FRIDAY 16TH MARCH
FEEDBACK PRESENTS BLACK SUN EMPIRE, CALYX & KILLAWATT
DRUM & BASS SPECIALISTS
@ DLS, SNOW LANE WAREHOUSE, Shalesmoor, Sheffield, S3 7AL
Feedback is back! For our first big event of 2012 we’re at DLS and what a line up we’ve got for you!After smashing the 2011 NYE party with Bryan Gee from V Records, Feedback are proud and excited to bring you Calyx, Black Sun Empire, Aggers and Venja for an exclusive show of first class d&b selections and dub plate specials. Expect a full range of drum and bass, from classics and rollers to some sneaky previews from the mighty Calyx and Black Sun Empire’s forthcoming 2012 releases.
Dubcentral will be hosting the 2nd room with Thirsty Ear, Dee Rock and K.I.D.L.I.B. They will be stitching together funk, soul, hip hop, jungle, Uk Steppas and reggae with some BIG party vibes …..PLUS we have a very special guest headline, rising dubstep producer – Killawatt (wheel&deal/black box) playing it nice, deep and tribal . AND If that wasn’t enough he’ll be supported by Sheffield’s Arie giving us a showcase of his very own soulful & bass heavy productions.
Get yourself down to this one!
FEATURING ON THE NIGHT
CALYX || MOMENTUM MUSIC, METALHEADZ
BLACK SUN EMPIRE || OBSESSIONS, BSE RECORDINGS
KILLAWATT || WHEEL & DEAL, BLACK BOX, BOX CLEVER
AGGERS || FEEDBACK, 2019 RECORDINGS
VENJA || FEEDBACK, JUJU CLUB
UNIVERSAL MINDS & JDK || FEEDBACK
MR MEERKAT & FATTA || DUBCENTRAL
K.I.D.L.I.B || CONCRETE JUNGLE, FEEDBACK
ARIE || COLD UP NORF, DUBCAFE
DEE ROCK || NY SUSHI [HIP HOP]
POWLO & DR BAD TOUCH || THIRSTY EAR
HOSTED BY MC BALLISTIC & MC E-LL
POWERED BY DANGER NOISE AUDIO
CALYXCalyx, otherwise known as London based D&B producer Larry Cons, is probably best known to you as one half of Calyx & Teebee who stormed to success with their “Anatomy LP” in 2007, an album which topped sales charts for weeks on end and was followed by a massive album World Tour. This electric partnership has lead to one of the most legendary DJ sets in the D&B circuit, featuring the duo simultaneously playing on 6 decks and 2 mixers, that featured at Feedback in 2010.
Sought after all over the world and recently returning from NYE celebrations in Perth (Australia) alongside Noisia, Foreign Beggars and S.P.Y, Calyx is currently finishing off a new album with TeeBee and doing some exciting remixes for Little Dragon, DJ Shadow, Excision, Matt Lange and Andrew Bayer.
Overall, Calyx has been an integral part of all our lives for well over a decade, producing Drum & Bass since the mid 90s with releases on labels including Metalheadz, V Recordings, Renegade Hardware and Subtitles, not forgetting Momentum Recordings and Moving Shadow. Calyx has released with nearly every major player in the UK and has come to earn the respect of his peers and his fans on a global scale.
Calyx returns to Feedback for a third visit in as many years with an extra special 90 minute set. Expect an exquisite selection of his favourite tracks, put together with his trademark turntable mastery; along with a special preview of his forthcoming album…this one’s too good to miss!
Look out for news on the release of Calyx’s new album to be announced in the next few weeks!
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KILLAWATT
Killawatt’s ascendancy in 2011 has been nothing short of spectacular, with his unique repertoire of beats rendering him one of the underground dubstep scene’s brightest talents. Spotted early by pioneering badman N-Type, Killawatt’s inaugural vinyl release on the Wheel & Deal imprint opened the flood gates and has since seen his productions find homes on a multitude of leading labels including Subway, Box Clever, Boka, New Moon and Black Box.
Killawatt aka Matt Watt, started honing his skills during a stint at University in Guildford, where he was involved in running jungle label Satta Sounds and club night Rotation. Inspired by the dark and punishing sounds of artists like Kryptic Minds and Dj Madd, Matt quickly progressed his style from his earlier dub and jungle influenced creations to the intricately percussive and texturally-rich rolling 140bpm riddims of which we are all now familiar. Key to his success and testament to his composition prowess has been heavy support on dubstep’s biggest platforms including Skream and Benga on Radio 1, JKenzo on 1extra and Youngsta, Distance and N-Type on their legendary Rinse.FM segments.
Feedback is excited to bring the talented Killawatt into the fold alongside the behemoth that is Black Sun Empire, an outfit that has the minerals when it comes to both D&B and dubstep. I can certainly say there will be top draw tracks and dub plates a plenty as Killawatt takes headline in Arena 2. Visit his soundcloud / website as you will be hearing a lot more from Matt this year, with releases stacking up ready to go and bookings coming in left right and center, 2012 is going to be a deadly year for yet another of Portsmouth’s rising stars.
Killawatt Outlook 2012 Preview mix:
http://www.archetypeartists.com/killawatt-outlook-2012-mix/
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BLACK SUN EMPIRE
Black Sun Empire is a powerful force in the world of drum & bass and dubstep at the moment. BSE have a reputation for representing the dark and tech side of the genres, to many this is a specialist sound but there is more to the music than simply being tech and dark. It is undeniable to all those that listen to their music that it’s the high level of production, depth to the sound and attention to detail that has made the trio a global success.
For over 10 years Black Sun Empire has influenced and inspired many producers and DJ’s all over the world. Since first making music together in 1993, the trio experimented with various styles until they found their musical direction around 1997. Heavily influenced by releases from the darker labels such as No U Turn, Prototype and Virus, they took the tech step drum & bass blueprint and set out to make a new sound of their own. An unmistakable trademark of that era was the limitless possibilities brought to the production table by using hardware to make music, giving a quality and shine to the tracks of those who mastered the art. Years down the line Black Sun Empire and their dubstep offshoot; Shadows of the Empire reign supreme, being in the top few % of artists who have achieved a unique depth and polish to their releases.
Never losing touch with their roots, Black Sun Empire continues to promote their bi-monthly event BLACKOUT in their hometown of Utrecht. This well-established event has attracted some of the best in DJ talent from across the globe and regularly draws crowds of up to 1,000 people. As resident DJs, Black Sun Empire consistently captivates the crowds by mixing their freshest material together with live elements to bring an edge to their sets.
We last saw Black Sun Empire at Feedback in 2010 coinciding with the release of their fourth LP “Lights and Wires”. It was a huge success boasting one of our heaviest nights at Feedback. The trio’s album was accepted widely by those who loved it for its D&B and for it’s dubstep; a successful cross over album confirming that they we’re indeed at the top of their game and it sent them round the world, taking them to the USA, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
In 2012 expect to see Black Sun Empire BLACKOUT tour Hit Europe and the UK, plus work has started on their fifth album – look forward to collaborations with Noisia, Audio, State of Mind, MC Bless, Rido, The Upbeats , Nymfo and hopefully The Foreign Beggars.
Feedback welcomes Black Sun Empire back to Sheffield at a time when their creative juices seem to be oozing; we’ll definitely have to strengthen the roof for this one!
Latest BSE Podcast:
http://soundcloud.com/blacksunempire/bse-podcast-016
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DJ AGGERS
Aggers got into DJing after listening to pirate broadcasts in Sheffield from the age of 16. Soon he was buying vinyl at the Warp Records shop on Division Street and mixing hip hop in his bedroom for his own entertainment. Then drum ‘n’ bass came along and he didn’t look back. At the age of 17, inspired in part by Fabio & Grooverider’s One In The Jungle show on Radio 1, the young aspiring DJ won a competition put on by Muzik Magazine and had part of his winning mix played on the station. Two years later he also came first in a Drum and Bass Arena competition, eventually leading to a residency at Republic (which later become Gatecrasher nightclub).
Having also bagged sets at Mint, Definition and the legendary NY Sushi, Aggers moved to London to work for Drum and Bass Arena, conducting interviews with big names in the scene, promoting nights and doing a weekly Thursday night slot on pirate station Rude FM. He came back to Sheffield in the early 2000s, just in time to take up a residency at the fledgling Feedback, which since then has grown in size and reputation by putting on big names like Raiden, Tech Itch, Black Sun Empire, Fierce, Spectrasoul, Randall and so many more.
