Mensah - Throwback sounds designed for the future

Bristol has now steadily been churning out act after act of heavy, progressive and different artists influenced by the dubstep sound. It could even be said that single handidly, the city has crafted its own niche and brand of funky stepper sounds (as well as the deeper and more technical directions of Peverelist and Shackleton). Of course, Joker, Guido and Gemmy come to mind straight away when covering the purple strand of dubstep but one artist coming through right now who seems to sound like a modern and logical succession to these now trusty stalwarts is Mensah aka Mensah Anderson.

As a kid it was first jungle and drum and bass that took Mensah's fancy and then it was garage that really made him more passionate about starting producing. After djing at various Bristol nights and gaining a receptive ear for music from the people and other djs around him he enrolled at a local music college and was taught by none other than our next co-headliner Danny Byrd! Fellow classmates Chasing Shadows and Superisk also attended which serves to highlight the seriousness of Bristol's musical theory.

After holding down a job in a local music store Mensah’s first solo release finally came to fruition. Sahara & Not A Shy Gyal was released on the legendary Lo Dubs label in 2009 and both tracks combined rolling rhythm with steady but subtle bass. After that in 2010 he managed to gain a double a-side with drum and bass and dubstep don Jakes. His track Pulse 80s was the start of a sound which he is fastly becoming known for. Robocop and Terminator style pads stutter in and out of syncopated hi-hats culminating in a throwback yet futuristic sound that owes alot to the forward thinking 80s movie soundtracks of over 20 years ago.

Further to that his next release, the EP Untitled Future Funk, polished the sound explored on Pulse 80s and explored more funky and synth lead noises. Lead track Untitled Future Funk owes alot to Joker yet Mensah introduces more elements in the track which allows you to appreciate his influences alot more.

Untitled Future Funk by MENSAH

Baobinga & Mensah - N.S.G. - BUILD004 by Build Recordings

After collaborating with Noah D and Baobinga, Mensah has polished his own brand of self-styled 'Mensahstylefunk' and whilst comparisons might be drawn to other local producers (which isn't bad at all) Mensah will never be content with wanting to make the same tune twice. A real name to watch out for and also a great live DJ, keep an eye out for Mensah on the Hench label in the future and of course make sure you catch him at the next 'dbe' on the 16th of December at Loughborough Students Union.

Peace

dbe Blog Mix 1 [Mixed by SK]

Our resident graphics boy, pre party star and all round gentleman SK has put together the first of hopefully an enthralling series of blog mixes. Spanning the wheel of new UK, European and US electronic music emerging right now, the mix features dub-boro and dbe favourites Ramadanman, Boddika (Instra:mental) and Drop The Lime, new heavy hitting artists such as Mount Kimbie, Lone and Girl Unit and more elusive grime and garage from Fantastic Mr. Fox, Taz Buckfaster and Becoming Real. Starting off on a relaxed tip the mix unfolds into house-ier vibes then all out drumwork later on and is a real journey sure to prick the ears of all sorts of bassheads out there. Listen and download at will and keep an eye and an ear out for future forthcoming blog mixes right here!

dbevents Blog Mix 1 - SK by dbevents

1. Airhead - Paper Street 


2. KidKANEVIL - Land Of Plenty (Throwing Snow Remix) 


3. Scuba - Before (Deadboy Remix) 
 

4. Max Romeo - Protest To The M1 (Pacheko Remix) 
 

5. Hypno - Telescope (Hackman Remix) 
 

6. Didz & Chico - Something New 
 

7. Hissy Fit - Outdoor Life


8. KidKANEVIL - The Floating World (Elphino Remix) 
 

9. Mount Kimbie - Serged (Headshotboyz Edit) 


10. Cosmin TRG - Liebe Suende 
 

11. Space Dimension Controller - Temporary Thrillz 
 

12. Boddika - Bodikka's House 
 

13. Lone - Raptured 
 

14. Nguzunguzu - Got U (Canblaster & Berou Remix)
 

15. Ramadanman - Glut
 

16. Becoming Real - Like Me Ft. Trim 
 

17. Kastle - Need U Ft. Virus Syndicate
 

18. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Over 
 

19. Ghost Mutt - Thoroughbred 
 

20. Kid KANEVIL - When Doves Bounce ((Illum Sphere's Rebounce) 
 

21. These New Puritans - Hologram (SALEM Remix) 


22. Taz - Gold Tooth Grin 
 

23. Girl Unit - WUT! 
 

24. Drop The Lime - Hot As Hell (Canblaster Remix) / Hudson Mohawke - Fuse

Till next time, keep it tight and keep it right!

End of term party dbe style!

That's right folks, before you even caught another wink of sleep from yet another stonking dbe installment at our now well trodden temporary home of echos (parts are currently falling off the roof due to outrageously high bass levels!), dbe bought out the next lineup in incredible parties. This one takes us back to the place where dub-boro said goodbye to thousands of faithful followers and where over 9 headliners smashed up the dance over 3 rooms. That's right dbe is coming to Loughborough Students Union and with a strange sense of deja-vu is bringing you 8 headliners over, yes, you guessed it, 3 ROOMS! Not content with having all the fun ourselves dbe has invited two of its tightest friends, BASSLACED & BIGGER THAN BARRY, to bring you an end of term party that resembles more of an indoor festival than your standard night on the tiles...

