Category: Interviews


Shock it Out!

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November 14, 2011

Our resident blogger KidChameleon caught up with one of the newest members of the Wicky Lindows & 720 Bass family.  Up and coming russian filth magnet Tim Ismag.  Part of a wealth of new talent to emerge from the east. If you like Tim’s work don’t forget to check out Wicky Lindows newest signing: Place 2b & 2sides with their awesome Rage EP

 

1. Hi Tim, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. For those that don’t know you can you tell us a bit about yourself as a DJ / Producer?

Hi ! Thanks for this opportunity ! Greetings dear readers ! Just a few words about myself. My music career started at 2005. I have jammed in different bands, playing drums, after a while I was invited to work in local Jazz Band . Everything was nice except one thing. We could not record drums qualitatively . On this evidence i decided to try to make some loops on my PC. Studying music theory, i noticed that making loops is not enough for me. The first track was recorded along with this understanding . Stylistically it sounded like brrrrr and zzzzz but it pushed me to search for new musical genres. That’s how I met Techno, IDM, Industrial and so on . I practiced making music till 2009. My first release came out that year; it did not have much support, but everything changed when I tried to make some dubstep. Jakes have asked to play one of the first tracks, then i got support from Nicon, Reid Speed and many others. And here i am on Wicky Lindows !

2. Your new and first release on Wicky Lindows is something of a monster. What process do you use when writing, Do you start with a beat and go from there?

I make beats and patterns every day, but when i start a track, i use only my imagination. So it can start with any kind of sound.

3. What is your favorite bit of studio equipment/software at the moment?

I install FL Studio and Massive on my PC while ago and i am still happy with it.

4. What’s the dubstep scene like in Russia at the moment?

It likes everything begins with dubstep but not seems it will grow up everywhere, cos Russia is huge. We have big party’s mostly in capital, however our country is full of talented producers such as Ibenji, Saint Rider, DaVIP.

5.Who are your top 5 producers at the moment

There are so many of them ! in these latter days i am listening :

Excision
Skrillex
Eddie K
Nero
Koan Sound

except for those Russians whom I mentioned 
6. Top 10 tunes of 2011?

Excision & Messinian – X Rated
Skrillex – Right Here
Kano – Spaceship (Trolley Snatcha Remix)
Ed Sheeran – The A Team (Koan Sound Remix)
Nero – New Life

7. Can you tell us a bit about the mix you have put together for us?

I put my new stuff on it including tunes from Shock out EP that released on Wicky Lindows and forthcoming tracks on Play Me . Also i have several bangers from Playma, Torqux, DaVIP, Zanetic and Addergebroed. Mix sounds different cos diversity is my credo, so i am sure many people will found something interesting there for themselfs !

http://timismag.promodj.ru/promos/2727940/Badadabass_Vol_2_Mixed_By_Tim_Ismag.html

Track List :

01 Zanetic – Destiny [Forthcoming Hypnosis Recordings]
02 Tim Ismag – X Men [Dub]
03 Tim Ismag – Go Go ! [Wicky Lindows]
04 Tim Ismag – The Rock [Forthcoming Play Me]
05 Obscenity & 1point5 – Hexanite (Tim Ismag Remix) [Forthcoming Betamorph]
06 Emeli Sande – Heaven (PYRAMID Re-Fix) [FREE]
07 Playma – We Can Live Forever (feat. MC Kyla) [Forthcoming Audioporn]
08 Zanetic – Space Gas [Forthcoming Hypnosis Recordings]
09 Tim Ismag&Ibenji – Choose Your Destiny [Wicky Lindows]
10 Addergebroed – Zodiac [Forthcoming Tsunami Audio]
11 Tim Ismag – Mr.Big [Forthcoming Play Me]
12 Zomboy – Organ Donor [Never Say Die]
13 Zanetic – Get Up [Forthcoming Hypnosis Recordings]
14 DKS – Illusion (Tim Ismag Remix)
15 Vent – Knock You Down Ft. Belle Humbl
16 Tim Ismag&Perfecta – The Matrix [FREE]
17 Torqux&Twist – H.E.L.L. [U&A Recordings]
18 Tim Ismag – Shock Out [Wicky Lindows]
19 Tim Ismag Ft. Astronaut – Feel Me (Vocal Version) [Forthcoming Screwloose]
20 Davip – Crash! [Forthcoming Hardcore Beats]

 

Keep it Wicky!

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Do Robots Dream of Breakbeat?

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July 12, 2011

In the next of our series of interviews KidChameleon talks to future perfects latest signings Leuce Rhythms also known as Dan and Rich.  Bringing their trade mark robotic futuristic breakbeat sound its fair to say we are pretty excited about this release which is already climbing high in the Beatport top 100!!

 

 

 

 

1.     Hi thanks for taking the the time to do this interview for us, firstly welcome to the 720 bass family.  Can you give the masses a brief history of Leuce Rhythms.

 

Thank you, it feels good to be here! Leuce Rhythms began in 2003 after we both met, whilst studying music at university. At the time, we were heavily into the dance music scene in Sheffield and we both decided to invest in some decks. It wasn’t until we both graduated that we started to take the music seriously and began producing as well as performing. We got into Breaks from going to parties, plus, we really enjoy spinning and mixing more complex beats and heavy bass lines. Our first release was ‘Rubber Tongue’ on Royal One Records back in 2009 and since then we have worked with labels such as Re:Connect Records, Scarcity Records, Dusted Breaks & Dirty Drop Records to name a few.

2. Can you tell us about some of your influences/idols past or present that influence your music.

 

This is a tricky question as with anyone who is truly passionate about music; the influences are varied & eclectic. It started with a love of Hardcore in the early ’90s (which can explain our constant need for a broken beat) When we first started DJing, we were out every weekend, clubbing, taking part in the Trance and Hard Dance scene so I think this will always have a big influence on our music. Due to our background in studying music; our influences span across all genres of music, from Pink Floyd to Aphex Twin ,The Doors & The Prodigy. Focusing on Breakbeat; in the last few years we have really admired and been influenced but artists such as Aquasky, Hedflux, BSD, Ctrl-Z, Far Too Loud and 4Kuba to name a few.
3.  the new release has a very futuristic robo sound with lots of wobbles and squelches.  whats the concept or idea behind this release?

 

The concept with this release was creating the compulsion to dance. Pure O, the title, is named after Pure Obsessional Compulsive Dissorder, a type of OCD (if you listen to the lyrics, they repeat “Control”), it’s a bit artistic, we know but writing to a concept is an awesome way to develop a track. The main remit was to create a big track which would literally make people compelled to dance. We always encompass making music to make you move but with Pure O we wanted to add an big Electro sound to it which was driven by the beat as well as embedding a dirty bass line and riff.

4. what’s the favorite bit of software/hardware floating around the studio at the moment?

 

The Virus TI plays a big part in the music we produce, we tend to use a lot of soft synths in production and really like the NI Komplete package. We both use Cubase in our setup as a DAW.

5. Any tips for young budding producers?

 

Listen to the music, at home, at work, on the bus – everywhere you go. We think it is so important to actually dissect tracks and listen to textures and layers present, this will make you understand how to piece together tracks. The main advice we can give is KEEP GOING!!! You need to put in the hours to get the result & gain the skills you need to get your productions out there. Our final advice is get good quality samples and sounds e.g. for your drums (remember, you can’t polish a turd).
6.  I hate to raise this question as it is dangerous territory, As producer do you feel breakbeat still has a place in today’s music scene, or should it just be merged into the bass genres its surrounding?

 

This argument is always raised with people in and out of the scene but we really think it has an important part to play amongst the many genres and sub genres on offer these days. We often hear from and see people dancing out to our music and not realizing its Breakbeat but still having the time of their lives. Until you add a label to the music then this changes people’s opinions. A lot of music has big Breakbeat influences (we mean, it can only be a broken beat or 4 to the floor!) and not enough credit has been given to the scene. The emerging Psy-Breaks seems to be a big sound at the moment with a lot of nights putting on Breaks Djs which is great to see.

7. what have you got planned for the next 12 months release wise, any big remixes or releases on the cards?

 

We are looking forward to continuing working closely with 720 Bass and Future Perfect over the coming months (watch this space!) and also have more releases with Scarcity Records and Dusted Breaks on the horizon.

8. what were your favorite tunes of 2010

 

2010:

Hedflux – Mindcell

Slyde – Move Your body

BSD – Get Hype On This

Noisia – Split The Atom

2011:

Rebel Sketchy – The Ride

Dopamine, Meat Katie – Nectar (Boonos Remix)

Ways & Means – Sativa Sister
9. which producers will you be looking out/supporting for over the coming 12 months?

Rebel Sketchy has been a close friend of ours for some time and has recently released some top tracks which we are supporting. The same goes for Kouncil House & Re:funk (aka Jay Stewart) who have also supported us through our career.

The leuce boys have kindly given us a free mix exclusive to 720 Bass! you wont find this anywhere else!!!

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Spanish Bass Cannons

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June 22, 2011

Bringing a freighter full of bass and an airliner of beats dub elements are really making music move! catching up with them shortly after their new release dropped on hardcore beats, kidchameleon gets the lowdown on the two Spanish bass cannons.

 

 

1. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. For those who don’t know you can you give us a bit of histroy about dub elements?

We just are two guys from seville who loved bass music.  After playing some parties in seville we decided to start a project together as we had similar tastes in  music.

2. This new release is your first for the label how does it feel to be the one of the original hardcore breaks labels, have you been a fan of hardcore beats since the early days?

Sure thing, we both loved the releases at the beginning of hardcore beats, and the new ones too of course,
Most of the young people in the south of spain listen to breakbeats, so we grow up influenced by this label and many of its artists.

3. your sound seems firmly embedded the point where breaks meets dubstep, how have you come to this point, do you think that this has been a natural evolution for breaks in the past 3 years?

well, honestly i think our sound is close to all bass music , not just dubstep, we love dubstep, but we play and produce music with energetic basslines,  since we started, some years before we even heard about dubstep.

With regards to the discussion about dubstep and breaks, i think if u mix any music elements in the proper way u can get a good result, it really doesnt matter if its breaks with dubstep, dnb with metal, or hardcore with techno, we hate the labeling of our music, as it is our sound.

4. what is your favorite bit of software/hardware at the moment?

Probably “the mouth” for reaktor, its pretty funny and you can get some crazy noises out of it.

5.what’s the breakbeat scene like in spain at the moment, from the outside it and russia seem like the bastion of breaks?

it’s still as big now, as it was in the beginning, but in these days of economical crisis the guys haven’t got so much money to spend in parties, so in some parties the promoter cant get enough money to pay all the expenses, which is not the best.

6. what were your top tracks of 2010?

Dub Elements – Popim
The Bloodie Betroots & Steve Aoki – Warp
Skrillex ft Bare Noize & Foreig Beggars – Scatta

7. what producers will you be supporting in 2011/12

Davip, eshericks, neonlight, gancher & ruin, panacea, counterstrike, limewax, Erre, Alexander head, hardlogik, infamous… and the list continues

8. what does 2011/12 hold for dub Elements?

Well, our album debut on Prspct with 10 tracks, mainly D&B but with some tune of slower bpms ;) And we are also working to launch our own mutlistyle label where will release D&B, Breaks, Dub Step from us and remixes from friends.

will we be seeing you guys playing any gigs in the uk anytime soon?

Atm we haven’t any gig there in the schedule, but we would love … and we are sure that will happen soon.

 

KidC

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The Acid Test, The Return of Afghan Headspin

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February 8, 2011

KidChameleon kicks off a new series of interviews with the hot new releases for 2011.  First up we delv back into the past to bring forward the future!  KC spoke to Jason Bull also know as the brain of Afghan Headspin & 1/4 of Pixel Fist.  He talks the past, present and what the future will bring.  Plus his new release on Hardcore Beats, Acid Signal.

KC:  So For those who have had their head under a steam roller for the past decade can you tell us a little bit about how and where afghan headpsin came from?

AH: Afghan Headspin came about late 2005, early 2006 simply as a change of direction in music styles from what myself “Mackie” and “Wrisk” were doing. We were heavily into the dnb scene, and had previously been working on solo material and also Resonant Evil material, and we just flipped the coin and started doing breakbeat. Resonant Evil was made up of three, myself, Wrisk & Audio. Gareth (Audio) carried on with the drum and bass as a solo project, and is currently releasing material on Virus.

KC: You have a very unique sound, to say its warped is probably putting it lightly! What process do you go through when making a track, big synths first or a catchy drum rhythm?

