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For those readers out-of-the-loop Strictly Flava has enjoyed a steady and consistent output this year with a number of notably catchy releases from the likes of Witchdoctor, Jay Barret, and Echelon amongst others. In a fitting testament to the productive year that the London-based label has overseen, Strictly Flava has nodded to two forthcoming releases, one produced by On1 and the other, a joint endeavour from Kobe JT & Minista.

hen it comes to bass, grime, garage, funky and even dubstep to an extent, there is still a stigma around a lot of labels that they are going to be the bad guys. This for the most part is a pretty wide misconception, given that the majority of people running the independent labels often share the same passion for the music as the artists they have involved. This often leads to certain figures not getting a lot of the credit they deserve.

Bristol-based A-Bee has been going from strength to strength this year. Following several appearances on Rinse and 10-Twenty Radio, and shows alongside the likes of Jossy Mitsu, A-Bee is now the head honcho of Mangoes + Melons, one of the most exciting new UKG labels that have arisen in 2018. We spoke to her about 5 racks she’s feeling at the moment, and the list does not disappoint…

The relatively niche realm of 160bpm is one that, until recent years, has had difficulty breaking into the forefront of the underground scene. The very nature of footwork, juke, and all offshoots of this diverse tempo is that of spontaneity, often comprising of heavily syncopated drum patterns, erratic vocal snippets and unruly structures. These fast, complex rhythms were synonymous with the dancing associated with footwork,a street dance that coincided with the Chicago-born genre in the 1990s. It is therefore not surprising to see why the genre has been floating around the edges of electronic music for so many years. This is arguably what makes it so special however, placing itself within a unique corner of the underground scene, yet consistently making a global impact.

In recent years the underground scene in the UK has been blessed with a wide range of talent from outside of the nation’s Capital. Of course there has always been skilled producers, singers, and MC’s in all pockets of the country however the social media revolution seems to have leveled the playing field, allowing someone from a small town in the midlands to have more or less the same opportunities and access as those in the big cities. It’s a transition which has been of huge benefit to the musical world with the only real drawback coming in the form of over saturation.

Well it certainly appears to be an exciting time for the In:Flux Audio camp, who are currently coming off the back of a tremendous anniversary release, celebrating some of the best releases across the label’s history. As a label project they clearly pride themselves on their consistency, as it’s hard to pinpoint a a drop in quality along their long run of EP and LP releases.

It’s about time we had Tony Wonka back on the site after his fantastic premiere with us a few months back. His stock has since soared, with a lot of the scene’s top names taking a major interest in his bassy endevours. 

Over the course of 2018 there has been a major influx of new producers starting to make headway within a very crowded scene, some of them bringing a bag of original flavours to the table and therefore making a majorly positive impact on the scene. We were very pleased to see that Lijah is one such artist, consistently supplying the bass scene with potent bangers. 

The EP starts slowly, with ‘Perctrak’s gentle build leading into a sub heavy breakdown, dominated by an ethereal vocal sample. We’re then launched straight into a drop clearly inspired by 9TRANE’s previous grime and dubstep productions, with eski clicks and 808 bass abound.

As a label, Punks have been one of the most consistent outlets for bass and breaks music throughout the entirety of 2018, constantly providing the scene with original creativity within their releases, always moving forward into exciting new ground. The label has gained a lot of steam in recent months, seeing them propelled rapidly to the forefront of their genres, which is no less than they deserve in our humble opinion!

While certain blogs are concerning themselves with the idea of Grime being dead, those of us with our finger on the pulse are celebrating the rise of the next generation.A scene that remained stagnant for so long is now in the midst of what feels like a Golden Era. The hard labour conducted by Grime’s forefathers is beginning to bear fruit. The internet has provided asylum for the genre, progressing from the days of Grime Forum to bring everyone together through social media. No matter what the root cause is, the result is undeniable: Grime’s alive and kicking.

As a label project, there really are few who have contributed as much to the UK’s thriving bass music scene than the legendary Four40, who continue to surge forward moving towards 2019, pushing out solid release after release. 2019 has seen them move into some new territories, but this brand new remix from Barely Royal drops us right into the centre of a UK bass blast off. 

Infamous for his well-crafted, hard-hitting music Taiki Nulight is by now something of a household name in the scene. Showcasing his sonic diversity and talent for production over the years whilst proving instrumental in bass music’s continued popularity it is no wonder that fans and critics alike have been eagerly awaiting his latest drop.  One of the many perks of being a music writer is being able to listen to releases ahead of schedule and listening to Taiki Nulight’s ‘Murky Manor’ proved to be much more than consuming another derivative bass music release; it was an unexpected journey across a broad range of House and Bass influences.

As a producer and DJ, Manchester’s own: Hypho has gained some critical acclaim and serious support over the last few years, solidifying himself as one of the most creative names in the post dubstep / tech arena. We were thrilled to hear therefore that he is now involved alongside Xakra in setting up Manuka Records.

My Nu Leng’s latest EP Junction is an announcement: no matter how much popularity the Bristol duo may gain within one scene or another, their music will never be easily tied to one category. The four-track release represents the latest in a six-year slew of genre-fluid projects from the pair, whose penchant for reanimating established sounds drawn from across the UK’s electronic underground has positioned them as bass music’s foremost fusionists.

The last 22 months for NLMT have been nothing short of exciting for himself and listeners alike. From posting teasers on Lengoland to seeing heavy rotation from DJ’s across the scene, NLMT sat down with us to chat everything from his Dad buying his first DAW to his adolescent Dubstep duo with Darkzy. You can find the interview in full below:

Within Brighton’s tight knit musical community, there is a real mix of local veterans and rapidly rising stars, across bass, dubstep, grime, funky and even garage, really adding fuel to the extensive revival movement currently underway. As far as veterans go, there are few who are as unsung as Moony, who has been a staple within bass music in the South for the last six or seven years.

Over the last two years it has been an absolute pleasure to watch the reemergence of UK Funky. As a genre, it’s simplicity and rhythmic drive was something that was notably missing from a large portion of underground music.

Now unless you’ve been living under a very hefty rock for the last couple of years, you will undoubtedly have heard of Bushbaby. One of Lengoland and the bass scene revivals best success stories, the Brighton/Bristol based producer has been releasing banger after banger, steadily pushing his crisp neuro-bass sound to the tops of charts and line-ups.

October was a mad 31 days for urban music as a whole, but for the grime scene, we saw more up and coming artists coming through, more collaborating and even more releasing debut projects along the way.

Bass as an overseeing genre is an expansive one by it’s very nature, incoorporating hundereds of different sub-genres into it’s folds, giving us something truly beautiful in the long wrong. There are some producers who are able to use this to their advantage by crossing the boundaries of different segements seamlessly, ending up with truly innovative material at every turn.

After a really well received premiere from N.Y.T.A earlier in the month, we are thrilled to be bringing him back to the forefront of the channel again as we bring this official premiere for Zinc’s exceptional Bingo Bass imprint.This time however, we are joined by one of the most talked about MC’s in grime at the moment: Jammz, who’s flawless top draw work ethic and flawless vocal precision has recently gained him a new Rinse.FM residency alongside Jackdat.

Just between the pulsating culture of London and the cutting edge atmosphere of the South Coast, Surrey appears at first to be just another sleepy home county. Over the last few years, however, it has become a hotbed for new talent, kicked off by the likes of two – house making brothers by the name of Disclosure.

It might be unfair to portray Mr C as an unsung hero, particularly if you’re going off his local support. A producer/DJ who has dropped some of the most creative and titanic bangers in the scene to this day, (‘You’re Telling Me’ still makes me screwface nearly 4 years down the line!) Mr C has a sizeable, dedicated following that fly the flag for West Yorkshire Bassline.

If you’re familiar with the funkier side of the UK Bass scene, you’ll certainly know about Pharaoh K. With previous releases on Champion’s Formula Records, and In:Flux Audio, his absolute funky weapon ‘Chagga’ is being released on Roska’s Label ‘Roska’s Kicks and Snares’ (RKS).

It’s safe to say that the team at Saucy Records have had a pretty monumental year. As a label they have really solidified their position as an extremely forward thinking collective, pushing the boundaries of bass music into zones previously unexplored, all with a great degree of finesse along the way.As well as this, the label extended their reach to a now thriving management arm, looking after the best interests of some of the most influential artists in the scene, including the likes of PVC, Pelikann, Barely Royal and Affiliate. Along with this, the label have hosted multiple takeovers and events, all with nothing but positive feedback.

As a genre, bassline is made up of all different types of people, with new school high flyers and seasoned imprint’s constantly working in unison, providing a crowded genre with bags and bags of fresh inspiration. One label that has been established since before the epic re-rise of the genre, is Sheffield’s own: Project Allout Records. As a label, there are few who have contributed as much to the scene by way of releases, events and giving artists old and new a platform to showcase their individual prowess.

