THEIR SOUND

The music that I've previously been referring to as Breakstep has been keeping me busy lately. This is a strand of Croydon dubstep centering around artists like Search & Destroy, Toasty Boy, DJ Distance and of course Vex'd, that often (but not always) employs breakbeat shuffle over a hard step-time undertow. Destructive Recordings' "Our Sound" album attempts to bring all the main players together to present a coherent statement. Here's the brief press-release manifesto:

Its been a long time coming, but the first release on Destructive Recordings is finally here.
An 8 track L.P from the hottest, forward thinking producers on the uk underground scene.
Whatever you want to call it, breakbeat, dubstep, grime. This is a genre that nobody can pin down, and nobody can pigeon hole. Igniting dancefloors and opening peoples minds simultaneously.

This is the music that has no name, this is Our Sound.

I respect the sentiment, but this is one of those situations where the wishes of the artists and the needs of those who write about them are a little different. Us journalists (and I know I'm not really a journo - I'm just pigeonholing myself as one for the sake of simplicity) like to have a few handy buzzwords to bracket music into nice tidy compartments - this is grime, this is dubstep, this is speed garage etc etc. It's all about creating 'product recognition', innit? With "Our Sound", Destructive appear to be at the same junction that Wiley was last year with "Wot You Call It?". You need a snappy brand name if you're gonna capture the public's imagination and Wiley's decision to define his music as Eskibeat was original and inspired. But Our Sound seems too vague and precious for my tastes. Still, breakstep is a bit too limiting to cover all the ideas on offer. For instance, the track "Auto" by Flatline (who?) features stilted 909 riddims and cold, modulated synth emissions that seem to follow in the footsteps of Search & Destroy's "Wavescape", an unclassifiable b-side that came out on Storming Productions last year. Also, the inclusion of a track by Skream, who's generally more associated with the steppy DMZ/Ital axis, proves that the artists involved cannot be placed in any one distinct camp - it's a steady flow of ideas circulating throughout the Croydon underground, and I don't think anyone is sure where it's all leading to yet. Don't be surprised if Loefah suddenly starts putting out breaks-orientated tunes! One thing that does seem to unite everyone is an urge to get as dark and twisted as possible - the outlook is unremittingly Grimm. Check the clips (and then buy the record!) over at Blackmarket. When I bought it, the album was still a white label promo, but presumably these are 'finished' copies in stock now?

Another element is the increasing use of dirty, distorted basslines that re-introduce some mid-range sonic attack into the equation. "Gunman" by Vex'd must surely be the most extreme example, combining sub-bass pressure with filthy, corrosive static-mush that's surely destined to become a design classic. In years to come people will be talking about the 'Gunman stab' the way they do about Mentasms today. Whether they know it or not, there are clear parallels with Joey Beltram harnessing some of the dark energy from Black Sabbath, Metallica etc, at the turn of the '90s. Rather than Detroit, is Grimm turning into the new Belgian Hardcore?! Being a self-confessed White Man, I have that gene which appreciates a fucking good mid-range blowout every now and then, so this vaguely Rockist tint is perfectly fine with me and makes a nice contrast to the more dub-obsessed material. Although Vex'd are undoubtedly leading the production race at the moment, DJ Distance is surely not far behind them. "Replicant", the first release on Boka Records, combines suitably ominous Blade Runner samples with overdriven, distressed riffs that sound like they're in pain and his latest EP, "1 On 1/Empire" on Hot Flush Recordings, hones this approach to a diamond-hard point of single-minded intent. Both EPs are available at Blackmarket.

GRIM DUBZ

It was of course the Blissblogger who first coined the term 'Grim(m)' , in reference to the music Rephlex were pushing under the Grime tag last year. In September '04, Simon wrote:

"Grimm, that’s what I’m going to call the darkdubstep/Croydon t'ing from now onwards. So you have Grime and its taciturn brother Grimm."

I think he's still referring to anything of a Croydon nature as Grimm and I can see his point. Going even further back to August '03 (before the grim/dubstep variant had even been properly defined, to my knowledge) Simon was the first to invoke the spirit of the South London Borough through words, when writing about the first Terrorhythm release:

"It sounds like Croydon looks. The dismal slabs of dead sound and leaden lurch-beats evoke the psychogeography of shopping schemes, office blocks, and deck-access low-rise housing blocks, grey concrete walkways and underpasses with all the lights smashed in. If Croydon really is the new Detroit (doubt it, although it is one of this planet’s more desolate and Godforsaken places) then “Hard Graft” is perhaps its “Art of Stalking”. Or perhaps a sluggish variant of minimal techno--Robert Hood at 16 rpm. There’s definite Plasticman/Plastikman parallels here--I really would like to know if he's heard of Hawtin and if so why pick a name so close? Is this sound what they call “deep eightbar”? You can imagine an MC trying to ride this, sinking into a grim trance, giving up. (They all hate the MCs anyway, this lot). If sound could scowl..."

Y'see? There's a reason why Simon will always be 'top-dog 'round these parts. Way ahead, as always, despite being all the way over the Atlantic in NYC. I'd actually forgotten that he wrote that piece, but came across it whilst searching for Grimm-referencing posts at his blog. The Detroit angle seems almost too perfect in light of my own recent return to that sound. Sometimes everything makes sense.

Some Grim:

This 'Grim Dubs' series from Werkdiscs is all very intriguing. It's another example of the dubstep virus infiltrating the electronica/IDM establishment. Although presented as an anonymous project, I've managed to figure out that Volume 1 is by a duo called Monkey Steak, who formed in New Cross (South London) back in October 2000. There's some links at their site to a few earlier tracks which reveal that they've been dabbling with everything from Hip-Hop, Ragga, Breakcore and 2-Step before hitting on their current sound, which features the sort of twisted basslines and eastern atmospherics that have been emanating from nearby Croydon and associated outposts for the past year or two, but combined with more complex, glitchy programming - "Ruff Ting King" could almost be Mark One collaborating with Squarepusher! Werkdiscs have come up with a refreshingly irreverent press-release manifesto to explain what it's all about:

Grim. Dublame. Wackstep. Different people call it different things, depending on their age, haircut or shoe size. If you listen to the music we love the chances are you probably call it something different from us. Shite. Awful. Unlistenable. It's been the same through the 80s and 90s. We've called it so many different things that the journalists can't even be arsed to listen to it now, let alone pigeon-hole it. This is a good thing - it's music. Mongoloid, multi-mingmong music made by middle-class myrmidons with misshapen genitalia. Music that's great for hoovering to, perhaps while injecting PCP into your pancreas with a cake-icing pipe. It's instrumental dance music that's clearing the dancefloors across Croydon, Wolverhampton and King's Lynn. It's the perfect forum for anemic doombrains with bad haircuts to create music that few people like, then earnestly brag about their revolutionary genius. That's why we here at Werk Records are calling it Grim, to try and dress up another set of releases as a new musical movement, outside the specialist world of ourselves and our sad little circle of friends. And hopefully help us sell a few more records. Some people will say we're just zeitgeist chasing, trend-hopping, jumping on an imaginary genre and greedily trying to fill our boots with the rest of them. To those people, let us say this: we're going to ride that bandwagon all the way into town, whooping and cheering, with our trousers round our ankles and cans of Special Brew clutched to our breasts. Chances are you're already listening to Grim, trapped there in your tin-pot rave-den in suburbia. And by God, if you're still reading this drivel, you might just be the kind of person creams their pants every time someone invents a new genre. Now is the time to change those pants, and the soundtrack is Grim.

THE GRIM DUBS

Monkey Steak, a collaborative project between producers Atki2 and Hanuman, have their first release due out on WerkDiscs on Monday 4th April 2005. The release is Volume One in a guerilla-style series of anonymous 12"s called The Grim Dubs. The record will feature two choice Steak cuts, 'Crowsteppah' and 'Ruff Ting King'. These tracks are on a grime/breakcore/mashup tip - a mixture of pounding breaks and filthy bass, at a strutting garage tempo.

There's a few grains of truth in there - although not truly Grimm, the Grim Dubs may well appeal to that particular band of rootless middleclass suburbanites (people like me, in other words) who are ready for some fresh ingredients in their cosy little IDM stew. It's too early to say whether or not this is a signal that my premonition will come true, but it's certainly an encouraging sign. Volume 2 is out now and, although I'm not sure yet who's behind this latest installment, it's definitely not Monkey Steak, which suggests this could be the start of a genuine movement rather than the fevered imaginings of a couple of chancers. Although I first came across these EPs at Boomkat, it's interesting to note that underground specialists Blackmarket have been stocking them too, suggesting that this is a sound that the True Grimmheadz are taking seriously - in fact it looks like they've sold out of Volume 1 already!

IT'S WAR

If Bristol is indeed becoming a satellite of Croydon, then the first release on Tectonic Records from DJ Pinch & P Dutty must surely be the first Bristolian Dubstep anthem. Regular readers will be familiar with the name Pinch, and P Dutty is better known as local breaks producer 30Hz. Pinch has been steadily building bridges with the Croydon posse for over a year now and even got the honour of manning the decks at the latest DMZ event in Brixton. Now he's ready to cut-loose with his own brand of dubstep innovation and the results are heavy. "War Dub" is a slice of pure evil genius- featuring a terrifying bassline that gets progressively more messed-up with the envelope settings until it starts to lurch spasmodically across the riddim like an escaped mental patient - imagine Vex'd having a slow, bowel-evacuating nervous breakdown. "Alien Tongue" ups the dynamics a little, with some classic 'ongy-bongy' ethnic percussion loops, but is once again dominated by a bassline that just drips with menace. I'm massively impressed with this release and I suspect this is just the beginning for a major new production talent. Makes me proud to be Bristolian, and it's been a long while since I thought that! Available at Blackmarket and Boomkat.

SUNDAY SESSION RETURNS

Yay!! A genuine unknown bedroom DJ comes forward, humbly offers me one of his mixes - and it sounds great! Emoticon aka Ben Thomson is a 19-year old student at Leeds Uni. (although he's actually from London) and has only been DJing for a couple of years.

I'll let Ben explain the rest for himself:

"After seeing that you're open to newer drum and bass after checking the mix that you put on your site a few Sundays ago, I thought I'd try my hand at doing one myself. This is coming from a slightly different angle - glitchier and slightly more minimal at the start, ending up darker but a bit more traditional. The first tune isn't d'n'b, but I really like it and thought it'd mix well with "Twitchy Droid Leg", so here it is..."

Download Emoticon's "Snap Crackle & Pop" Mix (dead link)

Tracklist:

1. Static - Three Nicotine cigarettes (City Centre Offices)
2. Sileni - Twitchy Droid Leg (Offshore)
3. Polar - Mind of a Killer [remix] (Certificate 18)
4. oS - 808 (Cymbalism)
5. Deep Blue - Immersion (31 Records)
6. Mav - The Tubes (Offshore)
7. Breakage - Spiritualism (Breakin)
8. Seba - Inside Your Mind (Secret Operations)
9. Cartridge - Light Cycles (Freak)

Personally, I think Ben's come up with a nicely-paced selection of interesting tunes that develops well over it 35 minute length. The opening non-d'n'b track from German IDM artist Static sends me hurtling back to mid-90s'intelligent' melodicism before the journey into tricky electro-fried abstraction begins in earnest. Some of these cuts put me in mind of Four Hero around the time of their Jacob's Optical Stairway period, combining crisp drum programming with luxurious synth-textures and sweeping, almost Detroitish strings. Then around the 20 minute mark, the mix locks into a harder breakbeat direction (care of Breakage) and takes-off on a mighty adrenalin rush. Music for the mind, body and soul! Makes me wonder what else I'm missing in the d'n'b scene. The lad's done good, and I wish him well for the future. Being a student, I'm sure he could use the odd paying-gig, so if anyone wants to hire him, here's his e-mail address. You'll probably also bump into Emoticon if you're a regular at the Subvert Central forum or Inperspective's Technicality night. Rrrrespec'...

DETROIT THURSDAY

Back with some more classic Detroit Techno inspiration. Perhaps me and Headphonesex should start a new MP3 blog dedicated to this genre alone?! As I said before, I've barely scratched the surface of the current revival. A quick look at Hard To Find Records reveals the amount of original EPs coming back into stock along with various reissues (although I've heard reports that the Buzz represses are a bit shoddy). Interesting to see Blake Baxter's "When We Used To Play" in there, too. I never owned a copy of that EP (in fact I hardly own any - most of my Detroit stuff is on compilation albums and cassettes!) although listening to the brief MP3 clip, it sounds quite different to the 'unreleased version' on Network's seminal "Retro Techno/Detroit Definitive" album, released in 1991 and still one of the most important documents of the age. It was certainly instrumental in cementing my own love of this music and one of these days I'll type-up John McCready's original inner-sleeve notes in full, as they still resonate with passion. This version features a busier 909 drum-workout than the original and as producer Kevin Saunderson said in the sleeve notes, "I listen to this now and it still sounds so strange. I wanted to make it seem relentless". Indeed, and coupled with the breathy, deliciously detached female vocal this is probably one of my favourite examples of Martian-Techno-Soul from that era. It was recorded in Summer 1987 and, 14 years on from Kevin's previous comments, it still sounds so strange. I figured it needed a 're-issue' in blogland, so check it out...

MP3: Blake Baxter - When We Used To Play (Unreleased Mix)

MORE THOUGHTS ON ANALORD

Aphex Twin's ongoing Analord series has been busily intriguing, confounding, irritating and amazing me over the past few months, as well as hoovering-up all my spare record-buying cash. No matter how many other releases out there seem more 'important', I just can't help giving priority to this bizarre project, which I last wrote about in February after the release of volumes 1 & 2. Interestingly, I haven't noticed many detailed reactions to Analord on the web apart from the odd thing at blogs like Radio Babylon. The Dissensus thread started well, but seems to have petered out. It's as though everyone's just waiting for the big pay-off - that moment where it all starts to make sense and the motivations become clear. I have my personal favourites and least-favourites. Volume 4 was pretty cool, especially "Home Made Polysynth" which features the kind of melodic invention and mood manipulation that we all know Mr. James is capable of. Likewise Volume 6 warmed my heart with the effervescent naivete of "I'm Self Employed" and playful ring modulator 'Radiophonic' experimentation of "2 Analogue Talks". Volume 5 is probably the weakest in the series, although it does feature the best label design (the 'Anna Lord' gravestone). But overall I'd say about 20% is great, 15% is distinctly average and the rest is merely 'interesting'.

So why am I so determined to see Analord through to the bitter end? Well, having spent the best part of a decade (from "Digeridoo" to "Windowlicker") completely under his spell, it's hard for me to simply move on from Aphex Twin. I simply have to hear everything. I suspect that will probably continue for the rest of my and his natural life, 'cos even though I mean nothing to him, the music of Richard D. James is a central piece in the jigsaw that defines who I am. If someone were to ask me what were the defining musical statements of my generation, most of my choices would probably be Aphex's key works. But he's also one of the luckiest people of his generation, too. James arrived in the public eye in 1992 at a time when the demand for experimental electronic music was probably higher than at any time before or since. It's hard to believe that a totally uncompromising triple-album like "Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2" could reach #11 in the UK national album charts. But in March 1994 it did just that. Such an achievement is completely impossible in the current cultural climate and so the latest breed of innovators (you know who I'm talking about) will remain lean, hungry and well-motivated. By contrast, James' lucrative publishing deals will continue to generate substantial income for the foreseeable future. He has the financial freedom to do whatever the hell he likes, which is brilliant for him, but can sometimes be confusing and frustrating for us. Post-"Windowlicker", I'd been feeling that James wasn't really considering the feelings of his massive fanbase. Although it featured some good music,"Druqks" seemed to have been thrown-together without any real care or quality control and by the "Smodgeface EP" the suspicion that he was taking the fucking piss was hard to ignore. There was a time when I would've invested in the Analord binder package without a moments hesitation, but such was my disillusionment at that point that I wasn't prepared to take the chance. As I said at Dissensus, it was as though James wanted the fans to take a financial 'leap of faith', without having any knowledge of the possible quality/contents. My faith had been seriously tested and I wasn't up for it. Would I buy it now? Prrrrobably. The thing is, most of the Analord tracks are pretty decent, it's just the fact that it's him. I'm still not comfortable with this retro stance after he had represented forward-thinking innovation for so long.

I was comparing some of the Analord tracks with older pieces from things like the Analogue Bubblebath series. On the face of it, the approach is quite similar, but the old tracks still seem to sound better for some reason. Perhaps he's just become too good at engineering since then. The Analord work can sometimes sound a bit dry and flat and there's an absence of the subtle distortion that pervaded his earlier mixes. Plus he used to drench things in reverb and fx, really saturating the sound in a way that no one's been able to replicate properly. Also, his beats were always so unique in the past - you couldn't tell where he got most of his drum sounds from (from his head, of course!), whereas Analord is driven by the innocuous sounds of the Roland TR-707/808/909 series,with very little processing or rhythmic invention in the programming. Having said that, perhaps working with these 'naturalistic' Roland sounds could be seen as a refreshing change. I also have a special fondness for the TR-707 (the poor man's 909) as it was the first proper drum machine I ever owned (and there's an example of one of my old 707 analogue concoctions up the the Riddim Composer right now!). Quite a few of these Roland sounds have been infiltrating the dubstep scene - Skream's "Traitor" sounds like it's using 707 hi-hats, though probably from some VST plug-in rather than the original machine - and for some people Analord probably sounds really fresh. This idea was hit home to me when talking with Jamie from Vex'd last month. Being a good 10 years younger than me, he didn't really have any reference points for the Analord sound - to him it was all rather unusual and maybe even a little bit inspiring. So you could take the view that Analord isn't simply a celebration of past glories, but a valid way of bringing the old ideas to a new audience who might develop them and take them into whole new areas of exploration.

Anyway, I'll finish this post by saying that the latest installment, Analord 08, is easily the best so far. There's a real sense that James is pushing things forward here, particularly with the more imaginative drum programming and earnest, heartfelt compositions that raise the imperative levels dramatically. The lack of acid squiggles is a good thing too - there's so many other sounds he could be using, and the dramatic polyphonic (dis)chord that dominates "Backdorr.Berbew.Q" brings a new sense of urgency to the proceedings. It feels like the series is now finally going somewhere; moving steadily towards a satisfying conclusion that will reveal the true nature of this project. But I may be completely wrong on that...

BOOK QUIZ THINGY

Thanks a bunch to Loki for passing this bloody thing my way.

1) You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

"Emma" by Jane Austin.

Sorry, misunderstood the question. Like Loki, I assumed it was 'what book would you burn', the reason being that I had to study 'Emma' for A-level English and it bored the living shit out of me. I read F-451 at school too, but it's been so long that I didn't remember that everyone had to 'become' a book at the end. So on that basis, my answer would have to be "Animal farm" by George Orwell.

2) Have I ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Not from the written word alone. Comic book characters, yes. I'm pretty shallow. I like a fit body in a skin-tight costume. Hellcat being a good example.

3) The last book I bought?

The answer to this should be "Rip It Up & Start Again" by Reynolds. But I haven't gotten around to it yet. The last one was probably a second-hand copy of Thomas Mann's "Doctor Faustus", but I haven't even started it.


4) Last book I read?

"Po's Magic Watering Can" - A Teletubbies 'lift-the-flap' book. Me and James thoroughly enjoyed it.

5) Currently Reading?

Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse's "Bojeffries Saga". A short lived comic strip that ran in Warrior magazine in the early '80s (although I think it got revived about 10 years later in another publication -can't remember which at the mo'). I read a few pages when having a smoke in the garage.

6) Five Desert Island Books

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
Phillip K. Dick - A Scanner Darkly
Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse 5
Luke Rhinehart - The Dice Man
J.G Ballard - High Rise

7) Three people to pass this quiz onto

Paul Autonomic, James Headphonesex and A.

EMOTIONS ELECTRIC

Some interesting comments in relation to my Autechre post. In particular, 11v: "Emotions come in different forms I guess - Kraftwerk were always damned as being robotic/inhuman/emotionless, but that couldn't be farther from the truth imo." I agree entirely. I get tonnes of emotion from Kraftwerk. I'm not entirely sure how it's possible to get an emotional kick from pure machine music, but I get it all the time. I was trying to think how to explain it, then remembered what John McCready wrote for the sleevenotes of Network's "Biorhythm 2" compilation in 1990, which still seems to be a good stab at quantifying the phenomena.

Biorhythm 2 emerges as a new metal machine music, a music as cold as ice. Still it has an emotional quality too. You can't just turn the machines on and walk away. This is always forgotten by the imitators. There has to be emotion and interaction. Kraftwerk knew this. They are the only root for this new school of electronic purism - they existed before the first bleep, before the first speaker gave way, when the acknowledged masters of techno were putting the first batteries in their toy robots. Kraftwerk's mathematical precision is the only influence Biorhythm 2 ackowledges. Ralf and Florian knew the score. Listen to the spaces in this music. That's where the magic happens. That's when your shoulders twitch. That's when you wish you were somewhere dark.

Biorhythm 2 teases the mind but it's also dance music. It's intentions are clear - to induce movement at both ends of the body. Those still static after Constant Ritual's "Hard Way To Come" are beyond hope.

Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know what the hell he's referring to there, here's a quick rip of the track in question:

MP3: Constant Ritual - Hard Way To Come

Right, now I s'pose I'd better try and work up the enthusiasm to visit the polling station...

LIKING THE ALIEN

The one and only time I saw Autechre live was in about 1994, at the Lakota in Bristol. At that point in my life, the music of Sean Booth and Rob Brown seemed like the most astonishing, revelatory experience in the world (and when I say 'seemed like', there's really no two ways about it- they were undisputedly kicking-out the most advanced shit on the planet at that point). In particular, the debut album "Incunabula", third album "Tri Repetae" and certain EPs, especially "Anti", remain powerfully affecting documents of the time; the next stage on from the overtly Detroit-inspired strain of melodic listening music that 'Techno' had become. It was perhaps significant that "Incunabula" was the final installment in Warp's Artificial Intelligence album series, the point where the last vestiges of the dancefloor had finally been abandoned, and the journey into pure head-space exploration could begin. It felt right at the time, and listening again today, it still feels right. Interesting then, that Autechre's output in the intervening years has been a source of constant frustration for me. I guess it comes down to the fact that I generally respond to music on an emotional and physical level, whereas recent Autechre requires a certain degree of intellectual involvement that I'm often unable or unwilling to give. Unless I really concentrate on it, it just goes straight over my head. Too rhythmically dislocated to nod your head to, too unmelodic to draw any immediate emotional warmth from, too stern and serious to get a laugh out of (and I do love a bit of humour), yet not extreme enough to make me even gasp in amazement. It's music that I respect and admire, but could never really love. And when you attach a lot of importance to emotional response, the lack of love is a big issue.

So here's yet another Autechre long-player arrived to test my patience once more. As always, I do my best to listen hard and try to extract some meaning from the scattershot percussive workouts and glassy textures that flicker across the speakers. "Untilted" continues from where "Draft 7.30" left off. As always there are little hints of things going on that betray Autechre's roots. Both "Augmatic Disport" and the mammoth "Sublimit" feature elements of crunchy 80's Hip-Hop, trapped in a disjointed digital para-reality where groove is a crime against the state, and "Ispacial Section" surprisingly touches base with jungle via dub reggae featuring some wicked spring-reverb drenched snare shots. After an initially militant salvo of agitated fuckbeats, opening track "LCC" suddenly drops down to half-speed and takes an uncustomary excursion into warm, reverberating melodicism that both surprises and delights these ears. Autechre are actually excellent tunesmiths when they put their mind to it, and those added washes of melancholia bring some much-needed colour to Autechre's usual battleship-grey complexion.

As always, there's enough going on here to keep me coming back for more (when I'm feeling particularly clever), but christ it's hard work. I like it, but I can't say I'm feeling the love.

C'mon Warp - when's the new Boards Of Canada album going to arrive?

Buy "Untilted" at Warpmart or Bleep.

SUNDAY SESSION - DOUBLE-HEADER!

As explained last week, the Sunday Session is intended as a platform for DJ's (at any level) to showcase the music they like to play out. By hosting these mixes, I hope to gain a wider understanding of the various scenes within this thing we call Dance Culture. The mixes might not necessarily reflect my own listening habits/tastes but that's a good thing, as they're intended to bring some balance to this blog. I hope readers will share my enthusiasm for this idea and join me in exploring various regional/aesthetic twists on the Dance blueprint.

Peverlist's Jungle mix got things off to a flying start and I was pleased to observe that a lot of people downloaded that file. The intention was to only feature one mix each week but couldn't resist pitting these latest two against each other, as they're coming from such different angles (and locations!) but with the same intention - to move your ass! It's Party Time at Gutterbreakz and so without further ado...

David Twentyfive is a clubber, a DJ and a contributor to www.gurn.net. He started out producing mix CDs for car journeys to clubs across the country and has progressed to creating live laptop mixes for Gurn both online and venues from Swansea to Sheffield.

The principle behind his music (and his blog) is 'serious party music for jaded cynics' and he's constantly striving to add new twists to old ways of doing things. As a result his mixes cross a range of modern genres including breakbeat, house, techno and electro. He utilises his trusty laptop to re-edit, mash-up and mix live making each set a unique and very different experience from the traditional two decks and a mixer.

When he's not mixing David is writing his blog, doing features and reviews for gurn.net and helping out with the day to day running of the site. This includes a new radio show in the pipeline. He is also kept on his toes by his hyperactive 3 year old son.

After David wrote some interesting comments in response to the disparaging remarks I made about Nu Breaks, my immediate response was to commission him to put together a mix of some of the most innovative sounds from the Electro-Breaks scene that might appeal to the Gutterheadz. Compared to his usual sets, David considers this to be a 'Hardcore Extreme' mix and I was pleased that he had a lot of fun putting it together. From my perspective, it's still fairly commercial-sounding and certainly as close to the mainstream as I'd ever dare go, but it does have a certain amount of imperative that marks it apart from the sanitised, formuleric structures that I normally associate with mass-market clubbing fodder, and there's some pretty lush synth-slime textures in there. I'm not saying I'm converted, but...well, check it out yourself. I'll be interested to see if this generates any stimulating discourse in the comments box. If so I'll probably pitch-in with a few more observations there.

Download David Twentyfive's "Don't Fade Away" Mix(45.6 Mb)(dead link)

Tracklist:

Keen K & Dorian E - Euphoria (Beautycase)
DJ Hal & Joe B - Sound Muscle (Original Mix) (10 Kilo)
Jeremy Sylvester - Be-bop (Original Mix) (Azuli)
Stanton Warriors - Da Antidote (Original Mix) (New State Entertainment)
Plump DJs - The Soul Vibrates (Finger Lickin')
Booty Bouncers - Get Dirty Baby (Friendly Remix) (Rat)
Taishan - Black Mamba Funk (Resin)
Lee Coombs & Andy Garcia - Obessional Rhythm (Lee Coombs Mix) (Finger Lickin')
Chef - Being Chef (Touché Remix) (Fine)
Vector Lovers - Suicide Android (Soma)

Moving on, it's my pleasure to introduce you to DJ Kowalsky from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He's been DJing for almost 10 years, mostly in local clubs. He's a compulsive record buyer/music listener - always into ALL kinds of music. When he's mixing, Kowalsky tries to blend different styles so they can match in a new and fresh context. Old skool electro with grime, jungle with hip-hop, dancehall with drum 'n' bass, breakbeat with 60s rock n' roll...but then sometimes he also likes to explore one specific style' to the bone naked'.

This particular mix is, like David Twentyfive's, ostensibly coming from an 'electro-breaks' angle, fusing elements of hip-hop, electro and pounding disco throb yet sounding completely different. This is partly due to the grungey, crackly live turntable conditions under which it was produced, but also the contents of his crate, which are very much on a retro tip. Interestingly, although there's some grainy 8-bit Fairlight beats suggesting an '80s vibe, Kowalsky's mostly sifting through the past fifteen years and finding inspiration in some unlikely places. For instance, two tracks culled from DJ Mike Dred's somewhat overlooked Rephlex album "Laptop Dancing" from 2000, another culled from UR's "Interstellar Fugitives" (which I gave props to in my 'Detroit' post last week) and, amazingly, some genuine '80s electrofunk in the form of Salt 'n Pepa's 1988 hit "Push It" which, in Kowalsky's capable hands, makes perfect sense in this context. Like a Brazilian Ed DMX, Kowalsky loves to dig deep into areas that might not be considered fashionable today, resuscitating seemingly lifeless vinyl corpses and putting them back to work on the dancefloor. If I ever happen to be in Belo Horizonte, I hope he'll be playing there somewhere.

Download DJ Kowalsky's "Princesa do Asfalto" Mix (43.1 Mb) (dead link)

Tracklist:

Kosmik Kommando - Big Up Yourself (Rephlex)
Mr. Nex - Double D.F. (TCR)
The Deacon - Soulsaver (UR)
Thomas Bangalter - Spinal Scratch (Roulé)
Kosmik Kommando - 98k Platinum (Rephlex)
Salt n' Pepa - Push It (Stiletto)
Sir Mix-a-lot - Baby Got Back instrumental (American Recordings)
Michael Forshaw - Time For a Break (Chan n' Mikes)
Big Time - Check It Out (Som Livre)

If I sound a bit more enthusiastic about Kowalsky's mix, that's probably because he's coming from an angle that I can immediately identify with - ie, old skool, eclectic, raw, gutter - generally catering more to my own tastes. But what do I know about anything?

GOT A MIX?

It doesn't matter whether you're a gigging DJ or some nobody mucking-about in your bedroom. If you want your mix hosted in a future Sunday Session, get in touch. You can either send me an MP3 file via Yousendit (20-30 mins at 192kbps preferred but I'll consider longer mixes too, although if it's over 40 mins better rip it at 128kbps) or post a cd-r (e-mail me for the address) along with any relevant biogs, jpegs and web links. All areas of electronic/dance music are welcome and if I'm feeling the mix it'll be used, and if I'm not, I'll tell you why I'm not. Can't say fairer than that.

DETROIT DREAMS

Headphone Sex getting on a serious Detroit Techno tip at the moment, too. Follow the link to that new Juan Atkins compilation on Tresor. Essential purchase for anyone wanting to explore Magic Juan's legacy.

In an effort to further the Atkins revival, here's another classic that didn't make it onto "20 Years Metroplex: 1985 - 2005", randomly chosen from the Gutter collection:

MP3: Model 500 - Sound Of Stereo

A couple of other specialist Detroit blogs: Techno Rebels and The Motown Elavator (based in Spain, of all places!).

Oh, yeah - and here's a link to Matt Woebot's seminal "29 Detroit Techno 12"s", originally published at the T.W.A.N.B.O.C. blog in 2003. A sobering document for those people (like me) who think they know their shit. Read and learn, muthafuckaz...

Back to the future!

