Playground Podcast 009 by Gon on Mixcloud

Great mix and interview from Gon courtesy of of Playground

Gary Spence has been playing and releasing records as T-Polar for nearly eight years.
As part Belfast’s Ecker Crew, he has been responsible for some big nights and big names in the town over the last few years. Most recently he’s put tracks out on Digital Distortions, Whisla’s garage label L2S and ‘Crab people‘ will be featuring on Surgeon’s forthcoming fabric mix.

Can you tell us abit about yourself and how you got into the music and djing ?

I’ve always had a passion for music but got even more passionate when I started getting to hear electronic stuff in 1993. I’ve been seriously into it ever since, starting with The Orb and early Warp releases. Somehow felt like I might be able to construct my own version if I had the right tools.

You have been releasing music since 2002, Whats your set up been like over the years ?
Do you want to talk about some of your tracks and how has your music progressed ?

My set up doesn’t change much, I started with a 16 track sequencing synth then moved on to a PC based studio. Ive made music that could fit into various sub genres over the years, microhouse, minimal, hiphop, ambient, soul, garage, etc etc. I think it keeps things fun and interesting making different shapes and sizes of tracks and satisfies the need to be creative. I would never stick to one style religiously, I listen to a wide range of music so am influenced to make a wide range. The only common thread might be that its all a little bit leftfield or surreal sounding. I’ve just finished a soul electronics series which is quite different to the previous releases on Digital Distortions and L2S.

Ecker has just finished up in the Menagerie.
Can you tell us abit about the night for those Who don’t get to Belfast ?

We were running for nearly three years and built up quite a following in the city, Theres Terry Keeley (Bloom), Paul McCarthy (De-Twist), Paul Shiels and myself and we play in and around garage, house, 2step, techno, bassline. We managed to build up a great atmosphere and following with guests like Submerse, Brackles, Gemmy, Warlock and Cutlass Supreme and there was always a great party vibe to everything. A lot of the night Terry Paul and myself would finish with a back to back to back half hour which always seemed to add to the night.

Who would win in a fight ? A Dozen of partially blind marmosets brandishing crossbows Vs.
72 megabats who are being assisted by a Tibetan sand fox.
Note: the monkeys only have 50 arrows

The megabats i think. Depends on a lot of other factors though. One Honey Badger would probably do well against either.

Any plans for the rest of the Summer ?

I’m playing at !Kaboogie on 30th July, its a launch night for the Defiance ep featuring Kansas City Prophets and myself. Theres a few releases to come out and the Surgeon Fabric mix featuring a track I put out at the end of last year. Also Ill be remixing Mothboy for Acroplane and working with the Ecker guys on our next step.

Whats you favourite kind of cheese ?

Anything but Gouda.

ids005: T-Polar

Tolcha vs Soom T – Send dem kids to war (Eva Be Remix)
Crookerz ft Kid Cudi – Embrace the Martian (Seiji Booty Mix)
Gremino – Problem
Hot City – Another Girl
Baobinga & Cosmin TRG – I Get Ruff
Jackal Youth – Bruk
T-Polar – Ghosts of Eckerville
T-Polar – Meet Rico (Ecker Bump remix)
T-Polar – Smokey and the Bandit
Para – Future
L-Vis 1990 – Change the Game
T-Polar – Down in Dingely Dell
Tolcha vs Soom T – Send dem kids to war (white dress fuck up)
Milanese – So Malleable (Cold Remix)
Altered Natives – Phantom Skank
Submerse – 2RU Groove
Ms Dynamite – It Takes More (Zed Bias Vocal Mix)
Rooflight – Harlem Power
Mandelbrot – Nervous-delay

We are all extremely proud, chuffed and made up for Standard cohort and fast metabolist Gon on his first release, a split EP between himself and Jamie Grind on the excellent Infrasonics imprint. For fans of  Pearson Sound, Hackman and Spatial himself  12″s are available now, grab it from one of the links below…

Phonica
Juno
Boomkat
Rough Trade
Amazon
Red Eye

Admission on the night is £5
Doors open from 9.30pm til late @ The Pavilion Attic Bar, 296 Ormeau Rd, Belfast.
http://www.myspace.com/apachesoundsystem

nuff said………..

http://www.jungle.me.uk/index.php?topic=8096.0

And upstairs in the mezz

http://www.jungle.me.uk/index.php?topic=8183.0

Third and best Ep so far from the Dublin crew.
Major Grave’s grime number gets the house treatment for Colz and Gon.
For the free download and all things Standard check here.

