This week we have a fresh mix and exclusive interview from Hywel Gregory, whose career started as a teen in the 00s. Discovering the UK's underground free party scene he immersed himself in the sound system culture and soon began collecting jungle and early dubstep records.
STEVE STIMPSON: Hywel Gregory, great to have you on board with Evermix after a fantastic set at Apex Collective in Lakota, Bristol. A truly versatile setlist that we’re delighted to be able to share with the world.
The name ‘Hywel Gregory’ is associated with a few different projects, what projects are you working on at the moment?
HYWEL GREGORY: The main thing is obviously Eminent. It's grown into several projects itself e.g, the events series, agency, etc. I never wanted to pigeon hole the brand with one genre or sound, which took a little bit longer for the concept to take but it's definitely getting there now.
Outside of that I help out my friend Ian where possible with his party Apex, and have shows on Bristol stations Noods and 1020. Also my Aussie mate Chris moved his label/party Nerang to Berlin a couple of years ago and I go out to play the odd show as a resident for him.
For music fans that are yet to visit Bristol, how would you describe the scene there?
It's a real melting pot. There's the obvious artists you associate with Bristol - Massive Attack, Roni Size, Smith & Mighty. The Drum & Bass scene has and always will be massive here and across the South West. The city has a lot of it's heritage in Afro-Caribbean roots and that sound resonates throughout the city. Dub, Jungle, Experimental scenes and DIY collectives like Young Echo - there's something for everyone.
If you're into House and Techno there's the obvious names to come out of the city such as Eats Everything and Julio Bashmore, but then digging a little deeper brands such as Dirtytalk and labels like Livity Sound would be who I'd recommend checking out as an entry into the scene here.
What are your three top tracks to be playing out right now?
- J Wax - Uber
- S.A.M. - Fury's Laughter
- Client_03 - Prosperity Stream Divider
We’re about to launch our crowd capture EvermixBox4, how important is the likes of being able to record the crowd alongside your mixes?
It's a great concept to capture that live feel on a mix that you wouldn't get from a standard recording. I can remember listening to old school Drum & Bass mixtapes growing up and the crowd noise would spill into the MCs mic. It's definitely a personal preference thing but used right, or with the right genre at least it would make a mix come alive.