The Toddla T Sound - Bestival 2012 - 08/09/12

I'm a huge fan of Toddla T's productions, radio show and his DJ sets. I'd been to two of his sets, where I'd gone HAM due to hearing some favourites of mine (see: Ray Keith - The Chopper (Shy FX Remix)) and I wanted to see how The Toddla T Sound differed from the usual billing of just 'Toddla T'.
The differences made themselves evident as the set was structured together beforehand - due to involving numerous guests, the first of which manifested itself in the form of the trusty MC DRS.

The music played is dancehall-centric, bringing in aspects of reggae, hip-hop, grime and garage too. Toddla T stamps his signature on the set by playing all these crazy dubplates of classic tunes where the artist co-signs Toddla T in the lyrics: Sean Paul sings "Toddla T runs the show," in the modified Gimme Da Light chorus being remixed, and other co-signs come from Ninja Tune labelmate Roots Manuva to the more out-there Gyptian, with General Levy "alongside Toddla T!" as Incredible is mixed into TNGHT. Even without the vocal watermarks, you can't help but feel the presence as Toddla T's the kind of DJ who'll leave the decks and skank up and down the stage whenever he gets the opportunity.

Later, Serocee emerges to support beats with has rapid-fire vocal delivery, performing collaborations with Toddla T such as Manabadman and Badman Flu. The impact on the atmosphere is tangible, rejuvenating the crowd once more. Then Toddla T plays his trump card and brings out UK R'n'B legend Shola Ama, who takes the opportunity to perform classics such as You Might Need Somebody and Imagine, as well as the Toddla T-produced hits Alive and Take it Back. She also adds a somewhat needed feminine vibe to the set, and soon the four of them get the crowd to dance to their choreographed moves.

All in all, it's just a ridiculously fun show that works in hyping the crowd and could easily headline any UK urban venue. Toddla T manages to make an established sound fresh, playing hit after hit and avoiding alienating people while keeping the more forward-minded people interested with new takes on the well-renowned music being played. The guests themselves bring the show to life, and come together to show the world what a party should look and sound like.

Edit: Speaking of 'looks', massive shout-out to Ninja Tune and Rizlab for making the most of the visuals, which were some of the best I've seen and consistently great in other sets that night.

Photo by me