Not much chit-chat needed. Wrapping up 2011 on 10th of December this year. A night out where we intend to play whatever it is we played most out there for the past 12 months or so. And also where we would like to see most of you fellas following our activity online.
Same old venue: BASE Cafe(Str. Sepcari 22, centrul istoric). We're starting at 22 sharp and since it's a one-off, there will be no admission fee.
Spinning:
✦ BLACKTEE ✦ (Hsuan Records, No Stranger To Danger)
Any sound produced by the means of an electrical signal may reasonably be called electronic and we've always heard criticism leveled at electronic music that goes something like: "But is it "real music" or something inauthentic and artificial? You're just pressing some buttons man, that's not music!".
I disagree with this criticism on a fundamentally philosophic level - Music is not just a series of sounds, it is a series of feelings. And it might be kind of difficult to express your feelings, making or listening to electronic music. But it seems that one of the hottest up and coming London-based producers - Gongon - can handle that little problem.
Rapidly building a name for himself as a unique figure in an overcrowded pool of producer talent, Gongon comes to Well Rounded Records with a forthcoming brilliant EP set to be released in early / mid-December.
Well Rounded Records is, as you already know, a label based in Brighton, UK, which is run by DJ, producer and passionate music head Donga, a specialist in pushing new vibes of UK House / UK Garage. Talking about fresh vibes, Gongon's forthcoming EP will be a nice surprise for everyone.
Connoisseurs of the uplifting, piano-House vibe - this one’s for you. „Come Around" slowly builds around stabs of percussion, kicks & snares and choppy synths that sound anything but static. These are anchored by a particularly sticky bassline that reminds us of the sound that Well Rounded has become known for. What really makes this track though is Gongon’s unbelievable skill at chopping up vocals, ensuring this tune will not leave your ears for a long, long time. In other words, this is amazing!
Gongon & Bad Autopsy go tropical on „Cactus Banger” approaching Kwaito riddims and Soca-ish percussive artwork from a whole different perspective. Spaced out, broken drum patterns, half-rolling „four to the floor” basslines and a catchy theme make for a straight-forward club attraction very much in tone with any „breaking news” experiment going down in the UK Funky sphere at the moment. Something that would get a couple of rewinds anytime.
My personal favourite still remains „I Could Be There" which is the most catchy thing I’ve heard since Mosca's „Done Me Wrong". Even though it has a sample from Ciara’s „Like A Boy”, somehow Gongon made a fantastic vocal line which glides smoothly over light percussion and deep bass stabs. This is a warm and bouncy track that has a real potential to get dancefloors moving.
It is notable how successful he is in combining the warm tones of House beats with the woozy synths and choppy samples of today’s Bass scene. This is that Future-Garage music both for the head and the heart; for the floor and the headphones. I guess it's a stellar debut and also it’s an essential release for any DJs looking for something fresh.
Follow Gongon’s production work here: SoundCloud and grab one of his latest tracks, for free, via Boiler Room.
We had our first encounter with Dan Bazix’s take on House and Techno music a couple of years back. It was in a small club in Bucharest, alongside Cosmin TRG, Seb and his long-term mate – Addo. At the time we were quite mindblown by the fact that he was one of the few DJs around that came from a Drum&Bass background and managed to transpose the influences and energy drawn from 170+ bpm music into sounds at a significantly reduced tempo.
We thought – for one of the last two podcasts of this year – it would be a good idea to recreate the soundscape of what proved to be one of the best nights out we ever had, and showcase Dan Bazix’s take on the same genres at another specific point in his evolution as a DJ, regardless of his still-ongoing activity in the Drum&Bass sphere.
Something a bit different (or not really) from himself – curating takes from the geniuses of Maceo Plex, Crazy P, Maya Jane Coles or Waifs & Strays, to name just a few. It should get everyone with a functional pair of ears and a soul, groovin’ out there.
