Featuring: Circula

Like a very healthy cross between Etch and My Nu Leng, with a dash of Darqwan, Zed Bias and, as you'l discover below, Miles Davis thrown in for good measure Circula is one of the most refreshing talents we've discovered this year and the mix he's laid down for us is up there with the best in the series so far too. Merging the rude basslines and off-kilter rhythms of garage and jungle with the nascent experimentalism and swung melodic twists of jazz, the young Devon producer has already achieved a distinctive sonic watermark for himself. And it's one with a fiercely UK backbone as well as a vital understanding and appreciation of soundsystems and the creative culture which they support. It's difficult to go into it without running out of superlatives, so instead we'll just recommend you hit play on this, the latest exclusive mix to join the series, and just hear what the man himself has to say.

Hedmuk: To introduce yourself, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?

Circula: My name is Alfie Brooks. I come from Totnes, Devon, and I’d currently describe my sound as stripped back and raw

H: Would you describe yourself as being from a musical background? What was it that got you into making music?

C: Yeah I’d say that my background is musical: my dad owned a record shop and plays guitar, so from a young age I became interested in music and playing music. I got into making music through things that I’d done in school, I noticed the music software that was available and got really into messing about with it. I picked up a copy of ‘Magix Music Maker’ and spent a lot of time on that until pretty much the end of secondary school, when I got on Logic!



H: There seems to be a notable jazz influence in your music - how do you see the expansiveness and creative openness of jazz as crossing over into electronic music, if at all?

C: I’m glad you picked up on the Jazz influence, I love listening to it and pretty much any tunes that include a jazzy input. My dad put Miles Davis into my head from a very early age and I suppose I got the idea of fusing jazz with other genres from his work! I think that crossing dance with jazz opens up a more interesting type of dance music (although I can’t say I like electro swing at all!) (laughs). I like to hear interesting breakdowns instead of repetitive loops, I’m hearing this in a lot of tunes from artists like Etch and Geode: they’re a big inspiration.

H: With a move to Berlin imminent, how do you envisage the city - with such a rich electronic music heritage itself - influencing your sound? Your music has a definite 'UK' edge to it, is that something that you can see changing with your new location or will you look to maintain, and
grow from, those roots?

C: The Berlin Techno scene is something that I can’t wait to be in - I’m interested to see what happens to my style after being in there for a few years but I’m determined to keep the raw garage/jungle style that I’ve started for myself, and to develop it rather than lose it altogether.

H: Having just had your first vinyl release, how does it feel to see your music as a physical product? How important is it to you to be releasing music on vinyl, or are you largely unconcerned by what format the music comes on?

C: It’s wicked to hear my music on a vinyl release. It’s not so much the physical product, but the sound itself. For all sorts of reasons vinyl sounds better. I can’t say I’m a vinyl only kind of person, though; for one thing, buying that much wax would destroy me! In Berlin me and my mate have some 1210’s so I will be looking out for a lot more wax releases. I think that digital releases are crucial because not everyone has decks and most good underground music is never pressed onto vinyl!



H: You're also a member of the Groundvibes Collective; how did you get involved with that? How important do you feel it is to be collaborating with other producers and artist, particularly if they're making music in different styles or genres to you?

C: The Groundvibes Collective is something that I started with a few friends In Totnes a couple of years ago now. We decided to get some speakers and have some parties and its evolved into what it is today. I think it’s essential to collaborate with others as it gives me new ideas and I learn so much more about production.

H: In terms of the soundsystem aspect of Groundvibes, how do you see the role of the soundsytem with regards to today's modern clubbing environment?

C: Totnes has a few big soundsystems now (Jenga and Toejam are some others you should check out) - the rig scene here has evolved partly because there are no good club nights around and partly because there are a lot of good producers, Rommek and PulseCode to name just two. So actually it’s only very recently that our rigs have been going to any clubs at all. Groundvibes have had interest from Bristol and we will pursue that next year. We want to get involved with the club scene. A lot of clubs get really good artists and give them the worst rigs to play off, so in that sense the role of a good sound system in a club is vital for the night!



