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Subject13 - London Uk - Vibes Rec, 13 Music , Sep 14 @ Vinyl
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PitaGore replied on Wed Sep 6, 2006 @ 12:02pm |
 Coolness: 471790 | WORD !
DUB sounds all over, thats the way ! catch up DIGITAL first, then hit this new fresh night for their first big one |
| I'm feeling hussle-grind right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nitrous_N2O replied on Wed Sep 6, 2006 @ 12:32pm |
 Coolness: 125410 | MASSIVE EVENT !! |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» drumnjase replied on Tue Sep 12, 2006 @ 9:05pm |
 Coolness: 32830 | boh Update » drumnjase wrote on Tue Sep 12, 2006 @ 9:09pm by the way - digital was really fun to the ones who played thew the party |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» GenericTM replied on Tue Sep 12, 2006 @ 10:10pm |
 Coolness: 32250 | WERD
SUJECT 13 UK (VIBEZ / 13 MUSIC/ Good Looking / CREATIVE SOURCE / DREAD / MIX N BLEND / underground dnb don making his first appearance in canada for us at FLEX. Big comeback for the legendary label putting emphasis on the new school breed, especially the canadian talents : THEFIX/COUNTERWEIGHT/ GENERIC / SUBTONE / GREMLINZ / PACIFIC / come check it out intimate venue big sound ! Update » GenericTM wrote on Tue Sep 12, 2006 @ 10:15pm 
Vibez Recordings HEROES AND VILLAINS Vibez Recordings are back after a lengthy break with a healthy set of new releases including a reissue of the classic Alaska album 'Virtual Virtuosos'. Quite simply, the world is a better place with Vibez Recordings in it. The label may have been dormant for a while, but founder and main recording artist Subject 13 - or Dave Stewart to use his real name - has decided the time has come to start things up again and that's good news for the rest of us. When it comes to the musical side of drum & bass Vibez has a pedigree second to none. As well as Subject 13's material, the output on the label has always had a reputation for being forward thinking and challenging yet still with an essential funk quality - a million miles away from some of the bish, bash, bosh stuff that finds it way into the record shops today. One of the other major artists on the label is Alaska and it's with a reissue of his 'Virtual Virtuosos' album that the revitalised Vibez will be making its debut. Alaska is an alias of Paradox, of course, and like Subject 13 he is something of an outsider in the d & b scene but still held in much respect, particularly internationally. It's clearly an appropriate time to dig a little deeper, so Knowledge hooked up with Dave and Paradox, or Dev as he is usually known, at the label's London office recently to find out what's been going on and why Vibez is back. The reissue of 'Virtual Virtuosos', which Photek has described as one of the best drum & bass albums ever, is a real treat. Not only is it now available on CD for the first time, but it also comes with a second CD featuring tracks from the album and earlier Alaska releases on Vibez put together as a DJ mix by Subject 13 and First Wave Digital, a new recruit to the Vibez stable (a vinyl pack is also available featuring a limited edition picture disc of a new Subject 13 remix of 'Aerosoul'.) Firstly, however, let's define the difference between the sounds of Alaska and Paradox. "Alaska is the name I use to explore more ambient forms of music", explains Dev. "I've been recording as Alaska for eight years now and it allows me to produce music at any tempo and without any barriers. I don't have to worry about sales or the demands of DJs or the dancefloor and can just make music I like." "With Paradox I don't always get the chance to do exactly what I want all the time, so it's necessary to have Alaska. It let's me breathe, in a sense. I can do an ambient track, or a deep track, or something without any beats like a symphony score." There's a definite Eastern flavour to much of the music on 'Virtual Virtuosos' too, particularly the tabla-style percussion of the opening track 'Budhisava', and this reflects the fact that Dev is Indian himself. It's also striking just how strong the standard of production is on the album and several years down the line it doesn't sound dated at all. Virtuosity would not be an inappropriate description but there's an accessible quality to the Alaska sound too despite it being very minimal at times. "I truly believe with music that less is more," he continues, "and the tracks are designed to let the elements breathe rather having loads of breakdowns like much of the rubbish that passes for drum & bass nowadays. I like the elements to have an identity themselves and that's what the album's about. Every element is almost a hook in itself. I see creating music as exactly like creating a painting. Colours, canvas - it can take a week to complete a track or two months." Paradox is, of course, well known for playing live and Alaska too will be taken into the live environment. It's also an ongoing project and 'Virtual Virtuosos' serves as a prelude to the next Alaska album due out sometime in 2005. It's been a while since Dev released any new Alaska material and he has already begun programming the album. Expect to see some collaborations with guest musicians outside of drum & bass too. Back to 'Virtual Virtuosos' and very few copies of the original release actually hit the streets due to distribution problems beyond the label's control. In fact, Dev himself does not even own a copy. Dave and Dev both felt the album was due for a full release after sitting on the shelf since 2000 - not least so Dev could finally get one! - and