trap magazine 013

TRAP

MAGAZIN

E13

FEBRUARY|MARCH

2013Life

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www.fabriclondon.com

4HEROACTRESS (LIVE)

AKKORDARAABMUZIK

ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEBAMBOUNOU

BEN UFOBENEATH

BLUE DAISYBOK BOK

BRACKLESCALIBRE

CALL SUPERCASPA

CHIMPO & TRIGGACHUNKY (DJ SET)

COOLY GD-BRIDGE

DARQ E FREAKERDISTANCE B2B

TUNNIDGE

DJ EZDJ HYPE (2 HR SET)

DJ RASHADDJ ZINC & TIPPA

DOORLYED RUSH & OPTICAL

FABIOFOREIGN CONCEPT

FRENCH FRIESGOLDIEHAZARDIKONIKA

ILLUM SPHERE B2BJONNY DUB

IVY LABKASRA B2B ENEI

KODE 9KOWTONKUTMAH

LENZMANLONDON ELEKTRICITY

LONE

MARCUS INTALEXMARTELO

MEFJUS B2B EMPERORMOSCA

NEOSIGNAL(WORLDWIDE DEBUT)

N-TYPENU:LOGICOM UNITPANGAEA

PASCALPEARSON SOUND

PINCHPLASTICIAN

RUSTIESCRATCH PERVERTS

SCRATCHA DVASPENCERTESSELA

TROLLEY SNATCHATRUE TIGER

WALTON

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Anja Schneider Ben UFOBlawan Catz N Dogz Claude VonStroke Damian LazarusDixonDJ SneakDyed SoundoromEats EverythingEllen AllienFutureboogie DJs Guy GerberHeidiHuxleyJoy OrbisonJustin MartinLaura JonesMaceo PlexMagda

Masters At WorkMatthias TanzmannMaxxi SoundsystemMaya Jane ColesMiguel CampbellMKModeratPBR StreetgangProsumer Richy AhmedRyan CrossonSeth TroxlerShadow ChildSoul Bros:—Soul Clap —The Martinez BrothersSubb-anTheo ParrishWaifs & Strays& Many more...

Over 100 of the world’s finest house & techno acts including…

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T H ED RO P

FACEBOOK: Search ‘Trap Magazine’

TWITTER: @trapmagazine

EMAIL: [email protected]

EDITOR: Jon Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN: Andy Hayes

FASHION EDITOR: Kasha Malyckyj

SALES & ADVERTISING: Iain Blackburn

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION: Justin Iriajen

SOCIAL NETWORKING: Amy Stiff

WEB: Daddison & Nick Hills

COVER: Maya Jane Coles by Laura Lewis.

PICTURES: Laura Lewis, Gareth Rhys, Sarah Ginn, Satoshi Minakawa, Mark Read.

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

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

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

T RA P MAGAZ I N EF EB RUA RY / MARC H 2 0 1 3WWW . T R A PMAGAZ I N E . C O . U K

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

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

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

@50/50, Carly @ Everything, Cheba & Sam @ WOC, Chris @ Cable, Chris & Joe @ Idle

Hands, Danny Keston, James @ Ninja Tune, Ollie Grove, Neil @ Kish and everybody

else we forgot.

OUTLOOK / DIMENSIONS

EASTERN ELECTRICS

RISE UP MYNULENG /CLEANBANDIT

dBRIDGE TRAP MIXTAPE

SHADOWCHILD

MAYA JANE COLES

DOBIE IN PICTURES

YOUNGSTAR

DUB POLICE

ART: SWITCH STUDIOS

REGULARS FEATURES

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HYPE LATEST NEWS AND HYPEST HAPPENINGS

MONKI

URBAN NERDS

FIFTY FIFTY

FASHION

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

FASHION SHOOT SPRING NOIR

REVIEWS THE LATEST MUSIC & GAMES

STUDIO SESSIONS #3 WITH BREAK

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

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11

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006 T R A P M AG A Z I N E .

RINSE ACADEMYRinseFM has been a launch-pad formany of today’s biggest bass-musicsuperstars. Now, the undergroundinstitution is upping its commitment tonurturing bright UK talent with the RinseAcademy Drop In Sessions. If you’reunder the age of 21, the Rinse faminvite you to come down to their studiosto hone your production ski l ls with someof the station’s premier artists.

We wish there’d been something l ike thiswhen we were younger – if you fancy acareer as a producer, don’t miss out onthis incredible opportunity. The sessionsare held every week on Wednesdays andThursdays, 1-7pm. To book your placeemail [email protected].

rinse.fm

HORIZON FESTIVALNEW FESTIVAL INTHE SNOW

On 23 March, a brand-new festival hits theslopes of Bulgaria, bringing with it amuch-needed fresh approach to snow-basedmusic festivals.

With five ful l nights of music and plenty oftime to mess around in the snow, if youcan’t wait unti l summer for your festivalkicks, then you need to give Horizon someserious consideration.

Packages start at just £256, which includes afive-day ski pass, six nights accommodationand your festival t icket. That is what we call abargain. Parties wil l be hosted by some ofTrap’s favourite promoters, including TroubleVision, Trix, Audio Donuts, Apex and Shapes,and the l ine-ups for each of these is a cut wellabove the tired and played-out bookings you’l lf ind at the other bigger snow-based festivals.

Loefah, Jackmaster, Dark Sky, Phaeleh, BenPearce, Wookie, Maribou State and, of course,Icicle and Throwing Snow are just a handful ofthe acts booked to play. Tickets are availablenow from the Horizon website.

horizonfestival.net

AIR MAXHOMETURFNike’s Air Max l ine keepsthe variations coming withthe Hometurf series,delivering a range of 87s,90s, 95s and 97s inoriginal and Hyperfuseforms celebrating theunique personalit ies ofLondon, Milan and Paris.

nike.com

PLEASUREPRINCIPLE

As we reported last issue,26-28 April will see thedebut Pleasure Principlefestival take place nearNewquay in Cornwall. Withthe Numbers and Dedbeatgangs behind it, you knowit’s gonna be special.

pleasureprinciple.net

HY P E13

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 007

LOVE SAVES THE DAY CITY-CENTRE FESTIVAL RETURNS

After the success of last year ’s inaugura l ed i t ion, Love Saves The Dayreturns to Br is to l ’s Cast le Park at the end of May for another a l l -dayknees-up in the open a i r.

On Saturday 25 May, the c i ty-centre park wi l l aga in be t ransformed into amin i- fest iva l , w i th thousands of at tendees and a mass ive l ine-up r ich in bothloca l ta lent and the current dar l ings of UK dance music.

Alunageorge, Rudimenta l , Seth Trox ler, Bondax, Joy Orb ison, Jackmaster,Bicep and Eats Everyth ing make for just a s l i ther of the ar t is ts booked top lay, and wi th Team Love behind the ent i re event , you know the on-s i teproduct ion won’t d isappoint e i ther.

Tickets are se l l ing mad qu ick, so i f you l i ve in Br is to l , we adv ise you grabyours now – don’t b lame us when you’re sat at home a lone l is ten ing to thed is tant thud of bass f rom Cast le Park!

lovesavestheday.org

ECHO FESTIVAL

We all know all about thebig Croatian festivals, butif you’re looking forsomething more intimate,we recommend Echo. Theline-up is deep, t icketscheap and locationbeautiful. Check thewebsite for more info.

echofestival.com

THE ALCHEMIST

Reflecting on 20 years ofproducing music, Goldiereleases ‘The Alchemist’,a three-CD anthology ofhis most defining sonicworks, on 11 March.Check our Apri l issue for avery special feature...

goldie.co.uk

BLOC LONDONI t takes some balls, but the teambehind Bloc are back with a newconcept, ready to drag their onceil lustrious brand from the ashes ofthe infamous fai led Bloc Weekend inJuly last year.

You’ve al l heard about that night,and no doubt have your opinions onwhether the brand should even havethe audacity to return in any form,but here at Trap we’d l ike to forgiveand forget and welcome the Blocteam back.

Bloc London kicks off a series of 10dates on 9 March with Model 500 inthe as-yet unannounced building.Check the website for more info.

bloclondon.com

UNITED NATIONS OF DUBSITE RELOCATIONAs we reported last issue, 22 March wil l see United Nationsof Dub, the UK’s first dub, reggae and roots indoor ‘week-ender’. Original ly, the festival was to be located at Pontinsnear Bristol, but due to recent sound complaints at thevenue, UNOD has had to relocate to Prestatyn Sands inNorth Wales.

The line-up is sti l l just as strong and includes the likes ofChannel One, Rodigan, Jah Shaka, Iration Steppas, and allthe other holiday-park weekender attractions that the originallocation promised wil l be on offer. Tickets start at just £30and are available now.

unodweekender.com

SOFT ROCKETSTRAP HOSTS ONEOF FIVE VENUESOn Thursday 7 March, Bristol’s Stokes Croft wil l host

Soft Rockets, a unique five-venue event with the aim

of celebrating the area’s ever increasing cultural

vibrancy and bringing together some of the city’s

finest musical talent to create five brand-new tracks in

the Red Bull Studios.

Trap wil l be hosting one of the spaces, with a focus on

all things bass-heavy delivered by the l ikes of Break,

Buggsy and Jus Now, while South London Ordnance,

Behling & Simpson, The Other Tribe and Marco

Bernardi are just a few of the names playing for

Bristol institutions such as Idle Hands and

Futureboogie elsewhere on the night.

Entry to al l the venues is free; keep checking the

website for more info on how to claim your wristband,

and watch out for the EP.

redbull .co.uk/sof trockets


4OURS / ALUNAGEORGE LIVE / ÂME / APEX / APPLEBOTTOM / BABY MALC / BICEP / BONDAXBREAKAGE / BROMLEY / CHRISTOPHE & LUKAS / CRAZY P LIVE / CRAZYLEGS / CRUMP & KEADYDEETRON / DIGITAL SOUNDBOY / DISMANTLE / DUBIOUS & A.QUAKE / DUSKY / EATS EVERYTHINGETON MESSY / FEEL THE REAL / FUTUREBOOGIE / GORGON SOUND (KAHN & NEEK) / HALF NAKED JACKMASTER / JAY-L / JOY ORBISON / JUS NOW / JUST JACK / MARCO BERNARDI / MAXXISOUNDSYSTEM / MICKEY PEARCE / MONKI / MR SCRUFF / OUTBOXX / PALEMAN / PARDON MYFRENCH / ROSES GABOR / RUDIMENTAL LIVE / SETH TROXLER / SHAMBARBER / SHANTI CELESTESHAPES / SHY FX / SLY-ONE / THE DANCE OFF / THE HOUSE OF BOO-DIOR / THE OTHER TRIBE LIVETHE BLAST / TOM RIO AND DAN WILD / WAIFS AND STRAYS / WOZ / & MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

FEAT BONOBO LIVE

SUBJECT TO LICENCE

WWW.LOVESAVESTHEDAY.ORG


WHP CLOSINGPARTIESMarch is the month thatthe al l mightyWarehouse Projectleaves us for anothersix months, and the lastfour days of Marchpromise what you wouldusually expect...Goodness. Line-upsinclude Maya JaneColes, Ben Klock,Rustie, Loefah,Jackmaster, Skream,Heidi and a finale ofAlesso Presents.Farewell WHP, see youagain soon!

FESTIVALTICKETS! Now, I know it's earlybut this is a heads-up;festival season isapproaching. Before youknow it, they'll all besold out and your mateswill be fall ing around ina field laughing whileyou’re sat at homewishing you were there.So, prepare! Line-upsare starting to beannounced, so goodluck on those phonelines and refreshingthose web pages. Seeyou in a field somewhere!

Now part of Radio One’s In New DJs Trustroster, as well as holding down her Saturdayafternoon RinseFM slot and running the ZooMusic imprint, Monki is doing everything weexpected of her when she first startedwrit ing for Trap two years ago. This is whatshe’s vibing on this month...

I LOVE…

DISCLOSURE‘INFECTED’

What a year it's been for the two Disclosure brothers.With ‘Latch’ peaking at Number 11 in the charts lastyear, and ‘White Noise’ with AlunaGeorge looking todo even better, I think the boys deserve a round ofapplause! If you dig into YouTube, you’l l f ind anothertrack, ‘Infected’. They performed this at Radio 1'sFuture Festival, as well as at their intimate gig inBrixton last year. Go check who's on the vocals!

ONE TO WATCHSQUAREHEADA young producer from Sheffield, Squarehead iscausing quite a stir. If you search back a few years,you'l l see he's been in the background for a hotminute, but 2013 seems to be going swimmingly.Late December saw him release ‘Elegante’ on hisown imprint 5andSeven, and it’s seen radio supportfrom Annie Mac, B.traits and more. You'l l be seeinghis face a lot more in clubs and on festival stagesthis year, I’m sure.

CATCH ME AT:

8 MARCH -THE NEST

I ' l l be playing The Nestin London’s East-Endon 8 Apri l, alongsidetwo other female DJs,which is a rarity!B.Traits and Kito wil l bemaking up the rest ofthe bi l l . Tickets areavailable now onResident Advisor

12 APRIL -SANKEYS

This wil l be my firstt ime at Sankeys and Ican't wait! The l ine-upon 12 Apri l includesZed Bias, Friend Within,Braiden and fel lowyoungster Karma Kid.Manchester is one ofmy favourite musicalcit ies, so it's always apleasure to play there.

