"Witnessing Swamp torture the 1200's is like watching a magic show."
Urb magazine
Swamp began mastering his DJ skills more than 15 years ago. In 1996, his rookie year, he took the title of USA DMC CHAMPION. Being true to his nature in an arena that was predominantly influenced by a very hip hop-esque culture, Swamp stepped up to the decks looking like some kind of junky punk. He was well received by the audience despite his counter-culture appearance because he exhibited skills that defied perception and already possessed a stage presence that many of his contemporaries still lacked. The finale came when he closed his set by freakin' Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' and then smashing his records.
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"DJ Swamp is unquestionably one of my favorite musicians. His talent is simply undeniable. What I love is how each and every time he has put on a performance, whoever I brought with me that night became an instant fan. Literally, I'd compare it to the spreading of a disease [that has] no cure. It is always sensational to watch him." (Thank you, Jack)
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Although he's a hip-hop/d&b artist, his demeanor and appearance are closer to that of a metal head. He has been referred to as "the Sid Vicious of the DJ's", and has been known to have violent on-stage fits more characteristic of a rock star than of a hip-hop turntablist. While it's easy to compare him to rock/punk legends, in the world of DJ's he stands alone. Roguish behaviors such as: breaking his records then cutting himself with the fragmented remains; spitting fire; and performing cunnilingus on diamond-tipped phonograph needles really only provides the frame work to showcase what those that are in the 'know' recognize as extraordinary turntable skills. Breakbeats, scratching, juggling, and mutilating LPs and vinyl without losing the beat are all a part of a day at the 'office' for Swamp. Sometimes they end with a trip to the hospital: "I had to go to the hospital in Phoenix recently with second-degree burns," Swamp said from his publicist's office in New York. "I lit my hand on fire and then blew fire on it and basically became a blow torch. I don't use fire retardant or anything because this is low budget. Dude, I'm just a fire retard."
For four years DJ swamp toured as a member of beck's band. Immediately following his decision to depart from the band, swamp released his solo debut album, 'never is now' and toured to back the release. His decision to go out on his own gave him just the independence that he was looking for and opened up the avenue to self-expression that both he and the fans were seeking.
Contrary to how he flows when rhyming (eg. "How can I dis you, I've never even heard of you"-lyrics from 'Worship the Robot'), he expresses a certain sense of reverence when reflecting on the path he's traveled. When considering how he's managed to maintain critical mass his response is typically "I'm the luckiest person you'll ever meet. Something's always popping up. I'm just in the right place at the right time." Statements like that shouldn't suggest that he hasn't worked hard or employed incredible ingenuity to get where he is. He procured the spot with Beck by posing as a reporter to pass off his demo in person.
Swamp says that he draws off of his environment and a ten year affinity with a nameless muse for inspiration. He observes "what's going on" and converts his impressions into his art. His musical influences range from hip hop, to metal, punk, industrial and anything in between.
DJ Swamp has graced the pages of: Rolling Stone, Spin, Subculture, Raygun, Mean, DJ Times, Keyboard, Rap Sheet, Mixer, Rap Pages, The LA Times, and Urb.
"For those unfamiliar with the ballroom
house scene: we’re far from experts ourselves, though Chantal
Renault’s recent photo book Voguing: Voguing and the House Ballroom
Scene of New York City 98-92 and accompanying compilation for Soul
Jazz – not to mention Steve Shaw’s excellent recent piece on
MikeQ for FACT – makes us wish we were.
In short, it’s a mostly black, gay
dance scene synonymous with New York and New Jersey and competitive
dancing; in the ‘90s, the scene’s emphasis on “throwing shade”
– one queen giving attitude to another – reached new levels, and
dancers battled on the floor for the glory of their house, in the
spirit of a model representing a fashion house on the catwalk. In
recent years, MikeQ has emerged as the voguing new school’s most
celebrated DJ and producer: his sample-heavy tracks combine the
stepping feel of classic ballroom with a razor-sharp modern edge
(often built around the Master of Work-sampling “ha” crash that
appears on many of his, and other ballroom producers’ tracks),
throwing nods to UK Funky and Night Slugs style club music; Night
Slugs artist Kingdom, in fact, recently released some of MikeQ’s
music on his new label Fade to Mind."
Mux Mool -Planet High School (2012)
[Ghostly] // Grade: A-
If Mux Mool’s debut full-length
Skulltaste rounded up the familiar sounds of NES-generation suburban
boredom, Planet High School channels its mid-20-something future
self: The older brother a few years out of college, still enamored of
all that frantic wackiness, sure, just slightly more even-keeled in
expressing it. We’re not talking some major about-face here — Mux
Mool’s still dealing in the same shades of chiptune, drum and bass,
downtempo and hip-hop that defined Skulltaste — but there’s
enough confidence and restraint about Planet High School to make you
wonder if maybe, just maybe, Brian Lindgren’s beginning to chill
out. You know, a little.
