The news that a new label called UVB-76 Music was being launched made us incredibly happy and excited, as it did many others who cannot remain indifferent to this kind of sound. And since Ruffhouse and Gremlinz are at the helm, that means at least one thing: the project is going to be very interesting. Having heard the first audio previews, I was immediately certain that the label’s releases would not disappoint anyone. But, one way or another, the label remains shrouded in mystery. Extremely intrigued by this, I approached the musicians and asked them to lift the veil of secrecy a little.
Guys, your first release on UVB-76 promises to be something special. Did you specifically hold these tracks back for this label?
Ruffhouse: Hi! No, I can’t say that we specifically conceived these tracks for our own label or kept them on the back burner for a long time. We simply liked them so much that we wanted to release them as a powerful debut release.
How did the remix of the track “Kilo” come about? To me, it seems like quite a decisive step, especially considering that the original version was authored by Gabriel and Aspect and was released on Renegade Hardware.
Ruffhouse: We wrote the remix around the beginning of this year. We’ve always liked this track, and we asked Gabriel if we could remix it. He replied that it was a great honour for him. Around the same time, we were already discussing the launch of the new label, so we decided together to schedule the release of this remix as one of the tracks on the label’s first release.
How do you communicate in general? The connection between Bristol and Toronto can sometimes present its own difficulties.
Ruffhouse: I’ve known Gabriel for 6–7 years, and in that time we’ve become best friends. Cooper and Chris have known him for about the same length of time. We’ve always been big fans of his work, and it’s really cool for all of us to be working together now. Communication isn’t difficult when you have FaceTime or Skype at hand. There’s a five-hour time difference, and we’re all night owls, so the distance between the cities means nothing to us.
Do all of you have equal rights when it comes to running the label?
Gremlinz: Yes, absolutely. We’re in constant communication, resolving issues and reaching agreements. This label is a joint endeavour for us, so each of us contributes our own energy and time to it equally in relation to the other members of the project.
I know that you’re very good friends with Overlook. And he is also involved with the label—isn’t that only natural?
Gremlinz: Of course. We work with him quite closely, and he’s our best friend. We invited him to work with us, and it was a natural step. He’s an outstanding musician and professional photographer as well as being on the same wavelength as us. In terms of musical aesthetics.
There had been rumours about your label for a long time. It’s great that the label has now launched and is preparing its first release. How long had you been planning to launch the imprint?
Ruffhouse: The idea came about a couple of years ago, but everything was put on hold until Gremlinz came to visit us in Britain this year. That’s when the necessary momentum started. And then everything happened very quickly. To think about how everything ultimately came together after such a long period of planning—it’s completely crazy.
There are now countless labels, with new ones constantly appearing on the horizon. How will you be distinctive as a label?
Ruffhouse: Well, to begin with, the label will not have a logo. The releases will be easy to recognise by the cover designs, which our friend from Toronto, James Hewitt, is creating especially for us. Sometimes it seems to us that labels are simply afraid to release “different” music. As a result, originality disappears from drum and bass. In our view, there aren’t that many producers creating genuinely new sounds these days. We did not conceive UVB-76 as a label solely for releasing drum and bass music. It will be an imprint where we’ll seek out and support the sound aesthetic that is close to us. The track speed is not the deciding factor for us. It’s all about the sound we want to promote through the label. The time will come when you’ll hear completely different styles and genres that are not limited to a speed of 170.
Will UVB-76 Music be a label focused only on your own work, or should we expect appearances from other artists as well?
Ruffhouse: UVB-76 is a label for our team, which we’ve wanted to create for a long time. We feel that we’ve already forged our own path in music, and so the best decision now is to preserve those paths and establish our permanent home, where our work will be released. The team has always included, and will always include, Ruffhouse, Gremlinz, Overlook, and Clarity, but we already have releases planned from Loxy & Resound, Skitty, Mantra, and Antidote—musicians who are very close to us in spirit. We relaunched the Abstractions party series in Bristol, and that will also be connected with the label and the sound we plan to present.
What is it like being under the wing of the SMG label? It’s a huge company where the “right” labels are born.
Ruffhouse: We’re genuinely happy. We have the support of Geoff Presha and his Samurai Music Group. We’ve been working with him for a long time and know firsthand how much effort he puts into his creation. So when he contacted us and offered us the opportunity to work under the SMG umbrella, we were simply pleasantly stunned. Geoff gives us freedom in managing the label, and sometimes we need his wisdom and involvement in certain matters. He supports many labels we like, such as Northern Electronics, Semantica, Contort, Samurai Horo, and Cylon Recordings, not to mention the Samurai Music label group itself. And for us, it’s a real pleasure to be on that list of labels.
Interview: Tom. Translated from the Russian translation by Rustee (2015).
