Each month Wasteland will be letting you know our tunes of choice, there is always so many great tunes released each month, but some just stand out from the rest to our ears, below is a list of our October 2011 Choice tunes.
Jose Tabarez - Birds (Remixes by Alfoa, Andrew Phillippov & LoQuai)
Boba takes another journey into the progressive and melodic depths of worldwide breakbeat.
A couple of weeks ago we had a chat with one half of Ridiculoud Records, Yanix. This week we hook up with the other half: the mighty Ghettface. This is a producer who has been releasing his own productions and remixes on the excellent Ridiculoud for a couple of years now, and has also dropped a couple of remixes on Digital Sensation UK and Kindcrime Recordings.
Over the next 7 days we are gonna be hit by two brand new remixes from Ghettface, first up is a driving rolling electro funk fuelled banger of Digital Breaks Foundation - Going Back to be released on V.I.M Breaks any time soon and next up is a pure festival banger a remix of Tribal Riots -Lights, full of lead guitar and punky vocals this will get any mosh pit bouncing to be released on Ridiculoud Records on the 12th July.
You can check both these remixes below and a Ghettface interview.
For the people who have not checked you yet, tell us about Ghettface ...
Pretty simply, Ghettface is my production alias.I’m from the American Midwest and I produce breaks and co-run Ridiculoud Records with Yanix.The Ghettface name doesn’t really mean anything and to be honest I forget where it came from besides it being part of an inside joke with my cousin years ago.If I could remember it would likely be the dumbest story you’ve ever heard.
How long have you been making music, and what made you start producing breakbeat?
I’ve been making music seriously since around 2003.Before that I played around with different software like Fruity Loops for fun but never developed a satisfying sound.Around when I started college I got my first hardware synth (Roland JP-8000) which that really got me excited about producing. After that I started picking up more pieces of kit and learned more about production and eventually got into breakbeat.If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say it was the Rogue Element is who really got me into the breaks sound.
Initially I was intrigued by the big beat sound of the late 90’s and tried mimic that style with my early work.As time went on and I got more involved in music I started hearing the breaks sound and eventually that became my sole production project, although I do like to lower the tempo here and again.
Tell us a bit about your background outside of music?
Outside of music I’m a tax attorney.Probably not the typical job for someone in breaks, but I enjoy it.
What other production can we expect from you in the future?
I have a handful of remixes forthcoming that are all on my soundcloud page (www.soundcloud.com/ghettface) including remixes for Distorsion, VIM, and my own label Ridiculoud.They’re all a bit different from one another but they’re all held together by a core sound. Hopefully all that stuff lands this summer.
As for the future, I’m trying to do a track or two with an original vocalist and maybe try some tracks at lower tempos.I like playing around with slower stuff sometimes mainly because it really opens up the drum patterns.Additionally, I’m working on a potential sample-pack project but more on that later.
What is you studio set up and what is your favourite peice of kit?
Contrary to what most breaks producers do, I run a nearly all-hardware setup.Currently I use a Roland JP-8000, Virus KC, Novation K-Station, Nord Lead 2, EMU XL-7, Korg MS-2000, Korg ES-1, and some effects (Korg Kaoss 3, a wah guitar pedal, etc.).Everything goes into a 16 channel mixer where it’s recorded on my PC.My monitors are M-Audio BX-5’s but one of them is broken so I’m looking to upgrade soon.
It’s hard to pick, but I think my favorite synth is the Roland JP-8000.It does it all and you can get some really raw sounds from it if you know which knobs to twist.
For software, I record everything with Soundforge and do all the heavy processing and sequencing with Ableton Live 7.I do have a couple soft-synths but I rarely use them.
Name 3 breakbeat tunes that is blowing you away at the moment?
Open Cluster – Grotto (EK Remix) [forthcoming on Ridiculoud].Open Cluster is one of my current favorite producers, I love what he’s doing and I’m happy we got to release two of his originals in April.We had EK, one of my favorites, do another remix for us and it is outrageous. I love everything EK does and he put a great spin on this track – can’t wait to release it.
Beat Assassins – Straight to the World (Sam Hell Remix) [The Pooty Club].We were lucky enough to have Sam Hell do a remix with us early on and this kind of track is the reason I wanted him to help us get us off the ground.TUNE.
Beatsmack – Whats the Deal [forthcoming on Plasmapool].I heard this on soundcloud and instantly had to have these guys do a remix for us (which is also forthcoming).I love their hard funk sound with the b-boy samples.It’s an aggressively original track and I can’t get enough of it.
Final word
Thanks for all the continued support of my music and I hope everyone continues to enjoy what I put out and what we’re doing with the label. Stay loud!
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!
