Pulsate has beamed in from his home in the Netherlands to take us through his electronica-drenched world, encapsulated in the form of Aegis, due soon on the deeply expansive + resonant Loodma label. He gave us some nice pics too.
Pulsate, what are you doing right now?
Hey! Boring as it sounds, I’m actually working on a couple of assignments at the moment… All related to music and sound design though, so it’s not that bad.
Where do you produce per se? studio?
I have my bedroom at home turned into my own little studio, so that’s where I have my setup. It’s where I spend most of my days. My parents would scold me for sitting behind the screen for way too long. Even when the weather was great, I would spend it sitting inside watching tutorials and learning about production.
This still happens though… It’s time for me to move out ha ha!
For production, what time of day?
Evenings work the best for me I have found.
You’re electronic-based but also go into D&B a lot… why is that?
I have a very personal need to experiment with a lot of genres, as it’s a way to keep music production exciting for myself. However, My love for electronic music as a whole definitely started in Drum & Bass, so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Take us into ‘My Forest’… what inspired the title? A real one?
Sort of, yes! I live in a suburb, very close to nature. Every now and then I go for a walk there to clear my head and to think about new ideas for music. I think ‘My Forest’ has quite an organic, calming sound to it, so I decided it would do well as a kind of ode to that place.
So what D&B over time do you like? Which era? Or eras?
I must admit I’m a fairly new-school kinda guy. I got into Drum & Bass around 2011, and I still love the sounds from back then. Artists like Camo & Krooked, Wilkinson and Fred V & Grafix come to mind.
What I like about D&B is the fact that it’s constantly re-innovating itself, and the quality has always been very high in my opinion. I love all D&B, but lately I have been listening a lot to artists like Ivy Lab, Sunchase and Electrosoul System, to name a few.
What D&B do you check live? What is it about the live scene you like? What clubs?
The scene here in the Netherlands is pretty lively and diverse, there’s really something for everyone. In Tilburg, my city, we have a recurring event called Subquake where I’ve seen a bunch of big artists already. I’ve been to a Hospitality as well, some Liquicity events and Noisia Invites too.
And we’re lucky to have the Amsterdam Dance Event of course. And next week I’m heading to Antwerp for Rampage, can’t wait for that!
When you DJ out what do you draw?
It’s funny you ask that, as I’ve only recently been booked for my first – and hopefully not last – gig. I’m not sure yet.
I would love to get more into it though, it’s amazing to stand in the crowd and watch your favourite artists play your favourite music, but to play for a crowd yourself is something I think I’d enjoy immensely on a whole other level.
When I go to events, I definitely lean towards the darker stuff, so I would love to play stuff like that myself. Think of artists like Survey, Fre4knc, Qbig & Zenith B.
What’s next for you release wise?
I’ve got a little experimental EP coming on Harrow Recordings later this year, and I’m always working on new Drum & Bass. I’ve got some interesting collabs going on, and I’m also working on an album under a different alias!
I’m also working together with my friends over at the Silent Audio label to set up a sublabel for non-D&B music, very excited about that… So yeah, lots of stuff on the way.