Cable

Bristol based artist, Calvertron aka Alex Calver is growing more popular by the day. Becoming renowned for sets that mirror his diverse production sounds, Calvertron is an internationally accomplished DJ, impossible to pigeonhole and quickly emerging as a front runner in the ever growing global bass music scene. We caught up with Alex for quick-fire interview ahead of his set at Chew the Fat! & Dub-All Or Nothing on Friday night here at Cable.

1. When I grew up I always wanted to be.

A Footballer, I was football crazy as a kid, a big Man Utd supporter, I was captain of the school team and played for Cardiff boys team (until I moved away at a young age) like a lot of kids I spose.

2. You wouldn't expect it, but sometimes I listen to...

I love all kinds of music, nothing too obscure really but can appreciate most types of music, should I be embarrassed when admitting to be a Coldplay fan? (it helps me relax on flights)

3. My signature dance move is...

When I was a kid I was the best head-spinner in the school (breakdance style). When the teacher went out of the class I used to run to the front and a get a quick head-spin in before they came back.
Was all fun and games until my hair started falling out at 11 years old! I think i'd probably break my neck if I tried that now. (I haven't gone bald yet though thankfully)

4. My favourite YouTube video at the moment is...

A personal favourite of mine is 'Badgers', get's me every time, gotta love that snake! (i'm easily amused)

5. My next release is...

My remix of 'Skepta - Peace Not War' just dropped on iTunes, I'm currently finishing off a 6 track EP, it will probably be released on my label 'Jack Knife' mid June.

6. After I finish my set you will find me...

Hunting beer and kebabs

7. My perfect hangover breakfast is...

Full English obviously! Don't come near me for a couple of hours if there were baked beans involved.

8. If I get a weekend off I like to...

Stay as far away from nightclubs as possible, you would probably find me on a golf course somewhere.

9. I love...

Music, travelling, my friends n' family and my Dad's lasagne (best on the planet!)

10. I fear...

War, spiders and turbulence (an occupational hazard!)

So lets start from the beginning... Where Did the name Maribou State come from?

To be honest it’s not as exciting as it sounds… We played around with a few names early on but couldn’t find anything that fit. Chris was reading the Irvine Welsh book ‘Marabou Stork Nightmares’ at the time and we just adapted the name from there.

Great book though! It's nearly a year since you started producing together, what do you have lined-up for us production-wise? Any special collaborations?

We're currently gearing up for our first EP with Southern Fried Records. We're going to be putting out a couple of EPs over the year and looking at an album in 2013. We have some great collaborations coming up over the summer, including an e.p with producer Pedestrian and a vocal feature from Saint Saviour. Watch this space!

What's your favourite Maribou State tune of the last year?

For me it would have to be Olivia. It kind of felt like we had reached a point in the studio where we were happy with the sound that was being outputted, especially as it gave us a good direction to move forward with. The new stuff that’s coming with Southern Fried is quite different in some ways and we’re really excited to get it out.

What musical direction are you planning to take Maribou State and who is inspiring your sounds at the moment?

As I mentioned, the new stuff that’s dropping soon is moving in a new direction for us but still hopefully retaining our ‘Maribou’ Sound. As of late we have been really working with stuff that fits the ‘home listening’ profile. There is still some ‘clubbier’ tracks heading out, especially with remixes but as far as originals go we’re really trying to push ore of an organic vibe and incorporate a lot more vocal features and live instrumentation.
 
What are your Top 3 dance floor bombs at the moment?
 
We switch up our sets quite a lot when we DJ but there are always a few tracks that hang around. We always try and spin some Bonobo tracks when we play. I’m a big fan of Oizo’s ‘Flat Eric’ as well and that always gets a good response. There’s a new remix from Pedestrian were supporting as well that goes off every time!

Can we expect anything 'brand new' from your performance at Cable on Friday?

Well we’ve just got the masters back for our next EP so will definitely be giving them a go...

You have been to Cable before, any stand out moments?

To be honest I’ve only played once before and I don’t think Chris has been before. But the last event with Chew The Fat was busy as hell and had such a good vibe going. Definitely made it up on my list of favourite London spots. We’ll have to see what it has in store for us next time…

Croydon DJ/producer/MC extraordinaire Dark Tantrums recently released his debut EP 'Unborn/Storm' on Coki & Mala's Highly regarded DEEP MEDi imprint, so we thought it fitting to catch up for a chinwag ahead of his ERGH gig at Cable tonight.



How did you first get into electronic music?

I've always had an appreciation for good music no matter what genre from as far back as I can remember.

You're Unborn/Storm EP is out on DEEP MEDi, I bet you're really chuffed.

I feel blessed that Such a prolific label is into what I’m doing! It feel's great.


 
The EP was influenced by the birth of your second child, will you continue to draw inspiration from them?

Yeah definitely!! they do all the time.

How would you feel about them following in your footsteps?

I'd love them to follow in my footsteps, although I’m not going to pressure them into it. I'm definitely going to give them a chance to get into it from a much younger age then I was though.

What would you say to a younger you (if you ever had the chance)?

I would have definitely told myself to get into producing from a much younger age.
 
Any career highlights so far?

I'd say my highlight so far has got to be travelling around the world doing what I love most.

What can we expect from your back to back performance with Kromestar at Cable this Friday?

I can guarantee some real Dubstep, covering the best of the deeper side and 'tear out' from us both!!! (Team Starfleet)

Quick-fire Questions

You wouldn’t expect it but, sometimes I listen to…
House music.

I Love...
The Growler on Origin Audio.

My next release is...
'The Drive'

My favourite thing about EDM music scene is…
Bass.

If I wasn’t a DJ I would have been..
An astronaut.

Catch Dark Tantrums performing with Kromestar as Starfleet at ERGH tonight.

Ahead of Friday's humongous 'May The 4th Be With You' Idiosynphonic party at Cable, we pinned down promoter Alex Donald for a chat. We also blagged an exclusive mix from Idio guest Tomek N for your aural pleasure.

So you’re just back from Snowbombing. Lucky guy! How was it?

Snowbombing was the best holiday of my life, from the very first night of the rally where I ended up on the roof of the hotel with Rankoutsider to meeting dancing next to High Contrast in the Sclussel whilst Shy FX dropped ‘If W Ever’, it is a crazy holiday. It was helped by getting a lot of free drinks from the Eristoff Wolves but there is so much music variety that it meets everyone’s needs. I went to see High Contrast and then found myself at Soulclap. It is the best festival I have ever been to and everyone needs to go plus there is the added bonus of being able to go onto the slopes. I am definitely going back next year!

Tell us about your musical tastes growing up.

At the age of 6 I was jumping around to ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ by The Prodigy and ‘Block Rockin Beats’ by The Chemical Brothers but then went through a more Rock based period however I treasured my Fabric Live CD which was mixed by DJ Hype.

It’s obvious you have a soft spot for drum & bass, but how did this progress through to dubstep?

I was 13 and was chilling with a friend and his older brother came in and played ‘Super Sharp Shooter and I instantly loved ‘DnB’ but what took it to a whole new level was ‘Together’, ‘The Trip’ and ‘Kaleidiscope’ by Logistics they are such amazing tracks! Dubstep came later, I can remember seeing N Type and Hatcha in early 2007 and not really getting it but then listening to Zeds Dead and being amazed by it.

Can we hear the Idiosynphonic saga, starting from day one?

Myself and Phonografik wanted to start a blog to cover D&B and Dubstep and everything in between and had a launch party with Camo +Krooked, Brookes Brothers, Modestep and Dexcell at Goldsmiths University and had 300 people turn up. After that we had no idea where it would take us but I kept asking Cable for a date and they gave it to us, so we got Modestep Live, Doctor P, Roksonix and Dubba Jonny Live on the bill and have never looked back! Idiosynphonic is about bringing the best acts to Cable and charging as cheap as possible plus no rewinds!!!

Anything you want to rant about?

Acts over-charging ridiculous amounts when you have promoted them and helped them get to where they are.

On the subject of bookings, how do you formulate your line-ups?

Idiosynphonic is always a variation in music. This year we have already had Hazard, Cutline, TC, Reeps One, Wilkinson, Shock One, Tomba, Distance, Silkie B2B Quest and next week we have Kill The Noise, Alvin Risk, Calvetron. Basically whoever I can get my hands on and try to be as original as possible. Also we like Live stuff and later on in the year you will see Document One’s first ever Live Show in London underneath Cable’s arches.

Which acts are on the Idio-hitlist?

We have had Camo + Krooked play a DJ set but we would love to have them play Live for us at some point. Noisia are another, incredible producers and would just be nuts. I can remember when they played at Cable for Metalheadz and they tore the place apart. Dillon Francis would be amazing to land and also Zeds Dead, every track they produce is different but smashes it in everyway.

You also have other strings to your bow such as artist management. What led you down that route?

I knew Modestep from when they had under 1000 fans due to a housemate going to school with them and Xkore was similar and they both have become really successful. I just want to help people in as many ways as possible and this is just another way I suppose.

What was it that initially drew you to Cable?

Swerve on a Wednesday night! I was looking for places to go and spend my student loan at Goldsmiths and a reason not to go to my 9am lecture so came a couple of times. I then moved away to Newcastle but came back for a Shogun Audio night and now come quite regularly to cause mischief. Don’t let me anywhere near the lights but on a serious note, Cable has got a wicked atmosphere and some of the best nights in the capital, Idiosynphonic being one of them!

Why do your loyal Idiosynphonic ravers keep coming back for more?

The variation in the night, we try and be completely different from every other night down here, so we try and stick away from the Grime scene and the Shogun Audio sounds but try and bring in the more Electro-sounding Dubstep from the scene with some Liquid/Jump Up DnB thrown in there too. We also try and get as many artists on our line up as possible. Over the last year we have had Genetix, Koan Sound, Captain Crunch, Rollz in the bar and then try and get everyone to have as much fun as possible. Cutline got everyone on their knees the last time they played for us and then dropped their track and the place went mental, I have never seen Cable go off like that.

What were your thoughts behind the recurring Star Wars theme, take it you’re a fan?

I can’t remember why we did it last year but it was a massive line up and the video worked really well with it. This year we happened to fall on the right date and Kill The Noise’s logo goes well with Darth Vadar so the artwork is looking so sick! I am ridiculously excited about it as Kill The Noise, Alvin Risk, Calvertron and our Special Guest will be dropping some crazy tracks full of lazers!! Ha but I do wonder how many will play the ‘Imperiel March’ or a tune with it in.

What have you got coming up in the next couple of months?

I’m off to check the nightlife of Barcelona before gearing up to July 6th at Cable where we have some of our favourite artists in the scene Document One (Live) and Cutline. There will be drunken shenanigans on that night for sure and to follow up we have some very special announcements in regards to collaborations etc but that is towards the end of the summer and is to be kept under wraps for the time being!

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Idiosynphonic 'May The 4th Be With You'
Friday 4th May at Cable

Info / Tickets

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Main Room: Kill The Noise, Alvin Risk, Calvertron, Cutline, Tut Tut Child, Esoterra, Pote, Essbeedee.

Room Two - hosted by Shhhed: Rankoutsider, Gazzinho, Tomek N, Vice DJs, Dankman B2B Vybez, Phonografik.

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For the people out there who dont already know you, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do...

My name is Seven. I'm DJ and Producer from London. To describe my sound, I'd say its a universal mixture of dark minimal groove based rollers and techie smashers, with a slight B-Boy element to the beats, whilst retaining a dance-floor edge people could really get down to. I like to make music I think people will enjoy listening to past a certain era and not just during a musical trend or phase within a scene. But above all, its not just a collection of noises.

You were originally a drum and bass producer, what made you make the transition to where you are now?

I had a drum n bass career spanning over 5 years and 15 releases on some prestigious labels. Even though I was quite well established i never felt like i found my true sound, but when i started experimenting with dubstep, my SEV3N sound just seemed to come naturally and fell into place for me. The tempo of dubstep allowed me to write the kind of grooves that i found hard to fit into the drum n bass, which opened up a whole new avenue for me that i wanted to express my self through musically.

What are your thoughts on the current 'dubstep' scene in the UK ?

It's thriving right now. I think its bigger than it's ever been. There's so much good music out there and constantl up and coming talent.You can't compare it to the stuff our US cousins are repping, its a whole different thing entirely. We just share the same name.

Who are you down with? Who do you rep?

I'm down with and repping Black Box Records, Wheel and Deal, Tempa, Subway and Aquatic Lab and represented by Archetype Artists Agency.

What was the first tune you played during your last set?

Seven - Twilight Horizons - Evolution LP - Black Box Records.

What projects are you working on at the moment? What can we expect from you in the near future?

I'm just about to release my debut album on Black Box Records. Its titled Evolution and will be out in May this year. It features 13 tracks on the CD and a triple vinyl pack with a full CD release inside it too. Also on release day we will be releasing a digital single called "Came to Play" which is full vocal track featuring Alys Be.

I have just started my second album for Black Box Records too. Things are really busy right now.

What's been your favourite tune to drop recently?

Such a tough question to answer. I don't really have 1 favourite. i love all the tracks i play so much. Just to narrow down all the tunes i get sent into a 26 track hour long set is a mission in its self, as well as all my own tunes. Sometimes i just don't have time to play even half of the ones i would like to. Ruff House smacked it though.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

I get restless. I'm not a lay in bed person, unless i have a girl with me.

What has been the worst set you've ever played?

I got really drunk on tour once and thought I played the best set ever. i listened to the recording the next day and it was terrible. Technically thats probably the worst one i have played haha! Everywhere i get to play is a blessing though, so there isn't a worst place, the party is what i make it i guess.

And the best?

Wow, all of them. I remember mixing in my room on friday nights wishing i was out playing clubs. So to be booked and playing real events is like a dream come true. They are all a blessing. Cervantes in Denver for Submission is fire!!!! I also played this place recently called Bratski Krug which was sick, one of the best crowds i have played to so far.

Who's your 'one to watch' DJ of 2012?

Chewie. Trust me he's a badman!

Subdub - Friday 27th April - Cable, London
Follow link for info & tickets: