Sona Vabos

Southern Fried’s man of mystery delivers a monster EP

Welcome to DMC towers, a brilliant new EP swinging our way on Southern Fried. Talk us through these radically different but all cracking tracks on ‘Strings, Tings & Other Things’…

“In the studio I never start with a plan of what I’m going to make but with the E.P I was clear that I wanted to create something flavoured with a lot of the styles I’m in to. There’s a really healthy scene in dance music right now with producers pulling influences from a wide mix of genres so I wanted the EP to reflect this. Hotblade draws on Disco, Sizzler on UK Funky/Bass with a big dub reggae switch and Black Music Blues is a booty shaker that throws in a bit of everything else.

‘Sizzler’ has been likened to the Basement Jaxx classic ‘Jump and Shout, happy with that comparison...

“Hell yeah, I’m just happy to be mentioned in the same sentence as Basement ‘Jaxx! ‘Jump and Shout’ is a killer club tune from one of my all time favourite dance albums, so yes, I’m more than happy with the comparison.”

A stunning 12 months for you on the remix front with reworks of The 2Bears, Black Ghosts, Crookers and The Whip. What is coming up next for you remix wise?

“I’ve just finished a remix of the new Chicken Lips tune called Dromp which is sounding pretty tasty and I’ve produced a King Tubby style rework of the Mighty Dub Katz Classic- ‘Son of Wilmot’. Other than that I’m focusing more on my own productions although I’m always on the lookout for some new beats to get my paws on.”

What is the current top 10 you are spinning…

Kidnap Kid—Lazarus,

The Steoples—Nature Of The Soul

New York Transit Authority—Off The Traxx

Dauwd—Whats There

Jessie Ware—Running (Disclosure Remix)

Para One— Lean On Me

Volta Bureau—Alley Cat

Julio Bashmore –Au Seve

Vaal–Mask

Hot Chip – Night and Day (Dusky Remix)

Who would you say were you early musical influences that swayed you towards dance music?

“Future Sound of London’s ‘Papa New Guinea’ was an early track that blew my mind and set me on the righteous path of obsessing over all things electronic. From there on in acts like LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Amon Tobin, Lamb, Basement Jaxx, DJ Shadow, Todd Terry, Photex, Dave Clarke and Joey Beltram, to name but a few, all helped me to continue that journey.”

What were the early clubs and DJs you were checking out back in the day…

“I’m London based now but I’ve moved around a fair bit and back in the day Leeds was my stomping ground. In particular ‘Soundclash’ a night promoted by Andrew Weatherhall and Justin Robertson. It was proper eclectic and unsurprisingly Dub influenced, anything from classic King Tubby to D&B and Techno. There was a ‘play what you want’ ethos to the night and always a wicked vibe. Andy Smith was always a DJ i’d make the effort to catch, a seasoned crate digger with Hip Hop mixing skills and supreme in working the crowd. Obviously Back to Basics was also a classic early clubbing epiphany which I think is still going strong today.”

Have you any other pseudonyms on the go at the moment release wise…

“Ha ha! None that I’m going to disclose yet, but let’s just say I’ve got a few projects going on.”.

What is the greatest record you have ever played to a dancefloor?

“Man that is a tough tough question but if I had to choose you can’t beat a bit of ‘Know How’ by the Young MC, a guaranteed good time booty shaker.”

How is the gig diary looking for the summer, where will we find you out and about in festival season?

“This last year has seen me focus my time on production so I’m hoping that’s going to build some profile and then I can start hitting the DJ booth, watch this space!!”

www.southernfriedrcords.com