UK Glitch Hop on Glitch FM #2: Your Niece interview

Ahead of his first radio show for UK Glitch Hop on Glitch.FM, we caught up with bare-knuckle-crunk fighter Your Niece. Tune into Glitch.fm tonight from 10pm-12am GMT (party in the chat room!) or listen again at soundcloud.com/ukglitchhop

Introduce yourself...
My name is Rhys Clarke, better known by my DJ moniker Your Niece.



How would you describe your particular style of glitch hop?
I like the edgy more aggressive crunk influenced stuff. I guess you could say tunes with a bit of swagger. I use a lot of acapellas in my sets to thread different styles like dnb, electro and dubstep together. Before I'd ever heard of glitch-hop I was a sucker for any kind of rapping over dance tracks.

What first turned you onto crunk and glitch hop? Any particular artists or tracks?
In 2007 my friend came back from Burning Man talking about this thing 'glitch-hop'. He mentioned the the names Bassnectar and the Glitch Mob. As soon as I heard West Coast Rocks I knew that was the sound I wanted to play.



What's the scene like where you are?
I've been playing glitch-hop for about 4 years now and I'm really surprised how new it still is to a lot of people in the UK. There are now some really good labels dedicated to the sound and you can definitely hear it's influence bleeding into other styles whether people know it came from glitch-hop or not. We've just started a night called 'Uppercut' which will be one of the first glitch-hop specific nights in London so watch this space.

Where do you like to play the most?
I'd have to say at the Secret Garden Party Festival. I've played there for the past 6 years and I've grown with the festival, each year getting to play to a bigger crowd. The set I got to play before Bassnectar last year was pretty career-defining.

What's the craziest gig you've ever played?
Secret Garden Party put on a big Valentines Ball in this huge swanky venue (a boutique hotel in Brixton). They opened up the whole place including some bedrooms at the back and gave me a huge sound system and the keys to the master bedroom. I'd just started playing glitch-hop out so it was really exciting seeing the look on people's faces when an edIT tune dropped. It got totally out of hand, the 4-poster bed got flattened, the plasma tv smashed and their was an orgy in the hot-tub. Just like a rap music video!

What's your favourite track at the moment?
Probably 'Glass Bong' by Stagga and Monky, two producers from Wales, which, incidentally is where I'm originally from.



Who's inspiring you at the moment?
I'm loving some the stuff that the German label Robox Neotech is putting out. Experimental but still retaining the danceable hip-hop energy.



Who are you looking out for in 2012?
The guy that features in my first show Shamanic Technology has been working like a madman in the studio and has piles of fresh stuff he'll be unleashing which is sure to cause an impact. He's already getting recognition stateside picking up sets at Burning Man this year. Beat3 are another name to watch closely, they've got an imminent release on the Muti label and some exciting sounding collaborations in the pipeline.



Where can we expect to see you playing next and over the summer?
It's always busy with festival bookings over summer. Glade and Secret Garden Party I'm particularly excited about as I'm helping program a new venue that will be tying in with the 'Uppercut' night we've just started in London. I'm headlining Uppercut's Bare Knuckle Bass on 10 March vs. Head of State and alongside Sweet Jesus, Atomic Drop, Beat3 and SixAM.

What have you got lined up for your first show on Glitch FM?
I've got an all-originals guest mix from Shamanic Technology and getting excited about the line-up for Uppercut's area at Glade festival which is utterly ridiculous.

Catch Your Niece on Glitch.FM from 10pm-12am GMT Wednesday 29 February 2012. For an archive of UK Glitch Hop on Glitch.FM go to soundcloud.com/ukglitchhop

UK Glitch Hop: Feburary round-up

So first things first, we've now got our first ever weekly show on Glitch FM! Huge thanks to everyone who tuned in for the Morbidly Obese Midget DJ set and Zen Death Squad interview on Wednesday. Here at last is the (rescued) recording on our new Soundcloud account where we'll archive all the shows in future. Tune in this Wednesday 10-12pm for Your Niece!



