Time for an exclusive new track here on Phase02! Science is a collaboration between Dennis Nesen and Maarten Dekort, two dubstep producers from Antwerp. I have been following these guys for a while because they really produce quality tracks. Now they also agreed to do a little interview for all you Phase02 readers out there.
Phase02: Ok guys, tell me, when did you start working together as Science? How did you meet?
M: We met in the end of 2007 when Dennis was still playing a lot of dnb and jungle. I think we had to play at the same party and he had just bought some of his first dubstep vinyls. When I started my set he came up to me and I think we even ended up playing some tracks together. So we swapped our e-mails, got in touch with each other afterwards and some months later we decided to start a dubstep project.
D: After we had some talks about this new sound that we were both feeling, he invited me to come over to a friend of his to play some tracks and have a beer.. We ended up producing. After the track was finished we played it at a party called Eclectix and it went down very well. From then on we started as Science.
Phase02: Have you always produced dubstep or also other genres?
M: Before I got into Dubstep, I was producing from time to time but never took it too seriously. I was making techno, dnb, even some breakcore… It’s horrible though when I listen to it now. I’ also used to make hip hop beats for some friends but those will probably never see the light of day. I try not to focus on making dubstep too much. It all depends on the mood I’m in when I sit down to make some music. Sometimes I just like to experiment with all kinds of BPM’s and then just see what happens. The other day I’ll just go for a straight Dubstep tune.
D: As a producer I started immediately with Dubstep. From time to time I’m making some house, drum&bass,… but I never finished one. Time is a big problem for me.
Phase02: Have you shared decks with famous artists yet?
D: We’ve been on the bill with pioneers like Mala, Coki, Loefah, Hatcha, Pinch, Headhunter, and many more. Which of course is always a pleasure!
Phase02: Cool! What do you think of the way dubstep is going these days? Is it becoming too mainstream?
M: Well I must admit most dubstep these days doesn’t really get me that much as when I first got into it. Still, there are a lot of producers that still make quality stuff and are consistent in what they do. And those producers are the ones we mainly play.
D: I think Dubstep becoming more mainstream isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a sound that can easily be commercialized so I think it’s a natural progression. The only bad thing about it is that it’s just a certain side of dubstep that is gaining that mainstream attention.
M: Exactly: the more aggy stuff that is made strictly to make people jump up on the dancefloor. Therefore more and more people that are new to the genre don’t know where the sound came from and how it all evolved in what it is today.
Phase02: Absolutely! Your myspace says: “Expect fast mixing while combining deep, menacing vibes with the more uplifting and energetic side of the genre.” However when I listen to your own productions, I often have the feeling that it sounds more calm (like bamboo dub), you feel there’s a difference between your live sets and your own productions?
M: Well as producers we are just making what we want to hear ourselfs when we go to a dubstep night, which is more layed-back most of the time. As DJ’s however we feel it’s also important to make people dance. We will never play a tune that we don’t like but variation in our opinion is the key to a good set. That’s why we try to balance things out between deep and heavy stuff. On the other hand, we have been making some more dancefloor oriented beats ourselves. Check out “The Power of Fear”, which is coming out on Subway later this year.
D: Personally I think our productions are as varied as our DJ-sets. One of the latest tracks we’ve made is a garage tune, so we are creating and playing everything we like, and that’s going way further than Dubstep. Even to us every DJ-set is a surprise.
Phase02: I absolutely love “Bamboo Dub” by the way. Where did you guys got that flute sound from, samples?
M & D: Thanks man, always nice to hear. Except for some synth-shots we didn’t use any samples. If you’re referring to the flute thing, we played that ourself.
Phase02: Nice! Something else now. What are your top 5 dubstep tunes ever? Can we expect them during your own sets?
M: I always find it important to reflect some history in our sets. We want to let the crowd know were we came from musically as Djs (and human beings for that matter) and in what direction we are heading. That’s why we always try to play some tunes that in some way have done something for us or have touched us emotionally. So of course you can expect some classics. To put down a straight top 5 would be too hard, so I’ll just give 5 of my all time favorites in no order: Hijak – Babylon Timewarp, Loefah – Rufage, Mala – Blue Notez, Appleblim – Vansan and something that came out more recently: Emika – Double Edge (Pinch Remix), that tune kills me!
D: I really can’t give you a Top 5. Way too hard. I’ll give you some tracks/albums/… that really made a difference to me. For example ‘Punks’ by Juju. That was the first Dubstep record I bought in the beginning of 2007. I remember Grimelock dropping and rewinding this one at Dourfestival 2007. You should’ve seen my reaction. Digital Mystikz – Haunted and the flip ‘Anti War Dub’. Still going crazy when I hear this at a party. Distance’s ‘My Demons’ album with tracks like Night Vision, Traffic, and so on is definitely one I have to mention. Loefah – Horror Show and last but not least Saviour from Belgium! He made this studio mix in 2007 with only his own productions. Tracks like ‘Why’ ‘Sound of Luv”, “Stampede”,… I really liked every track in that mix!
Phase02: Why should we come and watch Science live?
D: Because we really play everything. We always try to adapt a little because every crowd is different. So if you come see us, there is a big chance you will hear something you like, even if your not completely into dubstep
M: Or because you’re feeling the tunes or you seen us before and you liked it.
Phase02: Final question: how would you describe the track counterbalance that we’ll also share with our readers?
M: Well of course it’s not something that will put dancefloors on fire, that’s for sure. When we made the track we just wanted to step away from the idea that all Dubstep has to be banging and hard hitting. We wanted to write a deep, dark, more musical piece of music so that’s exactly what we did. For me, the tune is like sitting in your room at night and having that feeling of being the only person on the planet.
D: haha, deep. But it’s true. I really enjoy this kind of music, even at a party. Although it has a mellow vibe, it makes me happy in a way. Close your eyes when listening to this one.
Phase02: Ok, I’ll do that for sure! Thanks a lot guys for the interview and best of luck for the future!
Right, you could already read how Science described Counterbalance themselves, now take a listen to this exclusive new tune here on Phase02!
Science - Counterbalance.mp3
http://www.myspace.com/sciencedubstep
http://www.soundcloud.com/sciencedubstep
http://www.twitter.com/sciencedubstep
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