Foundation Stepper
December 8th, 2007
Foundation Stepper has selected a mix of dubwise, jungle and reggae beats out and about and around Melbourne since 2001. His reggae, dub and downbeat residencies and support slots include gigs with The Red Eyes, Chant Down, Ruffneck Souljahs, Livewire and Dialekt.
He has also played gigs in NZ and Japan, appearing at Disco Beans, Osaka as well as some other venue where the reggae heads were quite confused by what he was playing.
His reggae sets sway towards a roots focus, foundation era tunes and nuff 70’s dubwise… with a healthy serving of tricky dancehall riddims and outernational dub and ragga experiments…
Foundation Steppers jungle sets are a polyrhythmic mash-up of new school ragga sounds, toxic dancehall and concrete jungle with smatterings of breakcore, dub bass and eleven secret herbs and spices.
Foundation Stepper is a DJ project of Eliot Palmer, hailing from Christchurch, living in Melbourne…
He is currently undertaking a few too many projects - studying masters, doing sound design work and researching the effect of low frequency sound on the body, and vibration in performance spaces….
Other aspects include a Max/MSP project which aims to emulate the sound of objects resonating and buzzing to bass sounds.
INTERVIEW
How did you start djing?
When I came to Melbourne I met some DJ¹s who were playing in the outdoor party scene, and running a dub/jungle/experimental night in the city. Being in a new town and wanting to explore my love of reggae dub and jungle fostered in the dance parties of Christchurch I started buying records. Started by playing at a few dub nights and some haphazard outdoor gigs. I found a real openness in the bush party circuit; you could listen to a wide range of music styles all thrown together in one night. I then got into playing more gigs about town as my sets got stronger.
Where to now?
After listening to jungle for a fair few years now, and embracing elements of dancehall, U.K. dubwise and d+b I¹ve recently been getting into more experimental music and am building up my selection in that area. Currently I¹m playing a mash-up of roots dub reggae, industrial dancehall, jungle, smatterings of breakcore and hardcore, downbeat and heavyweight hip-hop and U.K. dub, and a dash of electronica (depending on the gig). I¹m trying to create new blends in my mixing between styles that aren¹t usually associated and I love exploring the polyrhythmic elements that can develop with two contrasting tracks.
What are you doing currently gigs wise?
Playing every Sunday at Black Cat on Brunswick Street sometime between 3pm and 10pm. I have guest slot on the Long Grass Sessions (3RRR Monday night at12am-2am) every month next guest slot Monday 22nd. Otherwise whatever gigs pop up.
Best Gig/Worst Gig?
Worst gig would probably be being booked to play a jungle set at a chill for a trance/house party. The kids there didn¹t know what to do with the breakbeats I think blank stares all around. Best gig playing for Red Eyes at the Evelyn and playing my nuts jungle at the end of my sets.
Influences/Inspirations?
Brian May (DJ Delay) is the guy who got me into DJing in the first place and his productions and DJ sets are quite exceptional. By drawing on a range of music he reminds me there¹s so much good, different stuff out there! My girlfriend Larissa has had a huge impact on me musically and has got me into a range of new sounds, which keeps things fresh. Otherwise, some gigs this year that I¹ve really enjoyed include Com.A, Amon Tobin, Kid 606 and Dj Rupture.
Mixes
Foundation Stepper - Roots reggae - Fire on the Wire
Special Guest Selection for Fire on the Wire - 2SER, Sydney… one and a half hours - pure roots vibes inna radio style.
Focus on UK sounds, Australian productions and other favourites… massive roots selection
Massive respect to Firehouse Crew for having me!
Weather Report – The Tennors (Trojan LP)
Everyday Wondering – Johnny Clark (Trojan LP)
Mun-dun-go – Cedric IM Brooks (Soul Jazz 12”)
Fancy Make Up + Version – Johnny Clark (Barbell 7”)
African Man – Earl Cunningham (Jah Shaka 12”)
War Cry – Mad Professor (Ariwa LP)
Tribute to Stephen Lawrence – Mikey B (Blakamix LP)
Yerushalem dub – Disciples (Disciples LP)
None A Dem – Horace Andy (Blakamix LP)
Dub Dem Right – Dennis Mixman (Blakamix LP)
My Kingdom dub – Red Eyes (Melbourne yard – PBS radio compilation)
Roller Dub – Beam Up (unreleased)
Fleish – Bo Marley (Jahtari LP)
Wurst Dub – Disrupt (Jahtari LP)
Run Come Call Me – Kenny Knots (Honest Johns LP)
Homeward Bound – Prince Far I and the Arabs (Pressure sounds LP)
Reality Poem – Linton Kwesi Johnson (Island LP)
Utterance – Black Uhuru (Island LP)
Danger Zone – Errol “Flabba” Holt (Island LP)
Gi Me – Gregory Issacs (Charisma LP)
Rub This Dub – Tappa Zukie production (Blood and Fire LP)
Jah Is Watching You – Dennis Brown/
Flat Foot Hustling – Dillinger (Auralux LP)
Natty Dread dub – Linval Thompson (Trojan LP)
Left at Black Cat
A mix in two parts… Part A is a nice mix of foundation and digital roots reggae and dub - about an hour…
Part B is dub focused but strays into hiphop briefly as well as more chilled beat driven stuff, quite introspective… its got high personal rotation!! play them together - its how its intended!!!
