"Slymoove is basically the future of my musical path and why I took this route was because I felt I needed to break the mould and climb out certain holes you get stuck in while learning this shit..."
HJ: Welcome to EMW. Can you please tell us a little bit about who and what Slymoove is?
SM: Slymoove is basically the future of my musical path and why I took this route was because I felt I needed to break the mould and climb out certain holes you get stuck in while learning this shit... It's like starting from scratch but with 12 years experience.. I heard this saying last year sometime and can't remember who or where it from but it goes like this 'Delete your first 30 tracks because nobody wants to hear you learning'.Then I say That shit got to Bang if you want to roll with the QC Gang Ha!
HJ:As Hekla Kosh you have been making Hip Hip beats alongside the Squid Ninjaz and also as a solo beatmaker with some of the best Hip Hop artists around. What made you want to venture in to new terrotries with Slymoove?
SM: Yea they were good times for me things were getting done.....but then.... Times change rappers fade and just the whole waiting game with getting projects done people together verses recorded... Where talking I've done beats and verses for people 2/3 years back and still haven't heard it..That don't work for me so I took a step back and went solo.
"Gonzo Lazer Bounce" ~ Slymoove - Raunchy Distortion EP
HJ: You've just released Raunchy Distortion as a free download available through your Bandcamp. What can we expect to hear on this EP?
SM: Gonzo Lazer Bounce
HJ:Any future plans for Slymoove in terms of further releases?
SM: Yea I'm 3 tracks in on a project called 'Robbed Stagga' a few weeks back I kidnapped Stagga and held him hostage at Gun point fed him full of Drugs and jacked his style and made a EP so look out for that.
HJ:As it's coming up to valentines day, what is the drink of choice to impress your lady friend on that special date?
SM: Special Date? Nah bruv I'm like a bad movie straight to Dvd if you know what I'm saying ha...
Vanilla Rum Gang G's up bitches going down Brakkka!
To coincide with the West Wales music feature on BBC Radio 1 Introducing with Jen Long this Sunday I thought I'd better take this opportunity to mention some of the amazing music coming out of the area. I found myself stumbling over words and forgetting to mention half of the people I was meant to in the radio interview so I guess this is my final attempt to redeem myself... Tune in from midnight on the 29th January.
First there's a new EP from Billy Phono who collaborates once more with Broke MC on the awesome Broken Phonograph. Check it out on Broke MCs Bandcamp. Also check out Billy Phono's Bandcamp for some sweets billyphono.bandcamp.com
The Sativastorm remix of Stickyfoot features in the mini mix, Sativa Storm is a producer originally from Amanford who has an ear for dirty beats and has worked with Billy Phono and Cen on recent mixtapes including Trees Are Weird. Cen's recent track 'Don't You Know' with producer NTM features also. It's DOPE!
Owlet Music are a small label started by Trwbador, check the original track 'Sun In The Winter' on the mini mix. It's available from their website as a free download with a chance to remix the track also.
Rezaloot are a production duo from West Wales who have been featured in Koan Sound mix sets and are constantly putting out 100bpm tracks with enough funk and plenty of bass. Watch out for the track 'Toys' in the mix plus an interview coming soon with a very special exclusive for EMW. In the meantime grab a free download of their track Killuminati. >>> MEDIAFIRE <<<
.Cycle is a fresh name in Carmarthen with tracks touching on Glitch Hop and Dubstep. His track Funkai is featured.
The mix also features the previously interviewed Dub Lemon and Secret Lemon Project with a sneak peak at their latest offering Ningmeng Zhang. The original version is due for release early this year alongside a D+B version and a remix by Kryptix.
Xentrix normally known for his drum and bass productions has contributed an exclusive track called 'Tinkerbell' to the mix. An unashamedly heavy 140 bpm smasher. The track Annwn also features and is a deep, minimal drum and bass roller. Lush!
Staying on the drum and bass tip the mix also features another exclusive from Carmarthenshire production duo Alias Unknown. One half of Alias Unknown is Hitch Glopper who recently won the Allsorts DJ comp up in Swansea at the Monkey Cafe and has just secured a weekly show on Filth FM. His first show will be airing this next Wednesday from 6pm - 8pm.
Hor5e also appear with their track titled 'Take Me Back'. Still in their early stages, the group wanted to put this track out there to get some feedback. Check it out on their Soundcloud.
