On 6 December the SPbDnB.ru portal held the first awards ceremony for drum and bass music: the Saint-Petersburg Drum’n’Bass Awards 2003. Winners in 10 categories were chosen by voting on the website and by questionnaires handed out at drum and bass parties from October to December 2003. Here is our report on the winners.
Best DJ: Gvozd
The contenders for the year’s best drum and bass DJ were Bes, Gvozd and Boomer. Most votes went to DJ Gvozd, host of the Pirate Station radio show on Radio Record, organiser and driving force behind the All-Russian Drum’n’Bass Convention, and head of Respect Family and the Respect Records label.
DJ Parade and Pirate Station at Yubileyny, the Listen Up! party series at Griboedov club, Respect Family’s Birthday, and the Technoid Connections and Fuck Me! I’m Famous presentations at Pyatnitsa club: this is far from a complete list of events where Saint Petersburg’s jungle massive heard DJ Gvozd’s sets, sometimes hard, sometimes weightlessly atmospheric, sometimes completely unexpected in style. With every mix, DJ Gvozd amazed the audience with the quality of his selection and his mixing technique.
Best Producer: Dissident
Winning this category by a wide margin, Dissident once again confirmed his high standing. His album Astral Mode LP was a revelation for many listeners and an example for the younger generation of Saint Petersburg drum and bass producers to follow.
Dissident remains one of the few artists on the Russian drum and bass scene to have attracted the attention of foreign labels (Renegade Hardware, Blindside, Fear Red). Experiments with sound, ethnic moods, neurofunk bass and an inimitable rhythm make up Dissident’s refined sound.
Best MC: Munkie
Throughout the year, at parties by Respect Family and Total Advance Music, MC Munkie brought a positive mood to the dancefloor. His growling voice, ragga toasting and unusual way of communicating and exchanging energy with the crowd made the DJs’ sets twice as appealing to listeners and dancers.
Best Track: Dissident – Stigmata
One of the best tracks by the Saint Petersburg producer Dissident, included on his album Astral Mode LP. Eastern vocals, original sounds and melodies, paranoid sub-bass, a mixed dancefloor reaction and a departure from the usual song structure explain why listeners preferred this track to the others.
Best Promo Group: Respect Family
The promotional organisation Respect Family was founded at the dawn of drum and bass culture in our city. Gathering momentum year after year, Respect Family has given us celebrations in every Saint Petersburg club where drum and bass was played. In 2000 it organised the first All-Russian Drum’n’Bass Convention, which now gathers the best DJs and producers from Russia and the CIS under its banner every year. In 2003 the Drum’n’Bass Convention once again became the most important event on the Russian drum and bass scene and a starting point for the development of the style in the following year. The group’s outstanding qualities were vividly demonstrated by parties at Griboedov (the Listen Up! series), Pyatnitsa (Technoid Connection, Respect Family BD) and Par.spb (All-Russian Drum’n’Bass Convention ’003).
Best Party: Cause 4 Concern & Negative @ Tunnel
On this day the promotional company Gunsta celebrated its third anniversary. Drum and bass fans received the most valuable gift from the promoters: a performance by stars of the global drum and bass scene, Cause 4 Concern and Negative. An excellent, high-quality set by Negative and a four-hour journey through the latest trends in drum and bass with the British duo Cause 4 Concern made this the brightest event of the year on Saint Petersburg’s drum and bass scene.
Best Label: TAM Records
The label TAM Records, created and run by DJ Bes, won this category by a significant margin. The quality of the music, along with the superb printing and packaging of its physical releases, left the competition with no chance. Dissident’s Astral Mode LP (by Saint Petersburg’s best producer), Bes’s albums Bleeding and Soap’n’Bones, the label’s first international compilation Tamography and the continuation of the New Motion Of Drum’n’Bass series expanded the catalogue that year.
Best Radio Show: Pirate Station
The one and only drum and bass radio show on Saint Petersburg’s airwaves. Its host, DJ Gvozd, selects the most current material for his broadcasts. This year’s studio guests included Saint Petersburg DJs and producers, as well as Cause 4 Concern during their visit to the city. In the “Russian Hour” segment, DJ Gvozd presents music by producers from Russia and the CIS for the radio audience to judge, encouraging producers to improve their skills and making a major contribution to the development of this culture in our city.
Best Release: Dissident – Astral Mode LP
The most original and ambiguous album of the year, released on TAM Records. Ethnic moods, an enchanting atmosphere, otherworldly sounds and deep, funky bass run through the album from the first track to the last. The record can be listened to in one sitting and leaves no one indifferent, even those unfamiliar with this producer’s sound. The album is equally enjoyable for connoisseurs of the style and of Dissident’s work, and for those taking their first steps into drum’n’bass.
Best Club: Tunnel
After reopening following a long hiatus, Tunnel club became, within just a few months, a home away from home for those who prefer drum and bass and techno to other styles of electronic music. At the end of last year the club hosted stars of the global drum and bass scene, Black Sun Empire and Pyro. This year the Saint Petersburg audience heard sets from Ed Rush, Cause 4 Concern and Negative. Tunnel won the Best Club category thanks to a large number of high-quality events and serious work by the club’s management and staff.
The winners in each category received a symbol of victory: a statuette of the goddess Nike. Your contribution to the development of this culture was evaluated by you, the listeners, and the voting results reflect the situation on Saint Petersburg’s drum and bass scene as accurately as possible. The SPbDnB.ru team thanks the ceremony’s sponsor, the TV channel Muz-TV, and the Capsula chain of stores, and bows deeply to all the artists and promoters who gave us a year full of unforgettable parties and interesting music.
Text: Yegor
