7 Deadly Records | dd

You’ll be seeing a lot of James Arctic on Disco Droppings. I’ve become an evangelist of his music, through Twitter, my label 7 Deadly Records and upcoming DJ sets. See what he’s got coming up in this lil interview..

DD Always a pleasure to hear from you James. You just saw Africa Hitech, what was it like?

A They killed it! First time I’ve seen them and was very impressed. Jumped between genres like it was nothing! Highlights would be the classic selection of old Plasticman & Coki tunes…really got the crowd going mental.

DD Between III Cosby and my sets, your track “Kings” has been getting good Seattle play. Now with “Cold Looks”, I got a new secret weapon to play out! Wheres that vocal come from?

A Big up! I’ve had lots of support recently with that tune..out to Kozee, Distal, Ill Cosby, Artifact, BD1982 and of course yourself for repping the tune!

The vocal in “Cold Looks” is actually from a Gwen Stefani tune…I’m not gona say which one though! The idea pretty much came about during a Sunday grocery shop with the girlfriend, who knew about this Gwen Stefani tune (I had no idea, promise), anyway I was played the tune in the car and thought it would be pretty cool to sample…so I did!

DD You got two upcoming releases over here in the States. First with Car Crash Set and second with 7 Deadly Records – Whats your vision for these new sounds?

A Well my release with CCS is actually a step back from the Acid House sound I’ve been hammering lately. Both tunes were made a while ago, but revamped recently for the release. ‘Green Lagoon’, the title track of the EP is more of a stripped back, quirky bass track, with a bit of hiphop influence and a beefy sub to drive it along. The b side, ‘Ollie North’, is a much more energetic, club friendly track…with a hint of cowbell, can’t forget the cowbell.

My remix of Sphyramid’s “Acid Feel”, coming soon on 7 Deadly Records is basically a dancefloor stomper with a few surprises thrown in. As with any remix, I like to take out as much as possible from the original, changing up some of the signature sounds and build the majority on my own. I like to think I’ve put together a track here which incorporates heaps of my influences…you can hear Grime, Acid House & Bassline in this for sure.

DD Last words? I’m sure I’ll have you back on Disco Droppings very soon.

A Thanks again for inviting me back, pleasure as always. Look out for my next releases coming soon on digital, plus a short video to accompany a dark acid house tune I made the other day. Out to everyone supporting, it really means a lot.

James Arctic – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud

– Jimi Jaxon

Anyone following my Twitter account will often see retweets of new Kid Smpl sounds, as well as naming the producer in just about every #FF of mine. I talked with him about his style last November, and I couldn’t help but bring him back once again.

DD What do you have planned for the upcoming lo-fi show on march 3rd? Ive become a huge fan of headliner, MikeQ…lineup is big! Lots of progressive local talent.

KS Really excited for that show, it’s gonna be my first live set. I’ll be playing in the front room that night, which will be a bit more chilled out than the back room where MikeQ will be playing. Basically my set will be composed of entirely my own productions and I will be preforming them with my laptop and an apc40. It’ll be kinda like one big mash up of my tunes.

DD How many hours a day do you spend producing? I’m amazed by your output. Do you have lots of projects coming together at once, or do you solely focus on one track at a time?

KS I probably spend at least an hour a day producing but occasionally there are days that I don’t produce at all. I have a sort of pattern where I form the basis or general idea of my tracks late at night and then finish them up during the day when I have free time or during the weekend. So I might spend an hour or two getting that general idea at night and then spend a few hours during the next few days finishing the track up. I typically try to just have one project going at a time however lately I’ve been a bit more busy with remix requests and whatnot.

DD I got the chance to hear two of your recent sets in Seattle. One at the Living Room Bar for DJ Alex’s first monthly, and at Temple for a Car Crash Set night. Being used to your productions, it was a pleasant surprise to hear a more energetic, pumpin set from you at Temple. What tracks of this type have an influence on your productions? You seem to be well aware of both the atmospheric and the futuristic club tracks out there.

KS Ya there’s a lot of really innovative dance floor oriented music being made right now. I really like producers like HxdB, XI, Mirror State, Blind Prophet, Artifact, etc. and their music has definitely influenced my own.

DD I’m hyped to have you on an upcoming 7 Deadly Records release. Your remix of a Sphyramid track has this slow, swirly synth that I have’nt heard you experiment with before. What other releases do you have on the way?

KS Ya it was really fun making that remix! Other than that, I have an EP called ‘Unkept’ coming out on Swing & Skip, a single called “Float” on Night Tracks, a split EP with Daega Sound coming out on Car Crash Set as part of the No Northwest series, and a single on Sonic Router’s new label.

DD Do you have plans for visuals to appear in upcoming sets? There are some talented VJ’s in our area.

KS Not at the moment but that’s something I’m very interested in making happen. VJs hit me up!

Kid Smpl: Twitter Tumblr Facebook Soundcloud

– Jimi Jaxon

James Arctic – Car Crash Set / 7 Deadly Records

New Trax: Kid Smpl

@JIMIJAXON Twitter

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