To his credit, it’s getting harder and harder to talk about David Kennedy’s music without sounding hyperbolic. Already this year he’s put out a steady stream of groundbreaking releases, each of which has effectively redesigned what was already a very malleable template into an entirely new form. Perhaps even more impressive – if just as unsurprising, given his record over the last couple of years – is the sheer level of quality control he manages to exercise over his music, as though it’s literally impossible for the guy to make a bad tune. In the last three months alone, his first Pearson Sound release in a while toyed with the same Autonomic ideas he first explored on his remix of Scuba’s ‘Tense’, to dramatic effect. The output of his usual Ramadanman alias, on the other hand, has shot literally through the roof: the drum machine blasts and delicate vocal chemistry of ‘Glut’, where juke’s battle-scarred 808s were put to the service of something far more intangible, jittery junglist stylings on his self-titled Hessle Audio EP, a Todd Edwards lovin’ collaboration with Midland, and a seemingly endless array of quality remixes.
So trying to trace a steady path through Kennedy’s maze is proving a little nightmarish, but on the evidence of his latest plate for Swamp81 it’s probably safest to say his optimum working state is one of perpetual change. The shifts are usually incremental – ‘Work Them’ is a not-so-distant relation of ‘Glut’, with a rapidly descending upper register drum hit that strafes the dancefloor, and ‘Fall Short’ possesses the same nervy, restless energy as the best tracks from his self-titled effort – but they are suggestive of a mind that operates in constant motion. ‘Work Them’ is the obvious big hitter on here. Appropriately for the following release on Swamp81, it’s the bigger, badder and smarter brother of Addison Groove’s ubiquitous ‘Footcrab’ (I always preferred ‘Dumbshit’ anyway), crafted with a careful sleight of hand that allows its monotonous groove to be both maddening and compulsive at once. Halfway across its length, Kennedy opens up the mix to a stunningly elegiac wash of harmony, thoroughly putting paid to the false notion that anthemic in any way equals unsubtle.
‘Fall Short’, though, is the superior cut on an already superior twelve. Like ‘A Couple More Years,’ the almost unbearable melancholy Burial is able to inject into his tracks fully permeates its skeletal percussive structure. It’s as though Kennedy’s built another ‘Work Them’, then proceeded to subtract every extraneous element and leave nothing but the barest essentials. The result, as with so much of his recent music – and that of the rest of the Hessle Audio stable – defies many of the notions of what ‘dubstep’ is, or ought to be. If you can even call it that anymore; in future, I have my suspicions that this sort of stripped-back, polyrhythmic bass sound may well be referred to simply as ‘Hessle music.’ As mentioned earlier, I’m cautious of sounding excessively hyperbolic by praising Ramadanman this highly at what is still a comparatively early stage in his career, but in five or ten years’ time, if people aren’t looking back to this twelve as a crucial step in the genre’s ongoing evolution, I’ll eat my own copy.
The twitter literate amongst you might have heard Untold recently upped some new '130 bits' to his myspace, and though it looks like they've been removed, they are really good...
After a wee break, David ‘Ramadanman’ Kennedy has jumped back on the prolific wagon of late, releasing no fewer than three EPs on various labels. The first, his self-titled effort for his own Hessle Audio label, met with general acclaim when it emerged a couple of months ago: tracks like ‘I Beg You’ and ‘No Swing’ felt like a logical step upwards from his earliest productions. Still focusing heavily on the brittle, bone-dry percussion that’s swiftly become a Hessle trademark – witness the monochrome pressure of the label’s latest 12” from Blawan – they showed a leap forward in terms of structure and intricacy. Still, while ‘Tumble’ may have shared the same icy chill as Wiley’s early eski instrumentals, and ‘A Couple More Years’ wielded deftly sliced breaks to devastating effect, there were points where the EP’s clinical precision felt a little too austere to connect with fully.
This new plate on Hemlock, though, is the real deal. It’s certainly the best thing Kennedy’s put his name to since Pearson Sound’s underrated ‘PLSN,’ and lead track ‘Glut’ shares its rattling top-end and peculiar rhythmic sensibility. Its booming 808 kicks and claps place it alongside recent tracks by Addison Groove and Girl Unit in that strange grey area where Chicago juke’s influence is beginning to percolate through UK bass, a region which will doubtless soon open up to far wider exploration. Above all else though, ‘Glut’s gorgeous clipped female vocal and shimmering synth melody lend it a real human warmth. Alongside the build-and-release dynamic of ‘Tempest’, which winds like a spring before suddenly exploding in a burst of noise, it makes for a formidable one-two punch of a twelve.
Whilst North London resident and producer-du-jour, Untold, and his profile have risen up into the echelons of cultural notoriety of late, he's also managed to carve himself a neat little plateau to launch other artists, in his own Hemlock imprint. Stylistically, the label sleeve's uniformity - blessed with a dark all-over Hemlock crest screenprint and a stark flash of colour on the artist label - has become a signifier for quality, and somewhat of a collectors item given the print standard and limited run of the pressings.
Having released 3 x 12"s and a double pack EP of Untold material - he seemingly reserves some of his most ground breaking work (see 'Yukon' b/w 'Walk Through Walls' and 'Gonna Work Out Fine') for release on his own imprint - the label has also become a home to work by Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason on a collaborative single as well the ever blossoming harmonies of James Blake; who appeared on his first full 12" and on his dancefloor challenging re-work of Untold's 'Stop What You're Doing.'
For us, Hemlock truly is up there with labels like Ramp Recordings, Hessle Audio and Hotflush in terms of being a no-brainer for on sight purchase, and - ever so kindly - to celebrate both the label's new 12", a collaboration between Untold & LV which features a Mount Kimbie refix on the flip, and their takeover of Room 2 at next Friday's Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! @ Plan B in Brixton, they're offering a few lucky Sonic Router readers the chance to scoop a shit load of bounty.
Top prize: 1x Hemlock Sweatshirt 1x Hemlock T-shirt 1x Full Hemlock vinyl catalogue* 2x Guest list for the Event
3 x Runner up prizes consisting of: 1x Hemlock T-shirt 1xGuest list for the event
O' happy day!
EDIT - This competion is now closed.
Q: Walking through walls is a feat attempted in which recently released film starring George Clooney?
*Hemlock Catalogue to be won:
HEK001 12" Untold - Yukon / Walk through walls HEK001R 10" Untold - Yukon (Fantastic mr fox remix) / Walk through walls (LV remix) HEK002 12" Untold - Discipline / Bones HEK003 12" Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason - Plimsoul / Bleep show HEK004 12" James Blake - Air and Lack Thereof / Sparing the Horses HEK005 2x12" Untold - Gonna work out fine e.p HEK006 10" Untold - Stop what you're doing (James Blake remix) Untold - I can't stop this feeling (Pangaea remix) HEK007 LV & Untold - Beacon / LV & Untold - Beacon (Mount Kimbie remix) (Unreleased advance copy)
Guestlist to be won:
Hemlock Room:
Untold James Blake (DJ set) LV Fantastic Mr Fox b2b Rich Reason
Doors: 2200-0500 Tickets: £7 advance / £12 on the door
Manchester based producer Fantastic Mr Fox celebrates his appearance in the Hemlock Recordings (the label run by Untold that has not yet but a single foot wrong) room at Plan B on Friday 14th March for Hyp!Hyp!Hype! with a mix. Check the flyer for the full lineup, any LDN heads not at Bloc that w/e would do well to check it out.
Untold’s 'Gonna Work Out Fine EP' was a floor stopper, the instigator of countless “what the fuck is this?” moments in the middle of a night. But if ‘Stop What You’re Doing’ is still enough to halt a dancefloor in its tracks entirely, it’s a soft and welcoming hug compared with some of the tracks he’s been piecing together since. ‘Bad Girls,’ his contribution to Fabric’s Elevator Music compilation, jerked back and forth like an unruly child having a full-on temper tantrum, and his remix of Baobinga’s ‘Ride It’ hits the neural circuits so hard it’s nigh on impossible to tell whether that’s pleasure or pain hitting your gut. An exercise in barely restrained dementia, the track’s central drum motif circles in an ever-tightening loop around trademark Untold bass stabs and twisting, pained sampleplay. It’s intense to the point of inducing nausea, and I’m still trying to work out whether that’s entirely a good thing.
Next to such a wonderfully sadistic piece of work, Baobinga’s original never quite stood a chance. Which is a shame in a way, as it’s an addictive – if slightly straightforward – march through what-u-call-it territory, riding off a cheeky cowbell riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a DFA record circa 2002. Its precise house groove can’t help but lack some of the rhythmic fluidity of his earlier ‘Tongue Riddim’ release though, as limb-flailing acrobatics are substituted for head-nods to a tight four-to-the-floor pulse.
