[email protected] nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Free every month NIGHTSHIFT Issue 222 January Oxford’s Music Magazine 2014 OxfordOxford HipHip HopHop On the rise OXFORD DUPLICATION CENTRE [email protected] Office: 01865 457000 Mobile: 07917 775477 Supporting Oxfordshire Bands with Affordable Professional CD Duplication FANTASTIC BAND RATES ON ALL SERVICES Professional Thermal Printed CDs Full Colour/Black & White Silver or White Discs Design Work Support Digital Printing Packaging Options Fulfilment Recommended by Matchbox Recordings Ltd, Poplar Jake, Undersmile, Desert Storm, Turan Audio Ltd, Nick Cope, Prospeckt, Paul Jeffries, Alvin Roy, Pete The Temp, Evolution, Coozes, Blue Moon and many more... NIGHTSHIFT: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. Phone: 01865 372255 NEWS Nightshift: PO Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU Phone: 01865 372255 email: [email protected] Online: nightshift.oxfordmusic.net THE JERICHO TAVERN is among 18 independent venues taking part in the inaugural UK Independent Venue Week from 28th January to 2nd February. Like the annual National Music Store Week, the event hopes to raise awareness of the THE OXFORD RECORD small provincial live music venues that provide the launch pad for so many of the DVD & CD FAIR biggest bands. Other legendary venues St ALDATES PARISH CENTRE participating include Clwb Ifor Bach in 40 Pembroke St, St Aldates, OX1 1BP Cardiff; Fibbers in York; the Joiners in th nd Southampton; Tunbridge Wells Forum and Sat 4 January / Sat 22 February King Tut’s in Glasgow. Each venue will 10am-4pm host at least one show that week as part of the festival, which is being backed by PRS Rock/pop/jazz/soul/reggae/indie/all other genres For Music and BBC Introducing. Check Accessories/memoriabillia/books. THE OXFORD PUNT returns for out the shows lined up for the Tavern and Brand new and back catalogue/Rare Vinyl another musical trip round town in elsewhere at independentvenueweek.com. www.usrfairs.co.uk May. The annual showcase of unsigned Oxford talent takes place on Wednesday DAVE GRIFFITH releases his first book 14th May, featuring 20 or so acts at this month alongside an accompanying Flash Harry Sound Systems The Purple Turtle, The Cellar, The soundtrack CD. The former-Eeebleee and Compact & potent PA systems, Wheatsheaf, Turl Street Kitchen and Witches frontman is putting out `Sinister ranging from 1.5k to 5.5k The White Rabbit. A’ on Fourier Transform, the record label Bose Speakers, Chevin amplifiers, Bands or solo acts wanting to play at run by Nightshift scribe and Audioscope Midas Gold mixing desk. The Punt can submit demos, either by organiser Simon Minter. As well as the emailing links to online music (no sound book and CD, `Sinister A’ comes with three All the graphics, gates & compressors files, please) to nightshift@oxfordmusic. pieces of artwork by one-time Meanwhile, necessary to make your band net, or sending CDs to Nightshift, PO Back In Communist Russia frontwoman or event sound delicious. Box 312, Kidlington, OX5 1ZU. In both Emily Gray. You can order your copy Please contact James Serjeant cases, please clearly mark your demo direct from www.fouriertransform.com on 079 1914 7350 PUNT and include both phone and email or [email protected] contact details and a brief biog of the NOVEMBER’S AUDIOSCOPE raised band. Only acts from Oxfordshire may £1,500 for Shelter, taking the total the apply; you can’t apply if you played The annual mini-festival has raised for the Punt previously and, due to the licensing homeless charity to £27,000 since 2001. conditions of all the venues, only bands This year’s event, at the Jericho Tavern, Want to play aged over 18 will be eligible. Deadline for featured sets from Califone, Eat Lights demos is the 10th March, with the line-up Become Lights, The Grumbling Fur and The Punt? announced on the 15th. Esben & the Witch among others. As ever, a limited number of all-venue Punt passes will be on sale from February. USR HOST THEIR NEXT TWO Running since 1996, The Punt has OXFORD RECORD AND CD FAIRS previously given early exposure to bands on Saturday 4th January and Saturday 22nd such as Young Knives, Stornoway, Fixers February, both at St Aldates Parish Centre and Little Fish as well as Yannis and Jack on Pembroke Street. Visit www.usrfairs. from Foals’ first band Elizabeth, and Hugo co.uk for future dates. Manuel’s pre-Chad Valley and Jonquil band, The Modern, while last year’s AS EVER, don’t forget to tune into BBC event saw sets from Candy Says, Phil Oxford Introducing every