Interview: Pinch
By Morgan Short, Apr 15th, 2011 | In Nightlife
Founder of Tectonic Records, Bristol’s Rob Eliis (Pinch) is widely recognized as one of the key producers and label chiefs to create and define the genre of electronic dance music, dubstep. From its inception in South London in the first part of the last decade (or a bit earlier), dubstep has emerged as a world-wide force, filtered and translated into difference voices and national languages outside the UK, and has lately come to directly influence the course of mainstream pop and RnB.
In 2007, the year seminal dubstep artist Brittany Spears released her wobble-happy "Freakshow" track [Jive], and also, incidentally, the year lesser dubstep artist Burial released Untrue [Hyperdub], Pinch’s own album Underwater Dancehall [Tectonic] was released to wide acclaim, and it’s stand-out single "Qawaali" is widely regarded as one of the watershed moments in the development of the genre.
Pinch returns to Shanghai this Saturday night at The Shelter. SmartShanghai caught up with Pinch in transit for a short one about dubstep global domination. But first here’s some other stuff.
Click here for a stream of a recent mix Pinch did for Resident Advisor.
Click here for a look at the latest Pinch stuff on Tectonic.
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And some free shit.
Want one? Email us right here with “Pinch Poster” in the subject line, along with your full name and mobile phone number and one of these will be waiting for you at the club on Saturday night.
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SmSh: How’s Bristol these days?
Pinch: Ahhh -- it's always good -- nice balance between chilled and things to do!
SmSh: So what’s been going on since your last trip to Shanghai?
Pinch: Honestly the last two years since I last came over have been non-stop! Between running the labels and gigs on weekends, trying to squeeze some music making every now and then -- I've been tied up!
SmSh: What do you remember from your last time in Shanghai? Good show?
Pinch: I remember people banging on the walls for rewinds -- there is no doubt that Shelter is one of my favorite places to have played in the world!
SmSh: This Saturday is the last date of a short tour of Asia. How has the tour been? Which gigs have you enjoyed the most?
Pinch: Tour has been amazing -- everywhere has been kind to me and I've enjoyed the local experience. I'm writing this from a hotel room in Boracay in the Philippines, which easily has to be one of the most special places I've seen in my years -- beautiful beaches and totally relaxed vibes. I really can't complain : )
SmSh: Read this 2007 quote recently from Peverlist: "Underground music in the UK has always been very London-centric. Bristol has a history of taking ideas from London scenes and re-interpreting them and I think that's what has happened with this dubstep thing. It's about inspiration over imitation. Inspired by London: influenced by Bristol."
Do you agree with that characterization of the relationship between London and Bristol? How would you describe the “Bristol influence”?
Do you agree with that characterization of the relationship between London and Bristol? How would you describe the “Bristol influence”?
Pinch: I think it's mainly just about an attitude towards music -- make it your own. That's exactly where a lot of Bristol producers succeed.
SmSh: Can you comment on where dubstep in Bristol headed these days and how does that compare with what’s going on in London?
Pinch: I don't think the scenes are so completely separate. I think right now there's a lot of experimentation going on both sides, it just comes out different for some reason.
SmSh: Over the last half decade or so, dubstep in general has permeated outward from the UK into the States and beyond. How do you rate international dubstep? Are you seeing welcome innovation to the genre coming from outside the UK?
Pinch: I do see localized dubstep communities and I think that's where it needs to begin anywhere to take hold. That said I don't see the boundaries as being simply geographical. People connect all over the world with certain vibes and it's always amazing to see how in these different places, there's still something that connects people beyond their surroundings -- it goes deeper than that...
On Tectonic I've release music from the Croydon dubstep originators such as Skream, Benga, Loefah, Kode 9, Bristol originators like RSD and Peverelist -- Dutch producers like 2562, Martyn -- USA producers like Flying Lotus and Pursuit Grooves (new album forthcoming on Tectonc in June by the way!)...
It's not a simple thing to just think of these geographical boundaries -- music reaches beyond those boundaries.
SmSh: How do you react to the increasing mainstream influence of the genre? There’s much discussion, of course, pertaining to dubstep sounds in mainstream pop and RnB – Brittany Spears, Rhianna et al. Do you see that as co-opting the music or diluting its impact? Or do you see the mainstream rise of the genre in a positive light?
Pinch: It's a mixed bag -- I believe that there is nothing wrong with making music that becomes popular, so long as you don't have to compromise yourself in the process. If you love what you make and you put love into what you do, it comes out right...
SmSh: A lot of your recent mixes and some of your productions have moved away from 140bpm and are now more 4/4 beats at a slower bpm. Is this a decision you have consciously made or more just a progression that has come naturally?
Pinch: It's really something I've only just started dabbling in. I've always liked music from different tempos and I like to think you can carry a vibe whatever tempo. It's certainly something I'm interested in playing around with at the moment..
SmSh: We’ve heard that you’ve fairly recently switched from PC to Mac and are now using Logic for your productions. What prompted that switch? And how are you finding the change?
Pinch: It was something I'd been putting off for a long time -- I have found a better sounding production level since moving to Logic and have got used to it now. I think you can music using anything if you have the drive to make it. I also would say that production values have become more important to me as time has gone on.
SmSh: Are you going to do more Deleted Scenes material? [Pinch & Distance].
Pinch: Ahhah! Soon... : )
SmSh: What sorts of projects of any sort are you working on now that people should watch out for?
Pinch: Oh, I have a few things brewing!! In the short term I have a single coming out on Mala's Deep Medi label and also a slower tempo release on Loefah's Swamp 81 imprint.. There's a few other things I've been busy with that will take shape later this year..
SmSh: And just in general, what’s some new stuff you’ve been listening to lately that you’ve been liking? Any recommendations on some music from anytime, anyplace, anywhere that people should get into?
Pinch: I'm the worst for this sort of thing -- maybe you should tell me what I should be looking out for?!!
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Don't miss Pinch this Saturday at The Shelter. Details here. And don't forget to email in for your free screen-print.
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Shaboom, Apr 15th, 2011
Big ups the Pinch.shanghai_ultra, Apr 16th, 2011
Quality artist, 期待Please sign in or register to comment