Akira Kiteshi's album should be out anytime now. Check out this interview he's just done for BBC Introducing in Scotland complete with some 'radiophonic dolphin crunk'-style album previews



Following the strength of the DJ sets we had last month, I'm going to start pulling out a 'mixtape of the month' in every round up form now. Last month Orangudan clinched from some tough competition, but this month it has to be to DJ Primer for this epic mid-tempo journey. The mixing and tune progression are spot on, especially the middle hour, and there's a lot of fresh tunes in there and plenty of Skanky Panky action.



Talking of Skanky Panky, they've got all guns blazing at the moment. While we all wait for Breakspear's album to drop they've been busy teasing us with the Sedge Warbler remixes, including some tasty arrangements from Cut La Roc and label boss SixAM



Even if you're not mad keen on that Jiffster track, do check out some of the Liverpudlian's own tunes on Soundcloud. They seem to span quite a nice range of mostly more down-tempo electronica. This one is the most glitch hop of the lot, but comes from quite a fresh angle at the same time


And lastly here's a clip of Breakspear's lastest remix to keep your mouth watering. He's going to be taking the Glitch FM show on Wednesday 3 March



Leaving the Skanky ones well alone now, but keeping it 'oop North, Wolfie Razzmatazz produced one of my favourite mash ups of last summer - Opiuo vs. swing violinist Stuff Smith. This set gives you a full hour of the best glitch and swing from the likes of JFB, JPod, Vent and Dutty Moonshine


Another purveyor of fine bass and swing mash-ups is Barely Legit aka DJ Dodgy Style from Exeter, who's released 'Organic Clown High' as a free download this month


Picking up the funk, Pistol Shrimp from Bristol has his first EP, 'Kaleidoscope', coming out through L.A. label Prime Dub sometime soon. This is the third track he's previewed from it and my favourite so far. 80s synth-wave glitch hop gets my vote. If you've not done so before, go search for BBC Wildlife videos of Pistol Shrimps


Also from Bristol, I've been really loving this Beat Dweebs Valentine's freebie since it went up



Your Niece is going to be featuring a guest mix from Shamanic Technology on his upcoming show. He's recently uploaded a bunch of tunes from an forthcoming release called 'The Inexplicable Something'


That most prolific of mildew affected spiritualists, Mouldy Soul's been previewing more laid back tasty treats...


If you'd like to be included in future round-ups, add your tunes and mixes to the UK Glitch Hop Soundcloud Group or post them to Facewaste. If you want to hear your tunes on Glitch.FM email your dubs to: uk glitch hop at g mail dot com!

And lastly, if you've been missing out on the romance this month, this is for you!

Big love from the UK Glitch Hop fam x

UK Glitch Hop on Glitch FM: Morbidly Obese Midget

Big news! The first UK Glitch Hop show on Glitch FM will be broadcast 10-12pm GMT on Wednesday 22 February 2012. Here's an interview with the first of our DJs to take a slot Chris the Morbidly Obese Midget. The other Djs confirmed are Your Niece, Colony Productions, Skanky Panky Records and Mouldy Soul.

Introduce yourself...
I'm Chris the Morbidly Obese Midget. I've been lazily blogging about glitch hop at Musical Mana and playing out since 2008. I've also been pulling UK Glitch Hop together in the last few months. I work in cultural PR during day, sometimes get roped into organising fire shows and always wanted to be a music journalist, but never got around to it.

How would you describe your particular style of glitch hop?
As a cache-all I'd say 'fat funk'. Chunky, bouncy tunes with a good groove to them and nice tweaks and beeps for the old synapses. I like to mix things up a bit as well, from dubstep and future garage to glitch hop, rolling mid tempo funk and knees up d'n'b.

Are you funking my face? by Morbidly Obese Midget
 

What first turned you onto crunk and glitch hop? I used to spend a lot of time listening to psychedelic dub in the chill out rooms at parties like IDSpiral, then around 2006/7 started noticing this glitcher sound played by people like Tipper, Bluetech and Nalepa. Summer 2007 Interchill released the Devil in the Detail compilation and Muti Music released Clipping Paths. I really loved Ooah's early stuff, so found the rest of The Glitch Mob and discovered people like Mim0Sa and ill.gates via Muti, which led me to Bassnectar and other labels. The first person I heard playing a proper crunk set in the UK was Your Niece blowing up the master bedroom at the Secret Garden Party's Winter Ball in about 2009. He's going to be taking next week's show.

