See that big old shiny box in the corner of your living room?
Why not grab a hammer, mallet or good old fashioned brick and smash the perishing thing into pieces?
Crazy idea, right? Possibly not when you consider how much tune-making time you could have if you didn’t watch it…
“Well I’m never going to get a TV again anyway,” says Wickaman, a card carrying telly hater for two years. “I had a gig and was waiting for my mate to pick me up in half an hour. I thought I’d kill some time and watch some TV but it was broken. I thought ‘fuck it, I’ll go and make a bass sound’. My mate was well over an hour late and I’d ended up writing a whole tune. It was the biggest tune of my whole fucking set!”
Arguably one of the most prolific producers ever to grace the scene, the tune remains – like thousands of other Wickaman bangers – on his computer awaiting ‘the finishing touch’. He’s named it the Bass Maker. Although perhaps he should’ve called it the Telly Killer…
“Honestly mate, I can’t ever justify getting a TV again. I looked after my parent’s house the other week and I watched the TV for a bit. What a load of shit! It’s got worse in the two years I haven’t watched it. It’s actually embarrassing. It sums up everything I find shit about society. Even if I retire I’ll never get a TV. What a waste of creative time – just sitting there watching shit? Nah mate.”
And with releases like his latest collabo-banger on Program, long may this efficient use of creative time continue. Sound Clash / One Scratch: Two almighty bassquakes – one penned with RV, the other penned with Mavrik and Hoodlum – they mark the launch of a sound Wickaman’s been toiling over for years. Inspired by Dillinja, to the point of nightmares, this man is on a mission!
“This is beginning of a new sound I’m really trying to push,” he explains. “It’s that old school sound but it matches today’s productions. Everything’s through the roof, we’re crunching the tune like an absolute motherfucker. Everything’s distorted. If you look at the master output it’s just flatlines! It’s been a journey to do this. I always knew I could make tracks like this. I love it when you get it to work like this. That crunch! Like Dillinja’s does so well. When it’s nailed it audibly turns me on! Pulling away those high frequencies to make it sound like a vinyl. That’s what it’s all about.”
It’s probably best to let the music do the talking….
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc1Zc7_nnmg&feature=plcp
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZrNrYTNdBc&feature=plcp
“This is my absolute passion,” he continues. “As far as I’m concerned anyone can write a song; notes are notes. You can roll a dice and eventually get a six. But sound? Sound’s a whole other challenge. Sound is something for me to really get my teeth stuck into. To mess around with sound is what gets me. Once you’ve nailed a sound you can have some fun with it. That’s what we’re doing now. I’m loving it. And there’s shit loads more!”
Sound Clash / One Scratch is out now. Listen and download.
To celebrate the release on Program we got Wickaman’s fave programs (hence the telly hating revelations!)…
Peep Show: I watch these online. They flaw me! They’re hilarious.
Brass Eye: I love anything to do with Chris Morris. What an artist! He conjures up emotions inside you that no one else would dare do.
ProTools: This is my number one. You can crunch through the roof like a monster. The dynamics on it are crazy. I couldn’t work without it. I use it for everything. If it doesn’t work in ProTools I won’t use it. It’s like another arm for me.
Nexus: A cheap synth program. Most producers will probably roll their eyes at this but there’s always a great sound on it for me. Really organic!
