The Respected Beggars

The Respected Beggars throw no-nonsense, music focused parties. We're about good music and good times.

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Still can't get over last Friday, was too good. Next up... We're delighted to announce the first batch of a series of Rye Wax parties that have been in the works for a while now. Buzzing to have some of our favourite selectors come down and spin extended sets in the basement.

To kick things off we've got a friends and family Crimbo party with Mr Andrew Ashong - Friday 18 December...

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Les Scrupules Crépusculaires

Big into Raphaël Garnier’s surreal sculptural illustrations. You can get this  fluorescent yellow & black zine from Landfill Editions and they have lots more lovely zines and prints too!

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A Brief(ish) History of dego & Kaidi - Part 2

Part 1 if you missed it!

By the close of ’98 dego & Kaidi had finally crossed paths, while at the same time meeting heads like IG Culture, Mark Force, Domu, Seiji, and Matt Lord among others. The group began to connect musically and soon enough a close knit creative community had formed. In the same year, dego established the 2000Black collective.

(Falty Dl highlights this track as hugely influential on his approach to music)

Both a label and a band, 2000black sought to establish a platform where any genre of music rooted in ‘the groove’ could be displayed. Undoubtedly it achieved its goal and we can pay the collective no higher praise than to say that it continues to do its’ namesake and inspiration justice.

By the year 2000, 4hero were actually making music with Roy Ayers himself as they worked on their 4th album Creating Patterns. Roy Ayers and 4hero, what more could you want?!

Released on Talkin’ Loud, Creating Patterns was something of a watershed moment in that it represented a very clear departure from 4hero’s past.

4hero - Conceptions

Featuring guest appearances from the likes of Terry Callier and Carina Anderson it was obvious that 4hero had metamorphosed fairly dramatically in the space of a decade and were now fully embracing and exploring sounds that would later be described as nu-jazz and broken-beat.

The late 90s and early 2000s would also see a plethora of solo and group releases from the aforementioned collective. By this stage, although the artists involved would constantly throw curveballs into the mix, a distinct sound of sorts certainly began to emerge, which of-course acted to cement the position of west London boogie/broken-beat in the consciousness of a wider audience. Kaidi laying it down in 2001:

The scene was sustained by and evolved through the now legendary Co-op club nights, held first at The Velvet Rooms and subsequently at Plastic People. By all accounts, you’d be hard pushed to find a better party anywhere in London and a number of classics emerged from this period as the club provided a breeding ground for collaborations and creativity:

4hero - Hold It Down (Bugz In The Attics Co-Operative Mix)

dego dipped briefly in to his old tom and jerry samples to give his sets at the club a bit more weight…

Cousin Cockroach - This Ain't Tom & Jerrys

Soon Dego & Kaidi were working together and honing a truly special musical partnership:

The prolific duo surfaced in a large number of monikers – remind you of anything?... Perhaps most notably Silhouette Brown and DKD.

DKD - Future Rage

By 2003/2004 many thought the West-London scene might begin to gain traction with a far wider audience as certain tracks such as the Bugz’s classic remixes of Hold it Down and Amy Winehouse’s My Bed seemed prime to achieve pop success. For one reason or another this never happened, and although the scene was exceptionally prolific and also extremely influential in certain spheres, it never achieved the crossover success of genres such as Jungle, Garage, and later Dub-step.

In many ways this can be seen as a huge positive, and in no way undermines the musical status of the broken-beat scene in the UK and also worldwide, with even the likes of Madlib jamming to the broken beat bullets of Dego & Kaidi.

“I think Reinforced and Dego, and later on Bugz in the Attic, it made an impression worldwide. It’s a bit written out of history." Alexander Nut

The mid to late noughties saw a decline in output from the West London heads. Many saw this a sign that the broken-beat scene was dead and buried, but this was a mistake and although many of the key players were now living in disparate situations they were still bubbling with creativity. In 2008, Kaidi further highlighted his exceptional talent as multi-instrumentalist and released his first solo full-length album In Search Of Hope.

It’s serious modern jazz pushed to its shimmering boundaries by perfectly merging influences from all over the musical spectrum and of course meandering into a heavy does of Brukk when appropriate. Catching Kaidi play some of its highlights at Ronnie Scotts with a full live band is a memory I’ll keep for a long time.

His show with the one and only Bennie Maupin at the Mau Mau bar was also predictably ridiculous. Having Bennie Maupin down to play in your band is no joke and gives a pretty clear idea of the level Kaidi is at.

In 2011, after returning from 5 years living in New York, dego released his first solo album under his own name – A Wha Him DeH Pon? Another wicked album that marked the return of a once again prolific broken-beat scene spearheaded by the relentless productivity of dego & Kaidi.

In 2012 the duo brought their energy and talent to a new group – Tatham, Mensah, Lord and Ranks; which saw the release of yet another incredible album.

Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks - Mr. Pickles (dance mix)

Since then there’s been no stopping the 2000black collective:

dego and the 2000black family - Find a way

2014 was a significant year as it saw Dego & Kaidi release for the first time under Eglo records.

As Alexander Nut is at pains to point out, this in no way signaled the beginning of a “broken-beat revival” – because as we’ve seen, Dego & Kaidi along with others had already been back and at it for a number of years. However, it certainly did bring the talents of these two heavyweight pioneers of UK underground music to the attention of a younger audience that could have easily overlooked the elder statesmen of the West London scene.

Probably for this reason, their relationship with Eglo continues to act as a catalyst for a new and sustained interest in broken-beat and in particular the unique talents of Dego and Kaidi. Since their first Eglo EP the pair have released on Sound Signature and Rush Hour, which complements the continuous stream of goodness coming from 2000black excellently.

Dego & Kaidi - Moths In Wallets

While the latest Eglo EP actually managed to top the first, which is really saying something…

2015 saw Reinforced Records celebrate its 25th anniversary while dego proved that his musical journey is not even close to conclusion by releasing another aptly named album – The More Things Stay the Same.

As labels such as Eglo, 22a, Rhythm Section, and of course 2000black continue to push boundaries at the soulful end of the dance music spectrum it’s clear that both the direct and indirect influence of Dego and Kaidi over the UK underground music scene remains as prevalent as ever. Few could claim to maintain such status after more than two decades in the game.

Although one name could probably fall neatly in to such a category – that of Gilles Peterson. For this reason, we are extremely excited for the 20th November when the trio will play an extended back-to-back set for the first time ever. Get down to the Bussey Building for a night that is sure to take us deep into the vaults of London’s musical heritage. Follow this link for tickets: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?759061

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A Brief(ish) History of dego & Kaidi - Part 1

We begin in North-West London, around the mid 80s, where dego was immersing himself in a wide range of sonic influences that would later become the bedrock for his own groundbreaking productions. Jazz, Roots Reggae, Dub, Soul, Boogie, and of-course Hip-Hop, amongst much else besides.

Maxi Anderson - Lover to Lover

A burgeoning record collection saw him fall in with the right crowd and before long dego was spinning on sound systems and pirate radio. Soon after he was messing about with breaks in his mate’s bedrooms. But these were no ordinary friends and by 1989 the now legendary Reinforced Records was born as Marc Mac, dego, Gus Lawrence & Ian Bardouille looked for an avenue to release tracks under their new group – 4hero.

Consciously or not, by merging influences from jazz through to electro and techno, with a heavy dose of hip-hop breaks, the group almost single handedly revolutionised underground music in the UK. Hyperbole is easy to come by in dance music and often acts to drown out truly seminal artists, but when Goldie says that 4hero “wrote the manual” for drum ‘n’ bass, you listen. What seems most extraordinary about this embryonic period is the sheer volume of output. As early as ’91, 4hero released their first album – In Rough Territory.

4hero - No Sleep Raver (Tired Eyes Remix)

The catalyst for this relentless productivity was a financial disaster. Off the back of the huge success of Mr Kirk’s Nightmare – they sold upwards of 25,000 copies - the group where expecting a pay out. But their record company went bust leaving Reinforced with little or no income and a daunting pressing bill. Luckily enough for a generation of dancers to come, the response was a plethora of new releases.

Gus and Ian soon left the production end of 4hero, leaving the duo of dego and Marc Mac to hone an extremely prolific partnership which gave rise to a seemingly endless stream of truly groundbreaking music.

4hero - Journey from the light (RIVET 1235)

The clear hallmark of this partnership is a creativity grounded in restlessness – a deep-seated desire to never be pigeonholed by one sound or one scene. The result is an unbelievable number of monikers that makes tracing their lineage far from easy. Some names however jump out immediately – Manix (Marc Mac) , Tek 9 (dego), and of course Tom and Jerry (both).

Tek 9 - Killing Time (Remixed By Tom & Jerry)

Both in ensemble and separately the pair went on to defiantly explore the grey area between genres and render the traditional boundaries between them obsolete. Drawing on their extensive musical heritage they repeatedly redefined and expanded the sound of hardcore, drum n bass, and jungle.

To save time we’ve had to miss out a very large chunk of phenomenal music from the early and mid 90s, but hit up the back catalogue and you wont be disappointed…

Lets rewind back to the mid 80s, this time in the West Midlands, where a young Kaidi Tatham was enriching himself in notably a similar musical heritage to dego. Yet Kaidi would take a rather different route to musical expression than his future partner. By the age of nine he began to learn the flute and subsequently spent 2 years playing in the National Children’s Wind Orchestra. Soon enough he was down in South London attending a performance arts course in the day and raving to the sounds of Reinforced Records in the evening…. This time allowed Kaidi to explore the keys and begin honing the skills and energy that would later electrify modern jazz in the UK.

In 1994, Kaidi met Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba and joined the Herbaliser, an outfit that would go on to release a number of excellent albums on none other than Ninja Tune.

The Herbaliser - Scratchy Noise

Inspired by the legendary funk bands of previous generations such as the Headhunters, the Herbaliser toured with a seven-piece band, which led to a truly raw blend of jazz, funk, and hip-hop breaks.

Well. It doesn’t get much better than this in our books. Concentrate…

The Herbaliser - Starlight Ft. Roots Manuva

One more.

The Herbaliser - A Mother For Your Mind

Around the mid 90s dego was also finding time in the midst of producing and acting as A&R for the hardest of hard d ‘n’ b and Jungle anthems to release some of the best UK hip-hop we’ve ever heard, which is probably one of the reasons he would later be given the honor of supporting J-Dilla at Plastic People. How many producers can go from this:

To this:

It’s Not What You Think It Is !?!! (96) is aptly named as a more down-tempo jazz infused hip-hop album is probably the last thing die hard Tek-9 fans expected from one of the Godfathers of drum ‘n’ bass. Moves like this are what set dego apart as one of the UK’s truly great musicians of the past 25 years.

“Dego is one the most influential figures in music in London and in this country… He has always been a forward-thinking force, a progressive and positive supporter of new music and has always created his own lane with his own sound.” Benji B

Got to put at least two tracks in from one our all time favourite albums:

Tek 9 - Phat Like a....

In ‘97, something very special happened. 4hero joined Gilles Peterson’s label Talkin’ Loud to release a remix of the Nuyorican Soul project’s version of Rotary Connection's classic I Am The Black Gold of the Sun. Described by the Guardian as one of the most important moments in dance music history the track is seminal for a number of reasons. Firstly, it joins the dots between numerous generations of musical history and then colours in the journey. Secondly, it redefined the potential of a “dance music remix” and in the process altered many people’s conception of the drum ‘n’ bass genre – in that it clearly highlighted the work of 4hero as true art. A modern form of expression that can not only stand along side but also beautifully complement the work of artists such as Minnie Riperton and Phil Upchurch.

The song is bubbling with raw emotion and supposedly, when dego first played the remix to Gilles Peterson at Talkin Loud HQ it brought tears to his eyes (https://soundcloud.com/uncledugs/dugsmarcmac). Even if we ignore the context of this touching moment, anyone who appreciates music can understand the reaction completely.

4hero continued their fruitful relationship with Talkin’ Loud and in 1998 released their third album - Two Pages. Notably, it saw 4hero sail boldly into uncharted territory as every single track is recorded with live instrumentation rather than simply utilising samples. Given the context, this was a truly groundbreaking move that engendered incredible results. The album received extensive critical acclaim and was shortlisted for a Mercury prize. Although the album contains a number of hard hitters it is credited by many with creating the embryos of the jazz and soul infused broken-beat genre that defines the subsequent stages of dego’s musical journey.

