Guitar music may currently dominate the UK’s perception of Sheffield, but there’s always been more to the city than Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys. Sheffield gave the world Cabaret Voltaire, Warp and, more recently, bassline house. It’s a city that has always had a vibrant electronic underground and its own very particular take on dance music. Over the last few years, 23-year-old Toddla T from Broomhall has taken the sound national.

Over the years, club nights such as NY Sushi, the Tuesday Club, Kabal and Lights Down Low have all stood out for their genre-defying readiness to mix bass sounds (ragga, hip-hop, drum’n'bass, breaks) with house, electro and bleepy techno. In turn, that eclectic, tightly knit local scene has sustained and inspired numerous DJs and producers – from Winston Hazel, Pipes and Parrot to JP Buckle, Fat Truckers and Ross Orton, co-producer of MIA’s Galang – who have all, in their own different ways, pushed a peculiarly South Yorkshire aesthetic of off-beam, bass-heavy electronic music.

Which brings us to Tom Bell, who makes music under the name Toddla T. Toddla is openly influenced by the old guard. For instance, he DJs with Winston Hazel, and Ross Orton mixed Buff Nuff, the track Toddla produced for Roots Manuva. His own tracks, meanwhile, such as Back Chatter and Fill Up Mi Portion (both versions of his Do U Know “riddim”), along with his monumental recent single, Manabadman, make it clear where he’s coming from.

Now the Sheffield producer has put pen to paper with Ninja Tune, the esteemed label that boasts Roots Manuva on its roster.

“I’m so happy with signing with Ninja” Toddla claimed. “Not only have they got a ridiculously good background but they’re such good people and so enthused by me joining. I’m really looking foward to getting stuck into the next album with them as well as working on my Girls Music label alongside them. Dutty!”

After releasing his debut album, ‘Skanky Skanky’ through 1965 Recordings, Toddla T has since parted ways with the label. Working with a variety of artists, the producer has avoided settling down in one place. Achieving mainstream radio play, Toddla T could well be on the verge of breaking through to the mainstream. But he is keen to hold on to his roots.

“I love the Sheffield scene. It is so fresh and diverse and I just absolutely would hate to come from anywhere else” he said.

As in so much Sheffield dance music, taking pleasure from the bass is a priority for Toddla. The slow, purring dub and jump-up ragga bass patterns are to the fore, as is what Toddla – referring to a sound that can be traced all the way back to Cabaret Voltaire – calls “this electronic Sheffield clangy thing”. Equally, like all the best Sheffield music, Toddla’s stuff has serious pop nous, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s a ready, very British sense of humour to the Soundtape Killin’ video. It looks like something Daft Punk might have made had they grown up in Broomhall and had £27 to spend on a promo.

If the Sheffield dance underground has only rarely made inroads into the charts – All Seeing I, for instance, or I Monster’s Daydream in Blue – it is because the city, as a whole, is on constant alert. While the rest of Britain will do anything for fame, the one-time People’s Republic of south Yorkshire regards the Industry with a deep, ingrained suspicion. As Toddla puts it: “There’s all these dickheads in the industry, especially at record labels. At first I was like, ‘Is everyone like this? Am I gonna have to compromise and have to deal with dickheads?’ But, no, you don’t – there are some all right people. I’ve got a right good team.”

With principles as solid as his beats, in this jaded world Toddla fair makes the heart sing.  Sheffield’s own self-sustaining scene may not be entirely unique, but Toddla’s certainly is.

Two Sheffield artists are seeking members to join their online art group, set up for people to share their art and give advice.

Stephen Balderson, of Newmount Road, said the Sheffield Art Group, launched on Facebook this week, is a space for artists to share ideas and advice online. He said: “I would love to gain more members, with online discussions and art classes in the future.”

Stephen Balderson, 38, a Transport Logistics Supervisor, started the online group with retired Phil Lovell, 80, because they felt its flexibility would attract people with busy work and home lives.

Phil Lovell said the artists who inspired his art included Monet, Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

Mr Balderson said: “I have been an artist all my life focusing mainly on pencil drawings and photography of places in Sheffield.

“I started going to an art group two years ago and I was staggered at how hard it was to find anywhere where people shared ideas on their work.”

Artists of all ages are invited to join the group. For more information contact Stephen Balderson on 07717582787.

By Rachel Hovenden

A LABOUR councillor called for the Lib Dem in charge of Sheffield’s housing to be sacked yesterday amid claims the council planned to deceive council house tenants.

Councillor Chris Weldon said the Lib Dem council had planned to deceive tenants by “secretly cutting corners” in the Decent Homes council house refurbishments.

Leaked memo

He pointed to a memo leaked to the opposition “which indicated a cover up, stating that the changes were not likely to be picked up by the media and tenants.”

He also criticised the way Councillor Bob McCann, cabinet member for housing, had dealt with the crisis-ridden Decent Homes programme to refurbish Sheffield’s council houses.

The administration launched an investigation in February last year into who made the decision for the changes and why there was no consultation.

In a motion to a full city council meeting, Councillor Weldon called for Councillor McCann to be “relieved of his current post in the hope, very possibly futile, that any other member of this Administration could provide better leadership for Sheffield tenants.”

£62 million shortfall

In November last year the council revealed the project – through which council houses are receiving new kitchens, bathrooms, and double glazing – was threatened by a £62 million shortfall. This was because the scheme needed to refit up to 8,000 more homes than the 32,000 originally planned.

The council also revealed the programme would not be completed until the end of 2013, three years later than initially intended.

The funding shortfall led to changes in the qualifying criteria for higher standard refurbishments from 20-year-old houses to those more than 30-years-old.

Allegations “complete tosh”

But Councillor McCann told JUS News that the allegations were “complete tosh”. He said: “We have never made any changes to the Decent Homes scheme and the memo was taken completely out of context.”

He said the Lib Dems had extended the refurbishment plans, not cut them. Last year’s investigation found that they had made no negative changes to the scheme, he added.

Outside the meeting, council leader Paul Scriven described the allegations as “nonsense”.

“The Labour party are putting out a pack of untruths,” he said.

“The scheme is actually being extended until 2014, which is four years over and above what Labour proposed. They are trying to scare people into voting for them.”

By Rachel Hovenden

COUNCILLORS slammed cuts to adult education worth more than £1million, which will force three Sheffield centres to close.

The government cut more than £1m from Sheffield College’s adult learning budget for the next academic year, equivalent to a 10% reduction. It means that the Bannerdale, Walkley and Mount Pleasant centres, which have almost 1400 students between them, will stop classes from September.

Courses likely to be affected are English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), European languages, crafts, floristry, literacy and numeracy.

“It’s a disaster”

Salma Mohammed, of Glover Road, attends the English language classes at the Mount Pleasant Centre on Sharrow Lane. She moved to England from Pakistan eight years ago and has two children aged seven and five.

She said she wants to be a beautician but needs to improve her English so she can talk to clients.

“It’s a disaster. I can’t sleep at night because I am so worried. I don’t want these classes to stop because I need to improve my English so I can get a job. I need to take my children to and from school before and after the classes. If I have to travel further I will have to give up,” the 28-year-old said.

Muiugeta Yimesgan, 21, lives on London Road. He came to England six months ago from Eritrea. He said: “I am in shock. I can’t afford the bus fare to go to another college. When I go to the job centre they tell me I must improve my English. I would take any job. I don’t want to be on benefits my whole life. Before they announced the closures my future was bright. Now I feel like everything has gone very dark.”

“This is a real disgrace”

Jason Pepper, Executive Director of Finance and Resources for Sheffield College said they are still discussing which courses to cut. “We plan to relocate college staff and some courses to Hillsborough College and Sheffield City College. We don’t expect any compulsory redundancies,” he said.

And Mary Hampshire, spokeswoman for Sheffield College said: “The College has lobbied extensively to protect the funding it receives for adult learners, but all further education colleges in England are facing similar or even greater cuts.”

Leader of the Council, Paul Scriven told JUS News: “Sheffield college are committed to adult education, but they have been forced into making this decision. This is a real disgrace. In an economic downturn people need to be able to gain the skills and education they need to improve their situation.”

A “political football”

And during the council’s final meeting before the election Councillor Jillian Creasy, for Sheffield Central said: “For many people, especially women with young children, those with little English and those on low incomes, provision of adult education in their local area is vitally important to increase accessibility and uptake. Retracting services into a central site or sites will effectively exclude them.”

But Councillor Leigh Bramall, Labour’s education spokesman, accused the Liberal Democrat council of using adult education as a “political football.” He said they had failed to confirm any figures for funding adult education, and this had led to uncertainty.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said he maintains his view that the party with the most votes and seats – the Conservatives – should attempt to form a government.

Clegg spoke outside Liberal Democrat headquarters this morning just a few hours after departing Sheffield with his Sheffield Hallam seat still intact.

He said: “Whichever party gets the most votes has the first right to seek to govern either on its own or to reach out to other parties, and I stick to that view.

“It is now for the Conservatives to prove that it is capable of seeking to govern the country.”

The statement ends a tumultuous 12 hours for the Liberal Democrats. A joint BBC/ITV/SKY exit poll predicted a hung parliament but also forecast a Lib Dem loss, which appears to be almost certain.

Nick Clegg

Clegg said he was disappointed with the result but understood the nation’s reasoning.

He said: “People were excited about the prospect of doing something different but when it came to vote, people stuck with what they knew best.

“In time of economic uncertainly, I totally understand that. But things can get better for people and their families.”

And now it appears the Lib Dem leader has placed David Cameron and the Conservatives in poll position to form a government, but said they must do so with “a national interest.”

Clegg, who won 53.4 per cent of the Sheffield Hallam vote, also believed the result showed problems in the British electoral system.

“The electoral system is broken, it doesn’t reflect the hopes and aspirations of British people,” he said.

Tory leader David Cameron is set make a statement setting out how he will seek to form a government at 2.30pm, while current Prime Minister Gordon Brown would seek to strike a Labour-Liberal Democrats coalition, according to government sources.