They don’t call Bristol the “second city of dubstep” for nothing. Its wealth of talented producers are currently pushing the boundaries of a genre that is rapidly developing in all sorts of directions, with Gemmel “Gemmy” Phillips leading the front line of its latest wave. Alongside his purple compadres Joker and Guido, the three are pushing a majestically colourful take on the sub-heavy sound of today, sculpting their own unique sound that marks them out from pretty much anyone in the scene.
Gemmy’s musical journey started with his love of hip-hop, before being taken aback by the inventiveness and pure dancefloor power of grime, UK garage and drum’n’bass. After picking up turntables and getting to grips with the kaleidoscope of sound being thrust onto his ears, Gemmy took the next natural step and started to create his own beats, refusing to be tied to any genre. Determined to carve out his own sonic niche, Gemmy began to mesh together the two great loves of his childhood—the swaggering G-funk beats of Dr. Dre, and the clean and colourful melodies of 16-bit console classics like Sonic The Hedgehog—with some additional low-end histrionics for maximum dance floor impact.
The burgeoning dubstep scene in his home city certainly had its influence, and keen to get his sound out to a wider audience, he began to give his tracks out to respected artists and DJs in the local community. The strength of his material certainly stood out, with dubplates of his tracks flying out of the local cutting emporium by eager DJs looking to destroy Bristol’s dance floors with his undeniably infectious and rabble rousing compositions. With its screeching lead synth and undulating bass riff, "Bk 2 The Future" emerged as both a crowd and selectors' favourite, showing a producer who possessed the uncommon trait of knowing how to wobble with measure and restraint. After hearing the sub-low churn of his "Bass Transmitter" track, Punch Drunk boss Peverelist felt determined to sign both tracks to his label, with the 12-inch making a real splash on the international scene.
The success of the Punch Drunk release meant that Gemmy was quickly snatched up by Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas to join the new wave of dubstep-related artists that have become the vanguard of the label, with the “Supligen” and “Johnny 5” releases continuing Gemmy’s rich run of form. Radio 1’s dubstep doyenne Mary Anne Hobbs has also taken the producer under her wing, signing up the delightfully wonky “Rainbow Road” to her Wild Angels compilation, further bolstering his already highly regarded position in the international bass music community. Gemmy is currently working on his debut album for Planet Mu, with plans for a release in the next few months.
GEMMY :: JOHNNY 5 EP :: OUT THIS MONTH!!!'s Friend Space (Top 29)
GEMMY :: JOHNNY 5 EP :: OUT THIS MONTH!!! has 2607 friends.
real nice sound man,heavy yet playful! check my page if you have the time/will-not a million miles away. hope things are good in Bristol and that the Back Swan is still pumping out filth there. peace.
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