Digital goes underground

PhatFunk, Bangkok's dedicated drum and bass club night, returns with a bang tonight as co-founders Azek, DeLorean, Instinct and Orawan bring in three renowned DJs – Digital, Dave Owen and Calculon – to man the decks at Glow.

Digital, whose real name Stephen Carr, is one of the UK’s best-respected and inspirational drum and bass producers with a career spanning 18 years and a seminal catalogue of original and innovative releases to date. His signature bass-lines and radical dubbed-out sounds reach back to his childhood and seeing his father run his own sound-system for nearly 30 years. It wasn’t long before Digital had a sound-system of his own. In 1991, with the rave scene growing in and around Ipswich, he started to hire-out his system to various promoters and creating his own sounds.

Throughout his long, illustrious career, Digital has released on pretty much all major drum and bass record labels, from Goldie’s Metalheadz to Commercial Suicide, 31 Records, CIA and Exit. He is also featured on the much-awaited Metalheadz’ “Platinum Breakz Vol. 4” compilation series scheduled for release later this month. 

Digital’s discography has had so many cuts that still stand the test of time, including the mighty “Deadline” on 31 Records to the monstrous hits “Waterhouse Dub” and “Gateman”. He released his debut LP “Dubzilla” on Function in 2002 and has been constantly on the road ever since. 

San Diego-based Calculon aka Nikolai Bordokoff is set blow you away with his deep liquid drum and bass. His gargantuan beats have been destroying dancefloors for a decade, pushing the envelope at jungle, juke and hardcore parties around the globe. Classic tracks like “Cucaracha”, “Back the F**k Up” and most-recent hit “Larchmont” have been played on BBC Radio 1 and by dance music superstars like Fracture, Om Unit, Toddla T and even Digital. 

American spinner Dave Owen’s drum and bass sets are praised for their subtle and refreshing mix of soul and funk. Over the past few years, the New York-based Owen has risen to become one of the most highly sought-after drum and bass producers in the US. His soulful sensibilities have caught the attention of the genre’s upper echelon including LTJ Bukem, Fabio, Grooverider and John B. 

With regular airplay on BBC Radio 1xTra shows and support from a growing list of the scene’s heavyweights, such as Bailey, A-Sides, Makoto and Crissy Criss, Owen is on track to make even larger strides.

“Digital is a friend and he is a true legend in the drum and bass scene,” Azek enthuses. 

“We tried to book him a few years ago but the party got cancelled last minute so we just went on holiday to Phuket instead. But now the chance has finally come up! As for Dave Owen, he and Calculon are working together quite a lot. We really love their sound, which ranges from really jazzy and funky to deep liquid. We have been playing their music for years so we thought it would be great to see them live in Bangkok. Between the three of them, they will be playing most of the night so except fresh, exciting new music all night and a lot of exclusives.

“It’s great to see PhatFunk growing steadily. We have been booking more and more international DJs since beginning of 2013 and for 2014 we have an impressive rooster of drum and bass artists in the pipeline, from commercial heavyweights to really intelligent new blood. Stay tuned for some tasty bookings!” 

 

 

Hit the decks

>> PhatFunk party is tonight from 10pm at Glow on Sukhumvit Soi 23, close to MRT Sukhumvit and BTS Asoke. 

>> Entry is Bt400 with one drink. Brings your ID. More at http://PhatFunkBangkok.com