Canton Space Project

The Canton Space Project is a collective of like-minded musicians, artists, DJs, promoters, liggers and funksters from (mainly) the South Wales area started by Owen Griffiths…

Owen Griffiths – As featured in the Rough Guide to Wales 2009/10 (true story)- Born in one of those easten european countries which doesn’t exist anymore – ophaned at the age of 2, he was raised by wolfs, who thought, at 12, that he should go live among his own in Kenfig Hill, a charming post-industrial South Wales village. Upon his arrival there he was presented with a tape of various dour early 90’s rock bands, setting himself up for an adolesence of distorted guitars, large jeans, dodgy hair cuts and hardcore gigs in Bridgend Football Club.

Escaping to the South West at the turn of the millenium he dicovered the joys of clubbing – DnB nights in piss soaked condemed buildings, dub soundsystems in bus station cafes, generator parties on beaches, and actually started playing the bass that was in the corner of his room, laying stuff down with a roots rock/funk outfit.

Upon moving to Cardiff in 2006 he went out to catch a band at Clwb, got home 18 months or so later, looking slightly worse for wear, and then landed himself the bar manager job at the Backpackers Bar in Riverside. Here he began the Canton Space Project – holding late night jam/acoustic sessions and breakbeat nights before somehow being put in charge of events at Tafod – the club under Nos Da.

With the help of Gareth Clark (the Lunacyclist), and against a tide of bad managment, bad soundsystem and bad drainage, they managed for a brief, but eventful 6 months to turn the place around, bringing Swn festival, a host of electronica/dance promoters and an eclectic range of local and international bands to the venue.

During 2009 the CSP ran the weekly Flip Your Wig night at the Toucan club,  free parties with the Psychotic Reaction crew in warehouses and forests, and also worked with label/collective UK Roots Movement to promote roots music in Cardiff and the South West – staging shows by the Whistling Biscuits, Wille and the Bandits, Hip Route and more.

2010 saw the CSP Micro-festival at Gwdihw, and also Owen picking up his bass again to form acid drenched barbarian groove rockers, The Witches Drum…

The CSP aims to promote quality parties and gigs, release music by those involved and incourage a spirit of DIY on co-operation in the local scene.

The rest of 2010 will see the CSP co-orgainising the Fair Play Festival, further gigs at Gwdihw and more tunes being produced…

Dig?