5 Questions with Rags #53 - WBBL

in

“I used to play in bands back where I lived in Dorset in the UK - ska bands, pop cover bands. That's what you gotta do in Dorset to make fun, you gotta make your own fun down there. It's a lovely little countryside area but not a lot going on there at all, nightlife especially. I think there's one club that's only open once a month.” This is where WBBL's music started. WBBL, one of the leaders of the next wave of great bass-masters coming from the UK. Before he was smashing open the ears of clubs and festival crowds around the Europe (And Canada!) the good homie, known in the real world as Joe Gale, was laying a solid foundation for his eventual assault on bass-seekers everywhere. “I went to ACM in Gilford in the UK - Academy of Contemporary Music. It sounds fancier than it is,” laughs Gale. “They're a great school. It's all about the experience you get from going there. I met so many great people there, loads of people trying to do the same thing. People who just want to make their music better, who want to meet and collaborate.” Taking a look at WBBL's output, the collaborative spirit is alive and well, as evidenced by his ever-growing list of tracks with wobbly peers like Slynk, X-Ray Ted, Mr. Switch and Father Funk.

Too many years in the making, a long-established heavyweight of the ever-popular Ghetto Funk label, WBBL made a triumphant Shambhala Music Festival debut on the legendarily funky Fractal Forest last month. A dance floor filled with a couple thousand people was, then and there, turned into a legion of WBBLites. (WBBLers? WBBListas? What's the term we want to collectively coin for the growing mass?) If you want some more in-depth talk of his set, GO HERE, and read the thing I already wrote about it. Earlier today the powerful homie gifted his Shambhala set onto the world, so you don't even have to read what I wrote. You can listen for yourself. Pair up his blistering set with another tasty round of the 5 Questions to get a full helping of wobbly goodness. Here we discuss the Gorillaz, welcoming-ass Canadians and Hendrix's proclivity for plain bagels.

1. What was the first album you bought with your own money?

WBBL: It was the first Gorillaz album on CD. In 2001, or something. It was a good introduction because it was pop but it was dub and reggae and hip-hop and garage. It opened my mind up to a load of different genres. I thought it was such a cool thing to have in the charts that were all bubble-gum pop and you get this dark, awesome album.

2. First time you did something for the last time?

WBBL: Well, this is my first Shambhala. So that's the obvious one. But last year was my first time in Canada, my first time being out of Europe, coming to do international shows. That was a brilliant first time because everyone in Canada is so ridiculously welcoming and nice. That's what Shambhala is about as well. I want to do this first time every time.

Read More

Jimi Needles - Of synths, sounds and Jungle Strikes.

in

“I recently came to the realization that I've been Djing half of my life,” Jimi Needles – world-class DJ, producer and drummer for knock-out soul band Ephemerals – recalls, talking to me from home, shortly before leaving on a well-deserved holiday. “I had my CD decks first when I was 14. I bought really cheap CD decks and hated it, then got vinyl decks when I was 15 and restarted again. Not many people did that back then. You didn't touch Cds like that. It was all vinyl and then suddenly it was all Cds and I did the opposite. I've been djing full-time about half of my djing life. And only about the last four have been giving a real shit.” Four years is probably about the length of time that Needles has been on the radar of an ever-growing contingent of bassheads here on the Canadian west coast. His Needlewurk mixes are some of the most reliable I've found, able to keep all the members of the crew happy – no matter where they lay on the spectrum of bass music enjoyment. The good homie combines his incredible arsenal of sounds, tempos and feelings, with great taste in music and a penchant for juggling the best parts from an unyielding scope of genres.

It's been a year and half since the last time I've talked to Needles. It's been a fruitful time that has seen him touring relentlessly on his own and as the drummer for Ephemerals, the creation of the Jimi Needles Band and the beginning of the final stretch toward his long-awaited debut album. “I think I've become a worse DJ and a better producer since we last talked. I've sacrificed a bit of the Djing. In the past 18 months I've really collected a bunch of sounds that I will use for all of my tracks. Every producer has their signature thing, like Stickybuds has his signature bass. 'Oh yeah, that's a Stickybuds tune there.' Featurecast has got his signature boom-bap-shuffle-drums. You can't miss those. A. Skillz has own kits and stuff. I've done a lot of tracks that share the same synth,” says Needles. “The whole album is going to speak to that synth. It'll be the “Jimi Needles Sound.” Really moving away from bootleg stuff on the album to more original stuff. It's exciting. I've really learned to create space in tracks. When I was just bootlegging I would just go, “Let's just feature loads of stuff!” Never give it a breather. You kind of learn to add those spaces in.”

