With some of this year’s best grimey breaks releases to their name already, and plays by everyone from J Da Flex to John Peel, Vex’d are still not content with their fledgling success. There’s plenty more to come from the Vex’d stable, and it may not be what you would expect, making these sounds all the more exciting. I caught up with Jamie from Vex’d to hear about where things are headed.
Kodama: For people unfamiliar with you, explain Vex’d in five words.
Jamie: Weightwise, we’re heavy. Physically, we’re ripped. Mentally, we’re pumped. That’s not five words.
K: Garage is a broad term with genres that are difficult to pin down. How would you describe your sound? Does it fit into any perceived genres?
J: We aren’t tied down to any one genre. Alot of the deejays who initially picked up on us are on the dubstep tip, but I’m into alot of mc and straight grime tracks as much as the FWD stuff. We’re trying to be inbetween genres rather than tied down to just one. Breaks people might be feeling Function but they don’t relate to Pop Pop. We make music for people like us, people who feel all these different sounds.
K: What has the response been like to your tracks on the Subtext imprint: “Pop Pop” and “Canyon”?
J: It was mad hearing djs like Kode9, J Da Flex and Plasticman playing it out, but we never expected people like John Peel or Ed DMX to be spinning it. Big up Subtext also cos they pushed it to a wider audience. A lot of electronica heads are in it. Still tho there’s far too many people who just haven’t heard this kind of music. They don’t know it exists.
K: If you could hear one of your own tunes dropped anywhere in the world, where would it be?
J: A passing car.
K: Are there other producers that influence you, or that you admire?
J: We are influenced by all kinds of producers and styles. We like alot of the darker hip hop producers like Rza’s early stuff, El-P, Premiere’s harder tracks, Bomb Squad. Early Dj Krust is a big influence, tunes like “Soul In Motion” still blow pretty much everything out the fucking water. Recently I’ve become more aware of the darker electronic & techno stuff from labels like Rephlex & Planet Mu, heavy. This country has got an amazing tradition of raw, edgy, futuristic beats to draw from, from Stakker Humanoid to Rufige Cru to Bad Company to Digital Mystikz.
K: What can we expect from Vex’d in the future?
J: We got Lion & Ghost coming out on Subtext any time now, then Function soon after, a couple of remixes, but mate it’s all about 2005 for us. Believe.
K: Your current Top 5?
J: LFO – LFO Dubchild Remix
Distance – Replicant
Vex’d – Angels
Loefah – Horrorshow
Wonder – What Have You Done Inst
Visit www.vexdrecordings.co.uk for more…
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