Distance steps up to lay down yet another heavy mix, this time for Dogs On Acid, and the tracklist is absolutely packed with dubplates from the likes of Benga, Skream, Tunnidge, Tes La Rok and of course the man himself.
A perfect tune for the summer this one, as the deep Drum & Bass and Dubstep producer from Cardiff adds a soulful touch with a lilting male vocal over interweaving synth lines. It's already been quite a year for 19 year old Lung. as he is now looking to follow on from the widespread recognition received for the atmospheric roller, 'Afterlife' (which also featured on the second volume of This Is Dubstep). 'Sail' has a similar energy to the above-mentioned track but the drums pack more swing and resultantly carry the tune with a dreamy haze perfectly suited to heatwave weather.
Yet another slice of freeness from Artwork, Skream & Benga, the men behind dubstep's most hyped live project: Magnetic Man.
Coming in with a Silkie-esque purple intro, before dropping into a pared back drum arrangement backed by a wall of sound and ascending synth melody. The track builds and builds and certainly does well to whet appetites for what the recently revamped Magnetic Man live show has to offer.
Innovative producer, DJ, Hyperdub boss and sub-bass theorist: Kode9 is a man who needs little introduction. Leading up to his forthcoming contribution to the DJ Kicks series, he's laid down a mix of old school Jungle for another well-respected mix series over at FACT Magazine. As should be expected, the mixing is tight and the tune selection is absolutely on point:
1. Soundman & Don Lloyde with Elizabeth Troy – Greater Love 2. Lemon D – Manhatten Melody 3. Dope Style – You Must Think First 4. Nut Nut – Special Dedication 5. Undercover Agent – Oh Gosh 6. DJ SS – MA2 remix 7. 12-10 Series Mk 1 – All that Jazz 8. L Double featuring Bassman – Da Base too Dark 9. Urban Jungle – Back in the Daze 10. Sacred – Kall the Kops 11. Fusion Forum – Vintage Keys 12. Maldini – Def Roll 13. Bad Influence feat. DJ Rush Puppie – Time & Time
Also available for download is a dub cut of 'You Don't Wash': the vocalled version of which is a DJ Kicks exclusive:
The latest to drop in Dummy Magazine's mix series is a real treat for all those anticipating a summer of UK Garage vibes. Pleasing one and all simultaneously, Pariah's mix moves through all aspects of the sound: moving from melodic steppers with cute female vocals, to straight-up four-to-the-floor dancefloor numbers and rounding off with some deeper, darker rumblings. With a 12" out on R&S Records already, and a double-pack in the pipeline, as well as a host of bookings playing out alongside the likes of El-B and DJ Madd the future is looking bright for the young man.
The Streets – Has It Come To This [Locked On] Zed Bias & DJ Principal – All Night Jam (Steve Gurley Remix) [Public Demand] Antonio vs. Dubcentral – To Da Beat [New London Soul] Amira – My Desire (Dreem Team Remix) [VC Recordings] Anthill Mob – Burnin’ [Confetti] Nu Klass A – Spread Love (2 As 1 Remix) [Public Demand] The Wideboys – Stand and Deliver (4×4 Mix) [Ice Cream] Gant – Sound Bwoy Burial (187 Lockdown Mix) [Positiva] R.I.P Productions – Jump To It [Ice Cream] Nu Birth – Anytime [Locked On] Fierce – So Long (Bump ‘n’ Flex X-Rated Dub) [White Label] M:Dubs feat. Lady Saw – Bump ‘n’ Grind [Locked On] DND – Diamond Rings (No MC Mix) [DND Productions] Nu Klass A – The Rhythm (Steve Gurley Remix) [Public Demand] Unknown – Unknown [White Label] El-B vs. Kelis – Get Along With You (White Label) Burial – Near Dark [Hyperdub]
A full interview Dummy Mag conducted with the man himself can be read here and his rolling remix of 'Basic Space' by The xx can also be downloaded from the site here.