H: Take us through how you went about putting together the mix you've done for us.

C: I wanted to play you a mix of some of the tunes I really like at the moment and a few of my own tunes. I’ve put a couple of tunes from Totnes producers like Fraxinus and Endlines in there to make the point about Totnes! I finished (pretty messily) with Nils Langdren Funk Unit. I tend to finish all my sets with some funk.

H: Finally, are there any forthcomings or anything else in the pipeline for people to look out for?

C:Well there is my DDWAX002 release that came out last month [cop it here], and I’ve got some releases coming out later in the year/early next year that I’m looking forward to, but it's all a bit misty. I’ve started a lot of collaborations with some sick producers so hopefully some of them should be popping up soon!

Download: Circula - Hedmuk Exclusive Mix


Tracklist:

Circula - Nothing like
DJ HAUS - Cold As Ice
Circula - Seaview Gardens
Tomb Boss - Fraxinus
Wen - It’s Alot
Joonipah - Noti
Circula - Rhythmic
Endlines - The Pyramids
Kamikaze Space Programme - Tuli
Circula - Heads
Hackman & Tessela - Feel Like Loving Me
Darqwan - Three Note Blue
Circula - Askin
Riffs - Threadbare (Circula Remix)
Groove Chronicles - Black Puppet
Deetah - Relax (Bump'n'Flex Mix)
Nils Langdren Funk Unit - In a Fonky Mood

Circula - HEDMUK Exclusive Mix by Hedmuk on Mixcloud

W.

Featuring: Wen

Ever since 'Takin Over' dropped in midway through Etch's Hedmuk Exclusive Mix, Wen has been firmly on the "to-feature" list. Someone else with their ear in was Blackdown, who stirred things up by asking 'what's all the commotion about?' Those in the know, of course, already knew - and that the track referred to was to fill out 12 inches of wax a few months later on the Keysound imprint came as no surprise. This, for many, was the first introduction to the abrupt rhythms, guttural space and stretched synths of the young producer from Margate. And a successful introduction it proved to be. Since then - and by then, we mean since the 'Commotion EP' sold out entirely - Wen's tunes have been picked up and rinsed by everyone from Kahn, Akkord, Elijah & Skilliam, My Nu Leng and, of course, the interlinked collection of producers who have spent the last year and half bouncing off each other and providing us with some of the most forward-thinking music the UK underground has to offer. Producers like Facta, Sepia, Underclass, Threnody and Etch have featured heavily across Hedmuk's pages and work within context of the UK's rich underground heritage - and with the releases mounting, it may not be long before they're commanding their own shared shelf in the record stores that have been at the heart of that heritage.

Hedmuk: To introduce those who might not already know, how would you describe your sound?

Wen: Dark and kind of violent, I guess - there are moments of cold emptiness interrupted with bright bursts of energy, there's a sense of urgency in the rolling versus stop/start pace of it and lots of contrast in the palette of sounds.

H: Your beats are minimal in the sense of leaving a lot of pregnant space, in the same way in which a lot of early grime instrumentals were very stripped back, and yet they don't seem to be as inviting to an MC: do you ever find yourself writing beats with an MC in mind? Is working directly with an MC something you'd be interested in doing, perhaps in the future? 

W: I make my beats to hold their own on the dancefloor, it's never really been about making instrumentals for vocalists. They are sparse for the sake of being spacious and giving the rhythm some silent groove, not really to be filled with vocals. It's fun to chop vocals in like verses ([see] Patwah, Lo-Fidelity), but I prefer the impact of occasional lyrics - something to hold onto while the drums and bass roll out. So that's probably why they aren't inviting. Most of the time when I use vocals it's of a moment I enjoyed in a set, so I do write with that particular MC in mind, but I'm just trying to catch their vibe and energy, accentuate it a bit and take it further my way. I’d love to have the opportunity to work directly with an MC though for sure, it would be a completely different way of making music

H: And how does it feel to hear the likes of Wiley, Riko, Scratchy and God's Gift riding your beats on radio?

