Music : Big Beat, Breaks, Drum and Bass, Hip Hop, UK Garage, Dubstep and Electronic Body Music
Big, big, big line up as Ape links up with The Scratch Perverts for its second session at The Warehouse Project. After the 3rd birthday shenanigans we now give you a Beatdown special with some incredible live and DJ talent including Scratch Perverts, Flying Lotus, Wiley and Jeru The Damaja. You know the drill by now...One warehouse, two rooms and 8 hours of the best in d n b, dubstep, hip-hop and electronica. Who's in?
Jeru The Damaja [ Live ]
New York City's number 1 MC headlines our Beatdown special with a rare UK appearance. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jeru was first exposed to rap and hip-hop as he played in the parks and streets of his neighbourhood. By the age of ten he was already writing his own rhymes and a true hip - hop visionary was born. In 1994, the DJ Premier produced "The Sun Rises In The East", became his first album and is now considered a classic of its time. Since then Jeru has continued to release critically acclaimed work (both with and without DJ Premier) and his 2007 album "Still Rising" see's the man in typically bullish, outspoken form. As a live MC few can compare to Jeru The Damaja and he remains as one of the most important figures that hip - hop has ever produced.
Links:
www.myspace.com/jeru
Beardyman [ Live ]
Channel 4 called him the weirdest beat boxer around, he's been the UK Beatboxing Champion for the last two years, he’s toured with Groove Armarda and his You Tube video's have had over 2 million hits. Welcome to the crazy, slightly strange world of Beardyman. After seeing a Rahzel show back in 2002, Beardyman was inspired to beatbox. His style was improvised, full of humour and a world away from the usual beatbox culture. Killa Kela, Shy FX, Jazzy Jeff and Andy C have all picked up on his talent and asked that he perform alongside them. What he'll come up with next, no-one knows. It'll probably be clever, a bit daft and very, very entertaining.
Links:
www.beardyman.co.uk
Wiley [ Live ]
The man who put Grime on the map and one of the best MC's this country has on offer. A founding member of the Roll Deep Crew and Pay As You Go Cartel, Wiley pioneered grime (or eskibeat as he prefers it to be called) through his MC style and his unparalleled take on UK garage. Its often been reported that Wiley was an early inspiration and mentor to Dizzee Rascal, the two having grown up in the same East London district of Bow. Wiley has often said that the inspiration and respect was mutual with Wiley feeding off the younger man’s hunger and creativity. Like Dizzee, Wiley has recently seen mainstream success with his single "Wearing My Rolex" one of the biggest cross - over tunes of this summer.
Links:
www.myspace.com/eskiboywiley,
Wiley interview with Jockey Slut
DJ Yoda
Nominated by Q Magazine as one of the 'Ten DJ's To See Before You Die", DJ Yoda brings a unique, cartoony style to hip hop turntablism that sees obscure samples and soundbytes manipulated to within an inch of their lives. His debut album of original material was released in 2006 with guest contributions from Sway, Ugly Duckling and Biz Markie and his “How To Cut And Paste” mix compilations remain two of the most full filled hip – hop mixes of recent times. Having toured extensively with Goldie and Scratch Perverts, Yoda is no stranger to the big show so expect him to pull something extra special out his box of tricks for this party.
Links:
www.myspace.com/djyodauk,
DJ Yoda interview from ilikemusic.com
Scratch Perverts & Dynamite MC
They may have retired from scratching competitions and DJ Battles but the Scratch Perverts still have that hip - hop mentality within them. As Prime One says "We still have that B-Boy ethic deep down at the core of it...we wanna take on something that we've heard someone else do and try and do it better". It’s that energy and competition that drives on the Perverts DJ shows as each one of the members tries to out do the other as hip - hop, d n b, breaks and everything in between gets mashed right up. Their show has also taken on another dimension, with Dynamite MC joining proceedings to add his own rhymes and lyrics to the mix. Essential.
Links:
www.myspace.com/scratchperverts,
www.myspace.com/dynamiteuk
Logistics
One of the youngest members of the Hospital family and certainly one of the freshest talents to emerge on the d n b scene for some years. With epic, soul infused soundscapes and dubbed out b-lines characterising Logistics productions, the Cambridge man has become a firm favourite on the dancefloor of d n b nights the length and breadth of the country.
