Who is Charla Green?

She’s the jungle/drum and bass producer making waves in Sheffield. Despite working with a pandemic in the background, 2021 has been a defining year for Charla Green.

Starting with the trippy Unauthorised Passenger release on Off Me Nut Records earlier this year it was quickly followed by an unforgettable nostalgia blast two-side release on Drum&BassArena alongside the sound-craft master that is Digital.

Her production is turning heads, so it was a pleasure to ask a few questions and get to know Charla Green.

Why drum and bass?

“I’ve always loved breakbeat, dub and jazz. I used to listen to Storm & Kemistry and Aphrodite but there wasn’t a specific moment that I remember locking on to jungle/dnb.

“I used to go to free parties near Bradford, my hometown. My first set was for Eclectic Funk at Beaver Works in Leeds, back when I used to play breakbeat but once I got to know jungle, I couldn’t go back.”

What is EQ50?

“It’s a mentorship run by Flight, Mantra, Sweetpea, Ally Cat, Jenna G and Chickaboo. My mentor is Mantra and I’m also partnered with Digital. I’m in my final months of the scheme now, but I’ve had access to amazing connections and workshops with Thijs from Noisia, Quartz and potentially Sully in the near future.

“I’d been producing for a while before the scheme, but this has been a huge push. To have these connections is like joining a family.

“In my 2020 group there are Anikonic, Nia Archives, Mandidextrous, Athena, Spectral and myself. We’re all over the country but we’ve got our first night booked in at Fabric on the 10th December.

“To have this support has been incredible, I can contact Steve (Digital) and he’s always there to give feedback.”

Do you see yourself settling with one label in the future?

“I don’t plan to. At the moment I like having the freedom to produce whatever I feel like. A label might limit my creativity at this point.

“I like to work with people with different sounds. Right now, I like working with Steve because we share the love for jungle from Rupture and old school Metalheadz. We both work on Logic which makes it easier too!”

What do you think the pandemic has changed for the scene?

“Probably the way people work. Over lockdown we’ve had to adapt to work online. No one could hear their tracks on club sound systems or see crowd reactions.

“Lockdown gave me a chance to focus on production and tutorials without distraction.

“I started a sample pack that will get an official release. To begin with it was just a project for myself but I’ve really enjoyed making sounds from scratch, it’s a different experience from making tracks. That’ll come out on Top Shelf Audio in the near future.”

Any other future projects that we can get excited for?

“I’ve got an upcoming release that I’m working on with Lady Soul, possibly an EP that we can incorporate into our sets. There will be more details on that to come.”

Any shout outs?

Flight, Mantra, Sweetpea, Ally Cat,  Chickaboo, Jenna G, Digital, Anikonic, Nia Archives, Mandidextrous, Athena, Spectral, Lady Soul and Wubclub.

Charla Green and the other EQ50 schemers will be making their group debut at Fabric on the 10th December. Don’t miss out! Book your tickets here.

The post Get to Know: Charla Green appeared first on Kmag.

Presumably named in part after Dr Paul Gachet, a homoeopathic Doctor known personally to infamous impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh, Dr S Gachet, A.W.O.L resident and owner of Audio Maze records, released a good handful of records on Funky Junky and Labello Blanco before starting his own imprint in 1995.

The very first release on Audio Maze in that year was this absolutely unforgettable slab, a true definition of the word roller if ever there was one (and maybe, just possibly, where the term first gained recognition within the drum & bass movement). Sparse in content, but with just enough constituent parts to tear down ceilings, the Reese in this made even the most astute head-nodder bust out the screwface, and this track was inescapable during ‘95/’96.

An epic record with lower bass tones that you could feel rumbling through guts, providing the bass bins was big enough. Many DJ’s would let this one roll from start to finish. It would have been a waste to do anything less.

The post Vault Check: Dr S Gachet – Remember The Roller appeared first on Kmag.

If you’ve not heard of Japanese wonderboy and heavyweight producer Mountain (Shigeta Kamiyama) by now, then you must have been residing under a slightly large rock… This East Asian enigma has been shelling down the dance in Japan and beyond since his first release titled ‘Overheat’ on Soulvent Records back in 2018.

Receiving early support from tastemakers like Rene La Vice and having played support slots for Sigma, Netsky, London Electricity, Metrik and even Andy C. His debut release certainly marked the young musician as one to watch in the ever-growing dance music scene. His stature quickly grew as his music began to transcend the geographical distance, and a stalwart European audience began to take note of his knowledge and appreciation for a form of music so far-flung from his homeland.

