ONCE UPON-A-TIME in the noughties, Andy “I listen to a lot of house,” admits Douwma,
Pick ‘n’ Mix
C’s Ram Records was the defi nitive home of citing everyone from Jack Beats and Switch
YOUR mixes, YOUR productions, YOUR live acts…
dark tech-step, its tear-out sound as equally to Lindstrøm and Booka Shade as infl uences
We pick the best each issue!
suited to a Hackney squat party as it was to on his productions sound.
the Movement parties at London’s Bar “‘Could This Be Real’ is me trying to mix a lot
Rhumba on a Thursday night. Yet over the of sounds together, that dubsteppy bass and STEVE FOUND
last year, Ram has begun to transform into a the ravey sound in the build. I even recreated
myspace.com/stevefound
potential hit factory of Stock, Aitken & the old school pitched up vocals by recording AN ESSEX BOY drawn to dance music
Waterman proportions — with much better them with the track slowed down so they by his admiration for local lad done
SUB
music, of course. ended up artifi cially high.” good, Liam Howlett, Steve’s expertly
mixed selection takes in all fl avours of
First up were Chase & Status, whose album While some drum & bass producers are house, Audio Jack’s driving tech sitting
‘More Than A Lot’ led to them hitting the jumping ship entirely, however, turning all alongside the deeper sounds of Loco
FOCUSED
studio with Rihanna, while a possibly drunk, their efforts to the newest sound of British Dice, with some vocals from White Lotus
certainly jealous, Tim Westwood bemoaned bass culture, Sub Focus is happily embracing Society keeping the ladies happy. Catch
their ‘credibility’ on Radio 1Xtra in possibly their shared roots and playing DJ sets that Steve at 6pm on Sundays on kick106.
the funniest YouTube clip of last year. — just like the new face of Radio 1’s dance
co.uk.
Then, in October 2009, came another empire, Annie Mac — mash it all up.
Ram’s next big thing
monumental debut, this time from Sub “I like writing music but coming from a
Focus, aka Nick Douwma. Already a Radio 1 scene, you get a little stuck in it. I found I
How it works
looks forward...
regular thanks to anthemic d&b tracks ‘Time had to re-evaluate what I was doing and Post a link to your mixes, tunes or live sets on DJMAG.COM’s ‘Pick ‘n’ Mix’ forum. We listen
Warp’ and Daft Punk homage ‘Rock It’, his realise I don’t have to think of myself as just
to as many posts as we can and pick the best each issue! Remember to include a pic and a
eponymous album unveiled a new side to his a drum & bass a producer. I think the
brief biog with your post!
production, switching tempos and styles with audience likes all of it so why not make all of
ease and joining the experimentation with a it?”
jungle paced tempo being embraced by Shy
FX, Clipz, Adam F and Zinc. Laying ahead in 2010 are potential
WHERE
ARE
“A lot of DJs already had the promo tracks so collaborations with Chase & Status and
it was great that the other genre tracks from various dubstep artists, plus tours around
THE
Y NOW?
the album were also picked up on,” Douwma the UK, Europe “and probably further afi eld
tells DJmag of the positive reactions from to Japan and the US”.
outside his normal sphere. “I guess my Douwma adds: “I’m also going to be
What are the stars of
personal favourite on there would be ‘Last supporting Pendulum on a live tour in May
yesteryear doing today?
Jungle’. Some of the house and dubstep guys — that’s pretty exciting.”
have been playing that, and Skream really
loves it. I already had the drum & bass guys Having seen the sudden demand for his label
SHARON
onside so it’s great to get support outside the mates’ production skills, he’s also open to
scene. It makes me feel connected to the offers.
WOOLF
wider world of music.” “I think the US hip-hop guys are looking to
the UK as there’s some really exciting music THE VOICE OF Doolally and Shanks & afterwards, Sharon became a full-time
Another shift of direction is next single, the being made here at the moment and they Bigfoot, Sharon Woolf dominated the songwriter and worked with Fatboy Slim
huge piano led ‘Could This Be Real’, released want to incorporate that edge into their charts and radio during garage’s heyday. on ‘Champion Sound’. She’s also had
by Ram on 15th January. A slice of music,” he reasons. ‘Straight From The Heart’ hit the Top 20 huge success in the US writing songs for
gum-exposing euphoric old school house “I can certainly see how with Chase & Status, in 1998, reaching No.9 on its 2000 Grey’s Anatomy and a Microsoft product
sitting astride a huge, juggernaut of a dubstep appeals to hip-hop fans — it’s got re-release, while ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ launch.
bottom end, it’s huge crossover potential is that kind of swagger and laidback feel. It’s became the fi rst record ever to be As a sideline, Sharon created and runs
further enhanced by a Sub Focus drum & bass fantastic that interesting things like that are simultaneously No.1 in the national, Session Singer Online, providing vocals
take, plus remix from Bristol man-of-the- happening and I defi nitely want to get independent, r&b and dance charts. to music production companies and
moment Joker. involved. Watch this space!” Signing a major publishing deal major brand advertisers.
THE WORLD’S SMALLEST USB DJ AUDIO INTERFACE
www.native-instruments.com/a2dj
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011
DJ481.upfront3.indd 11 10/12/09 16:08:34
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