A true classic progressive breaks track from one of
the scenes favourites, this track begins to build immediately with
haunting synths, twisted soundscapes and deep, evolving bass. With the
introduction of ethnic vocals and tech FX scattered around the place and
building towards the breakdown, the track soon soars to gorgeous
heights with uplifting pads and atmospheric melodies in the AB style – a
perfect intro track to any breaks set.
GEON REMIX
Spanish producer Geon is a constant fixture in
breaks charts around the world with his unique blend of hard-hitting
beats and twisted basslines that are as moving as they are banging and
this remix is another great example of his signature style. Adding some
more aggressive elements to the original and introducing a bit of acid
and some sexy chord changes, this tougher take is perfect for that
harder edge.
INNUENDO REMIX
The final remix comes from Duane’s downtempo
project, which takes the main melody hook and vocals from the original
and layers them in-between lush pads, deep soundscapes and downtempo
beats. Like the others, an evolving bassline is the main focus with many
spacey synths and FX sprinkled around the track to give it his
signature slab of atmospheric electronica. Perfect for headphones!
INNUENDO AMBIENT REMIX
Also available is an extended remix as above with
the beats and bass removed and the pads/melodies more predominant- this will be a free download.
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat.
Brand new out on Glack Audio Recordings is the Hungarian born and raised fresh new talent, Took, giving us an atmospheric funk-fuelled progressive work out with My Favourite Things. The tune is like riding on an acid jazz breakbeat train, with punchy funk drums, dark melodic atmospherics and sweet sounding flutes. Also included in this package is That Sound, with flowing breaks and dark rumbling undertones. We finish off the package with an interesting deep twisted glitched out remix of My Favourite Things from Ruman. Below we have a little chat with Took, and you can check out his new release here.
Well my real name is Gabor Tukacs. I am a born and raised Hungarian, aged 27, coming from a musical family.
What's in store for us in the future?
I've been messing around 12 years or so with music and lately got to buy some decent gear and started to focus on my sound. For the last two years I have got into all kinds of music, so expect anything to happen. I do have a track I did with Aataks coming out on Scarcity in the future.
What is your studio set up, and what is your favourite piece of kit?
Currently I have an iMac running Ableton live, some midi stuff, and I used to visit my mate Aateks for hardware sounds. He's more of a hardware fan. I think nowadays there is a lot of potential in software - I have never been the hardware above everything type of person. I also have a pair of AKG K271s and a pair of Adam A5s for monitoring.
How would you describe your sound?
That's a good one, since I'm still in kind of an experimenting phase. If you hear from me later I hope you will see how much it has evolved.
What other breakbeat producers are you feeling right now and why?
At the moment my fellow Hungarian Aeron Aether - that guy just drops epic proportions of good music. I could not really pick one of his tunes as my favourite, but if I had to it would be Mesmer - Stereo Rainbow (Aeron Aether Remix), which is just killing me. To be honest I am a sucker for catchy melodies and the chord progressions he is writing are just A-ma-zing.
Final words from you?
Cheers for everyone for supporting me. Hopefully you will hear a lot more from me in the near future. Also absolutely huge thanks to my mate Ruman for delivering an awesome remix - you should hear more from him coming soon too.
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
Over the last three months there has been a barrage of tunes and remixes from Bubu. It was back in May 2010 that I first got my blast from the DJ/Producer from southern Spain with his driving techy rolling progressive remix of Wardian's Volaverun on Flextone.
Since then there have been various originals released on Raveart Records, as well as remixes on Flextone, Scarcity and Raveart Records. The tune that made me stand up and add his name to my producers to watch was a thunderous rolling remix of Youthful Implants's Evil Twin on Flextone, a true rolling progressive breakbeat beast that will get you bouncing off the walls, featuring a lush strung out breakdown and a breathtaking drop that booms you right back into the beat.
Also released last month was another slice of rolling proggy breaks in the shape of Bubu's remix of Leuce Rhythms's Bad Brain on Scarcity Records, and finally released this week is the club friendly remix of Quadrat Beat's Dancefloor Pressure on Raveart Records, a club banger for the nu skool headz.
This is one name I will be keeping an ear on in the future, so I had a little chat with Bubu to find out what he's all about.
For the people who don’t know you, who is Bubu and what is your sound?
Bubu is a DJ and producer in southern Spain since 2000. It all started with Raveart, and everything goes through them. I find it hard to define my style in the breakbeat, but my influences are from nu-skool breaks to techno-minimal and electro, mixing in new era.
Over the last year I have been hearing some cool tracks (Flextone/Raveart) and remixes
(Scarcity/Flextone) from you on various labels. What else can we expect from you in the future?
The Flextone stamp is one of my favourite for remixes, and Raveart is my main label. For next year I have many references with Raveart, remixes of Parallax Breakz, Quadrat Beat, Boson, Macho, Starpunk and new talents. And Flextone remixes from Fletric, Parallax, Discosynthetique. But I think that I have to focus more on my new album in the future for Raveart.
What made you start producing breakbeat music?
I LOVE BREAKBEAT, since I was 15 years old and saw the videos on TV of The Prodigy, I have not stopped listening to breakbeat and in Spain the breaks parties are very very good ... I remember Mangueta Beach in Cadiz and cry …
You have a sweet progressive sound but with hard beats. What is your music set up and what is your favourite piece of kit?
In Spain people want hard beats but I try to create different pieces and explore new sounds. My favourite pieces in studio is synth surge, fm8, Moog, arturia and drum Sonic Charge. I am producing in Cubase SX with Reason 5, Kong Drum and Thor in Reason is nice!
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
This week we head to Spain for a chat with Distorsion Records head honcho Deenk. In such a short time this artist has burst on to the breakbeat scene with some slamming tunes and remixes. His sound is full of melodic flavours but keeps the beats and bass gritty with a massive electro twist.
Below is just a taste of what's to come from Deenk with releases on his own label Distorsion Records as well
as Ayra Recordings and Kick It Recordings. Over the last six months he's also has hit us with some slamming remixes for Scarcity (Line of Sight & Starpunk) and Digital Sensation (MDK). It really would be worth your time to check out this guy on Soundcloud, where you will find all previous releases and many future tasters, if you haven't already. Deenk-Pump Feat.Mc Freeflow & Mc Kyla by Deenk Deenk-Altea TASTE (192Kpbs) by DeenkFarace-Move on(Deenk rmx) by Deenk
For the people who don't know you, who, where and what is Deenk? I am a DJ and producer from San Fernando (Cádiz, Spain). I am 25 years of age, began creating music back in 2001, and I have not stopped since sharing wisdom with the best producers of the breakbeat scene.
Where did the name Deenk come from?
I was looking for an original name, I stayed many afternoons turning to mind until I found Deenk. I wanted a short name, original, and catchy. Easy to pronounce and to engrave on the mind. Tell us a bit about your background and what you do other then make breakbeat music? I work in my spare time playing sports and looking for work, hehe ... I want to live outside of Spain to meet new people and see the world. How long have you been making music, and what made you start producing breakbeat?
My closest friends were listening to breakbeat and I slowly got into this wonderful world back in 1995. I have been producing for about 10 years but I've been listening to music for many more years.
You have made some great remix for various breakbeat labels across the globe. What do you have in store for the future?
Hehe ... this is a question I would like to keep secret, but I tell you gladly. I'm working on collaborations with Beatman & Ludmilla, Peter Paul, Brainkiller, Farace, some MC collaborations and with labels such as Ayra Recording, iBreaks, Distorsion Records etc.
What is your Studio set up? Some will find it weird ... hehehe. I use Fruity Loops very very retouched logically within FL, Massive, and other VSTs. Also other programs I use are Soundforge, Ableton Live, etc. I try to find sounds that are compelling and catchy. And to finish with very many samples hehe.
There is some amazing breakbeat music flying about these days. Which producers are you feeling right now and which artists have inspired you in the past?
At this time I opted for the electro house: Far To Loud, Alex Mind, Miles Dyson, Felguk, Access Denied, Elite Force, etc. There are many more. I myself attempt to merge electro house with breakbeat: I think it's an explosive mix, I like a lot. In the past I noticed Prodigy really simply. I was deeply motivated to make music like this, but eventually I changed in a radical style hehe.
Three big tunes you are feeling right now and why?
I have great admiration for the music of my colleagues and could not opt for only three songs. Miles Dyson has made me a lot and Far Too loud without a doubt, but I would say with many productions that I marked at the time.
Final words from Deenk?
Thanks for the support received from all. I have no words to describe the support you give me. Humility has to be ahead of everything we do. Let's listen to music and make this world a family. A big salute to all.
To hear more sounds from Deenk check out his Soundcloud page.
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat. Eastern Europe is fast becoming a swarm of amazing breakbeat talent. This week we take a look at Russia's Ilya Mosolov. In only one year the man has already had two albums out and a huge amount of original material and remixes under his belt. His work rate is incredible, and I think he must be half-human, half-octopus. I first got to hear the deep feel good vibes back in December 2009 with the heart melting breaks mix of Blinded by Love on Avioground Records, and since then his name has not stopped popping up on various labels, including Electrofly and DSUK. Ilya's music will always take you on a different path into sound and emotion. The guy is only 23 and at this rate he'll soon be a massive name in progressive breakbeat - he already is in my book. He also works in other genres of music, namely progressive house and chillout, but it’s the breakbeat productions that have got me to stand up and check. Below you can listen to some of Ilya's latest releases, and one of my personal favourites. First up are two releases on Scarcity Records, Agoraphobia is an original production with uplifting hypnotic synth melodies that build and build, while his remix of Kovacs' Nanobots again has that melodic uplifting vibe all over it. Also released in November was Connections, on Rune Recordings. This one takes you to a deeper level but still keeps that hypnotic building groove that I have grown to love. Ilya was kind enough to take some time out for a chat. Check out the interview below for the lowdown on this raw young talent.
For the people who don’t know you, who, where and what is Ilya Mosolov?
