Al Baker is a veteran of Manchester's underground music scene.  However, Al is not a producer, he doesnt carry a record bag, he never prints a flyer and you'll very rarely see him on the mic. 

So what i hear you ask gives him such veteran status. Al has been photographing Manchester's underground for probably more years than he'd like to admit. 

Im pleased to say as Editor of Example a magazine which attempts to represent the Manchester Underground wherever possible that Al Baker will now be writing a monthly illustrated column in Example Magazine to give us a blast from the past and an veteran's insight to the ever changing club culture in Manchester. 

So here's his first one... 

         One Saturday afternoon in Nowhere Town, I was about nine or ten years old, I return home to discover my eldest sister has acquired herself a new boyfriend.

The evidence for this simple, singularly important event is a smattering of smart young men leaning nonchalantly on various surfaces around our kitchen.

They are Rude Boys: skinheads and mod revivalists. All of them are dressed impeccably. Top to toe: Neat hair, cropped short or shaved close; button-down Ben Sherman check shirt; ubiquitous Harrington jacket with tartan lining; one-size Army parka hung like a wet tent; Fred Perry polo-shirts, various colours; thin red braces hanging over bleached drainpipe jeans; black Brogues; brown loafers; shiny Doc Martin boots that travelled all the way up the shin: Seeing them slouching there in our kitchen my ten year old eyes grew really big: It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Over the next few weeks my eldest sister introduced me to the music, the style, the fashion.

She taught me how to wear my inch-wide tie and (after I persuaded my Mum) how to lace up my boots! I poured over lyrics, practised my dance-steps and played my sisters records over and over again.

My other sister taught me how to ride a bike, how to climb trees, cool childhood things, but it was my eldest sister who introduced me to the wonderful world of the teenager, and its soundtrack was Ska!

Numerous afternoons later and I came home one Saturday to find a new collection of young men arranged around our kitchen. This time though they wore their hair long and in curls; thick leather motorbike jackets; and patchouli drenched denim: Heavy Rockers!! It was a shock, a sudden familial betrayal.

My sister had switched her affections and allegiances. On my next birthday though my cash-strapped sister wrapped & donated all her early Two-Tone 7” singles as a present and she was forgiven.

Forever! God bless her and all her fickle hormones and chromosomes!! I had started my own record collection. ‘Rat Race’ by the Specials is the first I bought with my own pocket money.

‘Sir’ David ‘Ram-Jam’ Rodigan began his own personal addiction to bass-culture in similarly white English middle-class surroundings. Born in Oxfordshire to a military family, an impressionable thirteen year old David was religiously viewing Ready, Steady, Go! (Like millions of other teenagers in 1964, watching the ever shifting fashions, copying latest dances), only tonight sees Jamaican singer Millie Jackson perform ‘My Boy Lollipop’ and its’ joyous, unremitting beat captures the heart of young Master Rodigan first time!

He spends the early 70’s collecting & researching his new obsession: Buying & selling records in Oxford & Putney while he studied & dropped out of Economics.

His first deejay spot was at Radio London in 1978. His subsequent Roots Rockers show ran on Capitol Radio for an amazing eleven years, before more recently finding a home Sunday nights on RinseFM
David Rodigan has made it his mission to offer everyone an excellent education in Blue-Beat, Ska, reggae, dub, Trojan, Studio One, digi-dub, dancehall, jungle & beyond!

His selector knowledge comes a close second though, to his own infectious enthusiasm for his favourite subject and (you get the feeling) the love of his life!

The sheer amount of ‘specials’ cut for Rodigan (exclusive versions, usually an alternate chorus which mentions Rodigan by name) by the great & mighty from Jamaican musical royalty is simply staggering! Especially when you hear them back-to-back!! It only goes to show the high regard with which he is held back in Jamaica for ‘Sir’ David and his tireless promotion of roots music.

The live show is no nostalgia-fest for trustafarians either, believe! This guy is a one-man enlightenment machine. He is track-selector, emcee, deejay, educator and host: All rolled into one.

Buried in vinyl & cds; then talking to the crowd. Run the track. A little celebration dance! The guy is 60! Back on the mic  -PUUUULL UUUUP!! Snatches it back for a rewind: Working feverishly and loving every minute of it!

He tells tales along the way. Explains the ‘who & why’ around certain important records; King Tubby’s very first foray into dubscapes; Who brought the first computer into Jamaica and who used it to make the first digital dub; to General Levy, the Junglist Massive; and the whole world-wide pantheon of drum’n’bass and dubstep that has followed in its wake!

And for those that don’t know: David Rodigan recently made a guest appearance alongside Newham Generals on the Breakage dubstep clubber ‘Hard’. Get to know!!

RODIGAN AT MURKAGE

RODIGAN AT WAREHOUSE

The new single set to become the summer anthem of 2010 sees acclaimed Manchester DJs HeavyFeet team up with Bubbz, an innovative lyrical talent who has been making waves in the urban music scene, dramatically labelled by NME as the UK’s answer to Kanye West. 

The track itself, ‘Young and Dumb’, distinctly shows the contribution of both artists, successfully weaving together a tune that breathes summer; a delightful rolling bass line combined with the casual lyrical delivery of Bubbz that allows for comfortable listening in any environment.

 Bubbz describes himself as “a hybrid kind of guy, only striving for the best”, illustrating his worthy goal of not confining himself to a specific genre, shown in his previous work with his band ‘The Black Notez’ by incorporating Dub, Electro, Afro Beat and Hip Hop and performing with Scratch Perverts, Sway and Mark Ronson to create a flexible style that allows the rising star room to manoeuvre. 

Similar artists can be likened to Bubbz in following this trend, UK rappers such as Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, who have emerged from the Grime scene to begin placing their lyrics over wobbly bass lines and heavy synths, a move that has afforded them much success. 

However, unlike listening to Dizzee’s and Wiley’s tracks which feel systematic, progressively regurgitated and lacking in imagination, Bubbz provides a warmth to his musical endeavours that allows you to appreciate his versatility as you find yourself smiling throughout the experience, not least at his unwavering and refreshing spirit to say what he wants - ‘Now you may think you know it all, but in truth son, you don’t know shit’.  

As for HeavyFeet, an already established duo in the fidget electro/house scene, Young and Dumb provides the key to open the door to fans of many different genres of dance music. 

The open and unthreatening beat of Young and Dumb allows for fans from Electro to Hip Hop to sit down, or indeed stand up, and enjoy this summer time tune; expect to see it all over the forums in the immediate future. 

For the more hardened House fans, HeavyFeet have treated us to a Club Dub Remix of Young and Dumb, and it does what it says on the tin; having removed the vocals the duo strip bare the enthusiastic beat of the original and provide us with a summery but minimalist style House track for those of us who like to sweat it out until the end of a night out.

The Club Dub unfortunately loses the charm of the original, something which Nick Thayer manages to maintain in his remix of the track, whilst simultaneously forcing a filthy bass line into our ears.  DJ Yoda says he can “always rely on Nick for the serious club bangers”, and his remix of Young and Dumb is no exception,

it successfully keeps intact the appeal of the original mix and allows Thayer to stamp his authority all over it, a definite track on repeat for the electro clubs this summer. 

The Young and Dumb collection successfully caters for all preferences; it is certainly a track to keep your ears open for in the coming months.       

HEAVYFEET SOUNDCLOUD

We first clocked Jack Dixon's deep riddims floating around on Future Garage Forum

Example: So Jack How long have you been producing ?

Jack Dixon : Longer than I'd like to admit! I've been a huge fan of production for years, and finally decided it was time to put something together last year, focusing purely on electronic music.

Example: Your tunes are getting a lot of love on Future Garage Forum would you say your sound is Future Garage or how would you prefer to describe it ?

Jack Dixon : I guess at the moment, what I personally love is the way music genres are crossing over. Garage, Dubstep, House, Techno - they all work together so well, it sort of blurs the distinction between each genre. People have described my sound as future garage, and I guess it's kind of stuck. There's some really exciting, fresh original music coming from the future garage scene at the moment.


Example:  Who would you say has influenced your sound ?

Jack Dixon : My first taste of diverse rule breaking electronic music was Warp Records. I fell in love with the early Autechre records as soon as I heard them. I'm still a huge fan of Warp now, and really do admire what they have done for music. House and techno has been a big influence on my sound, and inspired me to get writing. I'm a sucker for groove!


 

Example:  Future Garage as a sound and movement is quite young. How does it feel to be doing something new?

Jack Dixon : It's exciting - it's not quite on the map yet, but it's starting to make an impact as more and more decent records start appearing. As with anything new, it takes time to circulate and for people to understand and appreciate it. To be part of something so new and fresh gives me the motivation to keep writing new material, and exploring new methods and sounds within the genre. Garage is coming back in a big way, so it won't be long before there's a lot of noise surrounding Future Garage.


Example:  We first started hearing about you at the start of this year, have you got any releases in the pipeline?

Jack Dixon : I certainly do - I have an EP coming out on Echodub later this year, as well as a new collaborative EP with Robin Card on Take Records. It's shaping up really nicely, and I'm excited for people to get hold of these new tracks and see reactions. I have another EP with a brand new label based in Belgium called Silverback. They've been so supportive, and it's an honour to be part of something which so much passion and drive behind it.


Example:  What tunes can you not live without at the moment?

Jack Dixon : Alex Celler is putting out record after record at the moment that just blow me away. Infact, there's so much techno and house it's hard to list it all.. Findling & Lihab, Kornel Lemon, Pablo Cahn Speyer, Adrian Verne, iO - just to name a few! Caper's new EP with Flip Disc is proper good. I'm also really looking forward to hearing the Mount Kimbie record. Cosmin TRG as well. I feel he is really pushing the boundaries.

More Jack Dixon

SOUNDCLOUD

Out of Manchester, Rawflare brings us a Digital based label 'Guerrilla Rawflare'.  
Their first offering is the 'Standard Deviation EP'.  Not pinning himself down to any partcular
one genre, Rawflare has 3 tracks here of varying flavours alluding to many different influences out
of Electronic music.  

The first track has some nice Hip-Hop sensibilities, throwing up a nice head nod rhythm and some
little cut up bits I suspect may have been taken from some filthy porno, always a good move! 

Various other samples are thrown into the mix to keep things interesting while a tidy synth bassline winds along
occasionally interrupted by the cawing seagulls and eventually a bit of the seaside front comes in to play
with a bizarre sample blam of 'I do like to be beside the seaside!  Jokes.

All in all we're off to a good start.

'Kappa Jacket' changes things up, a dutty jungle beat edit spins about with nice percussive additions and
old skool bass stabs.  The variety up in this track is it's strength and there's enough in it to raise it
above mere b-side fodder.

'Edit This' rounds things off, continuing the jungle/glitch hop feel.  A staggered beat keeps things offset as some
solid bass and samples swirl around the track, living up to the edited nature of the piece. 

Things get decidly sci-fi
towards the middle and mild Aphex glitch twiddles are applied to good effect.

If you appreciate either a bit of jungle or experimental Hip hop in your musical diet get on
this.  It is indeed a promising start for Rawflare's imprint. Big!

LISTEN AND BUY HERE>>>

Ages and Ages ago we did an interview with Ikonika then lost it .  But now we've found it and here it is so read it...

With this Album,  Ikonika (Aka Sara Abdel-Hamid) has created a varied selection of
beats, incorporating the ever increasing styles out there in electronic music such as
Dubstep, Funky, Wonky or Skwee aswell as influences from UKG and Techno.

It still remains in it's own individual niche, however, as it never settles into formula or predictability.
It's a confident stamp of ownership that makes this album very intruiging with the tunes.
The familiar and unfamiliar are combined together with striking effect.

'Ikonoklast (Insert Coin)' warms things up nicely with a cute melody and  some deep
subs before jumping into 'Idiot', cut through with a solid funky 4/4 beat and more
key stab melody tartness and buzzy filtered ambience putting me in mind of old  Warp
or Planet Mu sounds.

