As the scorching sun descended, we brushed off the cobwebs by running through our set back at the tents -- using 4 plates, 2 tupperware and 2 packets of pasta (Dolmio has surprisingly good EQs). A sound system consisting of an I phone in a cup in a shoe left much to be desired.

The festival lit up for the night, and we walked into the throng of 170,000 mentalists and headed straight for Arcadia

Arriving at Arcadia at 10.30pm, we were shocked to find the music and flames off. Panic and nausea ensued as we were told that due to a faulty generator everything kept on cutting out. 3 artists had had the set of their lives cut down to 5 minutes as a result. To our relief an emergency generator was wheeled in and the problem was fixed. Big ups to the Arcadia crew for keeping so calm (unlike us!) and getting it sorted.

Hostage, Freefall Collective and Wonka-Vision all worked up the crowd with some big beats and bass. We set our gear up on stage and we’re off!

Walking up the ramp onto the stage was a breathtaking experience. 8000 people crammed into a field dominated by the huge futuristic spider shaped Afterburner structure. 50ft flames belched from the stage. Electronic animals moved above the crowd and belched fire. Performers spun in mid air, shot flame throwers and fought using bolts of electricity. A huge Funktion One surround sound rig provided perfect sound to the whole field. Powerful lasers scanned the skies. Every time the flames soared into the air it illuminated the field and you could see a sea of festival heads stretching as far as the eye could see.

The excellent MC Carasel was on hosting duties. It was a busy day for old Cara -- he had to rush back from Dance Village after hosting High Contrast. Luckily his voice was still in good nick!

We opened with our own Elephant Man / Prodigy bootleg (Their Law riddim), before cranking up the tempo with Vitalic’s La Roc 1 double dropped with a Ms Dynamite classic. Epic! We’d worked for 6 weeks solid on this set, creating the most intensive multi-deck turntablist journey we could manage, and then re-editng the tunes even further to maximise impact.

We were told afterwards the security had to close the entrance to the Arcadia field off 5 minutes into our set as the place was so overcrowded. Friends of ours queued for an hour to get in!

Set highlights included our Deadmau5 / MIA / Dune triplets mega-mash, Dunkelbunt, Noisia’s massive Messiah remix, our Nirvana / Doop double drop, the ever rinsing Recycled by Eskimo and our favorite -- our Insomnia / South Rakkas live bootleg.

We did encounter some serious technical issue in the middle of the set. We were the 1st ever DJ act using turntables they had put on the stage. Whenever the massive flame cannon on the top of the structure shot out a 50 ft fireball, it sent a shock wave reverberating down to the ground which shook the whole stage. It literally felt like a giant stamping on our decks. We ended up sorting the problem fairly quickly, but that was a particularly scary moment for us.

We closed the set with “Fire” by the Prodigy, with the Arcadia flames going into overdrive.

Big ups and massive thanks to James, Becca and the rest of the fabulous Arcadia crew. You guys absolutely smashed it this year. We first experienced Arcadia on a much smaller scale at Glade 2009 as ravers. It blew our little brains out then. At Glasto this year it was on a whole different level. The sheer amount of money and technical genius that went into creating the Arcadia that we played on this year is just staggering. The most amazing thing is that Arcadia Glasto 2010 is only a part of the stage’s evolution. Arcadia is still relatively young as a concept -- only a few years old. By the time we left on Monday rumours were circulating that bigger things were planned for next year. From seeing the dedication and vision of the people behind the spectacle, we know that the more budget and space Arcadia are given, the more mind blowing the will make the whole experience. There is no limit. Bring on Arcadia at Glastonbury 2010!

You can catch Arcadia at Electric Picnic and Bestival this summer.

Our McMash Clan Arcadia set will be available for download soon. And hold tight for the FOO Magazine film of our Arcadia set.

Check the official Arcadia Glastonbury 2010 video:

Visit the ARCADIA WEBSITE

Pictures for this blog courtesy of Foo Magazine and Glastonbury Festival.

First time we met Jason and Eddie 16bit was back in February 2009. We’d only just heard of them, having recently bought newly released screwface anthem Chainsaw Calligraphy and the massively catchy Ford Fiesta. At that time we were blown away by their production skills, and by the fact that these incredibly gifted but more-or-less unknown musicians were so young. We knew it was only a matter of time before they blew up.

Fast forward 1 year and 4 months and they’ve smashed it. They’re toured Europe, the USA and Australasia. They’ve provided the soundtrack to a high profile Nike Campaign (their huge dancefloor enthem “Jump”), they’ve remixed Noisia to great critical acclaim and they were personally selected by Chase & Status as support acts on their high profile live tour. The 2010 Dubstep Forum awards saw them win the best mixtape category with their eclectic Milky Pie mix, as well as beating the likes of Skream, Benga, Breakage, Mala, Martyn and Ramadanman to secure 2nd place in the best producer category.

We are very proud to have them playing at the Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave. We caught up with Jason from 16bit to ask him a few questions. And download their Milky Pie mix at the bottom of the page.

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

16 -- Playing Skate, drinking banana Yazoo, bout to put the finishing touches on our next single.

BD -- How would you describe 16bit? What are your main influences?

16 -- Wow, too many influences to mention. Good music.

BD -- You guys have enjoyed a phenomenal amount of success in a short amount of time -- you only released your 1st 12” in 2008. What do you put your success down to? What is it about your music that makes 16bit such a sought after act?

16 -- We’ve never given in. Everything we do and put out, is because we love it. Maybe people can here that through the music. Maybe we just make good tunes.

BD -- Where did you get the name from?

16 -- Sega Megadrive

BD -- You’re playing at our Robo-Pirate themed boat rave on Saturday 3 July. What can we expect from your set?

16 -- Energy is the only definite.

BD -- What hardware / software do you use to produce?

16 -- Everythings always been in the computer until recently. We’ve worked enough to be able to get ourselves some hardware/outboard action to play with. Really loving the Virus at the moment.

BD -- Top production tip for up and coming producers?

16 -- If you’re feeling it, go with it.

BD -- Any big 16bit news? Releases / collaborations / festival dates?

16 -- We’ve just signed to MTA records. The paperwork literally just got finished up yesterday. So we’ve spent th last few months with our heads down getting the first release to a level that we both are really happy with. I think we’re nearly there now so we’ve just gotta sort the vocal side.

BD -- What other producers are you rating?

16 -- James Blake, Alchemist, Youthman, Rockwell, Redlight.

BD -- Top tunes killing it in your sets at the mo?

16 -- Our top secret new tracks,

1. Redlight-Stupid
2. Rusko-Hold On (Subfocus remix)
3. Plan B -- She Said (16bit remix)
4. S-X -- Woo Riddim

Biggup Jason! Download their Milky Pie mix HERE, visit their MYSPACE, and check out their Nike ad below:

2009 saw bass music prodigy Flux Pavilion absolutely tear up the dubstep scene. Having only started producing in late 2008, the last 18 months have seen him position himself firmly in the record boxes of the dubstep A-list with tracks such as F**king Noise, Voscillate, Meathead, Got 2 Know and Air Raid (ft partner in crime Doctor P).

The young Flux has also started his own fledgling dubstep empire with the infamous Doctor P. Together they set up Circus Recordings, one of the most popular new dubstep labels around and home to fellow rabble-rousers Cookie Monster and Funtcase. Circus hit the limelight late last year when promos of Doctor P’s anthem “Sweet Shop” hit the dj circuit – becoming a rewind classic and causing Rusko to name it “rewind of the month” on his 1xtra show. Sure enough once it was released on the label it was a big commercial success.

Flux joins us to headline our Braindrop arena when we host room 2 at Matter for Halcyon with Infected Mushroom. We tracked him down and asked him some important questions . . .

Hi mate how are you and what are you doing at this moment in time?
Haha trying to do my coursework!!

How would you describe Flux Pavilion? What are your main influences?
I think my stuff is all about the flow and the energy behind it – all those little intricate details that give a track movement. I’m influenced by anything good and interesting to be honest. Funnily enough I’ve been getting into a bit of (Brian) Eno’s ambient stuff – not too sure music for airports would work on a dancefloor though!

Where did you get the name from?
Me and Doctor P used to be in a band when we were younger, and it was a name that we came up with for the group.

You’re playing in the Braindrop arena at Matter on 21 May. What can we expect to hear in your set?
All sorts of goodies! Got a few new remixes I’ve done and of course all the fresh Circus material

What gear do you use to produce?
It’s all on Cubase. I like to mix up working with audio editing and midi so I like to bounce between the two. The more I mess around the more interesting it becomes haha!

Top production tip for up and coming producers?
Don’t rely on sub from a bass synth – use a separate module.

You run Circus Records with Doctor P. Tell us about the label.
Basically me and Doctor P wanted our own platform on which to put our music out, so we teamed up with DJ Swan-e to set one up. After a few releases we realised that a lot of people were feeling what we were doing, so we decided to up the game! We just signed Funtcase and Cookie Monsta and have got all sorts of big things planned with them so keep your eyes peeled!

Any big Flux news? Releases / collaborations / festival dates?
Well I’m going to be doing Glade and Outlook this year so I’m pretty happy about that. I’ve
also just finished a remix of the Freestylers track “Cracks” for Never Say Die and a remix of Gold Dust by DJ Fresh!

How do you see dubstep developing and what part do you see yourself playing in its future?
I reckon the scene has a lot of shelf life – there will always be new and interesting developments. I don’t really see what I do as true dubstep though – that crown is still in the hands of DMZ, Skream, Benga and all of that crew. I’d just like to be known for being Flux Pavilion, and if by doing my work if become involved in different scenes then so be it!

What are your thoughts on the upcoming election? Who’s getting Flux’s vote?
Gonna be Lib Dems I reckon, my housemate has gone mad about ‘em so its just to keep him happy . . .

Top 5 tunes killing it in your sets at the mo?
Got 2 know – Flux Pavilion
Marmite – Caspa (doctor p remix)
Ginger pubes – Cookie Monsta
Firepower – datsik
and of course my Sweet Shop remix!

All time top 3 tunes? (anything at all!!)

Haha well….
anything by the strokes,turin brakes, superfurry animals,frank zappa or supergrass. Those are the acts to who I’ve probably listened to the most in my lifetime

Thanks Flux! Download his Freak Show mix to get a sneaky preview. Enjoy!

Flux Pavilion – Freak Show Mix

On Friday 21 May Braindrop hits Matter for the first time ever. Top psy-promoters Halcyon have invited us to host the excellent room 2 for them, whilst they take care of things in the main arena.

Whilst Room 1 plays host to a jaw dropping psychedelic line up – including an exclusive and very rare live set from international megastars Infected Mushroom, we’ve organised a ridiculously fat up-and coming line up for our room. Joining The McMash Clan will be dubstep badman Flux Pavilion, Planet Angel favorite Cellardore, Braindrop resident Charlie Cutta, your beatboxing host Bass6 and Life 4 Land’s  Scamp.

Scamp is an immensely talented producer who has very cool dreads and makes huge, devastatingly tough d’n'b with a psychedelic twist. He’s a member of Cambridge’s infamous Life 4 Land collective, a crew of underground producers and artists who have had a real impact on the free party scene both nationally and abroad. A massively diverse group, the count the likes of Ed Cox, Monsta (of Goldie / Stenchman / Breakfastaz etc etc art fame), Stivs, Ghost, MDS and Senor Scram amongst their numbers.

We caught up with the Scampy one to ask him some questions about production, the election and other important tings. And the charming chap gave us a free tune of his to distribute for your download pleasure too. Enjoy . . .

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

S – I’m all good thanks. At the moment I’m busy writing some new material for the mass of summer parties that await us all this year. Got to be prepared innit!

BD – How would you describe Scamp? What are your main influences?

S – For me Scamp represents dark futuristic dance music that encompasses and creates fusions of various styles in a hi-nrg package. My influences started within the metal and rock scene. People like Pantera and Rage Against the Machine were a staple diet. I went on my first rave ‘exodus’ in 97 and that’s where I found a love for dark d’n'b and jungle. Since then my influences have become too many to list but what inspires me the most is to create tunes that allow you to mosh away any negative experiences that we all pick up from day to day

BD – Where did you get the name from?

S – Scamp has been a nickname since high school due to my cheeky and mischievous nature – and ability to climb lol!

BD – You’re playing in the Braindrop arena at Matter on 21 May. What can we expect to hear in your set?

S – A Matter be prepared for an audio onslaught of dark dnb, hard-tek and dubstep – with the visuals of a dreadlocked nutter going mental on the stage.

BD – What gear do you use to produce?

S – I use only software at the moment … Cubase SL and various VST synths, including Abysynth, Massive and Circle.

BD – Top production tip for up and coming producers?

S – For all the new producers out there experimentation is the key. Try not to go into a track with a preconceived image of genre or you will always be trying to write something that already exists. Just have fun and create sounds that make you pull a silly face and just flow with that.

BD – Any big news? Releases / collaborations / festival dates?

S – I’m working on a few remixes at the moment. We have the Life 4 Land remix of ‘Fire’ about to drop and I recently got the acapellas from the great ‘SMB’ hip hop crew – so expect something filthy turning up with those guys soon. As for festival dates I’m mainly going to be playing at free parties all over the summer with rigs like dmt,toxic,guillotine,trauma etc. Keep your ears open:)

BD – How do you fit into the big Life 4 Land picture? In what way are you all different? And what do you have in common musically?

S – In Life4Land everybody has their own unique style of dance music and I suppose I’m covering the d’n'b heads’ corner. What brought us together is our love for innovative dance music to smash parties with – and that’s what has held us tight as a crew for the last 12 years plus.

