Events

PHOTEK (Virgin, Astralwerks, !K7, Metalheadz, Tectonic, Photek Productions - LOS ANGELES) *DJ Kicks Tour*

w/MC ARMANNI REIGN (Mental Sharp - ATLANTA)

also featuring:

MIKEY DUBS (Mikrosoundsystem Recordings)

NYCHAVOK (Modified)

SCALLYWAG (Broken Teeth)

***Reminder: This venue has limited capacity. Presale ticketing will ensure entry!***

BIOS+LINKS:

PHOTEK (Virgin, Astralwerks, !K7, Metalheadz, Tectonic, Photek Productions - LOS ANGELES)

Photek stands mercilessly on the edge. A sonic scientist, pushing both his sounds and fans' expectations to the outermost limits since 1994, he floods the footnotes of electronica like MP3s clutter up your hard drive.

He was there when Goldie declared it drum & bass but to this day he still prefers the term jungle. Conversations with James Lavelle raise the question – what would've become if his remixes of Attica Blues had led to a more affirmed relationship with the agenda setting Mo Wax? His major label link with Virgin is the blueprint of how things once were; endless time and budget-free worries led to 'Modus Operandi'. A conceptual experiment of time and emotive atmospherics, it pushed the drum & bass template to the edge.

Previously misinterpreted as a lone paranoid soldier, a conspiracy theorist and a man from Ipswich, Rupert Photek Parkes is none of the above. Each tale you'll be regaled with elsewhere online is based on a spec of truth that's exploded beyond proportion. May the real Photek please stand up...

2012 will see him drop a series of sounds that reflect the truest perception of him once and for all. Driven by his years of studio discipline; sharpened by an acute awareness that he'll be received by the heads that know him well and ears that don't know him at all, Photek's new sound carries all the barbed motifs and icy atmospherics you'll know from seminal cuts such as 'Seven Samurai' and 'Hidden Camera' all tied up tight with his own take on today's contemporary genre-breaking melting pot.

Ardent displays of his eclectic method were there from the very beginning. The seeds had been sewn back in the dancefloor's most formative days, attending early raves, pretty much in his school uniform, and hearing DJs like Jumping Jack Frost fire their way through everything from Derrick May to Phil Collins. These influences are clear from his first EP on Metalheadz with the drum & bass meets downtempo 'Into The 90s'... 'Yendi', the flipside to the 'Modus Operandi' 12", was a prototype for dubstep while 'Mine To Give', a sassy slab of sexed up house coated in Robert Owens' iconic soul, set the foundations for the genreless battlefields well trodden by the likes of Commix and Mount Kimbie.

A list of his big screen scores should follow, but it won't. Photek carelessly yarns his years in LA as 'doing this and that', but it wasn't. Hived in the western world's most creative hub, his time since 2007's 'Form & Function Volume 2' has been a creative whirlwind. Collaborations with Nine Inch Nails and troubled troubadour Ray LaMontagne; sell out TEKDBZ shows with 12th Planet and DJ Craze; the evening commute down Sunset Boulevard with Fab & Groove on Sirius reminding him of the UK bass culture he helped develop... Photek stands undeniably on the edge of undiluted inspiration.

Destination tomorrow: Photek's decorated past and diligent work ethic leads us here. The new music you'll hear this year is yet another chapter in a life spent overdosing on sonic nuances and boundary testing. An exultant voyage in a life that's shaped the very foundations of the sounds we love, these are sounds that he's teased at since the techno tickles of his 2000 album 'Solaris'

Take his collaboration with Switch, 'Avalanche'; a low-swung modulator, its half-step march belies the crafty subversion of a well known rave sample. Take '101'; its icy peripheries suggest the Photek we know while kidnapping the principals of classic electro and booting them effortlessly into the 23rd century. Take 'This City'; a lolloping load of filters and reverse athletics, its somnambulant sounds make it a literal house dream. Take '4 Aces', a bassline badguy, smiling a saw-toothed grin. Take the aptly titled 'No Agenda'; a timeless slice of spine-tingling progression, fluctuating between funk and arm-flinging euphoria.

Take it or leave it; from this moment on Photek has programmed a new system, the code racing mercilessly towards the main stage where an explosive live show, primed with nothing but his own material, patiently awaits.

http://www.facebook.com/PhotekMusic
http://soundcloud.com/photek
http://twitter.com/Photek
http://www.youtube.com/photekproductions



MC ARMANNI REIGN (Mental Sharp - ATLANTA)

In the beginning... Armanni Reign grew up rapping everywhere from elementary lunch room tables to high school hallways to college house parties as a hobby before realizing the worth of his gift. Back then you would prove your worth by progressing from cyphas to battles, which is what he did to make a name for himself. He started in small competitions and eventually worked his way on to radio spots. After spending three continuous months as Philly 103.9FM's 'Cypha' champion, MC Armanni decided he needed a change. Not seeing any longevity in the Battle Circuit had motivated Armanni to switch things up.

