I caught up with some of New Yorks hottest dubstep talent DECREE. With a string of releases through 2009 hes only set to get bigger in the next year. As well as producing he runs Drum and Bass label Flight recordings which is now on its 4th vinyl release. Oh and did i mention hes only 19.
EXAMPLE: You've been releasing music since the tender age of 14 under your alias Vicious D and started your label "Flight Recordings" at 15. How does it feel to be only 19 and have more than 5 years experience under your belt?
DECREE: well the 5 years of experience are stretched out between me making mistakes and learning the ropes of running a label, and then on the side when I have time after school working on tracks, there was a good 2, almost 3 year period where I worked very little on my own tracks and I never publicly sent out tracks to anyone.
EXAMPLE: So what tunes were you making then back in the VD days ?
DECREE: The good old VD days haha, well the story there… I released Flesh Eater to Future Sickness Records and then they made it into a big remix contest at the time. Various remixes released on several labels including my original. There is a vinyl somewhere on some breakbeat label as well. I had some other small digital releases, some being free releases. Then Future Sickness released a collaboration track between me, TitanZero and Element01. Because of the long names we were all shortened and I became VD. I was 15 at the time and someone pointed out to me that VD was short for Venereal Disease. That was when I started to work on Flight Recordings instead of producing Hard Drum n' Bass and Dubstep for Venereal Diseases sufferers worldwide, it could have been serious charity but I guess I am just selfish. haha
EXAMPLE: Your label commitments meant that you werent producing for a couple of years. How did it feel to get back in the studio?
DECREE: Actually great, to be honest I have been using reason since I was 11, but not until recently do I feel a major change in my understanding of what I am actually doing when I produce. Since I have no background in music I always look at what I make as a form of math. That is starting to change now, but I will never change the weird ways I taught myself to write music and automation away from the computer, or the ideals I used to better explain and translate what I wanted from my head to my songs.
EXAMPLE: How do you mean you look at your tunes like math (or maths for us brits ) ?
DECREE: Well to me it virtually all breaks down as math to me, even though I hate math, I love how just by equally adding or subtracting something from something else can get you anything from an intense FM sound to a simple chord. It started when I noticed that if I placed a note somewhere and then I added a note 2 steps above and then another 2 steps below it would work out. Then I applied it to synthesis of sound, now I am applying it to my mixdowns (in a ratio sense).
EXAMPLE: Your latest productions are of course under your decree alias which is who we know u as. What sort of stuff have you been producing?
DECREE: So far almost completely Dubstep except for one Drum n' Bass track. At first I just like making intense bass driven Dubstep madness, but now I branched out (as well) to both that Gorestep sound and the deep dubstep sound. I just love Dubstep right now, so many textures and tones it makes it easy to allow almost anything
EXAMPLE: Gorestep? i havent heard that one?
DECREE: oh man its that dirrrrty sound that people love or hate. Borgore, Funtcase, well now there are many more people making this. yeah I feel like you can't go wrong with dirty, i guess its been in my blood since VDhahaha
EXAMPLE: Bass Punch released an EP by you at the end of december entitled "Surge EP" how would you describe the tunes on there and how did the release come about?
DECREE: Actually the funny thing about that EP is its all my first Dubstep tracks I produced. I really love the EP because it shows the sounds I wanted to make when I first heard the genre and reflects on the Drum n' Bass background I came from. Its a mix of evil and dirty with a happy twist, something I have been into lately.
EXAMPLE: You've had a release on Savory Audio can you tell us a bit about that?
DECREE:The Savory Audio Release is Whistle While You Work which I produced with Enuf a local buddy of mine (check him out) we also did the Brahms War track together on the Surge EP. Whistle While You Work is just a very funky and ecletic track, we wanted to try to make the wobbles and squeaks sound like they were yelling at each other in a construction yard hahaha. The Heart Ripper which is the second track on the Savory Audio Release is just a big bass in your face track . I have a release forthcoming with Stupid Fly Records which will drop mid January.
EXAMPLE: you mentioned a release on fly records whats happening there and what other releases have you got lined up for 2010?
DECREE: That release is called Do You Remember, it has my wierd Nu-Disco-Step sounding track, I wanted to get the sound of Nu Disco with more bass and Dubstep influence. Nuclear is on there too which is just another bass banger. as for 2010 I havent sent many tracks out yet but trust me it will be a big year for Decree indeed!
EXAMPLE: Some people might describe your tunes as "Brostep" Whats your opinion of it as a term and do you think its a valid sub genre? Would you describe your tunes as brostep ?
DECREE: from what I get about this brostep thing is that its just a fun term thats getting hyped into a definition by the internet as a whole. From what I can tell it means you have a midrange or a dirty midrange. To me that is fine I only see that as another versatile arm or leg of Dubstep. I mean I love in your face bass and midrange it is just pure fun, I am curious if more accoustic genres have actually seperation between arists because they use a specific instrument or sound and other bands don't. haha it would be funny, maybe like rock bands hating on other rock bands that use an organ, OrgRock vs Rockhow can you go wrong with calling everything Bro?until you watch Jersey Shorehahaha
EXAMPLE: Jersey Shore? you might have to clarify that for us brits.
DECREE: haha its an American TV show about guidos from New Jersey
EXAMPLE: In terms of your label, flight recordings what can we expect from that in 2010?
DECREE: well our 003 vinyl featuring Misanthrop and Lost Sequence just hit digital stores, but people be real and BUY VINYLS! other than that we have our 4th vinyl coming soon which features Future Signal, 5th vinyl will remain a secret for now but its a juicy one. As for Digital we have a release coming out with Mefius & Bowser and another one featuring Neutral Point which is a serious banger, watch out for those releases in a month (things will be slower for us in January). Also always be on the lookout for Flight Events and Flight Terminal Parties.
EXAMPLE: How would you describe the scene in the US?
DECREE: Its starting to pick up here, NYC seems to have several bass related things a week now, but its only once in a while that we get a big nice Dubstep name from the other side of the pond. Although I have been hearing about some sick things from the west coast scene. In all it really is picking up here in America, but a lot of America is not used to this type of sound… In time though, its all killed off more or less by the 21+ drinking age changing that would make things explode here but its great to see a steady and gradual improvement in the scene.
EXAMPLE: Can we expect you to be playing the UK anytime soon?
DECREE: god I really hope so, I am planning to be completely ready and have various shows in USA during 2010 ( I still haven't really played live yet) but it is my dream to play out to you guys in the UK sooner than laterblow up some heads and such
EXAMPLE: Finally what tunes can you not live without at the moment and also have you got any shouts to any BROS ?
DECREE: well starting with tracksI have to say the typical answers at the moment and say Doctor P - Sweet Shop and Badman Soundbut I also have to say Eskmo's latest work I simply loveI really look up to Eskmo right now, perfect blend of sound textures with musicality, to me he is a genius and a bridge for many people who are against that electronic movement to really understand what is capable for shout outs : big ups to my doods Enuf, Rakoon (sort of taught me reason when I was 12), Proktah, Dom Almeida, Kronos, Adapt, Bleach. My local crew holding it down haha, Jack, Nick, Craig, Chris well man my Mom n pop and just about everyone who loves Dubstep gets love from me
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