edj recently caught up with metalheadz's newest recruit data and got the lowdown on his influences, working with goldie, his thoughts on the scene at the moment and even news of some forthcoming dubstep on headz (!)
edj: Your music, along with that of artists such as Breakage, Commix, D-Bridge etc is leading the way in this new wave of minimal and atmospheric d&b. Why do you think this style has become more prominent over the past year or so?
In 2008, some great albums were produced, one that really stands out for me as an example, was Burial’s Untrue. That album, in my opinion, broke many barriers that had appeared within the music scene, the grimy, lo-fi sound seems to be the opposite of what was going around..
Big bashy synths, overcompressed drums, hard quantising, were dropped in favour of crackles, off time loops etc. It’s music that let it’s vibe do the talking. I think that many producers came around again to the thinking that vibe was the most important part of a tune.
With regards to minimal, that genre has seen a steady increase in interest over the past few years in other musical styles and it began to bleed into other music. As a producer, minimalism is very clean and precise in it’s approach, each tone / sound has it’s important place.
My OCD loves it.
edj: Do you think it has been a concious reaction to the more stylised 'stadium drum & bass' sound of artists such as Chase & Status/Pendulum etc?
Well, I think it’s a reaction to that sound, yes, even if it’s not a conscious decision. Personally, with the rise of that music, my interest in drum and bass began to wane in favour for styles like dubstep and minimal techno.
edj: Did you set out to produce this kind of style or did it just come naturally?
I’ve always been into the more atmospheric / soundscape style of track, I love evolving pads, long drones, moving textures, things like that. To be honest, when I turned 30, I stopped chasing big signings and trying to write a ‘big tune’ to compete with other artists.
I just let all that go and wrote music just for myself as a hobby. The first track was ‘Blowpipe’ and Sabre loved it. After that, things have just snowballed, I’m very lucky.
edj: You said in the recent 'headzcast that 'Neuromancer' was your inspiration for 'splice', & your music definately has a distinct sci-fi/futuristic feeling to it. What is it about the sci-fi genre that has such an effect on you and your productions?
Well, I’m a geek. No doubt about that, I love sci-fi, technology, games, all the things that people associate with geeks! (lol) I don’t know what it is exactly that draws me too the genre, I guess I’m part of the Star-Wars generation!
I always have my head in a book, I feel it helped me learn a lot as a child.
edj: Where else do you draw inspiration from and how big a part do external influences/factors play in your production/music?
Recently, I’ve been drawing inspiration from anywhere, I can walk down the street, see / hear / feel something and my creative gears spark up. Situations and events I find quite inspiring.
edj: Metalheadz is without doubt one of the most repsected and revered labels in the scene. How did your signing come about and whats it like being inside 'the belly of the beast'? (!)
Funnily enough, I met Goldie and Chris Metalheadz through Xbox. I can’t remember exactly how I met them, maybe it was playing a game with Jim Heist. Regardless, I sent Goldie some tunes and while he thought my production had some way to go, he liked the ideas within.
I put down the pad and created ‘Muted / Splice’. They rang me back pretty much straight away and organised a interview. Fast forward to the present and I couldn’t ask for a better label. I do feel pressure, but it’s one I’d rather have than not have.
To be blunt, it kicks me up the arse and stops me from stagnating.
edj: How much of a role is Goldie playing in terms of your artistic and musical development?
While Goldie doesn’t push me to create a certain style of track, (in fact, he’s quite open with regards to artist development,) he does ‘steer’ me in the right direction and prevents me from going too ‘out there’.
We’re currently in the studio working on some bits and that has a distinct sound compared to my solo production. He’s very keen to get an album project from myself underway.
edj: Can you give us a run down of your studio set-up? Do you prefer the software or hardware side of things?
I’m pretty much all software, using Cubase and Reason rewired together mostly, however, my friends have lots of studios near me, and I can work on basically any platform I need to. I find the ease of use of software fast and clean.
I do use some hardware, but mostly just for little touches here and there. Over the years, I’ve collected some rare plugs which are pretty essential to my production and gives my work a unique sound. (no, I’m not saying!)
edj: Do you have any plans to produce any other styles of music?
I dabble in quite a few other genres, dubstep, minimal techno, deep house, ambient, soundscapes etc. I haven’t really chased getting any of those tracks signed, I use them more as exercises to learn new techniques. That said, Goldie just signed my dubstep track ‘Doors of Perception’.
We are also in the studio with Burial, and creating something different. Watch this space!
edj: What have you got coming up in the next few months or so release wise?
In 2008, some great albums were produced, one that really stands out for me as an example, was Burial’s Untrue. That album, in my opinion, broke many barriers that had appeared within the music scene, the grimy, lo-fi sound seems to be the opposite of what was going around..
Big bashy synths, overcompressed drums, hard quantising, were dropped in favour of crackles, off time loops etc. It’s music that let it’s vibe do the talking. I think that many producers came around again to the thinking that vibe was the most important part of a tune.
With regards to minimal, that genre has seen a steady increase in interest over the past few years in other musical styles and it began to bleed into other music. As a producer, minimalism is very clean and precise in it’s approach, each tone / sound has it’s important place.
My OCD loves it.
edj: Do you think it has been a concious reaction to the more stylised 'stadium drum & bass' sound of artists such as Chase & Status/Pendulum etc?
Well, I think it’s a reaction to that sound, yes, even if it’s not a conscious decision. Personally, with the rise of that music, my interest in drum and bass began to wane in favour for styles like dubstep and minimal techno.
edj: Did you set out to produce this kind of style or did it just come naturally?
I’ve always been into the more atmospheric / soundscape style of track, I love evolving pads, long drones, moving textures, things like that. To be honest, when I turned 30, I stopped chasing big signings and trying to write a ‘big tune’ to compete with other artists.
I just let all that go and wrote music just for myself as a hobby. The first track was ‘Blowpipe’ and Sabre loved it. After that, things have just snowballed, I’m very lucky.
edj: You said in the recent 'headzcast that 'Neuromancer' was your inspiration for 'splice', & your music definately has a distinct sci-fi/futuristic feeling to it. What is it about the sci-fi genre that has such an effect on you and your productions?
Well, I’m a geek. No doubt about that, I love sci-fi, technology, games, all the things that people associate with geeks! (lol) I don’t know what it is exactly that draws me too the genre, I guess I’m part of the Star-Wars generation!
I always have my head in a book, I feel it helped me learn a lot as a child.
edj: Where else do you draw inspiration from and how big a part do external influences/factors play in your production/music?
Recently, I’ve been drawing inspiration from anywhere, I can walk down the street, see / hear / feel something and my creative gears spark up. Situations and events I find quite inspiring.
edj: Metalheadz is without doubt one of the most repsected and revered labels in the scene. How did your signing come about and whats it like being inside 'the belly of the beast'? (!)
Funnily enough, I met Goldie and Chris Metalheadz through Xbox. I can’t remember exactly how I met them, maybe it was playing a game with Jim Heist. Regardless, I sent Goldie some tunes and while he thought my production had some way to go, he liked the ideas within.
I put down the pad and created ‘Muted / Splice’. They rang me back pretty much straight away and organised a interview. Fast forward to the present and I couldn’t ask for a better label. I do feel pressure, but it’s one I’d rather have than not have.
To be blunt, it kicks me up the arse and stops me from stagnating.
edj: How much of a role is Goldie playing in terms of your artistic and musical development?
While Goldie doesn’t push me to create a certain style of track, (in fact, he’s quite open with regards to artist development,) he does ‘steer’ me in the right direction and prevents me from going too ‘out there’.
We’re currently in the studio working on some bits and that has a distinct sound compared to my solo production. He’s very keen to get an album project from myself underway.
edj: Can you give us a run down of your studio set-up? Do you prefer the software or hardware side of things?
I’m pretty much all software, using Cubase and Reason rewired together mostly, however, my friends have lots of studios near me, and I can work on basically any platform I need to. I find the ease of use of software fast and clean.
I do use some hardware, but mostly just for little touches here and there. Over the years, I’ve collected some rare plugs which are pretty essential to my production and gives my work a unique sound. (no, I’m not saying!)
edj: Do you have any plans to produce any other styles of music?
I dabble in quite a few other genres, dubstep, minimal techno, deep house, ambient, soundscapes etc. I haven’t really chased getting any of those tracks signed, I use them more as exercises to learn new techniques. That said, Goldie just signed my dubstep track ‘Doors of Perception’.
We are also in the studio with Burial, and creating something different. Watch this space!
edj: What have you got coming up in the next few months or so release wise?
Muted / Splice on Metalheadz in April, Skinwalkers with DJ E and Dynamic on Revolution should promo soon, Delicate / The Causeway on Influence Records and then Reconnaissance / Abstractions on Metalheadz, no confirmed date or catalogue number and Termite / Kyushojutsu is also forthcoming on Creative Source in the summer.
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