My dude Arctic is on the attack. Some may remember past features here on James Arctic. He’s shortened his artist name, and is showcasing some impressive, dark new sounds. He’s got a fantastic release on Coyote Records called the Shook EP which features two tough grime tracks and a remix by Kid Smpl. Hear from the man himself in this new interview for Disco Droppings..

DD Feels strange to say, but it’s been over a year since I last talked to you on Disco Droppings. Welcome back.. 

A I know, time has flown. Great to be back, always a pleasure mate.

DD Your Shook EP was on June 3rd. Look at you dude! First I see “Kings” in that Tracks 4 My Mom release, and now this EP. It makes me smile seeing my friends such as yourself pushing out and doing shit. How are you feeling about it all?

A Thanks man. I was stoked to be a part of the Tracks 4 My Mom comp. The “Kings” track was receiving a great response when I first made it (over a year ago now), but nothing much came of it, so when March’85 hit me up I jumped at the chance…It’s a great home and fits really well in the compilation. The Coyote EP is a real proud moment. Having my music pressed on wax has been a goal of mine for a while and seeing it all come together alongside an amazing back catalogue is such a great feeling. Tom @ Coyote has fully supported my music from the get-go and the whole experience has been a pleasure. 

DD You are really into Grime, a style of music I’m not too familiar with. How would you describe Grime and how has it influenced your new EP?

A What attracted me to Grime music back in the day was the old school clashes – the rawness & energy behind the productions and the hype between mc’s sending for each other. The sounds were unpolished, the quality didn’t necessary have to sound good, which I feel made it exciting & unpredictable to listen to. I like to think that comes across in my productions also. 

DD How’d you connect with Brackles? I see he’s played a remix of yours recently and also brought you on to do a 15 minute production showcase mix for Rinse.fm. 

A I initially wanted to run a tour with Brackles in Australia, so we were discussing plans for that originally. During that time I’d send over tunes every few months, which he ran on Rinse and were getting picked up on by a few blogs & dj’s. Not long after signing the Shook EP, Coyote organized a guest mix which Brackles requested a 15min production showcase…I was over the moon to say the least! 

DD How have your shows in Australia been going?

A The gigs are going well here, they kinda come along every few months or so. It’s usually my mates organizing stuff, sometimes international supports but mostly local events. I locked down a monthly residency at a bar in the city not too long ago, which I prefer doing the most. It gives me 5 hours to play whatever I like and get extremely pissed in the process…shouts to the E55 crew every time. 

DD Any last words? Hope our paths cross again very soon.. 

A Big thanks for getting us back and shouts to everyone supporting. The Shook EP is available  on select digital stores now and will be available everywhere & on 12″ vinyl as of June 24th. More releases to follow, keep an eye out!

Arctic – Facebook Soundcloud Twitter

– Jimi Jaxon