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Issue 60

Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.

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7 39 Issue 60 / 2014 REGGAE / DANCE HALL guestlist.net HOW WAS MUNGO'S HI FI BORN, WHAT'S THE STORY? We started collecting reggae and dancehall vinyl in the 90s, mainly roots reissues, current Jamaican singles and UK dub. We started playing out in bars before cobbling together the proto-soundsystem for throwing bigger parties in 2000. WHICH SOUND SYSTEMS DID YOU LOOK UP TO THE MOST? Jah Shaka, Channel One and Iration Steppas were all influences and our introduction to the UK soundsystem tradition. YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY IN SO LITTLE TIME, WHAT SORT OF DIFFICULTIES DID YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME? We built a soundsystem because we craved bass and sound quality that you simply couldn't get on standard club PAs. This was the time when the music industry started to feel the full impact of the digital revolution. At the same time it offered so many new possibilities for people anywhere to engage with the music. We found a lot of people doing their own thing on a small scale, and a vacuum of infrastructure in labels and promoters, so the only way forward was to do it ourselves. WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND SCOTCH BONNET RECORDS? Starting our own label seemed the best way to get our music pressed on vinyl and it was only later that we realised how much work is involved and how tight the margins are. Now we have a bigger team, a lot more experience and the opportunity to push the whole scene forward by giving exposure to MCs and producers who we feel really deserve it. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO REMAIN STRICTLY VINYL? We didn't. We play most of our shows from laptops with vinyl interface because we are usually are playing for people who expect us to play our own dubs more than selection. Don't get me wrong - we still collect and play vinyl whenever we get the chance. In an ideal world we would have our own dub cutting machine, so I guess we better start saving! NO ONE CAN BLAME YOU OF LACKING MUSICAL DIVERSITY. WHAT DOES THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? The production needs to sound somehow unlike anything that has gone before, while also drawing on musical heritage and references. The lyrics should talk about real experience in straightforward language, hopefully bringing a fresh perspective. CAN YOU NAME A FEW MAJOR FIGURES THAT CHANGED THE FACE OF REGGAE MUSIC IN YOUR OPINION? The soundsystem hall of fame is packed with under-recognised musical geniuses, from foundation producers like Coxone, King Tubby and King Jammy to versatile vocalists like Johnny Osbourne and Dennis Brown and far too many more to name. We hope we can play a part in keeping their music alive and introducing people to it. ANY TASTY NEW RELEASES THAT WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING CLOSELY? First of all we are releasing 2 new 12" - the first on Scrub a Dub with a sleng teng reworking with The Stinger and a 140 bass wobble called Dem Stylee, and the other on Scotch Bonnet from a young crew from France called Subactive. Next up is the massive remix collaboration with Prince Fatty which is coming on Mr. Bongo Records in March – featuring 5 of our tracks that he has reworked with a live band, and 5 of his tracks which we have given the Mungo bass treatment to. Then we are working towards our new compilation LP which is called Serious Time which will drop before the summer. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FESTIVAL? The one that stands out for us is Outlook, which takes place at the beginning of September in Croatia. Simply the best bass music lineup, on the fattest soundsystems in the awesome Fort Punta Christo. We drive there every year with our soundsystem, and it is well worth the 3000 mile round trip. TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST AMAZING GIG. The one that comes to my mind was over ten year ago when we were travelling about Spain in our old bus and ended up at the Tarrega street theatre festival. There was a massive campsite just outside the town where we met a local reggae sound from Barcelona and we teamed up to put on a free party next to the olive groves that lasted well into the next day. We made enough money selling beers to buy our fuel to get back home. Cheers, I look forward to see the Feb Issue, all the rest is in the drive doc! " We built a soundsystem because we craved bass and sound quality that you simply couldn't get on standard club PAS " Noma | guestlist.net Bringing up-to-date reggae, dub and dancehall sounds to clubs and events across the UK and Europe including some of the biggest festivals in the world like Glastonbury, Womad and Outlook, these guys have had a serious impact on the world of reggae since there humble beginnings in Glasgow. We stopped by to chat festivals, influences and bass. MUNGO'S HI FI INTERVIEW follow @mungoshifi

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