A big thank you to Ed Solo for providing us with his Minirig Mix Tape!
Strangely enough for an artist named Ed Solo, this prolific producer used to be best known for his collaborations with other artists. Deekline, Krafty Kuts, Skool of Thought, drum 'n' bass legend Brockie - all have benefited from getting Ed alongside them in the studio. The east London lad who grew up listening to pirate radios and cut his teeth as a production assistant at the famous Sour studios really is a Jedi master of sonic science: drop the needle on an Ed Solo record and you'll soon know about it - no one makes club music that cuts through a soundsystem quite like him.
And yet that moniker also - rightly - suggests a confidence in his ability to go out on his own, and Ed is an iconic artist on each of the drum 'n' bass, breaks and dubstep scenes. In the latter field, he's recently been creating a firestorm with Sludge Records, the label he co-runs with Deekline (the pair also run booty breaks imprint Hot Cakes together).
Tracks such as Age of Dub and Atlantis have introduced younger clubbers to classic dance music sounds, throwing them through a skanked out half-time prism and bringing them back to the floor in full effect. They've also picked up support from iconic figures such as Kissy Sellout and Skream - this is a producer right at the heart of the zeitgeist.
In the club, Ed is at the centre of one of the most innovative revolutionary shows of modern times, the Battlejam events run with production partner and UK DMC Champ JFB and UK beatbox champ Beardyman. Working together, the trio cut, scratch and loop up live audio recordings - some made by members of the crowd only seconds before - to create an entirely new, interactive, real-time experience.
Having just returned from a spectacularly successful tour of Canada, Ed is ready to take things to the next level. Hold tight for some serious dancefloor mayhem in your area.