OUTLOOKPULA, CROATIA29 AUGUST –2 SEPTEMBER 2013

Back for its sixth year and now firmlyestablished as the greatest celebration ofbass-music culture anywhere on Planet Earth,Outlook has announced its plans for 2013.

Combining one of the most unique and evocativefestival locations in the world with four days andnights of music from the biggest names inreggae, dubstep, drum & bass, hip-hop, grimeand beyond, the king of Croatian festivals lookscomfortable shrugging off the many pretendersto its throne.

The final weekend of August wil l see the ruinedFort Punta Christo on Croatia’s north coast againpacked to the ramparts with massivesoundsystems, hundreds of artists and thousandsof eager ravers ready for the best weekend oftheir l ives.

Now far evolved from its origins as asmall-scale dubstep rave-up in a Croatianfishing town back in 2008, this year’s Outlookcovers the ful l spectrum of bass-driven music ona massive scale, with the underground soundsfi l l ing the Fort’s more intimate spacescomplemented by international superstarsplaying reggae, hip-hop and more on theenormous harbour-side main stage.

With wall-to-wall sunshine (almost)guaranteed, cheap booze and daytime beach andboat parties (one of which Trap wil l be hostingwith our friends The Blast), if you like your musicbass-heavy but you’ve never been to Outlook,then make sure you sort it this year! For thosethat know, we wil l see you in the sunshine.

LINE-UP INCLUDES:

Talib Kweli, Digital Mystikz,Alborosie, Goldie, Rodigan,Jay Electronica, Loefah, Joey Bada$$,Randall, Benji B, Shy FX, Mungo’s Hi-Fi,Newham Generals, The Heatwave, Zed Bias.

outlookfestival.com

TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 012

Tickets foreach festivalcost £135 + BFCombined Outlook/Dimensions tickets cost£245 + BFFlights are cheap, airport

transfers can be bought onthe respective website.Camp onsite or rentapartments nearby.

DIMENSIONSPULA, CROATIA5 – 9 SEPTEMBER2013

After an impressive debut last year,

Dimensions looks ready to establish itself as

one of the most forward-thinking electronic

music festivals around with its second edition

this September.

Taking place in the same see-it-to-believe-it

ruined coastal fortress as Outlook, and on the

fol lowing weekend, Dimensions brings a

deeper, more thoughtful take on electronic

music to one of the world’s most incredible

festival locations.

By night, the moats and courtyards of Fort

Punta Christo wil l play host to an eruditely

compiled roster of talent representing not just

the cutting edge, but the ful l history of

electronic music, in al l i ts most interesting

shapes. A live show from techno original Juan

Atkins’ Model 500 tops a stunning line-up that

reaches confidently into the worlds of techno,

house, dub and the deeper end of dubstep,

drum & bass and electronica.

During the daytime, if you’re not catching up

on sleep, boat parties and chil led-out beach

sessions help you make the most of the

sunshine before heading back to the Fort for

another night-long session with a few thousand

likeminded music lovers. As you can tel l, we’re

big fans of Dimensions, so if you’re looking for

something different this year, we can’t

recommend it enough.

LINE-UP INCLUDES:

Model 500 (live), Daphne, Omar S, Mala in

Cuba , Theo Parrish, Boddika, Pearson

Sound, Ben Klock, dBridge, XXXY, Bicep,

Alexander Nut, Moodymann, Huxley,

Kowton, Marcus Intalex.

dimensionsfest ival.com

TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 013

BUY TICKETSB STEKCIY TUBUY TICKETSB STEKCIY TU

London’s nerdiest party-startersreturn with another update ontheir world…

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


RATTUS RATTUSHOT 5IVE1. Kry Wolf ‘The Flood’Tearing up dancefloors wherever it'splayed; some serious weight.

2. Paranoid Resistance ‘The Grid’A new project from Tom Shorterz andLorenzo, two producers currently smashingthe scene. This collaboration doesn'tdisappoint.

3. iGrade ‘Dead’ VIPA monster. Expect big things from iGradethis year.

4. My Nu Leng ‘Elite’A stel lar EP from rising stars My Nu Leng,which has been given out for FREE!! Thisone has gone straight into my playl ist withits rol l ing synth l ines.

5. Jason Burns ‘Wait’ (RattusRattus Rmx)Yup, this ones from me. If you’re notconvinced by my obvious bias, check outthe original, which is a new-schoolgarage classic.

A couple of months into 2013 andthings are rol l ing along nicely at UrbanNerds HQ, after a sold-out NYE eventand a ram-jam NYD party at Ministryof Sound with Eastern Electrics, whichfeatured special guests including EatsEverything, MK, Loefah, Dusky, ZedBias, it’s safe to say we started off theyear the right way!

There’s been no let-up, as Januaryalso saw us hosting an arena at theBugged Out Weekender where DJ EZstole the show and a sell-out Sin Cityshow with Supercharged in Brighton.It’s been a good start to 2013; big upto everyone who’s partied with us overthe past few months!

SNOWBOMBING2013In Apri l we’re heading back toSnowbombing for the fifth year in arow, and another f ive days of non–stoppartying! Rompa’s Reggae Shack wil lsee a special ragga jungle set fromEats Everything and a b2b reggae setfrom Breach and Artwork, while theUrban Nerds main event promisesTodd Edwards, Mosca, DJ EZand Breach!

There are only a few tickets left forthis year’s event. Book through UrbanNerds and you’l l receive a l imited-edit ion T-shirt. Check out the l inkbelow for more info.

WWW.SNOWBOMBING.COM/URBANNERDS

2 - 4 A U G U S T 2 0 1 3

fter almost five years of pioneering parties in some of thecapital’s most interesting spaces, London house andtechno trailblazers Eastern Electrics take the next step in

their ongoing evolution with a proper tents-and-grass, three-dayfestival at the legendary Knebworth Estate.

Perfectly timed to capitalise on the underground’s currentobsession with all things house and techno, Trap couldn’t beprouder to be official media partners for this year’s festival, whichlooks like it could be the event that defines the dance musiczeitgeist of 2013. And there could be no more fitting venue for thisthan Knebworth, famed for monumental, era-setting rock concertsfrom the like of Led Zeppelin, Oasis and the Stones.

Over the three days and two nights of the party, more than 100 ofthe finest and most on-point names in house and techno will bedoing their thing across the multitude of arenas and open-airspaces on offer. From revered house music originators such asMasters At Work and DJ Sneak, to techno royalty Moderat andDave Clarke, to the more bass-driven current sounds of the likesof Huxley, Ben UFO and this issue’s cover star Maya Jane Coles,the line-up on offer at Eastern Electrics 2013 ismind-boggling brilliant.

There really will be no other festival anything like this in the UK in2013, so whether you’re a house and techno stalwart looking forrelief from the soulless dance festivals put on up North, or you’re arecent convert hyped on the freshness of the house musicrenaissance, grab your ticket now from the EE website and startgetting hyped about August.

LINE UP INCLUDES:

Ben UFO, Blawan, Claude VonStroke,Dave Clarke, DJ Sneak, Dyed SoundoromEats Everything, Huxley, Joy Orbison,Laura Jones, Levon Vincent, Maya JaneColes, Masters At Work, MauriceFulton, Maxxi Soundsystem, MK,Moderat, Sasha, Seth Troxler, ShadowChild plus many more.

Knebworth is just a couple of miles fromStevenage rai l stat ion, 20 minutes fromcentral London by train.Limi ted £115 + BF weekend t ickets are onsa le now, standard t ickets wi l l cost£145 + BF.Buy four t ickets and get one free bybooking on the EE website.Day t ickets ava i lab le f rom mid-Apr i l .V IP t ickets cost £180 + BF.

www.ea s t e rn e l e c t r i c s . c om

A

THEWHITEPEPPERwww.thewhitepepper.com

Since star t ing out on asosmarketp lace, East-London labe lThe Whi tepepper has carved out an iche wi th i ts st reet-sty le insp i redaesthet ic . The brand’s SS13offer ing channels that v ibeperfect ly, wi th a mix of la id-backluxe dresses and qui rky separatesin l ightweight fabr ics and softco lour pa let tes.

We’ve got a lot of love for TheWhi tepepper’s on l ine store, whichnot on ly carr ies the latest range,but a lso holds a se lect ion ofmenswear, hand-p icked v intageand an impress ive co l lect ion oft rend-heavy shoes andaccessor ies.

FAS H I O N13WORDS: Kasha Malyckyj& Jason Gardner


LF MARKEYwww.lfmarkey.com

LF Markey is a labe l thatep i tomises understated luxury.The SS13 co l lect ion conveys th iseffor t less ly. As wi th a l l LF Markeyco l lect ions, the sh i r t is the mainfocus of th is range, wi th thec lass ic s ty le represented inshor t-s leeved un isex shapes,decorated wi th 90s surf pr in tsand po lka-dots.

Menswear is a welcome addi t ion tothe labe l , w i th ta i lo red shor ts ands lacks in tona l navy and greycomplet ing the look.

WWW.NVMBRSTREETWEAR.COM


Drip yourse l f in go ld cour tesy ofjewel lery brand House of Midas,whose range of v in tagedes igner- insp i red accessor ieshas made the top of our must-have l is t th is month. Vis i t thewebs i te for weekly updates andkeep an eye out for a t-sh i r trange launching soon.

HOUSE OF MIDAShouseofmidas.com

US brand Publ ish has a f i rmmani festo of produc ingc lass ic menswear p ieceswi th an a l l - importantmodern twist .

Offer ing ref ined takes onut i l i ta r ian stap le p ieces, thebrand’s co l lect ion inc ludes ast rong se lect ion of premiumouterwear, den im, tees,accessor ies and cut-and-sewpieces. Publ ish is ava i lab lenow f rom Coosht i .

PUBLISHpublishbrand.com

FAS H IO N13


New streetwear brands wi th pocket- teeand 5-panel cap-packed ranges areten-a-penny these days, but UK brandSubl imina l s tand out f rom the homebrewcrowd in sty le.

Heav i ly inf luenced by des ign and musiccu l ture, the range is expanding qu ick ly.There’s a rea l commitment to qua l i tyacross the l ines on offer, wi th deepfabr ics and int r icate deta i ls making thetees, hats and bags on offer a cut abovethe rest .

The L iber ty-pr in t pocket tees have gotus droo l ing – check the on l ine store nowfor more f rom the Subl imina l range.

SUBLIMINAL APPARELfacebook.com/subliminalapparel

FAS H I O N13


Our 15-year anniversary is in full swing, having kicked off back inDecember with a fresh product launch and an after-party headlined

by the mighty Diamond D. To celebrate the milestone, we’ve droppedtwo collaborations with two very different brands, alongside a bunchof new in-house graphics. Both packs are exclusive to fifty fifty and

are available in limited quantities.

Skateboarding. We love it. So

do the guys at fifty fifty… This

is their world right now.

WWW.5050STORE.COM

Celebrating in style


Fifty Fifty x FrontThe second link-up we chose is with Front Magazine who don’t reallycollaborate too often, but were down with our recent lines and gave

us access to some amazing photos to choose for this project.

The collab features two boards and tees, featuring the hottest Frontgirls. What more can we say? Everyone likes hot scantily clad

ladies… We think the images speak for themselves!!!

In other fifty fifty goings-on, the edit from our recent trip to the DCEmbassy in Barcelona has just gone live over at

www.thedcembassy.com. We’ve also dropped a short promo tocoincide with our 15 Year Anniversary line, which is live at

www.5050store/media-page so be sure to check out these editsfeaturing all the store’s team members shredding.

As the weather gets better, the team are all out racking footage, sothere’ll be plenty for you to keep an eye out for this year in that

department. Go watch the edits and go skate!!!

Fifty Fifty x 5Boro NYCThe first collab project is with New York’s finest skate brand 5BoroNYC, which started life at a similar time to the store. It’s a brandwe’ve always loved, as it’s maintained its roots and identity, with

amazing graphics guaranteed in every line.

The fifty fifty x 5Boro pack features a board that’s the result of5Boro’s research into Bristol heritage. The brand came up with atwist on its original ‘Join or Die’ series, using elements of a 16th

Century Bristol heraldic shield on a gold-foil base. The flags featuredon that shield also make up the graphics on the collaboration tee.

Twitter: @fiftyfiftystoreInstagram: @fiftyfiftystore

BIZZI – ‘BIZZI'S PARTY’(BOOKER T RMX)This was the first record I ever bought,on the first tr ip I ever made to BigApple records. It was a huge tune whenI was at school; I think I only actuallytr ied to buy it because it was a girl Ifancied’s favourite song!

THE EMOTIONS – ‘LOG ON’(HORSEPOWER RMX)This is the tune that coined the term‘dubstep’. I remember when Benny Il lbrought it into Big Apple; everybody inthe shop went nuts! Sti l lan absolute personal favourite.

SKREAM & BENGA –‘THE JUDGEMENT’This was my first ever release and alsothe track that I think changed mine andBenga’s l ives forever. I' l l never forgetthe night Hatcha intro’d with it atFWD>> circa 2002/2003... Epic times!

