42
Words Colin Steven
Photography Sequoia Emmanuelle
AWESOME
FOURSOME
As anyone who heard Dizzee Rascal’s special appearance on London’s Kool FM back
in November 2007 will testify, UNCZ (short for Uncontrallabelz) certainly live up
to their name. Featuring the considerable vocal talents of Skibadee, Fun and Harry
Shotta and the DJ / production skills of Ruffstuff, the foursome have been creating
quite a stir in drum and bass circles since then. Knowledge caught up with them to hear
their plans for world domination.
It’s now 18 months since loyal Kool FM listeners With the emphasis based firmly on the varied “My album will be a variety of drum & bass styles
were treated to the sound of a former Mercury talents of the three vocalists, audiences up and but arranged into proper songs with choruses
Prize winner doing battle with the newest down the country can look forward to seeing it and hooks instead of just freestyling over a track.
collective on the drum & bass scene. Having all for themselves with plans to book the group It’s like a hip hop album but over drum & bass
evolved from that cold Sunday night in back as a whole now being advertised by Innovation music,” reveals Skiba.
autumn 2007, UNCZ can now claim to be a fully Artists Management.
fledged group with their own MySpace page and “It’s important that we all stick together as a group
promoters falling over themselves to get a piece “We want to create something for the lyrical side because it will all come out under the UNCZ
of the action, with plans also afoot to produce of drum & bass,” confirms Skibadee. “For a long banner,” adds Ruffstuff. “Four heads are better
their very own album. Not bad for a venture that time we’ve had the stigma that we just chat rubbish than one and everyone is bringing something to
started out partly as an accident. but things are getting a lot deeper now and it has the table – we vibe off each other on stage or in
a lot of content to it. People are starting to realise the studio. I can bring in a new tune, play it to
“There used to be a group of us into music that we are talking sense and taking care over them and before I know it, they’ve already written
from around the way and two of the group were the lyrics.” bars to it! The whole thing is very spontaneous so
a little bit crazy so we decided to call them ‘The it gives us all a real buzz.”
Uncontrollables’ just for a laugh,” remembers “We’re just trying to make the most out of all our
Fun. “I started using it on stage and in the end talents but we want to be properly represented Some artists may like to lock themselves away in
me and Skiba took on the name because of the in the mainstream,” adds Fun. “Drum & bass a quiet room when they get all creative but that
dispute with Nu Breed – at first it was just me on has been around for a long time now and it’s isn’t the case for UNCZ. Fun admits they love
my own but he jumped in to help out. That really important that we try and change – at the moment nothing better than getting together and testing
helped to spread the name among the ravers and the people at the top of the game are all trying each other’s skills.
from there it’s grown so big.” to progress the scene and we have to do that for
MCs as well. That’s why we wanted to have Dizzee “It also makes it a lot easier for us because we only
“We’ve been performing together for a long on our show because we want to make people have to write one verse each! I think it’s good for
time on Kool and then Harry came on the scene see we can hold it alongside some of the other everyone to see that we are all together because we
as well,” Ruffstuff adds. “We always we tried to MCs around.” can help to push each other on. We’re all aiming
make it more than just MC and DJ to be more to elevate the game and we’re in this for the long
interactive with the crowd and the amount of And it’s not just up on stage that UNCZ have big term – there’s a new audience out there for the
hype and feedback we’ve received encouraged us plans for. Having each featured on Fun’s recent music and we have to move with the times. I’ve
to push the whole thing forward. Everyone seems mix CD project Bar Rage, all four have also been always tried to change my sound - a lot of people
to be loving what we’re doing and it’s got to the heavily involved with the production of Skiba’s sound the same as they did ten years ago so it’s
point where we thought it would be good to have forthcoming album ‘Drum and Barz’, with plans all about pushing yourself forward in this game
some logos made and set up merchandise. It’s for solo albums from Fun and Harry Shotta also otherwise people will lose interest.”
definitely got more serious over the past couple in the pipeline.
of years.”
www.kmag.co.uk
K42-43_UNCZ.indd 42 29/4/09 13:01:02
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