A Swift Half with Yobema

It was a cold winter's night back in December 2008. A mysterious low frequency sub rattled from afar. 100 Loughborough music lovers from all walks of life started to congregate upon a seemingly innocent local public house. Venturing round the rear entrance a solitary figure sits by a desk with a piece of paper containing the names of the first guests ever to experience a 100% dubstep and garage night in humble surroundings. Asking only for a pound with a welcoming Northern grin he is the man that helped begin what was to grow into the Midland's finest bass music night.



The man in question is of course Sean Hulse aka Yobema. Many people's first meeting with the Leeds lothario would have been either on the door of most of the early dub-boro's and dbe's, cheerily hand-stamping and coaxing in passers by with the promise of fine music and good company. Most know though that he is one of the men responsible behind the progression of the night from it's dubstep roots to a more well-rounded format. Yobema's personal love of house music tinged in drama and passionate feeling helped shape dbe in it's new look, with his advisory capacities coming into good use particularly for the more leftfield booking choices.

As Yobema moved away from Loughborough and up to Leeds to pursue the cities thriving nightlife and culture, as well as stocking up on vinyl, his taste and love for the more 4/4 side of electronic music blossomed. The Yorkshire Beat Manipulator was born. But it wasn't long until he returned to a dbe in full flow, playing vinyl only sets which fused together the ethics of deep house together with the upfront excitement of the bass music which dbe is renowned for. As a DJ Yobema's selections are always of the upmost quality and his mixing has become more and more precise as his musical brain expands.

Yobema's Swift Half mix maintains this philosophy and paints a current portrait of a man intent on making the dancefloor move subtly as one. Never intent on overbearing people, the mix moves from Classic house territory with Alex-Ander to the deep tribalistic style of Spencer Parker's haunted organ sampling 'Riding on The Rhythm'. Following is a massive one-two punch of Classic shuffling house with Johnwaynes blending perfectly with Liam Geddes fantastic 'About To Freak This'. Ending with modern classics from Dusky, Todd Terje and Ejeca shows that Yobema isn't afraid to go big, mixing subtly yet seamlessly with the style that seems steeped in decades of house tradition. Another resident we are proud to have as our own and one which, like the others, has their own style, their own groove and their own ways of making you move.

October Line Up Released!

Ok so first off we reached the landmark 1000 likes, and we would like to thank you for your continued support on every level! Promises were made and after a few hiccups we can now FINALLY release the dbe line up for October 11th. Believe us when we say it was worth waiting for?! 3 years after he smashed LSU as part of the 'Dub-Boro' series, one of our favourite ever dj's/producers/people Oli 'SKREAM' Jones returns to LE11 once again. He will be covering all bases with a 3 hour set, whilst the hottest property on the underground music scene right now DISCLOSURE will also be popping in to show off their skills on the 1's & 2's.

dbe presents... SKREAMIZM


Thursday 11th October | Echos, Loughborough


SKREAM & SGT POKES (3 Hour Set)
DISCLOSURE (DJ Set)
Lukas The BeatBox


& all the usual residents...


For more details on the party check out the FACEBOOK EVENT and to get hold of your tickets take a click through to FATSOMA. Don't hang around, the earlybird catches the worm and all that...

Let the summer commence...

Jeeeez... What a way to bring in the summer months! We haven't had that much fun in a garden since Pops chucked away our swing tennis set in the summer of 96... hazy days. Props to Pasteman for smashing it, for every DJ playing yesterday for bringing their individual style to the event, 12 Degrees West for letting us take over their pub and of course big thanks to all that came down to enjoy the music and the make the party so awesome (especially the nutters on the roof!).

Next up, on Thursday June 21st we join forces with Manchester party people 'Take the Whole Cake' and present a two venue end of term extravaganza, including live bands, superstar DJ's and plenty of dbe vibes! After years of trying, at long last HIGH CONTRAST makes his dbe debut, with old favourite CASPA returning to the 'boro to reproduce the scintilating form he showed as a secret guest at last years EOTP.