SKREAM – ‘THE BUG’This was my first solo release on BigApple and the first track of mine to getthree rewinds on Hatcha’s radio showon Flight FM!

CERRONE – ‘SUPERNATURE’This record sti l l sounds so fresh to thisday. I don’t really know what else to sayabout this one, just l isten to it!

This is where Trap invites the biggest and most important DJs

in the game to tell us about ten tracks that hit them deep, for

whatever reason. They don’t come much bigger or more

important than Skream; here are his ten ultimate selections...

G O I N G I N D E E P

S k r e a m

BODDIKA & JOY O – ‘MERCY’This track really got me into house andtechno as a producer. I mean, I'd beenbuying and listening to house since I was15, but this tune really made me want tostart making and playing it. I sti l l play thisin nearly every set!

FIVE SPECIAL – ‘WHY LEAVEUS ALONE’Anybody who has seen or heard me play adisco set will be familiar with this one. Ifirst heard it on the Larry Levan ‘Paradise’compilation. I love everything about it, fromthe second it starts, to the bangingbassline and what I regularly refer to asmy favourite chord change ever! So sick.

SOLU MUSIC FT KIMBLEE – ‘FADE’(ORIGINAL PT 1)This reminds me of when me and mymissus first got together. My brother usedto play at secret funky house partiescalled ‘Avant Garde’ and this was thefirst t ime I think I ‘felt’ music withanother person emotionally, I guess...

EL-B FT JUICEMAN – ‘BUCK N BURY’(ORIGINAL MIX)This tune was the track that made mewant to make music for the rest of mylife. The first t ime I heard it I lost my shit.I owe a lot to El-B for early inspiration,absolute don!

HANNAHWANTSFOOD

1. HANNAHWANTS & LOMAC –‘DAPPY’ (FOOD)2. MAXTA - ‘I WANNA ROCK’ (WOZREMIX) (SONY)3. DEVOLUTION– ‘MY FRIENDS’ (DUB)4. HANNAHWANTS & LOMAC – ‘SOSPECIAL’ (DUB)5. PARANOID RESISTANCE -‘THE GRID’ (DUB)6. CLOCKWORK - ‘BBBS’(GTA REMIX)(MAD DECENT)7. HANNAHWANTS & LOMAC -‘NONE A THEM’ (FOOD)8. KRYWOLF - ‘WORKIN' HARD’(FOOD)9. DOUGLAS GREED - ‘WHEN A MANSINGS ON A TRACK’ (DOUGI)10. ALPINES - ‘CHANCES’ (CYRILHAHN REMIX) (UNTRUE)

JUBEIMETALHEADZ

1. CLARITY– ‘CONSTANT’ (EXIT)2. GOLDIE – ‘BROKENMAN’(METALHEADZ)3. RUFFHOUSE – ‘STRANGERS’(INGREDIENTS)4. MARCUS INTALEX – ‘RIOTS’(METALHEADZ)5. ST FILES – ‘ERIC BRISTOW’ (EXIT)6. MUTT FTKEVIN KING –CONVERSATIONS’ (GREMLINZ & RENELA VICE RMX) (DUB)7. ULTERIORMOTIVE – ‘RIGHTHERE’(METALHEADZ)8. SKITTLES – ‘IN FORME’ (JUBEIREFIX) (ESTATE)9. JUBEI – ‘SAYNOTHIN' FTFLOWDAN’ (ROCKWELL RMX)(METALHEADZ)10. JUBEI & CONSEQUENCE – ‘BLACKHORNET’ (THERE'S STILL HOPE)(METALHEADZ)

YOUNG LIONDRB SHOW

1. BUSY SIGNAL – ‘COME SHOCKOUT’ (JUKE BOXX)2. CHRONIXX – ‘AINT NO GIVINGIN’ (DIGITAL VIBEZ MUZIK)3. CHRONIXX – ‘LOSINGCONTROL’ (CHIMNEY)4. POPCAAN – ‘FOOD HAFFI RUN’(21ST HAPILOS)5. POPCAAN – ‘CLEAN STAMP’(U.I.M RECORDS)6. KONSHENS – ‘DRINK & RAVE’(RAZZ & BIGGY MUSIC)7. POTENTIAL KIDD – ‘DASH ITAWAY’ (UNISYZ MUSIC)8. STEPHEN 'DI GENIUS'MCGREGOR– ‘ME ALONE’ (DI GENIUS)9. VYBZ KARTEL –‘WEED SMOKERS’ (HEADCONCUSSION / ADIDJAHIEM)10. I OCTANE – ‘BLOOD A GO RUN’(DJ FRASS)

PLASTICIANRINSE FM1. SWIFTA BEATER – ‘BOMB’(STAYFRESH)2. JAYDROP – ‘THAT’S HOW IT IS’(TEMPA)3. FOOTSIE – ‘DON'T GET GASSED’(DUB)4. SHIFT KEY – ‘WIGGLE WITH IT’(BUYGORE)5. MOJO – ‘FIRE’ (TERRORHYTHM)6. P MONEY FT BLACKS – ‘TOP BOY’(DUB)7. PLASTICIAN FT. DISCARDA,BLACKS, MERKY ACE & P MONEY –‘DESTRUCTION DERBY’ (DUB)8. AWE – ‘RUST LUNG’(TERRORHYTHM)9. SI YOUNG – ‘ONLY ONE’ (DUB)10. AWE – ‘EAGLE SOUL’ )’(TERRORHYTHM)

TOM DEMACHYPERCOLOUR

1. A SAGITTARIUN – ‘EYE AGAINSTEYE’ (ELASTIC DREAMS)2. STEVE STOLL – ‘SLIPSTREAM’(NOVAMUTE)3. TOM DEMAC & GLIMPSE – GUNS &POSERS’ (DRUMCODE LTD.)4. PEPE BRADOCK– ‘A BUNCH OFCEPHALORES’ (ATAVISME)5. JAMESWELSH – ‘HEWAY’ (TOMDEMAC REMIX) (JOIN THE DOTS)6. KEVINMCPHEE – ‘VERSION 5’(3024)7. ROOTSTRAX – ‘HARLEQUIN 808DUB’ (ROOTSTRAX)8. SAVAS YSTATIS – ‘ALRIGHT’(SURGEON REMIX) (TRESOR)9. GLIMPSE – ‘OH CAPTAIN MYCAPTAIN’ (TOM DEMAC REMIX) (AUS)10. DENSE & PIKA – ‘LACK OF LIGHT’(HOTFLUSH)

SIR SPYRORINSE FM

1. SPYRO FT. FOOTSIE – ‘NIGHTSHIFT’ (DRAGON PUNCH)2. FAZE MIYAKE – TRENDSETTER'(DUB)3. DEECO – ‘32TB’ (DUB)4. RUDE KID FT. MERKY ACE –‘3 CDS’ (FAMILY TREE)5. BOK BOK – ‘SILO PASS' (SPYROPASS REMIX) (NIGHT SLUGS)6. TRC – ‘WIGGLE' (DUB)7. PREDITAH – ‘LOOSE CANNON'(AMMUNITION)8. P MONEY – ‘ROLL CALL' (S.O.T.U)9. RUDE KID – ‘SCHOOL BELL' (DUB)10. SPYRO FT MERKY ACE & EGO –'GET ALONG GANG' (DRAGONPUNCH)

WE ARE...James Irving and Tommy Jackson, aka My Nu Leng.

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW US FOR...Our recent release on 877 Records ‘The Grid’.

WE'D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC WE MAKE AS...Moody, dark and bouncy.

WHEN WE'RE NOT WORKING, YOU'LL FIND US...Watching films and drinking tea!

WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, WE DREAMED OF BEING...James: A football legend.Tommy: A paleontologist (Jurassic Park had quite an impact on theyounger me).

IF WE WEREN'T DOING MUSIC, WE'D...James: I’d probably be working in an office for the rest of my life.Tommy: Be struggling to pursue a career in the art world.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO US IS...Family and friends, and the ability to be able to express ourselvesthrough music.

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

Two more Rise Up mixes from

talents we’re tipping for the

top coming your way; this

time from frighteningly

on-point duo My Nu Leng,

and chart-troubling collective

Clean Bandit.

Check the website to grab

both these, and all our

previous mixes.

www.trapmagazine.co.uk

We Are...M Y N U L E N G

09OUR MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURES ARE...J: 2000-2003 Drive Thru Records.T: Nicki Minaj.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...We're fully aware we have a silly name; too many people take thescene far too seriously!

THE BEST ADVICE WE'VE EVER HAD IS...Keep doing your own thing.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR MIX ARE...My. Nu. Leng.

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...Hopefully, still releasing music and travelling to different places toplay records!

@mynuleng


We Are...C L E A N B A N D I TWE ARE...Clean Bandit: four instrumentalists, working with various featured vocalists fordifferent songs.

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW US FOR...‘A&E’, our latest release on Black Butter Records.

WE'D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC WE MAKE AS...Electronic chamber music. Bass pop with cello and violin and liveelectro-acoustic drums.

WHEN WE'RE NOT WORKING, YOU'LL FIND US...In Antigua.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, WE DREAMED OF BEING...Bakers.

IF WE WEREN'T DOING MUSIC, WE'D...Make films. We've made all our music videos ourselves and would like to movetowards narrative cinema at some point...

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO US IS...Each other, bacon and taxis.

OUR MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURES ARE...How can a pleasure be guilty? If you like it, then surely for you it is good, so it

actually fucks us off when people say "This song/film is crap but Ilove it". We like a lot of pop music, if that's what you mean...

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...We made a video last winter in the sea off the British coast,featuring super model Lily Cole as a mermaid siren. This was forour song ‘UK Shanty’ and we all nearly died.

THE BEST ADVICE WE'VE EVER HAD IS...Don't expect other people to do it for you.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR MIX ARE...Angel. Clean. Bandit.

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...We hope to be listening to our first album by the fire.

@cleanbandit

10

Clothing, Footwear & Vintage Items

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

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


TRAPMIXTAPE

004

For the third in our exclusive mixtape series, Trap istruly honoured to have one of electronic music’s mostforward-thinking talents at the controls.

In a world of genres and sub-genres, very fewindividuals manage to artistical ly transcend the l imits oftheir chosen tempo range or styl istic approach. As such,many artists are left stuck, associated with one soundand with l imited appeal beyond the walls of theirchosen scene.

DBridge is one of the few. Much more than just a drum& bass producer and DJ , through the strength andintegrity of his productions and the output of his recordlabel Exit, the Londoner is r ightful ly regarded as one ofthe most unique forces in electronic music as a whole.

As such, while the mere utterance of the term D&B maycause upturned noses and smug dismissals from the

>Download the mix from 25 March at www.trapmagazine.co.uk

techno-this-year, garage-last-year, undulating hipstercrowd, the mention of the name dBridge is guaranteed tobe met with universal acclaim, respect and awe. From thearrogant blogosphere to the i l l- informed online musicpress, D&B usually equals derision. DBridge and hismusic, however, evoke a very different emotion.

So forget what you think you know, and get online now todownload dBridge’s exclusive mixtape. We can’t tel l youwhat to expect from the mix; but we can confidently statethat whatever approach dBridge takes, it wil l be packedwith vibes, soul and plenty of surprises. As the manhimself said when we probed him for detai ls on the mix:

“I have no idea what kind of mix I'm going to do. Myusual approach is to make something I'd happily l isten toover and over...”

We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

d B r i d g e

t’s no secret really, but Simon Neale, the manbehind Shadow Child, has done it all. Workingunder his chart-storming Dave Spoon moniker,

Simon clocked up releases on major dancel labels,playing countless big-room dates and evencollaborating with So Solid’s Lisa Maffia.

In total contrast, the last year has seen Neale’sproductions as Shadow Child generating massivebuzz on the dance-music underground, with hisbass-driven take on the house and garage templateearning releases for the likes of dirtybird and ModaBlack, as well as helping establish Food, the label heruns with fellow dirtyBird artists Kry Wolf, as one ofthe labels to watch. Trap caught up with Neale to findout more…

TRAP_Let’s start from the beginning. With two top-fortyhits under your belt and countless arena shows in thebag, what made you want to tear it all down andstart again?Yeah, it seems a bit mad I suppose! I’ l l always be proud of whatI did with Spoon and it was a project that ultimately exceeded myexpectations. However, the whole ‘EDM’ scene had adopted thisrelentless sound that lacked the dynamics that it used to have.Eventually I just fell out of love with it musically.

TRAP_So when was the moment you thought ‘it’s timeto change’?It sounds ridiculous but that moment came in 2011 on SteveAngello’s Size stage at Creamfields. Playing that stage wassupposed to be a huge honor. I honestly have a lot of respectfor al l the guys that featured on that l ine-up, but I ended upfeeling self ish because I just didn’t want to be there. I have tobe 100% into what I’m doing and I think there’s only so muchacting you can do when you’re not enjoying it.

I real ly wanted to believe in what I was doing again and to bringsome fresh inspiration into the studio. During that particulartime I put together the beginnings of ‘String Thing’…

TRAP_That was the track that pushed Shadow Childinto the limelight…Yes, ‘String Thing’ has been the catalyst when it comes toShadow Child. While I was producing as Spoon, I came up withthe parts, but it just didn’t f it into what I was doing at the time.