W: Yeah that was something else; it felt like a massive accomplishment, something I aspired to do when I started to make music and still will, it's not something that’s ticked off the list by any means. If I'm honest I kind of lost hope of that aspiration when the freestyle radio shows slipped away - Logan's show and Westwoods short lived 1Xtra Grime slot, they were the major ones I listened to potentially send instrumentals to. I sent stuff to a couple of blogs, Hyperfrank used one for an intro to a Griminal freestyle once, which was a bit of a tease, so it was great to finally hear some MC’s over my tune.



H: Your debut 12” on Keysound was one of the label’s biggest to date; how did you get involved with the label? Do you feel that working alongside a label which has a deep-rooted sense of influence and musical narratives with regards UK-based electronic music has helped with giving you a certain fixity and confidence when it comes to producing and pushing your own take on the underground electronic music of the last decade or so?

W: It feels right to be a part of Keysound, there's a lot of energy and a sense of focus within the crew. I got hooked on the label when I heard 'The Bits (feat. Trim)', it was one of those edgier instrumentals that Trim's known for but was actually accessible and had a path to follow (in contrast to Brain / T-Spark / Jerzey etc. who you didn't hear of, aside from on his mixtapes). I started checking Dusk + Blackdown on Rinse and eventually sent them some music. I think as a label it’s always been really quick to expose new sounds and make sure what it's doing is innovative. And that process feels continual, I find that important, it’s reassuring to know I can do my thing; I'm not expected to make tracks like the ones we did with the EP, it's more “cool, that was fun... let’s keep the momentum going".

H: In recent interviews with Threnody and Underclass, we touched on the idea of hybridity: in the mixture of influence, sound components and tropes or styles of music. Is this something that you can relate to in terms of your own music, and its apparent refusal to fit any preconceived or notional genre? 

W: I think that’s interesting, and I agree with the hybrid influences in my own music, but that’s probably as far as I consider it. I just draw from styles I like and found some space in 130 to try to do my own thing, the main reason I started to make beats at that tempo was 'cause I was listening to the Keysound Rinse show. I held that as a catalyst that I wanted to be a part of - through 2011 and particularly towards the end of that year there was something really exciting building, I wanted to be involved in that movement. I could never predict what they were going to play but I knew it was going to be cutting edge. I wasn't intentionally refusing to fit in with dubstep or grime, I was just addicted to this alien sound I discovered on their show.

H: Is this hybridity something that you see reflected in the 'cluster', as Blackdown himself puts it, of producers currently peddling this darker take on 130bpm music?

W: You can narrow it down to 'hybrid' but I feel it's quite dismissive, there's a lot more than a two-fold hybridity going on with us lot; if that was the case I'm sure a genre name would have been coined by us to label it and call it our own. We share a gravity, which is, in my opinion, UK underground music, LDN, no doubt it's the origin everyone draws considerable influence from. Blackdown talked about this idea of satellites before, it's the sickest image, every producer being a satellite, worldwide. It's important there are other styles and clusters in this thing, I kind of feel I need the colourful synths/rolling funky/zero rhythm grime/4 to the floor energy/swung 2-step/warm (and cold) jungle nods. All these sounds compliment each other and give me something to draw influence from, the scene's so healthy at the moment - "these are fine times".



H: You’ve since followed the Keysound release up with a vinyl-only 12" on Baitface’s Badimup; how important is it to you to be releasing your music on a physical format?

