After a damp rain in dark hours, the wet ground can be filled with slimy, slow creatures. Most people try to avoid these oozy gastropods when creeping around at night. But for Bok Bok (birth name Alex Sushon), this is his scene.
The founder of the Night Slugs record label will be playing a pan-genre, time-irreverent DJ set tonight at Korner.
“To me a Night Slug is the ‘wamp’ sound of a bassline flying at your body through the dark like a bullet,” Bok Bok told the Taipei Times.
Photo courtesy of Korner
Bok Bok made a name for himself in 2004 when grime music, which is somewhat equivalent to underground hip-hop in America with an added twist of UK garage, drum and bass and dancehall, was moving from pirate radio stations to the BBC.
Influenced by artists like Terror Danjah, Davinche and Wiley, Bok Bok realized he wanted to produce music with a unique inventiveness and raw energy to it.
In 2008, Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 (real name James Connolly) started Night Slugs, which was originally a club night in South London. In 2010, Night Slugs launched as a record label and since then, they have been releasing cutting edge club music non-stop. The world is catching up with Night Slugs and now grime music, which has had its ups and downs over the years, has been championed by big names like Tim Westwood and Kanye West.
Bok Bok is very pleased about this because the people that worked so hard to create the genre are finally earning a living out of the music. It also makes his life easier because he does not have to convince people how good grime is — they are finally getting it on their own.
Bok Bok, says that the quintessential Night Slugs’ song is IRL by Girl Unit. With its syrupy bassline, double time clicks and clacks and heavy synth sounds, IRL is one of Night Slugs’ first releases, and also one of the most vital tracks they have put out.
The thing that Bok Bok is most proud of is the legacy that Night Slugs is leaving.
“I feel we’ve built something unique,” Bok Bok said.
“As a DJ, I’m proud to have stuck to my guns and just building slowly my selection and style, never compromising, and playing exactly what I want to play; as a producer, I know my strongest work is yet to come.”
■ UnderU X Korner presents Bok Bok with Sonia Calico, Shi Yu Sun and Sylvian tonight from 11:30pm to 5am at Korner, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Admission is NT$650 at the door and includes a drink.
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