DSF Q&A Sessions 9 : Pinch (open for questions)

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:20 pm

£10 Bag wrote:nearly all of the producers on tectonic are well established as far as dubstep goes.
is this intentional, because you've got mutual interests and understandings, or do you just release the best music you're sent regardless of who made it or whether you agree with their musical philosophy?

more crucially:
double decker or mars bar? which is the greatest?

well - thats just how its come about - i dont think its totally true tho, where did 2562, Cyrus, Hijak, Armour, Omen or DQ1 release before Tectonic? but yes its about the quality of the music not the name behind it - i stand by that.

double decker or mars? snickers every time...

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:22 pm

Antics wrote:Do you get annoyed when you see your music on youtube? consequently are you more interested in people hearing your music or do you think they should have to pay for the privaledge?

no i'm flattered someone can be bothered to upload it! artists who are prs registered get a (very very small) amount of money each time its played on there anyway.. straight up downloading tectonic content, sometimes prior to release - that gets my goat!

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:31 pm

J-sh wrote:What do you think is the best way to establish yourself as an artist?
Do you think its more important to promote yourself shamelessly or to spend that time perfecting your craft so the people will come to you?

Also how much graft did you put in to get into the position you are today, are you an every day all day producer or the sort of guy who will sit down when/if inspiration strikes?

big up!

i believe that if ur intentions are right and u are talented - then u dont need to shamelessly sefl promote - success will come to u - obviously u do need to get ur beats out and about in the first place but then it all follows from there. this is underground music we're talking about after all - who wants to have it shoved in ur face, endless newsletters from some 2-bit dj u never heard of saying about how they're warming up their local bar again this weekend... whats the point? each to their own but i think ur more likely to put people off if u behave that way - we live in times of advertising overload.

i 'do' music full time but spend a few days a week in the office doing label and publishing related things, weekends i tend to be djing a lot of the time - so i don't have as much time as i'd like to now to make music. this suits me tho - making beats was always a way of winding down for me - it still is - its something i look forward to doing. if i did it full time and it became my sole 'job' i think it would put me off a bit - whatever u do for a living u need to escape from it sometimes and i like to think i make escapist music. i know a lot of people who've gone full time on beats - just making music and djing - they're making less music than before when they quit their jobs most of them!

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:36 pm

pidge wrote:With so many dubstep nights, pretty much much every day of of the week, why did you decide to bring back Dubloaded? Its great by the way, just seems a bit strange considering how crowded the market is.

Also how long have you lived in Bristol and how has living here helped or hindered your creativity/musical career?

well it was a combination of things. ur right - there's tons of dubstep nights here in bristol - but not enough weight in the systems repping at them! to be honest, dubloaded is just a fun night which i'm now doing in conjunction with tom/peverelist - to book the people we respect most and to have a good night. can't do it on weekends as we're both generally booked up at those times of the week - likewise with the people we want to play.

i've been in bristol nearly 11 years now having grown up nr newport in south wales from the age of 6, and born in scotalnd, aberdeen originally.

i've met tons of switched on people in bristol and lots of music heads that have helped spur me on one way or another - im sure its made a difference - bristol feels like home to me now for sure.

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:52 pm

Whineo wrote:Big respect for doing this - Tectonic is an inspiratonal label
..a few questions if I may.

Have you ever used external hardware?

From a lable owners point of view, What advice would you give to people who are getting tunes signed? ...by this I mean developing a relationship with the label?
things to watch out for when it comes to contracts?

One of the things I read in a recent interview with you was about 'feeling comfortable about the sound you're representing' ... when one of your tunes is 'out there' in the public arena, does the fact that you have no control over how other people are listening to/playing your tunes affect you in any way?

Whats the best live act/dj set you have ever witnessed?

Is there a tune that you have always wanted to remix?

What's the best way to send you tunes?

-fisrt thing i ever dabbled with was a roland groovebox - but since then i've only really used internal software synths/samples.

-i dont know what to advise about getting tunes signed other than avoiding being over the top with ur presentation of the tracks - if ur hitting up a label on myspace, personalise it - no label wants to see that you've copied and pasted the message to a million others - make it relevent to the label ur approaching. contracts at a low independent level of operations should always be simple and clear to understand - at a higher level, you should always get them checked thru by a music specialist lawyer.

-i'm not sure i understand this next point but - like a rothko painting - it would be nice if you could arrange it so ur music was only heard on a fat soundsystem with full weight of bass! i guess thats why mala etc hold back on their dubs a lot....

-leftfield in 1995 when i was 15 - sick!

-too many to list! some classic congos (fisherman etc) or even my childhood favourites - colourbox - or something along those lines... i could spew an endless list actaully....

collige · Post by **collige** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:53 pm

Respect for doing this for us amateurs.

-What gave you the idea to make Underwater Dancehall a primarily vocal album?

-Where the did the sample for Punisher come from and what the hell is he saying after "bloodclot heart attack"?

-Do have any formal music education?

Thanks in advance!

glottis5 · Post by **glottis5** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:32 pm

Where were you in your career when you decided to start Tectonic? Were you well known and did you have any connections in the biz? Any advice for people who want to start their own label/self release tunes?

