Welsh producer Boston is making waves with his recent release on Symmetry – The heavenly ‘Go With Me’, featuring the smooth vocals of Solis, as well as ‘The Little Things’, a blues-infused number showcasing the young producers talent. At only 20 years old, he appears to be part of a new wave of talent who make production seem effortless, and who seem to be born with a skill that often takes years for others to perfect.
Eager to explore every inch of his creative capabilities, he even lends his hand to playing guitar in the tracks, giving the release an original touch and making him our top pick of artists to look out for. We caught up with the man himself to chat about the release and more…
Big up Jack! Where are you joining us from today?
Safe guys! I’m in my home studio in sunny Cardiff.
Can you describe your production style for those who aren’t acquainted?
I try to cover a lot of styles within drum and bass, but mostly I love making soulful liquid d&b. I try to make music that evokes an emotion in the listener.
Well you’re certainly good at that! First things first – your debut release on Symmetry dropped this week.. What a release!! How did the connection with Symmetry come about?
I met Isha/Kyo when Break was doing a seminar in Bristol with Digital Labz earlier this year. We got talking and I gave her a promo CD. About a week later I received an email saying they wanted to set up a single! I’d really recommend those Digital Labz seminars to aspiring producers as they are a great way to network with like-minded people in the industry.
Nice one! ‘Go With Me’ is a heart-wrencher… Incredibly emotive, and Solis’ vocals take it to another level. Tell us how the tune came together.
Hannah Solis sent me the acoustic track that she had recorded and asked if I’d like to make it into d&b. As soon as I heard the original recording I was blown away by her voice and could hear so much potential in it. About three months later the finished product was ready.
Was it inspired by anything in particular?
It was just two unsigned artist living out of Cardiff who wanted to express their passion for music!
How did you come into contact with Solis?
We’re both really social within the Cardiff music scene, so we’d met a few times in passing… It was Hannahs idea to get the collaboration going though, so massive thanks to her!
‘The Little Things’ is a funky, bluesy number… Something tells me you have a serious musical background? Were you professionally trained?
I come from a family with a very strong musical heritage. I’ve played guitar for about 14 years but I was only trained for half of that. I’ve been brought up on a diet of Jazz, Blues and Soul music. It has inspired my productions without a doubt!
It definitely comes out in your productions! Is that you on guitar in ‘Go With Me’ as well? If so, do you play any other instruments and can we hear them in this release?
The acoustic you can hear in ‘Go with me’ is actually Hannah, she’s a very talented musician. All the other lead parts were played by myself. Since I’ve started producing I’ve been experimenting with a lot of other instruments such as bass, brass and a beautiful MK1 Fender Rhodes that I recently acquired. Playing the instruments on my own tracks gives me so much more freedom to express my creativity.
Definitely! You’re originally from Cardiff, Wales – how’s the scene holding up there at the moment? What are the best nights to come check out?
The scene in Cardiff is strong! Aperture has been putting on shows for almost 10 years now. The vibe is always amazing with a real family atmosphere and great bookings. They booked me for my first set when I was 16 and using fake ID to get into the clubs, so my heart will always be with that night. ‘Catapult’ and ‘Reign’ are also killing it with some serious bookings in ‘The Vaults’ – it’s a maze of corridors and dance floors in a converted bank vault. It really is an incredible venue!
Sounds epic! How did your love for drum & bass initially develop?
It all started when I was about 14 and heard my sister playing ‘Days Go By’ by High contrast… From that point on I’ve been completely hooked.
Do you dabble in other genres?
I make a lot of other genres. Sometimes I feel like d&b can be really restricting and uninspiring. That’s when my appreciation for other music really comes out.
What’s a tune you’ve had on repeat recently?
Scott Matthews – Dream song.
Dream collab in the future?
My absolute favourite producer in d&b is Charlie Break so it would have to be him! Outside of d&b would have to be Zero 7.
What’s next on the agenda in terms of production?
I’ve been working on some darker material for the dance floor recently, as well as more liquid. Whatever I am making will be coming out on symmetry.
Where can people catch you next?
Aperture in Cardiff in November and at a Symmetry night in Bristol early next year!
Final shout outs?
Massive thanks to Charlie and Isha at Symmetry, two of the most genuine and lovely people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting! And big ups to my mum for dealing with the constant stream of drum and bass coming from the studio!
Go With Me / The Little Things are out now.
Follow Boston on Soundcloud.