SBK Recordings touches down at Neck of the Woods for the first Auckland label night and the first North Island Release Party with a stacked line-up of new talent and established names;
featuring
HOUND (WGN)
REFLECT REACTION (DUN)
CHISEL (CHC)
RHYAS
SHORTBALL (CHC)
DISLOCATE
OB:VERSE
DVS
QUANTUM
CODEM
HOSTED BY MC ROLEX
NECK OF THE WOODS
155B Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
10PM - 4AM
ROAR
SBK006: HOUND - Pressure Point / Amnesia
HOUND BIOGRAPHY
Lucas Iles aka HOUND is a Drum and Bass producer and DJ originally from Christchurch with a unique style and presence to his productions.
Hound brings a set of tightly produced original tracks to the forefront of his live sets while showcasing his wide range of influences and inspirations.
SBK006 is his first label release, and at 20 years of age there is great intrigue over what the future might hold for HOUND.
SBK RECORDINGS
For those that don’t know SBK stands for ‘Subz n Breakz Kru’.
Established in 1999 in a student flat in Pine Hill over looking the Dunedin city lights, SBK is one of Aotearoa’s longest standing drum & bass collectives, and includes members Phacta (Woosh), Caustic (Rhyas), R-Type, Adz, Kali, Webb (Luca) and MC Buddha B (Beau).
The Kru laid the foundations for urban breakbeat music in the Deep South, hosting the biggest names in global and national Drum & Bass along the way, and creating a blueprint for the development of the movement in the region.
SBK Radio show ’Subz n Breakz’ clocked up 10 years on then B-Net station Radio One in Dunedin, and distributed mixtapes (yes actual tapes!) throughout the New Zealand.
++ Keep in mind in those early years drum and bass was only obtainable on vinyl. The legends at Subtronix were the NZ source, and a select number of record stores acted as tributaries.
The internet played virtually no role in advertising or distribution. It truly was an underground phenomenon, and SBK were at the forefront of a contingent of NZ junglists spreading the new sound. ++
(( Naturally at this point we have to say:
MAXIMUM RESPECT goes out to each and every DJ, MC, promoter, and ALL the Headz hat shared that journey with us. We have seen a generation of you come and go, yet we still fondly remember those formative years; and such memories remain at the core of what we do today. ))
So the Kru played across the country from the smallest clubs to the biggest festivals, which might seem somewhat ordinary today, but this was in an era where very few ‘above ground’ festivals even had DJs.
Interestingly there was even a ban on DJs at some University Orientations … “sorry live music only”… and some nightclubs would allow only hip hop, house or techno.
This created the impetus for self run, self promoted underground warehouse raves (which turned out to be hella fun! ). As popularity grew drum and bass became being more widely accepted at local clubs. SBK began hosting club nights, as well as DJ & production competitions, and even ran an annual mini festival known as ‘Crave’ at Longbeach attracting over 2000 people at it's peak.
By 2007 Drum & Bass had well and truly blown up across NZ and the focus for SBK was fast moving to production. The SBK Recordings concept came into fruition with first release, a 5-track EP, named ‘Enter The Blue’ by Vanadis.
The EP featured collaborations with Pacific Heights and Cern and was playlisted across the B-Net and student radio stations.
‘Enter The Blue’ also received support from respected names such as Klute (Commercial Suicide), DJ Presha (Samurai), Big Bud (Good Looking), Sabre (Ivy Lab) and Patife to name a few.
The EP focussed on a deep and subtle sound that at that time was rare in the New Zealand production scene.
By 2010 as Woosh & Webb (Vanadis) each moved to different parts of the country ( and then subsequently to different parts of the globe), they individually moved on to different musical projects:
Nightshade (Woosh) and Luca (Webb)... both finding success in their respective fields.
Then it wasn’t until 2017 that the duo reconnected again, this time in the UK, and the motivation to relaunch the SBK Imprint re-emerged.
Fast forward to present time, the label has been relaunched during a global pandemic (wtf!), and penned an additional 5 releases with many more on the way.
The back catalogue is fast becoming a diverse and delectable snapshot of underground drum and bass in Aotearoa.
No gimmicks, no bullshit, no bandwagoning.
Or as the First Lady of Drum and Bass DJ Storm described a recent SBK release:
“straight up DnB”
Coming up next on the label we have a flurry of EPs from emerging artists such as Chisel, Hound, T-Flexx, and Surveillance, along with full length albums from Habit and Reflect Reaction.
Couple that with following ongoing programs ~
Submerge Series - subtle and soulful drum & bass
Spectrum Series - full spectrum drum & bass flavours
Simmer Series - dubwize drum and bass and jungle
Scope Series - electronic explorations and half time
~ it’s clear to see with all things SBK there will be no slow to the flow, you know !!!