A great pleasure once again to speak to Arp XP from his Sardinian base about the Gates of Dawn album to cheerfully accept receipt of a life-affirmingly-great mix too. But although Sardinia is the mythical ‘home of SUNANDBASS’, it’s not without real world intervention: not long before the interview, a cyclone had ripped through the island.
Is all ok where you are, sir?
Yes, it was a dramatic moment for my island, Sardinia: now the situation is under control.
It’s sad to say: it’s a foretold tragedy, this is what happens when you disrespect places where you live. You cannot build your house on a river bed, and mother nature knows it.
And with the beats, are you busy in 2014?
I’m still busy and I’m happy to be able to spend a lot of time making music I love, alone or collaborating with artists that I truly respect like Reza, Fd, Dabs, Kwality, Hlz, Nitri, Maurs and many more.
I’ll release a few 12s for my favorite labels, including my second release on Metalheadz (Methxx in collaboration with Nitri and HLZ) then Horizons, Scientia, Rubik, Avantgarde, Absys and IM:Ltd.
Can it match 2013?
First release on Metalheadz, a collaboration with a total inspiration like Seba and a remix by my favourite producer ever, Calibre: yes, 2013 was an important year for my “musical career”.
I hope that 2014 could be at least as good as 2013.
Now onto this compilation: tell us about your work for Gates of Dawn… and how the remix came about?
A couple of weeks before the Sunandbass Festival, Andrej asked me if I was interested on releasing a track for his own label and I took the occasion to make something different: a little heavier and darker than my usual tracks. I like when I get involved with ‘young’ labels with good ideas with future thinking projects.
Overall, what ‘sort’ of D&B will we find in this compilation? I feel it is not limited to style, and would work anywhere…
In the Gates of Dawn album you can find all the faces of modern D&B: from liquid rollers to minimal and dark tunes. The full spectrum of D&B is represented in this project. Highlights are, in my opinion, tracks produced by Entita, Cursa, Bone and Survey.
What D&B is making your head nod right now, what artists?
Too many to name! The best part of our scene is that you are surrounded by a huge number of very talented producers, with different interpretations and different approach to this 170 bpm business. I can name you five artists I respect a lot, for different reasons: FD, Lenzman, Seba, Stray and Tokyo Prose.
You’re known for ‘Winter In Sardinia’… what’s a nice way to pass the chilly season in the studio during this time?
A cup of Russian Earl Grey in the winter… and a bottle of Cedrata Tassoni in the summer, an Italian drink.
I hear that you’re not a ‘typical raver’ however on the drinking front…
I don’t drink any kind of alcohol and I try to have a normal social life as ‘DJ/clubber’, even if I recognize it’s a little bit weird in these times ..
arp site
Image by Wojtek ‘Rojo’ Rojek
Arp XP Mix, 2014
Tracklist
Break & Mikal – Status Low (Metalheadz)
Jubei – State of the Art feat. SP:MC (Metalheadz)
Mako, DLR, Villem & Ant TC1 – Hungry For Atmosphere (Metalheadz)
FD – Luisa’s Move (Dispatch)
Ivy Lab – Baby Grey (Critical)
Mindmapper – Blue Times (Eternia)
Tokyo Prose – Songbird (Hospital)
ArpXP – Winter in Sardinia – Calibre Remix (Sunandbass)
dBridge – True Romance (Metalheadz)
ArpXP – Invisible Man (Rubik)
Enei – Thinline – Blocks & Escher 97 Remix (Critical)
ArpXP – Five Black Forms (Authentic Music)
Entita – Other Side (Authentic Music)
FD – Into you (CIA)
LSB – If you’re here feat. Sophia Wardman (Hospital)
Marcus Intalex & ST Files – Universe (Metalheadz)
FD – Change Please (CIA)
ArpXP & Reza – No Control feat. Kayka (Metalheadz)
Matrix – Airhead (Virus)
Cursa – Hydro (Authentic Music)
Bone – Empty Space (Authentic Music)
Distant Future – Changes (Authentic Music)
