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Transmit Sessions Volume XII – Dekoi

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Whilst we have been busy tinkering with the back end of The Robot it’s been a minute since a we have had a Transmit mix gracing the home page. Now, thankfully, the wait is over. We have recieved an awesome blend from resident Mancunian Liquid Drum & Bass and sometimes Dubstep producer Dekoi. Featuring a myriad of vibes, the backbone of the mix is jazzy liquid DnB. Notable favourites in here from Grifta, Dramatic & dBaudio and Electrosoul System.

We also took time to put Dekoi in the interrogation room with our Robot. Here’s what he had to say;

What is Dekoi all about? What do you try to put across in your music, and what inspires you most? 

Firstly i’d like to thank you for having me on Robot Bodypop and taking an interest in my music. Dekoi is all about the music! aha but seriously I’m not trying to convey any political messages or anything, just trying to make music that people can enjoy as well as having my personal progression and sense of constant improvement. I’d say what inspires me most is the music i listen to, not just dnb but jazz, soul, funk, ambient, house etcetera. I learn new things from every song I listen to and try and use them to make my music more original. But also hearing positive things about my music inspires me to keep at it, if I hadn’t had positive feedback from friends and family I would have given up a long time ago.

You’ve had releases on Echowide Music and Liquid Tones to date – What’s next? Any chance of an album? 

I currently have another 2 tunes coming out on Echowide and a collab with Mayforms coming out on Promo audio. I often think i’d love to do an album but I also think i’d rather wait and release one in a couple years when I’m really getting somewhere with my music. I don’t want to release an album only to find in a months time that all the tunes need improving. (though I guess it’s always going be like that as a producer)

True! So what was the first piece of music you ever bought? How did your tastes develop to arrive at where you are now? 

I wasn’t really into music until I was about 12, my mate gave me a Drum And Bass Arena CD mainly filled with jump up which I wasn’t quite into but when I heard High Contrast’s Eternal Optimist I knew DnB was the thing for me, so I went off and bought High Contrasts Confidential album. This lead me to checking out all the old Hospital mixes and their extensive back catalogue. I was disappointed with Hospital Records’ more recent releases because they lacked that soulful, jazzy vibe. I hadn’t realised there were modern producers making the stuff, and one day I stumbled upon Fokuz Recordings and the huge tree of similar liquid labels – I haven’t looked back since. I have started looking into many different genres in the past year, broadening my musical tastes and knowledge.

What’s the weirdest/most random sample or sound you have ever used in a tune? 

I once made a tune using only guitar that i had recorded. I can’t play guitar but that didn’t really matter because it didn’t have any strings! I just recorded random percussive sounds with it and through a lot of experimentation I managed to make synths and bass lines out of it.

Skills! Who would you most like to collab with? 

Aww man that’s too open a question and i’m too indecisive so heres a few: Dave Owen, Blue Motion, mSdoS, Eveson, Random Movement and Intelligent Manners are all at the top of the list – sorry, I can’t pick one!

What sort of music will we be listening to in ten years time? 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… I just don’t know.

Ok, well that brings us to our final question. What’s the largest animal you could throw over a crossbar?

I wouldn’t dare throw any animal anywhere unless it was small enough to throw really far so I guess something like a mouse or a frog, but that’s just cruel ey?

Not sure if The Robot has ever considered the ethics of this question to be honest! Here we go..