'Yoshimitsu' then subtly sidles in and is favourite of mine with it's
astral star gaze feel, luscious synths shifting about and lulling the listener into a good
place while 'Fish' then takes it's place to up the rhythm and place spatterings of melody
into a revolving door of sound.

Through that door we have 'R.E.S.O.L' humming like some
dark damp engine room albeit with plenty of cheeky tech blips and 80s electro musings.
'They are losing the war' puts me in mind of old beat em ups and techno at the same
time with distinct analogue touches.

'Millie' many people will already be familiar with,
balancing out the middle of the album with a stuttering beat and percussive experiments.

'Sahara Michael' then takes things distinctly traditional half step but with a good,
marching feel with synth workouts giving a good backing and variety.

 'Continue' does what it means and keeps the vibe maintained while 'Heston' bounces in sounding
 like a confused, yet jolly little robot.

'Psoriasis' works on this momentum and then constantly shifts
as it deconstructs itself into one form and then another, yet all the while keeping it's base form giving
an impression that is at both times interesting yet great for the dancefloor. 

'Video Delays'
includes many different elements, gradually building into sumptuous synths and a powerful funky, punchy beat.
It's the canny use of these familiar and then unfamiliar patterns and sounds that we can see the album as a whole
being defined by it's indefinability. Rounding things off 'Look (Final Boss Stage)' and Red Marker (Good Ending) give
us two final outcomes to conclude the album. 

One, tougher, again retro nodding and yet beset with a multitude of
melodies both recalling nintendo and old raves.  Essentially for 'Look', imagine the streetfighter 2 characters in an old mill,
reaching for the lasers and drinking far too much bottled water. Whereas 'Red Marker Pen' would have self-same characters
(Especially Blanka) back at someone's gaff talking nonsense about aliens from Jupiter.

It is an album with tunes already set for the dance floor and also manages to include depth,
originality and atmosphere.  Ikonika has established herself with her own sound that has various options in terms of development.
Individual tracks may stand out but it also begs listening to in it's entirity because  that consistence that doesn't snag itself on
any metaphorical ruts and rewards multiple listening with a sense of satisfaction.  It is still fairly rare for whole albums in the genre
as a whole to feel so completed so if you haven't already, check this sound.


We caught up with Ikonika to get the low-down on where she's at right now.

Example Magazine
How did you first come across Dubstep and what were your initial
feelings about it?

Ikonika
I got into it through my boyfriend. I didn't really like it at first to be honest,
 but he kept on playing it and it grew on me! Of course, when I heard it in a club properly, I
 grew to love it.

Example
What was your musical background before venturing into dubstep
territory?

Ikon
I've played drums since the age of 11 and progressed to playing in
 a few bands during my teenage years. I then began making hip hop beats a few years ago, then started making my own style of dubstep from about 2006.

Example
Your music has a variety of influences in it, which would you say are
the main ones?

Ikon
Glassjaw,  J-Dilla, Pretty Girls Make Graves, UK Garage, R'n'B

Example
How would you describe the style of dubstep you produce?

Ikon
Original!

Example
You're signed to Kode 9's record label Hyperdub, how did this come
about?

Ikon
I just sent him some tunes through dubstepforum, after a couple of months he cut 'Please' then we talked about releasing it.

Example
What sort of setup did you use in making the album?

Ikon
iMac, Apple Software, Moog Little Phatty, Alesis Micron, Motu Soundcard, Yamaha Monitors

Example
Who are you really feeling production wise at the moment?

Ikon
Bok Bok, Greena, Jam City, GIRLUNIT, Optimum, Kingdom, Lil Silva, Brackles, too many to mention really!

Example
Any collaborations on the horizon?

Ikon
Fingers crossed, I don't wanna jinx them tho :)

Example
What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Ikon
Having the chance to release an album, especially on such a respected label like Hyperdub

Example
Is there anything else that we should know about?

Ikon
Look out for my new label coming later this year!


'Contact, Love, Want, Have' is out now at all good Music retailers and webshops.