Silkie - City Limits Vol 1.2 [Deep Medi]

Since at least Christmas last year a Silkie track has been running around my head, the video bellow captures when I first heard it, Anti Social where having a crimbo-spesh on Rinse FM and played a track I’d never heard before that was so full of vibes it just kept playing on my memories ever since. It turns out that track was ‘80s Baby’ a track you can hear on City Limits Vol 1.2 the bridge gap between last years fantastic City Limits Vol.1 album and the follow up Vol.2. A series of 12”s you wont find on the next album or the last and by the sounds of it Silkie isn’t messing.

This is the one I’ve been waiting for: ‘80s Baby’ has a rolling street soul feel to it like a London variant on Detroit techno, midnight machine funk that just keeps coming. Sweeping pads, bumpy rhythms and funk stabs made from plastic sax, lounge piano and 80s tinged funky synth keys that sound like they’ve been beamed in from a forgotten Cameo record. It all comes together with a hypnotic loved up vibe that’s just irresistible. The flip ‘Bass Junkie’ sounds like the tougher brother of ‘80s Baby’ it hits hard instead of rolling. Rattling breaks shimmy over bass pulses and funk’d up synth lines that sound like aliens chatting each other up. It keeps some of that blissed-out funk but twists it into gnarly shapes that are pretty relentless.

Keep the 12”s rolling, when Silkie hits his stride there isn’t anyone like him ‘80s Baby’ is pure vibes, hi-tech London soul through and through. With three more platters of material on the way before the second album Silkie will keep us doing that gangsta boogie right the way through.



http://www.deepmedi.com/

Originally writen for Sonic Router.

Silkie – City Limits Volume 1 [Deep Medi]

Silkie has been producing since he was about 15 making grime and garage infused beats he was also about during dubstep’s rise on the London underground, places like FWD>> inspired him to make it himself and really get stuck in. Now as part of the Anti-social Entertainment crew’s extended family with the likes of Quest, Harry Craze and Henny G amongst others he has carved out a sound all of his own and got picked up by Mala’s essential Deep Medi label where an album was on the cards right away and after some quality, sort after 12”s from the man his debut full length City Limits Volume 1 is finally with us.

‘Concrete Jungle’ opens proceedings with field recordings of the city, horns, cars and a distant crackle this sets the scene for the huge purple bass tones and plastic horns. Silkie knows his way around a groove and every track on here has one, as a trained pianist he knows how to get a jazz infused soul vibe going too. He has an almost trade mark way of using keys and pads that echo the past not unlike the high tech soul of Detroit’s Underground Resistance.

The rhythms fit in somewhere between dubstep’s half-step moodiness and the skipping rolling funk of garage without really sounding like either of the two, Silkie makes his own broken soul variant that really takes these tracks forward. It goes without saying for a Deep Medi release that the bass is pretty damn huge and one of the main elements of each track. He has a deep distinctive warm sound that he twists and warps into some serious grooves.

There are plenty of highlights as the album flows so well but here are some of mine… The smooth electro beats and space age synth lines of ‘Sty’ that drop into some serious boogie bass and a dancehall chug-a-chug sample gets me into a blessed out bass bounce every time. The jungle-esq cut’n’paste breaks on ‘Quasar’ is a good touch and its no surprise to see L.D credited for extra arrangements here it has that rhythmic bump to it. The Mizz Beats collaboration ‘Purple Love’ takes twisted lazzer guided bass lines and synth arpeggios and creates a warm neon glow around a floorless and hypnotic track.

‘Planet X’ drops into one of the most addictive bass lines around along with heaps of soul and some quality skippy percussion in the top end. The industrial crunch and noisy dub pad of ‘Head Butt Da Deck’ really mashes up dance floors and that purple G-Funk infused Dr. Dre-like synth that plays over the piano breakdown really makes it special.

The final two tracks really make City Limits; ‘The Horizon’ is an absolute anthem the piano intro gives way to some almighty euphoric funk squiggles and spacey loved up, blissed out vibes this is only enhanced by the closing number ‘Beauty’, which has that end of night feel to it like you’ve been dancing for hours but have it in you for one last track there is a loved up sadness to it that the end of a big session brings.