AH: 9 times out of ten its the beats, then the bass, then the rest…

KC:  Tearout became a bit of dirty word it seems for the most. Where woud you place AH these days, do you feel like you are still heading in the direction you originally set out from?

AH: Afghan Headspin has always been about Bass, dark and twisted, tough beats, non cheesy lead lines, just heads down filthy bangers. That will always be a constant. The music is always evolving, especially recently with the break up of the hardware studio and the move over to a purely software studio, the sound has changed, but the elements have stayed the same. Afghan Headspin is the genre, trying to forge a unique sound for the dancefloor. I’m a Basshead, always have been, always will be.

KC:  How does it feel to be finally getting a tune out on Hardcore Beats, some would consider to be the godfather & mecca of hardcore breaks?

AH: There’s no denying Hardcore Beats was one of the first labels that caught our ears, i’ve supported many of their releases over the years. I don’t think our sound really suited them for a long time, but Acid Signal caught Ollie’s attention after Shut Up & Dance dropped and early early version at a private party. Maybe its no coincedence that Acid Signal is also one of the first tracks to come out of the software only studio set up?

KC: Your new track acid signal, is a full on 90s track with big stomping rave beats and rather more “straight forward” driving hooks and riffs. Do you think its good that dance music devolved somewhat back to its embryonic form? where do you think it will be heading next?

AH: Alot of producers these days spend alot of time making tracks, and with those tracks being so disposable, it always feels like you constantly need to come with the next piece. Getting inspiration from the whole spectrum of music past and present goes hand in hand with trying to do something different from your last track, and you can see trends within trends coming and going all the time. Where its going to next, who knows? Personally i am trying to take the Afghan sound to a more steppy, driving, filthy sound that encompasses Breakbeat, Dubstep and Electro, but serves it up for the crowd who like it hard and heavy, in our own unique way.

soundcloud link to Acid Signal

KC:  There are some mega remixes coming on this package, Do you have a favorite yet?

AH: The great thing about each remix is they all take the track to a different place. Out of them all i’ve played the Mindflow remix out the most, but thats not to take away from Cut La Roc’s or DaVIP’s, they are all killer. This is definately the biggest Afghan Headspin release to date in my humble opinion, I guess we’ll see!

KC: You have branched off into making dubstep as pixel fist with some new friends, does this mean afghan headspin is drawing a line in the sand and moving on to pastures new?

AH: Pixel Fist is four of us, Myself, Audio, Lorne and Stapleton MC. It’s as much as a social gathering in the studio as it is a musical project. Its a real melting pot, and its picked up pace alot quicker than we imagined. Its rooted firmly in the dubstep arena, and i can’t see it loosing momentum anytime soon.

Afghan Headspin is only just starting to find its feet in my World too, with the birth of my first son late 2009, everything became a little more focused, including my music, i just want to move forward and take the sound to as wide an audience as possible.

KC:  I have seen that you have a new album droppin soon aswell! This will be your second album, after the sucess of the Blimey Ladder. I this just a greatest hits album or an we expect something a little different?

AH: The album, “The Story So Far” forthcoming on Rocstar is the last 5 years, from beginning to present, it includes material from the first album, alot of the stand alone singles, new exclusive unreleased material, and some special remixes done purely for the album, all remastered and ready to rip it in 2011!

So yes, its a greatest hits in one sense, but its also a point in time, that I wanted to mark for Afghan Headspin. As many people know Colin (Wrisk), has moved on from music, to concentrate on his new career becoming an electrician. So as i mentioned earlier, the move from a hardware studio to digital studio came about because of this. Audio (Virus) is now involved with the engineering side of Afghan Headspin, albeit a silent studio partner, its still a hugely influencial one, that you’ll hear in material released after this album.

Afghan Headspin is now moving into its next phase so to speak, and this album draws that line, and also acts as a springboard to bigger and better things.

KC:  Who is your hot tip for 2011/12?

AH: I think the Freerange DJ’s will go from strength to strength, and so will Zimo, Davip and Mindflow. Look em up on Google if you don’t already know!

KC: Any other secrets you can reveal about up and coming afghan headspin treats?

