Silk Recordings is proud to announce Empire! The London duo step up to the plate for the labels 11th release.
This release is due out on May 15th which is this Saturday, so get in before your set on Sat night! You can bag the release exclusively from Beatport for the first 3 weeks then all other major digital donwload stores including itunes,juno,checmical,trackitdown etc.
Empire have been running hot lately with plays across all major airwaves, podcasts, track-listings and clubs. The lads have currently been keeping very busy playing gigs in the U.K and abroad and they have many more tunes ready to be drawn. With amazing production skills and a very original and futuristic sound Empire's release is set to be Silk's biggest to date. Punchy beats, dark grooves and evolving bass patterns make these tunes perfect for the biggest club systems to your favourite home speakers.
a)Invaders.
The first track - Invaders delivers glossy, polished beats which incorporates a funky glitch element that runs throughout the track. Haunting atmospheric layers and subtle fx really bring out the spacious sounds in the mix. With a heavy hitting bass line and a unique arrangement this is the sound of the future.
b)Nazca.
The second track - An Infectious melody accompanied by crisp drum programming makes this track shine above the rest The rumbling sub bass really hits the sweet spot while the energy is kept up with carefully placed percussion and elegant drum edits.
From beginning to end it's evident why this track fits in the sets of many dj's across the globe.
EMPIRE INTERVIEW - MAY 2010
1. Empire consist of two people, both of you currently reside in the U.K. What are your individual backgrounds and how did you get into drum n bass and music production in general?
Rob: I grew up listening to a lot of different music. My parents were both into dub music and a lot of electronic things as well but I discovered drum & bass pretty young really. Probably through Fabio and Grooverider on radio 1. The sound was unlike anything I knew and I was just intrigued. I had already started DJing and learning to produce and from then on my efforts switched over to try and recreate the sounds that I'd heard.
Ario: I originally was into rock music when I was younger, and then moved onto IDM and chillout electronic stuff. Somehow from there I got into listening to drum and bass and started DJing as well, maybe three years ago (so I’m relatively new to the scene I guess!). I didn’t produce any drum and bass until I came to uni really, but it’s something I’m enjoying more and more.
2. When you work on music in the studio do you have separate roles? What setup do you guys use to make your beats and what kind of workflow do you have?
Rob: In the studio we pretty much always sit down together. Generally, we have some kind of idea, whether that's a specific sample we want to use or more of a sound we're going for and it's pretty democratic in terms of programming/engineering. In terms of a setup, we use whatever is to hand really. Although it still gets knocked these days (I don't know why), I really like using reason because I've used it for so long and I can work it really, really quickly. However, Ario keeps nudging us to start using Logic because it's got some great plugins and it makes it much easier to work with other artists.
Ario: Rob is definitely a better engineer than me, we use Reason at the moment and all those wires are a bit much! I like to stick to the keyboards, but there’s no definitive roles or routine. We usually just find a sample we like and build it up from there until we’re happy.
3. With the explosion of dubstep and the various sub-genres of drum n bass how do you think the music will evolve in the future and do you think this has had a positive effect on the scene so far?
Rob: It's difficult to say. Personally, I don't keep too up to date with the 'scene' so to speak but I expect more genre cross-pollination will occur. I think dubstep is going through a bit of a lull with many of the old guard being dissolutioned with the heavier stuff coming out but the influence on D&B and vice versa definitely brought some good things about. I think there will always be good, new, interesting things, it's just the case that it might be more difficult to find when new styles get copied to the point that they become derivative. I think as Empire, we just like to make electronic music at 170ish rather than focus on a specific genre.
Ario: I’m not really into dubstep so I can’t comment there, but I think drum and bass just needs to be seen more as electronic music that happens to be at 170 (or 85), rather than rigid breakbeats, drops, structures etc… Obviously the sub-genres coming out have been positive, as I’m not really a jungle/jump-up head, so the deeper stuff that overlaps with aspects of IDM is what does it for me.
4. What inspires you guys to write music the way you do and where do you draw you influences from?
Rob: I can't really speak for Ario, I'm sure he'll do that himself but for me, I get inspiration from listening to lots of different music. Also, I like hearing how other people create music and often get inspired by a process of creating, rather than just a sound. In terms of specific artists though, I suppose both of us are influenced by people like Aphex Twin and Autechre, as well as Drum & Bass guys like Instra:mental, Oak etc.
Ario: I’m personally still learning with the production side of things, so it’s just about experimenting with sounds or processes that we like. We’re not really dark people at all, but somehow our tunes all seem to come out like that!
5. Can you please name your 3 all time favorite tracks from any genre and let us know why you like them?
Rob: God that's a hard one! I always dread these sorts of questions, as it's so dependant on my mood at the time. So for now I suppose...
1. Scientist - Dance of the Vampires. An amazing track from an absolutely incredible album. I'm lucky enough to have a copy on vinyl and it's one of my most cherished records. Anywhere, any time it always makes me smile.
2. Mark Pritchard - ? Again, just unbelievable stuff. It's so restrained but still has so much depth and beauty to it. I find it pretty haunting but at the same time just sublime.
3. Parliament - Flashlight. This one always gets the party started in my opinion. It's a P-Funk classic with one of the sickest minimoog basslines. Just a huge band of incredibly sick musicians.
Ario: Erm….
1. Aphex Twin – Alberto Balsalm. I thought Windowlicker was a bit too cliché, so I’ll go with this one. I just love the groove and melody in this track, and those steel drums get me every time.
2. The Album Leaf – The Outer Banks. I’ve loved this guy ever since I heard Malmo on the Seal Beach EP years ago. He gets the balance between a beautiful melody and some amazing drum edits just right in this one.
3. Bonobo – The Plug. Bonobo’s output has been so consistent ever since I remember. This isn’t his most famous track, but it’s definitely my favourite. Why? I don’t really know to be honest…
6. Can you please name your 3 all time favorite producers from any genre and let us know why you like them?
Rob: Another tricky one!
1. George Clinton - The whole P-Funk thing was just so inpsiration for so many genres in my opinion. Also anyone who can rock mulitcoloured dreads has to be a legend!
2. Mala - Whatever he does you know it's going to be huge. He's an amazing DJ as well. His sets are always full of great music, I also find his philosophy on making music and putting out records inspiring. I still cut dubplates because of him!
3. Oak - He's a mysterious character but his productions, whether it's house or DNB or whatever are always lovely pieces of music. I think you can hear the amount of care and attention he gives each sound in his tracks and although there are a lot of people doing a similar thing in Drum and Bass, he always takes it to another level, in my opinion.
Ario: OK well seeing as I’ve already talked about Bonobo, Aphex Twin and the Album Leaf, I’ll try an alternative three…
1. Zero 7 – their early stuff, particularly Simple Things was just incredible. Not a huge fan of their new more folky stuff though.
2. Four-Tet – My copy of Rounds on vinyl is probably still my favourite in my collection. The new album is amazing as well; I really like “She Just Likes To Fight”
3. Air – Well they managed to come up with Moon Safari…need I say more?
7. Your both are currently at university, what do you each study?
Rob: I'm in my second year of a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Ario: I’m finishing my degree in History next year.
8. Could you each describe your sound using only 3 words each?
Rob: Glitchy, Subby, Hypnotic
Ario: Deep, dark and bassy.
9. What do you both do in your spare time outside of university and writing music?
Rob: Erm, not a lot aside from writing music, just the usual really. Going out, spending time with my girlfriend, terrorising my housemates.
Ario: I’m really into film, and I’m a huge Arsenal fan as well. I had to give my season tickets up to come to uni, which was very painful. My favourite thing is traveling though, I did the Mongol Rally last summer and I’d love to do something like that again when i finish uni.
10. What are your goals and plans for the rest of 2010?
Rob: For me, 2010 is all about writing more music, DJing more and generally just getting more and more involved with electronic music. Oh and trying to finish my degree!
Ario: Try and produce a lot more and a wider variety of music whilst still having fun. We haven’t been around for long (about a year now), but have already met so many incredible people since we started.
We thank Empire for taking the time to give us an insight into how they work there magic.
Please click the link to listen to more of Empire's work.
EMPIRE SOUNDCLOUD
If you would like to preview the tracks please click the SoundCloud link below. Or if you would like to purchase the tracks and support these fine artists please also click below.
Thanks for all the continued support and we hope you enjoy this incredible release..
CLIPS VIA SOUNDCLOUD
BEATPORT
Catch up soon man 