From old school to future jungle, via forays into dub and dubstep, 6Blocc lives at the heart of the LA bass scene. Which might be why Snoop Lion is one of those to sit up
and take notice... Words: AMANDA ROSS Pics:MASAKI MIYAGAWA
C 062
djmag.com
alifornia DJ/producer Raoul Gonzalez has often been referred to as the foundation of the drum and bass/jungle scene in Los Angeles, repping hard since 1992. Known for his sick sampling skills, he has cut, scratched and remixed his way to the top with a creative mind, becoming the first to win a DJ battle using drum and bass records.
As he’s always considered himself a B-boy, he naturally adapted the name “B-BOY 3000” and “R.A.W.”, the latter an alias inspired by classic hip hop record ‘Raw’ from Big Daddy Kane. A passionate turntablist and producer, he gained notoriety for cinematic soundscapes and intricate mixing early in his career.
“Back then, when I first starting doing mixtapes, it was in the hip-hop days, I always had a four track recorder, so I would do these four track mixes because back then Dr. Dre., Jammin’ Gemini, Egyptian Lover, all those guys were doing mixtapes and you could buy them at the Roadium [a legendary Los Angeles swap meet] back in the late ‘80s.” Years later the hip-hop/jungle aficionado found a new home experimenting with slower tempos, specifically reggae and dub inspired 140.
2006 witnessed the birth of 6Blocc as one of the original US dubstep producers. With a slew of releases and popular remixes on his Digital 6 imprint, he spread the bass weight across the world to Europe, South America and the rest of the world. Recent releases include LP ‘Bass for your Face’, serving as co-producer with DJ Muggs of the legendary Cypress Hill crew. The album is out on Ultra Music and features Chuck D, Dizzee Rascal, Freddy Gibbs, Danny Brown and Rahzel.
Raoul’s most recent project, Skanx, merges his love of jungle with 140 BPM to create a genre referred to as future jungle, and has just released a sample pack through Industrial Strength Records. His label Woofer Cooker is also dedicated to the new jungle sound, along with generous free giveaways via his Soundcloud. “Once I started to get into Soundcloud, then I started to really realize how much good music is out there. Jungle, house, minimal techno, and it’s usually better than what is available on Beatport” he says. This month Sub Slayers (nominated for ‘Best Label’ in DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards) releases his ‘State of Jungle EP’, which features politically minded future jungle track ‘Afrika’.
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