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!

MAYOR OF LONDON BORIS JOHNSON has been called in to close London superclub Ministry of Sound in order to grant planning permission for luxury apartments opposite the club. 

The developers, Oakmayne Properties, last year lost their bid to get planning permission from Southwark Council and have now called in Boris Johnson in hope to make their development dreams a reality.

Their plans included building a 41 storey luxury residential tower block less than 10 metres from the club in Elephant & Castle. It was rejected by the local authority as it breached several policies including providing no social housing, excessive height and overcrowding in the area. 

YAB London has learnt that hundreds of jobs are at stake and if the club were to close, it would result in the end of tourism and international commerce into Elephant & Castle as an area. 

In a letter to Southwark Council, the Mayor wrote, “Having considered a report on this case, I hereby direct that I will act as local planning authority for the purposes of determining the planning application”.

Chief Executive of Ministry of Sound, Lohan Presencer said, “We are very surprised at this news. It seems a very unusual development.”

“If Boris overturns the democratic decision of Southwark Council he signs the death warrant for Ministry Of Sound. It’s as simple as that. If he does, he alienates our tens of thousands of supporters in the process. Does Boris really want to lose that many votes in an election year?” she added. 

Chairman of Oakmayne Properties, Christopher Allen said, “We are already building 350 homes nearby, along with a five screen cinema and major new supermarket”. 

However a resident of the Elephant & Castle area, who wanted to remain anonymous has told YAB London that the Ministry of Sound “has benefitted Elephant & Castle significantly”. 

“It has put us on the map. Whenever I tell people I live in Elephant & Castle, they automatically bring up Ministry of Sound to me.” she said.

Even DJs who have played at the club are furious. House DJ/Producer Judge Jules, who recently performed at Ferry Corsten’s Full on Ferry NYE event at the O2 Academy in Brixton said, “The Mayor should be celebrating Ministry Of Sound as one of London’s greatest global success stories, not kicking the club and its millions of fans in the teeth. Do the right thing Boris – please don’t stop the music.” 

Ministry of Sound was opened on the 21st September 1991 by James Palumbo, Justin  Berkmann and Humphrey Waterhouse after they transformed a disused bus garage, turning it into London’s most iconic nightclub. 

Last year saw them celebrate their 20th Birthday to which they held an exhibition, called 20:20, allowing the public to visit the club in its emptiness during the day to see what it looked like without being jam packed with clubbers. On display were artefacts of the club’s history including the original logo featured above. They also had a visual show in the largest room of the superclub where the public could experience the sound system for absolutely free.

You can aid Ministry of Sound in keeping their doors open by signing the petition by clicking here. 

You can also tweet your messages of support with the following hashtag #savemosclub.

If you’re really a big fan and have a heart of gold, then you can personally email the Mayor yourself at mayor@london.gov.uk, attaching a photo of a memorable night you had at the Ministry of Sound.

For more information on how you can save Ministry of Sound, contact saveourclub2012@ministryofsound.com.

Written by Jamie Bellal. Photos taken at the 20:20 exhibition. 

I wouldn’t say it’s vintage, that term is very overused…

Tech House is making a huge comeback and its audience is growing really quickly. What’s good about Tech House is that it keeps it’s originality intact, unlike Dubstep which has become a beastly form of Electronic Dance Music.

The thing about Tech House is that it’s not the type of music to make you jump around like a 15-year-old loony who thinks that taking ecstacy at that age is cool. Tech House is different. The genre expresses multiple emotions in the form of a strict 120-130bpm range and is perfect to dance, to jive or to just have playing in the background while you reminisce the good times over a bottle of champs with your friends.

Jelacee’s EP, ‘Mind Body & House’ which is being released on Audio Hooligans does this really well. It’s a 2 track EP which brings together both Tech and Funky House in a wonderful hybrid of two step and synths. The label, Audio Hooligans describe this EP as exploring “the electronic continuum of bass music fused with retro synths from the 80s and old school gym samples,” and I agree. It’s 80s inspired music in 2012, who wouldn’t like that?

I like originality and I like artists who manage to produce music sticking to genre specifics but extend and break the barriers a bit by adding their own inspirations. Jelacee’s track “Human Traffic” does this really well as it is the lovechild of Tech and Funky House all in one track. It’s a track that you can play at parties and clubs where there are lots of people, and it’s definitely one where I will see the junk in the trunks coming out. Really upbeat and classic with synths that appear to have been lifted from my parents old music collection. How attractive does that sound?

However I’m a massive Tech House fan and I love the different basslines each producer can offer. Jelacee’s second track on ‘Mind, Body & House’, “Unspoken Energy” just does it for me. It’s all strictly Tech House here, no complications or borrowing from other genres, and as much as I live diversification, I have to become a hypocrite and say that this strict decision Jelacee made of keeping it strictly Tech House was a very good one. I don’t mean to sound cliche either, but it really does broadcast unspoken energy, so much of it in fact that I’m having to look left and right as I write this in my university library to see if anyone is looking at me as I subtley dance away. Listening to this makes me want to add this to my collection and just start a rave here and now in the library.

Jelacee describes his EP as “the old vintage stuff that needs to be heard”. I wouldn’t say it’s vintage, that term is very overused. If I were to describe his sound as vintage, I’d be associating it with the hipster movement and I do not want to do that. His music is better than that and it’s not for the hipster’s to come and jump on and kill like they did with Dubstep. Instead I would call his sound authentic.

Look at House music on a whole - the music made by the likes of Steve Angello, David Guetta and Avicii for example are brilliant, but they’re the Topman of the music industry. Everyone knows them, everyone buys them etc. and they’re leaders in the market. Jelacee’s sound is like the high quality backstreet clothes shops that needs to be discovered, it’s not a sound that comes to you, instead you find it and cherish it and therefore it holds its sentimental value.

Buy Mind, Body & House HERE via BandCamp!

LINKS //

facebook.com/audiohooligans
soundcloud.com/audiohooligansuk
twitter.com/audiohooligans
mixcloud.com/audiohooligans