Anyone who’s been involved with making music will appreciate how hard these guys have worked. I first got to know them when they submitted a track for LMFLH Vol.2 a couple of years back.  It would appear that the villages around Oxford are a hot bed of hiphop talent (take Reeplay or Random Hero as a case in point).  Anyways, 4 years of hard work later and Community League have just released their Community Spirit EP. It’s pretty special. I caught up with part-time MC part-time English teacher The Wise to ask him about the forthcoming release.

Easy, how you doing?

Que onda.

What’s good?

It’s been a good week, Community Spirit arrived at Opp’s casa yesterday.

Big. Tell me more about the release.

It’s an amazing feeling to have a finished piece of art, was reminiscing about all the times it took to put it together. Right now we are trying to get all our ducks in line, it will be sold on the internet and hand to hand.

So speak to me - why you so hyped about Community Spirit?

Because…we’ve been making music for, maybe, 4 years now. We have a lot of projects going on but 2 years ago we put our focus on Community Spirit, a collaborative work involving the whole family.

Creatively it has been great, sharing ideas and joining imaginations…not to mention travelling. These songs and concepts came about all over the world just because of how the League is spread out like that but they were all put together at home in The Shire

So who’s reppin on this?

The music is Special Opps and myself giving you our thoughts and tales in rhyme to the music of DJ Thundercat and Jokz. Opp and I worked together writing rhymes and bringing ideas and themes to the songs and, really, Thundercat put it all together, he is the producer. Jokz has some music on their and he is really a genius so he has taught us a lot and creatively is a great person to be around.

Lot’s of other people have been involved in helping the art to grow but those are the musical minds.

Augustus Rufff (known to many as simply Nick, jajaja) is the man with the vision behind the whole Community League. He always had it in mind to start a record label, he is a lifelong friend and one day wqe decided to start working at this and all the connections grew from there.

Well I’m hoping we have the chance to see some of this shit live. You doing shows soon?

damn, I don’t know about any shows any time soon you know. Right now we are all kinda disparate and mobility isn’t easy (for me anyway). It’s more likely we will be doing individual shows where ever we happen to be.  We have been gigging with this music though, a lot of people know the songs through live performance.I hope we can get together again soon, I need the guys to come down here to Mexico, maybe we can get some spring break shows popping or something?! jajaja that’s kind of a long way off though.

Me personally, I will be trying to get shows in my city and make connections here. I met a guy from Guadalajara the other day and he is into the scene there so who knows.

What tracks stand out for you on the album?

The intro track is one of the dopest for me, we had to set it off right. It is called The Garden Path…the funny thing is I loved the original version of this beat and was well opposed to Thundercat going back in on it but, shit, I was blown away by how he transformed it, he made the old one (which I loved) sound like I had made it on a toy keyboard.

Any anthems on there?

Ummm, maybe KONY (Kings of New York)…that’s like a national anthem right there, it is mad regal, my favourite loop we ever found. The story of that is simple, Opp and I were Kings of New York for 1 day and 1 day only…King’s for a day.

But, uh, I would say that Field of Dreams is really the community anthem:

‘It’s the Community’s roots and we branch like trees do
Not gonna fall off, no the League won’t leave you
The team is the truth
If you ain’t down with that bruv then I can’t believe you!’

Describe Community Spirit in 5 words

Postive Energy Activating Community Endevour

Haha, nice!  So where can we get our grubby paws on this ish?

Our shop is and will be ready soon (dunno when we’re going to press so it’s best to say that jajaja). You can check out another review and buy a copy here.

Besides that it is soon to be available in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, and Mexico. Really this is where the work starts, the creation takes energy but isn’t really work cos it’s what we love but we are artists so selling and pushing it isn’t that fun. It leads you down some interesting roads tho.

Haha, yeah I learnt that lesson the hard way from LMFLH Vol.2! Links to yer sounds?

Yeah, check out my Myspace and also Special Opp’s.

Any thanks yous?

Yeah, thanks to you guys and everyone on Blunted who has supported us. I really appreciate it and I enjoy sharing with you all, I love Oxford and I love Hip-Hop so props to anyone who is striving to build. Viva Mexico and Viva Blunted Cabrones!

Wicked - good to link up mate.

Yes my friend, look forward to doing it again soon.

Yes Fu, you good?

Yes mate, good to be back on Blunted.

Too right, haha. Busy summer?

Yeah man been fairly busy, sorting out my new promo video with Jungle Drummer & Stamina MC filmed by Yakuza Studios (spot the Blunted t-shirt). I’ve been doing a few festivals Gatecrasher, Audio River (Poland) Summer Break (Romania), NASS Skate Festival, The Tuesday Club, One Nation and Random Concept.

Nice, glad to see some European bookings in there. First and foremost a DJ but you have been known to dabble in promotion and MCing(!).  You’ve been promoting Hit & Run for the last 5 years; tell us a bit more about that?

Sykane and Hassan asked me to get involved with running the night, I had been a resident for a while and helping out with the promotion was just a natural step.  To be honest, I never thought I would get so involved. It’s definitely very time consuming and has been difficult for me to balance relationships, practice and sleep with it.

I remember checking those nights back in the day.  All about Rich Reason wearing a skirt whilst playing the bongo’s, haha. Over time it’s reputation and attendance’s grew. It became extremely successful and now it’s come to it’s conclusion.  Why did you finish it up?

I never started Hit & Run and I wanted something that was mine and no one could ever discredit me for that. I felt the brand was being over-valued in relation to how much work I was doing and all the contacts that I brought with me.

Fair enough, but it’s not all bad news, you and your trusted partner in crime Charris have started another night called Free Range.  What’s the concept behind the name and the night?

Well I suppose the first thing is I’m free to do my own thing.  I think musically the night has a wide range of sounds and DJs.   Having all 3 rooms of the academy means you are all free to roam around the building and check out DJs and music you might not have seen and experienced otherwise.

Like it, like it. Can you give the people out there a flavour of the nights you have in store?

We’ve got DJs like Friction, Yoda, Dillinja, Benga, N-type, Logistics, Count Skyarkin’ and live acts such as Virus Syndicate, myself and Jungle Drummer and Leeds award winning band Gentleman’s Dub Club.  We are a strong supporter of up and comings DJs such as B-Ill, Flawless, Darkman, Heartless P & Mr.Lager. We boast the best residents in Oxford in my opinion. Since winning our DJ competition,  B-Ill has really come on leaps and bounds.  Now co-hosting the Free Range radio show on FM107.9, Flawless ranked in the top 20 in the Drum and Bass Arena DJ comp that had thousands and thousands of entries.  Mr Lager has recently had his tunes dropped on 1xtra and getting rewinds in The End night club. Heartless P another DJ to enter the Oxford scene through our DJ competition an excellent turntablist who has taken to the DMC DJ Championships this year and is soon to rank amongst the best in the UK.

POW!  Looks like Oxford’s in for some treats! You got Woody appearing soon and we have an interview with him coming up – you looking forward to having him down?

Yeah man I’ve always been a great fan of his and judging by the mix he’s passed to you guys it will be OFF THE SCALE ……

Yeah, I’ve had a preview of the mix, those Oxford students are in for a treat. Your scratch skills are almost un-paralleled but who do you look up to in terms of DJing?

Originally I looked up to hip hop DJs, people like Mr.thing, Skully, Shorty Blitz and then I started learning about the American DJs people like Craze, Develop, P Trix.  I then started to appreciate all-round skills of a DJs like set structures and more about mixing and putting sets together rather than just technique.  I started watching more drum and bass DJs like Marky, Andy C, Zinc.  These days I’ve been checking DJ EZ, I don’t really like garage culture, being ‘bad boy’, wearing polished shoes and girls that don’t have a brain cell between them. Some of the tunes are pretty good accept the ones with sped up chip munk R’n'B bootleg vocals on them. Despite all those things I hate about Garage, EZ is still a sick DJ and is easily a recent inspiration to me.  I think someone who is a less obvious inspiration is the Jungle Drummer.  Despite being a drummer he is very clued up on what works and what doesn’t and has been great in pushing me musically and as a performer.

Some interesting names right there. Any plans for production?

Yes definitely, but more working with established producers. As I said earlier it has been hard trying to juggle everything with my time. I have taken a step back from the Wednesday nights (Free Range at The Cellar Bar, Oxford).  I have been talking with Logistics and N type about possible collaborations on production.

Cool, cool. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us.  As for Free Range, I’m already looking forward to checking some of the line ups. Can people get involved with your night?

Yes if you’re interested in getting involved email freerangepromotions at gmail dot com

Lastly – your shout outs, big ups –

Big up to the mighty Jungle Drummer, Risky @ Drum and Bass Arena, Logistics, N type, Charris, Mantmast, Script, all the Blunted crew, ss20, Ryouki, Stamina MC, Lowqui, Jerona Fruits, FM 107.9, Scheme, Subterra, B-Ill, Lazcru, Hydro, Commix , Harry Shotta, Yakuza studios, Knowledge

First off, introduce yourselves

Hi, I’m Alice. I play drums & Casio mostly, I plan on having children in about 6 and half years. If Sarah Palin becomes vice president, I’m thinking about moving somewhere exotic for a little while.

I’m Kim (guitar/words/aux drums), I’m from Winnipeg, Manitoba and I’m a patriotic Canadian who thinks meat is for petting only.

Where did the name Eagle and Talon come from?

Kim - the Eagle Talon was a popular car where I grew up and I thought that was funny because the car is ugly. somehow it made its way into my mind before we were about to go on stage for an open mic, they needed to know what our band was called, I just wrote down Eagle and Talon.

Alice - We were actually going around as “Nightrabbits” but we were so bad we thought we were ruining our name. So we started using fake band names whenever we played out until we improved, Eagle and Talon was one of those, but it stuck.

What 5 words best describe your sound?

Bleach, angular, chalk, turbulent, cactus

Liking the song Hot Caught – whats the story behind the tune?

Hmmm…….. that’s a very personal song. well to keep it PG and simple– the song is about someone who i felt was more interested in ladies on the internet than me. this made me upset because he was my boyfriend. it has themes of revenge and envy in it as well, showcasing my inability to deal with the situation. he’s not my boyfriend anymore.

Listen to: Hot Caught - Eagle and Talon

Where can we hear more of Eagle and Talon? Plans to play abroad anytime soon?

Alice - We have not-very-secret cravings for a European tour and touching down in Japan if possible. That will probably be happening this winter if all goes as planned.

What are your plans for the near future?

Kim - we are beginning to experiment with playing with other musicians, so we plan on incorporating that into our live shows. it’s hard for us to play too many things at the same time. in travel news, we are going to play some Halloween shows in New York at the end of October.

Alice - Musically, I plan on learning how to mix. Personally, I plan on enjoying myself more. I’m going to teach my mom how to videochat, I think it will completely blow her mind (she just discovered how to use emoticons in her emails)

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

Kim - meeting Alice.

Which musicians do you take your inspiration from?

Alice - I still can’t get over what a great lyricist the girl from the Knife is. I’ve been feeling lots for LCD Soundsystem. I love Obi Best & Anchors for Architects. Best five local performances I’ve seen in the past month or so: Benji Hughes, Jogger, Learning Music, Killsonic & this amazing speech pathologist named Mooey Moobau.

Lastly, any shout outs?

Alice - Hello, Harrison Ford!

For more info on Eagle and Talon check out their website and their Myspace.

They have a new deal, a new video and have just been nominated for the Orange Unsigned Awards. I took a little time to catch up with their drummer Joe Askew…

First up, introduce yourself (and the band) my good man –

We have myself (Joe) on drums, Dan on keys, Foz sings and stuff, and Luke likes to play four strings

End of Level Baddie is quite an elaborate name, how did it come about?

We all grew up playing computer games… what can I say?

How did the band form?

I met Foz and Luke at school. We all grew up in the small Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch - A town probably best known for its manufacturing of popular snack foods. As you can imagine, there wasn’t much for us to do, so we used to meet up in my dads attic and play Iron Maiden covers. When we moved down here we found Dan and became the Baddies

How would you describe your sound?

Always a difficult question… well I guess we’re kinda an inde-rock band – but we add some nasty keyboard sounds to keep it interesting.

Where can people hear your music online?

We have our website or our myspace. Or come to one of our gigs and ask us nicely for a CD. We just made our first music video for Creeps On The Beach – if you want to see Foz in a dress, look no further…

You got any gigs planned in the near future?

Our next gig is part of the Brighton Live festival. We play on Friday 26th September and it’s free!! For all up to date listings check our website.

I hear you’re getting involved with Orange Unsigned. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

A friend of ours entered us for this. We don’t know much about it, but we like oranges.

Speaking of which, what does the future hold for EOLB?

Well… we’re looking to record some new tracks in the next couple months. We’ve been offered a single deal with a local independent label, but we’ll have to wait and see how that pans out. The main thing for us is to keep gigging. We’ve been trying to set up our own UK tour, but our Baddie Van just died a terrible death. We’re thinking of going up market and purchasing a Volvo Estate… we know how to keep it real

Do you hope to follow in the footsteps of your bro or do you want to concentrate on your own trail?

The Knives have done great, but we consider ourselves a very different band. They’ve worked really hard and deserve to do as well as they have. We’re happy just to see people come to our shows and enjoy what we do. If we don’t have to get real jobs then it’s all goooood.

Whats your favourite track and why?

Mmmm I can’t be held solely responsible for this bitch of a question. So here’s the Baddie collection of favourites:

Foz: Aaargh… what, ever?? That’s a hard one. There’s lots, but I think ‘sympathy for the devil’ is up there with the best of them…I saw the documentary about the making of that track recently, so maybe that’s pushed the song back into my consciousness, but I like the fact that it’s the result of a long creative process, some songs are hard work and I guess that shows it’s worth the effort!
Luke: (Repeat above pain in having to choose a song) but if I have to, I’m in a regressive period at the moment and I’m loving Toto – Hold the line
Dan: Yep, it’s a tricky one, but off the top of my head it’s No More Heroes by The Stranglers, purely for keyboard genius.
Joe: …Mmmm well right now its maybe Gary Numan – Music for Chameleons.

If you’ve liked what you’ve read and heard, be sure to vote for End Of Level Baddies in the Orange Unsigned Act Awards. Make sure you look up their Facebook group too.

When did you first get into producing tunes?

Well really it was back way in the day when I used 2 use ‘Hip Hop Ejay’, I used to actually write to some of the tunes, but no one will ever hear those… trust me!

How would you describe your production style?

My music sounds like it would have if I was making music 10 - 15 years ago. By that I mean golden era style, classic beats.

So you’re influenced by 90’s US hip hop?

Definitely, but not just US, UK inspires me also, but there are only a few that retain that true skool feel, I’m mainly inspired by those around me.

Ok, so, the album ‘Come With Me’ – what’s the background?

Originally the concept was that it was like a film, or journey, and each song represents a different feeling in the movie, as in an intense bit, or a bit that leaves you feelin’ inspired, the tracks actually turned out better than I had thought, but the concept was lost along the way.

You got some guests featured on the album; tell us a bit more about them

All the producers I know and people within Civil Mics.

The ‘Come With Me’ free release has been out for a piece, how come you’ve decided to do this as a digital release through Blunted Presents?

I know what its like and how much effort it is to actually listen to somebody new without being told or shown by somebody so I thought it would b a better idea to make it easier for people to obtain. We are the computer generation, no one even gets CDs anymore although, and I will still give the CD away if people want it.

So whilst people get on and check your album, what can we expect from Reeplay in the future?

Well at the moment mine and Melodiq release is almost ready, the Hypnotic EP. I have another free release of the Soton Sessions with press too. He came over to the UK a month ago and we spent most of the time in the studio.

What’s it’s called?

The Soton Session, because we were literally in there for one whole day and we recorded most of the tracks for this EP, and later on this year/early next year will b my album. I want my album to proceed after both of these releases

I don’t really have anywhere completely sorted but I no that blunted will help everyone to find them!

Wicked last of all shout outs squire

Shout out to anybody who supports me or listens to my music, and shout out to u boys coz u always have my back. I would also like to shout out to Civil Mics because they are the splatz!

Download: Reeplay ‘Come With Me’

Yo – well first up why the name Choose Mics?

Haunts: We had another name at first but it was kind of wack so we dropped that. But the truth behind the name ‘Choose Mics’ is a bit fruity, it’s inspired from the old Wham t-shirts that said Choose Life. Don’t get it twisted though Choose Mics is NO HOMO haha!

And individually you are?

Haunts (emcee) and Mules (producer)

Ok, Haunts, you’re now an Aussie citizen but originally from the UK. Whats your link with Down Under?

Haunts: I don’t really have a link per say but dad moved us (mum, brother and me) here when I was 13. I’ve been back and forth to Birmingham since, permanently moving here in 2006.

Right, what’s your story/background? How did you guys hook up?

Haunts: Tac tic one first put me on to Mules’ beats, then he took me round to his place and we started working together. It was about a year before we decided to actually form a group though.

So you how’s the Choose Mics album coming along?

Haunts: I had to get over a big case of writers block but now it’s coming along nicely, were about five tracks into it at the minute.

Mules: For a min there I thought we had another detox situation going on, you know, in for a long run, but it’s all starting to come together now nicely. Just trying to do as many joints as possible so we got a shit load of tracks to choose from for the album. I got slowed down in the beat making area for a while cause I was doing like four projects at once. But now I’m finishing up half of them, so I’ll have a lot more time to work on the album beats for Choose Mics. We got about 11 beats to work with at the moment.

You’ve got some nice collabo’s on there including Fraksha from Nine High. How did that hook up come about?

Haunts: Fraksha is a good mate with M Phazes and I’ve known M since I was about 16. They were on holiday on the Gold Coast and I caught up with them one night and having met Fraksha a couple of times briefly before and being into his music I just asked him if he would like to jump on a track. His also jumping on a track on the album too so watch out for that, it should be another heater!

You’re doing a pre-album release first is that effectively an EP? What can we expect from it?

Haunts: Just us introducing ourselves to the world, trying to put our stamp on hip hop. There’s 19 tracks on it, a lot of braggadocios rap with some stories of money troubles and crazy bitch anthems thrown in. But basically it’s just us doing our thing and hopefully people will enjoy the way we do it. Dope beats, Dope raps!

Mules: Some seriously dope lyrics over heavy-ass, sample based beats.

And the album?

Haunts: We got our style so it should be a more refined version of the pre album but also bringing something new to the table. Not letting down our fans that we’ve gained and also hopefully making some new ones.

Mules: We coming with all new material. We got some surprises in store too man! This project’s like my baby! We at a really good point at the moment creatively, you know trying new things. But in the end you still gonna get Haunts and Mules.

When is the album out on official release?

Haunts: We’re not too sure about release dates yet….

Mules: Late this year if I get my way, but early next at the latest! I’ll make sure of that! Keep checking Formula Recordz for updates!

What does the future hold for Choose Mics?

Haunts: More touring, a hell of a lot more music, just grafting’ to reach our goals!

Mules: After the albums done we gonna tour with it for a while. And then start all over again on another album. In the mean time, we doing the Bliss n Eso tour in Sept/Oct so make sure you check that out. Also playing random gigs around the place, but if you wanna keep up to date on what we doing just check out the myspace at /choosemics.

Any chance of a trip to Blighty?

Haunts: Maybe soon for me, I gotta catch up with all the family and friends back in Birmingham, but who knows what the future will hold for us hopefully shows and that if we get the chance.

Lastly, you got any shout outs?

Haunts: First of all a big ups to our manager Adam, family, friends and a massive one to my lovely girl Shimya who puts up with my craziness on the daily!

Mules: Yeah man big shout to Adam man (fucked without ya bro). Mum, Dad and all my family. My girl Suez, Maeds, Punes, Renz, RJ. Archie, DJ Xplane, M-Phazes and all the fam.

