In some ways it’s odd that Joe Cowton has been swiftly filed alongside the bass music masses, when the majority of his tracks share far more with the slo-mo experiments of Berlin’s Workshop label than with anything that’s evolved from the London or Bristol scenes. That said, it’s in part due to his history in dubstep and the labels he’s been associated with, with a stunning first release on Martin Clark’s Keysound imprint and an equally impressive follow-up on Idle Hands. And there are certain traits in his music that warrant immediate comparisons with his UK contemporaries: though they’re recognisable as house, Kowton’s tracks are dark, slow and spacious to the extent that they generate the same feeling of creeping dread that characterised early dubstep. His beats, meanwhile, are swung to the point that they sound liable to fall apart at any time, a legacy of two-step’s latent influence.
Where his music sets itself apart though, not simply from London or Bristol but from anywhere, is its sultry, almost coy attitude; you can practically hear hips start to move as ‘Stasis (G Mix)’ swings into action for the first time. And his tracks are brooding rather than simply moody; instead of standing in the corner, eyes-down-hood-up, they’re akin to dancers who are obviously, almost painfully conscious of every move their bodies make. That aspect was thrown into sharp, silhouetted relief on last year’s awe-inspiring ‘Basic Music Knowledge’, where each of the few elements within the track – a handful of percussive tics, a pair of tightly locked bass and melody lines – flex like individual muscles on a lean frame.
This latest 12” for Idle Hands goes one better. Like the rest of his output it’s unerringly dark in tone, but subtly increases the pace and dancefloor heft. With ‘She Don’t Jack’, it’s possible to imagine it doing serious damage to peak time club crowds – something you certainly wouldn’t have assumed of his previous music. It’s tough to expect anything so stripped back and plain odd to hit dancers like a depth charge, but then it’s also remarkably difficult to envisage any other reaction. ‘Drunk On Sunday’ is closer in tone to some of Workshop’s valium-addled obscurities, less immediate but just as precociously brilliant; here sub-bass takes on an unearthly sense of physicality, at times threatening to overwhelm even on headphones, beneath dissonant winds that whistle through its derelict structure.
Another essential 12” on a label that’s fast turning into one of the UK’s best, from a producer already several leagues ahead of most of the pack, irrespective of location.
Having lost count of amount of times we’ve read or even described someone’s music ourselves as being subtle, it begrudgingly seems perfectly apt when describing the work of Canadian producer Kevin McPhee. Built from a different more placated mould, his work, which we’ve been hearing in fits and spurts since the 3rd quarter of 2010, is finally hitting shops at the beginning of the year. Releasing on two of our most revered imprints, the Irish [nakedlunch] and the Bristol based Idle Hands (which is soon to be a physical record shop just off Stokes Croft in the city centre, seemingly filling the void left by Rooted Record’s closure last month) stands him in good stead from the off but it’s the fragility and soul of his music on tracks like the as yet unsigned ‘Try’ and ‘This Feeling’ that really connect.
His drum work also shouts just as loud as his twisted use of vocal snippets and samples with the [nakedlunch] signed ‘Bridges’ being a great example of what we’re attempting to shout about. Constructed from homespun and self recorded samples it traverses a drum pattern not a million miles away from the work of Mount Kimbie, but focuses a little harder on the punch of the kick drum, using those bitcrushed scratches and ticks around it to frame the resonance of the low frequencies. A track like ‘House 44,’ not included on his mix - an introductory production showcase of 100% McPhee material – is a perfect example of McPhee at his percussive best, all insistent thump underneath whilst a swamp of textures takes over the top layers hypnotically.
He really has nailed his sound deep, almost oceanic sound palette and after a bout of complementary AIM conversations we shot him some questions, playing on our own interest in his background as much as his music and he delivered our 66th Sonic Router mix. Split, in McPhee’s own words, between “slower and faster tempo tracks,” it’s a perfect and concise showcase of a truly magnificent talent.
Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Sure, My name is Kevin McPhee, I am a producer from Toronto and I try to produce somewhat danceable music anywhere between the 110bpm to 140bpm range. I have releases forthcoming on [nakedlunch] and Idle hands early this year. I really enjoy collecting and playing vinyl and cutting dubplates.
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
To be honest I don’t do too much. I buy too many records, drink too much coffee and look at too many pictures of obese cats. I also go to school full-time.
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?
I got into making music around the time I got my first guitar when I was 12. Rather than rely on others, I wanted to make tracks all on my own so I began experimenting with Reason and soon after I began to focus on sample-based production. It seems to have stayed that way ever since, however; I’m ever so solely attempting to move away from this approach to music production.
What’s your production set up like?
I use Logic, a turntable for sampling, a mic for recording percussion, a tape deck for adding some real stinky grit, and whatever guitar pedals I’m able to steal from my brother when he is not around.
How would you describe your sound? Hmm, well for the longest time I felt I never had a sound, and the more I thought about trying to make things fit a “McPhee Sound” the more rigid my tracks became. Now that I don’t really focus on one set style anymore I feel like my sound is kind of coming together for me naturally.I tend to rely on vocals a fair bit, some may say too much, but I feel there is a lot one can do with vocals and I feel I can still get a lot of use out of them. That being said, I would like to begin to produce less vocal-driven tracks, as I feel that I’m at the point where I can produce equally interesting percussion-based tracks as well.
I’ve always had an interest in making tracks sound as organic as possible. I try to spend as much time choosing samples as I do arranging them. I feel it’s one thing to be able to make an interesting beat, but it’s another to be able to make one that sounds like a whole unit, that is, all the sounds compliment each other in such a way that it appears as though the beat is simply a loop cut from a previous recording.
Kevin McPhee - Get In With You -[nakedlunch]
You share an affinity to a lot of the more subtle producers out there. I can hear a bit of Actress’ muffles in ‘House 44.’ What kind of music do you listen to in your own time?
I tend to listen to a lot of electronic music, but I try to keep my mind open to everything. I only recently started listening to house so that has begun to take up a lot of my listening time as there is just so much great music out there. Once I started listening to dance music, I kind of pushed my previous musical interests to the side, I feel as though this wasn’t as beneficial as I thought it would as I began to take inspiration from only one source. Now I’ve slowly begun to take up listening to just about anything. Whether it be jazz, folk, or ambient music, I’ve learned that there exists merits to all genres, it’s just a matter of being able to push aside your initial inhibitions to get at them in some cases.
What is an inspiration for you?
As lame as it sounds, pretty much just other music. I’m not going to lie and say the wind on a crisp fall day helps me make music or something like that. I just tend to find music I enjoy, note what intrigues me about it, and then try to respond to it in such a way that appeals even more to what it is that I’d like to hear out of a song. Sometimes it works, usually it doesn’t, but I have fun regardless.
Whats your native Toronto like for music? Are there many likeminded peoples out that way?
To be honest, I don’t know much about what’s going on in Toronto, I mean, there is certainly a wide variety of nights, some focusing on the more dancefloor-oriented style of music, while others offer a wider range of sound, however, I don’t tend to go out often so I can’t give an accurate description of what’s happening here. There is certainly a large group of like-minded people here. They just may not be as vocal as others. I think that’s what really gave me the push to begin taking production seriously and actually send songs to labels. I’ve had such great support from everyone here and I can’t stress enough how thankful I am for having like-minded individuals backing what I’m trying to do.
Are there any producers you rate that the world should know about? Any peeps not getting the props you think they deserve?
Three producers come to mind (In no particular order): Klaus, XI and TMSV. These three guys offer a wide range of sound and I feel as though this year each one of these producers will get the recognition they truly deserve. Klaus offers a bizarre in-between of ambient yet horrible deep and emotive music. I try to include at least one Klaus piece in all my sets as he was really the first artist I interacted with that offered tracks that worked well with my own. For the longest time I would simply mix my own songs together, however, talking to him caused me to realise that there exists a lot of music out there that fits with what I’m doing. He’s had quite an impact on not only my Djing but how I approach production as well.
XI is just in his own world right now, you can hear just about everything in his music, yet it doesn’t sound forced or cluttered. He is taking previously established styles of music and flipping them on their heads, it’s really inspiring to see such a positive response to his music as it suggests that people are still interested in hearing complex yet still dance floor friendly (deadly?) music.
TMSV is giving the deeper side of dubstep a serious kick in its butt. I think I’ve wrenched my neck a few times just bobbing along to his simple yet hard hitting style of music. It’s cool to see that people are still down to hear dubstep that doesn't resort to clichés or mid-range drops.
You’ve got 12”s forthcoming on [nakedlunch] and Idle Hands. Can you tell us a bit about that and shed some light on what else people can expect from you in 2011...
Of course… the [nakedlunch] EP has been in production for a long time now. I think it was around this time last year that I sent them my first set of tracks (‘Get in With You’ was among them). Since then, I’ve tried to work closely with the label as I felt at that point in time I was only just beginning to explore what it was that I wanted to hear in my songs. Micky offered up great criticism (something people tend to try to avoid) and has had an enormous impact on every aspect of what it is that I’m trying to do with my music. The EP provides some slower tempo stuff (‘Bridges’) and more mellow tracks (‘Get in with You’). The LV remix is a great take on my track as they’ve created an upbeat interpretation that puts the vocal in the back seat and makes room for a seriously memorable bassline.
Kevin McPhee - Get In With You (LV Remix) - [nakedlunch]
After the [nakedlunch] release I’ve got a 12” coming out on the Bristol-based Idle Hands label, I had got in touch with Kowton back in the fall and sent him over a few songs. He put me in touch with Chris from Idle Hands and soon after he expressed interest in doing a release. I am very pleased with the tracks he chose as I feel they are a nice contrast to each other and are two tracks I feel that are really a lot of fun to mix, yet still work well on their own. Being that ‘Sleep’ was my first attempt at making slower tempo music, it means a lot to have others supporting it.
I feel that I am very fortunate to have my first two releases on labels that I had followed closely before I began to take producing seriously. The support given to me by both label owners and those I’ve met as a result of them have helped me become more confident in my music than I was this time last year. I hope people enjoy the releases as much as I enjoyed the whole process of making them.
Tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve put together for us…
Well the mix is just a showcase of my own productions. Although it’s a relatively short mix, I feel as though it offers up an all-encompassing approach to my music. I included both slower and faster tempo tracks as I feel that they exist as one style, rather than two separate entities. I made sure to incorporate a few tracks off both the forthcoming releases as mentioned above, and also some unreleased bits as well. Pretty much all the tracks in here are “exclusive” as this is really the first recording I’ve done and the first time most will have heard anything by me. I hope people enjoy it.
Any words of wisdom, for our readers?
It’s very easy to sell yourself short and simply settle when it comes to releasing/producing music. I think more people are concerned with simply getting their music out than they are with trying to use the process of releasing music as a way to improve your overall knowledge of production or how to conduct one’s self when it comes to promotion. I feel as though it is better to wait and approach a label you can see yourself on, rather than offer a lack-luster product to anyone who’s willing to listen - or even worse, having great music that goes unheard simply because it was never given the opportunity to be heard. That being said, there is always a chance to change things. I feel as though you are only as good as your last production, so people should always aim to improve upon what it is that they are doing. Don’t simply sell yourself short for instant satisfaction.