Because really, Planet High School
shines brightest in its most relaxed moments. Lindgren’s production
goes all buttery and smooth here, with tracks like “Ruin
Everything” and the prancing two-step staccato of “Palice
Chalice” building effortlessly into a labyrinth of beat and bass.
There’s something almost Royksopp-ish about the way these harmonies
weave through each other, even the harsher, bitcrushed arpeggios of
“Raw Gore”; it’s that instant emotional connection of notes to
nostalgia, a tough-to-define atmosphere shifting its mood with every
measure.
‘Course, this being Mux Mool and all,
that mood often shifts into sheer sonic overload. The back-and-forth
breakbeats of “Live at 7-11”, that wicked wobble in “Get Yer
Alphabets (Guns)”; this is where Planet High School sends your head
spinning, goes vertiginous in all its ramped up excitement. It’s
that iconic Skulltaste vibe, only here it’s treated as an accent to
the album’s pacing rather than its heavy core. You might wonder how
you got from point A to B, but rest assured: Planet High School
always spins you back around to center. Just like a good older
brother should.
For over 17 years, Danny Corn has been on the vanguard of electronic
music, leaving the trends to other people. As a DJ, he is known as an
instrumental player in the formation of the "west coast" sound. Over the
years Danny Corn has traveled extensively and played with just about
everybody who has made moves in the scene. A champion of syncopated,
bass heavy music, Danny Corn rides the edge of experimental sounds,
whilst staying firmly committed to the dance floor. Portland, OR has
found Danny Corn taking time to channel all of his experience into music
production. His current sets are a eclectic mix of originals,
exclusives and personal favorites.
Ghost Feet is an electro-acoustic duo composed of Calvin Erdal and
Rachel Dubuc. The release of their debut EP Wires and Chords on Dropping Gems has introduced a world of listeners to their brand of glitchy
head-nodding ambiance. Receiving coverage and acclaim from notable
sources all over the internet, including XLR8R and Resident Advisor,
Wires has demonstrated the spectrum of emotions the duo are capable of
commanding. Their live show takes things a step further, introducing
audiences to a full experience sometimes only implied on record. As
Calvin recreates the busy percussion and Rachel strums out dusky
melodies on her guitar, the tones and rhythmic shape of their music take
on a massively visceral quality. The effect on the members of the
audience is clear to anyone in attendance: dancing and hypnosis, to be
found in equal measure.
Seattle native DJAO, aka Alex Osuch, has been a DJ for over a decade,
but the last two years have seen him shift focus towards his work as a
producer. It began at the in-office studio of a former employer, where
he was permitted to come in after-hours and hungrily experiment late
into the night. It’s been in the past year, however, that his music has
really begun to take shape and flourish. After joining up with Dropping Gems, Alex began to produce in earnest, and his live performances have
since evolved on a nearly show-by-show basis. His music covers a wide
swath of the electronic spectrum, with no ultimate plan to settle on
any single style. Instead it exemplifies the progressive tradition of
mixing elements from different disciplines into a cohesive whole, in
service to a central harmonic vision.
With various years under his belt exploring diverse public and private
audio/ visual/ installation experiences, JT helps bring the party
inside to Seattle bars + clubs. Hooker DJs eclectic tunes, runs refined
and dirty beatbox effects over other DJs, and creates live, customized
video projections and lighting installations at stunning spaces in
Seattle + beyond.
The “audiovoid” sound is generally thick, edgy, and heavily psychedelic. Focusing mostly on (but certainly not limited to) breaks and midtempo/glitch-hop oriented sounds. While the “LayerZ” sound has been focused heavily on the vibe of dubstep inspired material. However, as the name suggests, it is usually anything but sparse. generally cramming several twisted layers of lush melody, intricate sound design, and unexpected change-ups into the mix.
From early involvement in Metal bands at around the age of 12 to the eventual journey towards IDM, Techno, Psy-Trance, D&B, Breaks, and Electro, L.G. was never limited to just one genre. Groups like ‘The Orb’, ‘NIN’, ‘MBM’, and ‘Art of Noise’ were also early influences. In 1998 he began djing and within another year was diving diving head first into full on electronic audio production. In 2002 eighty minutes of material from various demos and musical sample mashup/experiments were compiled to form his first (Now Out Of Print) full length CD, “Twilight Machine” which was Only available in ‘Physical Cdr’ form at Amoeba Music. In 2003, Ultra Records nominated him a top finalist for a remix he did of Sasha’s ‘Wavy Gravy’. In 2004 he released “”Disconnect Yourself” on MDEX Recordings and has more recently released some Mind Bending Breaks, IDM and Dubstep on Muti Music as well as the “Online Only” album titled ‘Whispers From ShadowZ’ on the “Addictech Records” Label.