What's the scene like where you are?
You used to get the occasional artist playing Glade, like Bassnectar, Nalepa, Spoonbill. The Secret Gardeners spend a lot of time at Burning Man so they always have glitch there too, if you know where to look. Bassnectar and The Glitch Mob both played d'n'b club nights last year. Then I think regionally there are lots of crews plugging away, Skanky Panky in Liverpool, Dephicit and Barely Legit in the South West, Colony Productions and various other artists in London. I guess the UK has a strong tradition of spawning influential labels and genres - Warp, Ninja Tune, the d'n'b culture, breaks, electro swing and then the whole dubstep thing - so it's an exciting place to be. It's interesting to see a lot of dubstep artists moving into glitchier territory recently and I think this summer will be a big one for UK Glitch Hop.

Bassnectar plays Secret Garden Party

 What's the craziest gig you've ever played?
Probably Burning Night Paris last year. Like the London Decompressions and Burning Man itself, they really know how to put on a party. The decor, costumes and performances are amazing. Besides, I can now say I've Dj-ed at the Moulin Rouge!!

Morbidly Obese Midget - Burning Night Paris (Wobble Till You Bounce) by Morbidly Obese Midget
 
What's your favourite track at the moment?
I'm really in love with just about the whole of ill.esha's Reverie and I can't get Mouldy Soul's ODB remix out my head since I made it my girlfriend's ringtone.

The Golden Mean (MUTI 090: REVERIE) by ill-esha
 
Who's inspiring you at the moment?
Parker from Bristol is the kind of DJ I really admire - versatile, multi-genre and fun. I've also been really inspired by all the UK artists I've been in touch with since starting this UK glitch hop project. It's good to get together!

Who are you looking out for in 2012?
Mouldy Soul is on fire, watch out for his show in a few weeks. Debut albums from William Breakspear and Akira Kiteshi coming out soon. DCarls and Koan Sound were game changers last year with Pistol Shrimp and the Beat Dweebs also producing a really funky bass, so looking forward to seeing where they go. Zen Death Squad have been developing their sound for a new EP which I can't wait to hear. I've probably forgotten a load of others.

Pistol Shrimp - Gravity (Orginal Mix) [Forthcoming on Prime DUB] by Pistol Shrimp The Beat Dweebs - Belly Rub [free download] by The Beat Dweebs
 
Where can we expect to see you playing next / over the summer?
I'm open to offers! Will definitely be at Secret Garden Party and Glade, plus hoping to find more glitch out at Boom this year. I haven't been since 2006, but all the West Coast psychedelic artists from The Do Lab are there, so the glitch can't be far behind.

What have you got lined up for your first show on Glitch FM?
All of the above, plus an interview with Zen Death Squad about touring in the US, the new EP and triangle condoms.

UK Glitch Hop January round-up

2012 has kicked off to a strong start for UK Glitch. Here's what I've gorged myself on this month


The Tunes 
Mouldy Soul's released yet another kwality EP, this time through BroKen Records


The man with the stagnant spirit has also reworked Hedflux and Neurodriver's psy breaks banger Energy Vibration into an off-kilter mechanical squelch-fest for the Broken Robot remix competition.



The last I heard from KURSA was dubstep tune that showed a lot of potential but was a bit too jump up. Further investigation reveals that the man actually has more funk than that. Bonnibelle is a badass mid-tempo lazer bass blaster to be released very soon through those purveyors of quality free music from the psychedelic underground, Wonkay Records. Grab the Hackney test track below, while you wait.


Hiding away down in deepest darkest Brizzzzol have been The Beat Dweebs, who profess to making music that makes you go 'Uuuuuhhh...' S'gotta hella lotta funk. Works for me.



Pistol Shrimp's got an EP coming out on Prime DUB and it's all about this track. It's like Bobby Tank having a bubble bath with Koan Sound. Love it.

