PROVIDING THE FINEST IN DUBSTEP AND BASS MUSIC IN LEICESTER: DEEP:ARTMENT
With eleven event nights under their belt in just over one year, the Below basement has definitely had a seeing or two by the Deep:artment crew. With the night looking as healthy as ever, we caught up with Zander ‘Toxsikk’ Atton, one of the organisers, about the vibe they create at their parties, dubstep music in Leicester and all things Deep:artment.
Zander didn’t see the state of Deep:artment today when it all began in a kitchen live streaming DJing videos: “No, definitely not!” He replied, “I met up with Dan (Spektra) when there were no dubstep events at all taking place in Leicester at the time, and it was good to just mix music that I truly love with a guy that also had a passion for this stuff too.
“It's weird because later on I found out from him that he attended a lot of the events I'd either been to or DJ'd at many years ago, and we didn't know each other back then. Small world!”
...AND HE SAID DUBSTEP WOULD NEVER TAKE OFF. WELL...
Bringing together a group of people who share the same love for the music is one of the aspects that he enjoys the most about running the night: “Dubstep isn't a mainstream sort of sound. So the people that come to events are really into the music. Earlier this year I met a group of people at one of our events and had an in-depth conversation about the artists they like, what they liked about them, how they got into it and it was amazing! It's great bringing these kinds of people together that love this music and are on the same level.
“I can't remember where, but I read an article where one of the original dubstep performers was being interviewed and he said, ’dubstep isn't just a sound, it's an attitude’, and over the years I've become a firm believer in this.”
Zander is a driving force in the appreciation for dubstep music: “I've listened to it since I was about 16 and it's developed into something incredible. There's so many different styles and moods to it, and the people! From the people that listen to the music through to the people that make the music, they all seem to be really humble, genuine dudes.
“I think it could be because dubstep is slightly alternative that all the people I have come across have all been great people. If you like dubstep it's because you like the music, not because it's a cool thing to do. It's been an absolute privilege to hold these events and meet them all. I hope they like what we've got in store for them over the next few months.”
The strong bond of the dubstep scene is something that’ll stand the tests of time, he is confident in the genre’s moves at present time: “It's a strong scene right now, I'd say since 2017/18 it's had a huge resurgence and there are some really big nights up and down the country now. Obviously London, Bristol, Brighton, Leeds and a few more hold huge events all the time but even the smaller cities are doing well I think.” Zander then mentioned about the unity in Leicester: “Leicester has had its fair share of decent events too. I DJ at another event in Leicester called RYVM. Connor (Oddity) and his team have created something special there.
“A bunch of us just got back from Outlook Festival in Croatia and to see dubstep done on that sort of scale completely blew my mind! Truly epic! I remember discussing with a friend back in 2006/7, who was a drum and bass head, and he said that dubstep would never take off. Well…"
After the soul motive of bringing N-Type to the city of Leicester was completed, their aims have always been based on the same premise, bringing the best to their home city: “Well when me and Dan (Spektra) started this we only set out to have a mix together, nothing more. Then we had another mix and Kieran (K-Era) and Richard (Perci) came round too. Then we discussed how great it would be to bring N-Type to Leicester and after a few hours we were planning an event with him. It went incredibly well so we've just gone with it from there really. The aim is to keep booking the best artists who make the music we love and if people keep coming to the events then we'll keep doing it, so far so good!
“Me and Dan have been listening and watching N-Type mix for about 13 years, so to meet him and to have him here in Leicester was awesome! It's been mad meeting people who have been on the scene for so many years then they are there in front of you, you know, it's great!”
The raw and energetic party these guys put on is tremendous, Zander explained the ethos and vibe they are trying to push: “Deep:artment in a way is a play on words, the Deep Art Mentality. For the raver that appreciates deep bass. We turn Below into something completely different from it's usual appearance, with artwork made by ravers that come to the events. They are hanging off the walls, the ceilings, all over the place. This is an event for them that come for the music and the good people inside. Good music, good vibes. It's an honour to put together an event where everyone's on that mindset and we can all enjoy ourselves.”
Deep:artment:
https://www.facebook.com/deepartmentukcz/
https://soundcloud.com/deepartmentukcz
Matt Knight
October 14th 2019