Kevin McPhee - I Will [???] Kevin McPhee - Try [???] Kevin McPhee - Sleep [Forthcoming Idle Hands] Kevin McPhee - Bridges [Forthcoming [nakedlunch]] Kevin McPhee - Sucre [???] Kevin McPhee - Be [???] Kevin McPhee - This Feeling [???] Kevin McPhee - Get in With You (LV Remix) [Forthcoming [nakedlunch]]
One of the unavoidable issues associated with music blogging, as highlighted so eloquently by Kode9 in a recent interview with Resident Advisor, is for a fickle online community to make out that there’s some kind of revolutionary shift occurring every time a decent new track is released. Unavoidable, because among such a large group of individuals there will always end up being at least one person who hears something extra special in any given release. With that in mind, that the praise has been pretty much universal for Idle Hands’ 12” releases is testament to Bristol’s capacity to nurture unique music. While never claiming to offer radical upheavals, the imprint has consistently put out material that suggests a concentrated distillation of form and function. Each – the rolling technoid mutations of the ‘anonymous’ first 12”, the hypnotic tropicalia of Atki2 and Dub Boy’s anthemic ‘Tigerflower’, and now two slow-mo transmissions from Kowton – is finely-honed evidence of how far UK bass music can deviate from the norm.
In the case of these two tracks from Kowton, what immediately strikes the listener is just how slow they are. We’re used to escalating tempos in nuum music; certain quarters aside, drum ‘n’ bass continues to peak well above the sensible limit, and at the wobbly ends of dubstep some artists are pushing for 150bpm. So it’s a refreshing change to hear a producer slow their music down to a snail’s pace. In this case, these two tracks are a culmination of what Kowton started with his bewitching ‘Stasis (G Mix)’, stretching the beats out to allow ample space for swing and crafting house tracks that flex like garage. ‘Basic Music Knowledge’ does exactly that, brooding darkly over nocturnal pulses of sub-bass and percussion that hesitates just enough to introduce palpable tension. ‘Hunger’ is even better, filled with a sense of twilight yearning appropriate to its title, and so cavernous in depth that it feels far slower than its already soporific pace.
Bristol bass fiends Atki2 and Hanuman – collectively Monkey Steak - have a pretty admirable record for pulling together the best bits of many of the globe’s bass mutations. The first release for their Steak House label was strangely psychedelic, despite its often rapid-fire nature – next to Mr. Gasparov’s comparatively delicate ‘1975’, Lisbon duo Octa Push’s pair of tracks were positively manic, both furiously addictive slabs of funky-infused electro noise. Meanwhile, their recent 12” for the Idle Hands label has proven to be one of the year’s best, notable especially for Atki2 and Dub Boy’s stunning ‘Tigerflower’. It also welcomed a less obvious aspect to their sound, favouring gradual change and melodic progression over simple dancefloor action.
The second release for Steak House sees Atki2 and Hanuman further explore both sides of that split personality: both tracks on the A-side hit like a ton of bricks from the off. ‘Hyped Up!’ and its counterpart riddim ‘Bombeiros’ rattle along at a nerve-busting 150 bpm, their tightly syncopated percussion and frazzled stabs of synth more akin to Octa Push or Buraka Som Sistema’s electrified kuduro than the slightly more sedate vibes of UK funky. The presence of Ghislain Poirier collaborator MC Zulu only serves to solidify this connection, his ever-escalating excitement impressively suited to the music’s manic nature.
The duo’s more experimental side, though, is far better represented on the flip. ‘Tigris Riddim’ is one of the most intriguing hybrids to have emerged so far this year, centred around a lopsided Arabian folk sample that curls around the beat like plumes of shisha smoke. It’s also one of the best, its cut-and-paste nature making it a pleasure to unpick on a decent pair of headphones. Though faster again, ‘Haarlem Drift’ continues in a similar vein, giving equal priority to musical development as to raw dance energy, and in doing so significantly upping its longevity. Though the scorched carnival atmosphere of Zulu’s contribution remains true to this music’s basic purpose, the slightly more exploratory bent they’re taking on the B-side suits Monkey Steak well. Long may it continue.
Two tracks of iconic dancefloor music from a brand new label run out of Rooted Records in Bristol, Idle Hands. The true tune spotters amongst you may have spied the B side in 2562's recent FACT mix...
