Not unlike Anti-Social Crew's melodic offshoots from the dank beats pioneered at early FWD>> and DMZ nights, the saturation of dubstep with dark, lurching halfstep over the last couple of years has in turn seen a response from producers seeking to inject some added melody and groove into the genre. Geode, along with his Chord Marauders cohort and the likes of Phaeleh, Jack Sparrow and Ruckspin - among others, of course - speaks of clarity, restraint, momentum and in his music combines a love of expressive jazz notation with those most exciting moments when modern day genres, like garage and drum & bass, begin to push out into new ground and establish their own movements. With the aforementioned Chord Marauders' second compilation fresh on the virtual shelves, and an appearance from Geode on this site long overdue, we caught up with him for a chat - and he decided to throw in a free download too, which happens to be, for our money, one of the best beats he's produced yet. Lucky us/you. Hedmuk: To introduce yourself, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?
Geode: My name's George Harris, raised in Herefordshire but based in London, and I would describe my sound as beats with momentum, punctuated by cluster chords.
H: Plenty of people will have first come across your name through the Vie EP, released earlier this year on Innamind: how did you first get involved with the label? Should we expect to see more from you on Innamind in the near future?
G: Innamind was one of about three labels that I had earmarked for potential releases towards the end of last year. I sent Jeremy (Innamind boss) a quick message with downloadable copies of some WAVs and he got back to me positively. Since he was moving to London from New Zealand, we linked shortly after - I believe at a FWD night - and decided to push on with an EP from there. Unfortunately I don't have anything planned on Innamind at the moment, but I'd definitely like to release with them again at some point. Jez runs a tight ship and it's the first place I'd go with any of my darker material.
H: Since then you've released twice with Smokin' Sessions; do you feel like you've found a good space for your music with the label? How important do you feel it is to be well-represented by the labels you release on and by the rosters and sounds that they are defined by?
G: Yup. I think Zeb Samuels (Smokin' Sessions/Deep Heads boss) has created a very successful platform which has propelled many melodically-minded producers; the history and artist roster of Smokin' Sessions was an important factor in signing with them as well. I have enjoyed working with the label because it's meant I can freely explore my deeper and jazzier sounds. There's no real attention to what the label is defined by, in fact it's quite anti-hype and I think a lot of the output defies easy definition. I like music that way, not too self-aware or self-referencing.
H: You're also a founding member of the Chord Marauders collective/label. Tell us a little more about the project: what was it that first set it in motion? Who exactly is involved, and what would say are the principles that tie you all together as a group? And with the Groove Booty compilations and B9's solo album already delivered - what else have you got planned for Chord Marauders?
G: The Chord Marauders comprises myself, Congi, B9 & Jafu. We wanted to create a platform to release our own music, feature upcoming artists we're feeling and engage with the people who go out of their way to buy our music. The principles that tie us together would probably be mutual respect, not taking it too seriously, and plenty of fresh ideas.
As you mention, Groove Booty II has just dropped and has been well received. Next up is Congi's album; currently being finalised and coming out early 2014 at the usual place. Myself and Jafu are due a solo project each next year and we'll also be moving into physical releases if all goes to plan. Going forward we'll be continuing with the compilations, although perhaps annually rather than biannually as the inevitable admin can distract from creativity a little. And we're also in the process of organising a night in London, more info on that to come via our Facebook page.
H: It's unsurprising that you'd be involved like this in something which appears to be album-led since your own repertoire - swinging all the way from dubstep, to drum & bass, and back down to house - is so comfortable in its variety. There appears to be a jazz influence floating through your chords and incidental drums, but what would you say are your musical touchstones? Are these things you were exposed to whilst growing up or was music something you discovered for yourself?
G: A bit of both I suppose. There was always weird and wonderful music playing in the house growing up, DJ Kicks: Nightmares on Wax being the CD I am most nostalgic about. My focus on jazz notation is definitely inherited; I find myself glazing over to any music with ballad chords, I guess that kind of reaction requires a certain amount of parental conditioning.
But I think my focus on drums & percussion probably comes from my early years as a producer, learning FruityLoops inside out, mashing up jungle breaks and bulking them up. I have about 200 tracks of mad Amens, quirky melodies and subs: they're all poorly produced but they familiarised the shuffles, percussive licks and momentum I try to build into my music now. Like many artists of this generation it was drum & bass that gave me the production bug, tunes like 'Metropolis' by Adam F, Photek's 'Consciousness' and 'Flute Tune' by Hidden Agenda.
It's funny, the only music I didn't ever really listen to until recently was dubstep, but I find music at 140bpm with the snare on the 3rd beat the most liberating for my own projects, the perfect balance of speed and space. The stuff that grabs me is the steppier, garage elements of the scene – Cluekid, Congi, early Martyn, Circula, Promise One, K-LONE.
Sometimes I need to go on a complete tangent stylistically and genre-wise to keep my interest flowing, which is why you'll hear me posting house and drum and bass tunes from time to time. I don't really get that casual genre snobbery that floats around on VICE articles because I'm always striving for that unspoken soul and style that ties producers of different brackets (Medlar, Robert Glasper, DjRum, B9 & Jafu, Melodiesinfonie, Detroit Swindle, J-One, Harry Love or MJ Cole) together. Imagine if DjRum made a tune at 140, Jafu made an instrumental piece or Robert Glasper got on some garage...they'd still have dem feels.
H: Finally, can you tell us about the track you're giving away here, and whether there are any forthcomings or anything else in the pipeline that people should be keeping an eye for.
G: I chose 'Pistachio' because it's a strange tune that doesn't fit with much of my other stuff. I thought the miscreant Hedmuk readership would appreciate it anyways! Release-wise, there are some bits and pieces planned for Chord Marauders and Deep Heads, along with collaborative vinyl releases with Promise One and D-Operation Drop. Keep an eye on SOULECTION as well.
A genuine pioneer, and too-often overlooked veteran of London's dubstep scene, Heny G has been a key figure since the sound's conception. His influence, further insight of which he humbly offers in the interview below, can be ranked alongside some of the biggest names currently playing the circuit and the number of careers which he has helped to launch, sometimes single-handedly, is astounding. Through not only his vision for potential and talent in young, emerging artists but also his unerring dedication to the indispensable aspects of UK underground music - namely, pirate radio and independent records shops - he has constantly been at the challenging end of electronic music, chipping away with a focus and diligence that many lack the patience for.
Further to this, many of his older productions continue to hold status as classic output and have arguably been topped only by some of the more recent material showcased on his recent - not to mention very highly-anticipated - 'Child Hood' LP, released on his own Gangsta Boogie Music imprint. Alongside the likes of Quest, Silkie, Jay 5ive and Razor Rekta, Heny G has long been a staunch defender and maintainer of dubstep's musical edge and works continuously towards injecting it with a healthy dose of soul. And yet with all of this comes a huge amount of humility which, you could even go as far to suggest, also finds its way - along with everything else mentioned - into the music, which is laid-back, inspiring and often astonishing.
It's something of an honour, then, to introduce Heny G to our mix series and to have him share some thoughts and stories; and if that wasn't enough, he has also decided to contribute a free download of his VIP mix of one of the standout cuts from the album:
Hedmuk: To introduce yourself, who are you and how would you describe your sound?
Heny G: My name is DJ Heny G and if I had to describe my sound, well, it's just my deeper feelings that turn into electronic soul somehow!
H: Let’s start at the beginning of your long career. You hosted your first pirate radio show in ’99 on Freeze FM, how important was that experience in shaping your musical outlook?
HG: Well it was actually in the Christmas period of 1999, I started buying house & garage records in '97, though I'd always wanted to be a jungle DJ as those were the first sounds that really captured me as well as inspiring me to just get involved with underground music. It felt so refreshing to me and I was absolutely fascinated by it all, but then all the pirates all flipped the script and everything was all house & garage and it was all still as exciting and fresh to me! I was eventually rewarded with my first radio show but I wasn't even allowed out my house back then, so I literally had to sneak out my house late at night as I was doing a graveyard show. But I just had to get that experience on radio as I was already an avid listener to stations like Kool FM 94.5, Weekend Rush 92.3, Flex FM 103.6, Rinse FM 100.3, Freek FM 101.8 and so on. I was 7 years old when I first discovered pirate radio just fiddling with the tuner on my Dad's radio, and I wasn't even allowed to touch that either!
H: Were you from a musical background or is it something you came to on your own?
HG: My Dad is the ultimate to me, he is the real reason why I started getting involved with music. He came to England in the early '60s and was in a band called The Lions, he was always playing his guitar at home and I was fascinated with what he did. Sundays was the best - as most people who grew up on music will say - my mother was always cooking great food and he used to lay down a lot of blues, soul, funk & disco records and I loved it all at such a young age! He eventually saw a potential in me and when I started primary school he paid for me to learn how to play the guitar, so that was my first real experience with learning how to express myself with music from within.
H: Your sound has long had a funky, more soulful element to it than a lot of dubstep. Is your Dad where this influence comes from?
HG: Well my Dad was always playing a lot of James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, D-Train, Quincy Jones, Teena Marie, Michael Jackson, Parliament Funkadelic, Chic, Earth Wind & Fire etc. so they were like the first real influences. When I eventually discovered jungle music in the early '90s, when I used to hear those deep chords, pads and crazy drum patterns, it was like the same as hearing the stuff from the '70s and '80s, but I knew even then that it was very innovative. DJ Krust's 'Jazznote' on V Recordings I could say was the very first track of that kind that really stuck out for me when I was 7 years old: the feelings, the soul, the groove and progression of that track kicked it all off for me officially; although I will say, it took me about 7 years to find out what it was called and who it was produced by!
H: Your friendship with Silkie has been important to both of your careers. How did you meet and how have you influenced each other over the years?
HG: I met Silkie way back in 1995, we was about 9/10 years old and we used to play football and stuff every so often around the Hammersmith area untill we was about 12/13. I started DJing a few years before him but his brother Silva B was in the legendary west London grime crew Unorthodox and was a very well respected MC on Ice FM 88.4, which was one of London's biggest pirate radio stations around 1998-99, and I always wanted to get on there but I was too young! Silkie himself eventually got educated about house & garage music by his sister, funnily enough, and when I found this out we started linking a lot more as he started DJing when he was about 13/14. He used to invite me round to mix on his decks at his house all day long, he really did progress as a tight and talented DJ so quickly and that inspired me a lot as I didn't have many friends my age doing what I was doing.
I started to make music on Reason when I was living in a children's home, this was in 2001, we was both 14/15 and I clearly remember him coming round and me telling him what I was on. Then I didn’t see him for like 2 months or so, and when I saw him afterwards he told me he'd started making beats and I was very intrigued; he showed me Fruity Loops for the first time and that’s what he started making music on. And let me tell you this, Silkie is no doubt one of the most naturally-gifted producers ever as his musical background wasn't like mine, but he progressed so quickly: he knew what he wanted to do, and that in itself was a blessing to myself because if he wasn't around, I really don't know how I would of ended up in this music game!
I eventually started using Fruity Loops the same year and I was making a few things, I even almost signed a single to Road/Soulja - which was the sister label to Tempa in 2002 - when I was 16. Youngsta was playing a track I made called 'Head Shaker' which didn't sound like anything I'm doing now, but it fell through which to be honest I'm glad of now: I wasn't ready then! My PC was dying during that period and I eventually got more into being an engineer for pirate radio stations but Silkie never ever turned his back on making music, he was very dedicated and I saw his journey from the start and I’m so blessed to have experienced that. He eventually founded Anti Social Records in 2002/3 with his original partner Harry Craze and I introduced him to Quest in 2003, and then Jay 5ive & Razor Rekta all came into the fold by late 2003.
H: Like other scene veterans, you were attending FWD>> from the early '00s. Do you look back fondly at this time? Was it FWD>>, the music you heard and the people you met there that pushed you towards the laid-back, bass heavy sound you’ve become known for?