AH: Afghan Headspin has just signed to SKINT, home to Fatboy Slim ect. This is a massive move that has already resulted in a remix of Fatboy Slim & Herve’s “Machines Can Do The Work”, forthcoming in April 2011. Also there’s a single forthcoming feat MC Coppa “Going Down” backed up by “Ruffnek”.   There’s loads more going on, but that’ll unfold through the year, best place to catch clips of the forthcoming material is on our Soundcloud page:

http://www.soundcloud.com/afghan-headspin

For DJ bookings http://www.rocstar.co.uk/agency/

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Racking up the Old Skool

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October 1, 2010

In the first of series of new blogs KidChameleon will be interviewing some of key the 720 Bass family, first up is new boy and fast rising star of the underground Rack n Ruin who also goes by the name Matt Scott when not destroying dance floors across the world!

KC: Hi Matt thanks for taking some time to chat to us, Can you give those who don’t know a taste of where you came from and what influences you.

R&R: I come from quite a broad musical background, but DJ-wise – I started mixing Jungle & DnB when I was about 14. I then started producing DnB when I was 16 and got into other sounds as the years went by! All music I love influences me, from jungle to jazz, from reggae to punk.

KC: Your sound has developed from quite and electronic house sound to a more organic breaky jungle sound, what bought about this change?

R&R: To be honest I don’t really know – I’m still doing the more housey sound, but what some of the dubstep producers were doing last year gave me inspiration to look back into using old breaks and samples from the ‘jungle era’ again. It’s a lot of fun using influences from my favourite dance music.

KC: You have been doing some out standing remix work for some fairly big names, do you think more bands will be looking to ravers scene to help increase their audiences?

R&R: I think so yeah. Pop music at the moment seems to be a cross of dance, rave and rap. Massive beats and basslines with poppy choruses and rapping seems to be the trend. And I think the majors are looking to use this formula in as many ways possible to make a record get as big as it can.

KC: The soundclash EP has been doing some serious damage to dancefloors everywhere,What was the inspiration behind it?

R&R: Soundclash EP came from an old school hardcore idea I had made and then played it to vocalist Jessie Ware whilst in the studio with her. We came up with the lyrics for the track and then made the follow up ‘Midnight Loving’ soon after. The other tracks with Janai & Illaman had already been done and it seemed like it fitted together nicely. I named it Soundclash because of the track but also because of the obvious diversity of the tracks in the package.

KC: Do you have an secret weapons that you like to use in the studio?

R&R: I like using all the regular soft synths and plug-ins of today, but at the moment I’m really into chopping up old samples and creating something really new sounding out of something old and even over-used. So Audio Editing is my secret weapon I guess!

KC: If you could collaborate with any producer from the past who would you choose?

R&R: Quincy Jones or Brian Eno

KC: Can you tell the readers a bit about your next release and any other exciting remixes in the pipeline?

R&R: The next release is a collaboration I have done with legendary MCs – Navigator & Slarta John (Bassment Jaxx). The track is called Territory and will be coming out on Black Butter Records with a load of remixes to cover all angles! I’ve got many more remixes and collaborations coming up including more work with “I Blame Coco” and other artists from Island Records.

Also I want to shout out to everyone who has supported and helped me over the past few years – My family, Session, Sumitra, Henry Village, ATG, Klose One, Ollywood, Solarity, Dash….

CHEERS!

Matt has kindly given us a mix for you all to download and enjoy (link below)

Free Rack n Ruin Mix

Check out his soundcloud page/Myspace and join the facebook fan page!
Soundcloud

Rack n Ruin Myspace

Facebook Fan Page

Next time I will be interviewing the legendary Vent!

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Interview: The Magnet Men

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March 16, 2010

Check out this new interview with Ned from the Magnet Men, published by Reading-based Breaks night THUMP, in the run up to their event on Friday…

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Interview: George Lenton

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February 1, 2010

We catch up with one of Dubstep’s rising superstars – George Lenton!

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An interview with VENT

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October 13, 2009

We chat to one of the most exciting partnerships on the Electronic Music scene at the moment – the mighty VENT! Responsible for dancefloor destroyers such as ‘Encoded’, ‘Go Gorrila’ and ‘Garms’, the VENT boys have been causing major waves over the past few years and are in the middle of releasing a 4-part release through Hardcore Beats, entitled Deviant Creatures.

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