Intrigue Music Label Preview – The Insiders Interview | Drum and Bass
Intrigue Music is a new Drum and Bass label with big prospects. Nerdbanite.com gives you the lowdown with help from Ben (The Insiders). We also have some preview clips of forthcoming tracks, something to get excited about for 2009!
Inspired by Fabio’s Swerve nights in London, The Insider’s gave birth to Intrigue in Bristol’s Bar Latino during 2003. Intrigue nights strictly supplied Liquid D&B but evolved with the scene to push a more diverse leftfield sound. Keeping it deep is still their main objective, evident through the artists they have onboard the fresh Intrigue Music record label. Forthcoming releases will come from the established Break, Survival, Random Movement as well as new talent in the form of Squash.
Napalm striking tunes across so many labels during 2008, to name a few Metalheadz, 31 records and Trouble On Vinyl, it is an exciting prospect to see them taking on the next step with their own label. The first release with the special ‘001’ catalogue number will of course be provided by those that established Intrigue Music, The Insiders. The two track strong piece of plastic holds “Stepdub” on one side with “Cold Harbour” on the flip. Already gaining a lot of plays by the likes of LTJ Bukem, Breakage, Survival, Break, A.I. and D-Bridge, it is proving to be a great way to set the agenda.
Q&A with Ben from The Insiders
The line up for your label launch party looks big! What else can we expect from Intrigue in 2009?
This year is all about getting the label established. I’ve got the first 4 releases lined up now. After Stepdub, the second 12″ will be a Break tune called ‘Out of Nowhere’. Something a bit different from him, dub-heavy and well funky. On the flip is Survival ‘Cross Fire’, a dreamy atmospheric roller. Both tracks have been getting lots of support from guys like D-Bridge, Marcus Intalex and Die, which is really good to see. The third release is our track ‘Meltdown’ with Ayah on vocals, which was originally scheduled for Metalheadz but ended up getting longed out. On the back of that is a darker bit called ‘Cold Steel’. After that I’m putting out some stuff by Random Movement, Eveson and a new artist called Squash, as well as more Insiders projects and some remixes. At the end of the year I’d like to do an Intrigue mix CD, similar to the legendary ‘Progression Sessions’, recorded live at Intrigue with one of our resident MCs.
In terms of the night, it’s our 6th Birthday this month so we’re gonna be celebrating that in style on Feb 20th. Calibre, Break & Survival all representing, which should be a wicked night. Then I’m continuing with the monthly Dojo sessions and looking into some one offs in other venues. Check our website www.intrigue.org.uk for the latest info, we’ve also got a Facebook group running.
What inspired Stepdub and Cold Harbour? Are there any stories behind the tracks or their titles?
We made a track with a beat that was half the speed of the rest of the tune, and it ended up being a heavily dubstep inspired piece. I still think it’s one of our best tunes yet, and I wanted to save it for the first release on my label. There was just the issue of naming it – something often quite hard with two people, as we both have different ideas! In the end at the last possible moment before mastering, I went with ‘Stepdub’ – dubstep backwards.
‘Cold Harbour’ is named after a street in Bristol, Coldharbour Rd. Fits the vibe of the tune I think, kind of mysterious and definitely COLD!
The cover for your first release looks great! Who created the artwork for Intrigue001? How did you go about finding someone to produce the artwork?
The artwork for 001 is by Alex Eveson. I’ve worked closely with him for years, ever since I started putting on nights at Dojo Lounge. I remember he came up to us outside a club back in 2004 and introduced himself, giving us a CD with his own tunes on. I saw the first bits of art from him on Renegade Recordings sleeves around the same time. We hooked up and he was up for helping with the Intrigue identity, which worked out really well with the whole natural / organic tip he went on with the club flyers. He was the natural choice for the label, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with for future artwork.
Are there any producers or vocalists out there you would really like to work with?
It would be cool to work with guys like D-Bridge and Calibre at some point. We’ve got projects on the go with several vocalists including Ayah, System, Conrad and Kiyomi, and we’re planning to work with MC Kemo soon.
Forthcoming Releases
The Insiders [INTRIGUE001]
release date: out on promo now, full release 9th February 2009
A) “Stepdub”
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AA) “Cold Harbour”
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Various Artists [INTRIGUE002]
release date: 16th March 2009
A) Break “Out Of Nowhere”
AA) Survival “Cross Fire”
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breaksblog.biz >> Intrigue, Squash, DATA, Rob Smith, Paradox - Newsflash 2009 — February 6, 2009 @ 12:20 PM
By Peachy, January 27, 2009 @ 10:03 PM
Gotta support – wicked tunes, wicked night, Intrigue WICKED
By Harry, January 28, 2009 @ 12:17 AM
Loved the night ever since i arrived in Bristol, i’m sure the label will be a massive success. Looking forward to the launch night on the 7th! H
By Z-Nox, February 7, 2009 @ 2:50 PM
‘Cold Harbour’ is absolutely on of my favourite tracks at the moment !!
curious about the second release