-dubson- · Post by **-dubson-** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:37 pm

do u have a formula for starting songs?

who would u like to collab with in the future?

do u have a vision of where u want to be in the future? or do u just like to go with the flow?

who is inspiring u most atm?

pdomino · Post by **pdomino** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:01 pm

Which of your tunes do you like the most, and/or play out the most

djake · Post by **djake** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:42 am

is TEC003 gunna get a repress anytime soon?

or shall i keep dreaming about it

and seriously.....SNICKERS??!!??!!

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:40 am

collige wrote:Respect for doing this for us amateurs.

-What gave you the idea to make Underwater Dancehall a primarily vocal album?

-Where the did the sample for Punisher come from and what the hell is he saying after "bloodclot heart attack"?

-Do have any formal music education?

Thanks in advance!

- really the main motivation was to give the lp a home listening/ipod context without comprimising integrity... that was the idea anyway!

- its from an old reggae tune but i nicked it from ed rush & nico's 'bludclaart 'art attck' - classic proto jungle tune. i'm actually not 100% sure what the sample says but i think its: 'when it come it come in like a bludclaart 'eart attack, lick you until ya cyaan (can't) stan' up'.. i might be wrong tho..

- no formal music education - i used to play a bit of guitar - just by ear tho - when i was a young teen..

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:56 am

glottis5 wrote:Where were you in your career when you decided to start Tectonic? Were you well known and did you have any connections in the biz? Any advice for people who want to start their own label/self release tunes?

I wasn't really thinking about it like that at the time - just started off with a couple of tunes i made with a friend - ginz - aka p. dutty - and moved on from there... my advise would be - only release good music that you really believe in and leave all the rest to sit on dubplate..

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:07 am

-Dubson- wrote:do u have a formula for starting songs?

who would u like to collab with in the future?

do u have a vision of where u want to be in the future? or do u just like to go with the flow?

who is inspiring u most atm?

- i usually start with a beat/groove and work up from there..

- to be honest i'm not trying to build a career as an artist beyond where it naturally takes me. right now i'm enjoying making tunes and playing out - and i hope to be doing so for as long as that stays true. hopefully i wont get sucked into the ego warp that drags many artists down and just continue to be involved in the side of music that interests me and motivates me.. not sure if thats what u meant but there ya go!

- at the moment i guess i'm mostly interested in the direction people like 2562, mala, peverelist, jack sparrow are taking - i also have high admiration for joker and distance who are making some high pressure beats right now. there's prob more that i'll kick myself for leaving out..

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:08 am

pdomino wrote:Which of your tunes do you like the most, and/or play out the most

well its a bit of a cheat cos its not really mine but the RSD remix of 'Get Up' is absolutely caning it every single dance! otherwise i've been intro'ing a lot recently with a dub of mine called 'new dayz' (working title)

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:43 am

i'll have to say no more q's after 3pm (GMT) today as i'll be busy from then - so if there's anything else u wanna know - get them in quick!

wrexile · Post by **wrexile** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:39 pm

it came together effortlessly and i feel it has a genuinely optimistic feel to it that isn't really easy to plan to do

For me this is the sort of thing that screams that you've got a good track on the go : )
Like you say, the effortless quality that brings the whole idea together brings about such a good feeling and, for me, it's one of my favourite things about producing.

I guess one of the main things I've always wondered is what genres other than other Dubstep producers inspire you?

And what's your favourite setting to listen to music? Are you a "loud as fuck, sound systems as big as fake boobs" guy or do you like to attentively listen to things on yer own at home or on a mission with yer headphones?

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:55 pm

djake wrote:is TEC003 gunna get a repress anytime soon?

or shall i keep dreaming about it

and seriously.....SNICKERS??!!??!!

probably not in the near future but who knows - its a great record!

whats wrong with snickers eh? peanuts, caramel, chocolate - are u off ur head man - its pure genius in a chocolate bar!

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:03 pm

Wrexile wrote:
it came together effortlessly and i feel it has a genuinely optimistic feel to it that isn't really easy to plan to do
For me this is the sort of thing that screams that you've got a good track on the go : )
Like you say, the effortless quality that brings the whole idea together brings about such a good feeling and, for me, it's one of my favourite things about producing.

I guess one of the main things I've always wondered is what genres other than other Dubstep producers inspire you?

And what's your favourite setting to listen to music? Are you a "loud as fuck, sound systems as big as fake boobs" guy or do you like to attentively listen to things on yer own at home or on a mission with yer headphones?

well i love a bit of roots and dub, deep engaging dubby techno, bit of tribally house (spose thats also the end of funky that grabs me most) garage/2step and most importantly - jungle.. there's a lot of other things that catch my ear but those are the main things genre wise.

if i only listened to music on loud as fuck sound systems i'd be deaf by now! i like to listen to stuff in my car -on my monitors at home - ipod for when moving about - but to be honest i don't like to listen to music all the time - i'd rather be paying attention to it or not at all - rather than just having something on in the background for the sake of it.

pinch · Post by **pinch** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:13 pm

thank you all for ur questions.. hope at least some of it was useful for u!

biggupppZ....

pdomino · Post by **pdomino** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:51 am

Pinch wrote:
pdomino wrote:Which of your tunes do you like the most, and/or play out the most
well its a bit of a cheat cos its not really mine but the RSD remix of 'Get Up' is absolutely caning it every single dance! otherwise i've been intro'ing a lot recently with a dub of mine called 'new dayz' (working title)

Thanks dude !

DSF Q&A Sessions 9 : Pinch (open for questions)

Who is online