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House call
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by JACK OATMON Artists like the U.K.’s Kye Gibbon, aka Foamo, underline just how encompassing and swift house music’s permutations and transformations tend to be. A classic 1987 Chuck Roberts sample—which notably appeared on late-’80s Chicago tracks like “My House” by Rhythm Controll and “Can You Feel It” by Mr. Fingers—says, “Once you’ve been to my house, it then becomes our house and our house music, because house music is a universal language spoken and understood by all.” A genuine specimen of this phenomenon, 21-year-old Gibbon recently wandered into the house, like a lot of young Brits, with baggage consisting of finicky U.K. garage and pitch-bent, distorted dubstep. The resulting, newly minted variant of house, called bassline or fidget, has exploded and put mixes by young cats like Gibbon on the dials at BBC Radio 1 and just about anywhere you click in blog land. Kye Gibbon: My parents are well into their music, so I grew up in a house that had a lot of music. I was about 13 when I got into dance music though. My mate was playing me a Micky Finn drum & bass tape, and I was fascinated by it. I was sort of a strictly drum & bass, dubstep and grime head through most of my teen years. It was only a couple of years ago that I got into house music, when I discovered that there was more to the genre than just girly, funky house and chilled-out stuff. Mirror: How did the BBC Radio 1 mix on Rob da Bank come about? KG: My first exposure on Radio 1 was when Kissy Sell Out played one of my tracks on his show. Then a couple of other DJs started playing my tracks. I think the DJs on Radio 1 must speak to each other a lot, recommending artists, as it was kind of out of nowhere that I got asked to do a mix. A week later, I got asked to do a mix on London’s Kiss FM too. I really enjoy doing radio mixes. It’s a chance to show off what you can cram into the airtime you’ve been given. M: I know you’re a relatively young guy. How does that affect your experience as a producer and DJ? KG: I still feel like I’ve got a lot to learn. But I’m excited about trying new things and improving as a producer and DJ. I think I need to work on my confidence as a producer. About 80 per cent of the remixes I get given, I never end up finishing. I give up too easily! M: Any predictions for 2009, musically or culturally? KG: No idea! Music moves so fast nowadays. Up-and-coming artists can get exposure so easily. You don’t need a massive record deal to get heard, all you need is someone with a blog to post a track of yours, and thousands will hear it. I enjoy searching for new music, and stuff that’s a bit different to what I normally play. WITH NU RAVERS ON THE BLOCK, |