W: It's even more important than I thought it would be. I did two digital releases before the debut 12"; once that dropped and I held the full artwork record it completely changed the way I wanted to see my music being out there and represented. The first one with Epoch felt real 'cause he cut a few dubplates of it, so I did get my own physical copy. I'm not against digital by any means, just strongly prefer the idea of people buying my music in a tangible format. I felt really proud when I saw the record in shops, friends sending me photos of them buying it etc. I didn't feel that way when I saw my music up on a website for instant download - maybe a little bit at the time, but in hindsight it didn't compare at all. It's funny actually, I was more excited when my EP got leaked: despite it being annoying that someone we trusted had shared it, it was a compliment at the same time. Growing up hounding the grime forums for Rapidshare links, you know the hot music gets uploaded quick, so I'm quietly grateful. Anyway, yeah, the 'Swingin' vinyl: I felt I needed to balance out the physical/digital with the Badimup record, I'm glad Baitface was supportive of doing vinyl only. There was no process in choosing the tracks, I just sent him those two and they clicked with him instantly. In fact I thought the decision was kind of brash a couple of months later, it was a situation where there was such a big impulse connection between my music and Baitface it left me feeling it shouldn't have been so smooth, the whole thing was a natural process; even when he mentioned about 180g it felt like it would have been rude not to.

H: Bootlegs and versions have always been a big part of grime, and your ‘Strings Hoe’ refix has caught the attention of some of grime’s biggest DJs: how does it feel to be picked up on by the likes of Elijah, Skilliam, Score 5 and Logan Sama?

W: Yeah my favourite Dizzee instrumental. It was always a bit of a gamble doing that bootleg, but it seems to get nothing but love. Glad I finally have that connection to some of the grime DJs, particularly the Butterz guys I love what they're about.



H: As your music begins to attract more and more attention, do you feel a greater pressure to deliver or do you see it as an opportunity to push at your own creative boundaries?

W: It's all positive to be honest, pressure is good for me, I welcome it. I probably feel more pressure from the way my friends are getting exposure to be honest, not really in a seriously competitive way but there's this whole one-up ethos going on amidst the entire family moving forward. I'm just having fun with it right now, enjoying 2013 so far.

H: Tell us a little about how you went about putting together the mix you've done for us.

W: It's a collection of music I feel has been influential on me lately, lots of producers included who are new on my radar and others who I'm always listening to.

H: Finally, what do the coming months hold for Wen: are there any forthcomings or anything else in the pipeline that you'd like to put the word out on?

W: There will be new Wen records out before 2013 is over. Doing a small tour of Australia at the end of August, gonna finally link Epoch out there - he's just moved to Melbourne - and Arctic too, hopefully be the grounds of some new collab projects. Also come join our bi-monthly Sunday Keysound Sessions at The Waiting Room, London - the E.M.M.A album launch was special.


Download: Wen - Hedmuk Exclusive Mix


Tracklist:

Skepta - Mastermind [Boy Better Know]
Walton - Haze [Dub]
Self Evident - Calgary [South Fork Sound]
My Nu Leng - Waltaknocks VIP [Dub]
Arka - Innamorta [Dub]
Akkord - Compound [Houndstooth]
Neana - Bow Kat [Dub]
Elmono - Shadows on the Moon [Cold Recordings]
Dizzee Rascal - Strings Hoe (Wen Refix) [Dub]
Luthor - STL [Dub]
Elsewhere - The Espers [Mindset]
Wen - Persian [Dub]
E.m.m.a - Nostrum (feat. Sully) [Forthcoming Keysound]
Facta - Hieroglyph [Dub]
>>> President T - Heard What I Said [Adamantium Music]
J-One - Ask Me [Dub]
LAS - Liketha [Forthcoming Signal Life]
Etch - Rise [Soundman Chronicles]
Teeth - Black Thigh Snakes [Forthcoming Signal Life]
K-Lone - Crunch [Dub]
>>> Lil Nasty - Firework [Rock N Rolla II]
Mickey Freeze - Carbon [Dub]
Kahn & Neek - Thief In The Law [Bandulu]
Dot Rotten - Give Me The Money [Ghetto Platinum Productions]
Epoch - The Steppenwolf (Gantz Remix) [Dub]

Wen - HEDMUK Exclusive Mix by Hedmuk on Mixcloud

W.

Competition: Win guestlist entry to the GetDarker Outlook Send-Off Party @ Cable, London & a fresh Hedmuk Tee #002

So with just over a week to go until we host the second room at GetDarker's Outlook Festival Send-off Party at the renowned Cable, in London, we're offering the chance to win plus-one guestlist entry to the event as well as a brand new Hedmuk t-shirt in the size of your choice and some stickers to boot; two runners-up will also receive plus-one guestlist entry to the night.

The lineup speaks for itself: with Pinch, Youngsta, Author, Chef, Jakes, Swindle and Darkside all taking to the decks in the main room, we'll be holding down room 2, proudly presenting our own carefully-selected ensemble of Ruckspin, My Nu Leng, Thelem, Versa, Crises playing a very special old skool set, Karma and Preacha. For more information on the event, including how to purchase tickets, head over here.

To be in with a chance of winning simply head over to the Hedmuk Facebook Page and share this image, leaving a comment with what size of t-shirt you would like to receive should you be chosen as the winner.

The competition will close on the 1st of August, on which date a winner will be selected at random by an independent third party before being announced on the Hedmuk Facebook Page, Twitter and notified via direct message.


.Preacha.

Featuring: Etch

For the latest in our features series we're taking the tempo down by a few notches to focus on the garage-led sounds of a nineteen year old producer from Brighton: Etch. Coupling tight, swinging rhythms with dark, grimey basslines similar to those pioneered by the likes of Zed Bias, El-B, Horsepower Productions and Darqwan at the turn of the century, Etch provides an update to the sound by drawing in influences from the musical landscape which was to develop as a result of the experimental work of these proto-dubstep producers; he is undoubtedly a young talent to be keeping a close eye on. We caught up with him to get his take on this, and he's also contributed a fresh selection to our exclusive mix series.

Hedmuk: As an introduction for those who may not yet be familiar, what's your name, where do you come from and how would you describe your sound?

Etch: Yo, I'm Zak I'm from Brighton and I'm currently living in South London studying sound design at Ravensbourne University. I like to think of myself as a Brightoner forever though. I make 130-140bpm bass-forwarded, 2-step-vibed music' as much as I love dubstep and could easily just describe myself as a facet of dubstep, I try to keep away from the term because it's a bit of a two-edged sword: in one way it describes myself relatively easily and it will attract an audience, but then in another way the term dubstep has come to mean a lot of things that people look down on and that I personally don't really like. So 120-140 bass music does the job for me. And don't even get me started on the term 'future garage' (laughs).

H: Would you say that you've had a musical upbringing, or was it something that you picked up yourself? Had you been involved in making music in any other forms previously to Etch?

E: Primarily I've found music out for myself, such as dubstep and IDM etcetera, but initially I was drawn to music that was just...different to what was being fed to me everywhere else. I think the first things that turned my head were my uncle's old rave records, stuff like Altern8, Manix, Joey Beltram, 2 Bad Mice etcetera. He always used to be playing those when I was real young, but it kind of embedded in me; I still love those records and have them myself now, all that 1992-1996 borderline jungle/hardcore stuff is probably my favorite type of music despite my music sounding more like garage.

I went through a bit of a gothy phase too which eventually lead me to Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division, who I still love and take a lot of influence from. And then mainly the urge to start producing music came from drum & bass. I was put onto it by some mates when I was about 12-13: always the darker stuff like Technical Itch, Calyx, Limewax old Dieselboy mix CD's. It was the curiosity of how all that stuff was made that eventually got my to pick up a really early version of FL Studio when I was about 14 and that's where it all began, and I still use that software. From then 'til about the age of 17 all I made really was drum & bass.

H: You linked up with Vekta Records last year to put out the RGB EP and the RGB Remixes EP; how did this come about? Have you any plans for more releases like these?

