We've linked up with the people behind In:Motion in Bristol, who are at the forefront of the city's underground dance music scene, to give you the opportunity to win a pair of VIP passes to next Friday's huge Bloc. takeover. The winner will receive two VIP tickets, including queue jump and VIP area access, as well as a bunch of drinks tokens provided by the club.
Since Bloc. is 're-booting for 2012' and moving to a new location this night serves to distill the core elements of the legendary Bloc. Weekend that has become a mainstay on the electronic music world's collective calendar; and Bristol, with its world-renown within bass music, has been chosen as the ideal place for the event. The lineup presented is an eclectic mix of some of the leading lights across the bass music spectrum, taking in the purple sounds of Joker, 2562 relentless desires for progression within the hardcore continuum, a musical pioneer and multi-faceted producer/DJ, among the innovators responsible for the birth of the dubstep sound, in the form of Artwork , Gemmy's unique take on the loose hybrid sound of dubstep and grime and Manchester's innovative Illum Sphere all on top of the likes of James Holden and Nathan Fake.
To be in with a chance of winning, just answer the following simple question:
Where was the Bloc. Weekend held last year?
Answers should be emailed to hedmuk@gmail.com with the subject 'Bloc Competition', and emails should include a contact number by which you may be contacted upon winning. The competition will end at midnight on the 23rd of November and the winner will be announced via the Hedmuk - Bass Music Facebook Page.
The scene exploring areas between dubstep, techno, house and minimal has produced tunes of real depth, variety, swing and bass; take Appleblim and Ramadanman's 'Justify' , for example, or Jus Wan's 'Action Potential'. Arkist is among the producers, which also include 2562, Al Tourettes and Martyn, pushing this sound forward; but where his music differs is in the seamless integration of his 2-step and Drum & Bass (the Autonomic influence is clear) influences into his music: making it distinct, organic and refreshingly defiant of boundaries. With an upcoming US tour alongside fellow Bristol producer Wedge and a release on Deca Rhythm coming in August, Arkist has found the time to answer a few questions and lay down a mix showcasing his own production and that of producers on a similar vibe.
HEDMUK: Firstly, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?
Arkist: Hi, my name is Adam, I live in Bristol, UK and I produce bass-driven electronica with influences from across the musical spectrum.
H: Would you say you were from a particularly musical background, or was it something you found yourself drawn to naturally?
A: I'd have to say that I'm not. My dad was a trader in the city and my mum was a podiatrist so there wasn't a lot of musical influence coming from my parents. I think most of my early inspiration came from my friends and their siblings and their friends and so on.
H: The quality of your production is excellent: when did you start to make your own music and what were your early influences?
A: Thank you. I first started making music when I bought my first guitar when I was 10 years old. I was really into bands like Nirvana, Offspring and the Chili Peppers but I was much too young for gigs and clubnights so it was really just my guitar, a few CDs and a few good role models who were my early influences.
In terms of producing finished tracks, I didn't start making music until I was about 15. I became very interested in Drum & Bass and I think the idea of having total control of my output, something that is rarely possible with bands, was very appealing to me so I started trying to make D&B.
H: Would you say you still bear these early influences strongly, or has your musical taste, influences and the direction of your music changed as you've developed as a producer?
A: Both! I Still enjoy listening to those bands and I still love Drum & Bass but there have definitely been changes as I have learned to appreciate other genres of music such as House, Techno and Electro, and that has really rubbed off in the studio.
H: What do you think of music right now? Does new music inspire you, and if so, what scenes or particular producers make you want to produce the music you do?
A: I think its great, there are lots of very talented old and new producers that are still managing to do something different and I find it inspirational and very motivating. The people that are doing it for me right now, I'd have to say, are James Blake, SBTRKT, Scuba, Al Tourettes, the whole Autonomic Crew, June Miller and so on.
H: Your tunes seem to fit really well with much of the Applepips catalogue, how did you come to be involved with the label?
A: Appleblim and I became good friends when I first moved to Bristol in 2008 and I found him and the label both very interesting. I especially respected how he was doing something different to what a lot of other labels were doing; so I did a little bit of experimentation in the lab, made a few tunes and Laurie liked them.
H: Bristol is a city with a rich bass music culture; with so many innovative producers based there, what does being part of the city's scene mean to you?
H: Bristol is a wonderful city to live and produce in, I think I owe a lot to its culture and the amazing artists that reside here. There is no way I would be where I am now without people like Komonazmuk, Gatekeeper and Wedge who have been extremely supportive technically and stylistically.
H: There is little information about you available and you often use a cartoonesque image instead of a picture of yourself, is anonymity important to you as a producer?
A: Anonymity is not massively important to me, I think the reason I leave a lot of information out of websites and such is purely because I want the music to do the talking, and as a listener I really couldn't care what star sign and favourite meal an artist that I'm listening to has. As for the 'cartoonesque' image, I use that just because I think all the photographs I have of myself are rubbish!
H: What can we expect from you in the future? Any releases forthcoming or big projects in the pipe-line?
A: I have a few releases lined up for this year. One on Applepips, Deca Rhythm Records (which is a great new label) and Immerse Records. I'm currently talking to DJ Wedge about an ISP( If Symptoms Persist) release as well.
