I’m hyped on this incredibly talented, young producer.

DD What do you enjoy most about living in Switzerland?

FR I moved here two months ago to study Audiodesign in Basel. The quality of the education you get here is absolutely mind blowing. I cannot imagine any better place for a person with my interests. However, the electronic music scene in England is still unmatched in my opinion, so I’m still planning on spending some time there once I got my degrees.

DD Right now I’m basking in your remix of “Hei Poa”. Amping up the original while still holding a atmospheric and emotional environment.

FR I enjoy remixing other people’s music just as much as making originals. The challenge of putting certain aspects of a piece into a different musical context while preserving its overall character is exciting and in my opinion making a good remix takes just as much creativity as making an original. The Hei Poa Remix was particularly interesting to make because the tempo of the original is so different. So the sounds and melodies are pretty much the same and you definitely recognize it as a remix but the end result still has an entirely different feel to it.

DD The rise of young producers is encouraging. The high level of maturity and poise within your style is so impressive! How does your everyday personality compare to that of your productions?

FR That’s an interesting question. I guess I have just the right personality for the music I make. I am pretty much obsessed with electronic sound production. This has made it possible for me to spend large amounts of time doing just that without ever feeling the need for doing anything else. So if my music is mature I’d have to say I myself am not. When it comes to music or anything related to it (like my studies) I am extremely disciplined and focused. For everything else I have a kind of “doesn’t really matter to me right now but it’ll work out somehow” attitude. Not very mature but so far it all did work out somehow :-]

DD I like this sound used in “Vocalligraphy” coming in at about :25, that percussive thing that plays a little melody. Bounces off the ears nicely. Where do your sounds tend to come from?

FR In order to put the desired amount of detail work and constant changes into a piece (I made Vocalligraphy a year ago and it’s not the best example here) I have to use large amounts of minimalistic and often simple sounds. Otherwise they just mask each other and you can’t appreciate all the different elements anymore. For the harmonies and smaller percussive melodies in most of my pieces I use simple sines and then use acoustical sounds to fill the upper spectrum (rhodes, pianos, vocal snippets ect.) because the higher frequencies of electronic sounds tend to sound cold and unnatural. With this concept I am often forced to use sounds which are generally considered to be boring or overused but designing more complex sounds would eventually limit my structure and detail work. I constantly learn new digital sound processing techniques though so that might change with time.

DD When your not making music, what takes up a lot of your time? Where do you enjoy going to grab inspiration?

FR When I am not making music I study music.. sounds pretty boring, I know :-]. My inspiration mostly comes from listening to other music. From time to time I listen to tunes which just blow my mind and are almost like a spiritual experience. Many of my pieces have started with the thought “Do you remember that awesome feeling that tune just gave you? Imagine a piece that would make you feel the same way and write down what you hear in your head.”

DD Which artist are you most inspired by? What’s impacted you the deepest about them?

FR A year ago when most of my current releases were made I was inspired by a few amazing people in the drum and bass scene, Stray in particular. You’ll probably hear that reflected in my music as well. Now I am also really enjoying lower bpms. Synkro gives a similar attention to detail work but his tunes have a more organized structure than mine which makes it easier for the listener to really understand what is happening. Maybe you have to be a producer to hear it but the kick and the rim in Synkro’s “Look At Yourself” alone make him a genius. There are also many musicians outside these genres that inspire my. I should mention The Field for his looping techniques and the album “Insen” by Alva Noto for the huge impact that complete minimalism can have. Often stuff that is not so easy to listen to can still broaden your horizon and widen your imagination.

DD How will you push yourself, going into 2012? What would you like to be known for?

FR Next year I will keep on experimenting in different styles and refine the concepts that I already have. I will start working with vocalists, carefully trying to add a lyrical message to the musical one without pushing the instrumental into the background. Also, many of the audio design concepts I learn at uni can be implemented into my music so people with an ear for sound design will hear some interesting things.

