Majistrate‘s Twenty drops like a 20 tonne weight today on Sweet Tooth: knockout D&B that wastes no time to get to the point: grimy, innovative, badass D&B. Let’s do likewise, and go straight in.
The Twenty album’s a strong look, 20 tracks deep! When did it occur to you to put this together?
Since I completed my last album ‘Stronger’ I’ve wanted to make a follow up, so now seemed like the right time to do it as it’s my 20 year landmark from when I first started production.
This year started with me planning the concept of what I wanted to achieve from this album, so instead of just producing a whole load of tunes and picking what I wanted to include on the final piece, I planned the tracks as I was making them so the album didn’t end up with a load of tracks that all sounded the same.
It wasn’t an easy task making 20 tunes! The whole concept has been based on a ‘Twenty’ theme: standing for 20 years.
Hopefully I’ve managed to show the balance I have been trying to achieve. It’s now down to the listeners to decide.
Speaking of this year, how’s 2014 been?
It’s been an absolutely fantastic year with so many stand out moments. There’s been some massive events this year including Dour festival and Universe festival both in Belgium – which has a huge D&B scene right now.
Inno in the Sun & Dam where both amazing, as was Sunbeatz, where I spent the whole week, had a bit of a holiday and played three sets. Westfest & Summer gathering were also standout events… but there are so many it would be hard to list them all.
On top of that I’ve had two television appearances via Sky for Clubland TV, a mix out with Eksman called Independence Day 2 and an ep release on Playaz…. so my album being released is finishing off a great year for me.
Let’s dip in and discuss a track, for eg ‘Carnage’. Can you talk to us about it?
This track actually came late on in the final stages. I was checking everything that I had for the album and thought there was none that I would describe as a ‘straight up banger’, so that’s where the tune came from.
When making a track like that that main concern is how it’s going to drop in a rave or club, and the effect I was looking for this time spurned ‘Carnage’.
It’s definitely one of those tracks a DJ would draw for if they were looking for an instant crowd response.
What was it like to remake ‘Step On’, as you’ve done on Twenty? What sort of things did you notice had fundamentally changed?
This is one of my favourite tracks that I’ve ever produced, so I wanted to remake it for the people who follow me now but don’t necessarily know my old material.
Hopefully the sound has been replicated and bought into the 21st century, as that’s what I was looking to achieve.
Rather than just remixing the track I decided to try and recreate it but giving it a more current feel. Fundamentally the track has the same basis as the original and VIP versions, but keeping a track as basic as the old 1997 versions wouldn’t work today, so everything I guess has been enhanced, and added to.
Obviously for a track that was made back in 1997 production methods have changed and it was difficult finding and recreating the old sounds and samples, as the copies I had from the original had perished.
‘Stay With Me’ is very cool, very dirty, I love it. I note Jessica Luck is here, how did the connection come about?
Jess is actually one of my wife’s best friends and one day when I was just chatting about wanting a vocalist for some projects she just mentioned to me about her and how good she was. I can’t honestly believe she waited so long to tell me about her, as now she is a firm part of Sweet Tooth Recordings.
So after a few test tracks we managed to get some good material recorded and we’ve decided to work together exclusively since. I’ve been working with Jess for a few years now and she’s a great talent. Her confidence is growing and growing now and we have some big plans for 2015 so expect an ep from Jess soon.
‘The Sound’: what inspired this killer?
After making this one I wasn’t entirely sure it was going to make the album, but the reactions from people and messages that I was getting on social media made the decision for me.
It originally started off as a jungle track, but as usual when I step in the studio intentions go straight out the window! I had two parts to the track so it needed something to gel this together and a sample or vocal was needed. Nothing was really happening and sample hunting was unsuccessful so I got the mic and recorded my own vocal. I’m guessing there are not many people that realise that it is actually me!
What’s a tune you would select to talk us through in terms of vibe and for really summing up what you’re about?
‘Don’t Let Go’ is probably my most favorite from Twenty, as it was a track that actually took around 6 months to finish in a process. This isn’t normal for me, but I wanted to make a track, which had an intro, which built with a Reece and vocal into a drop, which could start my set off with right. So it started with an intro and I worked on a separate track for the drop and then bought the two together.
The vocal came later on. I knew I wanted Jess to vocal it, but wasn’t sure exactly how until I had completely finished the intro. It was when this was complete it was that point I could just hear the vocal fitting into place.
The final product although still having my sound, is actually a little different from what people usually expect from me, and I produced it in a way I don’t usually work.
Beginning with a soft and mystical stance it’s pretty soon the smooth and hypnotic vocals of Jess glide in and then the vibe switches to something darker and deeper leading you right the way to a heavy drop.
And Radio 1 totally onto it I note. What’s something in the studio that you’d describe as a favourite process, something that gets results and makes the tune come to life?
Every track I make is different to the next. But I do tend to go through stages of using particular methods or technics to create sounds.
One thing I was using over the past few years was actually a guitar amp, which I was taking drums or tones and running through externally. I found that the noise and effect it created was really different and it helped to make my own sound at the time that I wanted.
What would you say is something you’ve noticed about the state of D&B now, about the music and the culture that wasn’t there in the past?… and is there something now missing in D&B that you’d like to see back?
There has been a lot of talk about the split of genres within the scene, which I feel is a big shame, mainly because I have been around for so long.
There’s some great talent within all genres of drum and bass music, and there has always been ways to categorize styles, like back in the 90’s you had ‘intelligent’, Jungle, Tech etc, so this isn’t anything new. The real change is the actual events, where back in the 90s or early 2000s the raves and club line ups would be varied musically… but now each genre has it’s own nights.
At this point here and now today D&B is the biggest it has ever been, and is socially accepted worldwide, basically it’s here to stay. I’ve seen people come and go from this scene, so I believe that it will continue to evolve and develop in the future whatever the style or categorisation, but I can never see it going back to ‘one scene’ as it was.
What are some DJs that rep your sound?
I’m fortunate to get so much support from all angles of the scene so pretty much the main people have been playing my music for many years, recently Friction, Hype, Hazard & Sigma to name a few.
Nowadays the dubplate culture has changed and I keep my circle of DJs quite small in regards to who gets my music before release, but all these people represent me with all my new material.
And any shouts?
Massive shouts to everyone who has been following me over the years and to all the new supporters. Also to my family Rachael and Alfie who have put up with me all year disappearing into the studio to complete the album. Finally to all the Sweet Tooth and Low Down Deep artists/management and my agent Jon at Urban Agency who keeps me busy every week.