TAKE IT BACK TO JACKIN'

Way back in October 2003, I was ranting about the lack of re-issues of classic Chicago House and Detroit Techno. I'm pleased to see that the situation appears to be changing for the better. Certainly in terms of vinyl, there's been quite a few interesting compilations and represses of late. To be honest I feel like a bit of an old fart going on about this stuff, but it's in my blood and defines my youth, as well as my age. I guess bigging-up re-issues is the Dance Culture equivalent of the 'Byrds-Bore', harking on about how great music was in the old days and kids today don't know jack-shit about quality etc etc. And whilst I have little or no interest in the scene currently termed as 'House Music', I'll go down fighting the cause of the Chicago Originators. There's a brutal simplicity about these artifacts that probably comes from the conditions under which they were created. Without any of today's processing power, people like Adonis, Pierre, Fingers etc (spot the quote!) built their beats using what was then regarded as antiquated/discarded Roland machines like the TR-808/909/707 rhythm composers, TB-303, MC-202 etc. Since then of course, these machines have become highly sought-after by those who like to keep their sounds 'authentic', in the same way that rock groups prize certain types of guitars, amplifiers and FX pedals. This is entirely accountable to the way that the Chicago and Detroit artists pushed these devices to their limits in the late '80s. The 909 open hit-hat. The 808 snare. The 303 acid squiggle. All have become cliched, formatted sounds that continue to drive dance music to this day.

Not only do those old records define a sound and a culture, they also define a generation. I doubt anyone born before 1966 ever felt the urge to 'Jack'. I pick that year for it's symbolic significance, rather than accuracy, as it represents a watershed year for the previous generation in the same way that '88 means something to their children. The '77 revolution was a half-generation hiccup - my dad liked Punk when it came along. He started coming home with strange 7 inch singles by groups like X-Ray Specs and declaring them the best things he'd heard for years (to his credit he always hated Prog). But a decade later he couldn't understand House music, or Hip Hop for that matter. He'd hit a certain age where his senses were unable to assimilate something that different. And I believe it's absolutely crucial for a young person's development to be into something that your parents cannot comprehend. Fuck The Beatles and The Stones. Fuck Elvis. Fuck Hendrix and fuck you too, Pops. I'd rather Jack.

It's a funny thing: even though it was an awful cash-in record concocted by Pete Waterman and his cronies, the Reynolds Girls' "I'd Rather Jack (than Fleetwood Mac)" has become something of a personal manifesto. True, over the years I have explored many records from the 60's and '70s, yet still I resolutely refuse to listen to Fleetwood Mac to this day, and it's all due to that bloody song! Perhaps because, if I did embrace the Fleetwoods, it would be the final admission that I am no longer A Young Person (or at least young at heart). Actually, there is a Fleetwood Mac CD in my house ("Tango In The Night"), but it's my wife's. She hasn't listened to it for years. I bet if I threw it in the bin she wouldn't even notice.

A few weeks ago, my good friend A. came to stay for the weekend, on one of his rare visits to Bristol. We spent a whole evening going back-to-back on the decks in my living room, just taking it in turns to play a tune to each other, seamlessly cross-faded, with our mate Dave and my eldest son for an audience (although Gutter Jnr. soon got bored and decided to watch a DVD with the headphones on). One of the first things A. played was some bloody obscure Fleetwood Mac album track! Obviously I didn't recognise the song and made some derogatory comment about it sounding like REO Speedwagon. Suffice to say I was not converted. But the night did throw up some fascinating soundclashes, like Jimmy Edgar colliding with Ornette Coleman. Best of all was when A. decided to break out his "Anthology of American Folk Music" box set. As the grainy sounds of a bygone age enveloped our senses, I felt suddenly compelled to mix-in Armando's "151", a brutally minimal slice of first-generation Acid House. The effect was amazing. We all just freaked-out at how brilliant the two sounded together. We then tried it with several other tracks and the result was the same each time: crucial! It was two different forms of American Folk music, 40 years apart, coming together in total harmony. I know we were all a bit pissed by that point, but I swear it was incredible. As Dave commented: "You guys really ought to be taping this".

"151" can be found on "Jackin' The House Vol.1", a double-vinyl set released on JTH Records in 2003, although I only discovered it myself a couple of months ago. It features some wonderful Acid/Jack music from the likes of Adonis, Phuture and Mr. Fingers and it's great to hear them on freshly-cut vinyl, rather than the crappy old C-90s that most of my Chicago collection is stored on. Points deducted for using the 'Martin Luther King' version of "Can You Feel It", but otherwise it's all class. Available at Warpmart and Boomcat.

Volume 2 arrived last year and continues the quest to unearth all those forgotten gems. Includes a crazy Latin percussion-drenched tune called "Cuban Jackin" by the Rio Rhythm Band that was previously unknown to me. Points deducted for: printing Phuture's utterly awesome "Your Only Friend" on the label, but not actually cutting the track. I was fucking devastated when I found out. I spotted this collection at Warpmart a week ago and ordered it straight away, but now it appears to be out of stock everywhere. Sort it out, Marcus!! I think there might be a Volume 3 out there somewhere too, but I haven't tracked down a copy yet.

Venerable re-issue label Soul Jazz have also finally realised that the Chicago sound needs to be re-assessed, with the imminent release of "Acid: Can You Jack" in May. Although it covers a wider period (up to 1995) the tracklist looks intriguing. Includes Phuture's "Phuture Jacks", which was a featured MP3 at the Gutterbox a few weeks ago. Unlike the JTH releases, this will also be available on CD, so even if you're one of those who disconnected their turntable years ago, there's no excuse for not supporting this venture.

The equally innovative contemporaneous sounds from Detroit are also beginning to get re-pressed too. I came across TNO Records' excellent "Rare Techno: Classics From Detroit and Beyond 2" at Boomkat a few weeks ago. This is just totally essential, featuring Ron Trent's epic "Altered States", Rhythim Is Rhythim's "Nude Photo" as well as a bit of Brit-Techno from Musicology (aka B12). Not forgetting two offerings from Carl Craig in his Psyche and BFC guises that serve as a timely reminder of just how great he was on those early records. This is deeply spiritual shit - nourishment for the fucking soul -the Gutterbreakz equivalent of Gospel music. Damn, I really must track down volume 1!! Also included is a wonderful cut from the Originator: Juan Atkins aka Model 5oo. I notice that Tresor have re-issued a couple of his other tracks recently: "Off To Battle" b/w"Alleys Of Your Mind" ( which was the very first track he released as Cybotron way back in 1981). Cornerstones, mate. Fucking Cornerstones.

Although not quite of the same vintage, the recent re-press of the Underground Resistance 1998 triple-vinyl set "Interstellar Fugitives" is another must-have. I must admit it completely passed me by first time around (my head was in a completely different place back then - but I don't want to talk about that). I came across it by chance in the racks at Replay Records recently, but it's also available at Boomkat. Although I'm not a fan of everything that UR have released, this particular collection of Militant Techno beats hits the spot, featuring choice cuts from Drexciya, Suburban Knight and of course UR head-honcho Mad Mike. Of all the second-wave Detroit labels, it's UR that have most fervently mined the Juan Atkins 'Black Kraftwerk' blueprint, with Chaos's "Afrogermanic" being a perfect example of the Detroit-Dusseldorf interface in full effect.

I'm probably just scratching the surface of the current re-issue market - but it's all I can cover with my limited resources for now. Its interesting that in nearly all cases the music is being re-pressed on vinyl, rather than CD. This suggests that they're not aimed at 30-something males who want a handy collection to pop into their car CD-changer - they're intended to be used. These formally expensive/difficult to find rarities are being freshly-cut so that those classic grooves can find their way back into DJ sets once more. Presumably there is a market for it. If so, where are the clubs that these tunes are getting played?!

I wanna be there...

