Preview: Born & Bred Festival

It seems a very good time to be celebrating all things London. Questions continue to be raised about the future of the capitals rich musical heritage in the face of increasing rent prices and a series of restrictive laws on club culture. There is some sense of a creative drain, both abroad and to other UK cities. Even the Premier League title has deserted the capital (although we’re pretty O.K. with its move to Leicester). As venues continue to close and in the year the police tried to ban Dancehall and Bashment in Croydon, the festival brings a pertinent reminder that clubbers in the capital, and those providing the music, will not go down without a fight. The artists playing are a diverse group, with roots stretching well outside of the M25, but all share a common interest in the past and present of what is still the centre of the UK’s underground music scene. Below is a brief summary of what can be expected from a few of the performers at one of the most exciting and true-to-its-roots festivals of the summer. 

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SATURDAY

Top of the bill on Saturday is LA hip hop artist Ilovemakonnen. Makonnen moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 13, a city with a formidable reputation in the hip hop world that birthed Outkast and Gucci Mane. He rose to prominence from relative obscurity following a collaboration with Drake, who signed him to his label OVO. Their 2014 release Tuesday was a massive commercial success and has since racked up over 125 million views on YouTube. Having parted ways with the Canadian rapper on mysterious terms in early 2016, Makonnen released a new EP ‘Drink More Water’ in March and has hinted at future features from Diplo, Rihanna and Snoop Dogg in the near future. Expect a flurry of new music and trap beats from a clearly rejuvenated and hard-working performer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avFq9errZCk

Following its recent revival, much of the capitals unique output seems to be focussed around grime, which is aptly represented at this year’s festival. At the forefront of the movement, with unparalleled pedigree come Wiley and Slimzee. Founder of Rinse FM, an incalculable number of artists owe much of their success to Slimzee for promoting their music and giving the largest platform for sound system culture in the UK. One of those artists is the ‘Godfather of Grime’ himself, Wiley. Hailing from just around the corner in Bow, E3, Wiley has been at the forefront of all things grime and is credited with a large proportion of its success. He was one of few performers that never went away during Grime’s hiatus, releasing a series of chart toppers including Wearing my Rolex, Heatwave and Can You Hear Me, showcasing his understanding of the music industry.  Eskiboy, though went straight back to his roots and picked up where the genre had left off with 2014’s On A Level, an instant grime classic. With a new album, titled ‘Godfather’ to be released in the summer, it’s a marquee year for the rapper, who also has an accompanying movie and book to follow what is rumoured to be his final album. Wiley has made it clear that he, at the age of 37, is in the process of passing the baton on to the next generation of Grime MCs, so there are increasingly few opportunities to see this legend whilst he’s still performing.

One member of this next generation is AJ Tracey. Alex Moran is unusual in hailing from West London, (only Scrufizzer has achieved notoriety coming from this part of the capital known for its affluence), but has put to bed all questions about his postcode with his ‘cold, hard lyricism’. This was clearly showcased in 2015s Spirit Bomb and Naila, but AJ from the Lane, a die-hard Tottenham fan, clearly has a softer side, shown in the popular Wifey, and equally quality but less appreciated Wifey Riddim 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7tWc3xHcXM

Dubstep pioneer Benga will be playing alongside Sgt Pokes. Classics Night, E-Trips and 26 Basslines, marked Benga out as one of the most talented producers in the mid-2000s, but after struggling with mental health issues, he was forced into an early retirement. It has been refreshing to see such a frank discussion from Benga about his illness, almost unprecedented in the music world. What’s been even better, though, is his new EP, ‘Future Funk’. Of the release, Benga said it was “the most me it’s been since ‘Diary of an Afro Warrior’ [2008] and I’m super excited to play it and reconnect with all of the people who have supported me.”

