JDNB Interview : The Death Beats

Deathray Music presents an epic reimagining of our debut release, Monsters, featuring the evocative talents of Arizona singer songwriter Alisse Garn, AKA Little Panda. Striking a balance between elegance and energy, the Journey Mix blends immersive atmospherics and symphonic melodies with frenetic drums and thunderous low-end.
Beautiful strings, lush synthesizers, and fluttering arpeggios lay the foundation for an emotive soundscape, complemented by distorted bass layers, catchy synth leads, sweeping effects, and a powerful vocal top line.
This latest version highlights The Death Beats’ knack for revisiting legacy works and effortlessly adding fresh perspectives while merging the sounds of DnB, Cinematic Electronica, and Retro Synthwave.
So Gary! Many thanks for taking the time to do an interview with us, we are totally stoked! Your music really stood out to us here at JDNB. Tell us about how your music journey began and how you got into producing?
Thanks so much for supporting the new track, it’s not easy to make music that cuts through the noise these days, but; we do our best. I first got into making music back in the late 80s / early 90s when my parents bought me an Amiga 500 computer. Around the same time I was getting into mix tapes of the early Acid House and Hardcore raves and I was totally blown away by the music. By chance I happened upon a music tracker program for the Amiga which was popular with a number of producers in the scene at that time. From that point there was no looking back. I began buying analogue synths and building a small studio workstation. I eventually started venturing to JTS studios in Hackney to cut dub plates of my tunes and began meeting other producers and DJs including Aphrodite, Billy Bunter and Paul Ibiza, all of whom offered me advice and feedback.
As the mid nineties approached I began hanging out in Oxford, which; at the time was the home of a legendary DnB night hosted by Timeless Records called Source. Those events enabled me to connect with a number of artists and DJs who would help kick-start my Drum & Bass career including Dope Ammo, Spirit and Total Science. At the same time I was working for Goldie as his web designer so when I eventually launched my first label, New Vision Recordings in 1999, I was well placed to secure DJ support from him and Total Science etc...
In those days I was releasing music under the name of ‘RareForm’. My second release entitled ‘Spinechilla’ was championed by Goldie which helped put the label into the premier league. Around the same time the track also ended up being used in an Eastenders nightclub scene which was bizarre but allot of fun, not to mention; great exposure.
Gary, you have a studio in Mexico and UK? How exciting. Do you escape the winter cold to Mexico, or do you have family there?
My wife happens to be Mexican, so I am indeed, lucky enough to have studio setups in both Mexico and in the U.K. Oddly enough the north of Mexico is very cold for at least three months during the height of winter. We once had an ice storm that lasted a week and shut down the electricity and water for the entire state. The summer however, is crazy hot!
Where did the name Deathray come from?
Deathray Music came about because I felt it was time for me to come up with a new label concept. I launched my first label, New Vision Recordings back in 1999 and I wound it down in around 2005 when I setup Urban Sickness Audio which was a multi-genre label that I started with the help of Doctor P and DJ Swan-e.
I’d been getting really into Synthwave music and I wanted to come up with a label that would forge Synthwave and Drum & Bass, with each releasing being collaboration with a singer / songwriter. I was very happy with the concept, however; I didn’t have a name for the label. As a fan of The Prodigy I happened to be listening to their Deathray track and it occurred to me that it would be a great name for the label since it ties in with my artist name. So while the label concept is well thought out, the name was chosen on the spur of the moment.
Deathray is quite a dark sinister name. Do you think it resemblea your personality?
Deathray Music was not intended to be a sinister title but I see your point. I think of it as being somewhat dystopian and sci-fi influenced which goes hand in hand with the sound design of most of my tracks, which are very melodic as opposed to being dark and heavy.
Do you guys have kids? I always am intrigued as a mother and working around children how everyone else copes and if not, are you fond of children, or are you more an animal person, any pets? Sorry for the personal question feel free to not answer!
I have four children, two boys who are in college and two girls who are still small and at junior school. I personally love being a parent. I get on well with all of my kids and I’m proud of all four of them. I know that having children isn’t for everyone but I do think that they give your life meaning and purpose.
