First time we met Jason and Eddie 16bit was back in February 2009. We’d only just heard of them, having recently bought newly released screwface anthem Chainsaw Calligraphy and the massively catchy Ford Fiesta. At that time we were blown away by their production skills, and by the fact that these incredibly gifted but more-or-less unknown musicians were so young. We knew it was only a matter of time before they blew up.

Fast forward 1 year and 4 months and they’ve smashed it. They’re toured Europe, the USA and Australasia. They’ve provided the soundtrack to a high profile Nike Campaign (their huge dancefloor enthem “Jump”), they’ve remixed Noisia to great critical acclaim and they were personally selected by Chase & Status as support acts on their high profile live tour. The 2010 Dubstep Forum awards saw them win the best mixtape category with their eclectic Milky Pie mix, as well as beating the likes of Skream, Benga, Breakage, Mala, Martyn and Ramadanman to secure 2nd place in the best producer category.

We are very proud to have them playing at the Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave. We caught up with Jason from 16bit to ask him a few questions. And download their Milky Pie mix at the bottom of the page.

BD -- Hi mate how are you and what are you doing at this moment in time?

16 -- Playing Skate, drinking banana Yazoo, bout to put the finishing touches on our next single.

BD -- How would you describe 16bit? What are your main influences?

16 -- Wow, too many influences to mention. Good music.

BD -- You guys have enjoyed a phenomenal amount of success in a short amount of time -- you only released your 1st 12” in 2008. What do you put your success down to? What is it about your music that makes 16bit such a sought after act?

16 -- We’ve never given in. Everything we do and put out, is because we love it. Maybe people can here that through the music. Maybe we just make good tunes.

BD -- Where did you get the name from?

16 -- Sega Megadrive

BD -- You’re playing at our Robo-Pirate themed boat rave on Saturday 3 July. What can we expect from your set?

16 -- Energy is the only definite.

BD -- What hardware / software do you use to produce?

16 -- Everythings always been in the computer until recently. We’ve worked enough to be able to get ourselves some hardware/outboard action to play with. Really loving the Virus at the moment.

BD -- Top production tip for up and coming producers?

16 -- If you’re feeling it, go with it.

BD -- Any big 16bit news? Releases / collaborations / festival dates?

16 -- We’ve just signed to MTA records. The paperwork literally just got finished up yesterday. So we’ve spent th last few months with our heads down getting the first release to a level that we both are really happy with. I think we’re nearly there now so we’ve just gotta sort the vocal side.

BD -- What other producers are you rating?

16 -- James Blake, Alchemist, Youthman, Rockwell, Redlight.

BD -- Top tunes killing it in your sets at the mo?

16 -- Our top secret new tracks,

1. Redlight-Stupid
2. Rusko-Hold On (Subfocus remix)
3. Plan B -- She Said (16bit remix)
4. S-X -- Woo Riddim

Biggup Jason! Download their Milky Pie mix HERE, visit their MYSPACE, and check out their Nike ad below:

In judging the DJ sets there were various objective factors which we considered:

Firstly, the winning mix had to be technically strong; we looked for tight beat matching, effective Eq’ing, attention to musical key, and an awareness of relative sound levels throughout.

Secondly, we were looking at high-grade tune selection geared around smashing a dancefloor such as that of Braindrop at Matter. We were looking at the musical progression of the mix as a whole- a journey that keeps the listener / dancer interested and engaged and which chucks in the old curveball here and there to keep you on your toes.

We were totally blown away by the response and received over 100 entries. We specified that the winner would be chosen on the merit of not only our judging, but also Mixcloud community response. We therefore mainly focused on the top 30 mixes, as they had received most feedback and had racked up the most number of plays.

Massive variety of styles and skills. It took us ages to listen through to all of them, but in the end we managed to whittle it down to 2 .

So the WINNER of our Braindrop @ Matter DJ comp is . . .

DJ VESPER (aka Lee Smart)

Big up Lee. His mix was our favourite journey of the lot, and kept us gripped right till the end. Starting with a brilliant opening track (which we might just have to pinch for our Glastonbury festival set), the mix heads on a colourful, carnival, summer vibes journey though bass with real mash up vibe. Tight mixing throughout – no clashing bassline or melodies and conscious eq’ing.

Within the 135ish bpm range he managed to flow between several genres seamlessly. And we felt that within these genres those tunes selected were very high grade. Especially loved the mental Mumdance soca trip (tune 2/3 of the way into the mix). So overall a winner on technical, musical, dancefloor journey and community response.

Follow this link to go staight to Lee’s set:

We just want to big up our VERY deserving runners up. LA BOXERS. We loved their set. We found it a highly professional, steamroller ride with constant bangers from the fidget / bassline / 2 step / electro scenes, and a dramatic switch up to some heavy dubstep half way through.

In actual fact we felt the opening 30 mins of this set was possibly the strongest opening 30 mins of any of the sets – both technically and musically. It was high octane and consistently driving – we know this would certainly smash any dancefloor. However we judged both mixes on overall journey from 1st to last tune – and felt Vesper’s mix was more of a complete, consistent generally exciting set.

So massive big ups to the LA Boxers. As runners up they have definitely secured themselves a set at Braindrop this year – either at the boat party on 3 July or the EPIC Briandrop warehouse party on October 16. More info to follow. And we’ll sort you out with guest list for both of you and some mates.

Follow this link to go staight to their set:

Huge big ups to everyone else who entered – will def be getting in touch with a few of you re playing at Braindrop some time soon. And we look forward to having DJ Vesper playing with us next Friday 21 May

Big thanks to Mixcloud for hosting this competition – look forward to working with you again in the future!

Bo!

X

2009 saw bass music prodigy Flux Pavilion absolutely tear up the dubstep scene. Having only started producing in late 2008, the last 18 months have seen him position himself firmly in the record boxes of the dubstep A-list with tracks such as F**king Noise, Voscillate, Meathead, Got 2 Know and Air Raid (ft partner in crime Doctor P).

The young Flux has also started his own fledgling dubstep empire with the infamous Doctor P. Together they set up Circus Recordings, one of the most popular new dubstep labels around and home to fellow rabble-rousers Cookie Monster and Funtcase. Circus hit the limelight late last year when promos of Doctor P’s anthem “Sweet Shop” hit the dj circuit – becoming a rewind classic and causing Rusko to name it “rewind of the month” on his 1xtra show. Sure enough once it was released on the label it was a big commercial success.

Flux joins us to headline our Braindrop arena when we host room 2 at Matter for Halcyon with Infected Mushroom. We tracked him down and asked him some important questions . . .

Hi mate how are you and what are you doing at this moment in time?
Haha trying to do my coursework!!

How would you describe Flux Pavilion? What are your main influences?
I think my stuff is all about the flow and the energy behind it – all those little intricate details that give a track movement. I’m influenced by anything good and interesting to be honest. Funnily enough I’ve been getting into a bit of (Brian) Eno’s ambient stuff – not too sure music for airports would work on a dancefloor though!

Where did you get the name from?
Me and Doctor P used to be in a band when we were younger, and it was a name that we came up with for the group.

You’re playing in the Braindrop arena at Matter on 21 May. What can we expect to hear in your set?
All sorts of goodies! Got a few new remixes I’ve done and of course all the fresh Circus material

What gear do you use to produce?
It’s all on Cubase. I like to mix up working with audio editing and midi so I like to bounce between the two. The more I mess around the more interesting it becomes haha!

Top production tip for up and coming producers?
Don’t rely on sub from a bass synth – use a separate module.

You run Circus Records with Doctor P. Tell us about the label.
Basically me and Doctor P wanted our own platform on which to put our music out, so we teamed up with DJ Swan-e to set one up. After a few releases we realised that a lot of people were feeling what we were doing, so we decided to up the game! We just signed Funtcase and Cookie Monsta and have got all sorts of big things planned with them so keep your eyes peeled!

Any big Flux news? Releases / collaborations / festival dates?
Well I’m going to be doing Glade and Outlook this year so I’m pretty happy about that. I’ve
also just finished a remix of the Freestylers track “Cracks” for Never Say Die and a remix of Gold Dust by DJ Fresh!

How do you see dubstep developing and what part do you see yourself playing in its future?
I reckon the scene has a lot of shelf life – there will always be new and interesting developments. I don’t really see what I do as true dubstep though – that crown is still in the hands of DMZ, Skream, Benga and all of that crew. I’d just like to be known for being Flux Pavilion, and if by doing my work if become involved in different scenes then so be it!

What are your thoughts on the upcoming election? Who’s getting Flux’s vote?
Gonna be Lib Dems I reckon, my housemate has gone mad about ‘em so its just to keep him happy . . .

Top 5 tunes killing it in your sets at the mo?
Got 2 know – Flux Pavilion
Marmite – Caspa (doctor p remix)
Ginger pubes – Cookie Monsta
Firepower – datsik
and of course my Sweet Shop remix!

All time top 3 tunes? (anything at all!!)

Haha well….
anything by the strokes,turin brakes, superfurry animals,frank zappa or supergrass. Those are the acts to who I’ve probably listened to the most in my lifetime

Thanks Flux! Download his Freak Show mix to get a sneaky preview. Enjoy!

