YAB London Rating: ★★★★★

Today marks the second release of South London bass label Shades of Grey and also it marks the debut release of producer Warsnare and his EP!

As you can probably tell, it is released under Shades of Grey Recordings and they have a great reputation for broadcasting some of the finest and most authentic bass sounds. Well I like to think so anyway because I haven’t come across anything like what the label release. If you haven’t been to their events, (next one being on the 2nd March at Plan B, Brixton), you will find that the music they like to affiliate themselves with is very much bassy but also very much different from what you would call bass music. It’s out of the box. It’s abstract. It’s a blank canvas turned Dalí, unlike some labels out there who take shape as a Jackson Pollock painting - expensive, overrated and pointless. Warsnare’s EP is exactly what Shades of Grey is, hence why I like his release because it’s so god damn different from everything else that’s being shared on the internet.

Starting the journey on the first track “The Astral Bells” is like waking up to see the sun rise. That’s what I see when I listen to this track simply because it’s so melodic, charming and it can put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s the same with the second track on the EP, “Warsnare” however the - how can I put this - war snares in the introduction sound pretty darn scary at first, but once the track kicks in, you realise it isn’t a scary track at all. In fact, it’s a joyful one. It’s a bit like one’s first experience smoking cannabis. Despite the schizophrenic behaviour, “Warsnare” goes down just as well as a pint of Guinness and with over 25 plays in my iTunes play count, I’m sure you can tell I like it.

The fourth track “Elipse” is ridiculously faster than the previous two tracks I’ve talked about and doesn’t follow a structure which makes you expect for the drop or breakdown to happen in the beginning. This, I like. I hate tracks which follow a structure, unless it’s house music then yes, it needs to have some sort of structure. Warsnare takes advantage of the tools he has in “Elipse” to create one hell of a musical piece. A Music Composition graduate from Goldsmiths University, you can tell he knows how to produce and knows how to use his tools efficiently and wisely. It also shows he knows production in the last track “Sedna”, where all the low frequencies - that’s your bass and whatnot, are used to give the track an identity, a feel and nature, instead of just relying on synths to carry the track forward.

One that stands out however is the track “Eris”, which I haven’t spoke about yet until now and there’s one reason for this. It’s f**king outstanding, so much so that I can’t find a word to describe how outstanding it is and have to rely on the f-word to express my love for it. Seeing as I love Dubstep - well I used to, I just like it because it’s slowly being degraded by America’s idea of there being a “filth factor” involved - this track, “Eris”, takes Dubstep on a whole different level. I haven’t even asked Warsnare myself if it is Dubstep, but it sure has the structure and it’s a track that the Dubstep genre needs badly to rescue it from salvation from the wrath of the American filth Dubstep scene. It’s the best track on the EP in my opinion for many reasons as it’s very harmonic and carries a very deep sense to it. The vocals are also cleverly reverbed (echoed) to further deepen the track and there’s also a trickling sound in the break which actually gives it texture, no joke. I closed my eyes while listening to it on my iPod and honestly, I tried to reach out and feel if it was raining. 

Some might call it chillstep, some might call it lovestep, some might even call it Dubstep because it has the feel and foundation of Dubstep. Me however, I call it a pièce de résistance, simply because it defies everything what Dubstep is supposed to be in today’s standards. You can buy the EP on iTunes here for only £2.49. In the words of Warsnare himself, “that’s cheaper than a pint of beer!”

The official video of Eris can be watched by clicking here. I wanted to embed, but it didn’t allow me to!

Shades of Grey have been a true favourite to the record labels I’ve associated myself with. Since their launch last year, they’ve held events at Plan B which have been very successful; with their third event being one of the largest.

Many producers, DJs and labels are calling 2012 the year where the industry will kick off.This year sees Shades of Grey evolve from a philosophical viewpoint and broadcaster of elegant electronic music into a fully fledged record label and who better to kick off their debut release than Fybe:one.

Not only is it Shades of Grey’s debut release, ‘Harp’ is also  Fybe:one’s debut EP too. Upon listening to it, you wouldn’t think it is his first ever release either - he’s definitely been hard at work perfecting his tracks and he’s not the only example of such finesse on the label. 

