Dutch master of the dance Martyn has upped 3 guest mixes he did for radio promotion around his album release to his 3024world blog. Included are mixes used on Rob Da Bank and Gilles Peterson's Radio 1 shows and James Mountain's Ministry of Sound show.
Thanks to the kind folk at Ammunition we've got the chance for 3 of you and a one of your buds to head along to Why Not? on the 12th June at the Arches.
Sets on the night from Shy FX (dubstep set), Appleblim, Headhunter, Ramadanman, Oneman, Youngsta, Chef, Alex Nut and so many more (full lineup here).
Simply email us your answer to the question below to be in the running for a pair of tickets.
Which London venue has Why Not? NOT been previously held at?
Engrained in the beats movement that truly exploded this time last year with the release of Flying Lotus’ ‘Los Angeles’ on Warp Records, LA native, TAKE, has been steadily cranking out high quality musical product over numerous labels since 1999. His 12” for Eat Concrete, ‘The Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000,’ was the first time his particular strain of low slung beat drawls hit our ear pieces, but his back catalogue is confidently harbouring gems including collaborative work with Lukid and Domu and a slew of incredible remixes.
With a European tour commencing in mid June we persuaded him to stay at his computer long enough to answer us some questions, giving us a peek into his world and clarifying the mystery behind the Sweatson Klank moniker.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
TAKE: I was born in Paris, France and moved to Los Angeles when I was 5 years old. Since then I have travelled a ton and lived in various places like New York, Seattle, Portland, Hawaii, and Paris, but Los Angeles has always felt like home base. I've been doing music for about 12 years now. I started dj'ing when I was 18 and from there my interest in production just grew. I got a drum machine and tried to recreate drum beats on my favorite hip hop records. Little did I know that my little Boss drum machine wasn't going to replicate the dusty crunchy drum sounds of my favorite producers.
Soon after that, I got an ASR-10 sampler keyboard and just learned from there. I worked in record stores for years to collect vinyl and learn about all the music that had preceded and influenced hip hop, house, techno, electro and all the early forms of electronic music. I’m really thankful to some of the older cats I worked with who schooled me on the record game and taught me a lot about the past. I try to share that with the youth of today if they are interested. I’m not a secret keeper kind of guy. To me it’s all about sharing the knowledge and interacting together.
My name, TAKE, it doesn’t mean that I take things and don’t give back… Rather, it’s my ‘take’ on things, music coming through my life filter. I have always been involved with music in one way or another; it’s just my biggest passion. As an artist, I try to push myself and the boundaries of the music genres we all seem to be limited by.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
Lately, I've been making great effort to not sit in front of the computer all day and make music. Too many people are forgetting that the world is outside… not inside your computer. The internet is great yes, but go out and have some experiences in the real world… beyond the cyber world… haha. So when I’m not doing music, I’m probably going for a walk in the hills, cooking up some crazy meals for friends, or hitting thrift stores and searching for records and mid century modern furniture.
How did you get into recording music?
After dj'ing for a couple years I just got the itch to make my own shit. So like I said got a drum machine and it all snowballed from there… That was 1995
What’s your production set up like? Do you use software most of the time while producing or do you have a nice stash of synths and all that to play with?
I still work with my trusted ASR-10 sampler because the analogue sound is just great… but I use it sparingly. I use Abelton Live, Digital Performer and have a bunch of analogue synths as well as digital ones. Percussion instruments, rhodes, casios, you name it… the lab is littered with records and toys.
TAKE - Slouched Over
I first got up on you thanks to Eat Concrete and that Thomas 2000 release with that Dimlite remix on. How did you hook up that release and what made you want to work with (or be worked over by) Dimlite?
Dim and I have been talking for a long time. I've always been a fan of his music and think he's just one of the illest producers out there. He actually did the art work for one of my older record on Poobah records. So a remix collaboration seemed inevitable.
Can you give us a rundown on the labels you’ve released on and how you hooked up albums with them?
You know what the best thing might be to just check my myspace page and see the discography…
Usually labels I work with are either run by friends or people approach me and it goes from there. Currently, I’m doing records for All City, Eat Concrete, and Circulations. I’m hoping to get some attention from some bigger labels this year.
2009 is the year for me to step out of the shadows.
Sweatson Klank. Who and why?
Sweatson Klank is just an alias for TAKE... really its only because the name TAKE is impossible to google search... haha. Sweatson Klank is gonna help with that. Theres only one Sweatson and its ME!!!
TAKE/Lukid - Navigators
You’re definitely part of the new beat generation/movement that’s happening across the globe. Some have labelled it ‘wonky’. How do you feel about the genre tag? Does it represent you and your music well?
I don’t even know man, wonky, wobble, whatever... I rather not be categorized to tell you the truth. Once it’s a genre, I think the name just limits the music and keeps it constrained in boundaries.
What would you rather have it called?
I used to call is SLUMP... but you know what, these days in LA we just say BEATS.
I see you’ve been remixed by Fly Lo and I seem to remember you played at the Brainfeeder festival in London. For me it felt like that night was an epiphany of sorts, like proof the music has got a huge audience that WILL pay to see it played all night. What’s your experience of playing live? How do people respond to your music?
Actually, I remixed Lotus too... but yeah
Yeah I mean the Brainfeeder parties are amazing!!! I love playing live, sometimes it can be a bit stressful, but I’m trying to just have fun with it. That is the most important lesson for me... not to take things too seriously and to have fun, try new things, and just rock out!
What releases can we expect from you in the near future?
Split 10" release with Nosaj Thing on ALL CITY Untitled EP for Eat Concrete DUBLAB-Future Roots mix CD 7" release for Poobah records Untitled and as of yet Unsigned Full Length Flying Lotus - LA EP 3 remix + Exclusive Compilation Tracks: Beat Dimensions 2/3 Marry Anne Hobbs Compilation Powershovel Audio Compilation Circuit Tree Records Compilation
Got any top tips of producers we should be keeping eyes out for?
Well, all my LA compadres are - to me - the ones making noise!
Top 3 current releases?
Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion Ras G - Brother from Another Planet Dimlite- Prismic Valuta Rising
Got any wisdom you’d like to instill on the whole of the interweb?
June 13th @ Gramaphone in London, UK with Mike Slott and Architeq June 20th Secret Surprise show , London, UK June 27th @ Glitch in Augsburg, Germany July 3rd @Heads High, London, UK with Architeq, July 4th @Stall 6 Zurich, Switzerland , with J- Sayne, July 16th @ Paris, France (Venue to be announced) w/ Onra July 18th, @ Loud Minority, Vienna Austria w/ Loud Minority Soundsystem, Architeq
TAKE has put together a heavier than heavyweight mix for the Brainfeeder site, available to download now for the amount of trouble it'll take you to click this link:
Tracklist:
Whole Earth Rainbow Band- My Lady Floating Points- KGBeat Martyn - Feel Me Kalbata feat. Clapper Preist- Solution Paul White- Hustle (Bullion rmx) 2tall- Ritual Mr. Beatnick- Fill me Jesus Wally- Nolan Jack Wilkins- Red Clay Mort Garson- 3500 Horace Silver- Open up your Senses Ramp Recordings - Maintain (Mike Slott Reewerk) 2tall- Ether TURF DAY Profisee x Eprom - What it seems Griffi - Obsceno Jack Dejohnette - Picture 4 (SWEATSON KLANK MIX) Solar Plexus- Lace Giorgio Gardini - Plagal Jan Hammer- Earth Flying Lotus- Galactagon Starkey- Miracles (Jamie Vex’d Rmx) Flying Lotus - Riot ( TAKE aka SWEATSON KLANK Rmx ) Architeq- Oddessy Fulgeance - Sour Soca ( SWEATSON KLANK Snake Charmer mix) Paul White- Alien Nature Little Dragon- After (Floating Points Rmx) Teebs -My Whole Life Eddie Kendricks - Intimate Friends TAKE aka SWEATSON KLANK - Soul Particles
All round, May’s been a pretty good month for Rob ‘Pinch’ Ellis. The launch of Tectonics’ second compilation and a coinciding launch night at The Arches in London Bridge resulted in a large degree of positive press, blog and message-board attention. Many of the press articles took the opportunity to not only just review the LP or preview the event, but to look back at the Bristolian’s crucial influence on the genre’s development over the last four years. FACT Magazine felt so strongly for the cause, that they even felt it necessary to suddenly declare that 2007’s ‘Underwater Dancehall’ was the joint-best dubstep album yet made. Perhaps an overdramatic statement, but if the widespread-recognition continues, Pinch will soon be replacing Kode 9 as the scene’s leader.
Taking the momentum into June, but having a breather from his own imprints, Pinch releases the curiously named ‘Attack of The Giant Killer Robot Spiders’ on Planet Mu. Possibly in reference to the awesome 30-foot machine that terrorised Liverpool late last year, but still not the easiest title to deliver in a straight-faced manner. Those expecting a dubstep track with such a title to be a sci-fi themed, wobble-assault won’t be experiencing anything of such an up-front nature. Instead this is a fractured voyage into broken percussion that if anything is more atmospheric than many of the Bristolain’s tracks to date. Obviously keen to continue his recent explorations into the experimental, ‘Spiders’ is rhythmically off-kilter throughout with a tripping beat-pattern reminiscent of mid-noughties future-jazz. Initially somewhat rudderless, depth and added-chug builds with every thirty-seconds that passes, until a pulsating bassline finally thrusts things forward into an ambient, yet almost-hydraulic crescendo.
