After a bit of a break from the jet-set lifestyle of local blogging, B365 is back on it - and to celebrate, here's a bumper post to get us back on track with some of the astounding music eminating from this fine city right now.



First up we have to say a big WOAH! to the collective mentalism known as MICHAEL J ROCKS for giving up the amazing Symmetry Breaking mix of their own material. We're not going to oversell it - suffice to say it's some of the best music you'll hear all year - and it's free, so what else is there to discuss?


>>DOWNLOAD - MICHAEL J ROCKS : SYMMETRY BREAKING





Next up is a sick little session off of Pollen Radio with three local selectors going places fast - TIME, SICKMAN D & EFA. This throwdown popped off a week or so back and is well worth picking up - the set is hot and heavy!


>>DOWNLOAD - POLLEN RADIO 12.06.09 : TIME, SICKMAN D & EFA





B365 Favourite DAVE BAIN has taken time out from creating awesome illustrations to take to the decks with his alter ego WAXMOUSE. And the results are suitably fantastic! His first podcast with cohort Pupfish is a great mix up of sounds and styles showing Mr.Bain is infuriatingly talented in two disciplines now...


>>DOWNLOAD - PUPFISH & WAXMOUSE : PODCAST 01





Another month and another absolutely essential mix from WASCAL - this man can do no wrong in our eyes and it's a definite that although his star is on the rise now, next year will be his time to break into the big leagues. Grab this astounding mix whilst you can!


>>DOWNLOAD - WASCAL : SUMMER RAVE UP 2009





GYU is another producer and DJ on the tipping point to stardom, and none can be more deserving than this man - one of the nicest, and most talented guys in the business. Recently he dropped this devestating Dubstep mix which overnight banished all our growing boredom with the creative cul-de-sac the genre is heading down. A must have mix.

Tracklist:

Embrace - 2562
Sweat - Untold
Rain - Breakage
Swords - Leftfield
Speakers Corner - Eskmo vs AntiSerum Mix
Fallen - Distance (Vex'd Mix)
The Knowledge - Toasty (Untold remix)
Killing it Dead - Cosmin TRG (Emalkay Remix)
Rut - Joe
Dante - Untold
Forward Youth - RSD
Juice - Gyu
They Know - TRG and Kontext (TRG BerlinWall VIP)
CCTV - LV feat Dandelion)
Unseen - Gyu
Vancouver - Martyn (2562's Pur Natuur Mix)
Over Here - Appleblim and Peverelist
Upset - Gyu
Losing Marbles - Dub U and TRG (2562 Remix)
Bear Witness - Pangaea


>>DOWNLOAD - GYU : DUBSTEP MIX





Man of the moment JAKES has still been dropping the heat with his regular mini-mixes, and this feels like the time to update the blog with the last two - both firing on all cylinders! No tracklists this time, it's just a straight cop!

>>DOWNLOAD - JAKES : APRIL MINI-MIX

>>DOWNLOAD - JAKES : MAY MINI-MIX


That's yer lot for now, more coming up this week!

BUG recently discovered that one of the most promising young illustrators in the UK resided in Bristol, so we had to track him down for a chat. Dave Bain came to Bristol via Falmouth and has been steadily building interest in his incredible work, a mix of medias and styles that are always infused with a bucketful of charm and creativity. His alternative illustrations for a range of classic novels can be found at his exhibition Cover It Up! debuting at The Folk House from Friday 6th February to Friday 6th March.

B: What is Dave Bain?

D: First and foremost, I’m an illustrator, living in Bristol. For me, Illustration is finding solutions using pictures. I’m given, or create, a theme, idea or story and then figure out the best way to depict that with an image. I also love being involved with broader creative projects, working alongside other artists. I’ve just taken on the running of exhibitions at Tobacco Factory Café/Bar and Grain Barge (Hotwells). Already, a team of eight artists, including myself, have added fun, sea-themed murals to parts of the Grain Barge. These are going to develop and be added to, by other art collectives, over the next year or so.

B: When did you start to draw?

D: ‘Art’ was always my favourite subject at school and I’ve memories of spending hours trying to draw faces from photographs, when I was a teenager. This really took off at Falmouth College of Arts, where I had fantastic tutors who introduced me to a vast and eclectic range of drawing methods. Drawing is a form of learning and thinking. It’s how I begin to solve problems visually.



B: You have quite a unique look to your work. How would you describe your style?

D: I work in a couple of different ways, depending on the audience or subject matter of my illustrations. I love colour, composition and hiding lots of little patterns and clues in my pictures, as I want people to be able to keep spotting different details, when they re-look at my images. Whether I’m painting a colourful illustration of children playing in a park or a bird in flight, I try and keep it fresh and immediate by following the designs of my preliminary drawings. I also try and create pictures which have a timeless quality and that don’t look too manufactured or computer enhanced, by holding onto painterly marks and textures and even occasionally distressing the image with sandpaper or varnish.

B: What inspires you in life to draw? Who or what are your influences?

D: Optical illusion, intricate patterns from different cultures, trees, the shapes bodies make, experimental marks and music with space are all ingredients that spice up my drawing life. I’m a big fan of Russell Cobb’s sketchbooks and conceptual thinking, Jonny Hannah’s typography, Bjorn Lie’s use of colour and the wacky story-telling of Tom Gauld’s images. It’s exciting living in Bristol, surrounded by local creative people and illustrators who are producing phenomenal work. I’m currently loving the work of Eleanor Rudge, Rob Hunter and Jon McNaught.







B: What's been your favourite piece so far?

