Estonian DnB producer Sound In Noise has shared his memories of the early days of the scene, his creative journey and upcoming album release.
Let's talk about firsts. How and when did you get into DnB and do you recall your very first event in the scene?
Minu huvi trummi ja bassi vastu sai alguse 1996. aasta paiku. Esimest korda kuulsin drum’n’bass-i ilmselt Raul Saaremetsa “Vibratsioon” saatest Raadio 2s. Seda kõige esimest pidu ma otseselt ei mäleta, aga esimeste seas olid kindlasti üritused Kinomajas, ERKIs ning internetikohvikus Enter. Enteris tegime ühe sõbraga koos peo, kus ma oma esimese nelja vinüüli kõik lood ette mängisin. Esimene suurem pidu, kus artistinime „S.I.N“ alt mängitud sai, oli Tune In-i tselluloositehase reivil koos DJ Critikaliga.
What would you say are the biggest changes in the drum and bass scene compared with the time 20 years ago? Can you name a few names or moments from Estonian DnB history that you think every DnB head should know?
The biggest change is the fact that drum and bass music is not so underground/niche genre anymore and also, we don’t generally play LP’s anymore. The venues and the audience have changed too. The music has become more mainstream compared to 20 years ago when all the DnB events took place at factories or in small underground clubs. Now you can attend drum and bass gigs in some of the biggest Estonian clubs.
Üldkokkuvõttes on Eesti trummi ja bassi skeene algusaegade (90ndate teine pool) võtmesõnadeks lisaks Saaremetsale, Kinomajale, ERKI-le ja Enterile kindlasti veel ka: Lu:k, Flexus, Orav ja Drummie, Critikal, Dzheimz, Ninja, To-Sha, L.Eazy, Qba, Mander, Koit Raudsepp, Kosmos Control, Vibe, LAB, Circulation, Tune In, Ametiühingute maja jne.
For example - Orav and Drummie were the ones to equip us with Technics turntables. This was crucial because although everyone wanted to play EP’s at gigs, there were only a few of those available at the time. Later on, I mastered my skills at a friend's house until I finally got my own turntables which I still keep in the studio.
Then started the so-called noughties era where Clubarena.com, Slavin, Conflict, Phibbs, Stare, Focus, Sinda, Cezol, MC Busta, MC Basket, Spirit, The Lightning, Sun Dance Music Festival, Sin City, Jus'Fine, Formation events at Prive, cafe Wimbledon, RadioBar, The Force, 5 Element, Mutated Forms and many others joined in. This was also the time when I started playing more and more gigs and at the same time producing my own music as much as possible. It was the time when the first good CD players were introduced so from there on the big disc burning began. I had a rule that I burnt only one or two tracks on one CD, so there would be enough record changes during the set that would be also seen in the dark, just like it was with the turntables.
Hiljem on skeenesse lisandunud veel Planeet, Indivision, Grind, Cartoon, Insct, Modest Intentions, Imaginary Friends, HeadRead, Coverk, Byte, Mean Teeth, Bone, Thing, Audioholic, Käärkäsi, Majestim, Yohan jt. Ausalt öeldes ega kõik nimed ei tulegi kohe meelde. Kindlasti jätsin kellegi olulise mainimata või paigutasin valesse ajastusse.
When was the first time your music got released on a foreign record label and what was it called? Was it difficult to accomplish that at the time?
2002. aastal DSCI4 Recordings`i alt UK-s vinüülil ilmunud lugu “Highline” koostöös Stare`iga. Kusjuures plaadi teisel poolel oli selline legendaarne lugu nagu Crossfire “Hydra”, mis oli vahepeal Eestis väga pop.
There were a lot of DnB producers in the UK at that time, so getting your foot in the door was quite difficult. Main source of communication was AOL Messenger (AIM). It was a magical place where drum and bass producers, DJs and labels from all around the world came together. Through this platform I met and exchanged my tracks with artists such as Pendulum, Sub Focus, Chase & Status, TC, Noisia, London Elektricity, High Contrast, Bad Company and others. I sent couple of my demos to a legendary producer DJ Trace who had a record label of his own and that’s how my first release came about.
Juhid Raul Saaremetsaga vaheldumisi Raadio 2s saadet “Tramm ja buss”. Millest lähtuvalt sa oma saate jaoks selektsiooni teed? Kui palju mängid Eesti muusikat?
I do the show once a month and introduce new tracks that aren’t probably played by any other radio station in Estonia. I make my selection from the promos record labels send me weekly. Quite often there are a lot of tunes that can only be played at parties though. That’s also why I recommend going out to gigs more - that's where you get to listen to the most recent sounds. I try to include as much Estonian music as possible, but I never get to play all the tracks I'd like. It's only an hour-long show. From time to time I invite local producers and DJs on the show to talk about their music and what are they up to.
How do you balance playing the pop DnB with underground drum and bass in your sets?
There’s definitely a good, solid balance and I've always had that, because I like the whole spectrum of drum and bass throughout the time. Of course, my selection is also defined by the location and the audience.
