News & Reviews

BASS: AK1200 and Gridlok tap George Clinton for DNB album ‘Autopsy’
Edited Press Release

With a meticulously and deliberately crafted sound harkening back to the early days of Jungle, AK1200 and Gridlok bring the world "Autopsy." The latest full-length album on the Project 51 imprint, the two-CD album is set to drop worldwide in September 2008. Birthed from their unshakable desire to bring Drum ‘N’ Bass back to the forefront of dance music, AK and Gridlok set out to deconstruct and rebuild the genre -- retaining only its signature elements.

The album title, Autopsy, is a nod to a theme reinforced throughout the two disc set. Disc one, "The Examination," is a bi-coastal studio collaboration, in which AK1200 and Gridlok used Ableton Live to create a mix set of handpicked gems from the Project 51 (P51) back-catalog, piled high with remix, edit, and effects treatment exclusively for the purpose of this project.

Disc two, "The Diagnosis," is the duo’s response to the current state of DNB -- 10 tracks, brand new in every sense. Breakthrough elements include collaborations with George Clinton (Parliament Funkadelic), Shy FX (Digital Soundboy), LA Riots (Fools Gold), and Pendulum (Ear Storm). Autopsy will be available in stores and online retailers in certain areas as early as August 12, with worldwide release by September.

AK and Gridlok have planned a long tour in support of the album that’s slated through the end of 2008. The vast "Autopsy CD Release Tour" will last for the better part of four months, including stops in NYC, Baltimore, Miami, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. From September through November, Gridlok will continue on for European, New Zealand, and Australian legs of the tour. Meanwhile, fall 2008 finds AK1200, along with heavyweights Dieselboy and Dara, embarking on the ninth annual Planet of the Drums (POTD) tour -- the most successful electronic music tour in history.

AK, a founding member of POTD, was directly responsible for its rise as the only North American tour of DJs that has lasted nine consecutive years, each year adding more dates and enjoying larger attendance. The team was finally forced to make the decision to cap their bookings at a respectable thirty dates per tour.

Record label Project 51 is conducting a remix contest, providing fans with loops and samples from the single "LABRAT." Participants are invited to submit remixed versions of the track until the end of year, for consideration on an upcoming Project 51 12". By inserting disc two into a computer’s CD-ROM drive, fans can access the material, along with other exclusive content.

AK1200, whose birth name is Dave Minner, is an Orlando, Fla., native who is widely recognized as The Godfather of DNB in America. He’s had the longest running career of any DNB DJ in the US and was the first to give exposure to hundreds of UK based artists in the states. Truly an asset to the electronic dance music community, his lengthy list of credentials includes his writing background with UK and US-based music magazines, A&R work for Moving Shadow, and a long history of performances and production work that have taken him to all corners of the earth.

AK’s extensive discography includes collaborations and remix work with talent quite diverse in range - from electronica greats Rabbit in the Moon and Crystal Method, to hip hop’s Tribe Called Quest. His classic remix of Cleveland Lounge's "Drowning" is one of the most widely recognized drum n’ bass songs in America. His works have been released on labels such as Moonshine Music, FFRR, Jive Electro, and Breakbeat Science.

Gridlok (Ryan Powell), one of America’s hardest working producers and DJs, has charted a steady, methodical path into the vanguard of DNB. Currently based in Los Angeles, but having called every corner of the country "home," his tracks have earned the support of the scene’s finest. The once classically trained violinist turned hard-rocker turned dancefloor-shocker, has made it his business to break ground, rules and borders.

To that end, Gridlok’s productions have appeared on labels otherwise preciously reserved for the UK elite that spawned them, from Andy C’s RAM Records to Ed Rush and Optical’s Virus Recordings. His work ethic and tireless efforts to advance the sonic breadth of the music have yielded tremendous dividends for fans of the genre, worldwide. Gridlok’s next forthcoming venture is a rock band featuring collaborators from the DNB world.

Initially conceived as a sinister plot against "all things mundane and unchallenging," Project 51 provides worldwide access to music designed to rock dance floors and synapses with equal ferocity. P51's focus is presenting DNB that is unafraid to shatter boundaries and create musical situations unavailable from any other label. From its beginnings as an outlet for Gridlok's more esoteric material, the label has evolved into an underground powerhouse.

The label is distributed by ST Holdings throughout UK/Europe and recently inked a deal with IDC and INgrooves/Universal Music Group in the states. P51 features world-renowned artists such as Dom, Hive, RymeTyme, Silver, Echo, Controlled Substance, The Upbeats, Origin, and Gridlok himself. To learn more about Project 51, please visit Gridlok’s website.
 

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