BLOG
In The Bag: Youth Club Sounds
After a few successful events with us earlier this year, Youth Club return to the basement tomorrow to kick start the new academic term. And it is the student population that they serve, satisfying its desire for grimy sounds as well as the thinking man’s ‘future beats’, harvested from the vast and fertile cyber-fields of Soundcloud and beyond.
We thought it would be nice to have a sample of these ultra-contemporary sounds, so asked the two men leading this futuristic charge to open up their iTunes for us and pick out their choice cuts…
Name(s): Robbie Russell and Xyrenn Maddox
DJ name: Youth Club Sounds
Hometown: Leeds
First record ever bought?
Xy: Mario – Turning Point (had Let Me Love You on)
This was back in like 2003, I was just about to finish year 6 and “Let Me Love You” had just dropped on “The Box”. I loved the video, I thought the choreography was dope. My nan would never entertain buying me some of the harder rap albums that I wanted at the time like, 50 cent’s “Get Rich Or Die Trying” or “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” by Outkast (I’d have to rip those albums onto cassette tape at my uncles house) they had too much swearing and she was never gonna have that playing in the car. Fortunately I managed to find a happy medium in this album as my nan actually liked the song “Let Me Love You” as well so she agreed to buy me the album. However, during my first week at secondary school some very kind person “borrowed” the album from me and never gave it back.
Best floorfiller?
Xy: Future – F**k Up Some Commas
Its needless to say that in the world of HipHop and Rap, Future is killing the game right now. Being one of the stand out tracks from his platinum album “DS2” it never fails to get people going nuts at a show. Simply put its slaps for the best part of 2.30 minutes.
Best crate dig?
Xy: Airto Moreira – Samba de Flora
After Sango dropped the long awaited follow up to “Da Rochina 2”, he put out a mini project of 3 tracks, one of which samples the song in question. Whilst on one of my deep searches of youtube looking for rare mp3’s etc, I came across this track by Airto Moreira. At the time I thought it sounded familiar then almost in the same moment It clicked, this is the sample from “F.L.O.R”. I felt like a boss because, I actually came across it through another artist called Fora Purium (shout out Earl Sweatshirt for putting me up on game) and this was one of the related tracks so It mede me feel like I was on a similar sample digging level to Sango.
Sleaziest record?
Robbie: Danny Brown – I Will
We have an edit of this in our set which is simply amazing. Danny Brown is downright sordid on ‘I Will’ – It’s a classic hip hop ode to giving oral pretty much – but we play a version that layers his wickedly gross vocal with some glistening synths and deeper 808s, which gives it this perverse kind of future-RnB feel.
Most nostalgic record?
Robbie: Portishead – Dummy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkjV3-9Rrag
It sounds pretty pretentious, but Portishead, along with Massive Attack and DJ Shadow are enormously influential on the Soundcloud scene – even though most producers we fuck with won’t know it. Portishead were my favourite band growing up. Even though I didn’t fully understand what I was listening to, Geoff Burrows was bringing hip hop and American underground music to a UK DIY aesthetic – which I think still lives on today through Brainfeeder and Stone’s Throw and the like, but also with the bedroom producers from the Soundcloud Scene.
Most valuable record?
Robbie: Sango – Da Rocinha 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBwmDGh7K6U
Sango is one of the most successful and popular producers to come from the Soundcloud scene other than Kaytranada and Mr Carmack. We were fortunate enough to meet him in London earlier this year, when I interviewed him for Clash Magazine. I took down the sleeve from a first press I have of his Brazilian inspired Da Rochina 2, and the lad signed it. I was gassed.
Weirdest record?
Xyrenn: Arca – &&&&&
Simply put, this album is like taking a plunge into a deep deep acid trip. Don’t believe me, Listen for yourself.
Last record you bought?
Robbie: MssingNo – Fones EP
XL records are low-key starting to catch on to the Soundcloud beat movement. They’ve released EPs from both Sam Gallaitry and MssingNo this year. The Fones EP from MssingNo is literally different to anything I’ve heard before, with some really dark grime-inspired stuff. There’s been bare records out since then but I’m basically just waiting for that Frank Ocean vinyl money.