Bristol - Snapshots of a City

One of the things we want to get going here at Blunted Presents is just a general snapshop of a city’s ‘urban’ culture. By that we mean stencils, freehand, stickers and any other bits that fit into that broad title.

The first city I looked at (walked about in a bit of a haze and took some photos) was Bristol, which as you probably all know has far too much to look at all at once, so here is just a little taster of what it has to offer…

Klek

Posh Monster

Scof

Ivan

Dissident

Jean

Flom

Banksy

Unknown

Feel free to email any pictures you have of street art from cities around the UK - the next one is going to be on Oxford so any from there would be much appreciated.

Email hilo(at)bluntedpresents.co.uk with the subject Snapshot and the name of the town.

The Social Consumer

Some of you may have noticed the link in our Blogroll, if you haven’t checked it out “Social Consumer” is the brainchild of Nick Schonberger (AKA Pants). The website is a response to the many short-on-content streetwear blogs out there, and a platform for a more critical outlook on things that make up street culture. They are just starting to do book reviews, taking the more “academic” angle and will continue to add thoughts on whatever strikes their fancy.

They have received a lot of positive response from the media and are always up for taking submissions, and looking for new voices. So check them out and get in touch.

New Internationalist

I don’t get the chance to big up my parents, but I guess here’s my chance. Over 20 years ago they helped set up a small magazine that focused on Third World issues, The New Internationalist. It wasn’t until my late teens that I really began to appreciate what they did and how they developed and progressed in that time.

The magazine now has a circulation of over 70,000 as well as a thriving website. The topics it focuses range from Boycotting Baby Milk to the demise of the Aboriginal people. Please visit the website and get involved in what I believe to be a really good cause.

‘The New Internationalist exists to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice’ New Internationalist website - www.newint.org

New Internationalist on Facebook

Freehand vs Stencil

Alright, so it might not even seem like a contest. On one hand you’ve got a person with finger control, imagination and guts. On the other you have a stick up and spray merchant. I mean, what, it takes 20 minutes to do a really good, big stencil whereas you’re looking at least at an hour for a good freehand piece.

So why is it that I’m drawn to the stencils as my preferred form of street art? Maybe it’s the increased media attention it’s received thanks to Banksy. Maybe it’s because even I can do the odd piece without any prior experience. Maybe it’s the fact that a good stencil can be just as aesthetic and politically moving as a good quality freehand piece but takes a fraction of the time. Maybe it’s because stencil art hasn’t yet been ruined by tagging.

In my opinion tagging is the lowest form of street art. Existing with the sole purpose of getting a persons name known, it can be done by any fool with a permanent marker.

Some may argue that tags are an integral part of street art and serve a good purpose. Tags can take years to perfect I hear you say…to this I would agree but it doesn’t stop them looking ugly and degrading the rest of the street art world.

The only purpose tags serve are to piss off the rest of the world and lead to calls for councils to clamp down on ‘mindless’ acts of vandalism such as graffiti. For me, graffiti is a genuine art form, one that is slowly getting recognised. For this process to speed up and for genuine graffiti to get the respect it deserves people need to stop spoiling nice fresh walls with their mindless tags and leave their outdoor excursions for genuine pieces, that being freehand or stencil.

The Past & Future of Dubstep

What is Dubstep? A common question, but not one that’s simple to answer. For over ten years prior to the scene’s emergence around 2003, ‘dance’ music had been fragmenting…

The last time so many styles were going on in the same place was the ‘Old Skool’ scene (or whatever you call it) - which represented a fusion of many different influences, and went on to father many new scenes - Jungle for example, which in turn went on to become Drum & Bass (which has now arguably become stale, having been so specific for so long).

Dubstep also draws from many scenes - Dub, Reggae, Garage, Breaks, Jungle/Dnb, Electronica…. even Techno these days. It’s hard to pin down, and much like ‘Old Skool’ you really get the feeling that it’s a new frontier.

So where’s it all headed now, 4 years down the line? Another cycle of fragmentation is perhaps inevitable - the word ‘dubstep’ probably doesn’t accurately summarise a lot of the music considered to be Dubstep, and the urge to redefine is inevitable. As producers cement the directions they’re heading in sub-categories are likely to expand, and whole new genres are likely to ‘take over’….

It’s a very exciting time for Dubstep, and there’s certainly a lot of progression happening right now. So many talented people from other scenes have jumped on board, and it grows every day.

Long live Dubstep basically! Gonna be interesting to see how it fragments, but it’s a beautiful thing still having it all under the one roof.

Words: Krystian Taylor aka FORENSICS

FORENSICS:

• Rogue Frequencies EP out now on Digital Sin
• Night Time EP dropping very soon on Digital Sin
• A remix of Dungeon Master coming soon on DubKraft

Myspace: www.myspace.com/forensicdubstep
Blog: www.forensicdubstep.blogspot.com

10 Records That Never Leave My Box - Stumasta

The thing with drum and bass is that because the music has increased in speed so much over the last 10 years it’s really difficult to play tunes from 10 years ago in a modern set because they’re too slow.

