A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Viral Radio Bristol Edition 07-05-2010

2010-06-22T21:02:00.002+01:00

Viral Radio Bristol Edition: Pinch @ Trouw Amsterdam
Date: 07-05-2010
Venue: Trouw Amsterdam
Full line-up: Juha / Cinnaman / Gemmy / Pinch / Joker

Pinch

Compilation of the evening

By Elize Bombeztic.

RADICAL #8 AMSTERDAM

2010-04-19T12:29:00.021+01:00

Date: (09-04-2010)

Venue: OT301 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

LineUp:

Ramadanman (UK)

Pariah (UK)

Myrkur (NL)

Beer *Live Trumpet *(NL)

Nika (NL)

www.soundsradical.com

Every 3 months me (Nika) and dj and producer Myrkur organise Radical, a clubnight in

Amsterdam. We had several party's with artists like Untold, Pangaea, Luke Envoy, Cyrus, Synkro, Indigo, Phaeleh and Bunzer0. Last friday it was our honour to have Ramadanman as our guest.

The party started slow around 22.00 with just a few people on the dancefloor. Excellent to start off with

some abstract beats and glitchy tunes.For the first time Beer played along with Myrkur on his trumpet. It was just a last minute idea, but it was a great succes. He will be back for sure!

At around midnight Pariah stepped behind the decks. It was his first gig outside the UK and he was quite nervous about it. But... there was absolutely no reason for that at all! What a great set. From old UK garage to house and dubstep. We were thrilled. Expect to hear more from him.

Video by Elize

After Pariah the crowd was really heated up and the place was stacked! Loads of people came to see Ramadanman and the expectations were high. And as excepted: the man never fails! What a big set. People loved it and Ramadanman himself enjoyed to the fullest. Hope to see him back in Holland again soon!

Video by Elize

Video by Jacquestourneur

At the end Myrkur and Beer played together again. Smashing the place with some drum and bass and heavy dubstep. What a great and various night. One of the best we had.... so far! Cuz the next one on 16th of July looks promising! Headhunter!

More pictures : flickr.com/rmkoolhoven

DMZ 5th B-Day @ Mass London 05-03-2010

2010-03-19T15:40:00.005Z

Venue: Mass Nightclub
Date: 05-03-10

Line up: Joe Nice, DMZ, Loefah, Joy Orbison, One Man, Hatcha, Ntype, Skream, Benga, Artwork, Chef, Quest, Distance, Pinch, Zed Bias, Jason Transition, Benny Ill, Orris Jay, Actress, Dave Q, Instra:mental, & Half a decade of support.
MC: Sgt Pokes, Crazy D.

DMZ 5th birthday. Rosa and I, had planned this London trip for quite some time and had been looking forward to a night of pure dubstep at the MASS. Rosa had already once attended the 3rd birthday but I had skipped that one. All I knew about the venue and the party were the stories, the pictures, and the video's. That's exactly the reason why we're putting this up on our blog, so the ones who missed it will get a feel of what it was like and for those who were there to reminisce. It was an amazing night. Finally some quality time to meditate on bassweight, with friendly folks, diverse DJ sets and many worthwhile rewinds. Culminating point of the evening in my opinion: new Coki banger and Mala jumping on top of the table next to the decks out of enthusiasm, challenged by Loefah to take a dive. A shout-out to all involved, Elize.

I feel partially dazed just remembering what transcribed on what was truly an amazing night. A night that was definitely for those who have stepping at heart. On the 5th of March Mass played host to the DMZ 5th Birthday with two rooms of sound that have changed the underground music scene in every city that this music has taken root in.

“May we all unite” is definitely the tag line for what transpired on this night. Dubstep has a global following and on these special occasions those from far and wide, put their credit cards to good use and travel on down to what has become one of the Mecca’s of Dubstep. With a star studded line up, it seemed like everybody was looking forward to meditating on bass weight. Send it out especially to: Rosa, Seckle, Orson (who was fresh off a plane), Joe 'Baltimore' Nice, Dave Q, and Georgina Cook; as these guys especially have been involved with Dubstep in their respective Cities for many years now and travelled from places on the other side of the Atlantic to take part in this joyous occasion. A celebration of five years of the DMZ night, a night started up in Third Bass by the Digital Mystikzs & Loefah, a group of artists who have been fundamental in shaping the sounds and the energy of Dubstep over the last seven years.

