JDNB Interview - VIES

JDNB Interview April 2022 - Vies
Vies is made up of 2 guys one from England and one from Canada - so we had a chat about all things Vies!
Hey Vies! Thanks for talking to me. You guys are working over the internet, one in Canada one in England right?
(L) I was born in Ipswich and lived in England until I was 18 but we are both residing in Canada now. We started working together when we both lived in Calgary. I moved to Edmonton a couple of years ago so yeah, we are mostly working together online.
Tell us about the name Vies, what it means, what it represents to you and your home towns?
Our first major collab review was for Darrins (Dublic) ‘Turmoil’ EP on Dutty Bass Audio. It said something about there being nothing better than two artists banging their heads together to get the most out of each other. Our process and workflow is very much us battling it out until we get somewhere so we kinda ran with that idea and knew we wanted one word that could encapsulate that. We stumbled on Vies which is defined as ‘to compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something’ and thought it fit perfectly.
When did you guys first start listening to dnb and tell us about the other genres you enjoy and dabble in?
(D) Oh boy, that's a hard one to nail down, for me I started listening to Jungle before DnB but if I had to choose it would probably be late 1999, the techstep era that got me hooked. As for other genres I love Reggae, Dancehall, Punk and also produce some 140 bpm Trap/Drill from time to time.
(L) I transitioned from listening to Punk and Metal, to DnB around 2011 when I first started traveling. I can find something I love in all genres of music but I would say Punk, Grime, and Garage are what I turn to now when I am not listening to that sweet sweet DnB or Jungle.
The internet has been crucial for you right? Do you miss the old school magazines or is all this technology great for you?
(D) Honestly, I hate tech and it equally hates me back. I remember looking forward to the next issue of Knowledge magazine back in the day. It was always a great read and you got a free cd with every issue. If it wasn't for the internet our reach definitely wouldn't come close to what it does, so the internet definitely has its advantages.
(L) I couldn't live without the internet but there is nothing like reading an actual printed piece of glossy paper. Especially when you’re on the morning throne.
What track got you each into dnb?
(L) Blood sugar by Pendulum was the first DnB tune that had a major impact on my life. I was in a punk band in high school and we used to do a cover of it.
(D) For me it's two tracks, I'd have to go with Dillinja- Hard Noize. Tune still gets me right in the feels, I wore out so many copies of the vinyl back in the day. Another close 2nd would be Bad Company-China Cup.
So Dublics had releases on 'Deep in the Jungle', 'Audio Addict', and 'Run Tingz', tell us about those releases (and soundcloud links please).
(D) Started back in late 2017 when RMS was in town for a gig and really lit the fire for me to get back into learning, producing and landed us a collab on Audio Addict, followed by my own release on Deep In The Jungle with a tune called the butcher in 2018. Not soon after, moving down the line saw a tune called The streets signed to Run Tingz with Calgary Mc Infoe.
So Luk - tell us about Koh Tao.
(L) Koh Tao is a small beautiful island off the east coast of Thailand. It's mostly known for its Scuba diving but because it's so close to Koh Phangan where the full moon party is held - plus the fact that divers love a drink or 12, there is a decent nightlife scene. I was originally there to dive but found myself drawn into promoting and nightlife. I had dabbled as a laptop DJ and remember the night I was dancing to Wandering Munk at Maya Bar. He came up to me afterward and asked if I wanted to try my hand at it. He had noticed me singing along to the tunes he was mixing in and said he would teach me everything he knew. Massive big ups and thanks to him for pushing and helping me get my first bookings on the island which really started my journey as a DJ.
Tell us about your first productions as a duo on Ghetto Dub Recordings' and 'Lickwood and Gunshot'. (soundcloud links please).
(L) I would say I have been extremely lucky in that I have been releasing music with Darrin since I started learning to produce. These two tracks definitely reflect the learning process that was going on at the time and although they are not masterpieces in any way shape or form we are proud that the labels liked them enough to showcase them on some pretty massive VAs and our back catalog really shows our progression in learning this craft.
Tell us about where you guys have DJed so far and your favorite DJ experiences.
We work with two amazing production companies here in Alberta. RunniT Productions out of Calgary and NABDNB out of Edmonton. Last year we headlined The Virgo Cluster festival in August and also had an EP release party in October for our Drum Lab Audio release ‘Evacuation Sequence’ which were both magical experiences.
As you know Covid has really messed up the industry, so we are looking forward to things being back open and the opportunities that it brings. We are also on support duties for Phibes next week in Calgary, with more shows to be announced soon.
Facebook Event Link 1 / Facebook Link RunIt Productions / Facebook Link NabDNB
So production, what are you using as a DAW, and favorite VSTs?
We use Ableton as our DAW. Spitfire Audio has some amazing virtual instrument sample libraries that we use to add orchestral elements into our tracks. Decapitator from SoundToys is Luks favorite distortion and we use FabFilter Pro-Q3 to help sculpt our sounds. Dublics favorite VST’s would be Dubstation and Density.
So you had a release on our good friends label - you reworked Super Cat - Scalp Dem' with Redline was released on 'Liondub International' - it did quite well right?
It was released as a promotional track for Redlines 'Loving you’ EP on Uproar Audio (Liondubs sister label). It's sitting at just under 4.5k plays on SoundCloud and reached the Top 10 of the Hypeddit DnB Charts.
Do you mix and master your own tracks?