Hey! I’m Russian musician, I’m 23. I was born and living in Samara, Russia. I produce many genres of electronic music and my favourite style is breakbeat of course! Tell us a bit about your background before you were making music?
Oh, I started to listen and understand music ... I think when I was seven or eight years old. It was mostly classical music, you know, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Debussy ... And later in 98 was the breaking point for me: I heard such tracks as Fatboy Slim’s Rockafella Skank, Junkie XL's Billy Club and the amazing Brian Transeau’s album, ESCM. I bought a computer and all of it together pushed me to creating music and later I played in a local rock band, just a bit. I first found you when hearing Blinded by Love last year, which is a wicked tune. How long have you been making music, and what made you start producing breakbeat? Thanks! I’ve been waiting for a release of Blinded by Love for about a year. I composed the original in 2007. I started composing in 2002, first years of my creative way composed big beat and nu-school breaks, later house and chillout music and in the last three years I fully dived into progressive breaks. As I said before it is these breaks classics that pushed me to produce breakbeat. I feel this music with my heart, my mind and soul. I can’t explain, but I fell in love when I heard the first beats, synths and sound of this music. Do you think the progressive breakbeat sound is making a strong comeback? For sure! I think further will be more, much more! Your latest remix was part of the same package which my act Curl & Dean were on, Kovacs ' Nanobots, on Scarcity - what else can we expect from you in the future? Yeah! And our remixes will be set up together again on Rune Recordings soon! I am always trying to keep listeners up to date with my future releases and everybody can listen and download demo versions of my future releases and previous releases on my Promo DJ profile. Here is a link. What is your studio set up? Computer and many software programs, such as FL studio, ACID, Cubase. Oh, the main thing is the unity of body, soul and my ears. Without this, the programs are nothing. Which producers are you feeling right now, and which artists from the past have inspired you? Right now BETA first of all! Flack.su, Mesmer, BSD released a great album. From the past is Shiloh with a great debut album, Tim Fretwell, BT, nubreed and Fatboy Slim. Three big tunes you are feeling right now and why? Curl & Dean – Bantha (Beta remix) – sure you know why! This is very positive and feels like the real breakbeat that we know and love.
BSD – Party Groove – My favourite from the album! For memories about Hip Hop Phenomenon and this is a great tune anyway!
And finally is Ilya Mosolov – Perun. Sorry, but please don’t think that I am egotistic. I know that you have not heard this track and maybe you don’t know what a “Perun” is - it's an ancient Slavic god of lightning. Final words from Ilya Mosolov. Thank you for the interview! And good luck everyone! Happy New Year! To hear more sounds from Iiya Mosolov check out his DJ Promo Page.
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
This week we take a look inside the Italian and Austrian duo Fisso & Spark. Signed to Dead Famous back in 2009, this duo have been combining breaks with house and techno. The mercurial sound ranges from deep twisted tech breaks to some lush uplifting melodic vibrant breakbeat.
I first got to hear them on some early Dead Famous releases in 2009, with their deep flowing tech house sound, but since then they have been crafting some breakbeat gems.
Below you can check some forthcoming releases and the guys were kind enough to take some time out and have a chat about their musical lives.
We check out two releases due in 2011 which showcase the diversity of the duo. First up is Never Try Never Know, a track that got me pretty excited when it first flowed into my ears, and which will be released on Dead Famous. It's an incredible piece of epic music: full of groove, energy and emotion that will lift you up into the ether. We also check out a remix they have done for Home Alone of his tune The Sound, forthcoming on V.I.M Breaks. This is a full-on assault of psy-tech twisted breakbeat, an absolute banger.
For the people who don’t know who you are, who, where & what is Fisso & Spark?
Fisso & Spark is the story of a friendship, an unconditional love for music and a common dream.
Tell us a bit about your background before you were making breakbeat?
We were born and grew up in different cities and different realities. I lived in Italy and Spark here in Vienna.
Still we had some things in common - we both were in love with the hip hop culture and the first waves of electronic music in our early years. But the thing that connects us most is that we both took an actively part in the free party movement that was storming Europe in the middle of the 90s.
These parties were the expression of freedom and of a new culture, the one of travellers and tribes who were living in trucks and travelling across Europe from town to town occupying factories with music and lights, creating a magic atmosphere and vibe without limits and rules.
So, myself with Crop Circle Unit and Spark with Lego Sound System had great experiences in this scene which are still a big inspiration to us.
We met for the first time in Vienna where I moved because of my girlfriend. At the beginning we just span some vinyls together ... few months after we sat down together in studio and started our music production. First we produced drum and bass and then we switched over to breaks. One of our first breaks track was noticed by Dead Famous and so we had our first release and our first step into the breaks world. So that´s where Fisso & Spark come from.
I am so looking forward to the release of Never Try Never Know on Dead Famous. This is a wicked tune - what else is in store for the future?
Our future projects is a remix of Rock the Mic from Break the Bx for the new LP from Dead Famous. Few remixes coming out with V.I.M. Breaks, Scarcity and Distortion. Our new single Blow your mind with remixes from Luqas and Ek will be out next month on DF. We are always looking forward for new projects and new remixes.
