Like they say in the game, nuff talent
Observer Music Monthly
Raw and edgy the leading proponent of the Cristal City squad.
Touch
Were pioneers. The way were going about it is the way everyone else is gonna go. So says Cristal Citys heat-seeking MC K.Ners. The 26-year-old Bristolian, who hit Channel U and 1Xtra rotation with street hit Hectic, isnt joking. Because as well as throwing up great tunes with his rock-kid-turned-beatmaster producer One Mike, K.Ners is part of Cristal City. And Cristal City - a collective of Bristol rappers, producers, video-makers and designers which counts Massive Attacks 3D as an honorary member - is running things in a totally new way.
Thats mostly down to their killer cristalcity.co.uk website - the place where hip hop fans worldwide come to hear the tunes and the talent rolling out of the Bristol new school, and where graphics freaks go to get their eyes popped. You dont have to fly to Bristol to hear our stuff or see what were about says K.Ners, real name Horaine Ferguson. Its there for everyone, everywhere in the world. 24-year-old One Mike, real name Mike Tapper, agrees: People are part of Cristal City even if theyre not from Bristol. Theyre on the forum, theyre part of our community. Anyone is welcome at Cristal City. See Cristal City and youve got some idea of their world without ever setting foot in St Pauls: there are heads in gas masks, laser-eyed Godzilla animations, cut-up neon lettering and flying saucers, all layered over a map of the city. Youll get old-school Japanese monsters hanging around the sides of the home page, mutant dogs on the remix page, and twisted graf illustrations littering the battle section. Its graphically arresting, and thats without mentioning the music and video download areas. The site tells you what were about says K.Ners - and hes right.
Cristal City is a smart move at a time traditional record labels are struggling. Labels are scared and deals are scarce. Unless youre gonna make an immediate pile of money, you wont get signed. This way, we sell our music on the site, and keep total control of what were doing.
K.Ners and One Mike are just the latest in a succession of musical innovators from Bristol. Theyre treading a path beaten by Wild Bunch and Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, and more recently, by Aspects, Roni Size and Full Cycles Tomahawk pop missile, Tali. So many creative things have come out of here, says One Mike. People arent afraid to come out with some fresh stuff. Mad different things come out of Bristol. He puts it down to the citys sound system culture, which is still the main training ground and musical reference point for much of the citys sound. K.Ners agrees, after all, he started out as a ragga MC on a sound system. I used to go to all the ragga raves. Class sound system people would come and play, like (Jamaican sound system hero) Tony Matterhorn. Roots Manuva came down last year with his sound and ran a dance. Everything in Bristol stems from the sound system. Massive Attack have got involved too: 3D designed the Cristal City diamond logo and K.Ners debut album is being mixed at the bands Christchurch studio.
One Mike grew up in East London and moved to Bristol when he was 19. Previously a drummer, he grew up on Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine. Then he rang Cristal City manager Ferron and heard K.Ners rapping in the background. I thought he sounded great, so we hooked up. It was such a positive start. K.Ners: Mikes got his sound in his beats thats the rock in him. Ive got a certain sound in my flow and thats the ragga in me. Were both working against our blueprints and the fusion just works.
It certainly does. Debut album K In Da Flesh is a jet-propelled fusion of funk stabs, crazy-leg beats, rock energy and ragga attitude, and K.Ners raw, edgy flow. Theres energy in the music, energy in the beats, says K.Ners. Its raised the game for hip hop in this country. Rodney P certainly agrees: hes remixed end track I Am K.Ners. Take the sing-song Cristal City, with Uzi-hard beats and the biggest acid squelches since Roots Manuvas Witness, or Cocky, which takes the fanfare from the classic 80s Rocky flicks and curveballs it into a hot tune. Or Hectic, the ridiculously catchy Sega-sampling tune which got them heat in the first place. American hip hop is very unpretentious about what it samples, says One Mike. Everyone was saying we couldnt use that sample because it was too obvious but if it sounds good, fuck it. As well as obvious musical influences like Jay-Z and Bounty Killer, the pair name check Phil Collins, Linkin Park, The Streets and Oasis as less-obvious influences. Were doing something new, says Mike, and we take inspiration from all kinds of music.
So, just to recap. What exactly is Cristal City? Its a movement, says K.Ners with a smile. And its getting bigger and bigger.
Look West. Bristol just got interesting again.
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