M&A #31: Muzzy

Muzzy has brought a new flavour to the Cambridge scene by providing Fez with huge sound systems and huger bass lines at Lift Up! (set up with friends Milly Corcoran and Amis (M&A #27 and #18)). Their arrival as promoters and DJs highlighted how important it is to have variety across the scene, and how much Cambridge had been crying out for some wubs to complement the unz-unz. UK bass, 4x4 garage and dub is what you'll find Muzzy playing most often, with a tight, garagey mixing style to complement the natural shuffle of the tunes he's blending. His set with Amis at ArcSoc on saturday was an absolute belter, and this mix beautifully captures some of that feel. Recorded the week earlier, it bounces between cutting, swung drum patterns, bass sounds that shake you to your core and powerful MC bars to form a dynamic patchwork of the current bass music landscape. Him and the Lift Up! crew are appearing tonight at Fleapit's 2nd birthday pary at Fez, but catch this mix first to get you ready to move.

How did you record the mix?

On a Pioneer DDJ - 400.

What were you trying to do with it?

Wanted to give a fairly good flavour as to what sort of music I like to mix!

You’re part of the Lift Up crew, what inspired you and your friends to start a night in Cam last year? How has it gone this year? And how did the Fleapit collab come about?

Honestly we were always talking about it for a while on nights out etc and never thought we could be organised enough to get the ball rolling. We weren’t really sure about the politics of nightlife in Cambridge but we soon realised starting a night here is surprisingly easy! So I’d recommend anyone who is chatting shit in the smoking area (like we did) about bringing garage/dub/bass to Cambridge to just go for it! 

This year has been so much fun! We haven’t had many exclusively “Lift Up” nights, other than the one last term, purely because of time. With external sound being a huge (if not defining) part of the whole brand, we often need months to plan an event and this term has been a bit hectic for all of us! Having said that, we have provided the music (as Lift Up Residents) for Varsity, which was probably a highlight ngl!

Very excited for the Fleapit Bday party and working with Isaac. We both love the Thursday Fez ritual (who doesn’t!), so really want to make this one pop.

You (and Finn and Milly) are big on mixing the kind of bass/dub, scratchy swung hats, MC vocal stuff you feature here. It sounds (at least to me) a lot harder to mix than a pumping, 4-to-the-floor techno set. What kind of things do you listen out for to blend together? Do you have to be mindful of the massive wubby basslines clashing? Or does it sort of happen more naturally? Just something you’ve got the feel for?

Yeah it’s a really good question. I think the main pull with garage is that you can get away with the mixes being quick and snappy because the tunes themselves are always so packed with wobbly goodness. And the clashing aspect is always a difficult one - you can find even if you beatmatch the two songs well enough it can still sound like a clanger, so as a rule of thumb I’ll always try mix in key, try stick to one bassline (even with two tracks in the mix) and avoid layering two vocal tracks. But ultimately it’s about knowing the music as well as you can so you can predict when these clangers might happen!

How did you find yourself getting into this kind of Dubby music? What was your route into it/musical background?

My spotify playlist is around 2 years old so I look through and I can see stages of when my music kind of diverted or went on a tangent here and there. Ultimately it’s the fun of getting lost down rabbit holes and finding super weird tunes that might lead you on to something else etc. I also find people who don’t share my music taste also have a big part to play, so I’m not a believer in mainstream vs underground divide because who doesn’t love JLS.

How do you find new music? And do you categorise the new stuff? Genre, mood, energy?

I’d recommend having a youtube/soundcloud/spotify trinity because they always suggest really good stuff that scarily matches your music taste exactly.

I’m super disorganised so I have all my music basically on one playlist, and any DNB stuff in a separate one. Everyone has their own way; but I find having a fat playlist is more fun because you will often forget about the odd tune that you’ve added 6 months before that turns out to be FAT!

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

Who’s that Chick - David Guetta

What’s the last song you listened to?

K1 (5) - Hard Steppa

Who is your favourite producer/performer at the moment?

Metrodome

What is your go to tune to bring a party up/banger?

99 - DJ Q

What was the best party you’ve played?

Varsity!

What’s coming up for you in the future?

Arcsoc was last Saturday; Manchester event this easter; and other Lift Up related stuff!!

Muzzy's Tracklist:

HOT (COLD) - SYV.

Battle for Middle You - Julio Bashmore

Ghost Note - Hugo Massien

Way I Feel - Diemantle

Real Ryder - Zed Bias (Feat Trigga)

Acid Jackson - Boddika

Hugo Massien - Restart the Sun

Boomerang - Zed Bias (Feat Robbie Rue)

Check - Doctor Nick

Muhammad Ali - Scratcha DVA (feat Lady Lykes)

Weapon 97 (Taste of the Darkside VIP) - DJ Backspin.

Touchdown (Metrodome Refix) - Stylo G

Let Me Love You For Tonight (Borderline Jack’s 2 Step Mix) - Kariya

Death Rattle - LSDXOXO

Romantic Call - DJ Deller

Booo! (Dubaholics Numb Dumb Mix) - Sticky (feat Ms Dynamite)

Way in My Brain - SL2

Breadline (Tings are so Hard) (DJ Q Remix) - Madd Again!

Camels (DJ Zinc Remix) - Santos

Urban Hero - Jamieson

Go DJ - Jammin

Do Ya (Great Bass Mix) - Roger Ruff

Freedom - Ride it Riddims Vol 1

Jigga Up (Ring the Alarm!) - Zed Bias feat Juiceman and Simba

Standard Hoodlum Issue - ES Dubs

Righteous - RackNRuin

The Club - Ghost

Aloka - K1

Sex Machine - Diemantle

Bust Em Up (Slick Shoota Starts di Helicopta edit) - Crookers

Mind & Spirit (Breakage Remix) - Sam Binga (feat Rider Shafique)

Original Format - Watch the Ride & D Double E

Azzido da bass (MD Bootleg) - Dooms Night 

If We Ever (Unglued Remix) - High Contrast

Flashlight - Whiney (feat Inja)

Trinity - Alix Perez

Inferno - Bredren

Circles (Pola & Bryson Bootleg) - Adam F

Rudeboy Lovesong (Break Remix) - Shy FX (feat. Sweetie Irie and Cara Delevigne)

Badungeng (Diemantle remix) - Sleepin’ Giant