What is your production set up? Which piece of equipment could you not live without?
We work on iMac with Ableton Live and loads of Vsts and our analog weapons are a Virus T2 with keys and an old school Blofeld Synth.
As a duo, what is your production process? Do you work together in the studio or apart?
We are working on every single project together. We never work alone for an F and S Tune, it never really happened.
We both have a single project, me as Andrea Fissore and Spark as 21 Hour, but we really enjoy to work together because we have different taste and different inspirations. I am more on the deep tech house side and Andy is more on the progressive front. This makes things always funny and fresh in the studio because every time we start a track it is like a new adventure and we never know how the story ends … but that’s what we love: never try never know!
What's a typical weekend in the life of Fisso & Spark?
Every weekend is different here in Vienna. There are lots of nice different places where we have played over the years. We have a residency in a club called Donau. We enjoy playing there, because it´s a very special place with great atmosphere and cool vibes. We do our own radio show once a month on Stero Sl Radio Orange too. There we often invite and interview other DJs from Vienna.
Three big tunes that are blowing you away at the moment?
Breaks related, our picks would be the latest productions from Dirty Loud, Ctrl Z and BSD.
And some final words from your good selves:
So, first we would really like to say big thanks for the support we constantly receive from our label Dead Famous, Ian is an awesome manager and it’s a big honour for us to produce beside our label mates Jamie, Luqas and Home Alone, we have big respect for them.
We would like to mention Grigoris, label manager from V.I.M. Records too, he is a great person that believes in good music without boundaries, we love his way and his label. Also a Big up to Deenk and the Distortion Crew, Mesmer that introduced us to Scarcity and Rob Analyze, and of course to you guys for giving us this opportunity. YO!
To hear more sounds from Fisso & Spark check out their MySpace page.
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
Back in September 2009 we checked out some of the deep flowing sounds of Bulgarian progressive breakbeat supremo Line of Sight. This week we get to have a chat with the man himself and check out his brand new remix of Solesystem & El Aero's Birds, released this week on Morphosis Limited. This remix will really take you on a journey in sound with so many deep elements and melodic layers that build and build.
For the people who don't know you, who is Line of sight?
My name is Georgi and I'm from Varna, Bulgaria. I produce mostly breakbeat but I love music in general so I prefer not to restrict myself into specific genre. So from time to time I also go into drum 'n bass, downtempo stuff and even house and trance. I've had the pleasure to work with labels such as Morphosis, Flextone, Dead Famous, Scarcity, V.I.M.Breaks, Dusted Breaks, RUNE.
How long have you been making music, and what made you start producing breakbeat?
I've been experimenting with electronic music since 1998 but nothing too serious. I was mostly into drum 'n' bass at that time, but in 2003 I've bought my first pair of turntables and a bunch of second hand breakbeat vinyls to practice with … so that's how I first got into breaks. What got me interested was its diversity and the freedom to combine elements from different genres.
You have some amazing remixes under your belt. Are there any Line of Sight originals coming soon, and what else can we expect in the future?
Yeah it's been a year of remixes. There's a remix for Solesystem & El Aero's Birds which should be out on Morphosis records in this month, and I have another one coming out on Distortion records.
I'm currently working on remixes for Digital Sensation UK and Scarcity. When I'm done I'll focus entirely on my own stuff for a while as I have quite a few ideas waiting to be completed. I'm also working on some collaboration projects with Duane Barry and Mesmer which are going very well.
What is your music set up and what piece of equipment could you not live without?
I use Ableton Live, some VSTs, a Korg R3 and a Waldorf Blofeld connected to a RME Fireface 400. Sometimes I use guitars as well … it depends on the tune and what I'm trying to achieve. The most essential piece of equipment for me is probably the R3 - it's a great little synthesizer, very capable and it sounds great.
There are some great progressive breakbeat producers about pushing the sound. Which producers are you feeling now and from the past?
Way too many I guess. Right now there are Retroid, Mesmer, Beta, Triple Agent, Kultur and Colombo, Hedflux, Llupa, Duane Barry, Flack Su, Home Alone, Fletric… and from the past - Crystal Method, Koma and Bones, Shiloh, Burufunk.
Final word from Line of Sight:
Thank you for interviewing me and also thanks to everybody who believed in me, who supported me and inspired me. For the last two years I've had the chance to meet some wonderful people and for me this is the best thing about being a part of the breaks community!
For more information on Line of Sight check out his Soundcloud or website.
Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
This week we have a chat and take a look at the rhythmical sounds of MDK. The fresh young talent coming out of Budapest has only had one release and one remix under his belt but is one to watch in the future.
Check out a future teaser production from MDK coming soon on Ridiculoud and a free cheeky download mash up of his awesome original release Our Plan on Digital Sensation UK with New Order's Jetstream.
For the people who dont know you, who, were and what is MDK?
Hi everyone. I am a music producer from Hungary, Budapest. I am 25 years old, and I started making music in 2005.
What does MDK stand for?
The MDK name comes from my old favourite game.
Tell us a bit about your background outside of music?
I am looking for work currently and continue with my university studies in September. I like playing football and I am very interested in space research.
