It’s time for another Eclectic Minds session where we ask non D&B artists what they love about D&B. You’ll be surprised how many producers are closet fans. Or not so closet fans…
Take this week’s candidate Matt Scott, one half of the scorchingly hot house/garage duo Gorgon City, his first forays into production came via his wild bass flavoured Rack N Ruin project.
“I love drum & bass,” he grins. “Have done since I got into beats. It’s mainly a travelling thing for me. When I’m on the tube or the train to gigs or in the car. I listen to it all the time man! I did a few tunes with Navigator a few years back and when we did shows we always switched up to drum & bass at the end. That was a while ago now but I’ve got some great memories – you can’t beat that sudden rush when you put the tempo up.”
These days Matt’s fully focussed on Gorgon City with partner in vibes Foamo (who we’ve also had on Eclectic Minds this year) Their Yasmin-front single Real made regal rumbles at the start of the year and they’ve followed it up with the equally sexy Intentions with Clean Bandit. He might be a devout D&B fan, but when he’s got his Gorgon City hat on, Matt is all about house vibes right now…
“I was always interested in house,” he says. “After the big bass buzz I started getting into deeper sounds and those old school garage sounds are really relevant to what’s going on right now. The production is next level now, too. People are using production techniques from drum & bass and dubstep and applying them to house. It’s a proper UK sound but it’s all about the groove and having a good time. Everyone’s grooving instead of moshing, the crowds are dancing instead of fighting. And the girls are right at the front… Which is great.”
Just like the best D&B gigs, then.
For a full Gorgon City flavour, head on over to their Facebook.
Better still, check them out on SubSoul’s debut compilation. Featuring cuts from Gorgon City, Disclosure, Breach, Bondax, Ben Pearce, Kidnap Kid, Justin Martin, Dusky and LOADS more! http://smarturl.it/subitunesout
Gorgon City Eclectic Minds…
Vintage Dread 2000
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvawdftUaWI
I remember buying the first Vintage Dread compilation. Five vinyls, all the classics. It had Ray and Nookie’s remix You Got Me Burnin Up, Renegade’s Terrorist and so many other influential pieces of drum & bass jungle. This was hugely influential on me as a music fan, as a DJ and as a producer. This started a long relationship between me and drum & bass.
Ed Rush & Optical – Punchbag
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP1tdQ0sIZk
The very first Virus release! I got this on vinyl and I still remember buying it to this day. I actually found it in my collection the other day and got a big nostalgic buzz. Ed Rush and Optical nailed their whole sound and remain one of my favourite D&B acts to this day. Such skills. I didn’t miss a release for a long time.
Roni Size – 26 Bass
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EtDfNTxZuc
I can’t talk about drum & bass without chatting about Full Cycle releases. Such an influential label for anyone who uses any amount of bass in their productions. There are too many good Full Cycle tunes to list but this one nails it for me… The bassline speaks for itself.