Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet has become the quintessential electronica artist of his generation. His career’s spanned from trimming hip hop and jazz samples in a garden shed, which underpinned his seminal 2003 LP Rounds, through to curating an unhinged live project with Steve Reid, collaborating with enigmatic producer Burial, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and most recently being inducted into the fabriclive mix series.

Describing it as his “love letter to London”, we met at Field Day 2011 to perform a fabriclive 59 postmortem alongside musing London’s culture and touching upon his Ego/Mirror project.

Allow me to introduce resplendent Irish singer Havana, a feisty young woman who’s been propelled from the bustling stages of Cork to recording with Kylie’s producer Pete Hammond and performing with Tony Hadley on This Morning in 12 short months. Her debut single ‘Dance Like That‘, released 12th September 2011, has easily surpassed the 200k mark on Youtube and she’s already dropping hints of big projects in the US.

Unfazed by our impeding camera, Havana’s effortless charm provides an illuminating interview which deviates quickly from her humble origins to musing her relentless work ethic, London lifestyle and joking about her ideal entrance.

Meet Flight Facilities. Incarnated as anonymous producers hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, the Aussie duo chopped up Holy Ghost & Cut Copy originals before realising the beautifully delicate single ‘Crave You‘ featuring the heartfelt lyricism of singer Giselle Rosselli. Two million Youtube hits later and Aeroplane swooped in to chaperone Crave You and Friendly Fires into a blistering dancefloor re-work.

Right now, FF prepare their debut EP Foreign Language amidst an energetic European tour. Following their set at Creamfields festival, Hugo and Jimmy stop in East London and pose in front of the camera whilst I talk at them through a microphone.

Concluding their 2011 European tour, LA soul rockers Fitz & the Tantrums pulled up outside a dreary archway to conquer a beautifully obscure studio for the day in the heart of Shepherd’s Bush. I bowled in just in time to catch a live performance of their blistering single ‘Moneygrabber’ before sitting them down for a chat.

I’m struck by Ghostpoet’s unassuming humility as he shuffles into the retrograde common room staged as our film studio. His conversation rolls with a slow, effortless charm recognisable from the understated vocal prose that Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings embraced to ultimately release the 2011 Mercury-nominated Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam.

As anticipation of the winner grows, I was itching to ask London’s wistful gentleman how he felt about the nomination, discuss the visual trickery emanating from the ‘Survive It‘ video and his background in the music world.

“Hi, I’m Scarlett. I’m a Rock Star,” boisterously proclaims her biography. On face value, this appears contrived. However, whilst tentatively grazing on a meticulously sculpted custard tart, I find myself perched in an East London penthouse surrounded by a whirlwind of instruments, pop memorabilia and the gregarious Scarlett Etienne. She’s stunning to behold, yet the classically trained pianist’s fascination with electronic music and club culture has afforded her an exemplary career as a DJ with sell-out shows across the world behind her. Not that her beauty is overlooked, she’s graced the catwalks for the likes of Ziad Ghanem, appeared as the face of CNC Costume National, 2007, and featured in Zoe and Morgan Jewellery campaigns. Rock star? You bet.

Please welcome, then, Elan Tamara, who genuinely sounds like no one else. Her third EP, and her first with Big Dada, shows Tamara developing her songwriting craft to new heights. With a voice that can be smooth and calming or raging and hurt, Tamara pulls long vocal lines and next level harmonies over the syncopated minimalism of her piano playing. The result is some of the most exciting, individual music around, music which deserves and rewards repeated listens and signals the arrival of a major new talent.”

My innocuous vision for chasing a career in the music industry emanated from one distracted revision period spent indulging Amon Tobin, the Cinematic Orchestra and Mr. Scruff – all Ninja Tune offerings – through my headphones. The notoriously reclusive label have afforded a rich tapestry of effervescent alternative dance talent across their 21-year history, including the Mercury Award-winning Speech Therapy in 2009. So receiving an invitation to interview Martyn about his forthcoming Brainfeeder album, Ghost People, at their historic London offices slapped me with the kind of giddy smile accustomed to X Factor contestants making it through to the next round.

Following an anxious hunt for the nondescript venue, I bundled up a narrow staircase and arrived at their attic meeting room to erect my filming gear. Surrounded by a plethora of wall-mounted gold and platinum records I discovered Martyn and his 3024 colleague / artwork overlord Erosie discussing the Ghost People sleeve, which incredibly is a photograph and not some Photoshop wizardry.

Martyn swiftly put me at ease with a warm handshake. His spirited persona made it easy to forget the substantial influence he’s had on the dance music world. His career has developed from booking drum and bass acts as a promoter during the 90s to releasing his widely critically acclaimed 2009 debut LP Great Lengths, touring extensively with Flying Lotus‘ Brainfeeder festivals and curating the fabriclive 50 CD. Now, he’s preparing to release his sophomore album for the same label alongside plotting a series of launch parties to encapsulate the feel of the project. I couldn’t wait to have a chat.

Immediately following the single launch party, Jules Hallam caught up with Michael at central London woodhouse the Social to talk more on his musical background, touring with vocalist sensation Adele and plans for his debut album.

http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/08/01/drum-bass-fabriclive-58-celebrity-with-goldie/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=drum-bass-fabriclive-58-celebrity-with-goldie http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/08/01/drum-bass-fabriclive-58-celebrity-with-goldie/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:32:54 +0000 admin http://intruders.tv/en-music/?p=933 ]]>

Words & interview by Jules Hallam.

Once again, we find ourselves in the desolate underground that is fabric on a quiet afternoon. An old stereo echoes in the distance as I prepare my equipment, but the anticipation of meeting an early pioneer of drum and bass electrifies the atmosphere.

It’s hard to believe that Timeless was released in 1996, but Goldie still maintains the fierce commitment to drum and bass that saw the aforementioned album reach such renowned critical acclaim. Outside his famed appearances in Snatch & The World Is Not Enough, Goldie remains proactive on the international DJ circuit alongside running his Metalheadz label.

As fabriclive 58 hits the shelves, I met with him to talk about the mix, how drum and bass has changed and discuss his film and TV work.

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http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/08/01/hollie-cook-serves-insight-into-her-debut-album/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hollie-cook-serves-insight-into-her-debut-album http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/08/01/hollie-cook-serves-insight-into-her-debut-album/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:48:06 +0000 admin http://intruders.tv/en-music/?p=977 ]]>

As the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, Hollie Cook has been inundated by music from day one. Entering professional acting, singing and modelling at a young age, Hollie soon cast performing arts school aside to sing on the Slits’ EP Revenge of the Killer Slits. Since then, a steadfast commitment to her cause has culminated in her debut, self-titled album that David Aaron of the BBC describes as “one of the most enjoyable reggae albums of 2011 so far.”

With such esteemed critical acclaim, Jules Hallam met Hollie at the Social to ask about the album and learn more about the young starlet.

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Words by Patric Fallon at XLR8R. Interview by Jules Hallam.

“Cologne-based house DJ/producer Danilo Plessow (a.k.a. Motor City Drum Ensemble) is the latest contemporary musical figure to be interviewed on camera by Intruders TV. The talented young artist, who just recently released his excellent contribution to !K7‘s DJ-Kicks series, sat down with the UK web TV show, and chatted about getting into music production when we was 11 (!), his love for the Warp label, the reception of electronic music in Europe versus the US, and loads more. You can watch the illuminating, 15-plus-minute interview with Plessow above.”

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Words & interview by Jules Hallam.

Although his enigmatic presence does little to dispel hushed gossip, it demonstrates that Jaguar Skills’ recognition has developed solely through his talents as a DJ. Trevor Nelson concurs unequivocally, as Jag’s emerged from crafting multilateral mixtapes for clothing labels and touring with Jade Jagger’s Jezebel entourage to dropping heavy-handed sets on Nelson’s BBC 1Xtra broadcasts and gracing the decks of rave hotspots on an international playing field.

Without breaking a sweat, Toolroom Records invited him to lampoon their steadfast mix series Toolroom Knights with his diverse, razor-sharp ninja skills. I wasted precious little time dropping a few questions past his mail box.

JH: So, you’ve just mixed the latest Toolroom Knights compilation. How does it feel to be part of the mix series?

Jag: I am very honored to be asked to do a mix for Toolroom. I have loads of respect for the whole crew at Toolroom. It was a pleasure working with them.

The compilation has been noted for it’s variety of sounds. Why do you strive to make eclectic mixes?

Jag: I guess, I don’t have a problem with mixing different styles of music together. I’m a massive MUSIC fan, period. My Dad was a DJ and I used to sort out his record collection when I was a kid. His collection was huge and very eclectic. Making a mix, is a lot like painting a picture, or cooking some food to me. It’s about using all the ingredients, and making a tasty treat.

The album features your own productions with DJ@War, how do you find music production?

Jag: I love producing stuff. My mixes are almost like full-on productions anyway. I add so much stuff into them, most of the tunes I mix have been mutated by me. But as for original music, I’m working on that. I’m doing co-labs with a few wicked producers and plan do work with a load of cats. I did “9 Levels Of Power” with DJ@WAR. He’s an amazing talent and a good buddy of mine. He came up with the beat, I just added a few vocal samples to it, and boom, done!

Turning to your professional endeavours as a DJ. You’ve been mixing for Radio 1 for several years, how influential is Radio 1 on electronic music?

Jag: Radio 1 is pretty influential, I think. They’ve got a load of wicked Electronic Music DJ’s on there. Some of the best in the world. BBC R1 have been amazing for me. It’s great working for them.

Would you like to be a presenter?

Jag: Don’t you know? My vocal cords were ripped out, in the woods, 5 years ago, by Trevor Nelson. I can’t talk.

Why is anonymity important within music (e.g. Slipknot, Burial, yourself)?

Jag: I’m wanted.

DJing has changed markedly over the last decade. What impact has technology had on the role of a DJ?

Jag: I think it’s absolutely changed the game. When I was using Vinyl, I couldn’t Do 10% of what I can do with Serato. It’s made the DJ more of an artist, rather than just a record player, player…

What projects are you working on next?

Jag: I’m touring the US, Australia and Japan soon….it’s gonna be a madness!!!! Have to go now, there’s a party to rock….HooOOOOOOO!!!! x

]]> http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/07/26/word-jaguar-skills-uncovers-toolroom-knights/feed/ 0 http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/07/25/distance-on-rinse-fms-dubstep-allstars-heavy-metal-and-nicki-minaj/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=distance-on-rinse-fms-dubstep-allstars-heavy-metal-and-nicki-minaj http://intruders.tv/en-music/2011/07/25/distance-on-rinse-fms-dubstep-allstars-heavy-metal-and-nicki-minaj/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:21:44 +0000 admin http://intruders.tv/en-music/?p=973 ]]>

Playing an instrumental role in the progression of dubstep since 2002, producer Distance is decidedly well-placed to be mixing the forthcoming Dubstep Allstars compilation via tastemakers Rinse.fm. Distance embarked on the musician’s journey as a metalhead but infused the electronic connections whilst indulging UK garage and attending the now legendary FWD at London’s Plastic People. Since those early days, he’s released two LPs, My Demons & Repercussions, on Planet Mu and worked extensively with bass heroes Skream & Benga.

Intruders dispatched Jules Hallam to the Star of Bethnal Green with the intention of mulling over his seasoned dubstep experience and latest works.

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