Jamie links up with Redpine & Solo to discuss their brand new EP ‘Hindsight’, certainly not your average collection of tracks that’s for sure. Live vocals and jungle influences alongside some really forward thinking production. Read and listen with an open mind.. it’s a good story!
Hindsight, an interesting title for an EP – does this mean anything in particular? I’m sure there’s a meaning to it all that needs to be shared
R&S: “I guess the name Hindsight came together for a few reasons. Fran (Franceskah) came to our writing session with some great lyrics which seemed to resonate with us, which is quite unusual as lyrical stuff is not something that we focus on very often as they can often seem irrelevant within the breakbeat thing. We carried on down that route with the intention that the vocal track would be the main feature of the EP.”
Fran: “Something about the music evoked this idea I had that a memory resembles a light, which slowly fades to the back of your mind, but when triggered, intentionally or unintentionally, glows bright again. There’s that moment where it all comes flooding back and you’re overwhelmed with how much those experiences affect you now, before hindsight kicks in.”
R&S: “Also, with the use of the breakbeats and the Jungle influence, it seemed fitting that ‘hindsight’ was our title track as we’ve very much got one foot in the past with regards to using classic breaks that have featured in some of the best music of the last 25 years.”
To give the Drum&BassArena community an insight into how you guys all came together, can you break down the initial clink up of the group?
Fran: “I think it all came together pretty organically. We worked together in a bar up in Leeds, and I went over to the guys’ house a couple times to have a play around with ideas. I feel as though we all sort of heard that my vocals had the potential to complement the emotionally charged soundscapes which run through what the guys produce.”
R&S: “John (Redpine) and I (Solo) have been friends since we were about 13. We used to go to school together and we also worked together setting up marquee’s and sound system’s for a company in Essex. We met Fran when we were living in Leeds about 5 years ago, working in a cocktail bar (insert Human League lyrics!). She has a really incredible speaking voice and it didn’t take us long to ask her whether she could sing – it turns out she really can! We got her round to our house to record some vocals on a bit of a whim and that recording session ended up being the vocals we used on ‘The Love’ from our first EP.”
How did the link up with On The Rise take place? When starting out in the scene, what do you feel are the main pitfalls and concerns in terms of building a brand. Is it really a minefield of the unknown or did you find it relatively easy?
R&S: “On The Rise have been amazing. It’s a new connection through Tony Thorpe at Studio Rockers. Both John and I have been making music in the same house for about 5 or 6 years. It’s only recently that we’ve joined forces so it still feels like we’re very lucky to have anyone interested in what we’re doing. I don’t think either of us have really looked at it as a brand thing. I imagine if we started to do that we’d stop focusing on what we’re writing.”
Support is coming in from the likes of Toddla T, Rudimental and you’re being featured by the legendary Mixmag but when does all this start to sink in and the hard work starts to pay off in terms of reputation and credibility?
R&S: “That’s a good question! When put like that it does seem like a bit of an achievement, I guess. When we got played on Radio 1 that did seem like a highlight! I think ‘reputation’ is something that you assess when you’re either killing it for years or you stop making and start reminiscing. We’re nowhere near either yet! With regards to ‘credibility’, being respected by peers is something we aim for. Hearing someone you respect playing a track on a night out would be the most exciting thing for me.”
Talking of credibility, Sigma have been taking an online bashing recently due to the link up with Take That. Slightly unfair and certainly narrow minded but you can’t please everyone! What’s your take on linking up with pop acts? Would you consider a collaboration with someone from the Top 40?
Fran: “I don’t think you can rule people out just because they’re a Top 40 act. Keeping true to what you’re producing is key. However, there are a lot of ridiculously talented musicians out there, so personally I’d probably give them all a bell before.”
R&S: “You’re right, it is slightly unfair. People are obviously entitled to their opinion but they have been taking a beating. If you grew up in the 90’s, it would be hard as an upcoming musician to turn down working with a group that have had over 25 top 40 singles.
That said, it would be hard for the most respected names in drum & bass to pull off working with Take That without receiving a bit of a hard time.
Even Calibre, dBridge, or Goldie would get a bit of stick if their names were followed by ‘feat. Take That’.”
Jungle is an obvious influence in your recent production, can you remember the first time you came across this very British sound? Were any of you raving in warehouses to acid in the early 90’s or blazing up lighters to Stevie Hyper D at One Nation?
R&S: “Ha! No, sadly we were not! My first experience of the rave sound was at an odd age though.
I bought a case of tapes for 30p from a car boot sale in around 1994 when I would have been about 7.
In amongst a bunch of Enid Blyton audio books was a blank tape that contained a bunch of the more commercial end of dance music – things like ‘Ebeneezer Goode’ by The Shamen, ‘Mr Vain’ by Culture Beat, and ‘Out of Space’ by The Prodigy. I listened to that tape a lot! It took me years to manage to put names to some of the tracks. I still think that’s why I have an unexplainable love for that sound.”
Who’s a favourite producer at the moment for you all?
S: “It’s gotta be Damon Kirkham. The Kid Drama material that he’s put out is unbelievable. Add that to the Heart Drive podcasts with dBridge and his history with 170 experimentation makes him a 100% buy-on-sight for me right now.”
Fran: “Ahh I don’t do favourites!”
Remixes seem to be a popular flavour at present. If you could remix a classic from any era what would it be and what genre would you convert it to (if any)?
R&S: “There’s so many that we’d love to experiment with, even if they never made it out of the studio. It’s hard to think of a classic that hasn’t already been revisited. It would be a lot of fun to play around with ‘Monday Luv’ by Spinline on Dispatch, although we’d never come close to the original!”
What’s next? After the release of ‘Hindsight’ do you have something else big in the pipeline? Hopefully some more of Franceskah’s vocals – they are awesome!
R&S: “More work with Franceskah is in the pipeline, for sure. We have some more stuff planned with Studio Rockers, too. We’re both also working on our separate projects. John has his label Jupiter Sounds and they’re set to release some exclusive tape runs later this year.
I’ve got a VIP coming out on Rush Records this summer and busy working on a whole bunch of new 170bpm stuff. Other than that, we’re just gonna be writing music and trying not to spend all our money on records.”
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