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An interview with Sub Focus
Drum and Bass | Thursday 3rd July 2014 | Annalisa
An artist who needs little introduction: Sub Focus has evolved through the Drum and Bass scene from humble beginnings to worldwide acclaim. Standing as a figurehead of British dance music, his material has kept a consistently growing caliber, stemming from the roots of the underground, with his first release on Andy C’s side label 'Frequency', to the highs of stardom with his latest album ‘Torus’.
Standing as one of the artists who successfully bridges the gap between the Drum and Bass underground and the mainstream, his production quality transcends the niche dancehalls to a wide audience, appreciative of the tuneful flow of his songs, whilst still maintaining his dance floor ethos.
This Thursday July 3rd, Sub Focus will be headlining the bill at XOYO for the ‘Twisted Mission’ launch party of Desperados’ new, exotic twist ‘Desperados Verde’. The night poses an intriguing prospect for Sub Focus fans to enjoy the exclusive launch of a drink that is bound to be a mainstay of the bar and club world.
Prior to his performance, we managed to catch up with Sub Focus to chat about his current situation, past influences and experiences of a producer who has sky rocketed into the forefront of the electronic music world.
Hey, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. So, what have you been up to recently? Which festivals have you been hitting so far this summer?
I've been on tour in the US recently, just played a festival called Paradiso near Seattle, which was great, set in this amazing open-air venue called the Gorge. I love natural open-air venues; I also played Red Rocks recently, which is an incredible space.
Sounds epic. What do you enjoy most about being a music producer?
My favourite thing is playing a new track of mine in my set; I love seeing people's reaction when the music gets a big response.
So how did you first get into music production? At what point do you feel that you had harnessed your niche?
I got into when I was about 13, not being a skilled player at the time I liked the way you could compose whole tracks on a computer without having to play anything. When I left school, it was all I did in my spare time and my friends started to encourage me to try and send demos out and try to actually do it as a job.
Can you remember your first rave experience? Where and when was it?
I can remember going to a bunch of things in my early teens but the one that most sticks with me was going to the very last Metalheadz at the Blue Note in Hoxton, when I was about 15. This was a legendary club night at the time, and seeing my heroes up close in a tiny venue, people like Goldie, J Majik and Grooverider playing all this brand new music I had never heard before was an amazing experience.
That sounds amazing. Who would you say are some collaborators that you would really love to work with again?
I'm probably going to work with a lot of different people for my next album but MNEK and Alpines stand out as two people I'd love to work with again from the last record.
Given your varied musical tastes, whom would you class as some of your strong influences since the beginning?
It’s hard to pick a few people as I’ve taken influence from so many different types of music over the years. I always come back to acts like Daft Punk and Chemical Brothers as some of my favourites, it’s more that I admire the brand and live shows they created rather than being directly influenced by their music necessarily.
What are your thoughts on the current Drum and Bass scene, who are some big artists to watch for the rest of 2014?
There is some strong D&B out there at the moment, I’m particularly into Fred V and Grafix, they have made some of the best material out there this year for me. Outside of DnB, I’m really feeling guys like Lone, Flume and RL Grime at the moment.
With your album “Torus’ released last year, what musical projects do you have in the pipeline at the moment?
I'm starting to work on my next album now, it's at that fun stage where it's a blank canvas and I'm figuring out my next direction.
Catch Sub Focus at the Desperados Verde Twisted Mission on Thursday 3rd July to celebrate the launch of this new blend of tequila flavoured beer with a twist of lime and mint for a vibrant taste.
To find out more go to facebook.com/desperados
Words by James Goatman
@jamesgoatman