His introduction to drum and bass was an experience shared by many first timers- Sutpens' Jungle, February 2000. His first mixtape was "DJ SS live at Sutpen's Jungle" on which the vocal skills of MC Skibadee and MC Foxy gave Armanni insight to the lyrical potential of Drum and Bass. Citing MC Skibadee as one of his main influences at the time, Armanni developed a distinctly powerful and diverse style of lyrical delivery. It garnered respect amongst his peers as well as many of the top Drum and Bass MCs and DJs in the World. Staying true to his hip hop roots, Armanni delivers bounce, flavor and lyrical wizardry.

2003 was a fantastic year for MC Armanni Reign because not only was he nominated Best Breakthrough MC at the Knowledge Drum and Bass Awards, he also became the official Metalheadz Americas MC. He is undoubtedly one of the most well known lyricists in Drum and Bass amongst the respectable forces of Skibadee, GQ and Dynamite. With releases currently on Gasm, Freak, Intasound, Westbay Music Group and TekDbz, MC Armanni has set his sights on the grand realm.

As a part of the powerful collective known as Mental Sharp along with Sharpness MC, the duo has released five Hip Hop mixtapes: On n Poppin', Above the Beats Below the Bass Negative 1, 2 & 3 and Epiphany. They have rocked mics on stages and in the booth since 2003 dropping anthems like 'P.H.I.L.L.Y. VIP' (GASM) and 'Hit Em' Hard' (TekDbz). Whether it is just small clips for dancefloor bangers like 'Ruff Rugged N Raw' (Mason) and 'Violent Sound' (Hive) or full on verses for smashers like 'Take That' (Ewun) and 'Fahrenheit 215' (Photek) Armanni's presence is felt in every syllable.

His future sounds off in many different genres which he will give a taste of with his EP- 'Off the Grid' - **OUT NOW** on Westbay. This will give listeners a sense of his new vibe while he works on his full length album (untitled). While the five track EP focuses mostly on Hip Hop and his take on Dubstep his full length will also showcase Electro, Breaks and other musical influences. Already testing the Dubstep waters with tunes like 'The Chase' (Down Jones), 'Activate' (CHI), 'Get Up' (CHI) and 'Follow Me Now' (Noah D), one can only guess what styles Armanni will use when stepping outside of the box. 'White X-mas' (Origin) and 'Dark Room' (BeasTmode) might be an indication "Of Things to Come"

Armanni performs with many of the top Drum and Bass as well as Dubstep artists at almost all the top shows. Residencies have included Bassrush (LA), Platinum (Philly), DJ Series (Philly), Metalheadz, Heavy Duty and Ultraworld at Sonar (Baltimore). He has amazed crowds at the World of Drum and Bass, Electric Daisy Carnival, Nocturnal, Together as One, Starscape, Buzz, Ultra and many other massives sprawling from New York to Japan and from London to Australia. Armanni has toured with the likes of Goldie, DJ Craze, Kenny Ken, DJ SS, Dieselboy, Andy C and is frequently requested to MC exclusively for many other top djs in the industry.

MC, Rapper, Producer, Artist, and Father... the self-proclaimed "Ghost MC" is not to be slept on.

http://www.armannireign.com
http://www.facebook.com/Armanni-Reign
http://www.youtube.com/user/ArmanniReign
http://soundcloud.com/armannireign
http://twitter.com/ArmanniReign



MIKEY DUBS (Mikrosoundsystem Recordings)

Mikey Dubs, aka Mike Reger is a veteran DJ/producer/musician based in Brooklyn. Back in the day, he recorded cinematic DnB and dub as a member of the Avatars of Dub (for many labels including Thievery Corporation's ESL Music), remixed legendary King Tubby and art-rockers StereoLab, made downtempo as De Rigueur (Citrona Records), went leftfield techno as Mikrosound, and then dubstep as DRGR and eventually assumed his current moniker, Mikey Dubs, and took on a more open-ended, inclusive approach to bass-centric music making. He's shared decks with a lot of forward thinkers along the way including Martyn, FaltyDL, and Alex Incyde just to name a few. By day Mikey is an Art Director/Designer for big luxury,fashion and entertainment brands. Mikey also plays the bass and keys in a live electronic act, Jaded Lover.

www.soundcloud.com/mikeydubs
www.facebook.com/djmikeydubs
www.twitter.com/imikeydubs

NYCHAVOK (Modified)

Nychavok (Pronounced Nigh-Cha-Vok) made his debut in the Summer of 2007. A New York City native, he has been a resident for The Secret Night of Science and Let it Roll, two of NYC's biggest Drum+Bass monthlies at the time. He is also the founder of Alteration, and has recently launched his latest venture into nightlife, Modified, determined to take Bass Music to the next level in NYC and beyond.

www.facebook.com/nychavok
www.soundcloud.com/nychavok


SCALLYWAG (Broken Teeth Crew)

Scallywag is obsessed with culture. Afflicted with a curiosity that extends to all genres, he is both a Dj’s Dj and an entirely malleable force, his trademark being his ability to mold his sets around just about any party or aesthetic on the fly. In regards to bass music, he's played alongside artists such as Machinedrum, Dubbel Dutch, Chrissy Murderbot, Kingdom, Jubilee, and Brenmar. He represents for Broken Teeth and The Internet.

http://twitter.com/djscallywag
http://soundcloud.com/djscallywag
http://mixcloud.com/djscallywag