1Xtra: In The House
Artist:
RWD
Not only known for their upfront urban selection, 1Xtra has the house scene on lock too. The first station to playlist cover stars Fish Go Deep, the BBC's best digital station promotes the finest sounds in funky house across a number of shows. We catch up with two sets of people really repping right now; Aaron Ross and Rampage.
First up, we met Aaron Ross, an institution in house music. Starting out in his early teens spinning jungle and garage, Ross has become one of soulful houses’ biggest movers and mixers.
Hey Aaron, how are you?
I’m good. Busy as usual with various productions and the labels.
You've worked on various pirate stations over the years. It must be great representing house on 1Xtra?
Yeah, I'm proud to be part of 1Xtra and I definitely feel I'm doing my bit for house having the show for four and a half years now. I'm so grateful for my pirate radio past, we were the first kids on the dial with Scandal FM. I was just 14 when we were doing that!
How do you feel about the rising interest and success of house right now?
It's great, because a lot of us have been soldiering on for a long time in the underground and it's nice to see it getting broader appreciation. Things go in cycles and it's definitely time for house music to make a return to the forefront. The roots in house are way to deep for it to be looked at as some sort of fad, and therefore I don't see it having the issue of potential over exposure and implosion.
What would be your guaranteed party starter and all time classic track?
A guaranteed party starter has gotta be Mr V's Da Bump but my all time classic has to be... wow there's so many! But today I'll say Fonda Rae’s Livin’ In Extacy (Mood II Swing Remix).
Who’s your favourite producers and who’s about to blow?
Dennis Ferrer is at the top of the game right now. Masters At Work will always be my biggest inspiration. Another classic master is Kerri Chandler whose sound moves forward with the times but always retains that classic Kerri underground NY feel. DJ Spen is simply the best at delivering the true, peak-time garage sound. Phil Asher, my mentor, will always inspire me with his techniques and knowledge of old music and ones to watch out for are: Karizma, Jus Dope, Wookie... and of course (shameless plug) my production outfits: Fanatix, Graceland & Rain People....
Talking of which - tell us about Osiris, the label you run with Dan Fresh?
Yeah Dan's my boy! We were on Scandal FM together way back in the day. Osiris has been on the back burner a little bit this year, as I was concentrating on the Soul Heaven label. But in the beginning of ‘07 I have three records good to go; Rain People ft. Alex Mills; Make It Better, a collaboration I've with DJ Halo, and something I've done with Nathan Haines.
Finally, what’s your dream collaboration?
This one's easy, Patrice Rushen. Her music from the late ‘70s / early ‘80s is the real deal. So, I’d love to work on a couple of tracks with her in the studio - check Number One from her 1982 Straight From The Heart LP - a blueprint track for soulful house lovers!
One of the longest-serving soundsystems in the game, South London DJ duo Rampage are always one step ahead of the rest.
You guys have been at the forefront of so many sounds; tell us about your current love of funky house?
We have always played new genres of music; for example, when jungle and drum & bass first hit, we were one of the first R&B DJs to start playing it out. Now with funky house, it's a lot easier to incorporate into our sets because it's very close to the UKG tempo. We just stick it in the mix and away we go!
Are you surprised at the sudden commercial success of house or did you see it coming?
We’re not really surprised, because in the UK, the streets are always looking for something new. The funny thing is, funky is very similar to old skool UK garage, so rather than being this new trend, it's almost as if the music is coming full circle and starting again.
How do you know whether a tune will work when playing out?
You don't! You have to use your DJ intuition to assess a crowd.
Who do you think will be next to blow?
It's quite hard to tell the next big single or artist because a lot of the big records are actually several years old with some of them being a decade or more. People just don't realise or care how old the tunes are, so artist's that thought they had reached the end of the road suddenly find themselves with a massive club hit! But for new records it's hard to see past MJ Cole and Wookie, who has done the whole UKG thing and has been producing funky house for a long time now.
Would you consider doing either a remix or producing an entire house track?
A lot of people don't know that Rampage had a label and recording studio many years ago. Treble T co-produced the garage classic Melody with Masterstepz way back in the day and has done R&B, hip hop, D&B and garage remixes for loads of artists and companies. So, if someone wants a mix or production done, then just email me and we’ll talk!!
And finally, do you like getting up early for your 1Xtra breakfast show - Mondays must be a killer!
We both hate getting up in the mornings and any day that you've played out the night before - like yesterday and today and tomorrow! - is a killer. You feel like crying when you get home and have to leave in an hours time without even looking at your bed. But we love music and there is nothing else we would rather be doing.
Catch Rampage 9am-12pm Monday-Friday and Aaron Ross is on midnight-2am Monday nights only on 1Xtra. Listen to 1Xtra, the BBC's black music digital radio station, on digital TV, online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra and DAB digital radio.
RWD Magazine
Not only known for their upfront urban selection, 1Xtra has the house scene on lock too. The first station to playlist cover stars Fish Go Deep, the BBC's best digital station promotes the finest sounds in funky house across a number of shows. We catch up with two sets of people really repping right now; Aaron Ross and Rampage.
First up, we met Aaron Ross, an institution in house music. Starting out in his early teens spinning jungle and garage, Ross has become one of soulful houses’ biggest movers and mixers.
Hey Aaron, how are you?
I’m good. Busy as usual with various productions and the labels.
You've worked on various pirate stations over the years. It must be great representing house on 1Xtra?
Yeah, I'm proud to be part of 1Xtra and I definitely feel I'm doing my bit for house having the show for four and a half years now. I'm so grateful for my pirate radio past, we were the first kids on the dial with Scandal FM. I was just 14 when we were doing that!
How do you feel about the rising interest and success of house right now?
It's great, because a lot of us have been soldiering on for a long time in the underground and it's nice to see it getting broader appreciation. Things go in cycles and it's definitely time for house music to make a return to the forefront. The roots in house are way to deep for it to be looked at as some sort of fad, and therefore I don't see it having the issue of potential over exposure and implosion.
What would be your guaranteed party starter and all time classic track?
A guaranteed party starter has gotta be Mr V's Da Bump but my all time classic has to be... wow there's so many! But today I'll say Fonda Rae’s Livin’ In Extacy (Mood II Swing Remix).
Who’s your favourite producers and who’s about to blow?
Dennis Ferrer is at the top of the game right now. Masters At Work will always be my biggest inspiration. Another classic master is Kerri Chandler whose sound moves forward with the times but always retains that classic Kerri underground NY feel. DJ Spen is simply the best at delivering the true, peak-time garage sound. Phil Asher, my mentor, will always inspire me with his techniques and knowledge of old music and ones to watch out for are: Karizma, Jus Dope, Wookie... and of course (shameless plug) my production outfits: Fanatix, Graceland & Rain People....
Talking of which - tell us about Osiris, the label you run with Dan Fresh?
Yeah Dan's my boy! We were on Scandal FM together way back in the day. Osiris has been on the back burner a little bit this year, as I was concentrating on the Soul Heaven label. But in the beginning of ‘07 I have three records good to go; Rain People ft. Alex Mills; Make It Better, a collaboration I've with DJ Halo, and something I've done with Nathan Haines.
Finally, what’s your dream collaboration?
This one's easy, Patrice Rushen. Her music from the late ‘70s / early ‘80s is the real deal. So, I’d love to work on a couple of tracks with her in the studio - check Number One from her 1982 Straight From The Heart LP - a blueprint track for soulful house lovers!
One of the longest-serving soundsystems in the game, South London DJ duo Rampage are always one step ahead of the rest.
You guys have been at the forefront of so many sounds; tell us about your current love of funky house?
We have always played new genres of music; for example, when jungle and drum & bass first hit, we were one of the first R&B DJs to start playing it out. Now with funky house, it's a lot easier to incorporate into our sets because it's very close to the UKG tempo. We just stick it in the mix and away we go!
Are you surprised at the sudden commercial success of house or did you see it coming?
We’re not really surprised, because in the UK, the streets are always looking for something new. The funny thing is, funky is very similar to old skool UK garage, so rather than being this new trend, it's almost as if the music is coming full circle and starting again.
How do you know whether a tune will work when playing out?
You don't! You have to use your DJ intuition to assess a crowd.
Who do you think will be next to blow?
It's quite hard to tell the next big single or artist because a lot of the big records are actually several years old with some of them being a decade or more. People just don't realise or care how old the tunes are, so artist's that thought they had reached the end of the road suddenly find themselves with a massive club hit! But for new records it's hard to see past MJ Cole and Wookie, who has done the whole UKG thing and has been producing funky house for a long time now.
Would you consider doing either a remix or producing an entire house track?
A lot of people don't know that Rampage had a label and recording studio many years ago. Treble T co-produced the garage classic Melody with Masterstepz way back in the day and has done R&B, hip hop, D&B and garage remixes for loads of artists and companies. So, if someone wants a mix or production done, then just email me and we’ll talk!!
And finally, do you like getting up early for your 1Xtra breakfast show - Mondays must be a killer!
We both hate getting up in the mornings and any day that you've played out the night before - like yesterday and today and tomorrow! - is a killer. You feel like crying when you get home and have to leave in an hours time without even looking at your bed. But we love music and there is nothing else we would rather be doing.
Catch Rampage 9am-12pm Monday-Friday and Aaron Ross is on midnight-2am Monday nights only on 1Xtra. Listen to 1Xtra, the BBC's black music digital radio station, on digital TV, online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra and DAB digital radio.
RWD Magazine
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