Onoe Caponoe/ Royce Wood Jnr/ Djrum

2nd Drop Records Mix for Fabric - Room 3 takeover Friday 19th July

We did an interview with Fabric ahead of our 6th Birthday in Room 3 on Friday 19th July.

Check the original interview here: http://www.fabriclondon.com/blog/view/catching-up-with-2nd-drop-records

And below.....

Sometimes in life you just don’t think about the shelf life of a project; you just do it because you have to. And it’s only when you come to a milestone or anniversary that you actually stop, look back and think about how much time and effort you’ve invested into that endeavour. I always got the feeling that it was that type of unwavering drive that was pushing Mark Gurney and his buddies in running the 2nd Drop Records label. When something’s a true labour of love, it shows. And from the music the label’s released, all the way down to the quality cut of their house bags or the expressive design of the artwork (provided by specially picked artists) it’s always been obvious that the team behind the imprint were super passionate about their art forms.

After releasing early music from people like Pearson Sound (back when he was still the fresh faced Ramadanman) and LV, Gurney and his label partner James Bliss hit out with the phenomenally well received Seven Lies album from Djrum earlier this year, cementing their ability to work beyond the confines of the traditional 12” singles they’d favoured up until that point. It definitely marked a bit of a progression for them musically as well as in terms of format and following on from it they’ve been incredibly active in the field, sourcing records from people like Rick Grant & Lakosa and Pedestrian.

But furthermore, to celebrate the label’s 6th birthday – which is exactly the type of milestone I hinted at before, that makes you take stock of the amount of time that’s passed since they released Rama’s version of ‘Good Feelin’ – the guys are taking over Room Three for the first time, populating the mezzanine with a mixture of their label roster (Djrum and Pedestrian) and friends (Randomer). To commend the occasion properly and have it stand tall like the candle in the icing of the birthday cake we asked them a few questions and further prodded them into making us a mixtape that could help define a bit of their current outlook. With their usual brand of exceptional panache, they just this morning delivered this…

Download: 2nd Drop Records - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix

How did 2nd Drop Recordings come about? Without going to deep into it, what made you want to start putting out records?

2nd Drop Records is James Bliss and Mark Gurney at its core, with a number of superb people supporting us in many ways, from Ralph Solly to DB. James and I have been friends since the age of 5 years old, and have always loved music. After a youth record label project I ran shut down in 2007, I asked James if he wanted to start up a new one with me. He said yes. At the time we were going to FWD >> and DMZ regularly and were in the dance with the likes of Pearson Sound, Oneman, Untold, JKenzo, Braiden, LD, Rusko - who effectively evolved into the 2nd wave of dubstep or indeed the post-dubstep diaspora as it is now. So those were the producer we started to release music with.

What do you feel are some of your big achievements over the last six years?

Still being here after 6 years is an achievement in itself. Especially with the way the industry is. To have been able to constantly build and grow the label whilst navigating through an ever changing and developing underground scene by simply releasing sounds we loved and felt deserved to be pushed and shouted about. Being able to release early music from the likes of Pearson Sound, LV, Falty DL, Pedestrian, Tessela, Alex Coulton, South London Ordnance, some of the best music makers in the scene right now, is vindication we’re doing something right.

We’re also really proud of breaking our artist album cherry with Djrum in April this year. The feedback and reviews have been exceptional, and it’s great because Felix has become part of the 2nd Drop family over the past couple of years, so this release feels even more personal to us.

And it’s actually been really great to finally host a room at fabric for our 6th birthday. It’s an honour.

Do you think you’re still driven by the same impetus as when you started putting out records? Do you still get the same kick out of it?

Absolutely; if we didn't we wouldn't be doing it. We still have the same burning passion for discovering new sounds. We also get a great sense of satisfaction by nurturing relationships that result in collaborations, new music and remixes. Plus sourcing brilliant illustrators and artists for the centres and sleeves is just as important and rewarding for us.

You recently started putting out longer form releases, the Future Foundation compilation and Djrum’s album… has that been a goal for a while? To build up artists in this manner?

We always liked to think we'd eventually put out longer playing formats but had no set plan. We waited for the right opportunity. Future Foundations enabled us to test ourselves and 'cut our teeth' in the delivery of an album. That then gave us the confidence to go on to deliver Djrum's debut album, Seven Lies, whilst doing the album and Felix the justice they deserve. Trying to find artists who have the right sound for an LP is really hard. But someone like Djrum is perfect for it. His sound is super widescreen already, and 60 mins will give you so much more freedom and scope.

What else have you got coming up this year?

