For those who don’t know, Bukem is the basically the godfather of drum & bass – especially the soulful and jazzy side. He started out in the late 80s at raves in England, and as breakbeats progressed in speed, eventually dnb was born, with Bukem at the helm. MC Conrad is one of the best freestyle rappers on the scene. Both of them going strong for 20+ years.

The first time I heard drum & bass was a sleepless night in a tent at a dance music festival in college, when Bukem’s Earth CD was playing all night. Classic shit! I’ve seen them the past two years in HK and Macau, and they played for 4+ hours both times. Definitely among the best gigs I have ever attended.

If you want to see a world class DJ who helped give birth to drum & bass, you don’t want to miss this! There are also some great HK DJs playing including Frankie Lam. If you want to roll together, let me know…

Tickets are not cheap but fully worth it at 250 advance/300 door, contact amy@hyde.hk to reserve. See more details here on the facebook page.

Here’s a video I made of their show in Macau in 2010 (epic!)

Many thanks to Jungle Jim for dropping a wicked moombahton (+ old school) set, Heidi for manning the door, Yes Rasta for the toasting, Seb & Jo for running the bar, MC Shomaker for the tables and saving-my-ass on the mic, DJ M Cook for the deep house, Nimbus for the technical wizardry and late night set, G-Funk for his abstract flavor of house, Rice the Beat Chef for the funk, Betty for a few of the photos, and all else who came, supported, got drunk, danced, skated the halfpipe and busted ass, passed out, etc.

See you at the next one!

Of course we have plenty of crazy new ideas in our heads for 2012. This is what might go down…

• our first true international, major-label DJ!!! (or 3…)
• party on wheels, stopping briefly at a neighborhood near you
• 2nd annual prom party (get a date…!)
• 3rd annual dragon bass festival (featuring _____!!!)
• more gigs at the skullcandy warehouse
• valentines party at the gay/lesbian bar?
• old school/underground hip hop at DF dance studio
• 2012 china surf open!

Okay that’s about it, wish us luck and hope to see you at some of these gigs!

If I could do the interview again I might say a few things differently. For example, Fresh is not only about being unique and trying to be different – that sounds kind of pretentious. Fresh is about filling the void that we felt missing in the nightlife scene. There were no regular drum & bass gigs back in 2008, so we started throwing them. I’ll admit that I do these parties as much for myself as anyone else. There’s no better feeling than when your guest DJ is on the decks smashing it for a dance floor of happy people, yourself included. The last two gigs with Asayo and Redman definitely confirmed that.

Thanks to Tom of That’s PRD for recognizing our scene, our music, and our DJs.

Here’s a couple of pictures from the article…

Rice the Beat Chef in That's PRD Mag

DJ Quest in That's PRD Mag

DJ Nimbus in That's PRD Mag

As for the goofy flier, it’s a take on one of my favorite hip hop albums: Midnight Marauders by ATCQ (which you can see in the middle frame). Dengling at Camel asked me for a DJ pic so I thought it’d be a good chance to take some new ones. I shot them in my studio using the new triggers that we make. Just for the record my dreads are real/natural.

See you in Kunming!

High-energy-mass-appeal-jump-up-drum-and-bass from Australia via Hong Kong!  Redman started Djing in 1996 at some of Sydney’s finest clubs and warehouse parties. In 1998, he started his own music company, Sinista Sounds, organizing events and supporting artists such as Lee Coombs, Total Science, Man One and Dj Randle,Total Science. Being a versitile Dj, playing everything from hip hop to deep, funky house, electro, fidget, breakbeat to Jungle and Dubstep he is impossible to pigeon hole. In 2008 he landed in Hong Kong, and has since played throughout Southeast Asia, including Bangkok and Dirty South China.

The party is in GAGA of all places. That’s right, drum & bass for the people, along with other fresh genres of music you rarely hear in a club setting. Redman starts at 12 so don’t be late. As usual, free headphones to the two best dancers.

Lineup

10pm – DJ CEO – parental advisory sticker hip hop

11pm – DJ Quest – nu ragga jungle + liquid funk

12am – REDMAN – drum & bass for the masses

2am – DJ Talec – dubbed out party-step

All Night – MC Battery – freestyle madness

Come out, dance your ass off, and support alternative and underground dance music in Shenzhen. If you’re a fan of drum & bass, join the group here.

Come get some exercise, support a good cause, and have some drinks at Raps after the race this Saturday night at Lianhuashan. Check out their website for registration, videos, and more info.

I’ll be there to photograph the action. Redman postponed til next weekend. Seeya there!

This new track by Netsky is just pure bliss. Love the cello/violins…

Here’s a new artist I just discovered. This track really hits a strong note too…

Can’t say enough good things about Marky and S.P.Y. when they work together…

I’m glad to see that Atlantic Connection is still making great music. He absolutely killed it with his album in 2008.

And finally, this is probably our song of the summer. And guess who we are planning to bring to Shenzhen? (hint hint…)

And finally, this is not beautiful per se, but you should really have a listen to Friendly Intentions by Noisia if you need some aggression and bust-out vibes in your tunes at the moment!