THE CONNECTION: Downlow, Gwilo and Baraka. MILESTONE AFFILIATES: Deep Blak and DJ Backscratch. ASTRO PHYSICS: Rainbow, Kai Smith and Martin Deering. ANATOMY ACT: Dr B and Smokey Hayes. CLANDESTINE CULTIVATIONS: Dom, Unlikely, Kion, Crookedman, Clockwork and Letty. OTHER ASSOCIATES: DJ Subzero, MC Ninety, Em T, Cara, Mawglee, Toni Toolz, David Johnson, DJ Skaper, Dr F*ck, DJ Gangle, Brain Damage, Profit, Southern Suspects and anyone else I've forgotten!
SKILF'S DEBUT ALBUM: 'ORIGINAL VISIONS' - NOW AVAILABLE ON DIGTAL DOWNLOAD FROM...
TRACK LISTING
1)Intro (produced by Shelly Shell)
2)Original Visions (produced by Unlikely)
3)It's Skilf (produced by DJ Downlow)
4)The Story so far feat Gwilo(produced by DJ Downlow)
5)The Bassline Thump feat Baraka(produced by DJ Downlow)
6)Nine Months (Produced by Dom)
7)Fame feat Cara(produced by Dr F*ck)
8)What Am I Doing Here? feat Cara/Ninety(produced by Dom)
9)Love You Need You (produced by Mr X)
10)Rain Rain (produced by DJ Downlow)
11)Lets Live feat Cara/Em T(produced by Dom)
12)I feel It (produced by Kion)
13)Seeking My Fortune (produced by Crookedman)
14)So Superficial feat Cara(produced by Mawglee)
15)Making Out (produced by Dom)
16)The Circle (produced by Crookedman)
17)Keep On Guessing (produced by Dom)
Just recently I've hooked up Heavy Duty Productions working on my new single 'Slow Me Down' and their debut release 'Heavy Duty House' (as pictured below). I feature on two tracks, incorporating various lyrical styles that are very different from my other material. Click on the link below the image to purchase a limited edition promo copy.
Order your promo copy of Heavy Duty House...
DJ DOWNLOW PRESENTS: THE CONNECTION MIXTAPE VOLUME 1 - OUT IN APRIL
Influences
Creed, Viper, Unknown, CKP, Luck and Neat, Sparks and Kie, DJ EZ, Pay As You Go Cartel, Heartless Crew, Asher D, Mega Man, Tousa, Peck, Flirta D, Durrty Goodz, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kano, Ghetto, Eminem, Mike Skinner, Sage Francis, Immortal Technique, Biggie, Tu Pac, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Wu Tang Clan, Outcast, Blackalicious, The Roots, Common, Non Phixon, Jedi Mind Tricks, Louis Logic, Talib Kwali, Saul Williams, The Fugees, Foreign Beggars, Roots Manuva, Jehst, Task Force, Phi Life Cypher, Gwilo, Baraka, Skibba D, Mc Dynamite, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, Muse, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many more.
"My name's Skilf that's short for Skilful G you must be under anesthetic if you aint feeling me!" - I started rapping back in 2000 around the same time that Garage was big. Those days were fun, cruising around listening to Pure Silk, spitting at house partys with a 10 pound Argos mic. However as time went on I started getting booked by different promoters: I got a few gigs in London venues such as Aquarium, WKD, Enigma, Rococo and Mint Bar one of which was a warm up set for Asher D. Around that time I worked closely with an established promoter and put on my first event at Shillebears, Islington.
When I moved to Brighton in 2003 everything began to kick off, I adapted my style to drum 'n' bass and linked up with a crew I met at Uni namely DJ Neo, Niterider (now called Unison), Hasty (now called DLM) and MC Bobby B. We started pretty small time, doing sets at the student bar, free outdoor raves, house partys etc. As time went on I began playing out on a larger scale, at many of Brighton's well established venues such as; The Event, Ocean Rooms, The Beach, Zap Club, Enigma, Volks and Concord 2. Supporting as the likes of Andy C, DJ Zinc, Pendulum, Dillinja, Grooverider, Mampi Swift, Nicky Blackmarket, Kenny Ken, DJ Marky, MC Dynamite, IC3 and Foxy to name a few.
I remember one time my brother played me a tune that really changed the way I thought about music. He had just started getting into Bob Dylan, and played me a track called 'The Changing Of The Guards'. The lyrics of that song really struck a chord with me, I just sat there in my own world, taking every word in. It made me realize the potential of word play and how deep the English language can be. More importantly it had a big impact on my own writing.