We're pretty rammed release wise until Xmas, so expect a pretty steady flow of music from us every month. We have a 12" from Pedestrian dropping Monday 28th (next week), which has been getting a lot of love from across the board, and one we're more than hyped about. Then a 12" from Bakradze (Aka Gacha) towards the end of August which is great. Then all being well we have a special vs. project from Felix (Djrum) plus another EP from him before the end of the year. We are also in the throws of putting together the next instalments of theFuture Foundation series.

Can you tell us a bit about the mix you’ve put together?

We put it together over a couple of the hottest damn days this year! So that was fun. James and I put the tracks together, and DB engineered it all. Tunes wise, it's a bit of a rollercoaster, spanning the BPM range from 98 to 165, quickly popping by our “dubstep” roots around the 140 bracket and then finishing around the 130 mark, which we think nicely reflects the label's ethics: good music at any tempo or style.

Tucked away between a few classics from The Alkaholiks, Sammy Levi and Loefah, and a couple of our personal current dancefloor favourites, are a number of recent releases on the label. From the brilliant ‘Core’ by Lakosa & Rick Grant that has a great sound design to the afrocentricsm of Pedestrian's forthcoming ‘Kalakuta’ and oscillating tech of Backrdze's ‘The Room’. It's also really nice to introduce an exciting new collabo between Djrum & Onoe Caponoe, where he's vocalled one of Djrum's tracks from the Seven Lies album. You'll see more from those guys later in the year... and on friday night in Room Three!

2nd Drop Records - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix

Tracklist:

Scotty Intro

Sammy Levi - Come Off The Road (Eclipse)

Djrum - Comos les Cerdos remix ft Onoe Caponoe (2nd Drop)

Special Request - Capsule (Lee Gamble remix) (Houndstooth)

Igor Jadranin - Blue Phase (Bokhari)

Backrdze - The Room (2nd Drop)

Lakosa & Rick Grant - Core (2nd Drop)

Pedestrian - Kalakuta (2nd Drop)

The Alkaholiks - Damm! (Loud)

Onoe Caponoe - Tick Tock & Where's The Sheets (Audio Doughnuts)

Machinedrum - Eyesdontlie (Ninja Tune)

Synkro - Look At Me (Djrum remix) (Mindset)

Naturally interlude

Martyn - JW on a Good Night (Revolve:r)

Loefah - Mud (DMZ)

Teddy Music - Ice ft D Double E (Teddy Music)

Delfonic & Max Graef - Second Chance (2nd Drop)

Prince Jamo - Sheep To The Shepherd (Salomon Heritage)

Djrum - Turiya (Tessela Remix) (2nd Drop)

Bodyjack - I Wanna Be (Bodyjack)

Eden Zoo - If I Recall Reclickly (Dub)

2nd Drop Records 6th BIrthday @ Fabric, 19th July 2013

Come join us at Fabric on Friday 19th July for our 6th Birthday celebrations!

Listings and tickets are available here > http://www.fabriclondon.com/club/listing/754

We will also be running competitions for free tickets and competition prizes on this blog, via our Facebook page, Twitter and via Fabric's website, so keep em locked.

Also check out Fabric's iterview with our special guest, Randomer > http://www.fabriclondon.com/blog/view/the-cornerstone-tracks-of-randomer

Out Now! Lakosa & Rick Grant - Core b/w Tambourine on 2nd Drop Records

We are proud to announce that our next release is available on 12" vinyl and digital here: http://www.surus.co.uk/2nd-Drop-Records/Core-/-Tambourine-21953.aspx

And at all good record shops and online stores.

Check the post below to listen to the tracks on our Soundcloud.

DJ support from Appleblim, Bondax, Alex Coulton, Djrum, Rob Da Bank, Locked Groove, South London Ordnance, Akkord, Kalbata, Lorca and more..... 

New Lakosa & Rick Grant - Core b/w Tambourine on 2nd Drop Records

Lakosa & Rick Grant
A. Core
B. Tambourine
2ndrp12024 

Released 17th June 2013

After first meeting Stef Smith aka Lakosa at a Birmingham warehouse rave back in 2010, the 2nd Drop camp have been keeping an eye on this burgeoning talent, especially as he’s popped music out on Kerri Chandler’s Madtech imprint among others. Co-producer Rick Grant is 1/3 of Take Records and with releases on George Fitzgerald’s ManMakeMusic label, another key talent making moves this year. And despite having never met each other (they communicate via email and bass frequencies), it seems that when they collaborate the magic happens.

For the A side we have Core, a murky, brooding slice of house infused with strong techno characteristics: tough kick drums, dub chords, scattered clattering snares, ghostly African voices and a deft mixture of off kilter synths and nuanced pad work. This is not your average 4x4 number, it’s a track that plants its seed into your ears and allows its subtleties grow into your brain like climbing ivy.

