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| SubCode is quickly earning the reputation as one of the most innovative dj/producers coming out of the U. S. With tracks currently out on labels such as Soundsphere, Thermal, Pneuma, and soon Vortex, he is definetely a name to keep in mind next time you take a trip to the record store. SubCode is also up on the DJ side of things and can be spotted around the southern cali area dropping the fresh dubplates. Now for some words from the man himself... |
| Tell us about your musical background, (early to current influences). Well I first got into music as a little kid. My father played guitar and my mother sang so it was like natural for me to follow in their artistic vibe. I started writing music and I was hooked. Around 1990 I started really doing techno, yet I always enjoyed a good rock song since I'm a guitar transplant to keyboards. Now I just mainly listen and produce Drum and Bass. It satitisfies all my musical influences from the hardness of Position Chrome-Audio Couture, the dancefloor vibe of Ram, Virus, Renegade Hardware to the progressiveness of Black Science, Photek Productions, Hardleaders et al... I love drum and bass truely. Do you think your current music is influenced by your early background? Yes of course, every transformation from pop to intense is in the current tracks I write. I've been streamlining my sound recently. I'm just trying to simplify my dance floor patterns and over produce the mix ala similar to Ram.. What is it that pushes you to write new tracks? A new vibe or just a sample. I'm really in to the Matrix movie and when I heard the sample "never trust a human to do a machines' job" that just hit me so hard I kept that line in my heads for weeks before I wrote the track. Other times it's just a good beat and a significant bass line. I like bass lines that have a moving structure, for instance check out Dillinja/Capone his bass lines are so melodic and heavy at the same time. I also like it when there's a super hard hook, the Genotype song comes to mind on 3 the hard way, the remix of the Germ by Usual Suspects. That's was cool when it hit me the first time. I know you had a label awhile ago (NoiseMx), any plans to get that going again? One of these days, I guess I just want to establish myself as an viable artist with some type of value and credibility before I start back at it again... Do you feel that there is something unique about the style of tracks that are being written in the US right now, or even the west coast? Well that's the big question I want to say that the flavors of d+b run so differently in different parts of the world not just the states soit's really hard to bag on one person's flavor. Take a look at the rap thing and you can see what I mean. There's guys in Japan, France, two very different parts of the planet, that can flow just like Method Man, or DMX, it's the same with drum and bass, left side producers from the states are just as dance floor as Andy C, I personnally love that Striation track from Pieter K, to name a song or even that new track you guys are doing that's out on Vortex, now that's dance floor to me. Now whether it's at all unique? mmm I think there's a little homogensation of the dance floor style but as far as getting it away from the two step the possibilties are endless. It's just a matter of what kind of education the dj wants to provide when it comes to exposing heads and neophytes to this music. Where do you see the future of drum and bass production going? I think it's in the computer and the myraid of peripherals to manipulate the sound are ever increasing daily. So how we create it today is going to be different in the since that, as more ideals are accepted, the boundries of music will expand. It wasn't long ago that the price of a drum machine was $3000.00 dollars, now they're $300.00 and what about the price of computers the same rules apply and hence the ability to realize your creativity with all that power at such an inexpensive price is fantastic. Besides once you buy your digital sound card, the whole musical spectrum in concert with the internet makes an artist a real powerful influence on this culture of man and machine. I just read about some new cd dj player that enables you to have a totally vinyl feel,,...mmm that's interesting because since I've started spinning, the physical size of a 12 or 10 inch platter makes doing things with your hands versus buttons a more human skill and I hope no buttons replace my fingers. Any new tracks coming out in the near future? Lot's of new tracks, Of course Thermal has just release Vibrator, with a trip hop remix on the etch side. Pneuma recently released Silicontrol and Element Cell. There's a track coming out on Vortex, it's a double pack of drum and bass remixes, The track I remixed was originally done by Otherwise. Hive said that should be out soon, I drop it at Konkrete Jungle and the place was nutty about it. There's a Thermal double pack of Blue Sneakers, Blunt Figure, Purple Eggs, and A Machine schedule for release April 2000 and a full length album due sometime in the near future. Hopefully more labels will get interested. I'm always writing so we'll find out in the months ahead. |
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Thanks for your time, any last words, shouts? Sure! all props got to go to God, without him I would be no talent, my crew Phunckateck, E-Sassin especially he's my brother, literally and a friend.,Soundsphere, Thermal, Pneuma, Vortex Recordings, and my girl Stephanie, it's hard to imagine how much a girlfriend can endure being involved with an artist/dj/producer, The remaining props go to all of you out there reading this. Peace. |
| interview by Kojak |
| SubCode released vinyl DISCOGRAPHY 1. rush velodrama Soundphere Recordings 2. bent glass forcefield Thermal Recordings 3. vibrator (orig) trip down remix Thermal Recordings 4. element cell silicontrol Pnuema Recordings 5. wizeman's advice(remix) Vortex Recordings 6. a machine blue sneakers purple eggs blunt figure Thermal Recordings |
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| other SubCode sites and links |