6 of Auckland’s best DJs throw down in one of the city’s plushest yet unpretentious venues…the Ginger Minx.

The blitzen of Auckland, the one and only BOBBY BRAZUKA

The methodical yet charismatic DYLAN C

The UK’s best import to Aotearoa WENDY DOUGLAS

The unconquerable and definitely not inconsequential GRIND

The man at the head of the Beat Merchants Empire JASON HOWSON

and some dude who plays there every wednesday DAVE SEEKA

Best of all its FREE!

Quality beats in dope surroundings with the best cocktails around…

Worth making it out for…if theres only one thing you do this silly season…make it coming here. It will be fruitful. I promise.

What’s Down Low? Presents:

APPLEBLIM UK
Rufio (Truth)
JRed (Dubstep Central)
Insomniac
Chopdog
Knuckles

Thursday 17th December @ Double Drop / Double Happy

As an early xmas present there will be limited super-cheap $17 presales available from Cosmic Corner.

While currently and originally a Bristolian, Appleblim spent some time in London in ‘94. It was to prove influential: “‘the one’ really,� as he himself puts it, in his usual enthusiastic tone. “We just caught the bug: listening to the radio, finding out what was going on and picking up our first jungle tunes.� Like many of dubstep’s pioneers, be it Loefah, Burial or Kode9, Appleblim had caught the jungle bug and through it, developed a love of dub, bass and dark spaces that would keep him in good stead later. He learned to mix on a mate’s set of decks but thought little more of it. In fact the world might not have known more of Appleblim were he have not discovered a club called Forward>>, later to be recognised as the birthplace of dubstep, and a friend called Shackleton.

Appleblim and Shackleton shared a love of two things: percussive 2004 era dubstep like Digital Mystikz’ “Conference� (later released on Soul Jazz) and Berlin’s Burial Mix, the most overtly dubby label of the techy German bass and space pioneers, Basic Channel. Together Appleblim and Shackleton formed the unique Skull Disco label which became best known for releasing Shackleton’s, uniquely dark, paranoid and organic percussion jams. But while Shackleton was gaining recognition as a producer of uncompromising vision, Appleblim was quietly working on his direction as a DJ. “I’m not a creator in the same kind of way [as producer Shackleton],� he explains. “I’m more the person who carries tapes and records around to people’s houses, being the one sat next to the stereo going ‘oi, check out this!’ That’s what I feel like I’m still doing now.� Dubstep Allstars6: welcome to Appleblim’s personal stereo.

At the beginning of 2007, Appleblim, like many of the headz who have attended the club religiously only to turn into participants, got asked to play at the very space that had inspired him and Shackeleton, Forward>>. “It’s very strange going from being a raver who was there obsessively down the front to going to someone standing behind the decks. It’s definitely an honour: I’ve had countless epiphanies down there, so if I can give people a few of those then that’s my job done.�

While he plays down the role of sets in Bath where he first met fellow Bristolians Pinch, Peverelist and Blazey, and also the Skull Disco parties in Stoke Newington, Appleblim cites his opportunity to play at Forward>> as a turning point in his DJing. “Before that, I’d felt I’d either tried to fit too many or the wrong style into my sets. But I made a conscious decision to stick to my guns.�

Perhaps techno, like hardcore, will never die. Early dubsteppers were as influenced by it as the UK garage scene the genre grew out of, be it Horsepower and El-B’s love of Basic Channel, Artwork’s blatant Jeff Mills influence on “Basic G� or the warm tech of DJ Abstract’s “Touch.� But it’s certainly the case that Detroit and Euro techno’s influence on dubstep had at least moved to the background before Appleblim and friends began to gather momentum.

Now an entire sub-movement seems to be gathering pace underneath the dubstep umbrella. The boundaries between dubby techno and techy dubstep seem to have dissolved. The critical question is, however, will the upshot be more than or less than the sum of its parts? Are we headed for “dubstep� sets that are little more than rigid 140bpm techno? Will it become totally clean formless e-lead headspace, with the edge, the rude awakening of the urban bass injection lost? Appleblim is unconcerned.

“I think there’s a lot of genre blurring going on,� he explains “and there is a sort of a danger that it will become 140bpm techno, but the answer is [that] it needs to retain some funk and swing. Having said that I try to just view great music as great music, and always have, so that I might play a tune by a ‘dubstep’ producer that sounds essentially like a ‘techno’ tune… in the end, if it moves you it moves you…�

Back by popular demand, Silk Cuts presents the last Beat Merchants event of 2009:

After the success of the first event, Beat Merchants takes you to 4:20 for the full club experience.
A night of no-id-required Dubstep, this time featuring the Silk Cuts impresarios Jason Howson and Sean Lyons, top Auckland producer Future One, Wendy Douglas of the 30 Hertz posse, and Auckland’s Number One Dubstep MC, the one like Billy Fluid!!
You know them from Silk Cuts, you’ve seen your big brother or cousin go to the gigs. Now it’s your time.

Doors will open at 9:00pm, and won’t close til late
Tickets available from Beat Merchants, Real Groovy and iTicket.

If you can’t get into town, or haven’t got a credit card, you can pay by Internet banking - just drop a line to beatmerchants@beatmerchants.co.nz

$15 pre-sales (no booking fee), $20 on the door at 4:20

A night of the best Dubstep in town, and always on a club-quality system. We call it Dubstep Christmas.