Shades of Grey have such a unique identity I haven’t come across before - the music they represent as a label is completely different to the ideologies held by others. It’s not a label that appears “commercial” nor is it a label that appears “underground”. Imagine a playground full of secondary school students - there’s the group who everyone wishes to be in, the group who try to be cool by doing things their own way and rebel against society and finally there’s the very small group of students who do not give a toss about everyone and just do their own thing in their own time. This is who Shades of Grey are like from my eyes, their identity is unique, so unique in fact that it makes you love their music even more. 

Listening through the Harp EP was such a joy. A cup of tea made the experience even better. Tracks like “Harmonic Curve” and “So What” chill me out so much, it’d sound even better if I was sat on a golden sandy beach with an ice cold beer just watching the sunset in somewhere like the Bahamas. “Harmonic Curve” is what it is, harmonic. I’m pretty sure Fybe:one intended for the track to be soft swaying and relaxing and indeed it is. “Enclosed” is another one of my favourite tracks on the EP. The sound it carries is very magical and somewhat soothing to the ear. It actually got rid of the headache I had prior to listening to the EP. 

Fybe:one did good on this EP and it has really impressed me. I’m actually so glad that Shades of Grey are now planning releases and if the releases are as good as this one, then they sure have a good future lying in front of them. 

I did have one fault with this EP however, well not so much a fault but an “awh man” type of moment. The EP has six tracks. If it had seven tracks, then I would take it around the world with me and listen to one track on every wonder of the world. Actually no, I take that back. I will still take the EP with me and listen to a track on each wonder, then when I reach wonder number seven, I shall listen through the whole EP. It’s a plan. 

Buy Harp EP from following links: BOOMKAT (MP3/FLAC) // ITUNES (AAC)

A bottle of champagne could affect your night out. It could get you drunk, and it could also affect your bank account if you drink it on a regular basis. But you know what could guarantee you a great night out? Bobby Champs’ music can.

I came across Bobby C not too long ago when he showed me a few of his tracks to which I absolutely fell in love with. He’s the type of producer that likes to bring a bassy feel to what is already a rapidly changing UK electronic scene. 

With inspirations from Mosca, Ramadanman, Jacques Greene and Martyn, Bobby Champs has set out in his own direction producing from his residence in good old Brighton. Today he dropped his first mixtape, the self-titled ‘Bobby Champs Mixtape’  which features tracks from producers such as Sigha, Maya Jane Coles, Blawan, Rui Da Silva and also a couple of his tracks too, which can be previewed on his SoundCloud. 

I have to say upon first listen, I was a bit shocked to see the first track being ‘Jets’ by Blur. He agreed when I told him it is a bit different to the tracks on the mixtape, but added that he always liked “its quirky sound” and he also thought that it’s an under appreciated track.

“I’ve always enjoyed throwing it in to throw people off a bit,” Bobby Champs tells me. What also throws the direction of the mix into a new one away from the modern electronica it’s heavily weighted on is the conclusion to the mix. ‘Touch Me’ by Rui Da Silva is a house track which was released under Kismet Records in 2001 and still attracts attention to this date by being played in clubs worldwide.

“I’m a big fan of that song,” Bobby C tells me, “It’s a soundtrack to my youth”. I think it’s great he managed to cover the different genres and also add a personal touch to his mix at the same time. It makes me like the mix even more as I practically grew up on late 90s/early 00s house myself.

Overall the mixtape is a brilliant one. It sums up what the UK electronic scene is currently about right now and Bobby Champs has managed to mix his tracks “All Night” and “Peppermint” flawlessly. In fact when I told him what my immediate response was, I told him that it should be featured in a Resident Advisor Podcast. If I had a bottle of bubbly on me right now, I’m sure I’d enjoy it with this mix.

You can listen to his mixtape below. You can also visit his SoundCloud page to hear clips of his tracks by clicking here too.

Bobby Champs Mixtape by Bobby Champs