EXCLUSIVE MIX: SUBSCAPE + Q&A

Subscape isn't just a dubstep producer - he's an anthem maker. His back catalogue makes up some of the most unashamedly catchy tunes to operate around 140bpm, and he can no doubt claim to have produced more than a fistful of the genre's modern classics. 

With a versatile and prolific discography of pure fire tearout and nostalgia inducing riddims, any new addition to Subscape's back catalogue is not to be overlooked.

'I Would Have Loved You' is a slice of melodic, feel good, party anthem goodness. Possibly his most accessible release to date, it captures a vibe not dissimilar to the charting house tracks at the moment - whilst keeping true to his own very unique style. On the flipside, 'Angels' is a huge dubstep head nodder, with more than a subtle nod to Breakage; absolutely oozing soul and emotion, a worthy B-side if there ever was one! Remixes come from AWE and Atlantic Parade, who both provide their own great takes on the A-side.

Ahead of the new release, Subscape has kindly provided DJ Mag with this stunning mix showcasing his distinctive sound. We also had a quick conversation about what he's been up to and the scene in general (below) -

How's it going man! It's been almost a year since your last solo release 'I Need You/Close Your Eyes', what have you been up to in the past year, any highlights?
It’s going fantastically! Everything is going great at the moment for me, there have been exciting changes in my life recently, plus a couple of new borns into the family... not mine though! Although I've been quiet on the release front, it’s been for a very good reason. Everything has been running at a million miles an hour since way back in 2008 and I've finally found a minute to breathe in 2014 and get my head down in the studio. Years go by so quickly now and the ‘I Need You / Close Your Eyes’ release hardly seems a year ago at all which is nuts. After that release I felt it was a good time to start getting on with my album... finally.

You were named a 'Future Star' at the start of the year by Skream and Benga – this came as a surprise to us and many of your fans as you'd been a consistently solid producer with more than a few big releases under your belt for a number of years. How did you feel about gaining the accolade?
Yeah, I guess it seems like a surprise to all the people that have listened to my music from the start. I’ve released since 2008 and have had some releases that I'm very proud of, and ones that have blown up in the past. So in some of my fans eyes, they see it as if I’ve already made it big. But I guess I've never seen myself as a ‘Star’, which is a good place for me, and I’ve always been comfortable in that. I’ve always just wanted to write music and play it to people whether they liked it or not haha. I was excited to hear that Skream and Benga wanted me for the ‘Future Star’ for their radio show, so it was a massive push to get some album stuff going to back it up. 

How are you finding the scene at the moment, are the crowds noticeably different after the 2010-2012 dubstep boom?
Oh yeah, for sure. There have been a lot of changes in the scene and it’s just evolving. I really like how everything has calmed down now, like back in the beginning when I first started out. I see crowds now who are there for the music and nothing else, back in the venues where you can connect with the crowd and new artists as well, which is great to see as it’s much harder to break through these days as a new artist. 

The release of Dub Police's Past Present Future album was a great marker on how much the 140 sound – and indeed Dub Police's sound has evolved. Dub Police seems to be gravitating towards a more positive melodic vibe very much pioneered by yourself – is this an indication of what's to come?
I definitely love the melodic feel to the release and it’s where I feel most at home, making that kind of stuff in the studio. Although a banger here and there is never a bad shout. More melodic beats from me in the future for sure.
Past Present Future was a very ambitious release at the time, and it was a massive project, which paid off well. It was a big statement to make when people seemed to get scared about the scenes future and thought that the quality of music was getting faded. Very wrong. I see the Past Present Future release as a middle finger to people who were ignorant about the scene, and a massive reward to many more that appreciate good music. 

Finally, DJ Mag have heard mentions of an LP in the works, we've always thought your sound would crossover brilliantly to an album - when can we expect it, and what's your vision with it?
Yeah, I’m so excited that this is underway, this is why I’ve been taking the time off and holding back on releases for this year, ready to release the album in the first quarter of 2015. I’ve spent hours writing music that pleases me and I've been having the most fun I've ever had in the studio. There’s plenty of Dubstep on there, which people know me for, and some stuff people might not expect from me. It’s a mixed bag of diverse music that I was in the mood for at that particular time in the studio, and I'm seeing it as a great opportunity to showcase it as my Dubstep / Experimental album. I’m stretching further afield BPM-wise, which is how I always saw my first album, because I’m a massive fan of music in almost every genre. I can always find something that I like so I wanted to see that rub off on my album. All the tracks are in place and I'm now starting to record some vocalists for the tracks I've selected. I have some very talented people who are excited to work with me as much as I am with them. So the main feel for the album is making sure I’m enjoying it - if I wasn't enjoying making it then why would I be bothering? You should enjoy making music and have fun with it, that’s what it’s all about!

Well said! Eloquent answers we're sure you would agree. 

Subscape’s single ‘I Would Have Loved You’ is out on the 8^th of September on Dub Police.
You can pre-order here: http://bit.ly/IWouldHaveLovedYou-Juno
A tracklist for the mix can be found in the SoundCloud description.