Read More

5 Questions with Rags #45 - Father Funk

in

Father Funk had been on my radar for a little over a year before his debut in Fractal Forest at Shambhala last summer. I was not surprised when he blew the faces off everyone in the Forest to start that Friday night with the Fractal Family. However, when one notoriously picky electronic-expert-listener friend was blown away by his set as well, I knew it was something special. You see, she had seemingly moved beyond the realm of easily accessible, hard rocking party sets and needed things to be more abstract, odd...I don't even really know with her sometimes. But here was Father Funk, coming right over the middle of the plate with heater after heater, accessible and funky as hell, smashing her selective ears apart. Luckily for her, her ears still work, despite the relentless Funk assault that was unleashed that night and, luckily for the rest of us in Canada, Father Funk seemingly found a new base that weekend. I caught up with the homie in the midst of his latest Canadian tour, to talk about Jimi Hendrix, good advice and the meaning of “Love.”

Come bust a move to Father Funk's Full Frontal Funk Fest with yours truly this Family Day weekend in Victoria at Upstairs Cabaret!

1. Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money?

I think it was probably “All Killer, No Filler” by Sum 41.

Wow. Do you ever still listen to it?

Not really. I still regard it as a good album. I mean, I still listen to that sort of music but I like the ska and punk side of it. I listen to a lot of Mad Caddies, Streetlight Manifesto, Less Than Jake...bands like that. Sum 41 was more of a teen phase.

2. When is the last time you did something for the first time?

I guess, fairly often, being a DJ and going all over the world, being in different countries I've not been in. That's probably it. Oh, well I watched a hockey match last night for the first time. It was good. It wasn't a full-on professional game. My friend was having a bit of session with his local team.

Where's the last place that you went to that blew your mind with the energy they had for you?

I guess Kelowna the other weekend and them Big White (Whistler) the same weekend. I guess that was more people who didn't particularly know who I was. They were just enjoying the music I was playing. I think sometimes that's even nicer, I guess it's a bit more real when someone's responded to your music organically rather than because it's hyped up or whatever.

Read More

5 Questions with Rags #41 - Stickybuds

in

A master of all things funky and groovy, Stickybuds has that thing that I value most in a great DJ - the ability to do all of the things well. Straight-ahead funky breaks, drum ‘n’ bass, glitch-hop, big reggae vibes – Sticky’s got you covered. And it’s all delivered with such blatant skill and love for the craft that it’s pretty impossible to ignore. The legendary Shambhala Music Festival is a good barometer for where your talents are as a DJ. It’s a festival of incredibly discerning ears and Stickybuds has been front and centre for 12 years and counting. Rarely does my crew plan to be at Stickybuds annual destruction of Fractal Forest, but every year, there we are, getting our ears dominated by the mighty dude. If you started your electronic listening diet anywhere around the Canadian west coast, you probably have had Stickybuds as part of your listening diet, and your musical taste is probably healthier for it.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the homey live, Hallowe’en weekend is a good time to get your funky spook on. I can attest to the absolute delightfulness that was last year’s "Breaks-O-Ween" in Vancouver.

As always, keep up with all the good sounds over at ye olde Soundcloud and all other things Stickybuds at the Facebook.

