So Prolix, what have you been up to lately?
As you'd expect, I've been busy in the studio working hard on this EP for Playaz featuring the vocal skills of MC Coppa – it's been worth it though, I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. I've put out collaborations with Klute (Keep It Simple) and Gridlok (Poisonous) and a release on Commercial Suicide (Sawhead / Funkhole). This month a track called The Third Act will be coming out on Break's album for his Symmetry label. I've also been touring – Australia earlier this year and U.S. last year, plus all my gigs in Europe in between. So busy – but busy is good!
Your new EP On Like That is released on Playaz Recordings this month - tell us a bit about the process of making it.
Prolix: Making this EP marked a real evolution in my production. Looking at it as a whole, every song on there is a song with vocals, not a pure instrumental tune. The process for making each song was different. Some were tunes I had already started, which Coppa then worked on vocals for. Others, like 'On Like That' for example, he began as he already had some vocal lines down and I subsequently worked on the beats and bass.
Using vocals in recording to this extent was fairly new to me - aside from the collabs with Gridlok and Fats this was the first time I had properly used vocals in my solo tunes from the raw recording process. It was made a lot easier by the fact Coppa used good quality recording equipment which ultimately meant less processing work to make it sound great and a better result in the end.
MC Coppa: With 'On Like That', which was a vocal idea I had in my mind for a little bit, I spoke to Chris and told him the vision. We took a joint decision to say, OK, let's just go as rowdy and big as possible on the vibe to start our collab off... and he turned out a monster. It just snowballed from there, just got bigger and bigger. I found working with Chris in the studio really pushed the levels up, he's a tough person to please so in turn it raised my game, in the end we fed off of each other's vibe and I was really happy with how the tracks turned out.
Which track stands out as a labour of love for you, the one that took the most time and expertise to create?
Prolix: I'd have to say there were two that stand out. 'On Like That' was complex; it has the most audio parts and my computer was clinging on for dear life at times! Lots of vocals, lots of drums, and even a bit of guitar - I knew I wanted it all in there but actually getting it to work all together was a massive undertaking. 'Shut The Place Down' is the first non drum & bass song I've made for release, so creating it was just different. It went through two kinds of identities; it started off as more of an old-school electronic rock-influenced tune then took on more of a modern sounding electro vibe.
Coppa: It was probably 'Interlace' from a lyrical perspective. I got the beat idea from Chris - it had that timeless classic tech-step vibe to it so it brought out of me what I wanted to say about the experience of drum & bass from the real headz. Although drum & bass is enjoying some mainstream success, there are a lot of people who been following or who have been involved in drum & bass (through thick and thin!) for a long time and who live it, so I really wanted to communicate this vibe through the words.
How did you end up working together? Was this something you had in mind for a long time?
Prolix: I played for a night called Voll Kontakt in Vienna with Coppa last year. I really liked the sound of his voice so after the gig I asked him if he was up for doing something together. Following that gig I sent him what became 'Interlace' and he laid down some strong vocals almost immediately. When things work out like that first time, it spurs you on to do more, after that we got into the studio and made 'On Like That' and the whole EP followed.
Coppa: I've known and respected Chris' music for a long time, he makes the kind of music I like and it's that kind of sound that got me into drum & bass in the first place. Personally I wanted to take that sound and transform it by bringing some more vocal elements to it. I respect Chris' work ethic greatly and his attention to detail and quality, so to work him on this idea was a blessing.
So tell us what the EP is all about, it's a departure from the usual 'sound' we have come to expect from the Playaz camp. What can we expect to hear in the club?
Prolix: I think this EP offers something for everyone. We have a big 'room 1' kind of tune, something more grimey and grooving, a pure tech roller and then something experimental at 110 bpm. Not forgetting Stealth Mode (a free download on DNB Arena) which is more of a minimal step tune. I've pushed my production skills to a new level with these tunes and I feel this is really just the beginning of a lot more to come.
Hype and Pascal have been very supportive of this EP and the opportunity to release it is seriously indicative of the fact that Playaz is open to all kinds of 'sounds'. This has always been the case, just as when they created Ganja Tek to take on my early releases with the label.
Playaz has a reputation for being a jump-up label but this isn't something Hype and Pascal necessarily want. They are into good music, and if its good and they like it, it can be released on Playaz, jump-up or not. They have lots of music forthcoming from diverse artists such as Lynx, Need for Mirrors, Optiv and BTK for example and none of those could be said to be jump-up at all. So when it came to releasing this EP, we knew as long as they were of a high standard it wouldn't be an issue.
Generally they have been encouraging us to try different styles, especially as the drum & bass scene has become so diverse. Look at 'Shut the Place down'– it went straight to number three in the dubstep charts on Trackitdown which was a bit of a shock. It's not Dubstep but it's getting a lot of love and that is great.
Coppa: I hope, as I'm sure Chris does, that this sound will be widely more accessible to people who may think drum & bass is only a certain type of sound. We really wanted to fly the flag and show off the grittier side of drum & bass and music in general that we could both get behind and be proud of.
You've worked together again on a guest mix for Kmag. Tell us a little about it...
Prolix: We decided to record a live mix as opposed to a computer sequenced one. Online mixes these days can sometimes come off a bit clinical when you sequence them with Ableton, it just takes away a bit of the rawness and soul of what you're doing. So much mainstream music is polished and produced and it's great that in drum & bass we still have the freedom to work with music in a more analogue way. I think it's good to do these things as 'live' as possible. Hazard has just done the new Fabric Live CD 'live' and I have big respect for him for that.
Using vocals in recording to this extent was fairly new to me - aside from the collabs with Gridlok and Fats this was the first time I had properly used vocals in my solo tunes from the raw recording process. It was made a lot easier by the fact Coppa used good quality recording equipment which ultimately meant less processing work to make it sound great and a better result in the end.
