trap magazine 009

E V E R Y B A S S C O V E R E DM U S I C I FA S H I O N I A R T

JUNE | JULY 2012

09

F R E E

W W W . T R A P M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

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DISCLOSURETWO INCH PUNCH

THE HEATWAVE

DISMANTLE

MIDLAND

MJ COLE

ARTFASHION

REVIEWSCLUB LISTINGS

I FEEL LIKE THESHACKLES ARE OFF...

09

Photo: GAVIN WATSON

MONO AUDIO VS LOUD NOISE/////////////////////////////22ND-JUNEPINCH-ZED BIAS-HORSEPOWER PRODUCTIONS-J:KenzoCOMMODO-Jack Swift-Kai Marley b2b Lean-Dank + MORESTANTON SESSIONS//////////////////////////////////////23RD-JUNESTANTON WARRIORS-DOORLY-THE FREESTYLERS FEAT SIRREALEVIL NINE-SAI-REVEAL + MORESUBDUB//////////////////////////////////////////////////29th-JUNEIRATION STEPPAS SOUND SYSTEM-GENERAL LEVY & JOE ARIWA IN DUB-MUNGO’S HIFI-KRYPTIC MINDs + MOREBUTTERZ & HARDRIVE/////////////////////////////////////7th-JULYNewham Generals-Trim-Logan Sama [ Garage Set ]Terror Danjah & Riko-Swindle-Elijah & Skilliam+ MOREERGH 23///////////////////////////////////////////////////13TH-JULYSpecial guests to be announced...IDIOSYNPHONIC////////////////////////////////////////////20TH-JULYSpecial Guest TBA-Document One [ Live ]-Tantrum DesireBar9-Rollz-Mattix + Futile-Dark Stranger + moreLICKED BEATZ////////////////////////////////////////////27TH-JULYDC Breaks-Elijah & Skilliam-Logan Sama-B.Traits-CottiJ-Sweet-Rattus Rattus + MORE

[email protected] // 020 7403 7730CABLE, BERMONDSEY STREET TUNNEL,LONDON BRIDGE, SE1 3JW

Opening times, line ups and ticketsavailable at www.cable-london.comFIND US ON FACEBOOK “CABLE OFFICIAL”

DESIGNED WITH LOVE, BY SUMTHINKMUSIC

“when it hits, YOu feel no paIN” -Bob Marley

JUNE/JULY>2012

T H ED RO P

EV ERY BASS C OV ER EDMUS I C I FASH I O N I A RT

JUNE | JULY 2012

09

FR E E

WWW .T R A PMAGAZ I N E . C O . U K

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DISCLOSURETWOINCHPUNCH

THEHEATWAVE

DISMANTLE

MIDLAND

MJ COLE

ARTFASHIONREVIEWS

CLUB LISTINGS

I FEEL LIKE THESHACKLESARE OFF...

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.

COVER: Sub Focus by Laura Lewis.

PICTURES: Theo Cottle, ASHES57, Marc Sethi, Hacker, Edwige Hamben, Shifteye.

WORDS: Jon Cook, Kasha Malyckyj, Jason Gardener, Oli Marlow, Mike Roberts, Sam Bates,

Gwyn Thomas de Chroustchoff, Sean Kelly, Jeryl Wilton, Amy Stiff, Sophie Thomas, Oli Grant,

Tim Rayner, Adam Scotland, Geoff Wright, Joanna Ranson.

T RA P MAGAZ I N EJ U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 2WWW . 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, Leo @ Darling, Johnny @ Outlook, Scott @ Fabric,

Andy @ The Bank, Steve @ Cooshti, Louis, Rich & Syd @50/50, Cheba & Sam @

WOC, Johnny & Ben @ Outpost, Steve & Diccon @ Chemical, Chris @ Cable,

Chris @ Idle Hands, Danny Keston, Sioned Holloway, Jo Williams.

HYPE THINGS WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT

MONKI

URBAN NERDS

FASHION

iPHONE GADGETS

FIFTY FIFTY

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

FASHION SHOOT FRIDAY NIGHT

REVIEWS THE LATEST MUSIC & GAMES

BASSPOINTS THE HOTTEST EVENTS ON PLANET BASS

RISE UP KOAN SOUND / DISMANTLE

DISCLOSURE

TWO INCH PUNCH

SUB FOCUS

ART: KING OF PAINT

CARASEL

HEATWAVE

MIDLAND

REGULARS FEATURES

25 28 30 51 54

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09

11

12

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18

20

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57

64

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DIPLO AT SW4

The man behind Major Lazer and

one of the world’s most influential

producers and DJs, Diplo, touches

down in the UK for an exclusive

festival performance at SW4 on

London’s Clapham Common on 26

August. The rest of the line-up is

pure fire too.

www.southwestfour.com

KEEPING FRESH

Birmingham/Wolverhampton grime

collective Stay Fresh are making

moves right now. Their self-titled EP

was released in March, and two

instrumental EPs are set to follow in

June. The first comes from producer

Swifta Beater and should be out now,

while Mocky’s ‘Chunky’ EP is out

24 June.

XX 2.0

Adored by everyone from indie

kids to garage girls, The XX have

been hard at work finishing the

follow-up to their game-changing

2009 debut. Produced by Jamie XX

and titled ‘Coexist’ the LP will be

released on 10 September on the

Young Turks label.

www.thexx.info

CANDY STORE SOHO

Birmingham’s premier streetwear

boutique, The Candy Store, is

launching a new London outlet later

this summer. Located in Berwick

Street in Soho, the new store

will be a stone’s throw from the

area’s many other streetwear

institutions.

www.candystoreclothing.com

HY P E09000066 TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK

CREPE CITYX NIKEIf you love trainers l ike we lovetrainers, then you won’t want tomiss the latest Crepe City eventdown at Nike’s 1948 store inShoreditch. Taking place onSaturday 7 July, running from10.30am through to 6pm, this is,as you’d expect at 1948, a Nikespecial, with hundreds of pairs ofkicks on offer from over15 traders.

So, if you’re desperately seekingthose sold-out retros or justfancy breathing in theatmosphere (and that deliciousfresh trainer smell), you knowwhere to go.

www.crepe-city.co.uk

SEE NO EVILRETURNS

After the massive success of last year’s event,which saw some of the world’s best streetartists transform a horrendously grey part ofBristol city-centre into a technicolour street-artwonderland, See No Evil returns in August.

Another cultural event that’s benefitted fromthe pots of Olympic cash flying around, thisyear’s See No Evil wil l run across both days ofthe weekend of the 18 and 19 August, andonce again see artists from around the worldturning Bristol’s Nelson Street into the largestpermanent street art gallery in the world.

With events and activit ies running throughoutthe weekend, including seminars andworkshops, plus after-hours events with somestellar names from Bristol’s legendary musicscene and beyond, book yourself a train t icketand make sure you’re there.

www.seenoevilbristol.co.uk

ONLY ONE

Not coming soon enough in

Trap’s opinion, one of this

generation’s most skilled and

knowledgeable DJs, Oneman,

becomes the latest selector to drop

a mix for the acclaimed FabricLive

series this summer, with the launch

party happening on 3 August

at Fabric.

ART FACTORY

East London’s Rhythm Factory is

renowned for having hosted some

legendary parties over the years, and

now the venue is launching a

monthly exhibition series. Utilising

the walls of the entry room as a

gallery, ASHES57’S show began on

7 June. Check the website for more.

www.rhythmfactory.co.uk

JA TURNS 50

Celebrating the fiftieth

anniversary of Jamaica’s

independence, from 25 July to 6

August some of the biggest and

most legendary artists in reggae

take over London’s O2 for a series

of incredible live shows. Damian

Marley, Tarrus Riley, Gyptian and

more will all be attending.

CRAZY LABEL

Bristol based club-night

Crazylegs has been bringing some

of the most on-point line-ups to the

city for nearly four years now, and

this summer sees the collective

launch their very own record label.

With an outstanding debut release

from hotly-tipped newcomer Ziro,

this is clearly just the start.

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LONDON PLEASUREGARDENS

As we a l l know only too wel l , th is summer, there’s thesmal l matter of the Olympics tak ing p lace in London.And whi le i t ’s easy to d ismiss the Games as a mass ivewaste of money that benef i ts on ly v is i tors f rom abroadand g loba l TV audiences, there are actua l ly a l l sor ts ofamaz ing home-grown cu l tura l pro jects that the Olympicmi l l ions are fac i l i ta t ing.

Opening on 30 June, London Pleasure Gardens is abrand new 20-acre s i te in the hear t of Olympic EastLondon. Transforming a st retch of industr ia l waste landinto an enchant ing cu l tura l p layground, LPG is thebra inch i ld of the team behind Glastonbury’s legendaryShangr i La, who’ve been g iven f ree l icence to le t the i rimaginat ions run f ree on a mass ive sca le.

With a 2,800 capac i ty main space, a 1,000 capac i tydome and a 27,000 capac i ty open space for l i veconcerts, p lus an ‘Ar t Hote l ’ , f loat ing cockta i l lounge,scu lpture gardens and wi ld nature reserve, i t ’s easy tosee why Bloc fest iva l has chosen LPG as i ts new home.Check the v ideo on l ine for more tanta l is ing info, andmake sure you get yourse l f down there at some po intth is summer.

www.londonpleasuregardens.comwww.blocweekend.com

COMPATRAP RISE-UP MIXOne of dubstep’s most exciting new talents, Compa, has done atruly incredible mix for Trap’s Rise-Up series, where we cast alight on the hottest breaking talents around. The mix was meantto go live last month, but hold-ups with our website mean it willbe up online sometime during June. Keep checking the websiteand grab his mix to discover exactly why we’re backing himso hard.

www.TRAPMAGAZINE.co.UK

MORE OF THE MICSAfter returning in style with last

autumn’s ‘Lord Of The Mics 3’,the mastermind behind the leg-endary on-camera grime clashes,Jammer, has just announced he’sstarted planning the fourthinstalment. Details are still to befinalised, so keep checkingJammer’s twitter for more info.

@jammerbbk

YEAR OF THE JORDAN

The last year has already seen

an amazing amount of classic

Nike Air Jordans retro’d and

re-released. After this June saw

the arrival of the Miltary Blue

Jordan IV, it’s the re-issue of the

White/Varsity Red/Black in

August that’s got us excited.

Start saving now!

ORIS JAYLP

A key figure in the ‘dark garage’

sound of the early Millennium,

which laid the way for the

emergence of dubstep, Sheffield’s

Oris Jay releases his debut album

on 30 July. Titled ‘To The Fly’ the

LP promises a breadth of styles

and collaborations with Toddla T,

Pinch and more.

NETSKY TOUR

Hospital Records’ D&Bsuperstar Netsky releases hissecond album this month and ishitting plenty of UK festivals withhis ‘Netsky LIVE!’ show, too.The album is called ‘2’ and isout on 21 June, and you cancatch Netsky live at Lovebox,Beach Break, GlobalGathering and more.

000088 TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK

WIN TWO TICKETS TODIMENSIONS FESTIVAL!Dimensions is the brand new electronic music festival fromthe team behind Outlook, happening this September in thesee-it-to-believe-it surroundings of the ruined Fort PuntaChristo on the Croatian coast.

With a l ine-up that draws from the most credible andartistic quarters of the world of dance music, an intimatecapacity of just a few thousand and the best soundsystemsyou’l l hear at any festival, there is no better way to finishyour summer this year than at Dimensions. With technolegends such as Carl Craig, Moodymann and Theo Parrishheadlining, alongside the l ikes of Mala, Floating Points,Loefah and dBridge, you get an idea of the qualityon offer.

We’re hyped to announce that we have a pair of t ickets forthis year’s festival to win. To enter, just [email protected] with your ful l name,post code and DoB. All entrants must be over 18, a winnerwil l be selected at random and the competit ion closes on21 July. Good luck!

www.dimensionsfestival.com

W I NTICKETS

NIGHTS

This month, we’re takingthings European. I’ve onlycovered British soil untilnow, but with summer here,I thought you might bedoing a bit of travelling…

GLOBALGHETTOANTHEMSThe small city of Lucerne inSwitzerland isn’t the sort ofplace you'd think muchwould be going on, but don'tlet this quant mountain cityfool you. Global GhettoAnthems, run by HoodRegulators, has hosted thelikes of Mosca, Rustie, OMUnit and Jackmaster. With acapacity of only about 300,it’s very personal and theylove to go in on the visuals.

TRASH DANCETrash Dance takes placeabout two hours north ofVenice, in Bassano DelGrappa, Italy. It may be asmall night, but the vibe isanything but. Canblaster,Nightwave, Martelo andOneman have all blessed thedecks at Trash Dance, so ifyou’re passing through Italy,go check it out!

I LOVE…Dismantle - ‘Dots’

Taken from his forthcoming‘Warp’ EP on Digital Soundboy,‘Dots’ brings you somethingtotally different, yet still verymuch Dismantle. Sticking to his4/4 70BPM, housey roots, it maybe a lot softer on the ears than‘Warp’, but ‘Dots’ still happilyholds a rave. .

ONE TOWATCHZOO MUSIC

This month I present to you the‘Needs To Be Said’ EP fromTOYC & ZULU, forthcoming onmy new label Zoo Music! Withprevious releases on Girls Musicand Mimm between them, thesetwo team up to make a dark andtribally EP that’s had support fromMensah and AddisonGroove, andRadio 1 plays from Toddla T. Ihave high hopes for these guysand I'm glad their part of the Zoo!