SUNDAY SESSION

In the first of what I hope will be a regular series of MP3 mixes from areas of Dance Culture not normally covered by this blog, Gutterbreakz is hosting a mix from the Hatfield Peverel Junglist Massive. "Who?!", you cry. Well, I haven't yet ascertained the connection with this Essex village, but the Peverlist Massive is basically one person - Tom Ford, proprietor of Rooted Records, one of the nicest little specialist record shops in Bristol. That's Tom above, slightly worse for wear, entertaining the crowd in the bar at Subloaded II at about 4.00am. Whilst the dubstep revolution was busy going on next door, Tom was taking a righteous trip down memory lane, breaking out some prime mid-90's Drum 'n Bass for a small yet appreciative (and very mashed) audience of Red Stripe-guzzling bassheads. Tom's first love is D'n'B, and his shop is full of the stuff. Now, whilst I'll occasionally wax lyrical about the old school junglists and the breakcore Amentalists, I freely admit that I know fuck all about what's really happening in modern underground Junglism. So I invited Tom to supply me with a mix of some of his favourite joints from the past year or two, to give me (and all the Gutterheadz) an idea of what's going down. Of the artists featured, the only name I recognise is Digital, but that's 'cos he's been around for years. A couple of the record labels are familiar too. Be warned: this is strictly hardcore bizzness...none of that 'ironic' Shitmat sampledelica or Amen Andrews 'raves from the grave' nostalgia here. So, if you think you can handle it...

Download the Hatfield Peverel Junglist Massive 'Xmas 04' Mix

Tracklist:

Nucleus & Paradox - Think About It (Offshore Recordings)
Nucleus & Paradox - Tell Me The Truth (Esoteric)
Special Forces - Babylon VIP (Tekdbz)
Paradox - Our Future Is Extinction (Paradox Music)
Equinox - Acid Rain (Breakage remix)(Inperspective)
Digital - Natty Dread (Reinforced)
Optiv & Bulletproof - Black Cell (1210)
Digital - Hard Ears (Function)

Although Tom is a committed Junglist, his shop (pictured right) also caters for Reggae, Dub, Hip Hop and Electronica tastes, as well as being Bristol's only dubstep specialist. Currently in stock are two essential new dubstep releases: the third installment from Kode 9's Hyperdub label - Burial's "South London Boroughs" EP (also available at Warpmart) and the first release from Ital, Skream's awesome "Traitor/Angry". If you're in the Gloucester Road area this week, I strongly advise you to grab them. Failing that, if you want to order them online (or just want to tell Tom how much you like his mix) you can e-mail him.

On the subject of grime/dubstep (aren't I always these days?), check Blackdown's recent experience at Forward>>, where the East and South London crews collided in a very positive exchange of energy. Great to hear that Wiley is down with the DMZ axis...who knows where it'll all lead...? Oh, and check out the clips of Blackdown's own tunes which should be doing the rounds in the near future, plus some classic Rinse FM sets . Top blog, innit...

MISSING ON THE BREAKS?

One thing you didn't hear much of at Subloaded was breakbeats. Not that I'm complaining, 'cos I generally prefer the 'stiffer' artificial step-time riddims of Grimey Garage. The breakbeat is essentially a means of adding 'human' funkiness to sequencer-driven music, but you can sound funky as hell with a bloody metronome if you get the arrangements right. But I do love the ol' breaks, especially the more grungy sounds coming from old Rare Groove cuts which is probably why I still like the junglist/breakcore and some of the old hip-hop and Big Beat stuff (and check the Rum & Black tune at the Gutterbox for some classic early Shut Up & Dance ruff-rave breakage). But a lot of the modern breakbeat (or 'Nu Breaks' if you prefer) leaves me cold. The breaks generally sound too clean, digital and formulated - where do they come from? Surely not lifted from the drum-breaks on ancient '70s funk obscurities? Are they the sort of things you can get on those sample CDs? An endless supply of prefabricated grooves to suit any desired tempo?

Prior to my dubstep epiphany, the last time I delved into the world of 12 inch dance music was around 2002-03 when I got curious to hear some of this nu breaks style; just picking up random releases from labels like Functional Breaks and Freakaboom. I thought some of it was okay, up to a point, but mainly just fairly boring in an amorphous, trancey sort of way. I'm sure much of it sounded great in the clubs, but probably not the sort of clubs I would attend. Been listening to a few tunes again today and can't really say that view has changed, although tracks like Starfire's "Freq Out" still sound quite pleasing with the prescient warped bassline and bleepy arpeggios. These days, with high-speed internet connections, it's much easier (and cheaper!) to get a flavour of what's happening in the Breaks scene. If you fancy it, check out iBreaks. Go to the archives section where you'll find plenty of DJ sets to download for free.

It's interesting that, even though Nu Breaks has a much broader fanbase than Grime, I rarely read anything about it in this little corner of the blogosphere. Nor will you see any mention of it at places like Dissensus. Is it just generally perceived as music for the clubbing masses, of no artistic merit? Some sort of snobbery coming into play? Or is it because it really is shit? Despite having the inclination,I haven't had the time to investigate this scene thoroughly enough to say with any authority what is actually worth hearing . I'll occasionally read some intriguing little article in DJ magazine, like the one back in January about how the Breaks scene is supposedly splitting in two between the Housier 'girly' sound and the 'laddish' Dark Bass sound. Lots of labels and artists get mentioned, but I know nothing about any of them!

With the borders between Grime, Dubstep, Sublow, 8-bar etc still a bit blurry in places, the issue is confused even more when you take into account that the Breaks sound must also be factored into the equation. I find it odd that artists like Jammin (not to be confused with Grime MC Jammer!) are classed as dubstep when, to my ears at least, they sound like (what I perceive to be) Breaks. Is it something about the basslines being a bit darker? Yet none of the artists or labels in the dubstep scene get mentioned in that DJ article - so what are the people who wrote it classing as 'Dark Bassline'? Another so-called dubstep artist is Dub Child, who's "Voodoo" EP came out on Storming Productions a while back. His sound is very breaky and, on the title track, very commercial-sounding with a sensual female vocal and glossy production. Yet in that very same issue of DJ, the EP is reviewed in the UK Garage section! What are my ears missing that makes Dubchild a UKG producer? Okay, so admittedly "Roll Dat Shit" is fucking grimey, but the other two tunes sure sound like what I would imagine to be dark-bass Breaks, although it should also be noted that Dub Child prefers using grungier, metallic breakbeats, which give his tracks some much-needed edginess. At the very least, I think it's important to distinguish this sort of style from the 'pure' dubstep of DMZ, Hyperdub etc, so I guess the term Breakstep is appropriate. Interestingly, new label Destructive Records have circumnavigated the whole issue by calling their first release simply "Our Sound". It is what it is!

The just-released third offering from Storming is Toastyboy's "Too Hot/Guesswork" which, like his previous excellent release on Hot Flush features some ingeniously experimental, dark atmospheric Breaks material. Toasty also likes his breakbeats a bit 'earthier' - some of these tunes remind me of mid-90s Metalheads cuts from people like J Majik. I think I even detected a bit of the old 'Apache' break on "Too Hot" as well. In fact, most of Hot Flush's output touches on Breaks, with Eric H's "The Lights" being another prime example. Slaughter Mob's "L'Amour" is an accessible breaky tune that sounds nothing like the tracks they released on "Grime 1".

Search & Destroy and Mark One will also mess with Breakstep too. Like many artists in this scene, Mark One started out making d'n'b (back when he was living in Sheffield) so I guess it's natural for him to work in that style. Some of his tunes like "Get Busy" and "Turn It Up" sound a million miles from the material on "One Way" - all soaring, club-orientated strings and infectious breaks. He's definitely a bit of a split personality as evidenced by his recent release on the Southside Dubstars label. Whilst "Life Support" is seriously stripped-down and grimey (you could almost be fooled into thinking it was a Plasticman tune!), "The Bomb" is full-on funky breakage. Even Vex'd, currently making some of the most advanced beats on the planet, have a background in breaks. Check their track "Function" (plus remix by Bristol-based breaks producer 30Hz) on the Drum & Breaks label for proof (if you can find a copy..).

As I said at the start, it's the 'pure' grimey beats that really excite me the most, but I'm still taking a keen interest in the Breakstep stuff, too. Although I love my Shitmat and Bizzy B, their music is all wrapped-up in nostalgia for the old Junglist sounds. Breakcore has gone to such extremes that it's hard to believe there's any mileage left in the genre. Ditto Broken-beat. To understand where breakbeat is going next, we have to keep our ears open to the Breaksteppers.

Check Blackmarket for the recent output from Storming Productions , Hot Flush and new labels Southside Dubstars and Destructive.

SUBLOADED II: THE VERDICT

Earth-shattering, to put it mildly. I arrived just before 11.00pm, with the end of ThinKing and October's set rumbling in the background as I made my way to the bar, where I immediately struck-up a conversation with Laurie Appleblim. I'm afraid I missed Cyrus' set too as I ended up being far too busy 'networking' in the bar. The sense of occasion was heightened by the fact that various non-performing artists were present, such as Kode 9 and Skream, and it seemed as though the entire cream of the South London massive had descended on this little venue in Bristol which was, for one night only, the dubstep capitol of the universe. Even Infinite (the first lady of dubstep reportage) made it down. My ego was given a damn good massage as everyone seemed to know who I was and were down with the Gutterblog thang, including Digital Mystik Mala who was very complimentary. Kode 9 bought me a pint and wouldn't let me buy him one back. Suffice to say I felt very welcome and very pleased that no one was taking offense about my occasional sharing of their work. On the subject of downloads, Mala was less militant than his DMZ partner Loefah, and conceded that legal downloads might be a possibility in the future. Also of particular interest to overseas readers will be the news that Plasticman is working on getting his Terrorhythm label online at Bleep.

Having said that, I must admit that I'm coming to the conclusion that MP3s will never really do this music justice. In fact, when you're talking about the DMZ material, even listening to the vinyl on domestic hi-fi equipment will only give you an approximation of their sound. Until you've actually seen DMZ in action in a club situation, through a powerful system, you're only ever going to experience 50% of what they're about. At least DMZ003 is a heavier pressing with one track per side, because you need that space in the grooves to maximise the potential of capturing their essence (and it's now available at Warpmart, incidently). I think Rephlex fucked-up with Grime 2 because (a) they didn't pick the strongest tracks and (b) they crammed three tracks per side for the Loefah and Mystikz material and it just sounds too damn quiet. DMZ is truly soundsystem music, and the Black Swan's impressive spec. was capable of doing that music the justice it deserved. As Loefah and Mala (with Sgt. Pokes on the mic) prepared to hit the decks at midnight for a mammoth two-hour dubsession, we all shuffled into the main area with a real sense that something special was about to occur. We were not disappointed. I can't imagine even the most hardcore bass-junkie being unimpressed by this. In fact, the sound was so heavy that there were some initial problems with the needles jumping due to the vibrations! They had to put jumpers under the turntables to try and absorb some of it. I think the heaviest tune was actually a Kode 9 dub called "The Blues", which featured some of the deepest bass I've ever experienced. As Sgt. Pokes gleefully observed; "Feel it in your neck cartilage!". Abso-fucking-lutely. I felt like I was being strangled by it at one point. A couple of times I felt like a bit of a pussy for putting my fingers in my ears, but then I noticed that Appleblim was doing the same thing, so I didn't feel so bad. But of course it wasn't all about bass weight and we were treated to some really beautiful, spiritual music that must've won a few more hearts that night. And yes, it was a decent turn-out from the Bristol crowd. I think Pinch might've even made a small profit this time!

Two hours of DMZ would make for a great night on it's own but the evening was still young and so at 2.00am it was Plasticman's turn on the decks. Now, as anyone who's been reading this blog for the past six months will know, I love this guy, so you can imagine how pant-pissingly excited I was at the prospect of his set - my first experience of the man in the flesh. And any rumours you might've heard are true: Plasticman is tiny. Not like a Person of Restricted Growth tiny - he's slim and well-proportioned - but sort of scaled-down like a thirteen-year-old. Being a strapping six-footer myself, I had to stoop right down when talking to him beforehand. It was hard to marry this diminutive character with the gigantic sound that emanates from within him. It's as though, through his music, Plasticman is overcoming his physical form by turning himself into Empire State Human. And in case Plastic ever reads this, I should explain that's a reference to an old electropop song by a Sheffield group called The Human League - you see, as Plastic admitted to me, all he really knows is UK Garage and Grime. I had to explain to him who Blissblogger was - "yes, he lives in New York now but he's actually English and used to write for a music paper called Melody Maker etc etc" - which is one of the things I find so endearing about Plastic. He is unburdened by the weight of history or influence, which allows him to be free to make music that circumnavigates all the usual reference points and which sounds fresh as fuck to these jaded old 'scholar of electronica' ears. Even when some of his beats sound similar to the kind of thing that Cabaret Voltaire were cooking-up in the mid-eighties, it's simply a happy coincidence. He just happens to feel sound the same way Kirk & Mallinder did 20 years ago.

Genius of Modern Music: Plasticman (with Blazey at rear)

Working with the turntables and a couple of CD players, Plasticman treated us to a blinding set that totally lived up to all those MP3 mixes of his that I've been collecting. Apart from a fresh outbreak of needle-jumping when he dropped "Cha", it was an hour of pure grimey heaven. Plastic's sound is as invigorating at the top-end of the frequency range as the bottom, which is probably why most of his tunes still sound powerful even through a PC monitor. Those crisp, in-yer-face snare hits and ultra-resonant squarewaves just blow my head off everytime. Interestingly, early on in the set Plastic went on a really slow, grinding vibe (although when I say 'slow' most of these tunes would probably clock 140 bpm - damn, that half-step is a muthafucka!) keeping it stealthy and ominous, but then suddenly his hands would work the faders in a blur of motion and the beats would go nuclear and kick the shit out of your senses for a minute before easing back into a steady flow of grimy pressure once more. He was fucking with our heads and we loved it. Towards the end he broke into a 4/4 groove - the nearest thing to 'traditional' dance music all night - which made such cathartic sense, like a release of energy after all the incredible tension-building. I was spell-bound; rooted to the spot for the entire hour. Awesome. Inspirational. I worship at the man's alter. And then, later on, I was listening to him going into graphic detail about his recent bout of appendicitis when his mum had to rush him to hospital (he showed me the scar!) and observing him and his mate Smiler giggling like schoolboys as they told me about the well-hung transvestite they spotted on the bus down to Bristol. A very weird experience.

But still there was more to come, as Vex'd took the stage faced with the unenviable task of following Plasticman. But don't worry, they excelled in the task. Roly kicked-off proceedings by taking the vibe right out into the unknown, with a track which was like a broken beat-dubstep hybrid, all hemorrhaging riddim convulsions and sledgehammer bass attack that sounded like the next level of everything. I think this one will be on the debut album "Degenerate" , scheduled to drop in June on Planet Mu. Make no mistake - that record is gonna be unmissable. Vex'd are my next Great White Hope for electronica and this album is gonna change the fucking landscape of our little world. I haven't actually heard it yet, but I feel it in my bones and the shit they were dishing out on Friday was just mindfuck after mindfuck. "Degenerate" will probably be the album of the year. Of course, when putting that idea to Jamie earlier on in the evening he was extremely modest of his group's achievements. But trust me, mate - you guys are white-hot. I hear trace-elements of early Aphex Twin circa the R&S EPs (back when he really was making Melodies from Mars), the abrasive-yet-spiritual intensity of Pan Sonic in full-flight, the sheer monolithic grind of Suicide at their most incisive, all wrapped-up in production levels of the highest order. This scene is still developing, yet Vex'd are already post-dubstep. They were also responsible for the other moment of supreme bassweight that night when they dropped new single "Gunman". I swear, that bassline was fucking malevolent. I was actually fearing for my physical safety as the bass frequencies tore through my nearly exhausted body - I could feel the pressure squeezing my scalp. Then I thought; "christ, are any of these people actually qualified to administer this level of bass?! How will they know if they've gone too far?! " The threat of permanent damage seemed immanent. So what did Vex'd do? Rewind the tune and play it again from the start. Bastards! Listen to the clips of "Gunman" and the flip "Smart Bomb" and then mentally pile-on the decibels to get some idea of what I was dealing with.

By the time Vex'd finished it was 4.00am and I was completely fucked and practically traumatised. I just about managed to catch the first ten minutes of our hosts Pinch and Blazey playing out the final hour, but my ears were pulp and my brain was mashed, so decided it was time to say my goodbyes and head for my bed, which was thankfully just a short trip up the Fishponds Road. Special mention for the man like Blazey, mind. He MC'd for two hours straight over Plasticman and Vex'd before doing his own set with Pinch and, like me, had the prospect of 'little ones' waking him up early next morning. A Herculean effort for the cause. I've even forgiven him for not sorting out a tracklist for that mix I've been hosting!

It's now late on Sunday evening, and I'm pleased to report that my ears and all other senses and major organs are back to some sort of normal functionality. I survived the evening without any major long-term side-effects, other than having my belief in this music even more firmly established. Here's to Subloaded III...

APRIL GUTTERMIX

If you happen to be in the Easton area of Bristol tomorrow night, you might like to wander into The Black Swan pub where you'll probably find DJ Gutter slumped in a dark corner, a half-finished pint of Tennants Extra in one hand and a crumpled packet of Lambert & Butlers in the other; his eyelids propped open with matchsticks as he grimly attempts to stay conscious through to the bitter 5AM finish of Subloaded II. That's him on the left, snapped at Context last month, and no, he isn't trying to look like the new Dr. Who - that's just the way he dresses. DJ Gutter has kindly given us his latest mix, which was cobbled-together last night using two cheap 12-year-old turntables, a domestic CD player and an iPod, recorded 'live' direct to harddisc with the minimium of digital post-production. It would've been longer, but then Mrs. Gutter, driven to distraction by the infernal grimey racket, stormed into the room and demanded he cease and desist immediately before she rammed those fucking records down his fat throat. Perhaps he should've broken out Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" to placate her - '80's chart-pop being just about the only form of music that DJ Gutter and his wife are able to enjoy together.

Download DJ Gutter's 'Phon Mooda' Mix

Tracklist:
Cabaret Voltaire - Low Cool intro (Plastex)
Indianhead - Oez (Serial Recordings)
The Gasman - Zarin (Planet Mu)
Blackletter - Shunt (Vibragun)
Various Production - Hater (Various Production 7")
Throbbing Gristle - Heathen Earth extract (Industrial/Mute)
Macabre Unit - Sense (Bline Recordings)
Virus Syndicate - Slow Down (forthcoming on Planet Mu)
Big $hot - Armageddon (Southside)
Dizzie Rascal - Off To Work (XL)
Plasticman - Death By Stereo (Rephlex)

DJ Gutter is available for weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, baptisms, exorcisms, house parties, hospital radio shows and all general acts of civil unrest. His standard fee is 24 cans of Stella Artios, 200 cigs and the bus fare home.

ALL HAIL THE GASMAN!

Another artist from the Planet Mu stable who I've been meaning to mention for ages is Chris Reeves aka The Gasman, resident in Portsmouth and purveyor of fine electronica that will appeal to people who still listen to, and derive immense pleasure from, 'classic' albums like "I Care Because You Do", "Tango N' Vectif" and Black Dog's "Spanners". Not that Reeves' music sounds especially similar to any of these milestones, more a sense that here is some 'proper' (I hate to use the word 'traditional') electronic listening music that manages to sound melodic and playful, texturally lush and rhythmically strong and groovy all at the same time. For an old 'Artificial Intelligence'-loving geezer like me, listening to the Gasman is like coming home. The first time I heard his debut longplayer "Remedial" I was grinning like a bloody idiot - Reeves knows how to tweak all my erogenous zones and if he'd suddenly walked in the room I'd have felt compelled to give him a big hug and say thanks for making an old wanker very happy, especially when those ancient Hip House samples pop-up on "Ajax". There's a gloriously unpretentious sense of fun about many of these tunes and a real emotional punch with all those uplifting arpeggiated keyboard parts. When I first heard "Pyrolic" I nearly went into cardiac arrest with the sheer fucking pleasure of it all - those lilting organ chords over an off-kilter rhythm that might be described as a jazz waltz and then when that ethereal synth melody came sailing over the top I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I get chocked-up just thinking about it. What a great little album! Buy here, or download if you prefer...

...but there is a darker side to Reeves' muse - you can hear hints of it in some of the more ambient pieces on "Remedial", but they've been heavily emphasized on his latest mammoth 2-CD collection "The Grand Electric Palace Of Variety" which, despite the child-like fairground cover illustration's promise of more joyful warm-heartedness, features a tracklist sequence that can only be described as 'courageous'. Disc 1 begins with a reverb-drenched suite of atmospheric pieces with ominous drones, choppy choral ensembles and ponderous piano noodles that make you wonder what the hell's been going on in Mr. Reeves' head in the intervening two years. The first hint of a beat doesn't arrive until track 4, but even here the vibe is more akin to the contemplative tracks on AFX's "Analogue Bubblebath 3". The first reminder of Reeves' former perky demeanor comes with track 6, the extremely lovely "Bifidus" which gets me feeling all warm and cozy again, but it's a brief glow in an otherwise oppressive series of frigid soundscapes that often verge on being positively solemn. But there's some wonderful moments to be gleaned from these too, like "Fridge", which sounds a bit like a breakcore version of Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" without the angst-Rock hangover, or the return of the choral stabs on the frantic, spine-tingling rollercoaster ride that is "Citrimax". Actually the female choir sound is one of the most dominant timbres on this album, recurring at regular intervals; the ultimate example surely being the gothic church organ-accompanied "Ark" which conjures images of graveyards, gargoyles and old Hammer-Horror films.

With disc 2 following a similar path it's quite tempting to use the old adage that this would've made a great single-CD, but having lived with the album for a couple of months now I'm coming out in favour of the over-generous amount of tracks. It's actually quite fascinating peeking into all the little nooks and crannies of Reeves' beautifully twisted mind. Maybe not as perfectly succinct as "Remedial", nor as enjoyable throughout, "Grand Electric..." should still be celebrated for the scope of it's ambition. It may not be quite up there with "Selected Ambient Works II", but it's a more satisfying album than "Druqks" if you ask me. Buy CD here, download here.

This Gasman can come 'round and service my boiler anytime;-)

INDIANHEAD

When these guys first contacted me, my initial reaction was "wow! groups like this still exist?!". For Indianhead are a northern Industrial act. Yes, it's true - the spirit of Skinny Puppy, SPK and even Whitehouse is still burnin' strong in Leicestershire. They very kindly sent me a copy of their latest, lovingly self-financed CD album "The Strongest Weapon" and I must say I'm rather impressed. They have a great sense of textural depth that carries them through some pretty hazardous territory, with strong rhythms bolstering the pro-noise electronic attack and occasional moments of ambient serenity helping to create a well-balanced selection of sonic experiments. Indainhead are the sort of group I sometimes fantasize about being involved with...exhuming the rotting corpse of Industrial Culture and doing something genuinely interesting with it. My man Kek-W would probably dig this stuff too. My only complaint being that the (occasional) vocals can sometimes grate on the nerves a little. C'mon guys - you don't need that post-Front Line Assembly Amercianised growl to get your point across. One of the best things about Throbbing Gristle was Gen's very English, slightly weak/pathetic voice drowning in the mix, which seemed more honest than the chest-beating aggression of later/lesser acts. Just a thought. Anyway, check Indianhead's website and listen to a couple of tunes if you're feeling adventurous...you might be surprised!