The IRS have recently been picking up a whole head of steam. This is in part due to their recent success at the Indy Music Awards. Lil Miss Gee caught up with Ed Strong of The IRS to find out what they are all about. Look out for Kyza and The IRS coming to a town near you…!

So for anyone that’s been catching way too many Z’s can you tell them a lil bit about The IRS? Who does the group consist of, what are your individual roles and when and how did you get together?

We’re a hip hop collective from South East London consisting of myself, (I rhyme ‘n’ make beats) then we got DV, King Kaiow and Superb on the mic and DJ Guide One holding down the ones & two’s.

We started out in 1998 officially, we all used to just link up and spit together at open mics and we used recorded mixtapes. The group’s kinda dwindled down to five solid hardcore members, but at one stage there was about ten heads in the group…we were South London’s answer to Wu Tang!

What does IRS stand for?

A whole heap of stuff….I rock shows, invisible rhyme styles, it’s really something, in record stores, I rhyme sublime or there’s I’m really sexy for gal dem haha…

I’ve heard you’re dubbed ‘political rappers’ what do you say to that and how would you describe your music?

I’ve only seen that a few times but I think that’s just down to bad journalism. We’ve got tracks that could be considered political, but hip hop is supposed to mirror the everyday, so in this present climate it’s obvious we’re going to talk politics. It don’t make us political though, we’re just speaking on society!

You recently won an Indy Award for Best Urban Act. How did you get involved with the Indy Awards and what do you hope will come from winning it?

We got nominated for that award by a pub called The Primrose in Leeds. We played a pretty good gig there so the organisers put us on a shortlist and we went up against a few hundred artists in the same category. Luckily we ended up getting to final four which were then put up to a panel of judges to decide the winner. It was definitely the biggest achievement of our career hands down, and to get some recognition was a good feeling!

We’ve had a few press things that’s came from it and it’s definitely going to get us further just having that moniker to wear.

What’s your local scene like and what do you think to the scene outside of London?

At the moment our local scene has been alright cos we’ve had Beer n Rap monthly in New Cross. We used to have Speakers Corner in Brixton, which was legendary! I think everyone in the scene knows about Speakers, pretty much everyone has played there…it’s a shame to see it go! Snuff, who organises the whole thing, is always putting on parties though, so there’s always something poppin’ off. He’s been running beach parties on the Thames and also End of the Weak and Peoples Army, so we aint starved for nights.

Out of London is hit and miss. When it’s good it’s very good. I think cos in the smaller towns they haven’t got so n so playin’ every weekend it’s more of a special occasion maybe?! We’ve had some sick shows out of London, but equally we’ve had shows that were miles away and were empty…they’re the ones that make you question why you do this music shit.

As for artists, there’s a lot of talented heads from our neck of the woods. Chain of Command, Mic Assassin, Skandal, NWO, Craftsmen, AMMO, Minority Report…boyyyyyy…there’s loads of artists in our area!! We’ve already had some legends come out of southeast in the form of Blade and Blak Twang, it’s nice to see they’re still doing their thing too.

Morley’s Chicken sponsorship? What’s that all about? Do you get chicken in the post or did they help to fund your album?

Nah, haha, anyone from South London has eaten in Morley’s at one stage of their lives! It’s the local man’s eatery to be proud of! It’s a franchise chicken shop and I know the dude who owns the name. He was a bit confused as to why I wanted to stick his logo on it but we love Morley’s THAT much and it gives a logo that South Londoner’s can relate to…we did get a few bits of free chicken too! haha

You produced your whole album except for a couple of tracks. Why did you make the decision to include other beatmakers rather than just keep it an exclusive IRS thing?

I knew c0mplex from the work he done with CLG (Chain of Command) for their ‘Time In Moments’ EP which was released on our label (Merciless). I was really feeling those beats so we hit him up and he done ‘Some MCs’ with DV. He’s actually doing some of King Kaiow’s solo stuff, which is crack!

Big Red, who produced ‘Wanna Act’ got in contact with us via Myspace. He sent me a few beats and they were really bangin’ so we had to bless one of them at least. To be honest, that track was written in an evening when me n Superb had quite a lot to drink! Turned out well though…I love the vibe on that beat!

You all live together in the same house. What’s it like living together as a group and do you think that helps your music come across better?

Me, Superb n Guide One live together. Our house is a studio, but honestly we take that for granted sometimes…we definitely don’t do as much work as we should do. But it definitely helps cos you can talk music a lot and it means I can keep an eye on em and make sure they written rhymes.

You all work 9-5’s (like 99% of UKHH artists) what are your views on the whole starving artist thing that goes on in this country and do you think it’ll ever change?

I think it’s healthy to get a slice of real life for an artist. When rappers blow they usually get boring cos they have nothing to talk about except for money n cars etc.

I don’t think UKHH is gonna change unless people start getting their business right - ourselves included. It’s just hard knowing at the back of your mind there’s a high chance that all this hard work isn’t gonna pay off…that’s why you gotta have a back up plan!

We also need to start expanding musically as a genre. I’ll be honest, I listen to a lot of UK stuff and I don’t see much originality or personality. It hasn’t evolved much in the last few years cos we’re all caught up in the mixtape culture, which is just dub after dub of rapping over other peoples beats. I understand that keeping up the profile with mixtapes is useful, but as artists we have to focus on creating good, original, music or it’s just gonna die! Right now there isn’t much material that has the substance or appeal to break into the mainstream.

Just to pick up on your job again…you teach? Is that a rewarding job? It’s something I’ve thought about doing for years!

I’m not a proper teacher - I’m a technician and trainer of music technology. I help out teaching the students different bits of studio equipment and show them production techniques, the fun stuff… I leave the boring paper work to the proper teachers. I’m looking to get a PGCE and get more teaching work, but right now I’m concentrating on the music.

It is good working with young people though…it keeps me in touch with the youth. I know what’s hot and what’s not, without having to go through the chore of watching Channel U.

So you play Jazz piano Ed?! Is that something you’ve always done and how do you or do you think it’s benefited your beatmaking skills? Or does it just help you with the women? Haha

I used to be a lot better, but I still know my scales, so it helps when I’m producing. I’ve got a few party pieces that I pull out for ladies - I’m not going to reveal the repertoire though…

Haha, you tease! Okay, down to the really important questions. What do you think to the recent decision to reclassify green?

No Comment…

Blondes or Brunettes?

Both.

Thong or French knickers? (Ok those two are for my personal curiosity)

French knickers. When thongs go wrong it aint pretty…plus French knickers hold a woman’s frame better.

What does it feel like to be producing on Doctor Freud’s debut album ‘Emerald City’ out in Australia and do you see down under a country you aim to crack? (Freud told me to ask that)

Death warmed up… nah shout to Freud, I’ll have that beat soon dunny!

