Since its inception DLR’s Sofa Sound imprint has set out to deliver versatile beats to the masses, on his terms – deep productions aimed to work on and off the dance floor, with a focus on the roots and core D&B vibes that inspired his career as an artist – and it’s certainly delivered exactly that from the get-go.
Steadily building an impressive sonic repertoire that includes releases from bossman DLR, Break & Randall, as well as Black Barrel, Hydro, War and more, they raised the bar last month with the release of Sofa King Sick – the label’s very first VA compilation.
15-tracks deep, it’s a heavyweight fusion of sounds from some of the finest producers in the game. Nostalgic and forward-thinking all in one, it’s a healthy snapshot of the current state of the underground, with originality and vibe at the forefront.
The collab game on the imprint has been outstanding since their very first release, and it continues on the compilation with SubMarine & Scepticz joining forces for the first time, resulting in the punchy riddim that is Shingoki.
With both artists recently making waves across the likes of 1985 Music, Rampage and Commercial Suicide, it felt like the perfect time to put their collaborative minds together, with the precision-produced Shingoki speaking for itself.
They took us behind the release and suggest there’s more to come…
Thanks for joining us guys! Where have we caught you both today?
Scepticz: I’m in my studio in Terneuzen drinking some nice tea…
SubMarine: Ez mate, I’m sitting at the airport and waiting for my connecting flight to Budapest!
Where to begin with Shingoki… What. A. Tune! One of my favourites off the whole LP. It’s your first collab together, right? How did the link up come about?
Scepticz: Thanks, it’s really nice to hear everyone is vibing on our tune! Yes, it’s our first collab – I see Jonas a couple of times every year, and we’ve always talked about it. We just planned a sesh for the weekend and I jumped in my car…
SubMarine: It was just a matter of time and I’m really happy how it turned out! We met 4 years ago and became good friends!
I sense a bromance! So you were able to get into the studio together for this one?
Scepticz: Yeah, it’s always better to work on a tune when you’re in the same room imo, it’s all about capturing the vibes during the sesh
SubMarine: Totally agree, Tom!
Did anything in particular inspire the track?
Scepticz: I think our German vs. Belgian beer contest brought a lot of inspiration to the table!
SubMarine: Tom brought some sick musical samples and we combined everything together and the result is Shingoki.
Is there a story behind the track name?
Scepticz: This would have happened when the contest was over, no idea how we found the name…
SubMarine: hahaha, I can’t remember either tbh!
Must’ve been an honour to be included in Sofa Sound’s ever-expanding sonic repertoire… What’s your favourite track on the compilation?
Scepticz: Ill Truth – Catch A Break, i’m just a a big fan of the bubblyness, and i’ve been hammering this tune every set.
SubMarine: Brain – The Voyager. I really love this old school Techstep vibe. Pure danger! Big ups to Columbia!
What made you both want to work together?
Scepticz: I’ve always been a fan of Jonas and his music from the first time he started sending me tunes. Also just knew we could make some sick music together after hearing him play at parties.
Jonas: It’s always vibes every time we see each other, and similarly the music is just all about the vibe.
Do you remember your first encounter of each other?
Scepticz: I think it was at a party in Cologne where we went B2B years ago…
SubMarine: We actually met 6 years ago when my older crew Bassliebe invited Bredren to Cologne! Dieter appeared with a wild Tom and they played a B2B.
What’s your favourite release of each other’s and why?
Scepticz: The Xertz EP, it’s just so nice to see how much J has evolved his sound and makes such a sick EP. Versatile and deadly on the dance floor – that’s how i like my D&B!
SubMarine: M-Zine & Scepticz – Prescient EP is my favourite release! So unique and dark.
Favourite track on Sofa Sound as a label and why?
Scepticz: DLR, Hydro & War – Not Too Late, Heavy roller with sick sample vibes from Hydro. Always been a big fan of all three and them getting on a tune together is insta-vibes.
SubMarine: DLR & Ulterior Motive – Modules. Both are on point every time, so when they get together it’s something else.
Any more material together in the pipeline?
Scepticz: We’ve been talking about it, so i’m sure it will happen sooner or later!
SubMarine: Yes, definitely!
What’s coming up next for both of you separately?
Scepticz: I’ve made a remix for Bredren that’s out now on Rampage Recordings, and there’s also a collab with Alibi forthcoming on Guidance and a couple of other bits floating around…
SubMarine: I’m working on a few projects atm. Trying to finish my next 1985 EP and also a lot of remixes and collabs in the pipeline….
Any final words of wisdom/ shout outs?
Scepticz: Never think you can out-drink a German… And a big shout out to the Sofa Sound crew, Bredren invites fam, D:FRNT & Tiefklang, Lavance, Subtle Element and all the Belgian crew!
SubMarine: Much love to the Belgium crew! And be careful of the forthcoming Scepticz stuff…
Sofa King Sick Vol. 1 is out now – get it here
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