Features
SCENE SELECTION: UNKNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN
- Words
- Features
Want phreaked out dance music from the kinetic interzone where bassline, grime, garage and carnival house collide? Take a dive into the deep where Unknown To The Unknown marks out its territory, an area that's flecked with fizzy hints of psychedelia, haunted by the spirit of good ol' rave gone very wrong and shaken regularly by bastardised basslines that just won't quit humming.
The label is helmed by DJ Haus, who has assembled a highly skilled squadron of producers to navigate the way forward into underground dance music's future. He's enlisted DJ Q (Sheffield's bassline don), Walter Ego (who has a wicked way with warped bass sensibilities), LOL Boys (disjointed party nutters), DJ Stingray (a warehouse party muscleman) and a list of others who make tunes aimed right at the heart of the dance.
After a long series of quality singles and some hyper-addictive mix CDs, Mixmag collared DJ Haus to get the full story. We've got a high octane mix of Unknown To The Unknown tunes strictly for your pleasure as well as a Q+A with the man himself below. Get on it...
Unknown To The Unknown hosts a room at the Wifey and Wavey Tones warehouse party on Friday June 1. The new single from Walter Ego is out now.
UNKNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN MEGAMIX MIXED BY DJ FLASHING LIGHTS!
Palace - Armageddon
Hot City x Lol Boys - Whitney
Hot City x Lol Boys - Hot Boys
DJ Haus - The Hatch
Palace - Mandy
5kinandbone5 - Reset
Checan - HYTZ
Alias G - Delite Tonite
Unknown To The Unknown - Assassin
Dubbel Dutch - B Leave NGUZUNGUZU Remix
Nightwave - Night Heat (DJ WIlson Fast Mix)
Slackk - Polar Bear
Dubbel Dutch - B Leave
How, where and why did Unknown To The Unknown begin?
The general mechanics of setting up something online is pretty straightforward, so we have a lot of oppoutunities these days to realise our dreams, literally everyone is at it so this also means it's a lot harder to get noticed. If you don't, people don't give a shit, if you do, then people give your music away for free and u don't make any money.
People are calling this the end of the music industry, yet you have labels like R&S that has relaunched, even to the extent that they have relaunched Apollo Records too. Todd Edwards has just started his own label, after all these years?! I wonder why?
So yeah, it started on YouTube – unknowntotheunknown.tv – as a content generation project, not a record label. Labels are supposed to sell music, I post it on YouTube.
I also blog on dontwatchthat.tv, which is where all the videos go exclusive. It’s pretty much the best site on the internet for YouTube rips and original grime content.
How do you choose artists and what's the UTTU ethos?
When I started, it was predominantly a YouTube channel — posting cool tunes — so I guess the artists that originally were swapping tunes with me and generally being really cool dudes — DJ Stingray, Slackk, Capracara, Marcus Mixx — they were the inspiration to turn it into a label.
What's the best situation in which to listen to a UTTU release?
IN A CLUB! IN IBIZA! HIGH ON LOVE!
UTTU artwork is really distinct. Who does it and what goes into your art direction?
I’ve always thought of running a label as the next step on from having an obsession with buying records. You know, you obsess about all this music for so many years and then you just want to be more involved. And being able to shape how people receive music is really fun, you know, you hear a tune, and think, 'wouldn't it be great if it had a cover like this! and you make it.. Brilliant!'
At first I did all the art, music, mastering, distribution… The lot! But now I’m really lucky that people actually give a shit, so of course more people are involved. Peter Hellicar does a lot of the art. So does Kwistax, an amazing DJ from Belgium. And a great guy called Ronald, his next art for the DJ Stingray 12" is so hype!
What's next for the label?
Loads of new and exclusive music uploaded daily to unknowntotheunknown.tv - new music and remixes from Photonz, Shadow Dancer, Vin Sol, DJ Funk, Kodiak, Sinden and many more.
Comment
Recommendations
Archives for Features
- 2013(74)
- 2012(224)
- 2011(155)
- 2010(1)
- 2009(1)
