1-Footprints
2-DYM Shadowfight remix
3-Radio edit
Hailing from the North East of the UK, Steve Southern aka Damn You Mongolians has always shown an immense passion for music of all genres. Citing a wide variety of artists as personal favourites - including traditional rock acts like The Manic Street Preachers and The Mars Volta, soulful hiphop producers and emcees such as J Dilla and Common, the 1980s electro-funk of Roger Troutman’s Zapp Band and classic icons such as Prince and Stevie Wonder – it is this all-round appreciation of music that he believes helps him to approach electronic music from a slightly different angle.
Steve’s first forays in to music production were born from this same appreciation as a young teenager. At the time inspired by true icons of the electronic community such as BT and Hybrid, along with the classic European trance sound of the late 90s, he began to create his own music utilizing trance and breakbeat styles, whilst trying to emulate the production techniques of his heroes. This experimentation under a range of different alter egos led to music being featured in various outlets, from online compilation CDs to primetime Channel 4 in the UK.
It wasn’t until many years later that the ‘Damn You Mongolians’ project was born, inspired by the boom in UK ‘bass music’ and the rise of dubstep and drum and bass. The first taste of the DYM project was, fittingly, a remix of BT’s ‘Every Other Way’ which was picked up by several notable music blogs and eventually led to an official physical distribution on the single’s re-release alongside such scene heavyweights as Armin van Buuren and Josh Gabriel. The remix was indicative of the Damn You Mongolians sound that would follow – lush, atmospheric melody and synth, respectful use of vocals, a song structure that ebbs and flows throughout, and of course - smooth dubstep beats.
Encouraged by the far-reaching success of the track, Damn You Mongolians continued to release a flurry of remixes in 2010 and 2011, including official releases from dubstep star MRK1, blog darling Queen of Hearts and Canadian electro-duo The Dirty Tees - not to mention his now infamous remix of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ which has clocked up over 7 million youtube plays, making it one of the most popular remixes of the song across the word.
As online plays and features escalated he began to concentrate on crafting his own original tracks. Tracks such as ‘Leave You Behind’, ‘Drop the Bomb’ and ‘Control’ all made impressions on the blog-circuit, helping to define the DYM sound outside of your average dubstep build and face-melting drop. As his sound grew more distinct - blending elements of dubstep, trance, drum and bass, UK garage and ambient - it wasn’t long before Steve began hunting for talented vocalists to help follow through on one of his major ambitions, to create all-original ‘songs’:
Steve’s first forays in to music production were born from this same appreciation as a young teenager. At the time inspired by true icons of the electronic community such as BT and Hybrid, along with the classic European trance sound of the late 90s, he began to create his own music utilizing trance and breakbeat styles, whilst trying to emulate the production techniques of his heroes. This experimentation under a range of different alter egos led to music being featured in various outlets, from online compilation CDs to primetime Channel 4 in the UK.
It wasn’t until many years later that the ‘Damn You Mongolians’ project was born, inspired by the boom in UK ‘bass music’ and the rise of dubstep and drum and bass. The first taste of the DYM project was, fittingly, a remix of BT’s ‘Every Other Way’ which was picked up by several notable music blogs and eventually led to an official physical distribution on the single’s re-release alongside such scene heavyweights as Armin van Buuren and Josh Gabriel. The remix was indicative of the Damn You Mongolians sound that would follow – lush, atmospheric melody and synth, respectful use of vocals, a song structure that ebbs and flows throughout, and of course - smooth dubstep beats.
Encouraged by the far-reaching success of the track, Damn You Mongolians continued to release a flurry of remixes in 2010 and 2011, including official releases from dubstep star MRK1, blog darling Queen of Hearts and Canadian electro-duo The Dirty Tees - not to mention his now infamous remix of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ which has clocked up over 7 million youtube plays, making it one of the most popular remixes of the song across the word.
As online plays and features escalated he began to concentrate on crafting his own original tracks. Tracks such as ‘Leave You Behind’, ‘Drop the Bomb’ and ‘Control’ all made impressions on the blog-circuit, helping to define the DYM sound outside of your average dubstep build and face-melting drop. As his sound grew more distinct - blending elements of dubstep, trance, drum and bass, UK garage and ambient - it wasn’t long before Steve began hunting for talented vocalists to help follow through on one of his major ambitions, to create all-original ‘songs’:
“After years of truly admiring classic songwriters from more traditional genres - artists whose songs have stayed with me for years such as Jeff Buckley and Stevie Wonder – I’ve always wanted to incorporate that element of feeling in to my music. I’ve always been fascinated by acts and duos such as Lamb, Everything But The Girl and Frou Frou, who combine fantastic lyrical content and vocals with swirling electronic soundscapes and beats. There’s often a feeling of two genres colliding, one organic and one almost futuristic, which creates a really exciting result.”
With this goal in mind, Steve has spent the best part of a year working with a variety of fresh, new talent. Through the exciting medium of the internet, ideas have been shared online and real songs have been born, combining powerful vocals and melodic, atmospheric beats. A few of his key collaborators include Manchester’s KT Forrester, US hiphop artist Illa Scorcese and youtube stars Natalie Holmes and Craig Bevan, as well as rising star Katie Boyle aka Katie’s Ambition, fresh from recording with the likes of The Freestylers and Torqux, on debut label release ‘Footprints’.
“This feels like the next step for me and Im really excited for people to hear these tracks. Not to sound like ‘that guy’ but I usually try to add melodic elements in there that will move people - I want the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up, and then for the bass to kick you where it hurts! Of course, from time to time it’s also fun to cut loose on a real beast with all eyes set squarely on the dancefloor, with a name like Damn You Mongolians you need to wield some nasty basslines too! ”
Dimitri Kechagias review: Rub A Duck is the surprising label of Black Hole recordings offering you always exceptional releases. The only requirement is of course to be open minded enough to hear the change coming and welcome with your support new great exciting artists that have something noteworthy to say through their music. The latest release is from the project Damn You Mongolians featuring the soulful and heartfelt vocals by Kate Ambition. The track is called Footprints and it comes in two great versions that will touch you deep in your soul without even noticing it. The original version is an awesome combination of powerful dubstep hard hitting beats and slamming basslines combined beautifully with the retro style vocals by Kate who really performs them so powerful and soulful that bring in my mind great artists like Adele. If you were thinking that dubstep is rough without emotional element reconsider your opinion by hearing this awesome anthem that mainstream radio will embrace it straight away. I can even claim that Damn You Mongolians established a brand new genre coined as soulful retro dubstep. The top release includes the energetic DYM's Shadowfight Remix as well. Its a superb blend of progressive and electro house with pop retro elements perfect for progressive or electro house sets. Tasty crunchy beats, blissful melodies and energetic basslines blended perfectly to uplift your spirit. Get a taste of the future through Rub A Duck magic ball! Love IT!
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