4hero - Cosmic Tree

True to form the Remix album is heavy as well! Smooth as dego beat mix…

As luck would have around this time Kaidi popped his head in to the studio beside the Herbaliser’s and was introduced to Alex Phountzi and Orin Walters (aka Afronaught – Tip! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFBsqhl06b4 ). Soon after the Bugz In The Attic crew was formed and the seeds of West London’s broken-beat scene were well and truly sowed.

Catch part 2 here. Make sure you get tickets to see Gilles Peterson first ever back to back set with dego and Kaidi in the Bussey Building on the 20th November. Follow this link for tickets: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?759061

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Les anonymes

See more of kim Roselier illustrations here http://www.kimroselier.com/ or follow his blog for lots of nice little drawings http://kimroselier.tumblr.com/

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Tickets - http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?759061 The Respected Beggars join forces with Manchester's So Flute crew to stage a full Bussey take over.. To mark the occasion three of the most prolific and influential figures in the UK underground music scene and beyond will play an extended b2b set for the first time ever To top it off we've got our residents and an eclectic array of our favourite selectors runnin riddims across all three rooms.

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Dance for Refuge

On Sunday 27th September come and dance a day away at the Bussey Building, Peckham, and help fellow humans to find refuge. Dance for Refuge is an opportunity to aid those ill and injured in their escape from war and famine by raising funds for Médecins Sans Frontières. 

Artist lineup to be announced shortly. Expect good music and human empathy.

Find out more here: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/543209969166383/

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Goldie, Kemistry & Storm going in on some smooth jazzy jungle! Classic Metalheadz sounds.

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Wicked Illustrations 

Check out these bright and gritty pen illustrations from Italian artists Riccardo Carusi. You can view a collection of his illustrations from 2009 to 2014 here: https://www.behance.net/gallery/2999291/2009-2014-ILLUSTRATION-COLLECTION

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Beautiful Woodblock Prints from 1980

We love Japanese Artist Kurosaki Akira complex woodblock prints. An amazing mix of flat colours and gradients. 

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For his worldwide mix, the Broken Beat pioneer has pulled together global rhythms, soul and disco. Essential listening from one of London's greats. Grab the tracklist at: http://bit.ly/gpww-dego 'Mor

Two of our favourite people!

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Huge Collection of Old Rave Posters

Check out tons of old jungle posters from the 90s onwards here http://www.fantazia.org.uk/flyerlibrary/raveflyers_a.htm

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New York in 1983, the birth of Hip-Hop and Graffiti

This video looks into an amazing period of creativity in New York, the city was catalyst for Hip-Hop, B-Boys, Graffiti and Street Style. It is an awesome look into the youth at the roots of this culture as well police and Transit Authorities attitude towards it.

You can learn more at http://www.stylewars.com/

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Many thanks to Alexander Nut for shaping and expanding our love of music week in week out on Rinse FM. Seems like we enjoyed it as much as you did:

“Ladies and gents, attention please. After 8 incredible years on Rinse Fm i have decided to call it a day. I would like to thank all the listeners, management and fellow Dj's i have had the pleasure to work with over the years. It's been an amazing journey and i've enjoyed every second of it.”

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Stunning Cassette Artwork 

We love this music packaging by Artem Ilyschenko of the Ukraine based motion and animation studio Soft Machina.  

You can see more of his work here https://www.behance.net/default_dog

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The Do!! You!!! Breakfast Show w/ Charlie Bones & Danuka - 24th July 2015

MONDAY-FRIDAY / 9AM–12PM / WEEKLY Scintillating morning chat with the one like Charlie Bones, bringing you the rhythmic ratification that you need to survive until Friday.

Check out our good friend Danuka with Charlie Bones on NTS!

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The Respected Beggars are delighted to bring the Hoya:Hoya founder and Fabric resident Illum Sphere down to the Bunatee for his Belfast debut. Rightly revered as one of the UK’s finest selectors it’s the eclectic span of his sets that puts him among the very best. Come and join us for a proper 3-hour musical journey as this prolific producer and DJ takes us through the best in everything from reggae, hip-hop, and broken-beat to acid house and techno.