Bigup talks to A-sides ahead of his appearance about his endless list of accomplishments and his preferred footwear for the dance floor amongst other things
Drum and Bass stalwart, A-sides has been creating and playing dnb and Jungle since the inception of those genres and continues to be a force on the scene. His discography lies in the hundreds and is closing in on a thousand and he has contributed to some of the best labels around, including his own Eastside Records.
His artistic moniker carries weight all over the globe, with his uninhibited dedication to the sound, marking him as one of the true originals. From his early days, discovering the drum machine and then moving into Hardcore before finding his feet in dnb and Jungle, he has laid down deep roots in bass music with his influence still felt today.
Keystones in his musical achievements are many and varied, but projects like the innovative Sci-Clone collaboration with Jazz artist Nathan Haines; the myriad of hits alongside MC Fats; and the travelling ambassador for Sun and Bass festival, stand out in an ever-evolving and extensive career. He continues to travel the world as a DJ and regularly puts out tracks on labels like Metalheadz, all the while cultivating a following as dedicated as he is to the music.
Oslo and Jaeger’s own Bigup count themselves amongst the dedicated. They are time-honoured fans of A-sides and have lured the UK DJ back to Oslo, where he coincidently played his first gig outside of his homeland. He plays the night to the 1st of May holiday next week, and without much encouragement needed, Bigup sent him some questions to find out more about that 1st time in Oslo, Sun and Bass, his thoughts on the genre and his favourite sneakers for dancing.
Can you tell us how you got into DJ-ing, producing and your studio work?
Sure, I took drum lessons at school then my Uncle (Jah Free) had a recording studio in the mid 80’s and he took me under his wing on a training scheme. I learned how to program his drum machine, got into electronic music and turntables and the rest is history.
You have been there from the early days of both jungle and Drum and Bass, do you remember the first time you ever heard those terms and what do you consider to be the first jungle and dnb tracks?
For me I come from a Hip Hop / Old School Electro background with songs like Rockit By Herbie Hancock and Buffalo Gals by Malcolm Mclaren which then led me onto Hip House, Tracks like Do It To The Crowd by Twin Hype and some of the Bones Breaks EP’s by Frankie Bones were my early exposures to breakbeats which then led me on to the Hardcore sounds of The Prodigy then onto Jungle sounds like We R I.E by Lennie De Ice which is what was the first Jungle track that I heard. I was actually on stage with DJ Randall when he first played that song to the public at a huge rave in London (The Living Dream).
As somebody that’s been there since the roots of Drum and Bass and jungle, what is your experience of the evolution of those genres?
For me it’s nice to see the evolution of the genres as long as things are handled with care. It’s great when there is a resurgence of some of the old styles and sounds as long as things are kept authentic. I love the versatility and sub genres of Drum & Bass there is something there for everyone.
Musically, how do you keep yourself locked in and interested in that style of music?
I listen to music differently to a lot of people. I am always analysing what producers are doing and breaking it down. I take influence from them and they inspire me. Drum and Bass producers are always pushing boundaries. One thing I love about this is that we are constantly learning and evolving and this keeps us on our toes, it keeps us inspired and motivated.
*A-sides joins Bigup next Wednesday
Your Sci-Clone project is still considered to be one of the most unique approaches to Drum and Bass involving live instrumentation on both recordings and in DJ sets, can you tell us how this project came to be?
I met Nathan Haines on a trip to New Zealand in the mid 90’s. My Brother moved to New Zealand in the early 80’s and occasionally I would visit and by chance I was listening to a student radio station and all of a sudden one of my songs is playing on the radio.
At this point I had no idea there was a good electronic music scene in New Zealand so I called the radio station and spoke to the DJ saying mate you are playing my song on the air :)
That DJ was Nathan Haines. We met that night as he was playing an acoustic show with his Dad who is a Bass Player and we exchanged details as Nathan was planning a trip to London and we agreed we would do some studio time together and not long after that studio session happened and we created O.D which was handed to DJ Randall who then passed it onto Goldie and that was the birth of Sci-Clone :)
When people like dBrige, Trevino and Boddika were exploring other genres, were you ever tempted to move into other genres, and what keeps bringing you back to Drum and Bass and Jungle?
I do explore other genres but mainly under other aliases. I have written a lot of tracks for music libraries covering many different genres. These songs have been featured on major TV shows such as Top Gear / Wheeler Dealers / Ross Kemp On Gangs etc. I need to break away from Drum & Bass as much as possible which also helps to keep my mind fresh. You will never hear me playing Drum & Bass outside of the studio as I am always listening to other styles of music for inspiration.
Oslo happens to be the city where you had your first ever international gig, can you tell us something about that?
I can indeed. This was in the early 90’s when I was part of the Strictly Underground crew. We were booked to come and DJ at The Oslo Rock Festival and I remember the airline lost my record box so I had to borrow some records to play. If I remember rightly DJ Swann-E came to the rescue. It was so long ago it’s hard to remember as so much has happened since then but I will never forget these moments.
Sun and Bass is the 8-day world-renowned Drum and Bass festival in Sardinia, where you happen to be a familiar face both behind the booth and in the organisation; how did you get involved with the festival?
In 2006 I was with ESP Agency who were handling my DJ Bookings. They got me booked to play on the festival and then like many others, once you go you never stop going :) I have been there every year since and have been considered a global ambassador :) I have curated many events there, I have managed international Sun And Bass tours and also played a part in bringing some big non Drum & Bass artists to the festival. Names such as Slum Village, Jeru The Damaja, Newcleus, The Beatnuts and Mad Professor.
You and Bailey (of BBC Radio1 and Ministry of Sound fame) seem to have this long-lasting friendship and are often found playing back2back, can you tell us how this came to be?
I think this stems from the legendary La Posta sessions that we host at Sun And Bass. For those who do not know, we do a before and after party at Sun And Bass in a small bar in San Teodoro and we play everything but Drum And Bass. Myself and Bailey both have an in depth knowledge of music and we have fully loaded libraries of music from many genres. We never know what we will play next. The whole thing is improvisation but it works well and we have a lot of fun doing it. It’s always good for DJs to go out of their comfort zone; these are the things that keep us on our toes.
And lastly, you being a sneaker-head; what’s the ultimate pair for the dance-floor ? ;-)
For me I’m always an Air Max 90 or an Air Max 1 fan. If I did dance it would probably be best to go for a darker colour in case my foot gets stomped on :)
Thank you and we are looking forward to hosting you at Jaeger April 30th!
Questions by Bigup and introduction by Mischa Mathys