Directamente de Londres para o TSDcast - Seven
Take a step to Dub - Hi Eddy! How has 2018 treated so far? What’s new in the world of Seven?
Seven - 2018 has been a great year for me so far. I’ve been taking time out from touring the world and making more music than I have done in a long time. I feel refreshed again and have an arsenal of new music to go out and play in my future sets and release. I started my new radio show monthly on Subtle FM. I’ve been really enjoying doing it and the guys down there are great.
TSD - Both Uprise as a label and you as an artist, have walked a long road over the past twelve years. Where would you say it all began?
S - For me my dubstep journey started when my friend Daniel Lockhart aka Youngsta asked me to make him some music for his sets. I was already a successful drum n bass producer and part of the Ram Records family so he knew I was competent and would potentially make him some good dubstep. So he kept on at me until eventually I made Sirens, Dark Passenger and Conspiracy etc. which he loved and signed Sirens to Tempa.
Uprise was a logical progression I guess. I had some guys sending me tunes and I tried to get them signed to other labels but eventually just signed the tracks my self and started the label with them. It all seems like so long ago now. I teamed up with Verity J and we started the label together. I’ve been running it on my own now though since 2014 and it's been going from strength to strength.
TSD - It takes a huge amount of effort and man hours to create something with longevity. What do you think has helped you provide a product that stands the test of time?
S - I’ve always detached my self from what other people are doing. I don’t wanna make other versions of a persons sound. I have my own vision. Timing is essential too, most of the music I make comes out a long time after I make it. I pick and chose my moments very carefully as and when to release them. Something that might not be relevant now could be the in thing in a year or two, so I think it's good to let my music breathe for a while unless I've made it specifically for a certain era or it's a current hit.
TSD - How do you feel about social media in all of its influence on the music game now?
S - It’s a gift and a curse. On one hand it’s made it easier for people to be discovered and make careers for them selves, but on the other hand it’s also saturating the market. People are more successful off the back of their social media than they are from their actual music, which worries me because that will eventually be a slow death of good music. It will be more about the presence of the artists, rather than the actual art it self. Maybe in art galleries of the future there will just be a bunch of selfies everywhere and no more paintings or fine art. Just galleries of selfies, with people taking selfies with the selfies in the background of their photos.
TSD - You've just put out your second release of the year "Rebellium Part 2". Could you give us an idea of where you were trying to take this piece of music from a technical viewpoint as well as its listener emotionally?
S - When I started the project with part one it was all about making music that no one else was really making. I wanted to rebel, go against the grain and fill in some gaps. I ended up making my album after I released part one, so people have been waiting a long time for part 2 to surface. I feel like I really get my point across with part two and it’s not so much about filling in the gaps now, but more continuing what I started with part 1. The tunes are all very current and timed perfectly in terms of when they are coming out. Some of them have been on dub for a while and some are really fresh, so it’s a great balance.
TSD - How long would you say it takes you to write an EP you’re completely satisfied with?
S - All of my biggest tunes were written and finished in 5 hours at the most.
I’m never full satisfied with anything I make though. I always feel it could be better, but I make it to the best of my ability at the time and thats all I can really do. I cringe years later when I have excelled beyond the production standards of past years and hear how I could massively improve the tracks I put out. That’s just progression though.
TSD - Creating any art form often draw inspiration from life and environment. With the many outlets from which we can seek such inspiration, what inspires you to create the sound that you do?
S - Honestly, just good vibes. When I am focused and life’s on track then that when I’m at my best. I didn’t have a sad childhood, so I don’t draw on pain as an influence. I tend not to even write music when I feel that way. But if I’m happy, then I’m a production machine and the music just flows out of me.
TSD - Many of your old label colleagues are re-releasing their Black Box catalogue. Is there any chance of we get your old releases also repress?
S - Evolution is exclusively available on my bandcamp page. I don’t plan on a repress though.
TSD - On the press release of the Rebellion we can read "The Rebellion EP Part 2 is a statement to dubstep musical development, and to Seven’s instrumental role in pushing the genre into the future". What is your view on the current scene and how do you deal with it falling apart into various different sub genres?
S - Amye Broziel wrote the PR, I found it very flattering. With all music now a days that becomes popular, there will always be sub genres. There are so many people making music now and trying to be individual to each other. This is the main cause of sub genres. I feel that we are kinda in a good position right now though, with everyone playing a bit of everything together in their sets, so at least there isn’t divide. I think its important to keep it all under the same umbrella and branding. Just like D&B has.
TSD - What does the term UK Bass Music mean to you?
S - It means everything to me. I have spent the last 25 years dedicating my life to it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I get anxiety almost when I think about that. I give and have given the scene a 110% of me. It’s what I am most passionate about. I’ll still be making music when I’m in my 70s and still pushing the boundaries out. I struggle to survive and get by and provide, but who doesn’t. At least I get to do what I love most and thats worth more than money and stability to me, because it’s true freedom to be able to express my self and make my contribution to the scene.
TSD - How do you feel UK club music culture today differs from when you were coming up?
S - It’s a business now, It was a movement back then. I’m 40 this year, so I caught the tail end of the early 90s rave scene and it was incredible. No mobiles phones and no smoking bans, meant there were no distractions from what was going on. You found your spot and you stayed there, each off you going off to the toilet or bar at certain points, but never outside, I don’t even think you was even allowed outside back then. There were so many clubs open to chose from too and nights happening all over the UK. The most important thing was there was sound in music we had never heard before. Nothing that could be linked to another genre of underground music. I was a huge jungle drum and bass fan, so I was out raving all the time. It’s a different world now and a whole different business model. But still a great night out. I prefer not coming home stinking like an ash tray and I love the strict safety standards and if a DJ is good enough, then a majority of people will go smoke afterwards and stock up on drinks before, so they get to hear the whole set.
TSD - Looking back across everything you’ve achieved to date, where would you say you’re at now as an artist?
S - I feel like I’m back to the beginning again. I have only just really put my foot back on the pedal again as an artist and there are lots of people now who have come into the scene who know what Uprise Audio is, but don’t know who I am. So I wanna put my self on their radars and then they can look back into my back catalogue and see all the wonderful music there is to listen through.
TSD - Before we finish... have you got any information you maybe able to share with us as regards any releases you have forthcoming or pencilled in either personally or for the label?
S - Later this year I’m going to be releasing a complete Rebellium edition with refreshed 2018 versions of the original part 1 as well as the tracks from part 2 with bonus tracks that are currently very sought after doing the round on dub plate. It’s going to be exclusively launched and sold at first on our new website which is almost ready for launch. So keep your eyes peeled for that when we officially announce it.
I have signed some tracks to other labels too, so you will see releases by my self dropping later this year on Duploc and Sentry.
TSD - To close...what are your top 3 memories from your musical path?
S - This is such a hard question to answer. Because my musical journey is full of wonderful memories that I am so grateful for.
The first thing that comes to mind is getting my EMU sampler. I had saved up and waited so long to get it and it was the must have kit in them days to get a track made in your home studio. We didn’t have DAW applications then. We just had apps for midi sequencing. All the work was done outboard. So getting that sampler opened the gate for me and gave me the tool to make the music I needed to be making.
My second memory is when Andy C signed me and how hyped he got me. It felt like everything really started for me from then.
My 3rd memory is from when we did out launch party at East Village for Uprise, that was magical. We had done this half arsed one up in Nottingham and the odds were stacked against us and it turned out to be pretty shit as expected. The London one though was my territory and we absolutely rammed the place out, which more than made up for the flop in Notts.
TSD - Thank you for your time brother, all the best with the forthcoming record. Are there any final comments / shout outs you wanna share to wrap things up?
S - Shout outs to my Uprise Audio Family, got so much love for you guys. Big up Youngsta, Truth, N Type, J Kenzo, Mala and Bukez Finest for all the support, Big up Jman - Babylon dead, big up all the mags and blogs who cover my releases. And last but not least much love to everyone who’s supporting me, booking me and buying my music which is putting food on my family’s table. xx
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