CATCH ME AT:

15 JUNE - LOVEBOXI'm excited for June! It's the

beginning of the summer and that

means festivals! I'll be playing at

Lovebox in London on Friday 15th,

which holds a day of huge dance

tents, with Rinse, Digital Soundboy

and Redbull all hosting stages and

Hot Chip, Magnetic Man and Sub

Focus on the main stage.

Personally, I'd stick around for

Chaka Khan on the Sunday!

22 JUNE - TWO INCHPUNCH EP LAUNCHTo celebrate his forthcoming

‘Saturn: The Slow Jams’ EP, PMR

are putting on a party at Notting

Hill Arts Club on 22 June. I first

heard TIP’s music last year - tracks

like ‘Love You Up’, with its blissful

sonics, got my attention straight

away! Bristolian duo Velour will be

joining him on the night, along with

London’s Brey. It's guestlist only,

so make sure you check it out

online and get your name down!

FM’s Monkidelivers the latest ofher regular pagesfor Trap…

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Our bass-music buddies overat Urban Nerds drop thelatest instalment of theirregular page for Trap...

www.urban-nerds.com

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RATTUS RATTUSHOT 5IVE

FIVE TRACKS THE NERDS RESIDENT CAN’T GETENOUGH OF…

1. OSCAR LUWEEZ JUNCTION 10Absolute banger. As simple as that.

2. DISCLOSURE WHAT’S IN YOUR HEAD (MAK &PASTEMAN RMX)The original is bri l l iant, but this remix is sublime.

3. RUDIMENTAL DEEP IN THE VALLEY (WOZ RMX)Woz on the buttons for this remix of the soon-to-be-chart-toppingdance act.

4. SEVEN EVOLUTIONHis new album is so strong, it was hard not to l ist the whole thing.It’s just that good.

5. DISMANTLE DESTROYWith the VIP of ‘Computation’ on the B-side, this release ispure fire.

After celebrating five years in the game at the end of May,we at the Urban Nerds have a very busy schedule set for thefestival season. Below are the best places to catch London’sleading bass brand do what we do best; party!

Also, to celebrate our 2012 carnival warm-up party on the 25August, us Nerds are holding a competit ion for one luckydesigner to have his or her design chosen and printed as thenext l imited-edit ion tee-shirt design. For more info and rules,go to www.urban-nerds.com/carnival.

29 June - Urban Nerds host dance stage at Lee Fest - Surreyleefest.org.uk

6 July - Urban Nerds host Fabric Room 2 - Londonfabriclondon.com

7 July - Urban Nerds host dance stage at Lounge On TheFarm - Canterburyloungeonthefarm.co.uk

5 August - Urban Nerds host dance stage at StandonCalling - Hertfordshirestandon-call ing.com

25 August - Urban Nerds Carnival warm-up party - Londonurban-nerds.com/carnival

Photos: MARC SETHI

UNO ONEALPHABET SERIESwww.unooneprint.com

Design and pr int stud io Uno One has jo ined forces wi thone of Trap’s favour i te ar t is ts , Daddison, to br ing youa unique ser ies of co l laborat ive tees. Fo l lowing thea lphabet, each tee is re leased in a l imi ted run of 20wi th a d i fferent des igner lend ing the i r s ty le andsk i l l -set to each let ter.

So far, as wel l as in-house graphics, we’ve seen BakeDesigns take on ‘B’, which came with a match ing totebag, and c loth ing af ic ionados Donuts br ing ing you ‘D’,complete wi th d ip-dyed heml ine. Keep an eye on the i rwebs i te for the re lease of your favour i te let ter.

Words: Kasha Malyckyj

& Jason Gardener

FAS H I O N09

THE RAGGEDPRIEST

The Ragged Priest has beencausing quite a stir lately -those super sexy hot pantsRihanna has been rockingdidn’t stud themselves youknow! With an ability to takehold of a trend and whip itinto a vintage fashion frenzy,these guys have everythingyou need to stylishly takeyou through festival season.Mix it up with dip-dyedpastel shirts and bleacheddenim or be fearless and goin on RiRi’s bejewelledbatty riders.

SCHWOOD SUNGLASSES

Oregon based Schwood has added further styles to its extensive collection ofwooden eyewear. Known for their unique craftsmanship, Schwood frames areconstructed in the USA entirely from precious wood and Carl Zeiss lenses.Our favourite style is the Canby, which boasts a classy take on thestandard wayfarer.

WAH NAILSBOOK

If you are a big fan of jazzynails and haven’t alreadypicked up your copy of WahNails’ Book of Nail Art,then you need to have aword with yourself. Theoriginal pioneer of thismassive trend, SharmadeanReid, advises you oneverything from prep tofinish, and the book ispacked with jaw-droppingdesigns and projects youcan attempt yourself. Goget your nails D-I-Y did.


DQM SHORTS

NYC's Dave's Quality Meats has a tidylittle line-up of 10oz canvas shorts thatare perfect for the summer months.Available in two tonal colour-ways ofolive and tobacco, these shorts are aday-to-night staple.

VANS VAN DORAN

Just in time to see you through the season,Vans has delved into its archives andswitched up some of the brand’s most iconicstyles for the next in the series of the VanDoren collection. Featuring re-issued printsavailable in the Era, SK-8 Hi andSlip-On shapes, there’s a pair for everyVans junkie.

FAS H I O N09


LEVI’S COMMUTER

Levi's has just unveiled its new ‘Commuter’ line, offering a functional solution forthe fixie crew. There’s an altered Trucker jacket featuring elongated cuffs,reflective trim and a drop tail for added coverage, and then there’s the 511Skinny, which feature reflective stripes on the turn up and a D-locksupporting waistband.

INCASEThat iPhone in your pocket isworth too much not to make sureit’s properly – and stylishly –protected while you’re frolicking infields and basking on the beachthis summer.

There are literally thousands ofcovers and cases out there, butthese from American companyIncase really caught our eye.Check their website for morestyles and colours than youcan imagine...

MINIRIGMost of us don’t have separate mp3players anymore, opting instead to keep our pre-cious music permanently by our sides, stowed onour phones. And while the in-built speakers onmost phones are pretty decent these days,there’s one very important thing they all lack –BASS.

The Minirig is the best speaker solution forphones and mp3 players we have come across.Lovingly hand-built in the UK, thislittle badboy needs to be heard to be believed.

Constructed from sturdy aluminium, andrechargeable with a battery life of 50 hours, theonly drawback for those travelling with a Minirigis its weight – but it’s a price worth paying forbass-heavy, beautiful sound, straight out of yourphone!


Whether you’re reaching every festival your bank account will allow this summer, or justo& abroad for a week or so in the sun, your trusty smartphone will no doubt be going withyou. Here’s Trap’s pick of some of our favourite accessories to help you get the most out ofyour phone - and your summer!

PHONE

LOVE

HINTER LENS SYSTEMFor the Instagram addicts out there, this tidy case/lens combo from British brand Hinter should help your photos standout from the hipster crowd. Cleverly combining an iPhone case with a set of three lenses, which attach via a screwmount on the case, you can forget taking a stand-alone camera away with you, as this should be all you need. Withmacro, wide-angle and fish-eye lenses all included, you can bring some really dramatic effects to your photos, andleave your Instagram buddies gasping at your new-found artistry!

Currently only available for iPhone, but with a Galaxy version promised soon, along with lens filters and a telephoto,make sure you keep checking the Hinter website for more!

NEW FIFTY FIFTYWEBSITE

We are excited to tel l you that our new online store is nowup and running. It’s taken a lot of time and hard work, butwe all wanted a website that we felt reflected fifty fiftyonline. The site includes a brand new blog, where you cancatch up on what the team have been up to and all therecent goings on in the store. Make sure you check it out.

NEWS

At the end of May, four riders from the fiftyfifty team competed in an invite-only jam at thenewly developed Kennington Bowl in London.The team made the final and ended up infourth place, battl ing the likes of Slam Cityand Supreme.

The refurbishment of Kennington, which is oneof the oldest parks in London, wascarried out by Converse, who staged this eventas the official opening jam. Once again, a bigup to Korahn Gayle , Flynn Trotman , TomGibbs and the newest rider to be added to theroster, Phil Parker - they repped Bristol hard inthis one!! Expect to see a “Hold tight London”edit up from this event soon.

Late May also saw the premier of the newSkateboard Café promo and in-storeproduct launch. There were two showings ofthe fi lm, which the entire Bristol scene hasbeen working on. Check the HarryOlgilvie part that’s shot as close to the storeas you can get, and also the sectionfeaturing the first out-of-town SkateboardCafé recruit Shaun Currie. The entire new lineof Skateboard Café hardware andapparel is available now.

Finally, the Bristol Urban Sport exhibit ion atthe M-Shed gallery is now open, so if yourpassing these ways, be sure to check it out.The mini-ramp wil l be up at the start of June,with riders from the store doing demos andrunning a skate jam on the weekend of 16 and17 June.

Trap welcomes back Bristol skateboarding

institution fifty fifty for another rundown on

the latest happenings in their world...

WWW.5050STORE.COM


GLASSY SUN HATERS

Owned and operated by skater Mike MoCapaldi and his brother Vince, Glassy SunHaters already have a heavy hitt ing roster,with pro shades from Mike Mo and StefanJanoski in the first l ine that’s now out. Aswell as the pro shades, there are a bunchof nice colourway team shades in fourvarying styles, using different f inishes andlense options. This is a rad shades brandwith a very reasonable price tag to match.

ORCHARD

Another skater-owned brand, this t ime outof Boston, USA. Orchard has concentratedon its own brand products heavi ly andcome through with some very nice piecesin a great selection of materials and prints,including the l ine of 5-panel camp capsfeatured here.

CONVERSESKATEBOARDING

Stil l relatively new, Converse Skateboardingis now on its second instalment. The brandalready has pro models from heavy hittersAnthony Pappalardlo, Kenny Anderson andNick Trappasso, as well as bunch ofreworked classics for the team shoes.

The ‘Elm’ is a new introduction to therange, and is a simple but very effectiveprice-point shoe. Featured here is thesmoke grey version. With the l ine expandingevery season, we expect big thingsfrom Converse.

SKULLS

Skater-owned independent Skulls wasestablished in Barcelona and has nowrelocated to Brooklyn, NYC .The brandfocuses on the 5-panel camp cap, whichseems to be growing in popularity at aquick pace, although it’s always been ourfavourite style of cap!

Skulls produces a wide array of designs,but is renowned for al l-over prints as seenon the ‘Mia’ , ‘Un Peru’ and ‘Postage’ thisseason. The caps are al l handmade in theUSA and are produced in small runs, sothey never stay on the shelves for long.

fresh to death Four brands we’re rating this month.You can find al l of these in store or online at www.5050store.com

LTJ BUKEM – ‘MUSIC’This record says everything about thelatter half of my raving days. Remindsme of sitting out in the sun on theGreek islands, or driving back fromraves at 8 in the morning. This is liquid,fresh-air style. Warm pads, classicdrums and a minimalist style chime thatcements it all together.

ANGIE STONE – ‘WISH I DIDN'TMISS YOU’Summer is here and this track bringsback memories of 2002. I was soakedwith garage at the time and this wasthe perfect antidote. Masterfullysmooth and a very solid use of a greatsample - something I didn't realiseuntil later.

HYPER ON EXPERIENCE – ‘LORDS OFTHE NULL LINES’ (FOUL PLAY RMX)This takes me back to my bedroom DJdays. I was busy playing classical musicat the time and never thought theturntables would become part of mylife. This was a cheeky 10" back in theearly 90s; everyone loves a dubplate-sized piece of vinyl. Impresses yourmates, too.

TOWER OF POWER – ‘WHAT IS HIP’(1973)’The ultimate funk workout. The videosof live versions of this online areunreal. Pure musicianship, pure funk.The tightest horn section in existence. Iplayed keys in a funk band at one timeand this was always the jam. Writtenbefore I was born; I'm not that oldafter all.

RADIOHEAD – ‘JIGSAW FALLINGINTO PLACE’Have always been a massive fan ofRadiohead. ‘In Rainbows’ is one oftheir top albums; it stands up torepeated listens, on so many levels.Reminds me of slogging it out at thegym, and has been a permanent fixtureon my iPod for years now.

MJ Cole is a garage legend. Here, he revealsthe ten tracks he’ll love forever...

GOING IN DEEP

MJ COLE

MASTERS AT WORK FT INDIA –‘TO BE IN LOVE’I had the honour of remixing thisrecord at one time. It's always been afavourite of mine. The Kenny andLouis skippy drums with live bass andsoulful vocals really inspired some ofmy earlier music. Another summerfavourite. Classic.

THE TOMMY CHASE QUARTET –‘THE MESSAGE’Stumbled across this in an exgirlfriend's record collection when Iwas about 16. It's always rung true tome. She liked Super Noodles - I likedjazz noodlings. We both likedthe other.

D'ANGELO – ‘BROWN SUGAR’The master. Highly influential on myproductions in the late 90s.I challenge you to let this pass you bywithout a head nod. Amazing groove,vocally astounding, musicallynext level.

MADEON – ‘ICARUS’A much more recent record. There'sloads of this kind of gear around, butthis is the one that does it for me, andI’ve been known to slip this into mysets of late. Really fuses well withsome of the more skippy four-to-the-floor stuff. I especially love themajestic flourish of chords at thestart. So bright, so colourful, so good.

