Now is a good time to be A.M.C.
Well, any time is a good time to be A.M.C but especially now: a few weeks back he picked up the Best DJ trophy at the Czech Drum & Bass Awards (beating off the likes of Andy C and Marky for the second time in his career) and in a few months’ time he’ll be releasing Titan Records’ largest project to date: A five year anniversary album.
Yeah, we couldn’t quite believe it’s already five years old too. With a discography that’s now almost 30 releases deep and consistently nurtures and supports new talent – from Hypoxia to Six Blade by way of Glass Cobra, S9, T-Phonic and many more – Titan Records is coming of age with quiet confidence, refusing the play by the current rules of copping big acts or exclusively grabbing artists before they can even consider spreading their wings.
We caught up with A.M.C to catch a few Titanic memories so far. But first, his prestigious position in the Eastern European D&B scene…
Mainland Europe loves you!
I know! I’m very honoured about it but can’t explain it. Maybe I did something at the precise time that really caught the right vibe over there? I don’t know. You go through your life doing what you do and sometimes you never realise if you’re in the right place at the right time. Maybe it was a couple of key shows I did that really caught the moment? I think Europe is a lot more open to new talent and really embrace it. Either way, I love the relationship I’ve built with a lot of key clubs and events and especially the ravers all across Europe.
Maybe it’s the sound? I know as a DJ you’re an all-rounder and cover the whole ground but your love for techy stuff can’t be denied and that’s the ruling sound across Europe isn’t it?
Yeah definitely and I do love my techy stuff but I never go into a set going ‘right I’m going to play nonstop techy bangers!’ The other day I did a two hour set in Roxy, Prague and I went on this mad liquid tinge with loads of old Marky and Calibre stuff and that went down really well. Other times I could draw for a Majistrate tune. I play it all, wherever and whenever. I never go in with a specific agenda or sound or style. I think this is down to the fact I started as a DJ before I even stepped foot inside a studio; I’ve never aligned myself with one specific sound and can go into a club and play whatever I like and cater for everyone in the venue.
Your presence at Let it Roll is almost residency-level. I take you’re back again this year?
I’ve played there for the last five years running and love the festival, it’s one of the best – if not the best – festivals on the planet. But I may not play there this year because if you play the same festival and territory over and over you lose any specialness around the event and people will get bored. Last year I wasn’t supposed to play but Break couldn’t make it so I filled in for him. The line-up this year is really fresh with a lot of the guys making their debut this year which is important for the festival to keep the power in their brand.
Let’s talk about the power of your brand! I can’t believe Titan is five years old already….
Tell me about it! I was typing out our back catalogue the other day and realised just how much quality music we’ve put out. I forgot about some tunes, I’ve gone back through the archives and dusted them off for my sets now. But yeah, time has flown. And every year is a level up with new artists and new sounds. The main thing from the off, which has never changed, is that I’ve never wanted Titan to be pigeonholed in one sound or subgenre. If you build up a fanbase on one specific subgenre then suddenly branch out and bring something different then you alienate fans. It’s about keeping people on board. Look at the most successful labels in the scene; they all put out a whole spectrum of styles and there’s a good reason why. So we’ve done releases across the board… From tech to neuro to jump-up to deep. And that will be even more apparent when we release our five years album!
Yeah, what can you tell us about that?
It’s full of exclusives from all the people you know and love from the label plus remixes from some of my favourite names in the game. It’s scheduled for July 29 with samplers coming in May and June. It’s the first Titan album so we’re seeing how to deliver it. Back in the day albums were really exciting and you’d buy it with no question. Now people look at albums and take their favourites. I love what The Upbeats are doing with their De-Evolution series. Releasing EPs here and there, teasing people. That’s really inspiring so we’ll be doing a similar approach during May and June, just casually dropping bombs all over the place. Then there’s the tour too, which we’re currently setting up now.
Awesome. What can we hear about the music, though? Who’s on the album?
I can’t drop too much information yet as we’ve still got a way to go, but put it this way; we’ve got some amazing tracks from the usual suspects on the label and some fresh talent who will be using the album as a platform to start their careers. To top it off we have some very high profile remixes. People I grew up listening to and am in awe of. People who are friends now and are releasing on my label; it’s very surreal. You won’t be disappointed!
Nice. Okay, give me five Titan highs so far to sign out…
The first release – the Surface EP. It was so successful and really kick started everything. It was a statement of intent; we didn’t sign tracks from big artists, we picked new artists who showed serious talent and put them on show for the world to see. The whole reason I started the label was because I was getting sent music and couldn’t believe it wasn’t being released by anyone. I thought it was criminal that it wasn’t seeing the light of day! So I put it out myself.
The second high was my own Noise Of Thunder EP. Having a label really pushed me into the production world. I was producing before Titan but the label really drove me to perfect my own studio skills. Noise Of Thunder was where I felt like I turned a corner.
Another high was the collaboration I did with Six Blade. It was another real studio development for me and I loved everything about the release. Jack, the man behind the artwork, smashed it with his retro arcade illustration. I was really proud of that project.
Last year’s Titan event in Slovakia (Let It Roll Winter Slovakia) was another high. Blackout were hosting the main room and we hosted the second room. It was such a vibe. Titan fans in Slovakia are mental, I love them. I turned around to play my last tune and everyone’s wearing Titan T-shirts and holding up A.M.C logos. The love was there. I play a lot of shows but this was a real moment.
Finally, another high is the album. It’s the next stepping stone, it’s the biggest thing we’ve done. We’ve never done an album. We’ve talked about it with artists but we don’t want to push them and we’ll only put out a big project like this when every single thing feels right… And it definitely feels right now!
Expect more Titan album news very soon. Promoters and venues interested in taking part in Titan’s tour please email karen@spiralmauk.com
