Artist Profile: Oneman

The importance of the DJ is something that should never be lost sight of. Today’s bass heavy underground is ruled by a select few who have the dexterity, selection prowess and credible platform to jump off from. Oneman is almost certainly one of those dudes. As a scene figure his Sunday night show on London’s (now legal) Rinse FM, is a constant source of enjoyment - as a set and as something of an education. Laced with all manner of rhythms, Oneman’s show traverses the void blown open by dubstep and dark garage a few years back and his selection and seamless quick paced mixing has made a name out of many including Girl Unit’s anthem ‘Wut’ and more recently stoking the hype fire around ‘Sicko Cell,’ and the “I’m the Information” tune that’s taken the internet by storm. “Few epitomized what an incredible year 2010 was as DJ Oneman,” mused respected dubstep journalist and influential blogger Martin Clark back in November in his Pitchfork ‘Grime And Dubstep’ column. “When Loefah put him forward for Mary Anne Hobbs' Generation Bass showcase in 2008, his talent as a DJ was undeniable, yet mixing early DMZ releases into old UK garage records will only take you so far. Instead he spent the next two years walking a new path, eventually ushering in a new generation of producers and sounds distinct from the grime, funky, dubstep, and garage scenes that inspired them. By summer, armed with peerless mixing skills and new Serato tricks, Oneman would reach Slimzee circa 2003, Hatcha '04, or DMZ '06 levels of creativity, putting clear water between himself and the very hot competition.” Starting his own label, 502 Recordings, in the latter half of last year, releasing tunes by Fis-T and Jay Weed he’s and resurrecting his Standard Place club night, Oneman’s come a long way since that profile feature on Mary Anne Hobb’s radio show two and a bit years ago. As Clark points out his journey from garage to dubstep to the current genre clusterfuck has been swift and noteable cumulating perfectly with his superb podcast for XLR8R at the end of last year. It’s even more impressive to note that he’s carved his niche purely with his mixing and his selection as a DJ, becoming that key entrance point for so many producers thanks to his foresight and ultimately, his taste in music. Something of a fabric regular, Oneman returns to Room Two on the 4th February for a super anticipated back to back set with another huge figure in the world of DJing, Jackmaster. Jack’s sense of humour and hedonistic approach to DJing is legendary around these parts - we hold those hands in the air moments that have occurred everywhere from Dalston to Barcelona super close - and his Numbers collective made an indelible impression on our club programming last year. Aside from being a part in bringing a glut of spectacular lineups to our Room One, we’ve also enlisted the Glaswegian maestro to mix FABRICLIVE 56, a task he’s accepted with gusto. In honour of their b2b set we’ve located a recording of the two doing just that on Oneman’s Rinse FM show last May. Hosted by ASBO, even now, nearly 8 months later, it’s a brilliant and bold selection complete with off mic mutterings, lashings of essential music and one spectacular Serato crash. Download: Oneman b2b Jackmaster on Rinse FM - Recorded May 30th 2010 Catch Oneman b2b Jackmaster in Room Two alongside Scratch Perverts, Hannah Holland, Greenmoney and Tayo on Friday 4th February.