The lineup reads...

**************************************************************************************

ROOM 1:

MS DYNAMITE (Live)
JACK BEATS
JACOB PLANT
+ Pasquale // Samiad // Mike Mases

ROOM 2 (Basslaced):

DANNY BYRD
N-TYPE
MENSAH
+ Standfast // Tru-Tek

ROOM 3 (Bigger Than Barry):

ROSKA
ONEMAN
+ Knicker Bocker Corey // Tiger Lips

MC's: KARIZMA // KOAST // RISKY

**************************************************************************************

What a way to go out with a bang over the Christmas period! This one will be on parallel and probably even bigger than the last ever 'dub-boro' (now stuff of legend and most definitely THE best night that Loughborough has ever seen for a long long time!). So don't sleep and get your tickets as soon as possbile, because even though the union is hella big, we feel as if all of Loughborough will want to go to this one!

TICKET INFORMATION / OUTLETS

Earlybird tickets £8 (Only Available until 27/11/10) // Advanced Tickets £10 // More Expensive On The Door

Online:
L/Boro Students: www.lufbra.net/dbe //
Other: Gigantic

The Orange Tree: 01509 238852 // LSU Box Office
Pasquale: 07921 023082 // Tom C: 07969 665705 (Campus)
Sasha: 07824 468812 // Martyn: 07799 414854
Byron Smith: 07734 331749 // Liam Levin: 07504 739322
Ed Jones: 07816 863350 // Austin Driscoll: 07769 904882

PRE-PARTY @ THE ORANGE TREE 19:30 - 22:30

For more information...

phone: 07921 023082 / 07703 063805
email: dub-boro@live.co.uk
twitter: @dubboroevents

King of my Kastle

Bass music right now is at an all-time high. Whether you call it dubstep, uk funky, techno, heavy bass, fidgit, dance, juke, electro, house or grime one thing is certain, anything can and is being connected. Producers nowadays seem to be creating music that is not only influenced by their contemporaries but also indebted to a number of past classic sounds stretching from garage to chicago house. Like binary code, this results in infinite variations of dance music and take a look at any lineup from any knowledgeable and respected venue and you will probably find names that span all types of music.

In step Philly producer Kastle. Armed with a degree in Audio Engineering and experience in Djing and creating his own music since the tender age of 14, Kastle is currently about to blow up. Not content with simply becoming another dubstep sensation Kastle has started creating his own fantastic bass filled productions aswell as creating some pretty spectacular future-sounding remixes. However, the difference is in the final products. Not many producers would choose to remix Cassie, Sade and Example, and not many would do so and succeed in creating final products that have a signature sound related to the remixer at hand. Sure Kastle's productions always have a normal dubstep rhythm and the snares are always placed firmly on the 3rd, but beneath that is structuring so exemplary that these remixes often become three times as listen-able as the original.

Kastle's use of bass is also of note. Sure, the bass is often heavy and loud, but rather than match other such neck-breakers such as Bar9 and Doctor P, Kastle crafts subtle bass arrangements which often allow the rest of the songs components to sail smoothly on top. This is particularly refreshing in an age where bass is often turned up to 11 and overwhelms. However, on most productions it is still the focal point and it really does blow you away some times. Like his home-town compatriot Starkey, Kastle's bass owes as much to classic funk and disco as it does to UK Grime and modern dubstep. This breadth of influences is pointed out on his twitter where he often bigs up artists ranging from Sepalcure, Terror Danjah and Squarepusher.

It's not just all of the above though that sums up Kastle. His own productions show as much heart and soul as his remixes, and for a man still emerging as an artist it sounds like it won't be long till he explodes. 'You Got The Love' twists and turns the classic vocal sample into a lower pitched skeleton of what it used to be and Kastle crafts sexy keys and a stuttering beat reminiscent of a Mount Kimbie arrangement. 'Better Off Alone' plumps for a garage beat, but slams you into the present with deep bass and p-funk synths. 'Need U' grabs UK MC Virus Syndicate and lets him spit over a lip bitingly gangster arrangement of bass and synths and sounds like James Blake remixing Starkey's 'OK Luv'. Best of all 'Camera Phone' sounds like a journey through George Clinton's spaceship with Benga as the tour guide.

Camera Phone by Kastle

Time Traveler (forthcoming EP preview) by Kastle

Yet Kastle still owes alot to the parties that are currently allowing him to get his name out there. All of his productions and remixes smash up the dance and really get the party started (and finished!). It is clear that although he is very serious when it comes to making tunes, when he gets a chance to play them out it is very definitely time to smile. Thanks to attention from Radio 1, FACT Mag, URB and XLR8R Kastle is grabbing the attention of anyone who cares to listen. And we are hugely proud to host Kastle's first ever gig in Europe. That's right it's his EUROPEAN DEBUT! So get your tickets now for the 11th November and see the main man himself along with a lineup so varied you'd think you were in a packet of Liquorice Allsorts. Hoepfully it will prove to be his finest appearance yet.

Kastle's soundcloud

Kastle's myspace