DJ Fresh returns with a drum & bass anthem

DJ Fresh returns with a drum & bass anthem

14 October, 2009 | 12.55AM

• Written by: Dan Cole
• Filed under: Music News:

Popular drum & bass publication Knowledge magazine famously described DJ Fresh as ‘perhaps the most influential D&B producer we’ve ever known’.

That was a few years ago, and since the release of Fresh’s 2005 debut album ‘Escape From Planet Monday’, we haven’t heard much from the UK producer. Until now.

This month sees Fresh return to form with one of the biggest vocal cuts of the year, ‘Hypercaine’ on Breakbeat Kaos. The stunning collaboration sees MC Stamina and Yolanda on vocals, and combined with Fresh’s monster riffs and drums, it is destined to become an anthem.

For those that don’t follow drum & bass, Fresh was one quarter of Bad Company, alongside producers DBridge, Maldini and Vegas. The now legendary d&b supergroup were responsible for anthems like ‘Mo Fire’, ‘The Nine’, and ‘Nitrous’.

After his time with Bad Company, Fresh focused his energy on his Breakbeat Kaos imprint with label cohort Adam F. They released Pendulum’s debut album ‘Hold Your Colour’, before the group found mainstream recognition.

Then in 2005 Fresh finally released his debut long-player, that was instantly accessible and drew on a myriad styles. It also featured DJ Shadow and Pendulum.

Most of the tracks on his album became club hits. ‘All That Jazz’, a liquid tune with an instantly recognizable vocal hook, is still in record boxes today, ‘Submarines’ was a devastating jump-up floor destroyer, and ‘The Pink Panther’ dominated clubs with its gnarly body popping beats.

Since then it has been a bit too quiet on the Fresh front, and apart from his live project, Soundweapon with MC Ivory, and the odd release here and there, he seems to have kept his head down.

But Fresh may yet reclaim his throne as the leader of drum & bass, with ‘Hypercaine’ currently blowing up, and an album due in 2010. We sat down with Fresh to find out more.

It has been four years since your debut album, ‘Escape From Planet Monday’, where have you been hiding?

I’ve been working on a new album for the main part, and putting together my Soundweapon semi-live project, as well as touring that.

I’ve also been working on projects for the label like the ‘Stadium drum and bass’ compilation and some Brookes Brothers and Nero releases.

According to your Facebook page ‘Hypercaine’ took seven months to complete. That’s a very long time for a single track. Would you call yourself a perfectionist?

Definitely.

The track itself is very ‘big room’ orientated and radio friendly at the same time. Do you keep these things in mind when you go into the studio?

I wanted each mix to fit what it was designed for, so the radio edit was built to be radio friendly, the original dancefloor version I didn’t want to compromise or change too much.

There have always been a powerful, strong vocals on your tracks. How important are the vocals to what you do?

I love working with vocals and I’ve always liked hooks. Even in the Bad Company days I was trying to sneak hooks into the tracks, although the landscape was quite dark and un-riffy at the time.

Vocals are the perfect medium for riffs and hooks in my opinion.

How do you decide who does your vocals?

It’s a combination of who I’m into, what will suit the track, and who’s around and available at the time, but the vocalists for the album and the collaborators are shaping up in a really exciting way.

Dubstep man Nero is on the remix of ‘Hypercaine’ – how did you come across these guys and is there more stuff beckoning from them for Breakbeat Kaos?

Nero are great, their first release for us ‘Act Like you know’ was nominated single of the year at the drum and bass arena awards, they’re really talented guys and we hope to work with them more in the future.

How is the forthcoming album going to differ and when can we expect it?

Definitely more synthetic than ‘Escape from Planet Monday’, very programmed and synthetic.

I’ve found a sound I was excited enough to build a whole album around, and hopefully people will like it.

• (1) Comments
• (2292) Views
• Get 'Hypercaine' on Beatport Now