Festival season is in full swing. And with plenty of events still to come in the drum and bass calendar Jamie S23 has teamed up with Phantasy and Macky Gee to bring you a chance in a junglist lifetime…
WIN A DAY WITH THE FULL SASASAS SQUAD AND VIP TICKETS TO TRANZ-MISSION!
A day out with your favourite artists, backstage access and being able to rave in the company of the scenes biggest DJs and MCs.
All you need to do is name this full on banger of a track that’s currently been doing the rounds. It’s obviously not out yet but sooner or later you could see this tune with your winning title slapped on it!
If you have been out and about recently you will know this track… check it.
Send your track title to jamie@section23.co.uk along with your full name, contact number and a list of three other friends – yes THREE other people can enjoy this one! Choose wisely.
Rules:
- Only one entry per person
- The judges decision is final
- You will be available to travel to Finsbury Park Tube Station on 25th September 2016
- You agree to being filmed and having your photo taken for promotional use
- Competition closes at 8:00 am on 12th September
- Over 18’s only, photo ID is a must
- Slammin’ Vinyl reserves the right to refuse entry
Jamie caught up with both Phantasy and Macky for a brief chat on what’s been going down recently and their views on a few hot topics right now.
When writing the currently unnamed track, what vibe were you initially trying to create? To me, this one sounds like a cross between mid 2000’s and 2016!
Macky “We were trying to create something that would build a wicked hype on the set.”
Phantasy “Yeah, for me I was thinking about that intro track to get everyone hyped for the start of our sets.”
As producers, what would you say was your most favourite track you have created together or solo? Does one tune hold any significant memories for either of you?
Macky “The best track we made together was a grime track which whilst we were making it, we decided to switch it up to have a drum and bass drop and we’ve been testing it out recently and it’s been going down so well. This track will be the flip side of the unnamed track for this competition.
Phantasy “Yeah making that track was vibes! Don’t forget the vibes we had making ‘Anthem’ because we were playing that in clubs for 8 months before the guys vocalled it. We’ve got a few things sitting there that are waiting to be finished that were currently testing out. Certainly looking forward to dropping them.”
Basslines and melodies, two key areas of production, especially when your fresh track drops and by the 2nd drop people are humming the tune. What’s your secret to getting this right?
Phantasy “Macky is the king of the humming basslines. I mean just listen to how many people are influenced by his sound and style. There are so many tracks out there now that have his influence on them which I consider to be a compliment to what he’s doing for drum and bass right now.
Macky
I consider it to be theft ha ha!
Phantasy “Nah Macky, you can’t say that bro! It’s a compliment, put the bat down bro ha ha!”
On the subject of drops, what’s your take on the current state of affairs in respect of track length?
Phantasy “Well, considering that no one is playing a full track anymore, I think by 2050 we will have tracks that are literally 1 minute long!
Macky “I don’t agree with the way it’s going because of the amount of time I spend making tunes and then only 21 seconds of the tune actually gets played but I suppose we have to move with the times.”
Phantasy “Yeah I hear you but I think DJing has changed massively now. What I mean is, it’s not good enough no more to just roll out a tune because people just want to be hyped all the time. Look at how long people actually watch videos for, if it doesn’t capture them within the first 8 seconds, they move on…. It’s all gone mwwwwaaaadddddd!”
Here’s a great image by Monsta, what’s your initial thoughts? You’re both DJs so the art of selection is obviously key here.
Macky “One thing I disagree with on that image is I never had a sad face on me when I was carrying vinyl plus my man bag was defiantly smaller!”
Slammin’ Vinyl is coming up very soon and we are also in the middle of festival season. What’s important to both of you as artists during this time of year? Is this prime time to get fresh beats to the crowd? Do you find bookings shoot through the roof or is it ‘business as normal’?
Phantasy “The most important thing is that the supporters who come out to the shows are entertained and enjoy themselves. Drum and bass has an energy no other music can match in my opinion and it shows with rammed arenas everywhere.
Macky “Festival season is always a great time of year. It’s awesome because you get to travel to so many more places. You can literally do 2 or 3 countries in one day.”
As an event, Slammin’ Vinyl has played a massive part in the progression of our scene. Do you have any favourite memories of raves gone by held by this legendary promoter?
Phantasy “Westfest – this show is just truly amazing, something you just have to witness. Over 15,000 people enjoying British music across lots of arenas.”
Macky “Yeah I love Westfest and for us to win an award for the best set there last year explains how sick it is.”
Phantasy “You’re right you know, it’s always a Westfest set that wins an award at the National Drum and Bass Awards. This just proves how popular that event is. Slammin’ Vinyl has been at the forefront of the dance music scene for such a long time.”
One thing that has always stuck in my mind regarding Slammin’ Vinyl is that they really nailed the merchandise element of promotion. How do you think this was achieved?
James (Slammin’ Vinyl) “To be honest the merchandise was done for profit, not really for promotion! We started doing it when we were just a record label, with this being just a sideline that eventually became much bigger than the records.
When we started doing events and competing with the likes of World Dance, Dreamscape and Helter Skelter, it was great to sell more jackets and bags than them and make us look bigger as promoters than we actually were at that stage.
We had great contacts within the clothing manufacturing and distribution fields so this made sure we always had loads of new designs and plenty of outlets to sell them to.”
To anyone entering the competition, what should they expect to witness from the whole crew? Any surprises in store that you can share?
Phantasy “Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we were to share it but trust me, it’s a competition that you definitely want to win.”
Macky “Harry Shotta has a pet bumblebee. He only shows it to people who have backstage access.”
You guys have set the task of naming a tune, anything people should avoid? Do you have any pet hates in terms of track names? Maybe ‘Drop The Bass’ is off the list!
Macky “We wouldn’t want to limit anyone with their ideas, so they have free reign.”
Any information you want to add to the entrants to the competition?
Phantasy “This will be a day to remember, so make sure you get your entries in for this once in a lifetime opportunity to chill with us all. All that’s left to say is good luck to everyone.”