The B-side, ‘Teleportation’ continues the vibe, but is all-round a more levelled affair that may be the pick for purists who prefer the producer’s more straight-forward Tectonic releases to date. Overall, this 12” perfectly demonstrates an exciting artist at the very top of his game, who isn’t scared to experiment and break even further away from the original South-London blueprint.
Endorsed by the likes of KISS 100's Sinden, SBTRKT has just served up a delicious mpfree centered squarely on the junction where the axis' of "dubstep, techno and fidget house meet."
"When requesting this mix we asked for something that represents his own music and influences and thats just what we got, all that detroit goodness mixed up with some tech dub / dubstep basslines. A firm favourite in our household."
After being assigned to review what was seemingly an inconspicuous album from a little known ambient electronica producer, things… changed. Robert Logan’s debut album, ‘Cognessence’ was so crammed full of synth wash, thuddering drum patterns and the kind of ruthless fusion of styles and sheer ambition that it quickly became the benchmark used by this reviewer to judge all other experimental-drone-IDM-electronica projects against; a process I’m not in any way proud of but one I'll stand by, defiantly.
With his sophomore album, ‘Inscape’ out in shops now we threw a few questions his way, aiming to pry a whole heap of texture from his answers.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Robert Logan: I like to spend many hours a day immersed in making, playing and arranging musical sounds. It’s a beautiful world to inhabit. Some of the results of this obsession have been released on Slowfoot Records across two EPs and two albums, the latest of which is ‘Inscape,’ a release I’m very excited about.
A less ferocious side to these musical explorations has also been released on Hypnos Records under ‘Sense Project’, and that will hopefully be followed by a new ambient album at some point in the future. When I am not making music for myself, I sometimes create music for other artists or other mediums, like film, and I’m very thankful for the people I have been able to work with so far.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I like reading quite a lot. I used to go out to raves fairly often, but I haven’t done that for a while. I’ve also tried making some short films, but it’s difficult for me to convince my friends to do the ridiculous things I want them to do for the videos anymore. The ones that were completed were fairly awful, so I suppose that’s understandable. They tended to revolve around certain objects, like a shovel or a towel, and they generally involved a lot of twitching, swaying, and bouts of meaningless conversation between humans and animals, or humans and inanimate objects.
Apart from that, I like looking after my insects, writing, drawing ludicrous pictures, talking to people, going to concerts, and walking.
How did you get into recording music?
When I was seven, I began improvising on the piano whenever I could. I think it was partly because I saw my father improvising on the piano himself, and partly because he would play me lots of fierce 20th and 21st century classical pieces – perhaps I was copying what he did, inspired by the music he played me. But that drive to create always seems to have been there; if it wasn’t the piano, it was something else. I also learned music theory and had lessons on the piano during this period, neither of which interested me like making music did.
On my eleventh birthday I got Cakewalk Home Studio 9 and a lame Yamaha keyboard. Those early attempts at music creation were purely melodic/harmonic and MIDI-driven. Soon, however, I got into experimental electronic music and audio editing. I began trying to create new sounds with any weird methods I could think up and I began arranging pieces in accordance with my creative impulses rather than any particular rules or formulas. I think I’ve kept doing that until today. I’ve just become more obsessive over details and keener on refining pieces until they sound as good as I think they should sound.
Whats your production setup like? How has it changed since day dot? Are you still making music in a shed?
I am still in the shed, but most money I have I spend on equipment. I’ve accumulated a few bits of hardware over the last few years, including a bunch of synths, an MPC, Kaos pads, theremin, and some old external effects units. I like the physicality of hardware. There’s a cimbalom from Hungary, which has already featured in a mangled form on a couple of released tracks, and I’ve got a strange collection of acoustic instruments from Ebay and other places. Everything normally ends up on the computer where it is cut to shreds and put through various processes and then carefully reassembled again.
Musical influences are way too huge a thing to categorise in one interview but can you give us 3 and a few words to describe what the influences and how/why that maybe impact on what you do etc?
This is a hard one, because so many styles, including dub, Detroit techno, synth pop, drones, and musique concrète all feed into the music making process. Perhaps Autechre, Aphex Twin and Igor Stravinsky would be a good three to name. I think it is probably obvious from my music why the first two are named. I rediscovered my fondness for classical music in my late teens and composers like Stravinsky have had a definite impact, even if it isn’t immediately obvious. ‘The Rite of Spring’ is possibly my favourite piece of music ever, and I listened to it a lot while I was creating both ‘Cognessence’ and ‘Inscape.’ It’s a brilliant, ferocious piece of music, full of the most beautiful dissonances and incredible rhythms you could ever want to hear. They should try blasting it out at parties as well as concert halls. I think it’d work well.
‘Inscape’ is your second album to be released on Slowfoot. How did you hook up with the label? And what can we expect from the new album?
