My producer buddies are on their A game. Tonight it’s all about Artek and his “Out of Touch” EP via B.YRSLF division. You can pick up the title track via XLR8Rfor free and/or purchase this fine release throughJuno. Catch up with Artek below..
DDBack in December of last year I had you on Disco Droppings. In the interview you mentioned Hoodmode, who I was happy to feature recently. Thanks for the tip! Glad to have you back, what are you up to?
AYea still playing his tunes on the regular, still waiting on the new bits. Just trying to bang out loads of beats right now, got a few more projects in the works but can’t give any details as of yet.
DD Congratulations on the XLR8R feature last week, I remember posting “Out of Touch” last year, happy it’s getting some major support!
AYea probably is one of my strongest tracks to date. Happy that it’s been going down well, and that B.YRSLF went through the work to get it out there.
DD Your “Out of Touch” EP features 3 originals, 3 remixes + the bonus track “Zaalim”. This is some impressive music man! Where do you feel you’re at now as a producer?
AI’d say I’ve improved a fair bit from about a year ago. Since all the tracks are very different, it’s cool to show people I’m not hooked on one sound. Just trying to get more “music” out now rather than stuff made for the dance.
DD How has the Sub.Fm show been going? G. Davies, who does the show with you, mentioned he’ll be stepping out. Has this changed the direction of the show?
A We’ve always just played what each of us thinks is good in our own way, we have different tastes so it’ll just be like my section of the show…for the whole show. Quite a bit of good music coming out now and some from artists that have been in hibernation for a bit, which I’m excited to play.
DD Last words?
A Cop the EP so I can get some top notch flip flops for summer.
It’s time to feature Dreams, of the6bitcollective. His productions are warm and soooo smooth, it’s a pleasure to have him on Disco Droppings.We talk about his releases, being included on Rustie’s Essential Mix and such. I suggest you pick up the Flyte EP and Generation Y Not compilation, where Dreams has contributed some music.
DD Hi Dreams. What are you up to right now?
DR Getting packed and ready to take a road trip to San Francisco, I’m playing a gig up there with Wu Lyf on Tuesday. Also watching youtube vids of forest raves.
DD Your track “Bloodsport”, from the Flyte Ep was featured in Rustie’s magnificentessential mix. Is this the first time you’ve interacted with the producer? Your styles compliment each other so well.
DR Yes. And a great first interaction it is! I’d love to remix a Rustie song or collab on something in the future.
DD You’re featured on the Generation Y Not compilation, which was just released on 4.3.12 through Jaxart Records, Absent Fever and Portals. How would you describe this release and the artists represented?
DR Well, it’s essentially a showcase of young LA artists who all happen to somehow know each other through music. Some of us are producers and the others are bands, so it ranges in genres, but they’re all talented dudes. Wondr, Eliot, and Caves are all part of the same collective I’m in, 6bit.
DD What emotional themes run through your music? It has a very warm, nostalgic feel to me.
DR It really depends on the mood I’m in. I generally like making more upbeat, energy filled tunes, and you can expect to see a bit of a step in a new direction this year.
DD At this time in music, age has no say in an artist being able to present a strong vision and establish themselves. The Weeknd has just turned 22, Skrillex is 24 and James Blake is 23. You are 20 and off to a terrific start. Who encouraged you to chase after your dreams at a young age?
DR No one specifically, besides myself. However all these young artists like the ones you mentioned are proper motivation to keep pursuing what I love. I’m grateful everything has gone so well in just the first year and a half of producing, and i have so much respect for artists who have been around for years…it’s definitely a grind. All I can say is I’m very excited for the rest of this year and the chance to drop some new music.
The prolific Brenmar has tracks and features goin’ up left and right. A few tracks of his have found their way into many a dj set of mine, including “Be The One” and his remix of Ashanti’s “Fancy”. Today, he’s gracing Disco Droppings with his sultry R&B aesthetic. We talk about his style and participation in the Red Bull Music Academy 2011. Pick up his Let’s Pretend EP on Hum and Buzz Records as well as his remix of W8WTF on Senseless Records.