Flux Pavilion – Freak Show Mix

One week since we uploaded it to Mixcloud, we’ve uploaded our BLOC mix to Soundcloud for your download pleasure!

Mixed with our brand new live set-up: 4 decks, 2 mixers Traktor Scratch Pro and NI Maschine. 45 Tunes in 60 minutes!

We spent a good 6 weeks working solidly on this mix. Tracklisting includes tunage from The Prodigy, Major Lazer, Photek, The Proxy, Noisia, Laidback Luke & Lee Mortimer, Excision, Eskimo, Blockhead, Spor, Luna-C and 16 Bit – plus a clutch of our own McMash productions.

This is the same set which we played at BLOC 2010.

Whilst it took over a month to put together, this mix has in fact been a good 4 years in the making. Since we formed the Clan in 2005 we’ve worked long and hard to push the boundaries of multi-deck mixing. Upgrading our set-up meant we’ve been able to push those boundaries more than ever before.

We hope you enjoy!

The McMash Clan

x

The McMash Clan – BLOC 2010 mix by McMash Clan

Tracklisting:
The McMash Clan – Bloc 2010 intro
Jem – Sorry (Photek remix)
Noah D ft Einstein – Killing time (Break remix)
Cooh – Frogger
Air – Don’t be Light (McMash remix)
Major Lazer – Hold the Line (acapella)
Meth & Propaganda – Stash
Original Sin – Therapy
Sizzla – Gunshot (axapella)
Noisia – Deception
Nkogliaz – Sadness
Adam F – Metropolis
Elephant Man – Murderer (acapella)
Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
The McMash Clan – Good Sensation
Rusko – Cockney Thug (McMash remix)
Neelix – Leave Me Alone
Excision & Subvert – Get to the Point
Mighty Dubkatz – Magic Carpet Ride (acapella)
D1 – Jus Business
Sparks & Kie – Fly Bi (acapella)
DK7 – Murder Was the Bass (refix)
Eskimo – Recycled
Noisia – Machine Gun (16 Bit remix)
The Prodigy – Voodoo People
Blockhead – Forest Crunk
Blockhead – Forest Crunk (McMash remix)
Spor – Ignition
Kosheen – Hide U (acapella)
John B – When I’m Close 2 U
Audio – Warehouse VIP
Elephant Man – Online (acapella)
The McMash Clan – Slumdog
Luna-C – DJs in Full Effect
Evol Intent – Corrupt Cops
The Proxy – Dancing In the Dark
The Proxy – Dancing In the Dark (Bare Noize remix)
Bongo Chilli – Boom Diggy (acapella)
Laidback Luke & Lee Mortimer – Blau
Mad Stuntman – I Like to Move It (acapella)
Sidney Sampson & Wizard’s Sleeve – Riverside (dirty dub mix)
Sidney Sampson & Wizard’s Sleeve – Riverside (Breakage remix)
The McMash Clan – Fool
The Prodigy – Omen Reprise (McMash remix)
Kathy Brown – Turn Me Out (acapella)

Only a few more sleeps until Bloc! And we’re bringing you the last of our Braindrop @ Bloc interviews. This week we have the incredible honour of speaking with MJ Cole, a true dance music legend and arena headliner for our Braindrop showcase on Sunday.

Mr Cole was one of the leading lights of the UK Garage scene. Responsible for many a UKG classic before (Talk to Me / Treat Me Right are 2 of our faves), it was the seminal Sincere which catapulted him into the limelight. A timeless masterpiece, it set the bar for his production style for which he would become famous. Tight, skipping beats, punchy bassweight, lush classical arrangement and his much copied off-beat vocal snippets. Pete Tong got hold of one of only 20 test pressings and the rest is history. A hugely successful and inspiring career followed – including a string of anthemic singles, a Mercury Prize nominated album, countless classic remixes, a hectic international dj schedule and the rise and rise of his label – Prolific Records.

Where as a lot of leading UKG producers have all but disappeared, MJ Cole has adapted and developed as an artist and remains a towering force on today’s bass music scene. His current musical output retains the musicality of his earlier productions and crosses them with the tribal riddims and shuddering bassweight of UK funky. Check out the massive AO ft MC Serocee, or Fly Up Ya Banner (produced jointly with fellow UKG legend Zed Bias) for a taster.

MJ Cole kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to do a quick interview with us. Enjoy!

BD – Hi Matt. How are you and what are you doing at the moment?

MJC – Life is good at the moment. We’ve just released the Nero remix of Sincere on Prolific and have a four track EP of mine lined up for an April release. Have also just finished remixes for Todd Edwards, Madd Slinky feat Omar, Toddla T and Serocee. Also working on a track for Examples’s album and have been DJing all over the shop (place-wise not mixing-wise I hope).