BD – What are your thoughts on the upcoming election? Who’s getting Scamp’s vote?

S – Hmmm the Scampy vote obviously ain’t goin to BNP, Conservative or Labour. . . and I’m not sure whether I trust the others either. Still undecided at present.

BD – All time top 3 tunes?

S – Raaa! Top 3 tunes damn now that’s a question. No I can’t do it! There are far too many but 3 random faves spring to mind:

1. Tech Itch vs Dylan – The Legend
2. Pantera – 5 Minutes Alone
3. Nixt- Evil Resident

Thanks Scamp! Check him out on the 21st in the Braindrop arena at Matter. In the mean time download some tunage form the man himself below. Bo!

Scamp and Scrawn – Freddy vs Mephedrone

One week since we uploaded it to Mixcloud, we’ve uploaded our BLOC mix to Soundcloud for your download pleasure!

Mixed with our brand new live set-up: 4 decks, 2 mixers Traktor Scratch Pro and NI Maschine. 45 Tunes in 60 minutes!

We spent a good 6 weeks working solidly on this mix. Tracklisting includes tunage from The Prodigy, Major Lazer, Photek, The Proxy, Noisia, Laidback Luke & Lee Mortimer, Excision, Eskimo, Blockhead, Spor, Luna-C and 16 Bit – plus a clutch of our own McMash productions.

This is the same set which we played at BLOC 2010.

Whilst it took over a month to put together, this mix has in fact been a good 4 years in the making. Since we formed the Clan in 2005 we’ve worked long and hard to push the boundaries of multi-deck mixing. Upgrading our set-up meant we’ve been able to push those boundaries more than ever before.

We hope you enjoy!

The McMash Clan

x

The McMash Clan – BLOC 2010 mix by McMash Clan

Tracklisting:
The McMash Clan – Bloc 2010 intro
Jem – Sorry (Photek remix)
Noah D ft Einstein – Killing time (Break remix)
Cooh – Frogger
Air – Don’t be Light (McMash remix)
Major Lazer – Hold the Line (acapella)
Meth & Propaganda – Stash
Original Sin – Therapy
Sizzla – Gunshot (axapella)
Noisia – Deception
Nkogliaz – Sadness
Adam F – Metropolis
Elephant Man – Murderer (acapella)
Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
The McMash Clan – Good Sensation
Rusko – Cockney Thug (McMash remix)
Neelix – Leave Me Alone
Excision & Subvert – Get to the Point
Mighty Dubkatz – Magic Carpet Ride (acapella)
D1 – Jus Business
Sparks & Kie – Fly Bi (acapella)
DK7 – Murder Was the Bass (refix)
Eskimo – Recycled
Noisia – Machine Gun (16 Bit remix)
The Prodigy – Voodoo People
Blockhead – Forest Crunk
Blockhead – Forest Crunk (McMash remix)
Spor – Ignition
Kosheen – Hide U (acapella)
John B – When I’m Close 2 U
Audio – Warehouse VIP
Elephant Man – Online (acapella)
The McMash Clan – Slumdog
Luna-C – DJs in Full Effect
Evol Intent – Corrupt Cops
The Proxy – Dancing In the Dark
The Proxy – Dancing In the Dark (Bare Noize remix)
Bongo Chilli – Boom Diggy (acapella)
Laidback Luke & Lee Mortimer – Blau
Mad Stuntman – I Like to Move It (acapella)
Sidney Sampson & Wizard’s Sleeve – Riverside (dirty dub mix)
Sidney Sampson & Wizard’s Sleeve – Riverside (Breakage remix)
The McMash Clan – Fool
The Prodigy – Omen Reprise (McMash remix)
Kathy Brown – Turn Me Out (acapella)

This week we sift through the brain of Tom from Handbaked Arcade. Any of you who have been to a Braindrop within the last 3 years will know about Handbaked. They provide the fantastic large screen old skool video games at all our parties. From large-scale projections onto canvas screens for epic multiplayer fun, right through to smaller arcade / handheld console installations, Tom provides events all over the UK with quality old skool gaming fun. Don’t miss the Handbaked Showcase at puregroove on Saturday 27 March – not only featuring his extensive collection of gaming installations, but also a banging roster of bass heavy tunage.

After a long and tiring chase, we finally found Tom, tied him up and played him Basshunter on loop until he talked . . .

BD – How did the Handbaked Arcade start?

HB – Well I was always known to have a Sega Megadrive at my house and often it became the star attraction at house parties and gatherings. I thought it would be great to combine the visual impact and playability of the Megadrive alongside some noisy breakcore. The birth of the Hand Baked Arcade was a midweek event at The Telegraph in Brixton… I can’t even remember how many years ago! 5 maybe? Turnout was low, but the idea of the event was great and the people that experienced it gave good feedback. From then onwards my collection of equipment and games has grown and grown.

BD – Where does your love for old skool games come from? Why choose old skool consoles over new flashy models like X-Box and PS3?

HB – When I was a kid I had a Sega Master System and then the Holy Grail… The Sega Megadrive. This was a joint Christmas present of mine and my brothers and it was played a hell of a lot. I do play the PS3 round a mate’s house and its good fun but games now a days are so in depth. Most games are completely orientated towards the hardcore gamers and focus largely on high resolution, life-like graphics. Although they look great, the ability to pick-up-and-play is completely lost. There are tons of buttons to worry about, and there is rarely such a thing as ‘a quick game’. Retro games are often big, bold colours and suitable for anyone to give a go, ideal for the likes of nightclub installations to attract people who would not be as excited if there was Medal of Honour or Gran Tourismo on show.

BD – SNES or Megadrive?

HB – You have probably guessed this answer already, Megadrive for me every time. The SNES is bloody good too but I guess childhood nostalgia wins for me.

BD – What’s the most popular game with the punters?

HB – Street Fighter 2 Turbo on the Super Nintendo (SNES) is a classic and always requested, quite often causing big queues of people waiting to show off their memory of the special moves.

BD – Where do you get the old consoles from?

HB – Friends passing them on to me as they know they will get more use than they will sitting in their loft or cupboard. EBay is also good for picking up the odd item, although not always particularly cheap. The vast majority of my consoles, games and accessories have been from Sunday morning dazed walks around boot fairs across the country, quite often the morning after a free party!

BD – Tell us about your Handbaked Showcase coming up at Puregroove on 27 March.

HB – Well where I start… I have wanted to organise a Hand Baked Event again for some time and finally I have found an awesome, intimate venue to host the evening. The event will be at Pure Groove records in East London, literally a 2 minute walk from Fabric. There will be a mass amount of equipment on display, many consoles and games, multiple sized screens and the 12v arcade enabling outside gaming for the smokers. Fingers crossed it will be the debut event for my new 2-player arcade machine to be featured. Anyone that saw the ‘ghetto arcade cab’ at earlier Braindrop events will know how popular it is. This machine will have hundreds of games from the 80s through to the late 90s. Along side the gaming haven there will be chiptunes and down-tempo wonk supplied by myself (E:LF), dubstep dubplates from DJ Planet Mu, DnB from The Virtue and an eclectic selection from Randomoidz. The event is from 7-11:30pm so is an ideal pre-night out for all you ravers

BD – Any other exciting news? Any festival appearances / club nights etc etc

HB – I will be doing a set-up at Hidden on the 9th April for the A.L.A.N promoters. This is set to be a great event with friendly vibes (www.wearealan.com). In May I will be doing an installation at a massive event planned for Cable in London Bridge, keep an eye on www.handbakedarcade.co.uk for details on this one… Hopefully the Arcade will also be seen at some festivals this year again, once details are confirmed they will be up on the Arcade website. Other big news is the relaunch of the musical output from Hand Baked. www.handbakedrecords.co.uk is now live with major updates occurring very soon. We are running a digital download store covering exclusive titles as well as licensed tracks from the likes of Tech Itch, Current Value, Stenchman & Bong Ra. Exclusive Hand Baked releases are coming very soon from Mattykore, Meta & DJ Spazmo. Supplying a healthy dose of hardtek, gameboy dub/2step and breakcore respectively. Free mixes soon available to stream and download from Schemeboy, The Virtue, Mattykore, Meta and Jakub23 with many more to come!

BD – Finally can you tell us your 5 top ever old skool games?

HB – I can’t put these in order, it’s too difficult!

1. Metal Slug 1, 2 or 3 (all of them are amazing)
2. Street Fighter 2 Turbo
3. Mega Bomberman
4. Pitfall (Atari 2600 + Megadrive)
5. Pacman

Thanks Tom!

The lovely chap gave us a Handbaked EP to download for FREE. It’s by an artist called Squareway, and the EP is called “Bleep trip”. Ukranian chip tune bizniss! Download it HERE.

Follow this LINK to check the Facebook event for his Handbaked Showcase on the 27th.

Check the Handbaked website HERE

Check out their online MP3 store HERE

Go to their Myspace HERE

Follow dem pon Twitter HERE

And join their Facebook group HERE

Only a few more sleeps until Bloc! And we’re bringing you the last of our Braindrop @ Bloc interviews. This week we have the incredible honour of speaking with MJ Cole, a true dance music legend and arena headliner for our Braindrop showcase on Sunday.

