Raw Frequencies: A series of articles that celebrate and amplify the crucial work of key individuals, crews, collectives and brands that are fiercely fighting to keep the real underground artform alive despite the continual mainstreamification, commodification and commercial pillaging of our culture. Following Cicely and NRG Cru in December, this month we keep things London and we keep it ravey with Rhi Spect, Junior Buzz and their label and events brand Devon’s Road.
It’s a classic lockdown story…
While they may have been together for seven years, Rhi Spect and Junior Buzz had been neck deep in rave mischief for quite a few years longer. Individually tearing their way through numerous genres from house to hardcore since the 90s.
They’d been active all the way through – missioning, DJing, partying, promoting, occasionally producing – but it wasn’t until the great socially distanced pause of 2020-2021 that they had enough time to fine tune their focus and create something that allowed them to give back to the scene.
This was all about bringing people together and creating comparable experiences and environments to the ones that had inspired them, given them years of pleasure and ultimately brought them together.
Inspired and loaded with spare time, they got to work. And before we could put our face masks and test kits away for good and forget covid ever existed Devon’s Road was born.
It started with Time & Motion, a mixed tempo VA rave tapestry from a collective of largely new and rising names such as E.Hill & Mathieson, Robin Wylie, Anti Traxx, Bomb Shelter Crew. Subreak, Mindset and Tenta Ghoul, it set the scene for a slew of exciting activities.
Releases have been oozing out of their south London HQ ever since. Their second Time & Motion VA landed in 2023 and featured more new talents including Snoozy, Platinum Mars and Arkyn (who we’ve featured in the past). Other key EPs have come from Bomb Shelter Crew (a duo comprising Junior Buzz and Dublah) and Anti Traxx who’s been one of the most consistent names on the imprint so far.
An enigmatic masked artist, Anti Traxx is responsible for the label’s latest release Monte Berico; a mystic trip of an EP that carefully balances between deep and dramatic dynamics. At once soothing you with its dubby charms and knocking you out with its choppage, Monte Berico is a fitting snapshot of the underground and experimental art Devon’s Road stand for.
For more underground action head to Bermondsey this Saturday January 11 at Venue MOT as they unite with Ratface Records, Inter City Breakbeat, and This Thing of Ours for Hardcore Hippos. An epic ravey knees-up, it’s another great example of Rhi and Junior’s current vantage point in the middle an exciting community of crews and collectives in South London.
Supportive rather than competitive, encouraging rather that gatekeeping, in their own words, they are not your standard party promoters and you’ll always find them at the front, dancing, sweating and making everyone feel welcome.
Underground and wholesome; Devon’s Road is a love story from various perspectives. We caught up with Rhi Spect and Junior Buzz late last year to find out more. In London Jan 11? Grab a Hardcore Hippos ticket.
Read on…
I think you both have some pretty extensive free party roots, right?
Rhi: Yeah I spent a lot of my 20s at free parties like Unsound and Manic parties rather than going to commercial clubs. Junior goes back even further.
Junior: My dad was a DJ. Mad Ash. He was taking me to parties when I was about the age of 10 or 11. Squats in Brixton or Clapham. So I started DJing super young at 13.
Wow 10 or 11 at free parties?!
Junior: It was different back then. Not a mad thing. Maybe 150-200 people. I remember this squat in a church in Brixton. All these different rooms and art displayed in the garden. But yeah it’s a weird one innit. My parents are artistic. My mum is very creative as well as my dad and Rhi’s parents are creatives too.
Any young free parties?
Rhi: Not really! But when my dad was late 30s he started learning to play the sax and harmonica and started joining bands and getting gigs. He’s played many times at Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and Notting Hill Carnival. I played Glastonbury in 2016 and he was playing there as well and he’s still doing it now.
Go on!! This is in your DNA. Both of you.
Junior: It’s about following your dreams. My dad did when he was younger. Rhi’s dad did when he was older. Never give up on your dreams. That’s the same for us!