I gave a CD of some of my music to Sarah Sarhandi - a great viola player and composer whom I was having music lessons with - when I was about sixteen. She liked it and passed it on to Ivor Guest. He subsequently got me involved in the Grace Jones project and told me to pass my music on to Frank Byng from Slowfoot. He heard it and liked it and agreed to put some material out.
I’m pretty useless at describing what my music is like, because I spend so much time alone non-verbally putting it all together, but with ‘Inscape’ I suppose I hope I’ve created something that is uncompromising, vivid and potent; something that rewards many repeated listenings and has moments of challenge, density and excess, but also moments of beauty or frailty. There’s madness in it, too, I think.
I heard on the grapevine Warp are sniffing around. Is there any truth in that rumour?
I didn’t know about that! It’d be nice if it was true... I did actually meet Steve Beckett when I was sixteen, at that Warp Works London Sinfonietta thing. He asked me what my music was like, and I suddenly became gripped by fear. I think I said something totally idiotic – I think I said, “Well, I’m not sure... It has these drumbeats in it and stuff.” I haven’t heard from them since. I did get a nice message about my ‘Grinder’ EP from Warpmart on Myspace, though...
I keep reading about your affliction with Hungarian folk music. Where does the influence come from? Is it something that you consciously seek to incorporate or does it happen organically?
My mother is Hungarian, so I have lots of intense memories form childhood of visiting her remote home village there every year. That’s how I became exposed to Hungarian folk music, and I still love it. Some of it is very raw and harrowing and it has some very unconventional, but very beautiful melodic and harmonic movements. Certain traditional folk pieces give me goose bumps every time I hear them. Melodic ideas come easily to me when I play the piano –that’s probably when the folk influences are most obviously present.
However, more often than not, I end up pushing things in a very different direction in the studio; it becomes more about sound crafting and rhythmic ideas and electronic influences probably come to the fore. Things are rarely planned or consciously placed within the music: it’s more of a case of sitting down and playing one thing and that idea sparking another and another until the whole piece grows. That process keeps going until it results in something that I find surprising and enjoyable to listen to. It’s action and reaction.
Machines also have an influence on the music, because of their very nature – I try to bend them and configure them as much as I can, but they still have an undeniable power of their own. But the folk influences are more present than one might think; often they’re just buried quite deeply in there. And what starts off as a one kind of piece often morphs into something completely different by the time it’s finished.
Why do you think your music turns out so dark? Are you a little unstable perhaps?
There are overpowering moods that hit me which are very odd. I like the absurd but I definitely do not find my own music dark, nor do I consciously try to make dark music. I think that’s probably in the ear of the beholder – all I want to do is create something muscular sounding; something rich that excites the ears. Within the music, there can be a tendency towards unusual harmonies, towards sometimes dissonant, sometimes frenzied, sounds. Those are the kind of sounds I find beautiful.
One thing I dislike is music that is tinged with a superficial darkness, or music that feels like it is actually trying to be ‘dark.’ That’s a very limiting approach. There are moments day by day where I experience everything quite intensely – and perhaps I’m trying to capture that feeling with my tracks. Certain outdoor environments and lighting conditions trigger these switches in mood – or they just happen at random.
At certain points on the album (‘Accurate Spit Boy’ perhaps is the most obvious example) the production sounds so intricate and manic. How do you get your music to sound so skitterish?
That track was mainly done on the MPC and the Nord Lead 3, apart from the last section, which has the cimbalom on it amongst other things. More detailed edits were then done on the computer. There’s no set way to achieve the skitterish-ness of the music – it can even be bashed in live – but normally it involves hours of detailed, zoomed-in cutting, processing, and pasting after that. Once you’re in a certain headspace that stuff becomes really fun.
You worked with Grace Jones, producing a few tracks for her newest album. Can you tell us a little about how you met her? What was the experience like? Is it different/difficult creating music with vocalists in mind?
I’ve actually created a lot of music with various vocalists; much of it hasn’t seen the light of day yet, or not in the form we wanted for various reasons outside our control. I’ll occasionally make some terrible songs of my own when my brain wonders off into weird territories.
With the Grace Jones tracks, though, Ivor had already created and structured much of the songs. I just added my elements on top, which were either played live at his studio, or programmed at my home and then given to him so he could choose the parts he liked best. I also programmed the sounds on the Nord Leads that are used in her live show.
Robert Logan Trio – Live @ The Luminaire
Your live show is particularly arresting, do you think the combination of a live drummer and electronics makes it more of a spectacle? Why the inclusion of live drums?
I’m still terrified by the prospect of playing live… Having two musicians with me on stage makes performing much more enjoyable. There is room for improvisation and decisions can be made on the fly during tracks. The Moog player, for example, also has a laptop, and we share elements of the tracks between ourselves; I’ll be triggering sequences from a track, and he’ll be triggering and mangling other bursts of sound from that track along with me. Frank is an incredible drummer and it’s a real privilege having him play live with me.
The tracks have been re-structured to take advantage of the drums, my synth playing and the Moog, so it’s more than making it a spectacle – we wanted to try a different sound for the live experience. The drums are integral to that different sound.
What have you got coming up after the album? More releases, tour etc?
I’ve just worked on some programming, loops and textures for Brigitte Fontaine’s new record. I’m also working on new ambient material for a possible Hypnos release. Other than that, I’m always making music, whether there’s a possibility of it ever being released or not. It’s an addiction. I’m also still eager for ‘Inscape’ to be heard by more people and I hope to play more gigs soon. I’d especially like to go back to play in Poland, as I appreciated the way they listened to the music there. I do have one festival in Lithuania on the 29th of May which I’m excited about doing.
Any wisdom you’d like to instill on the interweb?
If your pet praying mantis has begun shedding, make sure you haven’t left any crickets in its cage. You’ll end up with a soft-bodied, squirming giant of an insect being chewed on by its own prey in its own faeces half-attached to its own old exoskeleton at the bottom of its cage.
Also, it would be good if everyone purchased the entire Slowfoot back catalogue.
:: 'Inscape' and the 'Accurate Spit Boy EP' are both out now on Slowfoot Records.
In recent months, those in the know have been keeping an ear out for Overcast Radio, known to his postman asChris Jones. As rumoured, the Brooklyn-based artist steps up for Surface Tension’s second release with a unique jazz-take on bass music. Having graduated with the highest honours from a number of America’s most prestigious jazz institutes, Jones’ has so far earnt his crust by scoring films and TV shows, so unsurprisingly cinematic atmosphere is in abundance here.
Flickering bass stabs open 'Midnight Sun,' with a sole, longing trumpet soon leading out a rush of ambient-warmth. If Burial is the sound of South London by night bus, then Overcast Radio is the modern sound of the neon-lit streets of Scorsese’s Brooklyn by yellow cab – think Skalpel re-scoring Taxi Driver for Tectonic. The B-side, 'Vendetta' continues the smoky, after-dark vibe with saxophone licks gently swirling around strolling piano keys. A relentless bass hum adds some intensity, but like the flip, this is head not feet music.
When classically-trained musicians try their hand at producing electronic music their efforts tend to result in a deeper, more structured sound that often clearly separates them from the self-taught producers (check Paul Frick’s recent excursions into tech-house for another fine example). Anyone still reeling with disappointment about The Cinematic Orchestra’s output since 'Everyday,' or in fact just anyone with a passing interest in modern jazz or dubstep should seek this release out
Australian radio show Symbiosis recently featured a mix from Transition Mastering's own LD and just like Snoop, we're dropping it here for you because its hottt...
1. LD - Someday We Will Be Free 2. LD - Oh Yeah 3. LD - Woodblock 4. LD vs Cluekid - Not Going To Cry 5. LD vs Kode 9 - Bad 6. LD - Shake It 7. LD - 3 Phase 8. LD vs Benga - Yes Yes 9. LD vs Cluekid - The Intro 10. LD - Day Dreaming (Remix) 11. LD - Summertime Clots (Remix) 12. LD - Do You Mind (L.D Special) 13. LD vs Cluekid - Jupiter 9
Blackdown's back after what seems like a short hiatus and after interviewing them for his Pitchfork column, Kryptic Minds done did him a mix showcasing a shed load of dubs.
The rumourmill has been grinding like the relentless whore she is and this time its wielded results. Joker aka the young prince of Bristol's gronk scene (bite on that hastily compiled genre tag please Simon Reynolds...) is giving up an mp3 of his 'Solid State' track for nowt.
This Friday: Ramadanman, Ben UFO, Pangaea, Untold and TRG takeover the most 'intimate' part of fabric for the night and after the fabric promo mix we posted on before (described by Curb Crawlers as "without a doubt one of the most incredible things heard in recent time") we've been offered the chance to hype up the night with a vinyl giveaway.
No word of a lie.
We have 3 copies of Ramadanman's re-working of Howie B vs. Casino Royale's 'Royale Sound' to give away.
To win just email us the answer to the following question.
Ramadanman's track 'Revenue' is forthcoming on which label?
A) Hessle Audio B) 2nd Drop 3) Soul Jazz
The winner(s) will be picked at random next Monday.
Rob Ellis, known to the global music community as Pinch, is one of the lynchpins of Bristol’s dubstep scene. Having released music on Soul Jazz, Planet Mu and his own Tectonic imprint, he also finds time to run Dubloaded, his midweek night in Bristol, DJ around the globe and impart vital business acumen on friends helping bring about the birth and maintain the running of the ‘Earwax, Kapsize and Caravan labels.
With his label surging from strength to strength, weightily carrying the ‘bag on sight’ reputation, he stands on the cusp of releasing Tectonic’s 2nd ‘Tectonic Plates’ compilation featuring huge tracks from producers like Martyn, 2562, Peverelist, Joker and Flying Lotus. We grabbed him on the blower to discuss his plans for the CD and its accompanying launch party.
Sonic Router: Can you give those who may not know you a little bit of background info?
Pinch: The first thing I did that touched wax was the first Tectonic release that I did in conjunction with Ginz, that went under the name P Dutty and was the start of Tectonic. In the mean time I was putting on nights in Bristol, bringing the London dominated dubstep sound over to Bristol and just kinda started tinkering with making beats myself. I got a couple of things together and the next year they came out on Planet Mu. In the meantime I was just building up the labels, I was involved in ‘Earwax and doing some other bits and pieces as well. Just kind of letting it all build on itself really.
Pinch & P Dutty - War Dub
How did you get into making music?
When I started playing dubstep nights, I mean I’d kinda started tinkering around with making jungle stuff before then, but barely anything, like 3 or 4 tunes, the drive to start making them came from having not much to play and being aware of this kind of dubplate culture that was going on and thinking well I’ve gotta have something to trade with at least if I wanna get hold of some other bits and pieces, so that’s what pushed me to do it really.
What’s your production set up like?
My production set up is very sparse. I’ve got a PC, I’ve got a couple of monitors and i use Fruity Loops to program everything and a bunch of plug ins and various things like EQs and mastering things but yeah it’s a pretty simple set up.
What are some of your influences on your sound?
A lot of things from deep Basic Channel techno, rolling jungle, a lot of UK based dance culture as its emerged over the last 15-20 years really, everything through acid house, early hardcore, jungle, garage... y’know the whole evolution of the sound as i see it and at the same time other bits and pieces. I was always drawn to the Bristol sound of dub, reggae and sound system culture music and resistance music. Anything that was about resistance music... rebel music.
Can you tell us about the up and coming Tectonic Plates compilation?
It’s been a long time in the making really. It’s kind of an extension on the idea of the first Tectonic Plates series which was the idea of being Dubstep Allstars with each vinyl plate being a double A side and then a collection of the tracks on CD, kind of like the label highlights, with an upfront dubplate mix on CD 2. So it’s kind of the same model in that sense but this time, it’s a different thing in so far as the scene has grown and changed and there’s more attention on the people playing a part in there but this time we have 2562, Martyn, Skream, Benga, Joker, Flying Lotus and a track by myself and Moving Ninja, a Peverelist track remixed by the Hardwax Berlin guy Shed and there’s a few label highlights on CD 1 and CD 2 has the upfront mix with beats from Distance, Loefah, Skream and loads of other people y’know, just the best bits from the bag that I could get my hands on.
What have you got lined up for the launch party?
Its a combination between a Dubloaded [Pinch’s Bristol based party] London takeover and a launch party for the Tectonic Plates so there’s been a lot of crossover there between people we work with and there’s a bunch of the artists from the actual Plates CD and the regular Tectonic family so it’s gonna be a good night that stretches from the deep to the heavy with everything in between.
We’re working with the Numbers guys on Room Two and then Room Three will be drum and bass which is actually hooked up by the guys helping promote the night [We Fear Silence] from the London side.
Bristol is your manor. What is it about the community that produces such a vibe?
It’s a real difficult one to say, I mean it’s the essence of who is in it and what makes up the community is what makes the vibe, I mean people make a vibe. People make the vibe in a dance and people make the vibe in the community. In the Bristol community you’re looking at people that produce from the deep Peverelist and Headhunter to the energetic sounds of Jakes and Joker and there’s not like just one thing.
I guess what links it is that everybody’s part of a community where they can feed back to each other and show love and respect where it’s due and then shine on from that.
Dubstep: Bristol - Living Inside The Speaker
To me, I always feel like the dance is different in Bristol, I don’t know what it is about London crowds but they’re always a lot more static...
Hmmm... I think that perhaps the difference is that - the way I see it - in London there’s a lot of people who go to clubs to look good... [laughs] it’s not really the case in Bristol. People go to the clubs to be there and to get involved and be a part of it. The whole FWD>> zombie thing was a real thing that I think happened in everywhere that dubstep was introduced. It happened in Bristol as well, that very static, head nodding, mostly guys being moody, kind of wanting to look a bit ghetto but actually being quite nerdy in the crowd.
I mean Bristol’s somewhere which has had a strong culture in sound system culture and there was a lot of influences brought about by dub and roots music in the 80s which has had knock on effects that, even if you don’t see it now, has influenced people who’ve influenced people. You can hear that dub bassline in everything from Smith and Mighty right through to Full Cycle and everything that’s come on from beyond. It’s a pool of influences that has brought it about.
