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BREAK
In just five years, producer Break has accomplished more within the world of Drum & Bass than most producers will achieve during their whole career; not only due to the sheer number of releases, but the overall quality, impact, and influence they have made. His new album, Symmetry, which is out now on his Symmetry Recordings imprint, serves both as a professional stepping stone as well as a bit of a personal one in terms of being an artist: ''I wanted to put a collection of tracks together that show some of the different styles of Drum & Bass that I like to make'', he says, ''it's always hard to sit down and try and make the best tune you've ever done; because there's an album coming, some of my best tracks have happened when you don't expect. I just tried to pick the tracks that were my favourites, some I'd sat on for a few years, because they felt more like album tracks than singles''. Symmetry proves, most importantly, that this producer has no plans of slowing down the momentum he has going, and is a force to be reckoned with.
Though the popularity of his music has allowed him to be signed to some of the most well-known and respected labels within DnB (seriously too many to mention), he made the important decision to release the album on his own label, versus going through an imprint with whom he has a previous a working relationship. ''I did get some offers to do an album for some other labels, but since I had started Symmetry Recordings and the 3 releases had gone well, it made sense to do it myself. I was able to keep all of the creative control, and being a bit of a perfectionist it was great to be able to call all the shots from design to track choice, etc''.
One thing that sticks out most about Break is that in a genre that is often divided to the point that it is divided for division's sake, his tracks seem to have a general, overall allure to a wide range of DnB fans. ''I do think it helps to make different styles, so to not be totally pigeonholed, and limit the audience. But I don't set out for mass market appeal, more just a tune that I want to play out, or listen to at home''. He goes on to say that ''it's generally trying to make a tune that's better than the last one I did, or something different at least. If I don't feel good about a track, it's pointless really, and I usually abandon it''. It seems that in an arguing crowd of Drum & Bass fans, everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and everyone argues about whom they think is best, but Break seems to be one of the few artists that everyone can agree on. It's music that has a little more mass appeal for the DnB market compared to other artists.
 Before branching off to start a label on his own, Break gained good experience by playing a vital role in the earlier days of DNAudio, a label which, love it or hate it, you've heard of, no question. It all started simple enough when Break met Squire and Silent Witness quite a few years ago, DNAudio then being fresh on the scene. Break got to watch it grow from the first release as the brainchild of two friends to one of the top quality labels within the community. ''It hasn't been an easy ride, or overnight success; Squire has put a lot of work in behind the scenes with the label, but I think consistently releasing good music had been the most exciting part. It's a great catalogue to be a part of; many of my favourite tunes are in there''.
Break's production work with Silent Witness has likely made them one of the most appreciated teams in Drum & Bass currently. An initial shared a passion for Kemal & Rob Data and the No U-Turn sound made an easy starting point to get in the studio. ''He showed me some great tricks and techniques with the software'', he explains. ''We made a lot of tracks together over those early years, and learnt a lot in the trial and error of production, and from always having similar goals, we would generally agree on a high standard of a track. Experimenting and trying new stuff musically in the studio is always fun, and that's important when you're in there a lot''.
In addition to continuing to work with Silent Witness, you can also look forward to some future collaborations with A-Sides, whom first signed Break tracks to his Eastside Records label back in 2003, thus getting Break some much-needed and well-deserved recognition. ''My first track was on Eastside, and we are both into a lot of the same music, so we've done some bits over the years, but most didn't get finished. There's one we were working on last year that a few people were playing the demo; hopefully that will get sorted soon for an Eastside release''. Hectic travel schedules have made it tricky for the duo to hook up to finish tunes, but Break assures us he is more than keen to do some more tracks in the future.
It's that the best producers have a way of making tracks that can be very different from the next, yet share common characteristic that, in the end, bind them all together. You know a DJ Premier track when you hear a DJ Premier track, and the same thing goes for Break. One thing that stands out about Break is the ability to make tunes that are often stripped free of the many layers that today's crop of DnB producers can, at times, over do. ''Sometimes, a lot of sounds and layers are needed to achieve a certain effect, and on some tracks I do use a lot of sounds and breaks, but for a strictly dancefloor track, you really only need bass and drums, as long as the beat and the bassline are good''. He explains further, ''some of my tunes are just one break and one bass line and that definitely works; a lot of Jungle classics from the 90's are basically just that. I think once you get a good groove going, [one] that you can sit and listen to over and over for an hour, that's all you need for a 6 minute track, as long as subtle things change all the way through to stop it from sounding like a machine loop''.
In any arena of music, those who have the most popularity and longevity are those who not only appeal to their market, but innovate through techniques and ideas. It's this innovation, when paired with the musicians own artistic styling, that creates a niche for that artist, a following that will last longer than a couple of years and an overall confirmation that, for lack of a better way to put it, some people are just light years ahead of others when it comes to production. Not only technically, but by the choices they make in terms of the sound they put out there. Pop stars make hits, legends make classics. Break is here to stay.
Q & A Redux - Inquiring Minds Want to Know
DOA: There's a little known single from back in 2003 on the now defunct Saigon label that never got properly released, whatever happened with those tunes, and will they ever see the light of day?"
Break: Basically we got a test press done, but the mastering didn't come out quite right. It was too limited and bass heavy so it came out muffled. It needed to be re-mastered, but it never happened as No U Turn (its big brother label) was winding down. I would like to get the tracks out at some stage. I have quite a lot of other tunes like those that never came out, so maybe get them all together for an album some time.
DOA: Aside from the boys in your crew, what producers do you really rate right now? And who would like to collaborate with if you had your pick, DnB or otherwise?
Break: Noisia, Calyx/Teebee, C4C,Dillinja. I'd love to work with those guy's, it's been in the cards for ages. I love what D-Bridge does, and Spectrasoul are really consistently runnin'; I'm feeling Nymfo and Spinline tunes as well. Dose & Menace have some wicked tracks. Lynx/Keemo and Sabre have really interesting tunes. The Insiders have some heavy stuff right now, of course Calibre and Soul:R crew, and probably loads more, it's hard to think. But theres many people I'd like to work with.
''Can you give us a run-down of your studio set up?''
DOA: Mac or PC?
Break: PC
DOA: What sequencer are you using and why?
Break: Logic 5; I don't like Macs. It's basically the same as new versions.
DOA: What outboard gear do you use in addition to software?
Break: I've got a 16 Mackie desk, TLAudio Compressor, DBX Compressor, Tapco Compressor, Lexicon Reverb.
DOA: What do you consider the heart of your studio/sound?
Break: I think a lot of what I do could be done elsewhere with the right plug-ins and sounds, so I think the main thing that's different is having the outboard set-up right, so it can all work when needed, no longness fiddling with wires, so that extra warmth and fatness can be achieved quite quickly.
DOA: We would be fools to think you are going to give away too many of your production secrets, but are there any you are willing to part with? What do you think are some key techniques that producers, both novice and established, should be applying out there?
Break: Cross-referencing your music to other music, for me, is a really important thing to do. It can be really soul destroying to finish a track you think's great, and then play it next to something really fat (for me would be old Dillinja or Konflict) and then realise it's not that great, but that has helped me loads to improve, and is still a big issue today. But on the other hand, a lot of music today is so loud and maximised that it's easy to get bogged down in trying to be loud, and a good, quiet mixdown is way more enjoyable to listen to than a lashing horrible mix.
I still battle with that balance a lot now, but would rather turn it up on the DJ mixer than have it sounding nasty all the time. There are certain tracks from well over 10 years ago that still sound amazing, better than a lot of new stuff, so that's quite inspiring, especially thinking how studios have advanced.
A few things that can help also: put your main beat, bass and shakers in mono, it will sound better on vinyl or dubplate. More than 5 layers in your beat at once can get tricky, two or three is definitely best for a tight sound. If you have more than two outputs, splitting the bass from the main track really helps with overall level and mixing, often bass takes up 75 pc of the level/headroom, so it's good to separate this from all the other tracks. These can then be limited separately without the whole mix pumping too much. My general approach is to get as much bass in the track without it ruining the rest of it.
DOA: What is the ratio of time you spend doing the ''business side'' of things (signing tunes, promoting your label, organizing dates etc) compared to actually producing?
Break: 75/25 to the music... but a lot of that other stuff is phone calls, and they can eat away at a day sometimes. I prefer being in the studio, but that other stuff is important and does need to be done.
DOA: You've done a mix for us which this article will accompany. What do you feel as an artist constitutes a quality DnB mix, and how did you apply that to this mix specifically?
Break: Mainly a good selection and a good flow. I've tried to choose tracks that work well together. More of a studio mix than a club mix, I think this one's good for a car trip or mp3 player, but would definitely drop in a club.
DOA: Why don't you have a MySpace?
Break: I'm not a fan of MySpace. I think it's a bit over-hyped. And doing my emails is enough of a chore, checking loads of MySpace messages would eat away at the day; mainly, I just hate hearing MySpace tagged into every interview, poster and album - I don't want to advertise them, so they can advertise something else to us... my rant's done, l'll shut up.
DOA: And finally, what's next? What do you have in store for 2009?
Break: I'd love to get onto some of those collabs mentioned before. Other than that more tunes, gigs, and pushing the label foward.
And now, onto the exclusive mix!
Tracklist:
Sabre ''Try Your Luck'' (Dub)
Break ''Hooked Up'' (Symmetry)
Proxima & Nymfo ''HardDrive'' (Dub)
Whizz & Daze ''Transit Zone'' (Sonorous Music Dub)
Break ''Adrenaline'' (Symmetry)
Spinline ''Razzia'' (X-Tinction Agenda)
Nico / Fierce / Break ''Draw'' (Quarantine)
Dose & Menace ''Pick Up'' (Samurai)
Break ''Is This What You Want?'' (Symmetry)
Vicious Circle ''Access All Areas'' (Critical)
Spectrasoul ''Tectonic'' (Dub)
Break ''Traits'' (Symmetry)
Loxy & Cern ''Juggernaught'' (Revolution)
Break ''Evil Twin'' (Symmetry)
Break ''Wine'' (Dub)
Break ''Let It Lie'' (Revolution)
Klute ''Trust Me'' (Dub)
Nymfo ''Follow The Signs'' (Dub)
Break Feat. Kyo ''Last Chance'' (Symmetry)
Total Science ''S.O.S.'' (Dub)
Break ''In Between'' (Symmetry)
*GRAB BREAK RELEASES FROM THE DOA STORE
*GRAB BREAK TRACKS FROM DOA DOWNLOADS
*GRAB SYMMETRY RECORDINGS RELEASES FROM THE DOA STORE
Words: SOS |
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Dogs On Acid > Comments > BREAK
12-03-2008 06:41 PM