Mr Cole was one of the leading lights of the UK Garage scene. Responsible for many a UKG classic before (Talk to Me / Treat Me Right are 2 of our faves), it was the seminal Sincere which catapulted him into the limelight. A timeless masterpiece, it set the bar for his production style for which he would become famous. Tight, skipping beats, punchy bassweight, lush classical arrangement and his much copied off-beat vocal snippets. Pete Tong got hold of one of only 20 test pressings and the rest is history. A hugely successful and inspiring career followed – including a string of anthemic singles, a Mercury Prize nominated album, countless classic remixes, a hectic international dj schedule and the rise and rise of his label – Prolific Records.

Where as a lot of leading UKG producers have all but disappeared, MJ Cole has adapted and developed as an artist and remains a towering force on today’s bass music scene. His current musical output retains the musicality of his earlier productions and crosses them with the tribal riddims and shuddering bassweight of UK funky. Check out the massive AO ft MC Serocee, or Fly Up Ya Banner (produced jointly with fellow UKG legend Zed Bias) for a taster.

MJ Cole kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to do a quick interview with us. Enjoy!

BD – Hi Matt. How are you and what are you doing at the moment?

MJC – Life is good at the moment. We’ve just released the Nero remix of Sincere on Prolific and have a four track EP of mine lined up for an April release. Have also just finished remixes for Todd Edwards, Madd Slinky feat Omar, Toddla T and Serocee. Also working on a track for Examples’s album and have been DJing all over the shop (place-wise not mixing-wise I hope).

BD – You are widely acknowledged as being one of the key innovators of the 2 step sound. What were your major influences back then and what inspired you to push your sound?

MJC – Classical music was my first inspiration. This was closely followed by D&B / Hardcore / Jungle of the late 80’s. I think I contributed something to the 2 step sound mainly because I wasn’t into Garage as such before. It was my interpretation of the sound which made it different I think.

BD – Your new releases are a bass heavy, musical take on UK funky. What attracted you to the genre and what part do you see yourself in playing in its future?

MJC – I became suddenly inspired at about this time last year. The UK Funky sound really re-invigorated the Garage vibes that had been simmering for the previous several years. Again, I like to think that I’ve taken the bits I appreciated from that sound and incorporated them into the production melting pot. There’s so much good music around at the minute from producers both young and old. It feels really vibey out there.

BD – You first started releasing tunes in the late 90’s. How has your production / dj set up changed in the last decade? What did you originally use and what do you use now?

MJC – Studio-wise my setup is always changing. In the late 90’s it was Cubase, Akai samplers, sound modules like the Proteus, Vintage Keys, JV1080 etc and loads of outboard. Now, I use much more software-based processing (Waves plugs etc) but have still retained my beloved outboard kit (Neve, API, SSL, Focusrite etc). I’m using Logic Pro, Protools and Ableton Live. DJ-wise I used to be vinyl only for a good 10 years. Pretty much skipped the CD stage and switched to Ableton Live almost 4 years ago. I love this setup as it’s so versatile. I’m always adding extra functions to my controllers etc. I still like to run into 2 channels of the mixer so I can use the crossfader, Eqs etc but also have access to filters, loops, beat repeats, delays from Ableton

BD – What producers are you really feeling at the moment?

MJC – There’s so many good young guys around. Off the top of my head… L-Vis 1990, SBTRKT, Lil Silva, Ben UFO, Mosca, Bok Bok, Brackles, Foamo, Roof Light. Then there’s some more familiar names who are still running things in a big way such as Zed Bias, Zinc, Donaeo, Skream, Afrojack, Sinden, Diplo, Riva Starr to name just a few.

BD – You’re playing under the Braindrop banner at Bloc Weekend 2010, headlining alongside DJ Hype, Reso, Vent, Raffertie and Kanji Kinetic. What can we expect from your Bloc set?

MJC – If it’s anything like the NYE party expect a mashup of Funkee, 2 Step, Future, Dubstep, Crack House and a couple of classics added to the pot for good measure. Big energy Bass Music!

BD – What’s been your favourite club / festival to play in the world?

MJC – Wow, there have been many – Glastonbury and Big Chill we big points for me last year. Always enjoy playing in Japan as the systems are sooo good. Have also had some great nights in venues in UK such as Plan B, Fabric, MOS and Rainbow

BD – What are your 3 favorite tunes of all time (anything at all!)

1. Marvin Gaye “Heard it through the Grapevine”
2. The Police “Message in a Bottle”
3. Tower of Power “What is Hip”

BD – What are the top 5 tunes in your record box at the mo?