Advanced Tickets are a bargain £8.50 (+b.f.) and you can grab yours online from GIGANTIC or any of the ticket sellers on the FACEBOOK PAGE.

Over & Out.

Bestival 2011: Crazy Days & Dreamy Nights

Bestival, the last festival of the season, situated in the picturesque Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight, was where many of the dbe crewdem (old and new) decided to regroup and see what Rob da Bank had to offer this year. Martyn Woollam casts a hazy mind back to review our favourite UK festival...

Thursday

The 5am wakeup call on the Thursday morning for few of us was very unwelcoming, but up we got, full of spirit, and made our way to the ferry port with perhaps the most overloaded car there...

After several hours (and many a cider) of putting up tents for our 20ish strong crew, we were settled and ready for a weekend of incredibly varied music and more than likely some outrageous shenanigans.

First up was a nice acoustic set from The La’s on the main stage to warm us up and get us into the real Bestival spirit.

Now fully ready for a parteh, we moved onto the incredible Red Bull Music Academy Stage – an excellent new addition to Bestival this year - which was really pumping out some decibels, as well as a great light show to match.

As we arrived at the stage it was Timo Garcia playing, but he was then to be outshone by firstly Braiden, who played a great mixture of electronica, both funky and futuristic. Following him was Thursday night’s headliner in our eyes – Pearson Sound, and he did not fail to please, with his set not failing to make the crowd move, with some tremendous bass driven music and some mindblowingly good 2-step.

Musically, there was very little else on the Thursday to see, so after a little walk around the rest of the site, many of us retired back to camp for a few more drinks...

Friday

Friday morning we all surfaced relatively early after very little sleep, feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. After a few cans, we decided to head in as it was lovely and sunny. First stop was the RBMA where we caught Andreya Triana; who’s beautiful voice soothing our delicate heads, finishing on Lost Where I Belong...

After this, we all headed over to the main stage to see Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, along with his tribute band perform his last ever UK gig... and what a show he put on, proving how many hits the band had.  A fantastic sing along set full of happiness.

Following on from Brian Wilson, upstepped Public Enemy.  Now if I’m honest, this isn’t really my bag, but they absolutely smashed it. Personal favourite being:

Following on from PE, we headed over to our first Big Top experience of the weekend for Breakage, with his new Live show.  I sense that had this set been later in the evening it would have gone off, but due to it still being relatively early, it all seemed a bit much. This said, it was a great performance, and one that I’d like to see again.

Following on from Breakage, it was again over to the RBMA stage for what was my Friday highlight. The Numbers boys (AKA Jackmaster, Deadboy and Spencer) b2b Oneman, though Deadboy was nowhere to be seen. It was a set full of Hudson Mohawke and Rustie blends, and a set that really excited us of what is to come within electronic music. Biggest track was undoubtedly this banger from Rustie. 

Since Bestival, this Rustie album really is one to look out for. Big big tings!!!!

After such a great set, it was time for a walk in the woods. An area where you can get lost in the maze, stumble around for hours, and always manage to find something new. At this point a very well known member of the dbe fam got told to “chill out and listen to the ambience” by none other than Rob da Bank himself after setting his sights on an empty pair of decks and requesting Spandau Ballet...

This was the last of it for most of us that night, and we all headed back to camp, chatted shit for a while, laughed at our mates in a state and tried to get our heads down...

Saturday

For those of you that have been Bestival, you will know that fancy dress is a huge part of the Saturday, with this year’s theme being Popstars, Rockstars and Divas. Within our ranks we had Kraftwerk (3 out of 4) ...

We had Abba..

And even Katy Perry(s), Lady Gaga, and Kylie...

PJ & Duncan alongside Diana Ross (Annie Mac)....

Musically, the day provided us with lots of little gems, some expected, some not.

It seemed apt, that with everybody dressed up and looking ridiculous that the first port of call for the day was of course... The Village People.  They reeled of their tracks with all the fun and frolics that you would think go along with such a band, and the obvious highlight being the YMCA. Watching a field of around 15,000 doing the actions really was a sight to behold.

