We've been waiting to see this one released since a clip appeared on YouTube, courtesy of AJP, and had us at the replay button. Finally picked up by Pressed Records for a full 12" outing, 'Aight' still bangs as hard as it did back then: drums punching through a huge bassline groove, Ipman's characteristic control guides every element in the mix and the end result is one that tests the mettle of any soundsystem going. Killawatt turns the whole thing inside out for the B-side; drenched in delay and swarming hi-hats, the beat takes a dubwise approach: stripped back and stretched out, all deep textures and moody atmospherics.
With a test press of the record going spare, the guys at Pressed suggested we link up to give one lucky winner the chance to get their hands on a copy of the EP ahead of the official release date. To enter, simply head over here (or click on the link below) and follow the instructions. The competition will close one week from now, on Monday the 14th of October, on which date a winner will be chosen at random by an independent third party and announced via Facebook and Twitter.
When Gantz described the bassline on 'Stayer' as sounding 'like chocolate milk' it wasn't entirely obvious what he meant. Until we heard the final masters of this two-track release, that is. For his second second vinyl outing on Innamind, our favourite Turk comes with his usual unsettling lean: twisted samples, seasick rhythms and basslines that lurk around the beat with intent. What's so refreshing about the release is that it's emblematic not only of Gantz' apparently inability to do anything but lift boundaries and throw them yards ahead, but also of the Innamind team's excitement at being given the opportunity to test boundaries of their own and actually put the music out there: this is not a label interested in comfortable surroundings. Hence, as obvious as it may seem, both names have featured regularly on this site since their very earliest beginnings.
The competition will close on July the 12th, on which date a winner will be chosen at random by an independent third party and announced via Facebook and Twitter.
Gantz - Stayer / Lyrical Trick [IMRV005] is due for release in July, 2013.
After a little over three years of pushing free downloads and mixtapes, our friends over at FatKidOnFire have stepped up to deliver their first release proper in the form of the 'FKOFUn/Known01' compilation. Featuring twenty tracks split across two CDs, the release is aimed - as its title might suggest - as pushing the boundaries of what we consider to be dubstep, as well as showcasing new talent alongside some of the scene's more established names.
The compilation, for the most part, deals in dubstep: continuing the largely successful reclamation of the sound's deeper elements and pushing on with recent attempts to expand upon the half-step template through scattered hand percussion and off-kilter hats. Tunes such as Perverse's 'Hallidome', Percept's 'Reality' and BunZer0's 'Melancholy' revel in their focus on drums and each stand to make the point that 'stripped back' needn't necessarily 'mean half-step with sub-bass'. Gantz is, and has for a long time been, one of the best around at making this point and his inclusion on the release - 'Low Lands' being a real standout - thus serves as a strong reference point for what can be achieved within the ever-tighter confines of the 140 bracket. On a similar note, although arguably in a field of his own entirely, Ipman manages something quite outstanding with 'Flipmode' and its flurry or breaks, stabs and pulsating sub. That is not to say, however, that tunes such as Caski's 'Sandstone' or TMSV's remix of Thelem's 'Drones' fall flat because of their lurching half-step drum patterns: both have an immense attention to groove and move solidly as a result, themselves emphasising that there's still plenty of room between the kick and the snare for a good tune.
As far as the title's suggestion goes, there is plenty on offer in terms of new names to be met alongside the more-established artists and the likes of Nanobyte, FNC and Eleven8 - as well as a whole host of others - all make strong cases for themselves, each taking steps towards stamping their signature on the sound.
The release can be previewed via the promo mix below, which is available, along with a digital download of the CD contents, for free to anyone purchasing the physical release.
One of our favourite production duos remixing one of our favourite production duos: rarely does it get much better than this. Dropping in as a (very) early Christmas present, this rework shifts the intense atmospheric focus of the original track in favour of an unforgiving roll that is so notable across Killawatt's solo productions; and yet, with Ipman's masterful approach to sound design and engineering, that sense of atmosphere is not lost and is rather tugged back slightly so that it no longer envelopes, even smothers, the listener but is hung invitingly in front of them.
Not only is this an example of production and intricacy at its best but, with an airing out of the hard drive as it were, a suggestion that 2013 will hold plenty more exciting developments for the Jack Sparrow, Ruckspin, Killawatt and Ipman.
For our biggest giveaway to date we've linked up with Scruffy Hoodlum and Black Box to put together a bunch of prizes in support of the forthcoming release of DJ Madd's 'The Real And The Shadow' LP and the the official album launch party this Friday at The Royal Hotel, Southend. After the success of their previous events the guys behind Scruffy Hoodlum maintain their momentum with a Black Box showcase featuring Seven, Ipman and of course DJ Madd himself.
To be in with a chance of winning free entry plus one to the night aswell as a copy of the 'Real And The Shadow' CD and an exclusive DJ Madd studio mix, just email your answer to the following simple question, with the subject 'DJ Madd Competition' to hedmuk@gmail.com.
From which city, in which country is DJ Madd originally from?
Three winners will be randomly selected by an independent third party at the competition's close at midnight on March 1st. Winners will be notified by email and asked to provide a postal address to which their prizes can be sent.
