ith a winning combination of the finest DJs and an eager crowd, Fill Yer Boots is the new house and bass night currently making its mark on the increasingly popular south London club scene.
Time to head south. Brixton is once again proving the perfect destination for decent music and a vibrant nightlife. Over the last few years, the area has undergone what can only be described as a ‘cultural revamp’, with pubs, clubs and bars now promoting a variety of innovative talent and diverse sounds like nowhere else in London. Leading the way is the recently refurbished Plan B, a warehouse-style, all-night venue which showcases the best new acts in an intimate setting. Hot Chip, DJ Yoda, Kode9 and the recently acclaimed James Blake have all taken to the stage. Now Plan B has combined forces with Fill Yer Boots (FYB), an independent house and bass night hosting packed-out parties around south London. FYB’s founders are promoters Will Byles and DJ Will ‘Leisureware’ Smith. Together with fellow resident DJ Daniel Ghazvinie, they’ve recruited some of the city’s most exciting new talent, including the hotly-tipped DJs Mosca, Wbeeza and Skull Juice. As a night itself Fill Yer Boots lacks pretension and its simple approach has attracted a large and loyal following. i-D Online caught up with the two Wills to talk skills, guilty pleasures and the south London buzz. The boys also put together a mix of DJs headlining this Saturday to tickle your eardrums – listen here.
What inspired you to start Fill Yer Boots?
WS: Once you get into club music, it’s natural to want to try your hand at producing, DJing, promoting, or all three. Plus, we’re pushy guys, so the prospect of playing the music we love in a room full of people was irresistible.
WB: I thought I could make some money. How naïve I was!
How has the night developed over the last year?
WB: Since we moved the night to Brixton, there’s been a lot of interest. We’ve started booking acts from our wishlist and talking to other blogs and promoters. In 2011 we want to push the blog, start collaborating with other promoters and have even more fun!
You’re strong believers in the south London music scene. Why Brixton specifically?
WB: Brixton is like a playground, there’s much mischief to be had. It has a rich musical history and is geared towards culture and self-expression in a big way.
These days it seems everyone and anyone can be a DJ. What separates the men from the boys?
WS: You’re not wrong, everyone’s stepping up. A good DJ reacts to the room. Playing the same set you’ve practised a hundred times at home isn’t going to cut it.
WB: You can’t just storm in with a headline set either. Have the crowd get a buzz on and let the headliner hit it home. Also, a music collection that isn’t exclusively downloaded from blogs helps.
Tell us about the DJs you work with. Who are they and where did you find
them?
WB: So far we’ve put on George Fitzgerald, Flammette, Man Make Music, Mosca, Skull Juice, Wbeeza and West Norwood Cassette Library. All good shouts.
WS: KRL and Greymatter are playing this Saturday. They’re both on Wolf Music, so we invited the whole pack down to spin a few. KRL makes irresistible house tracks with these dusty old soul samples. Greymatter has an insane work rate, so his sets are the freshest. The music is going to be spot-on.
What’s your music guilty pleasure?
WS: There’s no such thing!
WB: I’ve always liked Aerosmith and Motley Crue for some reason.
Fill Yer Boots presents Wolf Music with KRL and Greymatter this Saturday at Plan B.