DDHello Brenmar! I’m so hyped to have you on Disco Droppings. How is the hustle treating you today?
B Good good, just been in the studio all day, about to head back in a bit.
DDHave any hugely established artists contacted you after hearing a Brenmar remix of their track? Ashanti? Rihanna? Jamie Foxx?
BNo one of that caliber yet, people are sleeping! I do have some really cool collabs I’m excited about though.
DDYou were a participant on RBMA 2011. Was this where you first met Canblaster? He’s a favorite of mine..his track “Chicken Run” cracks me up.
BI met Canblaster last year at Miami and we had talked online before RBMA for a good bit but it wasn’t until the academy that I got to really know him and work with him. He’s an Ableton wizard, lol.
DD I am auditioning forRBMA 2012– I’m interested in what the experience meant to you. How were you challenged by the Academy, and what lectures did you enjoy the most?
BMy favorite lectures were Young Guru, DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn, Tony Andrews and Erykah Badu. The schedule is pretty intense, def. The hardest part is getting up early every morning to attend two lectures, followed by studio time and then late night shows/parties. It adds up, believe me but it’s totally worth it, it’s a great experience.
DD I want to talk about your fashion/style for a bit. Not only is your music distinct and fresh, I would say the same about your clothes, tattoos, hair, it all works! Have you always been interested in these things? Is it a conscious aesthetic that you focus on?
B Ha, it’s just me man, it all works cause I’m not forcing anything I guess. Give me some gold, a snapback, and some Jordans and we good.
DDDo you plan on building a club night in your new city of New York, now that you’ve gained national and international attention?
BCan’t say I haven’t thought about it. I travel a lot which makes it difficult but we’ll see.
G. Davies is back, supporting his new EP, which can be picked up on Juno. Here’s a look into his current mindset regarding his tunes, show on Sub.FM and such.
DDTo me, your “Mechanic EP” is a strong step forward. It has a distinct mix of energy and technique. How do you feel about the release?
GD All the tracks on the EP are at least 1 year old now, so to my ears they sound anything but fresh. Although in saying, this I am still pleased with ‘Crab Riddim’ & ‘Bacta’. Those being two of the better tracks I’ve produced to date.
DD What are your strongest non-musical influences?
GD Non-musical factors that influence my music? Loads really, depends what’s been going on in my personal life to a certain extent. David Lynch films are a big influence. ‘Crowbar’ on the latest EP features a sample from Inland Empire. I’m really into the vibe of his film’s. Proper dread. Would like to hope that carries over into certain tracks of mine.
DD How has your Sub.Fm show with Artek been going? I posted an interview with Hoodmode a little while ago, learned about him from Artek..
GD Sub FM’s been going alright. Handing over the reins to Artek for the next few months though. Taking a step away from the DJ thing to focus on writing songs for a band. It’s too difficult to keep up with new releases from within dance music, when my real passion lies in punk & hardcore. I wish I had a slot on a station where I could play whatever, a new dance tune followed by some grindcore or whatever. Bass music in general is hella saturated at the moment in my opinion, so I’m taking a hiatus as such from mixing, until I feel the urge again. Going through the motions is not the one.
DD What would you like to be known for?
GD Music wise, I’m not too bothered. Ideally to be in a self-sufficient touring band within the next year. Getting too old for this stuff, and don’t want to be one of those ageing hipsters you see hanging around at gigs chatting about how they saw some band 15 years ago. Aside from that I’d like my gravestone to say “Died Tragically Whilst Rescuing His Family From The Remains Of A Sinking Battleship.” Just like Royal Tenenbaum.
Many regard Hoya:Hoya as one of the top club nights in the world. It’s progressive mentality coupled with the open-mindedness of the audiences keep things consistently fresh. A few artists who have performed there include Rustie, Kode9, Hudson Mohawke and Actress. Holding it down as resident dj’s we have Illum Sphere, Jonny Dub, Eclair Fifi, Jon K, Lone and Krystal Klear. Today I’ll be speaking with Jonny Dub! His mix contribution for the Hoya:Hoya podcast (below), is one of the slickest things I’ve heard in a while. Wonderful variety. So listen up, in this feature you’ll hear tracks from some of the artists that help make Hoya:Hoya grand.
DD Welcome Jonny! What are you doing right now?
JD Right now I am listening to the new Brownswood compilation from Kutmah, writing responses to these questions, and enjoying the few days of downtime we get between having just put on one Hoya event before we have to start getting the promo out for the next event.
DD Let’s talk about your Hoya:Hoya Podcast Mix #2. I instantly became amazed by this. Very unique atmosphere, what an impressive mix! What was a recent set of yours like? How did it sound in comparison to the podcast mix?
JD Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. My last set was on Saturday at the Hoya 4th birthday which was a fantastic night and part of our secret series of events. On this occasion I started the night and played a mellow mix of tunes ranging from psych, folk, hip hop, electronica & some beats just to tease the crowd and ease them into the dancing vibe. I usually like to go in hard on a crowd and get the energy up as there as much as possible, however when your starting a night off its best to keep it cool and mellow and allow the place to fill up and get bubbling before going in to much. The podcast mix was fairly typical of one of my sets in a number of ways due to the fact that very little planning went into creating it. I’m an impulsive person, so when I approach a mix I just jump in there, get it done in one take and see how it sounds. I take the same approach when dj’ing ina club or wherever, and tend to play instinctively with no planning, opting instead to read the crowd and see what they are feeling and base my music choices of their reactions.
DD Explain to those who haven’t been to your Hoya:Hoya night what the environment looks like. What kind of sound system are you working with?
JD Hoya takes place monthly in the Roadhouse, a legendary Manchester based venue with a rich musical history. It’s not a shiny venue with amazing lighting and all the trimmings like many other places, but instead it’s a darkened room, with a low ceiling and a great sound system. (the subs were taken out of the Hacienda after it closed). The beauty about having a neutral venue is that we can make it what we want to help create the vibe we are after, and with EMN on the visuals and Chunky on the mic it really transforms into a brilliant environment for playing in as well as partying. Our set up is fairly straightforward in terms of 2 turntables, CDJ’s and a mixer however we opted for a formula sound mixer instead of which we bring in every month due to its incredible sound clarity which just blows the doors off most club mixers that seem to do the rounds. The system is a bit dated compared to a lot of new venues, however the sound engineers at the venue know our sound and what we want and can pretty much nail it most of the time. When it’s running at full pelt its a pretty devastating system that can shake the fillings out of most people.
DD Who do you look up to as a DJ?
JD For me that’s an easy question, as it is something I have thought about a lot over the years. I would say in no particular order..
Peter Parker from Fingathing – For making me realize the turntable could be an instrument.
Mr Scruff – For teaching me about how to DJ many styles and genres as well as opening my eyes to so many different sounds.
Mr Thing – For showing me how to dj hip hop better then anyone else (in my opinion).
DJ Woody – For showing me things that can be done with a turntable that I would have never had thought possible.
And finally I have to do shouts to Kutmah, Illum Sphere & Jon K who continue to inspire me every time I watch them play and teach me so much about music and mixing.
DD Your music partner Illum Sphere seems extremely cool and dedicated. How do you guys relate to each other, as the heads of Hoya:Hoya?
JD He’s a really inspiring person and has a clear vision about where he is going in terms of his own musical direction and that of Hoya, and things have been going really well for him over the last year or so which is great for both him & Hoya as an entity. In terms of our working relationship we always try and discuss things with each other and aim to keep a singular vision for what we would like to achieve with the night and the label and neither of us will do things unless we are both happy about the decisions. We try and get together fairly regularly to discuss any issues and make sure we keep on top of things to ensure the events run and people enjoy themselves.
DD What’s next for your label in 2012?
JD We are looking into our next few releases at the moment, however we wanted to allow the first ones a chance to breathe a bit before rushing the next lot out. Today’s musical consumer society is so quick and throw away with new labels popping up daily and the average lifespan for labels getting shorter and shorter that we wanted to try and do something with longevity. I hope for us to have some more releases coming out in the not so distant future and I am also working on some of my own music at the moment, however it may be a bit longer before any of that hits the streets, as I feel I have a long way to go with my personal development.
dd 