With City Limits Silkie has made an essential dubstep album that really showcases his deep and soulful sound, he doesn’t deviate from what he does so well it’s a singular vision and all the better for it. There is a perfect balance of light and dark in Silkie’s work you get the rough and ready dance floor energy along side smooth grooves. He keeps the original dubstep vibes of space and bass then updates it with his own unique formula for today’s dance floors.

http://www.myspace.com/silkie86

http://www.myspace.com/deepmedi

http://deepmedi.com/

12”

More from the semi-regular rumedge through the record bag series, of stuff I didn’t get to review/missed, over at SR as we didn’t get promos or other such excuses. For upfront reviews, interviews mixes and more visit Sonic Router, but for now check out these beauties.

Silkie Feat. Mizz Beats – Purple Love [Deep Medi]
Purple in vibes and colour on a super limited platter, funked up slab of future soul with some of the most swung beats and vibrant bass around.

King Midas Sound – Dub Heavy - Hearts and Ghosts [Hyperdub]
Dark and dubby, ghostly sound system shakers. They will shake your teeth and send you in a trance, doom fuelled taster of forthcoming album.

Hyetal – The Last Time We Spoke/Amour [Formant]
Long awaited platter from Bristol new boy, A-Side pushes a dub techno vibe with digi-siren effects and melodic chords. Amour gets steppy with an ear for melody and a way with bass, deadly.

Emvee – Glitch Dub/Nocturnal [Wireblock]
Broken funky with a soca groove, fuzzy bass and infectious midi soul. Glitch Dub does things dirty and Nocturnal brings the boogie this will make you move.

Pinch & Moving Ninja/Peverelist – False Flag/Junction (Shed Mix) [Tectonic]
Latest Tectonic Plate 12” with main man Pinch on a half stepping dark as hell weighty collaboration as Shed turns Peverelist into a garage infused nugget of techno with a euphoric sadness.

Rossi B & Luca/EL-B– Jah No Dead/Son De Cali [Soul Motive]
Garage legends line up for Soul Motive’s 4th, Rossi B & Luca bring dark dubby 2-step, it sounds huge and so fresh. EL-B takes it breaky with a deep and soulful garage vibe that oozes quality.

All out now

N-Type, Silkie & Quest, Iration Steppas, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Exodus @ Exodus Croatia Launch Party, Faversham Leeds. 9th June 2009

This was like a mini Sub Dub Vs. Exodus but not in the setting of the West Indian Centre and with a much smaller sound system, but at least they had a sound system as The Fav has always sounded so bad for every other gig / club night I’ve been to, the bass crew know where its at though and bring their own rigs. This was the launch party for Exodus Croatia the dubstep / dub festival that’s been going strong for a couple of years now and by the way this went off Croatia is going to be something else, quite literally as well I mean you just don’t get the sun / sand and boat parties in Leeds.

Spinning dub early on in the main room was Exodus, just playing some deep dubbed out vibes to a meandering crowd, it was sounding good. In the conservatory was another big rig playing those jungelist sounds, then right next to the main room was The Gimp aka a little freaky room playing some hardcore heavy artillery, chainsaw and laser guided gun finger dubstep; all of this combined made the windows of The Fav shake hard.

Gentleman’s Dub Club hit the stage in suits as a full on live dub band with MC, drums, horns and bass a plenty. I’ve heard about these guys before but never seen them, they really killed it and drew a big skank happy crowd. Plus they did full band live rewinds just like the DJ’s do; it really got the tension going for those meaty drops.

Into The Gimp for some face melters while Iration set up, and fuck me who ever was playing in there was reaching for the big guns: Dark’n’grimey full of wobble. The Kutz & Benga ‘I’ll Kut Ya’ was probably the only track I could ID to be honest, but what a track.

Iration Steppas in the main room were warming things up very nicely in their usually dub in the year 3000 style. The rig may be smaller than I’m use to hearing them on so there was no STUPIDLY HUGE push you over and leave you for dead bass pummelling, but it was defiantly big enough for a Tuesday night. Special after special via dubplate and special again got played, vibes built and bass dropped. I wish I knew what these tracks were they get me every time, the final track he played that got three wheels was something else. An almost four to the floor deep and loose beat built into an all mighty drop that got the crowd pogoing for the first time in the night.