Oled juba aastaid aktiivselt tegutsenud ka promootorina, tuues Eesti trummi ja bassi publikuni palju tuntud nimesid. Hetkel oled tegev klubi Studio üritustesarja Format juures, kuid sul on ette näidata veel muljetavaldav 15 aastat legendaarse Sin City üritustesarjaga. Mida oled sellest ajast ja kogemusest endaga kaasa võtnud ning mis on kõige meeldejäävamad mälestused?
Oh we’ve had way too many good Sin City parties. Cheers to Mander! It’s hard to point out something specific, because so much has happened within those 15 years – it has been a crazy ride!
Also all the Format parties in club Studio have been as awesome and fun for these past two years. So who hasn’t been yet, I definitely recommend to come!
Have you as a producer had a so called ‘’make it or break it’’ moment in your career and if so - how did you come out of it? Any advice for other producers out there?
It’s worth asking yourself what ‘'make it'' means to you and also is that the reason you’re doing it? Perhaps you've got it wrong from the start?
Ma ei ole küll suurem nõuandja teistele, aga mida ma ise olen õppinud on see, et tasub olla kannatlik, järjekindel ja osata hinnata oma tööd objektiivselt. Samuti ei tasu ka liialt üle analüüsida, ennast teistega võrrelda ja teisi liiga palju kuulata. Be you and do your thing!
What do you think of creating remixes? Is it worth the time?
Suhtun hästi. Heameelega teen remixe ja bootlege. Ma arvan, et tasub ikka teha, vanad lood saavad uue hingamise.
Sul on ainsa Eesti produtsendina eksklusiivne leping plaadifirmaga RAM Records, kuidas sa selleni jõudsid? Mis on sinu jaoks suurimad plussid RAM-i suguse plaadifirma artistiks olemisel?
It happened quite unexpectedly. I sent an email to one of their employees. I'm well aware of the volume of emails they get with similar content, so I didn't really expect a reply, but one day there it was. They said they liked my music and showed interest in signing the majority of my tracks with RAM. After some time I got the proposition to sign the deal.
There's loads of pros. RAM Records is a spin-off company of a big label in the UK, BMG. For example it’s possible to remix tracks from some of the other BMG or RAM artists, compose for the gaming industry, movies, commercials, play at huge festivals and record company's events all around the world and take part in their exclusive private events.
9. oktoobril ilmus sul RAM-i alt uus EP “Shapes pt.3”, millele järgneb kohe novembri lõpus kauaoodatud täispikk album. Mille poolest erineb “Shapes pt.3” kahest sinu eelnevalt ilmunud EP-st: “Shapes pt.2” ja “Shapes pt.1”?
It's nothing else but a third collection of songs from the upcoming album.
Can we expect any interesting collaborations? If yes, how did they happen?
Uuel EP-l ja tervel albumil on üks koostöö ühe teise Eesti produtsendiga, Insctiga, lugu nimega „Give It All“. Ta saatis mulle päris tükk aega tagasi ühe loo alge, mis sai ümber ehitatud ning sündiski väga hea lugu. Albumi peal on veel lauljatega koostöö lugusid, juba ilmunud „Space Cadet“ Jon Hazel-iga ja „One By One“ Marianna Ray-ga ning mõned lisanduvad veel.
Do you have a personal favourite on the album? Which one would you say is the most radio-friendly and which belongs to a rave?
They're all my favourites. That's why they're on the album. 15 ideas sifted out of the original 50. These are the tunes that got the most attention from myself and other DJs in Estonia and beyond.
Hetkel juba väljas olevatest on mõned raadiosõbralikumad näiteks „Deep Inside“ ja „Space Cadet“, mis olid Raadio 2-he päevases playlist`is ja premier`iti ka BBC-s. Täispikal albumil tuleb veel paar vokaalsemat lugu, aga raadiotesse saamine ei olnud selle albumi puhul eesmärk.
Varsemalt ilmunutest kõige reivilikumad on olnud „Cowards“ ja „13“, need said reividel palju mängimisi suurtelt DJ-delt, näiteks kolmekordne rewind Andy C’lt oli tore üllatus.
How would you characterize your creative period right now? Is your upcoming album a reflection of it?
Ma olen mõnes mõttes ennast vabaks lasknud. Püüdsin mängida erinevate kujundite, vormide, soundipiltide ja emotsioonidega, aga seda drum’n’bass-i võtmes. Võib öelda jah, et see album on peegeldus minu viimasest 20 aastast. Ka albumi pealkiri „Shapes“ võtab selle ilusti kokku.
What can we expect from Sound In Noise in 2021? Have you set some new goals?
I’ll be relieved once this album comes out. The release has been delayed for numerous reasons. Any way - this album has been something I’ve wanted to do all these years and now to release it on RAM Records is no doubt a dream come true. After that will be a time for new things and fresh starts. And we’ll see what will be – What I can say for sure – I’ve got loads of new ideas!