I’d been sitt ing on it for a while before I heard Eats Every-thing’s 'Entrance Song.' Granted, both ‘String Thing’ and ‘En-trance Song’ are two completely different tracks, but I real lyfelt they connected in terms of vibe. So I got the ball rol l ingand sent it over to Eats. Thankfully, he really got behind therecord,dropping it throughout his tour and on his Essential Mix.

I TRAP_At that time, the identity behind Shadow Childwas shrouded in secrecy. Was this because you wereyou worried that the Dave Spoon connection would marpeople’s opinion of your new output?Well, I real ly wanted Shadow Child to be completely separatefrom my other project. There was also a litt le bit of reservationabout a new 'cooler' crowd thinking that I'd maybe jumped onsomething more credible. But I honestly just wanted to let themusic do the talking and not feel any creative boundaries l ike Idid before.

When Barclay [Claude Von Stroke] eventually signed it todirtybird, I had the confidence to actually hit the reset button.I changed my whole set-up completely, from management down…

TRAP_One of the new additions to your set-up is Food,a label you run alongside the guys from Kry Wolf. Whydid you decide to join forces?We both had our own labels, Sumo Sound and Televizion. Wewere walking similar paths at the time and ended up trying tosign the same artists. We’re friends and eventually decided itwould be best if we joined forces.

I think Food sits alongside labels l ike Pets, Hypercolour andNakedNaked, but I hope we can add to the pack with our ownthing. I certainly think we can all work together without takingaway from each other’s musical assets. I real ly hope that's thecase anyway!

TRAP_What do you think it is about this group of labelsand their output that attracts such a wide audience?In terms of my Shadow Child output, I think it seems to ride theline between underground and 'over-accessible' music, for wantof a better word. As time goes on, that l ine gets thinner sowe'l l see how long it lasts, but I think we're all in a good placewith it at the moment.

I'm always stoked to see lots of people playing my stuff, but Ithink the appeal is maybe in the simplicity. I get sent so muchstunningly produced underground music that's intel l igent andalways pushes limits, but at the end of the day people just wantto dance. I guess my music does that more than it offerssomething too clever that might go over people’s heads.

TRAP_It’s interesting you say that, because we’ve al-ways thought there are similarities between your musicand Armand Van Helden’s early output…Yeah it total ly has. I mean Armand's sound back then was alsoa fusion of D&B and house, so there are definitely similarit ies.I just hope everyone stays cool with the direction…

Shadow Child's ‘The Only One’ features on the‘dirtybird Players’ compilation, released on 13March.


S H A D O WC H I L D

I n t o T h e L i g h t

WORDS: Matt Riches

hey say everything in life goes in circles. To anyone with apassing interest in the evolution of electronic music, thelast couple of decades have proven this maxim right time

and time again. Who would have thought, back in the glory daysof dubstep or D&B that in the early years of this Millennium’ssecond decade the underground would again be dominated by asound many had long dismissed as the shallow andcommercially driven soundtrack of chain clubs and wine bars?

We are, of course, talking about house music; a genre whoserenaissance over recent years has injected a fresh, more refineddynamism into a dance music world increasingly tired of thesonic intensity fostered by the genres that dominated the UKdance underground for much of the last decade. This isn’t,however, house music as you probably knew it before...

The sound dominating UK dancefloors and internet radio isn’tthe thin, simplistic tones and handbag vocals pushed by tackyradio DJs and even worse super clubs, which provided thereference point for house music to many over the last 15 years.This is house music in the original spirit of the sound and madeby a generation who grew up listening to garage, dubstep,hip-hop and D&B, and as such this new take on dance music’soldest genre has groove, vibes and, most importantly, bassin spades.

At the forefront of this quiet revolution is Maya Jane Coles, atiny 25-year-old Londoner with a massive talent, whose DJ setsand unshakable productions have switched a whole generationon to the slower-paced charms of house and, in the process,made her into one dance music’s biggest stars. Since the releaseof her game-changing ‘What They Say’ EP in 2010, thediminutive DJ has won more awards and graced more magazinefront covers than many of her peers can dream of in theirentire careers.

With the release of her debut album just weeks away, Trap knewthe time had come to feature Maya on our front cover, to helpkick off a year in which things are set to go from big to huge forthe young Londoner. In the midst of her manic schedule, MissColes found time to sit with us and we set about getting to thebottom of her incredible, rapid rise to the top and discoveringthat there’s a hell of a lot more to her than just house music...

T

WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Laura Lewis

J u s t T h e B e g i n n i n g


“ N o o n e e v e r s a i d p o p m u s i c n e e d s t o b e s h i t . ”

TRAP_Hi Maya, lovely to meet you. We guess the bestplace for us to start is with your album...“Everything’s finished now for the album, but I sti l l don’t havethe tit le; I’m quite last minute with things and the worst thingis always naming tracks! But it’s done, and should be out endof March, so not long now. It’s al l ful l-vocal, song-based,electronic stuff – quite different to the club-based trackspeople wil l have heard from me in the past. I’ve got five orsix different featured vocalists on there, but the rest of it isal l my own vocals.”

“It’s been an on-going project for a long time; a couple of thetracks on there are actually around four years old! I’m justreally excited though, because, l ike I said, it’s more thanwhat people might expect of me; I didn’t get into musicthrough club music, I made so many different types of musicbefore I got into house and techno, so it’s al l my influencesand inspirations translated into sound, I guess.”

TRAP_So, it’s an artist album, a Maya Jane Colesalbum; not just a collection of house club bangers?“Yes. This is just what I’ve always done, and I feel l ike I’m ata stage now where I’m happy to let the rest of the worldhear it.”

TRAP_Can you tell us more about the features onthere? Any production collaborations, or is it alljust you?“I’ve done all the production; I don’t tend to collaborate withmany producers because I usually have quite a clear vision ofwhat I want a track to sound like. But I love working withguest vocalists, so there’s a few on there. There’s Kim AnnFoxman from Hercules and Love Affair, Miss Kitt in, KarinPark – who has done the vocals for the lead single from thealbum ‘Everything’ - and Tricky, which I’m particularly excitedabout. People who I was inspired by growing up and lookedup to, or people that are new on the scene but have excitedme; it’s nice to have a mixture.”

TRAP_You just mentioned Tricky – we couldn’t helpbut notice a real Mezzanine-era Massive Attack soundto the track ‘Back To Square One’ on the recent tasterEP for the album...“Oh definitely, that whole Bristol sound, tr ip-hop - it was abig part of how I got into production. That was one of my firstmusic passions. I guess when I started making music, thatsound was my biggest inspiration. I did a remix a while backfor Tricky and it was his favourite remix of the package, so Iasked him to guest and he was total ly up for it.”

TRAP_You’re obviously keen to stress that the albumis much more than just house music, and is the sumof your many influences... Other than dub andtrip-hop, what other inspirations lie behindthe project?“When I got into production, I pretty much dabbled ineverything and anything. If I discovered a new genre or tuneI l iked, I’d have a go at my own take on it. It helped growingup in London, because there are so many parties anddifferent things going on. You’re spoilt for choice andexposed to everything from such a young age. From garageand drum & bass, to dubstep, house and techno...

“The whole dubstep sound when it f irst started, when it wasvery different to now, that led me on to different sounds. Idiscovered house music not long after, and it was the firstthing I really started going out to. But hip-hop, that was themusic that first really got me, when I was 14 or 15, MissyEll iot, Timberland, Pharcyde, Digable Planets, Tribe CalledQuest – 1990s hip-hop is a massive passion for me.”

TRAP_So when was your house music epiphany?“When I was younger, I was lucky enough to meet people thattook me to the right nights; parties l ike Mulletover andSecretsundaze that were happening in London and very freshat the time. I remember going and thinking ‘This isn’t what Ithought house music was.’ Because what I’d heard unti l thenwas very commercial stuff on the radio. From there I just gotdeeper into it, going to more nights, seeking out what Ireal ly l iked.”

TRAP_You were ahead of the curve, treading a pathfrom more bass-driven UK sounds to house andtechno that many didn’t come to until years later...“House is very fashionable now. The change I’ve seen is thathouse has become a lot more accepted with a wideraudience. When I was in Sixth Form, I was listening to house,but most of my friends my age weren’t l istening to housemusic or going to house nights. That’s really evolved now,because if you speak to people that are 16 or 17 in London,a lot of young people are l istening to that music. And thegenre has expanded; it’s such a broad term, anyway.”

TRAP_Would you agree that it’s not just the audiencefor house that’s changed, but the music too? Themusic you and many others are making has a realfocus on the bass...“There’s definitely an influence from what’s been before; youcan hear the garage, bass-driven roots coming back into thecurrency. And when dubstep went crazy and mainstream; theproducers that were producing the more leftf ield stuff, a lotof them floated over to house and crossed over, so that wassort of a stepping stone.

“On my album, you’l l definitely hear the club influences; it’svery bassy, so I guess there’s a lot of dub influence in there.My tracks general ly revolve around the bassline - I play bassas well -but sti l l , I wouldn’t say it was any one genre. It’s justelectronic. I don’t l ike talking about genres too much.Ultimately, you make music. I don’t l ike labell ing and creatingsub genres on top of sub genres; good music is good music.”

TRAP_And that attitude applies to your album too?“Yeah exactly; I wouldn’t be able to specify what genre thealbum is. I’m influenced by so many different things and thisfinal record is a collage of al l of that. I want it to be universalmusic; hopefully the dance music world wil l embrace it, but Iwant it to be accepted in the more poppy market too. I l ikewrit ing catchy hooks; no one ever said pop music needs to beshit, pop is just popular music, if it’s good and catchy, it canbe pop – it doesn’t need to be in your face typical radiochart stuff.”

TRAP_You previously released dubstep under theNocturnal Sunshine name, while the Maya Jane Colesmoniker has been very much all about house. But thisalbum seems to combine the two...“Nocturnal Sunshine was a name created for a specif ic sound– that deeper dubstep sound. Maya Jane Coles was and iseverything I do, I don’t want boundaries for that name;whatever I produce comes out under that name.”

TRAP_So it’s just you. As the name of your recordlabel, I Am Me, through which this LP is beingreleased, suggests.“I never thought, ‘I want to start record label.’ I purely set it upas a platform to release my own stuff, because I didn’t want tosign it to anyone else and be part of someone else’s brand. Ijust thought, ‘I’ve built something for myself and I’ve got heremyself, so I want to keep it that way and not give up myrights.’ It’s a hell of a lot more work, but it’s totally worth it.”


TRAP_The album is on your own label, you producedevery track, you sang vocals; we heard you did theartwork too... You’re an army of one!“Yeah, I wanted that total creative control. My dad designedartworks for musicians; he did the album covers for the punkband Kil l ing Joke. I was always around creative people andmusicians growing up. I’ve always loved painting, i l lustration,photography – but nothing has ever come before music, that’salways been the passion. It’s hard, because you have to reallyfocus on one thing to get good at it; music is the main thingfor now. In the future, though, when I’ve got more time I’dlove to pick up on the other things. I love doing big canvases,painting weird creatures and il lustrations.””

TRAP_The last 18 months have seen massive amountsof attention bestowed on you, and you’re now one ofthe biggest names in a scene that’s nearly as old asyou are. How have the house and techno veteransbeen towards this young girl from London rolling in?“A lot of the people I play alongside are ten or even 20 yearsolder on than me. But everyone I’ve come across has beenamazing. It’s funny when you meet people you’ve known aboutfor a long time and looked up to; it was quite surreal the firstyear of playing big gigs and being bil led amongst DJs I knowhave been around for 20 years.

“But when you’re new to the scene, you do need to know yourroots, so I’ve spent time catching up. But if I’m honest, Ispend more time creating what I do than taking in the outsidescene; I don’t watch trends and when I’m making music I l iketo keep my mind blocked from all that, because I don’t wantto be influenced by what’s hot. I make music, it comes outnatural ly. I don’t want to think about what’s sell ing.”

TRAP_We’ve left the elephant in the room until last;


but we had to draw attention to the fact you’re awoman sooner or later... Female producers are rarerthan honest politicians; why do you think there areso few?“I real ly don’t know. I guess production is a technical thingand that puts some gir ls off. There are a lot of gir ls that DJand treat it as hobby, but who, I guess, haven’t pushed it. I’dlove to see more gir ls get into it; it’s definitely a geeky thing,music production, I just happened to fal l into it when I wasyoung. I loved music and discovering that I could make itmyself; that was al l I ever wanted to do.

“It’s amazing being in the posit ion I am now, where I getmessages on facebook every day from young femaleproducers saying I’ve inspired them to get into it more, thereare a lot out there...”

TRAP_And finally, after the year you had in 2012,winning countless awards and headlining the mostrespected clubs in the world, and with your albumabout to drop, is the ambition really still burning likeit was when you were just a girl making beats inyour room?“Definitely. I’ve only just reached a tiny, t iny part of what I’maiming for; I’ve got a lot of bigger ambitions; I’ve got a lotfurther to go from here. Even within music, I want to do somuch more. This is the beginning.”