Thanks to Biggie and NZ Rave for all the support.

Dubstep All Ages 2. You’re only young once.

When it sounds nice we play it twice

A succession of massive events for 2009 has cemented Wheel – the club night, party, (and catch phrase) as one of the quality dates on the Auckland City Dubstep calendar.

Wheel #17 promises to wrap up 2009 with yet another cracker of a night. Come and Join a selection of Each & Every record’s label rooster and get merry init.

Dutty Ranks has played only a handful of dates in 2009, so Wheel is excited to announce his participation in the final face-off of the year. With imminent releases on some of dubstep’s biggest imprints, we assure you his set will be packed with exclusives.

Future One has had a massive year production wise, with White label net chart bound success being a high light. His weekly radio show on Base FM, Thursday 6-8pm has become a testing ground for new 2010 pressure, and proves his DJ skills are nuh to test. Nailing him down for a booking may not come so easily next xmas!

The multi dimensional Frosty has become a household name in NZ Dubstep circles. Be it production, graphic design or promotion he has brought energy from day to the Auckland & Aotearoa scenes. His radio show Sunday evenings on Boosh FM highlights future bass music weekly for those that know. Ableton technology has taken his DJing to another realm.

Wheel is hosted by Jason Howson & santa’s little helpers Each & Every !

$10 from 10pm.

Dub Militia in Collaboration with Firemans Arms:

Dubbed Out In Pukekohe

A free night at Firearms where the heavy weights of the Auckland Dubstep and Drum and Bass community will be coming down to Pukekohe to drop Bass Heavy tracks on a killer sound system that will make your internal organs beg for mercy!
With Dubstep Sets from both Vice and Mike E!! Vice will also be laying down some DnB for your listening pleasure..
For those of you that cant make it Auckland to catch the guys playing at Fu and Zen come on down to Firemans Arms and celebrate with Dub Militia at our pre christmas party!!
Cheap booze, good sounds and good people and good vibes!!

Set Times:
Vice (Drum and Bass Set) 9pm - 11pm
Mike E (Dubstep Set) 11pm - 1am
Vice (Dubstep Set) 1am - 3am

Checkout the following links for our massive Local Support!!:
Vice: (Dub Militia) On fire at the moment Vice will be playing all around town so check him out!!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=194928312436&ref=ts

Mike E: (The Mashup Mafia, Boosh FM) He doesn’t have a blurb

http://mikee.mashupmafia.co.nz/

DOUBLE HAPPY__ (DUBSTEP ROOM)
DUBSTEP CENTRAL:

SUBZ
TIMMY C
JRED
MINNIE
HENDI

SPECIAL GUESTS:

MR STEEL
JUMBO

DOUBLE DROP___ (DNB/ELECTRO ROOM)

GRADE
FAYDA
ANIKIN

CHRISTMAS THEME / DRESS / FROM 9PM
$10 ON THE DOOR $5 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

SET TIMES UP NOW!!!

PENDULUM DJ SET including ANSCENIC, SPEED, EL HORNET & MC VERSE
HYPE & DADDY EARL UK
SKREAM/BENGA
MALA DIGITAL MYSTIKZ UK
BLACK SUN EMPIRE NL
SPOR UK
BAD COMPANY UK & MC LOWQUI
KLUTE UK
DISTANCE UK
KRYPTIC MINDS UK

THE UPBEATS, THE BLACK SEEDS,
CONCORD DAWN, KORA
TIKI mc/acoustic set, SALMONELLA DUB,
WHIRIMAKO BLACK
STATE OF MIND live with MC WOODY,
BULLETPROOF, GREG CHURCHILL, ASTERIX, OLMECHA SUPREME, OPTIMUS GRYME & BILLY FLUID, TRUTH, DOSE, CERN, AGENT ALVIN, TIMMY SCHUMACHER & MC KYLA, ORGANIKISMNESS, TREI, MC MANA, BLACK PLANET & MC BEAU

JOINT FORCES, WICKED DRAW, FUNKNSLOCUTS, LEFT OR RIGHT, NANOTEK
TAOS, DUNSTA, RANDOMPLAY, DISTRACTION, JESS HARTLEY & EMMA G IMPORT, EVIL,
DOUBLE NEGATIVE, URBAN TERROR UNIT
JMC & MC CYPHER, AUNTY ETHYL, GENE KENNEDY, SHORTCUTZ, UNDERTOW, ILL FIGZ
JASON HOWSON, WOOSH, TOO FAR GONE, DUBSTEP ALLIANCE, DAPHT.1
MAJIIKA & MINNIE, TIMMY C & CAMO MC, SEQUENCE EMPIRE, BORDERLINE
HORSE, HIP VS WIECH, SNAX, CHOPDOG, MENACE, ROAST KRU
SICK CYCLE, DROP, HENDI, GOMORRAH, HABIT,
ED BEABLE
BASELINE, EXIT ONLY, LEAN UP, DIRTY HARRY, SPORATIK, SWEEP, LILLY
FILTH-E, SIM, SWITCH SANCHEZ NACOA, FUNKDAMUNK, MASHUP MAFIA,
VJ DURTY MAC, VJ OPTIBREAK,
VJ UJI & B-MOVIE,
RUMBLE WINNER 09