On the flip we have Tambourine, a lighter, funkier beast, which all hooks around its infectious bassline and persistent percussion, and not just tambourines, but clicks, claps and rim shots, to create a truly hypnotic track. Although much more immediate than Core, this track continues to reveal it’s hidden gems on repeat listening; soft pads here, a delicate breakdown, reclusive dub decay. 

We are very happy to welcome back Boya, last seen adorning South London Ordnance’s debut release on 2nd Drop. This very talented graphic designer, illustrator and photographer delivers a delicate, yet powerful graphic for this 12”, blending psychedelic influences with an amazingly delicate feather motif for a beautiful piece of artwork. Check the rest of her work out here: http://www.zipporalux.com/  

DJ support from Appleblim, Bondax, Alex Coulton, Djrum, Rob Da Bank, Locked Groove, South London Ordnance, Akkord, Kalbata, Lorca and more..... 

To help celebrate the launch of Djrum's debut album, Seven Lies, our friends at XLR8R have an exclusive track to giveaway. It's a special dub version of album track Anchors usually featuring the wonderful tones of Shadowbox.

Pick it up here > http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2013/04/anchors-instrumental 

And please vote :)

Thanks for the support!

2nd Drop Crew

Seven Lies
Djrum

2nd Drop Records release ‘Seven Lies’, the debut album by Felix Manuel aka Djrum (pronounced Drum). Its sounds are inspired by the rawness of urban London, influences of Portishead, DJ Shadow and The Cinematic Orchestra, jungle, minimal techno, classic house, broken beat – all seamlessly segued with a nod to jazz vinyl and film music.

Fans will recognise Djrum’s iconic tropes on ‘Seven Lies’: widescreen atmospheres, dub chords, dusty and melancholic strings, obscure film samples. But this time its spread over a bigger, more luxurious canvas that dips like an undulating terrain of sound; techno troughs, bumpy hip hop breaks, euphoric drum and bass, all filtered through the Djrum node.

Felix would admit himself he is a not a prolific producer. Preferring to craft and hone, often allowing music to mutate and diverge down different paths, his tracks often top the 8-9 min marks in length. However, each track is never at risk of becoming staid or boring, quite the opposite as ideas mutate and evolve, subtle differences and nuances are evoked and explored. 

Inspired by the sounds of Ninja Tune’s Solid Steel radio show, Oxford born/London based Felix became involved with the free party scene and helped set up the seminal Yardcore nights in 2005. A night of wild extremes, it swept from acts as diverse as Hellfish, Andy Stott, Breakage and Various Production in one night. An aesthetic he still faithfully adheres to in his all-vinyl DJ sets, a seamless blend of techno, garage, dancehall, hip hop, old-school hardcore and jungle.

Just as the dominant dubstep scene was in a painful, if fertile, transitionary period in 2010, Felix made his production debut as Djrum with 12 singles on the On the Edge and Smokin Sessions labels. This would ultimately provide him with the perfect platform for his own hybrid sound. A sound that instead of reflecting the brash energy of his DJ style

DJ Support so far:
Jamie XX, Gilles Peterson, Rob Da Bank, Mary Ann Hobbs, Akkord, Paul Woolford, Synkro, Indigo, T++, Lefto, Simbad, Alex Coulton, BTraits, Barely Legal, Chimpo, Randomer, Pangaea, Arkist, LV, Pedestrian, Tessela, Lakosa, Rick Grant, Rita Maia etc

FREE MP3s of Seven Lies by Djrum when you buy the Vinyl
Terms & Conditions Apply

Pre-order this item today! 
In stock today

http://www.surus.co.uk/2nd-Drop-Records/Seven-Lies-21419.aspx

FACT Magazine Exclusive Live Stream of Future Foundations compliation

FACT Magazine have an exclusive stream of our forthcoming Future Foundations compilation up on their site now. Go check it >>>

http://www.factmag.com/2013/02/25/premiere-stream-uk-label-2nd-drops-future-foundations-comp-featuring-lv-djrum-alex-coulton-and-more/

2nd Drop Records presents: Various Artists - Future Foundations

2nd Drop Records presents:

Various Artists

Future Foundations 

                          

Release date: 4^th March 2013

After 20 superb 12” single releases over five and half years in the game, UK label, 2^nd Drop, is proud to present its first compilation, Future Foundations, featuring a mixture of established artists who have graced the label previously, alongside a handful of exciting new acts generating some serious hype on the scene right now.