BD – You are widely acknowledged as being one of the key innovators of the 2 step sound. What were your major influences back then and what inspired you to push your sound?

MJC – Classical music was my first inspiration. This was closely followed by D&B / Hardcore / Jungle of the late 80’s. I think I contributed something to the 2 step sound mainly because I wasn’t into Garage as such before. It was my interpretation of the sound which made it different I think.

BD – Your new releases are a bass heavy, musical take on UK funky. What attracted you to the genre and what part do you see yourself in playing in its future?

MJC – I became suddenly inspired at about this time last year. The UK Funky sound really re-invigorated the Garage vibes that had been simmering for the previous several years. Again, I like to think that I’ve taken the bits I appreciated from that sound and incorporated them into the production melting pot. There’s so much good music around at the minute from producers both young and old. It feels really vibey out there.

BD – You first started releasing tunes in the late 90’s. How has your production / dj set up changed in the last decade? What did you originally use and what do you use now?

MJC – Studio-wise my setup is always changing. In the late 90’s it was Cubase, Akai samplers, sound modules like the Proteus, Vintage Keys, JV1080 etc and loads of outboard. Now, I use much more software-based processing (Waves plugs etc) but have still retained my beloved outboard kit (Neve, API, SSL, Focusrite etc). I’m using Logic Pro, Protools and Ableton Live. DJ-wise I used to be vinyl only for a good 10 years. Pretty much skipped the CD stage and switched to Ableton Live almost 4 years ago. I love this setup as it’s so versatile. I’m always adding extra functions to my controllers etc. I still like to run into 2 channels of the mixer so I can use the crossfader, Eqs etc but also have access to filters, loops, beat repeats, delays from Ableton

BD – What producers are you really feeling at the moment?

MJC – There’s so many good young guys around. Off the top of my head… L-Vis 1990, SBTRKT, Lil Silva, Ben UFO, Mosca, Bok Bok, Brackles, Foamo, Roof Light. Then there’s some more familiar names who are still running things in a big way such as Zed Bias, Zinc, Donaeo, Skream, Afrojack, Sinden, Diplo, Riva Starr to name just a few.

BD – You’re playing under the Braindrop banner at Bloc Weekend 2010, headlining alongside DJ Hype, Reso, Vent, Raffertie and Kanji Kinetic. What can we expect from your Bloc set?

MJC – If it’s anything like the NYE party expect a mashup of Funkee, 2 Step, Future, Dubstep, Crack House and a couple of classics added to the pot for good measure. Big energy Bass Music!

BD – What’s been your favourite club / festival to play in the world?

MJC – Wow, there have been many – Glastonbury and Big Chill we big points for me last year. Always enjoy playing in Japan as the systems are sooo good. Have also had some great nights in venues in UK such as Plan B, Fabric, MOS and Rainbow

BD – What are your 3 favorite tunes of all time (anything at all!)

1. Marvin Gaye “Heard it through the Grapevine”
2. The Police “Message in a Bottle”
3. Tower of Power “What is Hip”

BD – What are the top 5 tunes in your record box at the mo?

1. The Brockout “Shakedown”
2. Foamo “Centavo”
3. J2K feat Roses Gabor “Don’t Let Go”
4. Maddslinky feat Omar “Special”
5. Mosca “Nike”

BD – Favourite Youtube video?

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Biggup MJ! You can catch him headlining our Braindrop @ Bloc showcase alongside DJ Hype & MC Daddy Earl, The McMash Clan, Reso vs Vent, Kanji KInetic vs Raffertie, AGT Rave Cru and Bass6 this Sunday 14 March.

Check his myspace

And check this excellent mix from the man himself.

Saturday 3 April sees Braindrop make our debut at Slammin Vinyl’s Tranz-mission @ Alexandra Palace. And we’ve drafted in man of the moment Doorly to headline alongside Congo Natty, Loefah, The McMash Clan and Broken Note.

If you don’t know about Doorly by now then . . . well . . . we’ll tell you about him! Doorly is a hugely talented and prolific dj, producer and promoter who’s career has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last couple of years. In fact after looking at his recent CV I had to restrain myself from poking my eyes out with a fork out of jealousy.

His DJ sets fuse dubstep, electro and techno in an old skool block party style, mashing up an eclectic and bass heavy selection using 3 CDJs, 2 turntables, an EFX unit and Pioneer DJM 800 mixe

Doorly’s first big break came in April 2008, when he was invited by a certain Pete Tong to record a live Essential Mix for Radio 1. This led to many good things – some huge international bookings, as well as residencies at Wax:On, Metropolis, Ibiza Rocks, Ibiza’s Reclaim the Dancefloor, Annie Mac Presents and Zane Lowe’s “DJ Hero’ tour

His productions have been getting a lot of airplay as of late, most noteably his MASSIVE remixes for Dizzee Rascal, Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy and Groove Armada (to name a few). And his solo productions are banging – check out “Toys / Horse Step” which is out now.

