Click here to view the embedded video.

Hold tight for news of the next Braindrop party coming soon

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You can’t buy tickets online any more- but we’ve held some back for the door tonight.

If you need any more info re tickets for tonight, just phone 07793 754 866.

See you tonight!

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Please get in contact with us if you have any questions whatsoever – info@braindrop.co.uk

We are incredibly proud to announce that one of the original jungle legends will play the closing set at our boat rave this Saturday 2 July.

Remarc is one of the originators of jungle music, a supreme master and true pioneer of the art of chopping breaks. His first release came out on vinyl back in ’93 – not long after the term “jungle” was first coined. Leading the way with his prototype junglist experimentations, Remarc created a large following for himself and inspired successive generations of producers and ravers with his forward thinking drum programming and heavyweight sonic force.

Remarc systematically tore apart and rearranged the amen break like never before – creating timeless classics in the process. Tracks such as R.I.P, Sound murderer, Ice Cream & Syrup and Ricky still get rewound countless times at raves, shaking 21st century foundations with their mighty low end and catching ravers off guard with clever and playful edits. In recent years Mike Paradinas signed him to Planet Mu, joining the likes of Venetian Snares, Boxcutter, Luke Vibert and Milanese on a hugely eclectic and futuristic roster.

The legend himself kindly took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us. Enjoy!

Hi mate – how are you and what are you doing at this moment in time?

I’m good man, and really just dj’ing and getting dubs done whenever I can get time to get in the studio – which aint been too much over the last couple months to be honest!

How would you describe your musical style?

Raw… oldskool.. organised mayhem (sometimes – lol!)

You are widely credited with being an hugely influential pioneer of jungle choppage. What originally influenced you to push this sound?

Nothing really influenced me to push it – I’ve always just done what I like to hear and what gets me going in the studio. From my first tunes, if you listen to them in succession, you can hear them experimenting more and more as they go on. I’ve always stuck too my style of production and I love and appreciate the fact that i can continue with it like 17 years on.

Why do you think the amen break has been used more so than any other in jungle music? What attracts producers / ravers to it?

As I always say… the amen is the most powerful, energetic break there is. You can simply loop it and it just sounds “right”. Then no matter what you do with it it still just sounds right, whether it’s a hard amen track or a processed amen to fill another break/drum pattern. It has its own atmosphere that no other break can reach so to speak… and I think the attraction to it is the energy in it for both producer and raver!

How has your production set up changed since you started? What hardware / software did you use and what do you use now?

Everything i use is software now. I used to use Akai samplers (950 and 3000) and Atari ST with Cubase on it back in the day. Now i mainly use NI Kontakt, still use Cubase and a small handful of plug ins.

Have you got any exciting news in the pipeline?

Im getting started on my website where i aim to start getting some tunes out there as well as other bits and pieces. I’m planning a limited edition picture disc vinyl release that should be sorted in the next couple of  months. I’ve got a couple of remixes to do so look out for them. And I’m fixing up my fourth American and second Australia/new Zealand tours for later in the year. So yeah
kinda busy and always keeping it jungle!

What’s your biggest tip for up and coming producers?

I have 2….

1) be original and

2) if your’e chopping amens don’t get carried away!!!!!!!

What are you all time top 3 jungle tunes?

Ermmm…you know i haven’t really got favourites anymore……when ever i get asked though Hypes remix of Hello Lover always jumps to mind as well as Babylon on Deejay Recordings. And maybe R-Type by Jo / DJ Lime.

Thanks Ree! Catch him at the Braindrop Boat Rave on Saturday 2 July alongside the mighty High Rankin The McMash Clan, Creecha and Nomad Noise! Details on the flyer below x

Arrrgh me hearties!

As you well know by now on Saturday 2 July the motley Braindrop crew will take over The Dutch Master, London’s finest party vessel, for an epic night time voyage of Bass, Joy, Fun and Happiness down the Thames.

We’re running a competition for 2 FREE tickets to the boat rave. Read on to find out how to enter…

COMPETITION FOR FREE TICKETS:

Post the link to your favorite Youtube video on the wall of the Braindrop Facebook event page. It can be anything at all – funny, beautiful or just plain mental. Anything goes! We’ll pick our favorite and the winner will get 2 FREE tickets to the boat rave.

Follow this link to go straight to the Braindrop Boat Rave event and enter now.

Good luck!

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We are incredibly proud to announce the return of moustachioed bass loving mentalist, toy monkey seller, celebrity sex therapist and self styled “jungle ponce” High Rankin.

Mr Rankin is a bonafide Braindrop legend. We first booked him for our 2nd ever party at Jacks club, London Bridge. Back then he was making a name for himself on the D&B scene with his hard edged, breakcore-esque junglist productions. We next booked him in December 2008. This time he gave us a special mix for us to distribute to the Braindrop family. It featured a selection of his own dubstep experiments – relatively new territory for him at the time.

Since then High Rankin has exploded onto the dubstep / bass music scene- bringing a huge and ever growing international following in his wake. He’s remixed Professor Green, The Count & Sinden and Si Begg to name a few. He’s taken the internet by storm with his comedy viral tunes “Meow Meow” and “Don’t Carry on Like a Rude Boy when Daddy’s got a Yaught”. And he’s overseen the rise and rise of his own Suicide Dub label – having released material by the likes of Hostage, Balkansky and Temper D.

High Rankin is headlining our 3rd annual boat rave. Expect maximum bassline carnage, ranging from the filthiest dubstep, through to skanky 4×4 business and junglist murkage.

We caught up with the man himself to ask him some questions. And we’ve included some free music for you to download at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

BD – Ahoy there! How are you and what are you doing at this very moment in time?
HR – Radiant as ever

BD – Any exciting Suicide dub news / signings?
HR – We have a lovely free EP from ConRank coming out soon and i’m thinking about doing another compilation but frankly im too lazy to release even my own music at the moment so we’ll have to see.

BD – How do you maintain such an excellent physique?
HR – I strict diet of water, wine, wheat and women.

BD – How long did it take you to recover from your infamous and ill fated 2008 Jack Daniels / Ace of Spades fuelled Braindrop stage dive?
HR – Funny you should say that, i haven’t actually fully recovered. That same year before Braindrop i had fallen off my BMX in spectacular fashion and knackered my shoulder. It was just about better when the ill fated stage dive occured causing me to land on the same shoulder. I am still having treatment for it and has a tendency to hurt when i’m run down or go at it too hard in the gym!!

BD – You’re playing our boat rave. What can we expect from your set?
HR – Probably me crying in a corner wearing a life vest as i hate boats and water

BD – What hardware / software do you use to produce?
HR – FL Studio 9 and NI Komplete

BD – Biggest tip for up and coming producers?
HR – Make as many tunes as poss and never ask for praise. Always ask for criticism. And don’t be a prick.

BD – You’ve just released a pack of Massive presets. What kind of sounds can we expect?
HR – All the nasty bass sounds you will ever need

BD – What’s your top seduction tip?
HR – Being a twat. Has always worked for me

BD – What other producers are you rating at the mo?
HR – James Pryor and the Boss Eyed Brass Band is my hot tip for 2011

BD – All time top tune (anything at all)
HR -Tom Waits – Tango till you’re sore

BD – All time favorite Youtube video?
HR – I have probably watched Lips To The Floor more than any other youtube video so it would have to be that!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

High Rankin – America Fuck Yeah Mix (Free Download) by High Rankin

High Rankin – 2010 Round Up Mix by High Rankin

High Rankin – The Things You Do [Toronto Is Broken Remix] FREE DOWNLOAD by High Rankin

YOLANDA BE COOL & DCUP – WE NO SPEAK AMERICANO (HIGH RANKIN’S BAIT WOBBLE MIX) by High Rankin

DJ Switch is an absolute legend. Not only is he the most modest, down to earth and downright friendly chap you could possibly hope to meet, but he is officially the best battle DJ in the world. Tony Switch has won the DMC World title for the last 3 years running.

