Now that we’ve mopped the sweat from our collective brow and pulled our soles off the sticky floor of the Step Inn, it’s time for a proper shout out to everyone who rolled through to the Brisbane Gaslamp Killer show on Saturday. All the support DJs held it down with aplomb, from Syntax’s ode to Detroit hip hop (not to mention his own concoctions) to Tigermoth’s effects-rich melange and Science Project’s banging live dubstep with MCs on the assist. Extra props to Elgusto of Hermitude, who played an immaculate selection for his first ever DJ set in Brisbane and stepped away with the whole audience hoping it won’t be his last. However, it was The Gaslamp Killer’s night, and he pulled up from a tour schedule that saw him switching time zones every two days to leave a capacity Step Inn in a sweat-drenched frenzy. The man is one of the great DJs of our time, to be sure.
There’s much more Morass in the next two weeks, but for now check out a great set of photos from Tammy via InTheMix. Here’s a small sample.
I threw together this off-the-cuff mix after reading the recently published collaborative novel by William S Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. The book was written some time before both authors’ respective defining works Junky and On the Road, but has only seen the light of day now out of respect to the real life characters depicted in the manuscript. Bill and Jack take alternative chapters from the points of view of bartender and part time private detective Will Dennison (Burroughs) and merchant seaman Mike Ryko (Kerouac). It’s fascinating to see the nascent character types and motifs that would become prevalent in their later works. It’s like hearing an early but very polished demo.
Here’s a grip of mostly unrelated beats for the boiling of river mammals. This one goes out to my man Elijah. Tracklist after the jump, and in the ID3 info.
Dank Morass is excited to present the debut Brisbane show for the hottest DJ in the world of beats and bass – The Gaslamp Killer. A founder of LA’s acclaimed weekly Low End Theory club, the GLK’s lateral crate-digging through dusty psychedelia, classic hip hop, cutting edge beats and heavy dubstep is unparalleled. With the spirit of the West Coast psychedelic movement of the 60s and the current manifestation of the beat generation running strong in his blood, the GLK will lay waste to the main room of the Step Inn on Saturday March 6.
Moving between San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles, The Gaslamp Killer made a name worldwide with mind-boggling mixes such as I Spit On Your Grave and Hell And The Lake of Fire are Waiting For You. Closely affiliated with Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder collective, he released a debut EP, My Troubled Mind on that label in 2009. A whirlwind of rumbling bass and psych-rock edits, the EP is just one weapon in the GLK’s diverse arsenal of bass.
Low End Theory, which The GLK curates with fellow residents Daddy Kev, D-Styles and Nobody, has been hailed as the international headquarters for raw and soulful hip hop, psychedelic beats, glitch-hop, avant-rap, IDM and dubstep. The Gaslamp Killer is absolutely at the forefront of the thrilling collision of these disparate but complementary sounds.
In support, the Morass presents a rare Brisbane DJ set for Elgusto. One half of premier Australian beats duo Hermitude and producer for Herd-frontman Urthboy, Gusto has played leading bass nights Void and Headroom in his adopted hometown of Sydney. Favourites of Japan’s legendary DJ Krush, Hermitude have dropped three albums of world-class beats on the Elefant Traks label, most recently the sublimely composed Threads.
Nomadic Brisbanite Tigermoth will perform tracks off his haunting solo debut Underwater Beats and preview music from a new album. Equally influenced by US and Japanese hip-hop, Tigermoth weaves an abstract, instrumental soundscape backed by orchestrated beats in a mix evocative of Tokyo’s industrial landscape and Australia’s natural milieu.
Rounding out this top shelf line-up is local live dubstep duo Science Project, whohave been toiling away in the lab for months, concocting unhurried heaters that are brought to life with drum kit and MPC on stage, and Syntax, playing original bass heavy hip hop beats.
Additional atmospherics will be provided by the Dank Morass DJs Walrii, Swob and Danck. The Morass has been DJing and promoting beats in Brisbane since late 2007, and has previously hosted Flying Lotus, Starkey, The Bug, Joker, Coki & Loefah and Blu & Exile.
The Gaslamp Killer (Low End Theory/Brainfeeder, LA) with guests Elgusto (DJ Set, Hermitude, Syd), Tigermoth (live), Science Project (live), Syntax, Swob, Walrii & Danck
When: Saturday 6 March – doors from 9pm
Where: Step Inn, corner Brunswick St and St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley
Cost: $20+bf presold from OzTix.com.au, Rockinghorse & all OzTix outlets, $25 on the door.
This Saturday, Dank Morass DJs Swob and Danck open proceedings at BOOM! at the Moonbar, injecting a dose of heavy hip hop and dubstep into the night.
Also on the night, a live set from dnb/electronica dons Silent Shadow, drum and bass from Model T, Cosmo Cater and Kosha D (who throws in some dubstep for good measure).
It’s $10 before 10pm, $15 after, or $5/$10 for Brizbass mailing list members. (Moonbar opens at 10pm, but the Middle Bar is open from 9pm).
To get on the cheap list, submit your details at the Junglettes MySpace by Friday.
Dank Morass returns to the fray in 2010 with Dial ‘M’ For Morass, a night of eclectic bass mayhem upstairs at the Step Inn on Friday 29th January. The cream of local selectors will join the Morass to dish out hardboiled servings of beats, dubstep and hip hop. Most importantly, Dial ‘M’ will be FREE before midnight!
The guest line-up features Brisbane’s best that have recently kept their crates to themselves:
Frosty is the man behind the Hard Graft brand that introduced Brisbane to the nascent dubstep sound. He has toured countless artists, including Kode 9, and has supported big names like Loefah and Vex’d. His cool and collected mixing coaxes the dance into a bass-driven frenzy.
British expat Duble E has made carefully selected appearances in Brisbane and Sydney (including premier Australian dubstep night VOID) over the last year, and is currently masterminding diverse bass and beats label Amecca Records.
Dr Dom has a decade of DJing under his belt across more genres than you can name, and has crates of vinyl for days. We’re only giving him an hour, so expect the finest cuts from that extensive library.
For the Morass, Walrii will be getting the razor tusk out in a blaze of backspins and bass, covering post-Dilla, big rims electro and soul loops. Whatever your flavour, the Walrus has it covered. Swob, the man with the sinister dubs, has some of the best ears in the town for all things brooding and soulful and will represent the legacy of dark dancefloor music. Danck skirts the territory between dubstep and dusty downtempo beats in an effects-heavy mix.
For the last two years, the Morass crew has scratched its collective head over the name of the genre which forms its basis. The slow motion collision of post-Dilla hip hop beats and dubstep bassweight has opened up a whole new realm of sound, as well a burgeoning lexicon as journalists and bloggers attempt to pin it down. Tags like future beats, wonky, purple and lazerbass have all been applied to different strands of the rapidly evolving milieu. From the Morass’ point of view, it’s all good. It’s been a long time since a musical movement has so adamantly defied labels. We’ll call it ‘beats’, which is just as confusing, but at least avoids flavour-of-the-month misconceptions.
Happy New Year to all first up! We are in for a big one this year. People are longing for a change in collective consciousness as the bass movement continues to direct the music world.
As an insight into some future sounds and a nostalgia for old favorites i mashed together some tunes that cover a portion of the spectrum of styles currently on the move. This mix is just a taste of the sounds you will hear at the next Dank Morass party, coming to ya’ll for the end of january. Keep your ears out more info soon. I can’t wait to see everyone in front of the bass bins!
Tracklist Dizz1 – Here we go Again
Low Limit – Turf Day
Kenlo Craqnuques – Game
Marc Mac – Simple Folk
Lukid – Fela
Misel Quitno – Treehouse, Leaves Blowing
Constrobuz – No Shoes On
Slugabed – Pooomp
Magic Mojic – Unknown
Actress – Hazyville
Mike Slott – Giants Meet Gecko Turner – Monosabio Blues (Phillips Owusu Remix)
Rustie – Inside Pikachu’s Cunt
Taz Buckfaster – Au Revoir
Fennez – Sands of Time
Happy new year! The Morass is planning big things for 2010, including a massive gig to feed your brains come early March. Stay tuned for full details, plus some 2009 favourite lists from the crew. In the meantime, enjoy the brief Walrii cameo (whose conveniently right there in the still with one Arku Rhino) in this short promo video put together during Kode 9 and Blu & Exile’s Australian tours last year.
