Interview: The Bug (Fact Magazine, 2008)

Two and a half years in the making, London Zoo is noise veteran Kevin Martin’s second album working solo under his moniker of The Bug, and the follow up to last year’s triptych of brilliant singles, ‘Jah War’, ‘Skeng’ and ‘Poison Dart’. Zoo’s far from an easy listen, and its danceable moments are outnumbered by those of ominous production and uncompromising MCing, but like Burial, Martin is another London-based producer who’s successfully defined his own sound

Interview: Soft Circle (Fact Magazine, 2008)

Since leaving Rhode Island, where he played with Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, Hisham Akira Bharoocha has participated in various visual art exhibitions and musical projects, including organising the Boredoms’ 77 BOADRUM drum circle. He’s also been recording solo as Soft Circle, a one man band whose songs structurally inhibit a mad hinterland borne from avant pop, krautrock, improv drum jams and even minimal techno – they’re formally disparate, but feel bound together through an alignment with nature; the soft circle itself. What follows is the full transcript of an email interview with Bharoocha that was condensed into a New Talent piece for Fact 26.

Interview: Heartsrevolution (Fact Magazine, 2008)

Birthed from a converted mail van called the Heartschallenger that’s sold imported ice creams, music merchandise and artwork in Los Angeles and New York, Heartsrevolution’s first single ‘CYOA’ was a perfectly cool indie electro track – it was fuzzy and noisy and hit the right spots.

Interview: Chipmunk, Griminal & Little Dee (Woofah Magazine, 2008)

I wrote this for the excellent Woofah Magazine in November 2007 and it wasn’t published until March 2008. The points the piece makes still apply, but were more relevant at the end of last when most grime discussion seemed to centre around the new wave of youngsters, so bear that in mind.

Interview: The Death Set (Fact Magazine, 2008)

There’s something going on in Baltimore; something removed from the club scene for which the city is so musically famous. Bands like Ponytail, our interviewees The Death Set (who have recently signed to Counter, Ninja Tune’s rock offshoot) and Ecstatic Sunshine are playing and recording some of the most life-affirming rock music around; punk songs reduced to pure spasmodic, animal form. Bmore correspondent Raven Baker was at the Baltimore Bass Connection’s Christmas show featuring Spank Rock, XXXChange and The Death Set themselves, and reported back thus: