Something a bit different this time as we adventure in a sound area we haven't really been to before, with this series. The itinerary is Rapala's work, one of the go-to-guys when it comes to soulful, laidback vibes and jazzed-up dance grooves as well.
Needless to say, Rapala is a DJ for almost 10 years now, he's an avid records collector, he comes from Targu Mures, he resides in Timisoara, he is half of LBC Kru - which he runs alongside WRK and he's always made a good appearance playing a wide range of sounds, from Funk & Broken Beats up to Drum & Bass; at the Summer Break, TMBase or AnonimTM 48H stages or with the likes of Jon Kennedy, Fort Knox Five or Ed Royal, amongst others.
The present audio material "has been built in a rush", we were told, but I think it's safe to say it doesn't feel like that even a bit. It's all a smoothly put together collection of world-music influenced, percussion-mad, keys & synth-driven electronics with a pinch of Swing and Kwaito here and there, hosting insanely good works from Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra or (the early-days) Freq Nasty, among others. It's brilliant! And since it's got a ridiculous amount of flavours to choose from, we reckon it will make an impression with those of you enjoying a carefully selected world cuisine of sounds.
Tracklist:
01. Black Dog With Black Sifichi - What Do They Want? [Hydrogen Dukebox] 02. Doctor Rockit - Veselka's Diner [Lifelike] 03. Floating Points - Shark Chase [Eglo Records] 04. Culoe De Song - The Bright Forest [Innervisions] 05. Renovation Unlimited feat. Roy Ayers - Antonata (Atjazz Remix) [ObliqSound] 06. Henrik Schwarz & Amampondo - I Exist Because Of You (Henrik Schwarz Live Version) [Innervisions] 07. Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda - Some Like It Hot [Lola's World] 08. Sofi Hellborg - Wouldn't That Be Fun (Señorlobo & Watch TV Remix) [Ajabul] 09. The Boogoos - The Journey - Ghana '74 (Dusty Remix) [Jazz & Milk Recordings] 10. Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - War Hero (Guajiro) [Anti-] 11. Dousk - Gìgi [Klik Records] 12. Trüby Trio - Satisfaction (Salzmann & Zech's Slowdown Mix) [Compost Records] 13. Freq Nasty - Incredible Acoustic Properties [Botchit & Scarper] 14. Repeat - End Up [A13]
You can catch Rapala playing sort-of on a regular basis at Al-kimia in Timisoara but for more information go directly to the source. A mix archive can be accessed via Soundtracker here.
I think it's fair to assume there's never been a specific dance music subgenre that suffered more mutations than UK Garage over the course of the years. Starting off with the progressiveness of US Garage and carrying on through the percussive brilliance of classic UK imports, the posh R&B mixture introduced to the mass audiences by Luck & Neat and Artful Dodger, through Dark Garage, Horsepower, Gurley, Bias and the foundation of Dubstep, through 2-Step and 4/4, through Whistla, Sub FM, L2S and the whole coining process for the term Future Garage, even through Control-S and Hed Kandi, through Blackdown and Keysound, up to date along with Jacques Greene's, Mosca's or DJ Q's revamps and the huge amount of inspiration provided for various Bass Music producers out there - it has been through it all.
So, figured our fourteenth issue should reflect some of the past, current and future forms a chopped, bubbled riddim can take, and to do so we turned to one of the trusted true-school Garage / 2-Step / early-day Dubstep / Broken / Bass Music heads around: WRK.
WRK has been involved literally for ages, pushing all sorts of shuffled and bass-heavy sounds in his home town - Targu Mures, among all sorts of other places. If you were around in 2008 he played a brilliant warm-up set - which we can still remember almost entirely - for Whistla's first visit in Bucharest. If you missed it back then, we shared a couple of line-ups since and it's safe to say he's yet to disappoint!
His contribution for BASICS is a staggering 135+ bpm collection of eighteen carefully selected, properly (!!!) mixed Future Garage, Dubstep and Bass Music tracks. Whether you're looking forward to hear the classics - Kode9, Zed Bias or Goth Trad - at work, whether you're more likely to respond to new blood such as Vessel, Mock The Zuma or Throwing Snow, whether you're in for the hype associated with Distal or Damu - it's all there and the mixtape will deliver!