ERYKAH BADU – ‘OTHER SIDE OFTHE GAME’Another groove from heaven. PureAmerican class. Tight as anything. Ilove the lyrical content of this - she'sso in love with the wrong kind of guy.Quality Fender Rhodes playing too.

MISANTHROPNEOSIGNAL

1. NEOSIGNAL – ‘MOTOR’

(NEOSIGNAL)

2. NOISIA & THE UPBEATS -

‘DUSTUP’ (VISION)

3. PHACE & MISANTHROP –

‘PROGRESSION’ (NEOSIGNAL)

4. NOISIA & PHACE – ‘IMPERIAL’

(VISION)

5. KOAN SOUND - ‘MEANWHILE IN

THE FUTURE’ (OWSLA)

6. NOISIA - ‘TRYHARD’ (VISION)

7. PHACE - ‘SYSTEME MÉCANIQUE’

(NEOSIGNAL)

8. MEFJUS - ‘DISTANTIA’

(NEODIGITAL)

9. EMPEROR - ‘THE FIRE’ (DUB)

10. ALIX PEREZ & ROCKWELL -

‘BALLBAG’ (NEOSIGNAL)

SEVENBLACK BOX

1. SEVEN – ‘MORNING LIGHT’

(BLACK BOX)

2. SEVEN – ‘CAME TO PLAY’

(BLACK BOX)

3. BIOME & DEMON– ‘INCUBUS’ (DUB)

4. CHEWIE – ‘SOLICE’

(UPRISE AUDIO)

5. DUBTEK – ‘PLUS ULTRA’

(UPRISE AUDIO)

6. SEVEN – ‘TWILIGHTHORIZONS’

(BLACK BOX)

7. JAYKENZO– ‘INVADERS’ (TEMPA)

8. IPMAN– ‘RADIATE’ (SUBWAY)

9. SEVEN – ‘BREATHE’ (BLACK BOX)

10. BENVERSE – ‘TIGER FOOT’

(CRUNCH)

SWINDLEBUTTERZ

1. JOKER – ‘OLDERA’ (KAPSIZE)2.MALA– ‘CALLE F’ (DEEPMEDI)3. JOKER– ‘SKITTA’ (KAPSIZE)4.ROSKA FTRUBYGOE–‘MEMORIES’ (RINSE)

5.ROYALT – ‘INSIDETHERIDE’(RINSE)

6.PREDITAH– ‘NOSEYPARKER’ ( DUB)7.CHAMPION– ‘CRYSTALMETH’(BUTTERZ)

8.BOKBOK– ‘SILOPASS’ (SPYRORMX)’ (DUB)

9. L-WIZ– ‘N’BELIEVABLEBLITZ’ (DUB)10.R1RYDERS– ‘LOWTREAD’ (DUB)

MARTELONTS

1. JESSIEWARE – ‘110%’ (PMR)

2. MONO/POLY – ‘CREW’ VIP

(HIT+RUN)

3. LIL SILVA – ‘WHOHURTYOU’

(LSWHITES)

4. FANTASTICMR FOX –

‘SPEAK NUH’ (BLACK ACRE)

5. ZEBRA KATZ X BOYFRIEND –

‘WINTER TITTY’ (LENKEMZ RMX)

(SENSELESS RECORDS)

6. XXYYXX – ‘ABOUTYOU’

(RELIEF IN ABSTRACT RECORDS)

7. FATTRELL – ‘RESPECTWITTHE

TECH’ (UNKNOWN)

8. MIGUEL – ‘CANDLES IN THE SUN,

BLOWIN IN THEWIND’

(UNKNOWN)

9. BAUER – ‘MYNOSE’

(UNKNOWN)

10. SOUTH LONDONORDNANCE –

‘SANCTUARY’ (2ND DROP)

EATS EVERYTHINGFUTUREBOOGIE

1.EATSEVERYTHING– ‘JAGGEDEDGE’

(PETS)

2. JUSTINMARTIN– ‘RUFF STUFF’

(DIRTYBIRD)

3. JUSTINMARTIN– ‘MOLOKINI’

DIRTYBIRD)

4.DUKEDUMONT– ‘STREETWALKER’

(TURBO)

5.KERRICHANDLER – ‘BACKTOTHE

RAW’ (DEEPLYROOTEDHOUSE)

6.CHAMBOCHE– ‘SMOKESCREEN’

(KRLRMX) (UNDERTHE SHADE)

7. EATSEVERYTHING– ‘THIS ELBOW’

(PETS)

8.F.U.S.E,LFO– ‘LOOP’ (PLUS8RECORDS)

9.UFFE– ‘LEAVESOON’ (CATZNDOGZ

RMX) (MOREMUSIC)

10.AND.ID– ‘AIR’ (MOBILEE)

DUSKYDOGMATIK

1. HEAD HIGH – ‘RAVE’ (POWER

HOUSE)

2. DUSKY – ‘FLO JAM’ (DOGMATIK)

3. LUCA LOZANO – ‘SOUL123’

(KLASSE RECORDINGS)

4. JOHN CONVEX FT DBRIDGE –

‘LIED TO BE LOVED’ (3024)

5. DUSKY – ‘HENRY 85’ (SIMPLE

RECORDINGS)

6. JASON GROVE – ‘RAW IN 92’

(SKYLAX RECORDS)

7. GEORGE FITZGERALD – ‘CHILD’

(AUS MUSIC)

8. A1 BASSLINE – ‘SOUL BEAT

RUNNING’ (CDR)

9. OKAIN – ‘O'CLOCK’ (GERD'S DEEP

MIX) (TSUBA)

10. HECTOR COUTO – ‘ADO SADO’

(BRISE RECORDS)

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW US FOR...Releasing music under several labels over the past few years, DJingin Bristol and beyond, or winning the National Harmonicachampionship in 2001.

WE’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC WE MAKE AS...No-one likes trying to describe their music in one sentence but Isuppose the two words that spring to mind would be funky and techy.

WHEN WE’RE NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND US...Listening to music; chilling with friends; pursuing our photographycareers via Instagram.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, WE DREAMED OF BEING...Professional gamers. We’re keeping the dream alive.

IF WE WEREN’T DOING MUSIC, WE’D...Probably still be living at home and/or lurking around the Job Centrewith a bottle of White Ace.

OUR MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURE IS...Daniel Bedingfield – ‘Gotta Get Thru This’. Or anything in that veinfor that matter.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...We used to be a trio of DJ/Producers under the name of ‘BristolRootical Ninja Soundsystem’. Never quite got around to building therig though...

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...Hopefully we’ll have travelled the world further and visited places likeJapan and South America. And released an album. Maybe.

@koansound www.koansound.com

01

MYNAME IS...

KOAN SOUND

INTRODUCING TWOFRESH TALENTS WE’RETIPPING FORTHE TOP...


02

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD TO ME IS...This sounds very clichéd, but probably my family and friends.

MY MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURE IS...I sing ‘Barbie Girl’ with a hairbrush.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT...I've skydived from 15,000 ft, and I'm not a keen flyer.

THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER HAD IS...'Buy a pair of turntables', I guess.

IN 12 MONTH’S TIME...I'll probably still not have left the pub.

@dismantle_ggd

MYNAME IS...

DISMANTLE

YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME FOR...Making weird bleepy sounds - that and probably ‘Computation’.

I’D DESCRIBE THE MUSIC I MAKE AS...Kick drums with weird bleepy sounds!

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING, YOU’LL FIND ME...At the pub, or on twitter. Or both!

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I DREAMED OF BEING...A footballer and then a skater. I think most people my age can agreewith me here.

IF I WASN’T DOING MUSIC, I’D...Be down the Job Centre right now.


D ISCLOSURE

MUSICALYOUTH.WORDS : M IKE ROBERTSPHOTOS : EDW IGE HAMBEN

Successfully sculpting an innovative sound that rapidly becomesthe staple of the electronic underground, whilst also evoking thetrendy ear of student-land and tastefully venturing into popularterritory is no easy feat. South-London siblings Guy and HowardLawrence, aka Disclosure, have created a full bodied style that’sdone exactly that.

Brandishing a fresh amalgamation of sizzling, vocal-tinged 2stepgarage and deeply sexy bass-licked house has seen these twoyoungsters from Redhill meteorically emerge as some of thehottest property around, with a rich line of tastemakers includingPete Tong and Annie Mac all enraptured by their productions.

Evolving swiftly from a couple of young brothers putting out theirmusic for free on Facebook last year, to a pioneering productionduo supporting SBTRKT on tour, being called up to remix every-body from Jessie Ware to Emile Sande and releasing newmaterial on Greco-Roman, the pair are clearly set on turningmore than a few heads in 2012.

Guy, being the elder of the pair, takes the lead here as they chatto Trap Magazine about their influences, inspirations and what'sin store this year...…

TRAP_Sorry to begin with this, as we’re sure you're constantlyasked, but how old are you guys?GUY: I'm 20.HOWARD: And I'm 18, as of like two days ago.

TRAP_Do you think your youth has anything to do with thesudden hype and fascination?G: Definitely, yeah. I think most people are really quite impressed thatwe’re so young and everyone seems to say that we have a really maturesound for our age. Generally, though, I think most producers aregetting younger.H: It’s so easy to produce these days, just on your laptop, so it'sshouldn't be so much of a big deal really.

TRAP_Things have changed rapidly for you two - where wereyou and what were you up to this time last year?G: This time last year, we’d just put out our EP on Facebook, where youhad to like our fan-page to download it for free. That unexpectedly wentcrazy. We'd also just started live shows abroad and performing inEurope. I guess we're still kind of doing that really, but just bigger.

TRAP_So what’s your musical background? And when did youofficially create Disclosure?G: We've always kind of made beats together, but when I was in collegeI played in a band just with my mates, you know... We'd just play houseparties and that for a laugh. I play drums and guitar and stuff and it wasgood fun, but it had to end when all this [Disclosure] kicked off lastyear really.

TRAP_Who is one artist that really compelled you to startproducing electronic music?G: I caught a guest mix from James Blake, Joy Orbison and PearsonSound on a Mary Ann Hobbs show a few years back that really got meexcited and hooked on that sound. And then we started hearing artistslike Burial and Floating Points, who I guess were the first guys thatreally started inspiring us.

TRAP_The EP you made available for free on Facebook, howhas that helped you and your career?G: It was a huge blessing in disguise. Although we wanted to sell it, wedidn't have any money to clear the samples and didn't want to riskofficially releasing it, so we put it out for free and we gained somethinglike ten thousand fans, so it was well, well worth it.


TRAP_Did you expect it to blow up so big?G: Nahhh, not at all, no way, it's been mad.H: We don't really expect anything from our music.G: We just make music for us and our mates really. It turns out a lotmore people than just us and our mates like it.

TRAP_Your Jessie Ware remix has been massively hyped andpraised. How did the collaboration come about?G: Jessie came to one of our shows in Brixton where we met her. Wethen got sent the promo for ‘Running’, which we instantly knew wecould remix and that the vocal would sit well on one of our tracks. Weget asked to remix a lot and we turn down quite a lot, but once we hearthe right vocal we know we can make it work. With that track, weautomatically knew what we wanted to do before we'd even started.H: She's coming out to Ibiza with us to perform live, which should bereally amazing.

TRAP_Supporting SBTRKT on his recent tour must have been ahighlight for you?G: Yeah, it was great... it was a perfect match. I think we haveelements of his sound in what we make, not intentionally, but we kind ofget put in the same bracket. It was pretty cool to step out and performto a SBTRKT crowd each night because we knew most of them wouldbe into what we do. It was like no fear really, which was sick.H: SBTRKT and Sampha, they're both really nice guys and we learnedso much from being on tour with them.

TRAP_What direction are you looking to take your own liveshow?G: Set-up wise, we're trying to get it more like SBTRKT. I play drums soI want to bring in that and we're working with vocalists, so we want tomake sure that’s in there too.

TRAP_Where do you draw your influences from, past andpresent?G: Over the past year, we've kind of gone back in time a bit more...So, guys who were making music when we were like nine or 10 orsomething are big influences now, guys making 90s garage and deepDetroit house. It's weird how our influences are going backwards really.

TRAP_Your new EP came out on Greco-Roman on 4 June. Howhas your sound progressed since the free EP last year?G: The speed is definitely slowing down; everything is slowing down tolower than 140bpm. I guess if you want to call it house, you could;we're definitely working the house beats now.

TRAP_You've recently been added to bill of one of the biggestdance festivals going, Global Gathering. How does that feel?G: Yeah, really excited. We've never been there before so we'redefinitely looking forward to that one. Our whole summer is looking great.

TRAP_What other festivals are you performing at this year andwhich are you looking forward to the most?G: Festival wise, to be honest, we don't really want to do too many thisyear because we kind of want to peak next year when we will be puttingour album out, so when that happens that's when we want to hit all thefestivals. But we're doing Outlook in Croatia this year and SecretGarden Party is my favourite festival ever and we're playing there, sothat should be great. Then, in August, we're doing Space in Ibiza - thatshould be really amazing too.

TRAP_Lastly, what's your one top tune/artist tip atthe moment?G: George FitzGerald’s track ‘Child’.H: Paleman and Squarehead are both making some sick stuff, too.G: Yeah watch out for them!

T h e Fac e EP i s o u t n ow o n G r ec o-Roman R ec o r d s


D I S C L O S U R E

WE JUST MAKE MUS IC FOR

US AND OUR MATES REALLY . . .

I T TURNS OUT A LOT MORE

PEOPLE L I KE I T .

“

”

TWO I N C H P U N C H

F o r t h e f i rs t t i m e , I j u s t

d ec i d e d to d o s om et h i n g

t h at was m e . .

