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
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