Introducing: Interface

Introducing: Interface

27 April, 2011 | 1.02AM

• Written by: Dan Cole
• Filed under: Music News: interface, introducing

In 2008, DJ Die dropped the massive ”Skate or Die” EP on his own Clear Skyz imprint. Featuring alongside him on the EP was newcomer Interface.

From then on, Interface’s career as a solo artist and collaborative producer with Die has blossomed, culminating in the massive
”Bright Lights” release on Toolroom Records. Subsequently, requests have been rolling in for the Bristol-based drum & bass producer, including recent remixes for Metalheadz and Distinctive Records.

Read on to discover drum & bass’ newest prodigy.

Can you tell us a little about your background? Where did you grow up, and where are you based now?

I grew up in a small village just outside Glastonbury in Somerset, which was a great place to grow up but soon became very boring as I grew into my teens. After a short stay in Bridgwater I moved to Bristol, which has been my home now for the past five or six years.

How did you get started DJing and making music?

I discovered hip-hop around the age of 13-14 and was instantly hooked. I remember hearing “Blue Flowers” by Dr. Octagon with Q-Bert on the cuts, and I thought it was incredible. (Best hip-hop record ever! –Ed.)

From then on, I was saving up for my first set of belt-drive Omnitronic Decks. I got them, but there was only really me and one other guy in my year at school who were into hip-hop. We used to hang out and try and mix and scratch, but we weren’t very good!

Around 16, I started to go to raves in Bristol and quickly fell in love with d’n’b and jungle music. Living in a small town like Glastonbury, there was nothing to do, so I decided to put on a gig at a place called Glastonbury Assembly Rooms. I booked these two local DJs I’d met a couple times called Bill and Ollie to play along with a few of my mates. The night was a massive success and I made quite a lot of money. Bill and Ollie saw how well I did, and we joined forces and started putting on nights together.

They had a little studio in Ollie’s bedroom and invited me to come and make some tunes with them. As soon as I made my first tune I was completely addicted! I don’t know if a day has gone by since without me at least thinking about making music!

Did you have any mentors when you were starting out?

Yes, a few. Me, Bill, Ollie and my brother Justin started renting a studio space downstairs from local d’n’b producers Cybin (Lockdown Recordings). Ben from Cybin was (and still is, I think) a tutor at Bridgewater College, where we all did courses in Music Tech. His studio partner Matt always used to sort us out with cool samples and software. They put out a few of our early records on their label. Around that time I met a guy called DJ Bunjy. He was someone who I’d always really respected, I used to listen to him DJ on classic rave tapes. He used to come down our studio and give me acapellas from his band Laid Blak to remix. He always gave me good advice and showed massive confidence in my skills.

When I moved to Bristol, he helped me find a studio, and I actually share a studio room with him today. The whole of the Bristol scene were really helpful to me—Bristol is a great place to be if you want to make it in music. I think maybe because Bristolians are very proud of their city’s musical heritage; if you are in Bristol working hard at music, people want to help you. The whole Full Cycle crew were very supportive in my early days, especially DJ Clipz (Redlight), who really pushed me to take my beats to the next level.

How did you come to meet up with DJ Die?

When I moved up to Bristol I got a job working behind the bar at this club called Native. They had a weekly d’n’b night there called Run, and we used to have some crazy afterparties. I’d known Die for years, and he’d been supporting my music from the early days, but I got to know him as a friend at these parties! He started inviting me on the road with him to go to gigs, and we started hanging out a bit more; pretty soon we were in the studio making our first collaboration, ”Getting There.”

How would you say your style of drum & bass differs from that of your peers?

I dunno, I try to come with something different every time I make a tune. I’m quite eclectic in the music I listen to outside of d’n’b, and always try to bring a new flava if I can. I put a lot of time and attention to detail into my music and I try really hard to make sure that what I put out doesn’t really sound like anyone else. Whether it be a jump-up dancefloor tune or a deep one, I try to put my own stamp on things. I very rarely use soft synths. I like to record or sample real instruments or use tones from analogue keyboards and resample them and twist them up using lots of processing. 

Where do you record?

I am back working in a dedicated industrial unit I share with my friend DJ Bunjy, where I can blaze out high levels of deep bass all night long!

Do you currently have a favorite piece of gear?

Probably my Blue Cactus mic coupled with my Avalon 737 channel strip. Very warm!

Which record do you wish you had made?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack by Ennio Morricone!

If a wrecking ball was headed for your house, which *one* record would you rescue before it hit?

I dunno, 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang Clan!

What are your three favorite records to spin out at the moment?

DJ Hazard, “Proteus”

TC, “Tap Ho”

Critical Impact, “Shining VIP” [Formation]

Who are you current favorite producers in the scene?

As far as dancefloor d’n’b goes, DJ Hazard is the king!! I’m not into a lot of the “jump-up” d’n’b that comes out these days. It’s quite hard to tell one producer from the next one, and I seem to hear the same boring sounds all the time! But Hazard always seems to come with something original and fresh!

I’m really feeling what Marcus Intalex has been doing lately on a deeper tip. His album is gonna be a wicked one.

What’s your favorite club to play in Bristol?

Native was always my favorite place to play in Bristol. It had a wicked booth where you were really close to the crowd, and they used to bring the massive “Dirt” soundsystem in on a Tuesday. It was amazing! I really miss that place, as do a lot of Bristol DJs. I think Bristol really needs another club like that ASAP! Nowadays it’s gotta be Motion!

And your favorite Bristol drinking hole?

Motion! When I first moved to Bristol I used to have a job working in the cafe/bar next door to the BMX park. I became good friends with Tom, who ran the Ramp park next door. We used to sit in there chilling after work and talk about how you could put on a wicked rave in there. He went through quite a hard time for a while, with people trying to take the place over and shut down his BMX park, but he eventually managed to take over the whole place and turn it in to one of the most interesting and original nightclubs in the country (and still keep his BMX park going at the same time). I recently found out that it got voted number 92 in the DJ Mag top 100 nightclubs in the world!

When you’re not listening to electronic music, what do you listen to?

All sorts! I love world music, jazz, soul, reggae, indie, rock. Depends on my mood!

When you’re not making or playing music, what’s your preferred pastime?

If I’m not playing, making or listening to music, I’m usually talking about it or reading about it!

If I’m not doing that, then I like to watch a good movie or spend time with friends.

Tell us about your upcoming gigs and releases…

I have just released remixes for Lenzmann (Metalheadz) and DJ Hyper (Distinctive Records), which are out now.

The big one for me is my EP “Voodoo Science,” a collection of four very different tracks on DJ Die’s Clear Skyz label out on 2nd May.

I have been working on a project with a producer from Trinidad called Laza Beam. We are calling ourselves “Jus Now.” The first fruit from that project is a remix for MC Serocce’s new single “Oh Na Na,” out 30th May.

As far as gigs go, I have a few festivals in the pipeline this summer including Glastonbury, which I am hugely exited about!

I am also very excited that this winter I will be touring South America, something I have dreamed of doing for many years!

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