“

TWO INCHPUNCH

the search for that new soundWWOORRDDSS O l i M a r l o w

Next time you’re out in a crowded town centre, lookaround at the people either side of you. Some of themhave known what they wanted from day one. Rememberthat kid who was 15 and had already found his girlfriendfor life? He’s still happy now; dude is married, chuffedand comfortably living two streets down from his olddears. Then there’s you… chances are you probablyhaven’t found every last thing that you’re looking for, nomatter how old you are. It can take people a wholelifetime to really tie themselves to something; toperfectly find a routine, method or purpose that they cantruly call their own.

Good musicians are the same; they’re never happy, alwayspushing and plucking at things, testing out new chord phrases,structures or mediums. So, when one of them finds a particularsoundset that they’re pleased enough to call their own, it’skind of a big deal; a new world that's ready to explore andpopulate with nuggets of sound. That's how I picture itanyway. Some people are happy to rework the same beat overand over and maybe, I dunno, just reverse the vocal samplesso they sound different but stay in the same key.

Ben Ash is one guy from the former camp, a producer whogets excited at the notion of his own ‘sound’, and rightly so.As Two Inch Punch, Ash released one of the most delightful lymournful records of 2011 with the ‘Love You Up’ EP. Droppingon PMR, it was tied by association to the work of labelmatesJulio Bashmore and L-Vis 1990, but it was uniquely different;a tortured exploration of conventional, three and a half minutepop songwrit ing set atop embell ished hip-hop instrumentalsthat blurted emotion out of every synth l ick or chokedvocal phrase.

“When I first did those tracks I wrote them on nothing really,”Ash tel ls Trap over a skype line on one of the hottest days ofthe year yet. “It was a new project I did for fun and it juststarted to grow and develop. I was actually writ ing for otherpeople for ages but it was never really quite right, l ike it didn’tf it because I was always trying to do what I thought theywanted or what their sound was. But then, for the first t ime,I just decided to do something that was me.”

A producer in the tradit ional sense - a central f igure directingthe songwrit ing and driving the recording processes – Ash tookstock of some of his favourite artists and their audible call ingcards, cit ing DJ Premier and Neptunes as twoobvious examples.

“I was writ ing for al l kinds of stuff,” he continues when pushedon those past collaborations. “It was all on whim. The biggestthing I did was a beat for Lil Wayne, which he rapped on but itnever came out. I only heard it played back to me down thephone, they wouldn’t give me a copy. I didn’t have a sound yet,so there was no reason that people would come to me. I wasjust doing stuff and hoping it would work. It didn’t have anidentity; it didn’t really feel l ike anything, so that’s why Idecided to do Two Inch Punch and just set up my own thingand try and get a sound that people would want.”

“I don’t really listen to tons and tons of electronic music,” hecontinues. “I’ve sort of been put in that bracket somehow butreally, everything I do and have listened to has all been songbased; whether it’s The Beatles, some Motown or even variousaspects of hip-hop, which is more sort of verse/chorus format.”

With Ash not really locked into the cyclical transience ofelectronic dance music circles, over time he was able toestablish something that he was total ly happy with, whichresulted in that first EP; a collection of songs that shared atonal famil iarity with each other as well as a similar sentiment.One of the most overwhelming things about Two Inch Punch’ssongs is just how downbeat they feel, even when they'repaced up a bit. And given the loose shroud of mystery (hedidn’t have an exhaustative biog or cl iched press shot) aroundhim when that first EP emerged, you’d be forgiven for halfexpecting him to be hard work. But, in person he’s posit ivelychipper, talking incredibly fast through the formal part of theinterview like it’s not something he’s entirely used to just yet.

“I remember back in the day, in the 90s and stuff, there was acouple of bands I was really into and you couldn’t just goonline and find images of them. All there was was the onephoto on their album and that’s al l you had, you didn’t knowanything else about them. It made reading interviews andseeing them live much more excit ing, whereas now you think‘that’s a nice track’, go online and find out everything aboutthem. It kinda kil ls the mystery a l itt le bit. It can kinda ruin ity’know?”

With his second EP, ‘Saturn: The Slow Jams’, due out onPMR later this summer Ash wil l soon be entering into anotherpromotional phase that’l l no doubt take him away from theseclusion and security of his studio and expose him to theworld. You get the impression after talking to him for half anhour that he’s crafted a certain level of comfort for himself,able to really explore the depths of his own sound-set, so it’sinteresting to learn how much he relies and feeds off thecollaborative process:

“What I’ve always really wanted to do is just write and produceand that’s been my main thing, but I don’t sing. Like, I’ l l dosome backing vocals, but I always try and get inspiration fromanother vocalist, so I always need someone to work with. It’salways gonna be me producing for them, that’s the naturalthing and I’m comfortable doing that now because I’ve got asound, that thing that I wanted, so when I go in to a sessionpeople know what to expect from me.”

Having already committed to an album, and with his new EPbeing preceed by the ‘Paint It Red’ single, a duo ofcollaborations on Javeon McCarthy’s forthcoming PMR EP anda remix for Wacka Flocka Flame, it would seem that theworld’s yet to be that privi leged in its expectation. Like I saidbefore, most people don't even know what they want…

‘Sat u r n : T h e S low Jams ’ E P i s o u t s o o n o n PM R .


s any regular reader of Trap wil l know, hidden away deep in thebasement of central London’s opulent County Hall building sit thestudios of many of bass music’s biggest stars. We at Trap havefound ourselves here before, awaiting our cover star, confounded

by the contrast between the music represented by the rows of platinumdiscs spanning the walls of the PWL studios (belonging to one PeteWaterman) and that of the artist we’ve come to meet.

Today is no different, and although we’ve seen it before, the sight ofhundreds of glimmering discs bearing the names of some of the mostfamous pop songs of modern times is breathtaking. Surrounded by somuch inspiration and success, it’s no surprise that the individuals whooccupy the building’s studios have each been instrumental in takingunderground bass-driven music to unprecedented heights over recentyears; producing for major artists, headlining festivals and taking it inturns to dent the UK Top Forty with their own bass-heavy productions.

Chase & Status, Breakage, Nero, Shy FX and Caspa can all be foundhere on any given day, working away in their soundproofed rooms,exchanging ideas and plotting the music you’l l be hearing next year.And so can Nick Douwma, better known as Sub Focus - the man we’vecome to meet today ahead of the arrival of his second album and afestival-packed summer of l ive shows, and who’s gone from producingdrum & bass in his bedroom to signing to a major label and touring theplanet with his genre busting, bass-focused sound.

WORDS: Jon Cook PHOTOS: Laura Lewis

taking control

S U BF O C U S

A


“I moved here about three years ago,” explains Nick as we takea seat in his studio, being careful not to knock over the vintageKorg and Moog synths leaning against the wall. “I startedcoming here when I was working on my first album; I’d comedown here to Chase & Status’s studio and they’d help me outwith vocals, as I only had a small studio at home.

“The vibe here, it felt nice, and what attracted me most washaving likeminded people around – Chase & Status and Shy FXwere here, then Nero moved in, then Breakage and Caspa.There’s a really great group of us here; having that exchangeof ideas, talking about things playing each other music. It’s acreative atmosphere; we’re all art ists who, in our own ways,are trying to push the envelope a bit.

“That was especial ly the case when I first moved in; we wereall people that were taking a bit of a chance and movingoutside of what we were known for. Shy was one of the firstpeople from D&B to start playing dubstep in his sets, andobviously it was the same with Chase & Status. It was great,because back then, when things were sti l l quite segregatedmusically, we all encouraged each other to play whatever wewanted to in our sets.”

In today’s multi-genre world, where D&B, dubstep, house andeverything in between can now all sit comfortably aside oneanother not just on a line-up or in a DJ’s set, but also in thehearts of the fans, it seems bizarre to think that just a fewshort years ago, dance music was a strictly schismatic school.And while Nick is keen to praise the likes of Chase & Statusand Shy FX for their work in smashing down the barriersbetween genres, his own role in al l this shouldn’t beunderplayed.

With an obvious melodic influence taken from house andelectro, even the earl iest Sub Focus tracks made clearthat this was a producer with influences from far beyondjust drum & bass. But while tracks such as 2006’s

‘Airplane’ and later ‘Time Warp’ made it clear this was aproducer with l itt le regard for convention, it’s only since therelease of his self-tit led debut album in 2009 that SubFocus has evolved from being just another D&B producerand DJ, to a dance music artist in his own right, playingand producing tracks across genres.

And while his most recent single, Apri l’s ‘Out The Blue’was another piece of classic Sub Focus electro-tingedD&B, last year’s ‘Fall ing Down’ definitely wasn’t.A ten-tonne slab of outrageously produced floor-servingdubstep, the track not only helped widely establish the SubFocus name beyond just D&B, it also caught the attentionof a certain American dubstep megastar...

“I released ‘Falling Down’ as a free download last year, butwe’ve just put out the remixes on OWSLA, which is Skrillex’slabel,” Nick explains. “That’s a great thing – I’d played it toSunny [Skrillex] when he was here in the UK and he wasreally into it. We kept in touch afterwards, I always see him atvarious things and he was keen to release the track, so Iended up doing a VIP version and getting a couple of remixesdone – it all worked really well.”

With a Skri l lex supported dubstep banger only just behindhim, and a vocal led D&B track currently l ighting up theRadio One playl ist, where does Sub Focus see himself as aproducer in 2012?

“For the last few years, I’ve been trying to make sure peopledon’t see me as a producer of one style,” he answers

“I didn’t want to betrapped indrum & bass.”

“It’s so easy to turn up with records or, in my case, USBsticks. My entire set is on there!” he says holding up the AngryBirds USB key he’s been fiddling with throughout the interview.“I wanted to do something more. The main motivation is havingcontrol of the whole experience and getting over to people yourbrand; I love acts l ike Justice that create a world around theirbrand and have such a strong visual identity. That’s what Istr ive for.

“We’ve just updated the show,” he continues. “We’ve created a3D version of the instal lation we were using before; we’ve gotthree interlocking discs of LEDs, one of which is ti l tedforwards. It’s a lot bigger than the last show. We’ve juststarted touring with it and it’s going really well. We’re using alot of new technology for the show; I enjoy what thepossibi l i t ies are. I’m using two iPads with bespoke software onthat give me the abil ity to sequence and re-arrange the trackon the fly; it’s l ive remixing of the tracks.

“And I’ve had these two motion sensors made. They’re twoboxes, above which are invisible beams in which you can moveyour hand to control, a bit l ike a Theramin. So I can bring inthe bass or change the pitch of a sound just by moving myhands around, which is mad. We’ve also got sections of the setwhere the instruments are transmitt ing stuff to the lights, so Ican use the motion sensors to turn the lights on or off. I’mtrying to do a live show, but in a futuristic way that feels rightfor my music. I thought we could go down the band route, butit would feel sort of wrong to have my music played by adrummer. I love electronics and I love the beat being total lysteady and sounding like the record. So I wanted to think ofways to perform it but sti l l have that electronic element there.

“We’re trying to really push the envelope. I love having thatcontrol over the visuals as well as the sound; l ike I said, thewhole experience. We’re doing, Lovebox then Radio One bigweekend in Hackney, Global Gathering, Creamfields, Bestival,EXIT, Hideout, Pukkelpop in Belgium. A really good run, andwe can use the new instal lation and new music. It’s gonna begreat to play it for the first t ime; there are a lot of new tracksfrom the album in the live set.”

With all this going on, and an album to finish, we can’t helpbut think Nick must have better things to do with his time thantalk to Trap for hours. With his brain picked and our curiositysated, we thank the Londoner for his time and get up to leave.Walking out with us through the vast gold-disc packed PWLstudios, and with the likes of Breakage, Chase & Status, Neroand Shy FX all working away behind closed doors, we can’thelp but comment on how crazy it is that so many producersfrom a scene that was once considered the antithesis ofcommercial ity, D&B, have taken over the charts inrecent years.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Nick agrees as he scans his thumbprintthrough the biometric entry system. “I’m not sure why that it is,but then, I guess coming from a scene like D&B that was somarginalised and anti-mainstream, you feel l ike you havesomething to prove. Maybe coming from a scene like that, youstrive more for recognition. But then, personally, I hate theidea of being typecast as someone that can only do one thing.I guess I’m quite competit ive; I want to prove to people that Ican do it al l.”

Sub Focus’s second album is due in October.Catch his live show at EXIT, Hideout, Bestival,One Big Weekend and more.

WWW.S U B FO C U S . C OM

immediately. “It’s not very nice to feel l ike you can only do onething. I was in bands and stuff as a kid, so I’ve always beeninto a lot of different music, but became known for makingD&B. So for the last three of four years, I’ve been making andreleasing multi-genre stuff. I just want to be known as a dancemusic producer and I try to keep a common thread runningthrough the tunes; a prominent bassline, riffs, catchyelements. I l ike to think my tracks, regardless of genre, have asound that ties them together.

“But yeah, I l ike it now, the crowds accept it, which wasn’talways the case. I love playing mixed genres sets. I l isten to alot of house music, and electronic music in general. I loveambient music l ike Vangelis and Brian Eno, and there’s a pileof cheesy 1980s boogie there,” he says pointing to a stack ofCDs on his desk, “I just love electronic music.”