The main event for this year has got to be the Wedge and Arkist American tour which is going to be monumentally big and begins mid-July 2010.
Post-2009, UK bass music found itself in a funny position: with dubstep creeping ever nearer to properly breaking into the mainstream, grime actually being really good and exciting again and even drum & bass taking innovative steps into the future, it seemed like anything could happen. Perhaps the most interesting development was that of the constantly un-termed techstep/dub-techno/funky-tech/deep house sounds coming from the likes of Flying Lotus, 2562 and Four Tet. However, it was not the fact that any of these acts were new faces (as many of them actually weren't) but that 2009 saw them properly come into their own in making a recognisable and relatable sound. Thus, 2010 was ushered in by a listening audience who were just as happy to enjoy intriguing club experiences as they were to be entertained. Damu is undoubtedly a direct beneficiary of this development, as he strives to produce music which challenges its audience to be intrigued, and even occasionally confused, by what they hear...
HEDMUK: To start with, what's your name, how old are you and where do you hail from?
Damu: I’m Sam, I’m 20 and I live in sunny Manchester, originally from the countryside.
H:When did you start producing music?
D: I’ve been making various types of music since I was about 14, although I’ve only really been doing the more laptop/electronic side of things for maybe a year and a half, seriously for about a year. It’s been an intense year though. I got really into dubstep a few years ago, but I started out making jungle. I fucking love old school jungle and it’s still probably my favourite thing to dance to, as well as being the only thing I have a decent vinyl collection of.
H: Would you say you're from a musical background, and had you previously been making other types of music?
D: I guess so, yeah. I’ve been playing instruments since I was about 6. I’ve always liked playing piano, guitar and drums. My room is littered with little percussion instruments and knackered keyboards. I used to be in a few bands, I used to do the ‘production’ on my computer, so when I got into more electronic music I just kind of drifted into Ableton and stuff from that. I really think that the more I get into music production, the more I can identify with it and the people associated with it, and that’s really nice.
H :You seem to bear your influences strongly, which artists in particular have affected your approach to your music?
D: I love Animal Collective and Flying Lotus. They have a real mastery of creating nice sound rather than just parts of a song that stick to rules. I’ve just bought a new toy, a sampler and I’m really looking forward to getting that going. It’s sometimes hard to keep the organic side in the music when everything’s on the laptop and that’s something that’s important to me. I guess I’ve just kind of slipped into making house-y music, it’s just a sound and BPM that appeals to me. It has room for musical elements to breath but also a smooth, danceable rhythm. Obviously I listen to a lot of Rinse FM DJ’s and I’m a big fan of the Hyperdub, Nightslugs, Brainfeeder, Applepips and Minus Labels; along with the Rinse stuff, they probably make up the better part of my favourite contemporary electronic music. I always have a few different projects going on, they probably bear my influences in different ways, but I always try to make it as clear in my music as possible that, basically, I love music in all its different forms. I’m very fond of hip-hop, techno and classical: anything from Disney to death metal, to be honest. I should start posting some piano compositions or something. I’m a real advocate of producers who create a distinctive sound, that’s something that Actress, Zomby, FlyLo, Burial and Four Tet all do really well. You can really hear FlyLo’s musical upbringing and the heat and sweat of the place he was recording in in his productions. That shows real class and it gives you something special to work within. I only hope I can get better at it in future.
H: Is there anything else, where you live for instance, which has particularly influenced your sound?
D: Manchester has definitely had a big influence on me. There’s always so much great stuff on here. Hoya:Hoya, Hit’n’Run and Sicknote in particular have been three nights I always hear inspiring new music and meet people who’ve helped me on my way. I definitely think that the mood of the place you live in definitely affects the music you make aswell though.
H: Which producers are currently interesting you, or even inspiring you?
D: I think the Nightslugs label has it going on at the moment. Dubbel Dutch, Deep Teknologi, Brackles and Kyle Hall are all doing it for me. The new Actress album, ‘Splazsh’, is fantastic, as is the new FlyLo LP. In terms of inspiration, I love Zomby. I saw him live a couple of weeks ago and his new stuff was so good I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Anyone who can use a fresh/abstract noise, make it melodic and make it their own, I will pretty much be all over. When I can do that, you know I’ll be nearly happy. I love what Flying Lotus does live, if you’ve not seen him, I highly recommend him. He really brings a creative element into live electronic performance and his shows are just crazy as a result. I’m working on doing something kind of similar. I just find myself listening to loads of old school deep/Chicago house at the moment: it’s relaxing, well-made and just generally smooth so you can’t go too far wrong.
2010.
H:Have you got anything coming up yourself (live dates, releases etcetera) in the near future that you'd like to do some healthy plugging for?
D: Keep checking my Soundcloud, people. I’m always putting new stuff up there. I’m working on a live AV show at the moment; so look out for that when it’s ready. I really just want to keep working on the tunes so I can get something signed when the time is right.
H: Anything else you'd like to add?
D: Go listen to ‘Young Montana?’, ‘Brey’, ‘Caribou’ and ‘Dr Strangeloop’. You won’t regret it!
Damu has put together an exclusive mix for us, blending a selection of his current favourite tunes and biggest influences in fine style:
