The Ram Records bass duo getting set for a massive summer
Gavin, Nick – welcome to DMC. Big new tune coming our way via Ram Records – ‘Second Skin’/’Terror Drone’. Two very different slabs of music, talks through this ace new FREE release…
“It’s been a while since we released some music besides a few remixes and this is a release leading up to the album release later this year, we wanted to offer a free release, something direct to the people who have supported us and a different format for us to reach out to new fans of dnb/bass music. We decided to give 2 tracks different in style as a taster for what’s to come on the album.”
What is the latest on the album, one of the most eagerly awaited drum n’bass release of the year?
“It’s finished! A lot of people will probably think we have been sitting on it for months, in actual fact we have been consistently writing new music. We set high standards for ourselves and do not want to release anything we’re not 100% happy with, so now the time is right and we finally have a selection of tracks and working on the tracklist. Expect to see a number of singles over the summer with the album dropping in October.”
You first met up around 2004 when Gavin was studying in Liverpool and Nick was in Manchester. You must have both been aware of what each other was up to musically even though your styles were different?
“Yeah of course, the scene in the north west was quite small at the time so it was easy to get to know everyone. We played at a few nights together so got to know each other and when we both moved to Bristol, through complete coincidence, it made sense to get in the studio.”
You both moved down to Bristol at the same time where you both got full time jobs. Why did it take a few years to actually start making music?
“It’s not easy being an aspiring producer, it takes time and there isn’t a great deal of money to be made in the early days. We always got in to producing through an obsessive passion for music and this meant every minute outside the 9-5 was spent plugging away in the studio. We are very fortunate that this paid off and we were able to give up our day jobs as a lot of very talented people don’t get this opportunity.”
You came into the drum n’ bass scene just as Ed Rush and Optical were making big names for themselves. Who else were your early DJ heroes?
“Of course Andy C! Other DJs/producers that inspired us at the time were the likes of Dillinja, John B and Bad company.”
Where did you earn your clubbing stripes, what were the big clubs you were jumping around in back in the day?
(Gav) “Places such as Lakota and the Thekla in Bristol for me as they were the only places that would let me and my friends in when we were 16!”
(Nick) “It was all London clubs for me, when I was living there, mainly Fabric, The End, Velvet Rooms, Blue Note, Scala.”
You are housed in one the UK’s finest record labels with Ram Recordings – what is it about the label you admire and what tracks from over the years have you given props to?
“You have to admire the fact that through out their 20 years they have consistently released some of dance music’s biggest tracks. Andy and Scott work incredibly hard, they have got their own philosophies and values with the label, and now they want to push new artists and continue to grow. They have an eye on how the scene has changed and over the years and have always adapted to change by always releasing new and exciting music. This is something that not a lot of labels have managed to achieve.
There has been so many great tunes over the years but some of our highlights include…
Moving Fusion – Turbulence
Origin Unknown – Valley of The Shadows
Shimon & Andy C – Body Rock
Fresh – Signal
Subfocus – X ray
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
1. Loadstar – Passenger
2. Hamilton – You Had It
3. Netsky – Come Alive
4. Loadstar – Bomber
5. Wilkinson – Automatic
6. Prototypes – Pandora
7. Noisia – Try Hard
8. Loadstar – Vatican Roulette
9. Drumsound & Bassline Smith – Through The Night
10. Loadstar – Losing You
Bristol is one of the coolest cities in the UK. A very insular city that doesn’t take lightly to outsiders coming in and taking the limelight. What is the club scene like there at the moment and who are your big industry pals from your home city?
“The club scene is thriving with some of the countries biggest nights such as Run, Shit the Bed and Bedlam all selling out week in week out, which is great to see and definitely makes Bristol one of our favourite places to play. There was a time a few years ago when it felt like all the best clubs had shut down, but since then new venues have come along, and they are always packed out. Theres so many people here making great music, almost too many to mention, however we have a studio next door to Break and Interface which is cool. We also see the D Style/Hench guys quite alot as we all go way back!”
Tell us about your studio set up?
“Nothing too fancy as we like to keep things fairly simple, Mac based Ableton, Reason are our sequencers of choice, and we use VST’s such as Sylenth, Massive, FM8 and Ozone.”
Dubstep has obviously come in and smashed down boundaries. Do you feel anything is now possible for drum n’ bass – is there a bigger space now to be more experimental?
“Definitely…it feels like there aren’t really boundaries anymore, I don’t just mean in dnb, any kind of electronic music. The music scene has changed so much over the past few years and producers have freedom to experiment with different style and tempos, and reach out to way more listeners. It’s good to have that freedom of not feeling like you have to stick to a certain sound.”
So we come back to yours after the club, what is the Loadstar Back To Mine 10 you spin us to carry on the groove…
“Some new with some old!”
Bobby Tank – Afterburn
Major Lazer – Get Free
Moguai – Mpire
Two Inch Punch – Love You Up
Kavinsky – NightCall
The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work
TEED – Garden
Black Milk – Sound The Alarm
Tribe Called Quest – Find A Way
Where can we find you festival wise this summer?
“Parklife, Creamfields, Global Gathering, Lowlands, Pukkelpop, Urban Arts. Bring it on!!”
What has been the proudest career moment to date?
“Winning single of the year for dnb arena was a great moment for us, but I think receiving a gold disc for additional production on Example’s number 1 ‘Change the Way You Kissed Me’ just tops that!”
Who brings what to the studio, in other words, who is good at what!
“Gav is the more technical out of us, he will work on mixdowns and spend hours making sounds, processing and tweaking stuff. Nick is the musician of the two of us, so that’s where more of the musical input and creative side comes from.”
What are your guilty pleasure records?
“Old Avril Lavigne stuff. Fleetwood Mac…”
Best club you have ever played at?
“Cabaret Sauvage in Paris – amazing place. It’s like playing in a big circus tent in the centre of Paris!”
Strangest request you have ever had from a clubber whilst playing?
“I was handed a can of whipped cream and asked to spray it all over these two girls half way through my set somewhere in eastern Europe. After that we decided to add it onto our rider!”
Funniest festival memory?
“We drove to Glastonbury festival last year, and at the gates security let Gav drive his rear wheel drive car straight into the main site, as in where the stages were. We had directions but we definitely took a wrong turn, ended up getting completely stuck in the mud with hundreds of festival revelers laughing at us!!!”
It may not be good for our images, but Loadstar really love…
“Playing golf, badly…”
What is going to be your anthem of the summer?
“Loadstar – ‘Passenger’, one of our new tracks which has been smashing up clubs recently! It has a big euphoric piano intro and drops into a heavy half time drum and bass track, keep you ears out for it!”
And finally – what has been the best piece of advice label boss Andy C has given you?
“Stick to your guns and have belief in your sound.”
| http://youtube.com/loadstarmusic http://twitter.com/loadstarmusic http://soundcloud.com/loadstar http://mixcloud.com/loadstarmusic http://www.last.fm/music/loadstar |
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Free download here:
http://www.facebook.com/Loadstarmusic?v=app_440107562683537
Stream clips here:
http://soundcloud.com/loadstar/sets/second-skin-terror-drone
Video for Second Skin here:
