Wyatt Noise are an Oxford institution. Possibly not one you’d see from a typical open top bus tour of the city, but one it’d be a crime to overlook. Wyatt boss Rich Raw took us through the new Overdrive ep as it drops to celebrate the crew’s second anniversary, and showed us around Oxford’s thriving D&B culture.
He also cites a great blast from the past. Excuse the pun…
So what’s new Rich? I feel the production’s as on fire as ever!
Thanks, with every release it feels like the quality is improving each time!
What’s new? I’ve been getting to grips with my Virus TI in the studio which is helping to shape the sound of my productions and just made the upgrade to Cubase 7.5 as well as a few secret weapons to the VST arsenal.
I’ve also been working on some tracks outside of D&B as I’m providing the music for a computer game that a good friend of mine is making. Exciting times!
You guys are celebrating two years deep?
Wyatt Noise celebrated our 2nd birthday in October with a great party at Blanco’s Bar in Oxford! You can listen back to some of the sets on our mixcloud page
Thanks to everyone who passed through!
For people new to you, who is the Wyatt Noise gang? I love how it’s a gang.
When I started the label I wanted it to be a gang of producers – taking my inspiration from the Full Cycle crew. My good friends GDS, Bolo and PPK had all been producing for a while and I’d also been working with Smokey in the studio a lot. We’ve all got an Oxford connection.
We’ve got a few new artists coming through as well – most notably Mark Solitaire – expect new music from him next year. We all bring something different to the table which is really important as I want the label to represent the full spectrum of D&B.
Tell us about the concept behind Overdrive?
I wanted to put out four solid tracks that would really work on the dance-floor. I recently got hold of an old Soundcraft mixing desk and have been working out how to get it wired up and so the Overdrive ep kind of took inspiration from that. A kind of gritty basic analogue sound but with the 2014 treatment.
‘Ghost’ is gnarly, as gnarly as I’d expect from you.
I started writing ‘Ghost’ in 2005. I was really pleased with the intro but the original drop didn’t go with it. Then one Sunday I found the inspiration – after a big night out – and just sat down and finished it.
I wanted to write something that would really sound huge on the floor and also that’s a kind of homage to the early tech-step sound.
… and ‘Overdrive’ from Bolo?
Bolo first played this to me in around 2012. I instantly loved the tune – its simplicity and the fact that it really works on the dancefloor! We got in the studio a few times. You know, just to finish it off and get the mix right.
It’s one of those tunes that really needed to sound proper so that you can really feel it when it the bass drops.
Speaking of the Virus, what sounds do you love working with and do they evoke a time, a culture of D&B for you?
One sound that I really love is that ‘mentasm’ stab used in the old metalheadz tunes. I think it sounds great on tracks and I try and sneak it in to as many tunes that I can get away with.
Tell us about the Oxford scene and what personalities we’ll encounter, and what venues to check when we visit?
Oxford has a good look right now for Drum and Bass. Oxford’s longest running D&B night, Terraforms will be seven years old in 2015 so there’ll be a decent skank out for that. There’s a few of us running labels, and big shout to everyone at Brukout and Reformed Recordings.
The Cellar is back on Oxford’s D&B Map bigtime. Both Way Too Gully and Terraforms both bringing the goods this year. Shouts to Matty, Tris and Dave.
Holding it down this year has been Blanco Bar, on Cowley Road. Carbon is shutting its doors for the last time on November 15 and that’s going to be a huge send-off.
Brukout Soundsytem has been doing parties for years under various guises and they’ve got a big one on November 29 over in Witney. Watch out: that rig is naughty!
What’s something maybe from the past in D&B that isn’t there anymore that you’d love to see back?
Air Horns! Nobody brings them out any more!
Back to the ep, can you tell us about Studio One?
Studio One is the alias of myself and DJ Smokey (image at top). We’ve been working on a lot of music in the studio together recently and wanted to create an identity to link to the sound that we have been creating. When Smokey suggested Studio One, we both agreed it captured the sound we are making together.
What is a tune in your head right now?
Kinnetix – Critical Mass (Underfire Recordings).
httpv://youtu.be/vgvBkwOYP-0
How can people catch you live?
You can catch me, and some of the Wyatt Noise gang DJing in Oxford at the following:
Saturday November 15: Carbon, Rave in Peace
Saturday November 22: Blanco Bar
Friday December 19: Terraforms Christmas Party, Blanco Bar
Every Thursday the Ultra Culture Show is on Destiny 105 with Rob C from 9pm – 11pm.
Plus each 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month Origin UK.Net from midnight till 2am.
Big shout out to everyone who’s supported the music and all the artists. Shout out to Maria.
The OverDrive ep is out now and to round off 2014 we’ve got a new single from GDS coming out on December 1st. You can have a sneak preview on the Wyatt Noise soundcloud