C:\>STANDBY FOR TRANSMIT...
C:\>RECEIVING TRANSMIT #XII
C:\>CALLSIGN : DEKOI
C:\>COMMENCE TRANSMIT

CLICK HERE

1. LTJ Bukem – Watercolours
2. The Peter Nice Trio – Harp Of Gold
3. Command Strange – Vanilla Dream
4. Well Being – Storms By Streetlight
5. Brother – Get To Know
6. Grifta – Tomorrow
7. Bachelors Of Science – Bounce
8. Silent Dust – 1959 (Calibre Remix)
9. Savage Rehab – Quiet Stars
10. Andy Sim – Palm Trees (Brother Remix)
11. Mutt – Womack
12. Mayforms – Get You Off My Mind
13. Electrosoul System – In The Morning
14. Dekoi – Your Love
15. Capsika – Ghost Orchid
16. Madmen & Poets – Reached Out
17. Well Being – Lend Me Your Troubles
18. Fracture & Survival – Tracks Of Time
19. Redeyes Feat Mutt – Sugar
20. Submorphics – Step In The Spot
21. Concept & Shneck – Bedford Avenue
22. Atlantic Connection – 1979
23. Mayforms – This Is Love Girl
24. Nookie – I Love The Way
25. Dramatic & dbAudio – Subtle Shaking
26. Well Being – When You’re Not Around
27. Intelligent Manners – Still
28. Mayforms – Get High
29. Random Movement – Waterlogged
30. Dekoi – Beautiful Life
31. Intelligent Manners – Close My Eyes
32. Dekoi – Thinking About Thinking
33. Arp XP Feat. Estel Luz – Closer (Stunna Remix)
34. Blue Motion – Fallen
35. Dominic Ridgeway & Displaced Paranormals – City Of Gods
36. Ink & Getz – Road Runner
37. Savage Rehab – Bloom
38. Teebee – Untitled Jazz

www.soundcloud.com/dekoiuk

Dekoi on Juno

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Transmit Sessions Volume X – Actraiser

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The tenth instalment of our Transmit Series is brought to you by Bristol based producer Actraiser. Whilst this mix is focussing on the sounds of Juke and Footwork beats he has a huge arsenal of sound at his disposal.  He has forthcoming releases on Cut, Offworld Recordings, Loose Squares, Gradient Audio and Square Harmony. He has also produced soundtracks for upcoming Indie games on the xbox indie channel and iOS. Naturally, he has a lot to say for himself, so we will let him speak..

Hi, my name is Rob and I produce as ActRaiser. I produce deep electronic music of many genres and tempos. Currently I am producing drum & bass, dubstep, and the 160 bpm music that you can hear in the mix showcased here.

I started speeding up some of my productions from 140 to 160 and thought it sounded quite cool, I then did some searching online and found out about the footwork / juke style music. At first I wasn’t really a fan but then it started growing on me, and once I discovered artists like Om Unit, Ital Tek, Kuedo, and Machinedrum I became much more enamoured with the style.

I wanted to have my own ‘ActRaiser’ stamp on it so did several tunes, a mixture of the deep Dubstep I usually make, Jungle and Electronica in general. I was also inspired by many excellent video game soundtracks, especially the chilling Max Payne 3 soundtrack by the band ‘Health’.

Nice to meet you Mr. Raiser. So, what’s your formula for sitting down and writing your music? What are the rituals you use to get you in the zone?

When producing I usually have an idea of genre or tempo and then just start playing around with drum samples and soft synths until something starts to gel, much of the time I end up finding something I like that was completely different from what I originally set out to do, but I have to just go with what I am feeling in that moment. I often have several tracks on the go at one time and work a little on each until something clicks and I get it done.

My productions are very varied as I love all forms of electronic music and find it impossible to stick to one style. Sometimes I think this could be a hinderence to building a name for myself, but I just have to do what I feel and can’t limit myself to one genre. One day i can be making deep drum & bass, the next a bouncy 130bpm house track or even a psytrance track for a video game.

I don’t really have rituals for producing, I just get in front of the computer and experiment. I do find taking breaks to absorb myself in retro and indie video games can help, or just going out for a walk and listening to random bits on my walkman while checking out the scenery.

Aside from bass music artists, which musicians from the wider world of music pique your interest? You have a very diverse style so we are keen to learn what inspires you..

Currently I am loving trip-hop and funk, from original 70’s recordings to modern funk / hip-hop by DJ Shadow / Cut Chemist / Mumbles / Bonobo etc I have a soft spot for cool car chase style funk music and have always enjoyed this style of music since I was young. You can’t beat a cool hip hop break and funk guitars! I often listen to ‘Amen Brother’ by ‘The Winstons’ to remind myself where Breaks and Drum & Bass came from. I also like the more dance floor modern take on funk by Featurecast and A Skillz, it’s great summer music! I experimented with this style a few years back when I released the ‘Like In The Deal’ LP on Freestyle Records. I am thinking of doing something similar in the near future.

I also love 8-bit soundtracks, whether modern chiptune music or original Commodore 64 music made on the amazing SID chip. Many soundtracks for new indie games (such as Fez, Swords and Sorcery, Shatter etc) are amazing and are a constant source of inspiration for me.

