Features
Features
It's been nearly one year since Tom Bell, known to most of us as Toddla T, released his debut album Skanky Skanky. Since then he's been invited to play at some of the biggest events in the world and produced for Bashy, Jammer and Tinchy Stryder to name a few. Throw in a BBC Radio 1 In New DJs We Trust slot and it's looking like a busy 2010. Kmag caught him with him back in his home city of Sheffield.
Who are you and what you do for anyone reading this who doesn't already know?
I'm Toddla T, I'm 25, from Sheffield, make music, play music, try to broadcast music and just generally blag life.
Obvious place to start, how did you first break come about?
I've always wanted to make a living off music from about 12 but I never thought it would happen. I'd been trying to make it happen from 14 but got to about 20 and realised that this could happen. It started getting too much to have a full time job as well.
By the time I actually left my job, I almost didn't want to do it because I felt like my job was part of the formula. Going to studio and then work was all one thing and then I actually left work to make music full time, I was a bit like 'rah, I don't know if I want to do this anymore'.
But when it all started happening, it was absolutely incredible. I was just a bit nervous at the start.
Your first ever piece of production was on the A Taste Of Things To Come LP back in 2001, what was that about?
That was proper rubbish! I was 16 when that came out so nine years ago now. It was just like a hip-hop tune with this kid from Manchester, proper low budget. It was pretty exciting though, I remember I used to work in a shop on Devonshire Street and right opposite was a record shop called The Store which is like the main independent shop. They got it in one day and I didn't even realise it was coming out because it was just a vibes thing. I got proper excited over the thought of having a record out. No one really cared, it was just a proper underground thing.
Sheffield's known for it's diverse music scene, how much has it influenced you?
Sheffield's the reason my music sounds like it does. If I grew up in Bristol or London then it wouldn't sound like this. I wouldn't be making my sound that I make now let alone even making music for a living. What sets me apart from a lot of people is the fact I've grown up here and been introduced to so many different sounds from when I was young. It's such an individual sound here especially the home grown Sheffield producers. It's totally essential to my music.
If you had to name three influences from the Sheffield scene, who would they be?
Number One is DJ Pipes who is a DJ I used to watch when I first started partying. He would play everything from dancehall, garage, house, electro and RnB. He had such a wide ranging music way before anyone was playing eclectic music. People were just playing hip hop or house or jungle. Pipes was always doing it with a common thread of a sonic running through it which was really heavy bass and bleep electronic which, for me, is just the Sheffield sound.
Number two would probably be Ross Orton who's a producer from Sheffield. He's a super talented guy, drums for Jarvis Cocker but also makes electronic music. He took me to his studio when I was young and showed me the synths and how rough it is. His sound is so uncompromising in Sheffield and without knowing him, I wouldn't be doing the music I am now. It would probably sound different.
And number three would have to be a guy called Chris Morris who lives two doors up from me now. Again, he took me to his studio when I was young. He currently does the Bare Knuckle Soul thing but he's done loads of stuff through the years. He was very involved in the Sheffield scene for a long time.
The Ghettoblaster mixtape got you noticed, what was going on around that time in your career?
What happened was that I made a 'riddim' track called Do Ya Know that I got four vocalists on, Mr Versatile, who did Fill Up Mi Portion, Trigga, who did Girls, Mikachu, who did Backchatter and Serocee who did Inna Di Dancehall. It was taking the Jamaican theory of taking a riddim track and getting different vocals on it.
That came out through 1965 Records a couple of years ago and when they released those, I wanted to back this up with something else to prove I wasn't just making tunes but also DJing. I made the mixtape and just put it on my MySpace, blogs and got my friend, Mr Versatile, to host it. It was mental, I couldn't believe how many people liked it.
Even today people still say, I've just listened to your mixtape. I only put it out there to prove a point, I didn't actually think anyone would care.
Your debut album Skanky Skanky features a lot of big names. So early in your career, how did you go about attracting those names?
It was really simple actually. The only collaboration, on the album, that was hooked up through the label was the Benjamin Zephaniah one and that was just because my A&R really wanted me to work with him. Of course I would have wanted to work with him. From the minute he linked me with him, it was just phone calls and studio sessions and it was really easy.
Everyone else, I was lucky enough to have worked with or knew. Matt Helders, Serocee, Mr Versatile and Jason Bailey are my mates from Sheffield. I had already worked with Tinchy Stryder on Catch 22 so by the time it came to make my record, I just made a call and that was before he got big so it was easy to do. One of the tunes on my album was made for his record but never made it so I just took the vocal. Joe, from Hot Chip, I've known for a long time from DJing around the place.
I was lucky really, it was just a case of making a few phone calls. There was nothing contrived, just simple things.
Your album's big on dancehall, grime and hip hop. A lot of names from this scene have started making more commercial music in a bid to reach the mainstream. How much did you want to keep your album true to your roots?
I just love making music. I wish I could make pop and sell out Sheffield Arena but I'm just doing me. I do me best, better than anything else so I may as well do that. What excites me too is rough music so when I'm in the studio, I just want to do that. It wasn't a question of consciously keeping it real, I just wanted to make music that I think sounds wicked and that's what I tried to do.
Was the album planned from the start or did you just go with the flow?
It was never planned, I couldn't believe it. We put a couple of single releases out through 1965 which was Fill Up Mi Portion, Sound Tape Killin and Manabadman. We just put it out to see what would happen and it was mad because people seemed to get right into it and the label said let's try to make a record.
