Published
Fri, Mar 26, 2004, 08:00
Three drum'n'bass heavyweights consisting of 2 DJ's Blame and Mampi Swift and 1 MC IC3 are touring Australia and New Zealand in April.
Blame's been in the game producing innovative and ground-breaking drum & bass for over ten years. Tracks like "Music Takes You" (released as a solo project on Moving Shadow) have been credited as a seminal moment in what was to soon become drum & bass. In 1996 he joined LTJ Bukem's Good Looking Records quickly becoming one of the labels most important artists and this resulted in him mixing the second in the famous "Logical Progressions" series.
Mampi Swift started DJing in 1990 and he eventually found himself behind the counter of the now defunct Lucky Spin record shop. Access to the studio next door with in house engineer Peter Parsons (aka voyager) at the controls was probably the best thing about the job and young Swift jumped at the chance to learn new skills. Before settings up his own label Charge recordings in 1997, Swift has released on labels such as True Playaz, Frontline, Suburban Base and Soul Power. Swift describes his style as ‘plain rolling’ and while simple, catchy beats are a key element to his overall sound, it’s the unique distorted bass lines people notice.
MC IC3 first got into jungle back in 1992; he used to go out to hardcore raves and afterwards would play on the decks. Everyone else would be mixing but he would be there trying to MC through the headphones, just for a laugh. One of the first raves IC3 ever worked at was in 1993, which proved to be the warm up for his MCing career that he started to take seriously in 1995. In 1996, IC3 became involved with Movement (one of the most popular D&B nights in London), later emerging as a resident which was a big stepping stone in his career. In 1997 MC Skibadee made a call to IC3 telling him that there was a meeting of MCs on Kool FM (seminal Jungle Pirate Radio station in London) and that he should send a tape in to get on – the tape was sent, he MCed on air and became one of the biggest names on Kool FM and indeed the UK drum n bass scene.
With talent like this coming down, there should be no excuse not to go and catch some of drum'n'bass' finest.
Blame, IC3 and Mampi Swift Australia- New Zealand Tour
Friday 16 April -Adelaide
Saturday 17 April - Christchurch
Sunday 18 April - Nelson
Monday 19 April - Queenstown
Thursday 22 April - Canberra
Friday 23 April - Melbourne
Saturday 24 April - Sydney
Sunday 25 April - Perth