A-Trak absolutely blew the Big Top to bits with an excellent mixture of electro and house new and old, combined with his incredible turntablist skills, really got lots of hyped ready for what sure to be another great day. 

After another brief stint in the woods, it was time for David Rodigan...though many of us didn’t make it that far. A large part of us were sidetracked by the tiny Sunday Best Records tent, only holding around 10-15 people, which was playing a great selection of everything from Dan Le Sac to Fleetwood Mac.  2 hours after going in to see what was going on, we left. It is little things like this tent why we all love Bestival, as it is not solely about the music, just having good fun with great people.

After our musical mishap of missing Ramjam, it was back to RBMA to catch the end of Congo Natty, and sure enough he absolutely smashed it, plenty of softer Dub and Reggae, combined with lots of Jungle - a great performance overall.

Next up was Krafty Kuts, who of course completely smashed it. Meanwhile in the Big Top, Primal Scream were performing Screamadelica to a packed out tent, and The Cure held a huge crowd at the main stage.

After Krafty, it was over to the Bollywood tent to see Claude Von Stroke close out the Saturday night with a bang.

Just as he finished, the heavens opened, and it was a frantic dash back to the campsite to hide in our tents...

Sunday...a day that proved highly emotional, for all the right reasons.

We all woke on the Sunday slightly later than the rest, all with hazy memories of what had really happened in the past 24 hours, and our heads pounding. Though there was no time to be feeling sorry for ourselves, as Psychemagik were on nice and early.  We headed down, and they definitely didn’t disappoint. In no time at all (thanks to a jug of Pimms or two, and some spirit filled Watermelons), we were once again all dancing like idiots, with massive grins on our drunk little faces as the sun was scorching outside. The set came to a brilliant, emotional end with none other than there remix of Fleetwood Macs “Everywhere”.

There was little else that we wanted to see for the next few hours, so we all spent the next few hours in the woods, chilling, having fun, and being general nuisances. Soaking up what would be our last day in our own little paradise.

But then... it was the time we had all been waiting for. The one, the only, Greg Wilson! The Rizlab stage blew us all away with its impeccable sound, but it was Gregs REELS OF STEEL show that took us on an emotional journey right from the start. Truly incredible. 

This was my absolute highlight of the festival. You can catch the set on Gregs soundcloud account – www.soundcloud.com/gregwilson

After this, it was again back to the woods...this time not to get lost and be ridiculous, but to catch Tom Middleton playing an ambient set.  This set was filled with what can only be described as ambient Drum n Bass and Dubstep, and was a great set, in magical surroundings.

Then it was off to the fireworks where many a “Happy Bestival Hug” was given out, with a soundtrack on Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John.

For a few of us, that was enough and we went back to the tent, for a few others it was time to go and see Fatboy Slim, Paul Kalkbrenner and Derrick Carter, all of whom did not disappoint.

We all went to bed, whilst what seemed a mini storm was occurring outside, but happy at what a fucking great weekend we’d all had. 

Same again next year. Peace out.

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!

2010 Mix by Oneman on Mixcloud

EXCLUSIVE: Marty talks to Dub-boro

Oh myyyy gosh. 5 days till big things a gwan down in LE11, so we checked in with headliner MARTELO for a quick chat about the upcoming party and what the man has in store for you lucky punters...

- Mr. Martelo, what's the story behind the name?

Its a reference to one of the places i grew up, the place where i went from selling mixtapes in school to getting on buses with crates of vinyl 4 nights a week. Plus my surname is Maher, pronounced Mar, so it just stuck..

- For those who wern't here in October or or just have a hazy memory of the night, what can we expect from a party with Marty?

lots of energy, i go to clubs to dance and hear good tunes, so thats what i try and do, make people dance and play them good music.. i like to be the hype without hype, there is no hype around 'Martelo' but i bring it.

- What you got planned over the next 12 months? Any big productions in the pipeline?

got a 3 track ep in the works, and maybe a couple of side projects too with boy 8-bit, Oneman, Toddla T and Loefah

- Are there any other hot producers you would like to collaborate with in the future?

