KUMO: One Hundred Project : Jonny Dub

What is on your stereo at the moment?
Flying Lotus 'reset ep.' This guy is on another level

3 records that changed your life. Why?
NWA 'niggaz for life'
This was given to me on a tape back when I was 12, for a pre teenager living in the suburbs of Cheshire this was a total eye opener musically . It was so raw in content that the only way I could get away with listening to it was to keep a tape player under my bed and listen to it late at night, studying and memorizing the lyrics and reciting them flawlessly to my friends. This album was the the catalyist which began a lifelong passion with hip hop which I still have today.

Fingathing 'the main event'
I first heard fingathing on a snowboarding holiday in 2001 (snowboming), I had never seen an act like them, just 2 guys, a set of turntables, a freaky looking double bass, some heavy beats and some crazy ass animations courtesy of their 3rd member Chris Drury. The energy they had onstage coupled with their unique sound just blew me away. It was Fingathing who really pushed me into wanting to get turntables and thus kickstarted my dj career.

Fela Kuti 'water got no enemy'
This was the song that started getting me into African music and the afrobeat sound. Before this most of my musical interests were European and American. This was the beginning of a musical exploration which delved deep into Africa and beyond. I started to broaden my horizons and began listening to music from many other cultures which previously had been ignored.

What are you looking forward to?
The future. Hopefully I will get the chance to continue doing what I’m doing, become more successful at it and have a career doing something I love. That way I will never work a day in my life. You can’t get better then that.

What couldn’t you live without? Why?
My G4 powerbook and the internet, its at the centre of many aspects of my life. It’s a tool to create, a means of communicating with old friends & new acquaintances, a source of knowledge as well as a source of entertainment.

Most memorable gig?
My most memorable gig was at Dpercussion 2006 on the Sketch City stage, the stage was positioned underneath some railway arches in castlefield in the city centre. We had a killer soundsystem and the crowd was packed in. I was playing just as the sun was setting and the atmosphere was insane. The stage was surrounded by people on both sides so I was cocooned in amongst people going nuts for about 45 minutes. My dj set was the culmination of a lot of hard work in the run up to that festival and it could not have been more enjoyable. The best thing about that day was that everyone who played on that stage was a friend of mine, and watching their faces light up as they played in such a great atmosphere will always be with me. I couldn’t stop smiling for weeks after that one.

Who/what are your influences?
Musically I would have to say Mr Scruff, I have been a regular attender of Keep it unreal his residency in Manchester pretty much since it started. He is one of the few dj’s I really respect and admire for so many reasons. I started to get to know him when I began working his tea shop about 4 years ago, it was a chance meeting with a girl called Rachel got me the job which I did for over a year and loved every minute of it. He is an incredibly nice man and has also supported Sketch City for a long time now and I am very grateful for him doing what he does as it has provided me with many happy memories. I would also have to say that my partner in crime Ryan has been a big influence on me musically by constantly introducing me to fantastic music. He has helped develop Sketch City and taken it to another level and without whom I would not have been able to do what I have done. Respect. But most importantly I would have to say my family. They are by no means perfect but they have always been there for me, and importantly have always supported and encouraged me to find my own way in life and supported me in the good times and bad. I would be nothing without them.

What is the best and worst thing about the city that you live in?
The best is the amazing sense of opportunity. You can pretty much do anything in Manchester and there are people who can and will help you along in your way provided you go about it the right way, show respect, integrity and work hard at what you want and it can happen.

The worst is quite a cliché but it’s the weather. If Manchester had the weather of Miami it would be the best place on the earth….fact.

Given the accelerated pace of modern culture, what are we due a revival in?
Bad haircuts, skinny jeans and bad music….oh no wait were having that already…

Hero? Why?
I don’t really have any hero’s as such, however I have the up most respect for anyone who is prepared to push the boundaries, for the pioneers, innovators and creators. These are the people who set the trends not follow them and who others can only imitate. If it wasn’t for these people the world would be a very dull place indeed.

Is there anything else that you feel that we should know?
Keep your eyes peeled for Sketch city’s new art gallery The Upper Space and new club night hoya:hoya, both will be filled with great things. Also be sure to support your local independent club nights, dj’s and performers, these are the things that really make your city a fun place to be. Without them all we would have left is bullshit bars with bullshit music full of bullshitters.

Jonny alongside Ryan Hunn runs Sketch City and Hoya:Hoya and is just about to open the first gallery dedicated solely to street art in Manchester called The Upper Space at the end of the month. Sketch City is a great day out for the whole family with boards and markers supplied and musical guests of the calibre of the likes of Mr Scruff, Jon K, Kelvin Brown and numerous others (including me once) supplying the beats as resident artists and guest artists brighten the room up over the course of the day. It's a great Sunday out.

After being the best stage at the D:Percussion Festival for two years in a row the boys are taking their enthusiasm and knowledge into the night and taking over the coveted last Saturday of the month slot vacated by the Electric Chair and are about to write a new chapter into Manchester's rich clubbing folklore with their highly promising night Hoya:Hoya that will feature Ryan Hunn all night long in the main room and Jonny in the Shack playing music that leaves no genre left unturned. I rate both of them highly and 6 hours of Ryan in full bloom will raise the roof. In March they have the awesome Michigan mavericks James T. Cotton and Todd Osbourne guesting and knowing Jonny and Ryan the quality of guests on offer will be up to their usual impeccable standard over the coming months and years. I have no doubt that the end of the month will see the birth of a new clubbing institution in the UK.

All I can say to Jonny and Ryan is best of luck with all their ventures and you couldn't wish success on a nicer bunch of lads as I have a lot of time for the two of them and everything that they do. For more info check their swish new site here or add them as a friend on Myspace here.

This is a very busy month for Jonny what with both the gallery and the club night launching he can be forgiven for not supplying us with a mix just yet, so what I've done until Jonny finds time to come to surface and breathe is put up a couple of videos from his influences as well as a track off the awesome Flying Lotus EP.

Flying Lotus - Dance Floor Stalker

Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy