Tag Archives: chestplate records

District – ‘Roy’s Theme/Aftermath/Tempest’ [CHST031]

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CHST031

 

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The Chestplate family continues to maintain it’s position as integral in the dubstep scene.  With Distance’s two-part (Part 1/Part 2) ‘Outer Limits’ EP concluding mid-March, District takes the lead with 031 and puts forth three cerebral productions, each complimenting that signature Chestplate sound.  ‘Roy’s Theme’ is an immediate hook with the contemplative synthery (<— made up word) that guides your ears through a tip of the hat to Bladerunner, and what could easily serve as scoring for the 80’s sci-fi film.  A calm and gradual mood progression prevails through means of minimalist percussion and hypnotizing sub-bass notes, both resting beneath a sea of brooding pads that dish a pensive grasp on open ears.  ‘Aftermath’ follows suit with respect to the deep space vibe – sirens and ray/laser guns drenched with delay and reverb – while adding more percussive energy with the deployment of more pronounced hats and a far more acute and aggressive snare.  District’s masterful ability to warp and twist bass sounds from scratch makes subtle but potent appearances throughout the track.  ‘Tempest’ is my persy off the release.  The most powerful and energetic of the seemingly patterned progression observed in this release, District takes a neuro/techno approach with a clean and fluid bass construction that resembles early acid influences.  Again, the desolate and dissonant synth leads carve a soundscape that evoke vivid imagery of fictional battlefronts and despondent victories.

CHESTPLATE || DISTRICT || BUY LINK

RELEASE DATE:  14TH APRIL 2014

 

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One last thing to mention that I know will brighten some of your days up – as it did mine when I heard the news.  Many of you were disheartened to hear that Chestplate was discontinuing the cutting of vinyl for their releases.  Rest easy, as I have solid word that this is no longer true and while being more selective, the release of Chestplate sound on our cherished (for some of us) medium will continue.  Be on the look for the CHST032 from Los Angeles based producer, Mesck, signaling the first signing of a US artist to Chestplate and Mesck’s first release that will see a vinyl.

I’ll catch you next time.  One love.

– Kinman

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West Coast Weight: Kelly Dean’s ‘Firewall’ EP [SMOG025]

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KellyDean_FireWall_FIN

Big up fam’, thanks for checking in again!  We’re already two weeks into the new year and there has been a solid amount of music to hit the shelves: DJ Madd’s remix of  Candyman’s ‘Killa Sound’, Killawatt & Ipman’s ‘Warehouse Dub/Single Entity’, Boddika’s ‘Soul What VIP’, Booka Shade’s 3-track release on Blaufield, and Bungle’s ‘Aura/Astral Travel’, to name a few.  If you thought that 2012 was an amazing year for bass music you’re right but, 2013 is going to be that much better!

Today marks the drop of California native Kelly Dean’s ‘Firewall EP’ on Smog records.  Kelly Dean is one of many producers within the deep dubstep scene who have recently been cementing the U.S. onto the radar of bassweight enthusiasts across the globe.  Yes, we’ve always had heads like Matty G, Starkey, OSC, Babylon System, and Roommate (among others), but the numbers are growing and the ratio of top-notch UK:US producers finally seems to be evening out a bit.

It should come as no surprise that one of the one of the nation’s leading producers rolls deep with one of the nation’s strongest and longest-running dubstep nights/labels – Smog.  This release sees Kelly Dean take on his role in the SMOG fam’ as the deeper and darker proponent with his sweeping reese bass lines, eye-closing sub bass, eerie atmospherics, and generally minimalist philosophy on production.  The EP also bolsters remixes from Chestplate Records up-and-comer District, as well as a remix by Drumcell of the infamous Los Angeles underground crew: Droid Behavior.  It is without a doubt an EP that should not be slept on.  I was lucky enough to grab a few words with Kelly in regards to this release so take a read below while you preview his ‘Firewall’ EP:

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BWS:  So how long has this EP been in the works for?

Its been over a year that’s for sure.  I actually played these tunes in an earlier form at the SMOG 5 year party.  They have transformed over the years and matured into what you hear today.  They actually feel like little kids to me at this point.  HAHA.

BWS:  What can the listeners expect to hear from this project?

This EP has a much more mature sound to it.  Take “Samurai” for instance.  The track’s vocal is actually me.  But I took the quote from Hagakure : Book of the Samurai which is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the Samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo from 1709 to 1716.  So the historical context of this tune is pretty strong, and I believe the vibe of the song is consistent with that theme.

BWS:  Do you have a personal favorite off the release?

“Samurai” and “Firewall” are my favorites mainly because of the ongoing theme.  Its a lot of fun creating a song that has somewhat of a script, almost like your scoring a movie. Those tunes have little FX sprinkled in that hint at the track titles.

BWS:  Which beat did you have the hardest time completing?

Samurai was the hardest by far.  Its the longest of the lot and the structure is different then your average dubstep tune   .  It starts off dropping into almost a garage drum pattern.  Each 16 bars it changes slightly with the percussion slowly morphing into a standard dubstep beat.  The vocal was also quite a challenge.  This is the first time I have put my own vocals into a tune that has been released.

BWS:  Any shout outs to those that helped make this happen?

Everyone supporting me since I started making music has been a MASSIVE help!  Producing music is one of those things that even the littlest bit of motivation from your peers can generate a big response in your productivity and imagination, which really helps with the writing process.  Drew & Danny at SMOG are huge in that department and this EP would not have been possible without them.  Also huge shouts to District and Drumcell for banging out unreal remixes!  Its a honor to have them on board for this project.

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There you have it people.

Here are the buy links so  choose your record store of choice and make sure to get this one onto your hard drive!

BEATPORT || iTUNES || JUNO

Kelly Dean:

FACEBOOK || SOUNDCLOUD || TWITTER

Smog:

FACEBOOK || SOUNDCLOUD || TWITTER

I’ll catch you guys next time, thanks for reading!  Make sure to support your local scene – buy music, go to shows, and tell your local promoters what the people want to hear.

One love.

– Kinman

Bassweight Sessions 4: District

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DISTRICT
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Bless up everybody!  Today I have a special feature for all you readers consisting of Bassweight Sessions #4.  I’ve been lucky enough to grab a few words with District of the Chestplate Records crew.  With his debut release on Chestplate in 2011 it has been an eventful two years for the Coventry based producer.  With a production style that embodies heavily-charged sub-frequencies, twisted mid-range basses, and staggered drum patterns, the Chestplate  imprint seems nothing less than a perfect home for Dan’s sound.  He now holds a total of three releases on the label, including a collaborative EP with Sleeper and another solo-single released a few months back.  As Dan progressively asserts his sound as an integral component to the Chestplate aesthetic we can rest assured that 2013 will see the release of many District beats.  I was able to catch his set at SMOG Sundays last month and caught wind of some really great tracks that he has hidden in his arsenal.  Check below to see what Dan had to say…
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BWS:  Since your debut release last year, ‘3.5 Grams / Haymaker’, you carved out a very distinct sound for yourself, incorporating what seems to be a significant deal of industrial and nuerofunk influences.  Your sound fits in so perfectly with the ‘Chestplate’ aesthetic, I have to ask, did you have your eyes locked on Distance?  Or were you just sending tunes out to everywhere and happened to get swooped up by Distance first?
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To be honest, I originally set out with the intention of sending tracks to Distance to feature in his ‘New Talent’ section on his Rinse.FM show.  At the time there weren’t many people pushing the darker sounds so it was a natural thing to pass music to him rather than anyone else.  I was just lucky that he heard something in those early tracks and encouraged me to make more.
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BWS:   As far as I know this is your first time in the states?  What are your impressions thus far of the US?  So far you’ve stopped in Houston, Denver, and Detroit, what’s been your favorite stop so far?  Any crowds that have topped the crazy Belgians you spoke of in your AMA a few months back?
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It is!  I’ve been blown away by everything I’ve seen so far (and eaten), especially how polite people are over here.  We’ve had some great crowds already who know the classics as well as the new tracks which is really good.  It’s made the whole experience a lot more fun because I’m testing new tracks as well as playing my favourites.
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BWS:  Regarding the current state of file sharing and its obvious impacts on the artists records sales, what are your thoughts about people who argue that the artists make plenty of money touring and selling merchandise?  From your own experience, and from what you’ve seen with friends, does touring actually provide a realistic/sufficient income?
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It’s true that touring and playing gigs makes the artist the most money but I think as a whole, all areas of the industry are scratching their heads a little bit and trying to work out where the money is.  I’ve watched a lot of four-piece and five-piece bands have to give up playing and touring because it just costs so much, especially now that some venues are putting caps on selling merchandise.  For DJ’s its not so bad because you don’t need to take as many people or as much equipment but its still expensive for promoters.  None of us are millionaire rockstars.  We are just normal people, file sharing stops people like Distance from being able to put out new music and support new artists like myself, Sleeper or Razor Rekta.  Thats the real side of it.
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BWS:   If you collaborate on a tune with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
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I’ve been listening to a lot of drum and bass on the tour so far, I’d love to work Phace or Misanthrop.  I’m very fond of the level of detail that goes into their tracks.  Awesome producers.
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BWS:   What are your thoughts on being exclusively signed to a label, just as you are to Chestplate?  It seems to be something that is becoming more common of the late, what are some of the things that you find advantageous about artists sticking to one label?  Do you ever fear that it could potentially pigeonhole your sound or limit your exposure?  Or do you think that the ‘branding’ that comes along with that approach is more beneficial than hopping from label to label?
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I think it just looks better for all of us being part of a team together. we all have our sound and support each others tunes.  It will only pigeonhole us if we carry on churning out the same stuff which I don’t think there is any emphasis on.
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BWS:  What are you thoughts of the Los Angeles crew?
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Los Angeles was sick! Proper fun going back-to-back at the end with Distance and Tunnidge, thats the sort of thing that only people who were in the room at that time will be able to experience. vibes.
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BWS:  Can you let the readers know of anything as far as releases, tours, etc. to keep an eye out for?
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I’m currently looking at my next Chestplate release as well as a couple of remixes for when I get back home.  I have a collaborative track with Sleeper called ‘The Risk’ which will be out on Osiris just after Christmas I believe.
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BWS:   Who shot Biggie and Pac?
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Hologram 2Pac did it.
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Out to Dan for taking the time out of his schedule to answer these questions for us all!  Unfortunately he wasn’t able to record a mix for you guys due to a busy schedule but hopefully we can get one out of him in the near future 🙂  Be sure to stop by all District’s pages to show him some support if you’re feeling his sounds.  Be on the look for that Osiris release with Sleeper due out anytime now.  Below is a mix that was recorded a few months back as promo for his booking agency, so give it a listen if you haven’t already!  Still plenty of dubs inside!
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DISTRICT:
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CHESTPLATE:
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I’ll catch everybody next time around.  Got some new features coming to the website for 2013 so hold tight with the improvement massive.  Hope you guys have a dope New Year!
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One love.
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– Kinman

1 Year Anniversary Competition

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Big up fam’!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary for BWS.  I’m astounded at the amount of support this little idea has gained (although it may be miniscule relative to other platforms).  Going from 1 to nearly 800 supporters with over 20K views in a single year is amazing in my mind, regardless of how jaded the current state of social media would make it seem.  I am so thankful for the relationships that have come into being from this website.  I’ve connected with various people from all the world, and it’s been really humbling.

A seriously MASSIVE shout out of respect from myself to all of you that have made this page what it is today.   I would also like to shout a major thank you to you my best boys Shice and Lowkey, who helped build the foundation of BWS with me last year, although they’re both onto their own paths now.  Also, as you may have seen in the last post, there will be some new writers being introduced over the next couple months so be on the look for new flavor/opinions and be sure to make them feel welcome.  Ben Grimm was the first to be announced, so expect to see more from ‘Begrim’ on the garage side of things.  Let’s see what the next year holds for us, shall we?!

In order to celebrate this oh so monumental milestone I have decided to run a little competition for some free giveaways.  I was looking through my crates and came across 3 records that are duplicates because I double ordered them – sadly, on 3 separate occasions too, haha.  Anyways, since I’m broke as f*ck this was the best I could come up with.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, however.  All of the records are in ‘mint’ condition as they’ve never been played.  I will say, though, the Compa remix does have some scuffs along the outer rim, but this was due to manufacturer defect so don’t get pissed about a scuff on the free record you receive.  The three records are:

 Mavado – Dem A Talk (Compa Remix) [WXWL001]

Razor Rekta – Loko-Motiv / Development [CHST018]

Dark Tantrums – Unborn / Storm [MEDI054]

***Note to the winner:  If you’re located outside of the US, I will not be able to cover all the shipping costs, however, I will split them with you.  Once we come to that juncture we will figure it out as needed.  If you’re in the US, shipping is on me.

