Metrik has teamed up with Friction for ‘Timelapse’, as part of the latest installment of the Shogun boss’s Vs ep series, previously witnessing Fiction versus the likes of Icicle, Total Science, Fourward and Technimatic. The results are as energised as you’d imagine… and provided a good opportunity to catch up with Metrik himself.
Hello Metrik, what’s happening?
I’ve just sat down for breakfast in my apartment answering these questions whilst eating an omelette. Homes Under The Hammer has just started.
What’s been new since the Universal Language album? Lots of travelling?
After the album release I embarked on the biggest touring period of my career so far. I travelled across Europe, America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Safe to say it’s been one of the most epic five weeks of my life!
I always think you do things in a really unique way: you set the scene and take us into the World of Metrik.
I tend to write what comes instinctively and when you arrive at something unique – most often by pure chance – it’s a great feeling, especially as the cornerstone of D&B is innovation.
My aim with my album was to a collection of tracks bound together by cinematic themes so it was approached as a journey and an insight into my own little world.
Now you’ve come to work with Friction on ‘Timelapse’: how did it come to be?
Ed/Friction and I got in the studio together for the first time about two years ago. In these sessions we came up with ‘Legacy’ which came out on the Hospital We Are 18 album.
We wanted to do a track for Shogun too, so out of the many sessions we came up with ‘Timelapse’.
The work was spread across lots of sessions in my studio in London and the Shogun HQ studio in Brighton.
Is the music you’ve worked on with Friction specifically devised to cause havoc live? Metrik moments like ‘Make The Floor Burn’ and the VERY VERY amazing ‘Want My Love’ will simply do that so many will be expecting this to follow suit…
We wanted to create something that was very simple, based around an amen break, old-school vocal sample, piano and strings. When stripped down to these core, classic elements, the overall effect is something which is less ‘of the moment’ but hopefully something that sounds good in years down to the line.
Both the tracks we wrote together follow a similar principle to this, bringing sounds and styles of old and bringing them into a modern context.
On the topic of the live arena, what’s some good gigs you’ve done? I heard you did Pirate Station? That’s got to be insane. The crowd is one big shifting sea of groups of people, not just one simple thing I heard…
Pirate Station was a big show with a legendary reputation. Each year they base it around a theme – this year it was Dante’s Inferno. In between each DJ set there were incredible stage performances with trapeze artists, dancers and gymnasts amazingly choreographed with insane visuals and sound design. It was quite a surreal experience to DJ after such a crazy introduction!
Some of the other highlights were Arcadia at Glastonbury festival, playing on the main stage at Let It Roll and going to Japan for the first time.
I also had some amazing experiences on the recent Hospitality tour, it’s too difficult to pick a highlight as there were so many. That said, I’d been wanting to play at Metro City in Perth for years and to play there for the first time was amazing.
What’s in your box that is destroying the floor?
Urbandawn ‘Neon Nights’, Spor ‘If You Cry’, Ivy Lab ‘Sunday Crunk’ (Mefjus Remix)…
What can we expect next from you? Very excited about your new music. Let us know what you are creating and what’s next from you.
I’m currently working on my next album. It’s in very early stages at the moment so I can’t say too much.
I’m working hard to take my sound to the next level.
Big shouts to everybody who has bought and supported my album and who has come out to see me play.
Also big shouts to the Hospitality tour crew. Here’s my dates!
Sat April 25 – Hospitality, Motion, Bristol
Fri May 8 – Dreamscape Festival, Darlington USA
Wed May 13 – Hospitality, Paradiso, Amsterdam
Sat May 16 – Saponeria, Rome
Fri May 22 – A-Wing, Lancaster
Sat May 23 – Liquicity, Antwerp
Sun May 31 – Hospitality, We Are FSTVL, Upminster