Maya Jane Coles’ debut album is out in March onI Am Me. Catch her touring this summer and atEastern Electrics Festival in August.

m a y a j a n e c o l e s . c o m

“ I m a k e m u s i c , i t c o m e s o u t n a t u r a l l y.I d o n ’ t w a n t t o t h i n k a b o u t w h a t ’ s s e l l i n g . ”

M a y a J a n e C o l e s

uring the late 1980s and 90s, as he wasbeginning to take his first steps as aproducer with Soul II Soul and London

Posse, Tony Campbell, aka Dobie, was also busydocumenting the youth sub-cultures of the timearound the capital and beyond.

To tie in with the release of his solo album for BigDada, February saw an exhibition at 18 Hewett Streetin Shoreditch of the photographs Dobie capturedduring that era. The exhibition was sub-titled‘Skaters, Rappers, Breakers & DJs, 1989-1992’, andeach image is a precious time-capsule of thefashions and fads of the day.

As soon as we saw them, we at Trap just had to getour hands on some of the images to print in thisvery magazine. We hope you enjoy looking at themas much as we did.

D

W EW I L L N O TH A R MY O U

K E E P I N GT H EP U L S EY o u n g s t a r

n a climate in which music is hyped, consumedand forgotten at an alarming rate, it’stestament to the lasting impact of grime

forefather Youngstar’s productions that they canstill regularly be heard reverberating through clubsoundsystems ten years on from their release,whether you know it or not.

As the producer behind seminal grime anthem ‘PulseX’, Youngstar is credited with creating what’s oftenconsidered to be the first-ever grime track, ignitinga new wave of innovation out of the ashes of UKGarage as it morphed into something altogetherdarker. Its sparse 808 snares and iconic pulse-basssound would go on to inform the direction of thenascent genre and spawn waves of imitators in itswake, a trend that continues to this day. All of this,though, is just the tip of the iceberg from a producerwhose extensive back catalogue includes a slew ofother hits such as ‘Bongo’, ‘Revival’, ‘Formula’ andfamously Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Stand Up Tall’.

While others from that era have since fallen off,Youngstar remains as prolific and hungry as ever.With a new EP of remixes of ‘Pulse X’ due for releasevia the Liminal Sounds label, Trap managed to graba rare interview with Youngstar to discuss how hestarted making beats, the legacy of ‘Pulse X’ and thefuture of grime…

TRAP_So when did you start producing and who wasinspiring you at the time?I started producing in 1998. My inspiration then was jungle anddrum & bass producers l ike Shy FX, Mampi Swift and Andy C,as well as house and garage producers l ike TuffJam, ToddEdwards, MDubs and Wookie. I started off using aYamaha keyboard.

I

TRAP_Of all your productions, you’re best known for‘Pulse X’. How did the track come about? Did you have aspecific idea in mind when you were making it?Pulse X came about by experimenting on an 808 musicsoftware program; there was no specif ic idea in the making ofthe track.

TRAP_Did you have any idea of how big the track wasgoing to be when you made it?No, I had no idea. It was saved in the PC for over a year beforeI showed anyone, but I real ised how big it was when I heard itover 10 times a day every time I turned on the radio!

TRAP_Around that time, you were extremely prolific.Do you have any personal favourite tracks of yours?Perhaps ones that are not so well known?My personal favourites are ‘The Formula’, ‘Formula 3’ and‘Bongo’. My other favourites that are not as well known are‘Dimension X’, ‘Darkside Remix’ and ‘The Bongcat Riddim’.

TRAP_The video of you showing how you made ‘PulseX’ has racked up tens of thousands of views onYouTube. Why did you decide to upload it?Because it shows the real way behind how I first produced thetrack and the technique I used, which was only the first step. Itwas also to squash the rumour that it was made on aPlaystation.

TRAP_You’re most known for your instrumentals, but inthe past you have worked with MCs such as Sway andDizzee Rascal. Are you still working with MCs? Are thereany that you would like to work with?I st i l l work with the best MCs, and I only would l ike to work withthe best. If there are any out there who I’ve not worked withand they like my sound, then they gotta holla at me.

TRAP_The grime scene is very different to how it was10 years ago when ‘Pulse X’ came out. Do you think thatthings are looking positive in grime at the moment?The scene is posit ive at the moment, al l those tracks from 10years ago can sti l l be played and there are good vibes whereverand whenever they’re played in the clubs, on radio at home andin the street.

TRAP_Are you working on much new music at themoment? Can we expect any releases coming this year?There wil l be lots of new releases coming out, keep a check onmy label website www.ddjsproductions.co.uk - the links arethere to my YouTube and Soundcloud page to hear the latestnews and releases.

Youngstar ‘Pulse X Remixes’ is out now onLiminal Sounds

www.ddjsproductions.com


S p r i n g N o i r

PHOTOGRAPHY: Adam RobertsonSTYLED BY: Kasha Malyckyj

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F o r t h e f i r s t i n a n e w r e g u l a r s e r i e s o ff e a t u r e s l o o k i n g a t t h e r e c o r d l a b e l s t h a t a r et h e l i f e b l o o d o f t h e s c e n e s w e l o v e , T r a pt r e k k e d o v e r t o a n E a s t L o n d o n r o o f t o p t om e e t u p w i t h o n e o f d u b s t e p ’ s b i g g e s t l a b e l s . . .

D U BP O L I C E

D u b P o l i c e

Rinse show as Quiet Storm at the time), and the stuff that I gotthe best feedback on, or I was into most, I’d just put it out. Itwasn’t about named artists; it was just about good music. Thatwas the foundation for it.

I was always down for finding the next big artist. So with DubPolice, we had L-Wiz from Sweden early on, then N-Type putout his first release on the label, and then Rusko came along.He was living in Leeds, and moved to London and was livinground the corner from me. He signed to the label and I put outal l his first releases. And then, as I was working with Rusko, Istarted Sub Soldiers just for me and him to put our own musicout on, because we had so much of it and we were blowing upat that point.

I had three labels, but Dub Police took the reins at that point;putting out good music from up-and-coming producers. That’show I’ve always kept it since. Trol ley Snatcha came along, thenThe Others and Subscape – getting these artists at a reallyearly stage and trying to develop them to have their own soundand identity. It was the same with Emalkay.

TRAP_So A&R is a real passion for you?Yeah, I love it. To be honest, the whole behind-the-scenes crapis what I hate. Like everyone, I just want to do the goodstuff – l isten to great music, play it, and put it out. That’s whatit’s always been about, those basic rules. It’s never been aboutmoney. It has always been about the music, without the musicwe are nothing.

Putting out good quality music, that’s the bottom line. Now,because of that, I think Dub Police has really got its own soundand style. Also, it’s the only label that I know in the whole ofthe UK that has its own regular bi-monthly night. And it’s atFabric, one of the best clubs in the world.

So it’s gone from literal ly me in my bedroom, borrowing moneyoff my nan and Marcel who works at the label now to put thefirst release out, to having this office, that club-night and agreat team of artists on the label. And we’re the first and onlydubstep label to have a tour night in Ibiza, and have toured theUSA three times!

TRAP_As your own career gathered pace, were you nottempted to focus on yourself rather than the label?“Well, I spotted early on that if you’ve got your own label, that’sgonna be your foundation. So even if you’re quiet as aproducer, you’re sti l l gonna be getting recognised throughwhat’s coming out on the label. I real ised it was important bylooking at what Andy C, Goldie and Hype were doing. I lookedat them and thought, ‘All these guys have got their own labels,so not only do they get the music first, when they’re quiet andnot doing much, the label is constantly pushing their name.’

I real ised that was the way to go. Because, I’m not gonna lie, Iam not the most talented musician; I am more of a beats andbass person to be honest. However, I do have an ear for spot-ting a good track or new talent; that’s a real passion of mine.So, for me, it was important to have something that I could putal l my heart into and bounce off constantly. And because it’smy baby, I’m always gonna stick with it.

TRAP_And the label is still growing. You recently signedanother couple of fresh artists in Mydas and Dirty Dog...It’s always been about signing people that want to work withthe label. I’ve had many opportunit ies to sign people and keepthem locked into the label. But that’s not what I want to do. I’m


D ubstep. Wow, how you’ve changed. In just a handful of years, what was once the mostunderground of UK sounds has mutated into

the biggest and bolshiest adolescent on thebass-music block. Huge venues, Americansuperstars, daytime radio support... no one wouldhave predicted any of this back in those earlysmoke-filled, dubplate-driven sessions at FWD>>.

And while the dubstep scene of today mayseem unrecognisable at first to those who saw itsbirth, certain names, labels and dances haveendured and kept true to their origins, and, in doingso, built unimaginably huge fanbases across theglobe. Caspa and his Dub Police label is one suchimmovable institution.

Launched back in 2005 just as the half-step,sub-driven style that came to typify the genre wastaking root, releases from L-Wiz, N-Type, Caspa andthe then almost unknown Rusko quickly establishedDub Police as one of dubstep’s leading forces.

In the seven years since, that reputation has beenbolstered at every turn, with a stream of landmarkand hugely varied EPs, albums and 12s from anevolving camp of artists, benefitting from Caspa’sunwavering support, no matter how much his owncareer took off. And that’s not even to mention theroadblock bi-monthly raves at London’s Fabric...

With the recent release of the debut album from thelabel’s most consistent son, The Others, and theaddition of a couple of new hot talents to the corefamily of artists, it’s clear Dub Police has no planson slowing down. Trap made our way over to BrickLane to meet with the full crew and find out morefrom not just Caspa, but Trolley Snatcha, Subscape,The Others, Dirty Dog and Mydas, about one ofbass-music’s most important imprints.

Sitting in the label’s HQ, hidden away among thecomplex of offices within the Truman Brewerybuilding, with a huge cabinet of merchandisetowering over us on one side and a bank of blinkingcomputer screens on the other, Caspa sets aboutfilling us in on everything Dub Police...

TRAP_How did the label first start?2001 was when I f irst found the sound and scene. Listening togarage and Sidewinder tape-packs, I’d hear Slimzee dropping alot of the darker garage and early grime, and then I startedgoing FWD>> when it was at Velvet Rooms. I got attached tothe sound, found that club-night and just stuck with it.

I found it al l fascinating and I always just wanted to start alabel and put out the stuff I l iked. I started StormingProductions in 2003, which was more for the breakstep sound;DJ Narrows, Search & Destroy; al l that stuff. And then, thesound started getting dubbier; you were hearing people l ikeHatcha playing the Digital Mystikz stuff, and I wanted to startanother label that catered to the half-step, more dubbed-outsound. So I started Dub police.

Then I had two different options to put out music from onescene, and I started looking for artists. The plan with the labelwas to get the music myself, play it out and on radio (I had my

D u b P o l i c e


just trying to put out good music. Because of that, I only l ike towork with people who want to put the energy back.

If you’re wil l ing to work with us and be loyal to us, we’re wil l ingto put the time and effort into you in return. And that’s how itworks; it’s a l itt le family. We’ve got the key artists Subscape,Trol ley Snatcha, myself and The Others, and then we’ve gottwo new guys Dirty Dog and Mydas. And then outside of that,we’ve got some new artists we’re watching; Oiki, Ethicand Variations.

But those five are our key artists. Any night, they wil l alwaysplay. They’re our focus and priority. It’s more of a family than alabel; everyone helps each other and it’s a really nice environ-ment. The Others, Alex, he’s been with us since the start, soanything he wants to do, I’ l l always try and make it happen forhim, because the loyalty is there.

TRAP_You lot do seem to genuinely all get on well...It’s just al l about keeping cool and having a laugh. If you starttaking things too seriously, what’s the point? It’s always beenabout jokes – I’ve always done stuff for that, some of my musicis just a joke that turned out to be fun. The whole Caspa namewas a joke; I started it for a joke. I had my show on Rinseunder the name Quiet Storm; it was when I heard that dubbiersound, I thought, ‘OK, let me try a l itt le thing’. I gave Hatcha aCD with some of the dubbier stuff I’d been doing and hestarted playing them down FWD>> and that! I was l ike ‘I onlydid it for a laugh!’ It’s funny how things happen l ike that.

That’s the best way; just do it. When you starting taking thingstoo seriously in this industry... Well, you’ve just got to keep it

fun, otherwise why you doing it?

TRAP_Dub Police is now nine years deep...What’s next?The next thing is to develop the artists into doing some albums.The Others has just put his album, and then mine is coming inApri l, t it led Alpha Omega, and then it’s just aboutdeveloping artists into doing more than just singles, but EPprojects and then albums.

For now, it’s al l about concentrating on what we’ve got. It’s soeasy to keep looking and looking, but we’ve got so much talentwithin the label now, it’s just about developing it al l. And thenthere are the nights; we want to get back in the flow of doingmore than just Fabric. That night is great, we do six a year andI think there’s only been one I can remember we didn’t sel l outin advance.

The Dub Police brand is big in America and we’ve done twotours as a label over there, which no other UK label had donebefore, as well as various European shows, so it would be niceto showcase things further afield.

Like I said, it’s concentrating on the talent we’ve got; that’swhat it’s al l about.

The Others ’ debut LP ‘Red Planet’ is out now. Watchout for Caspa’s ‘Alpha Omega’ LP in April.With thanks to Gary J.

w w w . d u b p o l i c e . c o m

“ I t h a s a l w a y s b e e n a b o u t t h e m u s i c ,w i t h o u t t h e m u s i c w e a r e n o t h i n g . ”

D u b P o l i c e


T R O L L E YS N A T C H AMILTON KEYNESAGE: 25

Embodying the essence of the label’s crazier side, theman with the ridiculous name makes music thatdestroys dancefloors...

