Before Redlight came Clipz. Before Clipz came a life entrenched in the vital 90s rave
movement. Free parties, warehouses, sound systems, dubplates, neck-deep
mischief in the Bristol melting pot since the age of 13… Both aliases have always
been part of the same story, two channels for the same restless creative energy.
Before Redlight came Clipz. Before Clipz came a life entrenched in the vital 90s rave
movement. Free parties, warehouses, sound systems, dubplates, neck-deep
mischief in the Bristol melting pot since the age of 13… Both aliases have always
been part of the same story, two channels for the same restless creative energy.
As Redlight, Hugh Pescod has spent over a decade conquering corners of the dance
floor that Clipz never touched. But Clipz never went away. The original sound may
have set the benchmark and inspired a generation during the 2000s, his bullish
bassline blends and prolific banger dispatches placing him in the top tier of drum &
bass jungle’s notoriously competitive heavyweight league. This isn’t about nostalgia
or revisiting old ground. It’s about expression and passion for the original sounds,
spirit and culture that set him on this path in the first place, with two decades more
experience behind him.
Hugh Pescod has always occupied an uncompromising role in bass culture. What’s
fuelling him now is everything that came before… and everything still to come.
When it comes to creativity and self-expression, freedom is the most essential
component. For Redlight this means producing music with no fixed plan but simply
create. “The plan is to have no plan,” he says. With over two decades experience in
electronic music, Redlight is well versed in dance floor-ready rhythms that evoke the
diverse spirit of British club culture. He has become one of the most consistent and
respected artists in the UK, constantly delivering fresh riddims to dance floors up and
down the country, and overseas. London born, Bristol raised, the city’s rich and
vibrant culture permeates through his music, from his 4×4 productions to his output
as Clipz, the DnB alias that launched him into the limelight. Prolific, industrious and
highly creative, Pescod has built up an extensive and diverse discography over the
last 20+ years…
His endeavours continue to span several avenues; production-wise it’s Clipz for DnB
and Redlight for everything else, while he runs his two labels – Lobster Boy as the
home for Redlight output and Dream Vision Future as the dedicated outlet for Clipz.
Each channel gives him the space to have fun with rhythm and sound in different
ways, embodying the diversity that has always been at the core of his inspiration.
Recent Lobster Boy releases include ‘Y2K’, the floor-wrecking ‘Pressure’ featuring
Capo Lee, and ‘Dance The Same’ with Franksy – three cuts that demonstrate the
breadth and vitality of Redlight’s productions
Within that spectrum he is free to experiment and explore, which has led to a variety
of flavours emerging from his audio lab. With each DJ set he goes deep into
preparation, locking himself away to create edits and dig for tunes that will make the
performance a special one.
On the Clipz front, it’s DnB business as usual. With the pathway already carved out
by the pioneers, Clipz’s drum’n’bass pushes around the edges of the genre’s
predetermined framework. “We’re all guests in their house,” is the way he sees it,
which means working to a formula of sorts while still innovating and producing
dynamic cuts that cause havoc on the dance floor. His Dream Vision Future label
has been the vehicle for this chapter, most recently delivering ‘Come Find Me’
featuring DRIIA, a brooding, heavyweight roller that signals exactly where Clipz is
headed. With a forthcoming collaboration with jungle icon Shy FX due in July, festival
season just about to begin and a recent Japan tour under his belt, the momentum is
very much building.
Behind-the-scenes, Pescod also finds time to produce music for other artists and
vocalists. His depth of experience and prolific output mean he is perfectly poised to
lay down beats and bass for a diverse range of acts, including Rudimental, Nia
Archives and Finn Foxell.
Though there may not be a strict plan, there is a priority… Above all else, it’s to
create the best quality music he can. With a shift in his approach to DJ bookings and
touring after a serious health issue, his focus is making music, and lots of it. Deeply
committed to his studio endeavours, while maintaining a positive outlook and a high
work ethic, Pescod has earned his stripes several times over. A UK stalwart, his
energy and enthusiasm for production is still as unwavering and contagious as it was
when he first started over 20 years ago. Watch the ride, as he continues to roll the
beats out relentlessly, with no plan but to keep the fires of creativity burning brightly..