Distance B2B Pinch

So I had arrived, 'Motion in Murder' is one way to put it, that’s certainly how it felt as I got to the top of that winding staircase that seems to go on forever. This by no means is any stairway to heaven, what awaited at the top was nothing less than "50,000 Watt’s of pure funking BASS", and at this time Distance and Pinch were in full orchestration. These two make a great combination, you will hear it in their production and when commanding the decks. With Pinch taking you to the right and Distance taking you to the left; the party was kicking off and we were all about to get swept up in what turned out to be an incredible night. Pinch has a distinctive selection that allows him to stand out, drawing for tunes that are quite miminal, offsetting them with the busyness found in tunes like 'Tron' by Bristols own answer to Prince- Joker. The crowd really seemed to be in touch with the mood that was created especially by Distance, who started things of nicely with some fresh material, look out for 'Ill Kontent', 'Result of Sound', as well as reeling off favourites that make you clench your face and grit your teeth like 'Devastate'. Really loved when he dropped the VIP of 'Memory Loss'; one of my all time favourite Deleted Scenes productions; the collective name of collaborations between Distance and Pinch. Throughout the set the energy changed constantly, being upped by productions by Joy Orbison and Skream. I suppose we were having a party and these guys by any means were there for no other reason.

Ashley of Get Darker says “It’s great Distance and Pinch, playing together. Pinch brings that niceness and then Distance brings that Eruggh!” It was a great set from the duo, however I was a little disappointed with Distance for not playing any proper Distance classics; I would of loved to have heard 'Cyclops' or 'Night Vision', or for him to have ended with 'Feel Me'; a 130bpm tune that feels like no other. Either way it was an amazing set that both the DJ at the helm and the crowd seemed to be enjoying.

DMZ + Loefah

Where to begin, first of send it out to them and their gang on their 5^th Birthday and not forgetting Hijak as well who also was celebrating his birthday! So lets get to business. I suppose this is what people tend to travel far and wide to hear, the set that everybody looks forward to, the time when the engineer makes a conscious decision to turn up the master on the sound system and everyone prepares to get that little bit more sweaty! On this outing Mala, Loefah & Coki where playing two for two, moving in a circular motion like the dubplates on the decks themselves.

Mala started things off nicely, like he always does, playing something nice to lure us in to a false state of comfort before turning it up to that famous Spinal Tap special level of Eleven, it was time for the DMZ & Loefah to go one louder, time to push everyone over the cliff and that’s exactly what happened during this set. Now came the hour for the masses to meditate on bass weight.

One thing that comes to the forefront of my mind is the amount of energy there was during this set. Loefah started off with some 808 badness, playing some fresh bits, that was allowing the crowd to circulate. Nothing but riddem after riddem was drawn; from classic Skream with 'I' into Coki's 'All Of A Sudden', from 'Lean Forward' and 'Anti War Dub' there wasn’t a flaw that I could find in their performance. The sound was on point, Thanks to Will and Rio, and a loan of two awesome one of a kind Funktion One Speakers, courtesy of Space nightclub in Ibiza. Nothing but ruff beats, definitely a highlight of my night when' Ruffage' and 'Super Whatever' by XI was dropped, I like my subbed out stripped down rollers, so nothing gets better hearing tunes like that on a night like this one. Who remembers when Loefah played Beyonce's 'Video Phone' to the crowds delight? Maybe its not Dubstep but it sure as hell went off, in Poax’s word’s “Murder!”, definitely worthy of getting a pull up.

It was an intense set from start to finish, definitely vibes, there wasn’t anyone around the way that wasn’t smiling throughout the duration of this set, a sense of unity, this was especially felt when the needle began to make it’s way around the one tune that can sum up the DMZ Dubstep scene for me; 'Anti War Dub'! “We don’t want to fight tonight”… “Raise your glasses” as Poaxs said, “It’s about people coming together from wherever”… "I don’t wanna see no more bloodshed", “ Raise your hand’s, raise your glasses raise your lighters”. The energy of the crowd singing a long at this point was at it’s peak, for any of you who didn’t attend but were at DMZ last year, when Mala dropped 'Eyez' and had the crowd play sing along, it was of a similar feeling.

Send it out to Coki forth with a next level of 'violation', all I can describe is that this one tune sounded like some kind of a drill after what seamed to be some Count Dracula interlude, whatever the case, I remember turning to to Emma Warren, expecting the worst, saying - “Brace yourself it’s coming…”. The tune for Coki selection at this moment in time is untitled but definitely had the same effect as 'Sponge Bob' and 'Goblin', two other Dubstep club anthems produced by the enigma that is Coki. For all those who were not in attendance this truly was a set for the Dubsteppahs amongst us. Hold tight Loefah by the way for playing audio from the Redbull Sound Clash; once again the Digital Mystikzs seemed gunning to kill any sound…

Benga, Artwork & Skream

They say the number five along with the number three are powerful and mystical numbers, I suppose with what had already transcribed over the past few hours, that would definitely add weight to this notion; especially with what was to come next from Benga, Artwork & Skream. The three apparently had been locked away in a secret location with the idea of making nothing but beat’s and given that these three have produced some of the most instantly recognisable and acclaimed tunes that fall under the Dubstep umbrella: collaboration on such a magnitude can only result in some banging basslines, and on the most part we were not disappointed.

The trio came with an arsenal of dance floor movers and shakers, starting off pretty heavy, maintaining that high previously set by the Mystiks & Loefah. They came in hard and fast. That tune with P Money on the vocal’s- the only thing you could say to this when it dropped was "Guilty!". I was very impressed with the hybrid grime beats they were playing such as "I Can’t Wait No More" featuring Footsie and D Double E of the Newham Generals. There were so many tunes they played that I hadn’t heard before which had so much energy and movement. Definitely this was the party set of the night. They broke into an eyes down ravey segment that I wasn’t feeling too tuff but then followed up with tunes like Skream's 'Clap Your Hands' and a few others with that 'bang-on-the-beat' kind of feel that the crowd seemed to love. It was a great set that contrasted the sounds of the DMZ crew, but that’s what DMZ is about; showcasing the broad sprectrum of sounds that is Dubstep.

Chef B2B Quest

Of all DJ set’s Chef & Quest was most probably my favourite in terms of listening. I especially have to send it out to Quest from the Anti Social Entertainment. He most certainly is up there among my favourite Dubstep DJ’s at this moment in time. Both him and Chef were blending like nobodies business taking the hi’s from the left deck and the low’s from the right- Dubstep 'mash ups'. That’s what makes this genre of music one of the most interesting to listen to in the mix; tunes like 'Loveless' by Jack Sparrow & Signus, 'Tell Me, Tell Me' by Von D and Show Me were featuring in this set as well a some fresh untitled ones from LD and Skream, 'Transformers' and another Grime/Dubstep remix of 'Boy Of The Ting'. It was certainly great to hear another grime artist being played at DMZ on this particular night, given that it was the genre of music that was most influential in my playground, during my young teen days. The tune of the set most certainly was 'Clap Your Hands' the Drumsound & Bassline Smith Dubstep Mix– you know the one “ Somebody shout Hallelujah! Somebody shout Amen!”. Raise your hands for that one there, as it is testament to the sounds of Chef and Quest, nothing but technical technique came from these two amazingly talented DJ’s.

N-Type B2B Hatcha

At last we come to the final hour, it’s taken a chicken burger, 5 hot wings and four bottles of water, a toilet break and about 100 different conversations to get here. It’s time for Hatcha Vs N-Type. Hatcha started things of with some Dubstep from yesteryear , taking those still going strong back to the grass roots of this movement that the multitude of those who attended DMZ are a part of. Crazy D was hosting this set, squeezing the last bit of energy out of the crowd. N-Type for the early part of the set was playing the opposite; rolling out more recent flavours– a battle of old versus new. 'Exterminate', went off incredibly plus a few bits by up-and-coming producer Benton on Futurism recordings. I caught the first and the last fifteen of their set before going to check out Joy Orbison and Oneman in room 2. Check out the wonky footage for a sense of the energy that still remained as those lights turned on.

Oneman B2B Joy Orbison

So far I have not spoken much about Room 2, it featured acts such as Oris Jay and Zed Bias– two originators of the Dubstep sound. Actress Vs Instramental were dropping some oldskool that everybody who was either chilling on the seats at the back of this room or were down in the pit seemed to be in love with. Jason Transition played an absolutely wicked set for the most part. He has an amazing selection and a library of dubs that stretch back beyond most of our memories. Finally, Oneman & Joy Orbison with the one like Asbo hosting. As far as set’s go in room two, the 1^st prize goes to the last set of the night– it was emotional. I remember being particularly worn out at this moment in time, hell the night was so exciting I think that everyone was feeling it in some way shape or form. I remember being pulled back and forth between the rooms, hearing fresh Dubstep tracks in Room 1 only for an excitable person to come and whisk me away to hear the classic set that Oneman and Joy Orbison were throwing down. Every time I went to sit down, I would then leap to my feet as instrumental after instrumental was dropped. My high point… Spitting the bar’s to 'I love you'– “If a girl knows where you stay that’s poor”. Send it out to Mz Beatz’s who was always in eye shot skanking hard at this particular point in time. It was an amazing night, sorry to all those who were unable to attend. Just make sure you're at the next one.