Im not sure, Im a DJ first so thats always my focus, keeping my sound fresh and making it all make sense.. there are people im feeling for sure like C.R.S.T., Dubbel Dutch, Jackal Youth, Braiden, Melé and all the usual suspects.. but for now I need to find my own feet I think.

- You are the only DJ we have ever asked to return to the dub-boro decks, puting aside the immense pride you will feel on the night, is there anyone else you will be looking forward to catching on the line up?

Definitely Joker, Ramadanman and Instra:Mental, of course im looking forward to seeing everyone play but those may be the highlights.. I played with all the rest before and only ever seen Instra:Mental and Ramadanman at FWD or DMZ so will be good to see them again.. Ramadanman is on fire lately production wise so will be good to hear all those new bits and whatever else he has up his sleeves..

- Finally, what is the one emergency tune you can always rely on to kick-start a party that might be fading out?!:

hmmmmm... i dunno, i try to avoid even getting in that situation!! but i guess, over here (in the U.K.) probably an old garage track, maybe "Little Bit Of Luck" or something along those lines...

Get clued up and check out Marty's soundcloud for all his latest and greatest. Boy this is gonna be BIGGGGGG!

£12 Advance Tickets for June 17th with Martelo, Jack Beats, Zinc, Joker, Plastician, dBridge, InstraMental, Jakwob & Ramadanman still available here. Entry will be MORE ON THE DOOR.

Plastician - Sound That Speaks Volumes 2010

Plastician is dubstep royalty. He was there in the beginning. Born and bred in Croydon, Plastician (or Plasticman as he was known back then) started life as a UK grime/garage DJ before pioneering the sound we know as dubstep today. His sets have more energy than a Red Bull flavoured Boost bar, and are an absolute must for any self-respecting music fan. This is why it is with great excitement that we present to you Plastician as one of our headliners for June 17th. He will be playing the second room alongside Joker and Jakwob on the night and trust us, Plastician is gonna tear our union apart.

To showcase his ample talent, each year around this time he brings out his annual mixtape of the biggest and best of dubstep sounds. This year is no exception as he unleashes 'Sound That Speaks Volumes 2010' onto the world. This mixtape contains exactly what made us fall in love Plastician in the first place, high energy and big big tunes. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD HERE (Fixed Link)

Tracklist:
Youthman & Luce – Brother Don’t Cry
Redlight – MDMA
D Double E – Woo Riddim
Flux Pavillion – Got To Know
Boogaloo Crew – Days Go By
Skream – Raw Dogz
Joker – Tron (Kromestar Remix)
Chew Lips – Salt Air (Plastician Remix)
Trolley Snatcha – We Rock The Forest
G Tank – Electonic Era
Rude Kid – Electric
Plastician & 12th Planet – West
12th Planet feat Juakali – Reas
D Double E – Streetfighter
Joker & TC – It Aint Got A Name
Om Unit – Searching
Benga – Transform
Drumsound & Bassline Smith – R1
SMD – Cruel Intentions (Joker Remix)
Doctor P – Sweet Shop
P Money – Left The Room (Skream Remix)
Teddy & G Tank – Ghanaian Fire
Distance – No Warning
Paul Harris – I Want You (Bar 9 Remix)
Flux Pavillion – Normalize
Stinkahbell – Stalker
Mr Virgo – Cinema
Joker – Digidesign (Om Unit Pop
Om Unit – Corridor

Clever Monkey - The Duck Pond EP

Matt Perrett (D-V-8) & partner in crime, Joe Corrick, have been hard at work impeccably producing an EP packed full of roaring basslines, just to remind us all why we fell in love with this sound in the first place. If you are into your dark and moody, this 2-step shizzle is the beezness...

We've put up our favourite track off the EP, called 'On The Line', which lures you into a false sense of harmonic security before smashing you in the nuts with some mad angry synths. POW!

