Subcure is a producer, who has expressed himself through music since he can remember and respects soulfulness and deepness in it. Grown up listening to mostly Metal music among various genres and playing guitar, his electronic production and taste has no boundaries and often reflects a combination of darkness and rolling deepness with themes of occultism and tribal rituals, but can also be twisted and broken with drum breaks and glitches. He started producing dubstep and drum and bass as a teenager and had a release on KLDR's third Estonian drum and bass compilation and has more upcoming music in the future. He's a part of the Džungel crew, Estonia Jungle Community and a resident of the Bassiõhtu party series in Estonia and has shared the stage with the likes of Ray Keith, Dillinja, Bladerunner, Current Value, Dark Tantrums, Commodo, Dub Smugglers, Squarewave and others.
ARTIST QUESTIONNAIRE: Subcure
How did you get into drum'n'bass?
I was 13, grown up on rock and metal, through a friend, I discovered dark and aggressive drum & bass, I was especially fond of the Amen break sound (likes of Limewax, Current Value, Black Sun Empire) that I identified with. That marks the beginning of my love for drum and bass, however nowadays my preferences are much more diverse.
What year did you start producing music?
2010
Your first drum'n'bass release:
There have been several completed in the earlier days, but the first official one was Ouroboros (2018).
Record labels from which your music has been released:
KLDR
How do you describe your music?
Mostly dark and meditative, occult-like tribal vibe or something emotional, even melancholic. But I might also go with something weird, aggressive and broken. Using music I often try to depict a scene or a picture I’ve had in my head, some emotion/feeling I’m going through. Music has always been an emotional outlet for me, I do it for myself and I believe I’ll continue to do so. Just like my taste, I feel quite split in different ways, likely I’m going to have to make up two new aliases at least.. I actually started producing dubstep, then drum & bass and now sometimes I make some kind of weird abstract stuff, which is rather difficult to categorize. None of them have disappeared or is left in the background, simply different times have different inspiration streams.
What or who inspires you to create music?
Hard to say...Inspiration usually hits me spontaneously. There are many bands and artists in different genres who are able to light that spark. I respect those who think out of the box, ones who are able to play with listener's expectations and surprise. Then there are artists who can really capture the soul or an emotion, those who give me goosebumps. I also feel a spike in creativity and eagerness when I’m traveling or visiting festivals.
Which do you think you are more, a DJ or a producer?
Many don’t know this, but I feel like I’m a producer first. I don’t have a lot of releases, since I’m a very self-critical perfectionist, but I’ve done it for a long time and it is much more important for me.
What would you do differently as an aspiring young producer?
Should’ve watched more tutorial videos, to learn the basics faster. Took a lot of time experimenting with random buttons, not knowing what they do. Then again, it was really interesting and improving in a way, since you end up with really unusual results. But often I didn’t know how I got to them.
Who would you like to collaborate with and / or play b2b in the future?
It will go like it has to..There are a number of interesting and good artists to imagine working together with, from the famous one’s I’d say anyone from Noisia, Dom & Roland, Technical Itch, TeeBee, Ivy Lab, Scar and so on. From Estonian drum & bass artists, I believe together with Audioholic we could make things happen, also guys like Mr. Mürk, Thing, Abstract Detail, Volume None from Rebel Cause and InZtance. Both Planeet and Slammin from HeadRead have also fascinated me with their craft.
What should a promoter consider when inviting you to play?
That I`m not currently living in Estonia and need a longer notice period.
What should definitely be in your artist's rider?
Certain demands haven’t developed yet, I guess it depends on the situation and the location, but the best parties are with close friends and like-minded music lovers, those who are in this with me.
The best / most memorable parties you've played at:
Summer festivals are often with great vibes. In summer of 2019 I had a chance to play in Lithuania at the Revolution festival and shared the stage with Ray Keith and Bladerunner, the entire festival was a really uplifting experience. Saaremaa Jam hosted by Reglok has continuously been one of the highlights of my summers. Some memorable moments and parties come to mind from the now former club Kolm and UPS is also a place I always just love to play at.
The weirdest song request you've been asked during a DJ set:
One time during a drum & bass set at Bassiõhtu in Suhkrumoll, this really intoxicated Russian girl found her way to me and asked for a Russian artist called Timati.
Interesting fan experience:
One of the more memorable experiences was when we played a deep, darkish dubstep set in Kelm with Word, I can’t recall what party it was, but I remember that people were actually expecting something different, there were several stages with several genres. Yet the room was basically packed for the entire time, people were open-minded and really enjoyed it. After the set there was a couple who told us, “We have no idea what kind of music this was, but it was a powerful experience and those sounds were so interesting, we have never heard anything like this”. And that was really nice, because that kind of music is too slow for some people in a party setting. We could see that they really liked it and so they wanted to get our names and see what kind of music it was.
Other interests (hobbies):
I’ve played the guitar for half of my life, overall I’m interested in all kinds of instruments, whatever I manage to lay my hands on. And I study psychology on my own.
Do you prefer to make plans or to be spontaneous?
I have always been more spontaneous about everything, I trust my gut. But in some cases it’s not the most stable and sustainable option, so I try to apply more planning.
Who's your best friend?
I have been blessed with good friends, but I have to go with music.
Everything can happen and things might not be for forever, but it’s the one thing that will always help me, something that offers me comfort when needed.
What question nobody should ever ask you?
People have asked me why I don’t do mainstream pop music in order to make money. I think it’s a rather dumb question, understandable when its coming from people who haven’t invested their soul in music, but for me, it is just against my nature. I think that music should be made with your heart and it should find it’s own listeners, instead of using a formula, so it could appeal to a certain group of people and bring in money. I believe it's the biggest problem with today’s music, it is just shallow and lacks originality.