Heavenly Father - LA
People Music egretfully announces that HEAVENLY FATHER will NOT be able to attend due to a lost luggage situation on an international flight last evening. Heavenly Father feels awful for missing the show and extends a heartfelt apology to the people of Seattle, and promises to make up the show at a later date in the very near future.
SPLATINUM is the collaboration of Andrew Luck and Adam Houghton. Their musical output spans genres but the common element of devastating low-end threads through every composition.
Their recorded output is matched by a hyperkinetic live performance that pushes the envelope of electronic improvisation and showmanship. Combined with their flair for the dramatic and crowd interaction their shows pulse with enthusiasm and energy.
“Luck and Dosadi’s rhythms and bass frequencies slug and surge with a thrilling high impact”
“every sound seems to be massaged extensively and genetically tweaked to
maximize grimy bling-osity, coating the tracks in high-gloss soot” –
Dave Segal, The Stranger
The sonic wizard that exists on this Earth as NovaTRON (aka the Breakbeat JEDI) is a designer of musical experience that defies all categorization. An animal like no other, NovaTRON creates completely original beats that are improvised on the fly on the 'TRON Box', a self-constructed constellation of audio hardware... The music born from the marriage of the mind of a mad scientist and the TRON Box is a unique symphony of breakbeats, a reality twisted into a science of experimentation that combines to form an aural experience that can only be lived in the present.
NovaTRON’s organic live sets capture the ephemeral nature of art and existence and strap it down with a thick layer of bass before letting it go on it’s way out to the world and into your body. His beats take you on a trip through multiple realms of reality with a professor of phunk at the helm NovaTRON is a master of the moment who continues to push the limits of electronica with each and every new set.
Ill Cosby is a Seattle-based DJ/producer and the head of the Car Crash Set record label. Since 2009, Car Crash Set has been releasing a steady stream of cutting edge bass music from both local artists and artists from around the globe. Car Crash Set has released music by Distal, C.R.S.T, Gremino, Cedaa, 214, Cardopusher, and others and has released remixes from the likes of Girl Unit, Dubbel Dutch, Jam City, Kastle, VVV, Om Unit, and more.
In 2011, Car Crash Set released “No Northwest”, a compilation highlighting producers based in the Pacific Northwest. As a DJ and host of a radio show on England’s Sub.FM, Cosby brings a broad spectrum of electronic music to the function, touching on elements of dubstep, UK garage, electro, house, and beyond. Cosby is a veteran DJ who has played alongside acts such as Pearson Sound, Rusko, Ikonika, Addison Groove, Drop The Lime, Nguzunguzu, and many others.
There are only a few that have gone where there are no roads, one of
those space cats would be JAM mOatZart ( siLLy oCean ), who has silently
been stalking the bass coast EDM scene as a kryptic beat meister and
cymatic sonic storyteller using native digital instruments from the
likes of his infamous eyeSOAR studios since the dawn of the 21st
century. Latest tracks by DJ siLLy oCean siLLy oCean has recently sprung a leak across the globe on internet radio stations including the post shows on www.samurai.fm/sillyocean
with listeners in over 100 countries and this heat wave continues to
grow with each mix show that has been released for the past several
weeks...
Sounds of deep soulful bass driven underground silly
pop glitchy breaks that might burn the house down. expect siLLy oCean to
be breaking free from conventional methods that will sit you up &
stand you down on a roller-coaster tempo of sure fire & a few nice
wave of surprises...
This living legends duo is stirring up music hungry populations across the country! They keep it deep, sexy and make you drop it low! With their wicked chemistry and nasty ass bass bombs, they are sure to deliver sound like none other. Get in there and get worked by these beat beas
West Coast musical artist Nicoluminous is on a mission…This unique multi-faceted artist takes a soulful approach to creating electronic music while fusing melodic progressions, futuristic sound design and organic elements into dirty bass drops.”Sunrize in LA”,his most recent release on Street Ritual records on March 21st 2011, went straight to #1 on Addictech.com.The EP is an elegant downtempo lovestep journey moving swiftly between haunting samples, throbbing sub-bass and 8 bit funk.
Free Crush, the Southern OR based DJ duo, is comprised of Devi and Konekta.
The Great Goddess, known in the underground as Devi, (dev-eye”goddess”) has many guises and epic styles. One with the universe; gentle, rugged and beautifully approachable, her sonic perfections will destroy dance floors while creating big vibes and unforgettable moments.
Konekta is the other half of the music production team. His style is hyphy glitch-hop, layered with chunky bass lines, topped with sprinkles of lazers and followed by a thick cloud of ganja smoke.
Fans and supporters of Free Crush and Konekta's sounds include Minnesota, SPECTRE, Ill-Gates, Mochipet, Deathstar, Psymbionic, and The Glitch Report.
This duo has also shared the bill with established artist such as EPROM, S.P.E.C.T.R.E., 6Blocc, Mochipet, SPL, Kitty-D, and Siren.
DJ Vadim is "a veteran presence in the DJ community as well as one of the foremost producers in too many communities to count, Vadim is never running out of ideas," URB Magazine. He has been described as "one of the few artists creating genuinely new work in the Hip-Hop field" and an artist who "cannot be ignored".
Vadim moved from St Petersburg to London at the age of 5, but this story begins in 1992. Vadim bought a sampler and started working on the music that would become Abstract Hallucinating Gases and Headz Ain't Ready EP’s (1995). Later in the year he signed to the iconic record label, Ninja Tune, and so began the whirlwind that is the life of DJ Vadim.
Over the last 2 decades few people can have put so much time and energy into the culture they love. Founder of Jazz Fudge in early 1995 and Organically Grown Sounds in 2011, A&R, producer, DJ, promoter, record collector, radio presenter, occasional painter, writer, in-house producer/DJ and cohort of Latin Grammy nominees and Spanish hip hop super group 7 Notas 7 Colorez, and the bands One Self, Butterfish Black and The Electric, Vadim has certainly been keeping himself busy. And that's before we even mention his DJing itself, which has seen him perform in virtually every country in Europe, all over North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Turkey, South America and South East Asia (often within one year!). He has performed with the likes of DJ Krush, Company Flow, The Roots, Pharcyde, Public Enemy, Beat Junkies, Dilated Peoples, Kraftwerk, Ed Rush, Morcheeba and Paul Weller, as well as at events like Glastonbury, and the Moscow Street Ball festival (to over 40,000 people!). To describe the man as an internationalist almost seems to sell him short.
Though described by some as an ‘underground artist,’ Vadim has caught the attention of the corporate world too, producing music for Absolut Vodka, Nokia, Sin City, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, EA Sports and MTV. His show on BBC radio, titled 'Around the World in 8 Relays' was nominated for a Sony Award.
2010 saw Vadim creating Organically Grown Sounds, a new record label founded with Yarah Bravo, and their first project is"The Electric," a new band that sees Vadim joined by Chicago's hottest young rapper, Pugs Atomz and Manchester's finest songstress, Sabira Jade: "Electric turns out to be a good word for this latest DJ Vadim creation - sometimes it empowers you, sometimes it shocks you, and sometimes it's a bit dangerous." Rap News
The Electric's debut album, Life is Moving, came out on March 14th, and it's been described as "amazing music that is not only innovative but also rich in harmony, flavour and most importantly – SOUL!" by Soul Culture and Clash Magazine said "The Electric pops from the speakers."
Since Truckasauras' first performance, they have been repeatedly redefining electronic music in the live setting. From underground house parties, to impromptu street performances, to proper rock venues, Truckasauras' explosive lo-fi, audio-visual, live sets continually raise the bar for not just electronic music, but anyone seeking to captivate an audience and rock the party.
Truckasauras LIVE
Truckasauras LIVE on the roof of The Lo-Fi Performance Gallery in Seattle Washington.
When Performing, band members Adam Swan, Tyler Swan, Ryan Trudell, and Dan Bordon, commonly sport American flags (worn as bandannas or capes), trucker hats, hunting vests, and various other trashy accoutrements. Their DEVO-esque, half-ironic display deftly rides the line between performance art and a really weird camping trip.
"Graintable creates tracks and remixes who's beats and low end pummel you until you see garish, neon-hued stars." - The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
"There's been this thing going on in the glitch scene where producers combine hip hop, 80's style synths, and huge bass. The result? Pandemonium on the dance floor." - Willamette Week (Portland, OR)
"Artist to mutha fking watch!" - I Am A Laser (Los Angeles, CA)
WD4D aka Waylon Dungan is one of Seattle’s most talented and ambitious beat scientists whose bold style has injected new sonic fusions into the city’s hip hop and electronic music communities. Versatile and always fresh, WD4D’s sound ranges from left-field experimental beats and funky upbeat dance music to jazzed-up hip hop and soulful underground rap.
Producing and DJing for almost sixteen years, WD4D was
recently dubbed “The Feel-Good DJ of the Decade” by Seattle’s The
Stranger newspaper. A skilled turntablist who embraces both the digital
and vinyl realms, WD4D takes unpredictable twists and blasts the hinges
off genre definitions with his inventive and eclectic style. Not only a
knowledgeable producer but an engaging performer as well, WD4D was named
champion of Seattle’s 2010 Battle of the Mega-Mixes. Deeply involved in
the local arts scene, WD4D has released music on Seattle-based label
Fourthcity, and also scored the original music for the theatrical dance
performance In Fere.