This is a recording from the fortnighly residency at black cat, cafe bar vibes, been going some years now… niceness on a couch
Pretty patchy tracklists, going from memory mostly…
An upsetter produced track and version
Black Uhuru - Puff She Puff
Linton Kwesi Johnson - ?
Chalice in Mind - Carlton Livingstone
Tonight version
Tonight - Eccelton Jarret
Cocoa Tea - Eighteen And Over
Courtney Melody - ninja mi ninja
Ini Kamoze - world a music
Barrinton Levy - A Yah Wi Deh
Love grocer - Forty Nights ?
Thunder mountain - Thunder Mountain?
Shaka - something off a dub salute record
Black uhuru - dub of englington
Drums dub - Drum song riddim
Upsetters - word a mouth dub?
Larry Marshall - Run babylon
Winston Jarrett - Crucial Times
Rocking Time Riddim
Winston Jarrett - Fear Not
A phat roots dub track
Digital dub into EOSS - who are you - delayed and warped into some dubstep track by Timeblind
V Snares Vs Bong Ra - a remix of one of those unpronounceable tracks
Larvae - Banjos & Brimstone? Anyway its nice and brooding
Ghislain Poirier - Tribute to Tiger Instrumental
A electronic/hop hop track the name of which escapes me - the album has really cool silkscreen cover art though!
Dj/Rupture - Je Suis Peuple Sans Visage
Roots manova - track off dub come save me - its really sneaky and creepy…
A track by the Etherealites on a dubhead 10″
Then an oldish spaced out dub track by pitch black from NZ
Mad professor - Laws Of The Jungle
Outro
Live at Jungle Soundclash
April 2006 saw Melbournes first Jungle Soundclash with new school jungle junkies Livewire, Unsoundbwoy and Foundation Stepper up against the old school styling of AC23, Hybryd and Trooper. Round for round, licks were shot into the early hours of the morning, with the sound of new emerging victorious.
A recording of Foundation Steppers soundclash set, pushing dub and dancehall flavours to just beyond their breaking point. Now linked up at the mashit DJ mixes page - check for more ragga jungle madness!!
Nuff new school ragga stormers. Blam!
Tracklisting
Gregory issacs/Dj C - Gone a jail version
Young ax - Sunrise
Debaser - Crazy Baldheads (Press Up Mix)
General malice - Dancehall bustlin’
Krinjah - Squeeze remix
Tuffist & lyon - My sound (false alarm)
Monkey steak - Knocking around the zoo
Bong-ra - Blood & fire
DJ C - Billy jungle (version)
Krumble - Backward country boy explosion
Soundmurderer - Lock it off
Soundmurderer - Stick Up “quick mix”
Wayne and Wax - DJ C it Dat Version
DJ C - Crazy Baldheads (Mashit Mix)
Dancehall niceness - Mi Ninja Bombing Champion Outro
Dancehall Bungle
A mix of mostly 90’s dancehall flavours with a few snippets of newer rootsy vibes and a sprinkle of jungle beats, all fun…
short and sweet - around 30 minutes
Artists/producers such as ranking joe, taxi, Innocent Crew, Buju, Starkey Banton, Shabba, Shadetek, T.O.K., DJ C, Ninja Man…
Live at Forward the Bass - Horse Bazaar
Right, so this is a recording from forward the bass at Horse Bazaar!
“live dj set” whatever that means - 1 hour long - outernational dub styles: rootical, bass heavy and unexpected beats.
Artists such as gregory issacs, david last, hydroponics in dub, dual tone, strategy, dub connection NZ, once 11, electro organic sound system, grim dubs, etherealites, nettle, cutty ranks, jah warrior, spooky, mad professor…
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