With releases spanning across Hospital Records, RAM, Viper, Skankandbass, and Soulvent to name a few and having been featured on Beatport’s ‘10 of the Best Underground Drum & Bass Acts in Asia’ list – the support and foundations are clearly in place for Mountain to move into the inevitable popularity throughout the scene. Soulvent Records’ Co-Founder & Label Manager Joe Goss describes Shigeta as “having been destined for greatness for a long time”.

A week today we will see Mountain’s release on Soulvent “I’m Free” featuring vocals from Kojo. You can check out Kojo’s incredible harmonies on his latest release with Pola & Bryson. The release is following the news of him now being exclusively signed to Soulvent. We expect to see great things in the future for this underground talent, especially now being supported and nurtured by such an established and well-fitting label.

The post Introducing: MOUNTAIN appeared first on Kmag.

We headed up to Kidderminster to see what Audio Farm Festival had to offer. The independent festival ran for 5 days, but we came to see the Sunday lineup consisting of sets from Goldie, 2 Bad Mice, Euphonique and Bryan Gee. 

The setting of Audio Farm was certainly unique, offering an atmospheric and peaceful environment. The festival took place within a walled Georgian estate, surrounded by a lake, forests and rolling hills. It’s a festival to unwind at, but also one to rave at with an eclectic mix of music, ranging from drum and bass, house, techno and reggae. 

We headed down to the Sun Dance stage to catch a set by V Recordings’ Bryan Gee, who never disappoints. However, the real highlight of the night came from Euphonique. The Subwoofah Records boss showcased an extremely energetic set, with a seamless execution of dark drum & bass. As the sun started setting, we marvelled at the stage production lights with Goldie closing the night. He delivered a magnetic performance, with a huge smile on his face throughout, which seemed to be infectious as the crowd were having the time of their lives. 

A distinct feature of Audio Farm was the sense of community. We only stayed there for a night but met an immeasurable amount of amiable and attentive people. Perhaps it was because the festival was small, so you tend to bump into the same people multiple times. However, there definitely was an underlying welcoming aura that we haven’t experienced at other events. We struck up conversations with festival-goers at Goldie’s set that only had nice things to say about Audio Farm, “I didn’t know what to expect, but the attention to detail has been exceptional”.

As the music acts came to a close, people wandered off to the fire pit, a stone’s throw from the Sun Dance stage. We noticed that there was a good balance of areas to unwind or party. Nothing ever felt too overwhelming and there was always enough space to dance, which is quite refreshing for a festival. If you’re looking to go to a camping festival for the first time next summer and not a fan of being elbowed in the face, then definitely give Audio Farm a go.

After a (maybe) heavy Sunday night, festival-goers had the option to partake in chilled programming on Monday to unwind and relax to. It seemed like no one was ready to venture home yet, especially as the heatwave from the weekend extended into Monday. Attendees could spend the day drinking cocktails by the lake or taking part in any of the healing and holistic activities on offer. There were also DJ sets throughout the day if you weren’t ready to stop just yet. 

What is even more admirable about the festival is that all their profits go to charity. This helps fund the work of The Green Paw Project, a charity that saves the lives of helpless and vulnerable animals in third world countries.

Smaller festivals have gained popularity over the years and it’s easy to see why. After frequenting other small festivals this summer, it seems that people are valuing stripped-down events and making connections with people after being isolated for so long. 

In summary, the best way to describe Audio Farm festival is wholesome, but hardcore.  We definitely need more festivals to follow their example of community and contribution. We’re excited to see what’s in store for next year’s edition of Audio Farm. 

We caught up with festival director, Matthew Hunt, to delve a bit more into what Audio Farm is about.

Follow them on socials here for updates on Audio Farm 2022

The post Audio Farm Festival 2021: A Special Communal Experience appeared first on Kmag.

With a voice that is simultaneously melancholy and uplifting, and a tone that seems to draw her life experience up through her heart space, flowanastasia gives her all front of the mic, and you can hear the passion, pain, sorrow and joy in every nuance. She’s spent the last decade delivering vocals on labels like RAM, Shogun and Viper to name but a few, but 2021 sees her branch out and deliver music to the world in her own right. You may know her by her real name Anastasia, which was also her artist name until earlier this year when she changed it to long-time internet handle “flowanastasia”.

Drawing on her own life experiences, her lyrics tackle issues like mental health, addiction, and spirituality, and both the passion and pain filter through her soulful tones. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, she is a vocalist who bares her soul in her art and this last month has seen the release of the second single River Flows from her debut EP due to drop later this year on Deviant Audio.