How long have you been making music and what made you start producing breakbeat?
I have been making music since 2005, and finished my first breakbeat track in 2010. This was a remix of Luqas - Replicant on Dead Famous.
You have a release on DSUK and a remix on Dead Famous. What else can we look forward to in the future from MDK?
In the future expect some more original and remixes. At the moment I am working on a Home Alone remix and an original track for Ridiculoud Records. I also have some stuff coming out on Scarcity and Distorsion Records.
There is some real special sounding music coming out of Hungary, Retroid, 9BO, Beatman and Ludmilla. Is the breakbeat sound reaching a lot of people in Hungary and what otherproducers should we be keeping an ear on?
The truth is they are the best Hungarian producers. But I would also include Aeron Aether and Krum. These guys are making awesome music!
What is your music studio set up?
I have two PCs, MNC speakers, a Behringer mixer, two Omnitronic 4250 turntables, two Stage Line CD-30DJs, and a Reloop rmx 20 mixer.
Which producers are you feeling right now and which artists have inspired you in the past?
My favourite producers. Hmm, it's a good question. This would be Beatman & Ludmilla, Eshericks, Deenk, Aggresivnes, Factorfunk, Fisso & Spark, Imprintz and Kloé, Under This.
Three big breakbeat tunes you are feeling right now?
I have loved many many productions but my current top three is:
Refracture - Free Man (Eshericks remix)
Beatman & Ludmilla - In Breaks We Trust
Farace - Move on (Deenk remix)
Final words:
I am very grateful you gave a thought to me. I don't know what to say, but many thanks guys.
Boba takes another journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat
This week we take a look at Chicago breakbeat producer and DJ Eric Janke, aka Yanix. With some incredible remixes released so far and a smattering of original material, the co-owner of Ridiculoud Records has been getting us hot under the collar at thisisbreaks.com. Below we have a little chat with the man himself and check out his latest progressive breakbeat remix of MDK's Interstellar Mission on Ridiculoud, available to buy now on at all good cyber record shops.
As soon as the tune starts you are hooked on the melodic uplifting arpeggiator flow with a piano and string breakdown to put a smile on a zombie's dead grey features. Tight production and smooth beats make this a must-have purchase for those who love the feelgood vibes.
I have also included one of my personnel favs from Yanix, his remix of Flashtech's Granulated, also available now on Digital Sensation UK. This one has rolling beats and undulating bass layered with hypnotic synths that will take you on a complete journey until the very end.
For the people who dont know you, tell us about Yanix ...
Hey guys, my name is Eric Janke, or Yanix in the music world. The name came about when I was trying to figure
out a DJ name for myself. A lot of friends were calling me by my last name, Janke (pronounced yon-key) so I took part of my last name and mixed it up with the word ‘mix’ and got ‘Janix’ (I changed the J to a Y).
Most people don’t pronounce my last name right, so for obvious reasons, I went with Yanix. What a confusing story,
haha. Basically, Yanix is a DJ and producer that loves a wide variety of electronic dance music.
How long have you been producing music, and what made you start producing breakbeat?
I’ve been learning how to make music for about four and a half years now, but I’ve been into electronic dance music for a long time. I started off getting into trance music, which I still love to this day. I guess that’s shocking to some people, but there’s good and bad music in any genre, and there’s still a lot of good trance music out there. Eventually I started getting into other stuff, like progressive house, progressive breaks, etc.
I met Ghettface (we now run our label Ridiculoud Records together) at the end of my college days and I was blown away by the fact that not only was someone else into electronic music, but this guy was actually producing his own stuff! I ended up booking him at a local venue for a weekly show I was running at the time. I set it up so that he’d play the first two hours and I would play the last. As his set was ending, I just told him to keep going because I was just loving everything he was playing! So he got me into breakbeat, we became good friends, and eventually, he showed me what he was up to in the studio and introduced me to Ableton Live. Fast forward a few years, and here I am with a few releases of my own, something I never really thought would happen.
Tell us a bit about your background outside of music?
Outside of music ... hmmm, tough to come up with something! I’m just into so much music, it really does make up most of my life in one way or another. So when I’m not making mixes, DJing, working on remixes, running the label, and doing production work for my job, I guess I just enjoy taking it easy with my friends. I’m not a big party guy, like going out and getting trashed on the weekends, or anything like that. I’m a pretty chilled dude that just likes to hang out and share a laugh with good people. I’m still close with a number of friends from high school and college, so if there’s an opportunity to meet up, I always try to make it happen.
What other production can we expect from you in the coming future?
I got a remix coming out soon on Scarcity, which is more of a driving, peak-time track instead of the more progressive
style I’ve been putting out lately. I just started a remix for RUNE, and I’m thinking about doing another remix for my own label, Ridiculoud Records. Beyond that, I really want to start making some other music. I’ve always wanted to make, like trance and progressive house, so hopefully, if my production skills keep improving, I can make some proper tracks outside of breaks.
What is your studio set up? Do you have a weapon of choice on the nobs and dials?
