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Scassa Monakee: a six-piece musical collective from the north of england, playing proper live drum'n'bass. No hip-hop, no garage, no grime, no down-tempo tunes at all - just an unbroken set of d&b.
The Scassa live show is heavy. All the tunes, 180 bpm+, are mixed into one another by the band, and fronted by female vocals and male MCs. Unlike most other live bands that try and play dance music, Scassa actually recreate the huge bass frequencies and intricate breakbeats of DJ-produced drum & bass, without the aid of any sequencers or backing tracks. This unique blend saw the band start off by winning competitions up north, blowing away all-comers with sounds no-one had heard a live group produce before. Inevitably gigs in London followed, which led to a residency at Kitchen at the Rhythm Factory. Here theyve provided beats for Shabba, Skibadee, Det and the Ragga Twins, and on a hiphop tip theyve backed Black Twang, Karl Hinds, Skeme + Big P. They've played all the underground hits of the last few years: 1980 with Estelle, There's Nothing Like This with Omar, Dare with Gorillaz's Rosie, Witness with Roots Manuva, The Nice Up with Rodney P, and jammed a 25 minute improvised set of blazing d&b with Navigator and Dynamite MC. Meanwhile the full 6-piece line up have been rinsing out festivals and setting clubs alight, converting new headz and impressing the underground with a commitment to playing proper drum'n'bass.
2006 brings big things, including some live d&b nights in London and Leeds, the Kitchen residency continued, more festival dates and a collaboration with DJ Ruckspin. Expect The Stick or Twist EP on CD and a 12 single soon, and an album to follow later in the year.
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