Toddla T, or Tom Bell as he’s otherwise known, is truly on of the next generation of productive, multitasking, media savvy young individuals that are taking control right now. He’s blown up in the last 6 months, and for good reason. He’s bringing something different to the table, an album which isn’t quite what you’d expect, killer DJ sets and strong, tight production. Championed by Sheffield production legend Ross Orton, and non other than Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, Tom looks set to get even bigger as 2009 goes on. His album dropped a few weeks ago, and his new Radio 1 show, as part of ‘In New DJs We Trust’, starts on the 18th June. Toddla played Newcastle last week and I managed to catch up with him for a chat about what he has going on right now
It’s tuesday night in newcastle..
BEARGASH!
ha ha ha. So, fellow Yorkshire boy, back in Newcastle!
Back in it? Yeah I’m back, I love Newcastle, listen to the album, you’ll know that, ‘Roadtrip’..
Ha ha
That was one experience, it wasn’t about the city, understand that. I have Love for Newcastle, how can you not? If you can see what I can see, WOOO!
So you’re a mad productive man, always at your laptop, working at every opportunity?
Yeah, suppose I am!
So what’s next in the pipeline?
Radio one show starts in a couple of weeks, production for Ms Dynamite, remixes for Major Lazer, and that’s it thats set in stone really. Er, albums’ out, came out last week, go buy it, ‘Skanky Skanky’. Oh yeah, and Fabric Love, number 47, coming out in August!
So when does your show start?
It starts soon, it’s the third thursday of every month, so where are we now?
It’s the 2nd.
Right, so It’d be not this thursday, not the thursday after, but the thursday after that. Thursday the 18th June, well, friday the 19th cos it’s 2am-4am.
What can we expect from the show?
The T-Willy sound!
Are you gunna have all the guest MCs that are on the album be a part of the show?
Yeah, Mr. Versatile is gunna do a little bit, have some features and that, but mainly just about the music. Maybe some guests after a few months, but for now it’s all about the music. Get the sound first.
Sweet. What are we gunna hear tonight? We’re here at Rub a Dub Dub, infamous mid week Newcastle party, what you got?
I dunno, I never plan sets ever. Ever.
Really?
Yeah, what evers there, bassline, funky, garage, housey stuff. Just fun party music thats not crap.
Are you surprised at the response to the album? It’s had a massive amount of buzz.
Yeah, I am surprised. Well, actually, it sounds really arrogant but I’m not that surprised, cos I think that it stands out from a lot of other peoples albums who are DJs, cos it’s not really a club album I don’t think.
The skits are excellent.
Thanks man. I had a listen back when I’d finished it, and there’s not very many albums like this around, it’s not like its AMAZING, but it’s like, it’s a very individual take on dance music. So, I knew it would get talked about, but that doesn’t mean it’ll sell a lot. One of kind basically.
You’ve used a lot of different media portals to promote yourself, like Toddla TV on YouTube and Twitter, etc. Do you think this has played a part in your success?
Yeah absolutely. It’s all promotion, I mean, I sit at my computer and iPhone all day anyway, so it’s natural for me to do that anyway. It’s easy you know?
My personal favourite was the Miami Toddla TV, so good
There’s a second one, did you see that?
Nah, I must have slept on it
You slept hard. Big up Toddla TV. The second one was the WMC, it’s got like Diplo, and A Trak an Rusko on it and stuff.
Do you ever get starstruck meeting all these people?
Nah, never. When I was younger I worked in a recording studio in Sheffield, but it had like, apartments aswell. So the promoters would book the acts into the apartments to stay, rather than a hotel, cos it was a well lush apartment. So you’d like, go into work, go into the kitchen to get a coffee, and Alesha Dixon would be there in her nighty. ANd then you’d come back up and Jazzy Jeff would be ther eating his porridge. And they were proper popstars at the time, so that kinda crushed it out of my head. Until I worked with Roots Manuva though. I just don’t wanna get star-struck you know? I met somebody out of the Clash the other day, and I was like, ‘WOAH, this guys BIG’, but like, they’re only normal really.
[some random drunk rah interjects and starts talking about being off his face at Glastonbury. Toddla winds him up for a bit, we decide to wrap the interview up]
Thanks man!
No bother, du no.
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Toddla T – ‘Shake It’