The crew

Text: Grand, intro Elize

Pictures: Rosa, Grand and Elize, after effects by Rosa at nikanika.com

Videofootage: Grand

More pics to be found over here

Thanks to Ethereal & all who were there.

Oi! @ 5daysoff Paradiso Amsterdam 04-03-2010

2010-03-17T23:17:00.000Z

5daysoff Festival 2010: Oi!
Venue: Paradiso, Amsterdam
Date: 04-03-2010
Full line-up main area hosted by Oi!: Joker, Kutz, Hatcha, Datsik, Gomes
Full line-up small area hosted by Dub Infusions/Planet KL: R Funk, Swindle, Presk, Astroposer, Elijah&Skilliam

First up the godfather of Oi!, Dj Gomes himself. This man knows what turns on a crowd and his parties have been growing in popularity these past years to become a sell-out nearly every time. Watch out for his own productions as well, with some releases coming up at Oi! Recordings together with Dion47.

Oi! / Gomes

Don't hestitate to skip the next video to 01:27 to see the wildest dubstep pit you've probably ever seen. The Dutch are a bit mental... (please don't take their example) And Kutz provided them with the right tunes to go loose. The man probably played crowdwise the best tune selection of the evening.

Oi! / Kutz

In between some time for Elijah&Skilliam, the Butterz duo, playing a wide selection of grime, funky and dubstep in the small area hosted by Planet KL. These guys have an ear for hot tunes and upcoming producers in the grime scene. Follow their adventures over here

Oi! / Elijah&Skilliam

Next up Joker. A very talented young producer he is and he played a very versatile set. Some people had difficulty getting into his flow as it was so different from the bangers played by Kutz, but it was inspiring nevertheless.

Oi! / Joker

Last man I got to watch this eve was Hatcha. He was a last minute booking as Rusko got stuck at the airport, but didn't need any introduction himself of course. The crowd build up their crescendo of enthusiasm, to explode at Datsik's set which I unfortunately had to miss due to some sleep issues for a flight to DMZ the next day (oh boy...)

Oi! / Hatcha

Text: Elize Bombeztic / Pictures: Ali @ Kenzy0172 / Video footage: Elize Bombeztic

AntiSocial @ Sonic Warfare Amsterdam

2010-03-09T22:26:00.000Z

Always a pleasure to have the AntiSocial family in town! Quality music, good vibes and vodka!

Some pictures of the leaders:

Silkie

Quest

and ofcourse
Kromestar

Saints and Sinners @ Sin City

2010-03-01T22:54:00.000Z

Sin City!

Venue: Plan B, Brixton, London

Date: 12-02-2010

Line-up: David Rodigan, Hatcha, Ntype, Walsh, Heny G, Jay 5, Soul Jazz, Youngsta, Flava D, Apple Blim, Ramadan Man, JDA Flex, Scientist, Oneman Brokey, Ms Dynamite.

MC: Crazy D, Viper, Mad B, Toast

When I arrived there was still quite a large queue of people outside, waiting to get into from what the word-on-my- phone was a slamming party; with that line up I suppose it could not have been anything but that! On this night Sin city records, meet-head-to-head with the Red Bull Music Academy.

After saying goodbye to those ever so kind security guards on the door, I immediately was embraced by the hard-hitting vocals of the one like Ms Dynamite: "What! What!" reverberating through the spaces left unoccupied in the main room. The place was buzzing and her vocals seemed to add to what seemed to be quite an energetic atmosphere. At this point Room 1 was bursting and I couldn’t help but ponder the fate of those outside. There was most definitely a buzz as Ms Dynamite performed on stage, both her and the music sounding great and as she was just finishing by that time I said my "hey, hey’s"!

As I looked around everyone was jumping and they sure as hell didn’t look like they were going to be taking a nap anytime soon when DJ Rodigan stepped up on to the main stage for his hour of power. I like to think of him as DJ meets storyteller, a wise soul trying to educate the generations that are coming up underneath him. He did what he does best, playing a selection of exclusive dub plates from out of 'Jamaica Way', telling the tales of the King Tubby sound. I guess his sets are actually a story, his story of musical tales from way back when to present day. Truly entertaining in every way plus he is the only DJ who would play tunes like "On the Rocks" by Mavado followed by "My Girl Lollipop"! There was nothing but a saluting crowd with the flicker of camera flashes showing appreciation- Hold tight DJ Rags, as she was singing along with pretty much everyone else next to me at this point!

While the bulk of the masses were upstairs, those among us who tend to smile subtly at the feeling generated by that of a low frequency sound wave, were getting ready for Youngsta; to bring forth the sounds of some dark and dangerous Dubstep; deep, down underground in the basement room of Plan B. Two good friends- Dean and Nina, had already taken refuge in front of one of the speakers situated in one of the corners, bracing themselves for the impact that this DJ never fails to bring. He played a great set, he kept it mellow, not allowing the energy levels to peak too high, doing what he does best, a mix and a subtle blend- a DJ for the eyes down listener, for the bass hunters that lurk in those venues that provide those big city nights with Toast hosting alongside for what was a great set. The only thing that marred Youngstas performance however, was the sound. Room two really could just do with a little bit more sub! With those low ceilings and it's box like shape, it'd be fantastic if it was just that little bit louder, maybe a word with management from you readers will get things changed!

After Youngsta, SoulJazz played a collection of Dub and Reggae to an appreciative crowd of folk who where either still intact after Youngsta set or had flowed downstairs during DJ Brockies DnB & Jungle set. Both rooms as this point were pumping out a selection of tunes for the connoisseur and for us young 'uns that wished we were part of the crowd that first witnessed such tunes back when the acetate was just freshly pressed.

Send it out to the SoulJazz collective once more, it is always a pleasure to hear them play! Their sound complemented Heny G and Jay 5 who stepped into the booth next- an old school partnership that likes to bring with them the melodies of Gangsta Boogie Music and Anti Social Entertainment. They definitely have their own swagger, selecting from an arsenal of in-house productions to the likes of Skream, Mala, D1, Kromestar and Benga. Speaking of Kromestar, his self and Walsh where throwing down some wobblers like 'Jabba Jaw' in the main room, sending those basslines running through a moving crowd. MC's Crazy D and Mad B where hosting, with man like Viper & Ms Dynamite joining in the fray. That mic was being passed around, as if it were a hot potato, definitely a treat for everyone inside. It was truly a great show from the Biscuit Factory partnership. Basslines were indeed running through everyones body at this particular point in time.

For the rest of the night my attention was focused upstairs. As the clock struck four, Hatcha and N-Type stepped up to command the crowd’s attention. With a filthy assortment of jump-up Dubstep rhythms they did just that. Hold tight N-Type letting off one of my favorite tunes of the moment 'Exterminate'! Their back-to-back consisted of a number of energetic tunes from the likes of Jakes, Distance, Flux Pavilion, Benga, and their own in-house productions. Check out 'Wheel & Deal Records' for a list of tracks by The Others and an array of newcomers.

The night finished of with a set from J Da Flex representing the Ghost camp. For those with the stamina, he came with some new levels for us, continuing where N-Type & Hatcha left off, rolling out tracks like 'Club Music- El-B featuring D Twist' and 'Knucklin' featuring Jammer', as well as bits from the man like Skream. He played a high octane set for those who still had the stamina to dance it out to the end. It was a great party for the month of February. I truly am looking forward to what the boys and girls at Sin City have on the bill for us next!

By Grand

Untitled! Antwerp 20-02-2010

2010-03-01T21:33:00.000Z

Untitled!
Date: 20-02-2010
Venue: Trix, Antwerp Belgium
Line-up: Caspa, Breakage, Tes La Rok, Hijak, Dice & Kastor, Grimelock, Goldorak & Solpher

As the trailer of the last party was prosperous, and we both had to miss it due to other dubstep parties, we were really looking forward to this edition of Untitled! Starring Caspa, the uppersubsoldier of Dub Police; Breakage, one of the most credited producers of the moment and Tes La Rok, the Finnish heavyweight in bassmusic.
We arrived in time and nearly sat through the night. First up were Goldorak and Solpher, Antwerp and Untitled! residents, recently having started their own dubstepeve: Shakedown. We heard a lot of Skreamizm and other party material preparing the crowd for a good show.

Hijak

Next up was 'that other resident dj' Hijak. Ever since Jak played at the first Untitled! the chemistry between these two got unleashed and he's been there ever since. Four years has turned him into 'part of the furniture' as he has referred to himself and he's always good fun to have around. He smashed it again at this party.

Breakage

Third in line was Breakage. Drumnbass, dubstep, collaborated with Roots Manuva, remixed Sidney Samson, it's clear that James has proved himself to be a versatile producer and to big success. His latest release Hard still makes crowds go mental as he proved at Untitled! and he's about to release his album Foundation this month, throwing a launch party at Fabric on March 12th.

Caspa

Then subsoldier Caspa, with Breakage on the mic. Unfortunately Pokes couldn't make it, because he had to be at DMZ in Leeds. We really missed his presence this evening, but James was up for some mic activity, actually inspiring Caspa to do the same a bit later as this pic shows. And what to expect from mister Dub Police when behind the decks? A whole lotta tunage of course!

Tes La Rok

The final dj in this international line-up was Tes La Rok. Having just returned from his USA tour and working on a forthcoming album, he made his first appearance on the Untitled! stage. He choose to continue the energetic flow of tunage violence but mixed it with essential dubinfluenced records, and of course some of his own releases and remixes of the past years. His new album material however is more next level stuff: deep and dark, like Virus.

After this Grimelock hit the stage energetically. By this time however both Nika and me were feeling utterly relaxed (or maybe a little sleepy) and decided to get going. Pity we missed Dice and Kastor but we're sure the crowd has been very content with this evening, and its promoters alike. Sold out, with 1400 people inside and a good atmosphere without any casualties. What else is there to wish for? Well we heard a lot of heavy tunes, but felt the energy in the audience could have been a bit more excited. Maybe it's us crazy Dutch folk, or the winterdepression slowing people down a bit. Our latest memory was the party in September 2009 and we recall seeing a bit of moshpit energy back then. It was a good one though!

More pictures here and a brilliant AOOA compilation of the eve here

Text and footage: Rosa Maria @ nikanika.com and Elize Bombeztic

Brrrap! Dutch Label and Producers

2010-02-22T16:09:00.000Z

Brrrap! started as a Fanzine on the ins and outs in the (Dutch) Dubstep scene, founded by Osiris and Class/A. In 2010 they are ready to start a monthly clubnight and even their own record label! Last Wednesday they celebrated the new release of Dutch producer TMSV forthcoming on Brrrap! label. On the night itself TMSV and more of the finest Dutch producers lined up and played their tunes. I want to take a moment to introduce them to you and I hope you'll take the time to listen to these young and brave talents!

TMSV

TMSV is one of the new and fresh talents signed on the Brrrap! Recordlabel. His tunes Flames and Ground Zero will be released in May 2010. But...a bit more interesting for today..: his track Subconscious Brain is released on Subways Tube10 label and got supported by artists like Distance, Joe Nice and Boomnoise. For more tunes check TMSV soundcloud.

PRESK

Presk Presk Presk Presk Presk... remember the name! Big things coming up for this producer from the Netherlands. His awesome bouncy Jump KrisKross tune was played by Mary Anne Hobbs in the BBC Experimental show (listen at 0.46) and he will be playing a live set at Oi! during the 5DaysOff festival in Paradiso, Amsterdam. Expect loads of trance, house and techno sounds! Soundcloud/presk

MYRKUR

Myrkur, my Radical partner in crime. Signed by the labels Subbalicious, Brrrap! and the french F.4.T. Music. His tunes are known for the melancholic sounds and mysterious voices. Influenced by Sigur Ros and Radiohead his tunes can trigger your deepest emotions. Lately he has been producing more uptempo stuff with dubtech elements. Check it out on the mans soundcloud.

ASTROPOSER

And then... the very interesting and higly talented Dutch producer Astro Poster. I like to say that we are dealing with the Dutch Flying Lotus / Hudson Mohawke. After 10 years of abusing vst's, mixing up idm, hiphop, and techno with the sounds of creased paper, plastic cups or copy machines, Astroposer has managed to create his own style. Click on the Myspace link and digg in

By Rosa Maria

The Firm 05-02-2010 at Paradiso, Amsterdam

2010-02-20T10:18:00.000Z

The Firm
Date: 05-02-2010
Venue: Paradiso, Amsterdam
Two rooms: big room drum'n bass hosted by Def:Inition, UK

small room dubstep hosted by Oi!, NL

One of the UK's biggest drumnbass organisations teams up with one of Hollands' biggest dubstep organisations. Guaranteed: one big messy party!

