid-gold releases that have seen Breach collaboratewith Midland, Darksky and Dusky have rapidly made thelabel a buy-on-sight imprint. This is a secret l ine-upkind of affair, with only the man himself confirmed toplay; but we all know the ‘special guests’ are gonnalive up to their bi l l ing, so make sure you check this ifyou can.

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Trap is pleased to announce that, on Friday 3 May, we’ll behosting the Basement at the official after-party for theBristol leg of the Major Lazer tour. With the main manhimself, Diplo, playing on the night, this is going to be onerammed-out party and Trap couldn’t be happier tobe involved.

Taking place at the city’s newest venue, The Exchange,Diplo will be backed by a set from hotly-tippedTrinidad-meets-Bristol Soca bass duo Jus Now, whoserecent ‘One Time’ EP for Gutterfunk has been makingserious waves. We’re not sure who we’re gonna get to playfor us downstairs yet, but we do know it’s gonna be oneserious party.

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MAY

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 081 14B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

FABRIC PRESENTS@FABRIC, LONDONCra ig Richards, Maceo Plex, Hux ley, Eats Everyth ing,T. Wi l l iams + loads more.

TROUPE@XOYO, LONDONDense & Pika, South London Ordnance, Pa leman,Baresk in.

SUNDAY 5 MAY

DOLLOP PRESENTS EVERYWHERE@STEALTH, NOTTINGHAMArt Department, Bondax, Cyr i l Hahn, Duke Dumont,Eats Everyth ing, George F i tzgera ld, Jackmaster, MK,Pedestr ian, SBTRKT, Shadow Chi ld , The Heatwave+ more.

BASSLACED @FIRE. LONDONStanton Warr iors, Joker, A Ski l l z , Breakage, Plast ic ian,Freesty lers, Brookes Brothers, Deekl ine, Woz.

FRIDAY 10 MAY

SHADOW CITY@RAINBOW, BIRMINGHAMBondax, Syron, Bast ian, Opyn.

SATURDAY 11 MAY

TROUPE@XOYO, LONDONDense & Pika, South London Ordnance, Paleman.

OSCILLATE WILDY@HOPE WORKS, SHEFFIELDJimmy Edgar, Bicep & Del roy Edwards.

HYETAL LP LAUNCH@EXCHANGE, BRISTOLHyeta l (L ive) , Pevere l is t , Vesse l ( l i ve) , The Kel ly Twins.

FRIDAY 24 MAY

TOKYO WAX@RHYTHM FACTORY, LONDONHyeta l , Deadboy, Applebot tom + more.RMARCH FABRICLIVE@FABRIC, LONDONForeign Beggars, Artwork, N-Type, True Tiger, Calibre,dBridge, Fabio + more.

DROPDOWN@CABLE, LONDONMickey Pearce, Leftwing & Kody, Jack Swift B2B Lis-tener, DJ True.

SUNDAY 26 MAY

CRECHE BANK HOLIDAY OUTDOOR RAVEPART 2@TBC, LONDONDusky, Dixon, Miguel Campbell, Waff.

T R I X P R E S E N T S :N A K E D N A K E D

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