Across the recent garage revival movement that has been taking place for the last couple of years, there are few who have made such an immediate impact as London’s own: Limita. Known for his hard hitting garage designs and explosive rhythmic energies, has been making a major name for himself of recent, finding his way onto a bag of high profile releases and exciting remixes.

fter the announcement of his two pieces of good news, I had to shine a light on the blindingly obvious: the pieces in the puzzle of prosperity are starting to come together for Big Zuu. He took care of his debut show on BBC Radio 1Xtra with ease, inviting JME, Merky Ace and D7 along for the ride, and then proceeded with the roll out of his second project of 2018, named Content With Content.

When you think about Vancouver a few things might come to mind: its immense natural beauty, the towering skyscrapers or its international community. What undergoes less consideration is the sprawling underground music culture that finds its home in the heart of the city, hosted in a variety of public to semi-hidden venues.

As a platform, we are always excited to see labels going out of their way to be as innovative and creative as they possibly can in releases they support and put together. This is such an essential step in pushing our scene forward and keeping it from getting stagnant and in our eyes is a trait that labels are praised on not nearly enough.

What’s better than a banger? Yes, you are correct, a banger that is also a free download. We were thrilled to see that last night, Brighton’s Freddie Martin announced a brand new freebie dropping on his page today, much to the excitement of the bass community. It had been a little while since Freddie last released music, with his epic ‘Feel’ EP dropping on Southpoint earlier this year, along with a few top draw singles and remixes. Since the release of that EP, Freddie has made himself a staple on the UK bass circuit, performing around the country to packed out venues, bringing a potent energy to every set he touches down upon.

So, it’s time to take a peek at an artist we feel has gone without his due praise for just about long enough. As a DJ, producer and general bass music figure, Clean Shirt has established himself in both the dances and in the online communities, through providing technical and vibrant live sets and stepping up as a crucial moderator for the infamous Lengoland forum. It’s pretty undeniable that the young London based entity has played a pretty pivotal role in bass music’s assent to nightclub dominance across the country, being one of the go-to faces for quite some time.

Anyone who’s been in or around Grime for the past few years will know about Big Zuu. From the earlier days at Mode FM through the more recent sets at the now defunct Radar Radio, he’s always been a charismatic figure who warranted attention.

The past 2 years have seen a huge UK Funky resurgence, with key artists such as Roska, Champion, Marcus Nasty and Murder He Wrote bringing a huge variety of Funky sounds back to the forefront of the UK Underground. With a whole host of new talent pushing the genre, UK Funky is sounding fresh and exciting and over in Ireland a producer by the name of Ozwald is doing bits.

As one of our major representatives among a crowded bass scene, we are thrilled to be bringing man like Hot Goods into the ruckus for an exclusive #Charted listing. For us, he is without a doubt one of the brightest sparks to emerge out of the South in recent years, honing is style into a futuristic jackin tech fusion, perfect for sending dancefloors into a daze. We were in fact lucky enough to put together and official two track project with him earlier in the year by the name of ‘Loanshark’. As a release, the project received some fantastic feedback and helped propel Hot Goods into the forefront of the bass scene.

Fork and Knife is back with yet another standout single, released by a standout label in 1Forty. Right in time for Halloween ‘Real Monsters’ decorates its nerve-wracking soundscape with skippy drums, swelling basslines and nightmarish synths which make for an all-round screamer (excuse the pun).

As we draw towards the close of 2018, we can look back and say that this year was quite possibly bass music’s strongest episode so far, with festival stages around the country being stacked with representatives, radio stations taking a 4×4 hammering and the raves being dominated by bass DJs. One of the most notable names to be involved in this continued growth of the scene is none other than Sheffield’s own: Deadbeat UK.

So, the time has finally come. It’s safe to say that unless you have been living under a rock for the last three years, if you follow bass music in the UK, you are likely to have come across the formidable Lengoland storm.

Brighton and Hove has long been the creative hub of the South Coast – arguably the country – harbouring a wealth of talent throughout its history. Whether it’s Charles Dickens in the 1800s, Fatboy Slim in the 1990s, or Ocean Wisdom in 2018, the City has invariably acted as a haven for innovation, freely allowing artists to express themselves.

Newschool garage is well and truly back at the forefront of UK dance music as we conistently see heavyweight line ups across both releases and live events grace our fair shores.

J Fella is back at it again with another belter entitled ‘Gassin Ya’. Sonically this seems to be his muckiest release yet and whilst it treads familiar territory with shimmering, bell-heavy leads and vocal samples, the range of sounds utilize in this single makes for head-scratches and screwfaces.

Throughout the UK bass scene’s rise to it’s current prominence and dancehall domination, there have been a definitely few labels that can be classed as leading lights, who have consistently provided high grade fire for the rest of the scene to take inspiration from and grow. There is no doubt in our minds that the Yorkshire based giants at In:Flux audio are one of these projects.