So finally, where do you see UKHH being in 5 years time and what do you hope your part in that will be?

Who know?!?!?!? I might sell out and make pop music for a living.

The IRS will be performing for the first time in Oxford @ The Cellar Bar on Friday 25th July (supporting Kyza) so be sure to check that! You can also tune into The Phat Club (Kid Fury and Spex) on 107.9FM on Saturday 12th July between 7-10pm for live interview and freestyle ish…

The Album ‘The World is Theirs’ is available from the usual places…Suspect Packages/HMV or their myspace pages…or go cop it at the shows! There’s also a mixtape ‘The World is Almost Theirs’ available for free download on www.myspace.com/theirsonline. Also go check their individual myspacepages for more music!

• www.myspace.com/edstrong
• www.myspace.com/kingkaio
• wwww.myspace.com/superbare

Words: Lil Miss Cupcake

Add to that a growing editorial section, exclusive videos (and soon to be mixes), a live chat, and a forthcoming music shop for unsigned artists, you get to see they actually have a serious chance of making this work.

So if Dubstep is your thing then get over dubstepXclusive

Jeremy Glover introduction and personal background

15 years in advertising with the last three as Creative Director of McCann-Erickson Belfast. In 1997 I left to co-found internet retail store BlackStar.co.uk (now renamed SendIt.com). I left the company in 2002 and worked on and consulted with several Internet and mobile start ups. I also ran and judged a Battle of the Bands at The Rock Garden for 5 years and have been a promoter at the venue for 2 years. I also have two years experience as an artist manager.

The concept of an award for venues, festivals and promoters alongside live acts is refreshing and original, can you tell us how this came about?

Having promoted and managed artists I learnt a lot about the aspirations of artists at the grass roots level of the industry and the significant role venues and promoters play in helping bands develop.

So many people are involved at this level with very little financial reward, all doing it mainly for the love of it.

The internet and new technologies have helped hundreds and thousands of bands spring up all over the UK and through social networking sites they have been able to reach out to music fans cheaply and effectively.

In such a cluttered market there is no quality benchmark. The old signed or unsigned labels no longer make sense as we enter the age of DIY artists. The INDY Music Awards are the perfect filter for identifying the very best of up and coming artists. Unlike many “unsigned” competitions where bands simply enter we are an awards ceremony so bands must be nominated.

The INDY Music Awards came out of a more low key awards I set up in December 2006 for all the artists that played with me at The Rock Garden that year. The reaction was amazing with 600 votes placed on MySpace within a few days. The artists felt that at long last somebody was taking notice of them and fans were so excited to see their favourite new bands being nominated. I knew than I was onto something so spent the next few months ringing round every venue and promoter in London to see if they wanted to do awards together. That was the first London based INDY Music Awards – 121 venues and promoters nominated 218 artists and we had over 30,000 votes placed on our website.

What does the Indy Music Awards mean to you?

At the moment it means everything, it’s my life from the minute I get up to the minute I go to sleep and it’s been like this for 2 years. It’s a full on 100 hour a week job. I get bogged down with a lot of admin and spend too much time on the laptop. The danger is losing sight of what the awards are all about so I have a photograph of a bunch of fans from the awards show last year that I look at. The sheer joy and delight on their faces keeps me going. And of course popping down to a gig to see some amazing artists put on a great show is just so rewarding.

How is this years awards different to last?

We’ve expanded the awards to cover the whole of the UK and included festivals, which after all are fields transformed into venues for a long weekend. We’ve also included several new categories including 3 venue awards sponsored by PRS and a Promoter of the Year Award and our first Inspiration Award for The Buzzcocks who will be headlining the Awards Show.

The growth in year 2 has been phenomenal in terms of participating venues, festivals and promoters up from 121 last year to 600 this year and nominated artists up from 218 to 700. We have also attracted more significant sponsorship and the awards will be televised this year for the first time on RockWorld TV, hosted by champion of new music Gary Crowley. This extra exposure is great news for the emerging artists and everyone else we seek to highlight.

Being relatively new how do you find the awards are being received in the industry overall?

We have tremendous support from PRS, The Musician Union and AIM who represent over 800 independent labels. Our goal all along has been to ensure The INDY Music Awards are seen as an industry standard for emerging live music with an emphasis on live performance. We have come a long way in such a short time. Even now I am looking forward to next year and working closely with all our partners and stakeholders to explore other opportunities and create deeper more meaningful relationships.

The comments from the judging panel this year was another real boost with such high praise for so many of the artists and a lot of exclamations of “why are they not signed to a major label?” and “I’d really love to work with these guys”

This year the awards has grown and branched outside of London, where do you see the future heading?

I don’t think we want to change what we are doing too much. We’ll want to make improvements here and there to refine the whole process and this will be based on a full review of the 2008 awards and feedback from everyone post the awards show on April 25th.

At the moment we are an events business with the major focus on a single awards night. In the future I’d like to stretch the impact of the awards over a longer time period. For example this year promoters and venues held over 30 showcases for all the artists they nominated. Next year it would be great to see this expand to a hundred or more and have the showcases covered by the media in some way. We’d also love to do a winners tour around the country or even run a stage at one of the festivals. In fact just the other night I was thinking why not have the awards show at a festival and then all the shortlisted artists could get a chance to play over a weekend.

Another initiative I want to explore is to increase the judging panel to over 100 industry figures. It’s a nightmare for most independent labels, especially those that are understaffed and under financial pressure to constantly go out to gigs every night. There has always been a special relationship with venues and promoters tipping labels as to who is impressing on the live circuit. We will never replace these relationships but we can provide a useful introduction service.

At the end of the day everything we want to do boils down to how much our sponsors want to invest in this market and we need to cut our cloth accordingly. We will never be the MOBOS or the Brits and quite frankly we wouldn’t want to be. There is a refreshing edginess and rawness around what we do and it is vital to maintain this – keeping it real and making sure that music, those who make it, promote it, stage it and listen and watch it, always remains the hero and doesn’t get over sanitised and processed.

Any special thanks and plugs?

There simply isn’t enough room to thank everyone who has helped these awards happen but I would like to make a special mention and thank Mike Rutherford, James Walsh, The Buzzcocks, Chas Smash and all the other highly respected musicians and artists who are coming to the awards to lend their support. In an age of celebrity obsessed media it’s so easy to lose sight of who we really should be celebrating and that’s people with real talent whether established, current or emerging.

The awards show is on Friday 25th April at The Forum, Kentish Town, London. Doors at 6.30 and tickets are available from We Got Tickets

Words: Roscoe

the INDY music awards gala ceremony takes place at The Forum in London tomorrow night and tickets are available from www.wegottickets.com. Punk legands Buzzcocks and indie favourites Starsailor will be performing along with nominated artists.