We caught up with Mr Doorly whilst he was on his Austrailia tour to ask him some questions about some very important stuff. And the lovely guy gave us a brand new Annie Mac mix for download. Link is at the bottom of the interview. Enjoy!

BD – Hello mate – how are you and what are you doing at the moment?

D – Just got back a few hours ago from a 2 week Australia & Newzealand tour which was absolutely amazing and massively inspiring, just trying to stay awake to beat the jetlag of doom!!!

BD – How would you describe Doorly? What are your main influences?

D – Basically i’m a DJ first and kind of learnt how to make records along the way – The most important thing to know about me is that i’m genreless and dont want to be pigeon holed into one sound, my influences are drawn from Techno, Dub, Hip hop, drum & bass … well basically anything cool really!

BD – Any exciting news? Releases / remixes / collaborations / festival appearances etc etc?

D – I’ve just deliverd my remix on Groove Armada’s Latest Single “Paper Romanc” due out 22nd Feb, which is the best thing ive ever done i reckon!  I’m currently working on the next Marina & The Diamonds Singe “I am not a robot” which is wicked. After that i’m going to hold off on the remixes (I’ve done over 30 this year!!) and concentrate on some strong original tracks.  I have about 10 ready to go so for the next few months i will be collaborating with loads of amazing vocalists so watch this space…… Ultimatley i’m working towards an artist album.

Gigwise i’ve got 2 USA tours line up before the summer including loads of hype parties at the Miami WMC, I’m doing Snowbombing in april and returning to Ibiza for the summer in June to continue my weekly residencies for Ibiza Rocks & Recliam the Dancefloor.  I will also be hitting most of the major UK festivals and a few of the big Eurpoean ones too but theyre all just being confirmed now.

BD – Your first big break came from your Radio One Essential Mix back in 2008. How did that come about and how did that change things for you?

D – Yep that was definitly a big catalyst in what has happened since, I just got an email one day from Radio 1 asking me if i’d be up for it and i was, it was that easy!!  Things have just snowballed from there.  The biggest thing that did for me was to give me the kick up the ass to get stuck into production, because at that stage i was only known as a DJ so i made a big effort to get some tracks finished for the Essential mix and then realised how much fun it was ond continued from there!

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music? And what do you use to play out live?

D – Ableton all the way for Production.  For Djing i Use 3 CDJs & a mixer, i love the visual aspect of performing as a DJ so will never use a computer as part of my setup

BD – Top production tip?

D – If you’re starting out, Just get Ableton, its so user friendly, why over complicate things!!! and don’t wait about expecting for people to give you remix parts, just take a track you like, chop it up and use those parts to make a remix then get it out there for people to hear!

BD – Which artists are you really rating at the moment and why?

D – Sbtrkt is blowing my mind at the moment – His music is so “Future”

BD – What can we expect from your Tranz-mission set?

D – Expect a blend of loads of differnet sounds and lots of energy!

BD – All time 3 animals?

1. My Dog Timmy – He’s a tiny yorkshire terrier and a pretty cool dude!
2. My other Dog Maggie – She keeps Timmy on the straight and narrow
3. A Meercat – They remind me of kids that come and stand at the front watching me DJ : )

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

D – That A&R Guy clip becuase its exactly what i go through every day! I also always enjoy a little bit of Chav gets owned by wall

……………………………….

Thanks Doorly! Grab his Radio 1 mix from the link below.

Doorly Radio 1 mix for Annie Mac

Check out Doorly’s Myspace. And catch him at Tranz-misison, Braindrop arena on Saturday 3 April alongside Congo Natty aka Rebel MC, Loefah, The McMash Clan Broken Note, DJ Disowned & MC Cutter, Skinny & Clarkie, Silly Pundit and Bass6.

The mighty Vent join us for an exclusive back to back set with Reso at our Braindrop @ Bloc showcase.

This production / dj twosome have been smashing the global underground to bits as of late. They make big, fat, glitchy, thumping bass music that smashes down genre barriers and varies hugely in speed.

Their collaboration with Reso, Rumble, has become a crossover anthem, having gained a-list dj and radio support worldwide. 2009 saw them play storming sets at Glade and Glasto, work with Si Begg, Cursor Miner Tippr, Deekline & Wizard, Ctrl-Z & Stereotype – and enjoy successful releases on Hardcore Beats and Colony Productions.

2010 is going to be a big year for these immensely talented producers. Make sure you check out their Glade 2009 live set – which we’ve put up for download at the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!

BD – Hi guys how are you and what are you doing?

V – We’re taking a quick break, skiing in the French Alps, blue skies, killer powder, and wine.

BD – How would you describe your sound? What are your main influences?

V – Music: dubsteppyglitchyelectrobreaksdnb100bpmpartymayhem

As for our influences: People trying to be different

BD – Where does the name come from?

V – Its a secret!

BD -Any exciting news for 2010? Festival appearances / gigs / tunes / collaborations?

V – 2010 is looking very exciting so far.  Releases due include Deviant Creatures Parts 3 & 4, a collab with Reso, remixes for Si Begg, Meat Katie & Dominant Species, a collab with Ill Gates & Opiuo, and plenty more sneaky stuff! On the gig side of things we have BLOC confirmed for march obviously (!), and we’re currently working out the rest of our UK festival schedule (can’t say too much yet).  We’ve got a load of European and UK dates coming up as well, so its a great time for us.

BD -You’re playing under the Braindrop banner at Bloc Weekend 2010, playing b2b Reso alongside DJ Hype, MJ Cole, Raffertie and Kanji Kinetic. What can we expect from your Bloc set?

V – Basslines and multiple tempos!  Unfortunately we can’t play any Reso tunes, and Reso can’t play any of our tunes, so we’ll have to do some more crate digging or composing before we get there!

BD – The rest of the Bloc line up is silly, including Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Roots Manuva, Ellen Allien, Mixmaster Mike, Surgeon, Autechre, Kode 9, Congo Natty, Flying Lotus etc etc. Who else on the line up are you most looking forward to see?

V – There’s so many good people playing its hard to know where to be.  You mentioned a crazy amount of acts already!!!  Grandmaster Flash, Skream & Benga and Mikey Dread are some serious omissions though…

BD – Who would win in a fight between Reso and Vent?

V – Well there’s two of us, and only one Reso.  Sam would sit on him whilst I (Dan) poked his eyes out….  Then I could steal all his Garageband presets….

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music?

V – Logic 9, a very select and small bunch of plugins and softsynths, and some hardware we’d care not to mention

BD – Top studio tip for up and coming producers?

V – Be different, and work hard.

BD – What artists are you feeling at the moment and why?

V – Reso, Akira Kiteshi, Tipper, too many to mention here.  We like people who we feel are bringing new sounds and ideas to existing genres, and making different tempos.

BD – All time top 3 tunes (anything at all??)

V – We can’t answer that question but here are three releases to look out for in the next few weeks: Reso – Technitium, Ill Gates, Opiuo, VENT – Origin of Bass, DC Breaks  – Halo EP

BD – All time top 3 animals?

1. Bears
2. Monkeys
3. Pandas

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

V – The A & R Man (ed – we tried to look for this video but couldn’t figure out what vent were referring to. Braindrop family- if you know please tell us and we’ll link to it!)

…………………………….

Thanks guys! Download their fantastic Glade live mix (hosted by dnbshare) below:

VENT @ GLADE – LIVE MIX

Check out Vent’s Myspace HERE.

Production powerhouses Broken Note join us for our Tranz-mission Braindrop arena on Saturday 3 April. Comprised of the combined creative forces of a couple of chaps named Tommy and Eddie, Broken Note have honed a name for themselves as a massively respected production team. Their productions and live sets hop predominantly between tearing dubstep and D&B, with techno-breakcore-hardcore-gabba inspired glitches and fills.

Their sound has built them a massive following, seeing them signed to the legendary Peace Off label (sometime home to Le Jad, Cardopusher, Rotator, Society Suckers, Sickboy, Krumble, Dr Bastardo and Monster X), Ad Noiseum (home to End:user, Bong Ra, DJ Hidden etc etc) and establishing themselves as international performers. As if this wasn’t enough, Eddie Broken Note is also one half of dubstep upstarts 16 Bit – you may well have heard of them by now.

We caught up with Tommy from Broken Note to talk about production, Spor and other important stuff.

BD – Hello mate – how are you and what are you doing at the moment?

BN – Not bad, had a pretty hectic last few months. Got back from the west coast of the US, had a few shows out there just before Xmas. Since New Year, apart from rolling around in the snow, been catching up with stuff from being away.

BD – How would you describe Broken Note? What are your main influences?

BN – Broken Note is an amalgamation of everything that Eddie and I listen to, some influences shine threw more than others. Musically I grew up listening to a lot of punk, metal and dub while also playing in various bands of similar genre. Since then my musical taste has expanded a lot; I went to a lot of squat parties in London when I was growing up which definitely continues to have a lot of influence on the music I make today. Eddie has been into a broad spectrum of hip hop for a long time which has influenced his style substantially.  Between us we share a wide range of musical tastes. London in itself has been a large influence: the people, the parties and feeling of being stuck in a rat’s cage under the rule and watchful eye of a tyrannical state.

