Q&A – Chris.SU [FATE]

Posted on 10th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Hungarian D&B legend Chris.SU gears up to launch his own Fate imprint with a double A side featuring the vocal talents of Mira on a main-room roller and a stomping collaboration with Kiwi duo State of Mind. We caught up with the man to quiz him about his plans for the label and his favourite releases from the past decade.

DNB Dojo: You’ve got quite the discography going back over 10 years with releases on pretty much all the best labels in the tech/neuro scene. Why did you choose to start your own imprint now?

Chris.SU: I wanted to have an extra platform for my own releases so I could decide what track comes out and when. It also gives me extra inspiration that I’m fully responsible for the output to be released on FATE Recordings. I think in every aspect of life the key is trying to take small steps forward, so for me this was a natural next step in my music career. I’ve seen the good and the bad side of the D&B scene over the 13 years I have been active, so I thought: why not try doing it ‘my way’?

DD: Hungary’s D&B output seems stronger than ever with yourself, Mindscape and Jade at the top of your game. How has the scene changed over the years? Any new producers on the rise we should know about?

CS: We’ve got a quite old D&B scene in Hungary, with parties being organised since 1996. Production-wise around 2003-2005 the Hungarian scene became quite exciting I think. Some people say it was a specific ‘Hungarian Sound’ back in those days. Since then some of the producers like DJ Madd or Matt-U have switched to Dubstep and some of them, like SKC, stopped making tracks. But there are always new talents trying to break through. Magical Gravity and Incident have great potential and Klay is making some tracks supported by DJ Hype on Kiss FM for example. I always say to the new producers that the key is to work hard and not to make music for the fame, girls, or whatever reasons, but only for the love and passion for the music, and if you’re patient enough, you’ll get there where you deserve to be.

DD: The first release lined up for FATE sees you teaming up with State of Mind. Given their base in New Zealand, how did that come about? Were you guys physically together in the studio?

CS: I first met the State of Mind guys back in 2006 when I was on tour in NZ with Concord Dawn and Matty C introduced them to me. Our friendship has lasted since then and we did The Burning in my studio with Stu when he was on his European Tour. I always prefer being physically together in the studio but I did my collaborations with Nymfo over the internet.

DD: Many of your tunes (including Together In The Night) bridge the gap between the heavier beats and bass of neurofunk D&B and the more melodic elements of the liquid scene. Was it a conscious choice to evolve a style that blended the two styles, or just the way you found your sound evolving?

CS: The philosophy of FATE Recordings is “fat beats with emotions” so it was a conscious choice to take that path with the sound. Friction said in his radio show on BBC Radio 1 that Together in the Night is a tune you can play on the radio or at a rave and it’ll work in both environments and this is something I wanted to achieve. You can make bangers but some of them won’t make any sense if you listen to it at home. I guess you can call it a new sub-genre…”Heavy Liquid”? 🙂

DD: Beyond the release of the first single, what can we expect from FATE in 2013 and beyond?

CS: I haven’t planned anything else for 2013 but in 2014 you can expect an EP with probably a few more vocal tunes on it. I have just released Guardian Angel with MC Fedora on Subtitles UK and I’m planning to make more tunes with her, and also with Mira, and I’m planning to make more collaborations with my friends around the globe like Nymfo, State of Mind and, of course, fellow Hungarians Mindscape and Jade.

DD: The past few years have seen an increase in the number of D&B producers releasing solo albums. Is this something you’re interested in, or do you prefer the single/EP format?

CS: A solo album is definitely on the cards but first I wanted to have a few singles and EPs out to familiarize people with FATE Recordings and what sort of sound they can expect in the future. Every beginning is difficult and I don’t want to rush out anything. For an album a lot of planning is required as the timing needs to be perfect.

DD: Of all your past releases, what’s your favourite and why? I think for me it would be between Solaris Theme VIP and First Snow, though it’s a tough choice!

CS: It’s tough to pick one from your own tracks having listened to them a million times but Solaris Theme VIP and First Snow have to be two of my most complete tracks to date. I also still like Deeper with State of Mind, Changing Slowly from my times with Tactile, and my remix of Bjork’s All is Full of Love 🙂

Check out the single below and watch out for the release from October 21st.

Dream Thief 4 LP [Horizons]

Posted on 9th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Horizons gear up to launch the 4th in their varied Dream Thief LP series, featuring a selection of cuts from the extended label family crossing the styles of drum & bass. Highlights include Amoss’ excellent MC led stepper Bleed It, DLR’s melodic yet techy Trading Places and the percussive intricacies of The Shield from Gremlinz & Rumbleton.

Elsewhere on Detail delivers possibly the most innovative track in the collection with his sublimely creepy Human Trust; glitchy percussion, deft sub throbs and some fantastic atmospherics combine to create a brilliant slice of leftfield 170. Finally for those who like a bit of deep liquid there are some nicely polished cuts from Eveson, Naibu and Nitri.

Vinyl lovers will find the LP available as a 4 track sampler and a further 8 track LP collection, while the digital buyers amongst you will be able to grab the files from all the usual sources. Check out a selection of the tracks below and head to the Horizons Store for previews of the rest and to buy your copy!

Stray – Matchsticks EP [Exit Records]

Posted on 8th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Following on from his excellent Ginseng Smash 12″ for Critical, Stray once again revisits the footwork-influenced side of 170 on his latest EP for Exit. Prof Popper feels like Ginseng at 5am…the same syncopated riddims and cut up vocals are present but the overall vibe of the track is much more laid back, with smooth pads allowing the track to float along on a mellow plane. Dropping Bombs provides the antithesis, amping up the drums for a totally bouncing raved up belter.

Bounce That sees Stray teaming up with Fracture for a tune that’s one part half-step and one part old skool Jungle with a hint of ghetto-tech thrown in for good measure. Eerie keys and a drum line that sounds like 4×4 garage on steroids prevail on the duo’s evolution of the sound Fracture pioneered on Get Busy. Last but not least the titular Matchsticks takes things back to a more mellow place, bringing a skanking LA hip-hop vibe to the mix; this could just as easily have been written by Flying Lotus, and it sounds fantastic for it.

As usual Exit and Stray are at the cutting edge of all things 170. Check out the beats bellow and watch out for the EP dropping October 28th.

In The Mix…Fracture

Posted on 7th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

To celebrate yet another epic Star Warz event as the Exit Records crew touch down in Belgium, Fracture has compiled a promo mix packed full of tunes from the likes of dBridge, Commix, Om Unit and more. Fans of the deeper side of 170 will definitely enjoy this one – check it out below and grab a free download.

Response – Creep & Surveillance [Ingredients]

Posted on 6th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Ingredients launch not one but two excellent 12″ singles from newcomer Response. Hailing from Manchester, the up and coming producer has developed quite a knack for techie rollers which embody the darkness and heft of early Techstep productions from the likes of Ed Rush & Optical.

The first single sees Creep opening the Response salvo with a dark roller imbued with pure subby goodness. Over on the flip Resistance chucks in hard, crusty snares and a hypnotic repeated hook matched with more of that simple yet elegant sub bass.

The second single showcases some of Response’s deeper beats, with Surveillance taking the foot off the gas a bit to deliver a deep liquid roller. Over on the flip One Nation makes good use of ambient pads and a reggae sample on the intro before bringing back that warm, dark, sub laid over a classic stepper’s beat.

Grab yourself copies of the vinyl from Redeye and look out for the digital copies dropping later in the month. And if you want to hear more from Response, check out his promo mix for Ingredients below!

In The Mix…Heart Drive

Posted on 5th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

The recent release of a Kid Drama remix on the flip of a Jon Convex release gave me hope that the ex-Instra:mental collaborator might be returning to Autonomic sound that revolutionized 170BPM music several years ago and then vanished as Convex and cohort Bodika went on to pursue solo careers in the realms of House and Techno.

Low and behold a few days ago a tidy new mix appeared online featuring tracks from dBridge, Kid Drama and a new collaboration between the two named Heart Drive. The spirit of Autonomic is audible throughout the mix, and it’s fantastic to hear it once more. Check out the mix below and expect big things from this collaboration.

Gerwin – Lying Portraits / Soul Truth (Remixes) [IM:Ltd]

Posted on 4th October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Gerwin’s excellent Lying Portraits single was one of the highlights of IM:Ltd’s output in 2012 so the news it was getting the remix treatment from none other than Zero T and Bungle was music to my ears, if you’ll forgive the pun.

Zero T “reprints” Lying Portaits to great effect, replacing the stepping beat with a rolling liquid break and dropping the 2Shy vocal entirely, leading to a deeper, more cinematic vibe, though retaining some of the bassline’s edge. Meanwhile on the flip, Bungle turns in a deep, dark rolling mix of Soul Truth, with the majesty of his work for Soul:R but a bit more oomph on the low end.

Check out the beats below and watch out for the release dropping on vinyl and digital from October 16th.

Noisia – Hyenas / The Liquid [Vision]

Posted on 3rd October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Noisia’s Vision imprint has been relatively quiet since the release of The Upbeats excellent Primitive Technique (which has finally dropped on vinyl for the wax enthusiasts out there, incidentally). It seems the boys have been hard at work in the studio though, both on their I Am Legion collaboration and some new neurofunk masterworks. The label’s latest sees the dutch trio team up first with Calyx & Teebee for Hyenas and then with US hardstep dons Evol Intent for The Liquid.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KykAUuZM4is]

Calyx & Teebee’s signature punchy sound shines through on the A side with intricate drum work and a catchy synth lead taking centre stage. Over on the flip EI’s knack for glitchy touches combines with some epic synth work and a truly monstrous bassline to create a tune that you can expect to hear rewound over and over again in the next few weeks. Huge just doesn’t even cover this!

Watch out for the release dropping exclusively via Beatport from October 7th with vinyl and other digital stores to follow on the 21st.

Fourward – Black Tooth Grin / Guilty Pleasures [SGN:Ltd]

Posted on 2nd October 2013 by DNB Dojo

SGN:Ltd’s run of top quality darker beats continues with a double-A side from Austrian production quartet Fourward. Black Tooth Grin delivers the kind of warped, gnarly neurofunk we’ve come to know and love from Fourward, who have arguably some of the best bass action in the game right now.

Over on the flip Guilty Pleasures strips things back, delivering a menacing slice of splintered half-step. Think Fracture versus Noisia and you’re somewhere close.

Watch out for the release dropping October 6th. As if that wasn’t enough, the boys have compiled a tasty promo mix for the fifth installment of the SGN Mix Sessions series; packed full of tunes from Noisia, Phace, The Upbeats, and of course plenty of their own productions, this is straight up neurofunk badness. Check it out below and grab a free download!

Phace – Vitreous EP [Neosignal]

Posted on 1st October 2013 by DNB Dojo

Anyone concerned that Phace might be abandoning the D&B scene in the wake of his recent lower tempo collaborations with Misanthrop under their “Neosignal band” alias will be pleased by the arrival of his latest EP for their Neosignal imprint (I know, overuse of Neosignal right?). Keeping things firmly 170+ and as pounding as we expect from the German neurofunk don, the Vitreous EP is a definite statement of intent; Phace’s involvement in all things D&B is far from over.

Blind Faith opens the EP with style, warped vocals and epic synth chords giving way to some serious atmospherics before that big, gnarly bass drop that fans of Phace’s output will know and love. The drums are sparse but heavy hitting, with the twisted reese doing most of the talking. Next up comes the titular Vitreous, opening up with a hypnotic bleeping melody and some bizarre vocoder treated samples before another slamming bass drop, this time characterised by the hammering kicks of the drum line before they give way to a more rolling break with some meaty metallic snares.

Shitstorm keeps the tension high on an intro composed of insistent hats and synth stabs punctuated by positively robotic samples before dropping into a tasty slice of full roll neuro D&B characterised by a bassline that sounds much like a metal riff despite its obviously synthetic origins. Finally Electronic Frontier floats some beautiful, almost ambient synth swells over the intro before switching gear into a tribal rhythm and a constantly morphing sonic landscape, featuring everything up to and including the apparent death cry of a massive, digitally created woolly mammoth. The attention to detail and innovation on show here is truly impressive.

Check out the beats for yourself below and watch out for the release dropping via Beatport and the Neosignal Store on October 4th, vinyl from October 7th and all other digital outlets from October 18th.

DNB Dojo

Drum & Bass News and Reviews

Monthly Archives: October 2013