E: The Vekta thing came about through a mate putting me onto David who runs Vekta. He wanted to put something out by me and I had already started work on something I was just going to put out myself, the idea around it was 3 tunes that kinda related to the colours of the track titles in my opinion: like Green, when I heard that synth I used for the first time it just made me thing of green, the same with Blue; and Red was just angry and dark.

I was proper happy with the remixes EP; Palace's remix of Green is just unreal, the same to my boy Ampersand's remix of Blue. It's amazing to hear other peoples take on something you originally created, it's really refreshing and it really influences you to go and make more music. I'll probably have more stuff coming up with Vekta in the future.

H: Tell us a bit about the mix you've laid down for us.

E: The mix is just collection of tunes I love, my own tunes and some stuff that people around me have been making that I really think deserves a heads up, such as stuff from my boys Niall Lancaster (Nausea) and Ollie Stallard (Atlas). Also bits from J-One, My Nu Leng and Wen, who are all huge. I also missed out a tune I was going to drop by a producer and wicked DJ who's been holding it down for years: Theo Bennett (Sepia/Brown Noise). I put in some of my old garage faves and some old halfsteppers I still love, finished it on a jungle vibe because that is pretty much all I've been listening to lately. So yeah, it's basically just an amalgamation of what I love and take most of my influence from.

H: Finally, are there any forthcomings, bookings or anything else in the pipeline that you'd like to put the word out about?

E: I have a forthcoming release on Nineteen89 Recordings, a label that's just starting up. It's got some wicked releases lined up from Rumah and J_Boa and it's got a really cool artistic direction, I can't really comment on the release dates and whatnot though, it's all very hush-hush at the moment, but follow them on Facebook/Twitter to keep updated. I'm also playing at the next Eyes Down night on March 31st in North London alongside Whistla and Blue Daisy, check them on Facebook for updates on that. I'm also working independently on a series of remixes of my favourite old Jungle and Hardcore tunes which I will release via bandcamp with a cool artistic direction, hopefully with some assistance from one of my housemate who does graphics and illustration. Other than that just keep your eyes out on my Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook and Soundcloud for upcoming releases and shows!

Download: Etch - Hedmuk Exclusive Mix

Etch - HEDMUK Exclusive Mix by Hedmuk on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

Etch - Miracle [Dub]

Photek - The Rain (Etch Reflected Refix) [Dub]

J-One - Droplets [Dub]

My Nu Leng - Clockwork [Free via Hedmuk]

Etch - Tek-9 [Dub]

Atlas - Level Feeling [Dub]

Nausea - Girl, Tonight I’m Gonna Have You On The Floor [Dub]

Ray Hurley - Vicious (Sovereign Dub Mix) [White]

Ghost - 2000 [Ghost]

El-B - El Brand (Dub Mix) [White]

Etch - Spaceman Riddim [Dub]

Loefah - Rufage [DMZ]

Dismantle - Time’s Up [Terrain]

Wen - Takin’ Over [Dub]

Digital Mystikz - Ancient Memories (Skream Remix) [DMZ]

J Sweet - Marxman Remix [White]

Jon E Cash - Hoods Up [Black Ops]

Wiley - Stormy Weather Instrumental [Southside Recordings]

Roni Size & Reprazent - New Forms (feat. Bahamadia) [Talkin' Loud]

Goldie - You & Me [FFRR]

.Preacha.

Free Download: My Nu Leng - Clockworks

To mark their reaching 500 followers on Facebook, My Nu Leng are giving away this brand new beat.

A melodic garage stepper reminiscent of some of Synkro's early productions, with crisp percussion draped with drifting female vocals, warm sub-bass and a rising piano line, this is one to zone out to.


Download: My Nu Leng - Clockworks



.Preacha.