1. The Brockout “Shakedown”
2. Foamo “Centavo”
3. J2K feat Roses Gabor “Don’t Let Go”
4. Maddslinky feat Omar “Special”
5. Mosca “Nike”

BD – Favourite Youtube video?

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Biggup MJ! You can catch him headlining our Braindrop @ Bloc showcase alongside DJ Hype & MC Daddy Earl, The McMash Clan, Reso vs Vent, Kanji KInetic vs Raffertie, AGT Rave Cru and Bass6 this Sunday 14 March.

Check his myspace

And check this excellent mix from the man himself.

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Saturday 3 April sees Braindrop make our debut at Slammin Vinyl’s Tranz-mission @ Alexandra Palace. And we’ve drafted in man of the moment Doorly to headline alongside Congo Natty, Loefah, The McMash Clan and Broken Note.

If you don’t know about Doorly by now then . . . well . . . we’ll tell you about him! Doorly is a hugely talented and prolific dj, producer and promoter who’s career has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last couple of years. In fact after looking at his recent CV I had to restrain myself from poking my eyes out with a fork out of jealousy.

His DJ sets fuse dubstep, electro and techno in an old skool block party style, mashing up an eclectic and bass heavy selection using 3 CDJs, 2 turntables, an EFX unit and Pioneer DJM 800 mixe

Doorly’s first big break came in April 2008, when he was invited by a certain Pete Tong to record a live Essential Mix for Radio 1. This led to many good things – some huge international bookings, as well as residencies at Wax:On, Metropolis, Ibiza Rocks, Ibiza’s Reclaim the Dancefloor, Annie Mac Presents and Zane Lowe’s “DJ Hero’ tour

His productions have been getting a lot of airplay as of late, most noteably his MASSIVE remixes for Dizzee Rascal, Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy and Groove Armada (to name a few). And his solo productions are banging – check out “Toys / Horse Step” which is out now.

We caught up with Mr Doorly whilst he was on his Austrailia tour to ask him some questions about some very important stuff. And the lovely guy gave us a brand new Annie Mac mix for download. Link is at the bottom of the interview. Enjoy!

BD – Hello mate – how are you and what are you doing at the moment?

D – Just got back a few hours ago from a 2 week Australia & Newzealand tour which was absolutely amazing and massively inspiring, just trying to stay awake to beat the jetlag of doom!!!

BD – How would you describe Doorly? What are your main influences?

D – Basically i’m a DJ first and kind of learnt how to make records along the way – The most important thing to know about me is that i’m genreless and dont want to be pigeon holed into one sound, my influences are drawn from Techno, Dub, Hip hop, drum & bass … well basically anything cool really!

BD – Any exciting news? Releases / remixes / collaborations / festival appearances etc etc?

D – I’ve just deliverd my remix on Groove Armada’s Latest Single “Paper Romanc” due out 22nd Feb, which is the best thing ive ever done i reckon!  I’m currently working on the next Marina & The Diamonds Singe “I am not a robot” which is wicked. After that i’m going to hold off on the remixes (I’ve done over 30 this year!!) and concentrate on some strong original tracks.  I have about 10 ready to go so for the next few months i will be collaborating with loads of amazing vocalists so watch this space…… Ultimatley i’m working towards an artist album.

Gigwise i’ve got 2 USA tours line up before the summer including loads of hype parties at the Miami WMC, I’m doing Snowbombing in april and returning to Ibiza for the summer in June to continue my weekly residencies for Ibiza Rocks & Recliam the Dancefloor.  I will also be hitting most of the major UK festivals and a few of the big Eurpoean ones too but theyre all just being confirmed now.

BD – Your first big break came from your Radio One Essential Mix back in 2008. How did that come about and how did that change things for you?

D – Yep that was definitly a big catalyst in what has happened since, I just got an email one day from Radio 1 asking me if i’d be up for it and i was, it was that easy!!  Things have just snowballed from there.  The biggest thing that did for me was to give me the kick up the ass to get stuck into production, because at that stage i was only known as a DJ so i made a big effort to get some tracks finished for the Essential mix and then realised how much fun it was ond continued from there!

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music? And what do you use to play out live?

D – Ableton all the way for Production.  For Djing i Use 3 CDJs & a mixer, i love the visual aspect of performing as a DJ so will never use a computer as part of my setup

BD – Top production tip?

D – If you’re starting out, Just get Ableton, its so user friendly, why over complicate things!!! and don’t wait about expecting for people to give you remix parts, just take a track you like, chop it up and use those parts to make a remix then get it out there for people to hear!

BD – Which artists are you really rating at the moment and why?

D – Sbtrkt is blowing my mind at the moment – His music is so “Future”

BD – What can we expect from your Tranz-mission set?