This smoky, jazz-tinged roller is simply stunning and showcases flowanastasia’s vocal range and heartfelt lyrical abilities beautifully. Produced by Nymfo and mastered by Tyr Kohout (who also records all of Anastasia’s vocal projects, and is an outstanding producer in his own right), the single River Flows also ties in with a beautiful art project by talented illustrator Vytautas Bikauskas.

So Anastasia, firstly tell us about your early musical experiences.

Thank you so much for having me! I have to say it’s surreal because this is my first official written interview and I’ve been a huge fan of KMag for years. I was born in Ukraine and moved to Canada when I was a child. I spent all of my alone time doing creative activities like writing in journals, drawing, singing, and making up dances to perform for my family after dinner.

One of my earliest musical experiences is with a children’s Yamaha keyboard, which fascinated me because of the range of fun sounds I could play with, and pre-recorded songs I could dance to. I started taking piano lessons around then and completed my classical piano and music theory training about 11 years later.

Growing up, I was drawn to jazz, underground hip hop, and ambient electronic music, before I discovered D&B. I also sang in some school choirs and went to an elementary arts program for a few years, but in my family, it was more important to focus on academic studies like mathematics. My creativity was more encouraged as a hobby and not a profession. I didn’t believe music was something I could realistically pursue, even though it was my dream since childhood.

At what point did you really fully understand that your voice was something you could use as an artist, rather than just a tool to express yourself?

It took many years to get there. I’ve always had a soft singing voice and couldn’t “belt” loudly, so I never got leading roles in choirs. But I yearned to find a place where my style could fit. An early obsession with underground hip hop and spoken word prompted me to try a more “spoken” style, and I remember a few school assemblies where I performed my own spoken word poetry. I tried writing songs around those years too, but it never felt like things were flowing properly.

It wasn’t until I finished my classical piano training and started attending university for a business program in 2011, where I really started to “find myself” as an artist. I had met students from other programs who were hobby musicians too, and we would get together for jam circles and improvise. Sometimes I would use my voice, other times a keyboard or piano, and I would start to collect and play unique instruments that I would bring along (things like kalimbas, Native American flutes, djembes, and more).

That period of exploration felt like the foundation of my development as an artist. After years of sitting alone at a piano and learning other people’s music, the concept of improvising and collaborating with other musicians was a completely new experience for me. I also discovered that the key to my own song-writing was to improvise first. Before that, I guess I thought people wrote songs by expressing ideas they already figured out in their head. I didn’t realize that improvisation was a big part of getting to those ideas in the first place!

After university, I still didn’t believe in myself as a singer. I purchased a 4-track loop station and started to produce really amateur beats along with my keyboard and a computer. I put those beats on SoundCloud, and would sometimes feature snippets of my voice, used as a “sound sample” instead of a main melody. Producers on SoundCloud began asking me to send samples of my voice to use in their tunes, and that’s what ultimately started my journey as an electronic music vocalist. One collaboration led to another, and with each song I continued to develop my song-writing skills and find my voice.

You’ve been delivering vocals for many of the scene’s best labels for over a decade. Talk to us about your first releases. What labels did you first connect with and what was that experience like?

My earliest releases were mostly in the realm of liquid D&B, which had been a great fit with my softer voice. I’ll be eternally grateful to labels like Fokuz, Soul Deep, and Galacy Records that supported me. A big milestone was definitely with Galacy, sister label of Liquicity. They were the first label to approach me and request topline vocals for specific songs. Previous to that, I was only approached by producers, so this new label connection was very encouraging and I was so grateful they believed in me as an artist.

It also gave me an opportunity to work with producers I hadn’t met before, and to gain the exposure of premieres on YouTube channels like Liquicity and UKF Drum & Bass, which was a huge boost for new listeners to discover me. And it was a good learning experience to understand what it was like communicating with a label, how to take and apply their feedback in my music, the business end of things, and much more.

After several years of releases on various labels, I was keen to branch out beyond the liquid subgenre, and explore my interests in darker styles, neurofunk, dancefloor vibes, and more. I started to reach out to producers on my own, instead of waiting for them to approach me, and that’s what led to some of my later releases, like a collab with Enei on Critical Music.

I understand you’ve also worked in the corporate world. Can you tell us about that?

Indeed, I’m still not a full-time musician. When I graduated from university, the goal was to apply my business skills at a day job somewhat relevant to music, while I continued to work towards my childhood dream after work. I was lucky to find an office job doing purchasing at a CD distribution company for a few years before it shut down.

Then, I worked as the business manager at a non-profit music publication called Musicworks magazine, which was an amazing experience learning how to “wear many hats” while running a small business. I was grateful to be part of that legacy – Musicworks has supported the exploration of experimental music since 1978, so I was exposed to an extraordinary history and community of artists.

After a few years there, I wanted to gain some business experience in a larger organization, so I’d been working in sales at a food manufacturing company over the last five years. The company recently changed ownership and my role was no longer needed, so I’m currently unemployed and doing everything I can to make my ultimate dream a reality.

And you’re pairing with Tyr Kohout. How did that happen?

Tyr is my biggest creative partner. He’s been the vocal engineer on all of my D&B recordings since 2017 (before we met, I was recording all-vocal projects in my bedroom with bad echoes, poor equipment and little knowledge). Tyr is also my DJ for live performances, the tech supervisor on my podcast Flow With The Show, and he’s a wicked music producer so we’ve collaborated on a lot of songs together too.

Even though we’re both based in Toronto, we actually discovered each other online, not in person. I was listening to an all-Canadian D&B mix and hearing his tune made me want to check the tracklist and find out more. I started following him on SoundCloud, and he followed me back, then sent a DM asking if I wanted to collaborate on a piece of music he was working on.

That also was my first in-person collab, since all of my previous projects were done via the internet, with producers far outside of Canada. I went to Tyr’s home studio, and he recorded my vocals there. Tyr has studied sound engineering extensively, so what he was able to do with my voice was far better than anything I’d done on my own.

Not only were his recording techniques and equipment better, he was also able to process my voice really well, create cool vocal effects, and gave me wonderful ideas for harmonies (something I’ve always struggled with). That experience was so significant, that I asked if he would be willing to record all of my D&B projects moving forward. I’ve learned a lot from him across a number of domains like audio software and video editing, as well as his approach to creativity and life in general. He’s one of the hardest working people I know. Meeting him was an absolute game-changer.

I understand there’s a reasonably strong underground scene in Canada. How were you introduced to D&B?

Underground is definitely the right word! If you were to approach a random person on the street, they probably wouldn’t know what D&B is. But there are a ton of small, yet loyal D&B communities across Canada. I was first exposed to a D&B song through someone in high school, but it didn’t quite grab me at that time.

A few years later, after a period of obsession with trip hop, prog rock, and dubstep, it was the YouTube algorithm that caused me to stumble upon D&B again, funny enough! I had just finished listening to a song by DJ Krush, and the next recommended song that was played was “Circles” by Adam F. I’ll never forget that moment. It felt like everything I loved about all different genres were represented in this one vibe. That experience prompted me to go down the D&B rabbit hole, and I started to discover a whole range of other artists and subgenres, through internet research and chat forums.

Later, I started looking for in-person shows to attend in Toronto. I didn’t know anyone else that also liked D&B, so I went to all my first shows alone. But I didn’t feel alone, because I was met with a community that felt so comfortable and familiar. The smiles and warm vibes, people encouraging each other when dancing, it was unlike anything I’d ever felt in other club settings. I also loved that I could go in running shoes, a t-shirt and a backpack, instead of “dressing up” like other club environments required. Eventually, I’d make friends in the Toronto community, and discovered more artists and Junglists across Canada thanks to the internet!

You’re a part of the Deviant Audio collective. Tell us a bit about the crew!

Deviant Audio is a Toronto music label founded by STRANJAH and dedicated to pushing the boundaries of bass music. When I first discovered D&B, I heard STRANJAH’s music in mixes and saw he was one of the only Canadian producers to have gained international recognition, having released tracks on respected labels such as Metalheadz, Hospital and Critical. He also organized awesome shows in Toronto and championed local talent.

I admired him for a long time, before getting the chance to meet in person through Tyr Kohout a few years ago. They had worked together on a number of creative projects, and I was grateful to start developing a friendship with him too. I’ve been thankful to release some of my own music on Deviant Audio, and more recently, I’ve also helped with label operations behind-the-scenes, as a labour of love.

In addition to creating music, STRANJAH is also an established educator and his mission is to demystify music production. He provides tools and educational content so that virtually anyone can succeed in making music. STRANJAH’s YouTube channel has grown massively as a result of his efforts, and there’s been a beautiful community developing around it. Over time, Deviant Audio is also becoming an extension of STRANJAH’s educational mission, and we’re working on fostering a community where everyone can support each other.

As well as your music projects, you also have a YouTube channel. What’s the story behind that?

