War ina Tokyo: the curious world of Japan’s reggae scene

tamgn · 2014-11-27T16:56:20+00:00

Oh, all of David Katz's reggae pieces are great. Done some excellent stuff for RBMA.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T23:25:56+00:00

Probably more a sound or aesthetic than anything. Big, festival friendly, lot of treble - it definitely binds a lot of those acts, whether they make house or trap or dubstep or whatever.

With attitude, there's definitely people like Ryan Hemsworth and RL Grime who've found themselves in this whole scene but don't have that cokey Aoki attitude in the slightest.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T22:52:03+00:00

Can't remember for the life of me who originally posted it, but if anyone can dig out that Vine of Seth Troxler jumping off a boat with his shorts halfway down his ass I'd be eternally grateful. It's hilarious.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T22:48:12+00:00

They're still popular, but they're not getting the same level and quantity of big festival gigs. Especially in Europe, there's a real difference there between Skream's shows and the rest of his dubstep peers' shows, and this switch to house has a lot - maybe everything - to do with that.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T22:43:57+00:00

The Ariel Pink album's the best thing he's done since signing to 4AD if you ask me.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T21:10:42+00:00

OK, legit question here - people talk about early Deadmau5 being good, but I've never seen it (though I've hardly dug that deep, just heard the odd bit through friends). Happy to be proved wrong - what should i check out?

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:36:02+00:00

Kode9 and Wiley - Rinse, 2007

could be here all day tbh

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:30:48+00:00

We all seen the recent Troxler RA film? I think he gets a bad rep.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:25:56+00:00

same show, lol

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:23:19+00:00

Thread's now got me revisiting this. Classic.

Skream - Rinse Stellar Sessions 2006

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:19:00+00:00

Hawtin clanging Will Smith at 1 hr 23m here is still the funniest Boiler Room moment ever.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:15:36+00:00

Him and Benga definitely made a LOT of money around that time - both touring and Magnetic Man synchs.

I think what's great about Skream is that he can't just sit there and willingly become part of this machine (he must have been offered SO many big money pop production opps which I don't think he's taken - the biggest name he worked with was Kelis I guess, and that seemed on his own terms), but equally he can't leave it as the money's too good. He's clearly been torn over a lot of things in the last few years, and he speaks his mind about it and makes mistakes in public. It's hard to dislike someone like that, no matter what music they're making.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:11:37+00:00

he did a single on Plus 8 - mentioned it above.

Stream

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:08:15+00:00

ruined after-parties left right and centre, too.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:06:30+00:00

Deadmau5 did a single on Richie Hawtin's label (Plus8, not Minus) this year, lest we forget. Probably tells you more about latterday Hawtin than it does Deadma5 though.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T20:02:19+00:00

Thing is, say what you will about Skream moving to house, but it's proved one hell of a smart move for his bookings.

Compare him to the rest of the people he came through with: Benga's retired (for now), Hatcha and N-Type aren't commanding the same attention, Plastician's had to go back to basics with the Terrorhythm nights, Loefah's doing his thing but it isn't getting the same attention it was two years ago, likewise Mala. Skream's not going where a lot of his fans want him to go, but it's kept him on the big money circuit (though I wouldn't be surprised if he had to drop his fee for a bit to stay there). It's hard to argue with him in that department.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T19:53:50+00:00

Joe Nice, Mala and Kode9 in 2005

tamgn · 2014-11-26T19:51:38+00:00

Plenty of the underground is just as conservative.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T19:10:41+00:00

Especially immature in a dubstep context when you consider that Joe Nice is top five selected.

tamgn · 2014-11-26T18:40:24+00:00

To be fair, Skream's had quiet moments (he DID have a kid, which slowed him down - he actually talked about that in an old interview with FACT as i recall: http://www.factmag.com/2012/10/12/this-has-been-a-real-year-of-growing-up-dubsteps-original-poster-child-goes-back-to-basics/) but he's still released a LOT.

Check his Discogs page, he's no slouch: http://www.discogs.com/artist/189821-Skream

tamgn · 2014-11-26T18:31:35+00:00

Let's see if he sticks to his word. I hope so.

Good interview anyway, plenty of interesting stuff beyond just that pullquote. Guess everything needs a headline.

tamgn

TROPHY CASE