Mind Vortex: in league with all manner of arcane energies. Someone call a priest! How else do they manage to deliver the unexpected every single time… the high-octane synth-strafers, the Andy C set-openers, the hooky, stealthy ones that really lodge in the subconscious? Their vibrant new Colours ep has dropped so it was indeed time to grab the opportunity – a rare one – to examine that particular powercell at the centre of the Vortex itself.
Find out what makes it tick…
First up: what you up to this minute, Mind Vortex?
We’re currently working on more music, with a second EP in the wings and writing as much new material as we can as well as DJing at the weekends.
I have to say that Colours is super-strong, super vibrant! Words fail me. Has it been long in the making?
First of all thank you, that means a lot. Well it all started with ‘Overture’ which Andy’s been using as one of his intros since last winter. Then for most of this year we’ve been locked in the studio, writing loads of new tunes, road testing them between ourselves and Andy C.
We’ve been developing so many ideas and tracks we narrowed it down along the way until we had the four we wanted for this EP.
Why ‘Colours’ as a title?
‘Colours’ to us was the best name for our ep: we went with so many different styles and flavours to form this release. It’s like we have many shades to paint with, and when combined they make a single piece.
Has Colours been devised specifically for the live arena? I feel like it would be a lot of fun to play live.
We do keep the live aspect in mind and it does play a large part in our construction of the tunes but we also wanted the kind of vibe where you could sit down and enjoy it at home, so the tunes had more purpose.
With ‘Overture’ and ‘Underworld’, we had the dancefloor in the forefront of our minds but ‘Colours’ and ‘Till The Sun Comes’ were also about musicality, as well as the live arena.
I wanted to ask about ‘Till The Sun Comes’ now you mention it, a typical stormer of yours. I love these ‘Tron’-style intros too.
This track was one of the last tunes we made for the EP and it came to us really quickly. It was one of those “capture the moment” vibes in the studio and was written through the night.
Oddly when it was nearly finished it was sunrise outside the studio so this heavily introduced the track title.
What was your highlight of playing live over the summer?
We have had many great shows this summer and played to some amazing crowds so it’s hard to choose but one that will probably stay in our minds was Sundown Festival. It was only 20 miles from our hometown and it was awesome to have a Ram stage there. A lot of people we knew were there and the crowd were having it. It will always be a special moment for us and we’re really looking forward to the next time.
Your recent set for Mistajam appears at the end of this spot: what’s a good tip for new DJs, in terms of things that make a good set?
We’ve seen countless DJs relentlessly play similar tune after similar tune. Changing it up and keeping it interesting is key for us, as is the musicality of the set and keeping it fun for you as a DJ. If you’re enjoying it the crowd will feel that from you, and go on the journey with you.
Who is creating the sort of music that is finding the way into your sets? What’s great to draw live?
We find ourselves playing tracks that contain a lot of colour and meaning, there are a lot of tracks that are great in the mix, and it’s always the ones with big hooks or real character that stand out for us.
Being part of the Ram family is such an exciting place to be musically as we’re surrounded by extremely talented musicians and producers, so Ram releases are always in our sets.
Production-wise artists like Noisia, Prolix and Fourward always go off on the floors, and the stuff like Dimension, Kove, Metrik, Prototypes and Wilkinson really connect with all ages and crowds.
D&B just gets bigger, I hear it in the local shop. Why do you think it’s grabbed the attention of the mainstream and continues to?
It’s the energy and the vibe. D&B is such a musically diverse and innovative genre that it’s so infectious. The more exposure the scene gets the more the fanbase grows at home and all over the world. There’s a tune for everyone within D&B.
‘Underworld’ is shockingly BIG… feels like it came together quick: I almost want to say that the tune sounds like it almost ‘wrote itself’, I love it.
Cheers man. We’re really glad people like this track. In fact this tune had many different journeys and was one of the longest tunes we’ve spent time on. At first, the two different drops were two different ideas for the same tune.
We loved them both so much and after lots of A&R with Andy C, we decided to put them both in together. It was a really cool idea for us as it keeps it interesting to the last second.
Random one: what’s in your head right now music-wise?
F Major 7th sus4
Mind Vortex on Mistajam