Outside of music itself, I’m often looking for new ways to provide value to people, in formats that are either entertaining or educational (or both). There are two main types of videos I upload to my YouTube channel.

One is a series with Tyr Kohout called “Recording DnB Vocals” which is a behind-the-scenes look at our recording and editing process in the studio. So far, we’ve done it for my collab “Satellites” with Synergy, “Pressure” with Freaks & Geeks, and “Right Way” with Dossa & Locuzzed.

Tyr and I started filming our projects around the beginning of the pandemic. We figured it might be nice to provide an inside look at our work. In addition to watching us record, you’ll see us work out harmonies, create vocal effects, and learn about Tyr’s vocal processing techniques. It’s become an extra special thing for me too, as it captures creative moments when they happen, like a time capsule I can look back on. I’ve learned a lot about video editing in the process too.

The other main series on my YouTube channel is the podcast Flow With The Show, which I started a few months ago. It’s a video podcast, but I also have the audio available on all platforms like Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and more! The objective is to explore the art of being human with a new guest in each episode, creating conversations about topics like mental health, music, career paths, comedy, and success in today’s world.

Starting a podcast is something I’ve thought about for a long time (I was even voted “most likely to have a talk show” in elementary school haha), but it’s something I only seriously looked into once I left the corporate world. I wanted to have a platform where I could discuss topics that interest me outside of music too and allow people to get to know me on more levels.

I also found that listening to podcasts during the pandemic provided a comforting relief, perhaps because of the familiarity of hearing humans speak, it seemed to warm my soul. So far, I’ve been grateful to have guests like Mefjus, Becky Saif, Winslow, Laurie Charlesworth, and more, and the conversations have been so insightful. They’ve impacted my life in many ways already, and I hope that others will also find joy or inspiration from them.

What do you use as inspiration for your lyrics?

My lyrics often speak about mental health and my internal struggles to grow, change, and find understanding as a human being. I don’t often speak about romantic themes, because I find they’re well-covered in most other music, and my personal insights have more to do with the times I’ve spent alone.

Years of addictions like substance abuse and disordered eating are often the basis of my thoughts and lyrics. Much like everyone else, I’ve had a long quest for spiritual understanding, joy, life’s meaning, balance, motivation, and peace, so my lyrics often explore the questions and insights I’ve experienced throughout that journey.

More recently, I’ve been recovering from my addictions, and have been fully clean and sober for over 8 months, which is the longest in my adult life. I’ve also been working very hard to maintain a healthy regime of exercise and nutrition, which has always been a challenge. It’s a whole new chapter now, and I’ll continue to express my experiences through lyrics and online content.

So the new single then, tell us a bit about how it came about. Working with Nymfo must have been pretty cool!

Working with Nymfo was an absolute dream come true! Before that, we’d done a couple of other tracks together (all forthcoming), and the creative relationship worked out so naturally that I had to take a chance and ask if he’d be willing to work on something for my debut album. I’m so grateful he said yes.

River Flows is the second single from the album, and it’s quite different from what I’ve released before. In addition to singing, it also features some of my spoken word poetry and rap. The vocals were written and recorded in May 2020, at a particularly dark and confusing time for the world. I think you’ll certainly hear some of that despair and struggle in the lyrics. In most of my life and content, I aim to resonate out the most positive energy possible, but this was one of the first times I went in the opposite direction, deeper into the darkness and vulnerability.

I originally recorded the vocals for a completely different instrumental, producer and label, and that label didn’t like my spoken bits. Usually, I take label feedback and apply it with no problem. But this was the first case where I felt the spoken bits were too special to me, and I wanted to hold on to my original vision. So, I took the vocals back and waited for a while to figure out what to do with them.

When the idea to create my debut album came about, I asked Nymfo if he’d be willing to produce a track around that existing River Flows vocal. I’ve never worked like that before. Instead, I’d always done it the other way around, writing vocals to an instrumental. But he gave it a try and ended up taking the song to a whole new level. I think it worked out for the best, and I’m so grateful for it.

Explain a bit more about the rest of the album then. Is there a theme or a topic, or is it more of a collection of tracks?

Since this is my debut album, I definitely spent a long time figuring out what the theme should be and what kind of music to have on it. The album has 5 tracks from different producers, and they’re all across various subgenres of D&B. I was happy to have the chance to explore all of the styles I love, showing a diverse representation of myself as an artist.

I decided to name the album “Face Yourself”. It’s the title of one of the tracks, a good summary of the various lyrical concepts in the album, and something I’ve been actively trying to do in my personal life over the last year. I discovered that I’ve often suppressed my issues, or tried to avoid certain thoughts and feelings. But in doing so, it’s actually caused further problems.