 
Following hot on the heels of Mouldy Soul's Shimi Sonic remix last month, Dephicit's previewed this nice little number out soon on Riddim Fruit:

Another nice release from Brighton's Donky Pitch, this time in the shape of man like Boss Kite

 
On the even more off-kilter Brainfeeder style side of things, Illum Sphere from Manchester gets airtime from a lot of Low End Theory residents. This went up on his Soundcloud just before the New Year, with a release expected soon

New one for me this month, downtempo glitch schizznit from Drowzy Beats in Brighton. This is exactly what you need to put on after a hectic day at work. Kick back and enjoy!




And lastly some guy called Rat posted this to the UK Glitch Hop Facebook page, which sounds kinda nice.


The mixtapes 
My find for the month has been Jae Nimbus. I went to Elixir of Life  for NYE, but had enough if the party after Slackbaba and Shpongle. I wished I stayed becuase two days later Nimbus posted this mix onto UK Glitch Hop. Mostly self produced tunes, it bodes very well for his first release through Broken Records. Keep an eye out for him playing in Brighton and further afield. Even better, book him to play your party!

Automaton's uploaded this DJ set from Beta Birmingham's Anty Riot Squad album launch party on 22nd December 2011 @ The End, Birmingham. Got lots of big classic tunes in there along with some heavy fresh ones.

Track Listing:
1. Mouldy Soul - Whine and Shine [Colony]
2. Pretty Lights - Still Night [Pretty Lights Music]
3. Prefuse 73 - Choking You [Warp]
4. Mimosa - Another Day [Beatport]
5. Sedge Warbler - Octopus Lover [Skanky Panky]
6. Modeselektor - Dark Side Of The Sun (feat. Puppetmastaz) [Bpitch Control]
7. eDIT - Artsy (feat. The Grouch) [Alpha Pup]
8. Figgy - Dr Gonzo [Soundcloud]
9. Bassnectar - The Sound [Amorphous]
10. Dj Shadow - Walkie Talkie (Spanky Panky Allstars Mix) [Skanky Panky]
11. Tipper - Covered In Lobsters [Tippermusic]
12. Koan Sound - Max Out [Screwloose]
13. Enya - Boadicea (Vespers Remix) [Vespers]


For fans of mid-tempo and variety, you can't do much better than Orangudan's Kneee Deep in Glitch. It's a brilliantly mixed journey through glitch funk, techno, hip hop and breaks. Beware the monkeys.

Pink Lady - Feed Me
Feeding Time - Mouldy Soul
Talking Smack - K+Lab
Come N Get It - J.Me.J
Tom Cosm - Bubble Butt - Tom Cosm
Gameboy - Mr. Bill vs Black Samurai
Night Of The Living Kebab - Messy Mass & Baba Gnohm
Assbref - Skeetaz
Majoram - Mr. Bill
Talk Box (Original Mix) - KOAN Sound
Android Porn - Kraddy
Ahi Haka (Original Mix) - K+Lab
Cyber Dojo Lazer Training - Zen Death Squad
Blackjack - Samples
Falling Into The Mine - Mad Zach
Glitch Villain - Mad Zach
Simmer Gently - Blunt Instrument
Skurry - Skeetaz
Mashington - Mad Zach & R2 The Specialist
What If Jimi Was A Monster - Mouldy Soul
Covered In Lobsters - Tipper

Agent Smith cut his teeth playing funky breaks and has the turntable scratch skills to boot. He's now applied his skills to the world of funky mid-tempo glitch with some extremely ear pleasing results. More like this please!

Track list- Talk Box- Koan Sound
What if Jimmy is a monster- Moldy Soul
Creamy Taco- Opiou
Yippy cheese face- Moldy Soul
One Sure Curative- Slack Baba
The light we bring- Love and Light
Robo boty- Opiou
Global declaration- Omega
Freeze dried cellophane- Ali Berger
Busted Up- Staunch
Slappy cans- Opiou and Mollusk
How we do- J Pod
Lunatics- Vent
Rae! Good thymes- Opiou
Social know how- JFB

More psychedelic leaning wobble from Rama Oood. I'm glad to see the downtempo rooms at psy parties are continuing to be the havens of glitchy squelch that they always should be. Just need to get rid of that other room now.


If all that wasn't enough, here's one last set from Dj Prokogy who's been in touch via Soundcloud. Keep up the good work in spreading that glitch love y'all!


The Fat Man