VBS have just kindly uploaded the first episode of their Red Bull sponsored series, The Producers. This instalment follows Sheffield’s Toddla T as he explains the role of production in his life and how he views and experiences the whole process of musical creation. It’s fairly interesting and fairly short, so unless you’re some kind of high-flying executive who has literally zero minutes to spare because you’re too busy going to meetings, chastising your secretary and lying to the wife, then you have no excuse. Watch.
Decent hip-hop is an increasingly rare occurrence at The Tuesday Club these days, so it’s sick to see that tomorrow, UK underground legend Rodney P and the equally revered DJ Skitz are gracing us with their hallowed presence. The pair most notably worked together on Skitz’s 2001 debut album Countryman, an indisputable masterpiece which displays the respectable face of British hip-hop and helps us all to forget the rise and rise of Chipmunk and the need for Wikipedia to have an article entitled ‘Electrogrime’. If you’ve not had a chance to hear it, I’ve uploaded ‘Dedication’, so have a goosey and get fucking loose.
Liquid d&b duo Brookes Brothers and beatboxer Reeps One finish off the line-up and it’s only £5.50 to get your arse through the door. Surely there’s no reason for you not to come!?
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Hemlock label-mates Untold and James Blake are due to tear up DQ this Thursday as part of the Wee Bit Mean double header and after last week’s journey into the vibe vacuum, I’m excited. So much so that I got a copy of Airhead & James Blake’s latest release — MATH06 — and spent the majority of the last few days rinsing it. I’ve not even had time to feed the dog.
A-side ‘Pembroke’ is a fusion of contorted vocals and dulcet bass that feels like a bed-time exhale at the end of a long day. It percolates and swells with a tidal intensity, all the while exuding an inspirational air of ease and relaxation. On the flip side, ‘Lock in the Lion’ inexplicably evokes warped images of 1950s New York and hazy days with a broken vinyl player that skips and pops like a bowl of rice krispies. It seems to almost simmer, with synth flickers teasingly decaying before they peak and delightfully quirky percussion breathing an uncertain yet infectious rhythm into proceedings. I like it. I like both tunes, they’re both gorgeous…
Supremely chilled and tender on the ears, MATH06 is short but sweet. DQ on Thursday then, yeah?
Pembroke / Lock in the Lion (MATH06) is out now on Brainmath.
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Ever the musical pioneers, Wee Bit Mean return to the slippery streets of Sheffield tomorrow to deliver a night of impeccable aural genius. Soulful Hyperdub trio Darkstar headline proceedings, with support coming in the form of ambient artisan Hyetal and Planet Mu’s vanguard Glaswegian, Rudi Zygadlo. It may not be the world’s most recognisable line-up, but it oozes pure quality and will no doubt have you bouncing around like a couple of conkers in a school boy’s satchel.
Tomorrow’s event also marks the first part of a double header which concludes next Thursday with an equally formidable line-up of Untold and James Blake. It’s probably best that you attend both nights because your feeble mind is falling apart in that run-down hazard that you call a body. You need something to invigorate you, you lazy shit. It’s the last bastion of hope for you, my friend!
Uhh…the venue? DQ in Sheffield, decked out with the Funktion One soundsystem. Tickets are £5 in advance, £6 on the door or £4 if you buy one for both nights in advance. I don’t like the technical stuff, head over to Facebook for more info.
More underground than the centre of the earth, The Mechanist has a fresh new track out roaming the streets. We captured it using a complex system of traps and stuff. Hours of work definitely not wasted.
The Mechanist is an old friend of us kids here, one of the reasons being because not only is he an all round decent chap, he creates tracks with such depth and grandeur. Home cooked, hearty goodness. ‘Recluse’ is one of the more chilling efforts in the collection and is available for a listen right here, right now. Then go check the MySpace for some more skills with a Z.
The Mechanist – Recluse
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Ho ho I selected words from the official title of the below video to throw you all into a veritable tornado of unexpected confusion. Did I just see a cow fly past in my tractor’s rear-view mirror?
Sheffield’s favourite genre-defying nutcases M.I.Loki have been ruling the roost for some time now, I mean their homemade imprint won Best Label at Breakspoll for crying out loud.
Likening these chaps to a couple of mad scientists is a tad cliché but definitely does the duo justice. Out of the M.I.Loki lab this time round then comes something no less bonkers. And I mean bonkers in the conkers with a B sense not the D.Rascal lovin’ life sense, because conkers are pretty crazy if you think about it.
The video doesn’t need explaining. I say that mainly because I can’t. Introducing M.I.Loki’s new video; a bizarre but very refreshing mix of 70′s harmonies, synchronized swimming and filthy filthy beats…
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