In our own words, we're talking about shuffled chopstick madness with sizeable amounts of bass on the side here. Punchy enough to make you wiggle your chair, smooth enough for some after-work decompression at home and definitely something we'd take along for a laidback nite drive on snowy roads. Believe us, you're in for such a treat this time!
Tracklist:
01. King Midas Sound - Meltdown (Kode9 & The Spaceape Rework) [Hyperdub] 02. Luska - Autobiography (Original Mix) [Dub Fetish Records] 03. Pale - Why'd You Even Say (Original Mix) [Fat! Records] 04. Cauto - 35 [Disboot] 05. Fontaine - No Cure [Gradient Audio] 06. Vessel - Ton [Left Blank] 07. Goth Trad - Sublimation [Deep Medi] 08. Distal - Space Graffiti [Tube10 Recordings] 09. Damu - Ridin' The Hype (feat. Trim) [Keysound Recordings] 10. Acre - Ghatt [Embassy Recordings] 11. Mock The Zuma - Black Puddle [Fullfridge Music] 12. Enigma Dubz - Between Me And You [Four40 Records] 13. Zed Bias feat. FaltyDL - Lucid Dreams [Tru Thoughts] 14. LPZ - Problems (Ave Blaste & Tom Central Remix) [Keep Up!] 15. Aeon - Different Quotes [Area Recordings] 16. Throwing Snow - Pyre [Local Action] 17. Funk Ethics & Lucid Directions - Together (Original Mix) [Boka Records] 18. Aphex Twin - Tha (Stavrogin Remix) [Free Download]
We had our first encounter with Dan Bazix’s take on House and Techno music a couple of years back. It was in a small club in Bucharest, alongside Cosmin TRG, Seb and his long-term mate – Addo. At the time we were quite mindblown by the fact that he was one of the few DJs around that came from a Drum&Bass background and managed to transpose the influences and energy drawn from 170+ bpm music into sounds at a significantly reduced tempo.
We thought – for one of the last two podcasts of this year – it would be a good idea to recreate the soundscape of what proved to be one of the best nights out we ever had, and showcase Dan Bazix’s take on the same genres at another specific point in his evolution as a DJ, regardless of his still-ongoing activity in the Drum&Bass sphere.
Something a bit different (or not really) from himself – curating takes from the geniuses of Maceo Plex, Crazy P, Maya Jane Coles or Waifs & Strays, to name just a few. It should get everyone with a functional pair of ears and a soul, groovin’ out there.
Tracklist:
01. Oni Ayhun - OAR001-A [OAR] 02. Audiofly - Sunrise BCN [All Day I Dream] 03. Love Girls - Black Sand (Original Mix) [Little Mountain] 04. Maceo Plex - Your Style (Maceo Plex Re-Visit) [Crosstown Rebels] 05. Dekay feat. Nunu - Farewell To Planet Earth [Dirt Crew] 06. Elon feat. Maceo Plex - Floating Faces [ReSolute] 07. Marquez Ill & Leigh Myles - Control [Voltage Music] 08. Maya Jane Coles - Perfect Imperfections [Mobilee] 09. Rodriguez Jr. - Bittersweet [Mobilee] 10. Johnwaynes - The Yeah Yeah (Original Mix) [Cecille] 11. Waifs & Strays - Be Patient [Futureboogie] 12. Teva - I Wanna Be (Original Mix) [Off] 13. Nick Curly - Green Baize [Cocoon] 14. Bicks - Mint (Extended Version) [N/A] 15. Terence (Terry) - Time Doesn't Count (Shaun Reeves & Tale Of Us Remix) [Lowpitch] 16. Schatrax - Restless Nights [Schatrax] 17. Midland - Through Motion [Aus Music] 18. Fink - Move On Me (Marcus Worgull Edit) [Philomena] 19. Greg Paulus - Nightime (Crazy P Remix) [Wolf+Lamb Music]
BASICS:First of all, I’ve come to learn it’s quite hard to find much about Dan Bazix on the internet or wherever else. You don’t really talk about yourself too much and that makes me think there might be people out there not knowing some crucial facts from your yet-unwritten biography. Tell us who Dan Bazix is, as succint as possible.
