Contrary to popular belief, Zed Bias isn’t actually going anywhere. Though he’s announced his “retirement” from DJing at the end of 2014, he’s not calling it quits on music, and you will still see his name plastered across flyers and RA feeds through 2015.
Dave Jones — or Phuturistix, Funk Bias, Daluq, Talissman, Ruffcut Bias, Nu Design, 7 Wonders, Almighty Beatfreakz, Dekata Project — is an undeniable talisman of everything bass-heavy and soulful in UK music. Starting with a slew of seminal releases in 1999 on his own Sidewinder and Sidestepper imprints, Jones then hit the UK Charts in 2000 with “Neighbourhood”, which remains one of the defining anthems of UK garage to this day.
A truckload of frequent gems have manifested on labels like Groove Chronicles, Bingo Beats and Locked On between then and now. 2012’s donations to Tru Thoughts and Swamp81, including the debut Sleepin’ Giantz LP (a project created with Rodney P and Fallacy), the co-produced album Equilibrium with label mate Yannah Valdevit and an exclusive Maddslinky vinyl-only release are prime examples. These are not only heavyweight additions to the Zed Bias discography, but on a grander scheme, necessary nourishment for the genre itself. Those releases won’t cease, mind.
What is for sure is that things are moving forward. Understandably, over 15 years of solid gigging, DJing can get quite stale if you’re a true musician at heart. Zed wants to take things to the next level.
Now the crosshairs are well and truly trained on Maddslinky, Zed’s regular remix and Tru Thoughts release moniker. A newly-forged live set will take over from the DJ sets that have forced head nods from crowds worldwide.
Next week, Zed will be joined in London by a dream team of musical talents — each of whom have attributed to his career in some way of form. Among the names are Loefah, who has housed a number of Zed Bias goodies under Swamp 81, most notably 2013’s Boss longplayer. Fellow residents of Zed’s adopted hometown Manchester, Chimpo, Metrodome and Paleman will rustle through their record bags to conjure up gems from their enviable collections. Terror Danjah is on call to revive memories of the pair’s various run-ins on tracks like 2013’s “Telepathy” and “Iceberg History”.
On top of all that are the list of special Live PA guests expected to join the ruckus next week Tuesday. They’re not going to be announced just yet, but if you happen to be stuck under the same roof as all these people, check that your flash is working. This is bound to be special.
Head over to the session page here to find out more information.