Regular readers will probably be sick and tired of my unwavering praise for DiamonD EyE by now. We here at EDJ have been staunch supporters of this young producer's music pretty much from the get go, so it was with much delight when we discovered that Justice over at MJazz was clearly as enamoured with it as we were as he took the plunge and gave the north Londoner his debut album deal not too long ago. Well the time has come for this LP to be released to the masses and it takes the form of the sublime 'Moments In Life'. It's as good as we all expected it to be and to be honest it's releases and producers like this that make you realise what a rich pool of talent exists in drum & bass. This is a guy that's not really in the limelight, not on flyers for raves hither and thither but just a guy that makes drum & bass from the heart, with soul, with passion and it is music that rewards those who like to dig a little deeper and who take the time to unearth gems like this. You could say it's a diamond in the rough (pun very much intended). Lame jokes aside, EDJ thought it only right to catch up with the man in question for a q&a about the project and his plans going forward. Read on my friends, read on....
DiamonD EyE - Moments in Life LP Interview
So your debut album, ‘Moments In Life’ has just hit the shops – what can people expect from it?
People can expect it to be completely different from what usually makes an album in Drum and Bass as I wanted to push something with a little more meaningful than just beats and bass for an hour or so. The main theme throughout the album is Dub touching on other genres such as Dubstep and Nu Jazz which I am totally feeling right now and also incorporating those elements into my Drum and Bass work.
How are you feeling about the whole project at the moment – nervous, excited?
I am nervous as it’s a big project for someone of my status in the scene, but very excited at the prospect of having an album come to fruition as it really shows my skills.
How happy are you with the finished product – is it everything you wanted it to be or are there things you didnt manage to get on there that you wanted to and so on?
Initially I went through all of my tunes spanning from 2007 to late 2010 and then decided to change the whole project and use tracks that would go totally against the grain as it’s MJAZZ after all. There were tracks I wanted to put on there for example ‘Only You’ which I gave for free, but I figured that sounded too similar to other labels work so I decided against it. The album overall I am very happy with which is rare for me as I usually cringe at the fact that other people are hearing my music, it’s something I’ve learnt to get over as this is a solid body of work.
Can you give us a little insight into the choice of title – what’s the meaning behind ‘Moments In Life’? Do you think the music fits in with it?
The title came about as I was in a good relationship with someone and the album came at a good moment in my life, with events taking a sudden dive after the concept was brought about, I wanted to change the name but decided to stick with the initial idea and use it. The music, personally I think shows a timeline of musical influences, from Garage to the current Half Step sound coming back to the limelight (which is fantastic by the way!) rounding off with my interest in soulful / jazz influenced Dubstep. So they’re all moments in my life that helped shape this album.
From what and where do you get your influences from - there is quite a wide range of sounds and ideas included on the LP. What inspired you in the creation of the LP?
I get my inspiration from looking outside my window, or coming home from work, also the various parts of the world where I seek music from. The album created itself really I just helped shape the tracks into a listenable sequence. A good example would be ‘Hunter’ on the album, I had watched ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ and I love the concept of the film, sinister on another level, so the track was written with that in mind, not that it’s as sinister but spaced out.
How long where you working on it from start to finish? Was it a case of creating tracks specifically for this project, or did you use tracks you had made previously?
I wrote Moments in Life and Looking Glass specifically for the LP as I could get away with being out of the ordinary and with the title track, going back to how I used to write basslines, very sporadic. The other tracks on the album I had written not to long before I was asked for an LP by Tony Justice, with some like 'Experiment’ having been written in early 2010.
How prominent in your mind was the format itself while you were creating it? Marcus Intalex said in his interview that the idea of the album, for him, kind of took away the innocence of the writing process, knowing what he was working toward like that. Was the same true for you?
Not at all! Firstly, since I started making music of any sort, I had the idea that an album was the best form of making music as it was freedom to do what you like, I usually set myself a folder and call it ‘New album’ and write a set of tracks to it and worry about the name and all the rest that goes with an album after I’ve done 15 or 17 tunes. If I’m not writing albums I’m writing jungle influenced drum and bass or dabbling with House and Dubstep. If they’re good enough to fit my Drum and Bass stuff, I’ll add the slower tempos to the mix.
How hard was it to put that aside, and simply make music that you wanted to as opposed to trying to fit things within the framework of the album?
It was daunting as I knew I would be up against the bigger players in the scene and although I don’t think about that stuff while writing tunes just for myself, It was like right this has to make an impact, I want to impress people who are totally unaware of my music and what I stand for. Creativity wasn’t a problem as I had written many tunes for the album, and spent mornings and evenings compiling and restructuring until I was happy with it all.
The album is going to CD & Digital right? Did the medium on which it will be released have any bearing on the creative process? I always think that albums that get pressed to vinyl, for the most part, will need to have some DJ friendly, dancefloor orientated tracks on there, to appease the vinyl buying public – would you agree with that? And since your LP (sadly) isn’t going to be pressed up on wax, did that provide an element of relief in a way? Or was it in fact the total opposite – was the fact you knew it wasn’t going to get a vinyl release a negative point for you?
We spoke on the prospect that it may hit vinyl, but that was early on in the planning stage and I thought about it and it would have been nice but I don’t think viable for someone of my status, it all boils down to status which is a sad fact really, where as a lot of music is here today and gone tomorrow, even the tracks that are somewhat dancefloor friendly, I always aim to take it somewhere else, and bring in what I grew up listening to, to the forefront. Nothing was negative about the format choice, the fact that someone has taken an interest in me to put many of my tracks out on an album project is enough for me. It could come out on Cassette for all I care (lol!)
You have told me previously that this is what you have been working towards since you started out in D&B so do you see the album as a completion of this journey in the music, or simply the start?
I see this as a start most definitely, a leg up. It’s given me confidence that my music is appreciated, even all the time I feel like I’m not appreciated, this is just the start for me. I now write music with a different perspective. I’ve been busy in the studio as of late working on loads of new music that someone will hear at some point, right now though it’s one step at a time.
Where do you want to go from here? More albums? Branching out into different genres – there are some slower tempos on the LP that hints at that maybe, and you have also dabbled in Dubstep too if I’m not mistaken...
The only way is up as the song says (lol!) No jokes aside, I am not sure which direction to go in to be honest, I did dabble with Dubstep end of last year, as I wanted to try bringing my Drum and Bass vibe to 140BPM, but my heart is tied to Drum and Bass, it’s the best form of music to express yourself when you’re in the mood to write it. Another album is on the cards; I’ve already started working on two, but not sure if I’ll end up combining the two albums and leaving some tracks out, only time will tell.
You have also mentioned that you are becoming, or have already become, tired with D&B, and the attitudes and opinions of ‘the scene’ in the UK. Care to give a few thoughts about that?
I’ll be upsetting a lot of people when they read my thoughts on the UK scene, what’s happened for me personally is that there’s no longer any fun in raving here, when I started DJing back in 2003 I played at a Dancehall night, and I had no idea what a ‘Drum and Bass’ crowd was like, it was a good experience back in 2005-2006, until I went abroad to Estonia and witnessed the same tunes I played here, tested out on those guys out there, it was like a whole new planet, I’m no Andy C but the level of screams was unreal, and the crowd intervention with rewinds, just the vibe of the place, I really felt when I got back that we need that here, some ‘everybody’s involved’ vibe, but it’s not so.
Is there anything in particular that is testing your resolve, or passion for 170bpm music?
Hmmm, I would really cause uproar if I let on what I really don’t like, but all I’ll say is certain names are keeping me interested so shouts to them.
What do you make of the ‘scene’ at the moment? We are constantly being told that it’s in the healthiest state it’s been for a long time, but I’m guessing you disagree?
I am getting frustrated with Drum and Bass as the vision for good music is not even narrow, it’s almost non-existent, I may be wrong, but I don’t care I’ve been listening to this music for too long, and suddenly 2011 it’s like there is only one form of Drum and Bass, thank goodness for people who believe in being creative like MJAZZ. I don’t totally disagree however, there are loads of good producers, but in all honestly I should be ignorant and worry about myself (lol!) as I know what I want to hear when I play a tune; Solid bass and ultimate groove.
Anything else you want to get off your chest while we’re here?
I hope to see some more creative music coming back to Drum and Bass as it’s the only genre unique under the dance music umbrella.
Shouts....
Id like to big up each and everyone who has guided and supported me through the musical journey: Mum, Sister, Jah Butch (Mark), Nico, Ashley (brother from another mother), Slin & Siege Crew, STM & Espirit, Chris Inperspective, Tony Justice & Scott Metro, DJ Spindall (long time friend!) Lady Flava, Terra, DJ Smitty, DJ E, DJ Shine, Morphy, Raiden, Bailey, Kjell, Brother, Stunna, Sol.ID, Sinistarr, Mr Joseph, Digz, Fekt, Onyx, J Robinson, Keidi, Broken Fingaz, Inztance, Slavin, Pessimist and Gremlinz. Anyone else I forgot to mention, much love to all.
DiamonD EyE - Moments In Life is out now on Modern Urban Jazz. I urge you in the strongest possible terms go and buy it. I'd forgive you thinking that I was a little biased given all the praise I've chucked D.E's way over the years but really, this aint no bullshit, just fucking good music. Worth a tenner of anyone's money without a doubt.
Diamond EyE- Moments in life LP (preview clips) **CD OUT TODAY 4TH JULY** by modernurbanjazz
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