mitt?“
Name ShOrtee Blitz
Who? One of the most internationally celebrated hip hop DJs in the UK. Blitz took the usual bedroom. party. club. radio route to turntable notoriety. recognition coming in the form of a brace of UK Hip Hop Awards and a MOBO fOr Best UK Club DJ in 2003.
What’s so special about him? Well. he seems to have carved a niche for himself. bridging the gap between the big names in US hip hop and B&B and the UK underground. From beatboxmg at Brixton Academy with Snoop Dogg and Dre. produCing alongside Ty and Scientists of Sound. and supperting the Wu Tang Clan on the steels. Blitz has built on his success as a hip hop radio jock. With two shows a week on Kiss FM (one strictly hip hop. the other RaBl Blitz has placed himself at the centre of the UK scene. receiVing mad props and no small amount of silverware for his work With the station. He also knocks out columns for Hip Hop Connection, Touch and DJ and presents on Kiss TV.
That’s all well and good, but what about ‘da club’? Blitz has a Friday residency at Ministry of Sound With Smoove. where hip hop. B&B and dancehall all get thrown in the pot and served up hot. hot, hot. His mix CD of the same name promises a flav0ur of the south LOndon scene. Word has it that he's not just a class 1 schmoozer either: he's no stranger to the road and hosted the Big Chili's first hip hop line—up last year. But first and foremost he's got the all important ill skills to pay the bills and turn a party out. (Mark Edmundson)
I Shortee Blitz plays at Po Na Na, Edinburgh, Thu 74 Jul
36 THE LIST '
NINJA APPLE PEEL The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 8 Jul
promoter DJRed6, he seems even more wound up about the night’s live PA. ‘Yeah, it’s Great Ezcape, which is Prophisee from the Yard MCs and a producer called Vigilante. Together they’re making very dark, very UK-flavoured hip hop. It’s very minimal beats and basslines and, from what I’ve heard, it sounds really exciting.
‘What we’re doing is building up from easy funk breaks into a kind of frenzy as the night progresses, so Dolphin Boy will be playing early on with relaxed, down tempo beats. Then it’ll be Wreckage, who’s immensely skilled in that he can play all sorts of styles, but the fact that he’s so on the button with nu-school breaks means it’s appropriate he plays into Great Ezcape.
‘Finally, J Mountain will be playing out at the end, and he’s a very twisted jazzer, basically everything from house to Lonnie Liston Smith. But then that’s the kind of thing we want at Solid Steel, 3 really eclectic night, but from people who have the skills to make you unaware of the styles changing.’ (David Pollock)
Fans of Edinburgh’s Ninja Tune-affiliated Solid Steel residency need look no further for the latest instalment. This is it in all but name, with the one-off change of handle reflecting the unusually high number of unimported local talents playing.
‘We called it Apple Peel purely because we wanted something that rhymes with Solid Steel,’ explains co- promoter Dom Travers. ‘As it’s just Solid Steel’s J Mountain coming up to have a fun night out and spin some records rather than a full-on set of Ninja Tune DJs, what we wanted to do was involve a set of Edinburgh characters who would be in the spirit of the night. Generally that means a musical progression running through funk and hip hop to breaks, reggae and jungle.’
Although Travers is excited by the deckbound appearances of Dolphin Boy, Wreckage and his co-
HOUSE
SUBCULTURE
The Sub Club, Glasgow, Sat weekly; T in the Park, Balado, Sat 9 & Sun 10 Jul
Ham and Domenic
A lot of loiig—ri..iining ClUt) nights never really seem to change. but we are pleased as punch to report that Subculture cOLild never be aCCUSGd of that. It's an ever-changing. musically-mutating night that has managed to keep them dancing for o.er a decade HIIhOUl the ODVIOUS bandy~./agon- hopping antics that many deploy to keep packing them in.
Subcuiture is about piaying the best in new eiectronic dance music ‘.'/|IliOLli any of the geiire-defir'iiitg crap. Home to residents Ham and Domenic and some of the worid's most sought after guests. the secret to its success iS simple but effective. ‘Never rest on your laurels. never think that your czub is the best and nexer think that you're fucking brilltant.’ says Domenic. Always look torn-lard. never back. We are constantly thinking of rays to iinpro the club' You can expect the same dedication and attention to detail when Subculture takeover the Barcardi B-Bar at T in the Park this l’TlO’iill. Mark Farina snakes Saturday a must; Jazz never sounded sc hedcii.stic. Chicago's finest the Greenskeepers bring their full five experience to the table on Sunday. a mix of rock. hip hop. jazz and swing. all wrapped up in a house groove and full—on party atmosphere. And in a 3ast minute change to the bill, gender and genre bending NYC part; gueeh HOtiO,’ [)ljffl‘. steps in for Boy Dams Jr to wrap things up for the weekend. lSarltlra lviarrcn.