Let's Hope the Speakers Don't Falter When This Guy Plays!

Falter aka Tj Najam is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida  (my home town), but he has lived in London for most of his life. I recently caught up with him to hear more of his story.

THE START OF FALTER
I've been producing for about four years now. I started out producing house but I always loved Drum and Bass, so I decided to give that a try.  I was introduced to Dubstep around the same time. I ran with Dubstep for quite awhile and now I'm getting back into Deep/Funky House quite a bit. I  generally produce whatever I feel like at the time. Maybe some Hip Hop beats or some Garage for fun. I think it's helped me a lot to keep switching things up. You can transplant ideas you learn from one genre's techniques into another and come out with some cool results. Most importantly, it keeps it fresh and fun.

MUSICAL INSPIRATION
It's tough to really say. So many things shape a person's musical taste that it's quite hard to narrow it down to just a few. I used to love Metal when I was younger, so that probably pushed me more towards the dark and heavy Drum and Bass and Dubstep. But I've always liked Funk and Hip Hop as well, so that comes through in the more upbeat  House stuff I write. My mate, Benson, is a sick producer and having him around and hearing the stuff he's putting out has definitely driven me to push myself a little bit harder too. So, big ups to Benson. He produces under the names Buzzlin and Voyeur, with another mate, Leo. They're putting out some serious tunes, so give them a check if you like House.

PRESENT FALTER

Right now, I'm all over the place. I am working on a few House tracks. I am also getting a few tunes together for a Drum and Bass release and working on some Hip Hop beats for a few artists. I have been spending most of my time mixing and emptying my wallet on new vinyl recently. Ha ha! It's a dangerous hobby.

FUTURE FALTER

I had my first couple of releases go out in the past few months and they've been pretty well received which I'm really happy about. I guess I just hope to keep pushing out tunes and seeing where things go. I try not to get ahead of myself. I produce because it's a lot of fun and it's one of the few things that you can do solely for yourself. I spend so much time interacting with other people,  given how easy it is to communicate these days, and it's quite therapeutic to just lock yourself off in your room and create something. If people end up liking the final product, then that's a bonus!

For more on Falter, click on the links below. You can also check out one of his recent releases on Beatport "Falter - Creep". 

Soundcloud            Facebook

White Man Group

So, you've heard of Blue Man Group.  Have you heard of the White Man Group?

Tom Curtis: Cutting Up Edibles By Day and Chopping Up Audibles By Night

As much as I would like to take credit for the title of this post, I can't. This title was actually taken from Tom Curtis' Soundcloud page and it was just too good to not use! I got in touch with Tom Curtis and he was kind enough to tell us a few things about himself. 

 

WHO IS TOM CURTIS?
I am currently producing music under the monikers Tom Farrago and Tectac. I am from Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK., but I currently live in Torquay, South Devon, UK. I have been producing tunes for ten years. 

INSPIRATION 
I'm hugely inspired by films, art and nature. Here are a few of the musical artists I would say inspire me the most: Depth Charge, Rage Against The Machine, Prodigy, Cinematic Orchestra, The Stranglers, People Under The Stairs, The Moody Blues, Handsome Boy Modeling School, DJ Shadow, Goldie, Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, Portishead, Nirvana, Amon Tobin, Nightmares On Wax, Groove Armada, Louis Armstrong, Gotan Project, balam (Fred White), Mad Professor, Erik Satie, Harry J and The Allstars, Roots Manuva, Radiohead, Edgard Varèse, DJ Spooky, Squarepusher, and The Doors. There are loads more that I can't think of right now. 

CURRENT PROJECTS
I've just recently finished a remix of Rebecca Ferguson's latest single "Glitter and Gold" for Sony RCA. I'm also working on two EP's under both of my names.

FUTURE PROJECTS
Well, I'm looking to work on new remix projects for any artists that are interested.

For those of you that are interested in collaborating with Tom Curtis aka Tom Farrago aka Tectac, he can be reached at the the links below. 

P.S. Tom Curtis also has a clothing line called Farrago Funk Clothing.

 

Soundcloud            Facebook             Twitter

Lonely Souls by Daya

I have had this Ambient mix by Daya for some time now. I really like how it was put together. It is very cinematic, as though it should be accompanied by a movie or something. I haven't heard of anything new from Daya since this mix (about a year now), so I contacted him and this is what he had to say.

Hi there. Of course you can share my DJ set. I was working in this selection and mix of the audio about one year. I don't have enough time for my dream of producing Ambient music which is why it takes so long to do. Now I just play at small parties and I'm always searching for special music. Thank you for your time and for your words. Hug from Portugal. 

 -Daya

Happy New Year! It is 2012!

If you are wondering where you stand in this big universe, you can check here.