Tracklist:
01. Oni Ayhun - OAR001-A [OAR] 02. Audiofly - Sunrise BCN [All Day I Dream] 03. Love Girls - Black Sand (Original Mix) [Little Mountain] 04. Maceo Plex - Your Style (Maceo Plex Re-Visit) [Crosstown Rebels] 05. Dekay feat. Nunu - Farewell To Planet Earth [Dirt Crew] 06. Elon feat. Maceo Plex - Floating Faces [ReSolute] 07. Marquez Ill & Leigh Myles - Control [Voltage Music] 08. Maya Jane Coles - Perfect Imperfections [Mobilee] 09. Rodriguez Jr. - Bittersweet [Mobilee] 10. Johnwaynes - The Yeah Yeah (Original Mix) [Cecille] 11. Waifs & Strays - Be Patient [Futureboogie] 12. Teva - I Wanna Be (Original Mix) [Off] 13. Nick Curly - Green Baize [Cocoon] 14. Bicks - Mint (Extended Version) [N/A] 15. Terence (Terry) - Time Doesn't Count (Shaun Reeves & Tale Of Us Remix) [Lowpitch] 16. Schatrax - Restless Nights [Schatrax] 17. Midland - Through Motion [Aus Music] 18. Fink - Move On Me (Marcus Worgull Edit) [Philomena] 19. Greg Paulus - Nightime (Crazy P Remix) [Wolf+Lamb Music]
BASICS:First of all, I’ve come to learn it’s quite hard to find much about Dan Bazix on the internet or wherever else. You don’t really talk about yourself too much and that makes me think there might be people out there not knowing some crucial facts from your yet-unwritten biography. Tell us who Dan Bazix is, as succint as possible.
Dan Bazix: Uh, well, I never tried to promote myself too much. Maybe this is the reason why one cannot find too much information about the so-called “Dan Bazix”. Well, the nickname comes from an early Downtempo / Hip-Hop project that I started at the end of the 90s. I was caught by the vibe of electronic music in 2001, I believe, when I first played in a small club in Tg. Mures (my hometown). To give you a hint of what I was playing back then, see one of my favourite tunes at that moment - Soul Providers feat. Michelle Shellers - Rise (M.A.S. Collective Remix). In the meanwhile I found joy in some higher tempos, listening to Calibre & Marky. Then, soon, came a first 12” order to redeyerecords.co.uk. Bought two belt-drive turntables and did the first mix. First records order consisted of four items, two of them were Marky & Stamina on V, Dillinja on TOV. Nowadays I’m going back to “my roots” playing in the “360 philosophy” – no matter the tempo if the vibe is the same. I think this gives a clue about who I am and what brought me here.
B:So...do you remember the night we’ve just mentioned? Cause we’re talking full-on bullshit in the description above. We actually can’t remember much. Refresh our memory please.
D.B.: At that moment, me and Addo, started a new project. Both playing Drum&Bass for a long time, we thought about trying to go in another direction. We did a mix with some tunes around 135 bpm and we received quite good feedback. The Infamous boys (i.e. Seb & TRG), at that moment, invited us to a small club event, somewhere around the old city centre of Bucharest (n.r. The OtherSide). Well, I cannot remember too many things, we had a few drinks, so… You know, that a “DJ” has good days and bad days. That was one of the best, let’s say. I remember that the feedback was good, and even if there were not too many people, they stayed up late. I think we managed to create a cozy, warm, friendly and fuzzy atmosphere.
B:Ok...it’s been quite a while since then and, in the meantime, you’ve been insanely busy in almost every single way there is. What keeps you preoccupied and how does it reflect in your music?
D.B.: Pff, once you grow up, priorities change. And unfortunately the word “job” comes in front of “hobby”. I must say that music was always connected with the second one, never took it really seriously. Well, besides being DJ I’m now a teaching assistant at TUC-N, working as a freelancer in structural design and recently received my PhD (doctorate) in Civil Engineering (which I’m quite proud of). I think this excuses my very sporadic presence on the DJ scene. To equilibrate, I focused a little bit on producing. I am running the “Dan Bazix” project and started a new one - called “Bicks”. I know, tunes that I produced by now sound a little bit rusty. I haven’t found the patience to stay one full day on a tune to finish it, yet. Even If I was a perfectionist before starting my doctorate studies, now after graduating, is even worse. And, unfortunately, this reflects in my DJ-ing & producing activity.
B:There are two areas of sound you feel most at home with as a DJ. There’s Drum&Bass and there’s House music. What’s more likely you’d spin nowadays and why?
D.B: After a few years of DJ-ing, the genre that one plays is probably just a façade for continuing what one has started a long time ago. I am sure that many of the DJs that are well known would try playing some other genres but they are limited because of their already-chosen path. Well, probably just Laurent Garnier has the balls to switch from Deep House to Drum&Bass in the same set. In my case, as a (hobby) DJ, I will continue to play Drum&Bass because I spent many years and it would not be fair to totally lose the connection. Fortunately, in the last month I had two Drum&Bass gigs which went very well. This gave me the strength and energy to continue with 170+ tempos.
On the other side, I will play House, but I think I will use the other nickname, so people can know what to expect. Let’s see what the feedback for this mix will be.
B:There seems to be common ground between your Drum&Bass and House selections. It’s quite obvious you’re looking for the same elements and reactions in both these genres. What’s that something you always hope to find in a track when you’re digging for fresh music, regardless of its tempo? And more important, how often do you manage to find it?
D.B.: I was always driven by positive, warm and cosy vibes. I like my sets to have, not only funk, soul and the proper amount of deepness, but “a little rate of hooliganism” as well. I think I am looking for the same receipt in both genres. Unfortunately, Drum&Bass (and Dubstep), at a large scale, lost a little bit of this vibe, so maybe this is the explanation for why I changed “roads”.
Fortunately, I cannot forget old habits and I am checking online record stores almost on a weekly basis, to see what fresh beats have been released. Of course, as many, I am listening to mixes of the artists that influence me.
B: Personal favourites at the moment? Drum&Bass tracks and their correspondents in House music or vice-versa.
D.B.: Oh, that’s quite hard, to find a connection. Let’s see!
170+ DBridge – Since We’ve Been Apart [Shogun] 120+ Daniel Bortz – Boyz 2 Men [Suol] ___
170+ Lenzman – Broken Dreams [MDZ] 120+ Mano Le Tough – Baby Let’s Love (Midland Remix) [Dirt Crew] ___
170+ Marcus Intalex – Stark [Dispatch] 120+ Todd Terje – Ragysh [Running Back] ___
170+ LSB – Beep [Demand] 120+ Pan-Pot – Captain My Captain (Rodriguez Jr. Remix) [Mobilee] ___
170+ Foreign Concept & Kasra – Show You [Critical] 120+ Jichael Mackson – Gti (Zimbabwe Mix) [Stock 5]
B:Let’s focus on Bicks for a moment here. It’s something new both for yourself and for us. Give us the proper insight.
D.B.: I think Bicks would be Dan Bazix at 110-130 bpm; mainly, at a producing level. I have noticed, it comes much easier for me to put the ideas together at lower bpms. One of the tunes, “Mint”, is on this mix. Thanks to Sergiu Nadasan who actually made an extended / DJ-friendly version of the tune (as I told you before, cannot find the patience to finish tunes). You can take a look on soundcloud.com/danbicks to draw a conclusion – “A tune is worth a thousand words”.
B:I’m sure some releases are foreseeable in the future. Did you come to think about what labels might act as the perfect hosts for your productions? Who would you send a demo out to and why?
