Blending
influences both classic and contemporary, from the outermost reaches
of dubstep, hip hop and beyond, Slugabed has received unanimous
praise for his first Ninja Tune releases since signing to the label
last year, and there is much anticipation for his forthcoming debut
album.. Under his Slugabed alias, 22 year-old Greg Feldwick creates
music which is at once complex, deep, thoughtful and above all
distinctive. It channels the energy of the best of todays bass music,
through spacey bleeps and meditative melodies to explore the
outermost reaches of electronic music making today.
Originally hailing from Bath, UK, Feldwick relocated to Brighton in 2008, where he played an instrumental role in the success of local club night Donky Pitch for which he still holds a residency. The first rumblings of appreciation from his peers came at this time, from Slugabed’s initial pool of 12-inches. Releases for the Ramp Recordings and Stuff Records labels were the first introduction for many to his work, with both demonstrating his ability to combine intelligent and original production skills with serious dancefloor appeal. Strong club and radio support followed from a wide range of respected DJs including Mary Anne Hobbs, Mark Pritchard, Benji B, Laurent Garnier and Surgeon as well as Tom Ravenscroft and Huw Stevens on BBC Radio 1.
With an already impressive catalogue of official remixes for the likes of Starkey, Eprom and Kelpe under his belt, he also created his own unofficial version of Pharoah Monch’s classic ‘Simon Says’ which devastated dancefloors worldwide. However, it was arguably his ‘Ultra Heat Treated’ EP, released in 2009 on the prestigious Planet Mu label, that propelled Slugabed furthest into the spotlight, winning him new support and glowing reviews across the board, as well as interest from some of the best cutting-edge record labels around.
With his first tour of the US under his belt, and his debut album 'Time Team' released to critical acclaim, this is just the beginning.
Photo by Trevor Traynor
Originally hailing from Bath, UK, Feldwick relocated to Brighton in 2008, where he played an instrumental role in the success of local club night Donky Pitch for which he still holds a residency. The first rumblings of appreciation from his peers came at this time, from Slugabed’s initial pool of 12-inches. Releases for the Ramp Recordings and Stuff Records labels were the first introduction for many to his work, with both demonstrating his ability to combine intelligent and original production skills with serious dancefloor appeal. Strong club and radio support followed from a wide range of respected DJs including Mary Anne Hobbs, Mark Pritchard, Benji B, Laurent Garnier and Surgeon as well as Tom Ravenscroft and Huw Stevens on BBC Radio 1.
With an already impressive catalogue of official remixes for the likes of Starkey, Eprom and Kelpe under his belt, he also created his own unofficial version of Pharoah Monch’s classic ‘Simon Says’ which devastated dancefloors worldwide. However, it was arguably his ‘Ultra Heat Treated’ EP, released in 2009 on the prestigious Planet Mu label, that propelled Slugabed furthest into the spotlight, winning him new support and glowing reviews across the board, as well as interest from some of the best cutting-edge record labels around.
Partly
as a result of this interest he was offered a chance to remix Roots
Manuva’s all-time great “Witness (1Hope)” for Ninja Tune’s
twentieth anniversary boxset. The result was one of the stand-outs of
that mammoth collection, and made him one of only a handful of
producers to successfully remix that classic cut. In fact, Roots
Manuva himself liked it so much that he personally requested the
instrumental so that he could use it in his live set. Almost
inevitably, the album deal with Ninja Tune followed shortly
after.
Since then, things have really taken off for Feldwick. He has played at the legendary Berghain club in Berlin as part of Scuba’s SUB:STANCE night, toured Canada and Asia, and remixed both Eskmo and Stateless for his new home label, as well as supplying another remix for the mighty Roots Manuva's 'Get The Get' single. Funny, clever, referential, sometimes moving and never anything but completely himself, Slugabed is a substantial new presence in UK bass music.
Since then, things have really taken off for Feldwick. He has played at the legendary Berghain club in Berlin as part of Scuba’s SUB:STANCE night, toured Canada and Asia, and remixed both Eskmo and Stateless for his new home label, as well as supplying another remix for the mighty Roots Manuva's 'Get The Get' single. Funny, clever, referential, sometimes moving and never anything but completely himself, Slugabed is a substantial new presence in UK bass music.
With his first tour of the US under his belt, and his debut album 'Time Team' released to critical acclaim, this is just the beginning.
Photo by Trevor Traynor