the reissue has allowed him to also make a few subtle changes to the music. There's also the second CD, of course, where Subject 13 and First Wave Digital have created a superb four-deck mix. "The mix complements the album's musical patterns," explains Dave. "With Dev's programming and arrangement being so complex, it's a real pleasure when it comes to DJing. There's isn't one period on the mix where there's a track running on its own for more than a minute and some tracks will come in at different times. It's almost like live remixing. With Dev's music being so minimalist, it allows you to create a third track out of two records. A lot of DJs who won't play Dev's stuff don't know what they're missing." There's a certain something about Vibez Recordings that has stood the test of time and is why Dev is happy to be back releasing music on the label again. "Vibez has its identity which most labels don't," says Dev with passion. "It's one of those labels from the Speed era, the golden era of d & b. Most labels release records that have a couple of months shelf life and then they're dead. No one remembers them. All we want to do is release timeless music and all the Vibez releases have stood the test of time." So, why did the label take a few years off and what's the motivation to come back? "If I'm honest, it's the lack of artists releasing good music out there," explains Dave. "There are very few artists out there who I would call on to produce music for Vibez; credible artists who can help progress the future of drum & bass. Alaska is definitely one of those. "I've been away doing other things but have always kept in touch with drum & bass. I realised there was a gap in the market, so I decided to revamp Vibez and call on a couple of really good artists to try and bring something new to the table. It's clearly needed because, let's be truthful about it, drum & bass is probably at its lowest point in terms of selling music." "There's got to be something wrong and people are clearly turning away from it. A lot of those at the head of the tree running drum & bass are running it completely wrong. They're running it with an iron rod and a whip. Let's be a bit more human; you don't need to cage up people's creativity. None of us are better than a dustman on the street really and we're lucky to be able to do what we're doing." "On a production level, the sound has really regressed," adds Dev. "It's become so bass oriented. When the major labels started taking an interest in drum & bass between 1995 and 1997, technically the bass, the drums, the atmospheres and everything were all shared. As soon as that angry bass sound came in it's stayed and most of the best-selling tracks now are basically speeded-up hardcore. People who grew up with breakbeat drum & bass, music with moods and atmospheres, have now left the scene but there's room for everyone. New people on the scene need to know that there's drum & bass out there that is soulful." Strong words indeed and certainly food for thought. Vibez Recordings is as good a place to start as any if you're looking for something a little different and as well as 'Virtual Virtuosos', the label will shortly be releasing the 'Past Present Phuture' series. These two albums bring together the best of Subject 13 with some previously unreleased tracks, while a new Subject 13 album is also planned. New artists are currently preparing material for Vibez including Seba, Marleez and Chris Champagne from Finland, while Dev will be putting together the 'Drum Funk Volume 1' compilation. The label has also dipped their toe into club promotion recently with a Vibez showcase night at Herbal in London. "We're getting feedback that there's a demand out there for the label again," concludes Dave, "particularly from overseas. I can also safely say there's no point where we're going to go missing again. As a label we're not concerned with trends of fads; we don't put any constraints on our artists and we believe in really exploiting their creativity." "As Dev said, it's like painting. We don't want everybody to be the same and whatever inspires you is what we want to get out of you. Hopefully people will pick up on that and not be afraid to be themselves too." 'Virtual Virtuosos' is out now on Vibez Recordings. For more information on Alaska / Vibez Recordings visit: [ www.paradoxmusic.com ] [ www.vibezproductions.co.uk ] |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PitaGore replied on Wed Sep 13, 2006 @ 10:19am |
| Coolness: 471790 | d&b's alive and kickin'still, word ! |
| I'm feeling so icy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» BA_Baracus replied on Wed Sep 13, 2006 @ 11:15am |
 Coolness: 121020 | nice shoes in the pic |
| I'm feeling sizzurp right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Bassic replied on Wed Sep 13, 2006 @ 11:37am |
 Coolness: 128680 | Boom! Will come by for sure!!! |
| I'm feeling up a glowstick right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nitrous_N2O replied on Thu Sep 14, 2006 @ 12:55pm |
| Coolness: 125410 | 2night ! |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» drumnjase replied on Thu Sep 14, 2006 @ 4:25pm |
| Coolness: 32830 | bumpness |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» GenericTM replied on Thu Sep 14, 2006 @ 8:23pm |
| Coolness: 32250 | tonight
its going down |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nitrous_N2O replied on Fri Sep 15, 2006 @ 12:31pm |
| Coolness: 125410 | So how it was ?
I completly missed it. Damn. |
Subject13 - London Uk - Vibes Rec, 13 Music , Sep 14 @ Vinyl
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