M62 Records to champion the underground bass scene in Liverpool
With the launch of bass-centred M62 Records imminent, Getintothis’ Ste Knight looks forward to a refreshing change on Liverpool’s underground dance scene.
If we here at Getintothis were to mention bassline house, grime, dubstep or garage to you, you’d be forgiven for assuming we were going to start banging on about ‘that London’. Well, we may mention it, but what we’d actually start banging on about is the Northern and (more specifically) Liverpool underground bass scene and how the launch of bass music label M62 Records is set to bring that scene to the fore.
Bubbling away under the surface for quite some time now, the North West has a host of artists specialising in these genres, so it isn’t as location specific as you might have previously thought. Bassline house itself was actually born in Sheffield, a truly ‘Northern’ city if ever there was one, in a (now closed) club called Niche.
Bassline was a successor to the popular speed garage genre at the turn of the century, and was picked up by artists such as The Wideboys, DJ Q and MC Platinum to name but a few. More recently we have seen the sound championed by the likes of Toddla T (himself from Sheffield), Hervé, Sinden and AC Slater, all of whom use the sound in their productions and their mixes.
Bassline house, as the moniker would suggest to you, focuses mainly on the bass elements of the track – perfect for a good stomp on the dancefloor. This is the garage influence of the sound. The house components are (quite clearly, if you listen to a bassline track) the 4×4 beats which take it away from the 2-step garage principles.
M62 Records have stepped up to the plate to be the pioneers of a bass music revival in the North West. Making their home in the awesome little venue that is 24 Kitchen Street in Liverpool’s thriving Baltic Triangle scene, there’s been plenty of hype surrounding the label and the night, and rightly so. The guys at the helm, Aiden Ryan (AKA Tubz) and Steven Longworth, are set to blow the underground scene wide open as we head into 2016, with several strong releases already previewing on their Soundcloud page.
Check out our Baltic Triangle venue guide breakdown, here
With tracks covering the whole gamut of bass music, including grime, dubstep and bassline, the outlook for M62 Records in 2016 is incredibly positive. For Tubz, M62 Records stands out as an extension of his revered and applauded musical persona. “I come from the dark influenced side of UKG and Bassline, and I’m trying to create a haven for that style,” he explains. “There are many incredible young producers on the rise in Merseyside. I want to elevate them and promote them. If I’m listening to a track in my home, in a club or on my way to work and I am vibing it, the chances are I’m likely to sign it and release it.”
Good news, then, for any budding bass producers out there who are looking for a platform from which to make their sound heard. M62 Records looks to be the soundboard from which to do just that, and with many artists on their roster already, including Docka, who’s track Tocame is a bassline banger, it certainly looks as though Tubz is keeping to his word.
Kitchen Street Warehouse
We had a swift word with Steven Longworth about M62 Records and how it all came about.
Getintothis: What gave you the idea to start M62 Records?
Steven: “There are so many talented producers in the north of England, yet zero to little coverage of them in the mainstream media, press, radio, etc. The idea of M62 Records is to build a platform for these producers to elevate and promote their music through podcasts, club nights and official releases.”
Getintothis: “What made you choose 24 Kitchen St as your home?”
Steven: “Liverpool has had many fantastic venues over the years, but has lacked small, intimate venues like 24 Kitchen Street. These sort of venues are really important for local scenes. You put 300 people into a cosier, more intimate venue rather than the neighbouring spacious warehouses and the vibe of the night changes for the better.”
Getintothis: “Is the ‘M62’ a reference to the connection between Liverpool and Sheffield, which is argued to be the home of bassline what with the (now closed) Niche nightclub being situated there?”
Steven: “Yes you could say that…. The M62 is the road that connects the major northern cities. Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, you have to get on that road if you want to reach us.”
Getintothis: “Do you agree that bassline was born from the garage scene, and in particular as a descendant of speed garage?”
Steven: “I’d say bassline is more like UKG’s rougher northern cousin that means well but can’t seem to stay out of trouble!”
Getintothis: “Who would you say is the hottest artist or artists on M62 Records?”
Steven: “There are too many to mention. Look out for the first EP dropping January 30 2016 featuring, Docka, Tubz, Rufa, Lack and many more.”
So, now you know the script, you can get yourself down to the M62 Records launch night on January 29, can’t you! No excuses, and with so much house and techno on the go at the moment it’ll make for a refreshing change to get yourself down to something a bit different. They’ve got their first release set for the following day, so the party is set to go with a deafening bang.
The night is to feature sets from Chig, Jay Erangey, Clash Bandicoot, Lack, Pidge, Loekit B2B Murs, Tubz B2B Long Tingz, and Jay Spay. Get your ear gear down there and show some support for a night that is truly squaring up to blow the roof off 24 Kitchen Street.
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