Krakota sure has a lot to be chuffed about these days. Having just signed exclusively to Hospital Records he’s achieved a life-long dream, and is about to drop his first release as an official member of the Hospital clan. We caught up with Seb to chat about the release and more…
Big up Seb! How’s things?
Hello! I’m very well thanks. Really looking forward to my first release on Hospital on the 13th of October. It seems to be getting some great feedback across the board so I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks.
We feel a huge congrats are in order for signing with Hospital and your first official release! Big up! Did you ever imagine you’d end up on a label like Hospital, and was it something you aspired to as your love for d&b grew?
Thank you very much. It was certainly always a long term goal of mine (and I’m sure many others) and I’m very happy that it finally came together and that I have a great platform to release my music on.
How were you introduced to d&b in the first place?
Mostly through my older brother, he’d blare it out in his room (we’re talking mid 00’s now). Tunes like Mampi Swift – The one and Future Prophecies – Dreadlock, I didn’t know what it was back then, but I grew to become completely obsessed with it. I set about finding out as much as I could about the artists involved and sifting through all the different styles it had to offer.
And how did the connection with Hospital initially come about?
It was actually through Carlos (S.P.Y)! We’d swap tunes on AIM quite a lot (an old school instant messenger everyone used to use) and I had sent him a track called “Block Breaker” which he loved and was playing out. I wasn’t sure what to do with it and he’d said he’d send it to Tony for me. 2 days later I get a phone call whilst i’m down the pub with my mates and it’s Tony saying he wants to sign it for Hospital! I was pretty chuffed.
Now on to the release.. Xylo and Irregular – both diverse releases, nicely done! Tell us about how the tunes came together, any background story there?
Thanks! After I’d signed I just wrote so much music we just picked the ones we thought would work best and that would please a diverse audience. Xylo I wrote the idea pretty quickly over a few days, whereas irregular was written over the space of a month or two (and the mixdown was a real bitch, too). It’s called “Irregular” because it was in no way planned and the sound was kinda out of the norm for me.
Nice one! Personal fave is Xylo, simply loving the groove! Traditional conventions as they used to exist within drum & bass seem to be breaking down and there seems to be an air of ‘anything goes’ within the genre, which I find incredibly exciting.. Do you feel there’s more room for experimentation within this ever-evolving framework?
I love this attitude to writing music. Now and again a track pops up that’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before or even imagined could be done with the genre, it keeps it so fresh, and that’s what I love about D&B. I certainly hope this keeps happening, and I think it will.
Do you experiment with other genres?
All the time, hardly anyone hears them but they’re a good way of finding and learning new techniques to better your productions. It’s a good thing to switch it up when you want a break from drum & bass to have a go at something else.
Absolutely! What do you listen to in your own spare time?
Everything, I’m a big fan of Spotify and I like routing around and finding new artists and albums to listen to. I listen to a lot of Jazz as I find that its crazy structures are kind on the ear when you want a break from dance music. Other than that Funk and hip/trip hop are in my Top 5. You can listen to my recent Spotify playlist HERE.
You’re appearing at Hospital’s incredible “We Are 18” showcase at Brixton Academy this week and are joined by some incredible names such as High Contrast, S.P.Y, Anile, Lung, Calyx & Teebee, and many (MANY) more, is this your first time playing at Brixton Academy?
It’s my first time playing at Brixton academy, I’ve never actually been to the venue so it’s going to be a pretty special night for sure.
Will the event just be one big party with the Hospital crew backstage?
Ha, I hope not! Backstage isn’t as fun as being in the crowd having a party – I think most of them will be out in the crowd.
What can people expect from your set? Any exclusives?
If you’ve seen me DJ before or listened to my Soundcloud you’ll know I keep it high energy and varied, but It’s important to play for the night – so you’ll have to wait and see! (For the record: he absolutely smashed it!)
What do you hope to achieve in your first year at Hospital?
I’m writing a lot of music, and i’m working towards some bigger releases over the coming months – i’ll be really happy to see that people are enjoying the music as much as I am making it. I’m also looking forward to working on some remixes.
Dream collabs?
It would have to be Bonobo and Nile Rodgers, they’re two of my favourite producers. I’m not sure what would happen or what kind of music would come out the other end but it would be fun!
We’d love to hear that! Hospital’s sister label, Med School just released the always diverse New Blood 2014, showcasing some of the scenes freshest new talent. Who’s on your radar in terms of new acts lately?
I’m really feeling what Keeno & Whiney are making at the moment. Disprove has been making some absolute killers recently as well, and also the Klax guys from Brighton are making some great music!
Any advice for up and comers hoping to be exactly where you are one day?
A few simple things I’ve noticed over the years… Send your music to people! I know quite a few producers who are really good but won’t send anything out as they don’t think it’s ready – I say let others be the judge of that, everyones their own worst critic.
Don’t be really long on email / general communications – make it easy for people to work with you.
Check your mixdowns on every set of speakers, headphones sound systems you can. It will really help you to get stuff sounding right.
What’s coming up next for you?
My debut single is coming out on Hospital on the 13th october, and after that i’m looking forward to playing some shows over the winter and getting stuck into writing some new music!
Final shouts?
Big shout out to all the guys at Hospital Records, the Bournemouth Drum & Bass crew and of course thanks to you guys at Drum&BassArena!
Pre-order Xylo/ Irregular from the Hospital Shop/ iTunes/ Google Play.
Follow Krakota on Facebook/ Twitter/ Soundcloud.