Silkie & Quest hit the decks not long after and brought the boogie, skipping drums, soulful breakdowns and full on colourful funk fuelled bass really turned the night into a dance party. Playing a set of pretty much all their own productions as far as I could tell apart from one Joker & Ginz track, ‘Purple City’. This stuff sounded so effortlessly warm and danceable and in such contrast to the lil room playing hardcore ravestep it was brilliant. Pretty much everything I could have wished to hear was played and loads more I couldn’t quite place, ‘Purple Love’, ‘Headbut Da Deck’, ‘Test’, Silkie’s boogie drenched remix of Skream’s ‘Filth’ and Mr Larger’s vocal anthem ‘Tell Me’, ‘Edan’ which finished the set and jeeeeez it sounds HUGE. Silkie & Quest may well be some of my favourite producers around in dubstep at the moment and without a doubt they can do it in the dance.

After the relentless space funk of Silkie and Quest, they didn’t do a single rewind, all rollers all the way… N-Type came on and started to build things up with filthy bangers in his usual style. We had to roll not long after mind, it was getting late and it’s a long drive back. Killer night, quality music all round and easily one of the best nights I’ve had at The Faversham. I wish them all well in Croatia I bet it’s going to go off in epic style.

Generation Bass on Marry Anne Hobbs Experimental Show on Radio One 20th August 2008

Live and rolling review...

M.A.H. kicks off the Experimental with that brilliant little intro and introduces all the heads and the host MC Sgt. Pokes.

Silkie & Quest are up first, they are Mala’s choice. They are the Deep Medi, Anti Social posse and they bring some serious heavy weight bass. The first tune is seriously spooky and the next is a funky freak of a tune that I have on pre-order: Silkie’s Dam 4. The tracks come think and fast as each artist only gets about 15 minuets, next up is some dub reggae influenced vibes with a killer soulful piano. This is some space age soul music right here, its like the most swingin’ techno infused future soul going and the bass is indeed next generation. I’m a little bit taken back by how good it is and we have only just started. I can’t wait to get a track list for this…

Kulture is up next and Skreams choice; this guy intrigues me as I have found little about him. He starts with some spooky sci-fi vibes, like something out of Bladerunner if it was set in London via Jamaca, there is also a huge bouncy bass drop, which is followed by some head nodding reggae business and growling bass. This set isn’t quite smashing it as much as Quest & Silkie, but you know each to their own. Ah it just picked up again, with some pure rolling garage bongos and warm little twinkles of dub synth. More deep stuff follows and I’m happy as hell, this little echo drenched techno soul vibe tune is THE SHIT. Some female vocals mix out of that into some sexy dance floor stuff and a rap track that is hyper as hell and mixed into some down tempo laid back stuff, which reminds me of my own heartbeat.

Joker takes his place on the ones and twos next with his MC Nomad, he is Kode 9’s choice and what a choice he is. This guy is exciting me right now, not only in the dubstep circles but also in music in general. He is making some futuristic sci-fi grime infused bass beats that are pretty much the next wave of urban R&B sounds. He doesn’t disappoint by opening with what sounds like some twisted G-Funk that not even Dre could make. The next tune is another 8-bit synth freak out which samples Busta Rhymes as far as I can tell. Nomad spat some nice bars over some seriously squelch acid bass. This is some futuristic sounds, its like an alien just landed and decided to create some sounds that he thought would make us dance, and you know what the fucker got it right. And then he drops 80’s one of my all time favourite tracks right now, and into the flip to that 12” Gully Brook Lane / what ever that other one is called. This is from and I quote, ‘Next solar system’. Pitched bent synth lines and out there hooks fade into the huge Snake Eater, I think some sub systems just got kicked over… So far Joker is the winner if we have to choose, Quest & Silkie came so close but hell, Joker is not from this world.