This compilation is the first of many that will bear the Future Foundations title. We have assigned each 12” with a number, “Foundation 1, Foundation 2” and so on, viewing these chunks of superb music as the foundations of an on-going, multi-layered aural concept that will document the rich and varied output of the label and its artists for the foreseeable future.

The compilation presents eight exclusive tracks that sleekly demonstrate the quality, variety and depth of sounds the label has come to be known for; new sounds from familiar faces begins with the deep, lush techno/house of Youandewan, then a beautiful torch song from LV & Dan Bowskill, followed by Pedestrian’s synth-funk houser and the textured techno of Djrum, terminating with a creeping leviathan from South London Ordnance.

The first artist making his debut on 2^nd Drop is Manchester’s Alex Coulton with his stuttering techno machinations, followed swiftly by Last Magpie who presents a superb number that shifts, skanks and weaves throughout, frantically culminating in the balls-out juke of Brighton’s Manni Dee & Deft.

And finally, we wanted the artwork to be something special, timeless and iconic. We were lucky enough to stumble across the bold abstractions of Adam Daily, an artist from Philadelphia, who now lives in New York State and exhibits frequently and widely. Adam likes to produce big, bold and beautiful pieces, bursting with colour and vibrancy, working big geometric shapes via painting, photography, collage and digital techniques. We think he’s a badman! http://adam-daily.com/ 

Future Foundations tracklist (available as 3 x 12” and digital bundle)

Foundation 1 - 2ndrp12021

A. Alex Coulton – Grande Swing

B. Youandewan - Faith

Foundation 2 - 2ndrp12022

C1. LV & Dan Bowskill - Livin Up

C2. Pedestrian - Sliding Down Rainbows

D. Last Magpie - Without You

Foundation 3 - 2ndrp12023

E. Djrum – Blue on Blue (Voodoo)

F1. South London Ordnance - Daphne

F2. Manni Dee & Deft - This One, The Art of the Possible

A full stream of the album will go live on 25th February. Watch this space....!

2nd Drop host Room 2 @ XoYo for Black Butter Records presents Rudimental, Live with Zinc, DjRUM & friends

Black Butter Records have kindly asked us to host room 2 at their massive Rudimental Live party at XoYo on Friday November 2nd.  Full line up: Room 1 - Black Butter presents: Rudimental Live Zinc Bondax Two Inch Punch Kidnap Kid Clean Bandit & Lulu James Room 2 - 2nd Drop Records presents: DjRUM Pedestrian 2nd Drop DJs + very special guest..... More info and tickets from: https://www.facebook.com/events/357843824306978/ http://xoyo.co.uk/2012/10/05/black-butter-records-takeover/ Tickets - https://xoyo.ticketabc.com/events/black-butter-records/ Don't miss out! Tickets are going FAST!

DjRUM interviewed by iD Magazine

Read the original interview here

DjRUM - vinyl mix for i-D by i-D

Text: Milly McMahon
Photography: Oliver Clasper

Describing his explorative, electronic sound as “cinematic, atmospheric music on the edge of techno, dubstep, and hip-hop” DjRUM is the fast-rising, super-sampling, disc spinner, who Mary Anne Hobbs and Gilles Peterson tip for big t’ings…

Transcending genre, BPM and all other kinds of musical typifications, DjRUM is the ground-breaking talent, breaking mixes unlike anyone else on the scene. Boldly going where many DJs don’t, RUM explores garage, techno, reggae, funk and dub, in every set he lays down, all in the name of his unequivocal love of music. Embracing every fast-moving, break beat he self-produces, Rum, real name Felix Manuel, first began making his own music ten years ago. Then more interested in jazz, Felix’s signature sound has developed and evolved organically over the past decade, as he pushed forward, continually piecing together his unique, lo-fi samplers. Recently putting out his first release via British label, 2nd Drop Records (also home to Ramadanman) his EP Mountains was received with significant acclaim, earning him serious time on underground airwaves. Working away on Ableton, this bearded, bedroom DJ prefers to not use synths, instead favouring bass to keep his feel all the more filmic and immersive. Making it up as he goes along, Felix has his fingers in a lot of pies; currently grafting in the studio, he is also collaborating with singer/songwriter Shad[]wb[]x, as well working on his own debut album.

Backed by the taste-making likes of Mary Anne Hobbs and Gilles Peterson, this boy has a bright future ahead and he ain’t even begun to bare his best stuff. Felix got i-D online in the mood for some Friday fun, letting loose with the steeze, jam and funk, vinyl style. Fancy a splash of RUM? Don’t mind if we do!

Click here to see our i-DJ series in full.

http://soundcloud.com/djrum