Trevor Loveys is one of the few standout names in a scene increasingly flooded with wobbly bassline after wobbly bassline. Every new music genre, fad or craze encourages everyone to pick up their laptops, sythesizers and general weird bleepy machinery; in order to hop on the bandwagon and milk it for all it’s worth. But Trevor Loveys is one of the pioneers who possesses the true staying power to ensure that, in time, his tracks won’t just disappear amidst the vast quantity of bog-standard ‘fidget’ tunes.
This time last year, the blogs were ranting and raving over an abundance of rock-infused distortion. Now it’s ‘fidget’ – so I feel it’s time to resign to the use of ‘fidget’ as a genuine adjective. It is time to lose the inverterted commas that I’m always so cautious to place around the
word ‘fidget’ or ‘fidget house’. When any new genre is invented (or fabricated), using the new label for that particular genre can be embarassing – you may end up coming across try-hard, pretentious and… well… like a downright moron:
“Hey man, what kind of music you into right now”?
“Fidget, mannnn, fidget house”
It is especially hard to embrace the word ‘fidget’ since the name ‘fidget house’ was uttered as a joke term (by Switch Herve, Jesse Rose and Trevor Loveys). And yet the scenester blogs lapped it up. But I suppose it’s the same with alot of new music styles – the words ‘New Rave’ were only spoken by the Klaxons as a joke (after all, what resemblance does New Rave actually have to ‘Old’ Rave? It really ought to be called ‘New Disco’ or perhaps ‘Genre-Defined-Purely-By-a-Blinding-Neon-Dress-Sense’).
But ‘Fidget House’ is well and truly upon us. And if anyone can wield a bassline that wobbles the dancefloor to bits…it’s Trevor Loveys.
So what is fidget? Ah… a question utmost feared by hipsters who dare wield the trendy word:
“Fidget is…er…like…produced by Herve… and stuff..and sounds like…all…bassliney..?”
It’s hard to describe. Here goes:
It often posseses quirky rhythms(think Switch’s Jacknife Lee remix), that run along to a buzzy bassline that bends in pitch, interspersed with vocal snippets, rave-style synth stabs and glitched samples. The deep buzzing bassline are kindred to those of tech-house, but without the same minimal composition – its a jittery, livelier listen than tech-house thanks to an injection of some serious electro punch. Additionally, fidget borrows from UK garage, b-more, jackin house, hip-hop and a handful of electronic dance genres. And these wobbly/wonky basslines are the result of the tracks’ weighty bassline being bent in pitch, hence the likes of Crookers and Jack Beats being labelled as fidget producers.
Trevor Loveys is the unsung hero of fidget. He bangs out tunes of quality on a more consistent basis than the much lauded Sinden, Herve or Switch. His productions are tight – after all, Loveys is no newcomer to dance music, starting recording back in the early 90′s. He started an acclaimed deep house outfit House Of 909 and went on, in1998, to produce a solo album. Now he’s hanging with the Dubsided crew, sometimes playing under the Speakerjunk monicker (and for some time he and Dave Taylor were Switch, now it’s just Taylor) and has some original material soon to be released on new label Tragic Magic – founded by Trevor Loveys, Affie Yusuf, Chris Belsey and Lydia Peek.
Unlike alot of this fidget-styled music, he refuses to resign to monotony. His bouncy basslines are sometimes cut up by drum patterns; somtimes by inviting vocal hooks; or just bumpy rhythms. Loveys doesn’t get samey.
I’ve had this remix of Dutch DJs and producers, Kraak & Smaak, on constant repeat for a month now. Kraak & Smaak’s deliciously cheesy vocals maintain a soulfulness that fits perfectly with Loveys’s fidgety bassline. He wisely leaves the upbeat drum patterns intact. Pelski can’t recommend this enough:
Smaak And Kraak – Squeeze Me (Trevor Loveys Skeezer Pleezer Mix) [pelski highly recommmends]
Loveys also teamed up with Herve for one of Machines Don’t Care’s standout bangers. Bouncy reverberation, some screeching squeakiness and glitched vocal snippets.
Machines Don’t Care – Beat Bang [pelski highly recommends]
A jumpy, squelchy bassline dominates this ace remix of new band City Reverb, the original’s vocals echoe throughout this strangely melodic fidget tune:
City Reverb – City Of Lights (Trevor Loveys Vocal Mix)[pelski highly recommends]
Loveys’ remix betters Crookers original: equipped with a pent-up, thudding bassline, that stutters and glitches it’s way into a forceful fidget banger:
Crookers – Chippin It Up For A Killa (Trevor Loveys Re-work)
Evil Nine’s slamming original is jacked up into a warping beast:
Evil Nine – They Live (Trevor Loveys Remix)
Maximization Nation is given the same makeover, with added piercing sythn stabs:
The Touch – Maximization Nation (Trevor Loveys Remix)
Cheesy, retro vocal-hooks always go down a treat on YouCanCallMePelski. Herve’s other alias Voodoo Chilli collaborates with Loveys, for some 80′s cool. And then it’s all sliced and diced for our consumption. They also brought us the similarly old-school Look What You’ve Done To Me, mashed up by Erol Alkan under his third monicker Mustapha 3000:
Voodoo Chilli – All I Need (feat. Trevor Loveys)
Voodoo Chilli vs Trevor Loveys – Look What You’ve Done To Me (Mustapha 3000 Remix)
I’ve come across a Loveys remixe of Daddio by 30hz & Yolanda. A womping and squelching fidget refix.
30hz & Yolanda – Daddio (Trevor Loveys Remix)
His ‘Shake It’ is a hefty dancefloor wobbler:
Loveys also produces together with Chris Belsey as Li’ll Bo Tweak. Their tunes are pretty close to that of Loveys’ solo stuff (all bounce ‘n’ bump), but with a funkier, jazzier twist and the kick drum takes a more prominent place. ‘Dub Be Good’ has much the same momentum, and a similar rhythm, to Loveys’ ‘City Of Light’ Remix. K Rizzle illustrates their jazzy, soulful influences: a nice and chirpy tune:
Apparently the latest scenester craze is ‘Midget‘ – minimal fidget. I’m not joking. Get on it.