Dan Bazix: Uh, well, I never tried to promote myself too much. Maybe this is the reason why one cannot find too much information about the so-called “Dan Bazix”. Well, the nickname comes from an early Downtempo / Hip-Hop project that I started at the end of the 90s. I was caught by the vibe of electronic music in 2001, I believe, when I first played in a small club in Tg. Mures (my hometown). To give you a hint of what I was playing back then, see one of my favourite tunes at that moment - Soul Providers feat. Michelle Shellers - Rise (M.A.S. Collective Remix). In the meanwhile I found joy in some higher tempos, listening to Calibre & Marky. Then, soon, came a first 12” order to redeyerecords.co.uk. Bought two belt-drive turntables and did the first mix. First records order consisted of four items, two of them were Marky & Stamina on V, Dillinja on TOV. Nowadays I’m going back to “my roots” playing in the “360 philosophy” – no matter the tempo if the vibe is the same. I think this gives a clue about who I am and what brought me here.
B:So...do you remember the night we’ve just mentioned? Cause we’re talking full-on bullshit in the description above. We actually can’t remember much. Refresh our memory please.
D.B.: At that moment, me and Addo, started a new project. Both playing Drum&Bass for a long time, we thought about trying to go in another direction. We did a mix with some tunes around 135 bpm and we received quite good feedback. The Infamous boys (i.e. Seb & TRG), at that moment, invited us to a small club event, somewhere around the old city centre of Bucharest (n.r. The OtherSide). Well, I cannot remember too many things, we had a few drinks, so… You know, that a “DJ” has good days and bad days. That was one of the best, let’s say. I remember that the feedback was good, and even if there were not too many people, they stayed up late. I think we managed to create a cozy, warm, friendly and fuzzy atmosphere.
B:Ok...it’s been quite a while since then and, in the meantime, you’ve been insanely busy in almost every single way there is. What keeps you preoccupied and how does it reflect in your music?
D.B.: Pff, once you grow up, priorities change. And unfortunately the word “job” comes in front of “hobby”. I must say that music was always connected with the second one, never took it really seriously. Well, besides being DJ I’m now a teaching assistant at TUC-N, working as a freelancer in structural design and recently received my PhD (doctorate) in Civil Engineering (which I’m quite proud of). I think this excuses my very sporadic presence on the DJ scene. To equilibrate, I focused a little bit on producing. I am running the “Dan Bazix” project and started a new one - called “Bicks”. I know, tunes that I produced by now sound a little bit rusty. I haven’t found the patience to stay one full day on a tune to finish it, yet. Even If I was a perfectionist before starting my doctorate studies, now after graduating, is even worse. And, unfortunately, this reflects in my DJ-ing & producing activity.
B:There are two areas of sound you feel most at home with as a DJ. There’s Drum&Bass and there’s House music. What’s more likely you’d spin nowadays and why?
D.B: After a few years of DJ-ing, the genre that one plays is probably just a façade for continuing what one has started a long time ago. I am sure that many of the DJs that are well known would try playing some other genres but they are limited because of their already-chosen path. Well, probably just Laurent Garnier has the balls to switch from Deep House to Drum&Bass in the same set. In my case, as a (hobby) DJ, I will continue to play Drum&Bass because I spent many years and it would not be fair to totally lose the connection. Fortunately, in the last month I had two Drum&Bass gigs which went very well. This gave me the strength and energy to continue with 170+ tempos.
On the other side, I will play House, but I think I will use the other nickname, so people can know what to expect. Let’s see what the feedback for this mix will be.
B:There seems to be common ground between your Drum&Bass and House selections. It’s quite obvious you’re looking for the same elements and reactions in both these genres. What’s that something you always hope to find in a track when you’re digging for fresh music, regardless of its tempo? And more important, how often do you manage to find it?
D.B.: I was always driven by positive, warm and cosy vibes. I like my sets to have, not only funk, soul and the proper amount of deepness, but “a little rate of hooliganism” as well. I think I am looking for the same receipt in both genres. Unfortunately, Drum&Bass (and Dubstep), at a large scale, lost a little bit of this vibe, so maybe this is the explanation for why I changed “roads”.
Fortunately, I cannot forget old habits and I am checking online record stores almost on a weekly basis, to see what fresh beats have been released. Of course, as many, I am listening to mixes of the artists that influence me.
B: Personal favourites at the moment? Drum&Bass tracks and their correspondents in House music or vice-versa.
