Andrea Dworkin's least favourite bassline song ever

Full blurb here.

Bhangra bassline

My friend Lanre has put me onto either the best or worst thing I have ever heard: bhangra niche. That and more on the Fader site this week.

Fading away

Dexplicit. Photo by James Pearson-Howes

Today is Friday, but Thursday is the day when my FADER column goes online. Once a Thursday, every Thursday.

This week it's all about Dexplicit and his dad. Last week was about my friend Melissa's cats.

Dexplicit in NYC

Dutty Artz TV got some footage when Dexplicit played in NY at Trouble & Bass and also filmed a short interview with him. Check the Dutty Artz blog for more good stuff and their MySpace page to listen to some of their forthcoming releases.

Speechless (well, almost)

Erm, not meaning to ruin any "vibes" or anything but if this is the official video for "Night" then congratulations Tempa, you have just completely killed the song. A CGI dancing squid? I've used iMovie once and I am pretty sure I could do something more interesting.



This is by some guys called sMoKio & DB. The video looks like it was recorded in the back of a car using the built-in camera on someone's Mac. Listen out for the voiceover from one of the Kersal Massive around 1:15.

T2 likes Terminator 2, still

Photo by James Pearson-Howes

Below is an interview I did with T2 for the new issue of Vice. I don't have my laptop with me here in New York so I can't put up the full transcribe with questions about him ripping off speed garage and stuff like that. Maybe when I get back I'll upload the rest. He plays down the influence of speed garage etc. on his music, if you were wondering. Anyway, here it is with an intro:

If you're a teenager living in a council estate anywhere north of Grimsby, you won't be spending your weekends at home practicing WCW wrestling moves on your terrified cat, smoking weed, and listening to Ghetto's new mixtape. No, instead the chances are you'll be riding in your 1992 Ford Fiesta down to your local nightclub with your Rockport loafers, fake D&G shirt and enough diamante encrusted jewellery to choke a murder of crows to listen to some banging bassline house. If you didn't know, bassline house (AKA niche after the club in Sheffield where the scene began) is the biggest thing up north since coal. The records all sound like stuff producers such as DJ Narrows, Sirus and Wire were putting out in 2002 but that hasn't stopped everyone going insane for it. The scene is being led by 19-year-old Leeds producer T2. He was homeless until last year, but after topping every garage chart and being the most requested song on Kiss, Choice and 1Xtra his song "Heartbroken" has been signed to a major. It's now being played by Jo Whiley and Edith Bowman on daytime Radio 1, and it looks like it will go top 10. All of this off the back of a scene which sounds like a slightly updated version of speed garage? Honestly, Todd Edwards would be turning in his grave (if he were actually dead).

Prancehall: Where did your name come from?
T2: I was in love with a movie called Terminator 2: Judgement Day, still. I liked the big guns. It was fascinating for a little kid – that big ting that he had. Like when he was fighting all them police, that was sick, bro. There was this enemy – the guy they was running away from when they rescued the yoot – and he could turn to liquid. He could turn into a police officer, he could turn into a woman, he could run fast and he could just turn his hands into metal. That was sick.

Did you ever wish you could time travel like the Terminator?
Nah, it was just sick though, the fact he could do that. I rated him, innit. Man came from the future, boy, and just landed like a beam. Phhhfffwwwooosssshhhhh. The first time I couldn't even watch it, yeah. My mum wouldn't let me, you get me? It was a bit late. I must've seen like 10 minutes into it and I got told to go to bed.

Why do people have such a love/hate relationship with Terminator?
Well, when you think of it now, he's just the dumbest guy, Arnold Schwarzenegger. But when you're a little kid it's fascinating – all the action and that. A lot of people think it's dumb. It's just like cartoons – it worked for kids but it might not work for adults.

Would you say the dichotomy between the two different takes on Terminator is a reflection of some sort of personal inner turmoil? Is that why you called yourself T2?
Nah, I'd rather take love, not hate. I'm not that kind of guy, to be honest. I'm just a good guy. I'm not really a hard person to get along with.

If art is an imitation of life, and life of art, how do you reconcile the problem of unblemished reality in your work? That is to say - in reflecting reality, when you make music are you being T2, or are you doing T2?
It's a bit of both, really. I live music, bro. I live it, I breathe it. My whole life evolves around it.