I use a combination of Ableton Live and Logic Pro in the studio. I started off learning music with Ableton, but when I needed to upgrade my computer, I went with a Mac so I could use both Ableton and Logic, since I was always intrigued by what Logic had to offer. There are so many awesome plugins right out of the box in Logic, you almost don’t need anything else to start making music. In fact, my remixes of DiiSTORTiiON’s Dynamite and Deenk’s Move were made almost exclusively in Logic and with the included plugins. I’m a big fan of LennarDigital’s Sylenth1, so that always makes an appearance in my tracks. It’s probably my favourite plugin since it’s very easy to use and it just sounds fantastic. Logic’s own ES2 synth is another favourite.
I’m actually in need of some new monitors, and I’m still shopping around right now. So, it’s basically just my Mac, Logic, Ableton, a couple of soft synths, my small M-Audio Axiom 25 keyboard, Stanton DJ Pro 2000 headphones, and some sample CDs.
Name three breakbeat tunes that are blowing you away at the moment ...
1. MDK feat. Siegfried - Interstellar Mission [Ridiculoud]
2. Digital Breaks Foundation - Going Back (Ghettface Remix) [VIM]
3. East Cafe - How It All Began (Innuendo Remix) [DSUK]
Final words ...
Thanks for the interview! It’s pretty crazy seeing people supporting my music and asking for remixes. When I started out, I never thought I’d reach this point, so HUGE thanks to everyone for supporting my music in their shows
and for all the positive remarks I get on Facebook and SoundCloud. Here’s hoping for more exciting tunes to come!
Curl & Dean's Boba continues his journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat.
This week we talk and check out the amazing talents of Canadian electronic wunderkind Phrakture. At only 16 he is already made a huge impact on the progressive breakbeat scene, with releases and remixes on Flextone, Polytechnic, DSUK and Morphosis to name but a few.
Phrakture, aka Nafeu Nasir, has just let loose his brand new album Initiate Dream Sequence, which is available only at Bandcamp. This LP is a gargantuan journey in sound, made up of organic, glitchy breakbeats, some liquid drum 'n' bass and a sprinkle of atmospheric four to the floor and downtempo "prog-step".
For the people who don’t know who you are: who is Phrakture, and what is your sound?
Phrakture is a 16 year old kid from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who has grown up with electronic music. I first started producing music at the age of nine, when I was introduced to some simple freeware midi studio software. After messing around, having no clue how to structure a song, or even create a simple melody I was hooked, and really by luck, I made the big shift to better software a couple months later. Seven years later and I’m proud to rightfully say that my sound consists of epic glitch stutter interludes, sine lead melodies, organic atmospheres and some heavy breakbeat rhythms. However I don’t stop myself from the occasional four on the floor. I’m also a skilled beatboxer and so that has helped me with my general knowledge and grasp of rhythm.
So your new album is about to drop. Why are you releasing it yourself on Band Camp?
There are two reasons. Number one, is obviously because I don’t want a record label going in between my music, releasing it a year after it gets signed, and keeping 50 percent of the royalties. Number two is, well, I enjoy controlling every aspect of the art I create. With Bandcamp I feel I have total control of my artistic expression. From every pixel of artwork to every 16th note of audio being played. To me you are known for your far out glitchy melodic breakbeat. I have heard the three breakbeat tracks from the album and must say they are superb.
How come you did not just do a full on breakbeat album as I hear there are some drum 'n' bass and downtempo tunes on it?
I feel that producers who produce a lot of different kinds of genres really make a statement about how skilled they are. Having the ability to fuse genres and types of music is what I believe allows some producers to become revolutionaries. With this album I wanted to show that I wasn’t just a breakbeat producer, I wanted to show that I was also a house producer, and a D 'n' B producer, and a downtempo producer. Some people might hear that and think: “a 16-year-old producer? What a joke!” But when I produce music in multiple genres to show that I have an understanding of varying styles of music and rhythm, I don’t want them to believe that I’m a teenager. Also, producing breaks tracks can feel very mundane sometimes, especially when you’ve just produced SO many of them. It’s always fun to switch up genres every now and then.
Your style reminds me of BT - who are your influences in music?
Haha, you hit the target my friend. BT is one of my BIGGEST influences. I first discovered his music when I first played Need for Speed Underground back in 2003 and heard his track Kimosabe. I became so obsessed with his earlier work like ESCM and Movement in Still Life. There are three other main influences in my musical style. A soundtrack producer named Michiel Van Den Bos, who did a lot of the soundtrack production for the original Unreal Tournament 99 game, Stefan Anion, whose breakbeat glitch segments I used to hear in my sleep, and Trifonic, with their signature acoustic/atmospheric dubstep fusion style. I honestly actually could not sum up my influences in one paragraph, but think artists/groups like Dousk, Sasha, Pendulum, Beta, Benz & MD, KiloWatts and Electrosoul System.
Is there a big breakbeat scene in Canada?