To be honest I can listen to anything and randomly be blown away by something then spend the next month listening to as much of it as possible before finding something else and repeating this process.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing right now?

Playing games, reading, out walking, writing gibberish online, or trying to figure out a way to become rich making music (easier said than done). I am a bit of a nerd and collect old Nintendo NES games. I have a huge collection of retro games and still play the classics to try and beat high scores.I really enjoy reading books about people’s travels, meeting people and visited places off the usual tourist trail. I also love the work of Hunter S Thompson, so if you are familiar with his style you get a good idea of my outlook in life and the type of literature I enjoy.

Yep, we definitely get the idea! So, what’s the largest animal you could throw over a crossbar?

Funny you should ask, this is a personal hobby of mine, i should have mentioned it earlier. The animals I have successfully thrown over a crossbar include: a cat, two Ducks, a Rabbit, a zebra, a snow leopard (bitey), and a Mogwai (they don’t enjoy it).

And are we glad we asked! I think we may have a new champion in the animal hurling olympics!

The full mix as promised for free download:

Adam F – Circles (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
ActRaiser – Tropa Z
Omni Trio – Renegade Snares (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
Dream Continuum – Set It
DJ Taktix – Hornz For 94 (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
Krampfhaft – Carl Sagan The Man
Halp – Tic Tac Toe (Krampfhaft Remix)
Slick Shoota feat 5kin & Bone5 – Hit The Flow
Slick Shoota – Love You You You
Interface & Minus – Hardwork
Ital Tek – Gonga
Dream Continuum – Giv A Little Luv
ActRaiser – Lost In The Jungle
Wheez-ie – Desire
Plug – Feeling So Special
Roni Size & DJ Die – It’s A Jazz Thing (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
Machinedrum – U Don’t Survive (Chrissy Murderbot Remix)
Remarc – R.I.P (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
Om Unit – Vibrations (Machinedrum Remix)
Ital Tek – Pixel Haze
Om Unit – An Eternal Way
LTJ Bukem – Atlantis (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)
Admin – Pink Gloves (Slick Shoota Remix)
XLII – No Cure (EAN Remix)
Om Unit – Swimming Dragon (Ital Tek Remix)
Ital Tek – East District
LTJ Bukem – Horizons (Phillip D Kick Footwork Mix)

This is actually Volume 1 in a series focused on this particular style of Bass music – Volume 2 will be out next week – Keep your eyes on this page for the exclusive drop! In the meantime you can also check Actraiser‘s recent Dubstep mix, also a free DL.

Keep your eyes on

for news and fresh releases

Transmit Sessions Volume VIII | Peaman & Hicha

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Coming from the musical melting pot that is the city of Bristol our first B2B on the Transmit Sessions is mixed by Peaman & Hicha – producers from the Subslags camp.

Over the course of 30 minutes homage is paid to the roots of Dubstep as well as stepping into new bass music territory. We are introduced to the sounds that bring their diverse styles together, featuring Mala, Clouds, Lorca & Throwing Snow.

They also took time out to tell us all about the Bristol music scene, The Subslags music collective and their plans for future world domination.

Give us some insight into the names you have chosen for yourselves – How did they come about?

Hicha: It sounded nice and i saw it on the back of a rice box it’s actually true.

Pea: I’m mixed race and my brother and sisters all have light skin so when i was born my mum thought i looked like a little indian man so she nicknamed me Mr. Patel which then got shortened to Mr. P, then P man etc.

You come under the Subslags collective. Tell us about them, who are they and what do they represent?

Pea: Subslags is fundamentally a group of people I grew up making bass music with who are still working together today. It’s made up of various DJ’s Producers and MC’s currently working in Bristol and London. Hicha joined later and brought a new dynamic to the group in terms of his more experimental sound.

Peaman comes from a Grime and Dubstep template, Hicha with a more experimental and ambient soundscape. How did you two end up working and mixing together? Do you have any projects planned for the future?

Pea: We knew each other through the group and decided to collaborate. We have a few tracks in the making and are in the process of setting up a small Vinyl based label here in Bristol called Obsidian records. watch this space!

Bristol obviously has a rich musical heritage with artists like Pinch and Phaeleh and more recently Kahn making big waves in the wider scene. Nowadays it seems everyone in Bristol is DJ’ing or producing on some level. With such a busy scene does it become harder to make an impression? What are the pro’s and cons?

Hicha: I don’t know if its a harder scene to make an impression in as I don’t have any experience of other scenes, however it is very busy and exciting to be part of and living in this city has a huge influence on my music. Its quite a small city so I think its easy to meet people its also a very diverse city, musically and culturally. I feel theres no real formula and this allows me to do what I want to do, I don’t feel restricted and I can just do my own thing and still get recognition for it.

Pea: I’ve been raised in the Bristol music scene and draw a heavy influence from the city’s cultural history and it’s significance in the emergence of ‘bass music’ culture which is now a global phenomenon. Smith & Mighty and Massive attack paved the way for all the guys my generation now look up to including Peverelist, Guido, and all the people at the frontline of Bristols sound system movement. With so many influential people making moves it’s no wonder there are so many youngers stepping up and trying to blow the clubs up with their own sound. I just reckon its a great thing to be a part of aside from all the competition.

What’s your game plan for a debut release? We know a lot of artists are deciding to release their own material. Are you eyeing up labels or do you think independent is best?

Currently our only plans for a release will be through our label Obsidian but we are both aspiring to release all over the city. The independent record label is something we are both passionate about so it only seems right that we run our own. There’s a number of seriously under rated artists making brilliant stuff in Bristol and beyond, who we feel deserve a platform on which they can stand to help them reach a wider audience.

Finally, what’s the largest animal you could collectively throw over a crossbar?

Probably a German Shepard.

Robot Bodypop 28.04.12

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artwork by Mat Mcivor

Once again, all stops have been pulled out for the latest Robot Bodypop show and its a killer selection this week. Theres a number of exclusives from the young and incredibly talented local boy (to us anyway), Metrodome as well as Fracture with his forthcoming release on Warm Communications. Standing by these cuts theres the usual mix of freebies, notably this week from Fetch and Epoxy. No fillers on these shows with bangers such as the Doctor vocal cut, an oldie from SBTRKT and some other personal favourites. Last but not least its the frankly awesome Rekchampa with the latest Transmit guestmix and its all original work by himself and its representing the sound he’s working very hard to forge.

We Are – Roofout
So Clear – Commodo
Pilot Like This – Megalodon & Conscious ft. Doctor
Arpeggiated Goon – Keyed Up
Catharsis – Droid Sector & 3rd Eye
Cut Off – Epoxy
Sun For Days – Fetch
Laika – SBTRKT
Warewolf – Versa & Rowl
Nova – Burial & Four Tet
Lately – Fracture ft. Ella Jones
Tunnel Track – Fracture
You Look Better Dead – Amit ft. Rani
Acid Jackson – Boddika
You – Hatti Vatti (Phaeleh RMX)

Inviolable – Clubroot
Icarus – Peaman
For My Dogz – Rush’d
Standing There – Metrodome

TRANSMIT #5 : REKchampa

REKchampa – Cold Feet
REKchampa – You
REKchampa – Bartenders Theme
REKchampa – Urge
REKchampa – Collapsin ft. Brea
REKchampa – Thinking We Still
REKchampa – Forever
REKchampa – Baby Cheesus
REKchampa – Rollers
REKchampa – Complacent
Morning High & REKchampa – About The Inbox

Transmit Sessions Vol 5 | REKchampa

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ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW:

Imagine a sound comprised from the various elements of US Hip Hop and UK bass music – a hybrid unlike anything heard before yet one which sounds uncannily familiar. Well you need imagine no longer as that is what Stefan Ringer aka REKchampa delivers. His excellent debut album ‘Pocket The Rest’ is out now on San Francisco based Two Circles Records and he has a number of tunes knocking about on  a name your price basis which you really ought to take a listen to.

He is part of an emerging underground scene in the Atlanta area alongside artists such as P Villa, Time Wharp, heRobust, Ethereal and Divine Interface. These up and coming artists represent a brand new direction for bass music that people are gradually paying more and more attention to, and whilst the big money currently flows elsewhere this fledgeling scene comes from strong foundations and will continue to grow.

REKchampa kindly took time out to talk to us; Here is what he had to say.

We can definitely hear UK garage influences in your music as well as home-grown hip hop vibes. Which artists from these scenes did you listen to as you came up? Is there anybody in particular you would like to pay homage to for influencing your style?

