The Footwork EP on Glasgow's Fortified Audio imprint, out digitally today, marks the debut solo release for Yorkshireman, Jamie Grind. After releasing on Spatial's Infrasonics label with the resplendent 'Balloon' and 'If You Want' on a split 12" with Irish producer Gon, Grind has been a staple in our Hivemind FM sessions, often providing a melodic respite to the overloaded drum workouts we're prone to.
Featuring 4 tracks, including the constant drum machine trickle of 'Without You' whose high pitched percussion line bubbles over snatches of Grind's 2step blessed drum lines, the EP shines thanks to a collaboration with fellow Leeds resident, Hackman. Called 'Saw The Light' its more subtle than the other three tracks, peeling off in tangents, before the snatched vocal merges with the roughened bass line, creating an emotive house tempoed workout that gets better with each listen.
To mark the passing of the EP, we've been bestowed the honour of passing out the Mista Men refix of that Hackman collaboration. In the Doncaster trio's patent leathery style (check out their recent SR mix) they focus a little more on the interplay between 4x4 pulse and the bass, splicing apart the tunes melody whilst managing to retaining the same kind of harmonic linearity.
From the first times we got our hands on a mysterious Infrasonics release, a white 10” sleeve daubed with orange and grey squares and no information, we were hooked. Label boss Spatial seemed intent on keeping a little of that mystery at our first point of contact, choosing to leave us hanging on for clues to his tracks strictly numerical monikers whilst keeping the releases coming. Now very much open to our prodding he’s on his 4th solo 10” release for the label and he’s also put out three split 12”s, from Ike Release & Hot City, xxxy & Ike Release and Jamie Grind & Gon respectively, something regular readers of this blog won’t have failed to notice.
And whilst you might be aware of the releases, the digital tracks that form the ‘cross media’ aspect of all of Spatial’s solo releases could have been a little overlooked. Whilst choosing to put out physical product in this day and age could be considered risky, given the climate and habitual torrent abuse by so called music fans, Infrasonics stands as a bastion for physical quality and the digital age, embracing the digital format (as most labels do, selling downloads as MP3s, WAVs and FLACs) and new technologies as they do it.
Take the latest physical release for INFRA004: not only is it, in SR’s opinion, the most realised and danceable set of productions from Spatial to date, but it also comes complete with a postcard insert which when held up to a webcam unlocks a third track for the purchaser to download. Whilst we could probably explain the mechanism in some kind of surly, inaccurate laymen’s terms, we thought the topic of digital extras of note and asked Spatial to help us understand a little more.
SR: So, your latest release comes with a card that you have to register via a webcam to unlock the digital accompaniment to the physical release. What made you go to such, intuitive lengths?
Spatial: It's really just trying to be creative with the technology that’s out there and provide something extra of interest. To me, there's as much creativity in hacking as there is in other art form so some of it is indulging that interest. We were also keen to try and give more focus on digital component of the release.
Could you give us an idea about the technology behind it? How does it work?
There's a postcard that comes with the vinyl that has a url and a marker or pattern on it. You hit the url in your browser, and present the postcard to your webcam when prompted. Once it correctly recognises the marker it unlocks a section of the site that provides a stream and download of an exclusive track, plus some extra eye candy.
The idea came out of some proof of concept/R&D work that some friends were doing with Augmented Reality libraries in Flash. Essentially, the libraries are able to recognise shapes and patterns and overlay a video feed with other animations. We kept the mechanism as a straightforward lock/key implementation for this version but there's a lot of scope to extend the idea.
Having always released digital bonus tracks, that are obviously just as labour intensive to produce musically, do you think the cross media platform has been properly broached by labels?
Traditional models of consumption are pretty well defined so we're aiming to challenge that a little. It seems fairly clear to me that the masses are moving toward a service based model where the notion of file ownership will eventually seem quaint. It's a bit different in the marginal areas that we operate in but I think there's room to try be creative with a release. I’d like the two mediums to feed off each other.
Without entering into the vinyl vs. digital debate do you think it’s helped the label, offering up digital extras?
