I Wannabe Interview
I Wannabe, Andrey Sirotkin, is drum & bass producer and DJ from Ukraine-Kyiv, and owner of vinyl label Deviant Drums since 2018.
I Wannabe is one of the most relevant drum & bass producers from Kyiv. His fascination with electronic music coincided with the ‘golden ten’ of the 90s. It was then that Andrey heard the Space ‘Magic Fly’ plate, which was the beginning of a journey into the world of beats and synthesizers. The EZ Rollerz ‘Meatball’ record became the point of no return in his musical consciousness. Since 2000, the drum & bass style has become the guiding star of Andrey’s creative explorations.
Sorting out different sequencers and genres, Andrey honed his own style. So, starting in 2007, I Wannabe's tracks have been released on labels such as; Formation, 22:22, Disturbed, Cymbalism, Rubik, Inception:Audio, Machinist Music, Kos.Mos.Music and get essential support from London Elektricity, Bailey, B.Traits, RSD, Dodge & Fuski, Chris Inperspective, Cutworx, Electrosoul System, Gvozd, Need For Mirrors, DJ Trax and Noisia.
I Wannabe gained wide popularity in Ukraine thanks to remixes for local artists; Kazka, Zapaska, Pluton & Skyer and Katya Chilly. In 2018, Andrey launched his own label Deviant Drums, which releases drum & bass exclusively on vinyl. The circulation of the debut release of the ‘I Wannabe - Dreams EP’ with remixes from Commix and Total Science was sold out in a month, raising a stir in the world’s drum & bass community.
Nowadays, I Wannabe is focused on production for both his own label as well as well known worldwide ones. He actively performs in Ukraine and is available for booking around the world.
We thought it would be a good idea to get Andrey in for an interview to see if we can find out what makes him tick. I am happy to say that he agreed!
Hello Andrey. Thank you for taking the time out to talk with me.
Hi, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
How has 2019 been treating you so far?
2019 is the year when I have had the biggest number of releases in comparison with the past years of producing music. I’ve got 3 solo EPs on Offworld, Kos.Mos.Music and Omni Music and also 3 tracks on the compilations by Kos.Mos.Music and Regression Media. And it’s not the end of the year yet, so I have some more to come :)
There’s more to come? I like the sound of that!
Can you go back a few years and tell me a bit about the music you liked and listened to while growing up in the Ukraine, and what first attracted you to drum & bass?
I’ve been addicted to music since my childhood. It started from my parent’s vinyl collection and through the popular and classic music I found Space’s “Magic Fly”, which was my first electronic music record. Of course that music was not electronic for 100%, but those sounds of synthesizers were amazing. Since then I just explored music in different directions which were opposite to pop culture: hip-hop, hardcore, punk rock, electronic music. In those times we were limited by physical audio sources! So, it was very difficult to find the alternative music so I was happy to find something different from the music I already heard. Through the breakbeat and breaks I discovered drum and bass, and at that moment I understood that I loved this music.
Music addiction form your childhood. Same here mate!
Do you have a favourite drum & bass genre? If so, what are some of your favourite tracks within that genre?
It’s easier to count those I don’t. I’m not ok with pop drum and bass and those new school neurofunk, minimal techstep and those EDM influenced festival bangers. Those are just not for me. I like everything from old school stuff to drum funk and liquid funk to the half step/experimental ones. It’s the music of mood for me. I can find any genre within drum and bass to match my current mood and just enjoy it.
These can be oldies from Metalheadz while driving to the office, or listening to some liquid funk from Fokuz, or half step stuff from Cosmic Bridge while I’m working. Can’t name the favourite ones because there are loads of tracks I love!
It’s good to hear that you have an open mind. It definitely broadens the horizons.
What made you want to produce your own tracks?
It was like natural continuation of my music passion. If I was to stop and look in the past, then it seems like there was no other way I could have imagined. I remember when I got my first DAW and just started to experiment and tried to make music.
You’ve had releases on some huge labels such as; Formation, 22:22, Disturbed, Cymbalism, Rubik, Inception:Audio, Machinist Music and Kos.Mos.Music.
Are you exited to be on their list of producers?
For sure! I can’t explain what a feeling it is when you found that your tracks been released side by side with producers that were the ones to made me love this music.
The next level is to have some collaboration with artists that I love and respect :) Such as Sunchase!
Your latest release ‘Wax’, on the forthcoming ‘Nothing But - Drum & Bass Anthems Vol. 1’, is pure quality! It’s a nasty piece of Jungle with an old school vibe to it, and has some wicked drum-breaks and hefty bass lines. I absolutely love it!
Could you tell me a little bit about this track, how long it took to write and what production techniques you use at the moment?
I love to explore sounds inside drum and bass. “Wax” was the result of my love to old school stuff. I used Akai emulator for all pitching and stretching for this track to make it sound more authentic. As fast I have an idea and groove, the faster I finish the track. So that was the quick one :)
What aspects of producing your own tracks do you love the most, and what keeps you going?
I love the process, the time while producing each track. It doesn’t matter if it’s VSTi, analog synth, modular stuff or sampling - I just love doing it. I’m enjoying the sound I hear.
