Myown - Vesna EP (Left_Blank)

After setting formidable standards in 2011 with three stand-out releases from Vessel, El Kid and Lorca & Visionist, Throwing Snow-fronted imprint, left_blank, now offer up an intriguing mix from Russian-based enigma, Myown. Having had just one previous release under this particular alias – a beautifully gloomy 12 on Anton Zap’s Ethereal Sound imprint – this visionary 23-year-old producer is set to make his mark in the UK.

The ‘Vesna’ EP blends Myown’s always evolving, shuffling beats with thick, mutated basslines, calling up, maybe, the more melodic side of LA’s beats scene. Opening track ‘Suromna’, is the perfect introduction to what at first seems a structureless production. Oozing mystery and impregnated with skippy beats, dark drones and stuttering vocal samples, ‘Suromna’ can evoke the creepy atmosphere of old horror flicks. Hovering above this musical anarchy lies a beautifully-composed, romantic guitar riff, which joins the whole strange yet beautiful concoction as it accelerates in tempo before being brought slowly to an airy end.

Sharing the A-side with ‘Suromna’ is title track ‘Vesna’. Mutated drum patterns, combined with a thick dubby bass-stab, are an important part of what makes this the stand-out track of the album. Flip side is ‘You Can Stop Everytime’, by far the most melodic and, of the three, the only track to hold a structured composition for all of its three minute length, making it the perfect closing track for this otherwise chaotic and boisterous EP. Beautifully rich, looped keys take the lead in this production, surfacing through layers of hazy crackle and buzz.

Despite having just three releases in their discography, the left_blank guys continue to cultivate their own niche brand of forward-thinking, taste-making releases – hats off, this is another on-point release. 

Introducing: J:Kenzo

 Having shot straight into the scene with his debut release, ‘Tekno Bass,’ in 2007, J:Kenzo has left his mark on imprints across the industry. Releasing on pioneering labels like Tempa, a label J states first got him hooked on the low end sound, Dub Police, Argon, 2nd Drop and his own Soul Shakerz he’s become a regular name appearing on highly regarded club night rosters, including the seminal FWD>> night, J:Kenzo’s powerful basslines and twisted textures have become unavoidable. Now with his recent releases on Roska’s Kicks & Snares, J:Kenzo begins to blur the lines between dubstep and UK funky, bringing his textured bass-heavy style, adopted whilst releasing heavy-weight material on Tempa, fusing it with house tempoed drum patterns, creating something new and guttural for himself.

Ahead of his London show here at in Room Three alongside Roska & Jamie George, Champion, MA1 and Shox, we took the opportunity to ask the reputable producer a few questions.

You released your debut, ‘Tekno Bass,’ back in 2007. You’re now putting material out on Roska’s ever growing Kicks & Snares imprint. How would you say your productions have evolved?

Quite a bit, I've been spending more time working on productions and mix downs. Most of my original equipment and software has still stayed the same from when I started producing; I have just learned how to use it to its full potential.

If you listen to my tracks from 2006 right through to 2011 you will hear my style hasn't changed, it has just evolved, keeping it dark and dubwise but also dancefloor.

‘The Roteks’ caused mayhem on dance floors worldwide. Since then you’ve released ‘Fibreoptickz’ under new alias, Guttershake. What made you decide to release this EP under a new moniker?

The Guttershake alias was started to represent what I do on a house/electro/techno tip. I didn't want to confuse the dubstep listeners and people who follow the name J:Kenzo. With the Guttershake productions and sets you know what you are getting, that raw, dirty and bumping sound.

Is there a sense of freedom when putting out tunes under a different name?

Yeah definitely; it gives me a chance to experiment with different tempos and not be pigeonholed.

If you listen to the Guttershake tracks they are hard to fit into a certain ‘genre’ as they can crossover, with a wide selection of house, funky, techno and electro DJ's playing them.

Who would you say is currently influencing your sound?

Producers such as Distance, The Others, Icicle, Boddika, Loefah, D-Bridge, Benga, Kromestar. I also draw a lot of influences from a mixture of 80's hip hop and 90's jungle and techno.

In 2010 you were picked out by Dubstep veteran, Youngsta, who backed your ‘The Roteks’ EP release. Is there anyone we should be looking out for at the moment? Any up and comers?

I've been blessed to be sent some amazing music recently from a great deal of new producers. Look out for Mosaix, Killawatt, Kahn, Subreachers and Perverse.

You’re playing in Room 3, hosted by Roska’s Kicks & Snares, this October 7th. How does playing amongst artists such as Roska, Jamie George and MA1 differ to playing alongside the likes of Youngsta, Distance and Grooverider? Does it affect what you spin on the night?

I love being able to have the chance to perform on the same line ups with all these great acts. Some of them are good friends I have known in the scene for a long time, which makes it all the more enjoyable and feedbacks and hypes the crowd too. With the Kicks & Snares night on October 7th I will playing a full on Guttershake set representing all the sounds I’m into on that axis.

What can we expect from you in the next coming months?

My next dubstep release is ‘Ruff House’ (ft. Rod Azlan) b/w ‘Therapy’ which is forthcoming very soon on Tempa. I am also working on a larger project for Tempa in 2012 with all details to be revealed in the next few months... Hopefully there’ll be some more Guttershake material for Mr Roska and the Kicks and Snares camp coming too...

REVIEW: RINSE:16 BEN UFO

In an age where the lines between a DJ and producer are blurred, catching up on a podcast or mix from Ben UFO – whose skills as a selector and deep record bag are fused with raw talent and a craft for mixing vinyl – can be better than catching a live set from your favourite producer.

Ben Thompson is someone who needs little or no introduction. He's come to be regarded as one of the UK's finest DJs, an essential player in the ever-unfolding story of the UK underground scene. So it came as no surprise when Rinse announced that the next instalment in their definitive mixtape series (a series that's previously featured the likes of Plastician, Marcus Nasty and Roska) would come from the young Hessle Audio co-founder.

A diverse 29-tracks are presented, uniting some of the finest productions to date and featuring a captivating array of exclusives, along with tracks Ben felt deserved to be revisited in this eclectic mix. Rinse:16 captures and draws upon the talent, the creativity and the possibilities of the UK's vast underground scenes.

It's a snapshot of the developments and changes over the past few years, but what remains throughout, we note, is his relentless passion in bringing unique sounds to his listeners.

Thomson's love for House cuts forms the skeleton to Rinse:16, with deep spins from Aaron Carl, Kassem Mosse and STL, as well as remixes from the likes of Carl Craig, someone who regularly features in mixes from the Leeds DJ, and XDB. The mix tracks from a House-tinged opener to the thick, heavy ooze of sub-bass from Jam City, Objekt and Snugs.

Ben UFO has been at the forefront of the constantly-evolving dubstep scene; as a DJ, a founder of the Hessle Audio imprint and as a host of the Hessle label's bi-weekly Rinse FM show. This mix showcases what a DJ still has to offer and Ben UFO does this flawlessly.

AUDIO: Mark Henning WYS Promo Mix [For fabric]

This Sunday, WetYourSelf! welcome Mark Henning to take the helm at our Room One console. To get you in the mood early, the Berlin-based producer has presented us with an exclusive mix. Despite having a complex relationship with the music he so clearly has a natural talent for making, Mark Henning has emerged as one of the international underground’s hardest working members.

Honing a sound that sits not so uncomfortably between house and techno, Henning has carved out a niche with his own unique brand of funky groove -laden cuts. His ultra-clean production, slick approach to sound design and trademark skewed take on house has garnered him a due amount of recognition between dance-floor revelers and DJ’s a-like.

With a string of releases and remixes on well-respected labels, Soma, Cityfox, Watergate, Clink, Cynosure, Trapez and Freude am Tanzen - which have found their way into the record bags of Craig Richards, Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, and Steve Bug - Henning currently juggles his time between working in the studio and playing in some of the world’s most coveted clubs.

Download: Mark Henning - WetYourSelf! Promo Mix

INTERVIEW: Introducing Biome [For fabric]

Known for his brooding half-step, spacious vibes and dark atmospheric compositions, Manchester-based Biome - whose skills as a first-rate DJ are already cemented alongside his natural talent in producing incomparable crowd-pleasing tunes – is set to join an army of heavy-weights this weekend at fabric.

Black Box Recordings are the latest imprint to release a track from the imaginable moody corners of Biome’s studio - with his aptly titled, ‘Space’ cut. Black Box are known for the more meditative compositions, ringing true with some of dubstep’s original hallmarks along with interesting twists on them. Since that release Biome’s been sitting on a stack of material, some of which we are expected to hear this Friday. Ahead of his debut here at the club, alongside Scandalous Unltd, D1, Luke Envoy and DJ Madd in Room Three, Biome has put together a mix for us, said to represent his ‘club sound.' In lieu of a lack of information online, we caught up with the producer to find out more…

Download: Biome - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix

What was the music scene like in Manchester whilst growing up? How was it you got into DJing and producing?