This is why many of these tunes are more modern. I’d also like to point out that this isn’t my top 10 best tracks, but these are the tracks that I’ve played out the most…

Logistics – Deep Joy – Brand.Nu

I’ve played this tune so much it’s almost become a joke. For 2 years I dropped this everytime I played out. It’s just a simple tune, no frills. Like many of the tracks in this list, it’s not one of the best DnB tracks of all time but it works really well in any set and hasn’t been rinsed so still sounds really fresh. To sum up, a timeless roller.

Ram Trilogy – Brainwash – Ram Records

This is dancefloor drum and bass done to perfection. This to me typifies the Ram sound of this era. When I was first getting into DnB and going to Fabric every weekend I used hear it 2 or 3 times a night and never had a clue what it was. Because of the way this track builds it never fails to “go off” but the reason I really love this tune is because when it does it smashes a dancefloor but does it with integrity. I wish some new dancefloor DnB producers would take note.

D Bridge – Belief – Creative Source

This was way favourite tune of 2005 and is probably one of my favourite tunes of all time. This track is the antithesis of deep drum and bass from the master craftsman. During 2005 D Bridge released a plethora of tunes of this ilk and this was my pick of the bunch. He’s made some really good tunes since but nothing has come close to this.

Seba – Piemo 4 b – Paradox Music

I just had to put a track featuring my favourite break “The Funky Mule”. At the time of this release Paradox Music was simply on fire, every release was a stone cold classic and this was the best for me. I remember dropping this at the first ever Sensor in Cheltenham, it didn’t smash the place up or anything but I don’t think there’s any better feeling for a DJ than when a whole group of people are enjoying the music as much as you. Still to this day that set is one of the best DJ experiences of my life.

MIST – Lose Control – Metalheadz

I don’t think there’s a single person involved in drum and bass that I have more respect for than Marcus Intalex. The guy just sticks 100% to what he believes in, only ever releasing the best tunes. His label Soul:R is unquestionably the best drum and bass label in recent years and his tunes have been a big part of it’s success. This track was released on Goldie’s label Metalheadz and in a era that many people felt that the label wasn’t what it had been, it still managed to sign one of the best tracks of this style in that era. This track is 5 or 6 years old and still sounds as relevant, if not more so than it did in 2002.

Roni Size – Dayz – V Recordings

Roni and the whole Full Cycle crew’s music got me into drum and bass through their seminal album New Forms. This track was released on one of drum and bass’ best labels by one of drum and bass’ best producers. 1997 was a golden era of DnB and I only wish I was old enough to appreciate that era fully. The whole Full Cycle sound was built of funk driven basslines that could be appreciated on the floor and at home in equal measure. Drum and bass doesn’t get much better than this track.

Calibre – Mr Majestic – Signature

A top 10 of any drum bass tunes would not be complete without a track from the mighty Calibre. In recent years he has come with a quantity of quality releases that’s unrivalled in his field. In a time when people were moaning on various forums about the overuse of the “wobble bassline”, Calibre came along and used it in a way that simply blew dancefloors away. Like all good Calibre tracks this has soul, depth and character in abundance. I cannot understand how he can keep making such good music, the man must be a machine.

High Contrast – Return of Forever – Hospital

Quite simply, my favourite drum and bass track of all time. This was the main track from High Contrasts debut LP “True Colours”, I used to play this track constantly before I started DJing as I’d bought the CD from Massive Records in Oxford. I didn’t get this track on vinyl until I visited HMV in Swindon a few weeks later and I don’t think I’ll ever buy a track that means more to me than this tune. This track is the reason I spend most of my like, talking, writing, listening and moaning about drum and bass. Remember people, you have High Contrast to blame…

Total Science – Tax Man - Advanced

The second track from this legendary Oxford based label. I remember playing this track constantly for years after it’s original release and it still sounding fresh. From 2001 to 2002, they released tune after tune of quality dancefloor focused drum and bass. I could’ve picked 5 or 6 tracks that I could’ve put in here as I always like to drop a Total Science track from this era. This is probably the best of the bunch, with a killer flip. Probably one of my favourite 12”s.

MIST:I:CAL – Mistical Dub – Soul:R

It’s a track released on Soul:R and it’s written by Marcus Intalex, ST Files and Calibre. Anyone who knows anything about drum and bass should know there’s no need to explain why this track is in here.

Words: Stumasta

Forensics - Dubstep

I thought I should do my homework before writing this feature. To sort myself out before writing this, I sifted through Top Secret’s old posts (sad bastard I know!) Anyway, I’ve now downloaded UK Hip Hop Mix 18, one of the many mixes he’s treated us to in the past.

It seems on closer inspection Krystian Taylor AKA Top Secret has more than one string to his bow. Indeed, it was his Forensics Dubstep mixes that first caught my attention.

As the genre is still its infancy, his mixes have been my main source for finding out what the Dubstep sound is. To me, Dubstep is a sub-genre of grime, dark grime. The main difference is that the former is instrumental, the latter tends to have an MC. It’s been around for a few years but has only recently been getting the attention it deserves.

One of the up-and-coming DJs in Dubstep, comes in the form of London-based producer Forensics. He has been working hard for a long time. Forensics co-runs Bristol’s Ruffnek Diskotek club, plays on SubFM & Breaks FM, and his Rogue Frequencies EP is due for immanent release on Digital Sin Recordings. You will be pleased to hear that his hard work has not gone unnoticed – he was recently interviewed and had a track played on Plasticians Radio 1 show.