Absolutely. Seeding free tracks in streaming services like last.fm help to get the word out. I also hope it helped to convince people to pay for the other tracks. It seems quite hard to get much notice in the press though as journalists normally review what they find in the "shops" despite what we send out in the PR, so the focus is normally just on the vinyl. The exception to this would be Joe Mugg's Wire review for infra001.
It's also about offering a wider contrast with the material. I always wanted to use 10"s, largely for aesthetic reasons, and there's only so much music you can fit on them. In that sense the release is an E.P. that goes cross medium.
What else is coming up for the infrasonics imprint?
I've got great new material coming to my inbox from all the current artists plus a few interesting bits from outside. It's just a matter now of getting the right configuration for the 12"s and getting it in the system. I'm thinking about doing something with all the 10"s in the series also…
Personally, I've got a podcast up on Bassmusicblog now(ish) and a studio mix coming for DJ mag in early Nov. In the wider eco-system: Jamie Grind has a new night called Modulate in Leeds which looks ace. xxxy is now with Reprise so catch him playing near you soon. Gon, his missus and an obscene amount of vinyl just moved over from Dublin which is cool - watch out for that man.
Lastly, we're gonna throw another warehouse party at the end of Nov - sign up to one of the propaganda streams to keep on top of that. Last one was off the hook: 2 Funktion one stacks in an intimate darkened space, pure vibes. The real deal.
Jamie Grind got in touch last week bearing fruits. Regular readers will know the producer from his work on the Infrasonics imprint and should already have his Sonic Router mix lodged in their iTunes playlist, but he’s on the dawn of running a brand new night called Modulate; up in Leeds. Focusing more on the fusion points between genres, styles and producers he tells us the night will focus squarely (but not exclusively) on the strains of club music we’re constantly harping on about; and in exchange for a lil Q&A he’s put together a mix to demonstrate and outline the vibe all you Northern party goers can expect from his dance.
SR: What’s motivated you to start your own night in Leeds? Is it simply a lack of nights doing that kind of music...?
JG: Well there are a few nights in Leeds now with similar sounds, but I think we'll be bringing a whole new vibe with this one... There'll definitely be a good share of deep house, classic garage tunes, modern bass-music (or whatever we're calling it these days) and maybe even a bit of bassline if the mood is right!
What’s the idea behind your booking policy...? Is it all about the freshest shit – or more providing those who you rate a voice in Leeds?
Both. Ideally we want to bring up-and-coming artists to Leeds who haven't played here yet. The idea is to book the best new talent in the UK with the most interesting sound to us. This is definitely not just a stock house/garage night; we're hoping to be much more than that and only bring in artists with unique qualities to them, without being tied to one genre of music.
Who have you got coming up?
Our first night is next week - we have Pariah heading the bill, with support from Hackman and Skips. November we have xxxy, Midland & Gatto Viola. We've also recently confirmed George Fitzgerald and Submerse so far for the New Year too, so we've got some pretty stacked line-ups we're both pretty happy about.
And what’s going on with you in terms of releases?
I have my 'Footwork' EP coming very soon on Fortified Audio - it'll have 4 tunes and the artwork is brutal... cop the 12" soooon...
Jhelissa Friendly Pressure - (Sunship 'Into The Sunshine' Mix) [Dorado] DJ MA1 - Waterfalls [Karnival Music] Volta Cab - Give It Juice (XXXY's Rubicon Remix) [Forthcoming Wicked Bass Records] The Count& Sinden feat. Mystery Jets - After Dark (C.R.S.T Remix) [Domino] Hackman - More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix) [Unreleased] Kloke - Aquarius [Entrada] Seiji - Weedkiller [Seijimusic] Manik - Aftermath Class (Rick Wade S Detroit Chiller Remix) [Four:Twenty] Roska - Long Range [Numbers] Pariah - Railroad [R&S] Velour - She Wore Velour [Night Slugs] Perempay & Dee feat. Shola Ama - DJ Play (TRC Mix) [Full Balance] Hot City - Lonely Boy [Forthcoming Moshi Moshi] Deadboy - Fireworks [Forthcoming Well Rounded]
Summer 2010 is proving to be a fertile hotbed of awesomeness and its been made easy to enthuse about things now that the sun is blessing everything with its UV loaded rays. Tunes are coming thicker and quicker and there's a multitude of great producers from across the spectrum of the bass music void whose work is steadily piquing our interest. At the forefront of this last few weeks has been two tunes from Leeds based producer Jamie Grind, included on his debut release which takes the form of a split 12" with Irish funky producer Gon for Spatial's Infrasonics label.