Each year the DMC crew hold the legendary DMC World finals in London, with the world’s top battle djs flying in to test their mettle on the wheels of steel. The comps have proved themselves career breakers for the likes of Q-Bert, A-Trak, Kentaro, Scratch Perverts and DJ Craze, and each year the world waits with bated breath to see who will be crowned the new king of turntablism. Each year 3 sets of winners are announced – the World DJ Champion, the World Team Champions and the World Battle for Supremacy champion. And Switch has obliterated all competition for the latter for a consecutive 3 years.

Tony is a busy guy, clocking up appearances on Blue Peter, fronting Gabriel Prokofiev’s “A Concerto for Turntables”, featuring in dubstep turntablist trio Brotherhood of Filth, scratching for the Alternative Dubstep Orchestra and playing solo dj sets all over the world.

Anyway my fingers are getting knackered from all this typing about how busy and amazing he is. We asked the man himself a few choice questions and he gave us some bloody fantastic answers. Read on!

BD – Hello mate! How are you and what are you doing at the mo?

DJS – I am good thanks, I’m currently sitting indoors typing these very words you read before you. Would be sitting in the amazing sunshine but it would mean I couldn’t see what I was doing, which I prefer to happen.

I don’t like being in direct sunlight anyway. Not in a vampire kind of way. I like looking at sunny things without being burned. Well, that and I don’t like it being too bright, because it means you can’t actually see how beautiful it is, which defeats the point somewhat.

BD – Can you introduce who you are and what you do?

DJS – My birth name has been lost in the annals of time. I am now simply known as Tony or DJ Switch, my parents prefer the latter. I began moving records backwards and forwards when I was 11, and now 11 years later people specifically come to watch me do it. I do mental scratching related things and play genre bingo during my sets.

BD – You’ve won the DMC world battle for supremacy champs 3 times in a row. How do the rules for the battle for supremacy differ from the other categories?

DJS – The supremacy is the classic head-to-head knockout format. I love the fact that it’ll all be over in a day – you go from having these 26 DJs who are their respective country’s finest offerings, two hours later it’s last man standing. I would say it’s my favourite format as I’ve won it three times, but you can play with the format. When you use your better rounds, dissing your opponent, making it personal…but it’s all still fun and good-natured off the turntables.

BD – Are you planning to go for the 4th consecutive win this year? Will they ban you from entering for being too good?!

DJS – Haha no I should dispel the rumours. I have it on good authority that no-one has ever been banned from defending their title. Craze [the first DJ to win three times in a DMC category] retired after three because it does take it out of you. And I’m not planning to do a 4th for the same reason. Also because my routines were essentially unseen old material reworked – I come up with a lot of new stuff regularly, but it has to cut the mustard to enter the battle.

Getting my 3rd title was super stressful, I was actually drinking beer during the battle just to calm myself down. But achieving it feels like a full circle. I have 3 sets of 3 titles, 2 UK (solo & team) and 1 world, so I can call myself Tony ’3 Times’ and not spoil it.

BD – You’re getting booked a lot for your electro-swing sets nowadays. What attracts you to the genre?

DJS – Well initially it came about by chance, that a promoter friend of mine about three years ago asked me ‘do you play swing?’ My response was ‘not yet, but i’m up for it’, and started looking for tracks to do stuff with, and that hasn’t abated. My approach to it is essentially that you can play anyt tracks which have a definite jazz/swing influence – dubstep, garage, hip hop. The scene is ever-expanding but it’s a hunt to find those tracks that no-one else will have.

The thing that keeps me in work is having loads of different projects on the go. I’m the current performer for the ‘Concerto For Turntables’, I do electro swing, I’m in a DJ crew called the Brotherhood of Filth..

BD – Ahh yes the infamous Brotherhood of Filth. Describe what you do…

DJS – 4 decks, 3 DJs, 2 laptops and a whole load of filthy dubstep scratching. We do a bit of showing off but mostly megamix as many ridiculous tracks as we can fit in. It’s a really enjoyable way of spinning tracks with your mates, who happen to be The Doctor & Malicious DJ, two of Birmingham’s finest. Malicious also founded the Alternative Dubstep Orchestra last year, and there are too many exciting things to tell you about that. A lot of them are still classified…

BD – Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

DJS – I’m influenced by a lot of people. My favourite scratch DJ would have to be Netik, his patterns are so technical, soulful and truly distinctive, I could identify him in a blindfold turntable line-up (I’d be wearing the blindfold). Loads of DJs who go through the DMC and do well have something worth bringing to the tables, and I can be inspired by loads of different bits.

I have such love and respect for Beardyman. To be a comedian, beatboxer, uber-live producer, freestyler and utter nutter…he’s utterly unique. But then I’m immersed in the current beatbox scene and everyone within that is wonderful.

BD – How did you first get into djing and battling?

DJS – Watching VHS tapes (that’s video, or pre-DVD to anyone reading this younger than me) of the battles. I also saw the X-ecutioners [legendary DJ battle crew] do this collab track with Linkin Park, who I was massively into at the time, and the music video panned over the top of these 4 DJs on 8 decks and I was just ‘What?!?’

BD – What’s your biggest tip to any up and coming scratch djs?

DJS – To all DJs, take every opportunity that presents itself, don’t expect anyone to hand you anything, and make connections. That’s the backbone of the business. To scratch DJs, start with the basics. Turntable, mixer, record. No digital embellishments. Jam with other people wherever possible, but spend a lot of time exploring and discovering your own capabilities.

BD – Any big news lined up?

DJS – Well the news broke on the 14th that I’m performing the “Concerto For Turntables” I mentioned earlier. At the Proms. Being the first DJ ever to play it. Royal Albert Hall, August 6th, live broadcast on Radio 3 and TV transmission a week later. Various viral videos on the go, all coming soon. Some festivals and countries which I’m keeping under wraps at the moment.

BD – All time top 3 favorite tunes?

DJS – Probably changes every day. I’d be one of those people that went on Desert Island Discs and would push for every track to be a compilation album. Which I had made. How about some of my utter favourite albums?

• Braintax – Biro Funk (essential UK hip hop deepness)
• Delerium – Poem (awesome spiritual chillout, includes the lead track off the first Tomb Raider movie)
• Sod it, I’ll make the third one of my own mixtapes. I always bung in routines and tracks which I couldn’t live without…

Thanks Tony! Catch DJ Switch live at Braindrop’s Right Royal Rinse Out this Saturday 31 April. And check the following videos of the man in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hear ye, hear ye!

The end of April sees us celebrate Kate and Wills tying the knot with a glorious 4 day bank holiday. To mark the occasion our good friends at Buckingham palace got in touch with us to ask if Braindrop could host the official Royal Wedding afterparty.

Braindrop proudly presents to you: a Right Royal Rinse Out
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We return to the amazing Macbeth for one night only, bringing you an intimate yet EPIC soiree of Bass, Joy, Fun and Happiness.

The cream of the world’s royalty and aristocracy are expected to attend – so please ensure you are on your best behaviour…

Music at Her Majesty’s request: dubstep, jungle, techno, d’n’b, electro, bassline, hardcore, reggae, dancehall, hip hop and upfront national anthems.

Check our event page for all the hype…

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A slightly belated THANK YOU to all of you who made it down to The Macbeth for our first Braindrop of 2011. What a ridiculously epic party and amazing vibes – you guys absolutely smashed it. It’s good to be back

Reeps One smashed the place to pieces – one of a select few beatboxers who can get a venue moshing with nothing else but his mouth, a mic and some incredible visual trickery. He filmed his whole Braindrop set – and we’ll make sure we link you to it as soon as it’s edited and up on Youtube.

Sorry the venue got so busy at points in the night – this was as a result of a miscommunication between us and The Macbeth. We’ve addressed this with the venue and we’ll make sure it won’t get uncomfortably full next time.

Stay tuned for news of the next Braindrop coming very soon!

Braindrop Loves You!

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