ON DUB POLICE:About three years ago, I sent a few tunes over the internet toThe Others. Apparently, they played one of them at a rave,Caspa was in the building and heard it. I got a phone call fromhim the next day saying he wanted to put out a 12.

I’d been writ ing electronic music for a while, trying to breakinto a few different scenes. It was something I real ly wanted.I was working at a pub when I got the phone call, and Iremember leaving the bar and running out the back.My manager was pissed, but I had to take that cal l. Before Iwas on the label, it was the one I respected the most, it wasthe label I wanted to be on. So it’s a privi lege to be where I am.

It’s a family unit on Dub Police, the decisions are madein-house. It’s al l about career building and learning how to do itas a ful l-t ime job as long as possible.

ON CASPA:I’d been into dubstep for years; a fr iend of mine had got meinto the darker garage sounds back in the day, but when theCaspa & Rusko FabricLIVE came out, that hit me. It leapt outat me, because I’d always preferred dancefloor, aggressivesounding music over the melancholy head-nodding stuff.

To be writ ing and releasing music on the same label as thoseguys, that was a buzz man. It was odd; it was something Iwanted to do and it happened so quickly. It was a couple ofmonths from starting to write these dubstep tunes and themgetting accepted by Caspa. Mad.

THE FUTURE:I’m currently working on finishing the fol low up to my lastrelease, the ‘SubText’ EP. I think it wil l just be called ‘Subtext2’. There’s not much to finish, and I’ve just upgraded my studioso there’s a lot up in the air r ight now. Hopefully it wil l be outbefore the summer. It’s gonna sound, hopefully, l ike aconnection to the last EP, but with a lot more experimentation,stuff that people perhaps wouldn’t have heard under the Trol leySnatcha moniker.

LONDONAGE: 23

One the latest additions to the Dub Police family, Caspadescribes Mydas as a man that brings ‘a bit of peace tothe label’. Having announced himself with the ‘What IDo’ EP last year, watch out for more in 2013...

ON DUB POLICE:To me, it’s the best possible way to put out music I enjoy mak-ing. I don’t have to think about a particular sound or market; Ican just focus on making music that I l ike.

The label is so supportive; I’m giving that freedom to shapethings how I want. I l ike epic, emotional sounds and the labelhas given me the freedom to express that.

ON CASPA:He’s the boss, someone I massively look up to. When I f irst gotinto dubstep in 2007, I was l istening to Caspa, Rusko,Skream... So to be on this label now, it’s an honour.

THE FUTURE:I’ve got an LP coming out in a few months time; I’m just tryingto finish off the tracks for that r ight now. I want it to cover asvast a range of sounds and styles as it can within the tempoboundaries of dubstep; take an eclectic approach and bemusical, not just mundane noise.

KENTAGE: 26

The newest member of the team, Dirty Dog smashed hisway to the front with the ‘Doggy Style’ EP in 2012.Caspa calls him the ‘rookie of the year ’ – expect bigthings for his sophomore season.

ON DUB POLICE:It means so much for me to be on Dub Police; I’ve spent thelast three years trying to perfect my sound and get theattention of the big dubstep labels. Dub Police was a label Ialways dreamed of getting on, so I’m happy to have achievedthat goal. Everyone on the label has their own sound, so now Iwant to bring something different too.

ON CASPA:I've been a fan of Caspa for years, so it’s an honour to beworking for the guy and with such great team. The support I'vehad from the Dub Police has been bri l l iant, considering I'veonly been on the label a short t ime, I feel l ike I’ve found myhome in the music industry.

THE FUTURE:I'm looking to get an album completed over the next year ortwo, along with regular single releases on the label. Hopefully,I' l l col laborate with some of the other label artists, too.

D I R T YD O G

M Y D A S

D u b P o l i c e


S U B S C A P ET H EO T H E R S

WOKINGAGE: 24

Adding his own unique flavour to the Dub Police pie,Subscape has been an essential part of the label’s coreteam since 2008. Watch out for his addition to thelabel’s ‘My Style’ mix series coming soon...

ON DUB POLICE:It started for me about f ive years ago, when I was doing amusic production course at the ATM in Guildford with Alex(The Others).

The Others had just had his release on Dub Police, so I thoughtI’d have a go at making some dubstep. ‘Badman’ and‘Transaction’ were the first tunes I made, and Alex sent themto Caspa. It rol led from there. I was taken aback when I gotthat cal l; Dub Police was such a big label to me.

That was my big break; it’s given me so many opportunit ies,doing singles, EPs, playing at the nights and now doing the ‘MyStyle’ mix for the label. It’s been amazing.

ON CASPA:Before I signed, Caspa was at the forefront of the wholedubstep thing to me. I was over the moon about him wanting tosign my music. When Alex had his f irst release, I pushed him tosend Caspa my tune, because I didn’t have any other contacts.I started doing the DJ course at f irst, just because I didn’tbecause I didn’t know what else to do when I came out ofschool. But it worked out for me, and Caspa has obviouslybeen a huge part of that.

THE FUTURE:I’m doing the next ‘My Style’ mix for the label, which wil l bethe third instalment. Caspa did the first and D1 the second, sothere are big shoes for me to fi l l .

Everybody on the label has their own sound, there aresimilarit ies, but there’s distinct styles and identit ies to al l theproducers. The whole point of ‘My Style’ is to show off mine;showcase my music, a lot of my older stuff is on there, but I’vealso spent a lot of t ime writ ing new stuff just for this mix.

Also, I’m touring America in Apri l. We all went out there lastyear, so I’m going out again by myself and show what I’m doingright now. And I’ve got an EP that wil l feature some of thetunes that I wrote special ly for the My Style mix, and more gigsall over Europe. I’m excited.

LONDONAGE: 25

Dub Police’s longest-serving member, The Others hasbeen integral in helping define the label during his sixyears onboard. His debut album, ‘Red Planet’ hasjust dropped.

ON DUB POLICE:I ’ve been on Dub Police pretty much since the start. It’s weirdfor me because when The Others first started, the label I hadin mind was Dub Police. Those early tunes from L-Wiz, Caspaand N-Type, I was really feeling that sound and I couldalready see the label taking its own plot in the scene. I sent ademo to Caspa, he called me back and that was that.

For me, it’s been crazy to watch how the label has evolved.The artists that have come and gone, the huge releases, it’smad to see how things have developed from such a smalloperation. Now there’s a great bunch of artists, albums,tours, fabric – it’s nice. It feels great to have been a partof that.

ON CASPA:When I joined, both the label was sti l l trying to find its spaceand set itself within the bigger picture. Me and Caspa justcl icked early on, we had the same mental ity. His vision forthe label was something I’d pictured too. We were on thesame wave length.

Over the years we’ve become good mates. He’l l help me outwith anything I’m stuck on, music or otherwise. He’s growninto a good mate. Even if I wasn’t an artist, I’d sti l l want tobe involved in the label; it’s something I real ly care about.

THE FUTURE:I ’ve just started to write some new stuff, after f inishing thealbum. I’ve written some tracks at different tempos for thefirst t ime; some house bits, experimenting with a few things.I loved working with vocals on the album so I want to do moreof that.

I just want to keep on evolving my sound really – I’m onlygoing to get better as a producer, so I’m always trying tooutdo my last project. There’s no point going backwards, Ineed to feel l ike I’m moving forward. I wouldn’t changeanything about the label or my place in it.

S W I T C HS T U D I O S

eing based in Bristol and London, the two centres for the UK’s graff and street-art scene,we know we’re a little bit southern biased when it comes to the art we rep in Trap. To putthat right, this issue we cast a light on the Switch Studios collective up in Nottingham.

The self-funded studios house the Shrunken Heads gallery, run by Kid30 (smallkid), Boaster andGing, which regularly hosts shows from the city’s finest and beyond. Here are some images ofthe crew’s work on walls around Nottingham, and if you’re in the Midlands, search out theirfacebook page for info on upcoming shows.

Switch Studios & Shrunken Heads Gallery,17a Huntingdon Street, Nottingham.

B

13

Ging / Kid30 / Boaster

13

Shady / Mono

Kid30Boaster

Onga / Boaster Boaster

Kid30 / Boaster


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

GWYN THOMAS DECHROUSTCHOFF, JERYL WILTON, SAM BATES.


FABRICLIVE 68Calibre(Fabric)

This is the third consecutive issue that Traphas featured a FABRICLIVE mix as our leadreview. But there’s no bias or paid-foradvertorial at play here; what else were wesupposed to do when a mix from one of dancemusic’s most enigmatic f igures landed on ourdesk, but give it the fanfare and attentionit deserves?

Dominick Martin, or Calibre as he’s moreusually known, is that f igure, and edit ion 68 ofthe FABRICLIVE series is that mix. And what amix it is; delivering everything that’s goodabout drum & bass over 21 perfectly placedand chosen tracks, mostly from the Ir ishman’sown stunning back catalogue.

This is the first mix CD that Calibre has everdone and it’s clear that, l ike with everything hedoes, this isn’t a project he rushed out orsqueezed together in a spare couple of hours.Packed predominantly with his own productionsand remixes from across the decade-plus he’sbeen releasing music, this is a truerepresentation of the sets Calibre has beenplaying at Fabric al l these years. There are toomany magnificent moments here to mentionthem all – but from the opening swoon of hiscollaboration with DRS on ‘Keep The Faith’,through his dreamy reworking of Zero T’sseminal ‘Refusal’, to the closing snarl of thewickedly named ‘Student Music’, this is theCalibre mix we’d al l been waiting for.

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

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13T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 071 M U S I C R E V I E W S

FUNCTION ‘Incubation’ (Ostgut Ton)

When it comes to techno, you canalways rely on Berlin powerhouseOstgut Ton to deliver the goods.'Incubation' from SandwellDistricts’ Function is no exception.The brooding ambience andsub-aquatic bleeps of 'Voiceprint'and 'Inter' sit alongside morerugged, hypnotic moments. Hollowpercussion and static hiss collideon 'Modifier' and things get waveyas the rippling acid lines of'Psychic Warfare' start to burrowinto your psyche.

IVY LAB ‘Afterthought’ / ‘Brat’(Critical)

This release sees the combinedtalents of Sabre, Halogenix andStray again come together undertheir new Ivy Lab moniker.The result is breathtaking. FrankCarter I I I provides the poignantand soulful vocals to‘Afterthought’; one of the mostpowerful ly emotive pieces ofmusic we’ve heard this year.‘Brat’ on the fl ip is a straight-updark and moody club stomper.

RENE LAVICE‘Insidious’(Ram)

I t 's testament to the globalappeal of drum & bass that manyof the genre’s most excit ingproducers now hai l from beyondthese shores. The latest overseasD&B talent comes in the shape ofCanadian bass-monger Rene LaVice; a relat ive unknown a yearago his debut album is sure tochange that forever. With a stylethat’s rooted f i rmly in thedancefloor, ' Insidious' is sonical lyhard hitt ing and abrasive. Trackssuch as the twisted rol ler'Perfect World' and weightystomper 'Thorax' owe more thana passing nod to Ram’s signaturesound of the late 1990s. Theproducer’s insular inf luences arerecurrent theme but he avoidsbecoming over ly nostalgic, aseach track maintains acontemporary and creat ive edge.

XXXY‘Got Me So’ EP (Rinse)

Rinse re leases the muchant ic ipated ‘Got Me So’ EP f romMancunian producer andbass-music hot top ic, XXXY.Known to some as Rupert Tay lor,XXXY has l i ved up to the hypeand h is recent wor ldwidebookings wi th th is EP. Br ing ingcr isp product ion and over lysou l fu l samples, ‘Got Me So’ iswhere garage meets ac id house.Both current and humblynosta lg ic , th is is a c lear s tepforward for XXXY.

VIVEK'Asteroids EP'(System Music)

System has impeccably preservedthe deep-rooted, original dubstepethos at its stel lar events. Theevolution to record label was aninevitable progression and helmedby VIVEK, the imprint nowpresents the sub-sonic depth ofhis long-awaited ‘Asteroids’ toinaugurate its presence. Thetrack’s seismic vibrations aregraced by a haunting vocal versionon the fl ip, together with OmUnit's sharp halfstepping 170bpmrefix to round off a monster debutfor the label.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

‘Friends Will Carry YouHome Too’(Pets Recordings)

With a name l ike Catz n Dogz it’snot surprising that the latestcompilation on the duo’s PetsRecordings imprint comes in twohalves. One of the labels at theforefront of the bass-heavy housesound that’s dominatingdancefloors right now, the idea ofthis album is to show there’s a lotmore to Pets than just that. Onthe one CD, you’ve got the kindof rhythmic basslines and intensehouse flavours that you’d find inthe club and, on the other,bedroom listening bl iss, withproducers you would expect,doing things you wouldn’t.Highlights here come from theil l imitable Uffe and Sheffield’sfast-rising Squarehead. Both atopposite ends of the dance-musicspectrum but so close on quality.