In today’s open-minded musical landscape, such affections arenothing to be ashamed of. However, back in the deeply tr ibaldays of the late-90s and early part of the last decade, whereany self-respecting dance music fan was typical ly devoted tojust one genre, admitting you liked Brian Eno or 80s boogiewould have been considered near blasphemy. And no school ofdance music was more puritanical than drum & bass. With thatin mind, was Nick one of those D&B kids that never l istened toanything else?

“Definitely for a bit,” he confirms. “I remember it was D&Bversus garage for a while. It’s funny because I’ve startedplaying a lot of garage again recently in my sets. But D&B wasthe one, I started collecting vinyl in 1997, and I waspredominantly l istening to D&B. My tastes slowly began tobroaden out again later, and I started to really want people tohear my other genre stuff, and then in the late-2000s I startedto release that stuff.”

So you wanted to prove to people you could do more than justdrum & bass?

“I didn’t want to be trapped in it,” he says. “And doing otherstuff keeps it more excit ing; it’s so much better nowadays.I can play across the board; house, dubstep, D&B, andeveryone accepts the music. I feel l ike the shackles are off!”

As we’ve already mentioned, Sub Focus isn’t just playing allsorts of styles and tempos in his sets; he’s producing themtoo. With an album due later this year, we’re keen to hearmore about what we should expect from a producer who nowfeels free to ful ly express himself.

“The album is pencil led in for October, but there’s no name forit just yet,” Nick explains, clearly guarded about giving toomuch away. “I want it to be a continuation of what I startedwith the first album. The best way for me to describe it is howit’s different from before. There’s more songs, more vocals;I prefer to work with unknown vocalists, but I’ve done a trackwith Kele from Bloc Party. And this album is more evenlyweighted between tempos. There’s some D&B, some dubstep,some house music, so it’s an even mix. When I put out my firstalbum, I was nervous of the reaction to the other genres thatwere on there, but now it feels l ike I want to just do as muchdifferent stuff as possible. I can do what I l ike now; I’m incomplete control.”

Like any artist working in any medium, control of his craft isunderstandably of paramount importance to Nick, a fact madeclear as he talks us through the improvements he’s made tothe live show he’s been touring over the last year and that he’l lbe carting around various European festivals this summer.


KINGOFPAINT

You don’t need to have watched that recent cringe-inducingepisode of The Apprentice to know that street art is big newsthese days - and nowhere more so than in the dishevelled,graff-daubed streets of Trap’s home city of Bristol.

Among the first places outside of New York to take the disciplineof graffiti to its heart in the 1980s, Bristol is now considered tobe one of the art-form’s true spiritual homes, as any visitor to thecity will quickly discover when wondering its streets.

But no matter how big or popular it becomes, every artisticmovement needs an epicentre, a place for its practitioners tomeet, talk and demonstrate their talents. Since opening in late2010, that’s exactly what Bristol’s King Of Paint has become.

Stocking everything the budding or professional street artistcould need, and hosting regular exhibitions on their extensivegallery walls, King Of Paint has built a rep not just a hub for thevibrant local scene, but as one of the best places in the UK todiscover and, of course, purchase artworks from the next bigstreet-art thing, just before they blow up.

Trap caught up with Paul Villalba and Matthew Hibbert, the twomen behind King Of Paint, to find out more...

TRAP_Hi guys. You’ve been running forabout 18 months now, what was the ideabehind opening?

MATT: Well, both of us are Bristolians. We knew alot of writers and artists in Bristol who’d said to usthat there was no one-stop shop in the city to geteverything you need.

PAUL: All the writers and artists were literallygoing to three different places to get all theircolours. I’d always wanted to open a gallery, but Iwasn’t willing to sit in one all day and never haveany visitors, only at shows. I thought, ‘How can Ihave a gallery space, but also get a communityvibe going on.’ So the paint was a no-brainer.

M: We now have more colours than anyone else inthis part of England. That’s one of our USPs – ifyou stand in front of the counter, when it’s full upwith paint, it’s amazing to look at. You see peoplecome in with their list of paint and then getdistracted by the choice.

And by stocking the paint, it means writers arealways coming in, we get to chat to them and theycan then show us their work. If we like it, we’ll askthem if they want to do a show. We’re booked up18 months in advance now, which is great; that’swhere we want to be at.

P: That was the motivation, having a gallery butalso wanting to help the community... The paint,it’s a service really, it’s not an earner. It helps usget that community vibe going on.

TRAP_Beyond the art on the gallery walls,what exactly do you sell?

M: We’ve got Belton, 94 and Montana Gold paint,plus pens, caps, masks, gloves - all theparaphernalia that goes with graffiti. We’re tryingto get to the point where we are that one-stopshop. We’d like to eventually do our own emulsion,rollers, everything.

TRAP_Do you guys have a background instreet art and graffiti?

M: I’ve always loved graff, always been around itand had lots of friends involved in it. But I’d neverfound an option to be involved. It makes me happynow to be in it, and I swore to myself I’d never goback to what I was doing before – working inpubs, call centres and even a bank - it made meso miserable and unhappy.

P: Living and growing up in Bristol, it’s alwaysaround you. I got involved a few years ago,collecting pieces. I did a show out in Bali withDavid Walker and Jo Peel that went really well.After that I did a couple of shows at a friend’spub, The Library in Islington, and it went off! Ithought, ‘I can make a career out of this, I love it.’

TRAP_What have been the shows you’vebeen most proud to have put on?

P: China Mike, Paris, Stik were all great shows,and we’ve got Xenz, David Walker and Dicey all


coming up. Now, we constantly have quality artistsapproaching us for shows. When we started wewere trying to get the shows, now people have thetrust in us.

We’re trying to do it correctly, rather than doing apop-up and throwing a load of shit in the window.We’ve spent a lot of money on lighting, theflooring is tarmaced – you walk in and it’s anexperience. There are galleries that just move intoold shops and stick a load of art on the walls andthat’s it; they’re not hung properly, the lightingis bad.

You’re trying to sell beauty to people; you can’tjust chuck it on the wall. You’re selling anexperience; you have to put the effort in and do itcorrectly. I’m always travelling round the planetchecking out how other galleries do things, tryingto take the best things and apply them here.’

TRAP_Bristol is quite the artisticcommunity. We all know about thelegendary musicians that have come fromthere, and, of course, no street art featurewould be complete without mentioning thecity’s most famous graffiti son, Banksy. Whatis it about Bristol?

M: I think Bristol is an amazing place. It’s quitesmall, which can be a negative in that it can makepeople narrow minded - Bristol Village, I call it. Butin terms of creativity, you have this focus in a smallarea of lots of different talents.

P: It’s so multi-cultural. It’s not like other cities inthe UK, they are mulit-cultural in the traditionalsense, but they’re not really, because no oneinteracts so it’s segregated. Everyone gets on witheveryone in Bristol; it’s not like the turf wars incities up North or in the Midlands. I was one ofonly two white boys in my class at school, butthere was no issue; everyone just mixes and getson. Everyone works together here, music, art,people just get on.

TRAP_And for the future...

M: During See No Evil in August we’re gonna do agroup show, an All Stars sort of thing. We’ve beentalking to several artists.

P: We’ve got some really interesting shows comingup over the next year. I’m getting artists fromaround the world. I want to show people what’s outthere. Next up, SEPR is curating a show, withDILK from Nottingham and BASE23 from Berlin.

We just want to try and bring different aspects tothe city – there are other galleries that justconstantly recycle the same artists and shows. Wewant to be unique in what we do; we want peopleto say ‘Wow, how have you got this here!’ That’swhat we want. Push boundaries; that’sthe mission.

www.ko pa i n t . c om


FRIDAYNIGHT

Photography Theo Cottle

Styled by Kasha Malyckyj

ASSISTED BY Sioned Holloway

Hair and Make Up JO WILLIAMS

MODELS Alex@gingersnapand Jake

WITH A HEAD FULL OF EARLY-90SNOSTALGIA, TRAP GRABBED THECAMERA, GOT SOME DRINKS AND

WENT INTO THE NIGHT...

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Jeans from a selection at ShopDutty

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Leggings from a selection at Cow Vintage

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JAKE WEARS:

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Vest Boy London £35.00Jacket Ellesse Heritage

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DELTA HEAVYDOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

TRAP_You’re best known as a D&B MC, but the album iship-hop. Is hip-hop your true love?I grew up listening to hip-hop, I’m a massive fan and that has never leftme. But D&B plays a huge part in my life as well; I love the music,clubs, energy and scene so much that I can never imagine being withoutit. The LP has such a hip-hop influence because I started linking upwith Blacksmith [producer] on a weekly basis. We just really clicked andbefore we knew it we had eight or nine tracks. I never set out to make ahip-hop album; our work rate and drive just made it happen!

We are, however, planning a big D&B remix project for the LP, withremixes pencilled in from Stanza, Dr Meaker, Benny Page, Serial Killaz,Run Tingz and N3GUS to name a few.

TRAP_You’re also touring the album with Carasel Live. Whatshould we expect from the shows?Carasel Live is a high-energy showcase of the album tracks, cut up byDJ Skint with splashes of D&B and bass music to keep the crowdmoving from start to finish. I use Jman as a hype man to back me upand the chemistry between the trio just seems to work. Catch us atGlade, Boomtown, Brisfest and NASS festivals, as well as anAmsterdam show and Eksman’s Birthday Bash before the album drops.I’m lucky to have travelled far and wide with D&B and now I want to dothat with my own music as well.

TRAP_You’ve managed to do what many have tried and failedat; establish yourself as a top MC in D&B. We all know there area lot of wannabe MCs out there – what advice would you giveto aspiring mic men?Ah, that’s very nice of you to say, but I feel I still have a long way to gobefore I’ve achieved all my goals in D&B. As for up-and-comers, juststay true to yourself, don’t beg or ask for anything, make as manyfriends in the scene as you can, write as much as possible, let yourpassion empower you and you will be OK. Oh, and master hosting!Half of the art of D&B MCing is not MCing!

TRAP_Any last shouts?Without the following people the album wouldn’t of happened, so I’vegotta give special thanks to Blacksmith, Dr Meaker, Gorman, Sinai,Redz, the Ambush fam and everyone that has featured , produced orhelped in any way. Shouts to all the promoters and supporters that havehad my back in the last ten years! It’s been a journey!

Progression is out 20 August on AFT Records.

PPHHOOTTOO Hacke r

aking a name for yourself as an MC isn’t easy. While, these days, it only takes a couple of big tracks and the rightsupport for an unknown producer to suddenly become the next

big thing, the path to success for anyone with a calling to the micremains one of endless graft, dedication and persistence. Luckily forhim, the MC known as Carasel has all these qualities and more,enabling him to succeed where many have failed and establishhimself at the top table of drum & bass MCs.

After first picking up the mic almost a decade ago, the lasteighteen months have seen Carasel’s stock skyrocket. Regularlytouring the world with D&B stars Sigma, releasing the track ‘Snakes’with N3GUS on the mighty Hospital Records, and hosting moreraves, festivals and club-nights than most of us will attend in ourentire lives, this is clearly a man with momentum behind him.

Now, Carasel is focusing that energy on the release of his debutalbum, ‘Progression’, and the accompanying ‘Carasel Live’ shows atsome of the UK’s leading festivals this summer. Predominantly ahip-hop album, ‘Progression’ features guest spots from the cream ofD&B MCs including Eksman, Dynamite, Stamina and Juiceman, alldoing their thing over slower tempos. Trap caught up with Carasel tofind out more about the album, D&B vs hip-hop, his live showand more...

TRAP_EZ Cara! Your debut LP is out this summer – tellus more!I’ve been putting my blood sweat and tears into the project for about 12months. The album is called ‘Progression’; it’s predominantly hip-hop,so I’m sure it’s gonna take people by surprise and help them see me ina new light. Most of the struggle has been holding it down and notletting anything leak out; I’m so excited to let it go now it’s ready!

TRAP_You’ve got some amazing guest features on there. Howdid they come about?Most the features on the LP are from MCs that are massive in the drum& bass scene, but probably not so well known in UK hip-hop circles. Iguess that’s just a representation of where I’m coming from andfriendships and relationships I’ve built up over the years. Still, I’m reallyblessed that everybody was so keen to be involved and related to thevision. I think the producers need to be thanked massively as well, allthe guests responded so well to the music I was sending them; withoutthe beats, I’m sure we wouldn’t have got the features we have.

M

C A R A S E LTRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 004499

STARTINGA FIRE

WORDS : JON COOKTHE HEATWAVE

We ’v e ma d e a r ea l e f f o rt

to s h ow p eo p l e t h at

da n c eh a l l i s s om et h i n g

t h ey ca n c o n n ect w i t h .

“


In the ever shifting world of dance music, trends and fads comeand go like the British weather. This year’s biggest sound will bepassé by the next, and what was big ten years ago will suddenlybe embraced by a whole new generation discovering it for the firsttime. These are the cyclical inevitabil it ies of the UK dance musicunderground in the internet age.

And while new musical schools such as funky or dubstepcan explode into popularity seemingly overnight, and then fadefrom the centre just as quickly, some sounds take a litt le longer toburrow their way into the consciences of the trend-driven masses,even if they’ve spent years quietly operating on the peripherydoing their own thing, waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

With this in mind, it’s fair to say that 2012 has been the year thatthe UK underground finally caught up with dancehall, or bashmentas it’s often called. Of course, this club-centric progeny of reggaehas enjoyed massive popularity in its home of Jamaica since itsbirth in the 80s, and much of Europe, Africa and North Americahave maintained healthy fan and artist communities consistentlyever since. But in the UK, with so many of our own home-grownbass-driven genres available to occupy the attentions and talentsof our musically inclined youth, since the early 90s dancehall hashad to settle with being one of those aforementioned sounds;quietly doing its own thing, waiting for everybody else to comeback round to its charms and realise its integral importance in theevolution of all the bass-driven, MC-led UK sounds we declare soproudly as our own.

