“When looking for music, I’m always on the hunt for wacky guitars or weird noises that make you go ‘Whaaaaat?’” says Tia Cousins. “I love...
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The latest and greatest DJs and producers rising to top this month. From left-field pop, krautrock and techno to melodic UKG and ice-cold UK rap...
Hackney-based Nervous Horizon has established itself as one of the most exciting and forward-thinking club labels in London. For this month’s The Sound Of, two...
With an unrestrained take on disco, house and funk, Amsterdam’s Kamma is a star in the making. Ahead of several performances this year’s ADE, we...
Get acquainted with Grey Code, the Metalheadz affiliated, London-based producer synthesizing new styles of drum & bass
A guide to dance music's pre-rave past...
We've drafted in Greg Wilson, the former electro-funk pioneer, nowadays a leading figure in the global disco/re-edits movement and respected commentator on dance music and...
With a discography that spans jazz, broken beat, hip-hop and soul, Kaidi Tatham's influence on UK music is untold, but often under-appreciated. With his new album, 'Don't Rush The Process', he’s stepping into the spotlight like never before. Sam Walton speaks to him about escaping pigeonholes, learning by ear, and looking for the ‘ouch’ moment in music
Something’s happening on the peripheries of jazz, but what do we call it? Alanna Henry delves in to find out
Beyond The Bassline celebrates the people, spaces and genres that have defined the landscape of Black British music
The respected journalist was last seen Friday in one of the country's most remote regions
In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, Shannen SP spotlights amapiano, footwork, Asakaa drill and more
In this month’s Meet The MC, DJ Mag’s Amy Fielding speaks with rising Norwich rapper, Darri T, about his impressive debut album, the importance of honesty in songwriting, and his everlasting love for the UK’s rap scene
In a few short years, UK drill has changed significantly. After a small number of producers that pioneered the sound left indelible marks on its...
In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, Paris’ François X spotlights techno gems with a trippy, deep and emotional edge
Wild Rumpus is just that: an insanely fun, out-of-control party on wax...
The brainchild of DJ Cosmo (Colleen Murphy) the Boston-born, New York raised, London dwelling disco / house music legend, and infamous leftfield guitarist Gary Lucas, who's played with Captain Beefheart, Lou Reed and Jeff Buckley, they make the kind of funky psychedelic rhythms that can only emanate from maverick minds. First single 'Musical Blaze Up' traverses the dub country route, while new cut 'Purple Somersault' is a bizarre and brilliant collision between cranked Kraut-rock drums, wigged surf guitar and scratchy funk. DJmag beckoned Murphy away from her surf board for a minute to talk names, grooves, and grand plans…
So why the name Wild Rumpus?!
"It's from a children's book called 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak which I loved as a kid and which I read to my daughter. There is a great part of the story where the little boy and his monster friends are about to have a manic dance party underneath a full moon and it says, 'And now let the wild rumpus start'. It just had to be used."
It seems to be quite an unusual hook up, between you Cosmo, and Gary Lucas. How did you come to be working together?
"Gary and I have been friends for nearly 20 years and have talked about working together for ages. I used to do a few different radio shows on WNYU in NYC and had him up when he was relaunching his solo career in the late '80s. As most people in the UK know me for being a 'dance' DJ, many may think it is quite an unusual collaboration. However, most people don't know that I was first and foremost a rock chick and founded the first psychedelic / progressive rock show on my radio station and I was a huge Captain Beefheart fan before house music even existed!"
You seem to have a diverse taste - one minute dubbed out beats and rhymes, the next Krautrock surf music... Is there a grand Wild Rumpus plan?
"Wild Rumpus is about fusing different styles but in a way that works. It's also about having fun and being irreverent. And finally it's about being different. I spend a few hours at the record store and find that 99% of the music to which I am subjected to is derivative. It's so boring. Gary and I both have musically diverse backgrounds and we are able to use our musical heritage in a unique way. This is all music we love!"
What's a 'Purple Somersault'?
"It's a 'term' my daughter came up with. Her favourite colour is purple and 'purple' has also become an adjective that means something that is 'the best'. She likes being flipped upside down and would ask us to help her do an orange somersault, a black somersault (very sinister), a yellow somersault (happy!), etc. But the best was always the 'Purple Somersault'. Also, as this is a surf tune, the somersault refers to the somersaults one does underwater after a wipe-out."
Is there an album in the works? What can we expect?
"There is an album in the works. We have a lot of Gary's guitar tracks that we have recorded and now it's up to me to put it all together so I have quite a job in front of me. Gary is the most original guitarist and can do anything. When we're in the studio it's just so easy but the problem comes with the editing and arranging as sometimes there is almost too much! All I can say about the album is that it will be diverse but always psychedelic and soulful."
What's next for Wild Rumpus?
"Right now we're getting our live show, The Wild Rumpus Experience, together for the summer. We have performed in some wild places including India and are hoping to for some of the UK festivals. We work with visual artist Rob Rainbow who works with The Light Surgeons and Nitin Sawhney amongst others and have also worked with percussionists and a poi fire dancer! We have a show that reaches people on many dimensions so the visual element is really important. We just want to do something that is a bit different."