“BUDD returns from hiatus!
After a coupe of years away, BUDD returns, with the first single off his upcoming album, Slaves to the algorithm” Secrets is a classy breakbeat joint featuring the powerhouse vocals of long time writing partner Janine Small. After high lauded releases with Mau5trap, Anjunabeats and Toolroom, BUDD steps up with his long awaited return to the electronic arena…
Your new single “Secrets” came out in March — what inspired this track, and how does it represent your evolution as an artist?
I’ve loved Secrets since the day we wrote it. It’s the oldest of the tracks for the album by some way. That original demo with Janine was done in June 2011, living in multiple forms and across different projects. It’s about those special in jokes you have with closest friends and family, essentially the secret bits that’s only they see or know.
The track production is a real mix of where I’ve been musically, and definitely a snapshot of where I’m going too. It felt like the best opening statement to make off the album.
Your upcoming album, Slaves to the Algorithm, explores the darker side of digital culture. Can you dive into the concept behind it and what you hope listeners take away?
Through the period of lockdown, I’d kept loads of little press cuttings and quotes, tweets and all sorts from industry figures, artists and even academics all raising their concerns over the state of the digital world we live in. Influencer culture, people being addicted to their phones, overexposure to blue light, regressing social skills etc all came up.
I wanted to talk about all the things that I, and many of my peers have observed in recent years, not just in music, but society in general. Its an observation and hopefully just turns the mirror on people a little bit, to look at the whole thing and go “Hang on a minute, a lot of this is nonsense” but also allows them to have a little laugh at the world around them and maybe even themselves too…
It’s not all bad after all this social media malarkey.
You’ve been associated with major labels like mau5trap and Anjunabeats, but you’ve emphasized the importance of carving out your own fan base. How are you approaching that with this project?
I’ve been so lucky to work with those guys, and a few other brilliant dance labels down the years. They’re great and given me such a platform. But I really wanted what I do, to sit in it’s own lane and not be as reliant on being plugged into someone else’s ecosystem or vision.
I’m hoping the music will find its own audience. An album or a bigger body of work is the best way to do that I think, to let people come on a journey with you. When the time is right, it’ll be time to get out and share all the music with people live, that’s exciting, that’ll be the eventual payoff for me.
Your sound pulls from progressive house, trance, break beats, and trip-hop, yet it feels cohesive. How do you strike that balance between nostalgia and innovation?
At the heart of what I do, I want people to hear something I’ve worked on and instantly go “I bet that’s him.”
Hitting the sweet spot of nostalgia and innovation is for sure the goal. One day many years from now I’d like my music to sit at the pantheon with the really respected stuff across the genre, I want people to still like my music and it be timeless…
I’m not chasing instant viral fame or a quick buck or the latest faddy pop crossover.
You’ve mentioned wanting to transcend club music and build a touring show beyond the weekly club grind. What does that vision look like?
The people I’ve always looked up to were the people who could turn up with their own show. I see guys like The Chemical Brothers or The Prodigy and their amazing shows, or what Prydz does with EPIC, mau5 with his various Cube shows, the Disclosure guys, or the recent Justice tour…even guys like Kraftwerk (and how they curated their live experience) and just think that’s the gold standard.
I’ve never wanted to be exclusively considered a club act, especially with the more downtempo material I do. I want my output to be able to live in many areas and not just at 2am in a dark room.
Ibiza has a rich electronic music history. Have you been???
Yes, I’ve been visiting the island since I was fairly young, be it on holiday with my family who love the island, then visiting more frequently when gigs started to bring me over in the mid 2000s. One of my earliest gig memories on the island was flying out to play El Divino, being put up in an apartment in Ibiza Town. I could see Dalt Villa across the water and all these amazing boats moored up in the marina…beautiful!
Aside from the chaos of the clubs and the intensity of the business side of the island, at heart it’s just a beautiful place to hang out.
What’s your creative process like—do you start with a beat, a melody, or a concept?
Weirdly for a drummer, I usually start with chords or some kind of melodic idea. Then I’ll mock up some basic drums, knowing I’ll go back in and properly develop them. Other times, I will start with the drums, if I’ve found a cool loop or sample and I want to embellish on it, often it’ll be playing with a synth sound and that will spark some inspiration.
I tend to have a concept quite quickly in terms of a theme and I have great fun with titles. One big thing Is, I’ve y tried to embrace lots of restrictions, as they can really drive creativity and are one of the key ways to develop “your sound”
With your experience as a percussionist and producer, how does rhythm shape your sound compared to other electronic artists?
I’d say my route into the industry compared to many dance/electronic acts was slightly different to the norm yes.
Through the best part of 14 years within Ministry of sound doing their tours for Hedkandi, it acted as a really good apprenticeship of sorts. I try my best to incorporate some of my live elements into my tracks even when programming drums/percussion. I’ve also learned SO MUCH from playing with other live acts, DJs etc you really learn to observe the way a club/dance floor/crowd in general react to music.
I always prided myself on incorporating my production chops into percussion live too. I never wanted a DJ or act I played with to feel like I was stepping on their record, or what they were doing. It’s very much their show and I’m there to amplify it where possible, if that’s means shutting up…so be it ha
I just try to keep things “tasteful” wherever possible, in a world that loves gimmicks.
You’ve had support from industry legends like Pete Tong and Orbital. How has that recognition impacted your confidence or approach to music?
Be it Pete or Legends like Orbital, Above & Beyond or Mau5, its just great to have real seminal acts that you respect, appreciate what you do as being good. To have that pat on the back from people you look up to is a blessing isn’t it?
You’re vocal about the state of the music industry and creative integrity in the digital age. What do you think needs to change for artists to thrive?
I could write a book about this….
Fundamentally most artists (and I mean proper artists) want to create their music first and foremost and have their creative vision amplified…the best acts have a fairly clear vision but when tiktok trends or Instagram likes and all the bullshit of the metrics get in the way of creative decisions, then it quickly becomes a race to the bottom. Musically speaking, we’re seeing the negative effects of that and it doesn’t really encourage high quality music being made, people just play it safe or chase the quick win.
So many times I’ve spoken with acts and I just cringe, artistry is slowly being killed by creative people feeling the need to “pander” to what will work for a particular digital platform, which is funny in dance music, as the more often than not, the audience smell when something is disingenuous pretty quickly.
What would I change? Music first, marketing second!
Beyond music, you’re involved in university mentoring, sports media, and even mindfulness projects. How do these different worlds feed into your artistry?
The mentoring and lecturing stuff I really enjoy, it’s great to talk with students and help them with their own creative endeavours, in a similar way I would if I worked with an act in the studio. The mindfulness music is a much newer journey post lockdown and is something I’m looking forward to doing more of, any excuse to pull the bpm back on the music and make ambient sounds is fine by me…
Football wise, I figured years ago I’d be having the same conversations before/after the game anyway. The MOMS pod has built a great community and I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about, most of the time.
Across all these facets of what I do, I just like to be part of the conversation and get people thinking or sharing ideas, be it music, football or whatever I’m involved in.
If you could describe this album in a single sentence, what would it be?
An observation on the lunacy of what’s going on amongst us all, as we try and navigate this truly backwards world of the digital age.
