WRECK IT UP CREW SUMMER 2013 MIX-FULL CREW: GADMAN/U B NICE/DJ ELI/MARK PROFESSOR/JUNIOR KICKSTART by Wreck It Up Crew on Mixcloud
Check out our good pal (Dj/Producer) Wrongtom interviewing the legendary selector David Rodigan for FACT TV about his career. Fascinating to hear a different style interview with David and some great questions different from the usual. A brilliant in depth film with these two extremely knowledgeable music heads about Reggae music and the great stories surrounding the genre.
Make sure you check out all three parts to this interview
Eli was born in Willesden Green, an area synonymous with a Reggae music. He was brought up in a house sandwiched between two Jamaican families that would pump out the heavy sounds through huge speakers that seemed bigger than wardrobes. His parents, who also collected vinyl, would also draw tunes from their own extensive Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady vinyl collection and play them on the front room sound system-the focal point of the house in the days before computer games and the internet.
The sweet Rocksteady, Ska and early Reggae tunes would thump out from the speakers and these heavy tunes provided the soundtrack to his childhood. He naturally became a collector of vinyl, begging, stealing and borrowing tunes to subsequently become a Dj before he was even old enough to play in clubs. He thrives on the constant discovery, the wealth of tunes, versions, sub-genres etc associated with the music. He started the Wreck It Up Crew in 2009 partly for nostalgia and partly to play great music in clubs to the masses. Assembling the crew from members of the different strands of the London reggae scene who all slowly magnetised towards each other through the original mid-week monthly session at Brick Lane’s 93 Feet East and then onto the current saturday residency ‘Bangarang’ at Strongrooms that is going on strong and sees the concrete line-up of the crew we see today. Wreck It Up on top til the very last drop.
Junior Kickstart has been playing records at an annoyingly loud volume since he was a child in the early 1980s. Amongst the discs on ‘heavy rotation’ as it’s trendy to say amongst DJs these days were records by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, and, ahem, Bad Manners… It’s reasonable to say the seeds of Ska and Reggae were planted in his mind at an early age, and years later inspired him to seek out tunes from the originators, which he has been spinning as a member of the Wreck It Up Crew, since 2010.
Junior Kickstart (aka Boogaloo Tramp) first got behind the decks back in the year 2000, as a founder member of Derby’s ‘Bert’s Apple Crumble’ club, playing a mixture of 1960s R&B, Soul, Garage, Psych, Mod Jazz and Funk. This led to guest spots at similar clubs around the midlands, and also at Southsea’s famous ‘Hipshaker’ club, where since 2002, he has been a regular fixture. In 2006, Hipshaker were asked to host a fifteen hundred capacity tent at the Isle Of Wight Festival, and Mr Kickstart has played there every year to date as part of their team, doing his own standalone spots (playing Funk and Soul as well as Reggae) and supporting the residents.
When the offer of being a full time member of the Wreck It Up Crew came about (having guested at their Brick lane sessions numerous times), it seemed the ideal chance to be part of something positive (and going places) with musically like minded individuals… so of course he said yes. Style wise, Junior favours the foundation sounds of Reggae, be that Ska, Rocksteady, organ driven 1969 Boss Reggae and 1970s Roots and Dub… which compliments other crew members sets perfectly.
The name, in case you are wondering and are too young to know, again comes from his childhood. ‘Junior Kickstart’ was a TV progam in the 1980s about motorcycle trials riding for kids… and this name was adopted as a sort of tongue in cheek reference to Reggae stars like Junior Byles, Junior Murvin and Junior Delgado. So now you know…
As well as Wreck It Up and their monthly gig ‘Bangarang’, JK’s alter ego ‘Boogaloo Tramp’ can be found spinning the tunes monthly at Shoreditch’s ‘Butter Yo’ Popcorn’ (Funk, golden age Hip Hop) and bi-monthly at Finsbury Parks ‘Black Cat’ (R&B,Soul), as well as the aforementioned Isle Of Wight Festival. Come down and say hello… just don’t ask for any Bad Manners…
U B Nice the man of many names, guises and talents. The versatile freestyle rap champion can be found spitting lyrics and singing sweet smooth vocals in many different environments from funk to reggae. Originally a hip-hop artist he headed up the legendary F9s crew who released an album (The F9s are a Hip-Hop Band) on seminal UK hip-hop label Kold Sweat. As well as being a member of the Wreck It Up crew he can be found with fingers in a heap of pies including many appearances on the Morpheus Soul show in his Lyrickal guise. Early on U B Nice was well known on the Rap Battle circuit with his versatility as an MC, Beatbox and Vocalist. He is an encyclopedic lyrical genius with style and humour to match. He is a real crowd pleaser and always relevant with a nice mix of conscious lyrics alongside his brilliant sense of humour. If you have seen him at our Bangarang night you will know, if you haven’t check him on youtube.
