Horizons Music
Label
Nick Burne aka Data – a DJ and producer from London, one of the strongest players on the dark and minimalist drum and bass scene. His clean, precise beats and warm, full bass have helped shape his own recognizable, original sound. In 2012, having already released music on many of the biggest labels, such as Metalheadz, Horizons, Blackout Music, Cyclon and many others, Data launched his own label, Adapt, and was preparing to release a new album, “Making Simple Things Complex.”
On the eve of Data’s first performance in Ukraine at Cybernetic Event @ Home Concept Club on 28 September, one of the event’s organizers, namely Sergey Naumenko (Naum), conducted an interview with the British drum and bass genius especially for the TopDJ.ua portal.
The soundtrack for this reading will be a podcast recorded especially for the upcoming event. Enjoy listening and reading.
Naum: How did you get into drum and bass, and why did you choose this particular music?
Data: I have been listening to drum and bass since the 1990s, and it in turn originated from Hardcore. I think much of this music came out of the pirate radio stations that existed in London at the time, as well as the various CD compilations that everyone had too.
Naum: What musicians influenced you at the beginning of your career?
Data: A huge number of different musicians: Pink Floyd, Future Sound Of London, Jonny L and so on. I grew up listening to 1970s rock, and then switched to electronic music. At first, these were artists such as Joey Beltram, but as I developed, I followed labels such as Warp and others before fully immersing myself in the drum and bass movement.
Naum: Tell us about Adapt’s releases and what we can expect from it in the near future?
Data: The key is in the name: “adapt.” We are not going to be restricted by genre boundaries; instead, we will have a distinctive and recognizable sound that will allow our artists to showcase the full range of their abilities. First up will be my release under a new experimental alias, D47A. Its features are a heavy, deep, cosmic sound at 128 bpm.
Naum: What music do you like besides drum and bass?
Data: Music should have soul and integrity, but if I had to choose a genre, it would be 1970s/80s rock, 1980s electronic music, hip-hop, Detroit techno, 1990s ambient, and nowadays, minimal and bass music.
Naum: What do you use in your studio, software or hardware?
Data: Both, but 90% is software. I have access to a whole range of synthesizers and so on, but I rarely use them.
Naum: You will be playing in our country for the first time. What do you know about our people, our culture and our producers?
Data: I have been following music from your country for some time, especially the work of Nick Bee and Sunchase, as well as Fade. These guys are making good material, and I expect to see much more from them in the future. I do not know very much about your country, but I hope I will learn a lot by the end of the evening, after a few glasses of alcohol.
Naum: What do you think of DJs who use a laptop? Is it progress or degradation?
Data: I think it is progress if there is some kind of interface being used instead of a mouse button. This, combined with visual elements, could lead to something better.
Naum: What are your favorite films and directors?
Data: Wow, that is a broad question. I like a lot of films, but the first directors who came to mind were John Carpenter, Ridley Scott and James Cameron.
Naum: By the way, your music is very well suited to film. Have you ever tried working in that industry?
Data: I would love to, and a demo reel is currently being prepared for a company. We will see where it leads!
Naum: What do you do besides music? What is your hobby?
Data: Taking long walks with dogs, gardening, playing games on PC, watching films, reading books. Learning new musical and visual methods.
Naum: What would you like to wish your Ukrainian fans?
Data: Good music and good health!
Originally published by TopDJ.ua (interview: Sergey Naumenko, Naum). Translated from the Russian.
