Completely infected by his energy and passion for bass, we caught up with Cape Town-based drum ’n bass DJ – Niskerone – to chat about his love for the music and the respect he has for other local DJ’s. Length: 08:00
 
Mark’s beats can really only be appreciated 100% when one sees him play live – which is why we headed to The Assembly and The Waiting Room to witness his d ‘n b up close.

From Cape Town to Jo’burg and London to Barcelona – Niskerone’s live sets move small and large crowds alike. The guy who started the now-famous It Came from the Jungle parties, Mark Stevens has shared the stage with top artists including David Guetta, Rusko, Boys Noize, Steve Aoki and many others.

Niskerone - 5FM Mix for DJ Fresh (December 2011)

Niskerone - DRS Virus Switzerland Studio Mix (2010)

Photograph: © Adriaan Louw

With the colours of the Bo-Kaap in our periphery, one small seed caught up with local electronic DJ – Tommy Gun – to talk about indie-electro music, the Cape Town music scene, and what inspired his unique rock-influenced electro style. We also had the chance to see the man at work at Trinity night club where he moved the crowd to his funky, vocal electro beats mixed with some heavy bass-lines.
 

 
After kicking off the day with a drink at the Wale Rose Lifestyle restaurant, we moved on to snoop through LPs at the local music store Mabu Vinyl in Kloof Street and drive around the city in Tommy’s 1970 Green Rocket. For Thomas de Moyencourt it’s about fun and catchy nu-disco beats mixed with dancey bass-lines; it’s about him being able to do what he loves.

 
Tommy Gun – November 2011 by Tommy.Gun

Photograph: © James Seigel

Tommy Gun – Fun In The Sun by Tommy.Gun
 
Tommy Gun’s beats could be described as Leftfield Indie, Nu-Disco and Electro: non-commercial, yet accessible… Check out his SoundCloud page. A regular at Cape Town’s best live-music venues The Assembly and Trinity, he spent 2011 playing around the country at festivals such as Oppikoppi, Rocking the Daisies and Synergy Live. Thomas has also shared the stage alongside top international artists such as Deadmau5, Datarock and Designer Drugs; as well as local artists like Desmond & The Tutus, Die Heuwels Fantasies, Jack Parrow and Gazelle.
 
Last words? Here’s something from the man himself:

I’m super amp’d about the April re-opening of a freshly-renovated Fiction and the revival of the weekly Untamed Youth parties.

We have to agree, Tuesdays haven’t been the same since. Stay up to date with Untamed Youth new HERE.

images: Adriaan Louw, Jamies Siegel

Tyron Kuypers, aka DJ Bruce Willis??, discusses the evolution of the electronic music scene in Cape Town. Since founding the popular Arcade event with Danna Gordon in 2006 to showcase a new electro music genre they were introduced to via the internet and from other musicians returning from overseas travels, Tyron’s style has come full circle back to his drum ‘n bass roots.

Since the bittersweet conclusion of the Arcade brand in 2010, which during its three year reign celebrated the marriage of electro with drum ‘n bass and focused on the party as an all-encompassing perceptual experience with ornate decorative themes, Tyron has moved on to some exciting new initiatives. Brick City is a platform he launched in 2009 with Graham Kennedy for up and coming artists to play live sets, and has propelled the careers of many successful Cape Town DJs.

Tyron dubs Cape Town as a creative universal hub, acknowledging tourism growth, the 2014 World Design Capital award, and the rise in social media and marketing as factors that have pushed the scene forward.  When it comes to the rich development of local electronic music, we think Bruce Willis?? has earned himself a fair credit as well.

In much the same way Da Vinci’s inventions were ahead of their time, Red Bull is creating a sound system so advanced it makes current sound rigs look like tapedecks. The Red Bull Music Academy World Tour kicks off in Cape Town with a three day event that we don’t want you to miss. Read on to find out how you can win a double ticket to the three-day event courtesy of one small seed and Red Bull.

Between August 29 and September 1st Cape Town will host the visionaries behind the world-famous Valve Sound System (UK), Dillinja and K-aze along with SIAN, DJ and founder of Octopus recordings (UK) and some of South Africa’s most prolific crews, DJs, promoters, producers and creative collectives. What is being done is the construction of a massive sound system that will travel to some of South Africa’s largest musical events as a tribute to the nucleus of club culture. When completed, the collaborative construction of the world-class system will be capped off by a three-day festival of sound. Taking place at The Assembly in Cape Town, September 1-3, it will feature a full spectrum of electronic music where all participating local crews will have the opportunity to perform on the newly built system alongside world-renowned selectors.

Dillinja – hard noize

Having pioneered the first filtering drum system and creating unique Amen breakbeats, Dillinja and K-aze are versatile producers and mix masters who, since the 1990s, have been lauded as versatile producers and mix masters. Fellow Briton SIAN throws down his own hypnotic take on techno with his avant-garde approach and trademark experimental DJ-ing style.  With a list of 26 talented and respected DJs throwing their hats into the ring, it’s almost guaranteed the event will blow everything else out the water.

Lemon D vs Aphex Twin – Manhattanannou

With the Red Bull Music Academy World Tour hitting over ten major cities all over the world including Berlin, Paris, Detroit, Melbourne, Rome, San Paulo and London kicking it off from Cape Town is a great hour we’re sure the city is happy to accept. Each stop will delve into unique elements of the Red Bull Music Academy experience, bringing together influential musicians from various corners of the world across different eras of music to pay tribute to the pioneering sounds that paved the way for today’s deepest funk and hip hop.

So be at The Assembly from the 1st to the 3rd of September to show your support and pride in Cape Town’s own vibrant and definitely celebrated club culture. For your chance to win a double ticket to the THREE-day event courtesy of one small seed and Red Bull rack your brain a bit, do a bit of research HERE, leave a comment below answering the following questions and tell us why you want to go. Winners will be announced on Tuesday 30th August.

1. What is the name of the Soundsystem that Dillinja and Lemon D built?
2. Name one of the famous Soundsystems owned by eccentric DJs during the early days of Jamaican Soundsystem culture.
3. Where would you like to hear the Red Bull Studio Signal Control Soundsystem aside from the Assembly next week? (Choose any party / venue. Who knows the Soundsystem might make its way there one day).

The purpose of this piece is thus twofold. First off the bat, it aims to profile Riot Squad, who I sincerely believe to be the ‘next big thing’ coming out of Cape Town. For such a young group of guys, their production is of an immensely high standard and it’s only a matter of time before the world catches on. Secondly, this piece aims to demystify (at least in part) the song production process from conception through to execution. We’ll deal with that a bit later on though.

Mike and Kyle’s musical backgrounds could not be more different, but as is the case with so many glorious pairings, their differences complement each other brilliantly. Mike’s musical education began at a young age thanks to his piano teacher/gran, and he’s been evolving ever since. Little Mike was just eight-years-old when his gran moved cities and told him that he had to find a new instrument, as the piano teachers in the area did not meet her stringent criteria.

Walking into a music shop, Mike’s eyes were immediately drawn to the flute but, due to his short arms, this endeavour was not to be. Eventually settling on a trumpet, Mike began to play in a ska band in Grade 10 called Cause of Conflict. Jozi was experiencing a ska revival at the time thanks to genre mainstays Fuzigish and Hog Hoggidy Hog. Cause of Conflict was riding the wave but their promising career was cut short due to internal politics and so the group promptly disbanded. It was then Slipknot’s self-titled debut album that brought about Cause of Conflict’s next shift in musical direction; with the band instilling both a love for the harder stuff as well as inspiring an instrument change – drums and black metal beckoned with new band Saurion. But, the foray was short lived…  All band practices degenerated into drunken revelry and little practice was actually done.

Mike achieved moderate success with his next band Egregore who played a slot at metal festival, Mother Fudd.  However, regular visits to Midrand super club Truth allowed the love for electronic music to take hold and Mike’s fidget persona – Mini K – was born. Self-taught on FL Studio, his productions were picked up by as many as 15 labels around the world. Post-Mini K has seen Mike play everything from electro to tech-house before settling on his true love, drum ‘n bass.

Hailing from Durban, Kyle Maclean’s musical background could not be more contrasting. With little musical experience to speak of, Kyle moved to Cape Town in 2008 and fell in love with electronic music. Inspired by watching his friend spinning vinyl in his room, Kyle taught himself how to DJ on a Numark IDJ2iPOD that he had bought on a family vacation to Hong Kong. He hasn’t looked back since.

Kyle’s first gig was at an early Brick City event at Mercury at the peak of jackin’ house and fidgets popularity, where he caught the ear of Cape Town Alive who started booking Kyle to play at all their parties. The big break came about when Kyle took up residency at Club 91’s Saturday Electro nights where he was also responsible for running the night and booking acts. After booking Mike for a gig, the pair met for the first time in what would prove to be a fortuitous twist of fate.

As a collective, Riot Squad formed (officially) when Mike and Kyle were both attending music production courses at the Soul Candi Institute of Music in Cape Town. Born out of a shared passion for producing world class music, the pair decided to join forces. Their first studio project was to remix Fedde Le Grande’s ‘Back and Forth’ for an Australian competition, and the track pricked ears up around the world. Their next effort was the Blockbeats Records electro banger ‘Making you Move,’ which made Beatport’s Top 10 ‘must hear’ list and further raised their profile internationally.

With their tracks charting well, it was clear to all in the Cape Town scene that these boys deserved respect. Considering that their first gig was held at a packed Electric City event at Cape Town’s renowned live music venue The Assembly is testament to this. Things kept rolling for the boys and they were soon approached by Frederic Mooij to remix a track on his Eternal Elect CD, alongside some massive industry names such as Calvertron and Kelevra.

Thanks in part to Assembly’s regular Friday night Discotheque parties, the Cape Town  electro scene took off in a big way with new DJ’s popping up almost every week. This led to a saturation of the scene and prompted Riot Squad to change genres from electro to drum ‘n bass, as the latter continues to rapidly gain momentum in South Africa. The Illumination EP ( featuring tracks ‘Illumination‘ and ‘Northern Lights‘) was the group’s first attempt at producing a genre other than electro, and the breakbeat EP was quickly picked up by Loud Room records. When Illumination was signed, it showed that the ability to produce in a different genre was most definitely there. Their focus now shifted to their next EP, which would be the group’s first attempt at producing dubstep. And, this is where I came in.

As a fan of electronic music, the process of producing a song has always fascinated me. When jamming to a banger in a club, I would often think about how that song came to be playing through those speakers there and then. What processes did it go through? How was it made? These and other deep, pondering 4am-type questions occupied my mind on the beer-stained dance floors of Cape Town. Profoundness aside, the answers I sought could only be found by getting down and dirty in the trenches (although in a music studio, there is admittedly very little dirt and/or trenches). I needed to witness the process first hand, and as luck would have it, Riot Squad was just about to shift gears and get cracking on their new dubstep EP. This provided just the opportunity I was looking for, so it was all systems go – my quest for musical knowledge began.

Filled with excited anticipation, I showed up at Mike and Kyle’s house on a gloomy autumn afternoon, with my laptop and trusty notebook at the ready. The Riot Squad engine room, as it were, is located in Mike’s bedroom where he has everything necessary to produce. First and foremost, no producing can be done without a high-speed computer. Throw in a Nocturn 49 Novation Midi Keyboard and some Yamaha HS50M monitors and we’re good to go. Program wise, Riot Squad have been producing on FL Studio (previously ‘Fruity Loops’) but are looking to make the transition to the more respected Cubase. In the production world, FL Studio is looked down upon like an ugly stepsister. To get world wide respect, it’s pretty much vital that you use Cubase. Whilst technically trickier to negotiate, it delivers a far brighter sound due to its vastly superior algorithms. It’s all very scientific.

