Aramac - Sticks “N” Stones Recordings

‘Putting regular track out, on my label, gradually more DJs are taking notice’ says the up and coming DJ, producer and owner of the record label Sticks “N” Stones, Aramac. Orginating from South London, he has been producing from his college days and had his first air play on Rinse FM entitled ‘Hurt Inside / Intruder’ in 2010, The track received a lot of support from DJ’s and Radio staions alike including Rinse FM, 1Xtra, Déjà Vu and DJ’s such as Marcus Nasty, Wifey, Footloose. In 2010 he ranged in the top 100 tracks by Boomkat and has been described as ‘something different but definitely something good’.

I thought I’d catch up with Aramac himself to find out his triumphs, influences and ambitions.

‘I’m a DJ, Producer and Label owner of Sticks “N” Stones recordings. I started during my college days as a rapper and then I progressed from there to production and DJing. I’m motivated to make music by listening all types of genres especially UK Funky, Old skool, Afro Beats, House, Disco, Hip-hop, Funk, soul, just good music in general’.

His first single ‘Hurt inside / Intruder’ was first played on Rinse FM in 2010 by Marcus Nasty. This accumulated immense support, thereby giving him air play with his second release “A Journey through time E.P Vol 1”on Rinse FM, 1Xtra, Déjà Vu, Hivemind FM, SubFm and many other local and pirate stations. It was also a success, with limited vinyl copies selling out in most stores within days of release.

Through playing out in clubs, featuring on guest sets on radio and distributing his music to DJ’s across the spectrum including the likes of Marcus Nasty, Ranking, Footloose, Joy Orbison, Shortstuff and Brackles, some of which  have described his music as ‘pumping’ and ‘one hell of a groove’. He hopes to create a bigger fan base and appeal to variety of audiences who he says ‘is anyone and everyone who is into UK Funky, UK Bass, UK Garage, and underground Dance music in general.’

Similar to many artists, he has faced difficulties such as getting his music played on radio, however, by putting regular track out on his label Sticks “N” Stones Recordings, gradually more DJs started taking notice. He is influenced by 'Fela Kuti, Sunny Ade, Youssou Ndour' who he says are 'the originators of the Afro Beat’. Through listening to Afro Beats regularly, he has developed a better understanding of the drum pattern in beat making and recognisese it as a key feature when producing music.

He feels ‘the industry is in a good state especially the UK Urban scene, There is a platform for different styles of music and the best thing about it is that, its is independent. As an artist this has made me more business minded because after all the music industry is a business. I am currently working with an Artist called Enchanted. He is signed to my label, Sticks “N” Stones Recordings; he has a project coming in October and and EP coming out together next year.

When asked who he would like to work with in the future he says ‘to be honest, I would work with anyone, who is in the right frame of mind as me. Sticks “N” Stones Recordings is all about discovering and developing new talent. I have a few singles coming out before the end of the year and we also have a release by Enchanted and Tactics coming out this year on Sticks “N” Stones recordings.

For more of his music you can check out his Soundcloud, follow him on Twitter contact him via his Facebook page as well as the SNSRecordings Facebook.

Sam Khan - So Many Dreams

‘I was never encouraged to pursue my dreams I had to grab them myself’ says the North West London musician, Sam Khan who has had the pleasure of performing at some of the UK biggest urban platforms including JumpOff, The Sunday Show and ILuvLive when he’s not watching stand up comedy or watching contestants get fired The Apprentice. Not only has he received over 2 million Youtube hits, but he has also immense support from BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100 and BBC 1xtra for his latest EP 'So Many Dreams'. 

I thought I’d catch up Sam Khan himself to find out, where it started his sacrifices and ambitions.  

Like many musician, he recognised his talent for music from a young age, in his case, 8 years old. Sam loved writing poems, so he began working on verses and creating structures which allowed him to develop songs. ‘I enjoyed doing, it was how I dealt with a lot of things growing up.  Writing was always therapeutic for me, which is why called my first CD 'Me, My Pen and I'. I bought music equipment, built a home studio and the rest as they say is history!’

‘My ambitions motivate me as an artist. I want the world to hear my music and my story, I want to make other young people believe they can  strive for success regardless of their circumstances and that’s one of  the ideals of our brand 'B Somebody'. I've been through rough times but always maintain a positive attitude towards life. I  believe I've overcome problems, so I always aim to bring that message through in my music. When people tell me they can relate to my words and feel they are not alone, that gives me a great motivational feeling too.’

Although he;s performed at big industry events like ILuvLive, The Sunday Show, Astoria, JumpOff and other big festivals, he would say the the best place he's performed at would be 'at a high school for teenagers' aged 12 – 16 during their assemblies.' He explains 'I got a massive reaction, I told the kids to strive for whatever they believed in and because this is an issue close to my heart. As a kid I was never encouraged to pursue my dreams I had to grab them myself.  ‘

‘I feel like I have a chance to help others who are in the same position I was. B Somebody is not just about music,  its about inspiring people to positively believe they can do or be  anything, and so being able to make a difference to young peoples  outlook on life is the best feeling for me.’

                               

His influences include the likes of 2pac, who he refers to as an ‘early inspiration’. Kanye West he says’ I loved The College Dropout’. J Cole as he’s ‘feeling a lot of his tracks’ as well as other singers and songwriters and Lowkey, he says ‘I rate highly out the UK coz he has strong morals and is mad lyrical at the same time’ Overall his biggest inspiration is ‘life itself’ and the things he experiences.   

He would say that is biggest sacrifice has been ‘spending time on things other than  music’ such as more time socialising, reading, or just relaxing but he’s continued to work on prioritizing the different aspects of his life. ‘Because I’m an independent artist I can’t rely on other people to get me airplay and gigs, making tracks isn’t enough. I have to spend time making sure the music is heard, and this means I have to sacrifice other fun things I could be doing, but its all to achieve the end goal so its all  good! Making a sacrifice to make sure the music pushes forward will only serve to benefit my career in the long run’.

He believes that in the current UK industry ‘there's a space for everyone and everything, and depending on your goals, you can be successful as long as you persevere. The UK Urban scene has really risen and more rap is being heard in the mainstream which is great. There's always going to be different tastes and preferences but if someone is in the charts, or selling records, then there must be a demand for that so u can’t hate on it! The one thing I don’t think is correct from a moral perspective is when the industry exploits certain topics that aren't positive, just to sell records. I think people should remember their principles and if the message in the music isn’t something you would agree with yourself, avoid supporting it.’

In the future we can expect ‘a lot more tracks, music videos and performances, so watch out for all the new material’

You can now check out his Official Site, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Mikel Ameen - Backside

It’s not often you hear musicians comment positively the human derrière, especially in the case of females, but after hearing his latest release ‘Backside’, I was compelled to get in touch with the musician himself to find out more. Mikel Ameen is musician and social entrepreneur from North West London who began pursuing his music 4 years ago, since then he has gone from strength to strength accumulating over 900 follower on twitter and multiple video hits via Youtube.

I thought I’d catch up with Mikel to find out his motivations, inspiration and where it all started.

‘I got into music naturally when I baby. It has always played a big part in family life. Music got my dad to this country so it was kind of inevitable that his children would be into Entertainment’.

He would say the best place music has taken him is to ‘a higher level of consciousness’. He explains ‘I can’t describe how much listening to the right music has taken my mind to a better place of thinking’

When Mikel’s not making music or reading he’s involved in social events, such as Dance 4 Life UK, a nationwide initiative that uses media, music and dance to educate, empower and unite young people in taking a stand against HIV and AIDS.

In the same vein he is also involved in the youth organisation Get Familyar which is a branch of his father’s charity ACDF – African Carribean Development Foundation – that specialises in entertainment and arts, that aims to develop social, personal and communication skills for young people, as well as provide them with productive training via workshops.  

Music for him is literally therapy; he says ‘reciting my pains and loves to a rhythm is refreshing. If something is on my mind for a while then usually, I’m compelled to right about it.  My song backside is a question to men and women about the obsession with the females BUM, is it natural or is it perverted. Like most of my songs I’m trying to get people thinking.’

His inspirations include Bob Marley, he likes the way ‘he delivered his music, his love and his mission to the people’ and he feels ‘he did so much through his music for the lives of others’, he wants to do the same in the future. 'Michael Jackson', he says ‘he is the LORD of music entertainment what cant you take from him’ and lastly ‘Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan’ he says ‘as a man I look up to him. He is the greatest example of how to conduct yourself with morals, strength & discipline. He has spent over 50 years dedicated to the uplifting of black people and is still going strong. I follow him on twitter.’

He would say the right time for a musician to take the transition from music to a profession in comparison to it being a hobby is ‘when you’ve whole-heartedly decided that, that’s what you’re going to do, but he still understands that ‘it’s different for everyone, he explains 'I know more doors are opening for me. I just got to continue doing the best for me and my time will come’. He would advise up and coming musicians to ‘go in’, with their music and ‘don’t look back’.

He thinks ‘the industry right now is the best it’s been, especially for UK artist', he says 'we are hitting the top of every chart’ so he’s happy.

For more of Mikel you can now contact him personally via his Facebook, Twitter and Myspace  as well as check out the GetFamilyar Official Site. 

Saffron Parker - GoldmiineLABEL

'I didn’t think I earned the right to be called an artist so I didn’t promote myself.' Says Saffy the South London designer who owns and has been running her own label GoldmiineLABEL since April this year. She creates and deigns a wide range of items from logos to wall paintings, posters and clothing and has had the pleasure of working artists and designers such as Mista C'mon, Boost and James Rotimi and hopes to design for Mishka in the future.

I thought i'd catch up with Saffy herself to find out more about where it all started.

’I'm an artist from South London and I design a variety of different things for a range of clients; anything from logos to wall paintings, posters, clothing and fashion designs and story boards'. Saffy originally put her creative career on hold to study Sport Science at college, but she soon realised that 'art was something people appreciated'. She says 'I was always a good artist but never thought I was good enough to do something with it, people started coming to me for designs and after hearing a sermon in church about your skills and gifts making a way for you, GoldmiineLABEL began! I made a twitter and clients started pouring in, it’s been going well ever since!'

She feels her work has 'the ability to speak all languages and touch all people which she think is 'awesome' and the reason why she started GoldmiineLABEL. When ask what her names represents she says 'There's no particular reason, I just feel that art in general is like a pot of gold you find at the end of a rainbow, so i named it GoldmiineLABEL'. She says 'I think I follow a certain form of art, but my crazy imagination and personality make my artwork unique and distinctive. My collages are quite popular and I think have become my trademark. A guy I designed a logo for said he looked at my art and saw me which I thought was a really great compliment!

She says that sports, writing and having a good time are three of the most important things to her, but like many she has overcome a number of obstacles to get her to where she is now. The lack of confidence she had in the beginning as well as maintaining a steady image of what she wanted GoldmiineLABEL to be are two big things that held her back. She explains 'I didn’t think I earned the right to be called an artist so I didn’t promote myself which kept GoldmiineLABEL off the map, so no work was coming in. I overcame it by simply pushing that negativity to the side, taking on board all of the compliments and advice I was getting. I sat down and brainstormed until I figured out why I am doing this, what I want the outcome to be, what I want it to symbolize and who I want it to reach out too. I’ve realised we can sometimes be our own worst critic, so this definitely changed my mind set and now I’m confident in my skills and ability to produce dope artwork!

All in all she says, 'I’m a fan of small vintage shops but apart from them I really dig Mishka for their comical cartoony like designs. Supreme for their retro colourful apparel footwear and accessories and Obey is a really cool brand, I love their almost art nouveau type designs as well as their simple stencil prints and pop art pieces. Each brand brings something different and has what I call a real presence in your wardrobe which I think is what I admire most. It motivates me to create artwork that makes people feel like that! The mood I’m in definitely influences what I draw and my environment and lifestyle also plays a big part in what and how I choose to design things. Roy Lichtenstein has always been a big influence, I love the simplicity and boldness of his work and after seeing Chris Brown’s album cover (F.A.M.E) I’ve become a fan of Ron English’s artwork/prints.

In the past she has had the pleasure of working with loads of up and coming designers such as RedLust who specialise in retro plasteramic jewellery, she's designed logos for various dance groups and rappers such as Mista C’mon aka LOX, James Rotimi - who is the maker of College DropOut. She's currently working on designs for a rapper named Boost who will be releasing his Garshh T-shirt Line soon. In the future, she'd love to collaborate with Mishka and hopefully design some artwork for them even if it was for free. She thinks 'they’ve got a dope clothing line and my designs could totally fit in, Mishka people if you happen to see this give me a shout lol'

'I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by a lot of successful and motivated people who help promote GoldmiineLABEL to their fans, listeners and viewers. I think twitter is the best ever and if you ever wanted to start a project or business, it’s definitely the place to go! I’d also recommend you make a blog, I joined Tumblr five months ago and it’s become my online portfolio of art work, fashion and music articles. It’s a great way of connecting with people worldwide and promoting your talent'.

'GoldmiineLABEL is pretty much an artistic movement and the umbrella name for loads of different projects Saffy does. She has recently started work on a mini project called Tatted T’s, which are hand drawn vintage designs on white t-shirts - she'll basically design anything you bring to her - In the future she says we can look forward to 'a range of screen printed designs for T-shirt line ‘Goldmiine Tees’ soon out. I’m planning on customizing Vans and Converses which will hopefully blow up and get crazy attention!'

For all the latest on GoldmiineLABEL you can follow Saffy via Twitter where she says 'she'll definitely follow you back' as well as check out all her new designs on Tumblr.

Kingsley Nebechi - Pompey Plantet

His father was an architect, so he was always around art from a young age, but it wasn't until he enrolled in college on an Art and Design course 3 years ago that he chose to pursue a creative career. Kingsley Nebechi is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator originally from Italy, but now lives in North London. He recently launched a project called entitled Pompey Plantet down in Portsmouth, which has featured on BBC News reflecting the ‘iconic parts of the city’.

I thought I’d catch up with Kingsley himself to find out his inspirations, sacrifices and goals for the future.

‘I always draw not only as hobby but as a way to express my mood, visions and thoughts. My dad is an architect, so when I was younger I would always see him drawing houses, people and vehicles on a big canvas in our house back in Italy. He used to take me to this architecture studio', for Kingsley, this is where he found his love for art, he explains ‘I would find myself observing the other architects work on the variety of canvases and as I grew older, no matter what stage I was in my life, I would always draw’. He then made the conscious decision to make it a career in his first year of college, which is where he started an Art and Design course. 

When asked if he’s experienced any difficulties so far he says ‘there's been quite a few, especially when you're in the positions I'm in’, he explains ‘the biggest difficulty is how hard you choose to work and what you choose as a motivational source. I believe that if you want to go far in this type of field you need to be able to love what you do and work as hard as you can. During my journey, so far, I have come across so many designers who are motivated by money and you can clearly see it in their work too. At times this profession might get harder than usual and if you don't have love for what you do you might find it impossible to carry on'.

’My work means various things to me. I'm extremely fascinated by human emotions, life and poetry so most of the work I do has some sort of feeling and movement. My work helps me express myself a lot too and allows me to show a different side of me. He recently created a project called ‘Pompey Planet’ for the south sea gallery in Portsmouth', which he feels has brought him the most recognition and has been his biggest, project so far. He has gained a lot of positive  feed back and ‘the locals love it’ which has landed him with ‘some very interesting opportunities’. In his view ‘the illustrations show the iconic parts of the city. I've had the pleasure to contribute to great projects and exiting opportunities’.

'I'm influenced by a lot of things but my biggest inspiration has to be the town I grew up in’, in this case he means Poggibonsi in Florence; he recalls ‘the place is beautiful and the memories of my childhood are something I can never forget. It gives me inspiration when I need it the most. The company I would love to work for has to be Ilovedust down in Southsea. I've had the chance to meet the guys over there and I must say they are the coolest company around. From the work they create to their personalities as well'.

‘It’s important to think positive as it helps me to improve my work, set goal and achieve dreams’. In 5 years he sees himself working as an successful and established designer and illustrator with his own studio and a collection of ‘super cool works for super cool clients worldwide’. 

For more of his work you can now check out his Official Site as well as contact him on Facebook.

Infecta - The Bridge

He has had the pleasure of working with the BBC, Channel 4 and RWD Magazine and has also been described as ‘a young, talented, upcoming musician, an artist’ by Kiss 100’s DJ Logan Sama. You could even say he’s a media mogul considering his track list of achievements, which include designing, event organising, performing, recording and more. Infecta is a musician from South London who is set to release his debut single ‘Sometimes’ from his long awaited album ‘The Bridge’ featuring Oronde Bennett later this summer.

I thought I’d catch up with Infecta himself to find out where it all started his views on the current industry and more. 

Infecta initially got into music as he ‘just wanted to communicate’ with others, He explained ‘after arriving in London around the birth of the grime music scene I gained a lot more influence from everyone in the scene’ especially from artists such as ‘Dizzee Rascal, Kano, and Wiley. This  gave him the initial kick-start to 'actually spitting lyrics and joining in the playground cyphers' which where he says 'it all started’.

His alias 'Infecta' stands for: 'lyrically sick and influence others to spit' which was given to him by a close friend who passed away, yet he decided to keep the name in his honour. Sadly, he experienced prejudice in the form of bullying so music quickly became ‘a form of art therapy’ for him. He says, ‘I wanted to find a way to overcome my language barrier as I was a young black boy fresh from home so I couldn't speak properly’, in terms of homes he means Nigeria, where he lived for 10 years before coming to London.  

As a child he was ‘influenced by all forms of music’ and spent hours sat in front of the radio, he would say his three major influences were Madonna, Michael Jackson and Missy Elliot. He focuses mainly on vocals, so whether it be gospel, poetry, grime, spoken word, rap, singing or song writing he would say ‘he’s about it' he says, 'what I make is good music that has a positive theme to it. It carries meaningful messages most of the times, plus I try to keep it clean rather than dirty. I’m not here to take your money or win souls or do something that is silly, twisted or corrupt because I believe that music was made for expression and once you start using it for other singled out self gaining goals you add to the corruption which we all know exist within the scene today.’

‘My music represents myself firstly as I know I can't speak for others. It represents positivity, morals, originality. The things that play a part in my life like my surroundings. I convey this through my lyrics and reflect on them through what I record. My motivations are my dreams and my ambition is to make them a reality, by sharing my gift and not saving it to myself so that way hopefully I can influence others’.

When asked if he would choose fame or fortune he says, ‘If you mean fortune as in wealth then I choose fame because there’s a lot more with the favour you will gain from fame, than just having the money. I chase the rank not the bank so I’d rather leave my mark. Everything I do, I do it properly, or at least try to and I always say I only wanted fortune then, as far as music is concerned I would’ve been a songwriter or ghost-writer’.

‘Aside from music my talents lie in acting and directing. I’ve featured in films and helped with some which have been on BBC and Channel 4. I design for my clothing label called 'i&i' which is in sync with HustleBucks which was recently featured in RWD Magazine recently. I also model, I’ve worked for Nike, Addidas, IFeelExperience, Urban Development, Box Frsh, Forreduci, and other fashion and runway Shows. I’ve recently started an Electrical Engineering Apprenticeship because I’ve always loved technology from a young age, I remember the day we were making my alias I wanted to be called 'Gearz' because I was interested in Electrics and Mechanics. I also do a lot of youth work with a number of companies such as; Prince's Trust, Black Police Association, Safer Southwark Partnership, Kickstart, and Foundation 4 Life'. 

‘I promote myself through any means necessary literally. Anything I can get involved, from flyers to posters. I’m always building contacts and networks when I go to music events, talent shows, music competitions, and other online opportunities. I also promote through all my social mediums and outlets which are on on my official site’.  

‘An example of promoting myself successfully was when I emailed Whtvr.org for around 2 years asking for support as a Southwark resident, so I thought that it made sense for them to support me. They just launched and showcased someone close to me so I though I’d have a chance instead of gazing at the stars go out and introduce yourself as one, so I did, but they never replied, but I never lost hope’.

'They eventually replied and contacted me through my boss Chloe Newman and the interview was done at last. At the time they were also a bigger magazine company so they gave me a two page spread and a front cover which was sent through the whole of Southwark and opened the doors to two more front cover opportunities and got me as one of the headlining acts alongside; Scorcher, Princess Nyah, Egypt, Akala, RD and many more.’

‘This all happened through persistence, it taught me something serious in music, that people only care when there is a buzz. When they where ready, they contacted me but only because I was still working hard in the background and pestering them. Then one thing or another came under their radar and they remembered me and the bookings and magazines opportunities followed. I learnt to be persistent not just on waiting for a bring in from someone else but on making the next big thing for yourself, which was kind of what I was already doing but it only came to my realization at that time’.

He would say that the current music industry ‘is very pretentious and corrupt, but music itself is evolving and growing, making new marks and breaking boundaries. He adds ’I love it, it's inspiring to see so many artist building empires with their supporters not just a fan base and seeing the way technology is adding to the evolution of music, it scares me a bit but also excites me. I have now learnt to support an artist based on the ethics, work rate and music not just music and this is due to the current climate’.

‘My future is bright, but not necessarily is it orange and that I can assure you! I do have an album called ‘The Bridge’ featuring Oronde Bennett aka The Bridge who is a producer and Singer so he produces the melodies and I lace them with words and together we grace them with wisdom mixing down then WALA, a finished product.‘

‘The first single 'Sometimes' from the album will be making it's début on television before August, also an EP with an established producer that does music for commercials by the name Yung Sir. I’m also working with one of the highest ranking female DJ - DJ Nikki From Beatnik on a project and also a whole heap of videos working with YouTube channels so you can enjoy audio visuals as I give freestyles here and there.’

‘Also the clothing will be available online soon for supporters. I wouldn't give it all away or there would be no show so follow on twitter to see what's in store, but know this when one starts it would not stop, the way I have projects lined up is to start and then keep going.’

For more of Infecta you can now checkout his Official Site as well as contact him on Facebook and Twitter.