Fade hails from the Ukraine and his work so far has culminated in the dazzling debut album Song Of The Stars. It’s like taking a ride through the clustered and varied backstreets of some stellar new city, and will be up there with many choice picks of 2013. Let’s see how the year has treated him thus far…
“I think 2013 is huge year for me,” he says. “A lot of things have happened. First of all I finally finished my debut album and it’s out on my own imprint Faded Music. Also, there is lot of great music coming in near future, some interesting collabs and solo works. Generally I am happy how things are going.” Continue reading →
Introducing Terabyte Records, a grassroots start-up with a penchant for the dark, techy vibes. Their latest release – Neumax’s Ancient Ritual / Singleness – comes our way this week and they’ve thrown in an exclusive label showcase mix for good measure. We sent the label co-founder Auzi a whole load of questions to find out more… Continue reading →
Perhaps music’s most lauded cliché: a talented creative artist invests a lifetime of influence and inspiration into their debut, it enjoys critical and commercial success yet leaves them plundering a dry tank of ideas and themes for their second long player.
Luckily it is just a cliché. For every artist who struggles on their second LP, another one surges forth with a refreshed mindset, fine-tuned from lessons learned on the debut process, focused on delivering something even more tantalising. Alix Perez definitely falls into the latter set, as you’ll find out next week when he unleashes Chroma Chords. A startling, hyper-polished lesson in raw sonic experimentation, an easy way to herald its arrival would be to say it “takes off where Alix left us on 1984”. But that’s another cliché altogether. Continue reading →
This is how Drum&BassArena’s positive vibes features go down…
We call up an artist. We have a little chat. We ask them for three tunes that make them smile. They tell us the three tunes. We turn the whole thing into a cheeky little feature that sheds light on the artist’s inspirations and motivations
Them’s the positive vibes rules. But as you know, rules are made to be broken. And Bryan Gee’s current mindset hasn’t just broken the rules, it’s bust them up beyond belief.
The D&B world stood still in shock earlier this year as Chris Octane and Jay DLR announced their split. With a killer album and huge reputation under their belt, no one saw it coming. Well, no one bar Chris and Jay themselves.
DLR told us all about it ages ago. Now it’s time to catch up with Octane. His new label CORE is the platform for a totally different breed of Octane beats. The debut – Synthetic/Gaia’s Dub – came out last week. And, let’s just say his studio experiments have resulted in some of the deepest and cosmic inspirations you’ll ever read on a music blog… Continue reading →
Japanese poke tattoos, painters and the endless fight against mediocrity. All in a day’s work for D&B’s mystery man Hibea. He’s just dropped this brutal old skool-nodding slammer White Owl on IM:LTD…
Damian B called up the sleepy Ukrainian town of Vinnitsa and demanded to speak to him straight away…
Hibea: Hello there Damian.
Hello. What is new for the 2013 since we last spoke, sir?
As before, I try to make music but not as a product. I patiently let the music show itself at its best. That is why I cannot provide you with a larger number of releases, but I hope that the pieces I make, will get nothing but positive feedback, and will not allow me to get lost in mediocrity.
Which labels are you aligned with?
I’m still on friendly terms with the label IM:LTD and Caine,and it is the reason of my recent releases came out right from these guys. I’m happy to say White Owl received great feedback and support from many of the biggest world DJs.
What music in any genre are you into right now?
At the moment I’m trying not to stick on any specific styles. I prefer to let the music find me.
Okay… are you passionate about D&B and its current form right now?
D&B’s going through a very interesting period. For all the power of modern technology, many people are trying to produce a quite simple and light sound which is very comparable to the sound of the old school. This is good news for me personally, ha ha!
What names are you watching?
Nowadays I really like the different sound mixed with old-school sound. such as Dub Phizix Happy 5 and Nitri Quintana
Last time we spoke you said you weren’t connected to the Ukrainian scene… maybe it’s a geographical one? Some think you ARE part of it.
Yes. Unfortunately I am still far from the Ukrainian scene. On the one hand it is good because it does not allow me to fall under its influence. But in the near future I want to change that, and personally please all fans of D&B with my stuff. So hurry up. I’m available for world booking!
You get up to much outside of D&B?
I have many hobbies. I love to paint. I am an active airsoft player. I’m also a Japanese hand poke tattoo master. You have some interesting and unusual things to do? Bring it.
Hold up. What’s the interest in Japanese tattooing about?
Well this is quite rare form of tattooing and is mainly used in Japan. I’m a fan of this type of tattoo because the application process is very interesting and looks like a trance. Such a tattoo can take several weeks to years, and requires perseverance and concentration. It is quite different to emotional work of a musician.
And with visual arts… What do you like?
I’m working with 3D graphics, but also love painting in oil or otherwise. In regard to painters, what can I say? Munch? Rothko? Van Gogh? In regard to photography it would be people like Lee Jeffries.
Last August we introduced you to Gloucester reggae ranger Jamie Irie and his then-emerging imprint Saysell Music. In the nine months that have passed he’s smashed every dance he’s been invited to, he’s recorded the theme tune for Marvellous Caine’s Yardrock brand and commissioned some of the most hair-raising, soul-stirring reggae D&B you’ll hear this summer.
This week see the release of his label’s third, and largest, selection. The Sensimillionaire Riddim Remixes is bulging with Jamaican heritage. A firing line-up of Aries specials, boasting the original stems from the House Of Riddim band and toasting talents of key soundsystem smashers such as Daddy Freddy, Carlton Livingstone, Zareb, Jah Mason and Pad Anthony, it’s an essential release for those who love their roots as much as the rave-ups.
Don’t take our word for it, though. Here’s Aries’ own minimix of the release… Continue reading →
Few vocalists have such a distinctive tone as Donae’O. Having nailed the perfect balance between soul, grime and hip-hop, it’s a little known fact that he’s never more than two metres away from a bare bass-fuelled nugget, waiting for his dulcet delivery to polish it off.
Right now he’s gearing up for his forthcoming album. Entitled Forest Of Zephron, it’s due out in August. He tells us it’s his most aggressive, club-focussed album to date. And the hype starts right here with Fire. A chop-slapping dubstep dustup, he’s arranged a clutch of sizzling remixes to complement it. Including a firing (pun intended) rub from The Prototypes. Continue reading →
“The paradox of infinity being the same thing as nothingness…”
And the winner of the “deepest quote ever in a Drum&BassArena interview award” goes, unanimously, to ShockOne.
He’s just released his debut album Universus. Not only does it bang (as you’d expect from the man who gave us Polygon) but it boggles, too….
D&B isn’t particularly known for deep theory and concept albums, which is why we had to give the Aussie-in-London a call. Read on to find out about break up tunes, the lifespan of a universe and how to sleep like a Tetris block. No,really! Continue reading →
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Fade hails from the Ukraine and his work so far has culminated in the dazzling debut album Song Of The Stars. It’s like taking a ride through the clustered and varied backstreets of some stellar new city, and will be up there with many choice picks of 2013. Let’s see how the year has treated him thus far…