BD – Where did you get the name from?

BN – I thought Broken Note Records would be a good name for a record label with an output that wasn’t fit for a commercial audience. We couldn’t come up with a name when we were going to have our first record released so we used Broken Note. To be honest, we didn’t give it a whole lot of thought – we weren’t sure about it for quite a while…it’s only in the last year or so that it has grown on us.

BD – Any exciting news? Releases / remixes / collaborations / festival appearances etc etc?

BN – Got a new 12′ single Channel Zero out in Feb on Prspct Recordings, that’s a kind of half step/DnB banger with a Cooh Remix of Pyrotek on the flip. Been working on and off with MachineCode aka Current Value & Dean Rodell last few months -  got some devastating stuff brewing up there!! SPL has been working on a remix of War In The Making as well as a remix of a tune we started when I was over in Portand last year. Starting a collab with Dj Hidden next week and another with Reso over the next month or so.

BD – Can you give us a quick run through of the mix you’ve given us for download on braindrop.co.uk?

BN – Yeah, its a promo mix i did a month or two ago for the release of our album Terminal Static. Its got bunch of stuff from the album in there along with some other recent stuff of ours and some great tracks by other artists.

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music? And what do you use to play out live?

BN – It really varies from tune to tune. I find myself trying to use new bits of software and equipment each time to try and keep the creative process as fresh possible. Some of my favorite bits are Virus, Audio Damage stuff and the Massive synth. I’ve got a few bits of outboard but we use all sorts of software really. We’ve been producing all our stuff in Ableton Live for about 4 years now. I fell in love with it the first day I started using Live 5 – the simplicity of doing edits and automation is dream compared to using something like Pro Tools or Logic, but that’s just my preference. I like to draw more of a live feel when and where I can by recording live guitars, drums, vocals and organic sounds then processing them with effects.  Live performances are based around Ableton Live also – using various loops, sounds, and blending it all together with FX and filters – i feel it really allows the blending together of tunes and sets together seamlessly on the fly. For me I used to play in bands so its much more of a nature progression to work like this.

BD – Top production tip?

BN – First and foremost- Take your time! Also, there is no lack of music out there by any stretch of the imagination!! Its much better to get one tune that sounds like next level shit than to bang out 6 half baked ones.

BD – Which artists are you really rating at the moment and why?

BN – There are a lot of good artists out there at the moment and it really changes for me on a day to day basis depending on my mood. In the last week I’ve been rockin’ Spor, Dj Hidden, Reso, Tool, Various Production, Pantera and some of the tracks from the new Gallows album (shame they had to sell-out so hard!!). Still a massive fan of punk and metal although that there has been much originally in the genres for a while.

I have a lot of respect for Spor’s production style–

1. Because he gets some insane reeeses!! [not the cupcakes]

2.Because his mix downs are always really clean and punchy

3.Because it’s one fukin’ guy!!

What can we expect from your Tranz-mission set?

I cant really tell people what to expect, but it ain’t blue peter. Really though, everyone draws something different from our gigs (and music), people hear different things… I suppose a person can expect an amalgamation of everything from dubstep to tekno to drum bass to glitch hop to hardcore and everything else in-between.

BD – All time 3 top tunes (anything at all!)?

BN -

1. Nellie the elephant
2. Magic roundabout theme
3. Don’t stop believe it

BD – All time 3 animals

BN -

1. Cats
2. Dodos
3. Rats [we’ve got shit loads in our house – gotta love ‘em right!!

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

BN – No sure if its my fav video of all time, but pretty funny Sampled it in a tune a little while ago – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafGCm9Mk_o

Big ups Tommy! Download the new Broken Note mix for FREE below:

Broken Note Terminal Static Live Set

You can catch Broken Note LIVE at Braindrop @ Tranz-mission, Alexandra Palace on Sat April 3rd April alongside what is quite frankly a silly line up – Congo Natty aka Rebel MC LIVE, Loefah (Digital Mystikz), Doorly, The McMash Clan, DJ Disowned & MC Cutter, Skinny & Clarkie and Silly Pundit. We’ve got some discounted tickets, so please get in contact if you want to save a few quid More info at www.slamminvinyl.com/

Bo! X

On Sunday 14 March dubstep / bass music prodigy Reso is joining us for an exclusive back to back set with the almighty Vent at our Bloc Weekend Braindrop showcase.

