My latest interview for the mighty Media Contender music portal is up!
Check Hessle Audio's very own Ramadanman talk about effective wood block deployment and the nuances of drinking milk in France! Plus there is a free download of his first release on 2nd Drop Records never before available!
Media Contender interview here
I wanted to pop the interview below too, if you can't be arsed to go to the other website.
Some say he‘s a musical terrorist. Wild rumours suggest he makes his music in a cave. Others mutter behind cupped hands that he’s a clean living Dorset lad. But what we do know about Ramadanman is that he has an almost biblical talent for making critical beats and running one of the finest labels in dubstep. Middle eastern inspired (although nothing to do with to fasting, prayer and the Prophet Mohammed) non-de plume aside, 20-year-old David Kennedy, got hooked early on the raw energy of UK Grime which helped kick start his production career. But you’d be hard pressed to find the rudimentary elements of the most urban of genres in his output these days. Having carved out a stripped back, skeletal integrity on labels such as Soul Jazz, 2nd Drop, Tempa and his own imprint Hessle Audio, which he runs with Ben UFO and Pangaea, for 2009 Ramadanman is delving deeper into his musical artillery, drawing on house and techno with a distinctive, yet off kilter, tribalism to take on dubstep’s stereotypes and take the music world to its knees. Markle catches up with him to talk wood blocks, milk drinking and 2008 being a killer year.
Markle:
How is living in France working out? Is it having any impact on your music?
Ramadanman:
I suppose it has an impact on my music as I am in a different production environment so it has taken some time to adjust. Also I don’t have all my equipment with me so I am working with a basic setup. I do have more spare time out here, and I don’t go to a lot of nights so I guess maybe subconsciously it is affecting my music. I did sample some local accordion players on a recent tune so there a few overt influences coming into my music!
M:
I can often hear playground noise and atmospheres lurking in the background of your music (Carla, Dubwar podcast). Is this some regressive tendency, or a sonic nuance you think is particular evocative?
R:
I think adding extra ambience adds a huge amount to a tune, taking you right to the place or recreating the mood of where the ambience was recorded. I record a lot of ambience myself now (not the blimey samples!) and I think as you say it can be very evocative. If anything it’s more for personal reasons to remind me of a particular place, or otherwise to add some texture to a tune where I think it needs it.
M:
You have a fierce percussionist trapped inside of you that is unleash on many of your tunes, none more so than Revenue, which feels like Blimey’s steroid dependent brother. Where is this stripped down tribalism emanating from?
R:
I don’t know, but I am into rhythm and I always wanted to play the drums. I often find myself tapping out rhythms on the tabletop when I am bored and stuff like that, so maybe it’s the repressed drummer in me? Most of my favourite music is just beats and bass, so I guess it’s a continuation of that.
M:
Never afraid to diverge from the proscribed templates of dubstep, give us an insight into what drives your creativity and vision, and the need to offer such excellent left of centre music?
R:
I often don’t feel 100% happy with a tune if I can hear that it sounds like someone else, so I think I am keen to make sure my stuff sounds like me. When I first got into the ‘dubstep’ sound, its definition was very loose, and in my mind it still is. So for me as long as the tempo is in the right region (for mixing), anything goes. People can spend too long pondering whether something is or isn’t dubstep, but that doesn’t really bother me anymore. I remember Skream being asked in an interview ‘what is dubstep’, and he replied ‘I don’t know’.
M:
I would have to say 2008 was a pretty good year for you. Not least Hessle Audio becoming one of the must have labels. What has it been like from your perspective?
R:
2008 has been cool, it was nice to see quite a few of my tunes make it to vinyl. It has been great as well to travel a lot, and meet lots of interesting people. I really enjoy travelling to different cities and meeting people from over there – a lot of people are on a similar vibe and it is cool to see what they are doing to push interesting music in their cities. It is an honour to be asked to go somewhere to play!
M:
Your own productions have been gathering some deserved attention; support from across the scene, but more importantly the cross over with Technophiles and the likes of Villalobos. Has this been a surprise to you in any way?
R:
Well there was quite a lot of excitement about this whole dubstep techno crossover malarkey, and for a while it was perhaps kinda trendy and exciting, but yes it was a surprise to have someone send me a video of Ricardo Villalobos opening with two of my tunes at some techno festival in Germany. I have never met the guy, and it was really bizarre to be watching a video on the internet of my tunes, being played off vinyl that I had seen been mastered, through the same speakers and computer that I made them on a few months earlier. Much respect to the guy, he comes across as a very interesting guy, and I’d hope to meet him sometime, just to say thank you!
M:
You are kinda fond of the odd wood block.
Ramadanman:
Never been a fan of rip your ears off super snares, so I quite often use a woodblock! I was discussing woodblock EQing with Pangaea earlier today as it happens….good times.
M:
Are we going to see a Ramadanman album this year?
Ramadanman:
No plans for an album nah. This year should be quite exciting. My tune Humber should be out by the time this magazine is published on Appleblim’s label Applepips. Other than that, I have just remixed the Ragga Twins for Soul Jazz. I have made a couple of tunes with Appleblim, which should come out this year. Also I have tunes under different names which should be coming out, including an EP at 170 bpm, a 140 bpm 12” and perhaps some funky stuff… other than that I have been working on collabs with Alix Perez and Brendon Moeller, and I am working with a filmmaker to provide music for a documentary about an amazing martial arts family in Brazil!
M:
I know there is talk of you starting a funky label. Can you tell us a little more? Are you making Funky?
Ramadanman:
Haha, I’m not sure where you heard that one. I am interested by some of the stuff in this new ‘funky’ vein, especially the tougher stuff which is more percussive, with lots of sub bass – such as Lil Silva, Apple, Roska etc. I have been making some myself, and it has been really fun to try my hand at something new. I am pleased with the results too, and Marcus Nasty has been dropping some of my bits and bobs.
M:
I heard Ben play nearly an hour of funky and house on your Ruffage show on Sub FM. Is this an indication of a change of direction or just adding found sounds to your armoury?
Ramadanman:
I see it as another mutation of garage and it all fits into the history of new UK music and I think rather than a change of direction, it just fits with what we enjoy! I think variety is very important
M:
What does the future hold for Ramadanman?
Ramadanman:
Just trying to make more music really, and visit more places in the world, as well as trying to link up with more of the interesting people I have met over the past few years. I am very excited for 2009, it seems like musically everyone is moving in very exciting directions.
M:
Are you addicted to Milk?
Ramadanman:
A certain friend does call me ‘milky boy’, but recently I have toned down my milk drinking to be honest. Also I’ve switched to semi skimmed, and it’s just not the same. Oh and finally, UHT milk is not the one, it is difficult to find fresh milk in France