Oi! / DJ Jakes

In October 2009 DJ Gomes was invited to play a set at the Def:inition party at club Hidden in London, where dubstep and drumnbass were both part of the line-up and the UK crowd is loving it. As drumnbass in The Netherlands is still alive but not the same as it was back in 2004, this was a first try-out to see how Amsterdam would respond to a big party combining drumnbass and dubstep together. A chance to see if these two can mix and amplify each other and see how the Dutch-UK collaboration would work. Well it worked out pretty fine, with both areas fully packed, a cheerful backstage and a lot of happy faces in the crowd and on stage. I must say that both Nika and me were here to enjoy the party and we both missed out some of the sets. The most important thing is however the atmosphere at a new party and it was great. Hope to see some more of this in 2010!

Oi! / DJ Gomes

Def:inition / DJ Inter

Text and footage: Elize Bombeztic

Mala at Dub Infusions 29-01-2010 Utrecht, NL

2010-02-20T09:02:00.000Z

Mala & El-B at Dub Infusions
Date: 29-01-2010
Venue: Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht

Complete line-up: El-B, Mala, Bojcot & FKA
Hosted by Planet KL / Visuals by Malu:sin

Both Nika and me arrived a bit late due to the heavy snowfall in our country and the line at the entrance. Fortunately, we came in just in time for El-B's set, only having missed the openingsets of Utrecht resident dj's Bojcot and FKA. Pity we missed their warm-up but excited to hear from El-B, because personally I like the old school 2step and garage vibe a lot. I heard a lot of awesome tunes, but after his set I had some mixed feelings about it. His tune selection was a bit off, mixing the old dubstep with some fine 2step sounds but also with some 'let's throw a moshpit'-wobbles. I was not completely satisfied but that changed when Mala did his thing. Slowly building up his set, every steppah trying to anticipate how much deeper and further these riddims could take us, crescending to screams and a big applause of the audience. On the Dutch forum it was referred to as a 'collective eargasm'.

Fuel for the mind, taking us to a state of deeper consciousness. The grin upon my face widened when even the venue decided to stay open for nearly an extra hour so Mala could continue with still a small crowd left. Magic.

One more song.. please?

Pictures: Rosa Maria @ nikanika.com
Videofootage and text: Elize Bombeztic

Lockdown 012 16-01-2010 Amsterdam

2010-02-20T08:36:00.000Z

Just a little update on what's been happening the past month in Amsterdam/NL...

Lockdown 012

Date: January 16th 2010
Location: some boat in Amsterdam
Dj's: Cinnaman, Aardvarck, Akkachar, +
King Shiloh Sound System

Lockdown is an organisation that thinks out of the box by throwing their parties at the strangest locations. Because these have become quite a success, you have to get a ticket beforehand in selected shops or with one of the organisers and on the night of the party call a specific number. This party, 'the boat edition', was sold out and therefore imagine 600 people on a boat that can hold no more, with a big soundsystem up front and most people situating themselves around it.

That was one fun but sweaty trip, sailing through the Amsterdam harbour till 6 in the morning...

Text and footage: Elize Bombeztic

Snor Festivity Eindhoven, NL

2010-02-19T00:03:00.001Z

Hello there.

Little something from Rosa Maria.

11^th of February I went to a music festivity in Eindhoven, Holland, to take some pictures. The festival was called SnorFestival, what means Mustache Festival! Fun night guaranteed. This festival was organized by the Design Academy and had a diverse line-up for this evening, as you could see from this awesome trailer.

I would like to have your attention for a few acts that were performing that night. First of all there was Fyoelk, a shy guy from Amsterdam, playing his experimental music in the middle of the crowd. He brought loads of energy at the beginning of the evening. His table was filled with keyboards and other electronics, controlling them live, making it fun to watch. You should check out his myspace and this music video, I am already a big fan.

Next up; Baths from the USA, Los Angeles. Were all the magic seems to happen. After the big hit album of Flying Lotus, Baths seems to be taking the new lead. Oh may days, how I adore his Lovely Bloodflow track on his myspace. Weird sounds, offbeat and mysterious vocals, Baths played an energetic set. With candlelight and all! Keep an eye on this one. ..keep an ear..hm. Just get to know his music and love it. Go!

