2008: Forensics

As part of our artist features section, once a month we will be tracking down one of our regular clients to find out what they are up to and to get a little insight into the whole dubplate thing. This month we hunted down Forensics.

How long have you been producing for?

Started producing as Forensics early 2005, I think. Could have been late 2004! Had dabbled a little bit before then anyway, plus been in a few bands.... but that was really the start of me producing.

Is there a tune you can remember inspiring you to start?

Horrorshow by Loefah, definitely. That was the one that inspired me to start making my own beats.

Who is your favorite producer at the moment?

Couldn't really nail it down to one person. Have just released an EP with remixes from Phaeleh & Not In My Name, so probably those guys right now. But that's definitely a biased answer!

I have always wondered, how do you pronounce Phaeleh?

'Fella'

How would you describe your brand of music?

Minimal, ambient, a little bit melancholic.... Dunno, it's difficult to for me to say - being in the thick of it. Definitely try and keep my stuff different to anyone else's - if there's nothing else positive to be said about it, there's always that!

Well, a lot of the stuff I cut for you has quite a dark haunting edge, is that intentional? If so, why?

Good question! Well, suppose I'm quite a dark individual!! Expressing myself and all that.... not that I necessarily like the darker side of things, but I do definitely tend to notice it more. Should probably start doing Buddhism or something, lol.

Care to meditate on your gear of choice?

I produce on Cubase. Use other programs for bits and pieces too (Fruityloops, Audition, etc). In terms of hardware, my favourite thing is my Zoom recorder. Love it!

What's a Zoom recorder?

It's a tiny multi-tracker, very versatile. But especially good for field recordings.

Are you a gear slut or do you prefer to work with the same stuff?

Definitely not a gear slut. I know people with full studios who never produce a beat. Not what it's about for me....

What's your favourite format from Dub Studio and why?

10" all the way for me. Always loved 10s, just find them aesthetically pleasing.

What difference does it make to you as a DJ and producer to use vinyl?

Don't think I'll ever stop playing off vinyl in a club situation. Get much more of a buzz watching other DJs play off vinyl apart from anything else. Sometimes throw in the odd CDr, but that's mainly just if I haven't had time to cut something yet. Not that I've got anything against playing off other formats - use a lot of mp3s & CDs for internet/radio mixes myself, there's no way I could cut everything.

What is the hottest dub in your box right now?

I'm gonna say one of my own, cos it's the last one I cut basically! Exile ft. Indi Kaur / Exile (Phaeleh remix).

What's the most caned dub?

Probably be something by RSD. 'Over It' (forthcoming Tectonic Records) maybe....

What's in the pipeline release-wise?

Well, I've just released my third album ('Heavy Weather'). Plus the Exile EP, which has literally just dropped. Oh, and a sampler album - for the Digital Sin releases so far, called Silver Linings. Started thinking about a fourth album now, just about. It's gonna be very different to the first three, if it happens. But yeah, I'm definitely taking a little breather before I get stuck into anything major like that. Just started working on a couple of tracks with Two Oh One (who did a great remix of Endgame a while back), which I'm pretty excited about. But again, we're only just starting those - so we'll see what happens! Also have plans to work with Indi Kaur again, plus some other vocalists. Forensics stuff aside, I'm looking to get into soundtrack writing. Have a couple of things in the pipeline along those lines already, and definitely looking to build in that direction....

What's your favourite gig this year?

Not sure which was my favourite, but it would have to be a Ruffnek (Diskotek - the night I started with Tim Dub Boy in 2005). Always a blast seeing my Bristol mates, and it's great to still be involved with the night. Especially given that I haven't lived in Bristol for over 10 years!

More Info:

virb.com/forensics | forensicdubstep.blogspot.com | myspace.com/forensicdubstep | myspace.com/digitalsinrecordings