DJ Friction (UK)

Friction
Birth name Ed Keeley
Also known as Friction
Origin Brighton, England
Genres Drum and bass
Occupation(s) DJ, record producer
Years active 1998–present
Labels Shogun Audio
Valve Recordings
True Playaz
Renegade Hardware
Elevate Records
Website Shogun Audio

Friction (real name Ed Keeley) is a drum and bass DJ from Brighton, England.

Biography

Brighton-raised Friction is one of only a handful of drum and bass DJs to utilise three decks to mash up his mixes, creating a unique sound. As a teenager Friction was busy playing and promoting events in Brighton when he began collaborating with local producers Stakka & K-Tee who were heavily involved in Andy C's Ram Records label.

In 1998 Friction released his debut single Critical Mass under the name 'Kinnetix',[1] attracting the attention of major labels. Soon he was releasing tracks on renowned labels such as Valve,[2] Tru Playaz,[3] Trouble On Vinyl,[4] 31 Records,[5] Hospital,[6] Charge[7] and Renegade Hardware[8] alongside his own Shogun Audio imprint.

Friction is regarded as one of the biggest DJs in the drum and bass scene, with an extremely fast rise to success in the last 5 years. Highly regarded for his various mix CDs and releases on labels like Hospital, Tru Playaz and Renegade Hardware. One of his biggest tracks was the "Back To Your Roots Remix" on Shogun Audio in 2007.

He is label manager of Shogun Audio,[9] and was a regular DJ on the BBC 1Xtra D&B M1X Show. Friction is not to be confused with Birmingham-based DJ Fricktion who specialises in Open Format Genres, or Bobby Friction of the BBC Asian Network.

Friction has had several collaborations with British singer-songwriter and rapper Example. Since Friction's 2011 remix of his #1 hit single "Changed the Way You Kiss Me", which was included on the iTunes bonus track version of his third studio album Playing in the Shadows, Elliot Gleave's has become a writer for some of his songs, including 2012-13 singles "Led Astray" (with vocals by Takura) and "Long Gone Memory" (featuring Arlissa). This has also led to Friction's collaboration with English electronic musician Skream in the 2013 song "Kingpin" (featuring UK grime rappers Scrufizzer, P Money and Riko Dan from Roll Deep), as Example and Skream had been working together numerous times themselves.

On 10 January 2012, BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe made Friction's song "Led Astray" his Hottest Record in the World.[10]

On Monday 2 April 2012, Friction started presenting his own drum and bass show on BBC Radio 1 on Mondays from 2am to 4am.[11] The show has now moved to Sundays from 3am to 5am and is also simulcast on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Accolades

Friction has won numerous accolades such as:

Best Newcomer in the Drum & Bass Arena Awards (2002).

Best Breakthrough DJ at Knowledge Awards (2003).

Best Newcomer at Accelerated Culture Awards.

Best DJ at MTV Romania Awards (2007).

Runner Up Best DJ at Drum & Bass Awards 2009.

Runner Up Best DJ at Drum & Bass Awards 2011.

Hall Of Fame in the Drum & Bass Arena Awards (2011).

Best Radio Show for his BBC Radio 1 show at Drum & Bass Awards 2013.[12]

Runner up Best DJ at Drum & Bass Awards 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Kinnetix / Kraken – 2 On 1 Series (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  2. ↑ Friction* And Logistics – Play The Game / Sin City (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com (21 November 2005). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  3. ↑ DJ Friction & Nu Balance – Robocop / Slipstream (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  4. ↑ DJ Friction & Nu Balance – Final Judgement E.P. (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Various – Kingz Of The Rollers EP Volume 5 (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Various – Sick Music (CD) at Discogs. Discogs.com (16 May 2010). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  7. ↑ DJ Friction – The Power EP (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com (11 March 2002). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  8. ↑ DJ Friction – Torture Chamber / Defcon One (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com (22 December 2003). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Friction – Shogun Audio – About Us. Shogun Audio. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Zane Lowe. "Zane Lowe's Hottest Records blog: Hottest Record - Friction - Led Astray". BBC. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  11. ↑ Ben Cooper, Controller of Radio 1. "Media Centre - Radio 1 announces changes to dance music line-up". BBC. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  12. ↑ Drum and Bass Awards 2012 Results. Drum and Bass Awards. Retrieved on 27 February 2013.

External links