Fellowship - Drum and Bass Producer Interview

May 2003

Interview with drum and bass producer Fellowship.

How old are you?

31 in June

How did you get into the drum and bass scene?

I have always been a real music lover, and I followed the natural progression of the music from the early hardcore sound through to the origins of drum and bass. At that time I was making various styles of music, but made a decision to focus on drum and bass around 1995.

How long have you been producing music?

Since 1988, so that's 15 years now. In those early days I was just learning the basics, but in 1991 I had my first record released on vinyl.

What did you do before you started djing/producing music?

Graphic Design is my trade, I learnt that from the age of 16 and still do it today.

Over your career you have clocked up releases on labels such as Creative Source, Audio Couture, Moving Shadow, Hardleaders and Phuturistic Bluez to name but a few. Any stories as to how you became linked with any of these labels?

Basically the link with Fabio was straightforward. I had been sending him every song I ever made since 1994 really and when he heard "Mombasa" he called me and said he wanted to sign it to Creative Source. So we hooked up at Swerve and went from there. I also met Rob Playford at Swerve and agreed to do some tracks for Audio Couture / Moving Shadow. I met Al Fougy from Phuturistic Bluez through a very close friend - A Sides from Eastside Records and Fuse Records. Al came round to my house and we had a long chat about the music, and I decided to do a 12" for him. I still speak to Al regularly. I've never actually met Carl from Hardleaders but again I had dealt with on the phone for years, he's a great guy.

The Defunked Records label hasn't even reached its twentieth release yet but since its launch in 2000 has managed to become one of those labels you can rely on for quality releases, how hard has that been to achieve?

Thanks, nice of you to say so. Personally I think keeping a consistent quality of releases is one of the hardest things with a label, and I have tried my best so far. Now I get so many demos sent to me that it takes me a lot longer to decide on what to release, but the advantage is that I can go for the cream of the crop now which is nice.

Before Defunked you had another label called Xpressive, how easy is it to start a record label and what advice could you give to those who are thinking of doing so?

There is a lot more to running a record label than you first think, unless you plan to run it badly and unprofessionally that is. I like to do things properly and treat the artists fairly and therefore I run it very tight. My advice to anyone starting out is: do everything in the correct order. Think of a name first and make sure no one else has it. Then join all the relevant societies / agencies such as the MCPS, the PPL, eCentre (Barcode company), and set everything up properly. Aside from that my main advice is to pay the artists on time, and provide them with professional and clear statements, and also keep the manufacturing costs nice and tight otherwise your artists won't make any money and they won't continue sending songs to your label.

Are you the sole owner of the Defunked label?

Yes, I own and run the label single handed.

I see you have just signed Junior Cartel (a duo which includes Tommy Knocker) to Defunked, how did this signing come about?

Very simple really. He sent me some songs that I loved and I called him straight away and offered him a deal on that single. I've not actually met him face to face yet, but we deal over e-mail and the phone. He's just sent me another great track too that I'm interested in.

Part one of the "Mind, Body and Soul" series is on the streets now, tell us a little about parts 2 and 3?

Phase 2 has a few tracks that are slightly more 'dancefloor' perhaps than phase 1, and has had great feedback so far, that's been in the shops for around a month now. Phase 3 called 'Soul' has some great soulful vocal tracks such as "Walk By Faith" by Funk 'n' Flex, and "Turn It Up" by Carlito, it also includes the massive "Brother" by Calibre, so it's hot!!

What are your musical influences?

So many to list. From the early days growing up people like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Michael Jackson. Electro also played a big part to me, with songs like "Al-naafiysh", "Planet Rock", "Rockit" and Grandmaster Flash's classic "The Message"… also hip-hop, and early house with tracks like Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body", Larry Heard's "Can U Feel It" and Frankie Knuckles "Your Love", and my favourites "Tears" and "I'll Be Your Friend" by Robert Owens. Nowadays I love R&B (Maxwell, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Peven Everett etc), deep house (Naked Music etc) and loads of other music really.

What software / equipment do you use to produce your music?

I have upgraded my studio over the last 12 months, and I have also refined my working methods too. I bought an Apple Mac Titanium laptop so that I can work on initial sketches and ideas whilst I'm in my office downstairs running the label. But I have also upgraded my proper studio quite significantly too. Now I have an Akai S6000, ProTools d24 inside a G4 Mac with 22" cinema display running Logic audio 6 with the Logic control surface which is great.

I have loads of plug-ins and soft synths which I use a lot, I have 2 desks (a Korg 168RC and Yamaha 02R - both digital) but my favourite pieces of equipment that I recently bought are my two Avalon's (the 737SP and the 747SP). These are unbelievable and I now record everything through them, and use their EQ's instead of the digital EQ inside Logic and my 02R, as the Avalons are analog and sound much warmer and fatter.

Aside from that I have…

• Roland JV1080
• Kurzweil K2000
• Alesis QS6
• Emu Vintage Keys
• Nord Rack II
• Yamaha TG77
• Some outboard Effects units
• Mackie HR824 speakers

How long do you spend in the studio a week (on average)?

I've not been in the studio at all for a while now due to the amount of work I had to do for the Mind, Body & Soul LP. But on average I try to get in there at least 2 days per week. Soon I will be in there solid to work on my Fellowship album.

Do you currently produce any other music except for drum and bass?

Not any more.

What recent releases on the drum and bass scene are you rating at the moment?

Songs that come to mind would be…

• Uncut - "Midnight"
• Influx Datum - "Easy Your Mind"
• 60 Minuteman & DJ Touch - "Ten Love"
• M.I.S.T. - "3am"

There are quite a few newer ones but I don't know the names / artists off hand.

On Defunked, there's some real stormers on their way including "All The Way" by Santa Cruz, "Come Easy" by D Kay & Epsilon and "Music Is My Life" by Carlito.

Which other producers / artists would you most like to work with?

I plan to work with Carlito, Ed Funk from Funk 'N' Flex, DJ Addiction, Dave Holness from Funk 'N' Flex. But dream wise it would have to be Robert Owens!

Do you have a favourite tune of all time?

Yes, "I'll Be Your Friend" by Robert Owens.

Is there any one tune you would really like to remix?

Yes, the track above would be nice, or maybe "Tears" by Robert Owens.

There is a lot more to running a record label than you first think, unless you plan to run it badly and unprofessionally that is.

Fellowship

How often do you get out clubbing?

Not very much nowadays, I've been going clubbing constantly since I was 18, so it doesn't appeal to me much now. I prefer to go out for a nice meal with my wife or my friends and have a few bottles of wine and then go to a bar or something like that. I do still go to clubs now and then, if a friend is organising or DJ'ing etc, but not as often as I used to.

Do you have a favourite event or club night?

Still has to be Swerve, I've not been for a while but I used to go every week and it has an excellent little vibe down there.

It's Sunday afternoon and you are chilling out at home, what is on the stereo?

Nothing. That's probably the only day when I don't listen to much music really. I like to rest totally on Sundays. When I do chill out at home (which isn't very often as I'm usually always working) I listen to some R&B, or some nice vocal deep house, or some classic 80's songs like "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan.

Do you have any other interests or pastimes outside the music scene?

Yes, graphic design mainly, but I class that as work. So if we're talking non-work then films. I like underground, low-budget films with good story lines. I don't really have any spare time for any other hobbies I'm afraid.

I read on the Defunked site that you used to be heavily involved in the graffiti scene, which artists do or did you admire and do you still paint yourself?

I don't paint anymore no. It's been a long time since I did. The last outline that I did would probably be when I did the artwork for Zinc's "Beats By Design" ep. I have very fond memories of my graffiti days, they were great. The artists that I admired then were…

• Mode 2 & The Chrome Angelz
• T-Kid
• Zephyr
• Seen
• Snatch

In fact it's very difficult for me to remember them all now, there were so many, but those ones spring to mind.

What are your plans for the future and what is in the pipeline for Defunked?

To continue to build Defunked, and to finish my Fellowship album and get them out next year. This year, after Mind, Body & Soul, there are great 12"s by Calibre, Santa Cruz & D Kay & Epsilon, and also the Soulful Behaviour 2 LP which will be mixed by DJ Addiction and feature 6 exclusive new tracks, that should be coming out in October roughly. Also, I'd like to start another label using the same artists but focusing on other music styles too, more of an experimental thing really, but that's a plan for next year.

For further information about Fellowship or any other artist on Defunked visit:

www.defunked.co.uk