On 26 February, The World Of Drum & Bass took place at the Yubileyny Sports Palace; one of its headliners was the British producer Technical Itch. He answered several questions for our website.
This is your third time in Russia. How do you like it here?
Good, very good. There are amazing people here, very friendly. They really understand what we do. Just crazy!
Do you think the English audience is different from the Russian audience?
It’s a little different, but overall the audience in Saint Petersburg is the same as in other European countries. It’s cool here! I can feel the enthusiasm of the people who came today. Everything is developing, and I really like that… And I also love vodka! Vodka is good. I take vodka and pour Red Bull into it…
Do you know what this cocktail is called in Russian?
What?
Yorsh!
Yorsh? Ha-ha-ha.
Have you played in other countries where World of Drum’n’Bass takes place?
No, this is my first World of Drum’n’Bass party. Because jump-up is played at these parties. It’s commercial drum and bass.
But isn’t what you play commercial drum and bass?
No.
You’ll probably be surprised, but in Russia it’s considered commercial music.
Yes. A lot of people came here today to hear my DJ set. But I’m not trying to make commercial music. What I do is ordinary drum and bass, while the other artists playing here—you can’t call that ordinary drum and bass; in England, it’s considered very commercial music. I don’t play that kind of music.
Maybe what you play will also become commercial music in England soon?
Yes, maybe. It has a lot of techno in it. There are quite a lot of followers of this style in England, but it still isn’t commercial music for now.
Which countries have you performed in?
Many countries.
For example…
Australia, New Zealand, America—mostly in America… Germany, France, Belgium, Estonia. Estonia is very good.
Where did you like it most?
That’s a very difficult question. Everywhere is good. Russia is good too. There are so many of my fans here. Saint Petersburg is the best. Ha-ha-ha.
By the way, do you know who the president of the Russian Federation is now?
Uhhh…
In England, the prime minister is Tony Blair.
Yes, Tony Blair. But to be honest, I don’t like politics. It’s complete nonsense… It all sucks… All those power-crazy people… Fuck ’em!
The president of Russia is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin!
Oh yes, yes, I know Putin…
Let’s talk about your sound instead. In my opinion, your tracks are the heaviest in drum and bass. How did you arrive at that sound?
I don’t know… It can probably be explained by where I come from. It’s a big city. Not Bristol, where I live now, but Birmingham, where I was born. Birmingham is an industrial city, very bleak, with a lot of plants and factories. Even though I’m a very calm guy, I’m angry inside. My music is a reaction to the atmosphere of the city; it frees my soul.
Why did you move to Bristol?
I met Decoder, and we decided that we could work together. So I moved to Bristol.
Bristol is known as the capital of trip-hop…
Yes, but my sound is not Bristolian at all. I have a Birmingham sound.
Are there any other famous musicians in Birmingham?
Yes, there are. But they all play punk, guitar music.
And why don’t you play guitar?
I prefer it when guest musicians play guitar on my tracks. I’m currently making a punk hip-hop album with a vocalist from America. I invite guitarists from punk bands, while I play on the computer myself. Although I’ve never studied music.
What do you pay the most attention to when writing your tracks?
Everything. Drums, bass… When I make good drums, I need a fucking distorted nasty bass.
Quite a lot of musicians in Russia are trying to imitate your beat.
That’s good. Imitation is cool—it means I inspire people. In general, it’s good when someone is inspired by what you do. It means people like my music. It’s a great honor for me.
What do you use when making music: hardware or software?
Both.
What software, then?
Mainly Logic Audio.
And when did you start producing?
Quite a long time ago, around 1993–94.
More than ten years ago?
Yes.
So how old are you now?
I’m 33. I look young. After 21, time flies, so enjoy yourselves and do what you want. I’m happy with what I do. I may not make music for millions, like pop stars, but there’s a circle of people who like it. I’m doing a good thing. I’ve traveled to many countries and I work a lot. Sometimes you get terribly tired of everything. Sometimes you have to sleep for two hours a day. But I’m still happy.
Are you married?
No, I have a girlfriend; she’s American.
But everyone in America is fat… Ha-ha-ha.
Yes, but she lives in London.
I see. And which kind of women do you prefer, thin or fat?
Somewhere in between. I don’t like very thin women, but I don’t like fat ones either.
Let’s get back to music. Where do you get the vocal samples for your tracks Analysis, Decontrol, and Telekinetic?
That’s my voice.
What music do you listen to?
Mostly I listen to drum and bass, but I also listen to a lot of different music. I like heavy, aggressive music, but not completely crazy music. Good production is the main thing for me.
And what music do you consider bad?
Clownstep! Ha-ha-ha.
Ha-ha-ha. Clownstep sux! What are you working on now?
I’m working on a new Goldie album, and with Dylan on Technical Freaks. Dylan, Robin, and I are working on a new Faith in Chaos album, the first in three years.
Will there be anything from you and MC Jakes in the future?
Yes, we have some new collaborations; they’ll be released on Penetration soon. In general, he’s my friend—we live in the same house.
Lately you’ve been paying more attention to the Penetration label. Why?
It’s good business.
But you still have Tech Itch as well, don’t you?
I have two labels. They have different distribution. Penetration is another opportunity to release music, but it’s also good business. I have a lot of music; I need two labels to release all of it. Russian musicians Subwave have already been released on Tech Itch, and soon another Russian artist, who lives in Holland, will be released.
Who is that?
A new name, Limewax. He’s only 16, very young. He makes good music.
And how do you feel about music being distributed over the internet?
We’ve started distributing music through iTunes. That’s the future. There’s a very large audience on the internet. There are 10,000 people here; they aren’t DJs and they don’t buy vinyl, but they have to listen to music somewhere. Besides, MP3s are inexpensive, a more accessible format. However, it’s quite a complicated situation. Record companies that sell CDs and vinyl need to receive money, so I don’t support people who don’t pay for music. Understand, we have to pay our bills. We have to make a living somehow. If we don’t receive money for what we do, we’ll be forced to do something else.
Well, to conclude, a few words for our website visitors and all your fans in Russia.
I love Russia! I love vodka and beautiful women. Thank you.
Interview: McSeem, Bass_Infection.