D – Expect a blend of loads of differnet sounds and lots of energy!

BD – All time 3 animals?

1. My Dog Timmy – He’s a tiny yorkshire terrier and a pretty cool dude!
2. My other Dog Maggie – She keeps Timmy on the straight and narrow
3. A Meercat – They remind me of kids that come and stand at the front watching me DJ : )

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

D – That A&R Guy clip becuase its exactly what i go through every day! I also always enjoy a little bit of Chav gets owned by wall

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Thanks Doorly! Grab his Radio 1 mix from the link below.

Doorly Radio 1 mix for Annie Mac

Check out Doorly’s Myspace. And catch him at Tranz-misison, Braindrop arena on Saturday 3 April alongside Congo Natty aka Rebel MC, Loefah, The McMash Clan Broken Note, DJ Disowned & MC Cutter, Skinny & Clarkie, Silly Pundit and Bass6.

The mighty Vent join us for an exclusive back to back set with Reso at our Braindrop @ Bloc showcase.

This production / dj twosome have been smashing the global underground to bits as of late. They make big, fat, glitchy, thumping bass music that smashes down genre barriers and varies hugely in speed.

Their collaboration with Reso, Rumble, has become a crossover anthem, having gained a-list dj and radio support worldwide. 2009 saw them play storming sets at Glade and Glasto, work with Si Begg, Cursor Miner Tippr, Deekline & Wizard, Ctrl-Z & Stereotype – and enjoy successful releases on Hardcore Beats and Colony Productions.

2010 is going to be a big year for these immensely talented producers. Make sure you check out their Glade 2009 live set – which we’ve put up for download at the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!

BD – Hi guys how are you and what are you doing?

V – We’re taking a quick break, skiing in the French Alps, blue skies, killer powder, and wine.

BD – How would you describe your sound? What are your main influences?

V – Music: dubsteppyglitchyelectrobreaksdnb100bpmpartymayhem

As for our influences: People trying to be different

BD – Where does the name come from?

V – Its a secret!

BD -Any exciting news for 2010? Festival appearances / gigs / tunes / collaborations?

V – 2010 is looking very exciting so far.  Releases due include Deviant Creatures Parts 3 & 4, a collab with Reso, remixes for Si Begg, Meat Katie & Dominant Species, a collab with Ill Gates & Opiuo, and plenty more sneaky stuff! On the gig side of things we have BLOC confirmed for march obviously (!), and we’re currently working out the rest of our UK festival schedule (can’t say too much yet).  We’ve got a load of European and UK dates coming up as well, so its a great time for us.

BD -You’re playing under the Braindrop banner at Bloc Weekend 2010, playing b2b Reso alongside DJ Hype, MJ Cole, Raffertie and Kanji Kinetic. What can we expect from your Bloc set?

V – Basslines and multiple tempos!  Unfortunately we can’t play any Reso tunes, and Reso can’t play any of our tunes, so we’ll have to do some more crate digging or composing before we get there!

BD – The rest of the Bloc line up is silly, including Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Roots Manuva, Ellen Allien, Mixmaster Mike, Surgeon, Autechre, Kode 9, Congo Natty, Flying Lotus etc etc. Who else on the line up are you most looking forward to see?

V – There’s so many good people playing its hard to know where to be.  You mentioned a crazy amount of acts already!!!  Grandmaster Flash, Skream & Benga and Mikey Dread are some serious omissions though…

BD – Who would win in a fight between Reso and Vent?

V – Well there’s two of us, and only one Reso.  Sam would sit on him whilst I (Dan) poked his eyes out….  Then I could steal all his Garageband presets….

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music?

V – Logic 9, a very select and small bunch of plugins and softsynths, and some hardware we’d care not to mention

BD – Top studio tip for up and coming producers?

V – Be different, and work hard.

BD – What artists are you feeling at the moment and why?

V – Reso, Akira Kiteshi, Tipper, too many to mention here.  We like people who we feel are bringing new sounds and ideas to existing genres, and making different tempos.

BD – All time top 3 tunes (anything at all??)

V – We can’t answer that question but here are three releases to look out for in the next few weeks: Reso – Technitium, Ill Gates, Opiuo, VENT – Origin of Bass, DC Breaks  – Halo EP

BD – All time top 3 animals?

1. Bears
2. Monkeys
3. Pandas

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

V – The A & R Man (ed – we tried to look for this video but couldn’t figure out what vent were referring to. Braindrop family- if you know please tell us and we’ll link to it!)

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Thanks guys! Download their fantastic Glade live mix (hosted by dnbshare) below:

VENT @ GLADE – LIVE MIX

Check out Vent’s Myspace HERE.