You can also catch U B Nice as a resident at funk/hip-hop night Butter Yo Popcorn also at Strongrooms where we hold Bangarang.
WRECK IT UP CREW T-SHIRT AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE-CLICK ON PAYPAL LINK IN SIDEBAR
As seen in the latest Wrongtom Meets Deemas J video ‘Superteng’ and around the town, the t-shirts that have been selling like hotcakes at our monthly dance Bangarang are now available online. They are fantastic quality fruit of the loom limited edition screenprinted shirts with a 30 x 30cm print of our logo and are available direct from us with one click on the paypal button in our sidebar.
Check out the latest video from our good pals and regular collaborators Wrongtom meets Deemas J. It accompanies their latest single ‘Superteng’ the second release from their Tru Thoughts album Wrongtom Meets Deemas J in East London. It features Deemas ending up being beaten up by Wrongtom’s mum and made to do the washing-up. In the video Deemas represents the crew in one of our popular t-shirts.
They are currently on a mini tour, hitting up Reggae Roast at the Faversham in Leeds tonight, with a live band tomorrow night at Skylarkin’ Soundsystem at The Cellar in Oxford and on Saturday night they join us at our monthly night Bangarang at Strongrooms in Shoreditch, check out the facebook event for more details:
Daddy Gadman is also one of the main MC/Toasters at Jah Tubbys World Sound System. In the late 80s and early 90s he released a string of hits on Jah Tubbys seminal Y&D label including: “Miniskirt”, “Get Lively”, “Mi Na Ramp”, “Don’t Get Paro”…The legendary Gadman is one of the Wreck It Up Crews MCs and can set any dance alight with pure style and lyrics.
2013 sees the release of his first material for a few years produced by his old Y&D label mate Sugar Dee. The Conscious Time Ep sees 4 tracks: two reworkings of Daddy Gadman classics “Don’t Get Paro”, “Rock Dem Body” and two brand new offerings “Words of the Prophets”, “Conscious Time” as well as the dub versions. The Ep is available to purchase and download from Amazon and iTtunes.
Mark Professor has been collecting vinyl in abundance since 1979. As a child he would walk home from school instead of catching the bus, purely to save enough money to buy records! His vast collection now numbers more than 20,000 discs.
Professor’s passion for music led him to form a sound system of his own called the Nightlife Experience, which was based in North-West London. He is also a member of the roots sound Stereocity (a reggae subsidiary of the Soca Saga Boys) and in recent years joined the Wreck It Up Crew as a selector and MC. Mark Professor is a natural on the mic; his toasting style always gets the crowd going.
Mark has a particular love of the 7” record format, his catchphrase being “small ones are more juicy”! Being a member of Stereocity however, Mark has also had the opportunity to cut dub plates with a heap of legendary reggae artists such as Al Campbell, Earl 16, Errol Dunkley, Little Roy, Marcia Griffiths, Max Romeo and Prince Allah.
Over the years Professor has promoted a number of successful club nights such as the Reference Library (with Andrew Ibi), Trojan Explosion (with Texas Ranger) and the The Drop In a monthly record fair for collectors based at Juno in Shoreditch.
Despite his reputation as a formidable reggae DJ, Professor is adept at playing in a round trip style, leaving no musical stone unturned. As well as being a main selector and MC with the Wreck It Up he is currently a resident DJ at the monthly Just For The Record sessions at The Heritage Inn in Cricklewood, North West London. 2013 will also see the emergence of Mark Professor as an recording artist with a forthcoming single ‘Mi Oi Star Card’ out on Rongo Rock, run and produced by DJ/Producer Wrongtom.
BRAND NEW BANGARANG
Spring/Summer 2013 sessions every 1st sat of every month at Strongroom Bar. 120-124 Curtain Road, Shoreditch- Nearest Stations: Old Street, Liverpool Street, Shoreditch High Street.
May the 4th sees The Wreck It Up Crew joined by extra special guests, good friends and Tru Thoughts recording artists Wrongtom and Deemas J, more details to follow