MC Coppa: With 'On Like That', which was a vocal idea I had in my mind for a little bit, I spoke to Chris and told him the vision. We took a joint decision to say, OK, let's just go as rowdy and big as possible on the vibe to start our collab off... and he turned out a monster. It just snowballed from there, just got bigger and bigger. I found working with Chris in the studio really pushed the levels up, he's a tough person to please so in turn it raised my game, in the end we fed off of each other's vibe and I was really happy with how the tracks turned out.
Which track stands out as a labour of love for you, the one that took the most time and expertise to create?
Prolix: I'd have to say there were two that stand out. 'On Like That' was complex; it has the most audio parts and my computer was clinging on for dear life at times! Lots of vocals, lots of drums, and even a bit of guitar - I knew I wanted it all in there but actually getting it to work all together was a massive undertaking. 'Shut The Place Down' is the first non drum & bass song I've made for release, so creating it was just different. It went through two kinds of identities; it started off as more of an old-school electronic rock-influenced tune then took on more of a modern sounding electro vibe.
Coppa: It was probably 'Interlace' from a lyrical perspective. I got the beat idea from Chris - it had that timeless classic tech-step vibe to it so it brought out of me what I wanted to say about the experience of drum & bass from the real headz. Although drum & bass is enjoying some mainstream success, there are a lot of people who been following or who have been involved in drum & bass (through thick and thin!) for a long time and who live it, so I really wanted to communicate this vibe through the words.
Prolix: I played for a night called Voll Kontakt in Vienna with Coppa last year. I really liked the sound of his voice so after the gig I asked him if he was up for doing something together. Following that gig I sent him what became 'Interlace' and he laid down some strong vocals almost immediately. When things work out like that first time, it spurs you on to do more, after that we got into the studio and made 'On Like That' and the whole EP followed.
Coppa: I've known and respected Chris' music for a long time, he makes the kind of music I like and it's that kind of sound that got me into drum & bass in the first place. Personally I wanted to take that sound and transform it by bringing some more vocal elements to it. I respect Chris' work ethic greatly and his attention to detail and quality, so to work him on this idea was a blessing.
So tell us what the EP is all about, it's a departure from the usual 'sound' we have come to expect from the Playaz camp. What can we expect to hear in the club?
Prolix: I think this EP offers something for everyone. We have a big 'room 1' kind of tune, something more grimey and grooving, a pure tech roller and then something experimental at 110 bpm. Not forgetting Stealth Mode (a free download on DNB Arena) which is more of a minimal step tune. I've pushed my production skills to a new level with these tunes and I feel this is really just the beginning of a lot more to come.
Hype and Pascal have been very supportive of this EP and the opportunity to release it is seriously indicative of the fact that Playaz is open to all kinds of 'sounds'. This has always been the case, just as when they created Ganja Tek to take on my early releases with the label.
Playaz has a reputation for being a jump-up label but this isn't something Hype and Pascal necessarily want. They are into good music, and if its good and they like it, it can be released on Playaz, jump-up or not. They have lots of music forthcoming from diverse artists such as Lynx, Need for Mirrors, Optiv and BTK for example and none of those could be said to be jump-up at all. So when it came to releasing this EP, we knew as long as they were of a high standard it wouldn't be an issue.
Generally they have been encouraging us to try different styles, especially as the drum & bass scene has become so diverse. Look at 'Shut the Place down'– it went straight to number three in the dubstep charts on Trackitdown which was a bit of a shock. It's not Dubstep but it's getting a lot of love and that is great.
Coppa: I hope, as I'm sure Chris does, that this sound will be widely more accessible to people who may think drum & bass is only a certain type of sound. We really wanted to fly the flag and show off the grittier side of drum & bass and music in general that we could both get behind and be proud of.
You've worked together again on a guest mix for Kmag. Tell us a little about it...
Prolix: We decided to record a live mix as opposed to a computer sequenced one. Online mixes these days can sometimes come off a bit clinical when you sequence them with Ableton, it just takes away a bit of the rawness and soul of what you're doing. So much mainstream music is polished and produced and it's great that in drum & bass we still have the freedom to work with music in a more analogue way. I think it's good to do these things as 'live' as possible. Hazard has just done the new Fabric Live CD 'live' and I have big respect for him for that.
Coppa: What I like about Chris is that he's old school. He still mixes his studio mixes live rather than on a computer, so we just played an actual set, which was fun, a one-take tear-out, which is rare nowadays. Then I did some watermarks over the top.
What's next?
Prolix: We're going on tour to promote the EP in a live capacity, the show includes some live PAs of the EP tracks and also more exclusive forthcoming material we are working on. You can catch us performing together at Playaz, Room One at Fabric on October 26th. And of course, we're both doing our solo shows as normal. It's going to be a crazy time, but I'll still be spending every other possible minute in the studio on the beats. Watch this space for more Prolix and MC Coppa joints too!
Words: Yim Wong
Bookings: bookings@trendkillrecords.com
Download the On Like That EP here
Download Prolix and MC Coppa's guest mix here
What's next?
Prolix: We're going on tour to promote the EP in a live capacity, the show includes some live PAs of the EP tracks and also more exclusive forthcoming material we are working on. You can catch us performing together at Playaz, Room One at Fabric on October 26th. And of course, we're both doing our solo shows as normal. It's going to be a crazy time, but I'll still be spending every other possible minute in the studio on the beats. Watch this space for more Prolix and MC Coppa joints too!
Words: Yim Wong
Bookings: bookings@trendkillrecords.com
Download the On Like That EP here
Download Prolix and MC Coppa's guest mix here
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