Bugzy Malone’s near meteoric rise can be attributed to his ‘Fire in the Booth’ with Charlie Sloth from last year. One of the most viewed videos of the long running series, Bugzy has definitely set out to do what he wanted and put “Manny on the map.” The Manchester rapper is one of the most sought after in the game, especially following his long-running clash with Chip, sure to go down in grime beef history. Relegation Riddim in response to Chip and M.E.N are two favourite examples of his hard hitting lyrics and flow.

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SUNDAY

On Sunday Harlem’s Azealia Banks bags the headline slot. A young artist who rarely find herself out of the spotlight, she recently attacked Beyonce for her new album Lemonade, saying ‘she takes food out of darker skinned women’s mouths and pretends to be inspired’ and was ‘the antithesis of what feminism is’ on twitter. Whilst people may disagree with her views, no one can deny her talent, originally honed at the famous Laguardia High School of Performing arts in New York. The extremely explicit but remarkably still radio-philic 212 was the landmark single of her debut studio album, ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’. Since then, Azealia has continued to produce and perform, including the hit 1991. Her most recent single, The Big Big Beat, was released in February as part of the free mix tape, ‘Slay Z’. The enigmatic rapper/singer is not to be missed.

Described as “the poster child for the first generation of real grime kids” by Logan Sama, who is also playing the festival, Sunday hosts the mercurial talent of 19 year old Kojo Kankam, better known as Novelist. Nominated for a MOBO award, the self-confessed Lewisham Don came to fame with releases on Rinse and XL recordings including One Sec and Take Time, and recently featured on Katy B’s 2016 album ‘Honey’. He has not been scared to depart from relying on more traditional grime instrumentals like Rhythm and Gash or Functions on the Low, and in return has a much fresher, unique sound reliant on original beats. Novelist has proved that on top of his rapping capabilities he is certainly not shy and has confessed his love for “pengalengs” on numerous occasions, including a song dedicated to the topic. This month he demonstrated impressive twitter flirting with none other than Azealia Banks, describing himself to her as ‘the one and only Showerface London bad man skeng MC’ in a brief and hilarious conversation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaG2RyDxQlk

Drum and Bass is suitably represented on Sunday through, among others, Calibre and dBridge. Both legends of the scene and both with entirely different sounds, they are sure to draw significant crowds. dBridge owns and runs label Exit Records, one of the most pioneering drum and bass distributors around, which has released records from Skeptical, J:Kenzo, Rockwell, Stray, Om Unit and Sam Binga to name but a few. His own 2004 effort True Romance has long been considered a drum and bass anthem. Calibre is equally committed to diversity, a trait assisted by his training in classical music. The Belfast born producer samples his own playing of a great variety of instruments and likes to record his tracks quickly, rather than labouring on them, to maintain his trademark liquid funk sound. His continued success with such a small social media presence, almost unheard of these days, is a testament to the power of his music.

There have been plenty of success stories from young rappers in recent years, but few can be as young as Geko, who was just 13 when he was signed to K. Koke’s collective USG. The Manchester rapper-turned-singer claimed he started rapping at 8 and took it seriously from age 12, which explains how his debut single Heartless could reach number 9 in the iTunes chart when he was just 16. Since then he has had an unceremonious brake up with his mentor, who described him as a ‘snake’ and an ‘ungrateful little shit’ but has continued to grow in popularity with his dancehall inspired and auto tune heavy songs.

An impressive roster of bass junkies from Loefahs label Swamp 81, are also playing on Sunday. These include Paleman, Mickey Pearce, Zed Bias, as well as the iconic vocals of Manchester MC and Levelz dj Chunky. This genuinely genre defying ensemble have a remarkable number of incredible records, taking influences from Techno, Dubstep and Garage among many others, although offering something more stripped back and unique than any of these can offer on their own. The set up was born out of Loefah’s frustration with the Dubstep scene and his and his co-producers fresh approach is not to be missed if you haven’t seen it, and sure to be revisited if you have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynCaT14zh8g

Tickets are still available here: http://www.bornandbredfestival.com/

Tom Evans

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