'If You Want' is a perfect example of using drum shuffles, that repetitive Scuba style synth stab and choppy vocals, but its in the woefully aborted synth progressions of it that it really blossoms, veering from colourful warbling to a distorted splash; and in a similar way the flip side, 'Balloon,' uses a careering lead line behind those lush Martyn pianos. On the strength of these tunes its obvious that Grind's is a step that positively uplifts; a feel good bump that suits this sudden heat wave gloriously.
The inclusion of the afore mentioned tunes on Spatial's FACT mix, coupled with a mix he did for ItsAlllAbout.com and the track he just dropped for free over at XLR8R last week, 'Keep Wondering,' spiked immediate interest, resulting in a bout of AIM cold calling and an eventual satisfying pang of relief when he agreed to drop us an exclusive mix; number 48 in our ongoing series.
Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?
Jamie Grind: I’m Jamie Grind, I’ve just released my first record on the Infrasonics Label, hopefully the first of many! When I’m not eating king prawn curries you will usually find me in a poorly lit room in the centre of Leeds making beats and wondering what happened to my youth!
Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?
I’m a web designer - I’ve been working at a company here in Leeds for the past 3 years or so. My job takes up most of my time so I try and fit in music whenever possible.
How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?
Since my mid-teens I’ve been involved with music in some form, I’ve been a vocalist in various bands, I’ve been a hip hop MC and I’ve experimented a bit with other forms of electronic music but it’s only in the past year or so I think I’ve finally found my feet. I was always more into the vocal side of music and production just kinda passed me by, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago I actually decided to give it a shot and it turns out I actually quite enjoy sitting in isolation for hours on end listening to looped drum hits!
What’s your production set up like? What’s your favourite bit of kit in the studio?
I run Logic 8 on an Imac; my set up is fairly basic though, I could use an upgrade to be honest. I’ve currently only got some very average Wharfdale speakers, a MIDI keyboard and a Yamaha MW12 Mixing desk.. but it works OK for now. Next venture for me will be to get some decent monitors and an analogue synth of some form…
Where do you take inspiration from when making music?
Because I have a full time job most of my ideas come to me during the day when my mind is at its most active, so I might have a sudden idea for a tune and then have to wait 8 hours til I get home to finally put it into practice, by that time I’m pretty tired and can’t be arsed. I find I’m at my most creative first thing in the morning, so weekends give me chance clock in at my second job… making bangers blaaad!
How would you describe your sound?
I wouldn’t say future garage – I think that term sounds pretty corny to be honest… Genres seem to mean less and less to me these days, when I make a tune I’m not trying to achieve a certain sound I’m just combining elements of different styles of music I enjoy, which usually sounds pretty garage-esque to be fair, at least percussively anyway.
And how did you get into this current flux of dubstep?
I remember hearing stuff by Pinch and Loefah and thinking it was the heaviest shit I’d ever heard! At the time, the hip hop nights I used to go to gradually turned into dubstep nights as it got more popular. Later on, people like 2562, Geiom, Ramadanman, Kode9 & Martyn seemed to be making interesting music which was loosely dubstep with elements of garage, hip hop and house and probably had a lot to do with me wanting to start producing the type of music I do.
Leeds seems to be on it right now, with Midland, Stray and people like Blawan all making the dope shit. What’s the scene like up there?
I’m not sure there’s much of a scene to be honest, now Ruffage has closed its doors the only decent monthly club night in Leeds is Tropical; which is sick, but most other ‘dubstep’ nights are just mid-range wobble wankery so don’t really interest me – There’s a bunch of people up here making sick music though, good to see them getting the recognition they deserve. On top of the people you mentioned there’s also Skips, Hackman, Gatto Viola and Jera doing their thing up here aswell.