(L) It's crazy to think that when I started learning to produce all I wanted to do was write a banger and that seemed so attainable once I figured out my way around Ableton. However, I quickly learned that no matter how good a song is written, unless it’s mixed down and mastered properly that tune is never gonna translate outside of your studio. Unless you have the time and knowledge to hone in those crafts outside of songwriting, I would personally recommend using an outside source to help achieve that result. To be honest, even when you do have those skills I would say using an outside source for mastering is probably better. Have someone who isn't as close to the track touch it up as they are probably going to do a better job at being clinically critical about what is or isn't needed in that final polishing stage.
We have just recently started taking some mixdown lessons with Epi Centre. He is such an incredible source of knowledge and doesn't hold anything back. We highly recommended him to anyone trying to up their final product. He is our go-to mastering engineer also and is teaching us to get our tunes mixed down to a place where he needs them to be to get the most out of them when he is polishing them off in that final stage.
Which labels inspire you and why?
There are too many to mention but we will try and narrow it down to a few. 1985 & Sofa Sound are two of the best labels that push new sounds and forward-thinking music in DnB in our opinion. Grid and Pick The Lot are probably where we check first when looking for inspiration for Vies.
Do you like MCs?
(L) I love having an MC with me when I play to help hype the crowd and save my ass if anything goes wrong however do I like to play a lot of vocal tracks and keep my mixes rolling as long as possible so there isn’t usually a lot of time for the MC to showcase their own talents when I play which I sometimes feel bad for.
We recorded a Vies mix for The Zee show with MC Zee and A2 out of Toronto last year and that was a lot of fun. It was incredibly hard for me to make selections for a mix with no vocal tracks though. Here’s the link
(D) I do, however they have to know how, it’s never a good scene when a random person gets handed the mic and you've got to turn him off lol.
Do you like festivals or clubs?
(L) Electronic Festivals are one of the main reasons I moved to Canada. I grew up going to Metal and Rock festivals like Download and Reading but after traveling North America I couldn't turn back. There are so many amazingly produced festivals here that are very community-run and easy to get involved with. The people are just so damn friendly that it felt like a different reality. Even the security are sound. I taught a spliff rolling workshop at one when weed was still illegal in Canada which is kinda beyond belief. The clubs here however unfortunately do not compare to back home. They close at 2.30 am and the cities are not the biggest supporters of our antics.
Sun n Bass has to be the most incredible festival I have ever been to though. Not just for the lineup but the worldwide friends that have come out of adventuring there.
(D) I love the club scene, I get to go home and sleep in my own bed/ Hotel and not struggle to sleep. In all honesty it's prob just the old age creeping up and all the parties back in the day to the wee hours that's got in that mind set but ill still go rock a festival anytime!!
What do you think about the JDNB website?
It's great having a platform that showcases all types of DnB and Jungle in one place. We love that you have all these super in-depth interviews where one can get to know our favorite producers better. The free downloads section is awesome and is a great resource for new DJs getting into mixing DnB and having a play around with some tracks before investing a bunch of time and money.
Where do you go for dnb news?
We use Juno download a lot to check up on the newest releases as well as SoundCloud & Hypeddit for all of those sweet free downloads and bootys. Facebook is also a good source of news for us now as the feed is mostly full of either DnB or Drag posts nowadays.
If I saw you at the bar, what are you drinking?
(L) Mostly water nowadays as I'm a little bit of a mess when I've had a few however you might catch me drinking a Tequila or Gin with Soda Water & Juice if I'm feeling a little spicy that evening.
(D) Mostly whiskey, gin and beer.
What would be your perfect line up?
(L) I know it will likely never happen but like a lot of people out there I would love to see Andy C vs A.M.C. Give them 15 or 30 mins each to battle it out to see who can get the most hype crowd reactions over the duration of the night. Hybrid Minds before and Alix Perez after would be the cherry on the cake.
(D) Kenny Ken with Skibadee and Fearless hands down. Unfortunately, we lost the legend that is Skiba this year, may he rest in peace.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
(L) Living on a beach. Scuba diving and making music every day. Hopefully with a club, studio, and hostel/hotel on said beach.
(D) Still hopefully making music, making money, and in good health.
What are your ambitions for 5 years time?
We would love to be able to tour regularly and to have releases on some of the major DnB labels.
(L)Traveling is such an important part of my life and being able to travel the world as a duo doing what we love would be awesome.
What are your fav radio stations or shows in London or Toronto?
(L) Lotus Queen who hosts Radio Emissions on CJSW has an amazing show out of Calgary and has been one of our biggest supporters since we started making music together. Massive shout-outs also go to Etown Junglists aka Celcius out of Edmonton and Tru Trooper who hosts Smashington Sessions out of Toronto. They are both hilarious human beings and have helped our music reach the ears of so many people.
Do you have any favorite quotes or sayings?
(L) 'A problem shared is a problem halved' is the one that jumps out right away as my old man says it to me often. Another is 'There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self' by Aldous Huxley.
(D) ‘ menu for today two choices, Take it or leave it’.
What's up next for you?
We have some more releases scheduled for 2022. One with vocalist Miss Fudge as well as a few other collaborations. Pumping out quality releases at a decent rate seems to be the way to get noticed and go places in DnB right now so we are quite focused on trying to make that happen.
Thanks for your time! All the best for 2022 and beyond!
Thanks to the team at JDNB. This was a lot of fun and brought back some amazing memories.
Interview by Missrepresent - April 2022