How does it work with the collaborations, do you send files over the net and how much do you reply on a good internet connection?
Well, firstly the internet connection in my area of Mexico is not good. We are talking 5mg on a good day if you are lucky. When it comes to the logistics of collaborating I tend to sketch out a basic concept and send it to the singer / songwriters that I am working with including Alisse and Sara Cruz etc... Alisse is very sharp when it comes to delivering her vocals as she does all of her own editing and mixes her vocal layers together very nicely. I don’t know any other vocalist who is able to do that part of the job so well.
What inspires you and influences you to make music?
I’m inspired by way too many things these days including other Drum & Bass artists, movie soundtracks and other genres of music including Dubstep, Future Bass and of course Synthwave. I also find myself being inspired by movie trailers and I think this is because they often provide a very fast and intense preview of a movie, set to an awesome soundtrack. I often come away from an afternoon at the cinema with a whole bunch of new ideas.
In the studio, do you have a lot of hardware and what are your favourite bits of studio kit?
I’ve always been a big Roland fan so I have quite a large collection of classic hardware synths and also some of the new machines they’ve released in recent years. In terms of production I’m PC based and I work with Cubase Pro. I also love my VST synths and I mostly use Native Instruments Massive, Arturia Pigments and pretty much all of the Togu Audio Line analogue emulations. Some of the classic hardware synths in my collection include the Roland Alpha Juno 2, JP8000 and JX3P. I’ve also collected most of the Roland Boutique modules including the SH101, TB303 and TR909 etc... I also have a Roland System-1 synthesizer which is a much underrated machine. I also recently bought the Roland SH4d desktop synthesizer which I used on my recent single Otherside. It has a nice wave-table synth that creates some very unique bass growls.
Love that. Sick kit. You have collaborated with some big names in dnb. Tell us about how that helped and motivated you?
Most of my initial collaborations were a result of me attending the Source events in Oxford. Total Science explained to me that in order to add weight to my first label that I should bring on some big names for collaborations and remixes and they were absolutely right of course. This led to me working with Dope Ammo, Spirit, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Total Science and The Advocate.
Tell us about the collaborations with Crystal Clear, Doctor P, Eric Martin and some of the others.
I first met Eric Martin back in the late 90s when we were both represented by Trenton Harrison who also managed De La Soul, Dillinja and Goldie etc... A few years ago I was lucky enough to be able to roll out a number of remixes for Eric’s label Musicated, one of which features a new vocal from none other than Yah Kid K, who was the vocalist on ‘Pump up the Jam’. This track is still unreleased but I’m hoping it will drop at some point.
Around the year 2002 I put together a Drum & Bass rock band called PoisonFlow with my good friend and long time collaborator Jonathan Vaughan and we ended up signing the project to the legendary Kickin Records label. Andy from Crystal Clear happened to work at Kickin Records and used to help us with our live show bookings. When I launched Urban Sickness Audio he had already blown up as Crystal Clear and so I was keen to get him to remix my debut release on the label which was a track named ‘Death Proof’, released under the name Spitting Fury.
Working with Doctor P came as a result of being a long time friend of Simon Swan AKA DJ Swan-e. As a youngster, myself and a couple of other friends would tag along with Simon to his gigs at the weekends. Every DJ needs their entourage after all. For a number of years Simon and I worked for a company in Hertfordshire called The Education & Youth Services where he was in charge of the music production courses which were designed to keep young people off the streets. It was in these classes he met Doctor P who would initially start collaborating with him on Drum & Bass music before he made some of the biggest Dubstep tunes of all time. Along with Earl Falconer from the band, UB40; they ended up launching Circus Records. Along the way I was lucky enough to have them remix a number of my tracks which really helped the Urban Sickness Audio label in its early days.
Where did the name Death Beats come from?
