NEWS
EVENTS
An Interview with the #BIG Friction
Drum and Bass | Friday 31st January 2014 | Natalie
Guestlist were lucky enough to catch up with Friction prior to his big night ELEVATE this Saturday. And this is what went down....
What have you been getting up to since the turn of the new year?
I had the first few weeks of the new year without any gigs booked so I could mainly be in the studio - all that kind of stuff. Last weekend I started doing gigs again and yeah its been really good so far - it's been nice to just get back on the road doing shows again.
So your from Brighton originally…. how did DnB start for you there?
Well...I went to school in a town quite near called Haywards Heath and me and my mates would always come down to town (Brighton) on a Saturday and go to the record shops and pick up flyers for raves. So that was how I got into dance and rave music and it just built from there, getting gigs an' that.
And where was it that you played your first gig?
My first gig was in a tiny club - I think it was in the centre of Brighton. I can't remember what road it was on, but it was called 'Chimes' and it was literally a really really small club….and I got paid a fiver.
That's not too bad!
Well I guess it could of been worse!
So how's life at Radio 1 - what's been going down there?
Yeah its been great, I've been doing it standardly every week. I do really love my show as it gives me the chance to get the music out there and present DnB to a worldwide audience, which is a great thing to do - I love it! The show is each Saturday night at 3am.
What events do you have coming up in the near future that you would like to spread the word about?
The main one is this Saturday, which is Elevate. It is my second Elevate night and I'll be there doing a two hour set, alongside guests: Rockwell, Koan Sound and Dimension. That is a big thing for me really, it's been a year since the first one. We did the last one in a warehouse in Shoreditch called 'Factory 7' and it was a sellout with great vibes. I haven't been able to do another one because of all my London commitments, so its nice to actually fit it in and I just can't wait to get involved in it!
You're renown for you three-deck mixing style - what made you come up with the idea to experiment with this?
Well originally I was playing three decks when I was playing vinyl but since i moved to CDJs, I now use four decks to just kind of mix and play in a way that I can excite people.
You've been in the game for some time now and have been a part of the progression of Drum & Bass. How do you think the genre will evolve in the future?
I think DnB is always evolving. In my opinion we are always leading the way technically…y'know..studio production wise - we are always up there. What I love about it is that we are so consistent. While others genres come in and disappear off the radar, we have always been here, and there is always lots of DnB parties - that's why I love it!
With so many sub-genres emerging within electronic music, do feel that the original traits of a particular genre become diluted as styles converge or do you embrace the mix of culture and style?
I think that since House music has blown up again.. it has been good for DnB as a lot of good chords and soulful music has come into it again, as it has become almost trendy. For me that is only a good thing.
Do you ever wonder if artists in the future will make a conscious effort to strip their genre back down to it's roots in order to preserve a sense of identity?
DnB will just always change and evolve - it's very unpredictable but it always stays constant.
And lastly, would you ever go ravin' with your mum?
No way! That is a no go area. That is basically like if you get a Facebook or twitter request from your mum it's an instant no!
Why?!
My mum is way too precious to involve - she is the Holy Grail.
You 'eard the man yourself... Get down to ElLEVATE this Saturday at Village Underground 10pm-4am to catch Friction (two-hour set) alongside other big names, Koan Sound, Rockwell and Dimenson. Tickets are available at WWW.UKFLIVE.COM.