Hahaha, I would not know to be honest. I’ve never stepped foot in a club or ever even seen a live electronic music performance. The majority of the people I know here listen to mainstream, a small portion are into indie music and maybe a handful of people are interested in my kind of music but not completely into it. As I was growing up, some of the most common phrases I would have to use were “it's not techno - it's breakbeat” or “it's not techno, it's electronica”. If there is a breakbeat scene, I hope to discover it after I enter adulthood. I've watched your video on glitching techniques.
Tells us a bit about your set up - what are you using to craft these gems?
My setup is good old Cubase SX3 with a moderate to fairly small collection of VSTi and FX. I also have a CASIO keyboard, an acoustic guitar, a condenser microphone, and a soon to arrive Akai APC40 along with Ableton Live 8. From an outside look, my studio is just my den. It is nothing special at all. I don’t have any giant mixers, I don’t have a soundproof room for recording, and I don’t really have anything MTV Cribs-worthy.
What can we expect in the future from you?
You can expect a lot more three track EP packages, a lot more live guitar implemented into my tracks, a lot more basslines and definitely a lot more glitching. I’m probably going to be exploring the chillout and drum and bass genres quite a bit more but don’t worry, breaks will never die for me. After my ACP40 arrives, I do plan on practicing live performance techniques - you will definitely see that from me in the future. I hope to be able to do live performances after I’m 18.
Final words from you?
I’m just a kid trying to live his dream, and producing music is my ultimate vent of expression. This album is really just the start. Everything prior to the album was sort of me working my way up as a producer. If you listen to my tracks produced in 2009, compared to my tracks produced now, it is quite the drastic increase in production quality. In the end I just want to be known for my talents. I want to be up there with the heavy hitters and I want the fans to have some music to connect their lives and memories with. To sum it up, I want to be famous, but not mainstream famous. I want to be known throughout the electronic music community, because the community means so much to me, and becoming a hard hitting and popular artist within the electronic music community would be a solid dream come true. There is just so much more music from me to come! BUY MY ALBUM and cheers from Toronto Ontario Canada! Check out my Facebook artist page to stay updated!
A massive thanks to Phrakture for taking some time out to let us know about his world. For more information on Phrakture check out hisSoundcloud or MySpace, and to purchase his new album go to Bandcamp.
Curl & Dean's Boba returns to continue his journey into the progressive depths of breakbeat Thisweek I'm checking out the heady sounds of Hungary's Retroid, aka Adam Huszar. Adam's output in music has been something else, with more than 20 artist releases and 50 remixes. He also runs labels Morphosis and Ego Shot, so I'm amazed and very grateful that he even found the time to answer these questions.
I first came across these timeless sounds back in March 2008 when hunting for some new, fresh progressive beats. I was looking for something with the energy and atmospheric vibes of Hybrid or Way out West, and came across Aeron Aether's Aeristhesia(Retroid Remix). Since then I have been hooked on the mercurial and beguiling style of this eastern European gentleman. If you're into your progressive sounds then you already know who he is, but for those of you who have not had the honour, check out his Soundcloud or website.
Soon to be released (on the 23rd August) on Ego Shot Recordings is Parallax Breaks & M Spark's Sun.
This Retroid remix is a slice of pure, banging, metallic breakbeat that will make you grind down to your gums.
Here's a slice of some of Retroid's latest work, including his deep hypnotic remix of Chris Nemmo's - Nightshade (Digital Sensation UK) and a spine tingling remix of Evave - Uprising (Morphosis Records), as well as a whole bundle of other fresh tracks.
For the people who don't know you, who is Retroid and what is your sound?
I'm a producer from Hungary, but I have also been DJing for a couple of years. I have been producing music since 1998, so I have had enough time to test my skills almost in every music genre. I love atmospheric and dynamic music which has great energy and catchy melodies, so I always try to build my tracks around this criteria. I don't like to restrict my name to only one genre of music but my main style is breakbeat and most of my productions come from the sub genres of this, such as progressive, psy and nuskool breaks. However I have also made many progressive house tunes over the years. I prefer breakbeat when playing gigs and shows, but sometimes I like to play something a bit different like electronica or house.
You run two labels, Morphosis and Ego Shot. Now you have started the latter, will this be a strictly breakbeat label, and will you still be releasing breaks on the Morphosis label?
I launched Morphosis Records in 2007 with some very talented but at that time unknown artists (East Cafe, Mango, Embliss, Arthur Deep) in order to bring quality progressive electronic music closer to the people. The label attracted listeners' attention very quickly thanks to the great productions and from DJs and producers who support the releases. From the end of 2009 progressive house came to the fore with the label, so I decided to launch a sub label, Morphosis Limited which is devoted to melodic breaks 100%. In 2008 came the idea to start another label which is totally different from Morphosis, a pure "head shot" (the Ego Shot name come from this) for everyone who likes heavy breakbeat and electro music. You can expect more bad-ass records with dirty, raspy sounds in the future.
Ego Shot has started off with a bang, releasing some great breakbeat music. What future releases have you coming up, and what artists can we look forward to hearing from Ego Shot ?
I’m very picky in music, so I am working with a small roster at the label. There are a couple of releases scheduled for this year: originals will come from Parallax Breakz, Audiohazard, Home Alone and me.
You have over fifty remixes to your name, which is some production output. Will we be seeing more Retroid singles in the future?