Links:
www.myspace.com/logistics_hospitalrecord
Commix
Cambridge duo Guy Brewer and George Levings have been producing music for over seven years. The pair have a huge range of musical influences and this shines through on their d n b productions. They have an edgy, wide ranging style that moves around the many spheres of d n b and has won lots praise, not least from Mr. Metalheadz himself, Goldie.
Links:
www.myspace.com/commix
Flying Lotus & The Gaslamp Killer
Having just released what is largely thought to be the best album of 2008, Flying Lotus makes his Warehouse Project debut. If you already own "Los Angeles" you'll know that its a pretty awesome collection of music. Glitchy electronica sits next to broken J Dilla style beats, deep, swooning chords lap over throbbing bass and spooky vocals give it some kind of lush, other worldly feel. If you buy one record this year, make sure it’s this. Joining Lotus will be that other master of abstract hip - hop, Gaslamp Killer, who's warped, bass heavy electronic hip - hop will thrill Lotus fans. Check out tunes like "I Spit On Your Grave" - demonic, heavy hip - hop that Ninja Obsession described as "...joining the dots between the eccentric production of Madlib, John Carpenter's soundtracks, J-Dilla and Warp's Flying Lotus". Excited? You should be.
Links:
www.flying-lotus.com,
www.myspace.com/flyinglotus,
www.thegaslampkiller.com,
www.myspace.com/thegaslampkiller
Benga
“My tunes are all about bass, rolling beats, and hooks… and they have to sound original", so says Benga, a man right at the creative heart of dubstep and someone who has been synonymous with the genre's explosion across Britain. His "Night" release with Coki became one of the first dubstep tunes to cross over and breakthrough to a wider musical audience. Both MTV and Radio 1 give the record heavy rotation and ensured his "Diary Of An Afro Warrior" album became the most eagerly anticipated dubstep release of recent times.
Links:
www.myspace.com/bengabeats
Mixes:
RBMA Benga mix
Kode 9 & Space Ape
We're very pleased to have these two on board for our Beatdown special. Currently making some of the most futuristic sounding music around, this pair were pretty high on our hitlist. Not content with running his imperious Hyperdub label, Kode 9 (along with Space Ape) made one of the most stunning albums of the last few years with "Memories Of The Future" in 2006. Not so much a blue print for dubstep, more a guide in how to create a modern sonic masterpiece.
Links:
www.myspace.com/hyperdub,
www.myspace.com/kode9,
www.myspace.com/spaceape01
Mary Anne Hobbs [ Radio 1 ]
Mary Anne Hobbs hosts her own show every Tuesday night / Wednesday morning on Radio 1. The show is dedicated to radical electronic music in all its forms. You’re unlikely to hear the latest electro house Ibiza banger but you will hear the best in the next generation of dubstep, grime, d n b, techno and whatever other bit of machine music that takes her fancy. She is held in high esteem in the dubstep community for helping to push the genre over the nation’s airwaves over the last few years. Not quite the first lady of dubstep, but a very important part of it, nonetheless.
Links:
www.myspace.com/maryannehobbs,
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/maryannehobbs
Caspa & Rusko
Caspa and Rusko are another duo making waves in dubstep circles, and beyond. With a Fabric mix and a heap of other big releases already taken care of, the pair look likely to follow up their early success with a string of high profile DJ dates. Their mixing style is pretty relentless, with plenty of quick mixes, heavy basslines and chopping and cutting. They are, in essence, party DJ's who are as much about feeding the feet, as they are the head.
Links:
www.myspace.com/caspadubstep,
www.myspace.com/ruskonfire
XLR8R Q + A with Caspa & Rusko
Mala [ DMZ ]
As a producer in his own right and as one half of dub outfit Digital Mystikz, Mala is another figure who has been central to the growth in dubstep in this country. His DMZ night spearheaded the movement in London and is now one of the most popular and influential dubstep events around. His tune "Nevemind” still stands out as one of the scenes first true anthems and continues to be dropped by dub DJ's everywhere.
Links:
www.myspace.com/malamystikz,
Zooper Sound interview with Mala