Jamie Grind - Balloon
Your first release on Infrasonics is out now. What’s the deal, what can we expect from the release?
It’s a split with Gon from Ireland, I’m half Irish so we’ve got that shit in our blood already! I’m glad to be on the Infrasonics squad, they’re all absolute badmen producers, Spatial, xxxy, Hot City, Ike Release… I’m glad my first release is with this lot. On my side of the 12”, ‘If You Want’ is one for the clubs and ‘Balloon’ is on a bit of a more upbeat wonky-synth tip.
What other projects have you got in the pipeline? What’s happening with you in the rest of 2010? Gigs, releases, personal growth etc?
Next thing I’ve got coming out is a 4 track EP on Fortified Audio, expect to see that emerging in the following months. I’m looking to start playing gigs when I can, so hopefully I’ll get on that soon.
George Fitzgerald - Fernweh Ramadanman - Glut Hot City - Another Girl Dubbel Dutch - Throwback Sony - Sugar Rush Terror Danjah - Code Morse Guido - Mad Sax Ike Release - I'm Gone Todd Edwards - Who You Are (Salvador Edit Remix) Sweet Female Attitude - Flowers (Sunship Edit) Jamie Grind - Bad Attitude (And You Know It) Shortstuff - Tripped Up Jamie Grind - Footwork VVV - Back To Life DJ Rashad - In Da Club Before Eleven O' Clock Nastee Boi Feat. E Man - Mussy Mad (Witty Boy Remix) Blawan - Fram Spatial - 100402 Jamie Grind & Hackman - Saw The Light Mista Men - Automatic Groove Jammer - Champz And Weed (Ft. Diesal, C. Gritz & Blacks) TRG - Broken Heart (Martyn's DCM Remix)
Infra12003 featuring Jamie’s ‘I Want You’ & ‘Balloon’ is in all decent retailers now. Its backed with two tracks, ‘Chaka Mad’ and ‘Riddance’ from Gon.
First appearing on Spatial's FACT mix, Leeds based producer, Jamie Grind, is making some kind of waves over here with his clipped vision of the current bastard bass spectrum. He just dropped a mix for the Its All About blog.
"I wanted to put together a mix that showcases a variety of styles of music I'm feeling at the moment," Jamie told SR when speaking with us recently; "I guess it's mainly stuff derived from that dubstep/garage blueprint, with a few of my own [tracks] thrown in there along with a bunch of dubs from some fairly new names like xxxy, Pariah, Skips and George Fitzgerald. Of course you'll find a couple of old gems tucked away in there as well. I reckon its safe to say its this sort of stuff that keeps me interested in producing, I love the way music has progressed over the past few years and how the mixing of genres allows people to experiment more."
Look out for Jamie's Infrasonics release, 'Balloon' b/w 'If You Want,' set to hit shops and download sites imminently.
Jamie Grind - Balloon [Forthcoming Infrasonics] Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix) [Dub] Hackman - More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix) [Dub] Mosca - Nike [Night Slugs] George Fitzgerald - Painted Jezebel [Forthcoming Doldrums] Jeremih - Birthday Sex (Skips Bootleg) [Dub] Untold - You Didn't Win the Holiday [Soul Jazz] 2562 - Dinosaur [Tectonic] Jamie Grind - If U Want [Forthcoming Infrasonics] Jamie Grind - Remember Those Days [Dub] Ill Blu - Blu Magic [Insatiable Music] So Solid - Since You Went Away (Funky Mix) [MEGA & Co.] Cosmin TRG - Since Last Night [Tempa] Paraiah - Crossed Out [Forthcoming R&S] Burial - Distant Lights [Hyperdub] Bonobo ft. Andreya Triana - Eyesdown (Floating Points Remix) [Ninja Tune] xxxy - Flew [Dub] Jason Herd vs Flashlight - My Girl (Agent X Dirty Bassline Mix) [3 Beat Blue] Low Deep - Down Like That [Colourful State] Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo (Andreas Saag's House Perspective) [Dub] Scuba - You Got Me [Hotflush]
