Mike 'Ruff Cut' Lloyd in the mix
With the whole world going crazy for UK Garage all over again, it felt like the perfect time to catch up with one of the scene's most respected selectors, Mike 'Ruff Cut' Lloyd, before he appears alongside the likes of Logan Sama, VICE favourite Big Narstie, Matt Jam Lamont, Preditah, Sir Spyro and Lisa Maffia at an all-night celebration of grime and garage: the aptly-named 'Where Were You?' on Saturday 29th November.Ruff Cut's career has seen him jump from pirate to pirate in the 90s before cementing himself in the UKG canon with his show on Choice FM back when you couldn't move for Locked On 12"s and Dreem Teem remixes. Ruff Cut's one of the original dons. With that in mind, we were absolutely delighted when he gave us an exclusive 30 minute mix stuffed with the kind of low rollers that we've come to expect from one of garage's main men.Check out our quick chat with Mike before taking his fantastic mix for a spin.Tell us a little bit about the mix: what were your intentions with it?Hopefully I produced a high energy mix. I decided to flex some of those old skool skills on the Technic 1210s, just constantly flowing. I reckon it'd sound good played during a workout.How do you feel about the resurgence in popularity of the sound in clubs at the moment?It's great seeing a younger crowd embracing the music and vibe. Plus it gives us lot who were there in the first place a chance to reminisce.This mix is nicely vocal heavy. What's your favourite ever UKG vocal classic?Easy. Indo - "R U Sleeping"Where's UKG headed?UKG made its mark as a popular genre and scene some years ago. The fact that it is still going and the influences it has on new artists today, shows it has longevity. It has the means to head into the stratosphere.Boxfresh's Where Were You?: A Celebration of London Sounds takes place at iCan Studios in Hackney on Saturday the 29th of November. More info can be found here.You can follow Ruff Cut on Twitter: @Mikeruffcut
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