As 2014 approaches the final bend something has landed with such a concussive blast in the special way that only D&B can muster: cue blue flashes, 20Hz rumbling and strobes please. It’s the debut on Hospital from Lynx!
To start with the title tune from the ep, ‘Where Are You?’ is ‘classic’ Lynx but it’s really a new look as well: the entire vibe is a seismic shift! What place was your head at when you did this?
Thanks! My head was at different places for each tune as they are from various time scales: ‘Where are You’ and ‘Blue’ are around a year old now, whereas ‘Hurting’ and ‘Bees Knees’ are only a few months old.
For me the EP represents a good overview of where I used to be stylistically, and where I’m going. It’s an intro with Hospital, to familiarise people with my sound. Be ready: there’s a whole lot more to come next year.
The ep’s dropped near the end of 2014 and is a totally life affirming thing. Has it been a good year?
2014’s been a great year. I can draw many parallels to 2006 which was my breakthrough year into D&B. It has the same feeling that things are really building steam to a crescendo in 2015: I’ve signed exclusively to Hospital Records and Where Are You? is about to drop. The majority of the summer and autumn I’ve been locked away in the studio writing my album for next year on Hospital and it’s going to be huge!
I have very, very high hopes for what it can achieve already, and it’s not even close to being finished yet. There is some seriously amazing collaborations on there so far… but I’m going to keep them quiet for the moment.
httpv://youtu.be/zQaHLXVPs5g
Touching on them, how does it feel to be with the Hospital crew. I mean it’s not just a label, it’s a culture. It must be a lot of fun to even simply chat to the crew, with all the history.
It’s awesome! Hospital is a real family, from the staff to the artists. I’ve experienced the good bad and ugly regarding labels in my time in D&B music. Therefore I’ve plenty of experience with the industry and had a certain level of expectation. I’m happy to say in my first few months Hospital are a really professional label. They run things properly and know how to push their artists, what more can I ask for?
I’ve also had some really fun gigs and a good chance to get to know the other Hospital artists, they are all great and it’s nice to have a laugh together at the gigs.
There’s no big egos and a sense that everyone is in it together, it’s a nice feeling.
Speaking of, the live nights must be nicely unhinged…
They’re great fun. A little different to what I’m used to, however it’s a great insight into what the majority of ravers are really feeling when going out.
Makes me want to ask about the ‘Bees Knees’ on the ep then! When did it come about?
‘Bees Knees’ was written around 4 months ago. It all came together pretty quickly from what I remember. Like a lot of my music, I seem to forget how it was written! These also tend to be the best tunes.
Who’s Master X? He features on the ep. I do love that name.
Master X has a vocal feature on the track ‘Hurting’ on the new ep. I have been working very closely with Master X for around a year now. He’s best known for being an MC for people such as Noisia, Subfocus, Brookes Brothers and The Prototypes. We also did a track called ‘Hotriders’ on The Raw Truth album back in 2009.
httpv://youtu.be/uGu3n91gtYI
He’s now working with me as my MC but also so much more than that. He is a no-nonsense musician who will give anything a go, from rapping to singing on a tune. I like that.
And I know Malibu from past collabs? What happens in the studio when you guys work together?
Malibu is always fun to work with! We just roll tunes out pretty quick. We don’t go too deep on anything; it’s just about getting the vibe of a track. Most of our music we write ends up in the ‘good’ pile, or ‘forget it’ pile. Never in between.
Back to the mention of The Raw Truth I am reminded of that time, big style. What keeps you in love with the genre?
Finding new ways of expressing myself. Also seeing the commercial success of D&B music is actually inspirational. For some it might send them the other way but for me I think it’s a positive. More than ever there’s something for everyone in D&B. That can only be a good thing for the music.
Also I’ve just rebuilt my studio with all fancy software for the computer. It’s taken me a while to get my head around the change as I have always been pretty stuck in my ways in terms of the technology I use. I’m glad I’ve taken that leap now.
How have you changed? Some may say ‘if it ain’t broke… ‘ as you have a certain sound and maybe there was a risk of losing that sound?
Being stagnant is boring, and that’s not good for creativity.
I’ll never ever settle for ‘if it aint broke don’t try and fix it’. I would’ve stopped writing music years ago if that was the case! It’s all about self development. That’s what keeps me going. So yes I’ve definitely changed and I’ll always keep evolving.
I’m mindful and embrace new technology but won’t ever forget the processes that got me to where I’m at: it’s all part of your musical armoury.
So in the studio, what’s your favourite aspect… what’s the part you enjoy the best?
I love being in the studio. It’s my sanctuary. If I’m away from the studio for more than a few days I get tetchy and wonder what doing this whole music thing is all about. So you could say it’s a very important part of me as a person and as an artist. When I finish a good day in the studio it’s really fulfilling. I drive back home from the studio, I get home and I’m super buzzed up from the day. The first thing I’ll do is listen to the track on my laptop or headphones to get another perspective. It could be 3am but I can’t sleep for hours. That’s the feeling I really enjoy.
Back to the release, can we discuss ‘Blue’? I loved the atmosphere of this.
It’s a feel good, fun tune.
Not one to be taken too seriously. I read a few comments online about it… at least it makes people feel something: nothing worse than feeling apathetic towards a song. When I delivered the track to Hospital they were all very concerned there was lots of samples in there. But there isn’t actually any. I take that as a compliment. I suppose it has that nod to old funk and blues music that gives it that familiar sound.
Any live dates we can catch you at?
I’m in Frankfurt next weekend, a regular gig I do out there, called Urban Breaks, always a fun gig! I also have a bunch of Hospitality nights coming up and going into next year including Bratislava, London, Manchester, Bristol and all around the UK.