HG: Man.... I have to say this: those very early experiences at FWD>> changed my life forever. Going to Velvet Rooms before it closed down was an experience, then it moved to Plastic People in 2002. The very first FWD>> at Plastic People was very special to me, I used to work round the corner from Black Market Records and Release The Groove and DJ Youngsta and myself became close friends, so I went down there with him for the very first FWD>> at Plastic People as he'd been booked to play by his sister, Sarah Lockhart. I had just released Silkie's very first release on an old label of mine, which was called Grimey Beats, and this track was called 'Dark Square' and Youngsta played it on that sound system and I could never forget me running back to his house to tell him that Youngsta - then aged 16 - played it, and I’m sure that’s when I first told Silkie about FWD>>.
I was constantly telling people about this new movement, dubstep didn’t even have a name back then, we used to call it 'Forward Music' as it was just forward-thinking garage music and the music that Hatcha, Youngsta, Oris Jay, Jay Da Flex, Landslide, SLT Mob, Benny Ill/Horsepower and many others used to play down there [at FWD>>] at that time. It was just incredible, it really did blow me away and it reminded me of what jungle was about: just free music, no bars held! When I first discovered Benga & Skream in 2002, that really did elevate my musical dreams, especially by the fact they were a year younger than me!
I even met D1 when i was working at Release The Groove and told him about FWD>>, introduced him to Youngsta and the rest is history; he was getting a lot of support from Youngsta and eventually got signed to Ammunition/Tempa. I couldn’t have been more proud and I was only 17/18 at the time. I could sit hear for 10 years giving you classic FWD>> stories, one of them was me hearing 'The Judgement' by Skream & Benga for the first time when Hatcha played it and seeing FWD>> going off for the first time in its history. Another great FWD>> was when Plasticman [now Plastician] played his 2nd ever set there, which was his first headline slot, and I could say still to this day it was one of the most mind-blowing sets I’d ever heard, him and Mark One [now MRK1] were really in between grime and dubstep perfectly and they had a massive impact on what I wanted to do. Another one, and I could say this has to be one of the most emotional nights down there ever, was when Yunx played 'Midnight Request Line' for the very first time, I’m sure he didn't even play it on Rinse and I just remember the whole place from front to back just being blown away. I’d told everyone before it came out that it was going be the track that took this scene to a whole new level, and everyone dissed me hard, but I was right: that elevated everyone in the scene, so massive shouts to Skream for what he did back then, a lot of people started to learn from them days...
I never missed a single FWD>> for the first 7 years, and I eventually played there 3 times once I had joined Rinse FM. The first was b2b with Jay 5ive and the 2nd I headlined down there in April 2007, and that was defiantly one of the greatest nights of my life: I’d never seen it so packed in there and people were just showing so much love, I have to thank Sarah & Amy from FWD>> for that, I achieved so much more from that night alone and I couldn't be any more grateful for that amazing time in my life!
H: What happened at Delight FM 103.0? It's been seen as instrumental in the creation of Anti-Social Entertainment: what sort impact did the station have on your music?
HG: I met Razor Rekta, aka Sugar Ray, back then in 2002 when I was working at Release The Groove and it's funny, we clicked all because I'd found out he was playing Silkie's first ever release on Delight FM that I’d put out. He was in a crew back then called Living Legends, MC Neturino from So Solid Crew came from Living Legends and I used to be an avid listener of Delight FM, Living Legends & So Solid Crew, so it was great to have someone of his calibre to have understood where we was coming from. He was the very first person i knew that understood the whole Forward/FWD>> movement, we had a mutual understanding and he took me on Delight when I was only 16. That was a big thing for me as it was the biggest station on at that time, but it was at React FM where the real foundation was born for Anti Social. I was involved in the management at React and it was the only station down our side of town that was ahead of its time, I mean, I was always an avid listener of Rinse FM but other people in West London struggled to pick it up, so React was a great platform for us to come together and express ourselves on a station I had control over, and to compete with the rest from such a young age.
Silkie was also interested in meeting Razor, so we all hooked up, Silkie & I already knew Jay 5ive and he was down with us, especially as we were all playing grime back then. A lot of people don't know that grime was also a big part of our early careers. Quest & Silkie was making Grime music that was way, way ahead of it's time, and when we all linked up at React we used to just play what we felt at the time, although it was me and Razor that was really down with the whole dubstep thing at first. But when they eventually realised that they could have more freedom and space in the dubstep scene, especially from me taking them to FWD>> on a few occasions, that's when things really started to progress for us.