Having struggled through mental health challenges like anxiety and depression, as well as addiction, I realized I am often the greatest barrier to my own success. I can’t continue to hide away from others or from myself. Instead, I have to face things directly to overcome them, if I want to live a happy and healthy life.

I also discovered that seeing other people ‘face themselves’ and overcome their inner battles has been a strong inspiration to me, and it’s been interesting to explore the impact we have on each other as humans. There’s a ton of related thoughts and questions I dig into throughout the album.

I was also very grateful to host my first ever remix competition this summer, with the first album single “Sending Signals” produced by Tyr Kohout. We got a ton of great entries and I was so thankful to see different creative spins on the track, which made it even more special to me. We’ll be planning to release some of the top remixes next year on a separate remix album!

Finally then, away from music, what other interests do you have, and what other things would you say you were ‘into’?

One of my greatest joys outside of music is stand-up comedy. It’s something I don’t write or perform myself, rather it’s just something I enjoy watching others do. Like most people, I love to laugh, and the art of stand-up comedy always brings me happiness. I love to watch stand-up comedy specials on TV or online or listen to comedy podcasts.

Before the pandemic, I’d only attended stand-up shows in person a few times over the years, but moving forward, it’s something I definitely want to go to more often and support. Especially in my newfound sobriety, the prospect of “going out” and being social in a bar or restaurant setting is still a little bit daunting. But the idea of going to a stand-up comedy show doesn’t prompt that same anxiety. And I also like to inject some of my silly humour in between my more serious posts online.

Aside from that, I have a great love of being in nature, walking through forests and swimming in lakes. I find that it always sparks a sense of deep calm, wonder, and appreciation. I’m grateful that Toronto is a vibrant urban city with many people and fun things to do, but it’s also surrounded by parks and wilderness, so you’re never too far from nature.

Thank you for taking the time to talk. What parting words would you like to leave with the Knowledge readers?

Thank you so much! For any readers who are discovering me for the first time, I hope my music and content can bring you some positivity. For those who have been listening to my music for a while, I hope this article gave you a chance to know me a bit deeper. I want to thank you all for your support and wish you good health, courage, strength, joy and peace.

The post flowanastasia interview appeared first on Kmag.

Music is subjective, as are opinions, but for me personally, it’s always been about the impact of the drum track. The early hardcore scene was all about impactful, well-executed (and sometimes not so well executed!) sampled drum loops that tore dancefloors to shreds. It was an all-out war during these tentative years to see who could lift the cleanest, hardest, most obscure drum samples and rebirth them in a hardcore setting, at least until LTJ Bukem released Demon’s Theme anyway.

Of all the Gems that 1991 spawned, and ’91 was after all the year that UK breakbeat really came into its own as a musical entity, this has to be among the finest. With a screeching, mutated hoover straight out of Belgium and a hypnotic ping pong top line (and only what remains of a bassline underneath one of the drum loops), this track relied purely on that monstrous drum sample kicking in at 0.44 to do damage, and that’s exactly what it did.

A devastating piece of UK hardcore by any stretch.

The post Vault Check: DD Hass + X 10 CIV – Hi Tec Muuusic appeared first on Kmag.

With UK nightlife finally up and running, Artists are busier than they have ever been and one such artist is the incredibly talented and very much up and coming (100% one to watch) Salo. We fired some questions over to Salo back in June but with a diary packed with live performances, streams and DJ sets alongside balancing her time to write her dissertation it has taken a little while to get this interview to publish. Salo has also agreed to bless Knowledge Magazine with a guest mix so watch this space for more details on that.

How was your weekend? You came to London for the save our scene marches right? We saw some clips on your Instagram and it looked like it was popping off. What was the vibe like at the marches and how was the police presence?

Hiya so sorry for the delay just been mad busy trying to finish this dissertation off and balance everything alongside it but that’s all out the way now finally! I’ve written all the answers for the questions, I have more projects to talk about now as well so it’s worked out well i guess hahaha

It was just mad! Seeing that many people altogether for the first time in a year was a moment to remember. It definitely felt historical especially DJing in the middle of Trafalgar Square with a massive crowd of people around you, I’ve never experienced anything like it before. The next day was even more mad! Getting onto that bus, driving through central London and blasting tunes to people out on the streets was the best way to dive straight back into DJing after a whole year of nothing more or less. It was just amazing. The police presence wasn’t too bad, they were sort of just making sure no one got hurt they stayed out the way and let us protest.

Did you get a chance to play? If so how was it playing to a proper crowd? Must have been the first time in a while?

Yeah I did! I just went down to London with my USBs and just thought ‘nah, I have to get on the decks at one point’ and ended up getting on a few floats to DJ with Kaz throughout the entire day! Showing London what the Manchester sound is. It was an amazing day filled with amazing people and the energy was just super high, everyone was being nice to each other. A day to remember!

We are loving the new (not so new now) single out with Chimpo (Keep you Round). How did the link up come about? We heard his side of things so. It will be good to hear your side?

Thanks! Yeah when I first became a resident for bloc2bloc I kept seeing Chimpo about so I messaged him to see if he wanted any keys or vocals, (I play piano as well) but instead he sent me a couple of tunes to sing over, one of them being Keep U Round, so after I’d come up with the idea and recorded it, Chimpo was just gassed and got me into the studio. After that we’ve just been making loads of tunes together. He’s such a sick producer and artist, he gave me the push I needed to start writing more songs and just singing in front of more people since I was really nervous with doing that in the first place. He’s helped me with so much, we’re family for life now.

You have another tune that has come out as part of Bou’s Dnb for peace project. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Yeah so, I saw that Bou was doing this project and seeing what was going on in Palestine was just breaking my heart so knowing that this project would very likely raise a lot of money I wanted to write a song for it focusing on what was happening in Palestine and help raise anything I could to try and help. Dogger produced the track, who’s another talented artist, and yeah we released the project and it made a huge amount! I was definitely proud of everyone in the scene that put a tune on the project as well as the fans buying them! Big shout out to Bou for setting that whole thing up.

Manchester seems to have a very strong scene right now despite clubs not being open. In your eyes who are the ones to watch right now?

There’s a huge amount of talent in Manchester in different genres but ones to watch right now is definitely Jack Banner, KAZ, Chimpo (he’s recently released his new album ‘Outside’ go check it out if you haven’t!), Jazzy Lioness, Indika, Akemi Fox (check out her music she’s amazing), Teo, Obscura, Kid Katharsis and many more. These are just the names I can name off the top of my head but there’s so much more raw talent in Manchester than any city I’ve seen, the sound here is just different!

As an artist you are clearly a very accomplished pianist, singer/songwriter and DJ? Do you contribute all of these talents to releases? Are you producing tunes yourself too?

Thank you! Yeah, I have been doing! Me and Chimpo have been working on a personal project which will hopefully get finished soon to release. It’s not drum & bass but has a more neo soul sound to it. I just see myself on stage playing piano and singing with a session band behind me, a massive dream of mine! I performed the tunes on Friday at Chimpo’s album launch and the crowd reaction was amazing! Playing at 12:45am was challenging but the reaction was just unexpected, it certainly made me excited to release the project even more.
And yeah, I produce my tunes as well I started off just producing jungle however it’s mostly hip hoppy/neo soul type stuff I produce now!

I’ve been making tunes with George (Dub Phizix) and Chimpo (he’s sort of become my go to producer now hahaha) I probably do his head in sometimes, my brain just runs at 200mph, so I’ll message Chimpo at like 4 in the morning with an idea, but we always end up making some absolute sick tunes. Usually, I’ll write something on the piano with some vocals and he’ll form a beat around or I’ll produce an idea on Ableton and bring it to him and he’ll beef it up for me and we’ll sit down in his studio, figure out what instruments need adding/changing and so on. We’ll often be in George’s studio as well, he’s too sick! The skill and knowledge that guy has is unbelievable!

I always want to know what’s going on with every song I make and each detail within each song, I couldn’t just leave it up to someone to do it for me, it’s super fun watching your tracks develop with other artists next to you, going from one small idea you wrote to something just amazing!

With clubs hopefully reopening will you be taking bookings? Will these be as a Dj or vocalist/host?

Yeah, I’m taking bookings, I recently got with the agency, Outset Artists so any bookings go to Jordan! I’ve been grabbing the mic a lot recently and performing ‘Keep U Round’ live but with more tunes that I’ll be releasing soon you’ll be seeing a lot of me DJing whilst also singing!

You’ve also agreed to record a guest mix for us (thanks again) what can we expect from the mix?

Expect a lot of jungle, new and old!

Lastly any shout outs? Future projects you would like to plug?

There’s a lot of tracks that have been in the works with some amazing producers like Halogenix, Sully, Zed Bias, Sl8r, Bou, L-Side, Aries and so on. (And bare tunes with Chimpo hahaha) So keep your eye out any updates on my Instagram!

If you drop your socials (insta/soundcloud etc)
with the responses we will post them too and any press shots you would like used.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/salo.mcr

Soundcloud – salo.mcr – https://soundcloud.com/salomcr

Thanks,

SALO

The post An Interview with Salo appeared first on Kmag.

Powerhouse duo, Fabio & Grooverider, made their TV debut last Friday on Tom Davis’ hit comedy series on the BBC, King Gary. It was announced on social media in the days running up to the airing of the show. The duo wrote that it had been a hard secret to keep as a surprise.

In an Instagram video starring the co-writer and show lead, Tom Davis breaks the news that the two mainstays of the dnb scene will be featuring in Episode 6 of Series 2.

The previous episode is a chaotic run-up to the day of King Gary’s wedding with the castle booked for the ceremony turning out to be a fake advert and a local sheep farmer giving out pointers on how to avoid online scam baiting.

Both episodes are brimming with mishaps that would drive any bride and groom loopy. Not least because the guests are going on about how ex-footballer, Paul Scholes, is supposedly staying at the same hotel.

Tom Davis revealed that he’s been a big fan of Fabio & Grooverider for years and it’s no surprise that they are billed to play themselves as the wedding DJs. Is this a new avenue for the dnb pair? Possibly acting and wedding gigs!

The Episode in question opens with the DJ duo driving along a remote country road to Roll the Dice by Shy FX, featuring vocals from Stamina MC and, of course, Lilly Allen. Not long after, it cuts to a scene topped with the Shy FX remix of Chopper by Ray Keith. It’s hard to decide which is the better track for the bride and groom first dance.

Before all the gags are ruined you need to check out the episode for yourself and see a TV-first!

Watch Episode 6, Series 2 of King Gary, for free on BBC iPlayer.

The post Fabio & Grooverider make TV debut on BBC appeared first on Kmag.

Ruth Royall released her long-awaited debut solo four-track EP today on none other than Soulvent Records. A fitting choice of label, and after the first listen – it would seem that each track definitely showcases the label’s versatility.

With light & melodic liquid tracks from Makoto & Mitekiss and a hard-hitting rolling bassline number from Blacklab – which contrasts from the liquid style vocals, yet seemingly works well together.

The post Ruth Royall puts the SOUL in Soulvent with “Colours EP” appeared first on Kmag.

London based events brand and record label Singularity seem to have recently catapulted to the top of the drum and bass scene. They started out in 2019, under the name Stealth London, with their first event taking place at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. They have now found their home at Grow Tottenham, with a weekly event running every Wednesday throughout the summer. 

Drum and bass events certainly feel oversaturated at times, with a lack of variety within the lineups and crowds will often have to endure hearing the same song played multiple times in one night. However, Singularity have nailed keeping their events exciting and innovative as well as hosting white label only nights where you won’t hear the same song twice…

White label only events are nothing new, but it is definitely a refreshing approach to have in the current scene. Yet, this perspective is paired with a sense of nostalgia, emulating the wistfulness of 90s warehouse parties. Another aspect that makes them stand-out is the focus on their visuals and it is clear that they put a lot of time into this, with event flyers featuring a narrative, going far beyond just listing the line-up.

One of their most recent events saw Nicky Blackmarket play a vinyl-only set. It was was evident that people were there solely for the music and the crowd was one of the most charismatic seen in while. The dancing was incredibly intense, with circles forming for people to show off their fancy footwork and the least amount of phones seen on the dancefloor in quite some time.

Their nights don’t stop at drum and bass however, taking a journey throughout the whole spectrum of UK genres, from garage, grime to breakbeat and hardcore. The same goes with their label, releasing a wide variety of songs under different genres from Guido YZ, Lovellious, GR and Fendi-K to name a few – these are certainly producers you should keep your eye on.

Fans of old school drum and bass will appreciate tracks like ‘Right Here’ by Guido YZ and Lovellious’ ‘Junglin Guy’. The latter samples Jocelyn Brown’s ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ in a really clever way and Singularity is definitely the label to peruse if you would like to hear samples used in impressive ways. Some of the tracks are also reminiscent of Clipz’s productions from the 90s, with that distinct, recognisable bassline heard in tracks like ‘Cocoa’ and ‘Start The Car’.

Singularity are definitely bringing the old-school sentiment back within the scene – if you haven’t been to one of their events, we highly recommend that you do so.

Catch their next event at Grow Tottenham on Wednesday 25th August. Sign up for guestlist here.

https://soundcloud.com/singularityuk

The post Get To Know: Singularity appeared first on Kmag.