The Death Beats name came about in the aftermath of my band PoisonFlow. We had spent around five years writing music, rehearsing and playing gigs only to stumble when Kickin Records folded. Myself and Jonno needed a new musical project to focus on and we wanted a name that was firstly, completely unique so there would be little chance of it being copied and secondly we wanted it to sound like it could be the name of a rock band or an industrial synth band as opposed to yet another Dance Music production duo.
I love Isaac Maya he is one of my favorite producers at the moment, and mainly because I can hear the development in his sound and how he has evolved. How important is that to you in terms of people ghost writing now or using ghost writers and can you hear it too?
I know that alot of people use ghost-writers and that’s fine if it works for them, but personally; I’m on a different mission. I need and want to be able to write, produce and mix my own music. Not only for personal satisfaction but also because I work in music licensing and I need to be able to take on projects and get them done. However, I can totally understand a DJ who is not versed in making music, but has ideas, wanting to use a ghost-writer, that totally makes sense.
Talking about engineering, do you do all the engineering on your music and what tools do you find most useful?
I do indeed look after my own production from start to finish although I like to play my work in progress to a number of colleagues whose feedback I value. I think it’s important to get a second opinion when you are working on tunes. The trick is finding the right people who will give you real world advice that you can put to good use.
Could you explain to people what Synthwave Drum & Bass is for those that don't know.
Long story short, Synthwave is a music scene that focuses on 80s style electronic music made with retro analogue synths. A good mainstream example of this would be the soundtrack to Stranger Things. Synthwave DnB is quite literally a fusion of the two genres. I’ve noticed there are quite a few people pushing this sound right now. Dimension and Subfocus are also quite big on using Synthwave elements. I think it’s an interesting angle for DnB which after all, is a music genre that is always changing and drawing on new influences.
You have music featured in Eliminators, can you tell us about that?
I’ve not watched that movie yet, but I have watched the scene which features my track. In fact the tune that they featured was from the PoisonFlow album and its entitled ‘Ode to the Enemy’ which would have been our debut single if Kickin Records had not folded. The movie placement came about when Audiosocket who represent me for film and TV licensing where asked to source a song that sounded like Firestarter by The Prodigy. I wasn’t convinced it was a good match and in fact I didn’t know they had gone with it until the movie came out.
What was your involvement in "How Bruce Lee Changed The World, Playmobil The Movie, Timefreak, Tracers and Venom – Let There Be Carnage, as well as TV shows including Beauty & The Beast, Chicago Fire, Madame Secretary, Shameless and The Magicians. How did you get into that and how do these opportunities occur?
I’ve been working in music licensing for film and TV for twenty years now so I have a number of good people who represent me for these kind of projects. I’m lucky enough to have an agent in Los Angeles who is well placed within all of the major studios and production companies which is how those placements came about. With the exception of the Bruce Lee documentary for which the music was supplied by a company called Pump Audio, for whom I was an inner circle composer before they were bought by Getty Images around ten years ago.
Love Pump Audio, big up those guys. You have music on the "Keeping up with the Kardashians" show too right?
Myself and Alisse both happened to work for a small music production library in Los Angeles who were one of the main suppliers of music for the show. When I first joined them I was asked to come up with a cache of Hip-Hop and Future Bass style tracks, all of which ended up in the show which was great. They also used the same tracks in the spin-off show called ‘Life of Kylie’.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Any hobbies or abnormal fascinations?
I’m very much into alternative history and hidden history and I like watching documentaries and talks from people such as Graham Hancock and Randall Carlson. I’m also into paranormal subjects and I appear as a guest on a show called ‘The Paranormal Peep Show’ from time to time for a chat about all kinds of interesting unexplained weirdness.
Creative people tend to be happier. Do you think that's the case, or do you have any internal struggles?
I tend to think that being creative can also make you unhappy. I spend most of my time being stressed about making tunes, especially if I can’t get a mixdown right. On the other hand when the job is done I am indeed very happy, so I guess its swings and roundabouts. At the risk of sounding pretentious I do think that you have to suffer to make something good, so it’s worth the stress if you really want to achieve something.
There is a lot going on politically with the world at the moment, do you think music and politics should mix?