And with the likes of Jamaican dancehall artists such as Popcaan,and even UK ones such as Gappy Ranks and Stylo G, now regularfixtures on the Radio 1Xtra playlist, dancehall is enjoying a level ofpopularity not seen since the early 1990s, when Shabba Rankstopped the charts and reggae music’s influence was everywhere.In all this, the role of the bashment triumvirate known as TheHeatwave shouldn’t be underestimated.

Over the last few years, the trio of DJ Gabriel Heatwave and hostsBenjamin D and Rubi Dan, have taken a carnival with themwherever they’ve gone – from the fashionable micro clubs ofShoreditch, to student-packed Croatian beaches and provincialnightclubs – delivering energy packed dancehall parties to an evergrowing crowd of eager fans, while their weekly Sunday nightbashment shows on RinseFM have become one of the station’smost essential broadcasts.

With The Heatwave’s Hot Wuk parties now happening in citiesacross the UK, a packed summer schedule of festival shows andthe imminent launch of their own record label with Wiley’s ‘NinjaRiddim’, the three Londoners are busier than ever, but sti l l foundtime to talk to Trap about their story so far...

“The Heatwave started in London in 2003,” begins Gabriel, themastermind and selector of the operation. “It was myself, a coupleof mates and Henry Heatwave. We’d all been living in Bristol, butmoved back to London after university; Henry stayed behind andset up Dub Studio. A couple of years later we were doing a nightat Rhythm Factory in East London, called Heatwave vs MasFuego, it was bashment and reggaeton, and it was there that I metRubi. He came down, did some hosting one time, loved it and keptcoming back.”

“I knew a DJ that Gabriel was working with at the time he wasdoing nights at Rhythm Factory,” adds Rubi, The Heatwave’sflamboyant front of house who, along with Ben, runs the mic atHeatwave shows. “I went down there and it was a great vibe,playing 90s bashment, which I’d not heard out for a while. I juststarted picking up the mic and hosting; it wasn’t planned, it justcame together.”

“I met Ben around the same time,” Gabriel continues, “He used tocome down with his brother, hang out and smoke weed – he wasthat guy passing us spliffs while we were playing!” “Gabriel and mybrother are friends from back in the day,” confirms Ben, in a voice

familiar to anyone that’s been to a Heatwave dance. “I’m a bityounger, so I had to slyly sneak in; I was that guy making spliffs,cheekily roll ing up the weed. And as I grew up, I’d be going off toa dubstep rave or whatever, but I’d always pass through theHeatwave parties on the way. The vibe would set me up wickedlyfor a big rave after.

“From there it just developed naturally. In about 2007, TheHeatwave stuff started really happening for me; I started doingsome hosting. Rubi brought me in and showed me the ropes – I’ddone MCing before, but not in that style. Rubi, the way heinteracts with the crowd, it’s a specialist thing.”

With the collective as we know it today formed and beginning tomake waves in a London scene that was about to become overrunwith the carnival-inspired vibes and rhythms of UK funky, and withThe Heatwave’s ‘An England Story’ out on Soul Jazz, thecollective’s sound and ethos was starting to make sense to thewider bass-music world. In 2009, hugely influential London radiostation RinseFM gave The Heatwave their very own show, and withit free licence to play their beloved bashment to an increasinglyinterested audience.

“I think Rinse could see we were pushing something that wasn’treally happening on the station, but that was closely linked toeverything on there,” reflects Gabriel. “It made sense for us to beon Rinse, because what we do and push has been an influence inthe foundations of all the music on there, but no one was reallyplaying it. Garage, grime, jungle, funky, dubstep – they all kind ofcome from dancehall and have that l ink there. I don’t think peoplealways recognised that before that time. When we did Heatwavevs Mas Fuego just a few years before, I know people didn’t reallyget why we’d have Klashnekoff or Riko at a dancehall night. Theymay be hip-hop or grime rappers, but they come from dancehall.”

This school of thought is at the very heart of what The Heatwavedo. Joining the dots between dancehall of all eras and the past20-odd years of UK MC-driven music is something they clearlydelight in and that enables them to reach out to whole newaudiences by highlighting the connections. This ethos becamemore than an idea last summer, when The Heatwave put on‘Showtime!’, a glorious demonstration of the evolution of UK MCculture from its dancehall reggae roots. Inviting legendary BritishMCs from jungle, garage, ragga and grime to chat over dancehallfor an evening at London’s Cargo, the night was blessed with barsfrom the likes of Wiley, Skibbadee and General Levy and will belong remembered as a truly legendary event.

“Showtime was everything we hoped it would be, and more. We knewit was going to be something special, but even we hadn’t beenprepared for how crazy it would be and the buzz,” Gabriel explains.“For us to get people like Skibbadee and Wiley to come and spit ondancehall, it felt like taking things full circle and bringing those artistsback to their roots, the music they grew up with.”

An event like Showtime is obviously about much more than just agood party, and with another lined up for 5 July in Birmingham, it’sclear The Heatwave are continuing on their mission to not just givetheir crowds a good time, but educate them too, and as such theirrole in the rise in popularity of dancehall in the wider bass musicscene over recent years is of real significance.

Da n c eh a l l i s at t h e ro ot o f s o

many t h i n g s a n d p eo p l e h av e n ow

sta rt ed ac k n ow led g i n g i t f o r

what i t i s i n i t s own r i g h t .

“

T H E H EATWAV E

“Yeah, I think we have helped,” agrees Gabriel when this is put tohim. “We’ve made an effort to show people that it’s somethingthey can connect with, understand and relate to. When we starteddoing the nights in London, as much as Jamaican music hasalways been at the root of UK music, people just took it as aninfluence and something to sample; they weren’t interested inwhat the Jamaican artists were doing currently.

“For a few years when we were pushing the sound, people weren’tgetting it so much. But now, people are watching what’shappening in Jamaica, they know the tunes, the dances, and theyunderstand the lyrics more. I think that’s one of the barriers withit, people can’t get the lyrics at first, but it’s just a case of gettingused to it.”

“Dancehall is at the root of so many things,” continues Ben, “andpeople have now started acknowledging it for what it is in its ownright. I think it’s things like The Heatwave hammering it out there,playing dancehall in places where people wouldn’t normally hear it,so then they start connecting it up; it begins to make sense.”

“A lot of the Hot Wuks have a lot of students, it’s a really mixedcrowd at them,” Rubi adds. “It feels like we’ve educated a lot ofpeople about bashment, dancehall; what it is. They get the gist ofthe forwards, the banging on the walls, and they getinvolved now.”

Hot Wuk is the final piece of The Heatwave puzzle. Along withShowtime and their weekly Madd Raff parties every Wednesday atThe Social in London, Hot Wuk is The Heatwave’s weekend partythat’s recently evolved from an occasional London dance to anationwide dancehall brand, with events popping off all over theUK. Brighton, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and of course London allnow have regular Hot Wuks to call their own, with more citiescoming soon.

“Hot Wuk; it’s carnival vibes, people having a good time,” explainsRubi. “You know sometimes you have a really bad day, and youwanna go somewhere and forget about it all? Hot Wuk is a placewhere you can come have a good time, there are loads of girls, wegive out whistles and horns, people just get into a frenzy, get madand express themselves in the way they dance. There are no badvibes – if you wanna be a bad man, be a bad-man dancer!”

“Until you come to a Hot Wuk, I don’t think people understand thevibes,” Ben agrees. “We’ve built it up and got a family connectedwith it, so you know when you go there, you’re gonna hear upfrontdancehall, hardcore dancehall, and the people wil l appreciate it. Itmeans we can now go to Leeds or Brighton and it has that sameenergy and vibe.

“And the Hot Wuk girls are magnificent in themselves, they’re amagical thing. I love Hot Wuk and it’s exciting spreading it. I can’twait to take it to cities overseas; I think they’d love it. What’s notto love! It’s the international language of absolute madness. Allcultures have an element of carnival spirit in them; most peoplewil l be able to connect with that. Getting mad excited; ittranslates well.”

“Yeah, we’ll get it established here then try and take it to Berlin,Amsterdam, those places...” says Gabriel. “But we wanna keep theparties small - not do arena parties or anything like that; it wouldlose what’s special. We want that community vibe and Hot Wuk iswhere people that know each other and love dancehall can go andmeet and dance. We’d like to build a live show with dancers, MCs,bring the carnival thing. We’re playing a lot of festivals, so wouldbe good to get a big summer stage show going.”

“The sound is called Heatwave,” adds Rubi, “and every time weplay it gets so hot! It’s the levels of energy and hype! All we reallyneed now is a big yacht and to sail ourselves to the Caribbean orthe Mediterranean, be there for a hot minute. That vibe!”

Showtime! Birmingham Edition is at The Rainbow on 5 July.The first Hot Wax release, Wiley’s ‘Ninja Riddim’, is out soon.

www.t h eh eatwav e . c o . u k .

From sparse, dancefloor focused dub techno, torough, primitive campfire bass, London-basedMidland’s music quickly found its calling, garneringreleases on prolific labels Phonica and Aus Music.Much like his housemate - Hessle Audio label boss,Pearson Sound – Harry Agius’s electronic journeybegan with an avid passion for sweaty drum & bassand jungle raves, and these distant studentmemories still l ive strong in his productions.

Midland’s most recent EP, ‘Placement’, maintainsthat UK grit, despite its flawless execution, andalthough the Leeds original has come a long way injust over a year, we’re expecting a whole lot more asthe summer unfolds. Discussing choral scholarcareers, dream labels and moving his music awayfrom the club stage, Trap gets at the guy with hisfeet firmly rooted in new house, yet with acautionary elbow gently leaning on classic bass.

TRAP_Hey Midland. Your well known as a producernow, and your sets are highly regarded too - howdoes making music affect your craft as a DJ?I don't think it affects it that much, obviously it gives youa certain understanding of structure and maybe a slightinsight into different components of tracks, but they arevery different things for me. I wouldn't go as far as to saythey are mutually exclusive, but there are many great DJswho make no music and many great producers whocan't DJ.

TRAP_How do you approach the ‘b2b’ sets? Wecaught the one you did with Pariah and Blawan agesago, which was a lot of fun. Is there a sense of com-petition in these sets, or do you sit down and brieflyplan where it’s going?Well, I have only done a couple and they are quitedifferent to solo sets. I don't think there’s an element ofcompetit ion, it’s more that you have to raise your gamewhen playing with artists you know and respect. With thatone, we had a mix together and got a vague idea ofwhere we wanted to go with it, but essential ly it was alloff the cuff.

TRAP_We’ve heard that you come from a musicalfamily and did a five-year stint in your school’schamber choir. Do you have any classical training? Ifso, does it influence you as an electronicmusic producer?We aren't necessari ly musical in the sense that al l mysibl ings play instruments and my dad’s a composer ofanything, we just love it and there was always music onwhen I was growing up, from Fleetwood Mac to ElectricLight Orchestra to Simon and Garfunkel. I was a choralscholar at school so sang a lot (l ike five times a week)but never stuck to an instrument. I wanted to learn thepiano and was meant to get free tuit ion as part of my

scholarship, but the musical director wasn't on that so Imissed out, sadly. Sti l l t ime to learn though!

I think what singing taught me was how harmonies andmelodies interact and the importance of dynamic contrastin music. We once sung a piece by John Tavener called‘The Lamb’, which starts off very dissonant and thengives way to the most beautiful harmonic section. It was areal eye opener on how you can use things that soundharsh or wrong to contrast with rich melodies.

TRAP_Is there a distinction between compositionand production in your opinion?Definitely. A good mixdown is important, but it’s obsoletein comparison to how you arrange and build your music.Arrangement for me is the single most important part ofthe process - how the track builds and where it takes you- and trying to keep people interested while notal ienating them.

TRAP_You produce entirely on your computer, right?How do you achieve that analogue ‘ liveness’ inyour tracks?I do indeed. It’s quite odd, recently a lot of people havebeen asking me how I get that analogue sound when Ipretty much produce 100% ‘in the box’. It’s basical lydown to the fact that I l ike gritty warm sounds, so when Iproduce I find myself gravitating to sounds and synthpatches that are a litt le less clean or predictable.Sampling drums off vinyl is a good place to start. For mynew EP, I recorded a lot of guitar sounds with my brotherand then mangled them up in Logic. I have a fewtechniques for ruffing and warming up sounds but theywil l have to stay secret for now.

TRAP_If you could be released on any label, past orpresent, which would it be?That question has the dangerous potential to make mesound like a desperate fan boy, ha ha… That said, itwould be amazing to one day release an album on a labell ike Domino. An electronic album, not a ‘dance’album; that’s where I see myself going. Not away fromthe dancefloor but just to a room off the side of it...

TRAP_And finally, should we expect an album fromyou in 2012? Does the idea of writing one appeal toyou as an artist?It's definitely not something I’m considering this year.Although, saying that, I do have lots of ideas on mycomputer that have never come to fruit ion, but that I keepfor later use, so who knows what capacity they wil l beused in. I real ly want to be in control of my production, orat least have a real idea of where I want to take it, beforeembarking on a project l ike that. No rush.

www.s o u n d c lo u d . c om/m i d la n d

WWOORRDDSS S o p h i e T h o m a s

M I D L A N D

a room off the dancefloor



REVIEWED BY: BASSMUSIC BLOG, SAM COLLENETTE, DUB BOY, GEOFF WRIGHT, JON CARTER, SEAN KELLY, OLI MARLOW,

GWYN THOMAS, JERYL WILTON, FIREMAN SAM, JUSTIN IRIAJEN, NICK HILLS, OLI GRANT, BELINDA ROWSE.

