Fabriclive 20: Joe Ransom

Joe Ransom's DJing is infectious. His blistering sets are packed with hot, heavy jams that you can't stop nodding your head at, and moving your feet to. In a London weekend he might play five or six times, zipping around town from gig-to-gig, hitting the decks everywhere from Fabric's main room to his friends' flats. His sound - an upfront blend of hip hop, breaks, dancehall, pop, and Asian underground - was founded in The Big Smoke, but is welcomed worldwide. During the past year Joe opened for Basement Jaxx in Japan, toured Europe with the Plump DJs, and provided DJ support at Zinc's album launches. Spin back four years, and Joe Ransom was promoting nights in Bristol, intent on moving to London and making things happen. Cut to the present, and you find a bulletproof DJ, budding producer, and one of FABRICLIVE's key players. 'FABRICLIVE 20' is his first mix album.

"I was brought up in the West Country, Somerset. The nearest city to there, Bristol, is a proper skateboard city. I was really into the hip hop culture, which led to endless nights of staying in, practising my scratching. I moved to London to study Sound Engineering and got to work with a lot of underground bands and dance acts. I was DJing the whole time, and started to promote a night. I had people like Skitz and the Plumps playing there, and that's when I got acquainted with the people on the London scene. A lot of them now play with me at FABRICLIVE." - Joe Ransom

On 'FABRICLIVE 20', Joe Ransom hotfoots through some of British urban music's most exciting talent. Using quick mixes and fast cuts, he brings dub-drenched rhythms and cinematic hip hop, arrowed into two by firing breakbeat. Current heroes like M.I.A., Ty, Dizzee Rascal, Roots Manuva, and Rodney P rub up to London's nightime movers Ali B, Zinc, Tayo, Stanton Warriors, and Plus One. They're met in the middle - as at every Friday night session in Farringdon - by FABRICLIVE's arch young party-starter. Hit play and nice up your area!

"To be surrounded by such talent at FABRICLIVE is a great feeling. I bring things to the night that they don't get from the more established DJs; I've got an up-front street sound that no-one else really plays. It's good to know that I'm bringing in a different sound and vibe to the club. I'm in the studio at the moment, and getting the results out on my own label is the target." - Joe Ransom

Track list
01 - Pablo - Turntable
02 - Keith Lawrence And Seanie-T - Muzik-ed Special
03 - Rodney P - The Nice Up
04 - Ty - So U Want Morre - [Refix] Ft Roots Manuva
05 - Evil Ed Ft Yungun - Nico Suave
06 - Ali B Presents Plan B - No New Styles
07 - Luv Lite Massive - Bun De Wikkid
08 - M.I.A. - Galang
09 - The Nextmen Ft Dynamite M.C.- High Score
10 - Cane Matto - Ain't Nuttin To It [Part Two]
11 - Dizzee Rascal - Stand Up Tall
12 - 5th Suite - Una Funker
13 - Rennie Pilgrem - Coming Up For Air
14 - Tayo Meets Precision Cuts Downtown - Breakbeat Girl
15 - Shut Up And Dance - Reclaim The Streets
16 - Zinc - Go DJ
17 - Dynamite - Industry
Tags

• fabric