I signed to do a record with 1965 which went through Sony but just as I started making it, the A&R that signed me got laid off so I had to A&R the record myself and then present it to Sony who put it out. It was a bit of a pain in the end, the whole process was a bit of a mission but there was never a plan to do a record until that point.
The next big thing for you was the Fabric compilation...
I DJed at Fabric for the first time in January 2008 and I went down feeling nervous because obviously I hadn't played there before but the promoter said I was wicked and welcomed me back. I've done it every month since then and it's basically a residency.
We talked about doing a mix CD and it just slotted into that month which was great because it was three months after the album so the last year has just been a bit bombarded.
It was a bit different to the Ghettoblaster mixtape because with that I could just put anything on but with the Fabriclive, you've got to license tracks and make sure it's all legit and it takes a while to get it right. You might make a mix and you'll have to take a track out because it didn't get licensed.
I've made mixtapes from when I started DJing, so about 12 years now. It was quite easy to put it together but it was actually getting all the music I wanted. You can't just say, 'I want that, I want that and I want that'. It's quite hard to get exactly what you want.
I tried to put some production in there but I just wanted to represent an average DJ set from me rather than being self-indulgent.
You're 25 and playing some of the biggest venues in the country. Are you surprised by how well Toddla T's been received?
Yeah, proper! I'm getting used to it now but at first, it freaked me out a bit. In Sheffield, unless you play at the right party, it's one of the hardest places to DJ in terms of reception. I used to DJ when I was younger and not get anything back.
The more I started travelling, more people seemed to get it, now it's mental. Apart from Tuesday Club and Kabal [club night in Sheffield] there was nothing that I really played to that I got a strong reception to. When I went out the country and did exactly what I wanted to do and it kicked off, it took me ages to get my head round it and now, I'm so used to it, I go deeper. Initially, I was proper shocked.
You mentioned Tuesday Club and Kabal but if you had to name three club nights in the country that you'd recommend to our readers then what would they be?
Bigger Than Barry in Birmingham is my favourite rave in the world because I always have a good time there. Second is Kabal in Sheffield because that's the essence... I should have put that first! Third has to be Fabric.
You've recently gave away, for free, your Gorillaz remix on your website. Do you see remixing as part of the recognition process?
Yeah, initially, but I've stopped doing it as much now unless I really want to do. When I first started I did so many, it was ridiculous. Looking back on it, it was a bit too much and I wish I hadn't done as many because it waters down your sound a bit.
It was great, at first, though because labels, especially majors, just chuck money at kids and I got so many.
Can you name a specific artist who you've worked with and benefited from producing or remixing for them?
The amount of press I got working with Roots Manuva on his last record was probably as much as my own album, if not more. I had three tunes on his and engineered two so five all together and every single review was mentioning me. I only did it because I thought he was an amazing artist and lived in Sheffield but the amount of press that came off the back of that was mental.
Do you enjoy remixing more or will you always enjoy making your own music?
I love nothing more than sitting in the studio and writing with a vocalist. I can't top that. Remixing is fun though because you get all the parts but you're not really creating it from scratch. It's not quite as exciting but it's a day or two of fun.
You're only 25, how's the balance between making music, DJing out and just chilling?
Last year was ridiculous but I'm slowing down now. I'd like to have one weekend off. It's lucky now, with technology, I've always got my laptop on me and there's so much travelling that I just plug in my headphones and I can do edits. You can't really finish records on the road. I don't really find the juggling time too much of an issue, I'm busy every day but I never feel, at the moment, that I'm overwhelmed.
Jamaican music is a massive part of your sound, how have you recent trips over there gone?
That was incredible. I see Jamaican music at the root of so much British music all the way through to garage, acid house and just bass heavy music that has been brought over by people who have moved over from Jamaica. So to go the route of so many things that we deal with was just incredible. Working on the music was one thing and working with the artists was incredible. They are so fast, they come in, spit their lyric, get paid and off they go.
Actually seeing the place and being shown the country was wicked too. The next record is going to have a lot of Jamaican stuff on it. I've got 13 tracks of vocals and I built two tracks. I'm not going to use all of that because I don't want it to turn into a Toddla T does Jamaica record but it's good to get some proper raw, from the source Jamaican stuff on there.
Radio 1 offered you a In New DJ We Trust slot towards the end of last year. Do you see that as a chance to broadcast not only your favourite music but also new up-and-coming artists?
I love playing music that I get sent and, at the same time, you're broadcasting to millions of people so it's the best advert in the world. I don't do it because I want it to be an advert but because I love it. I love the fact that so many people are listening. It's just such an amazing, priceless thing to do. I've got my INDWT slot but I'm also doing extra things on the station too.
I never planned on getting on radio, someone told me that Radio 1 were looking for DJs so I did them a ten minute demo and my Essential Mix separately. The next thing I know, I was sat on my girlfriend's sofa when I got the call, asking do you want a show? I was like, 'raaaaaah'!
Now I'm in there though, I'm proper enjoying it. Hopefully it will last as long as possible.
You've recently signed to Ninja Tune to release your album, what's the latest with the second album?
I've got loads of demos and just refining the album down. I'm writing music all the time. The new album will be coming early next year on Girls Music/Ninja Tune and I've got a single coming soon featuring Wayne Marshall.
We've spoke about the praise Skanky Skanky received. Do you feel like there's pressure for the follow-up to be as good?
Yeah, I did at first but now I'm very happy with what I've got so far. I'm not quite as scared as I was a year ago.
Any exclusive news you'd like to reveal?
Well, I could name loads of collaborations but I don't know what's going to make the final album yet so I don't really want to say. There are loads though.
Toddla T was speaking to Sam Moir
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