Sonic tug-of-war: Low End Activist is telling stories of social division through exploratory bass

The record is getting remixed by the likes of Scratcha, aya, and Grandmixxer, how did that come about? How did you pick out those artists?

The album took a long time to come out – over two years in the end! So I started throwing the parts out to some friends while I was waiting, and as soon as I realised I had another project brewing, that led to me involving other artists who have inspired me more recently. The artists you referenced, as well as Josi Devil, Logos, Al Wootton etc. But the majority are friends, Trends is from Oxford, and we actually played football together as kids.

Who’s on repeat for you at the moment?

Currently, it’s eight-hour recordings of thunderstorms or coastal waves as this helps my baby daughter Naina go to sleep! It’s completely messed up my streaming algorithms, haha. In her defence, she also likes Westside Gunn and Griselda…

I still buy a fair amount of records each month, most recent picks are Rat Heart, Krikor, Black Zone Myth Chant, Cleyra. There’s tons of new music mastered and ready to drop on Sneaker which I’m gassed about – Mantra, Alan Johnson, Seekersinternational, Paradox, Etch, D3U5E, Trends, Boylan & Slimzee, Dogpatrol, Yorobi, Stonecirclesampler, J-Shadow.

You live in Berlin right now – what’s the scene like out there for UK bass, jungle, dubstep, and other genres that you play and produce?

Yeah, that’s right, I moved here around six years ago from Bristol – Berlin is home now. Techno is still the dominant sound here of course, and you see many producers who move here shift their style to fit in, but there’s definitely a strong and increasing appreciation for those styles you mentioned. Alongside Appleblim, I’ve been running Sneaker parties at OHM now for almost five years. It’s one of the best small clubs in the world in my opinion. I’m psyched for our next party on November 25 with OJOO GYAL, Judaah and a live set from Cocktail Party Effect. There are other promoters flying the flag that I should mention though – Mother’s Finest, Version, and Awkwardly Social. The quality of music in Berlin is second to none.

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What’s next for you?

I have this ‘Remixes & Instrumentals’ tape which should hopefully drop before the year is out. I’m keen to draw a line under the album project and start fresh next year, I wrote a lot of music during the pandemic. I have another long player sat there which I need to figure out what to do with, and three EPs ready to go. The next 12” has just been mastered and will be dropping on Sneaker around March/April next year. Other than that, focusing on family right now, and maybe back to doing some shows outside of Berlin next year.

Can you talk us through your Impact mix?

It’s a mixed bag of peripheral grime, techno, scuzzy UKG and some unreleased label bits. 23 tracks packed into an hour! Most tracks are sitting in the mix for no longer than a few mins – perfectly suited for the distracted listener!

Tracklist:

Untold – Sing A Love Song (Hemlock Recordings)
DJ Scud – No Love (Transparent)
Yally – Burnt (Boomkat Editions)
Hodge – Where I Wanna Be (Two Moons)
Cleyra – Ruk (Club Night Club)
Neil Landstrumm – Tension In New York (Don’t)
Peder Mannerfelt – Clear Eyes, Full Heart (Hinge Finger)
Mars89 – Dick Laurent is Dead (Bedouin Records)
Giesse – Goji [Demdike Stare Hypersensitive World remix] (HomeMadeZucchero)
Mumdance – Cirrus (Different Circles)
Breton – RDI (Girl Unit Remix) (Hemlock Recordings)
Rabit ft. Riko Dan – Black Dragon (Glacial Sound)
Jonny L – Piper [Overmono remix] (XL Recordings)
Sd Laika – You Were Wrong (Tri Angle)
Mor Elian – Itch Twitch (Forthcoming Fever AM)
Trends & Boylan – Carnage(Forthcoming Sneaker Social Club)
Safe Planet – Surprise Cat (Sweet Sensation)
East Man – Jaws 2 (Hi-Tek Sounds)
Lukid – Dragon Stout (Glum)
Low End Activist ft. KILLA P – DFRNT STYLE [Josi Devil Remix] (Forthcoming Sneaker Social Club)
House of Black Lanterns – Slew (Self-Released)
Aaron Spectre – Say More Fire (Rag & Bone)
Slackk – Jackpines (Local Action)

Sneaker Social Club’s next event at OHM takes place on November 25. Grab your tickets here

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter