Q&A :: Caine [IM:LTD]

IM:LTD could call 2013 a good year. With a full-length LP project under their belts as well as a host of quality single releases, the French label seems to be going from strength to strength.

We decided it was high-time we got hold of bossman, Caine, to find out what makes the label tick. Read on for the lowdown.

Hi Caine, thanks for talking to us. Can you give us a little background into how IM:LTD came about? What made you want to set up a label?

Hi, thanks for having this interview.

I was already deep into music production and designing visuals for some other labels when I got offered to run my own imprint.

I saw an opportunity there to promote young upcoming producers such as Mortem, Atmospherix & Glen E.Ston.

People I was already in touch with that couldn’t actually fit the sound of the labels I was already working for.

How would you describe the music policy/ethos of  IM:LTD? Is it difficult crafting a product like a record label?

“Let the music do the talking” is what we stand for. We didn’t really make it easy for ourselves, we wanted the label to be as true to the underground and the Drum & Bass fans as we could, putting upfront almost unknown producers coming from barely known local scenes.

Now when it comes to the efforts of putting on a decent label, I already knew regarding my former experiences what it would demand to do it to the fullest. I knew it wouldn’t be a piece of cake, but overcoming obstacles is already a reward in itself…now I’m broke, I’m tired but I’m content as it seems we have some bright days ahead aha!

We hear you have a background in graffiti. Has that translated at all in the way you run your business?

Actually yes, it did a lot. Graffiti being all about “getting up”, I realised later the way I worked on this label project was actually with the same competitive mindset I had when I was bombing when applied to another media.

IM:LTD has quite a prolific release schedule compared to some labels. What's going on at the moment and what can we expect to hear in the near future?

We’re going to get back to a more reasonable release pace this year. Last year was all about having projects we initiated over the former years to finally come out.

But there are some pretty things already lined up starting with a forward thinking dubstep album from Kantyze which we’ve been working on for a year,

a couple of 12”s we are gathering remixes for and you can also expect something special from the IM:LTD camp to mark the 5 years milestone, so keep your ears open. 

You dropped a various artists album recently. How was the response to that? Are there many differences in the way you work towards an album compared to a single or EP release?

The response was super good…it actually always does when it’s a ‘VA’ project, I call it ‘the bundle effect’ aha.

Then it’s all about picking up the right music together, depending on what’s the release concept.

Are there any artists that you're really feeling at the moment?

There are loads, besides the label regulars such as Mortem, Arp Xp, Glen E.Ston and co, I am pretty excited about newcomers I have onboard such as Inertia from Madrid and Alpan Aytekin from Istanbul.

When it comes to what’s out there, there are a lot of people going from strength to strength I appreciate such as Foreign Concept, Villem, Fracture, the whole Manchester thing …

Current Top 5 tunes?

Derrick & Tonika :: Session [Forthcoming IM:LTD]

Phil Tangent :: We Don't Talk Anymore [Forthcoming IM:LTD]

Gerwin :: Soul Truth [IM:LTD]

Chimpo :: All Over [Soul:R]

Foreign Concept :: Paper Cha$er feat. Punchline [Critical Music]

Click this link to go to the IM:LTD store at Juno Download

Q&A :: Clive Ingredients

A little later than planned but no less relevant, is the second part of our Ingredients Records feature. Coming in the form of this interview with label boss, Clive, we find out how he got involved in Drum & Bass, what made him want to set up the label and what drives him to move forward in the scene. Read on!

Clive, thanks for talking to us. Can you give our readers a little insight into how you originally got involved in the Drum & Bass scene as well as the inception of Ingredients Records?

Well I am a firm believer that if you dedicate enough time to something you should look to get something back and I guess I felt that I needed to explore the industry after buying records avidly for 8 years. So much so that I quit my career as a chef to go and work at Redeye Records. That was in 2000 and from there I went and worked at Southern Records Distributors (SRD).  I was on a London pirate station between 2001-2005 and had met many people during this time. I left London to work for ST Holdings and I guess all this experience and networking led me to starting Ingredients confidently. I'd studied the music for 14 years by now so I found something I felt I could do quite well at and launched the label in 2009. 

Do you feel like you've kept in touch with the values the label was originally set up on? How do you see Ingredients evolving as time goes on?

Yes I do, although it's sometimes quite difficult to. The aim was always to find new artists and give them a platform, and some self-belief. But as has been the case throughout the catalogue, I've always released music from established artists too. I guess sometimes it felt like a mission statement rather than a record label but that's the pressure I put myself under and every now & then I just wanted it to be a credible label whoever the record was by. I've put on some really good events  in the last 3 years, notably the 1st one at XOYO & recently at Fabric. That shows the progression but I have slowed the release schedule down, there really is no rush to release good music.

The last release came in the form of another appearance from Response. Can you tell us a bit about that? Can we expect to see any more Ingredients bits before the year is out?

