“I’ve always been about keeping things pretty simple,” chimes James. “Culture Shock isn’t about a formula but I do love tinkering with different sounds and ideas. Right now, I am mainly using Logic on a Mac and Ableton. I’ve always been about quality over quantity. It would be nice to do both, but I’m quite slow and I try to keep the quality really high. I never wanted to buy a record that had a great A-side and a crap B-side. I’ve always wanted to make music that was every bit as important as the previous and the next one – I’m focused on that.”
Really though, he admits and wishes he had a lab full of weird vintage analogue synths complete with technicians in white coats who could program the darn things. And while his approach to production is a sensible one – he remains committed to his craft and keeping sounds fresh and the punters on their toes. “I’m currently working on the next single for RAM Records which we haven’t announced yet – and that’s mainly because I can’t get my act together! But the last single did pretty well and I just found out it got nominated in the Drum and Bass Arena Awards for the best single – which is pretty exciting. I’ve got loads of ideas about other things as well, but I don’t want to give much away but there is a fair bit of a backlog of unfinished material that I need to get sorted as well. An album is also part of the plan – as I said, I have a lot of stuff I’m trying to finish off so as soon as I get back from Australia I’ll get onto that!”
The beauty of it all, too, is that he is part of a movement that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Drum and bass has always been music of the people. No fancy limousines and private jets. These are the guys that hang back for a beer with the fans after the gig. And that translates to his production approach. “For me, it’s a bit of having fun and bit of being focused, but not too much. I take my music seriously, but making it and playing it also has to be fun. A lot of my time and energy goes into making it. So what’s the point of making average music, right?”
His approach to his craft, then, is serious business. “I’m always listening to electronic stuff across the board; right now I’m really feeling house, artists like as Jamie Jones or Danny Daze – but as always, inspiration for me comes from everywhere and anywhere.” And in turn, it is what keeps him fresh and relevant. “While I love to listen to a lot of different styles of music for inspiration, I’m not so into switching up tempos in a short set; I like to keep the groove going.”
So there you have it – the rules are that there are no rules. “My releases are all quite different and I don’t stick to any formulas,” he says. “I’m more into exploring new ideas, because I find that that keeps things interesting for me and anyone listening. If I had to put a theme behind it I would say the running thread is probably futuristic funk. Right now, I’m playing a lot of drum and bass but also a lot of beats. I’m really feeling that Skrillex and Nero remix of Holding On, and the new track from Wilkinson is wicked as well. There is plenty of good music out there, you just need to find it I guess.”
Finally, he admits having the might of Andy C’s Ram Records behind him doesn’t hurt either – it helps to provide the reach and the distribution prowess. “It’s a mostly sexual relationship,” he has said in the past, quote end quote. “I’m just about keeping the beats new and fresh; it’s music from myself and the best artists in the scene.”
Last question then – who’s up for the party?
BY RK