It’s been a while since your album ‘Underwater Dancehall’ do you have another in the works?
Nah to be honest with you and to confuse the earlier question about my set up I’m just about to switch over and get my head around running a Mac and Logic. I’m gonna hold off from committing to anything in the shape of an album project for a little while until I’m confident that I’ve got the sound I want to put together.
I have got a 12” release coming out on Planet Mu in the next couple of weeks, ridiculously titled ‘Attack of the Giant Killer Robot Spiders’ and ‘Teleportation’. I just did a remix recently for a collaboration between Ashley Beedle and Horace Andy, one of my favourite reggae vocalists, and it was a real touch to get linked in on that. One of the Plates is a collaboration with me and Moving Ninja and I’ve also done a collaboration with Peverelist and with 2562, which in a couple of months might be seeing the light of day and I’ve got a few little pieces on the side which will roll out when the time is ready.
I spent a lot of last year focusing on experimental sounds and just being a bit weird... and then I realised it doesn’t always work out on the dance floor... so I’m looking to make some more dance floor focused music this year. It’s going to be weird but weird with a more [laughs] dance floor edge. I mean it’s all very well and nice to listen to but I want to make people dance.
Speaking of dances, I’ve seen that DUBLOADED has started up again in Bristol, what was your motivation to start putting on raves again?
It’s a combination of things. The club that we used to do it at originally got in touch and said “Look, we’d love to get something going here again, what we can work out?” So we thought about it and thought about a midweek thing, as I’m quite busy on weekends with gigs and stuff and also everyone else we want to book is busy on weekends, so we thought we’d get a mid week thing rolling.
The idea is putting the sound system in that room again. There’s a lot of nights going on in Bristol, it’s really picked up in the last couple of years, it’s almost a bit silly, I mean you can go out to a dubstep night almost every night of the week, but no-one’s pulling the systems, no-one’s pulling the bass weight so its kinda like, OK there’s all this going on but we should stick our oar in and show them how it should roll.
You’ve been at the forefront of the dubstep scene for some time now pushing the sound into new directions and territories, what’s exciting you the most about dubstep right now?
The thing I’m getting back into at the moment is getting back into that tribal sound. For me personally, I mean there’s a lot of things that are exciting me, it’s really good to be able to stand in Bristol and say “Bristol is representing strong right now”. I think that if you listen to what’s happening across the board, there’s some really strong stuff coming from Bristol and I’m generally keen to support that in every way. But on a personal note I’m looking to get back into that conga rollout, kind of tribal rhythms of earlier days.
I don’t know if you can find new sounds when you want to but... I’m always trying to find new sounds and apply them in context, so yeah... that kinda dark, tribal, Metalheadz kind of conga rollout; that’s where I’m at.
Anything else you’d like to say/push/vent on... etc?
Just to look out for the release and the party itself, and keep an eye out for Tectonic in general. We’ll see what unfolds in the next coming months.
Pay what you want for Paul White's early releases on One Handed Music. A glorious opportunity to get your mits on the 'A Silent Cry' and 'For You And For Me' singles that sold out on 7" super quick.
‘On The Strip’ has those all familiar Basic Channel dub chords and puts them on a stripped back garage rhythm whose snare crackles and clips potently behind the cacophony of metalic metronome hi hats. This sound may have been done countless times over the last year or so but its Sigha’s understated and downright subterranean production that boosts him to that cut above that deserves the Hotflush stamp of approval.
The real highlight is 8 minute epic on the flip, ‘Remembrance’ rolls out breathy heart beat loops under tweaked minimal clicks and a galloping garage groove. The killer punch comes out of the darkness in the form of an almighty orchestral sounding chord drone that really shapes the progression of the beat taking the track from a eyes down meditator to an almost euphoric reach for the ceiling tiles grimacer.
*Please note this interview was originally conducted for the fabricfirst newsletter and is being used here thanks to the kind co-operation of fabric.
The rise of the Hessle Audio label has been well documented with in depth feature pieces appearing, along side guest mixes, on Resident Advisor and to a lesser extent FACT magazine. But reading ‘words’ about the minimal strains of percussion fused dubstep the collective have released serves little justice for the wealth and seemingly extensive catalogue they’ve accumulated over 7 releases, to get a real feel for their output you have to listen to the music super loud, in a dark room, surrounded by bodies swaying rhythmically with the occasional enthusiastic whoop screaming out of somewhere in the void of bodies behind you.
Guided by Ramadanman, Pangaea and Ben UFO the collective formed up in Leeds (although none of them still reside there) and have so far released 7 records - including their own productions alongside works from Joe, TRG, Untold and remixes by Martyn - with the 8th set, Untold’s return to the label, to drop May 18th.