BUSY SIGNAL‘Bedroom Bully’ (Turf Music)

Jamaican dancehall is al l thebetter for Busy Signal’s t imelyrelease from jai l, as his outputsince regaining freedom justkeeps proving. ‘Bedroom Bully’ isperhaps the pick of his recentvoicings. Riding a heavy, yetminimal classic ragga beat, Busy’sunique vocal f low takes the trackto new heights and leaves thelistener in no doubt of his prowessin the bedroom. Not subtle, butgreat fun! This is classicdancehall material.

072 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K13M U S I C R E V I E W S

MAJORA ‘Boss Key’ EP(Tumble Audio))

Veering well away from identikittrends, Majora innovates andkeeps things spicy with his lethalfusion of funky rhythms and grimybasslines over rough housetempos. This is a razor-sharpproduction from a relativenewcomer, and the variation fromthe raw, broadsiding force of‘Boss Key’ to the restraineddeftness of ‘Just Listen’ rendersthe EP an involving l isten.Exhilarating, crispy beats on alabel showing much promise.

PREDITAH ‘Gears Of Grime’ (Earth 616)

Birmingham grime don Preditahkicks off 2013 with a fresh batchof instrumentals to l ight up thescene. Anthems such as ‘NosyParker’ and ‘Circles’ get the VIPtreatment, alongside the dub mixof JME’s ‘Murking’. The muchanticipated ‘Rubicon’, ‘Evi l Twin’and ‘Sword’ are the highlightshere, showcasing the developmentin Preditah’s production style,while retaining the hallmarks ofthe sound that have made him aubiquitous presence in the scene.

VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Studio One Ironsides’ (Soul Jazz)

When it comes to compilationsthat dig a l itt le deeper and comewith an interesting angle, no onedoes it quite l ike Soul Jazz. Againraiding the vaults of one ofreggae music’s most importimprints, Studio One, this18-track compilation of tracksfrom the 60s and 70s covers al lthe shades and styles of thegenre from that era - from skaand rocksteady to later dub andearly dancehall. The featuredartists include legends such asMarcia Griff iths, FreddieMcGregor, Alton Ell is and DennisAlcapone, and the material rangesfrom the classic to the very rare.As with al l Soul Jazz releases,this is a real package, and comescomplete with a 24-page bookletgiving the context and history ofthe music. A lesson for al lbass-music lovers.

OPTIV & CZA‘Bring It Back’ / ‘Don’t Look now’(SGN LTD)

Optiv & CZA are best known fortheir role in groundbreakingcollective Cause 4 Concern. Giventheir background, SGN:LTD is aworthy home for their talents.‘Bring It Back’ annihi lates dances,with a breakdown reminiscent ofJ Majik’s ‘The Lizard’ making wayfor a monster reverberating drop.‘Don’t Look Now’ on the fl ip seesthe duo move into hard-edgedroll ing mode.

THE OTHERS‘Red Planet’ (Dub Police)

After six years of releasing music,Dub Police’s most prolificproducer drops his long-awaiteddebut album for Caspa’s label.After announcing himself on thedubstep scene with the seminal‘Africa’, The Others (then operatingas a duo, but now just AlexCrawford) has consistently turnedout some of Dub Police’s biggesttracks, and cemented himself atthe core of that label and the widerdubstep world. It’s this status that’senabled Crawford to recruit animpressive set of collaborators for‘Red Planet’, including Breakage,Joker, Stamina and Emalkay. Andthe music is just as impressive,offering 12 faultlessly engineeredtracks packed with varyingtextures, grooves and rhythms.Much more than just the collectionof club tracks you might expect,this is an impressive debut from aproducer clearly enjoying whathe does.

PEV & KOWTON‘Raw Code’ (Hessle Audio)

An all iance between Kowton andHessle Audio was inevitable, andthe Bristol trai lblazer brings alonganother visionary local, Peverel ist,for two utterly engagingsoundsystem polymers. 'RawCode' is a cerebral andintriguingly dislocated mix oftechno, jungle and FWD>>-eraSouth London garage mutations.'Junked' is a blank and piercingbit of propulsive weight anddarting, disorientating mechanics.Both tracks meld stripped backdubstep and techno rhythms withprecision and power.

TRADESMAN FTPARLY B ‘In A Competition’(Scotch Bonnet

Up-and-coming dancehallproducer Tradesman, teams upwith Parly B for their debut 7" onMungo's Hi-Fi’s Scotch Bonnetlabel. The results are top draw.The riddim is an early-90s styledigital production, with someproper weighty bass and awonderful ly loose groove. ParlyB's unique delivery really makesthis stand out well above the usualdigital dancehall fare. A highlypromising debut and definitelyones to watch.

A MADE UP SOUND‘Ahead’ / ‘Endgame’(A Made Up Sound)

Peerless, playful, andunpredictable tracks from DaveHuismans, aka 2562. Theskewed, richly percussive technohe makes as AMUS is often soabstracted that one wonders howit manages to remain compell ing.'Ahead' fal ls happily into thiscamp, manhandling funk breaksinto a next level swing, sputteringwith confused finely-choppedvocals and bulging with lewd bass.'Endgame' is more grounded andtradit ional techno, but a gloriouslyheadspinning ride nonetheless.

MR WILLIAMZ‘Raggamuffin Icon’(Reggae Toybox)

In recent years, Mr Wil l iamz hasshone as one of the UK'sbrightest reggae MCs, evokingclassic Supercat vibes with hisvocal style. Here, he teams upwith Japan's Reggae Toybox labelfor a digital dancehall ki l ler.The wicked 80s-style riddimperfectly complements Mr Wil l iamzdelivery, and provides agroove entirely suited for a latenight blues. As Mr Wil l iamzinforms us, “World a girls want aRaggamuffin man.” It’s hardto disagree.

NU:LOGIC'Morning Light' /‘Grizzly’(Hospital)

With an album scheduled forrelease later this year, brothersNu:tone and Logistics unite toprovide a taste of what’s to come.‘Morning Light’ is spacious insound, with a stripped-backedroll ing bassline and prominent useof percussion. As the namesuggests, ‘Grizzly’ begins as anaggressive brute of a track, beforeit plateaus unexpectedly into ahalf-tempo simmer.An encouraging listen.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

‘Dirtybird Players’(Dirtybird)

After the unbridled success of2012’s ‘Hatched’ compilation, theSan Franciscan kings of booty bassare back with ‘dirtybird Players’. Tomark their biggest year to date,dirtybird’s MVPs and most excitingup-and-comers deliver all new andexclusive tracks for the Playerscompilation, which sees the imprintreach to the darkest, dirtiestcorners of house, techno and bass.From label boss Claude Von-Stroke’s grime-tinged, beautifullypercussive ‘Chop Nek’ to JustinMartin’s rude, grunt laden‘Wheelgunner’ dub, it’s clear fromthe off that the crossover crew arestill on fantastic form. As always, adistinctive UK sound is championedby the likes of Eats Everything,Shadow Child and Friend Within.‘dirtybird Players’ proves the labelto be as relevant and uniqueas ever.

FLAVA D‘Hold On / Home’(Butterz)

Flava D is that rare thing in themale dominated world of grime; afemale producer! Associationswith Eskibeat and Wiley, alongsidea back catalogue of productionsvocalled by the top MCs in thescene have ensured she has madewaves. Her first release onButterz showcases a danceflooredge, with crisp 2step drums andUK G influences on ‘Hold On’,while ‘Home’ brings a bassline-house infused rawness.


OUTBOXX‘Outboxx’(Idle Hands)

Outboxx manage to encompasselements of current bass music,without resorting to tired cl ichésand overused sample pack hits.The Bristol-based duo producemusic that retains the authentic,soul vibe that makes real housemusic great. ‘Sunshine Mil ls’ is anout and out, 90s house banger,with saccharine keys, pitchedvocal edits and a dancefloorfriendly groove. Not the mostsubtle of homage’s, but executedimpeccably well. Outboxx dim thelights on ‘Jaded’, reducing thetrack to a few simple but effectivecomponents, al lowing theBashmore-esque sub to be at itsmost immersive and the splicedvocal to be at its most prominent.Both add warmth and humanity tothe crisp rim shots and tough,boom bap sequence that formsthe backbone of the tune. Astrong debut.

AL TOURETTES & PARADROID‘Platter003’(Schmorgasbord)

Dark ly funky computer grooveshere, wi th an unusual mix oftechno, garage andelect ro-breaks f rom the exce l lentSchmorgasbord labe l . ‘Rea l i tyHostess’ is a t r ippy anddisconcert ing crush of squashed,swung beats and sca ly bass,which Paradro id remixes in to aco ld st rangeness. The B-s idesets dehumanized and qu i rkysamples to a sk ippy andthumping 4x4 garage sk i t ter. A lTouret tes goes dubwise andoffbeat wi th a warm andimmers ive vers ion.


SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER

‘Welcome ToMicrosector 50’(R&S)

Space Dimension Controller invitesyou to join him on a cosmicadventure to a far away world, as hismuch anticipated debut long playerdrops on the seminal R&S Records.As predicted, this is far removedfrom your usual self-indulgentconcept album.‘Welcome toMicrosector 50’ follows a kitschB-movie narrative, with smatteringsof teary-eyed romance and bags fullof fun; rarely seen qualities in theoften po-faced world of electronicmusic. From Egyptian Lover-styleelectro jams (‘Mr 8040'sIntroduction’) compete withtrademark robot voice, to widescreensynth wig outs (‘Rising’) viashimmering mid-tempo chuggers (‘ALonely Flight To Erodru-10’), JackHamill shows his diversity as aproducer and further cements hisown unique style.

SOUTH LONDONORDINANCE ‘Revolver’ /‘Transmission Funk’ (Hotflush)

South London Ordnanceresurrects the skeleton of UKFunky, for his latest release onScuba’s Hotflush label. The densebones and rugged urbandemeanour remain. This t imeround however, his grin isconsiderably more gap toothed andhis mood a lot darker. Lead track'Revolver' sees mil itant snaresgive drive to a mid tempo 4/4framework, while 'TransmissionFunk' continues in the same vein,stripping back the drumseven further.

HIGH CONTRAST'Spectrum Analyzer’'(Hospital)

Hospital Records’ originalhit-maker starts 2013 with a strongrelease. Lead track ‘SystemAnalyser’ is a synth-heavy,growling stomper. On the flip,we’re not sure what the Welshproducer is getting at with the title‘Some Things Never Change,’ butthe melodic elements and soulsamples at the heart of the trackmake for a welcome return to thesound that first made his name.

WALTER EGO‘Wavey’ / ‘MilitaryMind’ (Coyote Records)

Sheffield upstart Walter Egoflexes his diverse sound palette onfresh grime imprint Coyote,delivering some fierceinstrumental heaters on 12”. Hecombines predatory energy withtacti le musical ity as vibrantarpeggios overlay rough beats on‘Wavey’, and the agitated, playfulvibes of ‘Mil itary Mind’ cry out foran MC to jump on. Ego is provingto be beyond versati le; a risingstar of the future, no doubt.

SWIFT BEATER ‘The Matt Black’ EP (Stay Fresh)

Swifta Beater is yet anotherexcit ing producer to come from theBirmingham grime scene, with hisproductions vocalled by some ofthe top MCs and standing out asinstrumentals in the wider bassmusic world. Swifta’s distinctivestyle references trap music and UKG, and points to a hip-hopinfluence with his use of samples.Stand-outs here include the remixof ‘Easy’ and the highlyanticipated ‘Food Move’.

OM UNIT & SAM BINGA'Small Victories’ EP(Exit Records)

DBridge’s Exit Records cuts itsown path with every release andthis latest release for thestubbornly artistic imprint comesfrom the unexpected, but total lynatural, combination Om Unit andSam Binga. The former has beenturning heads with his halft imeinterpretations of the D&B formatfor a minute now, and this EPsees him l ink with one half ofBehling & Simpson, Sam Binga.Half stepping, grime referencing,groove drenched utter sickness –check it immediately.

WEN‘Commotion’ EP (Keysound)

What’s al l the commotion about?Young Dot’s words pose thatquestion on the tit le track here,and if you l ike your beatsominous, moody and downrightrude then the answer’s Wen. Heforges four tracks of tensilesub-pressure strung out low over130bpms, with a lurking darksideambience perforated by fleetingMC vocals, taut rhythmicinterchanges and stark dynamics.Wicked grime permutations on theever-trai lblazing Keysound.

RDX & DREADSQUAD‘Warning’ EP (Superfly)

Jamaica's vocal duo, RDX, teamup with Poland’s Dreadsquad for aki l ler EP. The four tracks heredemonstrate both the versati l i ty ofRDX's songwrit ing and theproductions ski l ls of theDreadsquad team. The trackscover ska, Casio-styledigital and classic reggae withaplomb. Every track is insanelycatchy, packed with sweetmelodies, catchy hooks, and tuffr iddims. Further proof ofEuropean dancehall's pedigree andwell worth picking up.