Audio:Hertz have been building up momentum over the last year, hitting Beatport charts and getting invited to play in Europe. Their remix of Spark7 is a great introduction.
In terms of dance music events one crew to look out for our Rigdiculous. Putting on a line of successful nights last year at Castell Howel holiday park they don't seem to be slowing down this year with the Rig Djs performing at massive 'One' event in Aberystwyth next weekend (4th Feb) and then their first night of the year planned for the 18th February, 2012 looks to be another strong year for this non-profit group. Check their video from the last night with Stenchman.
The night before the 18th, Dreadzone Soundsystem will be returning to the West after a slamming night at The Parrot. With support from one of the best bands around Regime. It will be held in Narbeth at the Queens Hall. Check the event page for more info - Dreadzone Soundsystem plus support at the Queens Hall, Narbeth.
Further up the coast, Aberystwyth has lots of exciting events coming up with before mentioned 'One' being the first happening on the 4th Feb at Aberystwyth Arts Center.
"One is a new approach we're trying, with the place saturated with promoters and different nights, we're aiming to bring everyone together as a community to put on one massive event together, showcasing what the area has to offer." ~ Kirk Holland (Black House/Swing City)
They also put on a night called Swing City with the next event, a masquerade ball happening on the 17th Feb at the Angel in Aberystwyth. Swing City is the leading Electro Swing night in Wales and has already managed to arrange stages at two festivals in Wales this year, Beach Break Live at Pembrey country park and Landed near Rhayader!
Kirk Holland has put together a 5 min mix for EMW and BBC Introducing featuring producers from the area. Here's the censored version and tracklist. All these tracks are by producers around the Aberystwyth area.
One of the producers featured on this mix Muteqx has recently released his album 'Chronicles' on the excellent Echodub label. A deep approach to dubstep, focused subs and stunning atmosphere. Take a listen to his album preview and grab a copy from any good digital music retailer.
Also grab a free download of the featured track - Brad Sucks - Thanks For The Add (Sine Here Remix)
Another producer well worth a mention is Easy Buffalo, recent tracks include collaboration with Undersound on a remix of 'Throw It Down' by Curtis B plus original tracks featuring Cardiff MC Redeye and Welsh soul singer Chloe Laing. A mixture of Hip Hop, Soul, Broken Beats and House music.
Long time contributor to the West Wales music scene formerly part of the Unfit DJs who have graced many a shin dig with their DJ sets, Paranoid Scarecrow has recently been delving in to the hypnotic rhythms of Mombahton. His latest offering 'Crowfoot Wrench' is featured in the mix and is available as free download on his Soundcloud.
A new label Sub Element Recordings is on the cards from May 2012. Matt from Analogue People explains -
"Sub Element is going to be a digital only label specialising in electro and psy breaks. Expect to see some big names dropping tunes on it whilst promoting unsigned acts with remixes by bigger names to raise their profile, first release due may this year." ~ Matt Analogue
On the other side of the spectrum, Pembrokshire net label Kift Flipper are focusing on experimental electronic music with found sound beats from producer Quiet Noise to acoustic noodlings from Bagpipe Whiskey. Take a look through their archives. The track Paper Cuts by Quiet Noise features in the mix and is available as a free download through Kift Flipper.
Karen Morgan is a singer originally from St Davids. With several projects on the go with producers around the Bristol area, you may recognise her voice from the group Innamorati who have performed a couple of times at EMW Presents events. Her latest project 'Ivy Cairo' are a live act who blend the bass and beats of Dub step with violin from Tom Upton and the vocal talents of Karen Morgan. The track 'Love Falls Away' features in the mini mix. Look out for an interview on EMW soon.
Optimystic is predominantly a Drum and Bass producer who grew up in West Wales and is also known to tear up dancefloors with his DJing skills. His recent remix of Head Mix Collective is a mixture of Dub horns and Drum and Bass rhythms. Imagine Manu Chao put through a junglists blender.
Abstract Drumz is a Jungle and Drum and Bass producer from Cardigan, his intricate edits and deep basslines make for great headphone listening as well as quality dancefloor music. The track 'Count Your Blessings' with vocalist KBG finishes the mix off nicely.