Yes of course! I recently finished a remix for Hybrid and I have had a lot of remix requests, which is really gladdening, but I am trying to focus on the originals and collaboration tracks at the moment. I just finished a psy breaks type of tune with DBF and I am working on other projects with Mongewz and Krum. I also have many unfinished tunes so I am going to sort them out very soon. In the music world which breakbeat producers are you feeling right now?
Karton sit at the top of my list right now - they can't do anything wrong. But I'm also feeling Mesmer, Mars, Eshericks, Beta, Line Of Sight, DaVip - the list goes on. Luckily more and more notable artists and labels are appearing in the breakbeat scene, so the situation is much better than it used to be.
What other music do your grab inspiration from?
I like to listen to many types of music, such as ambient, downtempo, electronica, sometimes drum and bass, mostly during travel. There are many artists whose work is really inspiring to me, like Hybrid, Paul Oakenfold, BT, Apparat. Obviously I don’t want you giving away all your tips in the studio, but what is your main piece of kit that you could not live without?
Many years ago I won my first studio gear, an Audiophile soundcard in a remix contest, and I think I couldn't live without it.
Final words from Retroid: I do mixes monthly and I have radio shows on various radio stations like Proton, Frisky and Pure FM. Feel free to check them out if you like to discover new music and keep supporting the talented artists to get more wicked tunes by them.
Final words from BoBa: A huge massive thanks to Adam for taking time out to answer a few questions. You can grab a gigantoid amount of free Retroid remixes right here:
Curl & Dean's Boba is here to delve into the progressive end of breakbeat in a new fortnightly blog as part of our left of centre series
Digital Sensation UK just keep on climbing the melodic breakbeat league table. Now on its 12th release, this label is bringing us some of the most amazing talents from around our earth.
My ears first got introduced to the imprint's sounds when on the hunt for some fresh beats. Harpoon in hand I came across the label's first release, Duane Barry's Searching the Stars. Since then I've followed its every move - and I've not been disappointed.
Run by head honcho Duane Barry, the sounds coming out of Digital Sensation UK grab you by the heart and then take you for a ride to other planets. The music has so much feeling, and the greatest thing is that it works just as well when chilling in the home as it does when you're getting sweaty and bouncing around a club.
The label's latest offering, Breakzhead's Disposis, is available now. This is a solid, rolling piece of progressive breaks, with deep twisted strings and a tinkling of piano. It comes with remixes from Refracture (giving it a harder edge) and Aggresivnes & Factorfunk, who lay down lashings of twisted, uplifting funk.
Having got to know Duane in the cyber world, I asked him a few questions about the future plans for the label and his own work.
What is Digital Sensation UK?
Digital Sensation UK is a label which was set up in the summer of 2009 to release quality melodic breaks. This includes all types of styles within the genre such as progressive, nuskool, vocal, electro and everything in between. We’ve also had other genres on the remix tip, including progressive house, chillout, ambient and even a bit of dubstep.
What's coming up in the future for Digital Sensation UK?
Well this summer we’ve been pumping out the releases, with singles available on average every fortnight. Still to come in August we have an epic Hybrid/Rob Dougan-esque single from a very talented Greek musician, Chris Nemmo, with Retroid and Fletric on the remixes, and also an original track from myself called Soft Light, with great remixes from Karton, East Café & Phrakture. After that we’re going to be slowing things down a tiny bit but you can still expect about six singles before the year is out, including more from myself and East Café, a deep breaks track from Slang & Technodreamer, and a progressive breaks EP which consists of only Russian artists.
There is so much quality music coming out the label: how are you going about finding such great new talent?
Very kind of you to say so! I’m very proud to have introduced a few new artists to the scene via the label and equally as proud to have the talent of the more established producers as well. With regards to finding talent, like everyone else, I love what I do and am always on the lookout for music that I enjoy and I listen to everything that’s sent to me. Having a radio show helps, as does being a producer and you’ll also find that most breaks labels really support each other in this aspect (and in many others for the record). For example, one of us might receive a demo from somebody and if it’s not quite right for our label, we’ll happily recommend another that might suit the artist better. It’s just a mixture of things really, but essentially it just comes down to listening to lots of music!
Who is Duane Barry and what's behind the name?
That’s me! I’m a producer of mainly melodic/trancey/progressive breaks and Digital Sensation UK is my label. I’ve been producing properly (I use the term loosely!) for about two and a half years, and so far I’ve worked with more than 15 labels around the world. My most recent releases include my remix of Dual Boot’s Trigger for Ridiculoud and B-Phreak’s Wavy Gravy for Dead Famous. I’ve got a remix coming out on VIM this month as well as some originals and a few collaborations towards the end of the year and into the next. As for the name, it’s taken from a character in the X-Files which I always found quite unusual and unique.
Any final words?
Big up to the TIB crew for featuring our upcoming releases and also for showcasing some of the more progressive breaks that are coming out these days. I’d also like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported DSUK in the past and continues to do so – it really means the world to all of us involved.
Check out all previous releases from Digital Sensation UK below:
