2008: Cyantific

In August we caught up with one of the hottest new names in Drum and Bass, Cyantific.

What inspires you to produce, are you inspired by other drum and bass producers, other genres, or something else?

All sorts, Funk, Soul, Electro, Techno,

generally not other Drum and Bass if it can be avoided. Its not easy when youre a DJ, because you have to listen to DnB as part of your job. In the car I don't listen to DnB, or much in my free time.

You use musical notation to classify your dubs, tell us about that.

I got taught by Tom who works at Hospital Records about key mixing, so when I get sent a track I work out what key its in so as not to cut a 'plate with 2 things that might have worked well together. Its useful when in a club too - you know what might work with something on the fly.

Do you apply careful planning like that to your production?

No, production sessions are a totally different thing, I like spending days on drums for example, but the music writing is different every time, it just seems to happen that way, so as not to get the same results.

How do you decide when a tune is ready?

Usually after Hospital have cast their beady eye over it!

What do you bear in mind when preparing tracks to send to Dub Studio for cutting?

Sometimes if I get sent something long, I'll edit it down, or something quiet I'll turn up. Occasionally if a mix is really bad but I want to cut the track I'll have dig at sorting it out as best I can before sending it.

What's your format of choice from Dub Studio, and why?

12 inch vinyl dubs, there's no point cutting tens anymore in DnB, the volume war hasn't left room for them. You need the loudest format you can get.

How do you regulate the number of dubs you cut?

If I had a girlfriend she would probably have my balls, put it that way. I cut everything I like, sometimes even if I know its on vinyl in a couple of weeks, if there's a few gigs worth cutting it for.

What's your most caned dub?

I still play my dub of Logistic's remix of the Burial which is about 3 years old I think, still works though.

What's your hottest dub right now?

Q Project - Credit Crunch, old Total Science vibes.

What do you have in the pipeline release-wise?

We're a couple of months into making our second LP. There should be a single later this year then the LP should be about next year.

What gig are you most looking forward to this year?

Hospitality at Heaven in September, always leave there in a state.

And finally... other Dub Studio clients were interested to know:

Are you supplied with of all Hospital's newest releases in advance or do you have to wait like everyone else?

I get them sent to me by Hospital once they're on vinyl. I usually get the tunes when they're first finished off the producer to cut though. Sometimes the odd track slips through and I don't get it til its out, shocking.

How many ideas on average would you discard before finding the right one for a track?

Its hard to say, a lot of what we make is an idea before we sit down, like right now we're doing something (loosely) based on an electro track. If you work like that you have something to get rolling with, which is the hardest part I find. If something really doesn't want to work and you've spent a day or two on it, put it away and start something new. You might come back to it in a few months and see it in a different light.

What route got you noticed on the Drum and Bass scene?

Luck and a bit of right-place-right-time I'm afraid to say. Its not how most people do it, we were just lucky. I was playing before High Contrast in 2002 in London and played our track as my last tune and he loved it, so I sent him a few bits on CD and he passed it on to Hospital. 2 weeks later we were sitting in their office.

What would be your 2nd favourite genre to mix?

I've got a few electro records I like messing about with, I'm not sure if you're gonna hear any sets of it out any time soon though!