Loads of stuff doing the rounds right now so let's dip into the B365 online postbag and see what's bubbling up!



First up there's a fascinating interview with Immerse Records' very own Kidkut on a great blog called Sonic Router. Kidkut has been hard at work releasing some incredible music on Immerse for some time now, but it still feels like his label gets slept on. BIG mistake - Immerse is leaps and bounds ahead of most labels in the same age bracket. There's also an exclusive mix for download too.

READ : Sonic Router's Interview with Kidkut



Speaking of blogs B365 favourite Wascal has set up his own, a dedicated place to download his new mixes and also the odd free MP3 too. Keep an eye on this character as there's big things on the horizon for him.

CHECK : Wascal Blog



Andy Council, who we featured on this here blog not so long ago, has set up an online shop for you to purchase his goodies. Support your local artists! Get on to the site and choose from a range of prints to spruce up even the most minging of homes.

CHECK : Andy Council Online Shop



Punch Drunk has now released Gudio's insane new record, the magnificent Orchestral Lab backed up with Way You Make Me Feel. Two essential tracks right there making it an essential purchase all round.

BUY : Guido - Orchestral Lab 12"



Get yourself down to Cosies on Thursday for Rogue's night Antidote featuring a bonafide living legend in Peter D Rose of Smith & Mighty fame. Details:

Antidote is proud to present..
PETER D ROSE (More rockers/smith n mighty)
DJ ROGUE (Antidote/vertebrae/deadcalmmusic)
BEN-ONE (Vertebrae/ LIVE MPC SET)
DJ ZE (resident rocksteady specialist)
2 quid on the door.
Thursday 5th march @ Cosies wine bar, 34 portland square.



Another month, and another gigantic Sh*t the Bed line-up courtesy of The Blast. This is apparently the last one for a while, presumably to give the other promoters in Bristol a breather trying to compete - this one like the remainder before it will undoubtedly be a roadblock.



If you'd prefer some techno goodness instead then check out the Bristol debut of rising star Sven Weisemann at Tube courtesy of Underscore and Tape. Sure to be a sweatbox session.

Well it's certainly been an eventful past week or so here at B365 with all manner of name changes and re-designs to keep us busy. Thanks for bearing with us, as there's loads of great new content coming in the next few weeks to keep you entertained. We're only going to keep getting better!



Hip Hop juggernaut Sober & Dribbla have been hard at work bubbling up beats and bars in their lab to follow up last year's Freaks Speak Dark. The result is The Butchers Ball and it is a master class in pure concentrated banger technology - proving these boys mean business in a big, big way. We'll be bringing you a full interview with the lads very soon, as well as a full review of the new album. Hold tight!



Another week, another quality interview courtesy of Chris Highrise. This time its the turn of up and coming genius producer Guido ahead of his debut release on Punch Drunk. Know one thing - Guido is without doubt the future of Bristol's underground music scene and is at the forefront of the new, mutated sound that Bristol is twisting out of dubstep, grime and 8-bit. Get to know or sleep on him at your peril!

Read Chris Highrise's Interview with Guido



B365 favourite Wedge teamed up with the MonkeySteak main man Atki2 last night to drop some science on Sub FM. Juicy session with the man like Atki killing it differently. Check his tracklist:

Electric Medicine – Legalise It ft. Black Steel
CJ Reign / Proton – Go To The Floor
Mr Gasparov – 1975
Octo Push – Ai Nadia
Kode9 & LD – Bad
Kuduro Sound System w/ Pinta Tirrù - Wa Ya Ya
Ramadanman – Humber
Mungo’s Fi-Hi – Dubplate Fi Dem (Version)
2000F & J Kamata –You Don’t Know What Love Is
RSD – Firewall Dub
Omar-S – Set It Out
Ican - Caminos Del Nino (Martyn's Oscuro remix)
Atki2 – Black Eyed Susan
Actress – Crushed
Ghislain Poirer ft Zulu – Go Ballistic (Grevious Angel house mix)
Monkey Steak – Veuve Edouard
Atki2 – Juniper
Roska – Do You Believe In Love?
Todd Edwards – Ooh Baby (Dub)
Mungo’s Hi-Fi – Babylon Glitch

DOWNLOAD : Wedge & Atki2 - Sub FM 24/02/09



Venue has launched an online download service where you can cop free tracks from some of the best local artists in Bristol, which is very nice of them. Slaves To Gravity, Turbowolf and The She Creatures are just some of the bands featured this week and you can preview the tuneage prior to download. Get on it!

Venue Download



This coming weekend is traditionally a very busy one in clubland, and 2009 is looking to be very much the same, regardless of any recession. First up D&B crew Torque celebrate their first birthday on Friday, with Klute and Spectrasoul amongst the DJs hitting the Tube.



On Saturday, Chesters pays host to Road To Zion 2, with the mouth-watering prospect of local MC trailblazer Buggsy sharing set with Jammer. There's a lot of big local talent in support too so this is definitely 100% B365 approved.



One of the best nights in Bristol hits Take5 again for another sweatbox session of futureproof beats. Bruk is formulating a fearsome reputation as the party to attend, so if you're looking for an intimate and forward-thinking event this weekend, this is the one.




Big knees-up of the week goes to the JUMP UP BRISTOL event at Motion though, with a cross-section of the cream of Bristol's club promoters coming together to raise money for the TEMWA association. Big line up that is sure to do the business and all for a good cause too.

After a weekend of the world apparently coming to an end due to some snow, BUG is back with some tasty treats for you. Coming up this week we have an interview with D&B heroes The Insiders as well as loads of downloads and more. So keep it locked to BUG.




First up make sure you keep an eye on On A Hype where they'll be keeping everybody up to date with all the latest UKHD mixes from their Passion FM radio show. The blog continues to impress and is a vital destination if you're looking for local news on garage, grime, funky and more.




There's a great interview with Rob Smith over at Highrise Clothing's blog. Chris Highrise is always raising the levels and bringing some quality content to his blog so keep checking back there. Its a fascinating in-depth read with one of the true legends of the Bristol music community, so get yourself over there to take a look.



Another BUG favourite in Peverelist has contributed a candid interview via Richard Carnage to Resident Advisor, a truly monumental interview in our opinion which covers some interesting ground. Good news also reaches us that Orchestral Lab by Guido will make it's release on Punch Drunk soon, which is cause for celebration if ever we heard it.




Last week we brought you the Bristol: Rise Up special from Mary Anne Hobbes show, and this week we had to include her first podcast for XLR8R. Normally we wouldn't feature mixes from artists outside of Bristol (kind of defeats the point of the blog otherwise!) - but this mix features seven Bristol-based artists so it seems churlish to not put it up!

Tracklisting:

01 Durrty Goodz vs Taz Buckfaster - "Destruction" (Dubplate)
02 Joker & Ginz - "Purple City" (Dubplate)
03 Martyn - "Elden St" (3024)
04 LD and Benga - "Yes Yes" (Dubplate)
05 Reso - "Octacon" (Dubplate)
06 Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch - "Six Degrees" (Swamp81)
07 2000F and JKamata - "You Don"t Know What Love Is" (Hyperdub)
08 DJ Pinch - "Teleport" (Planet Mu)
09 Kode 9 & LD - "2 Bad" (Dubplate)
10 Zed Bias feat. Ghost 1 & Jay Electronica - "The Cauldron" (Sidestepper)
11 Boxcutter - "Sidetrak" from the upcoming "Arecibo Message" (Planet Mu)
12 Pangaea - "Memories" (Dubplate)
13 Joker - "Digidesign" (Hyperdub)
14 RSD - "Forward Youth" (Tectonic)
15 Goth Trad - "Cut End" (Deep Medi)
16 Gatekeeper feat. Grilza & Dread MC - "Ignite" (Dubplate)

DOWNLOAD : Mary Anne Hobbes XLR8R Podcast



Everybody's favourite Papa HENCH aka Jakes has promised a mix a month this year, and here's the first from January. Every single tune is disgusting as you'd expect from the man like Jakes, so get on the download!

Tracklisting:

1. REMEDY - DUB
2. MR DINGALING feat BEEZY (JAKES RMX) - DUB
3. MUTHAF**KA / GOLDIELOCKS (JAKES RMX) - DUB
4. WARFACE - DUB
5. FEEL - DUB
6. 3K LANE VIP - DUB
7. CUSTARD CREAM - DUB
8. ROC THA BELLZ VIP - DUB

DOWNLOAD : Jakes - January Mix



Just a little heads up too: BUG will be going live this year all over Bristol, showcasing the best local artists in all manner of environments. For our first event, we'll be joining up with the legendary Empathy to provide you with some fantastic music at the newly launched Basement 45 (formerly The Mandrake) on Fri 13th March.

Unlucky for some maybe, but not anybody who ventures down to check out our room featuring long-time BUG favourite and GlitchNight mainstay Polestar alongside [SIC], The Kelly Twins, Andy Payback Hi-Fi and Dave Kirik. Something for everybody and all for a fiver in advance.


Back to present times and of course this weekend it's Valentines, so prepare to empty them wallets in the dim hope of a bunk up at the following events:



SeasonFive are really going from strength to strength at the moment and this event looks to be another step in the right direction with a rock solid line-up for the discerning amongst you.




If you fancy something a little more rough and tough then head down to Clockwork for Beat Bristol, with a seriously bass-heavy roster of big names.