Yeah! So how did Devon’s Rd come into this?
Rhi: Through lockdown. Before then I was playing a lot of garage but I’d got a bit jaded with it. Jungle & D&B was my true love. That’s what I first started mixing. During lockdown I heard one of Junior’s tunes and it was so good. I thought why not start a label? The more I thought about it, the more I was into the idea. It felt like time for us to do our own thing.
And the crew built up from there?
Rhi: We’re really into pushing new artists and unknown acts we knew were making wicked music that needed to be heard. It was like a domino effect. Everything seemed to fall into place. Two of my friend’s sons had a release on Vinyl Fanatiks – E.Hill & Mathieson – so I messaged them and they sent over this amazing care package.
Junior: One tune was so good we signed it straight away and since then they’ve become a key part of Devon’s Road. It’s funny we went to an old school rave recently and met E.Hill’s parents there.
Proof how unifying this music is!
Junior: It’s think it’s the energy. Hardcore music chops and changes so much. It keeps you engaged all the time and people don’t get bored. When I think about what it was with hardcore when I was kid – it kept you entertained. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s not too chin strokey. There’s a right mishmash of 4×4 and breaks.. It’s timeless. And now you’ve got a new generation using samples that older people would never think to use. I think it’s really engaging – that energy it brings us altogether, like ‘what’s gonna happen next?’
Yeah! Love that. I guess, in terms of your story, Time & Motion happened next?
Rhi: What’s great is that we didn’t plan it but one by one we just kept meeting people who were making tunes. No one had enough to make a whole EP. But I was really into the idea of contributing to this culture and this scene that has given me so much in my life. And we had time to think about things during lockdown right?
Junior: That’s when I started making tunes again. I actually had the time to concentrate on music. Also, before lockdown, we moved to South East London. That had a huge influence on us as well. We spent a lot of time in Deptford, around a lot of like-minded people. We made some great friends there – we’re in the hub of that community.
So much going on there. Planet Wax, Aaja, Four Quarters just down the road.
Rhi : Venue MOT !
Junior: Four Quarters is where we do our parties and we help them out a lot. They’re a great venue. South East London has become a cool place to be without it being too…
Pricey? Poncy?
Junior: Hah. Both!
Sounds like where Shoreditch was 25 years ago! Late 90s or so
Junior: Funnily enough around that time my dad’s radio station was on Commercial Street round there. We spent a lot of time down there and it was very much like New Cross, Deptford, Peckham. Community minded. Very creative.
And you’re right. We feel right in the centre of a lot of communities here. A lot of them are young, too. We’re like an aunt and uncle. I think we’re really lucky that we’re living this. There’s a lot of support, a lot of good mates. Nice humble human beings. Being round people like this day in age? We’re lucky. It’s a very different time to the 90s but there’s a strong comparison. We’ve gone in a cycle and it’s come back round again. We’re in the thick of it. Pushing new artists, trying to encourage people to get involved.
Rhi: We really are a family and want to help everyone get their music out in the best possible state. We give a lot of advice to people and support everyone as much as we can.
Junior: The music scene can be quite cut throat and that can affect your mental health so we try and be supportive. It’s personal isn’t it? It’s about the music, and the connections. I think people are drawn to that energy.
Definitely. And I can relate from a 1 More Thing perspective! Let’s chat about your last release. Anti Traxx is onto some really interesting sounds!
Rhi: He’s been with us since the first Time & Motion albums. The journey he’s been on has been amazing. He’s such a sick producer. He’s really cares about the music and culture only. He wears a mask, he does not want any fame or spotlight. I find his music very emotional and I think some of his best music so far is on this EP. Some are quite epic and long. They’re going against that whole one minute, shock and drop, quick hype video for Instagram thing. It’s almost like a big fuck you to that really. There’s a great range on there from hard hitting to deeper, atmospheric stuff. Kenny, how would you describe it?
