Do That: Fear Of Flying @ Roadtrip

Do That: Fear Of Flying @ Roadtrip

In a scene so dominated by European and American artists, one that looks to the axis of Detroit/Chicago for inspiration, it is easy to overlook the cream of talent on our doorstep. In the last few years the UK has produced a number of artists that have made waves on the international stage, with the likes of Jamie Jones, Matt Tolfrey and Audiofly all working hard to break into the jetset elite. This is the talent that bridges the generation gap behind the old guard that ranges from Sascha and Digweed on the right to Damian Lazarus and Craig Richards on the left. These producers have also had to graft to surface between successive waves of Techno, electro and more lately Dubstep breaking upon the dance scene. Taking inspiration from international trailblazers and forging their reputations within small House music scenes, these producers witnessed the dance scene at full tilt in the early 00s and able carve their niche when it subsequently retreated back underground.

In the wake of Jones, Tolfrey and co comes a clutch of talented producers battling to make a name for themselves amongst the slew of releases swamping Beatport. Many have gone down the label route, Fear Of Flying, represent a sterling example of how to do it well. Uncompromising A&R skills from label boss BLM (Ben Micklewright) has brought together a range of precocious and blended them with stalwarts of the scene. From the wide eyed, full flavour House and Techno sounds of label mainstay Pawas, to the contemporary spin on classic sounds favoured by the boss himself, the label is moving forward while wearing its influences firmly on its sleeve. Cherry picking from the likes of dubby house dude Westpark unit, the classic and contemporary minimalism of Anonym and Polder respectively, Fear Of Flying is a label that knows its music inside out. It is quickly becoming a go-to label for DJs looking to unearth the fresh talent with which to work the dance floor. Also the label is re-releasing Sanasol’s classic Tambourine Man, a record enjoying a timely renaissance at the hands of Raresh, Villalobos and co that should shine the spotlight on the label and give its core artists some timely recognition.

fof012

Date / Saturday, 4 July 2009
Time / 9pm – 3am
Venue / Roadtrip/ 243 Old Street, London EC1V 9EY
Cost / FREE

The ‘Do This’ pick of this relatively quiet weekend is to go and witness the future of the UK House scene in action and check out Fear of Flying dudes BLM and Jay Massive in action. They’ve enlisted the help of Cocoon’s Christopher Dahm – who may or may not exist – but the night should be all about getting down to some fresh grooves.

From Dub to Disco, five UK producers doing for themselves:

BLM

Brackles

Trus’ me

Chamboche

Matthew Burton

About the Author