Reso has blown away all competition with his snarling and devilishly intricate technoid productions. His hard hitting beats, super techy bass, glitchy edits and general all round overwhelming sonic force have earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting and talented young producers in dance music today. A certain Mary Anne Hobbes hailed him as “one of the most talented and gifted producers I have ever met in my life.”

2009 saw Reso team up with Vent to produce the insanely massive “Rumble”, an epic crossover masterpiece that has been slewing main rooms all over the country.

We caught up with the man himself to chat about lots of important stuff.

BD – Hello mate – how are you and what are you doing?

R – I’m very well thanks, currently sat in the studio working on a Qemists remix interspersed with random bouts of mass murder playing Assassins Creed 2 on Xbox.

BD – How would you describe your sound? What are your main influences?

R – I’d say my sound is pretty eclectic, sometimes super techy, other times more musical and ambient. My main influences range from lots of jazz and funk to drum & bass, ambient, hiphop, wonky, whatever! Really depends what mood I’m in and the kind of tune I’m making at the time.

BD – Where does the name come from?

R -The name comes from my piss poor attempts at graffiti as the letters R E S O were the only ones I could make look half decent and it also has production based connotations for all the geeks.

BD – Any big news announcements for 2010? Festivals / remixes / albums / collaborations?

R -Mainly just finishing up my album, there’s always plenty of collabs on the go so you’ll have to wait and see.

BD – You’re playing under the Braindrop banner at Bloc Weekend 2010, playing b2b Vent alongside DJ Hype, MJ Cole, Raffertie and Kanji Kinetic. What can we expect from a Reso vs Vent Bloc set?

R -I reckon it’s gonna be pretty no holds barred, ranging from some 100bpm filth through to dubstep with some DnB thrown in for good measure.

BD – Rumble is a ridiculously epic tune and Vent are incredible producers. How did the Reso / Vent collaboration come about?

R -I met the Vent guys when I played in Birmingham at a night called Trigger. I was going nuts throughout their set and spoke to them afterwards. We kept in touch after that, sending some project files back and forth and Rumble was the result of one. We’ve been working on some more bits so expect more silly epic-ness in the future.

BD – What equipment / software do you use to make your music?

R – I have an I-Mac running Logic 8 with a bunch of plugins and softsynths. Pretty simple really, it’s all software based.

BD – Top studio tip for up and coming producers?

R – Just take your time and experiment with making cool sounds, better to have 1 tune that sounds like you’ve put the effort in than 10 that sound rushed.

BD – What artists are you feeling at the moment and why?

1. Modeselektor – I love everything these guys do, seamless production that really works on the dancefloor. Their remix of Prototype by Headhunter is my favourite tune right now. It works so well in a mix.
2. Lone – Only recently discovered this guy, I love the over-compressed lushness of his tracks. They is dam funky too!
3. Noisia – I don’t need a reason really, they are the don dadas of ultra hi-tech production, they make me weep with admiration and envy.

BD – All time top 3 tunes?

1. Adam F – Metropolis
2. Chick Corea – Crystal Silence
3. Boards of Canada – Olsen

BD – All time top 3 animals?

1. Dog
2. Badger
3. Polar bear

BD – Favorite Youtube video?

R – Adam Buxton – Signing for Deaf

Thanks Reso! You can catch him performing b2b with Vent on the Braindrop stage at Bloc Weekend. Buy your Bloc tickets now from the Bloc Shop before they sell out.

If you don’t have it already, download Reso’s massive 1xtra mix below.

Reso – 1xtra mix

Check out Reso’s Myspace

[Visit blog to listen to audio]

The McMash Clan: Mix 016 – Mali Mash-up
Right click to download

Track list

• Amadou & Mariam Sabali
• TRG Generation(Breakage remix)
• Title fight Changing Face
• Rob Dougan Clubbed To Death(Hybrid mix)
• Bongo Chilli (acapella)
• Mistabishi White Collar Grime
• Chemical Brothers It Doesn’t Matter
• Teebone ft MC Sparks & Kie Fly Bi(acapella)
• Pryda Muranyi
• Ed Solo Watch Your Eyes
• Fatboy Slim Everybody Needs a 303
• The Prodigy Omen(Noisia remix)
• The Bug & Flowdan Skeng
• Hellfish Ganga SX (2008 Non- Smokers remix)
• Krumble Fire
• Friction & Nu Balance Judgement Day (Dom & Roland remix)
• Cutty Ranks Limb by Limb(acapella)
• Rhino Receptor
• Unknown It’s about time(acapella)
• Johnny L Back to your roots(Friction & K-Tee dub)
• Justice & Simian We Are Your Friends(Silver remix)
• Moving Fusion Peacekeeper
• Busta Rhymes Put Your hands where my eyes can see(acapella)
• Chase & Status Ten Tonne
• The McMash Clan Old man outro