Medlar has come along way from his humble beginnings in the small town of Radstock, England. Since bursting onto the scene in 2011, Medlar has gone onto establish himself as one of the UK’s most promising producers after playing a pivotal role in the rise of legendary label Wolf Music.

Now residing in South East London, Medlar can be found spending his time jamming out while also searching for hidden gems at record stores like Rye Wax. We were fortunate enough to get him to compile a tape for our MIXED BY series in which he shares some of the sounds and melodies that inspired his upcoming release titled NRG on Delusions of Grandeur. Make sure to read our conversation with him below – where the artist talks about his childhood, his favorite shop that sells jerk chicken paninis, and more!

INTERVIEW

Looking into your past, it seems that you are a man of many tastes. From UK garage, to hip-hop and disco, it appears that you listen to anything that tickles your fancy. What would you say were your biggest influences in making your upcoming record for Delusions of Grandeur?
Italo disco and dub are 2 sounds which came through, I coincidentally discovered a place near my friend Johny’s studio that sells jerk chicken paninis around the same time, so I like to think it was a subconscious nod to that. (Thanks So Fresh cafe on Old Kent Road).

Although disco has always been at the forefront of the underground house scene, it seems that the genre has grown in prominence the past few years. As someone who made his name producing “deep house,” how do you explain the shift many producers like yourself are making towards more disco-centric melodies?
I think like many of these revivals it came from people gaining access to music that predated them, which was previously tricky to get hold of e.g. people like myself born in the 80s discovering disco since the emergence of youtube and filesharing etc. Now we have really young DJs who have an amazing knowledge of past music which I think is brilliant. House of course came from disco, and though it’s unrecognisable in some forms it’s not much of a stretch to include elements or samples from that era.

A major part of your current day success stems from the friendships you have been able to make during your times living in Brighton. I believe this is where you first teamed up with the label heads at Wolf Music Matt and Stu. Since I have never been to Brighton, could you describe what makes the house scene there so special? And what’s some of your favorite music coming from the city at the moment?
I haven’t lived in Brighton for many years so I don’t have a great idea of what’s going on there now, though where I’m currently based in South London I’m discovering new stuff consistently, and from being lucky enough to help out at my local record shop/venue Rye Wax I’m witnessing first hand a lot of the new independent artists and labels in many genres. A quick look at the schedule for radio station Balamii.com for any given day is a pretty accurate representation of what’s going on musically in my surroundings right now!

Given all the time you have spent with Matt and Stu, do you ever see yourself getting into the same line of work as them? Would you ever want to run a label of your own?
I tried it a while ago and I think if I were to again I’d probably try a reissue label or something, licensing music which has become generally unavailable. If I ever hear friends have made tunes that I’d potentially sign I generally think a more established label would do a better job of all the necessary promotion etc. It’s quite a responsibility! My pals at Rye Wax have luckily started West Friends which is a nice outlet for any sweet fruits that result from jam sessions with friends. 

Before moving to Brighton, I heard you grew up in a little village between Bath and Bristol called Radstock. I also grew up in a small-town in America, and although I hated it as a kid, I tend to look back at it foundly in creating the person and professional I am today. What about growing up in Radstock made you the person and artist you are today?
I guess lack of distractions led to friends and I playing about with music from an early age, so am grateful for that for sure, as well as having access to nature which I took for granted at the time but really value a lot now. I would visit my dad in Essex near East London fairly regularly too which let me go to places like Boogie Times records (founders of jungle label Suburban Base Records) which was the most exciting thing ever at the time.

In a previous interview, you said you have tracks on your hard drive that are “pastiches” of previous eras. As an artists that dabbles in emulating dance music’s past, what do you make of the current lo-fi movement? What do you like and dislike about it?
I don’t know a huge amount of it if honest, part of it seemed to me to be a desire to create a new name for something, which of course happens every few years when journalists get bored. I’m a big fan of Ross From Friends though he’s outgrown any genre by now surely!

