Chums n Bass

Cardiff drum and bass has come back from the brink, and back to the kids and the futures more than rosy. Itchy catches up with new-skool messiah Drone1 and his revolutionary Aperture project.

Full-on aural-assault monster, or chilled-out Ipod beats-fodder? Drum and bass just cant make its mind up. The various splinter-genres which have characterised its development since the early noughties have seen the sub-bass butter spread ever more thinly over the junglistical toast and the dancefloor has lost considerable weight around the hips as a result. Cardiffs once-vibrant scene witnessed particularly astonishing results from d&bs sonic SlimFasting in 2005, due to a similar exercise in purging where the capitals dance venues were concerned. Clubbers mainstay The Emporium and the cavernous Vision 2K were headline casualties in a belt-tightening year which saw closures galore and a crackdown on fire regulations to boot an ill-timed, council-implemented manoeuvre which reduced the capacities of many surviving clubs. Lean times ensued for the discerning junglissimo, and it was about to get even leaner

Rewind a mere two years, and Cardiffs d&b playground was as perky as one of those little fat kids in Club Bar adverts. The chocolate, and the biscuits, were plentiful. Jump-up d&bs bass thuggery crunked happily alongside  Liquid d&bs mellower beat-chic the scenes two main arteries pumping in harmony via longstanding nights Bulletproof, Silent Running, and Enthusiasm. Scratch the needle painfully across the record back to 2006, however, and suddenly it was tumbleweeds, rather than jungle DJs, that were providing the towns most rumpshaking phonic action.

Where did it all go wrong? A man named Dave Shaw knows better than anyone. Having long stood deep in Cardiffs d&b trenches with muddy water up to his knees, in fact the local artwork guru, better known as the elusive Drone1, has witnessed the bizarre stagnation of his beloved scene direct from the front line. As suitable venues have vanished, so all consistency has evaporated. The feeling of community spirit seems to have faded and we have been left in a swamp of soulless cocktail bars built on binge drinking and cheap music. Drone1s astute remorse is borne of notable pedigree. Creator of record sleeves for Cardiffs original drum and bass princeling High Contrast, and with his own successful clothing line to match, the graphic design wizard and photographer is best known for the striking artwork which has adorned several of the capitals premier promotions in recent years. Now his deft hands are working to steady Cardiffs wayward ship: as a promoter and one with a whole new gameplan.

Piling the pounds back onto the dancefloors ailing midriff began back in January, when the ribs suddenly poked through harder than ever. With nearly every other major night having folded by the end of 2005, weekly liquid bash Enthusiasm held at Mill Lanes stylish Moloko bar abruptly became the final and most significant victim. Four years in the making, and home to the golden boy High Contrast, the Hospital Records-sponsored jamboree boasted the best midweek d&b stomp anywhere in the country. Live visuals, a sprinkling of hip-hop, lineups littered with international stars, and a loyal crowd: the jewel in Cardiffs jungle crown was bona fide infectious material. And then unfathomable disaster. A swift change of ownership at Moloko ushered in a new, streamlined music policy in keeping with the councils growing preference for straight-up watering holes and that was that. With its departure from the bar appearing imminent, Enthusiasms founding father Al Power decided to pull the plug.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, it was Drone1 who was instrumental in the evolution of Enthusiasms rammed-to-the-rafters reputation: I was involved with Enthusiasm almost from its inception, first of all as a fan, and subsequently as a graphic designer for Moloko itself. I hooked them up with Hospital Records and brought through the first Hospitality (the labels legendary night at Londons Heaven nightclub) to ever take place outside of London. Ever innovative and resourceful, Drone1s commitment finally extended beyond the lifespan of the night itself deciding that Cardiffs now-barren d&b wasteland needed a brand new space carved into it, and immediately so too.

Cue: Aperture. Not simply a new night, but a revolutionary and much-needed shot in Cardiffs drum and bass arse. Drone1s aptly-entitled project is a unique, grass-roots antidote to an ailing formula, blowing d&bs traditional two moody residents and an all-too-familiar headliner motif out of the water. Apertures rationale is to put the emphasis strictly on pushing local talent, creating an affordable platform for over 20 DJs, MCs, VJs and producers (including many outstanding new female artists) to feel part of a committed and talented residents crew. The collective contains Wales original d&b heroes High Contrast and Cujo at its head, and its next generation of stars alongside. Crucially, our aim is for Aperture to allow important future producers and performers to get out there and air their work when previously they would have had little chance of securing a residency.

While the concept is immaculate, its execution has been decidedly and unsurprisingly fraught. The last nine months have seen Drone1 keep the flag flying almost singlehandedly, through notable trial and tribulation. Following on at Moloko directly after Enthusiasms exit, Aperture was as expected soon ousted by the bars new powers-that-be. Undaunted, Drone1 immediately struck a deal with a venue that had never even smelled drum and bass before: Cardiffs dungeon-esque emo thrashpit Metros. Despite, however, beginning with a bang just as at Moloko ensuing complications soon saw Aperture homeless again, for the second time in mere weeks. At this point Dave Shaw could have been emphatically forgiven for giving up the ghost. But, in the wake of Enthusiasms demise, a silver lining is what the man had promised. It is precisely what Cardiff got.

Throwing his hat into the ring for a final time, Drone1 finally secured a permanent monthly residency for Aperture at the spiritual home of Cardiff dance music: Clwb Ifor Bach. Triumphantly relaunching this August in the legendary venue the club where it all began for the young High Contrast himself Aperture continues to claw Cardiff drum and bass back onto the map on the first Thursday of every month. Drone1 also continues to accept demos and to add to the crew every week. With innovation and dedication of such calibre, Cardiff d&b may just yet come full circle not just back to the kids, but back to the masses too. The futures bright. The futures Aperture.

www.myspace.com/apertureuk

Words: Ewen Cook