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Storage is in all places, and recently, it has even been discovering its means into the drum & bass scene as properly. Bassi, the proprietor of Flexout Audio, observed it too, so for the final 12 months he has been busy curating an album round this referred to as ‘Waves 2’. This album challenged Flexout residents like Teej and Amoss to assume out of the field but additionally options newer expertise like Samath and Vektah.
‘Waves 2’ is an invite to discover this new sound. Flexout is for certain that this development will solely continue to grow within the months to return, with an increasing number of artists incorporating storage of their drum & bass units. We spoke with Bassi and Teej and talked about ‘Waves 2’, the brand new route the pink sub-label is taking, and the way forward for drum & bass.
Congratulations on Waves 2 popping out! How did you curate this album?
Bassi: For lots of the Flexout artists on there it was me asking them to make a storage tune particularly for the album. Then, organically, over the past 12 months, folks would introduce me to artists I hadn’t heard of earlier than who had been making storage in the same model. Samath is a good instance of that. His tune blew me away. Among the artists had been requested to make a tune, however it was actually fascinating to see that on the identical time, a variety of drum & bass artists had been additionally writing storage within the background. It appears like a little bit of a motion, it occurred naturally. It’s actually troublesome to attempt to put an album collectively that has a theme and a sound to it whenever you’re working with so many alternative artists and hopefully, I’ve finished that. It’s a refined artwork making an attempt to place a ‘varied artist’ album collectively.
I’m pleased with the way it’s come out and I’m simply actually grateful to all of the artists who’re concerned. It’s refreshing to do one thing a bit completely different and hopefully, this may be the beginning of a brand new chapter for Waves. We hope to get much more storage demos to return via and proceed this motion. Our first Waves compilation was through the halftime motion, and that sound naturally burnt out. However, curiously, drum & bass has by no means finished that. It’s 30 years outdated and it’s nonetheless going sturdy. However you then do get these little actions that come alongside each few years. That’s actually thrilling. Sure, usually they do burn out, so we’ll should see the place the long run lies, however in the intervening time I’m excited to be engaged on one thing a bit completely different.
With this compilation, do you wish to push the storage motion that’s occurring?
Bassi: There are 15 Waves releases from 2016 to 2019. You had Monty on there. Ak:Hash who’s now a member of Visages, did an EP as properly. I wish to do the same factor now. Let’s begin with an album, and Teej is already making much more sick storage tunes so hopefully, we are able to do a follow-up launch. It’ll be referred to as ‘Wave 16’ as a result of there have already been 15 wave releases earlier than that from the outdated days. The plan is to proceed the collection and discover this new route.
I additionally noticed that within the first Waves compilation in 2019, there have been about 20 artists on there, much more than on Waves 2. Why did you make it much less?
Bassi: If you happen to take a look at an album and there are 30 tracks on it, typically it’s a bit overwhelming and it’s not honest on the artist, it waters down the significance of every monitor nearly, so it was a acutely aware resolution to maintain it at 13 tracks. I believe that’s only a signal of the instances. The Waves 1 compilation was a ‘biggest hits’ compilation of the entire releases that we had finished over the previous few years, so there’s a great deal of music to select from. This album isn’t, it’s extra of a contemporary and unique VA.
Have the tracks already been performed out at exhibits?
Teej: I debuted my monitor ‘Incursion’ at Boomtown, and it received an excellent reception. Since then, I’ve performed it in a couple of units, as a result of I’ve solely began taking part in storage myself just lately, type of incorporating it in my units. It’s been properly obtained by lots of people, so it’s been actually good to get that as a result of it’s my first storage tune.
Bassi: And, curiously, there’s this development the place numerous drum and bass DJs are actually having little storage sections of their units, and we’ve not seen that earlier than. Once we put out the primary collection of Waves, there was that point when halftime was large, and I suppose Ivy Lab had been most likely the most important artist that pushed these wonky hip-hop beats and halftime, and so they included that into their drum and bass units (learn our latest interview ‘Speaking previous, current, and future with Ivy Lab’ right here). It’s actually fascinating to see that now there are lots of people who’re mixing storage sections into their drum & bass units and a variety of the drum and bass producers who we’re sending the tunes out to are making an effort to include these storage sections into their units.
And what do you assume has pushed this storage wave?
Bassi: I really feel like, from my aspect, these kinds of traits go round in circles. I imply, in case you are taking part in a drum & bass document on a vinyl participant and switch it right down to 33 RPM, it could sound type of garage-y. So, it is rather like slowed-down drum and bass, and it’s simply received a distinct groove. I believe that’s what Teej has been discovering enjoyable to mess around with.
Teej: Yeah, for positive. There are such a lot of similarities, particularly the drum patterns. It’s simply actually a slower drum and bass model, taking part in with the sounds and stuff that you’ve in a distinct style is simply so thrilling to me. Additionally, within the occasions sector, in Bristol, the place I’m from, you’ll discover a variety of cross-genre occasions, like storage and drum & bass. I believe that’s so properly obtained, there’s a junction between the 2 of them that’s so shut collectively. It does spill over, after which finally it begins flowing into the music. You see a variety of drum & bass artists now making storage. In the previous few years, it’s been fairly outstanding, which is cool to see.
What would you say is the frequent factor between these two genres?
