Unmissable Festival Acts
Hundreds of festivals. Thousands of set times. One summer. Seven unmissable acts.
Rebel Sound
Soundclash supergroup turned festival phenomenon of the summer
What began as a one-off crack team to slay Boy Better Know and A$AP Mob at last year's Reb Bull Culture Clash is now officially a supergroup… and they're about to shred this summer's festivals with total dubplate domination. "Well, we could hardly be called Andre, Will, Saul, Patrick and Dave, could we?" laughs roots professor and straight-up legend David Rodigan. One of the five-strong gang, he's joined by jungle pioneer Shy FX, bass A-listers Chase & Status and their hugely respected mic-munching soldier, MC Rage.
"We wanted a name that reflected what we wanted to be on that night and where we were coming from," he explains. "Our music has always been rebellious, it's never been mainstream. Real reggae, original jungle and underground drum 'n' bass have always been rebel's music."
Everyone knew they meant business the minute they opened up their first round in the Culture Clash with a parody news clip with broadcasting don Sir Trevor McDonald calling out Boy Better Know and A$AP Mob.
"Seeing peoples' faces when it dropped was amazing," grins Will Kennard (Status). "People thought it was CGI or clever editing, but it was totally real. Shy recorded it, he give him a fistbump and a hug. You don't get more real than that."
And you don't get more real than the passion that's driven these five to this position. Rodigan is armed with a trophy cabinet of international soundclash crowns and a chess-like knowledge of clash tactics. Rage was brought up on soundsystem culture (his uncle is half of famous Studio One-signed duo Michigan & Smiley). Chase And Status and Shy FX rose through the ranks of jungle where the skill of cutting dubs, right up until the end of the 00s, was just as essential as being able to mix the tunes themselves.
"We're celebrating that era when DJ culture wasn't about playing the top five hottest tunes," says Saul Milton (Chase) "These days tunes have a shorter shelf life and people have access to everything. There are DJs who are playing tracks they have no right to play!"
Prior to the Culture Clash they spent three months sourcing and securing singers, rappers and MCs to record new versions of tracks… to the point they had too many dubs. Since their historic win, they've spent another six months making more special exclusives for this summer's onslaught. But Rebel Sound is no longer driven by a strict soundclash mind-set but rather a broader, accessible attitude that suits the festival vibe.
"There is a danger of being too upfront or exclusive," says Rodigan whose role is to play the consummate MC double-act with Rage. "If you have too many dubs at a festival you alienate people. We're here to entertain. We're not here to be self-indulgent or moody. So we've carefully balanced what we'll bring; you'll get exclusives. You'll get future heat. You'll get special scorchers and festival thrillers we personally believe in. Most of all, you will get songs that are uplifting and joyful."
You also get an act with a collective experience of over 100 years of festival performances. "Bottom line, it's the music we've grown up with," Rage says. "Jungle, garage, classics, reggae, dub, dubstep… different genres. Different melting pots. Go back to the early 90s and everyone was joining those dots: your Jazzy B's, your Massive Attacks. This is our take on it; a bit of education, a bit of exclusives, a bit of classics, a massive party."
"All I'll say is that it will be full of surprises. There is not one tune we'll play that you'll hear anywhere else," grins Shy FX. "Three generations of soundboy; the Godfather Rodigan, me and Chase And Status. This is everything I wanted to do as a kid; the spirit of the sound clash, the dubplate culture that I miss so much, the fusion and the energy between us. I don't know if we'll ever find time in our schedules to do this again, so make sure you check this out."
Catch Rebel Sound this summer: High Definition Festival, Tunbridge Wells (July 5) NASS Festival, Somerset (July 11), Mutiny Festival, Portsmouth (July 19), Creamfields, Liverpool (August 28), Reading Festival (August 29), Leeds Festival (August 30)
[Words: Dave Jenkins/ Photo: Charlie Raven]
