Pure DJs - Oris Jay
Born and raised in the northern area of Pitsmoor in Sheffield, Oris is held to be one of the strongest lifelines of what is, largely, a London-based scene. Alongside other artists from the camp, (Horsepower, Zed Bias, El B, to name a few), he has been integral in forging a new direction for a music formerly known as Two-Step or UK Garage. In particular, his edgy, darkside vibe injects the sound with an unprecedented energy, leading it forward to an altered state of Break infused Garage.
In both his production and DJ work, he showcases a new wave of music that is deep and grimy whilst at the same time, uptempo, charismatic and seductive. Distinguishable by his specific style and character, Oris' music nonetheless joins forces with a sound that has been coming out of London for some time, reaching out across the pirate airwaves and into the clubs. Although his is a style that clearly evidences its influences, (Breaks and UK Garage, also House, Hardcore, Drum and Bass), his final musical form is by no means a re-hashing of old styles. In itself, it is something brand new and no longer classifiable in any genres that already exist, emerging as the sound of today's Underground.
DJ/Producer Oris Jay has been involved in the dance music scene since the days of Acid House but his career in the industry really started with the early jungle scene. In the early 90s, he was a member of the Northern-based Reflex Crew (alongside DJ Delta Romeo and MCs E-Man and Hero), playing around the raves of Leeds, Bradford and Manchester. Eventually, as the raves dried up and the crew disbanded, Oris turned his creative energy towards production, driven by a will to make thethe crew disbanded, Oris turned his creative energy towards production, driven by a will to make the sounds that he wanted to hear.
It was around the same time, in the Mid-90s, that the UK Garage scene started to develop in London. Spending increased amounts of time up in the Capital, frequenting raves, listening to the pirates and hanging out in the record shops, Oris' musical horizons began to shift. Undeterred by initial negative feedback, Oris started andcontinued to drop this new sound into his DJ sets at local clubs and was amongst the first to pioneer the music beyond the London circuit. Slowly, but surely, UK Garage advanced its way up the M1 into the northern hemisphere. It wasn't so long before raves such as Sensual Occurs, Rinse City, 100% Prestige and Seven Wonders dominated the club scenes of the main northern cities.
All the time DJing, he was also hard at work, shaping his own tastes in the studio. Torn here between the heavier, grittier sounds of Drum and Bass and the slower, vibey tempo of UK Garage, his production slowly began to fuse the two genres. One such track, "Biggin Up The Massive", (featuring a recorded snippet from London MC Ranking is an early example of his musical characteristics. When Ranking gave the thumbs up and EZ began to rinse it, Oris and his tune broke into the London scene and the Capital's dance-floors primed themselves for the new sound that has been advancing down the M1 ever since. "I have to thank the likes of Zed Bias and Steve Gurley because they managed to open doors for producers coming from outside London. After they came through, I think people on the inside of the industry got more open-minded".
Ever true to the Underground and to his northern roots, Oris' production rejects the sugary smoothness of popular Two-Step, but maintains the tempo. To this, he adds his own blend of breaks and rumbling basslines that were previously more likely to have been heard in a drum and bass tune.
His one chart tune, "Trippin", reached the Top 40 when it was re-released on Gut Records, but the majority of his production has remained unbendingly non-commercial. Tracks like "Brand Nu Flava" (Props) and "Pipe Dreams " (Soulja), released under Oris Jay's more experimental alter ego, Darqwan, and championed by Heartless Crew and EZ, have confirmed his position as a leading Underground producer. He has since released groundbreaking tracks on his own label, Texture, such as "Confused?", "Nocturnal" and "Said the Spider". His remixes include Menta's "Sounds of Da Future, Visionary's "Acid Flex" and Ras Kwami's "Down Down Bizniz" for Locked On. Forthcoming releases include "Metro" (Texture) and "Test Dis" (Bigga Beats/Polydor) in collaboration with Ms Dynamite.
| Pure DJ's, 2 Whiting Sreet, Sheffield S8 9QR, UK |
| t: +44 (0)114 255 5768 f: +44 (0)114 281 2788 |