Featuring: My Nu Leng

A duo who have quietly been building up a lot of support over the last half a year or so, My Nu Leng first came to our attention with the lurching 'Fireflies' as a standout track on Dr. Hugo's Exclusive Mix for us last May and since then have been impossible to pin down as they continually bring something fresh to the table with their beats. Switching with ease between a range of styles around the 130-140bpm mark, and with crisp production to boot, a strong garage influence underpins their sound without leading them down the (admittedly occasionally inviting) path of so many Burial-soundalikes. With a weekly show on Rood FM and close ties with Crises and MindStep Music, it seems that the My Nu Leng have built themselves a solid platform from which to take on 2012; we spoke to the pair about their approach to making tunes and got them to add the latest instalment to our mix series.

Hedmuk: As an introduction for those who may not know yet, what's your name, where are you from and how would you describe your sound?

James / Tommy: We are My Nu Leng and are a duo consisting of James Irving (Jammo) from Bristol and Tommy Jackson from London.

We like to write music covering a large spectrum of genres and styles, from garage to funky and from down-tempo to dubstep! Usually always fitting somewhere within the 130-140 BPM range. Our influences have worked well together and the more music we are making, the more we feel we are honing in on a particular sound.

H: How do you find producing as a duo, particularly considering the physical distance between yourselves?

J: We have managed to find a nice balance considering the distance at times but it can vary for each track. Before writing as a duo we both worked on our own individual music - to have another set of ears and eyes when it comes to production has really helped us strive to create music that (we hope!) is a little bit different, not sticking to certain barriers producers may be accustomed to in certain genres.

T: I personally prefer it, we only started making tunes together a short while before Jammo left the area for Uni, during which time we had sat down & made just a few tracks together. It works well in that one of us can work on something pretty much until hitting a block, then send the file to the other to have a crack at. It pretty much goes back & forth & changes the whole time until we're happy with what we've got.

Damp on Rinse FM [DJ Wonder] by My Nu Leng

H: Your beats take in a diverse range of sounds and styles including garage, uk funky, bassline and dubstep; is this something you have always set out to do or has it occurred more naturally?

J: It has definitely happened as a natural progression the more we produce together. The diversity of music we both listen to has always helped but the more new music we show each other, the more we seem to get blown away by the talent out there! And I think it is then about just striving to get even remotely near that level of production: one day!

T: Yeah definitely naturally, I know that when I've sat down with the idea of starting something of a certain style, it's always ended up completely different; for instance 'Fireflies' was originally a nice little garage-y number before Jammo put the b-line in it and it completely changed the tune! Between us we pretty much listen to anything, which I know is a bold statement & probably overused, but for example my missus' favourite kinds of music are people like Dean Martin, Edith Piaf, the blues etc. so that's always on in the gaff: it means there's always a different kind of idea there, it's just being able to get our ideas down, which we can't always do but that will come with time & learning, which we are still constantly doing.

Fireflies [Mindstep Music] on Rinse FM [Crises] by My Nu Leng

H: There is a strong garage influence throughout your tunes; who are some of the artists that you draw inspiration from? Where, or from who, else do you take influence from when building beats?

J: We've both been pretty much obsessed with Burial & have been for years now. We put together our 'All Burial Mix' quite some time ago just for ourselves at the time, just so we would be able to listen to all of our favourite bits in one mix: we still love it just because it's a perfect collection of music!

T: Other artists include heads like Sully, Jamie xx, Phaeleh, Scuba, Dark Sky, Eleven8 etc., as well as a lot of old (proper) hip hop, drum & bass, grime & old school garage.

J: I also feel we've definitely got a lot inspiration from the other guys in the scene at the moment. There's a really strong community at the moment where a lot of people are doing big things & all seem to be kind of coming up together, everyone is pushing their own sound & doing it really well which just pushes us harder to be more productive. Guys like Versa & Rowl and the whole ICU lot, Percept, Anex, Majora (Bandicoot) are smashing it.

T: Mixing-wise, I'd rate Solitude & Oneman who, although are both at completely opposite ends of the spectrum, are both at the top of their game in what they do & always leave me feeling a little bit mind-blown (laughs)!

Bubba Ho-Tep (Kaiju Remix) [Mindstep Music] on Rinse FM [Distance] by My Nu Leng

H: You recently released your debut EP (the 'Fireflies EP') through MindStep Music; how did this come about?

T & J: The release came about after one of our good mates Syte introduced us to Crises. We had put out a couple of free downloads & been sending stuff out for a bit, and we'd had a couple of responses, but MindStep just seemed like the perfect label to put out our first release on.

H: Tell us a little about how you went about putting together the mix you've done for us.

T: It's pretty much a collection of some of our favourite music & artists at the moment, as well as a chance to put out a few of our unheard tracks.

I basically made a playlist in my Serato a while ago & have been adding my favourite pieces of music for a while, then it was just a matter of having a couple of practice mixes to get a rough order & record it! There are a fair few Leng tunes in there, a couple of which, like 'Fireflies VIP', that pretty much no one has heard yet & 'Saviours' which is the first actual track we made together (laughs)!

Anyone who has heard our radio show on Rood FM (Saturday's 4-6) knows that we cover most genres within the show & it's always pretty fast-paced. I thought it was important to cover the majority of styles which we actually play out or on the radio so that people who have only heard a few of our tracks know what we cover!

H: Finally, is there anything forthcoming or in the pipeline that you'd like to put the word out on?

J: We have an EP forthcoming on Mindstep Music featuring 'Fireflies VIP' and 3 remixes of 'Fireflies' from Crises, Wonder and Tunnidge! We are just finalising our first vinyl release, which we are very excited about, and have remixes coming from J-One, Versa & Rowl and Demon as well as a few remix projects ourselves!

T: Deejaying-wise, we are residents at 51 27 at the Thekla in Bristol which is a new exciting night to be involved with, so big shout to the 51 27 lot and Thekla heads! Please check out our Facebook page for our full listings, we have quite a busy end to the year!


Download: My Nu Leng - Hedmuk Exclusive Mix

My Nu Leng - HEDMUK Exclusive Mix by Hedmuk on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

My Nu Leng - Time Goes By [dub]
Versa - Shadow Movement [dub]
DJ Rum - Turiya [2nd Drop]
J-One - Work it Out [dub]
Eleven8 - Motions [dub]
My Nu Leng - Untitled [dub]
J-One - Deep Down [dub]
Throwing Snow - Shadower [Sneaker Social Club]
MJ Cole - Hawaii [Prolific]
Braille - A Meaning [Hotflush]
Sorrow - Reminiscence (Troy Gunner Remix) [dub]
Dark Sky - Leave [Ninja Tune]
XXXY - Ordinary Things [Ten Thousand Yen]
Majora - Questionable Logic [dub]
>>> Brandy - Never Say Never (Acca.) [Atlantic]
Champion - Lighter VIP [Formula]
Sunship - In the Pocket [Filter]
Mosca - Bax [Numbers]
Pusherman - Shake It Off [dub]
My Nu Leng - Damp [dub]
Deadboy - Here 4 U [Numbers]
Hugo - Out of Breath [dub]
Gang Colours - Dance Around the Subject (Pedestrian Remix) [Brownswood]
Sully - Let U Know [Keysound]
My Nu Leng - Fireflies VIP [dub]
Burial - Versus [Hyperdub]
Anex - Counter It [dub]
Wonder - What Have You Done (Inst.) [Newera)
Digital Mystikz - Lost City [DMZ]
Kaiju - Snake Spirit [dub]
Versa & Rowl - Full Moon [dub]
Content - Forewarned [dub]
Perverse - Cerberus [dub]
Percept - Corrupt [dub]
My Nu Leng - Consume [dub]
My Nu Leng - Norma Jean [dub]
My Nu Leng - Saviours [dub]

.Preacha.