Originally I'm from a place called Haslingden in Lancashire and to be honest as far as dubstep and drum & bass go there was no scene at all. You rarely found anyone who shared the same interest; which is why I eventually moved to Manchester along with Indigo, who was the only other friend I knew from Haslingden that was into the same music as me. Since moving there I've had a lot of support from various promoters, DJ's and producers.

I've been into producing my own music since I was about 10 starting with the eJay program and 'music' for the Playstation. I used to enjoy listening to various DJs but always wanted to be producing the music I was mixing.

You recently released ‘Space,’ a melancholy dubstep cut, on independent label, Black Box Recordings. Can we expect to hear any fresh, unreleased Biome material on the 30th?

There will be a lot of fresh material and some forthcoming some dubs. I'm producing all the time so like to pull out the odd fresh surprise when I play out and see how they go down.

Are you working on any forthcoming releases at the moment?

There are a few forthcoming and a few not yet 100% but I'm happy to wait for the labels to announce what will be coming next. My track 'Swirls' and the flip, that is so far untitled and produced by Versa and myself, are forthcoming on M.U.D as a limited 250 copy vinyl release. My tracks 'Propaganda' and 'D.M.T,' which are co-produced with Fallen 45 have just this week been sent for mastering, so I can tell you they're forthcoming, but don't want to mention the label until they are ready to announce their next release.

I read you once produced drum & bass; do you have any plans to explore other genres in the future?

I still make drum and bass from time to time along with bits of downtempo, ambient type stuff and techno influenced music, but my main focus at the moment is on the 140bpm material. Hopefully you will get to see some different genres from myself in the coming years.

Lastly, can you tell us a little about the mix you’ve made for us? How did you go about piecing together your selection?

I wanted the mix to represent my club sound but also be very listenable at the same time so I built it as I would a tune, with a beginning, middle and an end. I also wanted to show my deeper more musical side as well as the darker, more twisted bass music I create and represent this through my own productions and those from some of the producers whose music I'm really into at the moment.

D1 to mix My Style002 [For fabric]

A burgeoning producer from a young age, Dwayne Marsh has come to be regarded as one of the UK’s dubstep pioneers, a linchpin and musical innovator in the ever evolving scene. Picked up by the Dub Police imprint in 2008, D1 is now set to mix the next instalment in the ‘My Style’ series, featuring a slew of exclusives and new D1 material. Both his productions and DJ sets, which are constructed to test the most hard-hitting of clubs, draw upon the UK’s vast underground scene, a point that is abundantly clear while scanning the tracklist for ‘My Style 002.’

An eclectic 27 tracks are presented in total, bringing together some of the biggest names in the scene including Caspa, Benga and Redlight, as well as tracks from Baxta, The Others and Matty G. The mix follows on from the blow-out introduction to the series by head honcho Caspa, someone who set the bar high for all future ‘My Style’ mixes.

EL-B INTERVIEW

‘I don’t really know what Future Garage is and I don’t care to keep up with the latest media names. It’s mostly all just dance music to me. “Give me groove to make me move – that’s all I’m concerned with,” Lewis Beadle emails. The underground producer, best known for his work under the moniker El-B, left his boundless mark on the music world in the late 90′s/early 00′s. Growing up on the road, the South London producer toured with his father, a saxophonist for various musical groups. “The music scene was great – jazz/funk/rare groove/disco – and, of course, the British 80s pop scene,” he says. At a young age he began work with Steve “Noodles” Jude, forming the overwhelming Groove Chronicles. “A demo tape of mine fell into Noodles’ hands while he was working at Unity Records/London. He had a great knowledge of production and the bizniz and saw potential in the programming. In 1996 we had our first release’.

In late 1999, Lewis left to begin his solo career as El-B “I had to take time out to create the Ghost imprint. It was something I had envisioned and I had to follow it up correctly, surround myself with it and nothing else”. El-B took the style he had adopted whilst working with Noodles and fused it with his lowered sound, lively grooves and haunting basslines, gaining yet more underground recognition. In 2000, the Ghost imprint was born, now firmly anchored with a pioneering status. “I started it ‘cos I found the whole UK garage scene too soft. But that harder style had already been tested back in 1999, on DPR Records.”
Where’s Ghost Recordings at the moment? Lewis says he feels it’s “in a strange, maybe political place. Producers are pushing for new, better, fresher sounds all the time’. Whilst working with Ghost, El-B began work with elusive Dubstep producer, Burial. ‘We have a lot of love and mutual respect as for each other producers and it’s great to be a main influence to a talent as great as him, though I’m sure I stress him out…’.
Is there anyone we should be listening out for right now? “CASKI, coming soon to Ghost Recordings and featured on the “Ghost Chaser” LP.’