You appear to be quite the ‘crate digger’, finding a lot of your new music on discogs. What would you say are favorite records at the moment? Any newcomers you feel our readers should look out for in 2018?
Some of these aren’t so much newcomers but; Jay (Intergraded/Siren), Toma Kami, Elles, Weird Weather, Tom Blip, Living, Gigi FM, Ed from Balham, DJ Missed Delivery Slip & Gravy Boat Records

Although we’re a music magazine, we occasionally dabble in other subjects. When did you become a fan of West Ham United and why are they some of the most passionate in the EPL?
As a kid I’d go and see them or Bristol City as those were closest teams, my dad had grown up going to West Ham with his dad who was from Peckham where I live now so was a Millwall fan originally. Like all football fans they can be idiots and unfortunately West Ham have some absolute wronguns, though they’re nothing on their pantomime villain owners. Judging the current table of the NHL Atlantic Division league they’re the Canadiens of the *football world. * Yep

Jacob

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Greymatter (soundcloud), real name Graham Luckhurst, took a little break after his previous album ‘Visions‘ was released on WOLF Music in 2014, a label that he helped form the foundations of, alongside artists Medlar and KRL. His hiatus, which we assume was spent producing and gigging, was ended by a single released on WOLF’s ‘7 Years, Who Cares’ record followed by some remixes and singles on his own imprint Unique Uncut. Now, he has announced a third full-length album “No Blood Without“, which will have a limited run of 300 vinyl copies and 30 cassettes.

With years spent co-running lauded Mr. Bongo, it’s no wonder Luckhurst’s music draws on a wide variety of influences. Listening to all sorts of genres and styles, his eclectic taste comes from his love for digging. One thing that stands out in most of his own productions, though, is the groove, something he always searches for whether it be through sampling, writing his own or re-creating. Loose rhythms are something not every producer can get down, yet Graham is able to keep those swung grooves somewhat tame and danceable. The new album has plenty of these and more, from housier jams to broken beats to more downtempo material, Greymatter shows his versatility and his love for sampling and lo-fi sonics.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-greymatter-burning-4-u”/]

Today, we’re happy to bring you the premiere of the second track on the album ‘Burning 4 U’. A tambourine groove and moody chords open up this cut, with rather spooky atmospheres resonating in the background. A pitched female vocal with the song’s tagline comes into the fray just before the booming low-end of the kick announces the real beginning. Clinking high end percussion carries the rhythm from here on into the break where the track gets even eerier with a sinister sounding synth line and echoing percussion, before coming back full swing with all the combined elements into the climax of the tune. Definitely a late night stomper reserved for dance floor destruction.

You can pre-order your copy of the new album here.

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Igor

Cet article PREMIERE : Greymatter – Burning 4 U [Unique Uncut] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Delusions of Grandeur voilà un label qui inspire le plus grand respect depuis ces dernières années. Habile pour dénicher les perles rares et signer les plus grands tel que Tornado Wallace, Session Victim, Uffe, Toby Tobias, Franck Spangler (Jimpster), The Revenge… Ils reviennent cette fois ci avec leur EP n°47 « Walk », un EP 100% londonien signé Dan Shake & Medlar. On ne pouvait pas rêver meilleure association. D’un côté, le jeune Dan Shake flairé l’année passée lors du Dimension festival par Moodyman qui l’intégra aussitôt sur son label Mahogani music et de l’autre Medlar, artiste montant du label Wolf music qui a su se faire remarquer ces 5 dernières années avec notamment des remix pour Disclosure ou Glenn Astro.

Avec Walk, Medlar et Dan Shake mêlent les styles et réinvente la house classique de Détroit avec une touche purement UK donnant lieu à un EP groovy et percutant. Saveur funk, rythmique afro et vocales samplées un parfait cocktail pour un EP incontournable.

Le remix de Soulphiction apporte une nouvelle dimension. Prenant l’air de ballade et marqué par un kick plus prononcé, ce remix ajoute une véritable profondeur et texture à Walk sans pour autant altérer l’atmosphère groovy originelle.

Sur la Side-B, plus lounge, plus jazz, « I on you » marque une pause paisible dans cet EP avec des vocales samplées, une fois de plus, murement choisi. On apprécie particulièrement la légèreté des improvisations au piano et le choix judicieux de l’arrangement qui met en exergue le côté jazzy de « I on you ».

Face à un tel EP on ne peut que vous conseiller de vous le procurer. Disponible dès aujourd’hui sur Juno download et en vinyle depuis le 22 juin.

Cet article Dan Shake & Medlar- Walk est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.