For the rest of the tracks on the EP, check out their soundlcoud page in full here...

Clever Monkey & Echo Company - On the Line by The Duck Pond EP

Threads

After the last batch of super limited dub-boro tees proved more popular than a Mr. Whippy down at Queens Park, we have hooked up with our good friends over at Cntrol Clothing who have come up with 3 more cracking designs to wack in your summer wardrobe.

These will be limited edition and will be the last tee's we ever have produced, so if you want one, here's the deal...

Cntrol are opening a little stall in JC's @ Loughborough Students Union on Friday 4th June 11:00 - 16:00 where you will be able to purchase yours at a super cheap £8 (+ a free poster!). After this tee's will be available on the night of June 17th, but when they are gone...

For more info, check out the facebook event here

Dub-boro T-shirt Pre-Sale

Fresh Like Tropicana

OK so admittedly we've had a bit of a break since we last delivered an installment of the dub-boro mixtape series, but we are more than sure that this latest edition will make up for any pain caused. If you've not seen Pasquale roaming the streets of Loughborough over the past couple of weeks, it's because he has been locked away in his 'studio' putting together something of the freshest proportions to bring in the summer months. The mix includes some of the biggest new beats known to man, so get it on your ipods and lets pray for sunshine on Sunday. All together now...

Pasquale Dub-Boro Mix (Apr10) by dub-boro

Ramadanman - I Beg You
Deadboy - If U Want Me
Don't Change For Me
Todd Edwards - I Might Be (MJ Cole Remix)
Ikonika - Idiot (Altered Natives Remix)
Roska - Wonderful Day
Baobinga - State of Ghetto Jackin
Seiji - Elevator
Rusko - Woo Boost
Roska - Hey Cutie
Rox - My Baby Left Me (Terror Danjah Remix - extended mix)

PARTY WITH MARTY... PUUULLLLLLLL UUUPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

We are not in the habit of inviting DJ's back to the Dub-boro decks. Mainly because we have only had 10 parties, but also we feel there are enough good artists to share the love with and treat you to something a little bit different everytime. This however is not the case with Martelo, who we just can't get enough of. Anyone who was at our party at Echos will remember Marty tearing the white room to pieces with his eclectic mix of just about anything to make you kids go crazy...

Martelo has been rubbing shoulders recently with pure royalty, touring with Santogold, producing alongside good friend Herve and coming with high recommendations than non other than the godfather of bass- driven energy, Diplo. Martelos first solo release came out last year and is typical of the genre-spanning genius...



It is our pleasure then that he makes his return to Loughborough on June 17th, an integral part of the main room that also includes Zinc & Jack Beats, this thing is gonna go OFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!! And if you need any more proof of how this cat rolls, check out our favourite mixtape of the year so far (and in fact the last 10 years), Marty has put together 62 of the biggest tunes of the noughties into 27 minutes. Magician...

'Best Of The Noughties' Mix For Bbc Radio 1/1xtra by Martelo on Mixcloud

Dub-boro VI

The line up and details of the next Dub-boro installment are out. Dub-boro VI will host 4 of the most exciting artists in the world of dubstep and beyond. The party takes place on 28th October 2009 and the location will be kept top secret as a Dub-boro standard.

Benga Myspace

Toddla T Myspace

Nero Myspace

Martelo Myspace

Limited earlybird tickets are now available here

Facebook event here

Welcome

Welcome to Dub-boro’s brand new blog.

Basically we have set this blog up for you to get all the latest info and going ons without having to rely on Facebook. We will still be setting up our events on the site but this gives us a chance to get things off our chest in a more personal manner.

In the next few weeks we will be profiling our residents, releasing details of our October party and keeping you in the loop with what is going on around our ends this summer. Half of Dub-boro is out in LA at the moment, scouting the latest talent from the West Coast. Such is our dedication to putting on the best parties in our town we like to call home, Loughborough.

We would also love your guys input into the blog. If there is anything you think is worth saying, email it to dub-boro@live.co.uk and we will post it up here.

Now get out and enjoy the sunshine.