SPECTRASOUL‘Delay No More’(Shogun Audio)

One of D&B’s most credible,forward thinking acts drop theirlong-awaited debut album forShogun Audio and the resultsare, unsurprisingly, awesome.Jack Stevens and Dave Kennetthave paid their dues over the lastsix years, forging a reputationfor producing some of thefinest tracks D&B has to offer.


COOLY G‘Playin’ Me’(Hyperdub)

The debut album fromMerissa Campbell, afternearly three years ofreleasing music, is a smokyjewel; a dubbed outsoundtrack for the night bus,that staggers in the shadowsof dubstep, UK funky anddeep, soulful house. CoolyG’s connection to real housemusic (note: not ‘bassmusic’) is representedthrough collaborations withUS legend Karizma andbri l l iant French DJ, Simbad,

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

‘Delay No More’ continues thattradit ion, and pushes the duofurther than ever before, takingin multiple tempos and rhythmicstructures, and result ing in oneof 2012’s best albums so far.

To those who dismiss drum &bass as passé and l itt le morethan shallow rave fodder fortaking drugs to, l isten to trackssuch as lead single ‘Light In TheDark’ with Terri Walker or thesublime yet rugged half-step of‘Buggin’, and get ready to haveyour mind changed. The housetempoed ‘Away With Me’ withTamara Blessa provides anoceans-deep middle act to thealbum, while elsewhere the duoexplore rhythm structures andtempos with the the depth andskil l that proves they’re as goodas anyone when it comes tomaking credible, quality dancemusic with real soul.

both of which came out as arecent EP. Hot, air-ventthrobs of sub-bass andstuttering digital drumscreate a shady inner space ofneon-l it, concretearchitecture. Campbell’syearning, ghostly voice windsthrough this urban gloom,exalt ing and lamenting withthe same cold breath. It’stempting to place it in thesame l ineage as Burial as areflection of the spir it ofLondon’s bass culture thatfeels total ly of-the-moment.


SILKIE & QUEST‘Dubstep Allstars’ Vol 9(Tempa)

Tempa were instrumental intaking dubstep from Croydonbackrooms to the biggestinternational clubs, and the‘Dubstep Allstars’ series has beenthere throughout. Quest andSilkie, and their loose collective,Antisocial, don’t go back quite thatfar, but their introduction ofbrightness into dubstep’sstagnating murk was important.They keep things personal here;almost every track is their own,orone of Swindle’s. It’s a shame thatthe newer efforts on show neverreach the dizzy heights of Quest’stunes circa-2008, heard at eitherend of this mix, but the vivid,colourful swagger hits hard – evenafter being bastardised by manylesser producers. The quickly-mixed ‘showcase’ style lacks flow,perhaps not suiting these big,emotive tracks, but it’s totallyfunctional in reflecting theheadspace of some artists withattitude and integrity.

KAHN ‘Angeles’ / SuperiskRemix(Soul Motive)

The old hands at Soul Motive dropan entirely ‘Bristol bass’ affair,marking a broadening of youngchampion Kahn's talents. ‘Angeles’works garage rhythms, sweetmelody and Todd Edwards-influenced vocal chops intosugar-crystal brill iance. Superisk’sthree-ton kick drums dents thefragile 2step backbone out ofshape on the remix, and thecontrast with his familiarly eerielo-fi strings culminates in an eyes-down soundsystem banger with adark, faintly mystical slant.

MELLA DEE‘CTRL’ EP (Coyote Records)

Mel la Dee is one ha l f of MistaMen, who’ve made ser iouswaves on GreenmoneyRecord ings of la te. Here, hedrops an o ld sty le gr ime r idd im,ready to damage c lubs and g iveMCs someth ing to run wi ld over.A lmost a new-school vers ion of‘Pulse X’ or Bossman’s ‘BongoEyes’ , th is is raw, und i lu ted,bare bones bass and drums,accompanied wi th remixes f rombass music luminar ies,Baobinga, Gre ivous Angel , MA1and Mr Mi tch.

NETSKY ‘2’(Hospital)

Now a huge star in his own right, itwas just three years ago thatNetsky made his debut on D&B’sbiggest label, Hospital Records. It’sfair to say that he’s made aremarkably rapid ascension in aonce impenetrable scene and thisLP is, for the most part, acontinuation of the sound thatmade Netsky a brand name inD&B. Predominantly borrowingconcepts and sounds from discoand hardcore, there are plenty ofhands-in-the-air synths, catchyhooks and rather predictableclimactic drops; typified by theeuphoric dubstep banger ‘WannaDie For You’. There are occasionaldeviations, such as the UrbanTakeover-esque ‘Drawing Straws’,and the uncharacteristicallyaggressive ‘Detonate’. The UKFlistenership will no doubt relishNetsky’s latest offering, but thoseseeking a more progressiveapproach might find the styleoverly familiar.

SEVEN‘Evolution’(Black Box)

One of dubstep’s most anticipatedLPs drops on the mighty BlackBox label just in t ime for summer,with Seven delivering a batch ofbass-bin workouts as eclectic andprecisely executed as his highlylauded DJ sets. Expect obscenelytaut basslines and plenty ofgroove across the 13 tracks, andthe inclusion of everything fromthe 90s rave throwback flavoursof ‘Feel It’ to the murderous basssavagery of ‘Invasion’, with nofi l ler in between. Seven enliststalented songstress Alys B,injecting some soul on thepunishing ‘Morning Light’, andexpertly intertwines dashes ofEastern melody into ‘Breathe’,creating a sl ick subterraneanroller. The ambient subtleties ofthe tit le track ‘Evolution’ mightjust be the pick of the bunch, andoveral l it’s a certif ied banger of adebut album.

09M U S I C R E V I E W S

MR BENN FTSEROCEE

‘Rising Star’(Nice Up)

Ever popular Bristolian reggaehip-hop producer Mr Benn teamsup with Serocee for their firstrelease on Nice Up records. ‘RisingStar’ is a skanking party starterthat has a wicked reggae horn lick,tuff squelchy bass, big dubstepbeats and a steppin riddim. KingYoof provides a solid 140bpmjungle remix, while Tomb Crew flipthe tune into a rowdy African housebanger

09T R A P M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K 005599

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Throw Me Herb’ Riddim(Hot Co*ee Music)

UK reggae's brightest star, themulti talented Gappy Ranks,releases his self-produced ‘ThrowMe Herb’ riddim perfectly timed forsummer dances. Busy Signal's turnis the highlight, with the anthemic'Hottest Hot Head', and is backedby further excellent cuts by Gappyhimself (‘Maddest Ting’) andReddman's 'Clean Up Me Herbs'.This is a really strong set of ganjatunes and a great example of UKDancehall at its best.

DISCLOSURE‘The Face’ EP (Greco Roman)

Arguably dance music’smost- ta lked about duo r ight now,the out land ish ly ta lentedDisc losure jo in the Greco-Romanranks wi th th is aston ish ing lygood four- t rack EP. Featur ingthe i r t rademark de l ic ious chords,ingenious ly chopped voca ls andmasses of sub-st ra in ing bassweight , th is is a f inedemonstrat ion of just what thesetwo brothers can do. ‘What’s InYour Head’ and ‘Boi l ing’ shouldbe wel l fami l ia r, whi le ‘L iv idup’and ‘Contro l ’ show a deeper s ideto Disc losure’s sound.

JAM CITY‘Classical Curves’(Night Slugs)

Night Slugs, run by Bok Bok andL-Vis 1990, is the London labelresponsible for introducing us toMosca, Girl Unit, and Kingdom.Jam City’s LP, the label’s secondfull-length, is a strange thingoveral l: experimental, beat-drivenmusic that doesn’t lend itself tothe dancefloor, or the home.Although it’s not a commercial lyviable premise, there is much inthe way of creativity, intr igue, andbewilderment. This is apostmodern cacophony: abrasive,reverberating percussion;motorised, warehouse bass noise;and sometimes – out of nowhere– halt ingly beautiful clouds ofsynthesized melody. The samplebank and the rhythmic arsenal areful ly globalized, grabbing at grime,Chicago house, and the NYballroom sound (suddenly trendynow). It’s great that the UK’s‘bass music’ sceneaccommodates such strange andoriginal expression of ideas.

BARESKIN‘Flow’ EP (Losing Suki)

Hyperco lour s is ter labe l Los ingSuki are fast emerg ing as a fontof sou l fu l melod ic UK bass, andthe i r la test re lease f rom 17year-o ld producer BareSkin is noexcept ion. ‘F low’ is thestand-out t rack on the EP, dr ivenby undulat ing synth pat terns andinnovat ive voca l chops. The b lendof deep melod ies wi th energet icdrums is both in terest ing andcatchy, creat ing an impress ivedebut f rom a producer worthwatch ing.

LENZMAN‘How Did I Let You Go’ft Riya / 'Wordsworth' (Metalheadz)

Anything Lenzman has touchedsince he came to prominence hasemitted a certain undeniablequality. This latest release fol lowsthe Dutchman’s trusted formula.Tit le track ‘How Did I Let YouGo’, featuring the luscious vocalsof regular collaborator Riya, is theperfect deep soulful rol ler that theproducer has made his trademark.‘Wordsworth’ on the fl ip is, again,a deep contemplative mover. Anartist at his peak.

DARQ E FREAKER ‘The 924’ EP (Boogaloo City)

Boogaloo City’s third release isfrom one of the producers of themoment, Darq E Freaker, whosecollaboration with US rapperDanny Brown has made wavesway beyond the grime scene. ThisEP continues that r ich vein ofform, with four buckshot rhythmsshowcasing Darq E’s instantlyrecognisable production style;serrated bass slashes, violentstring stabs, heavy electronicainfluences and drums that are,occasionally, reminiscent ofjuke at t imes.


RODNEY P, ZED BIAS& FALLACY‘Sleepin’ Giants’(Tru Thoughts)

Manchester, London, andBr ighton come together asSleepin' Giantz re lease the i rdebut a lbum on Tru Thoughts.The pro ject sees product iongenius Zed Bias jo in forces wi thUK rap or ig ina l Rodney P andhip-hop/gr ime crossoverspec ia l is t Fa l lacy. Lead s ing le‘Badungdeng’ is sure to keepdancef loors jumping th is summerwi th i ts b lend of t r iba l rhythmsand heavy bass topped wi thd is t inct ive and char ismat icvoca ls . The LP is cons is tentthroughout and represents aproduct ion tour-de-force as ZedBias demonstrates h is legendaryversat i l i ty, drawing f rom garage,h ip-hop, dubstep, and houseinf luences. The bass and drumsare unapologet ica l ly and typ ica l lyno-nonsense, thrown down wi thbone shat ter ing force, whi le theec lect ic s ty les are ab ly ba lancedwi th the sk i l l s of the men ho ld ingthe mics, g iv ing the record acohes ive fee l . Recommended.

R E C O R D S

FACEBOOK: CARASELMC / TWITTER: @CARASELMC / WWW.CARASEL.CO.UK

09TRAPMAGAZ INE .CO .UK 006611

DUSKY ‘Flo Jam’ EP(Dogmatik)

Dusky have been turning unlikelyheads since the tail end of last yearwith their hypnotically catchy,bass-ridden take on the housemusic template, and ‘Flo Jam’ iswithout doubt one dance music’sbiggest tracks of 2012 so far.Having previously produced tracksfor dance music giants AnjunaBeats, this EP will ensure Dusky’sbass-driven sound continues toreach whole new audiences. Watchout for their incredible Hot Chipremix too.

JAMMER‘Big Man’ (Big Dada)

In reggae, the ‘ re- l ick’ is acommon occurrence and gr imeart is ts have of ten taken th isroute to produce the next h i t .‘B ig Man’ is the la test in thatlong l ine. Th is is are interpretat ion of Skepta’s huge‘Duppy’ and is sure to begr ime’s next summer anthem.Class ic o ld-school garage barsf rom Viper, a longs ide some k i l le rre load ly r ics f rom the l ikes ofB-Live, Scratchy, F low Danand more.

MUTED‘Muted World’(Nu Directions)

‘Muted World’ is the debutoffer ing from Icelandic producerMuted, aka BjarniKjartansson. With a handful offair ly low-key ‘minimal’ drum &bass releases under his belt, i tcomes as a sl ight surpr ise to hearan album without a beat over130bpm. ‘Muted World’ is animpressive debut that offers amult i tude of different styles, whi lemaintaining a somber andref lect ive out look. Whi le the albumranges from the Martyn-esquetwisted house of ‘Circles’ to thesubdued two-step of ‘BrightEyes’, i t ’s mostly notable forseveral downbeat numbers andengaging inter ludes. The smokey2 ‘t i l 4am sounds of ‘Us’ and thebreathtaking ‘Special Place’featur ing the vocals of Jófr íður,help make this an album of deep,musical substance. Nu Direct ionson the money once again.

VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Sequence 2’ EP (Critical)

Cr i t ica l record ings seems to beon a miss ion to re lease the mostinterest ing, boundary push ingD&B being produced anywherer ight now. Th is EP fo l lows thatt rend. Stand out t racks have tobe the darks ide stepper that is‘Harsh Real i ty ’ by Fore ignConcept & Xtrah, and the char-acter is t ica l ly min imal is t rework ofEnei ’s ‘No Fear’ by SpectraSoul .I f you’re D&B connoisseur, th iswon’t d isappoint .

