Waxmouse, otherwise known as Dave Bain, is an extremely active and creative young man with many strings to his bow. A thoughtful DJ who really puts a lot of effort into his work, Dave has a real drive to seek out music that excites him and, as a result, his sets are diverse and interesting. His many years of record collecting have given him an innate skill in recognising music that is right on the cutting edge yet he also has a knack of spotting tunes that are timeless and will still sound great ten years from now. As well as being a DJ, Dave is a prolific artist whose work is highly sought after and when you see it you’ll know why. Here’s a little insight into the things that make him tick:

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Local Band Profile

Over the past few years, Bristol has been home to an underground country music scene which has been accidentally nurtured by a group of friends and musicians looking for a place to hide amongst the concrete and steel of the city. You may have noticed names such as Jon E. Vistic, Emily Breeze and The Hinkley Veltones appearing on gig posters together. Another name may have been Howlin’ Lord. Whilst almost certainly once the runt of this litter, H’L ambitions are beginning to be realised. Through hard work and sheer bloody mindedness he has put together a live show and band that echoes Neil Young’s Crazy Horse or The Band, at 3am in the Big Pink. His last release, The Blackheart Sessions, in name, references the studio in Easton that he and the previously mentioned Vistic and Breeze shared. Sharing recording space, band members and whiskey.

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10 ways Bristol has changed over the last 10 years

Riots, job-cuts, awful fashion and a royal wedding! We’re quantum leaping like it’s 1999 again. Why? What’s the fascination with retro-reminiscence? 10 years ago I was scooping sick out of my pockets and I remember thinking at the time ‘I really don’t want to be back here again. Thank god for the relentless future when all this will be lost to alcoholic blackouts’ and yet here we are again, reliving the past - like that’s somewhere good to go. Were the days before these days really so good that we all want to go back for a day out or is Bristol at its best now?

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Friday 11th February 2011 @ Crash Mansion, Bristol

Mothboy, the innovative London producer, is releasing his latest and perhaps final EP entitled Yeild this week. To celebrate, Drawn Recordings are throwing one almighty launch party at Crash Mansion on Friday 11th February; Deep, Dark And Destined For The Dancefloor. Mothboy’s most famous works have been released through German electronic imprint, Ad Noiseam, where he has unleashed three stunning albums and two 12” singles that have enabled him to carve out a unique place for himself in the world of bass heavy electronic music. Expect a heady night of DJs, live bands, visual projections, a live illustrations showcase and, of course, a performance by Mothboy himself.

www.myspace.com/simonmothboy

www.drawnrecordings.com

It’s been really nice, a privilege, to watch and document this band from their inception to their current point in their journey. Although I’ve known lead guitarist, Luke Horne, for years, my first contact with the rest of the band was when I went to photograph them rehearsing at the Rooftop Studios on Feeder Road. They only had a few original songs and were supplementing their set with Arctic Monkeys covers. There first gig was in a Battle of the Bands competition. They came second and won a set on stage at the Keynsham Festival in 2009. From there on they honed their act with more rehearsals and playing at friends’ parties.
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Released: 10/01/11

The latest and perhaps final instalment of the Mothboy legacy, Yield incorporates all the hallmarks of this innovative London producer - heavy bass exploration, intricate rhythms, dance floor grooves, beautiful vocals, delicate textural touches, and the unique jazzy feel that permeates his sound. Yield comprises three choice cuts, influenced by everything from UK garage to house and techno and will be released through Drawn Recordings this January.
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Scarlet Rascal And The Trainwreck have been making noise in Bristol since early 2009 and if you’ve ever had the pleasure, you’d think it was 1969.  This is how a rock n’ roll band should be:  Rough, raw and ragged at the edges. Having just made slight line-up adjustments, the now four-piece are back and better than ever. SY Magazine caught up with them at their favorite haunt, The Lanes, to discuss their raw, bluesy sounds.

Starting off in college, guitarist/vocalist Luke Brooks and drummer Maya Indelicato got together, sharing the frustration of previous band experiences. Casting off any complications, they went at it as a duo. “We kind of, like, stuck together,” explains Maya. Luke adds; “it was always me and Maya at the heart of it, we kind of just got rid of people until it was just us left.” When left alone in the rehearsal studio they clicked, fueled by their love of The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Very soon they were getting out and giving people shows of un-reserved rhythms, electric shrills and wild vocals.
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Wednesday 8th December 2010 @ The Louisiana, Bristol

Everything falls apart in an English winter, and audience participation proves to be no exception; however the band tonight seems unperturbed and crack on with the show. At first it seems The Mysto Juniors are cleverly cultivating an adverb-elusive atmosphere with their front man going all “Thom Yorke” in a disturbing fashion but his haunting howling soon went too far and mingled with bizarre cackling. Once this pseudo-atmospheric art-house fanny around was over, the band picked up some momentum and it was a breath of fresh air to feel some real talent coming from the stage.
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Thursday 9th December 2010 @ Trinity Centre, Bristol

Following my interview with Johnny Flynn in New York (on the blower - he the jet setter, me in my tremendously cold flat), here we were at the Trinity Centre. I say we, I mean it was him on stage with his band, The Sussex Wit, and then me amongst a crowd of very excitable and enthusiastic Flynn lovers. Boys, girls, old and young - there was a genuinely passionate embrace of the man. It felt like the audience were united in being proud of this (our!) English acoustic dream machine
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Creative File goes behind-the-scenes to talk with Bristol creatives in their own working space. This time, Borai steps up. Also known as Boris English, this cat has been a constant in Bristol bass music for more than a decade. Whether it’s dub, funky, grime, dancehall, house, juke or all the steps - Borai is always on point.

So what do you do exactly?
I spend most of my time writing music (lucky me…!) at home in my studio, or round someone else’s house/studio if I’m working on a collaboration. I’ve recently been delving into mastering and dubplate cutting, helping out a friend who runs a small operation in Bristol, Dub Studio, and in return am being taught the finer points of the so called “Black Art”. Other than that I go to clubs/gigs that interest me and try to keep up with the housework!

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