LEE ROUS (PLUMP DJs)

WRITER / PRODUCER / ARTIST DJ

Plump — verb, noun, adjective — fatten, buxom, chubby, portly, ample, complete.

Lee Rous is one half of breakbeat duo The Plump DJs. Over the last 8 years Lee and Andy Gardner have spread the word of breakbeat to their bulbous and ever fattening audience. Here is their whole story.

Breakbeat was slumbering away peacefully before the Plump DJs gave it a loud wakeup call with their first release Electric Disco / Plumpy Chunks in 1999. With thundering momentum their critically acclaimed productions reformatted dancefloors and perceptions, and set new production standards. Some were scared silly, few fell back asleep, but many jumped up for a shower of Plump freshness. And an alarming universal consensus was formed. Everyone wanted a piece of the Plump pie, and fat was in.

The Push / Remember My Name on Finger Lickin', waxed the hairs off everyone's legs and the screams of delight led the lads into completing their feature album A Plump Night Out in 1999. The album sampler rocketed to No.1 on DJ magazine Breaks and Beats Chart for three issues in a row.

Before Lee and Andy could smile for another photo shoot, remix opportunities were piled on the doorstep. Jumpin' and Pumpin' (with perhaps a bit of pimpin') through the year of chronic concoctions the Plump DJs' spin of Stakker Humanoid's classic Humanoid and a spate of other remixes for The Freestylers, DeeJay Punk Roc and Mint Royale ballooned their status. Perfecting a repertoire of coercive gruff sounds, the Plumps were in high demand.

Their remixes for the likes of BT and Orbital became the bubbles of oxygen that rose to the top of the ocean of global dance music. The Plump ship made waves, putting the excitable Oh back into H20. Historians, dance music critiques, and Soho restaurateurs chuckled with glee as Lee and Andy won the Galaxy loaded with dancefloor ammunition; launching Smartbombs and dropping laughing gas onto Funny Break terrain, replacing testosterone nu-skool with accessible sonic boom and arse wiggle.

On the Up

Lee and Andy were on the lips of every man and his mixer from London to Rio, whilst the two remained loyal to the underground movement. Judge Jules announced the Plumps mix of JDS' Nine Ways as Tune of the Week. They went on to achieve Mixmag Breaks Compilation Of The Year; Pete Tong's Essential compilation album, Album of the Month in Wax and M8, and have been written about in literally every dance publication going.

Their Elastic Breaks covermount CD on Mixmag sold over 140,000 copies and was their biggest selling issue ever. In 2001 the boys achieved Pete Tong's Essential Tune with their remix of The Elektronauts' Bumper on Lacerba. Temptation grew and the heat was so intense that Bumper was nominated for Best Remix of 2001 at the annual Muzik awards. The Plumps were also nominated for Best Breakthrough DJ and narrowly missed the shortlist for the Mercury Music Prize.

Not taking notice of the Diesel jeans that Lee lived in, Levi's used The Push in a commercial, which ran in Asia for over a year. As their popularity soared, the Plump wares provided background music for Grandstand, Ski Sunday and Sky Sports. By late 2001, Sony adopted Big Groovy Fucker and Plumps mixes of BT's Smartbomb onto PlayStation2's Wipeout Fusion. Finally, the much-talked about Big Groovy Fucker was unleashed in March 2002.

… and up!

The formidable Fatboy Slim gave the Plumps 12" single TB Reality a fat thumbs up. The flip Big Groovy Fucker was Essential Breaks Tune in 7 magazine, Single of the Month in Muzik + Ministry, number one in the DJ Breaks and Beats Chart, number one in Muzik Sweep, Cool Cuts number 14, Buzz chart number 16, as well as appearing on numerous compilations and covermount CDs. The Plump productions are so rated that Phil Hartnoll called the label to say it was the best remix they've ever had! Subsequently they were support DJs for both UK Orbital tours in 2001.

In July 2003, the Plump DJs released the breakbeat scene's most eagerly awaited record. A landmark - defining a sound and altering the course of a genre - Eargasm smashed the mould to take break-driven music to the next level. An album that wears its heart on its sleeve it encapsulates everything that makes the Plump DJs tick. Pooling Lee and Andy's influence, Eargasm is a forthright album of maturity and diversity, pulling no punches - from the jacking floorshakers honed by their residency at Fabric, to the cerebral, emotive deviations from the breakbeat path. Featuring guest performances by Lou Robinson from Lamb, Gary Numan and Eddie Bo, who recently won a lifetime achievement for his contribution to jazz, this long player doesn't rely on collaborations, they simply fit the grand scheme.

Eargasm is one of those rare albums that sounds equally as good whether you're in a club, a car, a party or your lounge room. Its intricacy, deep textures and intensity, packaged with a backbone of funk, boasts a completely unique yet very accessible sound. Incorporating samples from the vaults of Kool And The Gang and Terence Trent D'Arby as well as writing songs with Lou Robinson and Gary Numan they have successfully taken the sonic revolution a step further.

Praise us!

Following the groundbreaking success of A Plump Night Out' and Eargasm the Plump DJs came back with 70 minutes of the highest quality blistering breaks in the form of 2005's Saturday Night Lotion. With 11 original tracks and 2 remixes, Andy Gardner and Lee Rous have also called upon some of the scene's biggest names such as The Freestylers, Soul of Man, The Drumattic Twins, Lee Coombs and Italian sensation Madox to bolster this already heavyweight package.

Opening with the hip-hop inspired A Plump Lesson, the album wastes little time warming up with a chunky remix of Lee Coombs' Shiver; and on to the catchy Dr Dub which samples the Thompson Twins' Doctor Doctor. Alongside the already released and hammered singles Soul Vibrates and Bullet Train, the award-winning Plump DJs delivered an album also featuring the Get Kinky and Acid Hustle singles.

Get Kinky was an all-out club player sampling Missy Elliot whilst Acid Hustle took a more electro stance; purring electronically underneath the beat until it slaps you around the face with a fresh, stripped-down drum and synth outro. The Rub Off - a bassy, booty bouncer - and Screwball - an uplifting sun-drenched anthem – got heavy plays at the Plump DJs festival appearances that summer and at their monthly residency at Fabric….as did their award-winning remix of the Freestylers' club floorfiller Push Up.

Hailing from the world's leading breakbeat label, Finger Lickin Records, Saturday Night Lotion also featured label mates the Drumattic Twins and Soul of Man. The Drumattics' Twister is acidic goodness whilst Soul of Man's Foxy Moron has super tight beats and growling b-lines finished off with acappella vocals courtesy of Katherine Ellis.

The Plump DJs swept the board at 2005's Breakspoll Awards winning gongs for Best Producers, Best Remix (Freestylers – Push Up) and Best Single (Soul Vibrates), once again reaffirming themselves as the swaggering Lords of the Break.

2006 was spent inflicting the album on adoring crowds throughout the world before bunkering down at Plump Control to dream up the next chapter in the Plumps' story.

DISCOGRAPHY