Another year has almost come to an end, and as we prepare ourselves for the mighty sounding '2020', and hoping for things to only get better for all of us, we are super excited to share with you our last Dubplate feature of this year. One of the kindest souls we've come across and someone who is nothing short of a legend in the music industry - Spikey Tee. With almost 30 years of vested dedication to Raggae, Neo-Soul, Hop-Hop, and Jungle - Drum & Bass, he remains a pinnacle figure for the underground sound community. As a vocal artist, master of ceremonies and ISC awarded songwriter, his upfront stage presence has allowed him to host stages around the globe, for artists such as LTJ Bukem, DJ Marky, Morcheeba and many others. As a DJ, he has toured around the globe, with innumerable festivals in a bunch of countries. Spikey Tee's back catalog roots itself deep within sound system culture, with releases with Congo Natty, Liquid V, True Playaz, East Side Recordings etc.
Read on to know him a little more and what his near future plans are, and do not forget to hit play and listen to this funky mix he has put together, exclusively for us and our audience. Remember to support, share and show some love.
1. Starting at the age of 13, pioneering the UK Hip Hop scene and watching drum & bass grow at the same time. How would you like to describe your journey after completing 25 years in the industry? A - If we are to count all of the years I've been involved in music publicly we're talking 30 plus years now and the journey has had it's highs and lows as to be expected in life. On pioneering the UK Hip Hop scene I'd say I was a fortunate participant during those formative years, but the journey is ongoing so we'll see where the twists and turns will take me. 2. You have MC-d with some of the biggest names in the drum & bass scene. How was the transition from DJing into MC-ing for you? A - Again, I'm very fortunate to have had several opportunities to work with some great producers and bands throughout my career to date, but I've always done both because the many facets of music have always fascinated me so it wasn't a transition as such.. Just growing into each skill set and trying to maintain and improve to be honest. 3. Your first solo album this year. Early thoughts on the album? A - Yes My first solo album after years of features and giving to bands so it's a bit of a change to be doing something of my own with the help of some great producers. To work with Jim Dunloop and Suff Daddy was great and to work with Mark Pritchard, A Sides, Ritual and Wai Wan again is something I wanted for this record, also to work with an amazing talent in Setwun warmed the cockles of my heart. My thoughts? I just hope it resonates with who comes into contact with it. 4. You have seen the drum & bass scene grow over the years. What are your thoughts on the current scene and how you look at the genre considering the future? A - Watching the music evolve over the years has been interesting to see how many sub genres have split off the one thing. The current scene is a kind of see saw in my eyes, there are lots of people who defend one style of the genre and many peope who can embrace the broader spectrum. I do however take offence to some bright spark somewhere coming up with DnB pop. This is not a pop genre. There has also been some disappointing racism from certain corners and it is good to see the community rail againts this element because DnB and music in general is about unity. The future is healthy because there are a lot of very talented producers and DJs out in the world who love this music. 5. What’s 2020 looking like? We’ve also heard that you are working on creating [and curating] a festival somewhere. So, what is planned for the forthcoming months?A - 2020 is looking like a different picture because I have the album coming out so am looking to focus on my other life again as it has been a while since working in a band setup. You heard correctly about the festival, the event is going to be held in Jamaica and we're working on delivering a great experience for DnB lovers around the world. I'm going to be touring New Zealand from new year's eve until the end of January, heading back to Jamaica, planning a spring trip to the states, a booking agent in Berlin is hatching a plot for shows for the record and Boomtown Festival have confirmed for August... Here's me saying I want to work less haha. 6. Your five favourite tunes of all time? A - Now this is a hard one because there are so many that I love, but I'll pluck a few. Shape your mind to die – Leon Thomas Paradise – Leroy Hutson Warm – Change Love has found it's way – Dennis Brown Chase Scene – Ram Trilogy. • Follow Spikey Tee - Facebook | Soundcloud | Beatport | Instagram
Tracklist 1] Spikey Tee - Fuckry - (unreleased) 2] Samurai Breaks - Anti Social Club - Halogen Music 3] Hathor - Harm Attempt - Silent Dust/None60 4] Samurai Breaks - Loose Control - Halogen Music 5] Sam Binary & Deviant - Traverse - In Reach Records 6] Fuj - Cordon - Translation Recordings 7] Alibi - Vintage - V Recordings 8] Adzzy - Alternate Universe - Monk Audio UK 9] DJ Trace & Emery feat Sofia Mari - Elation - V Recordings 10] Dramatic & Command Strange - Try To Understand (L Side Remix) - Planet V 11] Kiat - Stranger Things - Function Records 12] Ewol & Nami - Enemy Is The Timeline - Plasma Audio 13] Mystific - Had It All (Simplification Remix) - Liquid Flow 14] Nautic - FBM (Original Mix) - Profound Beats 15] Mystific feat. Zara Taylor - Try To Understand (Original Mix) - Just Lab Records 16] Sceptre - Physical Reality (Original Mix) - Forbidden Frequencies 17] Drumsound & Bassline Smith - Gods Never Die - Function Records 18] Taxman - All For Nothing (feat Diane Charlemagne - DnB remix) - Playaz 19] Taxman - Beyond The Black Rainbow - Playaz 20] Taxman - Telepathy (Original Mix) - Playaz 21] Need For Mirrors - Lambo - V Recordings 22] Drumsound & Bassline Smith - Everyman Remix - (Dub)
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