Future Shock Interview & New LP On Physmatics

Future Shock’s ‘Luminary’ LP is due out this May on the Physmatics label. A preview stream can be heard directly below. We also have the good fortune of being able to present you with a very fine interview with Future Shock. Scroll down to get the lowdown on this talented DnB artist 

Tell us a bit about yourself…

Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Rob aka Future Shock, representing Bounds Green. I’ve been making Drum & Bass for about five years now, and my debut album project, Luminary launches in May.

How did you get into music production? What were the initial steps?

Buying a really terrible Mac. In fact it was one of those old PPCs. We didn’t have a good relationship lol! I bought Logic and made a tune called Haunted Harbour, I think I still have it somewhere? It probably sounds hilarious! It finally ended up with about 112 tracks on there.

How would you describe your production style?

Dancefloor driven, with all d&b styles along for the ride. I love to add a cheeky little film sample or two now & then.

Was there a moment or a tune or a DJ set that made you decide you were going to produce?

It may have been the Bacteria remix (Ed Rush & Optical) or X Ray (Subfocus), but probably a lot of early to mid-noughties stuff. My initial production efforts around then didn’t kick start properly for various reasons and I started knuckling down afresh with Logic in about 2011.

As a producer, you keep an open mind and an open palette producing in various styles, who are your major influences in terms of music production?

The most well known, Pro producers really. It would be a mad list if I had to make one. You can find so many brilliant ideas all over d&b. From the obvious big guns to the silent assassins.

If you could work on a track with anyone from now or way back when, who would it be?

Probably rake in a nice bit of dollar with a Sigma colab…if they’re not available then, bit out of leftfield, but maybe State Of Mind or Current Value. More mainstream wise, maybe Loadstar or Inside Info, he’s killing it right now.

And if you could remix any tune of your choice, which one would you choose and why?

Strangled Duck by Red One. An unexpected suggestion I know! Underrated classic, Red One’s greatest ever tune. Give it a real driving techy update.

Could you offer a bit of advice for an up and coming producer?

Keep projects simple, less is more and you get a bigger sound with less parts, just those parts you do pick have to sound proper clean and dynamic. Build a big sample library. Use a tuner on the master to match up keys of everything, drums, basses, synths and so on. I can’t live without a tuner now, even though the Logic one drives me nuts.

Where have you DJ’ed?

Up and down the country, the best gig I played was probably Ministry a few years back. I had a residency in East London and have run a few of my own nights. I play on www.ukbassradio.com two or three times a month.

Describe to us your approach to a DJ set, do you like to gently warm up the crowd or go for the bangers or is it more of a journey approach?

It all depends on the time and venue really, but always pretty fast paced. My radio shows are full throttle from the get-go, I only have 2 hours. Though I’m attempting a 10hr set on April 1st to mark 10 years playing UK Bass Radio, that’s gonna be a massive challenge.

Of all the tunes you’ve made, which is your favourite?

Well that’s a tough one ‘cos I don’t really like any of my own tunes (laughing) ah just you hear them so much you know…Dillinja apparently never liked his stuff back in the day….haha! ok, no seriously, well maybe my first Physmatics tune Our World as it was really wicked to get a tune signed to a label of this standard. Or Rolling For 2016 that Ray Keith was supporting and I got a lot of love for.

How did you link up with John, the founder of the label?

Soundcloud business. I sent him some tunes, he liked them and we had a long chat on the phone about music, Star Wars and conspiracy theories.

What are the vital elements to making a tune that come into play when you’re in the studio?

Catch a vibe and groove, there has to be proper groove you know that bounce, the rhythm. The track has to be making a statement and memorable in some way. Infuse your own consciousness into it.

So before we hit play on The Luminary LP forthcoming May on Physmatics, can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind it?

I figured it was a natural progression, I’d had a few EP’s out on Physmatics and I always write loads of tunes so it made sense to shoot for a bigger project, and it was all written out very fast, although the tweakage took some time.

Any final words and shout outs?

Cheers to John, and Dean (Dapz) the mastering maestro, to E Lizard Birth and the all-wise and mighty Physmatics family for the support.

Future Shock Interview & New LP On Physmatics