Since appearing on the scene only a matter of months ago, Killawatt has had a presence that has been hard to ignore: with tunes being snapped up for release by almost every well-respected label around, he is soon to be boasting a very impressive back catalogue. With an incredible work-rate and level of productivity he has been quick to carve his own niche, producing a unique take on the rolling, techy dubstep sound.
With DJ support from the likes of Youngsta, N-Type, Distance, Skream and Benga he is certainly one to be keeping an eye on. We caught up with Killawatt to ask him some questions and he's also recorded a mix to take the #25 spot in our ever-growing series.
Hedmuk: For those who don't know, what's your name, where do you come from and how would you describe your sound?
Killawatt: I'm Matt Watt, aka Killawatt, and I'm from somewhere near Norwich in Norfolk. I've just moved back here since being at Uni in Guildford.
I'd describe my sound as a combination of tribal percussion, rolling subs and dark and cinematic ambiences (most of the time anyway!).
H: When did you start producing beats, and have you always made music of this style?
K: I can't really remember when it was exactly that I started making beats properly. I suppose I'd messed about on Reason when I was in 6th form about 5 years ago, but I never really knew what I was doing or what I wanted to do. It wasn't until my 2nd year of Uni, about 2 years ago, that I started producing seriously. I'd made a fair few old-skool-sounding jungle tunes the year before that, when I was involved with Satta Sounds, but that was never particularly challenging because of the fairly simple aesthetic of jungle.
My old housemate, Jack aka Ipman, got me into dubstep and started making very dubby sounding tunes inspired mainly by people like Radikal Guru, King Tubby, RSD, Scientist etc.; but that style is very limited so I took the darker, techier sound and it's all escalated quite rapidly from there.
H: You've very quickly established a name for yourself and have tunes signed to some of the most respected labels around (such as Wheel & Deal, Box Clever, Boka and Subway): how did this come about?
K: Well it all started with N-Type's initial support of the first darker tunes I wrote. I just sat down and told myself I was going to write a 4-track demo to send to labels, all based around a similar theme. I sent it to N-Type, he really liked 3 of the tracks on there ('Capa', 'Selenium' and 'Shakuhachi') and that was that. That really gave me the confidence to get on with promoting myself a bit more and also to write more tunes and develop my own style. I think the main key to securing all these signings is the amount of tunes I write: I don't really have anything else to do so producing is pretty much all I do.
I'm incredibly grateful for all these labels wanting to put my music out. If you'd asked me a few months ago if I thought it would be like this I would have just laughed at you, it's quite overwhelming how quickly it's all happened!
H: How does it feel to have the likes of N-Type, Skream and Benga playing your tunes on radio?
K: It feels incredibly satisfying. Getting plays on Radio 1 was especially satisfying since it was a complete surprise to me. I think it was Murky who told me about it: I probably wouldn't have known otherwise. I've got to thank J:Kenzo, Youngsta, Distance, T_!, Bunzero and Crises for further radio support as well!
H: With such a fast rise into the limelight, do you feel under pressure to keep upping your game?
K: Yeah I do but not from anybody else, only myself. I'm constantly pushing myself to write more and more stuff, if I go a week without finishing anything I feel like I'm slipping behind but then I have to make myself stop writing so I don't just run out of ideas and inspiration and get frustrated. I think it's natural for people to want to up their game all the time though really, especially if it's something that you want to take seriously as a career. I want to be able to produce for other artists and do soundtrack work in a few years time like Photek and Amon Tobin have done, and to be able to do that you have to really push yourself to learn all the time about different aspects of music and production and I see dubstep as my initial starting point. I do have to tell myself to be patient with it a lot of the time because I want to be able to do that now, but I've only really been producing for a couple of years and those guys have probably been at it since before it was born!
H: How did you go about putting together the mix you've done for us?
K: I've been wanting to do a mix purely consisting of my own stuff for a while, but I've never had enough tunes that I was confident about playing out or including in mixes. Now I have enough tunes to do this. I also wanted to represent Ipman's tunes because I think he's a sick producer and needs some more airtime. There's our collabs in there and a couple of collabs I've done with Thelem also. I'm hoping it'll give people a good idea of what my sound is and show that I like to change things up a bit too.
H: Finally, are there any other forthcomings or anything else you'd like to put the word out about?
K: We've just finished collating my 2nd Wheel & Deal release, which I'm excited about! I also have finalised forthcoming releases on New Moon ('Reason To Worry', 'Swarf', 'Too Dark'), Loft Party Records ('Interplay' and 'Binary'), Box Clever ('Mantra' and 'Schitzophonia'), BLKBXXX ('Sidewinder' and 'Sidewinder (Ipman Remix)'), 'Xibalba' is the B-side to Ipman's Boka release, Subway Digital ('Critters' and 'Floating Weight'), 'Conflict' is due out on a Requiem Audio 12" with a DJ Madd and Matt-U tune and I should have another batch of 12" releases to announce in the next couple of months too so watch out for them.
Should also have a few collaborations with the likes of Biome, Matt-U and Phaeleh hitting the airwaves very soon, as well as a few remixes. Going to be remixing Radikal Guru for his album remix EP due out on Moonshine in January too which is quite a personal thing for me as he was the one that really hooked me into dubstep!
Big ups to everyone who's supported my music over the last few months, it would be hard to keep making it without that support!