In other news watch out for Jungle Breaks putting on nights this year. Jungle Breaks was started by DJ and producer Amentality. Check his blog junglebreaks.blogspot.com
The mix will be going out on the 29th January, It will be available as a free download straight after. It was really difficult to get everything in to 15 mins so I had to concentrate on West Wales. I will be posting up an extended mix featuring tracks from Slymooves, Stantz, Face + Heel, Ifan Dafydd and more. Big love
Having briefly blogged about Jewellers last year I am ashamed to say I completely forgot about them, until now! Listening to Jen Long's excellent show on Radio 1 I was lucky to catch a short mix by the pair that is a great introduction to their music. Lots of melodies, beats and a great use of vocals. Take a listen to their most recent offering 'Sleep Education', that's just been given a full release on independent label, The Sounds Of Sweet Nothing and make your own mind up.
BBC Introducing are currently doing a spotlight on different areas of Wales. Last week Jen Long looked at Newport (listen to the show here) with features from Fernquest, Antizzle and Jewllers. This Sunday Jen heads to Swansea with a feature with Doc Daneeka and Benjamin Damage plus a live session from The Last Republic. The week after will shine a light on West Wales music and I am very proud to be able to be apart of the show with a 15 min mix and an interview alongside The Conductors, Aled Thomas. We'll be talking about bands, producers, venues and events that make up the West Wales music scene. If you have anything to share with us please don't hesitate to get in touch on Facebook (Electronic Music Wales), Twitter (@EMWBlog) or by email (electronic.music.wales@gmail.com).
Following on from the excellent "The Ballad of a Ballroom Ghost", Inti Rowland, a solo singer/songwriter based in North London decided to take his next project to the valleys, hills and trees of Wales. Recording "Eyes of a Starling" in a converted barn in South Wales with a forest as the backdrop and no mobile signal as inspiration. To celebrate the release of his latest EP on the 12th January, Inti Rowland talks a little about the recording and future works.
HJ: Tell me a little about your latest EP 'Eyes of a Starling'.
IR: With this record I wanted to take a different approach. We make a record in a church in March last year 'The Ballad Of The Ballroom Ghost', the sessions for that were very stripped back and mainly consisted of vocal, guitar and a bit of harmonica. With 'Eyes Of A Starling' I wanted to explore more orchestration and to work more with embellishing the songs with the kind of arrangements that would give it epic elements that could sit snug next to sparse guitar work, always giving the words room to breathe.
HJ: I noticed with your recordings there's always an element of catching the moment rather than relying on post production.
IR: Defiantly, we made this record in three days, we'd had two afternoons over the summer to get some rough idea's down for string arrangements, but for me the most important thing is always to capture the songs raw and honest.
HJ: You recorded this EP in a barn in Wales surrounded by woodlands and hills. So far detached from your last EP that was recorded in a disused church in London.
IR: I've always felt that the location of recording is really important. People write songs that relate to what ever they chose, be it events in their lives or stories they get out of recycling bins, but the moment you record a song and put it out into the world, it's no longer yours and therefore the place you record it like the harbor where you say your last farewell, and it bleeds into the songs. On the church e.p I can hear crows in the graveyard and bells in the clock tower, on this one I hear the woods and the streams.
"On the church e.p I can hear crows in the graveyard and bells in the clock tower, on this one I hear the woods and the streams."
HJ: You recorded Eyes of a Starling with 2 other musicians, Psalm Rowe and Megan Jenkins and it was engineered by Jackson Dimiglio Wood. How did you all come to work together on this project?
IR: Me and Jackson have been recording together for a while now, having worked together on the last record as well. Psalm and Jackson had played together previously in a band called St.Spirit. Megan came in to play violin and sing and is in her own right a singer/songwriter.
HJ: You wrote all the songs on this EP. It is obvious from your lyrics that you are influenced heavily by the english language with a use of words that you would expect in poetry as much as songs.
IR: Yeah, I believe that in songwriting it is as much important to burry yourself in literature as it is music. I read a lot of Dylan Thomas and W.H Auden. As well as John Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac.
HJ: When did you start playing guitar and how has your playing style evolved over the years that you have been a player?
IR: I started playing when I was 13, the first song I learnt to play was 'Blowin' in the Wind' by Bob Dylan. Over the years I spent a lot of time listening to Nick Drake, Davy Graham and Bert Jansch, it was those guitarists that really sparked my love of fingerpicking, working with a guitar that dances gives a whole different rhythm to the words.
HJ: You plan to tour this year alongside Megan. Where can we expect to see you playing in the next couple of months?