Playing at the deeper end of the d’n’b spectrum, Aggers is a versatile DJ who tailors his sets to the crowd and night in question for the maximum aural impact.
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VENJA
Venja took to music at an early age. He learnt to play the keyboard and eventually began making his own beats on an old Amiga in his teenage years. This early understanding laid the foundations for mixing jungle and trance on a mate’s decks, which in turn drew him out to the legendary NY Sushi, a drum ‘n’ bass event he attended “religiously” for a number of years. He made it to the semi-final of an Sushi DJ competition, and soon other nights like the Tuesday Club wanted a look in.
Initially joining Feedback in 2003 as the night’s breaks resident after a hiatus from the dnb scene, Venja was pulled back to the genre, which had now fractured into a myriad of new styles and approaches. Reaching the last ten in another competition – this time hosted by ATM Magazine – he was praised for the variety of styles he was able the throw into the mix without threatening its overall flow, a skill that was no doubt supported by his love of a wide variety of music.
These days Venja can be found warming up for some of the biggest names in the scene at Feedback, which in the last few years has brought drum ‘n’ bass stalwarts like Raiden, Black Sun Empire, Phace, Total Science, Mental Power, Fierce and Loxy to the Steel City.
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THIRSTY EAR
Thirsty Ear is a Sheffield-based DJ collective putting on eclectic monthly nights that join the dots between funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop, beats, bass and party bangers, with past events featuring DJ Format, Mr Thing, DJ Woody, Don Letts, Mungo’s HiFi, Jstar and many more!
Possibly one of the best Club/Bar nights in Sheffield, Thirsty Ear have been showcasing an extensive collection of 45’s and digging into the vaults of their limitless knowledge for nearly a decade. Whether it‘s tracks new or old, or straight up party vibes, you are guaranteed to have a good time with these guys; they are some of the best turntablists around.
Feedback is proud to invite Thirsty Ear to co-host our 2nd room. Left in their capable hands you’ll be treated to a musical serenade of soul/funk/ hip hop and beats leaving your feet begging for more. There really is something for everyone with Thirsty Ear; no messing, no pretence, just good wholesome fun.
Thirsty Ear currently runs a few different themed nights on rotation… Their ‘Cold Heat’ event focuses on all things funky, soulful & retro. The ‘Critical Beatdown’ event is much more electronic-beats-bass sounds and ‘Jukebox 45s’ is a genre less strictly 7″ vinyl only night, all of which are massively successful and banging!
Check out the mini Thirsty Ear mix below.
http://soundcloud.com/thirsty-ear/thirsty-ear-6-minute-mix-by-powlow-august-2010
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KID LIB
Kid Lib has been producing “golden era” style Jungle for the past 8 years making music to sit comfortably next to Jungle made in the 94-96 time frame. Kid Lib has played along side Remarc, Rude Bwoy Monty, Nicky Blackmarket, Terry T, Potential Bad Boy & Ray Keith, and with MCs including Demolition man, TopCat, Tenor Fly & Daddy Freddy.
Kid Lib is currently a resident at Concrete Jungle & Dubcentral and started his Djing career at Feedback nearly a decade ago.
2012 sees Kid Lib locked away in his bedroom studio working harder than ever to bring you some of the freshest jungle and this set will consist 100% of home made dubplates, some probably even produced and mastered the day of the gig.
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ARIE
Sheffield’s Arie has been producing since 2003-2004 and has played alongside brilliant artists like Kode 9, Youngsta, Hessle Audio, Lee Scratch Perry and Mungo’s HiFi to name a few. His trademark style is unique, which he calls dub infused steppa! Forming part of Sequoia Soundsystem and ColdupNorf, expect tuff home made dubplates on the night hosted by ColdupNorfs one and only MC Dubzee.
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DEE ROCK
Sheffield’s premier Hip Hop selector, classics afficionado and certified party starter DEE ROCK has had more than 20 years in the game! He is also former NY Sushi Hip Hop Resident, and opened up for the likes of Jazzy Jay , Dj Krush, Kenny Dope, and Souls Of Mischief. Expect to hear some fresh hip hop and pure party madness.
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