Taking an idea and running with it - much like his namesake’s hatred for Boggis, Bunce and Bean - Fantastic Mr Fox has this year found his music released on labels as diverse as Hemlock, 2nd Drop and Black Acre. Purveying a deeply off kilter love of snatched melodies and four to the floor kick drums his next EP ‘Sketches’ is definitely set to turn heads firmly in his direction, so aiming to stay ahead of the curve as ever, we asked him to take our text test and provide a mix for the ongoing series.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
FMF: I’m 21, originally from Wolverhampton, now based in Manchester - I’ve been producing since 2002. Done lots of remix stuff and over the last year or so have started releasing my own music.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I’m a student in my final year at Manchester University, trying to make myself do uni work instead of spending hours on end clicking and staring at a cubase grid.
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?
My older brother had always been in bands from when he was young so he’d picked up lots of production knowledge through that and started to teach me the basics on fruity loops when I was 14. I got addicted to it pretty quickly, for the first few years I made music I didn’t really have a clue how to make any particular genre, I just used to churn out loads of weird 1-2 minute loops and then stick out of time acapellas over the top.
What’s your production set up like?
Pretty basic- just cubase sx3 on a pc, when I’ve got the money I think I might invest in a synth.
How would you describe your sound to someone zoning in for the first time?
Urmm, melodic, beat driven, textured maybe..?
Whats with the FMF moniker? Big fan of Roald Dahl...?
The FMF moniker is a pretty rubbish story, I needed a name for my myspace page and didn’t want to use my real name (Stephen Gomberg) because it’d sound like I was a German hard-house producer. I searched my house for ideas and found a stack of tapes I used to listen to when I was younger and one of them was the Fantastic Mr Fox story tape, so I decided to use that.
Tell us about your production partner in crime Rich Reason how did you hook up and how do you all work in the studio?
Rich runs a night in Manchester called Hit n Run that I go to quite a lot and I’d been producing a couple of songs for Riz MC, who he’d started the club night with, so we started talking because of that link. I gave him some of my music and he asked to have a go at making some beats together. For our collaborations, I’d make the beat and the main melody, background noises etc, then Rich would come round and help add ideas and structure to the tunes.
You’ve already dropped one Black Acre 12” but I see your debut solo EP ‘Sketches’, what can we expect from that?
I think of all the releases so far, it’s the one I’m most happy with, especially a track on there called 'If I.' It’s coming out as a double 10” release with some absolutely amazing artwork by the Beat Street Collective, who I met out in Berlin when me & Rich played at their night ‘Sirius.’ The EP features three tracks of mine and a remix of ‘Sketches’ by Sbtrkt. It will be out early 2010.
I think you first came to our attention with the Hemlock remix 10” of Untold’s ‘Yukon’ and the 12” after that how did those tracks come about and do you have more plans in the works for the label?
I’d heard Untold’s music on his myspace a year or so ago, so I messaged him to ask if I could remix something and he sent me some parts for ‘Yukon.’ I sent back my remix the next day and luckily he really liked it, so it got released on Hemlock a few months later. With the Rich Reason joint release, those two tunes were the first couple of attempts I’d made at making beats around 140bpm instead of my usual hip-hop comfort zone of 85-100 bpm. We were really unsure about what people would think of Plimsoul and Bleep Show, so I sent them onto Jack (Untold) mainly for constructive criticism but in the hope he might want to put them out. Him and Andy (who he co-runs Hemlock with) liked both tracks so it progressed from there. I think there might be a remix release of one of those songs at some point, not sure yet, but I can’t heap enough praise on that label- Untold & James Blake are two of the best producers around at the moment.
How would you describe your sound, I saw Black Acre describe you as ‘the universe's greatest purveyor of clockwork garage’ does that fit you nicely ? If so what comes next?
I’ve got no idea really, I suppose that my beats sound quite clockworky. Not sure what my future productions will sound like- I hated 4x4 drum patterns not that long ago, and now half the tunes I make have a 4x4 beat, so who knows what’s next
You do share an affinity to more hip hop productions... is that more of the background you come from?
Yeah definitely, I think the main thing for me is the drum sounds used by people like Madlib, J Dilla, and then the detail in production of artists like RJD2 (early stuff not his last couple of albums), El-P, Prefuse 73, Four tet etc.
Tell us about the mix you’ve turned in, what tracks are you really feeling at the moment?
I put it together on Ableton, which I’ve learnt the basics of recently. There’s a few of my songs then others from producers I’ve discovered over the last few months, look out for a ridiculous Destiny’s Child remix from James Blake. There’s so much good music around at the moment that its hard to make lists, but I’m really enjoying all the Mount Kimbie, Airhead – new age Burial type stuff, oh also ‘Joplin’ by Loops Haunt.