Teef – gotta say I hadn’t heard of you before I got sent Vol.3. Now I’m wondering why I hadn’t got on this sooner, this ish is sounding heavy… What’s been you’re story so far?

Thanks, I’ve been doing my things man, what can I say, obviously not too great if it took you my 3rd CD for you to hear about me, ha ha… but I’m staying on my toes, and watching those heads treating me like the ginger bread man.

First off, you’ve seem to have a carefully crafted concept behind Honour Amongst Teef’ - really feeling the animation and the idea of a little Starter Pack. Can you tell us more about it?

Cheers buddy, erm, im an artist man, not just a lyricist/writer/rhymer, I’m constantly digging up new and innovative things and storing them in the back of my brain, so I guess they just come fourth when it’s the time, but Honour Amongst TEEF was definitely planned as a 3 volume series, there’s something coming up…hold tight, one at a time.

It’s certainly not your typical ‘mixtape’ but it’s doesn’t seem to be an album as it’s part of a series. Is there an album/ep in the pipeline?

No it’s not an album or a Mix CD, but hell yeah doggy, I’ve basically started it (the album that is), noting down certain tracks and topics I want to cover… it’s be simmering man, look out for that shiz. That’s as far as I can say right now.

I’ve been listening to Vol.3 a lot over the last few weeks. Really feeling your use of samples. Who would you say has influenced you most as an artist?

When you say who, that’s always hard, it’s more been like a series of sounds I hear, here and there, and I like and want to listen to on my track. I try to stay away from other artists in a similar bracket… ‘cause you know we all love putting people in categories, we get treated like the products we are.

Which tracks are you particularly proud of on Vol.3?

Man, that’s my work, I’m my biggest critic I think, I could sit here all day and tell you the Highs and the Lows… but altogether I would never put out anything I’m not happy or proud of at the time…

Gotta say, one of my favourite tunes is Where’s The Fun. For the benefit of those yet to hear it can you describe the story behind the tune?

I was in the studio with Sloth, we had that beat fresh in the archive, courtesy of Toes, was instantly in to the beat from the start, so Sloth arranged it to a way we both liked and thought worked best with our individual flow, if you listen carefully you should understand… but then we laced it, reflecting on pass nights we’ve both had going out to clubs… crazy.

I have a little dilemma, I own a copy of the mix CD but not the Honour Amongst Teef Brainbook, and there’s no chance of buying the Brainbook separately. Give me some reasons why I should cop the whole package -

You haven’t got the full proper package now have ya, and you just said you liked it didn’t ya, I think you need to put your money wear you mouth is and go cop that at www.teefonline.com store… all said in a polite manner though.

What inspired the idea of the Brainbook?

A couple conversations, me being a fan of illustrations and manga… me being bored of what’s going on out there, I guess it came mostly from those things… Teef being Teef.

I was reppin’ at the album launch at the Carhartt Store, Covent Garden last week. I was really impressed with the whole launch night. Free beer is always a good look but the performances from Ghost & Kashmere and of course yourself and Charlie Sloth was nice – how did you find it?

It was a lot of fun, thanks to everyone that made it down, I enjoyed it, everyone else seemed to enjoy it… then I’m happy.

You wear a gorilla face mask for your set. Is there any particular message you’re trying to get across?

Look at the front cover of my CD + Brainbook… whatcha think I look like…

Haha, okay cool. Now the important stuff, where can people buy to your music?

www.teefonline.com then go to the store… Yes the important stuff

Any shoutouts?

Thank you and keep doing it… that’s to everyone that supports TEEF and what he’s been doing… we does this.

Thanks for the talk and thanks for reading.

TEEF Online

TEEF’s Myspace

So what have you been upto?

Off to LA in March to have meeting with Koch Records and work with B-Real (Cypress Hill), I can’t wait! If all goes well, I would love to move out there too.

So how did the link with B-Real come about?

I entered a worldwide competition looking for the Top 20 up-and-coming artists and I was contacted back from Keen (Audio Hustlaz) as they felt my tracks, so rather lucky!

Thats sick - was is one of the tunes off the ‘Its Provokal EP?’

They were some of my recently recorded studio tracks (props to Munk for the record, mix and mastering). The tracks were Produced by ImZ whom is my friend, producer, manager and CEO of Broken Souls.

Props! So what does the future hold for Riskie Business?

At the moment it is hard to see where it is going as Doctor Freud recently relocated to Australia to work down under for 7 months and when he returns he is moving down south I believe, but I am being optimistic as we are all close mates as well as a group and would love to put out at least one project as we have been working together around 2-3 years.

So you doing any solo shows in the run up to your LA meeting?

Nah, I am flat out trying to get on point mentally and physically for this LA adventure, I really want to be able to give it a 110% so when I reflect I know I gave it my all, so I got to be disciplined no partying, drinking and all that!

Fair play - I’ve been rinsing your EP, would I be able to up it and make it available for download with this interview?

I wish bro, but I ain’t able to put out the new material as of yet, as I am working on this with labels and all that, so it is different scenario as to if I was pushing myself, there’s more guidance on what to do and when to do it, although we’ve put a few tracks up on the Myspace and the Provokal facebook artist page!

Fair enough man, you got shoutouts?

Big shout to ImZ Miah, Riskie Business, Blunted! Tafkal and Wezlee Mighty, Darren Free, TB Tuberculosis, DJ Skully, Genesis Elijah, Conspiracy UK, Lyricwars.com, Quitknockinmyhustle.com (their my sponsors in USA, they got heavy clothing line coming and dope hats) and everyone who has supported and shown love!!

By the way bro, I will be doing shows sometime in near future again, I’m just in middle sorting out an agency with Broken Souls now and they working on me so will be soon bro!!

Links, check these!

www.myspace.com/provokal
www.myspace.com/riskiebusiness
www.quitknockinmyhustle.com
www.conspiracyuk.com

Words: Tyranny

I said the last bit (about the staff) mainly because my good pal Bradley Cowan works there. This guy has serious talent. He’s been cutting my hair for years and although he’s sometimes given me a random snip (literally), he has given me some of the best haircuts ever. After working his way up to Salon Manager at Lawrence Anthony in Oxford, Brad opted for a change of scenery and moved to Bristol.

Almost immediately he set up shop at Mackdaddy’s where you’ll still find him snipping away in between huge cups of Gingerbread Latte’s (!) from Starbucks.

