The German drum & bass scene continues to impress, with this duo the latest to help the country make an unexpected mark on the global junglist map.
Excelling at smooth but punchy rollers, they’ve found much love from the likes of DJ Storm and Bailey, with releases clocked up on Soundtrax, Fokuz and on Basswerk – who release their debut album this month. Low Pressure Area. It really is sublime stuff – lush D&B to warm the cockles, but with feet firmly planted on the dancefloor.
How and when were you first infected by dance music?
Matik: I come from a musical family. My uncles played in various jazz formations. So, I basically grew up with 'dance' music. In my early youth I discovered tapes of Public Enemy's Fear Of A Black Planet and De La Soul...Is Dead in a public libary. Both albums had a heavy impact on me. In the early nineties breakbeats and hardcore appeared and soon came jungle via music videos from Ed Rush & Optical's Guncheck and Shy FX & UK Apache's Original Nuttah.
Subz: I was into hip-hop and crossover / Nu Metal, when I went to a party at a local youth centre, where Matik was doing a gig. It was there, where I first witnessed the sheer niceness of a rolling jungle bassline. I was hooked immediately, sold the guitar and got me Technics SL 1210ers.
When did you start making music / producing, and how long was it before you started making tracks that you were really happy with?
We started making beats together in the early new millennium. Before, each one of us gained experience in making music in other projects. The first tune we did together is Hear Dis. It was released on Basswerk Records. If we don't feel a tune from the start, we simply won't finish it. So, we're actually happy with every tune, we've made.
However people say, we developed a distinctive style with our second release Dark Dub which came out on Basswerk as well. Nevertheless, we are experimenting in production to this day. For example there is no set formula as to how we approach drums. Sometimes we take a couple of drum hits and add live percussion, the other day we might just cut up an 'Amen' break. At the end of the day, we are always positively surprised, when we listen to our own stuff after a while.
What have been your personal favourite tracks / productions so far?
Dark Dub is definitely an all-time favorite of ours. It doesn't get old. It is not overloaded, though floor-friendly. It's got a jump up vibe to it, but it doesn't sound silly.
Where does your name come from?
We wanted the name to represent our sound. Subz is quite obvious. Matik represents the technical side, as he does most of the engineering. On top of that, we like the old-school flavor of the name. It's simple and sounds good to us.
Who would you most like to work with?
At the moment we are working on collaborations with producers from our area such as Robot Redford from Hamburg or Er.ic, a guy who lives in the wilderness of North-Eastern germany. Of course, there will be more collaborations with The Green Man, with whom we already cooperated on the album. Apart from that, we are up for working with anyone who shares our state of mind and musical vision. Subz has the dream of working with Sade one day.
What have you got in store for the coming months?
Our debut album Low Pressure Area is out now as a CD. This will be accompanied by Basswerk BW37 12" Subz & Matik Bright Light / Unqoute & Molecular Structures Emo & Molecular Structures Seeing Sounds.
What can we expect from one of your DJ sets or live sets?
As we have been running our own club night Subsonic Pressure at the Luna Club in Kiel for almost eight years now, we are used to playing all night long. Our style varies within a set, but we always keep things clean and simple. That means to us drum and bass containing the essential elements - drumbreaks and basslines - rolling and raw. We also love vibes. So there's singalong melodies and vocals, too. But we avoid cheesy stuff. Occasionally, we also drop the inevitable anthem. Every now and then you'll hear a classic tune to round things up. The sweetest compliment we received from a guest was him having a certain hook from a tune in his head on his way home and until the next day. Mission accomplished.
You might also go to http://drumandbass.de/podcast-features/drumandbass-de-podcast-04/ to get an idea of our sound.
If you weren’t a DJ/producer/artists, what would you be?
Our labour is making music. We could not imagine doing anything else. Both of us work 9 to 5 jobs to feed our kids and landlord, though.
Which other producers and DJs and artists do you really rate?
All-time Favourites for drum and bass: Dillinja, Ray Keith, The Full Cycle Crew, Total Science, Photek, Doc Scott, Calibre, MI:ST, Artificial Intelligence, Commix, Spirit, Digital.
Other Genres: Bob James, Curtis Mayfield, DJ Premier, Burial, Rhythm & Sound, King Tubby, Ennio Morricone.
Check out the Low Pressure Area album microsite and preview the album – http://www.basswerk.net/info/bwcd5/