The Hybrid Minds boys have risen to fame so quickly it’s easy to forget they’ve only been releasing music for around three years.
In that short time, they’ve released a critically acclaimed album which was then remixed by a host of the genre’s best artists, along with a flutter of smaller, equally impressive releases. Now that the dust has settled on the album, they’ve just released another stunning EP.
Thought-provoking, deep and ultimately beautiful, Lifted is an EP featuring four tracks of the typical Hybrid Minds sound that has gained them so much respect since their formation.
But aside from this EP, what else are they up to? We caught up with them to find out…
The Lifted EP is out! How’s the reception been so far?
It’s only just dropped so it’s hard to tell, but so far so good; it broke into the top 30 of the iTunes dance chart as soon as it was released so we were pretty happy about that. It’s always a very anxious & exciting time when we release new material as we’re never quite sure what people will think of it. Luckily, the feedback has been excellent so far and we’re very grateful for all the support our followers give us as ever.
Was it fairly straightforward producing this EP or did you have any complications along the way?
It was quite a long process actually. It’s our first major body of work since the album, and it’s been a long time coming and a pretty slow procedure. We wanted to come up with something that would live up to the album as it was so well received. We were feeling the pressure for sure. We spent a long time in the studio trying to work on the technical side of things so that we could achieve a fuller sound. I think we have managed it but we’ll probably disagree with ourselves in a month!
There are some wicked collabs on the EP, what was it like working with them?
It’s always good fun working with different vocalists; it’s very exciting waiting for them to come back with something and it can really get us hyped about finishing something off if we’re in love with the vocals. We had a fun day out recording the vocals for Lifted in a windmill near BCee’s place. Working with Riya is especially easy and always a pleasure, we’ve done a few with her now. We’re looking forward to seeing how Still Remains goes down on her album as it’s been doing especially well in the clubs.
Are you eyeing up another album now that this EP is out of the way?
Maybe, maybe not… Releasing an album was amazing but it put us out of the game for a while and we lost a steady release schedule. When you produce an album, you put everything into it and it needs to be special. We’re just focusing on making music at the moment, and if that music lends itself to an album then we will do one, if not then we won’t. We want to do it at the right time and with the right music – not just for the sake of it in some scheduled mechanical way.
Do you find it hard keeping your sound fresh after all these releases? What’s the trick to keeping up momentum in the studio?
I think that’s why it’s taken us so long to get the EP together. After the album we felt like we had nothing left to give. We enjoy what we make but don’t want to keep rehashing the same tunes. We want to stay true to our sound and evolve our techniques for better results. We think a lot of our tracks sound quite similar but then so do a lot of Bon Jovi songs. That’s our sound – why try and be someone else?
What are your plans for summer? Any big shows that you’re really looking forward to?
We’ve just got back from Liquicity Festival which was great. Next we have Let It Roll which we are looking forward to. This year is the first year we have had a reasonably busy festival period so that’s really nice. The standout shows for us so far this summer have been the Australia tour, Pohoda Festival and the Spearhead Boat Party which was just pure vibes!
Spearhead is killing it right now. Agreed?
It’s got a strong roster and is ever growing. It isn’t one of the big big boys yet but it’s really nice to have creative freedom. Dexcell, Muffler and Mutated Forms’ new stuff is wicked though. And of course LSB is smashing it and is our favourite producer in the scene at the moment, the little bell**d!
What other artists in drum & bass are you liking at the moment? Who are you taking inspiration from?
At the moment that little bastard LSB mainly. Then there’s Spectrasoul, Lenzman, Dexcell, and we’re also feeling a few of the new Etherwood bits as well. All the usual suspects really.
What direction would you say drum & bass is heading in?
We think it’s heading in a north east direction…
