Wednesday 1 December 2010

Only ONE Can Win


So by now you should be plenty educated and read up on this month's eminent dbe lineup. The albums and singles have been downloaded (or bought if you're a good boy or girl), and the mixes have been rinsed thoroughly. But, some of you might find trouble getting information on one particular headliner. And we here at DB HQ understand you plight! Yes, the one man bad boy known as Oneman seems to be quite an online enigma, and for those outside of our capital city or perhaps those who don't know of the seminal pirate/not pirate radio station Rinse FM, let me give you a brief rundown...

Whereas many line-ups put on from ourselves come from DJs and producers that have been killing the game with singles/eps/albums with a huge array of dubplates, Oneman is an exception to that rule. Known for being simply, a hugely talented, exciting and enigmatic personality on the decks, Oneman has carved a name for himself without any releases or upfront dubplates from other producers. Known for playing both modern bass, dubstep and garage tunes, Oneman also integrates older garage from the mid and late 90s, specifically what he listened to growing up.

“I don’t find there’s enough classics out there... I’m happy making (mixes) as I do (because I) feel that way. The lack of 'classics' over the past five years has kind of lead me to go back around to garage and bring some of those tracks back to life"

It's a refreshing way to play out and create mixes and one many people have looked up to and are now flipping the "always looking forward" mentality of djing. With the classics in mind, Oneman always suprises his audience with mixes that shouldn't work but do, often producing smiles from people who havn't heard a certain 'classic' for a looong time. He claims that the best tunes to dance to are the 2step beats, the tunes with rhythmic energy and a certain groove injection. His mission is purely to create a good vibe and to not stop your feet moving.

Not only is Oneman an incredibly varied DJ, he is also an incredibly fast DJ. Oneman is content switching the crossfader over to another track without checking the BPM whatsoever. Headphones are often left on the side which allows him to mix fastly but with incredible skill. This abilty is pure balls out DJing and something that someone who mixes themselves can highly appreciate. Fast mixing also allows for 'more classics per minute' and is one of the main reasons we booked him, we know we're getting ALOT of tunes!

So whether he's playing new Funky, starting off with dub-house, classic 2 step or just plain ol dubstep, Oneman is certainly a purveyor of the rejuvenation of classic garage sounds and a continuing force in blending the parallels between various genres. And between those lines and mixes comes moments of pure perfect magic. "The Third Space" as it is becoming known is the place between two tunes where a transition becomes a new amalgamation altogether (but blended so well it sounds like a new song). It's something you will have to search out yourself, and it's not hard to find. Whether you choose to buy his latest Rinse Mix CD, which compiles the latest in new dubstep and garage, or listen to his shows on Rinse where his varied palette for tunes forms a very exciting show, or of course catch him live where his knowledge of his audience backed with arsenal of great records will get the whole crowd moving, you are sure to be highly surprised and intrigued by the UK's latest music don.

Peace Out!

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