My mix from this years Shambhala Music Festival. Huge thanks to the couple thousand of you who came out for this live, Rich-E-Rich and to all my producer homeys who send me their gems and stems! Big love to the whole Fractal Forest and Shambhala family! www.Stickybuds.com www.Shambhalamusicfestival.com Tracklist Stickybuds + K+Lab ft. Junior Owusu + Dimention - Clap yo' Hands Intro Skope + Stickybuds - Change Your Mind Ali B & Jungle Brothers - Gimme That (A-Skillz Remix Acapella) Beat Fatigue - Curly Wurly Dj Vadim - Hey Hey Hey Ft Grazilla Affinita (Acapella) Maha Quest - ID Opiuo + Shapeshifter - Slug A Bug (Instro) Dj Vadim - Originator Ft Dynamite MC + Daddy Cookiz (Acapella) Jibbs Itation ft. Talawa Reggae Army - Love is the Key (Badweed & Kursiva Remix) Opiuo + Shapeshifter - Slug A Bug (Acapella) Fabolous ft Nate Dogg-You Can't Deny it (Acapella) IQulah Rastafari - It Is I (Ed Solo Remix) Lethal B ft. Shakka - Playground (Acapella) Dub Phizix - Doberman (Instro Edit) Dj Vadim - Originator Ft Dynamite MC + Daddy Cookiz (Acapella) Supremes - My Favorite Things (Acapella) Lethal B ft Shakka - Playground (Cyantific Instro / Full) Mooncat & Karlixx - We Want No More IQulah Rastafari - It Is I (Acapella) Aries Gold Dubs & Jinx ft Eva Lazarus - Fall In Love (Acapella) Habstrakt - Echoes Flux Pavilion ft. Turin Brakes - Mountains & Molehills (sample) Dj Alias - San Fransisco Bay (Leo Remix) Stickybuds + K+Lab ft. Junior Owusu - Clap yo’ Hands (Acapella) Ali B & Jungle Brothers - Gimme That (A-Skillz Remix Instro) WBBL - Irie Ali B & Jungle Brothers - Gimme That (Acapella) Dj Vadim - Originator Ft Dynamite MC + Daddy Cookiz (Acapella) Featurecast - Take it Down Low Stickybuds vs Mista Savona ft Burro Banton - Clean Air (Acapella) Stickybuds + Skope ft. Caleb Hart - Twice to the Right Mat tha Hat - The Charlston Whomp Big L - Put it On (Acapella) Smov - Big Love K+Lab Ft Skahna SK - Erupt Numa Crew ft Robert Dallas & Petah Sunday - Impossible (Samy Nicks Remix) Ed Solo - Lemme Go Ras Demo - Sekkle Up The Score (Turntable Dubers Remix) 2Nice - Uprising (Serial Killaz Remix Acapella) Dr Kucho! & Gregor Salto ft Ane Brun - Can't Stop Playing (Cyantific Remix) Ed Solo & Deekline ft. Gala Orsborn - Hit The Road Jack (Acapella) Empresarios - Morena (Acapella) Empresarios - Morena (Lack Jemmon Rmx) Baauer & RL Grime - Infinite Daps (Featurecast Edit) A. Skillz - 7 Day Weekend Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Neighbour + U-Tern Remix) Alozade - Under Mi Sensi (Acapella) Edwin Starr - War (Acapella) Clipse - When Was The Last Time (Acapella) Stevie Wonder - Do I Do (U-Tern Edit) Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Acapella) Sean Paul Ft. Chi Ching Ching + Banx & Ranx - Crick Neck Mooqee & HerbGrinder - Sound Around Town (Funkanomics Remix) Malente - Open Secret (Acapella) Krafty Kuts + Dynamite MC - Real Big Deal MIghty Mocambos - It’s The Music (Sticky + A.Skillz Inst. Stems) Jimi Hendrix - Freedom (Fernan Dust Funky Remix) MIghty Mocambos ft. Afrika Bambaataa + DJ Snoop - It’s The Music (Acapella) Tom Booze - How We Do This Noisia & The Upbeats - Dead Limit Tom Booze - How We Do This (Acapella) ID - ID Cyantific - Hollywood TC ft. Stylo G - Storm Brew (Acapella) Coppa & Disphonia – Paranoize (AKOV Remix) Krafty Kuts + Dynamite MC - Al Pacino (Instro) Coppa & Disphonia – Paranoize (Acapella) Skope - ID Dj Vadim - They Don't Love (Acapella) Ruffhouse & Clarity - Aphasia (Redders & Sam Binga Remix Instro) Calyx & Teebee - Sawn Off Maksim, Culprate + Retrospect - Time To Waste (Acapella) Skope - ID Dj Vadim ft Courtney Melody + Taiwan MC - Ruling Sound (Acapella) Swindle - Global Dance Falcons - Flame feat. Stush Maksim, Culprate + Retrospect - Time To Waste Maksim, Culprate + Retrospect - Time To Waste (Teddy Killerz Remix) Lemaitre ft. Jennie A. - Closer (Acapella) Dj Vadim ft Courtney Melody + Taiwan MC - Ruling Sound (Instro) Stickybuds + Blackout JA - Shambhala Dub (Acapella)

