UK Underground Shapeshifters Mak & Pasteman Made You a Rave Tape

Try to figure Mak & Pasteman out. We dare you. The London-via-Leeds duo are all over the spectrum of underground UK sonics, but their productions are often bassline bashers that harken back to the grittiest days of 90s garage. "We are both into loads of different sounds. House, techno, jungle, grime and garage all feature in our sets," the duo tell THUMP. "This all influences our sound. It has a rawness to it. We're never happy with just dropping a sample in. The beats have to be processed loads to get them to sound how we like them. Lots of grit needs to be added to a sample before it goes into a track of ours."

Their tune "Oh Baby," forthcoming on Digital Soundboy, captures that energy perfectly. M&P explain the inspiration: "As teenagers, speed garage was a big sound for a while before changing into the 2-step sound. Speed garage had a darker vibe to it –Van Helden did the "Spin Spin Sugar" remix, fusing Jungle basslines and US garage beats originally. I guess thats what we did with this track essentially, just with a more modern approach."

To offer US audiences a little more insight into their unique perspective, the duo have put together an hour long rave tape that harkens back to the salad days of rave and sounds like it's being played out of a 1996 Peugeot. "The mix is kind of a throwback to that time," they explain. "Late 90s, before CDs and laptops and sound cards were about. You recorded a mix straight to Tape. One take was all you got. This style, although not as clean and polished, is definitly more vibey for some reason. Like a good old rave tape thats full of hiss and crowd noise…Thats why we thought to do it straight to cassette, and then transfer it into the computer after. That method keeps that old school vibe, but now everyone can get hold of it, not just your close mates."

The mix opens up with a Richie Hawtin and Mosca, but quickly dives deep into the underground, so get your notepads at the ready and make sure to peep the tracklist below. Make sure to keep an eye on Mak & Pasteman's Rinse.FM show and the output of their label Materials.

TRACKLIST:
1. Richie Hawtin - Closer To The Edit
2. Mosca - Suckle
3. Levon Vincent - Games Dub
4. Point G - Parade
5. Evil Fred - Back out
6. K Hand - Untitled b2
7. Anthony Shake Shakir - That's What I Want
8. 24 Hour Experience - Bonus Drum & Bass
9. Dajae - Day by Day (Cajmere Mix)
10. Ron Hardy - Hardy Drums 2
11. Mak & Pasteman - Do 4 Me
12. Marquis Hawkes - Outta This Hood
13. Headless Ghost - The Journey (NY Stomp Remix)
14. 24 Hour Experience - I Need A Man
15. Industry Standard - What You Want
16. Mak & Pasteman - Oh Baby

Find Mak & Pasteman on Facebook // SoundCloud