Boom! Huge new tune alert!
Ahead of the launch of his brand new EP, DMCWORLD catch up with the hot UK producer Missing and lucky us(!), we get to preview his new track ‘Off My Mind’ from the release featuring the hugely popular vocalist Jamie George!
Premier – Missing ‘Off My Mind’ Featuring Jamie George
Interview by Ratha Gud
Missing, welcome to DMC World, where on Planet Earth are you right now?
East London, home for many years.
What’s the last piece of music you bought?
Hotel California original pressing, for the missus as a valentines gift ha. On the more modern tip Murder He Wrote – Stopwatch EP.
After moving in Jungle and Breaks circles for many years as an artist for Kemet Crew/3rd Party Records and C83, what turned you on to making House Music?
I grew up listening to house and jungle really grew out of that scene in the UK (mixed up with hip hop and reggae influences of course), so its always been the foundation. For me its where the most interesting music is happening right now and the melting pots of sounds that made jungle and breaks so vibrant in their time is now where House is at and has unified producers from all different scenes – just like it did 30 years ago!
Your new release ‘Off My Mind EP’ features 4 very different tracks. Does your Jungle and Breaks background come into play with the music you’re making now and what was the inspiration behind the EP?
There is definitely a bit of that flavour in the bass and the hard hitting drums, but I like to think of each track having a unique identity. The inspiration for each track was quite individual.. Off My Mind a classic deep house homage with distinctly UK attitude, Time 4 House a straight up club banger with some of the 90’s era M1 sounds that never get old, Bun & Cheese a dub influenced track and Karma a full on vocal track which could sit on radio or in a club. Its a collection to show the diversity of my sound and the label but with no compromise on production standards.
You’ve enlisted the vocal talents of Jamie George on ‘Off My Mind’ and Heidi Vogel from Cinematic Orchestra on ‘Karma’, what was it like working with those two?
Both amazing vocalists in their own right! Jamie has a really original style which is usually sung rather than the spoken word of this track. I think it really worked with the hypnotic groove of Off My Mind and gives a very different take on Jamie’s vocal talents. He also persevered with me on the multiple versions of the tracks to get to the finished article! Heidi is incredible to work with and quickly connects with the vibe of the track. I always wanted to work with Diane Charlemagne RIP and while Heidi has her own style brings the same kind of emotional depth to a track.
Like many producers these days you’ve now set up your own record label, ‘UrbanHabit Recordings’. What’s the attraction in doing so as opposed to signing with an already established label and what can we expect to hearfrom the label?
I knew I wanted to release a diverse palette of sounds so my own label was the way to go. Also I am a bit of a control freak in every part of production and life in general so it always felt weird to obsess about the quality and then hand over to somebody else. For now its my platform and a label that will have low volume, high quality release.
You’ve quite a mix of genres on the EP, have you got a particular favourite style?
None at all. good music is good music and listening to a diverse range is essential for influences. I have over 10,000 records and everything in there from jazz funk to latest house releases.
What’s your favourite piece of studio kit?
I often do mix downs in different studios, depending on the sound. One I get to use sometimes has a rack of £10k a pop vintage compressors. The warmth they give to the track is amazing and cant get from a plug in. Definitely blag time there when I can.
Who else would you most like to make a collab with?
My sparring partner for many years was Jon Guntrip (other half of C83) and gonna drag him back in one day! I started making jungle same time as Paul Brown who was liquid dnb pioneer as part of State Logik. We recently reconnected and there is a collab there sometime I think – throwing down the gauntlet Paul! In terms of big names, I would love to work with soundtrack producers Trent Reznor or Hans Zimmer.. imagining bringing that cinematic quality into bass driven house. Could be a match made in heaven. Also if Jamie Principle is still alive and kicking then a track with him and Jamie George over some deep house grooves I think could be amazing. Get in touch if you are interested JP…
What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Well that has to be my two amazing daughters Decca and Marlowe. They are definitely getting a good music education!
What top 5 artists are rocking Missing’s world right now?
Too many to mention…really loving Om Unit and Ivy Lab pushing boundaries of DnB and Dirty Bird stable continues to push out killer after killer track.
And finally, what is the next studio project you are getting your teeth into?
So I have two tracks for the next EP wrapped – a vocal, liquid dnb track – again with Heidi and a 150bpm nu jungle. Plan is to have house mixes on both but show that on Urban Habitat there may be unexpected sounds but will always be great music.
‘Off My Mind EP’ will be released on March 18th 2016 on Urban Habitat Recordings
