Introducing: DJ Narrows

Over numerous years DJ Narrows has cultivated himself an almost mystical aura as an underground figure of the UK garage scene. Having once been a regular at the Sinderwinder raves and on the airwaves of Rinse FM, Narrows can now be heard on Ramp Radio, where he’s a resident alongside another duo of prevolant dark garage producers, El-B and J Da Flex.

Narrows biggest tune to date, incidentally listed as his debut production on discogs, is his ‘Saved Soul’ cut that appeared on Resurrection Records back in 2001. After a slew of other plates for labels like Sub Vert, Heavy Artillery and Caspa’s Storming Productions label bring us up to the end of 2008, Narrows is set to release ‘Conscience of a Ghost’ on El-B and J Da Flex’s Nu Levels compilation – which also features that El-B and Burial collaboration – and he’s set his phase to stun Room 3 this Friday.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a skillful Producer/DJ, I've collected and DJed oldskool UK House and Garage since 1998, but nowadays I mainly DJ my own bass heavy dubs. I got very bored with the fluffy RnB/2-Step that became popular back in the day and started making my own tunes to carry on the tradition of 4x4, yet my distinctive style was new skool: much harder, darker and more bass-heavy than those artists before me. I hooked up with longtime friend, Morph who was making a name for himself engineering and had technical knowledge: 'button-pushing' the samplers (a spec'd up EMU Ultra64 with FX cards - for those of you that care), synths, multi-track mixing desks, EQing, compressing etc...

The legend that is the award-winning DJ EZ broke my tune ‘Saved Soul’ to the world in 2001 and it made an impact on the UKG scene. I'm described as a pioneer (a bit ahead of my time) and people say the vibrations/ripples still spill over into today’s grime, bassline/niche and dubstep. How true is that? Well, I’m humbled people think of my work that way, but I try not to pay it too much mind, and just focus on my own 'uncompromising' style, experimenting on the boundaries of underground 4x4: a bit dark, a bit techy, a bit breaky, a bit ravey...I try to incorporate the drum & bass philosophy, so it all sounds lairy and energetic.

Having been all stalwart of the UK Garage scene what were your highlights of those days?
My best memories are of FWD>> back in the day. Artistically/spiritually, it was very meaningful time to me, and also played a large part in the sound of the scene, especially in London and South England. I met my contemporaries and the 'real' producers, the experimentalists who I respected, those who were also the boundary-pushers. Most notably meeting Oris Jay aka Darqwan, all the Tempa boys, the Ghost crew and watching DJs like Hatcha and hearing Miss Dynamite.

I think with the talent/phone contest, tragic over-exposure and commercialism of today’s music is sickening and difficult for us 'underground' boys to stomach, us who are always so hardcore, raw and so cool... Events and artists on the cutting-edge are immersed in the subversive culture and alternative vision of the world, and our vibrations are important markers - it unites us.

Other highlights...tough to say, I was young and just going with the flow...umm...DJing for Sidewinder and its affiliate parties, that was quite intense with 1500-2000 people looking back at you - hands in the air. There were always pretty girls onstage to massage the ego, and MC battles. I enjoyed the release of pressure that 'it was alright' to still make 4x4 rave music instead of the very mundane RnB/2-step; and the fact that girls could whine/shake to the darker stuff too.

What are your top tracks of that period?
From the oldskool 4x4: anything by Todd Edwards, MJ Cole, Confetti Records or Ice Cream Records. Also ‘Mind, Body & Soul’ by Tever T; ‘Said the Spider’ by Oris Jay; ‘Turbulance’ by Agent X; anything on Tempa; ‘Transmission’ by Outlaw Breaks… I was and still am a massive drum & bass fan.







Tell us a bit about your relationship with J Da Flex and El-B, how did that come about and what are your plans as a collective at the moment?
To be honest its simple tings… El-B phoned me: he said what are you up to these days - I said a bit of this, a bit of that” - he said do some tunes and come up to London, you're big in da game, where the fuck are you? come up and get invovled - I said yeah, OK - So I did.

So what else in the pipeline for you this year?
I’m grateful for the recent interest and always looking for more DJ dates, it’s an honour to spread my energetic sound to the ravers. I am releasing some exciting bangers on my new label called Soul Craft, and I’m about to drop ‘IN10city’ b/w ‘Sharp Arrows’ and ‘So High’ in May…can't wait!

I'm enjoying my time as a resident in cyber town on http://www.rampradio.co.uk. I play a cool selection of new and old hard beats, some dubstep and some Narrows and I'm releasing a heavy-weight stomper with El-B and J Da on their project, the 'Nu Levels Album' called ‘Conscience of a Ghost.’

Have you ever been to fabric before and whats your thoughts?
Umm... no I have never been to fabric. I have heard many good things about the venue and I feel honored to come 'n bussup the place.

What can we expect from Narrow’s set on the 16th?
Fire! Haha… hard 4x4, dubplates and vibrations from the depth of the darkness underground.