When Quest produced 'Hardfood' in 2005, I have to say, that was one of the first times that we were in constant demand: people in the scene and outside of it wanted to hear more and more, and Silkie & Quest kept on making innovative tracks that kept Jay 5ive, Razor and myself super hungry to take their music and spread it to the masses. They were the best days of my life, I don't think anything will eclipse that, not ever!
H: These formative experiences, then - Freeze FM, Delight FM, FWD>>, React FM - in many ways make up your musical ‘childhood’. Are these experiences the primary influences to be found on your LP?
HG: Yes, most definitely! Radio is where everything was at for myself as well as the rest of Anti-Social when I was in the crew those days. I think it was a bit more sentimental for myself as I just loved radio, I know how it was important to other people’s journeys and I knew it would be the same for u: it was an outlet for us, no other stations were interested in us before we was all on Rinse FM, so Lush FM 107.6 - where I first met Quest in 2002 - & React FM 99.7 were the stations that allowed us to to feel important to our fans for the first time. I’ve got to send a massive shout out to DJ Rema ‘Dubplate’ Dee, he was the person that first brought me in to radio and if it wasn’t for him, I don’t think Anti-Social Entertainment would have turned out the way it did, his dedication towards both of those stations was crucial!
H: Have you been influenced by events in your life outside of music?
HG: Well all the tracks on my album are based from life experiences, there’s instrumental love stories on there as well as tracks that are just based on real bad times in my life, but I wanted to turn them experiences into something positive. I think if you want to set out to be true to yourself as an artist, life experiences must be a natural thing when making music, surely? For me, it's the only way.
H: So how did you go about actually putting the tunes together for the LP?
HG: It was only when I wrote 'Child Hood' in April 2008 that I said to myself, "this is album material, this could be the title track for the album". The sentiment was there and that really did mean a lot to me, so I guess I just stuck to that formula and from the whole album, at that time, I only had 'Arena 1' and 'Retro Love' finished, I’d made other tracks at the time but they were for other projects outside of the album.
H: Did you set out to make an album and follow a set process or was it more organic?
HG: Making the album was very much organic, I just wanted it to be me expressing myself without any strings attached.
H: With the album now released and your continuing presence on Flex FM and in some of the biggest clubs in the UK and beyond, do you see yourself primarily as a producer or a DJ?
HG: I was having this conversation with Quest, Jay 5ive, Jazzy Jazzy/J.Tijn and G Double outside System back in August, it’s such a good question. Quest, Jay and myself were all DJs before we started making music, so I said I like to see myself as a DJ first but I love making music just as much as I love DJing. I just moan alot more when making music as I am so critical of my music-making, always wanting to better my sound, whereas with being a DJ, I get to spread great music not just from myself but from other talented musicians, and with the sound that I’m into I get to give producers exposure that other DJs are too scared to get involved with at first. For me, it's very important to play music that I feel deep down, regardless of who they are: if the level of gold is there, I'm involved. Hence why I love doing my radio show on Flex FM, I’ve been on there for 3 years now and for me it’s by far the most interesting pirate radio station on the dial, there’s not any other unlicensed radio station in the country that is keeping it as real as Flex.
HG: I have to say I'm very excited about what the future holds for the label; I'm not going to say too much, but to follow the album release there will be a release from Jazzy Jazzy aka J.Tijn, who I've seen develop from his very early stages as a producer and he has flourished into one of the most exciting producers I have ever come across! He is an inspiration and to know he is like a son of the Gangsta Boogie Music/ASE movement and to have him involved with us is amazing. He has a lot to give, so expect him to be making a lot of noise with his music in years to come.
I will also be doing an EP next year with some new materiel I've been sitting on. It would be nice to have the label as a permanent fixture on release sheets! Valor is another producer that I would be looking to push from the stables, he has worked with Jazzy as well; they kind of remind me of Silkie & Quest when they were young, they are just an exciting pair of musicians. They scare me a bit, in a good way though of course!