Most tracks begin with the drum line – the essential beat keeper, which without the melodies would be lost. It’s almost like the shepherd herding the sheep (sporting names like ‘Intro’, ‘Vocal Part 1’ and ‘Chorus’) into one coherent pen. Or sty. Or wherever it is one puts the sheep (in the non-Australian context). Being a dubstep track, the tempo is set at the standard 140 beats per minute and the song builds from there. After conception comes composition, followed by arrangement and song structure. The latter determines where the verses go, how you bridge to the chorus and so on. (All of the above would constitute the production phase of the track, after which comes post production.)

When a song has been laid down in its raw form, it’s still a long way from blaring out Fiction’s speakers on a Friday night. The post production phase is a highly specialized field and requires professional sound engineers and analog equipment. This is the stage whereby the levels (or ‘volume’ to us laymen) are adjusted, the song is separated and compressed, effects are added (such as reverb or delay) and the track is panned. The EQ also needs to be adjusted to remove any unwanted frequencies. Most of this is pretty technical and is the stuff of sound engineering lectures, so I won’t delve too deeply into it. Needless to say though, it is important to get it right. Riot Squad entrust their post production to former lecturer at Soul Candi, Willie Els – himself an established DJ/Producer under the moniker Pziezzo Electric. Riot Squad decided to call the track ‘Modify’ to signal the musical metamorphosis the group is currently undergoing as they experiment in finding their style.

After mixing and mastering, the track is now a finished article and ready for distribution to record labels. The age of the internet has drastically altered this whole process. Gone are the days when young upstarts had to burn cds and methodically send them off to labels one by one. In the age of facebook, soundcloud and twitter, the process is much easier and doesn’t even require leaving the bedroom. Using their soundcloud link, Riot Squad deposited the link into label’s dropboxes where label bosses can access it as and when they want to.

Throughout their respective careers, Mike and Kyle have built relationships with numerous labels around the world on which they could easily sign the new EP, but that goes against everything Modify stands for. After a careful submission process whereby only the labels that matched their ambition were chosen, the track was signed to UK based label LU10 who clearly recognized quality when they heard it. With a big label comes major marketing and an existing client base of label devotees. The labels job is to promote, market and distribute the track through mediums such as iTunes and Beatport. As an original track, the artists share the proceeds on a 50-50 basis with the label. When a remixer is involved, the original artist and the remixer split 50% of the proceeds between them (so it’s all fair like). The industry definitely isn’t a money spinner (at least not initially) and the guys will only see some sort of dividends as many as six months later. Like most passions, you’ve got to be in it for the love!

Modify offers something different to the formulaic, paint by numbers dubstep that’s flooding Beatport at the moment so I feel lucky to have been a small part of it. Massive thanks to Riot Squad for allowing me into their world and giving me the opportunity to document the process.

Without further adieu, witness the melodic dubstep monster that is Modify. Big ups!

Modify (Original Mix) (LU10 Records) by Riot Squad (South Africa)

Words By: Cameron Duncan

Pictures by:  Cameron Duncan and Adriaan Louw

one small seed Issue 10 – Part 2

ISSUE 10 FEATURES:

• PHOTOGRAPHER: FARRAN BAG
• PHOTOGRAPHER: IAN ENGELBRECHT
• FASHION: EXTRA MURAL ACTIVITIES
• FASHION: TRAIN SPOTTING BY LUKE FOREMAN
• FASHION: CONCEPT STORES
• ARCHITECTURE: ROBERT SILKE ON NORBERT ROZENDAL
• ARCHITECTURE: KARMA LOUNGE
• ARCHITECTURE: MADAME ZINGARA
• ARCHITECTURE: THE ASSEMBLY
• INTERNATIONAL: LONDON
• DESIGNER: RORY CAMPBELL
• DESIGNER: CARL ADDY
• FASHION DESIGNER: TARYN GRUBER
• FASHION DESIGNER: BRITT CORMACK
• MUSIC: LIGHTNING TYPE
• MUSIC: THE HAVANA GUNS
• ARTIST: VARENKA PASCHKE
• DESIGN: CONDUIT STUDIOS
• DESIGN: ILLUSTRATOR COLWYN THOMAS
• MUSIC: AKING
• MUSIC: THE CITY BOWL MIZERS
• MUSIC: ETC CREW