Unless your internet has been broken for the last week and you’re playing serious catch up, you hopefully know all about our very first Winter Selection album!
Out now, Drum&BassArena Winter Selection 2013 boasts 36 tracks (14 of which are exclusives you will not find anywhere else), each one hand-picked by The Risky to warm you up during the most severe of months. The government recently controversially advised wearing an extra jumper to battle the hike in energy prices. We reckon whacking this on and having a full-on physical rave-up will have even more impact.
Here’s a sweet little sample of what you can expect from the album…
Recently we caught up with the Teddy Killerz and The Prototypes for their exclusive additions to the album. For our final feature on the album we caught up with A.M.C and LoKo. The two have collaborated to create the outrageously heavy Only One. Available exclusively on Drum&BassArena Winter Selection 2013, you can file it under ‘disgusting’…
Massive, right? We set up a cheeky conference call and got the pair of them chatting…
How did this hook-up happen, then?
A.M.C: We’ve DJed at the same event quite a few times together and started properly talking about working together when we played at a gig in Portugal. That’s when I sent you that tune wasn’t it?
LoKo: Yeah you sent me that and I fannied around with it for a long, long time. Sent you back some bits, you went in on it and finished it off. Done!
DJs hook up at gigs all the time and I’m sure there are load of ‘oh yeah man, let’s do a co-lab’ conversations that never actually materialise. What is it between the two of you that made this happen?
A.M.C: It’s easy, really! We both use the same set-ups. If he was working in Cubase or another DAW then he’d have to bounce down audio or send over synth pre-sets or whatever. Because we both use Logic we can zip up the projects and send them to each other.
LoKo: It was tester to see if it worked. And it has so far!
Have you learnt anything from each other?
LoKo: Yes, Alex has insane projects. There’s shit everywhere! I’m super neat and clean, I like it minimal and organised. He’s got projects with 900 channels and half of them aren’t doing anything. There are channels with 24 plug-ins on and they’re all muted. It’s CPU overload!
A.M.C: Haha, It’s because I’ve kitted out my studio computer and it’s a beast! I send over projects to people and they can’t open them! But recently I have started to be more organised. I have learnt some serious tricks from LoKo. His melodies are super intricate. Plus I love nicking his samples.
LoKo: Ha! Likewise!
A.M.C: I really want to use the bassline he brought into Only One but it’s too obvious to use.
LoKo: Just do it! I’m bored of it now…
A.M.C: Perfect!
How long did Only One take to write? And there’s more co-lab stuff to come, right?
LoKo: Only One took about four or five months and yeah we’ve got a few things on the go at the moment. It’s working so we’ll keep on collaborating!
A.M.C: 100 per cent mate. I was listening to one of the tracks we’ve got the other night and it’s awesome. Yes, there’s definitely more coming from the two of us!
Sweet. What’s your favourite random collaboration in D&B ever?
LoKo: Easy, it’s my favourite D&B tune ever – Culture Shock & Brookes Brothers Rework. It’s retarded how good that tune still sounds!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4JgkBPTPxc
A.M.C: That’s a great tune! Let me think a minute… Shall I go old school?
LoKo: Go old school!
A.M.C: Ed Rush & Optical is too obvious, right?
LoKo: Far too obvious.
A.M.C: Damn you Nath, you’ve set the benchmark too high there…
Okay, let’s find out who your favourite dream collabo would be… What collaboration hasn’t happened that needs to happen?
LoKo: There’s one that’s been talked about but I don’t know if it’s happened. Chase & Status and Nile Rodgers.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58uI37vY3w
That’s happened. There’s a really deep, understated tune called What Is Right on the album but apparently they did quite a few tunes during their session together. Some big disco vibes on all accounts…
LoKo: That’s what I’m talking about! The Disclosure, Nile Rodgers, Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes track is off the hook. I’m loving that at the moment.
A.M.C: So the dream collaboration you’d like to see has already happened LoKo. Fail! Try again.
LoKo: Easy… Hans Zimmer and Noisia!
AMC: Hahaha! Wow, that’s a big one! I’d love to hear that!
LoKo: I’ve been awake for a long time! I’ve had four coffees, I’m ready. Come on then, who would you pick?
A.M.C: I don’t know, I’ve just woken up! ….. Will Smith and LoKo?
Would you do that LoKo? If Big Willy came knocking would you answer?
LoKo: Of course I would. Look what happened when Jonny L asked Bradley from S Club to do the vocals on Back To Your Roots!
Woah….
A.M.C: Yeah, mad innit!
LoKo: I thought everyone knew this.
A.M.C: I don’t think he was credited on it.
LoKo: He was credited on the vinyl…
A.M.C: Really?
LoKo: Yeah of course. But it didn’t say ‘Bradley from S Club’, it said his real name.
A.M.C: I think a collaboration with Rachael Stevens could work well.
Ha! Okay, final question. Your tune is called Only One… So if you could pick only one tune from your repertoires which one would you pick?
LoKo: Holy shit!
A.M.C: haha! What type of question is this?
I’ve had four coffees this morning too…
A.M.C: To be honest, everything I’ve made prior to Only One is quite different and I was never confident with them.
LoKo: Come on man, Puppet Dance is a big tune!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swSdz9PGADA
A.M.C: Oh okay, nice one. I forgot about that.
Actually, pick only one tune from each other’s repertoire then…
A.M.C: Ah that’s easier. It’s a choice between Shadows or Smash It.
You can only pick one!
A.M.C: I’d say Smash It, then. Purely because the bassline is pretty much the same as Only One and it genuinely does smash it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVqcbg0U7Dw
LoKo: Puppet Dance for me, for sure. Are we done now? I’ve got a gig to go to…
Yup, we’re done. Over and out…
Drum&BassArena Winter Selection 2013 is out now. Listen and download.
Full tracklist…
CD1
Rudimental Feat. Foxes – Right Here (Andy C Remix)
Friction Feat. Arlissa – Long Gone Memory
Rae & Christian feat. Tony D, Jazzy Jeff, Agent 86 – Check The Technique (Rollz Remix)
The Prototypes – Abyss VIP
DJ Fresh & Diplo Feat. Dominique Young Unique – Earthquake (TC Remix)
Modified Motion & Faction – Shoot First, Ask Questions After
Mediks Feat. KJ Sawka – Cannibals
Metrik – Break Of Dawn
High Maintenance – The Future
Gridlok & Prolix – Slingshot
A.M.C & Loko – Only One
Cyantific – Hold Back
Zen – Year 3000
Serum – Tight Spot
Hypoxia – Space Time
Nu:Logic – Tripping In Space
Mampi Swift – Soldiers
Wickaman & RV – Risky Business
CD2
Audio – Headroom VIP
Noisia & Calyx & Teebee – Hyenas
Usual Suspects – Killa Bees (InsideInfo Remix)
Phace – Vitreous
Ulterior Motive – Lost Contact
Xtrah – Cyrax (Break Remix)
NickBee – Era
Dub Motion – See Saw
BTK – Vigilante
Emperor feat. Georgia Yates – Begin
Break – Music Is Better
Saxxon & NC17 – Addiction
Teddy Killers – Bronson
Need For Mirrors & HLZ – Smudge
Foreign Concept & Stray – Bang It
Total Science – Subwarfare
Maztek – HiveMind
Optiv & CZA – Vital Signs