In a discussion of artists that truly mastered the art of vocal bassline tunes, A dot R would surely have to be carefully considered. Having been around for 10+ years in the scene, it was only recently that A dot R re-emerged in the scene and started putting out teasers of his new work. We at 3000 Blog got the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the man himself to ask where he’s been, his views on the scene and where he’s going next.

Within the UK Bass scene, there are few that have managed to make themselves as applicable across the board as N.Y.T.A. Known for his super futuristic style, blending tech inspired bass moogs and rolling percussive drum progressions, the Bristol based producer has become renowned for the defying the ordinary and yet remaining as relevant as ever, a skill few have ever mastered within UK dance music in general.

Brighton based imprint: Southpoint look set to continue their explosive run across the entirety of 2018 as they unveil the latest in a long run of EP’s, this time coming from Brighton based garage and breaks producer: Movement. As a resident writer on the site, we were very pleased to see Movement make his full EP debut with his Brightonian neighbors, having made his debut on the project in mid 2017 along with a plethora of well received appearances. 

Few Sheffield producers are creating a buzz like local lad Palizé. With a musical portfolio as diverse as it is bass-heavy, the last 3 years have taken Palizé to a variety of stages, from the lovably dingy Harley in Sheffield to the prestigious Eskimo Dance.

Einstein is said to have described creativity as “intelligence having fun”. This is a quote that really carries some weight once you’re acclimated with artists such as Hertfordshire’s Esskay. The UK’s underground scene, and Grime in particular, has always been a beacon of creativity – shining through in various different forms – Esskay’s latest project Essence is a true testament to that fact.

or the majority of the UK scene, it’s pretty obvious that DJQ has established himself as bassline royalty, both as a celebrated solo producer/ DJ and as ⅓ of the titanic trio of TQD, who’s album last year was hit with nothing but positive responses.

Since bursting onto the bassline scene during the genre’s recent resurgence, Pelikann undoubtedly proven himself to be one of the most forward thinking producers working across the scene today. Through his use of super innovative bass design and lethal drum processing, Peli has managed to nail his futuristic neuro sound down to a t, making his live sets and releases a real highlight across the UK’s bass community.

The Saucy Records imprint has been on fire as of late, putting together a bag of really experimental high profile releases from some of the most creative minds across the bass scene. We were thrilled therefore that they are clearly keen on keeping this run going as they invite back long standing associate: Barely Royal to bring that fresh heat to the table.

After inviting us down to their weekly radio show for a 3000 Bass Takeover on Pyro Radio a few weeks ago, we couldn’t be happier to be returning the favour by welcoming SISTER over to 3000 to christen our brand new multi genre mix series; ‘3000 Sessions’ in which you will see us exploring a wide range of electronic music all across the bass spectrum.

Over the last few years, bass music in the UK has surged and spread, managing to decimate dances from north to south, east to west and everywhere in between.

As the 3000 Bass Takeover at fabric fast approaches, we prepare for an onslaught of bass and feel honoured to be one of three brands flying the flag for a bass driven sound in their respected genre of music, alongside Nero Presents and Eatbrain and we couldn’t be more humbled by the experience.

You would struggle to find an artist – in any genre – with longevity comparable to Dizzee Rascal. It’s been exactly 15 years since the inception of his first album, and nowadays the Boy In Da Corner can roam freely round the room.

In the ever-expanding realms of UK Bass music, it’s often hard to keep track of those who have been setting pace for the longest. As far as labels go, there aren’t many that have held as big an influence as Cheap Thrills, headed up by long term bass expert Hervé.

Upon first listen you’d be mistaken for thinking that J Fella had been around since the scene began. With stomping kick drums, emotional vocal leads and bubbling basslines J Fella manages to touch upon that sweet spot left by old school artists that at present remains underexploited.

As one of UK Funky’s foremost DJ’s and advocates, Baloo has been introducing the UK to the infernal and exotic sounds of Funky, Carnival and Tribal music for the last two years.

As the bass scene moves forward in leaps and bounds, it incorporates styles and elements from different areas of underground music as it goes.

In my relatively short time on earth I’ve heard a veritable range of descriptors: ‘Harrowing’, ‘custardy’ and ‘stinky’ are amongst my favourites but I wouldn’t be alone in reporting I’ve even heard tracks referred to as ‘evil’ before. Mattik’s latest EP release on In:flux ‘Can’t Step’ is a cut that demands a creative description, so I will do my best below.

For those who grew up listening to grime and bassline, there are few who affected both genres with as much clout as Dexplicit. Known for it’s truly unique expressive melodies over and rhythmic perfection, it’s hard not to call ‘Bullacake’ an original banger.