If you prefer to party on Friday 13th instead (two this year - yikes!) then head down to The Croft for Liquid Lounge's 3rd Birthday, and with 3 amazing local bands and more DJs beside, this is definitely 100% BUG approved.

As promised, here's the first segment in our 2008 awards. Aside from the winner, the remainder are in no specific order, but have all been deserving of praise this year.



BEST NEWCOMER 2008 - HYETAL

Hyetal really came into his own in 2008, with We Should Light A Fire featured on the opening segment of Mary Anne Hobbes’ Rise Up Bristol special, and a whole big bunch of net buzz getting the underground salivating. Given his next level production, it’s no wonder. With the bubbling wash of synths and ectopic beats introducing the aforementioned track, its clear Hyetal has creativity in abundance when building atmosphere and groove.

Gold Or Soul has had a lot of praise too, and it’s unsurprising given its warm yet melancholy melody. This is what’s key about his work - the melody in each piece is so assured and he's able to weave beats around big sonic ideas with an assured touch that is lacking in other producers. The rhythm is never overly saturated, as evidenced in Pixel Rainbow Sequence, as good a track as you'll hear anytime soon with its chattering of bleep signals sounding like an off-world call and response from some long forgotten space station.

It’s a given that 2009 will be his year. With beats due to officially drop in the Spring and a groundswell of support for him growing every day, it’s a genuine pleasure to see such a talented local artist making huge leaps in music. BUG caught up with the man himself for a quick chat.

B : Why the name Hyetal?

H : It's just a word I found somewhere. It represents where I come from and my favourite weather conditions for making beats.

B : How did you find your way to Bristol?

H: I moved to Bristol about 5 years ago. Some of my friends came here for Uni. I got a job in a record shop and followed them down.

B : You have got a lot of hype right now...how's that feel to know so many people are into your music?

H : Yeah seems a few people are starting to take notice. It’s cool.

B : Your style seems separated from the usual glut of samey producers... What are your roots in music?

H : I played bass in rock bands for years, but always had quite eclectic tastes. I properly got into hip-hop when I was about 15 and found the sampling element really interesting. I started seeking out old vinyl for breaks and sounds. This introduced me to load of amazing music, especially early electronic stuff like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. I had an MPC and used to make sample based beats; I didn't really try to make anything with computers until I started a music tech course a few years ago.

B : How would you describe your style?

H : Melodic, bass driven music.

B : Who has influenced your music in the past?

H : Loads of stuff really, tons of musicians, producers, films and books. I guess a turning point for me making the music I do at the moment, would be when I first heard 'I Luv U’ (Dizzee Rascal). I was massively into Timbaland and I thought it sounded like some mad Timbo beat made on the cheap with loads of distortion. Someone told me it was grime music, so I checked for the Rephlex compilation called 'Grime' when it came out that year. I found some more tracks from Plasticman and MRK 1, and went down to see Slaughter Mob when they played in Bristol in 2005. I was pretty much hooked after that.

B : Which artists are inspiring you now?

H : I've been listening to some of my old CDs recently. Boards Of Canada 'Music Has The Right To Children' and Stereolab 'Dots And Loops' have been played a lot over the last month or so. I'd love to achieve somewhere near that level of production one day. Always digging as well, picked up some acid folk stuff, Pentangle and Incredible String Band, that's very inspiring melodically. More contemporary stuff I'm feeling would be Donnacha Costello 'It Simply Is’ got that on the recommendations of a friend and its sick. Dubstep-wise I'm always checking for Martyn, Mala, Kode 9 and Peverelist.

B : What equipment do you favour to make music?

H : A mixture of stuff I've collected over the years and Logic. I've got an analogue synth and some guitar pedals, gonna get some more hardware soon.

B : Whats next for you?

H : I have a couple of tracks coming out on Formant recordings early next year. There's a few other releases lined up that are probably too early to speak about, as well as collaborations and remixes with some sick producers.

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

H : Top 5 90s computer games

1) Streets of rage 3
2) Street Fighter 2
3) Sonic
4) Mortal Kombat
5) Mega Bomberman

I was a Sega kid.


PHAELEH

Phaeleh has had a lot of love on this here blog, and in our opinion is one of the brightest talents to emerge from Bristol in years. Like Hyetal, his approach to production seems to work off a template that he plucked from a faulty flux capacitator light years in the future. He's a master of imposing mood and texture into a track, and more importantly seems to know intuitively when to let a sound breathe in its own space, indicated with tracks like the insidious swing of Low.

BUG likens his tracks to the Invisible Soundtracks series that was released on Leaf many years ago, the idea being songs specifically composed for non-existent films - Isolate conjures up the end credits to the aftermath of a fatal samurai battle, whilst Virus is the sound of a frantic chase through the neon-lit rain-soaked streets of a future Tokyo. Any producer who can spark up your synapses like that is deserving of praise, and including his fine work this year with his label Urban Scrumping as well as his own beats, we’re really looking forward to a good 2009 for the man.