This competition is meant for the people that have been supporting during this year, so there is no need to publicly share this competition, unless you prefer to lessen your odds of victory.  If you prefer to share it, however, I have no issue with that.  All you need to do is answer the following three questions:

1.    Which song on his self-titled EP (‘Commodo EP’) did Commodo not want to include?

2.    Which artist that interviewed with BWS said these words: 

“theres just not enough energy in most of the stuff coming out whereas with these techno influenced rollers with the big relentless kick drum lines and the pounding subs there is just so much natural energy, you move instinctively to the music whether you like it or not because of the sheer physicality of it and the rhythms that have been engrained in us over the past millenia from ancient ‘tribal’ music. “

        3.    Who was the first artist to record a mix exclusively for BWS?

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Email your responses to bassweightsociety@gmail.com before November 15th, 2012.  YOU MUST ENTER ‘BWS 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY’ AS THE SUBJECT LINE OR YOUR RESPONSE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

May the best human win.

To the gods.

-Kinman

Big Up Yourself!: Rustie at SMOG, Icicle, Matty G, and More

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Oiiiiiiiiiiiiii!  What up everybody, hope all is well.  Friday is finally here, so that means it’s time to whyle out!  Cannot verbalize how excited I am to see Rustie at Smog Sunday’s this weekend.  This young man has done some phenomenal things with his music.  He is honestly one of the most forward-thinking producers out there at the moment, in my opinion.  Add Rustie’s musical prowess into the equation with SMOG’s ability to throw some of the ILLEST parties that California has seen, and what do you have?  A fucking amazing night, that’s what you have.  I strongly urge you to make it out to this show if you can, it is sure to be one of the highlights for the summer.  Sunday night, Dim Mak Studios, BE THERE.  You can find more details about the show here.

So, as were about get into the weekend, which usually entails several forms of debauchery, I tried to pull together some tunes that are going to clear your mind, and then get your blood pumping hard.

I wanna start things off with a new bit from the ultimate badman, Swindle.  As we’re anxiously awaiting his Deep Medi release to hit the shelves, he has blessed us with this soulful number in the meantime.  This jam throws out some killer vibes.  The vocals from Takura set the stage perfectly for Swindle’s bounce-infused purple dance number.  A perfect way to clear all the negativity/stress that has accumulated over the week and get your mind on the right level for good times with the ones you love.

Swindle ft. Takura – Have A Go

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This next bit is comes from the hands of Icicle, and is an absolute roller.  I have to say, I am extremely pleased with the direction Icicle has been taking his beats.  The title suits the style, as he’s named it ‘Deep Tech’.  Give it a listen and close your eyes as you’re transported to a dungeon in eastern europe with the deepest, most minimal beats playing.  This is taken from the Rinse 19 mixed by Icicle.

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Now I want to hype this new piece that Ghost Note just uploaded, titled ‘Transmission’.  This one hits some low notes!  Spacey percussion, techno-infused stabs, and an extremely powerful dub-esque bassline fill the airwaves as your body vibrates to the frequencies, warming your soul.  Pardon the quality, it is only 128kbps, but it’s forthcoming on the S/T EP so be on the look.  Apparently the second drop is absolutely mental, too!  Can’t wait.  Big up the NZ crew!

Ghost Note – Transmission (Clip)

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Up next is a tune from the industrial beat-smith, Distance.  The track is called ‘Searching’ and it emits some truly evil vibes.  Fading chants, rolling kick drums, and growling basslines take hold of the frequency spectrum and transcend your mind into visions of deep and dark silhouettes (or at least my mind).

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Now, to finish off the weeks tunes I wanted to bring back an all-time classic from the Cali-grown innovator of west coast dubstep, Matty G.  This tune, released back in 2009, will smash any dance floor up!  Infusing the west coasts hip-hop funkiness into the UK’s bass-ridden brainchild (dubstep), results in nothing short of AMAZING.  This man is a pure example of forward-thinking, and the fact that his tunes still sound so good stands a testament to that.  Turn the subs up and get ready for the west coast to show you how we rock! 😉

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That’s it fam, hope these tune will put you into those weekend vibes!  We will see you next week, and if you’re going to Rustie, we will see you then!  Big up the readers, much respect from the crew.

To the gods.

-Kinman