It’s been a minute since i last posted a mix up. I thought to myself… its high time!
A sure shot of swiss cheese steez. A fairly free session of new and old beats. A bit of Brazillian rhythms and 808 big rims electro, with some soul and a little Zomby and 4×4 thrown in. Peep it. Hope you enjoy.
Intro
Jake One – Let the Drums Speak
A few words from Dilla
Ghosts on Tape – Mogadishu Night Life
Clark – Roulette Thrift Run
Flying Lotus – Parisian Goldfish
Nosaj Thing – I0I0
Flying Lotus – Orange Belt Buckle
Rustie – Jagz the Smack (Neil Landstrumm Remix)
Zomby – Digital Flora (Part 2)
Starkey – Miracles
Starkey – Miracles (Jamie Vexd Rmx)
Jamie Lidell – Another Day
Pilooski – Love is Wet
BurialxFourTet – Moth
Blue Daisy – The Fall
Lukid – Fall Apart
Afta-1 – Escape
Onra – Come Close (Clicks and Claps Edit)
Walrus Outro
Once again, it’s the time of month for submersion, with the October installment of SCUBA TANK. As usual, presented by Dank Morass and White Rhino crews, it will entail only the finest in progressive and soothing sounds. The Tank’s new home at 320 in Spring Hill allows us to be liberal with sonics and free party vibes for all the people who appreciate it!
FREE as always this Wednesday October 7, SCUBA TANK will be boasting international steez from the one known as DJ Ripley. All the way from San Fransico, she digs deep to bring forth the unheard sounds and mixing skills to the Brisbane shores.
Dj Ripley has been tearing up dancefloors across North America and Europe for 12 years, in town squares, warehouses, ships, clubs, squats, community centers and activist spaces. Her genre-smashing sets build audiences into heaving monuments unified by dopeness. She has released mixes on the Death$ucker [http://www.deathsucker.org/] label, on Modyfier-modifying, on Spannered.org, Mashit.com, and on her own blog http://djripley.blogspot.com. She recently wrapped up 6 months living and working in Jamaica, where she was djing and researching copyright law and creative practice.
Along with this very special guest, the usual high quality selectors from Brisbane’s own bowels will never fail to sort the masses out with healing music.
White Rhino’s Arku and Dank Morass’ Danck and Walrii will lovingly choose a forward thinking, internationally cutting edge selection of global bass music, roots and soul progressions.
Live visuals and ambience provided by good friends and fine artists Cornish and Micro Matic. They will be manipulating pixels like oreo cookie dough, sporadically seen in Brisbane.
It’s been all quiet on the dank front for a few months as Swob has undertaken a Hunter S. Thompson-style global fact finding mission. That’s all about to change with the biggest dubstep line-up ever to hit Brisbane. DMZ founders Coki and Loefah head the bill with their earth and chest rattling bass. If you were there, you may remember that Loefah brought the all out war to the Morass dancefloor just over a year ago, and since then has started a new label, Swamp 81, which will release a Kryptic Minds album later this month. The addition of his DMZ brethren Coki will only amplify the mayhem.
As if that weren’t enough, Canada’s Excision brings his warped bass sound to decks. If you need to be convinced that this man is on the cutting edge of dark and seething dubstep, check his Shambhala 09 mix (mp3, right click and save) and tracklist.
They’re joined by Swob (back from his globetrotting with tales of dank depravity) and Walrii.
Tickets are $20+bf from OzTix, or $30 on the door.
Heyo,
Once again, it’s the time of month for submersion, with the October installment of SCUBA TANK. As usual, presented by Dank Morass and White Rhino crews, it will entail only the finest in progressive and soothing sounds. The Tank’s new home at 320 in Spring Hill allows us to be liberal with sonics and free party vibes for all the people who appreciate it!