Mr Virji is back at it again bringing his signature charisma and calculated creativity to a weapon of a live set.

We are thrilled at threethousand.co.uk to be introducing you all to our brand new artist led article series, bringing you off the the top tens direct from your favourite artists in underground bass music.

For us, there are few producers and DJ’s within the UKG sphere that remain as unsung as Moony, who has been Brighton’s leading light within the genre for quite some time.

If you’ve had your ear to the ground regarding bassline releases no doubt you will have at least seen a meme relating to Venz’s new release ‘a Few Venz Riddims’.

We were lucky enough to grab a slice of such insight from none other than Southpoint co-founder Josh Gunston, who has recently gone on to form his own management company whilst looking after some of the bass and grime scene’s hottest prospects.

“DJ Semtex is raised on the principle of furthering the art form and giving back to make the scene better than how he found it. That’s gold. He remains humble and being of utmost service to the culture.” – Chuck D.

Now, when it comes to UKG, it’s safe to say that within the current sphere of directly dedicated labels, Stictly Flava is one of the standout projects, consistently putting forward exciting, vibrant, modern garage music.

Following a string of super high profile releases and and a tonne of sell out shows, including notable appearances at Parklife and SW4, Notion really is looking like the man of the minute within the bass scene. We were thrilled to see another new drop from him appear on our timelines via the legendary UKF YouTube platform.

Overrated. Untalented. Uncharismatic. These are just three adjectives you will never hear when it comes to describing Ghetts. A true pioneer – there are very few artists birthed from Grime’s early days who can cause as much havoc today as they did back then.

Sister Radio recently celebrated their 50th show on Pyro Radio and we had the pleasure of taking over their airwaves with 2 great bass driven mixes courtesy of Faded and Ralston. We also stayed around for chat with their two hosts Shan Mcginley and Carly Wilford about the wonderful world of 3000.

Our new resident grime correspondent Duke Sky takes a look at the events of the most recent Rated Awards.

Having featured earlier this week in one of our ‘Ones To Watch’ series from Movement, Kobe JT is back at it as we take a look into his new project alongside the Slime Recordings team. 

3000 Blog proudly welcomes British DJ/producer Kissy Sell Out (KSO) to our new website as a special columnist, bringing you a regular series of interviews with influential players in the global bass music scene.

Starting as a club night aimed at bringing more diversity to the scene in Leeds, 1Forty are back with their third release this year, after a slew of three massive free EPs in 2017. With a pretty impressive social media presence, 1Forty is pretty hard to miss.

As the ever progressing realm of UK Garage continues to flourish under it’s current revival phase, we felt it was only write to get our resident UKG scholar: Movement on the case. He has assembled a must read ‘Top 5’ Garage artists to keep an eye on over the coming months, and we couldn’t agree more!

This collaboration sees Krudd founder and all around mic man extraordinaire: Bru-C team up with man of the moment Tsuki for a bass fueled thrill ride, injecting some serious bass flavour into the dance.

Here we see the two names combine on their brand new collaboration ‘Riot’, which has caught some serious attention, premiering now on UKF.

After returning from touring America, southern based DJ & producer Albzzy has put together a team of bass scene professionals to form his new engineering and press company: B2B Audio.

Rikki Van Berkel aka RVB has been heading up the ‘The UK Is Funky’ Facebook community, from which a bag of fresh talent has been found.

The mighty Saucy make their return to free releases here with an absolute corker from the likes of Underground Traffic.

Over the last few months, the term “Southern Bassline” has become more and more common in its usage, with critics and commentators identifying a serious talent pool down on the south coast.

What a year it’s been for the team at Maraki as My Nu Leng and FineArt’s explosive new home label continue to roll out the belters, rolling on from Bushbaby’s extremely well received ‘Force’ EP earlier in the year.

As the UK Garage undergoes a serious revival movement, it’s becoming more and more apparent that certain new school producers are spearheading the genre forward, none more so than the don dadda Conducta.

It’s without a doubt in our opinion that over the last two years, the Wolverhampton based duo of TC4 has solidified themselves as one of the most original production outfits across the bass scene.

As one of our lead writers, we were thrilled to see this brand new Cub Chop from KXVU as he gets to work redesigning Zhu’s classic ‘Faded’ original.

After a legendary appearance at SW4, Skepsis made his way backt to Rinse.FM for a super shelly appearance, providing us with some festival blues.

It’s been a hot minute since we were presented with a new drop from Brighton’s PVC, and it’s safe to say that it has been worth the weight as the Punks team unveil this potent two tracker.

1Fortys genre-specific cycle welcome’s its latest boundary pushing release – 1FBSS002.