Junior: He takes me back to that late 95/96 period. Moving Shadow, Omni Trio. It’s got that atmospheric vibe. I’ve mixed some of the tunes with some old Moving Shadows records and they fit together so well. You should see him when he’s playing at one of our nights.
Four Quarters?
Junior: Yeah we love that place. We’ll never leave that place. We try and bring events down there and help them. It’s really helped the label doing that party; creating a space for us all to come together and test our music and with Anti Traxx, he plays his own music and when he plays down there it’s really special. He’s got something about him. You look around and see people just watching. They’re not raving. They’re so focused on the music. They’re so engaged in what’s coming next. He’s doing things differently. He’s pushing a much more varied sound and not smashing out the amens. Sometimes I’ve suggested ideas and he’s been like ‘that’s not my way’. Like his name says – Anti. He don’t follow anyone.
The same can be said for a few of you?
Junior: Definitely. E.Hill & Mathieson’s influences come from a different time. We’ve got some stuff coming up from Drinkwater, he’s really into this continuous evolution in his music, not just the standard drop, shock and awe style arrangement. He also uses some analogue gear.
Rhi: We got a guy called Robin Wylie. He makes a lot of stuff on analogue equipment and you can hear that in the sound. He varies in tempo quite a lot. One thing I wanted to do with the label was keep it multi-genre and push things forward and not keep going over the past but give space to new ideas and the more experimental side. He makes acid influenced breaks and breakbeats. There’s a lot of sounds and samples in the mix. It’s quite industrial and he’s got his own sound.
Junior: What’s interesting is that people aren’t afraid to send us different ideas and tempos. People know we’re interested in something different. Or they get inspired by our parties like, ‘I made this last night after I came back from your party’. That’s the ultimate compliment.
You’ve willed it into existence!
Junior: We love our parties. You’ll find us on the dancefloor, you’ll find us supporting new DJs and getting down the front and sharing the energy. Especially with new DJs who are making their debut or are very early on their journey. We want to make people feel welcome. That’s our whole ethos. Making people feel welcome and inspiring each other.
That’s inspiring! So what’s up next?
Junior: We got a track from me and Dublah as Bomb Shelter Crew. It’s called Dis One and it’s coming with a load of remixes. That’s a massive package and a really fun tune we’ve been playing for a few years. Following that there’s another Bomb Shelter Crew EP called Back To The Ends. There’s a Drinkwater EP, a Robin Wylie EP and music from E.Hill Mathieson.
Rhi: There’s a few other bits but that’s more than enough! We’re always working on the label. Not a day goes by when we don’t do something. We do parties as well so that’s a lot of commitment.
When’s the next party?
When’s the next party? Junior: We’re doing a party at Venue MOT on Jan 11. Four crews – This Thing Of Ours, Ratface Records, Intercity Breakbeat and ourselves. Just having a vibe. We did a payback party last year with Hardcore Hangin’. It was one of the maddest parties we’ve ever done. Such a diverse up for it crowd.
Rhi: No headliners. Just a proper rave.
Junior: It’s a nice way to start the year. Kicking off with a really healthy party can be a good message and inspire everyone.
Yes absolutely! Wish I was in London for that this weekend! Any final shouts?
Rhi: Yes actually. We want to shout out our artwork guy Pepe. He’s an amazing lad. Richie Hughes, too. He does our mastering and is a very close member of the crew. We want to keep it all family generated. We’d like to give a big shout out to Threshold too has supported the label from day one.
Junior: The key thing is Rhi’s been raving at AKO and Rupture for years. I’ve known the Distant Planet crew for years. We look up to and respect these people. Threshold has been so supportive. If it wasn’t for any of them and their influence we wouldn’t be doing this ourselves. When you see people from the underground creating such strong communities and giving support and love to other crews and the wider community it has big ripples and influences. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of…
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