Glaswegian Hex is – spookily – releasing ‘Grey Skies’ today. It’s backed with ‘Weightless’. But it’s not all doom and gloom we hope?
What inspired ‘Grey Skies’? Was it something spiritual or maybe just the day to day?
‘Grey’ Skies is pretty much inspired by the miserable weather in Glasgow! It rains here most of the year, but after 10 years in the city I find it pretty comforting.
Oddly enough when I wrote the track it was actually a beautiful day but it had been throwing down for the entire week before that, and that’s what gave me the inspiration. I was just trying to capture how the sound of rain makes me feel – the calm, the moodyness of a wet city, how everything is still happening but it’s driven indoors, waiting for the chance to come out again.
It’s a unique sound, it’s got ‘Hex’ stamped all over it.
I don’t know that anything I do is unique! I think unique is difficult when you’re talking about something as well established as D&B, and compared to the producers I look up to my tunes still sound formulaic.
I just try to put something of myself into the music, and inject some feeling, so hopefully that comes through in the tracks. There’s a lot of music in every genre which is well engineered but has no soul, which is something I definitely want to avoid.
I love those synth sounds in ‘Weightless’: is this a typical one in terms of the sort of instrumentation and sounds you like?
It all depends on the kind of vibe I’m trying to get when I write a tune. I guess when I write more liquid-style tunes I’m always trying to tread that line between writing something that sounds warm and cheerful without it becoming a cheese-fest.
For that particular vibe, the rapid arpeggios are definitely a sound I love.
How did the linkup with Sub:mission come about?
Sam at Sub:mission got in touch with me a while before via the blog I run (DNB Dojo) and sent me tracks from the label and from their techier sister label Transmission. When I wrote these two tracks I thought he might be interested in them so I sent them over and he snapped them up straight away. The label is run purely from a love for the music which is exactly why I write and play – I’m just in this because of how D&B music makes me feel when I hear it, pure and simple.
What’s a tune in your head right now?
Eveson & Halogenix ‘Grey Dawn’ has been stuck in my head all day! Really infectious tune, the vocal sample and the melody get me every time.
Do you play out live, yourself?
Some friends and I run a small night in the city every few months called Symbiosis, which will be celebrating its 10th birthday in October! Otherwise I get the odd set at other nights and at small festivals, the next one being at Doune The Rabbit Hole festival in a couple of weeks time. I’d love the opportunity to play out more, and hopefully that’ll begin to happen as my music gets heard further afield.
In general, what’s the Glaswegian scene like?
The D&B scene here in Glasgow is pretty small, but we’ve got a few dedicated folk who love the music and keep it alive. Glasgow has always had more appetite for House and Techno than anything else – there isn’t much Dubstep or Bass music in the city either.
Back in the early 2000s there was more of a D&B scene with nights like LiveVEvil, Manga and Red Alert gracing the city’s clubs fairly regularly but since those nights stopped there have only been a small handful of local DJs supporting the D&B sound.
Any shouts, Hex?
First up shouts to Sam and the Sub:mission crew for believing in the tunes, biggups! Shouts to Enorme, Frustrate, Hedway, Quentin Hiatus, Deficit & Esion at AutomAte, and anyone else who’s collaborated with me on tracks or listened to my stuff and given me feedback. Big shouts to the Symbiosis crew – Calaco Jack, Alcane, YellowB and Altronix. Last but not least shouts to everyone who listens to my music, whoever and wherever you are.
