Ladies and gentlemen… There are only FIVE DAYS TO GO until Drum&BassArena 2013 is released!
33 tracks, 12 massive exclusives and every single one of them a total banger… This is one of our biggest releases to date, and it celebrates every single shade of our broad scene possible.
For a reminder of the tracklist, check out the feature we ran with Serum last week. Now read on for a special interview with BTK. Not content with helping us with our massive remix competition, he’s also given us this incredible exclusive…
Big ups for giving us Thorn as an exclusive track for Drum&BassArena 2013. Spiky vibes?
“Cheers! I started Thorn from the vocal sample which says “got the funk” and had in mind to use a bit of some techno hypnotic vibes sounds alongside a funky drumbeat. The title came after I wrote the mids pattern which were sounding like spikes hitting the subwoofers in the studio.”
You’ve also been working with us on the massive remix competition we ran with you. What did you think of the entries?
“There were lots of entries and it was very hard to pick up a winner. It is a nice way to interact with all the up and coming drum & bass producers, giving them a chance to show everyone their skills and to be heard…. Which is pretty difficult if you’re an unknown!”
Remix competitions are a great way to establish a profile. If they were around when you started up as a producer would you have entered them?
“Ah, I’ve joined a few competitions in my career as producer and DJ but, never won anything! My flatmate won a remix competition last year which I thought that was pretty cool. In the other hand, Optiv said that I’m just unlucky with such things… lol!”
So how’s life in Switzerland? Do you miss Brazil?
“Switzerland is a lovely country, the people are friendly, the food is good and the sun is shining most of the time during winter. The Drum & Bass scene is very strong and healthy, lots of new promoters coming up and there’s a few pretty good producers around. Brazil is my home country and I’ll always miss it.”
And how are things going at Dutty Audio?
“It is going pretty well. The last two releases with Audio, Mefjus, Optiv, Meth and myself made to the Top10 charts on every shop. I’m really excited on having more music released on the label and I’ve been planning a few new singles and a new series of EPs with various artists.”
What’s the duttiest piece of audio you’ve been sent recently?
“Ed Rush & Optical – Long Stay featuring Rymetyme. It’s by far my favourite track right now. You can never go wrong with their tracks and I’m seriously looking forward for their forthcoming album on Virus. This one has that classic Virus funky vibes and the production on it is brilliant.”
How much of your time is split between being a label manager, being a producer and being a DJ?
“I believe that having releases is what holds your DJ bookings up and since I love to DJ, I try to spend the most of my time in the studio. I’m up around 8am and work on beats daily from 9am till 6pm. Sometimes I start a bit later, sometimes I end up going on longer than planned. I really enjoy looking after the label but at the moment it takes up very little of my time.”
And what can we expect to hear from you after Thorn on Drum&BassArena 2013?
“I’m having a solo single on Renegade Hardware out in April. Then, in collaboration with Optiv, there is a new EP to be released on Black Sun Empire’s new label called Blackout. There’s a brand new track signed on Friction’s Shogun Audio, and we’ve also done remixes for Black Sun Empire, Dom & Roland, The Upbeats and recently Maztek’s track entitled Limber. All should be released over the next months.”
What’s exciting you most about Drum&Bass in 2013?
“The forthcoming bookings, new releases, more work in general. I’m really optimistic and excited for 2013!”
Please give us an exclusive fact about yourself…
“I haven’t played Diablo 3 as much as I would like to and I finally started to work out at the gym.”
Drum&BassArena 2013 is out April 7 (Download / 2xCD)
Pre-order today: Drum&BassArena, iTunes or a very special t-shirt and CD bundle!