At this point I started writing to hip hop and moving away from all the craziness of Drum 'n' Bass. Slowing the words down allowed me to express myself in different ways, and in a more coherent style. I started experimenting by writing things that reflected the way I was feeling at the time; some of it was funny, some of it was melancholy, some of it was twisted! I begun recording my earliest tracks with DJ Subzero, Dom and Crookedman, they were pretty raw and unpolished. I put out my first 12" in 2005 the '9 Months EP,' and this seemed to be one of the main catalysts for everything that followed...
I became a resident at Blaze which was at the time, Brighton's biggest hip hop night. I was performing on the same bills as Ghostface Killah, Tim Westwood, Task Force, Killer Keller, Spit Kingdom, Phi Life Cypher, Harry Love etc. During this time I was churning out tune after tune and getting airplay on Itch FM, HHB, Freeze FM and many other radio stations. I joined a crew called 'The Connection' (with Downlow, Gwilo and Baraka) ans started recording tracks and doing shows, plus I held down a residency at Dub Pressure (a monthly Dubstep night) playing alongside Unlikely and Kion.
A few months ago my debut album 'Origianl Visions' was released, it received some pretty special reviews from various publications (see 'Original Visions' flyer) and a lot of airplay. I had a summer tour to promote the release alongside my new band, Astro Physics. The band consists of Deep Blak (MC), Steve Rainbow (bass), Kai Smith (guitar), Will Gardner (sax) and Martin Deering (drums). The tour included performances at Café De Paris, The Hope and Anchor, Joogleberry Playhouse, The Grassroots festival in Hull, The Contact Theatre in Manchester and a support slot for Pendulum at Coventry University. We're currently working on our first release which will be out in the next few months.
Music Videos
Below is the music video for 'It's Skilf' directed by Lewis Rose, which was filmed at Sussex University and various other locations around Brighton. The shooting took place during my graduation period and portrays some happy student times, the highlights for me were smashing the guitar, slapping beans in Bilal's face and standing on the roof with security guards telling me to get down! Check it out...
Below is the video for my first ever single; Nine Months, depicting my journey through the four elements, it's a surreal narrative that reflects the concept behind the song - as people we are all searching for something, throughout the smallest every day events to our innermost desires and lifetime goals. It was filmed in different locations around Sussex and London, shout out to the various graffiti artists who's work features in the video, hope you don't mind us using it! Much respect once again to Lewis for his dedication and artistic skills.
Just passing by to see how you are. I've got some updated clips on my page, come over and let me know what you think! I'm also on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=686725656
Please keep spreading the word about my websites and free music!
Hey, thanks for friending me! I'm just a local who never knew where 2 go so I built this site in my spare time. I also made up a place where we can post events, like local bands' gigs and stuff. Check it out and let me know what you think. The site's address is yourareacode.com. Thanks again!
A genuine thanks for adding me.. Here’s a free gift for your time! "Monday Memories" – The Brilliant NEW Monday Murkage free PROMO Mix-CD... Mixed and recorded live by DIALOG (VV) – June 2008 To download any of the free mixes, please follow the link -
http://dialog.podomatic.com
The Monday Murkage Live-Mix includes 34 Big-Tracks of current and classic noises such as.. Tinchy Stryder – Mainstream Money DJ NG – Tell Me Wiley – Rolex Sweep David Lewis – When You’re Not Here/ Hands On Her Moloko/ Todd Edwards – Pleasure Seeker Ramsey and Fenn – Lovebug CBD – feat. Kanye West TS7 – American "Bwoy" JKL-feat. MC Neat – Get Down Baby-D – Fantasy ... etc etc The full track listing is available within my profile blog!
Listen:: Love it:: Burn it:: Pass it on ;)
NB: Average download time for the full MP3 mix=fifteen minutes (MAX)...
Wudup Skilf! Its slick here passin thru! Aint herd from u 4 a min still.. so jus thot to pass thru n spread sme overdue luv on the page! Hope all’s bless still? Got sme new trax on the page…. Try pass thru in ur own time n let me knw wot u think of the new trax ! .. ‘And there she was’ CD has arrived and can be purchased on the page...just get on to the ‘COP THE CD HERE’ blog ..and download it or order it to be delivered to u.. also check out the new ‘I GOT SLICKMOUTH’ & ‘AND THERE SHE WAS FREESTYLE’ and look out for the singles ‘WHO IS HE’ and ‘AINT NOBODY’ with videos on channel U and MTV Base in MAY ...Much love for supporting..God bless!.… im out! Tkcre n stay bless!peace...
Hi Skilf - brand new single, LISTEN NOW!!!, just dropping by to let you know you can now download the 'Ear Candy' E.P. Just click on the link www.tunetribe.com/trudig to hear the songs! Peace + Love xx Trudi G