Deep, driven and dedicated D&B? On demand? Certainly! Step up Demand records which has recently delivered Drum & Bass on Demand 2 and our spokesperson du jour was Pennygiles talking about one of his contributions, a collab with Mr Joseph. STRAIGHT into the deep end as you’ll see from the track title…
The track is called ‘Underwater City’; it was something that me and Mr Joseph had done whilst going over some old projects I’d been working on. The good thing about working with Trevor is he has a great way of revamping ideas I’ve started and have lost that spark. I basically sent him it over and he gave it the energy to work with the samples.
So you and Mr Joseph have a good connection?
Yep, we’ve been good friends for a while now. Basically we had a few gigs in the same places so we got the chance to work on a few things face to face instead of bouncing ideas online.
You appear elsewhere as well (‘Misunderstanding VIP’, below) so delving into the fray what’s this stunning album all about?
I don’t know if I can speak for everyone but from my view it’s a collection of really hungry new producers to the scene looking to voice what they can do. Collectively it certainly shows the diversity going on with us newcomers.
How did the hookup with Demand come about?
It came from a mutual friend that me and Carlos [Demand] knew. We’d done a track for his first compilation and after that I started talking online to Carlos and sent over a few new ideas. I got to meet Carlos this year in Switzerland and have never met a more genuine bloke with intentions for the artists and the label. So I’m very thankful to work with him.
Speaking of labels and dealings as such, you’ve worked with some great ones, ranging through IM:Ltd, V, CIA and Innerground and of course Demand for eg so what’s rubbed off on you experience-wise and what keeps you enthused?
Just to say I can be very absent-minded from time to time so I still see the process of music making for it simple forms. Maybe it’s down to where I came from. But all in all, the whole ‘looking for sounds, working with them in the studio’ process still gives me the same excitement it did when I started.
Of course the pressure of making things now for release bears but the fact people are willing to release me just makes it even more exciting when I do produce. There’s the negatives that come with it but once you can be more de-sensitive to criticism and negativity you really see the positives. If I could give one tip from it, it would be: never let people pressure you into doing something specific. Sure, if you’re inspired, then great. But remember you’re allowed to be selfish with your own creations!
You got any studio habits or personal idiosyncrasies, on the subject of creation?
I think I heard it in a Marcus Intalex interview: If you’re not feeling anything in the studio at the time, don’t force yourself to try and create tracks.
I definitely agree with that. If I’m having a day where nothing’s working I’ll switch off, go do something irrelevant to music. Or even just sample hunt.
It’s those times where things just simply ‘work’… when you’ll create some of your best work.
I have to ask my studio session question: what album session do you wish you’d been present at? To see the action, the various takes/overdubs, the mood, the tantrums. Any album.
Ahh good question! I heard a crazy story about when Nirvana did their Nevermind album; the engineer was having trouble with Kurt Cobain’s vocals so he asked him to do something like 50 takes so he could layer it up to give it ‘that’ sound.
Back to D&B: as we stand here in the wake of yet another great 2013 compilation such as Drum and Bass On Demand 2, where do you see the music headed in 2014?
I do genuinely think a lot of the fresh faces will start to engrave their mark on the stone a lot more. As far as releases go I can see the struggle labels face with sales but along as the standards level keeps green there should be some amazing things to happen.
The scene just gets stronger, as is proven each year.
Back at the top we spoke about fuel for beats… I believe you have a secret weapon?
Pasta and gravy. Trust, future: gravy, pasta.
Any shouts?
Thanks all the people involved with Demand, Carlos, Katie, the other artists. Plus everyone who’s supported me. It’s a huge honour to be doing what I’m doing and I can’t thank everyone enough for letting me.
Demand Records
Drum & Bass On Demand 2 preview