Katie Cowell Reviews: V-Double-E

An upbringing in North West London gave her the street attitude, but it was V-Double-E’s introduction to the drum n bass scene which gave her the strength to forge her own musical way.
She minces no words when describing her difficulty in breaking into the largely male-dominated scene. Most of the people she met were more interested in sexualising her, than hearing what she had to say. Rather than succumb, however, she fought on. In doing so, she maintained her dignity, said what she wanted to say and without compromising anything!

Citing Eminem as a major influence for his clever lyrics, she has a similar ability to play with words and deliver punchy, and at times, cheeky rhymes.

V-Double-E likes to write about her personal experiences; that is, her life as a woman in the music industry and life in the city she loves: London.

Not interested in purging her secrets and love confessionals – she would much rather find inspiration in the quotidian; people she sees on the bus, women’s issues and life on a daily basis. Blonde and glamorous, she loves nothing more than to challenge the stereotypes people may have of her, thereby lowering their expectations, only to come out with a punchy hook and outlandish verse.

Songs to listen out for are 'Don’t hold me back' which was produced by Stereodan and 'Time of the Month'– which is a harbourer of some devilishly funny lyrics:

"Time of the Month
Paint the town red
Bloody for a week
But never end up dead"


V-Double-E is definitely worth checking out for her glammed-up performance and fiery lashings of wit!

Find her at www.myspace.com/vdoublee
www.myspace.com/statecitydisco

drum & bass lives.......

NAME: Charlie Potter aka Potta MC
AGE: 20
OCCUPATION: Drum & Bass MC

The Fat Blog is happy to introduce our latest recruit.....

Hi Potta MC, and a big welcome on board The Fattest of blogs!..I for one am very excited @ having a fellow drum & bass head alongside . Although admittedly I am slightly older than you, and my memories go way back to the jungle days of '93 which later morfed into D&B amongst other things!....


What drew you to D&B music specifically?
I started going raving when I was 15 or 16 (I am 20 now), we used to sneak into Fabric every Friday night so we could see all these massive artists that no one else our age was able to see. Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of the music and the vibe it created in a club. We took a lot of drugs back then, and the more I did the more I was sure D&B wasn't for me. I always saw myself as more of a trance kind of guy at that age, but no one would come with me. I suppose back then I was unaware of the depth and history that Drum and Bass was steeped in. A few years later I went to Innovation in the Dam, and for the first time ever I raved completely drug free. It was amazing, I've never enjoyed a rave so much. Ever since then my involvement in D&B has been solely about the music and having a good time, nothing else.

Back in the day the scene was killed off by the bad attitude of a few and gained a terrible reputation for crime, drugs, nutters and generally anything other than the music!..15 yrs on how is the scene in 2009?
It's not as bad as at used to be, you do still get all those things at raves. If you put 5,000 people in a club for ten hours straight and serve them with drink, things will kick off. It's a shame to label the Drum and Bass following as thugs and troublemakers though, some of the people I have met through Drum and Bass are now some of my closest, and most genuine friends. The trouble at raves comes mostly from people who get too drunk or drugged up and make themselves an easy target, or people who try and show off and make a name for themselves. Either way, your asking for trouble.

The reputation does still proceed the music today. It's a shame because Drum and Bass is going from strength to strength. We have a new wave of talent coming through at the moment, and we are constantly being surprised at how far the boundaries can be pushed. The future looks bright.

In my opinion d&b is arguably one the best forms of underground dance music created & in the words of Goldie's 'Timeless' .Why do you think this genre has survived so long?
I'm not going to give it the whole "Drum and Bass defined a generation....blah blah blah", however true it may be. Drum and Bass survived for so long because it created a culture based solely on having a good time, expanding the mind and experimentation. People enjoy that I think, I know I do. In the rave it doesn't matter if your male, female, black, white, gay or straight. As long as your having a good time everyone respects that. As long as people have a desire to let their hair down and party, Drum and Bass will have a reason to be.

You have recently been signed to Natural Selection Mgmt...how did all that come about?
I'm so excited about this. This year will see me teaming up with some of the scenes big names and giving me the opportunity to prove I can hold my own amongst them.

I was at a night in Kingston called Repeater. Since I started performing, I find it a lot harder to let loose at a rave than I used to. I spend a lot of time watching the artists, how they use the music, how the crowd reacts to them and why, how they work in sync with the DJ, it all helps me learn. At Repeater I noticed the MC wasn't very confident and was tiring. I asked him if I could come up and he told me to go to the stage entrance at the side of the room. When I did, security wouldn't let me through, I waited until they looked away and slipped passed and onto the stage. After I finished I was approached by my agent and we went from there. It proves that often risks do pay off, but you have to be prepared to face the consequences if they don't.


What is your all time favourite tune?
Power of Ra by Ebony Dubsters. It was one of the first D&B tunes I heard and I've loved it since. It always gets me pumped up in the dance.


So tell us what we can expect from your weekly feature?
Every week I'll be bring you the low down on new events, artists, tunes and general information you guys might like to read about. As well as this, once a month I'll post my months top 5 tunes too. It will be a good way to keep yourself busy for five minutes while you pretend to everyone you're working.


And we always end on a random note so if you could be a super hero which one would you be & why??
The Hulk. I have a short fuse. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.


A big thank you to our latest recruit and bop your head along to this one:).....

First Blog.

Easy massive,

Fat Talent has asked me to write a weekly Drum and Bass blog for all the fans out there. Which I happily said yes to. My name is Charlie, or Potta MC. I have been an MC now for two(ish) years and recently signed to artist agency "Natural Selection" (BIG TINGS). This blog is going to allow me to let people know of any decent artists (DJ's/ MC's/ Producers) who are rising through the ranks, recommended raves and a monthly countdown of my top 5 tunes. It will also let me make you guys aware of where you can see myself perform across the UK.

For now I'll leave it at that.

Love n Blessings.....

POTTA