Glitch Hop; what is it? Put simply it is fat bass, with Hip Hop beats and whatever the hell you want after that. Though Glitch Hop is still an uncommon term, it is still the term that is being associated with certain music, that certain artists are making at the moment. I’m not going to go in to the history of Glitch Hop, because quite honestly, I don’t know it. For instance I thought the genre was a few years old, until recently, when I found out it can actually be traced back as far as 2001!
Moving swiftly on, one record label that has been making a serious impact on the scene is Liverpool based Skanky Panky Records. With the labels first two releases destroying the Addictech charts, which is the hot-pool of all things Glitch, Skanky Panky is one to keep an eye on. What follows is an interview I had with label owner, DJ & Producer Buddha, over that shit thing that always breaks called Facebook.Example caught up with Buddha of Skanky Panky records to find out about all things "glitch hop" and also what the label has coming up for us in the near future.

Example:  Okay, for those who don't know, who is Buddha, what do you do and what is Skanky Panky Records?

Skanky Panky:
Im a DJ & Producer. I play straight across the board but my biggest interest at the moment is "Glitch Hop" which is what I play with the DJ/Production crew, SixAM.

Skanky Panky Records is a new "Glitch Hop" based label, run by myself and William Breakspear. We pull artists from all over the world and have been working to expand the scene in the UK.

Example:
Could you please explain "Glitch Hop" to our readers?

Skanky Panky:
Glitch Hop is the label being attached to a particular sound that's coming mainly out of the states at the moment. It's a Hip Hop tempo (80-110bpm) but pulls heavy influence from Dubstep, Crunk, DnB, Breaks, and much more. Bassnectar, Glitch Mob and Tipper are some of the larger artists who typify the sound. It's more or less Hip Hop beats with incredibly heavy basslines and the obligatory glitches.

Example:
That was Glitch Hop 101 for everyone out there who isn't in the know! I myself have only been in to the genre for three or four months, so I'm by no means an expert, but I can confidently say there's definitely a collection of different "sounds" already emerging in the genre. For example you have the "electro/rave" style of The Glitch Mob, you have artists like Subvert making more aggressive Glitch Hop, and then you have artists like Opiuo, Mimosa and labels like Skanky Panky pushing more earthly delights. Is this the aim of Skanky Panky? To push this type of Reggae/World sounding Glitch Hop?

Skanky Panky:
We're all about showing the diversity of the genre. Our last two releases have been pretty varied and the next two are similar! We have artists like Fredo dropping funk laced, bassline, Hip Hop numbers, next to guys like J.me.J dropping lazer wielding, crunk-step shit. We're about pushing the deeper intelligent side along with the downright filthy and jump-up side of things. It's hard to resist a dirty ragga vocal sometimes though.

There are a few hot spots around the world that have been consistently putting out quality stuff and it's quite exciting hearing these guys' slant on the sound. I think that is what were trying to capture and put out there.

Example:
Sweet. Now you mention it, I'd have to agree that the tracks on Skanky Panky Vol 1 & 2 are definitely varied in style. My two favourites up to now are Fredo Ft ASM - En Wot Yo and the SixAM remix of Top Cat's Special Request.

Another thing I've noticed with the scene is some of the releases are, well, not very good to put it politely. Much like Dubstep, everyone and their nan seems to be producing now. That's one thing I think stands out about Skanky Panky; quality control.

The Dubstep market has become pretty saturated with shit over the past year; bit-crushed hell! Of course there's still excellent music being made, but the bad far out weighs the good.

Do you think the same might happen or is happening with Glitch Hop?

Skanky Panky:
Rather than things being saturated with medicore productions because the sound is so popular, what we're seeing at the moment is the beginnings of a genre. If you listen back to early Dubstep (especially Skream, Caspa & Rusko) the production is atrocious but the idea behind it was strong enough to push it on to what it's become today. Those producers have now matured and their tracks sound great. There are a lot of young producers dedicating themselves to this sound at the moment and given a few years I think the standard of production values will get much higher. If Glitch Hop blows up to the proportions Dubstep has then there will no doubt be countless medicore productions to wade through before you find the jems.

Example:
That is very true. Would you recommend any producers or tracks in particular to people just getting in to the genre?

Skanky Panky:
These are the guys that got me onto the genre and should probably be staple in any Glitch Hop record collection...
Glitch Mob
Bassnectar (old stuff)
Vibesquad
BreakBeatBuddha (aka Propa Tingz)
Ill Gates
Lazer Sword
Subvert
An-Ten-Ae
Tipper
Si Begg

There's a lot of tasty stuff I've been finding recently! Theres a lot of good stuff coming out of South Africa from Mix N Blend, Sedge Warbler, Liver, and a few others. Eddy Crusher, Powell Beats & Turnsteak out of France. J.me.J has always got some hot shit and I've been loving Knight Riders new stuff. Way to much to list!

Example:
Haha, lots of names there for people to check out; get to it! Skanky Panky Vol 1 & 2 have both done very well on the Addictech charts and are currently available from the usual places; Juno etc. Can we expect a Vol 3 anytime soon?

Skanky Panky:
We've really been amazed at the response we've had for the first two EPs. The press has been very kind to us and we're gonna keep that vibe going.

We have got tons of stuff lined up from September till the end of the year! We will be dropping our first album in September followed by something from one of our long time favorites, Memory9, in October. We also have some VERY nice EPs we're putting together for November and December releases.

I cant divulge much at this point but we're really excited about all the people we're working with! Some fresh talent from South Africa, Milan, France and some well established UK acts. The stuff these artists are sending us at the moment is blowing us away!

You can check out all of the latest Skanky Panky releases, bootlegs and general news at www.skankypankyrecords.com

as well as EXAMPLE MIX 016 by SIX AM