Fresh off the back of his double award win at the Drum and Bass Awards 2021, Manchester-based DJ and producer, Bou, is killing the scene right now.
Last weekend, he picked up the award for Best Producer for the second year in a row, as well as Best Track for his collab with fellow Manc drum and bass legend Trigga with “Veteran VIP”.
He managed to take a break from his New Zealand tour this week to squeeze us in for a quick chat about what he’s up to at the minute.
Not only has he been busy swiping up industry awards, Bou has had his head down with the launch his own record label, Gossip – and its first release is out today.
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“I’ve been visualising Gossip for over two years,” he told Audio. “Getting the right team together to make the dream come to life – having Dale, Hedex, David & Wilf around me – has helped me so much in making this happen and I can’t wait for the future of it.”
“I have tons of unreleased bangers that I’ve kept for this label. From huge collabs with legends like High Contrast to dubs from myself that people have been after for the last three years – and also talks of my first album on there. I have so much to release and create, and it’s finally time.
“My first release on the label is “Cous Cous”, with the talented Inja. I’ve been sat on this tune for around a year and a half, so I can’t wait to get it out. Plus, we had a wicked livestream and music video to premiere, so keep an eye on that.”
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Looking back on Bou’s career so far, it’s been packed with highs and he’s still only 24-years-old.
He first got a taster of drum and bass when he went to a rave in some woods in Rivington with his mates when he was 15 – and he instantly became hooked on the genre.
So, he set about learning to DJ and produce and cites Shy FX as one of his early inspirations. But it was the legendary station Bloc2Bloc that helped him find his spot on the Manchester scene.
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The guy behind it, Jack Banner, helped put Manchester’s bass music on the map and was streaming online long before the pandemic-induced livestreams came along.
Any up-and-coming drum and bass or jungle artist in Manchester is likely to have passed through the Bloc2Bloc HQ at some point, Bou being one of them.
“I met so many people [at Bloc2Bloc] who are into drum and bass,” said Bou. “Having a community of people that relate to what you want to do is massively important, in my opinion. Jack has helped myself and many artists grow so much. Huge respects to him.”
Now, Bou is on track to becoming one of the most exciting producers on the scene at the minute. His recent awards speak for themselves. But his secret to success is taking your time with productions and releases, as you’re always learning and improving.
“I feel like my sound is always developing and maturing the longer I make music. And my taste is always changing,” he said. “One of the main things I love in drum and bass is there is so many ways to express yourself when making it, it’s something you don’t find in a lot of other genres.”
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He’s got a load of tours and festivals all around the world planned for the post-Covid comeback.
Currently touring New Zealand, he’s played alongside some familiar Mancunian drum and bass faces like Tonn Piper this week, headlining in front of a 4000-strong crowd in Christchurch. Something he says is still so surreal.
But despite global success, Bou still manages to stay humble. And it’s only a matter of time before he becomes one of the biggest names in the genre – if he isn’t already.
If you’re into drum and bass, keep your eyes on Gossip because there’ll be a lot going down on the label very soon.
Listen to “Cous Cous” on our New Manc Audio playlist now here.
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Featured image: @rhysbelding/IG
Music
A series of candlelit concerts is coming to some of Manchester’s most beautiful buildings
Daisy Jackson
A series of concerts that take place surrounded by thousands of flickering candles will be taking over several of Manchester’s most beautiful landmarks.
The Candlelight Concerts series takes the work of world-famous artists like Beyonce, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac and Coldplay, but strips it right back to basics.
Gone are the high-tech special effects and lighting installations we’re all so accustomed to now, replaced instead by simple candles and a small orchestra, plus occasional ballerinas.
As well as paying tributes to huge pop acts, there are some events focused on more classical artists, like a production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with ballet performances.
The work of legendary composer Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Interstellar and The Dark Knight) also stars in another event, and the late, great Amy Winehouse is honoured in another.
Venues being used include Edgar Wood, Manchester Cathedral, Stoller Hall and Halle St Peter.
The event organisers say: “Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations never before used for this purpose in Manchester.”
Each candlelit concert lasts around an hour and is fully accessible.
There are usually two showings per day, at 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
You can buy tickets for different zones within each venue, but then it’s first-come first-served to get your actual seat.
The full list of upcoming events is below and you can get your tickets here.
A Tribute to Beyonce – Edgar Wood – 2 December
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and More – Manchester Cathedral – 27 January
Christmas: Love Actually, Home Alone and more – 13 and 21 December
A Tribute to Fleetwood Max – Halle St Peters – various dates
A Tribute to Amy Winehouse – Halle St Peters – 24 November and 12 January
A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald – Halle St Peter – 14 January
Hans Zimmer’s Best Works – Halle St Peters – 22 December and 2 February
A Tribute to Coldplay – Manchester Cathedral – 11 November and 20 January
A Tribute to Oasis – Halle St Peters – 15 December
Masked Manchester rapper Meekz announces UK tour with intimate hometown show
Georgina Pellant
Masked-up Manchester rapper Meekz has announced the details of his ‘Can’t Stop The Come Up’ tour, which will see the artist play an intimate hometown show at Manchester Academy 3.
Taking over the 470 capacity venue for one night in 2023 as part of the mini-tour, which also sees him play shows in London and Birmingham, fans will have a rare chance to see Meekz up close in a personal setting.
Earlier this year, the local heavyweight performed at the BRIT awards alongside UK rap champions Dave, Fredo, Ghetts and Giggs – giving a live rendition of his unforgettable verse on Dave’s ‘In the Fire’ to a mainstream audience of millions.
Meekz also impressed at Parklife festival last year, playing on the main stage to a crowd of thousands.
Meekz on the Parklife stage, 2021. / Image: Andrew Whitton
Now, he’s announced he’ll be pulling out all of the stops on tour – ending with a special homecoming show in the new year.
The tour announcement follows the first play of Meekz’s new track ‘Fresh Out The Bank’ featuring Dave which premiered as Clara Amfo’s BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record In The World last night.
Taken from his highly anticipated debut mixtape Respect The Come Up, which has just been released, Meekz has announced himself as the scene’s next superstar.
The 10-track project includes pre-release singles ‘Respect The Come Up’ & ‘More Money’ and seven brand new songs, plus a remastered version of ‘Take Losses’ – the 2018 cut which helped launch his career after the buzz it created on SoundCloud became too loud to ignore.
Meekz has established himself as one of UK rap’s brightest, most intriguing talents, who slices through the frost of street boasts and menace with moments of profound introspection.
His music evidently resonates with people on a grand scale: Meekz’s work has racked up 250 million streams to date and he’s approaching 100 million streams on Youtube, with 200,000 subscribers locked into his channel.
Tickets for the new live dates go on sale at 10am on Thursday 24th November and will be available here.
MEEKZ UK TOUR DATES 2023
Wed 22 February Birmingham O2 Institute 2 Fri 24 February London O2 Islington Academy Mon 27 February Manchester Academy 3
Hannah Starkie -
7th May 2021 