The scene exploring areas between dubstep, techno, house and minimal has produced tunes of real depth, variety, swing and bass; take Appleblim and Ramadanman's 'Justify' , for example, or Jus Wan's 'Action Potential'. Arkist is among the producers, which also include 2562, Al Tourettes and Martyn, pushing this sound forward; but where his music differs is in the seamless integration of his 2-step and Drum & Bass (the Autonomic influence is clear) influences into his music: making it distinct, organic and refreshingly defiant of boundaries. With an upcoming US tour alongside fellow Bristol producer Wedge and a release on Deca Rhythm coming in August, Arkist has found the time to answer a few questions and lay down a mix showcasing his own production and that of producers on a similar vibe.
HEDMUK: Firstly, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?
Arkist: Hi, my name is Adam, I live in Bristol, UK and I produce bass-driven electronica with influences from across the musical spectrum.
H: Would you say you were from a particularly musical background, or was it something you found yourself drawn to naturally?
A: I'd have to say that I'm not. My dad was a trader in the city and my mum was a podiatrist so there wasn't a lot of musical influence coming from my parents. I think most of my early inspiration came from my friends and their siblings and their friends and so on.
H: The quality of your production is excellent: when did you start to make your own music and what were your early influences?
A: Thank you. I first started making music when I bought my first guitar when I was 10 years old. I was really into bands like Nirvana, Offspring and the Chili Peppers but I was much too young for gigs and clubnights so it was really just my guitar, a few CDs and a few good role models who were my early influences.
In terms of producing finished tracks, I didn't start making music until I was about 15. I became very interested in Drum & Bass and I think the idea of having total control of my output, something that is rarely possible with bands, was very appealing to me so I started trying to make D&B.
H: Would you say you still bear these early influences strongly, or has your musical taste, influences and the direction of your music changed as you've developed as a producer?
A: Both! I Still enjoy listening to those bands and I still love Drum & Bass but there have definitely been changes as I have learned to appreciate other genres of music such as House, Techno and Electro, and that has really rubbed off in the studio.
H: What do you think of music right now? Does new music inspire you, and if so, what scenes or particular producers make you want to produce the music you do?
A: I think its great, there are lots of very talented old and new producers that are still managing to do something different and I find it inspirational and very motivating. The people that are doing it for me right now, I'd have to say, are James Blake, SBTRKT, Scuba, Al Tourettes, the whole Autonomic Crew, June Miller and so on.
H: Your tunes seem to fit really well with much of the Applepips catalogue, how did you come to be involved with the label?
A: Appleblim and I became good friends when I first moved to Bristol in 2008 and I found him and the label both very interesting. I especially respected how he was doing something different to what a lot of other labels were doing; so I did a little bit of experimentation in the lab, made a few tunes and Laurie liked them.
H: Bristol is a city with a rich bass music culture; with so many innovative producers based there, what does being part of the city's scene mean to you?
H: Bristol is a wonderful city to live and produce in, I think I owe a lot to its culture and the amazing artists that reside here. There is no way I would be where I am now without people like Komonazmuk, Gatekeeper and Wedge who have been extremely supportive technically and stylistically.
H: There is little information about you available and you often use a cartoonesque image instead of a picture of yourself, is anonymity important to you as a producer?
A: Anonymity is not massively important to me, I think the reason I leave a lot of information out of websites and such is purely because I want the music to do the talking, and as a listener I really couldn't care what star sign and favourite meal an artist that I'm listening to has. As for the 'cartoonesque' image, I use that just because I think all the photographs I have of myself are rubbish!
H: What can we expect from you in the future? Any releases forthcoming or big projects in the pipe-line?
A: I have a few releases lined up for this year. One on Applepips, Deca Rhythm Records (which is a great new label) and Immerse Records. I'm currently talking to DJ Wedge about an ISP( If Symptoms Persist) release as well.
The main event for this year has got to be the Wedge and Arkist American tour which is going to be monumentally big and begins mid-July 2010.
