Rinse:09 - N–Type

N-Type is a bigboy DJ.  Literally – at six foot three, with a slightly hyper air, he fills any room, and as he leans forward to talk to you, constantly smiling and full of easy conversation, his presence is undeniable.  It’s this upbeat energy and imposing character that have made him possibly dubstep and Rinse FM’s best-loved personality DJ, so much so that messageboard fans collect and collate samples of his more idiosyncratic shouts.

Dubstep isn’t about celebrity, though, and never has been – N-Type himself emphasises that it was born in dark rooms where all that matters is the sound itself, and this underground feel remains key to its development – so all this jovial demeanour and presentation ability would mean less than nothing if he wasn’t a bigboy DJ in the sense that really matters.  And ever since his days at school in Redhill where he and DJ Walsh plotted to blend genres (“we were the only DJs at school – I was jungle and he was garage; he gave me EZ tapes and I gave him Andy C ones”) he has cultivated the mixing skills, the musical knowledge and connections to get him where he is now.

Travelling to the Big Apple shop in Croydon to acquire music, he and Walsh quickly forged friendships with “Skream, Hatcha, Benga, Benny Ill, Coki, Mala, Loefah… all them”, and though N-Type lived in Reigate he “became seen as part of the Croydon clan”.  And as “this new sound coming through that we would later call dubstep” emerged through the clan’s productions and at FWD>>, he honed his skills playing where he could, including five years at Delight FM alongside the likes of So Solid, until Rinse came calling.

“That was where my career took off and really went massive,” he says; “Rinse are really good with branding, making an identity for you in the public eye; that and FWD>> were the things that helped me blow up”.  At FWD>>, N-Type’s unique mixing style came to the fore; inspired by Andy C’s dramatic double drops and intense blends, he developed his quick-fire “get a tune in, do something experimental with the mix, move on” style, and as more energetic strains of dubstep emerged, he found these perfectly suited to his style.

His Tempa Dubstep Allstars mix in 2007 cemented N-Type’s position, and in 2008 he was able to leave his job in design to pursue DJing and production 24/7.  He now occupies a crux position in the scene, proving that jump-up sounds need not be (as some suggest) mindless or blokey, easily able to blend the deeper rhythms of Kryptic Minds and Silkie into an energetic mix like this new Rinse compilation – and on the radio still supporting the full range from the most in-your-face to the most out-there and psychedelic dubstep.  Now, with the sound still growing globally, he joins the illustrious line of Rinse CD mixers - “a platform to reach out to the world”, as he puts it – and, having been with dubstep since the very start, is ready to go with it wherever it goes next.

Joe Muggs, London, Summer 2009

Tracklisting

Badman - Kryptic Minds
Carpark - Silkie & Kutz
Experience - Headhunter
Bass 96 - Kromestar & Jay 5ive
King of Kong - LD
Gatling - DJ Punisher
Karma - The Others
Descending - Benga
International Roots feat. Earl 16 (LD Remix) - Mungo’s Hi-Fi
Twilight - Distance
Dramatic - Benga
Ninja We Ninja - Kalbata
Who’s There? - Seven & Youngsta
Solid State - Emalkay
iTunes - Benga
Dot 2 Dot - The Others
Filth (Silkie Remix) - Skream
Rhythm - Jakes
Intensions - Benga
Falling - Benga
Looking For You (LD Remix) - John & Jehn
Freak - Kutz
The Sound Of Asia - Benga
Shadow - N-Type & The Others
Freaklane VIP - Jakes & Joker
Fucking Noise - Flux Pavillion
Guitar Hero - Skream
No Bra, No Panties - Benga
New Blood - Coki
The Camel Ride 2 - Benga
When I Look At You - Emalkay
Technophobia - N-Type & The Others
The Future - Trolley Snatcher
Burning Up - Skream
Take You Back (Tease) - Benny Page