IR: We'll be playing in London a lot and have shows in Brighton and Bristol too, possibly be heading over to Ireland at some point. But really eager to be playing in and around the UK as much as possible.
"We'll be playing in London a lot and have shows in Brighton and Bristol too, possibly be heading over to Ireland at some point. But really eager to be playing in and around the UK as much as possible." - For bookings contact intirowlandmusic@gmail.com
HJ: In terms of future plans, aspirations. What would you like to achieve?
IR: I'd love to write songs for films, not in a traditional sense of scoring music for a film, but actually being given a script and a brief to write songs about/from the perspective of the characters, work that links directly to their stories and aspirations. I'd also really love to get these records out on some small independent labels, just as a platform for more people to be able to hear the songs.
HJ: You've also recently worked with Producer and Clearskyz label owner DJ Die. Now you have a possible collaboration with Die and Rodney P on the cards. Tell us a little about this.
IR: Sure, it was a little while ago now, I was down in Bristol working with Die on some folk/hip hop experimental stuff, when he played me this old ska song he'd been working on, I laid down some vocals for the chorus and left it at that, a few weeks later Rodney P was down doing a gig in Bristol and Die played it to him and he ended up writing all the verses for it, not sure what's happening with it now though, I think we need to finish it.
HJ: When will "Eyes of a Starling" be released?
IR: January 12th 2012.
Make sure to take a listen to Inti Rowlands last EP "The Ballad of a Ballroom Ghost" on his Bandcamp (intirowland.bandcamp.com) and remember to check the latest release "Eyes of a Starling" available from 12th January 2012. Look out for his live show this year.
Alfred Anonymous are on the road and looking for UK dates. Having recently supported Plump DJs under the legendary C-Y-N-T night and set to play alongside Plumps again at Oxygen- Swansea as well as Human Error- London, Alfred Anonymous are on their way to tearing the UK apart next year with bass heavy beats, Funky Future Garage, heart pumping House and a ton of club jumping bangers. Alfred Anonymous is the collaborative project between Louis Derry (Oscar Later), Mathew Birch.
THE LIVE SHOW
The Alfred Anonymous live show consists of one master computer running Ableton with multiple midi controllers linked via a master Ableton session, this enables the duo to improvise, effect, build, drop and mash tracks live and on the spot using loops and intelligent structuring. Throughout all the Alfred Anonymous live shows the duo always keep the party vibes going throughout any set to make sure they keep the hearts pumping and crowds jumping. House, Electro, Dubstep, Techno, Bassline and Future Garage Alfred Anonymous loves it all and further that loves mashing it all together in one big juicy set.
Alfred likes to DROP/MIX/MASHUP the following artists-
Fake Blood, Surkin, L-Vis 1990, Audio Bullys, Bassment Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Flying Lotus, Joy Orbison, Funtcase, Drop The Lime, Redial, Herve, LCD Soundsystem, Soulwax, Julio Bashmore,
Le Youth, Louis La Roche, Hostage, Rustie, Siriusmo, Deadmau5, Switch, Alexandre Louvre, Addison Groove, Burial, C.R.S.T, A. Skillz, Canblaster, Caravan Palace, Mosca, Punks Jump Up, The Chemical Brothers.
Alfred Anonymous Explained
Straight up! Lets get this clear- Alfred knows no genre, we just like to get people moving. Genres come and go so fast these days we don't like to be so niche when there is such good music out there for us to mash up. We normally use House as a buttery biscuit base, but honestly we love it all : Dance music, Electro, Techno, Future Garage, Bassline, Hip Hop, Wonk. As long as the hearts are pumping and feet jumping you're on track. Thats why we love putting together live sets specific to certain brands and club nights, we take the elements of what works with their crowds and convert it all via the ears of Alfred. Within our live sets we always stick to using loops and intelligent structuring so when it comes to our performances we can improvise structure, acapellas drops, effects. It's nice being able to work with such a variety of dance music in a way where you can still improvise your performance and give the people watching a form of value in listening to something unique. When you see what normal DJs do with vinyl, CDs, MP3 - don't get me wrong, it is an absolute artform, we just prefer to put a lot of effort into the preparation of our sets and then the live set becomes a performance instead of a sweaty ball ache.
Check this powerful video from our good friends at Galaxy Dance Project Uganda. Tonight we will be holding a benefit gig at The Parrot, Carmarthen to raise awareness and support for this amazing project thats bringing children and young people together through the strength of Hip Hop dance.
