The producer known as Akinsa never stops surprising the drum and bass community with his series of redubs and original tracks. It is time for Organic to learn a little more about this mysterious musician.
Music in general, and drum and bass in particular, is cyclical. Take the same rhythm at the foundation of everything, or the appearance and disappearance of certain sounds at different stages of its historical development. Music constantly reinvents itself, and each time returns to its beginnings. At the center of our attention today is the producer Akinsa, shrouded in a mysterious aura, whose work reinterpreting the drum and bass legacy of the late 1990s has aroused genuine interest. These tracks are more accurately described as “bootlegs” than official remixes, and include reinterpretations of Codename John’s “The Warning,” Bad Company’s “The Nine,” and Jonny L’s “Piper.” The musician reconstructs them in his characteristic dub style. In today’s musical world, after 30 years of intensive sampling, permission to use a track for a subsequent remix has become something vague and has lost its former relevance to music as such. What are these works, in essence? Found material for further work? Or have these tracks been stolen from their authors? Compare this with Duchamp’s readymade object, “Fountain.” Today, a remix, a bootleg, and a redub are the same thing. And who has the final say today? Probably you, the listener. So, Akinsa.
Organic: Let’s start with the fact that you guys are very mysterious. There are no photos of you to be found online. Tell us about yourselves.
Akinsa: We’re brothers and we’re originally from Cambridge. I live in Brighton and work on music, while my younger brother organizes performances. This is the most suitable arrangement for us. I don’t post any photos as a producer. I prefer to replace them with other symbols reflecting my ideas. Paintings, photographs.
Organic: In your work, we hear a tribute to the legacy of drum and bass music. This applies both to your own tracks and to your versions of classic late-1990s material. For example, Bad Company’s “The Nine” or Todd Terry’s track “Blackout.” How strongly are you inspired by the original sources of drum and bass music from earlier years?
Akinsa: When working on the series of redubs, I wanted to show my respect for what had been created before. I played all these tracks in my DJ sets in the 1990s. I loved “stabbing” them in as hard as possible, and some of them may be unfamiliar to the younger generation. I aimed to present them from a slightly different angle, within the framework of my current musical vision. My inspiration for working on my own tracks came from performances by Ruffhouse and The Untouchables, after which I truly realized that I wanted to get back to making drum and bass. Before that, I had spent several years recording ambient and techno under another name.
Organic: Very recently, the Facebook community AUTONOMIC.MINIMAL presented a series of mixes under the collective title “Echo.Drop,” the first of which was your mix. Can you say that it was specifically in this Facebook group, and specifically thanks to them, that you became better known to your audience?
Akinsa: Yes, they help me a great deal, not only with the podcast format but also with promoting my album in general. I’m very pleased that people approach me with offers to record a guest mix. Recently, I’ve been happy to offer the audience several of my mixes in this format. My own series is called “Alignment,” and I may launch another new series in the near future. My plans include creating a creative outlet for the work of other musicians. I love experiencing new sensations and emotions through communicating with people from all corners of the musical world. I try to find new ideas through music.
Organic: What’s next from Akinsa?
Akinsa: I’m currently working actively on a special project for the label Dust Audio. Dan, the owner, was the first person to sign my work to a label. I had wanted to work on this project for a long time. The project’s theme is the Moon. That is the central concept, and it may take some time; I’ll proceed as new ideas come to me. If everything works out, the project will be something special. It will need vocals and textures. I’m in talks with the lovely Mica, and I hope the result will be positive. I also have a track called “Sanctuary,” inspired by a woman from New Zealand named JAK, who has a strong creative influence on me as a person. Her photo will appear on the release artwork. In addition, I’m working on an experimental project called “Self Medicating Frequencies,” but I’m not going to say anything about it yet. I have tracks coming out on several labels, including two that will be released on the American label Onset. I’d like to thank everyone for their support: Concealed Identity, Antagonist, Come Meditate, and the entire team... Seth at Onset, Dan at Dust, Gremlinz, Homemade Weapons, Hanna Wiggins, Mica, Ahmad, Om Unit, Loxy, Shiken Hanzo, Vaughn, Djinn, and everyone who buys and plays my music—in doing so, you support me and what I do to the greatest possible extent. And my greatest thanks go to my wonderful wife Cass and my daughters Storm and Phoenix. Thank you.
Original interview: Organic (organicbeats.co.uk). Translated from the Russian translation by Rustee (2016).