"Ain't gonna work hard, Chippy's no fool / Jesus tempts me, Satan tempts me, but it's the Lord that wins overall"

Durrty Goodz

I interviewed Durrty Goodz for the new issue of Vice. I almost didn't want it to run. It was such a hassle to get hold of him, he wouldn't answer most of the questions, his manager rang me to say I'd asked the wrong questions, then emailed to ask to see if he could see the interview before it went to print. Then, to top it all off Goodz was too busy to have his picture taken so I had to spend days running round trying to get an unpublished one. Eventually I got the one above, but I had to deal with the photographer calling to ask if he would actually get paid for the picture or if I was just lying. He also called our photo editor to interrogate him because I guess he didn't believe I was telling the truth. Weird. Anyway, here's the unedited interview:

Prancehall: Have you spoken to Titch recently?
Durrty Goodz: Yeah, I speak to him all the time. He phones me. He's alright, he's just holding his head down.

Has he made an appeal?
I'm not even too sure – I haven't really spoke to him deep like that. When we speak we're just talking normal.

How did you feel when you found out you were a suspect in the case?
You know, I can't even remember. All I know is I felt terrible, just like anyone would. It's a bit too much for me to even think back because my head was probably just spinning but my head's straight right now.

What was prison like?
Prison is just like prison. I suppose it's the same as anywhere, but I dunno. It's just prison innit, it's just jail innit. You just wanna get out because it's not a place built for human beings. And that's that. Music don't live there, music's out here. Yeah, that's why I'm here.

What would you eat for breakfast?
You don't get breakfast and those things. They don't do that. You have to survive for yourself, innit. I don't even take food from them. I wouldn't even eat, I'd just eat my own stuff. I'd just do my own thing. I don't think they even give people food. They call it food but I don't think it's food.

What did you think about when you were sat in your cell?
All sorts of thoughts go through your head because that's the reality of the case, but most of the time I was probably just thinking about my family.

Were you ever scared?
It depends because when you know you've done nothing wrong then sometimes you've got nothing to be scared about. At the same time, you know that the system's wonky so you always have like a couple of scary thoughts in the back of your mind.

What was the prison itself like?
They're all gritty. All prisons are filthy. Like I said, it's no place for a human being.

Was there one definitive moment that made you think you really didn't want to be there?
Yeah, there was loads of stuff but you can just look at a prison screw – just look at his face – and you wouldn't be next to that kind of face. Not when you're known for, like, having pretty ladies and that. I saw so much violence in there that I can't even say right now. I see a lot of stuff, I see a lot of stuff. It will probably be all revealed one day. Panorama will probably go in there and tell you what's happening. I don't think people understand. That place is so deep - you could just see the food and get upset and know that you're not meant to be there. It's not food, it's just garbage. Everything's just garbage. It's not the standard of living of where you come from. You're gonna be upset every second you're there.

What did you do all day?
There's nothing to do, just read, innit. Just the same old shit every day. There's nothing to do, ever.

Were there jobs you could do?
Probably, but I don't speak to no one so no one's not going to offer me nothing that I don't really need.

How did you feel when the verdict was read out?
They just said I could go and I went downstairs. Then, the others had to stay there. They just told me to go so I went.

What was going through your mind? Did you think about Titch?
Yeah I saw them when they came back downstairs. I was upset for them.

Did they seem upset?
Yeah, anyone would be upset. It's natural feelings.



I've written something on bassline house for the Guardian music blog. Read it here.

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New Vice column is up. Two of the songs we mention in the chart at the end can be listened to below.

Tampa Tony feat. T-Pain - Ride Out

I've been a closet T-Pain fan for a while now but I found out a litte while back that it's okay to like him. He hasn't pissed on any underage girls and he doesn't sing "Konnnnnvict Muuuuuuzik" in every song, so he gets the thumbs up from me. He also ghost writes for most of the rappers worth bothering about from below the Mason-Dixie line: Lil' Boosie, Webbie, Lil Jon, DG Yola, Lil' Wayne, B.O.B, Trick Daddy.



Seventeen Evergreen - Ensoniq (Bi-Polar Men refix)

A music PR girl I know sent this song to me ages ago insisiting I'd like it, but I never bothered to listen. She's really nice, but I had to endure so much tedious chit chat and fake enthusiasm from PRs calling me up every day when I worked full time in an office that I could never bring myself to trust what any of them thought. Then, recently, I heard Skream and Sinden playing this song that I really liked with a name I half recognised and it turned out to be the one my friend had sent me, thus proving music PRs can be worthwhile (if they are your friends and know what kind of music you are into).