American Starkey is up to the plate, Vex’d choice won’t disappoint. He makes some beautiful soulful stuff along with in your face industrial beasts. Its full of vibes and colour, I love his new EP Angel and he has an album dropping soon on Planet Mu. It’s a cross between grime and dubstep but with a really warm soulful edge. Gutter Music opens the set in true style, then into some growling future funk. He slows it down with some half stepping and rap vibes over the top or some bubble bass beats. These synths are pretty damn twisted to say the least. And it just gets more wonky in the bass section as some deep stabs flow on top the madness. Starkey is taking it into pumping techno territory almost before dropping some more twisted soul music from the heart. This is deep and emotional stuff; he is showing some range in his selection. As he proves by dropping some rap track with a mad growling grime style. Starkey is showing that this is truly a global thing…

Chef, Hatcha’s choice steps up. The Corydon rising star brings the heavy weight vinyl to all three decks. The bass is pretty ridicules on his opener, it sounds like the hardest garage you could make while still keeping the sexy soul swing. The beats are huge and rolling, he drops the anthem Reminiscin’ with tailor made vocals that say, ‘I’m Reminiscin’ Chef’. Man I love this tune; I play it any time I get chance. This is almost into D’n’B territory in places; I guess that’s because of the three deck beat action. He is the first guy to whip out some silence and make the build and drop huge to one of his tracks. Chef is good an all that, but others still have an edge over him in my eyes. It’s a tough line up though and he is holding his own. Chef drops a dirty junglest bassline number with reggae samples, then into some hard stuff again.

Oneman the DJ that spins pretty much anything awesome from old skool 2-step to what ever is hot right now, he’s up next and is Loefah’s choice. He doesn’t produce so he is likely to drop something special to keep it rolling and maybe even give us a history lesson. He starts his set with some pure rolling garage beats and twisted synths. The bass is huge and the vibe strong, he brings so many different styles to the table; he is a true DJ Selecta. He goes from the deep rolling style into some dirty as hell bangers with such ease. Oneman I salute you… This is the most on form I have heard him, I am a bit speechless, the slow rolling synth numbers that echo the 2-step scene as much as the dubstep are killing me. As is this piano riff creeping in, that drops into an eyes down dirty skanker, Forgive by Mala as Uprooted crew member Rudetone from York just informed me, big up to them. More 2-step soul to move your feet is up next in the mix. Onemans set was special…

Cyrus is the final choice and he was picked by Distance the metal monster of the scene. This is some seriously heavy beats again, and he starts with some Random Trio action, a deep bass growler. This is some dark, dark and dirty, sick stuff; someone should check this guy out he is ill. Cyrus has some metallic tones just like the guy who picked him Distance. Some of it’s not really my thing but the guy is still killin’ it, I’m nodding my head fo’ sho’. He is dark, deep and proper hardcore the bass weight is immense. He brings a little bit of light and soul into the set with a lazy swaggering number.

Generation Bass killed it and showcased some of the scenes amazing talent; they took their 15 minuets each and ran amuck. Joker brought the hyper energy of a madman badman and was maybe my favourite of the night. Starkey follows him for me, but only just, I mean hell I’m going to have to listen to that again to make sure. Quest & Silkie pretty much blew me away with some pure future soul. Oneman is up there too, just for an impeccable style, selection and vibes. Cyrus is one dark mutha and the more his set went on the more I felt it, the deep and pure dirty sound was intence. The rest represented and showed me parts of the scene I wouldn’t normally venture and killed it still. I’m going to have to get up early and rewind this little gem of a show. Big up to Marry Anne Hobbs and her Experimental Show and the whole load of steppers, first up the original Dubstep Warz crew for choosing and then the new blood Generation Bass for keeping it alive and well.

What the heads say…

listen again on the BBC iPlayer all week, then I'm sure it will be around online after that as an mp3.