22 Park Row, Bristol, 0117 933 0948 and 8 Perry Road, Bristol, 0117 929 3866

Mackdaddy’s Website

27 Beats Entertainment pride themselves on their packaging game and this is no different. Renowned comic artist Sean Duffield (Paper Tiger Comix) provides the cover art, reminiscent of classic 60’s psychedelic poster art, which perfectly compliments the vivid, dream based sounds of the music inside. If that isn’t enough there are also inserts, designed by See himself, with lyrics. Perfect if you like to get your geek on and read along with the rappers. I was immediately impressed with the little package. With a limited run of 250 copies these pieces of wax are really collectable. It encourages me as a promoter of an independent website/night to know there are other people out there putting out quality releases for the love of the music.

The release features some established artists amongst some that are well worth keeping an eye on. Dream Farm is graced with the presence of Beer & Rap’s Dr.Syntax and Jon Clark with the beat produced by See.

On the flip is the track A Remote World. It is described as “the grey area between being asleep and being awake is explored from 3 different perspectives while the expert cuts link the verses with subtle dexterity”. Collaborating on this one are Rup, Mole, Enlish and DJ Manipulate.

So with this in mind I decided to contact the man at the top of 27 Beats and find out more about what they are all about.

Sup, See? First off props on your website. I had a sneaky peek earlier and it was really refreshing to see some ‘real’ talk. Keeping as close as you can to the facts, can you tell me more about the background and beginnings of 27 Beats?

Rup - Me and See used to make shitty pause-mix tapes, then we made shitty punk rock, then we made shitty hip-hop. See went to do some kind of lame art course or something down in Brighton and met Naim who is from Denmark. Back then Naim had an afro and liked scratching records. I used to visit Brighton to smoke piff with See and get turned away from clubs for looking about 12. We all started making music together as Born Again Heads. We made a little tape called Mixed Nutz Vol.1 which some people seemed to like. We did a number of shows as which seemed to go ok, mainly due to Naim and his afro. Then for some reason I came to Brighton and we all moved in together (no homo). Ever seen the Real World on MTV? It was like that when we were living together.

We made Mixed Nutz Vol.2 during that strange period. Timmy Miller also lived with us and was an enigmatic character who was essential to the development of 27 Beats Entertainment. Nowadays I’m nursing a serious smack habit, See is a world reknowned fine artist, Naim is a big pop star and Timmy Miller will murk me if I even give a hint of what he’s up to.

See – Rup pretty much summed it up. He forgot to mention how our survival as a group relied heavily on collectively being fuelled by free burgers from the local burger place. Martha Wilson our secretary hooked that up. Naim on the beats, me and Rup on the raps, we are Born Again Heads. Me and Rup have been making noise together since around ’95 I think?! In the start Rup used to scream his ass off and I was breaking guitar strings. Then we somehow converted to hip hop in late ’96 and started a group called Main Aim with a couple of other rappers we met through the back page of HHC. The 27 Beats/Born Again stuff began in late ’99. Since Naim moved away to Copenhagen it has been difficult to keep Born Again functioning properly. 27 Beats is a looser way of keeping everyone involved.

Ok, so there’s a few heads involved, can you give us a quick roll-call?

Rup - Me, See, Naim, Timmy Miller, Barry Van Dyke, Jesus and my boy Teddy Mohammed. People like The Evil Sun, Jon Clark and a few others have all been heavily involved at points as well.

See – 27 Beats operates as a vehicle. People hop on board and get off as they please. Before there were a few drivers working shifts but now as I am the only driver I cannot operate without breaks, which is why things take so long. Anyhow, the route is usually the same and sometimes the same people are waiting at the same stops and they frequent the journey. Sometimes, however, the route is diverted and people that have not as yet been encountered hop on for a short ride too. Rup, Naim, Miller, myself, and to some degree Evil Sun and Jon Clark pretty much built the vehicle. Others such as Jack Baker, Koobs, and Steve Clear were also around and part of our environment. It’s like a network of cousins. Some you see more frequently than others. Sometimes you have a big family meal. Bosko, Applehead Bone Daddy, Angelface Jones Deficit, Gabriel, Kope, Winstan. We’re all ingredients. Some are used more than others. Our recipes run deep.

With a number of you involved is it difficult moving forward and getting shit done?

Rup - Hells fucking yeah it’s tough. That’s why See does it all these days.

Naim - Yes, very. But then again we do other stuff, like Babcock. More about being experimental and having fun and less about trying to make it.

See – Sighs.

What’s the motivation behind what you do? Music, love, money or bitches? Or a combination?

Rup - Make the music, get the money and then the bitches will love you. Holla!

Naim - You mean girls? Yeah, that and other humans such as men, children and old people. I love creating music, it makes me forget about my time and place. I would love to make money on it. Would give me more energy not having to work full time doing some other shit..

See – Hmmm.. never really thought about it before. I suppose my motivation is addiction? I can’t say it is money. Love creates the music to some degree, but I’m not sure the music creates love. Does there have to be a reason?

The artwork really works with your releases. Does the music influence the artwork or vice versa?

Rup - The artwork used to be mainly influenced by the socially and financially crippling skunk habits we had. Nowadays I don’t even know what’s going on most of the time, let alone what influences artwork. See does a lot though.

See – Even before people buying downloads (which is a good enough reason to up your packaging game) I’ve always been into the whole package of buying music and artwork and thinking it is important they go hand in hand. So much artwork is uninspired and thrown together quite coldly. If you look back to even flyers for punk rock shows in the ‘80s or psychedelic bands in the ‘60s you have carefully executed artwork, and that’s just for one off gigs! There is less thought than that put into packaging whole albums nowadays in some cases. I think also, it is nice for a label to have its own identity, obviously in the music it puts out but also in visual terms.

If you look at SST, home of Black Flag, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Husker Du, they had a great package every time. I find that very admirable. I also like the personal touch you get by doing your stuff DIY. I scalpel the covers and cut out the centers and stick them all on individually. Probably not necessary but I believe it makes a small difference. Also, musicians designing their own artwork is an interesting thing for me as you get the 100% creativity from one source. Captain Beefheart, The Meat Puppets, Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston have all done this and it accompanies the music within the packaging so well. On the personalised releases topic, back in the early ‘80s when Daniel Johnston completed an album, he’d re-record the whole album, all the songs, actually play the instruments and sing from the first song to the last, each time he wanted to make a new copy to sell or give to someone. All originals. Now that is a stupendously personal touch.

To date what’s been your biggest achievement?

Rup - I made a pasta sauce with roasted vegetables the other day. I’ve also lived for a quarter of a century. My debut solo album dropped without a trace as well which I’m pretty proud about.

Naim - Within the 27beats space I would say Mixed Nutz Vol. I + II. But I would also say it has been a big achievement maintaining working processes whilst being in different countries.

See – In music, little bits here and there such as actually being able to put out a series of 7” records, making a music video with long time friend and affiliate Winstan Whitter, Being involved in the soundtrack to his movie ‘Rollin Through The Decades’, making the 27 Beats movie ‘Flip’ which features all sorts of cousins, playing live outside of this country, getting BBC Radio 1 airplay. The whole thing is run in quite a random way so to be able to achieve these things without a well thought out plan is good enough for me. We don’t have a secretary any more so it is hard to stay on top of things.

