‘I like balls to the wall drum and bass’
To be blunt – in the truly dystopian, harsh and concrete sense as possible – Audio‘s gone IN on the new album, Beastmode. Seismically so. The clue’s in the title.
It was only fitting that we did likewise. So, with heat-resistant visors down, plasma weaponry primed (well, the man is a sci-fi fiend as we know) we went in with the beats Beast itself.
Audio. Hi. Would you say that Beastmode is a culmination of your work in D&B so far… or is it simply ‘state of the art’ i.e. the place you’re at now, a snapshot?
For me, albums are a snapshot of where I am musically at that certain moment in time. But they also reflect everything I’ve learnt over the years technically, so I guess there is a bit of that too.
I never know where you actually produce; what’s it like there?
My studio is situated on an industrial estate so the vibe is gritty.
And in terms of what’s going on in my headspace, new ink is always great for the vibe!
… I ask this as I feel that you have a film in your head for some tunes, and you must need some space to get it all down right.
I can watch a film and it can inspire me to write a tune, not necessarily just sampling it. Although I do a lot of sampling too.
‘Ambush’, to me is the tune you would hear mid set, when it’s really heads down and in the thick of it, am I right? Was that the intention?
To be honest that’s the intention with everything I do, I like balls to the wall drum and bass. Always have, always will, but yeah ‘Ambush’ was a bruiser for sure!
When did you know that the album was complete btw, when did it ‘feel’ like an album?
Well I actually wrote it and it was done in around February time, but some of the tunes didn’t feel like it was the best I could do. So I wrote seven new tunes for it and at that point it felt done.
Tell us about the linkup for the mighty Nuklear and Prolix for the insane ‘Creatures’; that is a filthy killer!
It was on the cards for a while to work with Chris and finally on this project it came together, I started it then he added his magic. Then we finished it together.
Nuke’s vocals on it took the tune to another level!
Back to films – and titles like ‘Toecutter’ seem to be cool film references, to me – what are some films/TV that push the limits for you?
I love movies, anything sci fi or futuristic. I get more excited about new marvel and DC comic films than my eight year old son.
A film can inspire me to hit the studio big time.
Take us into ‘Rogue’ if you will… my mind is full of great images for this! (Rogue Trooper, in case you ask)
‘Rogue’ was one of the last tunes I made and I wanted to bring in that old stompy Therapy Sessions vibe but in a new way. And ‘Rogue’ was what came out; one of the best tunes off the LP to play in the dance.
What keeps you on fire with D&B?
I feel the same energy towards this music as I did 20 years ago, that’s what keeps me fired up.
I’m always chasing the next tune, the next mix… It’s just my life.
That’s an easier way to put it.
Final thoughts?
Catch me everywhere at some point, but especially the big one, Let it Roll this Summer!
Audio images: Sarah Ginn