1. What was the first album you remember buying with your own money?

The first albums I bought with my own money were through Colombia House CD mail service out of some magazine, I believe I was in grade 6... (1996/1997-ish) The ones I remember that stuck out were, Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers, Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire, Collective Soul - Self Titled and Offspring - Smash.

I still actually love all these albums to this day, and I think I still have them all in a CD pile in storage somewhere. They are all great songwriters and musicians in their own right. I think I connect the most with RATM's album now. When I was 14 or whatever when I bought them I liked the anger in their music, and I'd sing the words, but I didn't understand what the songs were about. Now that I'm 32, and have been around the world a few times and pay attention to the global atmosphere, police brutality and decay of our rights and freedoms through corrupt governments and those who control them, I get and connect with their songs much more.  

2. Have you ever seen or felt a ghost or ghost-like presence?

Nope.

3. Can you think of a book or movie that had a genuine effect on the way you saw the world?

I read George Orwell's "1984" when I was in High school. It kind of stuck with me, and it's a real shame that it was a fictional book that turned out to be non-fiction.

4. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Having trouble remembering things I've done for the first time, but I went Scuba Diving for the first time on one of my Australia tours 2 years ago in Cairns, it was awesome. 

5. Immortality…Ever think about it? Do you think you’d enjoy it? What’s the one completely ridiculous project you’d complete if you had unlimited time?

I don't think I'd like to live forever, but It would be cool if I could live for a few hundred years, maybe we'll even get there the way things are going. I would try and learn how to play every instrument I could imagine. 

6. The Guest Question comes from Victoria producer/performer BOUSADA… You just found out that you have 24 hours to live starting right now. How do you spend your last day on planet earth?

I'd spend the whole day with the people I love the most, and hopefully they wouldn't know I was about to die so it wouldn't be sad. 

5 Questions with Rags #34 - JFB

in

The first time I saw JFB was a few years ago in Fractal Forest at my first Shambhala Music Festival (2013). I didn’t know anything about electronic music or DJ culture outside of hip-hop. While my friends were talking amongst themselves, trying to decide where to go dance next, my eyes were directed to the large screens surrounding the stage. I was instantly mesmerized watching the hands of JFB work magic on the turntables. It didn’t hurt that he was crushing the tasty hip-hop vibes I needed. I asked my buddy who I was watching and BAM, named locked in. He was the first DJ I paid to go see outside of Shambhala. (I met him at that show, but being overly shy I couldn’t bring myself to start an actual conversation.) Since then JFB has become one of my go-to DJs when I don’t know what to put on. Dude’s output is so damned prolific with a constant stream of routines, tracks and mixes (Including those bloody rad BattleJam mixes he lays down). This is a long-winded way of saying JFB was a huge catalyst of my journey into electronic music and if you’re not listening to him, you’re making a huge mistake. Don’t keep making the same mistakes: Listen to JFB.

--------------------------------------------------

1. Do you remember the first album you bought with you own money?

1st album I bought was with my own money, but that money was given to me by my mum. It was 10p = 5 cents (Canadian) Anyway was at a car boot sale. A 'Readers Digest' Vinyl compilation of film soundtracks themed 'The Musical', 'The Western', 'The Drama' & 'The Action.' So we are talking Orchestral soundtracks of big films, but like re-runs/ variated versions of the main themes, almost like remixes...

I was only 6 or 7 years old and forgot about it quite quickly, Can't remember if I was allowed to play with my parent’s record player back then or not. Just remember finding it, 2 or 3 years into DJing when I 1st started scratching and sampling... probably made a few tracks out of it... can't remember the favourite track, but probably one of the Westerns. Still got it somewhere, might pull it out!!

Read More