Last but definitely not least, Viral Radio’s dreamteam from Amsterdam, Juha and Cinnaman. For their set the crowd had to move to another location (and another dimension?). I was a bit afraid that a lot of people wouldn’t join us, but luckily I was totally wrong. The love was big and the people were longing for some more beats. Juha and Cinnaman played a set as they are known for. Futuristic sounds, heavy beats, next level vocals and tunes you can only dream of having on your ipod someday! Dimlite, Eprom, Joker, Hudson Mohawke, you know the deal.

INTRO STYLI!

2010-02-01T00:41:00.001Z

From out of that and into this! It’s 2010, it's a new decade and who knows what direction the genre known as Dubstep will evolve into within the next few years. It's astonishing, as five years ago it was relatively unknown, constricted to a few places within the gritty streets of the City of London rearing its head elsewhere every so often through the hopes and dreams of a dedicated following. For many moons I spent a portion of my time documenting the scene, seeing whom I could, and going as far as my commitments at home and bank balance would take me. Five years on and it is as if the music and artists contributing know no bounds, from London to Tokyo, Dubstep has spread like a virus overcoming all those who for many a year seemed to do what they could to develop some sort of vaccine for it. For those that know me, you'll know I have I have a unique perspective in this scene and it's only right that since I have been granted that privilege that I share it with all those who are courteous enough to scan this blog. Being 2010 then it's only right I start things off proper by bringing to you Big City Night's, a " Tale of two Cities"– an insight from a Steppah's perspective, into the different urban underground scenes that I transgress upon, focusing predominantly within the bpm range of Dubstep. However this inception is brought to you with the help of a little bit of space designer for some added twist... All right! I am not really into long speeches so with this blog I am going to switch the pace and change the style! I've managed to get onboard two of Holland's first Ladies of Dubstep, Rosa Maria (Nika: Radical) and Elize Bombeztic, who will be helping to keep us up to date with what’s going on in the nights they are heading to on the continent. And now something from our sponsors! My name is Rosa Maria Koolhoven, aka Nika. I’m a graphic design student and I party it up in the Netherlands. In my spare time I work as a photographer and graphic designer under the name Nikanika.com. Since 2006 I’ve been involved in the (Dutch) Dubstep scene. In 2007 I started to document all that I could with my pictures, going to as many events as I could with the likes of artists such as Skream, Benga, Caspa, The Others, Rusko, Kromestar, Mala, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke and many more. Next to photographing at events, I've also been asked to photograph dj's and crews such as Distance, The Others, Seven, Kromestar, F-one and Dubstars for promotional material, websites and cd and record covers. Some of my photographs have also been published in magazines and newspapers like DJMag and NME. I visit London whenever I can to go to nights such as DMZ, FWD and Dub Police, or I visit my friends at GetDarkerTV. But I’m mostly active in Amsterdam at parties like Sonic Warfare, Viral Radio, Lockdown, Mosh and Oi!. I also organize my own night named Radical in Amsterdam with DJ and producer Myrkur and now and then I'm playing some tunes myself. So if you're ever in town look us up and come and meditate on bass weight with us. My name is Elize Bosker aka Bombeztic. I love to write, to share, to play and to experience (music) most of all. Utrecht resident, Amsterdam visitor, world traveler. Back in 2006 Nika introduced me to this tune that was different from all other (electronic) music I'd heard before. It reminded me of some of the Jungle and DnB I’d listened to and of a band I got introduced to back in 2003: High Tone. But this was deep, these basslines made me shiver. We went to the first Sonic Warfare and my love for dubstep was born. So far I’ve been to every big Oi! and loads of other parties like Viral Radio, Dub Infusions, Radical, Dubstep a GoGo, Dubstance, Untitled!, Rotation, Slam It!, FWD, Def:inition and Sonic Warfare. Most of all just for my own sake, but slowly I’ve grown more into the scene and got to know the people involved. Since last year I’ve picked up my video camera to do something useful in documenting parties every once in a while as well. The stuff I'm going to write for A Tale of Two Cities will most of all be an attempt to capture the specific vibe of the evening in words and sometimes in video footage. I've written for several blogs, both personal and music or art related, and I work at a media company in online advertising. Besides that my biggest passion is dancing and I especially love doing that to some really heavy basslines! With intro now done and dusted, I hope you'll watch this space, take on board what ever it is I have to say and debate about it in a gentlemanly fashion as us Brits are known for doing.