We spoke to Ben UFO ahead of the labels’ fabric Room 3 takeover on the 15th May where he will grace the booth alongside TRG, Untold and his fellow Hessle brethren core.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Ben UFO: My name is Ben UFO, I’m a DJ and I run Hessle Audio with Ramadanman and Pangaea. We founded the label in Leeds, but none of us currently live there. So far we’ve released seven dubstep records and we’re about to release our eighth.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
Outside of music I’m just Ben... I finished my degree at Leeds University and am now floating around trying to pick a direction. Hessle Audio and music is my real focal point at the moment.
How did you get into DJing/dubstep/etc?
I got into DJing through listening to music and buying vinyl. I was buying vinyl for about a year before I got turntables, just because it was the only format around for the music I was listening to. I’d listen to the tunes on my Dad’s gramophone. As I was building up this collection it seemed like a logical step to learn to mix so I got some cheap turntables and tried to teach myself.
I was into old jungle and left of centre drum and bass primarily, but got into dubstep through hearing people like Toasty. The breaks driven side of dubstep was my access point.
Your sets are so scattered across genres, what do you think it is that unites the music in your sets? Do you look for tracks that weave well together or is it more of a challenge to MAKE them work?
It’s a bit of both. I think generally speaking UK dance music is a lot more flexible than people assume, and the way music has become so accessible recently makes it easier to establish sonic connections between scenes that are socially removed from each other.
I think dubstep progressed so quickly partially because so many of the DJs who’ve been in it from the beginning were really focused and single minded in their vision for music, and after hearing those kind of sets for so long it’s natural for people to think of the music as this totally separate, single entity. That’s a cool approach but I’m glad there are newer DJs pushing through linking different sounds and experimenting with different kinds of blends, it feels like the right time.
You got any aspirations to produce yourself?
I would like to one day. I’m not in a massive rush though.
What’s next for the label?
We try not to plan too far ahead. We have ideas but we take it one release at a time. Our next 12” is due out on May 18th; it’s Untold’s second release for us. The tunes are called ‘I Can’t Stop This Feeling’ and ‘Anaconda.’
You’re taking over Room 3 at fabric on the 15th, what can people expect from the evening?
Yeah it’s going to be great; we’re really looking forward to it! It’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity to take over that kind of space for a whole night, so it’ll be interesting to see how things shape up. We’ll be approaching it differently to how we would approach our sets at a normal club night, just because we have so much more time at our disposal. It’ll give us a chance to play a lot of new material, and also to break outside of dubstep for a bit.
Untold and TRG have been writing a lot recently, so expect to hear a lot of exclusive material from them.
Got any tips for upcoming producers we should be keeping an eye on?
Watch out for James Blake. He’s done the next Hemlock 12”, it’s amazing. One of the tunes is in this mix. I’m looking forward to Greena’s first release on Applepips as well, I’ve been playing it out for a while now.
Any wisdom you’d like to inflict on the interweb?
I’ve inflicted enough for a lifetime on forums already.
After his first 12” for Peverelist’s Punch Drunk label the dubstep world has been switched on to the work of yet another Bristolian producer, Gemmy. A close associate of Joker and Guido he wields the same kind of uncompromising melody that the trio have earmarked as ‘purple’ but he seems more intent on making bodies move in the dance rather than soundtracking would be blue movies, like Guido did on his debut 12”.
‘Supligen’ uses almost the exact same synth and bass combo as ‘Bass Transmitter,’ the b-side to the afore mentioned Punch Drunk 12”, to similarly devastating effect. The drum pattern is typically simple with the offbeat hi hats driving the beats motion alongside the heavy ‘wamp’ of his rapid fire bass riff.
Named after Bristol’s M32 landmark, its ‘BT Tower’ thats the beat carrying the most dance floor destruction potential on this release. Its tightly wound ascending saw wave bass line is pure rig fodder and the riff is instantly rambunctious. With its accompanying sine wave bass line complimenting the jagged edges of the riff’s assualt you get a warmth that some halfstep producers overlook and with the relatively simple arrangement it’s a sheer delight in the mix.
DFRNT, Echodub owner and the leading light behind a super new project, Modus Magazine, has just upped a new mix for May. I for one am super glad, his selections are refined and will probably help cure the symptoms of anyone's Bank Holiday induced suicide Tuesday.
01 Adam Johnson - 4 Squares (DFRNT Remix) 02 VVV - Untitled 4 03 Ike Release - Jenova 04 Jimmy Edgar - LBLB Detroit (Vista Edit) 05 Sines - Marimba Rhythm 06 DJ Madd - Why 07 ID & Reso - Engram 08 Synkro - Music Makers 09 Deekline & Wizard - Back Up (TRG Remix) 10 Untold - Sweat 11 Tri-Funk - Untitled 624,10 12 DJ Madd - Illusion Dub 13 DFRNT - Mucho Mojo 14 VVV - It's All For You 15 2562 - Kontrol 16 king slaFF - Aqua