Wednesday 20th August

Generation Bass
Recorded live at Maida Vale, hosted by Mary Anne Hobbs & MC Sgt Pokes

Rustie - 'Jagz The Smack' (Stuff)

Silkie & Quest… chosen by Mala
Conquest – ‘Stand’ (Deep Medi)
Silkie – ‘Dam 4’ (Soul Jazz)
Conquest – ‘Hard Food’ (Ase)
Silkie – ‘Test’ (Dubplate)
Conquest – ‘Last Dayz’ (Dubplate)
Conquest – ‘The Seafront’ (Deep Medi)
Silkie – ‘The Horizon’ (Dubplate)
Silkie & Mizzbeats – ‘Purple Love’ (Dubplate)
Conquest – ‘The Unknown’ (Dubplate)

Kulture… chosen by Skream
Kulture –‘Diesel’ (Disfigured Dubz)
Kulture –‘Steppin’ Outta Babylon’ (Dubplate)
Kulture – ‘Spooked’ (Dubplate)
Kulture – ‘Vitamin D’ (Dubplate)
Kulture feat. Ghost 1 – ‘Purple’ (Promo)
Kulture – ‘Rock The Boat’ (Bootleg)
Kulture – ‘Tonight’ (Dubplate)
Late – ‘Misty Morning (Kulture Remix) (Dubplate)

Joker & MC Nomad… chosen by Kode 9
Joker – ‘Stuck In The System’ (Earwax)
2000F & JKamata – ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’ joker special (Dubplate)
Joker & Rustie – ‘Play Doe’ (Kapsize)
Gemmy – ‘Double Yellow’ (Dubplate)
MR E – ‘Space Invaders’ (Dubplate)
Rustie – ‘Tempered’ (Kapsize)
Joker – ‘80's’ (Kapsize)
Joker – ‘Gully Brook Lane’ (Terrorhythm)
J@kes & Joker – ‘3K Lane’ (H.E.N.C.H)
Joker – ‘Holly Brook Park’ (Kapsize)
Gemmy – ‘Back 2 The Future’ (Punch drunk)
Joker – ‘Snake Eater’ (Soul motive)

Starkey… chosen by Vex’d
Starkey –‘Gutter Music (Keysound / Planet Mu)
Starkey – ‘Striking Distance’ (Planet Mu)
Starkey – ‘Pictures’ (Planet Mu)
Graphic feat. Beans – ‘ I am Metal’ (Starkey remix) (Offshore)
Starkey – ‘Pressure’ (Planet Mu)
Starkey – ‘Dark Alley’ (Planet Mu)
MOVES!!! – ‘All Skate’ (Dubplate)
Starkey – ‘Miracles’ (Planet Mu)
Styles P feat. Swizz Beats – ‘Blow Ya Mind’ (Starkey Remix) (Seclusiasis)
Starkey – ‘Spacewalk’ (Planet Mu)

Chef… chosen by Hatcha
Mr Lager & Alys Blaze – ‘Tell Me’ (Sub Freq)
LD + Clue Kid –‘Not Gonna Cry’ (Ringo)
Geoim feat. Marita – ‘Reminiscin’(Berkane Sol)
LD & Kode 9 – ‘Bad’ (Hyperdub)
Flying Lotus feat. Dolly – ‘Roberta Flack’ (Martyn’s Heart Beat mix) (Warp)
Clue Kid – ‘Monkey Style’(Subbalicious)
Cotti – ‘Calm Down’ (Bassface)
Kutz & Benga – ‘I’ll Kut Ya’ (Dubplate)
Coki - ‘Robotnik’ (Dubplate)

Oneman… chosen by Loefah
Brackles – ‘Get A Job (VIP)’ (Applepips)
Loefah – Midnight’ (Dubplate)
Toasty – ‘Lickable’ (Dubplate)
Point B – ‘E Blade’ (Combat Recordings)
Mala – ‘Forgive’ (Deep Medi)
Groove Chronicles – ‘Stone Cold’ (White Label)
Darkstar – ‘Aidy’s Girl is a Computer’ (Hyperdub)

Cyrus… chosen by Distance
Cyrus & Distance – ‘Violate’ (RTP005)
Cyrus – ‘Decisions’ (Dubplate)
Cyrus – ‘Night After’ (Dubplate)
Cyrus & Distance – ‘Surrender’ (Dubplate)
Cyrus – ‘Space Cadet’ (Dubplate)
Distance – ‘Magnesium’ (Dubplate)

LL - 'Out The Club' (Dubplate)

Picture From drumzofthesouth Dot Com ;)

BIG!