FR What I would like to be known for is a question that I have asked myself a lot lately. With many new influences around me and because I started at a pretty young age my music will definitely change from what I am releasing now. Already the pieces I made a month ago are much different from my older stuff. The only thing that really ties it together is the detail work and the rather complex (for the genres I work in) harmonies. And I think that’s what I want to be known for: my production style, no matter which genre I work in or which sounds I use. Not an easy task of course but I do have a lot of time..

Frederic Robinson on Facebook & Soundcloud 

Take Care,

Jimi Jaxon 

Take it in. If you’d like to support my man, head over to Ganxy and purchase this track for a buck and some change. Now onto the interview..

DD Seazooooooooo. Glad you’re back at Disco Droppings. How are you feeling right now? 

S I’m glad to be back myself! I’m feeling good mate, thanks for asking.

DD Happy to share this new track of yours. Will this be part of a new release? 

S I was wondering if I should save some tracks “under the hood” so I could release a new EP for later, but I’ve decided to make this as an single instead. I have another finished track just around the corner, but I will wait to release it, until Binarium has lost it’s “heat” ;]
Except from that, I think my productions will be on pause for a while now. I’ve got my first live performance in December, so I spend a lot of time of practicing these days. I didn’t know live-performance could be so fun!

DD Are there certain emotions that seem to come out in your music? Whether it’s subconscious or intentional..

S Hmm, I have thought about that myself sometimes, but it’s hard to come up with an answer. When I start on a new project, I usually always have an idea of how the atmosphere will feel. I guess this inspiration is based on certain emotions, and my state of mind in that moment. But as the track starts to take shape, I usually end up with something entirely different than what I had in mind. I dunno what feelings that trigger this pattern, but I guess it’s a mix of inspiration, creativity, emotions and that particular state of mind I have when I work on the project.

Seazo on Facebook & Soundcloud 

– Jimi Jaxon 

DD Where’s the name BD1982 come from?

BD Very simple solution to deciding an artist name: my initials are BD and I was born in 1982.

DD You’re living in Japan, a place I’d love to DJ at some day. How does your environment influence your work as an artist? 

BD To be honest I don’t really feel any direct influence although I’m sure it’s impossible for your environment not to influence your work even subliminally. I guess the biggest aspect about living in Japan that has affected what I’m trying to achieve as an artist is space, which is kind of ironic living so close to Tokyo.

DD Your track “Calenture” for the label Diskotopia is very intriguing! What’s that label like? 

BD Diskotopia was started by A Taut Line in Osaka back in 2005 as an events collective. We met and became friends last year and he asked if I’d be interested in developing Diskotopia into a label. The goal with Diskotopia is to release a variety of music regardless of style with a timeless quality and a certain vibe while contributing to global music culture.

DD I’m feeling the artwork of these Diskotopia releases, especially that VHSNITE one :] 

BD Shaw from Neithercorp has been working and partnered alongside Diskotopia handling artwork and design from Day One. He’s got a really cool, varied aesthetic with the visual aspect of the label that compliments the releases and overall feeling perfectly. You can check out his work at http://neithercorp.com

DD What’s been an especially memorable show for you to play?

BD One of the last really great nights was in July when Diskotopia was hosting a sub-floor at Eleven in Tokyo. Lone was headlining the night which was cool as well but the vibe, crowd and music selection that we had going was a perfect balance for the kind of night where it was really fun to DJ and just hang out as well.

DD Are there any disciplines that you regularly exercise? Things that help keep you, “in the zone”?

BD A few of these are secret but I definitely like to watch the trailer for Contamination over and over again.

DD Artistic plans going into 2012?

BD Quite a bit going on well into 2012…Projects a little later on I can’t really talk about just yet but January will see the release of a huge Diskotopia compilation that will be available as a limited edition CD in Japan with bonus tracks.