MUNGO’S HI FI ‘Hire & Removal’ /‘Kung Fu Know How’ (Scrub A Dub)

Glaswegian reggae soundsystemgiants Mungos Hi-Fi f inal lyrelease the massive Eek A Mousesampling 'Hire & Removal' that'sbeen smashing up dances ondubplate for the last year. Kil lerreggae dubstep with Mungo’strademark massive bass andinfectious dancehall skank. On thefl ip is the foundation rumbling'Kung Fu Know How' featuringSolo Banton & Rueben Da Silva,which is another absolute beast.Don't sleep.... Ruff!

CHRONIK‘Man In The Boot’ (No Hat’s, No Hoods)

Chronik, part of Tempa T’s SlewDem crew, shares the same car-toon attitude to violence of hismore famous compadre. However,unlike ‘Next Hype’, this is muchdarker and brooding; the S.k.i.t.zBeatz production creates the per-fect canvas for Chronik to unleashhis relentless grimey lyrics.Backed up with a remix featuringthe equally off-the-wall Trim andRoll Deep’s Roachee, this is amust for grime fans.


VARIOUS ARTISTS‘Tempa Allstars’(Tempa)

In the h is tory and evo lut ion ofUK underground dance musics ince the Mi l lenn ium, there arefew more inf luent ia l andimportant names than that ofTempa Record ings, run out ofEast London by the Ammuni t ionfami ly. Af ter more than a decadeof essent ia l re leases that havehelped to def ine, shape andpush forward the course anddi rect ion of dubstep, Tempa hasbrought together some of theheav iest t racks in the i r backcata logue for ‘Tempa Al ls tars’ ,a 14-t rack compi la t ion featur ingthe ta lents of Loefah, Skream,Pinch, Kode 9, Dig i ta l Myst ikz ,Martyn and many more. I t ’s aspec ia l t rack l is t that ’s enough tomake your ha i r s tand on end,whether you’re remin isc ing ord iscover ing the music for thef i rs t t ime, and i t ’s an aptce lebrat ion of a genuine lyoutstand ing labe l .

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LOLLIPOP CHAINSAWWarner Brothers (PS3, Xbox360)Out 15 June

The opening moments of the LollipopChainsaw trailer feature a blondecheerleader, who cuts a zombie punk inhalf before he sticks himself backtogether and chides her. Pfft,teenagers, eh? If Quentin Tarantinomade computer games, they wouldprobably look like this. Packed withB-movie and grindhouse references andwith more blood than a slaughterhousefloor, Lollipop Chainsaw will excite thosewith a propensity for comedic violence.

TRIALS EVOLUTIONRed Lynx (Xbox360 Live Arcade)Out Now

The Trials series is today’s MicroMachines. For those who don’tremember, the aim of the game was todrive a tiny car around impossiblyridiculous backdrops, and it wasprobably one of the most addictively funcomputer games series in humanhistory. Swapping cars for motorbikesand dragging the idea into 2012,Trials Evolution threatens to topple theMicro Machines crown one addictivelevel at a time. This is serious fun!

DRAGON’S DOGMACapcom (PS3, Xbox360)Out Now

Here’s the setup; you’re a dragonhunter and, along with three friends,your goal is to roam a vast open world,adventuring through a rich population ofcharacters and settings to destroy anevil fire-breathing lizard. Clearly this iseither going to excite you or send yourunning for snoozeville, depending onyour take on all things mythical. Forthose who like the sound of swordfighting with goblins and stuff...

09G A M E S R E V I E W S+

TOM CLANCY’SGHOST RECON:FUTURE SOLDIER UBISOFT(PS3, XBOX360, PC) OUT NOW

Bigger, better and bolder than itspredecessors, Ghost Recon: FutureSoldier is the latest instalment in Ubisoft’sGhost Recon series. But, with a weight ofmilitary style stealth shooters available forconsoles, how does the newest editionstand up to the competition? Well, it donssome active camouflage, teams up withthree of its mates, marks the competitionand simultaneously headshots them allat once!

Yep, that’s one of the major features ofthe game, marking your targets so thatyou and your team can take down up to

four hostiles at the same time. And, asthe title is ‘Future Soldier’, you’re treatedto a selection of the very hottest ideas inweapons technology. It’s not quite TonyStark levels of ingenuity, but there’splenty of cool stuff to sink your teeth into.

As you’d expect from Ubisoft the plot,graphics and gameplay are all top notchand it really feels like this latestincarnation of Ghost Recon is the slickestand most enjoyable yet. If you like theidea of a Tom Clancy third-person stealth‘em up on a next hype, then this is thegame for you.

Trap geek division Cutl ine havebeen pretty busy recently.When they’re not f lying the globerepping Mistajam’s Speakerboxlabel, they’re usually found sat inthe dark, playing computer gamesand bickering l ike a couple of oldwomen. Despite al l this, they’vemanaged to find the time to bringus another run-down of thehottest happenings from theworld of gaming...

GAMESREVIEWSWITH CUTLINE

09GAM ES R EV I EWS+T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 006633

MASS EFFECT 3EA(PS3, Xbox360, PC)

Seriously, it’s stillabsolutely awesome.Go and play it again, youknow you want to.

STILLHOT

FINAL FANTASYXIII-2Square Enix(PS3, Xbox360)

Please, for the love of GodSquare Enix, do a rebootof Final Fantasy VII.

STILLNOT

HALO 4343 Studios (Xbox360)Out 6 November

The entire gaming community iscurrently moistening its collective pantsfor the latest instalment in the Haloseries. Having doomed millions ofteenagers to a lonely life glued to theirchairs fragging the living hell out ofstrangers via Xbox Live, Halo is officiallyone of the world’s most prolific timevampires. This is Halo’s first incarnationunder their new developer 343 Studiosand, just like everyone else, we can’twait to play it.

RESISTANCE:BURNING SKIES

NIHILISTIC SOFTWARE(PS VITA)OUT NOW

If you’ve played the Resistance franchisebefore, you’l l quickly get to grips with itshandheld counterpart released this month onthe PS Vita. At once rewinding to 1951 andzooming to an alternate history where themajority of Earth has been overrun by an al ienrace known as the Chimera, Resistance has thefirst-person, ki l l-everything-that-growlsbe-afraid-to-turn-off-the-l ights act down toa tee.

Combining the now tradit ional dual-analogue sticks with some of the Vita’s moremodern technology, Tom Riley, f ire f ighter andalien ki l ler extraordinaire, merks his enemieswith a cunning combination of touchscreenhoming bullets and rapid-fire machinegun fun.If you love this series but wish you could take itaway when you leave home, this newinstalment wil l set your world al ight!

After a year that ’s seen Black Butter not just estab l ishi tse l f as one of the most cons is tent bass music labe lsaround, but somehow also end up hi t t ing Number One inthe UK charts wi th one of the i r core ar t is ts Rudimenta l , theimpr int k icks off a ser ies of regular b i-month ly par t ies inBr is to l on 13 July.

Tak ing place at The Bank, where Trap a lso holds i ts Br is to lissue launches, and promis ing sets f rom the labe l ’sincreas ing ly impress ive stab le of producers such as Woz,RackNRuin and, of course, Rudimenta l , these part ieslook big.

www.thebankofstokescroft .com

B L A C K B U T T E RF R I D A Y 1 3 J U L Y

T H E B A N K O F S T O K E S C R O F T , B R I S T O L

One of Trap’s favour i te rav ing spots in the capi ta l , Cable,de l i vers a k i l le r gr ime l ine-up on Saturday 7 July as El i jah &Ski l l iam’s Butterz l inks again wi th Terror Danjah’s HardDr ive for a n ight of beats, bars and mad hype from two ofthe scene’s s ickest labe ls .

Veterans such as Riko, Tr im, Logan Sama and the mightyNewham Genera ls are jo ined by fresh blood such asChampion, Pred i tah and Swind le, p lus, of course, the labe lbosses themselves on a what makes for a r id icu lousl ine-up.

www.cable-london.com

B U T T E R Z & H A R D D R I V ES A T U R D A Y 7 J U L Y

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

JUNE 2012

006644 T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K09B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

FRIDAY 15 JUNE

TRAP #009 LAUNCH@THE BANK, BRISTOLDJ Smut lee, OH91, Diss Miss + more

SATURDAY 16 JUNE

SHIT THE BED @MOTION, BRISTOLSkream, P Money, Mosca, P last ic ian, Hazard,Rudimenta l , Ca l ibre, dBr idge, + more.

SUNDAY 17 JUNE

STAUNCH SUNDAYS@ VIBE BAR, EAST LONDONDusky, Loefah, K loseOne, Chunky + spec ia l guests.

FRIDAY 22 JUNE

AUDIO DOUGHNUTS, CIVIL MUSIC &

TEMPO CLASH @HIDDEN, LONDONDrums of Death, Dar l ing Farah, OM Uni t , Jehst+ more.

MACHINEDRUM (LIVE)@ THE NEST, LONDONMachinedrum, Throwing Snow, Patchwork Pi rates+ more.

SATURDAY 23 JUNE

GENESIS @ HIDDEN, LONDONdBr idge, Doc Scott Amoss, Xtrah, Pess imist + more.

FRIDAY 29 JUNE

STAUNCH@ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDONBenny I l l , Dusky, Cl ive Henry, Dexter Kane, Jakk inRabbi t , Oneman & Klose One + more.

DETONATE @ STEALTH, NOTTINGHAMTota l sc ience + more.

SUBDUB@ CABLE, LONDONI ra t ion Steppas, Genera l Levy, Mungo's Hi f i , Youngsta,Krypt ic Minds, J:Kenzo, LX One, SP:MC.

SATURDAY 30 JUNE

SOUTH @ PECKHAM PALAIS, LONDONLoefah, Fantast ic Mr Fox, Randomer, Leon Vynehal l+ more.

COMPILED BY: MARIE-CHARLOTTE DAPOIGNY

Last issue’s cover star, and th is year ’s man of the moment,Loefah, br ings h is SWAMP81 fami ly together for anotherknees-up on Fr iday 27 July at the labe l ’s now regular par tyspot at South London’s Cors ica Stud ios.

Loefah is jo ined on the night by Swamp’s most pro l i f ic ar t is tto date, Boddika, p lus the man behind ‘Don’t Ask, Don’tGet’ , Mickey Pearce. El iph ino, Synkro and a load moreforward-th ink ing producers and DJs wi l l be b less ing thenight wi th sets, whi le the in imi tab le MC Chunky takes careof host ing dut ies l ike only he can.

www.corsicastudios.com

S W A M P 8 1F R I D A Y 2 7 J U L Y

C O R S I C A S T U D I O S , L O N D O N

Last summer, RinseFM’s dancehal l dons The Heatwaveassembled an incredible l ine-up of MCs from across the ful lt imel ine of Brit ish bass-music history for ‘Showtime!’ atLondon’s Cargo. The night saw the l ikes of Wiley, Skibbadeeand Riko dropping bars over bashment and dancehal l beats,and has gone down as a legendary evening.

On Thursday 5 July, ‘Showtime! Birmingham Edit ion’ takesplace at the Second City’s Rainbow venue. With everyonefrom Gappy Ranks and Top Cat to Rodney P, Durrty Goodzand Lady Leshurr on the l ine-up, make sure you’re there for asecond sl ice of history.

www.theheatwave.co.uk

S H O W T I M E !B I R M I N G H A M E D I T I O N

T H U R S D A Y 5 J U L Y

T H E R A I N B O W , B I R M I N G H A M

JULY 2012

T R A P M AG A Z I N E . C O . U K 006655 09B A S S P O I N T S C L U B L I S T I N G S

FRIDAY 6 JULY

HOSPITALITY @ MOTION, BRISTOL

Netsky, London Elektr ic i ty, Camo & Krooked, Cyant i f ic ,

Wi lk inson + more.

BLOC 2012 @ LONDON PLEASURE GARDENSSnoop Dog, F ly ing Lotus, Jeff Mi l ls , R ich ie HaWtin,Joker + more.

SATURDAY 7 JULY

MAU5TRAP WAREHOUSE PARTY @ THE GREAT SUFFOLK ST WAREHOUSE, LONDON

Tommy Trash, Fore ign Beggars L ive, K lose One, Rat tus

Rattus + more.

FRIDAY 13 JULY

CHURCH BRIGHTON @ LIFE, BRIGHTON

Synkro, Fantast ic Mr Fox, Apes + more.

SATURDAY 14 JULY

JUNGLE FEVER VS AMAZON@ THE RAINBOW, BIRMINGHAM

Mickey F inn, Swif t , Randal l , Kenny Ken, Brock ie, Ron,

Bassman, Spyda, Nav igator, Ragga Twins, Sk ibbadee,

Shabba, Det + more.

REGGAE ROAST JAMDOWN@ PLAN B, LONDON

Tro jan Soundsystem, Channel One, Reggae Roast ,

Adam Prescot t + more.

OVERCOOKED RECORDS@CABLE, LONDON

Switch, Loefah, Last Japan, Peo De Pi t te, HeavyFeet,

CRST + more.

FRIDAY 20 JULY

CHURCH & SELECTIVE HEARING @ CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON

George F i tzgera ld, Inst ra:menta l , Lone, Behl ing &

Simpson, Objekt , Apes + more.

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