Generation Bass Vs. Dubstep Warz

The original Dubstep Warz was way back in 2006 on Radio 1 by Marry Anne Hobbs and it went down as a bit of a legendary shindig apparently. I never heard it at the time but in this day and age you can find it easy enough. So for Generation Bass Marry Anne has got the original members of Dubstep Warz together to curate and choose some artists of their own to represent the scene. It goes a little something like this:

Mala’s choice: Silkie and Quest

Skream’s choice: Kulture

Kode 9’s choice: Joker

Vex’d’s choice: Starkey

Hatcha’s choice: Chef

Loefah’s choice: Oneman

Distance’s choice: Cyrus

“I have been given the opportunity to do a very special one-off show at the BBC's Maida Vale studios, which we'll broadcast on Radio 1, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning on August 19th/20th. We will also be filming the whole thing for YouTube.” Marry Anne Hobbs

I’m most excited about Silkie, Kulture & Joker who just zinged me on dubstepforum about my needles, cheeky: and Starkey sounds wicked too. All of it is going to be awesome to be honest, you can be sure to hear a showcase of the dubstep sound. I was hopping to have Appleblim, Martyn, 2562 or Peverlist in there somewhere but I guess it just isn’t happening. Catch up on the Dubstep Warz from way back bellow:

Dubstep Warz Download

Tracklist:

D1 - Untitled (white)Mala (Digital Mystikz)

Digital Mystikz - ‘10 Dread Commandments VIP’ (white)
Digital Mystikz - ‘Haunted’ (white)
Digital Mystikz - ‘Left Leg Out’ (white)
Skream - ‘Request Line’ Mala remix (white)
Digital Mystikz - ‘All Of A Sudden’ (white)
Digital Mystikz - ‘Anti-War Dub’ (white)

Skream
Skream - ‘Midnight Request Line’ (Tempa)
Skream - ‘Tapped’ (Tempa)
Sunship and Warrior Queen - ‘Almighty Father’ Skream remix (white)
Skream - ‘Glamma’ (Tempa)
Skream - ‘Deep Concentration’ (Tempa)
Skream - ‘Rottan’ (Tempa)
Digital Mystikz - ‘Ancient Memories’ Skream remix (white)
Horsepower - ‘Egypt’ (Skream remix) (white)
Skream - ‘Music 2 Make Us Stagga’ (white)

Kode 9 and Space Ape
Benny Ill, Kode9 & the Culprit - ‘Fat Larry Skank’ Kode 9 remix (white)
Kode 9 and Space Ape - ‘9 Samurai’ (Hyperdub)
Kode 9 and Space Ape - ‘Backward’ (Hyperdub)
Kode 9 and Space Ape - ‘Kingston Dub’ (Hyperdub)
Burial and Space Ape - ‘Space Ape’ (White)

Vex’d
Vex’d - ‘Saturn’ (white)
Vex’d - ‘3rd Choice’ (white)
Vex’d - ‘Wavescape Remix’ (white)
Vex’d - ‘Killing Floor’ (white)

Hatcha and Crazy D
Benga - Untitled (white)
Benga - Untitled (white)
Coki - Untitled (white)
Coki - Untitled (white)

Coki - Untitled (white)
Skream - ‘Request Line’ Remix (white)
Benga - Untitled (white)
Benga - Untitled (white)
Benga - Untitled (white)
Digital Mystikz - ‘Ancient Memories’ Skream remix (white)

Loefah and Sgt. Pokes
Loefah - ‘Mud’ (white)
Loefah - ‘Ruffage’ (white)
Loefah - ‘Sukkah’ (white)
Loefah - ‘System’ (white)
Loefah - ‘Root’ (DMZ)

Distance
Distance - ‘My Demons’ (white)
Distance - ‘Fallen’ (white)
Distance - ‘Tuning’ (white)
Distance - ‘Cella’ (white)
Distance - ‘Cyclops’ (white)
Distance - ‘Night Vision’ (white)
Distance - ‘Traffic’ (white)

DJ Pinch - ‘Qawwali’ (white)