40 DNAUDIO
QUADRUPLE HELIX
Is that a bird? Is that a plane? No – it’s DNAUDIO!
Silent Witness, Squire, Break and Survival are the this prolific wonder-kid. Even when we first met him, the speed of it. Once you’re into drum & bass – once
realest revolutionaries in the drum & bass scene. he was like 17, and had speakers that you wouldn’t it really clicks and you understand it, I think it’s quite
Never before has Kmag interviewed a group of believe. All the rubber around the cones had eroded, difficult to move onto anything else. You never really get
producers who refuse to give in to the ‘everything’s so they were held in with tape! He had this brassic old that fix – that instant rush of a big bassline at 174 BPM
good’ policy with such careless abandon. Speaking PC and some shitty sampler that didn’t really work, – from anywhere else.”
in regard to his DNAudio imprint and its forthcoming but he was KILLING it. The sound he was getting out
‘Hard Times’ album, Nick Squire could be described of this set-up was just ridiculous. He’s ‘The Machine’ The members of DNAudio certainly recognise their
as the “Clark Kent” of D&B. “Now, I wish I was more – Break’s like the Terminator or something. Survival is strengths and weaknesses. Silent Witness described
familiar with comic book heroes,” says Nick. “I love the new recruit – he fits the sound perfectly. We get on Squire, unprompted, as “the Patrick Stewart character
Spider-Man, but I don’t think that’s me.” as mates, and he’s a natural addition to it all.” in X-Men, going around in a wheelchair – the oil in the
machine,” without knowing that the same question had
And why not? What attributes is Nick lacking to live up The paths of superheroes are hard to document, already been posed to the guy he was talking about.
to Peter Parker’s alter ego? “He’s a bit of a lone warrior partly because their illustrators have to rehash similar “Did he say that as well?” gasps Silent Witness.
– Spider-Man – isn’t he?” stories in ever more fantastical ways. Is Squire’s
journey to today’s checkpoint as convoluted as in the If DNAudio had a secret headquarters: “It would
Nick is obviously a more sociable animal. “I think comic books? “The album is called ‘Hard Times’ – there probably be a dark lair, with lots of technology and a
we’re more X-Men. Maybe, I’d prefer to think I’m like have been hard times,” he laughs. “It’s difficult man, beach and a bar outside,” Silent Witness tees off. “There
old Patrick Stewart’s character.” Nick is referring to, we’ve all had to make sacrifices. My initial intentions would be lots of rooms made of rubber.”
of course, Professor Xavier, the brains and calming weren’t exclusively regarding drum & bass. I wanted
influence behind his mutant students. “I guess I’m the to work with a big label and for bands and stuff like DNAudio are all for diverse music production. “We’re a
driving force behind DNAudio, keeping it all together, or that. I was working part-time for EMI and part-time at bunch of anal drum & bass heads that don’t listen to
at least the guy who initially started it.” No U-Turn so it could have ended up either way. Drum drum & bass,” Silent Witness explains. “Especially the
& bass is a funny one – it kind of soaks into your skin stuff that seems to be what people think drum & bass
How does drum & bass’s Xavier feel about the and your veins. It’s very difficult to shake. I always is today. We’re just doing what we want, basically, which
other members of his DNAudio school? “As far as remember Nico [Squire used to work as label manager is always how we’ll do it.”
superheroes go,” Nick says, “Silent Witness is ‘The for Nico at No U-Turn] warning me.”
Sound Sculptor’ – he loves fucking around with The DNA superheroes are pure in that they stick to
sounds. Real sound design stuff. He enjoys using Squire was alerted about the dark side before his their guns and stay true to their beliefs. “The album
elements that initially you feel will not work, but he powers were fully realised. “You don’t know the power of ‘Hard Times’ is very representative of that statement,”
will sit there tweaking until they come to life. Break is the dark side!” he announces. “It is something to do with Silent Witness says, “in that we’ve come through hard
K40-41_DNAudio.indd 40 24/4/08 10:33:20
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