Will Ashon
Encyclopedia
Will Ashon is an English novelist, former music journalist and founder of the Big Dada
imprint of Ninja Tune
records. Ashon was educated at Countesthorpe Community College
and Balliol College, Oxford
. In the mid-nineties he worked as a music journalist specialising in hip hop for publications including Trace
, Muzik
, Hip Hop Connection
, Raygun
and The Source
. In 1997 he started the record label Big Dada Recordings in conjunction with Ninja Tune
, signing and releasing albums by artists including Roots Manuva
, Diplo, Speech Debelle
and Wiley
.
His published novels are Clear Water (2006) and The Heritage (2008), both with Faber and Faber
. His third novel, work, was supposed to be published by 3:AM Press in 2010, the new publishing arm of 3:AM Magazine, alongside works from authors such as Steve Aylett
. 3:AM Press, however, have published none of their slated titles and the venture seems to have collapsed before getting going. On July 16, 2010, Ashon released the book 3:AM were meant to be publishing ("work") plus two others in a zip file, containing each book in an .epub and .pdf format, citing the influence (perhaps slightly facetiously) of grime musician Wiley, who had recently given away all the music on his hard drive in a series of zip files. The "Zip Trilogy," as Ashon called it, consists of three books: 'Monsterboy,' 'work' and 'After The Non-Event'. 'Monsterboy' is a short, surreal novella apparently about Mike Tyson's mother in the afterlife. 'work' outlines the life and ultra-violent re-death of an illegal alien in an unnamed country, written in broken, lowercase English. 'After The Non-Event' (subtitled 'A Comedy'), perhaps the most conventional of the three, follows twenty years in the life of Simon, a member of an unnamed cult, from the moment when the "Event" the group has been waiting for fails to take place.
Big Dada
Big Dada Recordings is the Hip Hop imprint of London-based independent record label, Ninja Tune. It is best known for being the home of prominent British hip hop artist Roots Manuva. It was started by reputed hip hop journalist Will Ashon in February 1997...
imprint of Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
records. Ashon was educated at Countesthorpe Community College
Countesthorpe Community College
Countesthorpe Community College is a upper school situated on the western edge of Countesthorpe in Leicestershire near the A426-History:When the school first opened its doors in the 1970s, its informal learning environment caused controversy, with much interest from national press. Many features of...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. In the mid-nineties he worked as a music journalist specialising in hip hop for publications including Trace
Trace (magazine)
TRACE is a quarterly, internationally-distributed magazine with the tagline, 'transcultural styles + ideas'. It focuses on urban culture, and has featured on its cover some of the most significant black artists and models of the last decade, including Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Biggie Smalls,...
, Muzik
Muzik
Muzik was a UK dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003.Muzik was created by two former Melody Maker journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of Muzik from its launch until he left the magazine in 1998, at which point Turner took over as editor...
, Hip Hop Connection
Hip Hop Connection
Hip Hop Connection is the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. HHC has earned international recognition and was described by Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world".-History:...
, Raygun
Raygun
Rayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
and The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
. In 1997 he started the record label Big Dada Recordings in conjunction with Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
, signing and releasing albums by artists including Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
, Diplo, Speech Debelle
Speech Debelle
Corynne Elliot , better known as Speech Debelle, is a British rapper currently signed to the Big Dada record label. She was the winner of the 2009 Mercury Prize.- Early life :...
and Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
.
His published novels are Clear Water (2006) and The Heritage (2008), both with Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
. His third novel, work, was supposed to be published by 3:AM Press in 2010, the new publishing arm of 3:AM Magazine, alongside works from authors such as Steve Aylett
Steve Aylett
Steve Aylett is a satirical science fiction and slipstream author of several bizarro books. He is renowned for his colorful satire attacking the manipulations of authority, and for having reams of amusing epigrams and non-sequiturs only tangentially related to what little linear plot the books...
. 3:AM Press, however, have published none of their slated titles and the venture seems to have collapsed before getting going. On July 16, 2010, Ashon released the book 3:AM were meant to be publishing ("work") plus two others in a zip file, containing each book in an .epub and .pdf format, citing the influence (perhaps slightly facetiously) of grime musician Wiley, who had recently given away all the music on his hard drive in a series of zip files. The "Zip Trilogy," as Ashon called it, consists of three books: 'Monsterboy,' 'work' and 'After The Non-Event'. 'Monsterboy' is a short, surreal novella apparently about Mike Tyson's mother in the afterlife. 'work' outlines the life and ultra-violent re-death of an illegal alien in an unnamed country, written in broken, lowercase English. 'After The Non-Event' (subtitled 'A Comedy'), perhaps the most conventional of the three, follows twenty years in the life of Simon, a member of an unnamed cult, from the moment when the "Event" the group has been waiting for fails to take place.