Flava @ Undertone, Cardiff
Thurs 29 Sept
“It’s grime time,” say the promoters of Flava, a new night in Cardiff that went from being a one-off to a series of events, with a plan to bring more innovative dancefloor music to Cardiff. Headliners are picked for their particular skills, and though they revolve around the grime genre, the promoters prefer to call their style ‘140’ (referring to the BPM), so as to represent the broadness, unpredictability and mixture of vibes.
Their launch night brings down London multi-genre DJ Riz La Teef, who’s known for cutting dubs of unreleased tracks rather than just slinging them all on a USB stick. He’s a skilful DJ in the pirate radio style, mixing up grime king Wiley with classic dubstep and bumping garage, as well as more abstracted and rough-edged new bass music. His recent set for Boiler Room got a huge reception for his combination of rolling bass music and garage with grime specials made for the DJ by the likes of JME. He’s got a style informed by the work of DJ Oneman, mixing abrasive percussion and garage with chopped up ferocity.
A local DJ, Blokeye (part of the Submerge crew), will be supporting, alongside resident DJs Onza, Caaza and Limes, who will be adapting their styles appropriately for the headliner. Look out for this new fixture on the scene, who already have excellent DJs lined up for the coming months.
Tickets: £3-£7. Info: 029 2022 8883
words GWYN THOMAS DE CHROUSTCHOFF