ENiGMA Dubz

NAME

James Vine aka ENiGMA Dubz

WHERE YOU CALL HOME

Birmingham, UK

ENiGMA Dubz BEGINNINGS 

Production and DJ-wise, I've been on it now for around five years now. When I was doing my GCSE's, I got hold of a copy of 'Reason' and to start with it was a case of getting in from school, opening 'Reason' and then just experimenting and trying to work out what a compressor was for! The music side of things was something I was strong at as I've been playing the cello from a very young age. Over the years, I've had a load of experience playing in concerts with orchestras and playing solo  Classical work. The Classical training gave me all the fundamental music knowledge and theory to be creative. So once I got hold of 'Reason', and then later Fruity Loops, it was a case of learning the program and then having fun with it. I eventually got a Mac, just over a year ago, and then I was able to make the move to Logic which really has taken my producing to the next level. No matter what happens with my producing career, I'll always have a passion for music in general and being creative.

CURRENT WORK

I've just finished making two EPs which will be coming out either at the end of this year or at the start of 2012. One EP is coming out on a Bristol Label called Subdepth Records which is focused more on the deeper side of Garage/Dubstep. The other EP is coming out on a label called Bassclash Records and this one is a bit heavier...well, a lot heavier.

I'm also working on two other big projects. One is an album which is coming from an MC in London called Drapez. We've been putting out tracks for a while now and, in 2012, there will be an album dropping called 'Drapez - My Way Out', so keep an eye and ear out for that! The other project I've just started is a second album to follow my first one, 'ENiGMA Dubz - Variationz', but this won't be done for at least a few months and should be out there at some point during 2012.

Other than that, I'm still pushing out other tracks, more free downloads, experimenting with other sounds and working with other artists. Me and my girlfriend Katie McLeod are working on more tracks and there will be an EP coming out on LU10 Records featuring Katie's new track 'Brighter Day' alongside a couple of other. So, watch out for that and there will be plenty more to come from us in the near future.

The last thing to mention is that I have just put out a mix CD to help push my music to the public. The CD, 'Sub-Mission Vol 1' will be available at most Birmingham Record shops and hopefully nationwide once I get it out there. All the tracks are produced by myself and I'll be bringing a Volume 2 out next year. If you want more info on this, head over to my Soundloud and listen to the Mix CD sample.

FUTURE WORK

Well the next thing for me is to start finding ways of pushing my name further. I'm hoping to do more DJ sets next year and also do a lot more official remix work for labels/artists. Once I get a chance to focus on my new album, I'll finish that and should get it out during 2012. I'm also keen to get into music for film and television so I'm going to be creating all sorts of music next year.

LAST BITS

Big up to LU10 Records, DANK 'N' DIRTY DUBZ and also any other labels helping to push my music. Also shout out to Katie McLeod for writing amazing vocals, Drapez for being a next-level MC and everyone out there making great music. Also I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's been supporting me, all the features on blogs, YouTube posts, comments, messages and general support is really appreciated, so thank you! Lastly, thanks to AMINA for this feature. There's some sick stuff on this blog so keep your eye on it people!

Not only is ENiGMA Dubz talented, his music is very diverse. I look forward to hearing what he creates next. If you would like to find out more about ENiGMA Dubz or perhaps book him, click on the links below.

Soundcloud           Facebook           YouTube          Bookings Contact

Rogue

NAME
Joel Hunt aka Rogue

HOMETOWN

Walsall, near Birmingham, UK

MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

I've been producing for a few years now, not really knowing it myself. I was just messing around on FL Studio and creating all different styles of music. I started making Dubstep specifically in summer 2010. But, since then, I have produced lots of other types of music. At the end of September 2011, after talking with a DJ known as NAZA from Middlesbrough and finding that he liked my music, he told me to get an artist name. Previously,  I'd been making music as 'Joel Hunt Music'. So, I thought of the name 'Rogue' and got involved with Future Follower Records, a label which NAZA had just started up. Then I made my accounts on YouTube and other social networks.

CURRENT WORK

Right now I'm working on a number of tracks, as always, one of them being a take on Coldplay's 'Clocks'. Another track is a House-type track with a Rogue twist called 'Tigers'. I am also working on a 100bpm remix of 'The Tribe' by Driftkong, another Future Follower Records artist.

FUTURE WORK

Well, I'm going to continue making music and video blogs. Hopefully it will keep getting the same attention that my current stuff is getting. I'll also be trying out some other genre's like DnB/Drumstep and maybe Moombahton, and mostly just trying to get better at what I do, as I realize I have a lot of headroom. I just want to keep having fun with my music and not take it too seriously, continuing to experiment with new things and find my own sound.

Following Rogue's progress is easy. Just click on any link below. I suggest you click on them from time to time since he is always adding new content!

Soudcloud          Facebook            Twitter            YouTube