I enjoyed listening to Timbaland when I was younger..the tracks he made back then are some of my favorites. as I got older I started going into electronic genres..I really enjoyed listening to jungle.. Remark, Ray Keith, Tom and Jerry, ShyFx..

Nice! We are pleased to see that your mix is made up entirely of your own tracks. Is this your blueprint for playing out? What kind of venues have you played to so far and where did you get the best reception?

When asked, I’ll get together an ableton set and play out that way.. But I get a few dj’ing gigs around the city.. Ive played at mostly bars, lounges, medium-sized venues… I like this spot in East Atlanta called 529 they play many different styles of music.. I played there my first time ever doing an ableton set performance… The place was smaller at that time but the crowd was there.. Everyone seemed to be really feeling the set.. The vibe was dope.. All love..

We’ve seen you say that you are trying to get out of the habit of using vocal samples in your beats. Will you produce purely instrumental tracks from now on or are there any vocalists you are planning to write songs with?

I’d say that right now, I am still trying to get away from using vocal samples. I’ve been recording my own voice a bit recently. I have made a few tracks that are purely instrumental. I wouldn’t mind working with a vocalist. I have before.. I would want the vocalist to be experienced in writing lyrics.

We would love to host a show for you here in Manchester. Are there any long term plans to tour in the UK?

I would definitely like to do that..But I would have no idea of how to get something like that together.. I’m novice to touring and things of that nature..I would love to come out there though..

We’ll see what we can do.. Finally, what’s the largest animal you can throw over a crossbar?

Tasmanian tiger.

We would like to thank you for this incredible mix, and we wish you great success for the future!

TRANSMIT V, LAUNCH!

http://soundcloud.com/rekchampa
http://rekchampa.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/rekchampa
http://facebook.com/pages/REKchampa

Robot Bodypop 14.04.12

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artwork by Zachary Mallett

Another frenetic 2 hour set of some of the finest future beats money can (and can’t) buy. Starting off with some classic Stenchman, there’s also a brand new track by Lorn plus more unreleased goodness from long time supporters Rdubz and Brero. Killian brings slices of up front dnb from Utopia Music and Different Records alongside amen goodness from Earl Grey. In the last part of the show we have the badman sounds of Russian dubstep producer, dj and label boss N.Killah in the Transmit Sessions Volume IV. We’ll have a lot to live up to if we keep bringing it like this!

You Think You Are Hard But You Are Not – Stenchman
Ghosst – Lorn
Sanya TV – Kusto
Here We Come – Kromestar
Electro Sneakers (The Other Side Remix) – Ovrkl
Detroit Falls – Pariah
Be Someone – Scrufizzer
Rattling Cage – Forest Swords
Tape Burn – Midland
Worn – Sangam
Japan – Subaeris
This Is Real – Bwana
Moody – Rdubz
The Old Frequencies – Brero
Romp VIP – El-B feat. Wiley

Still Love You – Heims Noises
Dangerous – Truth feat Yayne
The Chant – Mikal
‘Ave It – Earl Grey
Blabbermouth – Jekyl
Pearls (Ab-Sent & Elki remix) – Sade

TRANSMIT #4 : N.KILLAH

Best Spring – Roofout [NRealm]
Flutter- Sollabong [DubKraft]
Maybe – N.Killah [Forthcoming NRealm]
What U Wanted 2 Feel (Pixelord Remix) – Machinedrum [The Index]
Fogs – Kingdom [Night Slugs]
Omega Point – N.Killah [Forthcoming NRealm]
Centurion – L-Wiz [Dub Police]
Soulfunk – Phaeleh [Free]
X – N.Killah [Forthcoming NRealm]
Minerals – Scuba [Hotflush]
G742 – Kutz [Biscuit Factory]
Other Another – Sunchase [Dubzilla]
Blame – Tunnidge & Distance [Chestplate]
Ordered World – N.Killah [NRealm/Subline]
Close Your Eyes – John Miszt [Free]
The Wrong Path – Nanobyte [Free]
Tes La Rok – Cold Blooded [Tes La Rok]
Blade Runner – Snep [Free]
Bad Boy – Swifta Beater [Swifta Beater]
Eyelashes – Kill Moda [Beauty Default]