Q & A 55
ALLIED
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Ali: “We’re Ali & Ed, aka Allied, from around Southampton way but
we currently live in Brighton. We met at school and have been best
of chums since. I was force fed jungle from a very young age from
my two older brothers, Martin & Jonathon. They used to play me
sets from Roast, etc. but I got deeper into the music around the
time of the of techstep era and began buying No U Turn & DSCI4
records that I would attempt to mix.”
HOBZEE
Ed: “I had been playing the guitar for a while, but really got into
drum & bass when I brought the Metalheadz boxset in ‘97 or ‘98. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF
After hearing ‘To Shape The Future’ there was no looking back! I’m Hobzee from Chatham in Kent. I got into drum & bass when I was about 14 (I am 25 now!),
Having always loved forward thinking music we both started borrowing old rave tapes from mates at school. I finally got some decks when I was 17 and the
experimenting with sequencers, samplers, synths and rum and progression into making beats came quite soon after that. It took a good few years before I
are now living together in what our mate described as a squat made anything half decent though!!
with Cubase.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND? I’d like to think I’ve got quite a deep musical sound! I also put a lot of emphasis on the breaks
Ali: “I would say that we try to make our music sound like an and getting that raw sound that drum & bass had when I first discovered it.
emergency.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR MUSIC?
Ed: “We take a lot of inspiration from Konflict as well as many I find early to mid-‘90s hip hop production very inspiring purely because it was so raw and had
techno producers like Chris Liebing and Hawtin. I would probably such a DIY feel to it. Outside of hip hop I find inspiration in a lot of older drum & bass and also
describe our music as moody but moving.“ early dance music, again due to its DIY nature.
WHAT PROCESS DO YOU GO THROUGH IN CREATING A TRACK?
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? The majority of my tracks start with the beats but it can be anything really! My tunes tend to
Ed: “We have been working hard on our EP which will be on be quite minimal so I get most of the elements into the sequencer quite quickly; it’s then a
Sinuous as well as a link up with NC17 for DSCI4 and a new bit we matter of ensuring what is in the track holds the listener’s interest! I’m also a great believer in
started the other day with Pyro for Nerve. “mastering” as I go with my tracks so I spend a long time tweaking all the sounds until I think
they sit just right.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING OUT SOON?
Ali: “We have got the full release of ‘Multiple Minds’ coming on WHICH ARTISTS INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?
Leet Records, ‘Concept’ which is forthcoming on M-Atome and our I think it’s very important not to be influenced by drum & bass but I don’t think there is anyone
link up with Pylon ‘Osirus’, which will be out on Sinuous.” more influential than Calibre at the moment; he’s practically laid the blueprint for modern day
drum & bass!!! Outside of drum & bass I think J Dilla has had a huge influence on my work. It
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2008? may not come through instantly in my music but his ability to do something different within hip
Ed: “Our EP & DSCI4 debut and sorting out our Ableton live set.” hop and make it his own is truly inspiring.
Ali: “Getting back into the DJing side of the operation. I’m really WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING OUT SOON?
looking forward to some more international bookings as well.” Out in May on Diverse is ‘Don’t Go’ / ‘Red Letter’ (with Zyon Base). Also In May Future Thinkin’
launch their digital label with two of my tracks: ‘The Art of Combat’ (with Notion) / ‘The Escape’.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TELL US ABOUT? These will be available from all good MP3 retailers!
Ed: “As well as producing drum & bass we have been working on
some downtempo tracks incorporating more live instruments and www.myspace.com/djhobzee
working with various vocalists and musicians.” Hobzee_88@hotmail.com
Ali: “Which is cool for the Sunday sessions.” PHOTOGRAPHY | Maggie Barrett
K55-57_QandAs.indd 55 23/4/08 14:17:21
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