When we were making it we were looking at each other wondering if we could actually pull this off…
June Miller sound downright possessed in the flow of the barnstorming Ups & Downs ep on RAM; they almost sound as if they could… levitate?
We spoke to the duo about the new ep and it turns out we have a total bombshell exclusive here too. [Hint: involving major D&B label heads and backing vocals. Who would’ve thought?]
I know it’s midwinter and all but how are things, are you cool? or just ‘cold’?
Ha ha actually, it’s not so nippy at all! I’m writing this as the sun bashes down through the window right into our studio! So things are pretty good right about now
Ups & Downs is a great ep but I must ask about the carnage that is ‘Saus’ with Mefjus, wow, when did that occur?
Mefjus had to play in Rotterdam last year so we thought we would kidnap him for a few days and bathe him in ‘Saus’. Luckily he didn’t put up too much of a fight and actually was quite keen on the idea ha ha. But we had a cool few days and we put two ideas down, one of them being ‘Saus’.
When we were making it we were looking at each other wondering if we could actually pull this off ha ha.
Our intention from the start was to make something out of the box but there was a little self-doubt as it all went a bit over the top. But when we started playing it out, loads of people started asking what it was etc… So I guess sometimes stupid is good .
httpv://youtu.be/4RvC52LypIQ
I like that wicked spoken ending…
We put the overall concept and idea together and swapped stems with Mefjus a few times to work on the mix. One version that Mefjus sent had included that ending and I was in fits, perfect!
Other guests here: T & Sugah and Anouk V, how did it all happen?
Well, Anouk we have known for around 10 years now! She’s an old friend and has a lovely distinct voice. T & Sugah are a new duo here in Holland who we meet last year: they’re making some great stuff, so keep your eyes and ears out for them.
The tune ‘Bad Brains’. Were you/are you a fan of this once-fab band?
Loved Bad Brains and we felt the name kinda fitted the track. Again it was one of those tunes we had a bit of self-doubt about. The bass was actually a total mistake where I had moved the midi file from another channel on this FM8 track – ha ha, it makes me laugh – and we were just about to scrap it actually. But we thought we would give it a chance and see how it would turn out.
There’s wonderful tones and vibes on here in general; the synths on ‘The Promise Ring’ holy cow, how nice! This tune should be number 1 everywhere.
We wanted to make something a bit different that your dancefloor tearer. Something which crosses over into a different feel of genre but still drum and bass. So we went around doing something which was slightly out of our comfort zone, which was definitely fun!
All in all Ups & Downs is a wicked ep and must be fun to draw from this live…
I think this EP pretty much sums up our live sets really, we like to keep it dynamic but also it’s simply D&B and you can’t beat the energy that a good roller brings on a big system..
And where do you especially love to demolish, I mean play live?
We love playing Major League here in Holland (see pic below). Normally they are in the Melkweg, Amsterdam and its always such an amazing energy. Pim & Lars who run Major League are always on point and put so much work in, great guys!
France was amazing last year; every show we played there has been spot on and there are way too many places to list too!
Any good ‘behind the scenes’ stories behind Ups & Downs in general? Can you give us some goss?
Yeah actually, we kept it secret for too long but Anouk Visee is actually Andy C and his voice is more angelic than a thousand angels.
Sorry Andy, the cat’s out of the bag!
Image by Isolde Woudstra