H: Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve put together.
HG: The mix is a true representation of what Gangsta Boogie Music is all about in terms of feelings, emotions, groove, funk, the lot. It gives people an insight to a vision I will never give up on, taking you to places you thought we could never go to in this day and age in the music industry. I just want to keep the positive momentum rolling and this mix is a great way to express that, so thanks a million for giving me this opportunity: I am blessed.
H: And finally, anything more you would like to add?
DJ Heny G - Enter My Childhood [Gangsta Boogie Music]
DJ Heny G - Christopher [Gangsta Boogie Music]
Jack Sparrow - Break It [Dub]
J:Kenzo - Conqueror (DJ Heny G Soul Remix) [Soul Shakerz/Gangsta Boogie Music]
J. Tijn - Ground & Pound [Gangsta Boogie Music]
J. Tijn & Silkie - Mexico [Dub]
Jack Sparrow - Hydro [Dub]
Kromestar - Lion & Thunder [Dub]
Quest - Can We Go Back [Dub]
Jack Sparrow - Afraid Of Me [Deep Medi Musik]
Silkie - Neckback [Deep Medi Musik]
Mala - Cuba Electronic [Brownswood]
Valor - EN1(J.Tijn Remix) [Dub]
Compa - Outer Lines [Dub]
DJ Heny G - I C Everything [Gangsta Boogie Music]
Razor Rekta is a man whose solid credentials, tight skills behind the decks and, more recently, expertly-crafted productions have gained him widespread recognition. From his roots in jungle and drum & bass, to dark garage, pirate radio, the legendary Anti Social Entertainment crew and, more recently, his addition to Distance's renowned Chestplate family, it is possible to trace a decade-long career in music that has, at its base, a finely-tuned ear for quality. Like so many producers who have taken to making beats after first honing their DJing talents, Rekta's tunes are built with the turntable in mind: rhythms, melodies and soundscapes which exist for the sake of a groove. We tracked him down to get his thoughts on all of this, and he's also contributed the latest mix in our exclusive series.
Hedmuk: To introduce yourself, what's your name, where are you from and how would you describe your sound?
Razor Rekta: Hi, my name's Razor Rekta, or Rekta as some know me; not really sure how I would describe my sound but I'd like to think I try to go for more than just elaborate soundscapes over beats and bass. The one thing I do try and focus on throughout is the groove as I feel ultimately 'dance' music should be kept as just that.
H: Would you describe yourself as being from a musical background, or is it something that you've picked up yourself? When did you start to produce and what was it that made you want to start making beats?
RR: I don't really come from a music background to be honest, haven't played the piano since the age of twelve or anything (laughs) - I think it was just a natural progression between the early stages of collecting vinyl/DJing and working in record shops, playing on radio, playing out etc. There wasn't a defining moment where I felt that I wanted to start making beats, it just happened as most of my mates were at it and the music and radio was just something we all had in common.
I started producing around the age of about 18/19 but was more of a closet producer then, if I may say so. I started taking it more seriously over the last four or five years...
H: In progressing from garage, you seem to be transferring the all-important element of space from those original tight-stepping rhythms to your own productions: is this something you're particularly conscious of, or would you consider it to be more of a natural occurrence? How strongly, would you say, do you bear out your influences, musical or otherwise, in your own tunes?
RR: I think it's something which has been more of a natural occurrence than anything, hadn't really thought of it to be honest. I think it's just your own experiences, and where you have drawn influences from in the past: I was heavily influenced by jungle/drum 'n' bass when I was growing up, so subconsciously during the garage days my taste had already been geared towards that side anyway.
By the time garage came about, my mindframe had changed loads so was drawn to stuff that was typically out of the box; at the time playing alot of Groove Chronicles, Ray Hurley etc., which technically was still garage but definitely with a rougher edge and which I feel was pushing the boundaries as far as the 2-step sound was concerned. For me, as time went by people like El-B, Oris Jay and Zed Bias were heading towards this 'new' sound, and then Search and Destroy and SLT Mob came through; it's probably their forward thinking which was standout for me, I guess, and something I still look for whether its playing live or trying to break new ground production-wise.