Teej: The bass, underground, 808s, samples… you’ll discover a lot of old-school samples. It jogs my memory a variety of the sampling in jungle, and among the new storage samples are like a variety of scratching samples, a variety of sampling from outdated MCs, dwell recording, and stuff like that. I believe the sampling tradition in storage can also be up there with jungle, which is cool.
What different genres would you possibly wish to discover sooner or later? Now there’s a storage wave, however do you see different genres arising as properly?
Bassi: Once we began the unique collection again in 2016, it was with Monty and it was this halftime hip-hop beat, with all the identical bass weight, subs and drum & bass sounds that the fellows and women had been utilizing of their drum & bass tracks. With the brand new route for Waves, it appears like UKG and this 135 BPM tempo is predominantly the place we’re going to discover. However there’s additionally a dubstep tune on the album. I did a mixture the opposite day, and possibly it’s as a result of it’s been fairly a very long time now since all these tunes got here out. However it took me again to the times of the Skream album and Dub Police as a document label and locations like that. There’s a lot good music now however it was simply a lot enjoyable going again and listening to all of these outdated tunes. I’ve been into dub, reggae, and bass-driven music. I really feel like 135 to 140 BPM might be the canvas for ‘Waves 2’.
Teej: I’ve been making 140 to 135 BPM stuff rather a lot. Ultimately, I’d wish to have a go at 160 BPM. I believe there’s some superb stuff from folks like Nectax and stuff in Manchester that’s coming via proper now that I’d wish to discover. I began on hip hop, then I went to drum & bass and I’ve solely actually began going into exploring extra storage and 140 and old-school dubstep like Mala. That’s an enormous inspiration for among the stuff that I want to make.
What would you say was the most important problem between creating drum & bass and creating tunes with one other BPM?
Teej: I approached the technical aspect of this monitor rather a lot otherwise from my earlier outing on Flexout, as I discover the sound of storage synonymous with a extra analogue and unfastened sound. Minimal drum & bass has a extra exact and surgical manufacturing. With this monitor, I wished a extra pure sounding movement, bounce, and gritty sound. I believe it’s extra enjoyable to make this sound than a variety of different digital stuff as you generally is a bit extra messy and unfastened on the mixdown in lots of areas. If you happen to make a sure sort of music for therefore lengthy, it’s exhausting to take your self out of a pigeonhole to do this, however whenever you begin doing it, the inventive movement begins going and it’s actually enjoyable to do.
Bassi: Drum & bass producers are the very best on this planet for sonic engineering and mixdowns and making the whole lot sound good. Having drum & bass producers take these expertise after which apply them to extra vibey, garage-y tracks is a very good combine. I believe that’s why this yr there’s going to be a very large motion in UKG as a result of a variety of the drum and bass producers are beginning to make these tunes and that’s not been finished earlier than. It’s like when dubstep got here alongside, that gave drum and bass an enormous kick up the ass.
Teej: The blending a part of storage into drum & bass is a brand new journey for me too. I used to combine bassline, however that’s a bit heavier than conventional storage. It’s positively enjoyable. It’s not the best transition to make typically and it does take ability to tug off a variety of the time until you’ve got a monitor that begins at 135 BPM going into drum & bass, which you’ve got an increasing number of of recently. We had one launched on our document label and it was one of many best-performing tracks, so I believe it’s clear that individuals wish to have that transition, in order that’s one thing that I may need to dip my fingers into in some unspecified time in the future.
What does it do with the viewers?
Teej: I keep in mind that Boomtown set, which was my first storage set, and it was additionally an enormous back-to-back with Lupo and Objectiv. We began with storage and immediately the room was stuffed, and there have been dancey vibes as a result of it’s a competition, everybody’s already completely happy and so they’re loving themselves. Then after we did the transition to drum & bass you would inform the vitality lifted however the vibes had been already good. Due to the tempo and the pace, you’re naturally going to be transferring sooner however the good vibes had been there from the beginning. UKG and drum & bass are interlinked in a variety of methods in that tradition and I believe that you simply’ll discover so many individuals that love each of them.
Is there additionally a motion occurring the opposite means round?
Teej: Flava D is one instance. She used to make storage and now she’s signed to Hospital Information. The spillover is nice as a result of I believe storage and drum & bass are two genres which are extra underground than others. Involvement from either side is nice for everybody.
Do you assume that UKG will turn into a everlasting a part of the drum & bass scene, as dubstep has turn into in a means?
Bassi: I hope so as a result of I’ve at all times appreciated membership nights which are a little bit of a journey. I bear in mind my favorite ever warm-up DJ. He was taking part in drone music and techno tunes turned to 33 rpm on the turntable. It constructed up the night time. There was some 140 dubstep after which by the point the drum & bass got here on the entire crowd went all in, they’d been ready for some drum and bass for therefore lengthy that it was much more highly effective. Going again to 2016 when drum & bass artists and DJs had been doing this entire of beginning their set with both dubstep or halftime after which build up, you don’t hear that anymore. I really feel like this UKG motion won’t final endlessly, possibly just for the following two or three years, however it’s positively going to be a rising development and you will note extra drum & bass DJs becoming a member of in and having storage of their units.
Interview carried out in January 2024 by Annelies Rom.
Because of Tom & Tyler for the fascinating dialog. Don’t neglect to comply with Flexout Audio & Teej on socials to search out out extra about their upcoming work.
You may stream and/or purchase ‘Waves 2’ right here.
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