D.B.: Firstly, I have to finish some of my 80 sketches that I have started. Secondly, the tunes have to sound perfect. Just, then, we can speak about releases and labels. Anyhow, few of my favourite labels are Exit, Soul:R, Metalheadz (on 170+) and Mobilee, 8-bit and maybe Crosstown Rebels (on 120+). Probably Exit & Mobilee are two of the big labels that I dream to reach. But the road is veeeery long…
B:How’s the future gonna split between Dan Bazix and Bicks? Any specific developments planned for these two characters?
D.B.: Regarding the producing part, I can say that always depends on the mood, what I have seen in the last days, where I have partied last night; just leaving my soul & mind to choose the path. It is true most of the tunes that I have started in the past three months are 120+, but I will go back to the 170+ soon.
When it comes to the DJ-ing part, well, I will go wherever I am called. I love to play both as much the same way. I like playing Calibre to kids that expect Kill the Noise aka Pendulum and as well to play Deep House to musically “untrained” spontaneous crowd in cafés or small clubs.
B:Share some thoughts on the mixtape you just recorded for us, please.
D.B.: I have selected a series of vibes put together in a positive mix, that hopefully will be appreciated by listeners. I know that I have changed the tracklist entirely for at least 3-4 times. At the end resulted what you have heard. Don’t know if the tunes are fresh or popular, I tried to create a story “readable” by anyone, as I always tried with the any of the mixes done. I have a theory that a mix has to follow a Gaussian trendline, but this is a discussion that has to take part after a couple of beers… haha. Hope you, all, enjoy it.
B:Something you’re most looking forward to in the near future?
D.B.: Concisely: a trip back to Barcelona, where I’ve lived for almost one year. Stamina was right when he said: “all I wanna do is go back, back, back” (i.e Marky & Stamina – Barcelona). Luckily I will catch James Blake, Jamie XX & Jamie Woon in a live concert. Since winter is here: snow, snowboard, Christmas, gigs and all things related with this period of time (as they say: “the small things that bring joy”).
Professionally speaking, hopefully, I will get funding for an 18 months post-doc scholarship in Switzerland.
As for the rest, “go with the flow”.
B: Thanks for taking some of your time to do this. It’s brilliant that we get to share your first mix after a long waiting period. Cheers for that and best thoughts from our corner!
D.B.: Thanks for asking me to record this mix. If it weren’t for you, probably 2011 would have quite dry from the mixes perspective. I never was a good friend to recording mixes and doing them up to the deadlines. Hope you all enjoy it! Peace and #occupyeverything!
As for the next step, keep in touch with Dan's works as Bazix - SoundCloud and Bicks - SoundCloud and keep an eye out there for him on your local Drum&Bass rave or House jam line-up.
Acting a bit obvious this time as we're throwing the brand new "revival" of Lobster Boy into the spotlight; to be more precise, the first release for Redlight's label since 2009.
We've been going on and on about these tunes for quite some time now and we're more than excited to see Off The Traxx and Conqueror finally out there, hitting the shelves, after getting a decent number of months' worth of heavy rotation from the likes of Loefah, Oneman, Pearson Sound, Gilles Peterson, Addison Groove, Boddika, Jackmaster or Moxie, to name just a few of the ones who played it before anyone else. But leaving all the hype and PR work aside, truth is this release is one of the few to actually try and restore a lost standard for dance music in a sort-of pretentious era. Warehouse rave feel and chills down the spine included.
So, one record, two sides, each acting as a debut for two brand new monikers from Mensah & Redlight - New York Transit Authority, respectively Conqueror; guises they probably came up with while having a quiet cup of tea, dusting their old 808s.
Off The Traxx finds Mensah obsessing over the New York City Subway network and cross-referencing it with the US House giant while connecting one of the biggest 808 riddims of this year with a catchy vocal sample and laying it all on a spacious broken Techno-ish 125 bpm structure. Give this one a room with a properly rigged soundsystem and it will fucking demolish it! No doubt there. Full on "back-to-the-roots" take on drum-machine usage that seems to be backed by more reason than anything out there at the moment (including what Boddika and Bashmore are building).
The flipside finds Redlight on a "from bad to outstanding" roll. We have to be honest for a second here and admit we never were huge fans of his works as Redlight or Clipz. We always found his tracks somewhat "flashy" and pleasing for audiences we never really thought well of. Not anymore! Under his Conqueror quise he managed to finally make us come to terms with believing he is indeed a great producer. Rocking the same bpm area as Mensah on the flip, Conqueror aims for the same effect on the crowds but follows a slightly different recipe for building mental rave anthems, mainly focused on more echoed / filtered-out drum machine rolls and synthed stabs. And we think it works just fine!
Add everything up along with the fact that this comes only in the form of a limited 12" in a badass sleeve, with no digitals available and it should be enough for you to believe that it could very well become a future classic, getting plays all over the place, both now and in 5 to 10 years' time. Definitely not the tool to impress the girl standing by the bar, but it should transform everything around her in a fucking sweatbox. Tip!
Cop the vinyl via Redeye and all the other good record stores out there, but be quick! It will evaporate pretty soon! We warned you.
There’s a certain gentleman lurking around the local Techno scene, we’ve been taking interest in even before BASICS was born. He’s got quite the interesting performances list so far, alongside the likes of Jeff Mills, Miss Kittin, Chris Liebing, Pantha Du Prince, Lawrence, Alex Under or even the less-conventional Fantastic Mr. Fox & Svetlana Som Sistema and according to himself plays “music for the mind that lives in a dancing body”.
Alexandru Jijian is our 12th guest in the podcast series and believe us, there’s much to learn about what proper deep, dark & deadly 'floor music means from his set. Of course, we’ve also taken the liberty to ask him a couple of questions that aim to sort out some of his views for the wide audience.
Tracklist:
01. Basic Channel - Radiance II [Basic Channel] 02. Fatih Tuter - Untitled [Shoreless Recordings] 03. Guido Schneider - Moesko [Poker Flat] 04. Theorem vs. Swayzak - Devil Of Rotations [M_nus] 05. White Label - White Label [Promo] 06. White Label - White Label [Elektro Music Department] 07. Frozen Border - 4.01 [Frozen Border] 08. Horizontal Ground - Thirteen Step [Horizontal Ground] 09. Szare - Action Five [Idle Hands] 10. Sascha Rydell - SR2 [Fachwerk Records] 11. Traversable Wormhole - Superluminal (Sleeparchive Remix) [CLR] 12. Gonno - ACDise #2 (Skudge Feels It Version) [International Feel]
BASICS:First of all, where did you come from, musicwise? Your sets tend to leave an impression that there’s quite an interesting listener behind your DJ persona. Take us through your history a bit.
Alexandru Jijian: I think I’m a regular guy amongst my friends. I just have a taste for electronic music, I’ve always had. I can’t really say how much or what I’ve listened to in particular because I’ve always been open to hearing new sounds, you know, forever searching for something new and all that bla bla. What I can say is that I’m quite the geek when it comes to music history: I’ve been through most of what should be listened to at least once in a lifetime.
B:I know there is a number of specific sounds you like as a DJ, ranging from experimental bits to quite ambient-ish stuff to synth-driven weird-you-out and serious warehouse Techno. Which one of these are you most at home with?
A.J.: All of the above. The last couple of years I’ve been mainly into Techno but I guess that’s what I’ve always been into without really knowing it. (Autechre, Clark and all the other Warp Artists which I love).
I am, however, taking the liberty to underline a misconception which I don’t like: people or friends have a tendency to tag me with the Techno stamp and, although that’s what I’m most confortable with, I’ve always considered myself more of a Music Lover more than a Techno Head. This is why I will play House or what not if the time is right.
B:A bit of reflective talk. I’m curious about the philosophy behind your sets. Expecially now, at a time when the crowds seem to get moodier and harder to drag in and please each week. Who do you play for and why?
A.J.: I play for whoever comes to hear me play. I do it because I don’t feel at ease until I share the music I love with the other music lovers and party goers such as myself. I like longer sets with slow warm-ups. 3,4 hours up. Gives me the time to get to know the people in front of me better (and vice-versa, of course). To infinity and beyond!
B:I know you have quite an alternative vision on how a healty electronic music scene should look like. I won’t get into what’s good and what’s bad inside the current state of affairs but I’m quite interesed to see how this ideal of yours looks like. If you’re willing to share.
A.J.: I miss The Web Club very much. That’s all I have to say.
B:You’re an avid party-goer as well. You’ve always been. I’m curious, besides Techno and sounds you’re familiar with, what gets you dancing in a club?
A.J.: I’m actually a very big fan of Drum and Bass. I’ve been to Dub Mafia and LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad recently and had a BLAST! Really good, good times man!
B:Small club with an intimate vibe and a „close to the people” feel; warehouse, Funktion One and a massive 2000+ crowd going absolutely mental or studio / radio session for some hundred listeners? Which one suits you the best?
A.J.: The fun I had at the radio definitely has to happen again. I have to choose massive crowd going mental, who wouldn’t want that?
B:From the top of your head: best gig you’ve had so far and a fictional line-up you’d really love to be a part of?
A.J.: Best gigs actually: The Closing Set I did for Jeff Mills and Miss Kittin at Arenele Romane in 2010 / The 6 hours set I did in Raum (Cluj) at an afterhours in December 2010.
Best fictional line-up: Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin, Plastikman and in the morning a concert with Sebastien Tellier.
B:Are there any „most played tracks” for you this year? Fresh stuff you’ve really been vibing to? Both as a DJ and as a listener.
A.J.: I’ve played a lot the stuff from Horizontal Ground, Frozen Border, Stroboscopic Artefacts and Prologue. Vlad Caia and Cristi Cons have had a pretty good comeback (producing music wise). I love their stuff a lot!!!
B:A couple of words about the mixtape? What is it aiming for?
A.J.: I think it’s a really smooth mixtape going through what I like to listen to when it comes to experimental Techno.
B:As per usual, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you!
A.J.: Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!
Thus being said, get connected with Alexandru Jijian for your regular feed of proper beats via Facebook or SoundCloud.
We wrote something about Wbeeza's brilliant Void album a couple of months ago, being quite aware of the fact that, given his reputation as one of UK's most underrated House producers, he wasn't to set foot in a club round our corner of Europe that soon. Fortunately we were wrong. Again!
The veteran promoters at Tralala Events worked their magic and sorted out a live performance by this guy due next Friday, on 14th of October in their own Tralala Club on 43, Lipscani Street right in the historic centre of Bucharest. We're excited as fuck about it and you should act exactly the same. Given the amount of hype building up around this guy after his latest EPs, his strong performance at secretsundaze's birthday bash a couple of months ago - the one that got streamed by Boiler Room - and his Fabric debut at the request of Hessle Audio's Ben UFO, Pangaea and Pearson Sound earlier this summer, this has every chance of settling in as one of the finest events in Bucharest this autumn, we believe!
Oh yeah! And as much as we are not very keen on pushing our own buttons, a fact worth knowing is that we're showcasing BASICS in the warm-up slot through Toné, while Meewee - you've seen her a couple of times spinning at our own club nights as well - is taking care of what happens after Wbeeza wraps up his set.
If you didn't get the chance to go through it yet, here's WB's Boiler Room live set. Including tracks from his latest Bagwag EP and one certain cheeky as fuck Skee-Lo sample use!
With nothing else left to say, we simply URGE you to get downtown for this! Here's the Facebook event as well. RSVP!
We used to strongly believe that when it comes to new talents on the so-called UK Bass scene there aren’t that many people actually living outside of the UK worth taking into consideration.
Fortunately, in the past 12 months or so, there have been some names popping up all over Central & Eastern Europe that have shaken those beliefs and managed to make us look like fools. Don’t get us wrong, we’re glad that happened, and we’re absolutely thrilled that one of those guys comes right out of Bucharest. His name is Blacktee and you may have seen him being mentioned on Boomkat or XLR8R – just to mention a couple of trustworthy proper sound pushers – by now.
He’s got a couple of singles out already on Hsuan Records and the newly founded No Stranger To Danger Records, he is quite the badman selecta when it comes to DJ mixes and he’s agreed to sign our 9th podcast in the BASICS series and tell us something about himself, his background and his plans for the future.
Tracklist:
01. Raffertie - Mimetic [Ninja Tune] 02. Motor City Drum Ensemble - There's A Truth [Faces Records] 03. Kangding Ray - Coracoid Process [Rater-Noton] 04. Theo Parrish - Sky Walking [Peacefrog Records] 05. Roman Flugel - Bahia Blues Bootcamp [Dial] 06. Julio Bashmore - Ribble To Amazon [3024] 07. Deadboy - Wish U Were Here [Numbers] 08. SBTRKT - Look At Stars [Young Turks] 09. 2562 - Fever [When In Doubt] 10. SCB - Loss [Aus Music] 11. Spectr - Dance 4 Me [Roska Kicks & Snares] 12. Roska - Holograph [White] 13. Hanuman - Bola (Atki2 Remix) [Idle Hands] 14. Unknown (Main Mix) [N/A] 15. Blacktee - Software [Unreleased] 16. Ben Westbeech - Something For The Weekend (Breach Remix) [Strictly Rhythm] 17. Toddska - Cowboy [Girls Music] 18. Blacktee - Lunar Love [Unreleased]
BASICS:So, what about you? Presumably everyone who’s an addicted digger on the scene has some information about you and your sounds. The average listener might not know that much tho’. Some basics about yourself?
Blacktee: I’m a pale young man, that loves his mother’s cooking and is obsessed with a good bassline.
BS:Let’s talk about production a bit, cause obviously that’s mainly what you’ve been doing so far. The first thing I’m interested in is your influences and what got you into building beats.
BT: I started producing as a way to pass time, and slowly started to be something I can’t go without. I have a large variety of influences, but the main ones are Techno, 808, UK Funky and Jazz.
BS:The classic software / hardware talk. What and why and how do you cope with it?
BT: Software, I use Fruity Loops cuz it’s soothing to my tastes and easy to use, as for the hardware, anything goes as long as you do it properly.
BS:Taking what you’ve released so far into account, it’s easy to notice that UK Funky is one of the main attractions for you, but I feel that somehow there’s more to it than that. Your productions are not quite the classic approach for this style. I wouldn’t compare them with what people like Crazy Cousins, Paleface, MA1 and the lot are building. There’s more of an Ill Blu / Lil’ Silva feel there. Something like „ok, we’ve got the classic soca-ish drum patterns, let’s take it as far as we can into the limits of the genre”. That’s actually something easy to spot in Plasmid (as seen on XLR8R). How would you describe your sound? Is it something you plan ahead or?
BT: I don’t realy plan anything ahead, it just comes to me. I enjoy sitting alone in a room and trying to find sounds that have that jazzy, futuristic kind of vibe to them. My music gravitates around these types of sounds, which further become melted into a track.
BS:Also, you’ve been putting together different stuff lately. 128 bpm Techno bits. There are guys like MMM down at Hardwax thinking out of the box and blending UK Funky riddims with classic Techno elements, getting the bpm higher than the usual 125-126 zone. Is that what you have in mind as well for this switch?
BT: Actually it is, I’m trying out new waters, like Techno and Funky and I think they would go well together. I’ve tried to mix them up in my sets and they come along just fine. Maybe someday this could be a new genre, who knows.
BS:Sticking to your up to date releases. These are definitely a couple of singles that do not lack coherence. While No Stranger To Danger goes for the more agressive, dancefloor-ish Tek Yu Time and the „take it to the next level” Plasmid, Hsuan picked what tends to be more laidback, something you’d groove on both in the club and at home at 5 AM. How was the selection for these two labels made, considering the fact that you / they had and still have a large number of unreleased material to choose from?
BT: Well, Graeme from Hsuan contacted me some time ago via SoundCloud to release an EP - I didn’t really know much about the label back then - and told me he liked the tracks DunKno and Blazin Up, which had that kind of laidback vibe they where looking for. I then listened to the other releases from the label and they kind of matched my style a bit so that was that, we signed up and good things came from that. As for NSTD, it’s the kind of label who can bring you releases with both the clubnight banger vibes and the laidback kick your feet up kind of music.
BS:No Stranger To Danger. You have quite a special relationship with this brand new label on the scene and I’m gonna take advantage of that. Care to share more info or insights than what is already well known? Cause I’ve been checking out some of its connections, potential future releases and it kinda has what it takes to be out there with the good ones! Unless it’s classified information, I’m interested!
BT: Haha, yeah you caught me on that. The special relationship comes from the fact that NSTD belongs to my blud brother and mentor, who I dearly love and hate at the same time, but without him I wouldn’t be here doing this. So you guys should watch out for further releases cuz I had a sneak peak on the next one and all I have to say is „oh my days, keep your ears open!”.
BS:Unreleased stuff. You’ve been busy, there’s loads of it on your SoundCloud and I’ve been through it a lot before writing this set. I know Sweetin’ is getting a release soon on Future Electronic Music’s FEM Picks. Any other plans? I’d personally love to see Romantiques on a 12” along with Spatial Cohabitation. Those two would tell a story together. Also Concrete Jungle is something different and it’s worth checking out. How’s the future settling for you?
BT: I’m always making tunes, finding new ways to hurt my ears with bass music, but right now I’m waiting for that big break, that big record deal.
BS:I’ve been talking with lots and lots of people, both newcomers, veterans and label owners and most of them seemed to be complaining about how hard it is to put music out there and get it noticed nowadays. I wanna ask, do you share the same view? Is it actually that big of a problem or is it a matter of quality and that’s all there is to it? How hard was it for you, getting your first tracks released? This could very well act as a bit of advice for other young producers out there.
BT: I have to say, it’s pretty sh*t, spending hours and hours writing emails to DJs and record labels that don’t reply back, but you just have to keep sending them tunes over, you never know who’s gonna stumble upon your track.
BS:Besides studio work, you’ve been putting together mixes for quite some time as well. Both as promos or for radio shows. You tend to keep it in the 130 bpm / dancefloor lines (sort-of) with what you’re mixing. What’s your DJ-ing philosophy?
BT: I believe they should make you dance in your chair and bob your head, even if it’s home alone whilst your mom is watching and having a laugh or on the streets listening to your iPod.
BS:How about some artists / tunes you’re really into at the moment? Small list? As per usual, no genre borders, no age limit.
BT: The artist I’ve realy been into lately is Blacksmif, a fellow SoundClouder that is absolutely an amazing producer, Machinedrum, Boddika, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Scuba as for tunes, I’m really diggin’ Wiley – Link Up at the moment.
BS:Finally, tell us a couple of words about the mix you’ve just put together for us? Facts worth knowing.
BT: It’s a combination of Techno and UK Funky tracks that I’ve been into lately + some of my own productions.
BS:Thanks for your time mate and I wish you the best of luck, loads of time to spend on building stuff and keep the proper sounds view going! Cheers!
BT: Pleasure doing this. Big up all the BASICS lot! Cheers!
Thus being said, please get in touch with the latest news regarding Blacktee's sounds via his own SoundCloud account or his Facebook page and if you're round Bucharest this weekend catch him spin alongside Son Of Kick & Dubsidia @ Atelierul de Productie on Sat. 17th of September. Pay attention!