Sometimes as a result I get the totally opposite stuff from the one I had at the starting point, but I enjoyed every change that I made. The love for the music and for the sound keeps me producing tracks. I can’t even imagine living without that.
The love for the music! Yes, living without it is a painful thought.
What do you find is the most challenging thing when making your music?
Mixdown’s! Those are the biggest challenge. Of course, I try to mixdown while I’m producing but some changes force me to re-mixdown every track in the mix. It’s a very hard thing to be an objective mixing engineer while you’re cutting those tracks you made as artist :) Also you just can’t be objective while listening to the same track 7 days in a row. So I prefer to leave project for a week or two and then re-listen and make any further decisions.
Which DJ’s and/or producers out there do you get your inspiration from?
Spectrasoul, Total Science, Om Unit, Technical Itch, Nucleus & Paradox, Calibre, ASC, DBridge, Gremlinz, Photek, EZ Rollers, Breakage, DJ Traxx, Macc, Seba, Digital and Spirit to name a few. These have the most tracks produced by themselves that I like. Of course there are plenty of producers that have fewer tracks produced but they are great too. If to mention this list will be 100pages long :)
If you could collaborate on a track with anyone who would it be, and why?
Great question!
If to speak about drum and bass then I would like Dj Traxx and Macc. I love what they are doing. I think it could be some unexpected result.
I love Seba. The melodic part of music, while it’s combined with tight drum work, is vital for me in drum and bass.
EZ Rollers, I started listening to drum and bass from their tracks so it’s like a big circle :)
If to talk about artists outside of drum and bass I would say Aphex Twin because it’s just an unpredictable result :)
Martyn. He made a huge way from producing drum and bass to his non drum and bass album on the German techno label Ostgut Ton. So it would be interesting to collaborate with such an artist.
Didier Marouani from Space. It’s like the bigger circle as it was my first vinyl with synthesizer sounds. I still love his music and re-listen to it every half of the year.
If not to concentrate of specific artist I would like to have collaboration with a symphonic orchestra because I just love the way the strings sound. I used string orchestra libraries in my tracks but the real orchestra is the next level of experience.
Live sax! I love jazz and I think the sax solo over a drum and bass groove can sound very emotional. It’s the same with a jazz drummer. Just want to see how far live drums and synthesizers can go.
An opera singer! I’ve heard once or twice, a drum and bass track with a female opera singer and I loved it because of that weird combination and the whole picture of the track. And it impressed me so deep that I instantly felt the need to produce my own track.
I’m taking actions on some collaboration from the bottom part of this list, and trying to make them happen. So hope you’ll hear the result in not far future.
Intriguing! I can’t wait for that to land.
To those that are new in the music industry, and may feel the struggle when starting to produce their own tracks, what advice would you give?
Keep going, finish tracks, and do not start producing music by copying the technique of making drums or basses. As the result we have the loads of similar unrecognisable and not memorable tracks.
I totally agree. Try to find your own unique sound!
Most producers start off as DJ’s. Did you?
That’s not me :) I already produced some tracks in school and after I graduated. I discovered DJing as the expansion to my love of drum and bass and the will to find more people who love this music as much as I do. There was a DJ school which was founded by breaks/drum and bass pioneers in Kyiv and started my education there.
Do you prefer festivals or clubs, and do you think each have different energies?
They definitely do. I have very limited experience of playing at the festivals. The 95% I get booked are the clubs. I think it’s because the music I play as a DJ is not EDM influenced. Festival music all sounds the same for me: from the groove to the structure of the track. It’s less emotional for me. I like things that can go deep and unexpected.
What are your goals for the rest of 2019?
For now I have 2 musical directions. I also produce music under my real name ‘Andrey Sirotkin’. It sounds more like leftfield house and breakbeat but I’m not limiting it with any genres. So my goal is to finish the album and to release two remixes. As ‘I Wannabe’ there will be two more releases until the end of 2019 - it’s the remix EP which includes remixes of tracks by Radicall and Sunchase, to release next EP at Deviant Drums and one more release where me and Deviant Drums will be involved. Both are on vinyl. Also I’m waiting two of my drum and bass remixes to be released.
Loads more to come from you then. Brilliant!
Ok, last but not least! What three things do you love most about your life at the moment?
These are my family, music and people which surround me. I think I just love my life :)
Well said.
Thank you for taking time to chat with me Andrey. I wish you all the best with your new release. Is there anyone you would like to mention? Any shouts or thanks?
Thank you too. Those questions were amazing as they took me from my memories to my dreams and wishes. So I have couple new ideas while we had this interview :)
Wow! That’s nice to hear!
Talking of dreams, I’ll add your track ‘I Wannabe – Dreams’ right here.
Buy ‘I Wannabe – Dreams’
Pre-Order ‘Nothing But - Drum & Bass Anthems Vol. 1’
Check out I wannabe on Beatport & Juno
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For business and booking inquiries please contact Dima “RUNE” Pavlenko: outbreak.promo@gmail.com
Interview conducted and posted by Brenton Clerkin