D: That’s a tough one! I’m really happy with the mail-out booklet I completed for the NSPCC last year. It’s difficult to know how my illustrations will look, until I see the final product and, in this case, the paper quality and image colours were perfect. I’m also fond of a drawing called ‘Looking for a way in’, composed of various birds joined together to form a circle, with a young magpie to one side, looking a little left out.




B: Where does Beep Design differ to your main work? You bring a very human warmth to the robot world.

D: The Beep Design paintings fed off my love of robots and tin toys. This was a bit of a personal indulgence, so I separated it from my other portfolios. It’s natural that the resulting images have fun and warmth to them as my view of mechanical toys is that of nostalgia and childhood. My robots live in their own world of having particular functions. I shy away from futuristic, super-bot ideas and prefer jolly and unique robots, who have a specific task or function: making tea, collecting rain water, sorting out shapes or changing light bulbs.




B: Birdboy Drawings have more of an "adult" feel to them, as opposed to the rich, colourful style you've employed for previous children’s illustrations. Do you find it difficult or easy to draw knowing the work is aimed at children?

D: I don’t employ vastly different methods when producing drawings for a younger audience. I still consider all the elements that make up an effective picture, regardless of who it is aimed at. The ‘Birdboy drawings’ keep me grounded in a more realistic drawing style and, although they have a ‘grown-up’ appeal, I think that my more painterly work and these drawings do feed into each other.



B: What was the inspiration behind Where's My Hero?

D: This short story, or abstract poem, came out of a series of phrases and words I wrote down over a reflective period of time. Most people I’ve met have got small (or big) dreams and aspirations, as well as moments of doubt and the sense of being “lost at sea”. This book was my response to some of those thoughts. I only produced a few of these books, but the images and ideas have stuck with me. It’s definitely a project that I’ll return to at some stage.



B: Cover It Up is your own visual interpretation of certain books. How did the project come about?

D: It’s the mystery of the book cover that inspired me. When I’m reading a book I can’t help but glance back at the cover. It’s always brilliant when the cover reflects the content, without giving the game away. And even better when that’s done in a clever and interesting way. I wanted to explore those ideas, so simply set myself the challenge to tackle some of my favourite books. I’m really happy with the results and it’s going to be fun to see what others make of the exhibition.

B: Give us a top 5 (of anything).

D: My top 5 projects or pictures (in no particular order) that I’d like to develop are:

1. A story about someone who finds odd gloves and what they do with them.
2. The fairground.
3. A tin drummer who makes too much noise.
4. Horror and suspense images for short stories.
5. Forgotten monsters.

COVER IT UP! runs at The Folk House 6/2/09-6/3/09

PREVIEW: Wednesday 11th Feb (all welcome)

Folk House
40a Park Street,
Bristol,
BS1 5JG
0117 926 2987

FFI : The Folk House

"An exhibition of book covers, designed and created by local illustrator Dave Bain.
Selecting absolute classics and some downright good reads, Dave Bain has put pen to paper, brush to paint and pencil behind ear to produce a rather ripping collection of book covers. This very personal interpretation of well-known stories is sure to bring delight and surprise in this rare solo show.

All artwork is for sale.

The same exhibition will be showing at the ‘Here & Now’ Gallery in Falmouth, Cornwall from March 31st to April 25th."

Dave Bain Website
Dave Bain Blog

Whilst the snow mounts up outside keep yourself warm in the knowledge we have some fantastic content this week to keep your brain toasty and your eyeballs steaming.




First up BUG favourite Kallendar has dropped some more sweet science on us with this new set of tracks, Jiminy Cricket and Zennith. Kallendar's production has come on leaps and bounds over the last few months and these tracks are testament to that progress. The former track is an atmospheric bubbler connecting the dots between dubstep and breakbeat, whilst the latter is a cinematic driving smash-up of a song. Incredible skills from this fledgling producer and one to watch for the future. Download the mixed promo version below.

DOWNLOAD - Kallendar : Jiminy Cricket / Zennith



If you haven't been checking the UKHD show on Passion FM recently then you need your head checked, because they've been firing out some seriously heavyweight mixes. Tune in every Wednesday night at 9pm for the latest fix of all things bass-heavy and banging.

DOWNLOAD - UKHD Radio Show 28.01.09





Switching it up there's some interesting happenings in Bristol this week, beginning with We Live Here, a weekender of exhibitions and live music at the Arnolfini which looks very intriguing indeed. A weekend pass will set you back £15, with music from Freeze Puppy, Magnus Spectum and many more as well as installations and exhibits from the region's best up and coming artists.




If that doesn't satisfy your artistic urges, then head over to the Folk House from this Friday for the launch of a new exhibition by local illustrator Dave Bain, who is showcasing his alternative vision of the cover art of some classic books. We'll be bringing you a full interview with the man himself later this week.



Pick of the club nights this week has to be the charity event at The Croft for the Malawi Education Project, featuring a Bristol debut for esoteric dubstepper Boxcutter alongside Appleblim and some quality local support. Tickets are £7 and it's all for a good cause so get on it!




Across the city at Motion, Drum & Bass crew Intrigue are launching their new label with a quality line up featuring Jenna G and Krust amongst others. The debut release on the imprint comes out tomorrow and is well worth the investment, and you can preview the tracks at their online shop. We'll be bringing you an interview with the Intrigue boys next week.



If you'd prefer an earlier start to the weekend, then Pollen have the answer. A Bristol debut for up and coming producer Bullion as well as possibly the first Skwee showcase in the city from Metske. Well worth a look if you're after some quality beats and only £4 before 11pm too.