H: You're perhaps best known for your work within the London-based Anti Social crew; can you tell us a bit about the origins of Anti-Social and how you've worked to push and spread what is now a well-recognised sound within the dubstep spectrum?
RR: The Anti Social movement came about just as a group of mates with similar interests really, I met Silkie and Quest around 2004 but never really sat down and planned anything as such, simply just set out to make and play good music, with garage music as a commonplace. At the time we all had different ideas and our own take on where we envisaged 'the sound' to go but collectively pushed forward, putting our individualised spin on things along the way - bringing us to where we are today.
We didn't really have much of an outlet for 'dubstep' (or dark garage/FWD music as it was known), so for me there were just other things I felt were more important than producing at the time: pushing the camp and also getting this new sound out to a wider audience. Being from West London, I felt there was alot more work to be done; the foundation had already been set in Croydon, but we didn't really have that so it was just like trying to break our own genre where we lived - hence why we started our own radio station at the time, React FM.
H: Earlier this year you joined Distance's renowned Chestplate label: how did this come about, and what does it mean in terms of your involvement with Anti Social?
RR: Well I met Distance last year at Outlook and just asked if I could send over some material. I didn't actually know how people would react to it as it didn't fit any particular category: I had some minimal tracks, some eyes down stuff and some other growly numbers (that's the technical term), but I didn't set out to produce one type of sound so just took a risk by sending him loads of different things. He hit me up when we got back and we spoke about working on a release. I did have some interest from a few other labels but just felt that my music was more geared towards what he was releasing at the time. We also had similar mindframes in keeping the sound pure and it's very much a family-orientated label.
It doesn't really change anything as far as Anti Social is concerned: it's my home. But as far as my releases go, Chestplate is the only label which I feel my music is best suited to for now.
H: Some might even remember you from your days spinning garage on Delight FM a decade ago; how does it feel to look back now and see how much has changed since the days of pirate radio to now, with the likes of Rinse being granted and FM license and EDM in general asserting a new dominance almost over the music media and industry?
RR: Yeah I think a lot has changed, EDM as a whole is definitely being pushed to the forefront of the scene as more and more major labels/publishers are looking for fresh and innovative ideas in an already-saturated industry - a lot of UK acts are also being invested in which is positive also. I think generally, with the internet and independent TV organisations, there is definitely more scope for up-and-coming artists, whichever genre; and the argument of dubstep going mainstream is a balanced argument with both pros and cons.
Pirate radio has changed the game loads, I'm a bit of a purist so can't help but feel the pirate days are sorely missed. I think the web has definitely opened doors for old and new artists alike, as we can access anything at the click of a button, but nothing will beat the nostalgia of it all; and for me it was a little bit more enjoyable than, say, checking someone's Mixcloud link….it sort of takes the edge off something which was originally underground.
H: Take us through how you went about putting together the mix you've done for us.
RR: The mix features a handful of my forthcoming sounds in addition to some of producers I'm currently feeling. It's really tough when doing a mix as there's so much good music out there, but I just tried to concentrate of what went hand-in-hand with my own sound.
H: Finally, are there any forthcomings or anything in the pipeline that you'd like to put the word out on?
RR: Yes, there's the 'Bang Ya Door' EP forthcoming on Chestplate in September 2012, the Anti Social Boat Party and the Chestplate takeover at Outlook Festival 2012, a Singapore and Japan tour in July 2012, US and North America dates in April 2013 and Australia and New Zealand in 2013, with exactly dates still to be announced. I'm on Twitter at twitter.com/razorrekta, and for any bookings just hit up Danny at Elastic Artists (danny@elasticartists.net).
To generate some hype before his official forthcoming projects, including a highly anticipated LP, the soulful Heny G has promised to release three tracks for free. '1985' is the first of these: a classic Heny G production, merging a funky beat with stabbing synths which fall neatly in to the Gangsta Boogie Music mould.
Head over to Heny G's Facebook Page to grab a free copy of 'Back in the Day' and a third tune as he makes them available.
