Hard to imagine that without the blog writings of one man there might never have materialised the club we now know as Fortified. But back in 2004 there was no myspace, Radio 1 didn't feature dubstep every week and there was no dubstepforum. So for those of us outside of london it was hard to keep abreast of what was happening. If this was 1983 we'd be exchanging tapes via post and buying homemade zines, but as the internet became less of an esoteric government tool, and more of a vast web connecting the world to a wealth of knowledge, one man recognised it's potential in spreading the word of underground UK music. Blackdown's blog has been in operation since 2004 and was/is the premier source of information on Dubstep & Grime. Written with a solid journalistic slant, the blog has put many people across the world in-the-know who were previously lost in the dark regions of not-London. Obviously being on an archival ting, it made sense to start a label, and so with his longtime partner Dusk, Blackdown birthed the mighty Keysound imprint. Showcasing their own deep productions as well as classics from Geeneus, Starkey, Scratcha DVA, forthcoming Skream dub "Sweetz" plus their own full-length album 'Margins Music', which topped everyone who's worth a fuck's end of the year lists, Keysound is a label that is 100% solid tunes and 0% bullshit. If that wasn't enough cred then you can direct yourself to their Rinse FM show currently airing on a Thursday night from 11pm. This is the show where the first dubs are heard, the lost classics are rinsed and the heavy guests come thick and fast.
Tagging along with Dusk & Blackdown will be their latest discovery, LHF. The shadowy collective have an album forthcoming on Keysound, and will be repped on the night by core member Amen Ra, himself an incredible DJ (check him out on the United Vibes show, sunday nights SubFM ) with the largest garage collection of anyone in London according to Blackdown. LHF promote a sound that is one part classic Metalheadz, one part DMZ depth, one part LA/ HudMo falling off the grid wonkiness and one part classic Horsepower, with stunning use of film samples to transport your mind elsewhere. As Mr Blackdown puts it "they’ve got this sound like Sun Ra’s hijacked Rinse FM and is using it to communicate with the heavens." Their intricate layers of sound are set to bewilder and bewitch all those who engage with it in the coming months, including you. Don't take our word for it though check out each of the "Keepers of the Light" mixes below.
LHF- "KEEPERS OF THE LIGHT VOL.1"
http://www.divshare.com/download/8555591-b90
Solar Man- “Cerafin”
No Fixed Abode- “Flowers”
Solar Man- “Cold Hearted”
Low Density- “New Gun”
Amen Ra- “Hidden Life Force”
Amen Ra feat. Double Helix- “Song to Auset”
Low Density Matter- “Definitions”
Amen Ra- “From Whence We came”
Double Helix- “Futuristic Dream”
Double Helix- “Ghost”
Amen Ra- “N22/The Aves”
Double Helix- “The Possibilities 2009”
Double Helix- “Black Ops”
Amen Ra- “Unknown Sources”
Amen Ra and Double Helix- “God Walk”
No Fixed Abode- “Static”
LHF: "Keepers of the Light Vol 2"
"Echos from a forgotten past and an unborn future... The plot got thick."
http://www.sendspace.com/file/6416b5
Tracklist:
Solar Man- "Light and Dark"
Solar Man- "Life Rhythms (Babylon Must Burn)"
No Fixed Abode- "Beginners Mind"
"Do For Self" (SKIT)
Amen-Ra- "Mountain Top Guru"
Double Helix- "Voyages"
Double Helix- "Eastern Philosophies"
Low Density Matter- "Bright Sparks"
Double Helix- "TSR-1"
No Fixed Abode- "Touch n Go 2"
Amen-Ra- "Boiling Point"
Low Density Matter- "Reach out 2010"
Double Helix- "96 Flavas (No More Games)"
Amen-Ra- "Fragments of a Love Story"
"Grit Skit" (SKIT)
Amen-Ra- "Final Chapter"
Amen-Ra- "Trifle"
Low Density Matter- "Midnight Oil"
Amen Ra feat. No Fixed Abode- "Gradual Alignment"
http://www.blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/keysoundrecordings
http://www.dubstepforum.com/radio-rolli ... 38637.html
http://www.myspace.com/raizms
http://www.myspace.com/helixier
http://www.myspace.com/theelectriceliminator
http://www.myspace.com/fortifiedaudio
