Not many have done so much for the cause of drum & bass as label boss and DJ extrordinaire LTJ BUKEM. ‘.".’<)t<lt$' Gillian McCormack.
hcrc arc l‘cyy namcx ax xy nony mon \\ ith drum N haxx ax lflfll Hukcm. chardcd ax a truc
pionccr. Bulxcm aka Danny \Villiamx ix onc of
thc huxicxt kidx in thc dancc muxic induxtry. lch a DJ. muxician. producci'. lahcl managcr and inno\ator. ‘l’m )1th a muxic nuttcr at thc cnd ol‘ tlic day.’ hc xay x. ‘l jitxt liyc. cat and xlccp muxic 24/7 that‘x thc hcxt \yay to dcxcrihc Inc? I'm an ahxolutc muxic pxy cltopath.’
Bukcm \yax onc of a haridl‘ul ol‘ muxical pionccrx to cmhracc thc poxt acid—hottxc anything-gocx xpirit to crcalc an c\citing and lrcxh hranch ol‘ dancc muxic. It \xax at Raindancc in l‘)‘)() that ltc truly camc ol~ agc.
playing to a cum d of tltouxandx. Rcalixing thcn that if.
hc \\ ax ahlc to gct thc kidx dancing. hc \\ ax onto xomcthing good. It \yaxn‘t long hcl‘orc hc \yax ltt lhc xltldtn crafting hix o\\tt matcrial and unyyittingly crcating a ncyy xccnc: \\ hat hccamc lahcllcd ax ‘intclligcnt' drum (k haxx. lloyycycr. it \\ ax through thc xcminal Spccd night. \yliich hc launchcd \yith l).l pal lithio in ()4. that hix mtIxic \\;t\ brought to thc lllttxxc‘x. llltlL‘L‘d. Spccd \lllglL‘-l1;lllLlCtll_\ t'L‘gL‘llL‘t‘ulL‘d a
tnuxic doggcd hy had prcxx and a public pcrccption ol‘
yiolcncc and criminality )llllglc \yax xuddcnly hugc and thc majorx \yantcd a piccc of thc action.
In thc carly ()(lx. Bukcm xct up thc (iood Looking imprint in ordcr to put out hix oxyn matcrial. mi\cx and \\0l‘l\ hy othcr likc-mindcd artixlx. \Vhilc pl‘UtlllL‘Ct'x \UL‘ll ax Rnltl Sl/L‘ and (itiltllL‘ gitlllcd lllL' limclight l'or thcir xolo \york. Bukcm purpoxcly doyynplay cd hix oyyn artixtic carccr in ltlHtlll' ol‘ mi\ alhumx and lzith-xpanning rctroxpcctiycx.
66 THE LIST .‘ "-v: ' '.' -.'.
‘Cross-pathing musical genres, that's what pushes any style forward.’
‘I live, eat and sleep music 24/7 - I’m an mUSic talcnt of" .\l(‘ ('onrad. ‘Wc mct in psychopath’
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highlighting do/cnx ol artixtx ll'UIll hix lahclx. Bukcm xaid: ‘l'yc aluayx hccn a gamhlcr \yith lil'c'x dccixionx. llaying thc control on \yhat happcnx to your inuxic ixn‘t alyyayx good. hut it ix ccrtainly an mpcricncc'.
'l‘llL'\L' tl;1)\ lllL‘ ltllk‘l ll;l\ \L‘\L‘l'ill ()lilKlltmlN. and thcrc'x cycn a ttcyy dccp houxc imprint. Dccp Rootcd. through \yhich Bukcm \\i|| hc ixxuing xomc ol' hix on n dccp grooycx. ‘l‘m looking loryyard to doing it ax \ycll cox l low In} Itouxc xo much.’ hc cnthuxcx. ‘So l‘ll lk‘ llllL‘l’L‘\lL‘tl lt) xL‘L‘ llt)\\ It) “I llllt) [llitl \\'ll()lL‘ houxc thing. I'm i'cally Into L‘l'tixx»p;tllllllg intixical gcnrcx and lccl that'x \yhat pttxhcx any xtylc lt)l'\\ill'tli \yhcn a liouxc guy ix rccording \\ ith a hip hop guy. or a doyytlhcul produccr ix \yorking \xith a drum (k haxx artixt \yc'rc all lcarning dil'l'crcnt thingx from each othcr. 'l‘hcrc ix much morc to ttx than juxt drum (K; haxx.‘
.\'o douht \yhcn Bukcm playx out at thc QMl' thix \yill hc clcar for all to hcat‘. llix addictiycly .xoull'ul. ruxh-l‘illcd drutn tk haxx \in| find doyyntcmpo and jtmglc cnlhuxiaxtx alikc giying it up on thc danccl'loor. llclping Bukcm to rip it up \in| hc (ilaxgoyy‘x oyyn l‘uturc linginccrx. part of thc (iood Looking xtahlc and ol‘ courxc no night \yould hc complctc \yithout thc yocal
l‘)‘)() at a ray c in thc \ycxt ol‘ lingland. l hcard a rccording ol' hitn .\l(’ing o\cr my xct and callcd him to join mc at a l'cyy gigx. and that \yax that. \Vc had an instant conncction that ltaxn‘t cltangcd. Wc both low \yhat thc othcr pcrxon docx. xo thingx naturally conic logcthcr \\ hcn \\ c pcrl‘orm.‘
'l |o\ c my muxic. and l loyc playing to pcoplc and xharing my muxic \yith pcoplc. \yhcthcr it hc playing to tcn pcoplc. or thrcc ol‘ my crcyy. or the thouxand at a 1 “ant to hc doing it for thc rcxt of my lil‘c.’
LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad play the Progression Session, QMU, Glasgow, Sat 8 Mar.
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Word Up
The latest Club news
SLAM HAVE ANNOUNCED their involvement with Glasgow‘s newest live music venue the Carling Academy. Their launch night on 12 April sees Cajmere (aka Green Velvet) providing a DJ set. Adam Freeland and Themroc . . . but perhaps most exciting of all is H-Foundation with a world premiere of its six man live show featuring. of course. the masters themselves Halo and Hipp-E. Their next date. 3 May. features a similarly astounding line-up with Luke Slater, David Holmes. the Youngsters and of course Slam themselves. Pressure details have also leaked out and include Layo and Bushwacka! and DJ Rush (28 March); an all girl special with DJ Heather, Lottie, Monika Kruze and Michelle Haswell (25 April) and Robert Hood. Technasia (live) Terry Francis and Craig Richards (30 May) among others.
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ARTISTS AGAINST THE WAR have organised a night of techno, house and trance featuring Kev Wright (Sublime), Alan Joy (Mingin‘, Joy), J-Loop (Pillbox) and Stuart Munro (Rehab) raising awareness and cash for the anti-war fund. It takes place at the Venue, Edinburgh. 28 March.
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AND FINALLY IF YOU WANT to find out more about the underground club scene in Berlin, check out our Travel section (p107).