Yeah he sent me about 8 or 9 tunes, some were decent & he released his 1st record alongside ST Files in March this year "Nailbomb / Hard Times"  which was a great way to launch his career! We kept in touch regularly and pushed for his first solo 12". But literally one day he sent me 6 tracks & I signed them all! "Creep / Resistance" is out in the stores now as well as "Surveillance / One Nation" . They've had some terrific support across the scene and I'm really pleased for him. He's been doing this for over a decade and he's finally in the zone. Also out now is another unknown to most, Dominic Petrie. Some different flavours on this one, a lot deeper and chilled but I felt he needed a platform, he's very talented and it's a 7 track digital EP with a 12" to follow.

Any plans for another album project?

To be honest I am put off by them. There are far to many compilations anyway, but if I was to do one it would be a solo album. Too early to say at the moment but I'm not ruling that out.

Who are your favourite producers at the moment? Are there any new guys coming through who you have your eye on?

I'm liking Pennygiles stuff of late, always been a fan of that style and sometimes he absolutely nails it. Skeptical always writes interesting Drum & Bass for me and I am really into Stealth, he has some killer tunes up his sleeve. But Response is someone I'm glad to be working with, 'One Nation' is bloody great.

You recently branched out into artist management with the formation of Evolution Artists. What made you want to get into that and how did it come about?

Yeah myself & James (Chroma) used to talk a lot and we both wanted to get into artist management in some capacity, and when he heard i was managing Symmetry Recordings for Break, we talked in depth about starting an agency. With a fair few artists already into what I was doing with Ingredients and James' experience in being a promoter for Turbulence in Newcastle, I think that experience alone was enough for people to take us seriously. We've been running it for almost 2 years and we both really enjoy it.

Any final thoughts you'd like to add?

Well I feel lucky to be working in the one part of the industry I love (Drum & Bass) and I encourage anyone to follow their desires and never let anyone put them off.

Click this link to go to the Ingredients Records store at Juno Download

The Perfect Recipe :: Response & Dominic Petrie Cooking Up A Storm On Ingredients

Ingredients Records came back strong this month with the beginning of a double release from Manchester new boy, Response, the first of which dropped earlier this month. This marked the beginning of a flurry of releases within a six week period, including the next single from Response and a seven-track EP from Aberdeen based producer, Dominic Petrie.

In this first part of our focus on Ingredients Records, we take a closer look at all three releases...

Following on from his collaboration with ST Files, which was also released on Ingredients a little while back, Response unleashed 'Creep' and 'Resistance' on a label which is synonymous with breaking new talent and justifiably respected for it. This single sets the tone for his forthcoming material with a focus on tough, stepping breaks, brooding atmosphere and heavy low end.

'Creep' exemplifies this perfectly, kicking things off with a simple two-step beat before building and dropping with heavy, distorted bass stabs which rumble along throughout. This is real heads-down business, reminiscent of classic Renegade Hardware and Phantom Audio releases, demonstrating how simplicity can do just as much damage on the dancefloor as more complicated sounding tracks.

'Resistance' comes with a slightly more rolling feel to it but hits just as hard with Burning Spear vocal samples and a dub-infused bassline. Check both tracks out below and see what you think.

Forthcoming on October 21st, the follow-up single from Response not only proves Clive at Ingredients' faith in this artist but also further cements him as a producer to keep your eye on. It's hard to believe he's been making music for ten years but is only just finding his way into the limelight now.

'Surveillance', which has been championed by the legendary Fabio and is a firm favourite here at Blackdub HQ, starts out where 'Resistance' left off. Although a little deeper than the tracks on the previous release it still holds enough weight for the dancefloor, which you'll understand when that bass drops. Comparisons to Marcus Intalex are easy to see here but that's a good thing in our opinion. Vibes!

'One Nation' is the moody teenager of this single. Deep, dark and coming with an old Virus style sound palette, this one grumbles along with a deadly reese bassline that was enough to make label owner, Clive come over all giddy.

You may not have heard the name Dominic Petrie before as, as far as we're aware, this is his first release under this moniker. However, like Response, he has been producing for a while, under the name Y2D, with a slew of releases under his belt on labels such as Nerve, Phuzion and Sound Artillery.

This EP really showcases his diversity as a producer with tracks like the sublime 'Riverside Blues' and 'Beyond the Wall of Sleep' bringing that Calibre style smoothness. In contrast to these, you have 'Ephemerol Test' and 'Exponent of Escape', which wouldn't sound out of place on an Autonomic podcast, as well as our favourite of the bunch, 'TMA1', with it's sparse soundscape and distorted bass.

The thing that ties all these tracks together is the atmosphere and the actual emotion and feeling you get from them which is a hard thing to accomplish these days. It also speaks volumes that this release was originally supposed to be a single but Clive and company at Ingredients couldn't decide firmly enough on two tracks to put out. We're also feeling the artwork on this one. Lovely stuff.