20120112

URSA MAJOR INTERVIEW

So as you may have noticed, we've had a plethora of mixes from the Trouble & Bass motley crew recently and this week's will be the last, coming from their incredibly exciting latest signing Ursa Major. As usual I asked a few questions to go along with their mix to give you lot a little more of an insight the people behind the sound.

When did you start djing/producing? What got you into it/ why did you start?
Sarah: I started djing about 5 years ago and messing around with production about 2 years ago but didn’t really take it that seriously to begin with. It started by having a complete obsession with dance music and wanting to be more expressive.
Kieran: Started dj'ing around 7 years ago and producing around 3 years ago. I guess it was down to a desire to play music i like to people who hopefully like it too.
Who/what are your major influences?
S It’s so hard to say! I’m influenced by a lot of early dance music, what started my interest to begin with. I still listen to a lot of old garage and house and still have some old rave tape packs around the house.
K:Similarly to Sarah, a lot of influence can be attributed to early dance music. I love a lot of the early Underground Resistance, especially DJ Rolando and i was really in to trip-hop and hip-hop growing up. Today, I think with the pace that modern day electronic music moves at and its accesibility, its easy to pick up influence from a lot of places.
Who would you love to collaborate with?
S:
Realistically- at the moment probably someone like Sully, you can feel the influences in his music but it’s still forward thinking. Fantasy; think it would have to be someone different like Squarepusher, I could learn A LOT from that!

K: Realistically - Hudson Mohawke or Rustie; their productions are fantastic, it would be great to see how they work on a track.
Vinyl, CD or digital?      
S: I used to say I would only ever play vinyl but inevitably that changed to CD which is now changing again to Serato so guess I would currently say digital. Having said that I have just got my 1210’s back and have got some old vinyl out of the loft so maybe a combination of the 3 in the near future!
K: I moved from vinyl to CD, to Vinyl on Serato and now settled on CDJ Serato. I can't see me ever moving from the Serato format.
What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you on a gig?
S: I got really drunk once and fell out of the booth, staring up at the record running out while trying to get up. Not made that mistake since……
K:Enjoying the rider too much combined with a momentary loss of sound.
What’s the best night out you’ve ever had?
S: I literally don’t know, it’s too difficult!
K: It's between Terry Francis & Eddie Richards at Stealth or Jackmaster at Wigflex in Nottingham. For both nights, its down to the mix of music and atmosphere it generated within the crowd.
Where’s your favourite place to play?  why?
S: It’s always good to play close to home, especially when you play at nights you have enjoyed going to for years. Having said that, we recently played on a boat on the Seine in Paris and it was amazing, would love to go back there.
K: Coming from the UK, we're lucky that it sets the trend for a lot of the electronic music we play. Often, we get to play music to crowds in other European cities that the majority may not have heard before, sometimes this is challenging, but for me, it makes it even more enjoyable.
Do you think anyone can learn to DJ and/or Produce? What’s your best tip for beginners?
S: I think anyone can learn but not everyone has the passion and it shows. I would say to learn as much as you can from different styles of music, people, youtube, anything that inspires you and pushes you forward.
K:I think anyone can learn to DJ, but not everyone has the ability to diversify their selection, yet keep a flow and cohesion, which is personally what i listen for in sets.
What do you listen to most in a track?
S: It depends on the style of music really but I guess I’m initially taken in by interesting drum patterns, making drum loops  is one of  favourite parts of making music. Then a strong bass.  I’m a sucker for vocals too.
K: Again, drums/percussion as this is what drives the tracks forward.
What are you hoping to achieve in the long run/ whats your ambition?
S: At the moment just to keep on making music and keep things moving. In the long run it would be great to release an album.
K: To carry on enjoying what we do! It would be great to have the chance and time to work on an album.
Where will you be playing next/ what projects do you have lined up?
We have an EP that’s nearly finished and a couple of collaborations on the go but can’t say who with just yet!

What are your favourite ways to find new tracks?
I think sharing music with friends is a great way to find new music, I think it’s important to keep your ears open to as much as possible. Other than that just the usual ways, youtube is always a good starting point.

What’s the future of Dance music?
S: Hopefully it will continue to develop in the way it is doing now, there are so many talented producers and dj’s that aren’t scared to push the boundaries and make/play whatever they want to.
K: The UK and its producers continue to set the trends for the music we play. There is a wealth of talent around right now
Who do you think we should keep our ears out for?
S: I was recently recommended listening to a guy called Bruises, he’s from Nottingham too but we haven’t met.

What are your 10 of your favourite tracks at the moment? 
Eliphino - More than me
Sully - Encona
Eats Everything - Entrance Song
Marcel Dettmann - Deluge
SLZ - Get it
Anthony Collins – Don’t Look Down Now (Roman Flugel Mix)
Slackk - Pub Crawl
Randomer - Lime Pie
Manare - Silk
TWR72 - Future Tool


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