Ed:it‘s an enigma, now sculpting a new chapter with ‘I Would/Sound Killer‘ as part of his new alliance with SGN. As the release drops – and on the back of a wicked mix on Friction’s show where the exacting and detail-rich connotations of his artist name sure seemed to come to the fore – it was time to catch up, and to draw on that attention to detail some more, regarding some unexpected ‘Tunes You May Have Forgotten About’. Read on!
These tracks sound very strong Mr Ed:it. How does it feel to be part of the SGN clan?
Over the moon! I’ve always been a massive fan of the Shogun sound. There are so many talented producers on the label and artists that I look up to and who inspire me. To have a release on the Shogun imprint is something I never thought I’d achieve but with patience and working hard I’m so glad to be apart of the label.
How did the SGN linkup come about?
It was only really last year I started sending tunes over to Friction. I originally sent him another tune which was already signed and not long afterwards I sent him ‘Sound Killer’. Once he’d said he liked it and wanted it for SGN:LTD I began working on a few ideas for the flip side which eventually turned into ‘I Would’.
How did the tunes evolve?
Both tracks I made around summer of last year and were both quite different in the production process. I’d been wanting to create a more tekky sound around musical breakdowns and both tracks had that sort of inspiration in mind while I was producing. The fundamental parts to ‘Sound Killer’ I created a while back and was always looking for a hook of sorts to give it more life. That came about digging through samples and finding the Killa Sound Boy sample. Once I’d manipulated and arranged the audio, it gave the tune more presence, to a point I was happy with.
‘I Would’ was fairly different and came about over two studio sessions. It started with a main break I’d recorded on drums a few years ago, which I then chopped up and processed with layers and dynamics. Once the main parts were there, again it was the case of finding the interesting instrumentation/musical/vocal parts that fitted. Both tracks were named after the main vox samples.
I hear you’re busy when you produce…
I rarely sit down when I’m mixing down a track which is a bit weird but it helps.
And about the mix you did for Friction last week: there’s a tangible sense of enjoyment, and of the unexpected there too… Capone for example
Yeah definitely, it was a short mix so I try-ed to cram a few teases in there to keep the mix interesting which WAS a lot of fun. I like to mix whatever I enjoy listening to and there were a few old tracks that just fitted when I was in the mix.
I like to showcase all different kinds of D&B as there’s not just one sort of style I listen to. However, when it comes to producing I like to keep it tekky, dark and deep.
You’ve got a live date soon, in case people want more?
Ram at Detonate/Stealth, Nottingham on February 28. alongside Andy C, Calyx & Teebee, Alix Perez, Lynx. Looking forward to that one; there’s a few new tracks I’ve been working on I want to test out.
Speaking of delivering live, what’s five tunes that you may draw in general, that may surprise people. Ones people may have forgotten about?
D Kay & DJ Lee ‘Desire’
Logistics ‘Together’
Origin Unknown ‘Truly One’
Mikal ‘Distance’
Lynx and Kemo ‘Dangerous’
httpv://youtu.be/xAkiLlsFxgA
What would you say is your fave era of D&B?
I think around 2004 to 2006 was my fave. It’s when I started being introduced to D&B and there are so many fond memories.
It’s difficult to think about eras in D&B for me. I suppose I think of D&B with the times in my life and what tracks I was loving at that point.
So looking ahead into 2014 what is happening sir?
My main aim for this year is to DJ out more. It’s always something I’ve been holding back on and instead working hard in the studio but I think now I’m ready to start showcasing my music and would love play abroad sometime this year. Apart from that I have a few collabs on the go which I’m really looking forward to and just working hard in the studio, constantly learning new things and evolving my sound.
Release-wise?
Alongside my SGN:LTD release I’ve also had a track called ‘Snare Charm’ on Hospital Records: We are 18.
My next release is forthcoming coming C.I.A alongside my good friend Pennygiles with a track called ‘Set Theory’ & the flipside from myself called ‘Let Me Say’.
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