Ladies & Gentlemen, you are officially invited to one of the most exclusive bookings for Cellar of 2007. The lads at FOTB are behind this wicked gig. They played Glastonbury this year, Glade last year and they are currently on tour in America. Vex’d are bringing their unrivalled sound to the Cellar on the 16th on November…….don’t forget your ear plugs!!

For those that haven’t heard of Vex’d let me give you a brief synopsis. 2005 was a fertile year for London’s post-garage panorama. From the polished jabs and rhymes of big guns Dizzee and Kano to the cold, dubbed-out delirium of Skream, the steppy sci-fi rhythms of Search & Destroy, and the IDM-ish take of Monkey Steak, enough fuzzy fragmentation already abounds to confuse those following developments so far, let alone the newcomers. While Jamie Teasdale and Roly Porter – aka Vex’d – make music embracing elements of this bass-strewn topography, their trajectory is resolutely recalcitrant, readily referencing yet refusing to pledge total allegiance. Jamie previously made jungle while Roly dabbled in dub and electronica production, but it was exposure to the dark side of garage that compounded their skills and influences into the current Vex’d sound. Since dropping their debut EP on Bristol’s Subtext imprint in 2004, the duo have been justly championed in grime and dubstep circles, yet their following draws as much from electronica, techno and breaks crowds as the aforementioned camps. And it’s of little surprise – this is a strain too techy for purist grime aficionados, too menacing for garage heads, and too rowdy to slot neatly in the dubstep ranks.

Fitting then, that their debut album dropped in 2005 on Mike Paradinas’ refreshingly unrestrained Planet Mu imprint – a label that, with Virus Syndicate, Mark One and Pinch on its roster, has certainly been sucked in by the grime/dubstep undercurrent. As the title and cover image suggest, Degenerate is a dark collection of works, yet like much output from the breakier end of this spectrum, it’s material that rocks the floor to the next level with tight dance dynamics rather than militantly crushing it into submission. Deft sound design underpins much of this album, but it’s the bass that steals the show throughout; for Vex’d craft some of the rudest, rubberiest, most mangled, stretched and strung-out bass you’ll ever have the pleasure of introducing your neighbours to.

That UK techno pioneer Surgeon is fanatical about Vex’d speaks volumes for the freshness of their sound and it’s ability to cross into other fields. This is music that prowls the fine line between deadly funky and utterly caustic; a decade of bass science squeezed through a sonic mangle. Degenerate is as bold a statement of intent as any other electronic music artist made during 2005. What fiery futuristic filth these guys will churn out in 2008 is anyone’s guess. Music that ups the ante of heaviness.

If that hasn’t wet your appetite then I have no idea what will!

Juxtaposition Presents Vex’d (LIVE)
+ DJ Heat Wave
Friday 16th November
@ The Cellar Oxford
21:00 til 03:00

£5 all night

See you there!

Fresh Out The Box