Great release also out this week from Rudimentary
Four strong tracks from Roughquest. Previews on SoundCloud.

Well worth the few pound if ya nab her here

Info here

This Friday info here

We head to the kingdom for ids004. The baton is passed to Kerry selector CJ Fitz.
He’s been spinning tech house and techno down in Kerry for over a decade aswell as gigs at Electric Underground, Viva, TEST, Electric City, won IDJ Magazine ‘Mixape of the Month‘ in October ‘07 and is now, slowly but surely trying to introduce dubstep to the natives.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into the music and DJ-ing ?

I started mixing on my brother’s decks about ten or twelve years ago and I eventually ‘borrowed’ them permanently from him. Then in 2002 I entered at DJ competition in Transmission, Tralee, and ended up winning it. From then on I became a regular spinner there, and that led to gigs in Cork, Dublin and Limerick. At the moment I’m living in Birmingham, studying to become a Sound Engineer, following the Villa all over the country, and struggling to get gigs.

Can you tell us a bit about the buzz below in Kerry and down south for anyone not familiar?

The buzz in Tralee has changed a lot in the last few years. Transmission nights aren’t as regular as they once were, and the sound that has replaced it isn’t really my thing. Transmission influenced me hugely, but now the love for proper house and techno in Tralee is pretty much gone and I’ve often actually got verbal abuse for playing less obvious music. People don’t understand the concept of the warm-up DJ actually having to ‘warm up’; they just want ‘banging tunes from the off.
There are a couple of decent nights in The Osborne pub, which is also in Tralee, but the majority of what in Kerry is cheese, regurgitated anthems, and hard house masquerading as techno.

Can you tell us a bit about the mix?

The mix is pretty much like any of my mixes; regardless of genre, its starts quite deep, and just builds and builds. I really like to try and keep a constant flow in my mixes; just keep upping the tempo bit by bit. I spent a lot of time gathering tunes for this mix, so I hope the flow and programming are spot on
The mix was recorded in one take, in my flat in Birmingham, using two 1210’s, an Allen & Heath Xone 42, and a combination of records and Traktor Scratch.

Who would win in a fight ?
Six partially blind Macaques one half  swinging nunchucks and the other three brandishing lengths of waven pipe VS. four snaggle toothed wolverines that only have the ability to move forward or backward along the tropic of Capricorn ?

Come here, I’m going to Life for the June weekend, and if you can get me a few grams of whatever you were on when you thought up that scenario, then I’d be most grateful!

What’s your favorite kind of cheese ?

I’m not really a huge cheese man, so I’d have to say a mild cheddar or mozzarella.

Can I just thank Matt Osborne for the use of his photo – you can find his work here:

ids:004 / CJ Fitz

Lysergene -ʻSub Ritualʼ / AREA
Thesis -ʻProgressoʼ / BASSWEIGHT
DFRNT -ʻDark Jazzʼ / ON THE EDGE
An On Bast -ʻUpon The Dew Dropsʼ Inanna & C Dubs mix / LA FOLIA
K3bee -ʻDark Whisperʼ / DUB CULTURE
Mala -ʻSinnersʼ / RINGO
Furesshu -ʻ1993ʼ / PROJECT SQUARED
Dark Arx -ʻBlood Veinʼ / DARK ARX
Asusu -ʻTogethernessʼ / IMMERSE
Distal -ʻAttempt At Yellowʼ /EMBASSY
Filtercutter -ʻ1upʼ Ramadanman mix / SVATLANA INDUSTRIES
Headhunter & Djunya -ʻEl Presidenteʼ / SUREFIRE SOUND
Instra:mental -ʻVicodinʼ / [NAKEDLUNCH]
Chasing Voices -ʻAcidbathoryʼ /CHASING VOICES
Marcel Dettman -ʻHomeʼ / OSTGUT TON
Furesshu -‘Horizons’ Asusu mix / IMMERSE
Kpk -ʻChill Winstonʼ / DUB:IOUZ
Blawan -ʻFramʼ / HESSLE AUDIO
Aqf -ʻIn The Bull Runʼ / AQF