I remember back in the mid 90s Liam Howlett said that music and politics don’t mix and I tend to agree with him. After all, Hollywood is currently in a situation where it’s running out of money, simply because they have been mixing politics with movies. I think it’s important to separate the two.
The world being as crazy as it is right now, I think the best thing that us everyday folk can do is treat each other with kindness and respect. Even if we are having a bad day or a rough time, we need to uphold that philosophy.
Do you believe in good energy, bad energy, vibrational effects such as the law of attraction or do you just think what is what is?
When it comes to energies I don’t think it’s a matter of belief because we are in fact dealing with the Karmic Balance of the universe and the rules of the unseen world so to speak. Then of course there’s the subject of manifestation which is becoming very popular these days. I can highly recommend anyone who is interested in these subjects looking up a guy on YouTube called Marj Bjerski who is an energy healer that talks about these subjects and other related topics. At the same time I think you have to be careful of false prophets on YouTube who cover these subjects. I officially vouch for Marj Bjerski though.
Your reply makes me happy thank you. Spreading good vibes. I think that comes out in your music too. What inspired you for Monsters? The name and the music?
‘Monsters’ was originally a Synthwave track that we released as the first tune on Deathray Music back in 2022. The original idea was to create an epic synth track that was cinematic enough to drop into a movie trailer. Alisse went ahead with some vocals that were based around the hero’s journey, in line with the cinematic theme of the original.
Which has been your favourite venue to perform at?
Well, you may or may not know that I am not, and never have been a DJ. I’ve only ever done live shows as RareForm in the late 90s and with my band PoisonFlow back in the 2000s. Even though I’ve always been a huge fan of certain DJs, I’ve never felt compelled to be a DJ myself. I would have to say that my favourite gigs as RareForm and PoisonFlow where at the Truck Festival in Oxford back in the days and also at Cargo in London.
I didn't know that! I play your music on my radio show, I love it. Do you know how your music lifts people up, and do you make it to create an emotional response or what are the reasons behind making music?
I’m so glad you liked the track. If my music means something to someone then that means something to me and it means that we must be doing something right. When you are promoting a song it’s often hard to tell how it’s going to be received, especially when DJ support can be so varied. A track that is disliked by a handful of mid level DJs can be championed by a big name who thinks it’s amazing. It’s important to me that I like the music I’m making and so long as I’m happy then I’m able to accept when other people don’t like my music. On the flipside when they do respond well to the tracks then that’s a bonus. My music has always been a little avant-garde mostly because I have trouble conforming and I think that while this can often make my tracks sound quite unique it will also stop some people from supporting them. I’m fine with that as I really don’t want to look back in 20 years knowing that I made music that was exactly the same as what everyone else was producing.
I say keep going and stay true to yourself. We love you! If you could collaborate with one person, who would it be and why?
Well, if we are talking dream collaborations as opposed to collaborations that are likely to happen, two people in the scene I would love to work with are The Prodigy and Subfocus. In terms of film and TV movies, Harry Gregson-Williams and Gustavo Santaolalla are both on my hit list.
What do you think the future holds for the music industry and if you could change one thing, what would you do?
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the music industry, especially now there are more people than ever wanting to become DJs and producers since the technology barrier for entry has been lowered. I’m guessing it will become allot harder for people to make their mark. Most areas of the music licensing industry are already closing their doors and sticking with a tight team simply because they are inundated by the many people wanting to get into the business and swamping them with music.
What’s the plan for 2025 and beyond?
I’m currently finishing a new collaboration with Dope Ammo and Jasmine Knight which is sounding huge. I’m also working on a track with Acelin who is an up and coming producer who is signed to Tengu’s ‘High Tea Music’ label. I’m also working on some new Synthwave projects with Cassetter, Mikotron, Tim Besamusca and Sara Cruz. I’m hoping to work on a new song with Alisse at some point but in the meantime I am currently remixing some of our previous collaborations and brining them up to date.
Thank you so much for talking to us. It's fantastic to have you here and please keep going we love you!
Interview by Missrepresent December 2024