Keep up with BD1982 on Soundcloud – Twitter & Facebook 

– Jimi Jaxon 

Found this guy through III Cosby’s Soundcloud. I love Acid, this guys got it! Arctic’s offered this free track for you..

DD What’s going on in Arctic’s world right now?

A Currently coming out of one of THE worst hangovers I have ever experienced! Other then that, working a day job and spending all my evenings on production really. Amongst studio time, I have been dj’n here and there and have also started organising the next international booking for a grime night I run here with some friends.

DD I’ve been connecting with III Cosby, head of Car Crash Set lately. We both live in Seattle. What do you enjoy most about your affiliation with the label? What can you say about your forthcoming “Green Lagoon” and “Ollie North” releases?

A That’s awesome, Cosby really helped launch me as producer, I have the upmost respect for that guy! I guess having the opportunity to be apart of Car Crash amongst so many other producers who influence me is one of the main things I appreciate. The acid sound I tend to make lately really got noticed because of Cos, in particular the ‘Atomicity’ release earlier this year. 

Green Lagoon and Ollie North are some tunes I wrote at the start of the year which I kept exclusive to a very close crew of dj’s and producers. I’ve still yet to properly finish them, but figured the tunes are definitely suited towards Car Crash. ‘Ollie North’ in particular gained some attention through Cosby’s radio show, so I guess it only seemed appropriate to have another release through him.

DD This track “A LITTLE BIT RUDE” is dope! Got that attitude. Any plans for an official release?

A Nice one! It’s definitely one of my most popular tunes and so I’d love to see it released at some point next year. Just got to find the right label for it really!

DD How do you perform live? Do you bring in music from other artists or solely showcase your own productions?

A Most of my sets usually consist of my friends stuff back in the UK and other artists who influence me and my music. I’d say I play more of other peoples tunes then my own, usually starting with some garage, taking it through into the 130bpm world, followed by some acid and then ending with a heap of grime intro’s and vocal tracks. I’ve been a supporter of grime for years and definitely known as a grime DJ here in Australia!

DD If you had a visual element to go along with your songs, what would it look like?

A I’ve always pictured some dope visuals for my tune, ‘Stop Motion’. I could imagine black silhouettes in a synchronized dance to the beat, with beams of colour shooting from the arms and legs. Like a proper trippy dance in a dark box room or something. Makes sense in my head anyways lol.

DD Favorite Acid house song?

A Very hard question! I guess some of the early Prodigy stuff for sure, tunes like Poison. I wouldn’t say they are an influence or anything in my music, but growing up listening to those dudes and hearing their influence amongst many of today’s artists is pretty cool. Loving all the recent sounds by Funkineven, Boddika, etc too…definitely a big influence in my tunes at the moment. Swims is without doubt one of my favourite tunes of the year.

Arctic on Soundcloud – Facebook & Twitter 

– Jimi Jaxon

Pick up the 5-track, booty bouncin’ release from DJ Dodger Stadium, a collaboration between Body High label heads Samo Sound Boy & Jerome Potter on Beatport 

Get more Body High over at Juno, their second release, an EP from DJ Funeral is OUT.

2 impressive releases guys, hustle that shit! Now onto an interview..

DD What is the most challenging thing about running a label so far?

BH Most challenging thing right now is probably just the money. relatively, I guess It’s not that much but we just pay all expenses out of pocket from what we both make DJing. Still, a lot of our friends help out doing different things for the label. That’s really wassup. It’s a family affair.

DD In your minds, what’s been a significant achievement for Body High in 2011?

BH Just starting.. opening up shop. We’ve already put out two releases from our crew that we’re 100% behind and that’s the whole point… we’re gonna just keep doing that.

DD What would you like to be known for?

BH Consistently releasing exciting club music for a really long time…Helping push things forward.

DD What helps you relax?

BH Driving around LA at night getting high and listening to 94.7 the WAVE (combined).  

Connect with Body High on Facebook, Twitter & Soundcloud

Take Care 

– Jimi Jaxon