See you included Can Ox... Did you adore the golden age of Def Jux as much as I? What do you think made them so successful at that time?
Yeah, I love all that stuff, ‘The Cold Vein’ is one of my favourite albums. I guess the success came firstly from the fact they were releasing amazing music, but I also think labels like Def Jux and Stones Throw have benefited massively from the rise of the internet and in particular myspace- as it meant they didn’t need to worry so much about getting on MTV or radio.
What do you reckon to the Vast Aire/El-P beef?
Didn’t know there was one, I’ll google it and get back to you...
What have you got in store for us in the near future with releases and what not?
I’ve just finished a remix for Desto, got quite a few new songs in progress but they all need a lot more development. There’s a tune me and Rich Reason made a while ago called ‘Larry David’ that will be coming out on Black Acre along with Sukh Knight remix of ‘Fall.’
Have you got any words of wisdom for our readers?
Buy Blue Daisy’s new EP, I think it’ll be out by the time this interview goes up.
In what has been a vintage year for dubstep and its closely related siblings, Untold’s rapid progression throughout 2009 has still been shocking in its sheer, raw consistency. Even as recently as January there were only the slightest hints of the heights Jack Dunning would reach ten months later. Organic seems an appropriate word to describe his evolution - as there has been no genetic fuckery, no strange laboratory modification to profoundly change his music’s base properties. With the benefit of hindsight, the clues were there all the time in the industrial moans of ‘Discipline,’ the Berlin-inspired melodicism of ‘Dante’ and ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’'s hyperactive grime swing. Yet somehow nothing quite set the tone for his latest Hemlock release.
Like all great pieces of music, I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard the impact of Untold’s frustratingly brilliant ‘Stop What You’re Doing’ on Dusk & Blackdown’s Rinse FM show. With ‘Anaconda’ standing as the tracks only precedent – still a freakishly inventive anomaly in his production career at that point – it was still possible to immediately tell from the opening grind that it was the work of one Mr. Dunning. Even so, when it hit with all the force of a head-on motorway collision the reason for its title became pretty obvious. Less of a mere attention grabber and more a one-two punch in the gut, ‘Stop What You’re Doing’’s descending tonal bass and distinctive woodblocks have a shockingly physical effect, even on a pair of headphones.
The music on Dunning’s ‘Gonna Work Out Fine EP’ is so tightly wound it’s a wonder the vinyl it’s cut on doesn’t snap under the sheer pressure of its own tension. The EP’s swift gestation period – all the tracks were crafted over the course of a few weeks with a simple set of tools – has gifted it with a remarkable consistency and a sense of breathless excitement that remains long after EP closer ‘Never Went Away’ fades out of earshot. It also takes us closer to where Untold’s head is at right now: he’s trimmed off all the unnecessary excess to leave a set of sparse, skeletal instrumentals that successfully meld the muscular bass aggression of early grime to dubstep’s considered sense of atmosphere and sudden melodic breakdowns closer to the spirit of Chicago house.
The result is a Dr. Moreau-like hybrid, with useful parts of other creatures fused to its central chassis – unnatural perhaps, but strangely beautiful nonetheless. The title track is an aberration of elastic bass tones, airy chimes and the roar of a toy dinosaur, and despite the schizophrenic dynamics at play ‘Don’t Know, Don’t Care’ still manages to sound sultry, swinging its hips over a classic piano break like UK funky’s somewhat troubled cousin. Like his close contemporaries at Hessle Audio Dunning is rapidly re-configuring an entire genre, moving ever further from the generic half-step template into a blurred area that’s both dancefloor-ready and startlingly musically inventive. And as if there was any more evidence needed ‘Gonna Work Out Fine’’s centerpiece ‘Palamino’ provides it, a midnight waterfall of glassy bleeps that rushes from speaker to speaker, the rhythm catching in tiny eddies and sudden rips as it heads toward the sea.
Words: Rory Gibb Out: 2nd November (digital out 16/11)
Yeah, I realise we skipped September but I only submitted it to the lovely gents at The Quietus today so its totally my bad. To make up for it, this edition is an interview with James Blake...
James Blake releases his debut 12" on Untold's Hemlock Recordings this coming Monday. He's a member of Mount Kimbie's live show, and melds stunning vocals with equally individual production.
Hemlock’s third full 12” vinyl release comes from the production pairing of Fantastic Mr Fox and Rich Reason. FMF first came to light on the first of the label’s remix 10”s last year remixing Untold’s ‘Yukon’ into a glitched up hip hop stormer.
