Operation Every Band

January 8th, 2013

Toddla T – Boiler Room DJ Set

Pairs well with…Diplo, Ragga riddims, Timbaland

How do I explain? DJs : Toddla T :: welding torch : loom. Hailing from Sheffield, England, aka Steel City, the young DJ producer combines a deft technical mixing skill and an aged, wise music choice. The man is humbly accomplished, the hungry headliner looking to squeeze more from the present set than he did from the last.

I often fall back on an artist’s BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix as evidence of his or her propensity for electronic music greatness, and in the case of Toddla T, this approach is completely justified. According to an interview with the We Are Massiv outfit, Toddla T used his first Essential Mix appearance to escort listeners through the tunes and styles comprising his formative years. Google it and you won’t be disappointed. The man loves beats, it is apparent, and vocal elements including disparate styles of song and rap. Disco and dancehall, rap, reggae, bass, garage, house, drum & bass and grime. His sound selection is a cornucopia of danceable beats, the envy of other DJs. It’s sincere and clearly researched, a compendium of music spanning decades in real time and surely countless hours of contemplative listening by the DJ himself—however long it takes to find the correct blend for one or two hours. The impeccably seasoned Brian Ramirez is the only other DJ in my listening radius who can ably bring this breadth of styles to a single party.

Aside from Toddla T’s sixth sense of selection is his technical prowess. It is one thing to choose the right tracks or to blend a few pieces together, but quite another to hand pick a variety of music, from different eras and styles, of varying tempos and to align them in a continuous, pleasing set. Sort of like the best umpire or referee is the one you hardly notice when he is on the job, a good DJ does not draw attention to the fact that he’s transitioning from track to track. Toddla T fully embodies this fleeting virtue. It’s the skill, the song choice, and the overall vibe emanating from his work. Just the beginning for Toddla T, it’s not over, not over, not over, not over yet…

Here’s a satisfying half hour set: http://soundcloud.com/wearemassiv/toddla-t-massiv-mix-vol-vii

Candid video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_XqVM6UTBY

Tweet
sxsw 2013 toddla t

SXSW 2013 Spreadsheet 59:

Lucas kicks off this week musically with a set of electronic artists with a wide range of sound, from bass-heavy DJs to sonic experimenters. Highlights:

Amtrac (9) - If you ever loved house music, if you enjoyed that moment in the early 90s when slower-tempo house tracks from Crystal Waters and Robin S vibed through your radio speakers, if you’ve ever warmed up to house from a cautious distance—-Amtrac is an opening to rediscover the genre.

Toddla T (9) - How do I explain? DJs : Toddla T :: welding torch : loom. Hailing from Sheffield, England, aka Steel City, the young DJ producer combines a deft technical mixing skill and an aged, wise music choice.

Black Moth Super Rainbow (8) - This music might be freaky-electro, scarred-tronic, filth-chorded — however you characterize this dense-with-stimulant-and-synth sound, time not listening is time wasted…or time not destroying precious brain cells and inner ear hairs.

Amon Tobin (7) - Not quite ambient, offering few distinct melodies, this music is an escape to a dystopian mechanical underworld.

Bombay Show Pig (6) - Long names that feature the animal kingdom have an effect on me, apparently. Bombay Show Pig (BSP) present tunes reminiscent of classic mid-90s rock standards with White Stripes influence (not just because of the band’s demographics). An occasional hard downbeat marching step evokes that comparison but I imagine something like to Weezer with synth organ and splashes of distorted lady backup vocals.

Bonobo (6) -Named after the hypersexual primates, Bonobo produces emotional beats, chilled and relaxed, and conscious of the deep pleasing vibe. There are hints of folk pentatonic strings.

Big Black Delta (5) - Big Black Delta is one of at least two projects by Jonathan Bates, whose soft, higher-pitched voice rides predominantly electronic, dark wave instrumentals.

Bonde Do Role (5) - Bonde Do Role are members of the Mad Decent label/collaborative—pounding drums and vocals reminiscent of M.I.A. will motivate the hips and torso.

Swim Deep (5) - Fun beachy rock group, sweet and upbeat, featuring sexy, professionally produced videos.