Brey, UK bass prodigy, shoots his video at a Belgrade flea market

UK bass producer BreY holding a record of turbo folk singer Lepa Brena

LEPA BREYNER

If you care about up-and-coming bass-driven music from the British Islands, chances are you might soon come across Brey, a 20-year-old producer behind the latest release of Serbian/British Svetlana Industries imprint. Born in Angola as Breyner Laurindo Da Silva Baptista and raised in Northwest London, Brey has been paving his way into the UK bass scene like many emerging talents nowadays: by getting a street buzz through more established artists playing his yet-to-be-released tunes in clubs. Still without an official record out, he enjoyed some viral spinning throughout last year from the likes of Bok Bok, Scratcha, Brackles and Ramadanman before landing his debut 4-track EP Brasil for Svetlana, due this month on vinyl and download.

It’s his complex and meticulously crafted sound image that makes him stand out from the crowd. Brey takes no prisoners. The clattering rhythms, the dangling percussion, the live horns, the Lalo Schifrin-esque strings, the dizzying Warpish synths, the stompin’ bass lines, all sound as if pumped out together in one huge blow.

After taking part in a panel on last year’s Share Conference in Belgrade and playing a gig the same night, Brey ended up at the flea market in the Belgrade suburb of Zemun at 6AM on a Sunday, browsing the endless stalls of worn-out goods before eventually purchasing some old trumpets and vinyls. The gypsies who run the stalls allegedly went nuts for his D&G ring, kissing him, telling him he was the original gypsy, a true cigan. Footage of that sunny morning, formed the base for Brey’s multi-layered, trashy video for the single “Bengela”, directed by Kiborz. Nice tractor, mate!