DOWNLOAD - PHAELEH'S 2008 LIVE SET
DOWNLOAD - PHAELEH'S ELECTRONIC EXPLORATIONS MIX

TIME

2008 was the year that Time really impressed BUG, with an impeccable work rate that has led him to progress further than a lot of other people in this city who talk the talk, but don’t back it up with the product. His output this year has been phenomenal, and what’s even more interesting given that fact is the depth of quality in his work, which is second to none.

Whether its the sweet memories of reggae soundsystems past in Echo Park or the mutated R&B licks of Jeri Curl Boogie, Time has a beat for every occasion. The Line sounds like something off an old Tombone release, and wouldn’t be out of place in the discography of an offkey Techno producer like Tim Paris. Also a technically gifted DJ, we expect to see big things from TIME in 2009.

DOWNLOAD - TIME : AUDIO BANQUET 5

GUIDO

Guido is the one who’s tipped by most to come up hard in 2009 – and when considering his work is so strong, it would be a travesty if he didn’t. Everybody should have heard Orchestral Lab by now, the stuttering strings powering the erratic beat along with grandiose urgency, and his set of work is certainly getting him props from the big hitters like Pinch and Mary Anne Hobbes, who rightly showcased Beautiful Complication recently, which for BUG was one of our favourite songs this year, everything about the track is just so ridiculously on point, be it the vocal, beat, melody...it sounds like abstract shoegazing mixed with twisted R&B in a nuclear reactor. We simply cannot wait to see what he dreams up next.

DOWNLOAD - GUIDO'S MIX FOR HIGHRISE CLOTHING

WASCAL

Wascal was another BUG favourite this year, a seriously badboy DJ and a wicked producer to boot. Tracks like Submission, which sounds like a maudlin eulogy to his imaginary fallen Cantonese Ninja brothers, or Hollowpoint with its saw-toothed bassline and skittering percussion show his propensity for big ideas in each track that are about a million per beat. Wascal deserves a much wider audience for his work, and we hope 2009 we see him achieve that.

DOWNLOAD - WASCAL'S WINTER BASSWEIGHT MIX

BELLA

Bella was a real newcomer to the Bristol scene this year, and a real revelation for BUG. A cohort of Time, she has an incredible affinity with atmosphere and building mood in a track, with the resonating synths of Ficuzza sounding like Mantronix on acid, or Matsue Castle coming on like an ancient shogun speaking in tongues. A real one to watch - Bella has serious raw talent and will be definitely getting some props in 2009.

REKORDAH

If you listen to the nonsense that some of those who are supposedly “in the know” churn out, then you'll know the latest word on everybody’s lips is Wonky. Every producer who has a slightly off-key sound that’s a step away from the set paths of other genres is now lazily being classed with this frankly stupid moniker. Rekordah could be classed as wonky - or even worse Glitch Hop - but neither of these terrible phrases does the sheer insane majesty of his beats justice. Peanut Butter Dreams is the sound of an MPC in meltdown, Candy Flossin' a copy of Super Mario Bros played backwards in an oildrum. Wafer Crunch is our favourite though, the debut track in a genre we will call Mogadon Krunk, just to be awkward and to sound like we’re down with the underground. Regardless of names, we predict big things for this guy in 2009.

DOWNLOAD - REKORDAH'S MIX FOR HIGHRISE CLOTHING

SICKMAN D

Consept aka Sickman D had a good year in the '08. Another producer with a high work rate, his progression from month to month has been a real pleasure to witness. Sickman's tracks like Follow and Bubblin B have energised many a slow day for BUG, the latter coming at you with some serious Omni Trio style vibes mashed into off-kilter garage rhythms. Specialist also mines the 90s D&B melody sound bank and is all the better for it. If there’s any justice in the world Sickman D will be getting heard by a lot more people in 2009.

PLIMSOULS

We've raved on and on about Plimsouls this year, but seriously - the man is a genius. Beautiful production with an ear for a melody like few can hope for, and an unashamedly pop sensibility, his sound is like sunshine injected directly into your eardrums. Whether it’s the old tracks like Rebecca and Make Your Own Mistakes, or the newer remixes and songs like 103, Plimsouls’ musical evolution is speeding along like a juggernaut, and dragging us with it in it’s wake. Outstanding.

PLODOCUS

A consummate production genius, Plodocus has a background in ambient that belies his approach to building textures in tracks like Glimmer, but its an approach that pays rich dividends in Eshto or Quench The Gloom, both of which remind us of a more upfront Bola. 2009 will hopefully see him bring us more tracks like these with their vivid mix of styles.