What ambitions do you all have? Are they collective or individual?

Rup - I want my picture to appear in the Evening Standard magazine at one of those exclusive parties with a rockstar’s daughter on my arm and a Saville Row suit on my back. I’m sure everyone shares that ambition with me. I would also love to have a writing credit on a number one song, open a chain of posh fried chicken shops and write a book about the wildlife of South London.

Naim - I want to travel a lot, I want to spend a lot of time in the UK. I want to continue making music and I would also like to make a living on it. (of course this is just music wise..)

See – I want I want I want. I would like to see through all these projects that are lurking around incompletely. I would say what they are but for some reason I’d rather just try to introduce them to the world surprisingly out of nowhere if they ever get done. Otherwise they get old quicker for everyone else. Especially at the slow rate things happen around here. Hmmm…I think it would have been an achievement if we had finished ‘Leaving Somewhere New’, the Born Again Heads album a few years back. There are about 13 tracks or so with all the raps recorded. Just needed a few scratches, instruments, and some of the tracks needed mixing. Unfortunately we never got it together. If it had come out back in 2004 when the stuff was pretty much left, that would have been interesting. You can hear 4 of the songs here: www.myspace.com/bornagainheads I was thinking of maybe uploading the unfinished album at some point maybe…

Are there any MCs/DJs/Producers you’d like to have on forthcoming releases?

Rup - Lil’ Wayne, Joanna Newsom, Justice, Burial and The Knife.

See – Just a couple of handfuls of people around me that I know. At the moment I am juggling several handfuls of guest spots and I only have two pairs of hands, which makes it difficult to contain them all. In fact, there’s just over half a bus-full of guests involved. Hopefully this will materialise into something monstrously sickening.

How many releases have you done to date and where can they be pur-chased?

Rup- As 27 Beats there’s Mixed Nutz Vol. 1 which is unavailable, Mixed Nutz Vol. 2 which can probably be got somewhere if you really must have it and then there’s the 3 limited 7’s which are all at various degrees of availability. Check the 27 Beats Myspace for combo deals on the 7’s and some download action. I’ve got an album out on Zebra Traffic right now called Rup On Zebra which features some songs previously released on 27 Beats.

See – Yeah, the best prices for our stuff will undoubtedly be on our myspace page: www.myspace.com/27beatsentertainment Alternatively, Suspect Packages online store have some stuff, Rarekind in Brighton and online, Sister Ray in Soho, HQ in Brixton… Our latest release is Dream Farm/A Remote World 7” which is two songs about dreaming featuring passengers Rup, the homie Mole from Mole and Iris, and our pal Enlish from Genius Squad/Imagineers on vocals with DJ Manipulate on the terrific cuts on A Remote World. The brethren Dr.Syntax and Jonathan Clark discuss matters over my production on Dream Farm. I am on the beats for both. Sean Duffield of Paper Tiger Comix on the cover art. I did some drawings that you will find inside the sleeve with lyrics on the reverse. Naim will have some stuff out soon too I think. Innovative, catchy, and crazy. Check him out: www.myspace.com/naimnafar

Do you have any gigs coming up that we can check out?

See – Haven’t done a gig in years.

Rup - Check the Rup Myspizzle (www.myspace.com/rupthecnut) for gigs. I usually add them pretty late. Hopefully Naim will be over doing shows next year which should be massive as the guy is a genius and does some funny little dances. We haven’t done a show as Born Again Heads for ages. We might do some kind of reunion on a Take That flex in about 10 years though still.

The important questions:

Whats your favourite TV show?

Rup - Coast, My Super Sweet Sixteen, Adventures In Hollyhood and Hogan Knows Best.

See – I pretty much only watch awkward films.

Naim - Right now it’s Family Guy. I can watch it with my kids and they love it! Other than that I love food programmes.

What’s your favourite place to go out for a meal?

Rup - Go out for a meal? How much money do you think I have? I eat stuff from bins mainly.

Naim - At a friend’s house or at home.

See – Rup, me, and the homie Reps recently went for a Columbian lunch in Brixton which was super stupendous. I like cooking though, so home is good. I like chopping ingredients up into tiny pieces using the longest method to get there.

Who would this world be better without?

Rup - Humans obviously.

Naim - The big ego-man.

See – Two faced backstabbers can suck a pachyderms dick. Cold hearted mean spirited insensitive types can lick a lamas ass. Balance disturbers.

Lastly, please take this opportunity to give shout outs to relevant affiliates –

Rup - All my hustling motherfuckers.

See – All the genuine homies out there doing their bit to keep this crappy lo-fi weirdo shit alive. Also, it is important that shout out Conflix for preaching the Haribo. Life is all about them sweet little things that keep us going.

www.27beats.co.uk

His designs are unique and visually scintillating. I know he has a real passion for his art, not only as a creator but also as a teacher. This would probably explain why there is a deeper message which he is trying to communicate. Instead of me trying to interpret his words, I’m going to leave it up to the man himself:

To me, my work is like a scrapbook or rather a visual exploration of my dreams, real life experiences, actual and hypothetical scenarios, and a way to document or express my thoughts however poignant or insignificant. My work tackles issues that affect us all such as relationships, lifestyle and life and death, but primarily is a way for me to express how I feel and how I perceive myself.

I have a fairly flexible approach to my work as I like the image to be multifaceted and the narrative to be open to interpretation. Initially I begin by considering what relevance an image I have found, documented or created has to me. This could either be instantly obvious, contextual, or could, with time, become relevant simply because it is irrelevant. I then introduce more visual elements and create layer composites, which lead to a basic composition that I then manipulate to achieve the right aesthetic for the subject.

Provocative images of women occur frequently in my work and for a number of reasons. The first being that the female body is portrayed as being far more sensitive, expressive and suggestive than the male body and certainly in the eyes of society, more acceptably viewed. Therefore their inclusion in my work is representational of my feelings and emotions.

Secondly, in terms of society, it has become commonplace and certainly to some extent acceptable for women to be exploited as a means to make money. Whether it is to sell Cosmetics, the latest fashion or even something as far removed as a 40” Plasma Screen TV, the evocative nature of the female form subliminally generates a need for association and connection within our own lives. However, these images arguably play an important part as they represent and control what we are, what we could be and what we want to be.

By applying this logic to my own work I am effectively transforming my subject matter into a highly desirable product that encourages association and connection by the viewer in the same way as an advertisement.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop them in the comments box below. Alternatively you can contact Lewis directly via email. In the meantime bowl on over to his brand-spanking new website and check out some more of his work.