It’s always an honor to share a debut song from a new act, but having the first chat with them is a whole other thing. Luckily enough, we caught up with one of Never Say Die‘s newest family members, oddprophet, for his first ever interview. The budding bass beatsmith is surrounded by legends in NSD, but he may end up taking the reigns with his extraordinary sounds.
Not only do we have his first interview to share with you, but below you can find his EP, Process, complete with four masterful works. Upon listening you’ll see just why we’re so hyped on this cat. In catching up with him, we cover where he came into the music scene, how Process came about and what the future may look like for this promising star. We’ve said it about so many acts, but we’ll say it again here: Get to know oddprophet before everyone else does.
TMN: Can you tell us more about your origins as a producer? When did you first start producing and did you have any musical experience before that?
OP: I started messing around on FL Studio for fun around 2011. Before that it was guitar and choir in my high school. Nothing creative until I picked up a DAW and looking back at some of the “songs” I made back then, it always gives me a good laugh on how poor they were. It’s nice to look back at where you’ve come from, but it’s motivated a couple of friends to know that with practice and time you can always be better.
TMN: Tell us a bit more about your hometown, Swansea. How did your environment influence your sound?
OP: Much like the UK, par London, there was no dubstep scene. It was all drum and bass, deep house and grime that would bring in the crowds. Shout out to events like Funktion Tek that inspired me to write jump up for a bit, but that’s not where my real passion lied and I always had a soft spot for heavy dubstep. After moving to Cardiff, I could really focus on developing my sound as my course would go over the basics for the first year. It was that year I found the sound I wanted to continue making from all the free time I had to experiment!
TMN: What was the inspiration behind the ‘Process’ EP? How would you describe the difference in sound from your previous ‘Notorious? EP, which was released on Never Say Die Black Label?
TMN: How did the collaboration with Ecraze on “Spread Like” come about?
OP: The collaboration with Ecraze was already settled after “Ammo.” Being a quiet fan of Thom’s music for a year before he noticed me, having him reach out and ask to collaborate was the major step I needed to get my music out there. He was amazing to work with and so it was a no brainier to work on something again. Still in debt to him for welcoming my name into Never Say Die and we’ve been great friends ever since. Our next goal is B2B somewhere in Europe, probably Paris. Spread Like is not the last song we’ll make together for sure. Graphyt is also sure to make an appearance with a tune with us some time.
TMN: Do you have plans to tour anytime soon?
OP: Touring has been the dream for a while now. It’s quite simple to understand why producers want to tour. It’s not work for any of us. To earn money doing what you love is not working and it’s quite scary to understand that a tour is already in the works for oddprophet. Things are happening faster than I thought they would! Traveling is another reason why I’m glad this will be happening sooner rather than later.
TMN: While it’s hard to name just 1 dream collaboration, who is the first person that comes to mind when you think about potential collaborators?
[Dubstep] Stabby – Bushido EP
Bassheads gather, an inferno of low frequencies has been delivered. Unsurprisingly, it comes from the Never Say Die crew, but to be more exact it comes from the Bangkok beat machine Stabby. The EP has been deemed Bushido, which stands for the way of the Samurai. If you couldn’t get the connection through the artwork, we made it easy for you.
What Stabby made easy was a project that you can get through without skipping a single second. Through and through the Bushido EP is glorious. Five songs deep, this heavy excursion is one you’re not going to want to miss. Stabby is among a roster of some of the best bass artists in the world, but he shows up with all he’s got, showcasing why he should be considered as someone near the top of the NSD crew. Ninja favorites include “Act One” and “Hagakure” which has a more of a hybrid sound than the other singles. Bushido is out now, so hit up digital stores for a copy!
[Dubstep] Zomboy – Miles Away (Soltan Remix)
Miles Away (Soltan Remix)
Never Say Die just released a whopping remix EP for Zomboy. Part of that EP was a remix of “Miles Away” by Soltan. As many fans of the Iranian producer would expect, this flip is as heavy as it is incredible. This is dubstep done right.
The vast array of sounds that Soltan uses in this song is quite alarming. Given the complex composition, it makes for a super fun listen and we can only imagine how much more fun it is when it’s being played at a festival or show. Soltan’s style is similar to Zomboy’s, but he manages to keep his own identity while flipping this one. This year is looking bright for Soltan who will hopefully be edging his way into America sometime soon. We want to rage with him to tracks like this one. Chances are, you do too. Check this one out and make sure to check out the rest of the EP, out now on all digital services.
Get To Know: LAXX [TMN Exclusive Interview]
Since being snapped up by dubstep heavyweights Never Say Die last year, DJ and producer LAXX has had a whirlwind few months. Upon releasing his iconic ‘Step One’, which saw heavy support from Flux Pavilion), he subsequently released three EPs, including the recent free download series ‘Step Free.’ With his unique approach to production and eye for a killer hook, his gig schedule is beginning to pick up, as his booking increase. We got speaking to LAXX to discover more about working with the Never Say Die team, future releases and where he sees this future heading.
TMN: Firstly, how did you come up with the name LAXX?
I’m not really sure how I came up with it, but it had a sound to it I instantly loved. Its kind of ironic too, because its slang for being lazy and I’m in the studio basically 7 days a week when I’m not travelling and playing shows.
TMN: Big ups on the hilarious teaser for ‘Step Free’ that you put out with SKisM, is he usually like that?
Thank you. We were both laughing constantly while putting that together. The original version was like 5 minutes long, so we decided to use the “directors cut”, but it still cracks me up when I see it. SKisM isn’t really like that, it’s a shame, but I think his alter ego will come out at some point! Especially if I tell him I want to do any more free downloads. He’s a top guy in all seriousness, he works ridiculously hard and knows instantly if a track is going to ignite. I think the last thing I sent over his only words were “shut up” and “ridiculous” That’s meant in a good sense, by the way.
TMN: Why did you decide to give away the EP for free and will there be a ‘Step Three’ release any time soon?
‘Step Free’ was a project I had in mind for a while, I love giving something back to the people supporting my music, and this was the best way to do it. Every track on the EP was hand picked and some of them took nearly a year to finish, so this was a project I had planned out for a long time. I think I spent about two months deciding what tracks would go on there and making sure they were as perfect as I wanted them to be. There was a lot of blood sweat and tears that went into it. With regards to my next release, you’ll just have to wait and see… You’ll find out very soon.
TMN: For me the biggest track from the free series is ‘Untouchable’. Can you tell us the creative process for writing the track and how long it took to write this banger?
‘Untouchable’ was one of the tracks which took nearly a year to finish. I’d written part of the idea, and kept coming back to it, and then had a mad studio bender of about 3 weeks and worked on it nearly every day. I had an idea in my head and just started piecing it together, I think put down some drums, and then made a basic version of the lead and resampled it an insane amount of times. Its strange, when you get a vibe off a track, its kind of like you lose yourself and focus so intently on the track that nothing else matters, then you kind of take a step back and think fuck, what happened?
TMN: Who has been your biggest inspiration for your career and your most recently releases on Never Say Die?
I really like every artist on the label. Zomboy is smashing it, I like the direction he’s gone in, where he’s kind of tried out every genre and put his stamp on it. Eptic is a monster too, I get sent a lot of versions of tracks he’s working on, some deeper stuff recently and it keeps me inspired. MUST DIE! is insane also – the remix he did for me has been crushing it worldwide. So yeah, everyone on NSD is doing things I like.
TMN: Do you have any plans to play state side soon? And what are your top 3 tracks to play out live at the moment?
I’m coming for you baby! America is one of my favourite places in the world, and you guys have always been some of the most dedicated fans. Long story short, I’m coming to take over! I’ve been playing out a lot of my new sounds and its been crazy seeing the reaction, but aside from that I love double dropping Flosstradamus – ‘Mosh Pit’, Yellow Claw – ‘Lick Dat’ and Gent and Jawns – ‘Turnup’ – (Kill The Noise Remix). Biggup!
Be sure to nab LAXX’s ‘Step Free’ here.
Untouchable
Get To Know: Habstrakt & Megalodon [TMN Exclusive Interview]
The Storm
Seeing as they had a brand new, four-track dubstep extravaganza out this week via Never Say Die Records, we decided to get the lowdown on how Habstrakt and Megalodon created “The Storm”. The pair, who usually work as solo producers and DJs last worked together for a track on Megalodon’s “Boom” EP, and clearly something sounded right. This time around, it’s a collection of heavy impact, sample-filled pieces of 140 bpm madness. Check out what the duo had to say about their creative processes.
TMN: What have you both been up to as of recent?
Habstrakt: Touring Australia and New Zealand at the moment, it’s absolutely amazing so far. I had to wake up in the middle of the night to witness the release going live and see the fans react to it! Before that, I spent the summer in studio working on loads of new tunes, and already wrapping up the next EP as we speak.
Megalodon: I’ve just got back from a tour in the States and now catching some of the festival season here in Europe. It’s always fun to enjoy Europe before it gets back to being cold and dreary! As for studio work, I’m constantly working on sound design and concepts, which for a picky person like me may take a good amount of time sometimes.
TMN: You joined forces back in 2013 with “40 Cows”. How did you originally hook up for that track?
H: Sinjin (Megalodon) was touring France and had a few days off, so I offered him to come over to my place so we could finally meet after years and years of talking on the internet. We made “40 Cows” in one session; it only took an afternoon to write it down, which was probably the fastest studio session I’ve ever had!
TMN: What has the writing process been like for “The Storm” EP, any funny studio stories?
H: Well, “Yabba Dabs” was written on Sinjin’s sofa in The Netherlands, we didn’t have speakers and did most of it on laptop speakers or with crappy headphones – coming back home to mix it down was painful, aha! Once again, we wrote all the tracks within a few days, but then obviously mixing it down took us a bit longer! The recipe for the album was pretty simple: funny samples, 8 bit melodies, aggressive drops and a good dose of that sofa laziness we all crave.
TMN: You both work with Never Say Die on the regular, what is it like to work with SKisM and the crew?
M: Well I gotta say, from the moment I started working with them I noticed a big difference in drive and overall work ethic from them – more than anything I had experienced before. Put aside the fact that SKisM and the crew run an immensely tight ship, they also have always been on point when it comes to delivering quality and ground breaking dubstep to a bigger audience. I know Habby feels the same when I say SKisM is a huge influence as a producer and a pioneer in the game… it’s an honour to be apart of the team!
H: The Never Say Die crew is a very strong team with loads of people involved full-time with running the label, it’s very encouraging to work with such a team. SKisM has always been a mentor to me, even getting me back on the road when I was drifting away. The man is driven by a strong vision of both his label and the bass music scene in general, and it’s a real pleasure to work with someone who’s entirely devoted into pushing his artists as far as possible. Plus he calls me every night to sing me lullabies so I can sleep and he owns a suit made of £ notes, what else can I say!
TMN: What do you both have planned for the future? Any chance of more tracks from the pair of you?
M: Basically the same thing I’ve been doing since the start really. Making music and performing it is my passion and I hope to continue doing so for as long as I can. As for working again with Habstrakt, I think it would be foolish not to. I guess we will see what happens next!
H: It looks like I’m gonna be on the road a lot over the next few months, gigs are piling up and upcoming tours looks really exciting! Lucky for me, I’ve learned how to work far away from my studio and I can keep up with the production while playing shows all over the world. And yes, you will definitely hear more Habstrakt & Megalodon collabs in the future, we’ve got such a nice thing rolling, I don’t see any reason why we would stop!
Pick up a copy of “The Storm” EP here.
Far Too Loud returns with a boom! [TMN Exclusive Interview]
Boom! [Preview]
Electro whizz kid Far Too Loud steps up with his new single ‘Boom!’, to be released on No Tomorrow Recordings, July 7th. The UK-based producer crossed over to big sister label Never Say Die at the beginning of the year, but now returns to his previous home for this track release. Pulling no punches, this one dives in with a rhythmically satisfying introduction. No stranger to incorporating samples, FTL has packed this one with various sounds and excerpts, including shouts of “Boom!” throughout. Despite a nod to big room, the middle section is almost trance-like, an anthemic conclusion to a summer festival killer. We got chatting to the man behind the music.
TMN: You’re from Brighton, UK – how has your hometown influenced your time in music?
FTL: It’s a great place to live, but I don’t feel it influencing my music at all. I love the occasional day off in Brighton – hitting up the shops, pubs, a good restaurant, but my main source of inspiration is the atmosphere at the shows I play and the tracks I see really going off.
TMN: You’re playing the States as well as all over Europe. How do you find the varying global scenes? Any major differences?
FTL: I still find that I can go a bit harder in my European sets. American crowds need more vocals and familiar elements to a set, which I don’t mind though. It’s cool to work out interesting ways of doing that.
TMN: You have a new track, ‘Boom’, coming out next week. What sound were you aiming to hit on this one? How did you come up with the idea for it?
FTL: The melody popped into my head when I was walking to the shop late one night. The drop was originally more bassy, but I started playing around and the current one just stuck in my head, so I ran with it. I wanted to do something more current but that still sounds like an FTL production.
TMN: What do you like to do outside of the studio? Where do you like to chill out?
FTL: There’s not that much free time I get between studio and gigging, but I prefer to spend that time doing something culturally enriching. Gigs, exhibitions, theatre, restaurants, pop-ups, any weird or unusual events. I want to experience or find out about new things.
TMN: What are your aims for the rest of 2014 and heading into the new year?
FTL: I’m working towards a bigger release and tour towards the end of the year, then I’m going on holiday on 2nd January!
TMN: Any shows you’re particularly looking forward to this summer?
FTL: I’m most looking forward to the outdoor festival sets. I’m on my way to the USA as I write this where I’ve got Big Liberty, then up to Canada for Valhalla Sound Circus and Astral Harvest. Then it’ll be back to UK and Europe for some more including Noisily, Beatherder, Let It Roll and Uplands. Also a South Africa visit at the end of the summer for Grietfest will be awesome.
Get to know: LAXX [TMN Exclusive Interview]
Step Two [Preview]
LAXX is most definitely one to keep your eye on. Having signed with the renowned bass family Never Say Die last year, LAXX dropped his explosive debut EP for them in February and is now unleashing his second on April 7th. A follow up from ‘Step One’, ‘Step Two’ is another display of his self-coined “Twitch” music, packed with jittery synths and intense rhythmical progressions – not to mention a frenzied remix from label mate MUST DIE! The iconic and wonderfully simplistic ‘Step One’ is given a more dynamic and atmospheric twist, whilst maintaining that earth shattering drop impact of the original. I particularly enjoy ‘The Limit’ with its blend of vocal outbreaks and sustained pulse throughout, and LAXX’s sense of musical identity resonates here. I had the opportunity to to grill LAXX on ‘Step Two’ and what we can expect to see from him in the future.
TMN: Did you approach making ‘Step Two’ differently to ‘Step One’? Did ‘Step Two’ feel more like you were experimenting with a new set of sounds?
LAXX: ‘Step One’ was hard to follow, but I had a vibe in my mind already and knew what sort of thing I wanted to hear. It took a while, I named so many projects ‘Step Two’ and had about 5 different tracks which I was going to go back in on, but none of them were what I wanted. When I’m writing I know when I’ve got it, and a lot of the time I just start again because it’s not working for me. As soon as I got the basic vibe of it, I must’ve known, because I named it ‘Definitely Step Two’. But yeah, I wanted a similar vibe but a different musical palette.
TMN: Which track on this EP are you most proud of and why?
LAXX: Like all of them for different reasons. ‘Brainbug’ took the longest to finish, but I’m still as into ‘The Limit’ as I was when I first wrote it. I’ve always tried to create something simple, which has as much impact as something overproduced. But in all, I’m proud of all of them, and they all took weeks of back and forth to finish.
TMN: Where does the term “Twitch” music come from?
LAXX: “Twitch” is a term I created just because I didn’t feel what I was doing was fitting into categories I was listening to. To me just means a different rhythm, not just the obvious. The vibe in ‘Brainbug’ and ‘The Unknown’ are pretty much off key and different, so thats what I mean. I take inspiration from everything, but I still see what I’m doing in a different bracket to Trap or Dubstep, so it would be wrong to call it either.
TMN: What’s next in terms of future sounds from you? What can we expect you to deliver after this release?
LAXX: You’ll have to wait and see, but I’m just going down a new route. I want to do something different and exciting and make peoples ears prick up. So, I can’t say really, but I’ve got a lot in store..
TMN: You’ve previously worked with several grime artists. Do you have any plans to collaborate with vocalists again?
LAXX: Yes. I’ve always been a big fan of grime MC’s and Footsie, D Double E and P Money are some of my favourites. I can’t really say whats to come, but there will be some colabs in the pipeline.
TMN: Could you name 3 of your all-time favourite tracks?
That’s not an easy question as my music taste is pretty broad and I go through phases with different genres constantly. But here you go:
Krust – Warhead
Bad Company – Planet Dust
Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
TMN: If you could work on a track with any Never Say Die artist, who would it be?
LAXX: I like all of the artists on Never Say Die, but I’d love to get in the studio with Zomboy. I just know he’d be a nutter to work with, he’s got so much energy in his tunes, it’d be a laugh just to work with him and see him vibe out.
TMN: Thanks for your time LAXX! Awesome release.
LAXX: Cheers for having me and make sure you grab ‘Step Two’ on 7th April!