Saturday night McMinn, Death of Hi-Fi and Agness Pike between 8-9pm on 95.2fm. The dedicated (pictured). local music show plays the best Oxford releases and demos as well as featuring SPRING OFFENSIVE preview songs interviews and sessions with local acts. The from their forthcoming debut album with show is available to stream or download as a one-off Oxford gig this month. The local a podcast at bbc.co.uk/oxford. favourites play at East Oxford Community Regularly updated local music news is Centre on Sunday 19th January, building available online at www.musicinoxford. up to the release of `Young Animal co.uk. The site also features interactive Hearts’, which the band have been reviews, a photo gallery and gig guide. financing through a Pledgemusic Nightshift’s online form is open to campaign. Visit www.pledgemusic.com/ all local music fans and musicians at Then you’d better be this cute. projects/springoffensive for more details. nightshift.oxfordmusic.net Wednesday 14th May Words and photo:Leo Bowder hop scene? Zahra, having been a part of both Zahra: “I’m trying to encourage Oxford’s band scene and a pivotal young people to get involved; I’m figure in the hip hop scene, does she sick of the generation that would think there is anything about Oxford Dig the new breed rather watch shit on YouTube than that lends itself to a particular Six local hip hop acts to watch out for... go and see a live gig. I’m sick of it strain of hip hop, and does she Oxford Hip Hop when you bring three wicked artists think Oxford could have its own SONOROUS down and its five quid to get in distinct sound or style of hip hop, One of the most lyrically astute young THINK OF “OXFORD MUSIC” Zara: “For me it’s spilt up into and it’s 14 plus… why are you not in the way that it tends to produce rappers in town, Sonorous’ laidback and what springs to mind? Maybe different bits: you got commercial there? So I try and put it on where somewhat academically-minded but steely delivery carries a conscious clever tunes made by intense young stuff that used to come out, like it would never be seen, and get kids rock bands? political edge, notably on his excellent gents with checked shirts, acoustic Tinchy Stryder, that I wouldn’t to go to somewhere they would Zahra: “I think Oxford hip hop `My Take On Things Chapter 2’, guitars or white Telecasters. really class as hip hop, but then never go, such as the Ashmolean. sits in a few different spaces. My th Perhaps worthy sorts with folky you’ve got people like Roots produced by 4 Dimension and So you get them to think outside observation of the scene over the airs. Hip-hop probably doesn’t. Manuva. There’s a really innovative mixing Native American samples and the box, to write about a painting, past few years is that there is a In fact the term Oxford hip-hop scene where people were mixing motifs into a spooked, wobbly electro and they came up with some pretty pocket for the backpackers, which almost seems like an oxymoron, an it up with dubstep and bands. I swoon that crests on stoned beats as amazing stuff. I’ve been in band tends to be a white middle class anachronism, but why should that love it where it really crosses over, Sonorous raps about… well, pretty since I was 14; we’d have wicked audience from the north of the city; be so? Hip hop is the most popular like Ghostpoet and Sound of Rum. much everything. gigs at the Zodiac where you’d a group of artists that make music genre in the world but urban music There’s hip-hop mixed with jazz know everyone. They all support solely for themselves and aren’t too in general only makes a small dent and weird experimental shit; I’d like JACK STACKS each other, you’d get excited about fussed with sharing but manage to in the local scene, with hip hop in to see more of that.” There’s a defiant but Nightshift and who’s on it next get a reasonable online audience; particular having its work cut out Astro: “Well, the US is really the fatalistic feel about Jack time. That’s where I’m coming the artists who are from the estates to make an impression. Perhaps it’s catalyst of it all, but it comes from Stacks’ narratives, which from, but I feel like there’s a lack of who have tremendous talent, lyrical because in the minds of many it’s Jamaica; lets be real, with Kool feel at home alongside unity [now] in the Oxford hip hop ability, flow and deliverance but intimately entwined with sunnier Herc, but the spirit of hip hop is the likes of Plan B or scene. I believe if we acted more tend to aspire to be a part of what I climes over the Atlantic; NYC in here right now.