Ded Sheppard
On his debut album You Can’t Take It With You, Ded Sheppard pushes musical boundaries until they start to break at the seams with his remarkable, experimental tribal techno and drum and bass. A self-styled sound deconstructor, the combination of beatless compositions and dancefloor-focused tracks – in part the product of his experience working as a composer and sound designer for video games and film – results in a deeply engaging album. We talk to him to find out a bit more.
You had a previous alias, Code Blue which was a collab with Germany’s legendary The Panacea with tracks such as ‘Graveyard Twist.’ When did you first start producing?
Yep I started producing DnB/jungle sometime around 2000 and had my first release “Sign of The Times” around 2002 under the Code Blue alias.
Your based in Vancouver, Canada. Is that where you have always lived?
I’m based in Vancouver now, but I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, then moved to Toronto after University. My time in Toronto was very formative for me as DnB/Jungle was massive there for many years with a lively community of established and young DnB/Jungle producers. When I was starting out, I was able to get some basic advice on setup from some of the more established DnB producers which really helped me get my start. There was also a tangible “dubplate pressure” scene with a couple dubplate cutting houses in town so I learned about mixing for vinyl and the process of finishing tunes through cutting dubplates. The Scratch Free Press was one for example, they bought the Neumann lathe that cut Warhead from a house in London and shipped it to Toronto. A lot of the energy of that seminal time is baked into my DNA and it influences my music today.
You work as a composer for films and games, how did you get into that?
At the beginning, I was on a path to be a film composer so through the Guild of Canadian Screen Composers / SOCAN mentorship program I got my start in that field and composed a few films that quickly morphed into video games. I was then given an opportunity to work in-house at Electronic Arts as a music editor working with interactive music using their gaming engines. I worked on material by accomplished composers like Ramin Djwaldi (Game of Thrones) and Bryan Tyler (Fast & Furious). I think these experiences have added a dimension to my music as I no longer think about music in a linear timeline, I think about it more fluidly or interactively.
What is your current DAW and have you always been on that?
My current DAW is Logic X, I have pretty much been on Logic since I started to produce.
"You Can't Take It With You" is a seven track concept album forthcoming for the 27th September 2019. The album name struck with me, and I take it you're quite a deep philosophical person, you mention a dystopian future. A lot of people may not even know what the word means. I was lucky enough to study George Orwell at secondary school and we read "Animal Farm" which always struck me, but can you expand on it, and why it means so much to you?
Ha, yes I do have a philosophy degree, so I guess that thought process comes into play in my music. I’d like to leave it open for the listener to interpret, but while I was writing the album, “You Can’t Take It With You” I was exploring themes of mortality as a whole and imagining a dystopian future. Overall, it questions what are we leaving behind. From a musical perspective, I don’t want to leave anything behind, I want to explore and push my comfort zones, and see how far I can go musically. So for this album I experiment with pushing my personal boundaries in terms of form and structure.
Your artwork as well through your releases take quite a dark theme. Do you think this again reflects your personality?
I think the art reflects the darkness that comes out in my music. The graphic artist Seth/Grym is really gifted and I always look forward to his designs. Oddly I am a pretty happy person, and when I’m making super dark music that I’m excited about I actually get even happier. Go figure :)
Your first solo release in 2015 was more a liquid theme, you do experiment a lot which is wonderful. What would be your favourite instrument?
I don’t think I have a favourite instrument, as I like all my tools for different reasons, and that’s always evolving. But what I like to do is create new sounds and experiences working with sound in a closed system until they sound like how I imagine. I usually don’t stop until I get the outcome that I hear in my head. So my instrument of choice is not really a thing it’s more of a destination and I know it when I get there.
Your next four releases were on Onset Audio, and you have received support from Noisia and Homemade Weapons. You have even had your tracks played by Aphex Twin. How important is A list support to you and what's most important to you in your world of music marketing, money and promotion?
As an artist the most important thing for me is that my music gets heard.
I really love Run Baby Run. Why did you call it that and what inspires you to make such good drum patterns?
Thanks!!! Imagine a scene in movie with great tension, the doom is coming and then all of a sudden there’s only one thing to do “Run Baby Run”. The inspiration for the drum patterns comes from my memory of old school drum programing, the raw and unchained rhythms.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to be outside, Vancouver as a city is not very far from wilderness and vast nature. So I like to hike, paddleboard and bike in my spare time.
If you could recommend one book what would it be?
Emu Eos sampler Manual.
Brilliant answer. Haha. And If I gave you £10k, what would you do with it and why?
Buy units of time. As an artist I think the greatest gift is time.
I wish that was possible! Back to music. If you were stuck on a desert island and had to only have one piece of music to listen to, what would it be and why?
Do I get to bring a sampler?
Yes why not!
What music producers inspire you and why?
I’m inspired by producers who create a new experience for me and make me feel something. Sun o))) blew my mind the first time I heard them. I’ve also been really inspired by film composers lately who blur the line between sound design and music.
Do you have any favourite quotes?
I have a phrase that I came up with that I try to stick to; “It’s not about virtuosity it’s about intent”
Not sure of the source, but I always loved this one - “The Music producer, the Artist, and Engineer can’t be in the same room with each other!” I think this rings true as there’s always a tug of war in the studio for DnB producers, since these roles exist in the same person and it’s always a struggle for me.
Where have been your favourite places to DJ at?
I think my favourite places to DJ are at dark underground warehouse parties there’s just something about that vibe.
What's up next for you and what are your plans for the future?
I’m working on new stuff now I’m excited to see how that will shape up. There’s also a remix slated for “Run Baby Run” by a producer I’m a big fan of, so can’t wait to announce that!!
I’m also excited about “You Can’t Take It With You” dropping on Onset Audio on Sept 27, 2019!!
Great stuff, last few questions. If you could change one thing in the world for the better what would that be and why?
I think a shift of perspective to consider how connected we are and what we leave behind. It would be great if we left this world a little better than we found it. There is a Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield who went into space and after that experience he described earth as a spaceship. He felt we should treat it well as we only have one spaceship to sustain life.
Where can we catch you playing at in the future?
Stay tuned…
Thanks & Shouts?
Big thanks to Seth/Grym for the amazing album art and Onset Audio for being a great home.
Interview by Missrepresent September 2019