‘Plimsoul’ is a delightfully jiggy number that revolves around what sounds like a cut up and playfully pitched snatch of synthesizer. The off key loop gets decimated by a cheekily primitive drum machine skip and a scything hard edged distorted bassline that ascends through its cuts to devastatingly memorable effect. Evolving through acres of spaced out chords and lead melodies the track all drops in sync the 2nd time round and its unattainable chaos – all be it in a jiggly, happy kind of way.
Centred around one of those inebriated stumbling hooks that Rustie might throw down ‘Bleep Show’ is an altogether different beat than its predecessor. The drums find themselves slowed up dancing a more hip hop pattern, and the synths find themselves erratically jumping around the scales, with the top ends almost squeaking as they shimmer.
Everything this duo do on this single is very highly commendable. Constantly keeping the ear guessing, working with multitudes of ideas and techniques, differing their bass sounds and vocal samples they create pieces that bounce from one evolution to the next with the kind of cocky swagger that was so abundant in Joker’s first few releases.
Scuba’s Hotflush imprint has unveiled a new remix series and first in line on this quality platter is a percussive and bumping rendition of Toasty’s ‘The Knowledge’ by Untold. Featuring some serious punishing bass weight, layers upon layers of bongo action and a Dr Dre esque ‘California Love’ style talk box sample, Mr. Dunning adds some soul by using the pitched shifted garage style vocal a little sparingly letting his knack for adding freaked out glitches and noises to the mix shine through.
On the flip comes Loefah, with his signature stripped back almost hip-hop sounding half-step beats and a chest punching low end he takes Search and Destroy’s ‘Candyfloss’ into head-down, dark-side skank territory. Functioning better as a DJ tool rather than a sit at home and vibe to track, his interpretation doesn’t progress much or do anything other than throw a ton off bass at you but it’s going to work impeccably well when placed carefully in a set.
This is a very, very solid, release from Hotflush, which they really do seem to be in the habit of dropping throughout this first quarter of 2009. Two of the scene’s biggest button pushers are going toe to toe on either side of this 12” and even though Untold’s gorgeously thick bass and driving sheets of percussion wins, both sides are essential.
Jack Dunning has had only a handful of releases, on Hessle Audio and Hemlock Recordings (which he co-runs), but his production style has made serious waves already. An Untold tune is highly distinguishable, all compact bass lines that punish and clean percussion that clicks and drives instinctively. On the eve of his debut 12" on Hotflush Two and his label's 3rd 12" release (from Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason) we threw a few questions his way and waited with baited breath for his reponses and a glimpse of his promised "bare exclusive" packed mix tracklist.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Untold: I’m from London, make dubstep music, and co-run a label called Hemlock. Most of my tunes have animal noises or bleeps in them. My first release was on Hessle Audio last year.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I’m a graphic designer by trade, but recently gave that up to look after my one year old daughter and concentrate on music. It’s fucking wicked.
How did you get into recording music?
I got hold of an Akai 900 sampler when I was about 15 and spent a few years trying to make jungle. I also played in bands and helped run a sound system. A bit later I did an Electronic Music degree which ruined my enjoyment of writing for ages. I got back on it around 2005 after going to DMZ.
Whats your production set up like? Simple or hella complex? What kind of equipment are you rocking?
It’s a pretty simple home setup. I run Sonar on a PC with an SSL Duende box. I’ve got some synths that make the odd appearance (Juno 6, MS10, DS evolver, Casio CZ101) but I’m drawing for them less these days. Everything on 'Test Signal' apart from the drums was done on the Casio – it’s got the best pitch wheel ever made.
What are some of your influences on your sound? Can you name check 3 who influence your production?
Anything with lots of detail and layers, anything that does happy & sad at the same time, anything containing a sound that’s only used once, dissonance, blatant unashamed pop songs, wet sounds b2b dry sounds, Scientist (channel one) filter sweeps, relentless pounding drug music, very swung hi hats.
Artist wise this week its: The Orb, Oskar Sala and the early output of Formation records.
You dropped a 12” on the fantastic Hessle Audio, how did you hook up with Ramadanman and co.?
They were the first people I sent tunes to when I got finally got a sound I was comfortable with. They gave good feedback and started dropping them on their Subfm show. I built 'Kingdom' around the time of TRG’s Hessle 001 release and they were feeling it, so it seemed like an ideal label to debut on.