D.B.: Oh, that’s quite hard, to find a connection. Let’s see!
170+ DBridge – Since We’ve Been Apart [Shogun] 120+ Daniel Bortz – Boyz 2 Men [Suol] ___
170+ Lenzman – Broken Dreams [MDZ] 120+ Mano Le Tough – Baby Let’s Love (Midland Remix) [Dirt Crew] ___
170+ Marcus Intalex – Stark [Dispatch] 120+ Todd Terje – Ragysh [Running Back] ___
170+ LSB – Beep [Demand] 120+ Pan-Pot – Captain My Captain (Rodriguez Jr. Remix) [Mobilee] ___
170+ Foreign Concept & Kasra – Show You [Critical] 120+ Jichael Mackson – Gti (Zimbabwe Mix) [Stock 5]
B:Let’s focus on Bicks for a moment here. It’s something new both for yourself and for us. Give us the proper insight.
D.B.: I think Bicks would be Dan Bazix at 110-130 bpm; mainly, at a producing level. I have noticed, it comes much easier for me to put the ideas together at lower bpms. One of the tunes, “Mint”, is on this mix. Thanks to Sergiu Nadasan who actually made an extended / DJ-friendly version of the tune (as I told you before, cannot find the patience to finish tunes). You can take a look on soundcloud.com/danbicks to draw a conclusion – “A tune is worth a thousand words”.
B:I’m sure some releases are foreseeable in the future. Did you come to think about what labels might act as the perfect hosts for your productions? Who would you send a demo out to and why?
D.B.: Firstly, I have to finish some of my 80 sketches that I have started. Secondly, the tunes have to sound perfect. Just, then, we can speak about releases and labels. Anyhow, few of my favourite labels are Exit, Soul:R, Metalheadz (on 170+) and Mobilee, 8-bit and maybe Crosstown Rebels (on 120+). Probably Exit & Mobilee are two of the big labels that I dream to reach. But the road is veeeery long…
B:How’s the future gonna split between Dan Bazix and Bicks? Any specific developments planned for these two characters?
D.B.: Regarding the producing part, I can say that always depends on the mood, what I have seen in the last days, where I have partied last night; just leaving my soul & mind to choose the path. It is true most of the tunes that I have started in the past three months are 120+, but I will go back to the 170+ soon.
When it comes to the DJ-ing part, well, I will go wherever I am called. I love to play both as much the same way. I like playing Calibre to kids that expect Kill the Noise aka Pendulum and as well to play Deep House to musically “untrained” spontaneous crowd in cafés or small clubs.
B:Share some thoughts on the mixtape you just recorded for us, please.
D.B.: I have selected a series of vibes put together in a positive mix, that hopefully will be appreciated by listeners. I know that I have changed the tracklist entirely for at least 3-4 times. At the end resulted what you have heard. Don’t know if the tunes are fresh or popular, I tried to create a story “readable” by anyone, as I always tried with the any of the mixes done. I have a theory that a mix has to follow a Gaussian trendline, but this is a discussion that has to take part after a couple of beers… haha. Hope you, all, enjoy it.
B:Something you’re most looking forward to in the near future?
D.B.: Concisely: a trip back to Barcelona, where I’ve lived for almost one year. Stamina was right when he said: “all I wanna do is go back, back, back” (i.e Marky & Stamina – Barcelona). Luckily I will catch James Blake, Jamie XX & Jamie Woon in a live concert. Since winter is here: snow, snowboard, Christmas, gigs and all things related with this period of time (as they say: “the small things that bring joy”).
Professionally speaking, hopefully, I will get funding for an 18 months post-doc scholarship in Switzerland.
As for the rest, “go with the flow”.
B: Thanks for taking some of your time to do this. It’s brilliant that we get to share your first mix after a long waiting period. Cheers for that and best thoughts from our corner!
D.B.: Thanks for asking me to record this mix. If it weren’t for you, probably 2011 would have quite dry from the mixes perspective. I never was a good friend to recording mixes and doing them up to the deadlines. Hope you all enjoy it! Peace and #occupyeverything!
As for the next step, keep in touch with Dan's works as Bazix - SoundCloud and Bicks - SoundCloud and keep an eye out there for him on your local Drum&Bass rave or House jam line-up.