076 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K13G A M E S R E V I E W S+

Devil May Cry gets a reboot! Complete withan upgraded and altogether slicker lookingDante, a fattened up storyline andincredibly detailed music from Noisia, DMC– Devil May Cry is easily the best newgame available right now. Long-term fansof the series may grumble (they always do,don’t they?), but this new incarnation ispacked with hour upon hour of hack-n-slash action that just doesn’t get boring. From the outset, you’re plunged deep into

fast-paced combat as you’re chased fromyour trailer and dragged into Dante’sdeplorable position as a reluctant hero.Quicker than he can shoot a cynical glance,you’ll be chaining combos and collecting soulswith mighty aplomb and undoubtedly a largesmile on your face. It’s easy to underestimatehow much fun this type of game can be, butDMC – Devil May Cry offers you unrelenting,ever-evolving chunks of enjoyment that willleave you with sore thumbs and cheeks.

GAMESREVIEWSWITH CUTLINE

DMCDEVIL MAYCRYCAPCOM(PC, PS3, XBOX360) OUT NOW

13G A M E S R E V I E W S+T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 077

ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES

Sega (PC, PS3, Xbox360)Out Now

The only interesting game this issuethat doesn’t start with the letter D isalso cursed with a back catalogue ofdecent, but not excit ing,predecessors. Can Aliens: ColonialMarines be the Aliens game that thefi lms deserve? Well, developersGearbox have certainly tr ied toappease fans of the fi lms with plentyof nostalgic touches and even bringingin Lance Henriksen to voice Bishop.We’ve yet to grab a copy for reviewbut we hope that this version of Aliensis the one we’ve al l been waiting for.

DOKURO

GungHo Online Entertainment

(PSV) Out Now

In this game, you play Dukuro, askeleton who’s fal len in love with aprincess kidnapped by his Dark Lordboss and has vowed to save her fromhis crafti ly built castle. The princesspays no attention to even the mostobvious of hazards, leaving you tensure her safety as she bl indlywanders across the screen. Alr ight, itsounds si l ly, but we al l know these kindof games are the most addictive andyou could easily spend hours playingthis on a train, bus or plane. We love it!

SUPERSLIM’S

NEWLOOK!

Hitting the stores thismonth are Garnet Red andAzurite Blue versions ofthe 500GB ‘super slim’PS3 so those of you whoneed the latestcolourways of everythingcan be bang on trend.

DEAD SPACE 3

EA Games (PC, PS3, Xbox360)Out Now

As many have remarked recently, theproblem with horror sequels is that al lthe scares have been done before – aproblem that Dead Space 3 can’tescape. Swapping outright terror forrelentless action may upset those whopreferred the horror theme of previousDead Space instalments, but it doesmake for a much better game. Bigblockbusting sci-fi shoot-em-up actionis what you’re getting here. If thatsounds l ike your kind of thing, thenwe’d highly recommend picking this up.

S T U D I OS E S S I O N S

Back with his third exclusiveproduction lesson for Trap, Break isrenowned as having some of thefinest mixdowns in the business.Whatever genre you produce, readon for Break’s studio secrets!

SESSION THREE:MAKING IT FATThe strive for loudness at the limitcan be great, but, like manyactivities or sports, riding that limitwith control is perfection and onetouch over means disaster. Playing itsafe with the overall level can be areally good way to avoid the pitfallsof slamming soundwaves, butsometimes a track needs that extrasmack to really hit home.

Here are a few tips that willhopefully help get your tracks fatterwithout them sounding horrible, aslouder can often mean thinner!

STEP TWO: MIX TO THE METERS

Checking the Master Channel with an Analysis/Metering toolcan help you see which tracks in your mix are peaking, are tooquiet, or combing in a way that pushes the overall level toohigh. Tweaking EQs and levels at this point can really help ironout bumps before the final Limiter has to do the work.

#3 wi th BREAK

STEP ONE: MIXING INTO A LIMITER

Many people use this method to achieve a loud track from theget-go. It involves putting a Limiter/Compressor on the MasterBuss, cranking that up a bit and then continuing to make yourtune, knowing it’s hitting 0db. I’ve used this method a lot, butit can fool you into thinking you’ve got a good mix when, really,you’ve just got a loud mix.

Better results can be achieved by doing this after you’ve got atighter mix to start with. A sloppy mix is usually just madeworse. The same rules apply to multi-band compression, too.The Fabfilter Pro L or the UAD Precision Limiter are great touse on the Master; I often end up around 3db as a good boost.

STEP FOUR: COLOURING THE MASTER

This can be done by adding a Tape or Desk Emulation plug-in,or anything that gives your song a flavour you like. I usually usesomething different on each tune, as it can be quithit-and-miss suiting the plug-in or outboard to the track.

Using this with compression can give the song an overallglued-together shape. Tape can be used to reduce top-end painon your ears and warm up the low-end; something I'm a bigfan of.

STEP SIX: GOING BACK

Once you've tried these steps, the mix of the track may stillneed to be adjusted. Often, limiting will give a squashed, flatsound; reducing long transients of drums and bass can keepthe punch.

Adding attack to the front of sounds can help counter thesquashing effect; getting these to pump nicely with the Limitercan be key to a heavyweight mixdown. Also, groupingInstruments and limiting them pre-master can really help to getthings chunky before they hit the Master Limiter together.

STEP THREE: MONO/STEREO

There are a few mastering suites that allow you to access themono and stereo separately in a plug-in on the Master.Brainworx Digital is great for this with everything on one page.

I always put the bass under 100-50z into mono, and then listenon Solo to the mono and stereo bands to hear what’shappening independently. I find adding some hi-mid and sub tothe mono, and low-cutting and thickening the stereo can oftenadd power and fatness. Increasing Stereo Width can reallybring the track alive with some added space.

STEP FIVE: OVERALL EQ

It could be said EQ on the Master isn't needed if the mix iscorrectly balanced, and that’s often true. But it can be veryhelpful if you test your tune out and realise it’s all great butjust needs, for instance, some overall brightness.

A lot of nice EQs can colour or shape your track as in StepFour. Most mastering engineers I've seen will low-cut the verybottom, to allow more headroom on your overall level. PassiveEQs such as the Manley can reshape your whole mix, whileLinear EQs are great for detailed adjustments.

CONCLUSION:Mastering Engineers have equipment and rooms better than we can dream of, so leaving that final 5% to them is usually the right choice.

I use Beau Thomas at Masterpiece for all my cuts; he specialises in bass music and knows the sound that everyone is looking for. I alwaysbring a turned down version of the tune to a session, as the extra headroom can really help to get the finished version louder.


Despi te on ly be ing a few events in, Apex has a l readyestab l ished i tse l f as one of Br is to l ’s bus iest andmost on-po int n ights. Af ter br ing ing Phaeleh, DarkSky and El iph ino to the c i ty ’s anc ient Blue Mounta invenue, Apex l inks wi th Subsoul on Saturday 30March for what promises to be anotherrammed-out dance.

T.Wi l l iams headl ines, supported by Trap’s favour i tese lector and al l - round don Zed Bias, wi th hot youngta lents Mar ibou State complet ing a very t idy l ine-up.Apex running th ings; i f you’re in Br is to l , th is is youcome 30 March.

apexbristol .co.uk

On Friday 1 March, Dollop invites a tantal ising selectionof artists from house music’s new wave to grace the DJbooth at Nottingham’s Stealth. With regular DollopPresents... nights taking place on Tuesday nights atRescue Rooms, bringing the l ikes of Oneman, EZ andMele to town, and parties down in the capital too, theguys behind Dollop are doing things right.

Numbers poster-boy Jackmaster headlines, ablysupported by the ultra-hot Bicep and last year’sbreakthrough champions Dusky. Add to that Deadboy,Friend Within and S-X, and you’ve got one serious party

dollopdollop.com

MARCH

080 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K13B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G SCOMPILED BY: IAIN BLACKBURN

SATURDAY 2 MARCH

MIXED IN@ HOPE WORKS, SHEFFIELDBlawan, Pangaea, Loshea, Chr is Duckenf ie ld.

MONO_CULT@ CANAL MILLS, LEEDSOneman, Breach, Dixon, Scuba.

THURSDAY 7 MARCH

SOFT ROCKETS@ VARIOUS VENUES, BRISTOLAxel Bowman, Behl ing & Simpson, Break, Jus Now,Buggsy, Marco Bernadi , South London Ordnance, MyNu Leng.

KUNG FU@ CONCORD 2, BRIGHTONHigh Contrast , S.P.Y, Nu-Tone, Stanza, Wrec, A.D.

FRIDAY 8 MARCH

BASSLACED@ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAMRedl ight , Mosca + more.

WE FEAR SILENCE PRESENTS15 YEARS OF VIRUS@ CABLE, LONDONEd Rush & Opt ica l , B lack Sun Empire, The Upbeats,Opt iv b2b BTK, Matr ix , Audio + more.

HORIZONS FESTIVAL LAUNCH PARTY@ VOLKS, BRIGHTOND:Br idge, Kahn + more.

SATURDAY 9 MARCH

BLAH BLAH BLAH@ DIGITAL, BRIGHTONMosca, Dusky, Pa leman.

FRIDAY 15 MARCH

DILATION@ BEAVER WORKS, LEEDSBenji B, Wookie, MJ Cole.

FABRICLIVE 68: CALIBRE LAUNCH@ FABRIC, LONDONCal ibre, D:Br idge, Fabio, Marcus Inta lex, Z inc, DJ EZ,Mosca + more.

SEEDY SONICS – OUTLOOK 2013LAUNCH PARTY@ THE RAINBOW WAREHOUSE, BIRMINGHAMAddison Groove, Ic ic le, Pa leman, Phaeleh, Emperor.

A P E X P R E S E N T S :S U B S O U L

S A T U R D A Y 3 0 M A R C H

B L U E M O U N T A I N , B R I S T O L

D O L L O P F R I D A Y 1 M A R C H

S T E A L T H , N O T T I N G H A M

Cable is among the capital’s finest and most relevantvenues, playing host to some of the biggest club-nightsand record labels around on a weekly basis. OnSaturday 23 March, the club wil l celebrate four yearsof its ongoing We Fear Silence series.

We Fear Silence is al l about bringing together the mostinnovative and forward-looking London promoters underone banner, and over the last four years this is exactlywhat it’s done. This party wil l be headlined by Boddika,a man who needs no introduction in these pages, withsupport from Germany’s BNJMN and Dexter andHolland’s Roman Lindau.

cable-london.com

Benji B’s scene shaping, front-leading, speaker-shakingDeviation has a new home at London’s XOYO. As thosewho read our previous issue, with Benji on the front cover,will know, Deviation is more than just another hyped-outclub-night. With the Deviation team’s heart and soul goinginto every party, each one is that little bit special, as theartists they’ve booked for their spring events confirm.

Friday 1 March will see Jamie XX and Actress stepping upat the Old Street club, and on Friday 5 April Mala brings hisMala In Cuba live project to the venue, supported by theimpossibly brilliant Floating Points. More than recommended.

xoyo.co.uk

MARCH

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 081 13B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

D E V I A T I O N 1 M A R C H & 5 A P R I L

X O Y O , L O N D O N

SATURDAY 16 MARCH

CRAZYLEGS@ EXCHANGE, BRISTOLPearson Sound, Mid land, Hodge, Bloom + res idents.

SHIT THE BED@ MOTION, BRISTOLRedl ight , Gorgon Ci ty, SPY, Calyx & Teebee, Darq EFreaker, My Nu Leng, Ben Pearce + much more.

REDUX PRESENTS THE BASSCULTURE CLASH@ PLAN B, LONDONThe Heatwave, Top Cat, Sk ibadee, R iko Dan + more

FRIDAY 22 MARCH

DETONATE 14TH BIRTHDAY@ STEALTH & RESCUE ROOMS, NOTTINGHAMNois ia, SPY, Hazard, Darq E Freaker, Culprate, Kasra,Mef jus + more.

SATURDAY 23 MARCH

RUN@ MOTION, BRISTOLHype, Loadstar, A l ix Perez b2b Ic ic le, Hazard, N-Type,Sukh Knight + more.TUESDAY 1 JANUARY

TROUPE@ XOYO, LONDONShadowchi ld , Tom Demac, Gl impse.

THURSDAY 28 MARCH

SKREAMIZM@ WHP, MANCHESTERJackmaster, Rustie, Skream, Loefah, Pariah, NYTA + more.

RINSE FM EASTER SPECIAL@ FABRIC, LONDONJackmaster, Roska, Joker, Skepta, P Money, Roya l T,Ar twork + more

FRIDAY 29 MARCH

LICKED BEATZ 3RD BIRTHDAY@ CABLE, LONDONNewham Genera ls , S.P.Y, Zed Bias, Logan Sama,St icky, Uncle Dugs + more

FACE WAREHOUSE RAVE@ THE RAINBOW WAREHOUSE, BIRMINGHAMMaya Jane Coles, Cassy, Bicep + more.

SATURDAY 30 MARCH

KALUKI: MAJA JANE COLES ALBUM LAUNCH@ WHP, MANCHESTERMaya Jane Coles, Heidi, Eats Everything, Subb-An + more

MINIMAL KIDS@ AUDIO, BRIGHTONJustin Martin + more.

4 Y E A R S O F W F S S A T U R D A Y 2 3 M A R C H

C A B L E , L O N D O N

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trap magazine 013

Documents

sam collenette

sam bates

cheba sam

laura lewis

n ef eb rua ry marc

amy stiffweb

james rompini

sophie thomas