Your forth-coming tracks on Hot Flush sound sick what made you hook up with Scuba for a release?
I wish it was more interesting and glamorous, but the truth is he sent me an email saying "Sweat – nice tune” and we sorted it out from there. The Toasty - Knowledge remix wasn’t a planned release, Scuba just sent the parts over so I could build a dub for us to play out, but people picked up on it. My apologies to anyone who’s sick of 'Knowledge' remixes.
Hemlock Recordings? Can you give us a bit of info on how you started it and why? Was it just a vessel to release your own music?
I formed Hemlock last year with a mate who I used to work with. We thought there was space for a new label that was both dancefloor oriented and musically inquisitive. We also wanted to release music as a product i.e. vinyl with artwork, as we fear this format won’t be financially viable soon.
I built the first couple of releases to get us going, and we’re gradually signing new artists to push the sound forward. Someone recently described our sound as “mischievous” which I liked.
Can you tell us a bit about Fantastic Mr Fox & Rich Reason, how did you find them and what made you want to drop their stuff?
FMF contacted us through myspace offering to remix 'Yukon'. We didn’t really think anything would come of it but were blown away by his take on the original. FMF and Rich Reason are stupidly productive and send over new beats every week. As soon as we heard 'Plimsoul' and 'Bleep Show' (next up on Hemlock 003) we instantly knew they would fit.
What else is coming up on the label?
We’ve just signed an unknown artist for their debut release which we’re buzzing about, there’s a double pack coming from me later on in the year, remixes from Pangaea and collaborations with D.Franklin (one of the guys from LV)
What’s next for you? Will you be releasing, ‘Anaconda’ anytime soon? Have you got any plans to record a full length album?
'Anaconda' is coming out on Hessle. It’s just been mastered so should be out in a few months.
I’d love to do an album, but I’m going to hold out for a while and concentrate on 12’s and remixes. My favourite albums have strong narratives and moods, and I’d want to create something that was more than just a collection of beats. At the moment I’m into switching styles for each tune, binging on one artist/ label /scene and pulling that back into the next one. While that keeps things fun and is good production practice it isn’t necessarily the one for telling a story across 12 songs.
Those forthcoming remixes listed on your myspace look flames. Do you enjoy remixing peoples work? For you, how is remixing different to the way you produce normally?
I’ve enjoyed all of them. The Naphta one was tough as I wanted to keep the pace of the original but make it work at 140. It took loads of tries before I got the right feel in the drums. I’ll often listen to the original samples then re-create them from scratch as it helps carve my sound on the final mix.
I try to view remixes as I would my own stuff as far as experimentation and development goes, I’m looking to capture the spirit of the original and take it somewhere else.
Who are you really feeling right now inside and outside of the scene?
DMZ, Hessle Audio and Hyperdub artists, Peverelist, Martyn, The Dress 2 Sweat label, a band called Colouring In, Instra:mental...
Your productions have a noticabel garage influence and you can even hear a slight raw grime energy at times too, is this the music you always wanted to hear but couldn’t find else where?
I found garage via dubstep, I’ve always been into jungle and Drum and Bass so I guess that comes though in the percussion and choice of sounds. 140 is such a deep tempo, you can write techno on it, dub it out with loads of space so it feels like it’s almost stationary, Make it hectic and breaky… I just see it as the skeleton to hang my recent influences from.
Sometimes your percussion and drum programming remind me of some kind of tribal beat, have you ever thought about running off to the rain forest, starting a tribe and if so what customs would you adopt?
I could see it working – A typical day would go something like this:
•Rise at dawn to play bongos •Bare hunting, fishing, rituals, etc. •Wild boar hog roast for lunch •Canoe race •More drums, nose flutes, dancing, fire. •Bedtime
One of those Mosquito Coast style ice cube makers would be touch too.
Who are your favourite DJ’s?
Youngsta, Kode9, Ben Ufo, Ratty
What’s your biggest dubplate right now?
Pangaea – 'Why'
Is there anything else you want to tell us? Offer up a slice of wisdom perhaps?
Don’t worry about bass music. For every boring parasitic tune there is something in another rapidly mutating sub-genre that brings new ideas. I’m looking forward to more dj’s playing sets of varying tempos, and lots more cross-pollination of influences both old & new.
Catch Untold in Bristol at Season 5 on 14th March and at [dissident] on 2nd May. London heads can kop him at Colony on 18th April or with the entire Hessle Audio fam at fabric on 15th May.
His next single 'Dante' b/w 'Sweat' is out 30th March on Hotflush Two.
