Kasra has just dropped an incredibly special mixtape in memory of the legendary Fabric promoter Shaun Roberts who tragically died last December after a long battle against cancer.
“Fabric played a huge role in shaping me as a music fan and years later became theLondon home for me and my label. This wouldn’t have happened without the help and support of Shaun Roberts,” explains the Critical Music boss. “Without Shaun and people like him taking chances on people like me the music landscape would look very different.”
Hosted by MCs GQ and Mantmast and recorded live in Fabric way back in 2017 as part of Critical Music‘s 15 year anniversary, the mix is an excellent time capsule of a highly ripe time in drum & bass. It’s also a great snapshot of all performers’ energy, the club’s progressive music policy and Critical Music‘s longstanding residency at the venue.
It’s a relationship that is fully down to Shaun, a man whose positive influence and hard work behind the scenes could fill many volumes of books. A leading member of the club’s promotion team since it opened in 1999 up until 2016, Shaun was responsible for the iconic Fabriclive brand and cult mix series that featured the likes of Andy C, DJ Hype, Fabio, Ben UFO, Caspa & Rusko and many more. As Fabric resident Craig Richards said online in a personal tribute when Shaun passed, “You don’t meet many humans like Shaun in a lifetime. Valiant till the end. He will be greatly missed.”
Missed but never forgotten. All proceeds of Kasra‘s mixtape will go towards an important cause. “When the Never Sleep crew asked me to contribute to their mix series I knew I’d like to honour Shaun and help raise some money for Bowel Cancer UK,” explains Kasra.
The mix is part of an impressive and highly collectable series of mixtapes from Berlin-based platform Never Sleep. Dedicated to pushing the boundaries and supporting real art, previous mixtapes from Never Sleep include an edition from Paula Temple where all proceeds went to Women On Web and an historic DJ Promo gabber mix that raised money for child cancer organisation Kika. It’s great to see drum & bass represented in this forward-thinking, progressive and community focused series.
