One of Manchester biggest promoters in the Drum & Bass scene (Foz Foster) responisble for bringing alot of vibes and massive headliners here over the last 5 years caught up with Ram Records signed Misanthrop for a chat about music production, DJ's, events and much more ahead of his Manchester debut preformance at Masters of Drum & Bass this weekend!
Foz : You've been heavily involved within the Drum & Bass/Jungle scene for well over a decade now, how would you rate the current scene and what can you see the positives & negatives being for Drum & Bass in 2016?
Misanthrop : Thanks a lot! In my opinion the Drum and Bass scene is very healthy at the moment.
I really like how it’s still forward thinking and not too much dependent on certain trends. People nowadays seem to me more open minded about new music and other genres than back in the days.
If there’s a negative thing I see in 2016, then producers shouldn’t sleep on that “forward thinking“, “future genre“ brand too much and keep on progressing, so people won’t get bored -> neurofunk!
Foz : Ravers in general seem a lot more open-minded about other musical styles featuring at their nights. OK in terms of production, who do you most enjoy working with in the studio when creating music & do you prefer working solo or collaboratively?
Misanthrop : Working solo in the studio is pretty much the thing I prefer, because I don’t have to compromise on decisions and shape the track exactly how I want it to be. Nevertheless I don’t and won’t say no to collabs at all.
For a collab it’s important to me that it I get along with the person I work with musically and personally. I wouldn’t want to work with another producer just to cleverly position myself in the scene. It’s all about the music not the political decisions.
Foz : All about keeping that artistic integrity in tact, that’s definitely something to be commended on. How have you enjoyed working with Ram Records? Do you think being on Ram might have opened your music up to a wider demographic of audience?
Misanthrop : It was great to work with the RAM crew and the EP most likely has extended my reach within dnb audiences, which is a great side effect of course, but wasn’t the main goal (see answer above).
It´s just an honour to me, to be part of that legendary DnB label, and to contribute something to it.
Foz : It’s definitely something to be proud of & unintentionally it should definitely help with getting some of the newer ravers to check out your back catalogue. Do you have any forthcomings in 2016 & is there a possibility of a new album in the pipeline anytime soon?
Misanthrop : I have no idea yet! …. ;-)
Foz : That wink will have to keep us guessing eh?! Which DJ's got you into this music and who do you rate highest both back in the day and currently?
Misanthrop : It’s not a certain Dj who got me into music, it was just the feeling I had when I first tried DJ’ing myself and I heard what two tracks in the mix could do to me and the crowd. I still love that feeling when two tracks match perfectly together.
Foz : That beautiful feeling when you line two tunes together for the first time & it sounds epic, there’s something very special there isn’t there?! Similar question, which producers got you into this music and who do you rate highest both back in the day and currently?
Misanthrop : Similar answer, not a certain producer got me into producing, it’s more my urge to work on something creative and to see the reaction of the people.
Foz : That’s very interesting. In terms of your production, which song are you most happy?
Misanthrop : Music production is similar to a surfers attitude for me. There will always be a bigger wave, like the actual one you surfed on. So I better let others decide what they liked best from my back catalogue.
Foz : Excellent way to get away from the question, but blatantly understandable what you’re saying. Do you have any hot tips for who is going to be making a big name for themselves in 2016 that we might not yet have heard of?
Misanthrop : There are some hot names out there right now, I really like
Proxima, Stoner, Heamy or Alex Tobax at the moment, just to name a few.
I can’t wait to see what’s next for them, but I also have an eye on some others all the time. So keep the demos coming.
Foz : Will definitely have to have a listen out for those four, thanks for the recommendations. Do you prefer sets with or without a host & do you have any particular hosts?
Misanthrop : I don’t have a regular host and I don’t really have a preference. I think it depends on the show you play and of course the host. Some nights really need an emcee but some work fine without.
The emcee should have a good knowledge of the music I play and a sense for step away from the mic at the right moment. I’m also not too much into the Caribbean, reggae mc rap style. I don’t think that fits to the style of music I play.
Foz : It’s definitely about knowing when to let the music do the talking. I hear what you are saying about the ragga vocals, Neurofunk & Ragga might not be the most complimentary of styles. A number of artists seem to experiment with a live show, would this be something you would consider or are you happy with traditional DJ'ing for the moment?
Misanthrop : I have already done something similar with that experimental neosignal project together with florian (Phace). It was a real nice and interesting experience. Nowadays I’m more focused to extend the way I perform on stage with live equipment and the conventional DJ’ing equipment instead to focus on visuals.
Foz : Really looking forward to what you have in store when you play Manchester. Which countries and cities go craziest for the music?
Misanthrop : DnB is so strong in Europe at the moment, so I can’t name a country in particular.
Foz : A lot of DJ’s are saying how good the European scene is, maybe the UK has some catching up to be done? Which cities do you enjoy playing in the UK & do you notice any regional differences between the North and South?
Misanthrop : London of course is the centre of DnB so it’s obviously a good thing to play there as a DnB Dj. I think the most northern city I played in the uk so far was Nottingham, so I’m not sure if I’m able to point out any regional differences, but I’m pretty sure its pretty the same differences between north and south like in Germany… and trust me the difference between north and south in Germany is veeeeery big ;-)
Foz : Really?!? We need further elaboration :P London do things big, they have so much happening over there. Enough of London though, it's mad that you've never played in Manchester before, are you looking forward to dropping in for Masters of Drum & Bass?
Misanthrop : Words can’t describe that! I’m really looking forward to my first Manchester appearance
Foz : We are sure you will appreciate the Manchester ravers & we are all very much looking forward to hearing what you have in store. Thanks very much for your time. TICKETS : http://bit.ly/1kSfF3i FB EVENT : https://www.facebook.com/events/124021834624066 LINE UP : MISANTHROP (Manchester Debut) - 90 Minute Set / NICKY BLACKMARKET / MACKY GEE B2B DUB BERZERKA (UK Debut) - 90 Minute Set / ROWNEY & PROPZ w. MC TRIGGA - 90 Minute Set / MR TRAUMATIK / KONKER / SALVAGE & CARBON / NIAN DUB B2B SEMIOTIX / DJ DANNY INTRO / EPICENTRE B2B IGGY B2B DJ HZ / SHADRE / JAMMIN & TRINGY / NITERIDER / BOU / JAMOH / MC KOMBO / MC RAFTA / MC HARIBO / MC CHINKSTA