We caught up with one of the fastes rising talents in Leeds at the moment. Recently weve spoken to Wachs Lyrical and Beerz and now its Pasteman's turn.  Pasteman is a long time DJ whos recently started producing and put some real hard work into trying to find a sound and style to his work. His music is showing real forward thinking and this coupled with his mixing and selection in the Dance makes for a pretty turbo package that you can expect to be hearing a lot more from soon.

So Pasteman for those that don't know you. Who are you and what do you do?

I'm a DJ / Producer residing in Leeds running a brand called Cut & Paste and working closely with various nights in and around Leeds as a resident and artist. I thrive on pushing the boundaries and try to do something different not being limited by convention, just letting my creativity do the talking. I think the scene has been surrounded by a few too many sceptics whereas for me i come out to rave, socialise and above all have a good time, i see common ground with everyone in the dance and more importantly everyone who likes music and i would like to think that when i perform i allow them to see that too and unify crowds into positive hype and good vibes.

You've been spinning tunes for years when did you start producing?

I am originally from Peterborough and worked with MC's back in about 2006 on a kinda grime / hip hop tip but got much more into being a record collector, i built up a very rare collection of soul and devoted a lot of effort into that, i guess i saw similarities between collecting rare vintage records and the dubplate culture which is so prominent nowadays in the dubstep/drum and bass scene. I have been spending a lot of time developing a sound which i still feel is pretty fresh and experimental for me, i don't like to feel limited when i sit down at my mac to make something 140 or 170, i could sit down at my computer thinking i will check my emails and stick on some 80s groove compilation or some old 45s and hear something in that that makes me want to create a groove. Music is very mood orientated for me and i would like to think that when people hear my music no matter what the tempo it takes them somewhere or helps them reminisce on a memory or a feeling.

How would you describe your sound and who would you say has influenced it not just from DnB and Dubstep but also other genres?

I think my sound is broad, eclectic and dynamic and i like to keep a little element of suspense in my productions. I work very closely with Dorrie, a vocalist who often sings on my tracks and have some other new productions in the pipeline collaborating with vocalists and producers. I guess i really like to make songs rather than tracks, coming from a DJ perspective i see tracks as tools, building blocks that you work into a set and when you fit 2 or 3 building blocks together your creating new music or something different. I prefer to see the music i make as a song, something that every time you hear it another part comes to the forefront, whether it be another subtle pad or a filter or some hi hats or a lyric you might not have understood the first time. This stems from me growing up listening to detroit soul and later motown, never tiring of the arrangements and musicality which hooked me in from the first time. What has really gripped me as an influence are producers like D-Bridge, Instra:mental, ASC, Blu Mar Ten, Kastle, Kito and Mensah, when i listen to their music and their arrangements im taken straight to a time when i may have heard something, or shared that song with someone or just been on a train listening to a set by them and being taken away, their music inspires me as a producer whereas the general attitudes of people i have made friends with has inspired me as an artist, people like Soularize, Chimpo, Indigo, Synkro, Fox and many more just gave me the confidence to keep on keeping on. In terms of sound i find the most influence in the 80s vintage synth sounds and the subtlety of natural live sounds manipulated, i love the way i can with a little live sample then develop it into something completely different that maybe the first time you hear a track you might overlook but in the next instance you might think, that one sound that sits on the back of the mix giving that texture that the lead pad is sitting on really carries the tune.

You part own a brand called cut and paste. Which name came first pasteman or cut and paste? (I changed this question a bit)

Cut & Paste came first, few years back it all started off in my first year of uni, once it got a bit more established i wanted a new pseudonym and i like a good play on words so Pasteman seemed to just fit.  

You run a night in leeds with manchester boy Phat pat. Hows that going and what have you got planned for that in the future?

We have started a new collaboration with Metropolis on a new night called Musicology which starts on Friday 24th September at the Faversham in Leeds and we will also be working alongside The Bash Out and Bangerang there too. Of course our weekly residency will continue and Bigger Than Barry every tuesday at Mint Club, seeing some of the biggest artists in the world coming to Leeds. Also to spice it up we have got a hip hop and influence sounds residency at a new night called moschino hoes and keep your eyes peeled for the Phat Pat & Pasteman Cancer Research fund raiser where we are trying to get sponsored for running the charity 10k run!

You've just got back from playing outlook in croatia. How was that?

SURREAL! We played the first set of the festival on the beach, looking into the adriatic sea, i opened up with Paid the Cost To Be The Boss by James Brown and me and Phat Pat continued to played some influences and then some classic reggae, the support and general love at the festival was amazing, everyone exuded good vibes and because it was so intimate you literally felt among friends. Later that night we played The Bigger Than Barry boat party alongside Oneman and Rattus Rattus and Klose One, the sunset is one i will never forget and Me and Dorrie performed a live version of How Long which went down so well with her haunting vocals taking us into the dark out into the sea.

With Benga in the top 10, Rusko producing for Britney Spears and Chase and Status fast becoming the next pendulum where do you think dubstep is heading?
Do you think the underground vibes were used to are stil going to be around now dustup has enjoyed mainstream success.?

Trying to answer this question for me takes quite a long pause... Generally with other things in life that have experienced massive mainstream success i would have been the person who would say i'm not going to wear that anymore or i hate going there now because it's not what it used to be etc... I think these last few years have really allowed me to grow up and see the bigger picture, i love music, all music, no matter whether it is britney spears or another pop flash in the pan, somewhere in the song no matter how deep down it is i reckon i could find something which i liked about it or atleast respected in its production. Right now a lot of people in the scene feel cheated that people are so called sell outs, i feel that if anyone deserves some financial mainstream success it is your skream and your bengas for all the hard work and energy they have put into shaping the scene, some of the best producers in the world work behind the scenes making sounds, melodies and styles that feature heavily in the pop music that we are surrounded by. But saying that if the charts are now featuring dubstep then that will not really impact in my opinion on the underground side of the scene, i don't think dubstep has been underground for a long time, even with nights like exodus there are people who are very new to dubstep who visit them but that doesn't mean they don't have  right to be there, this is just music at the end of the day and the exclusivity of it shouldn't dictate how good it is, how good it is should do that. I think that the exciting side of the scene for me is where more experimental drum and bass producers are getting sets with dubstep producers as well as dubstep artists working with labels like swamp 81 and autonomic, there is a sound that is bridging a gap that many people may not have realised was there and for me it could really lead anywhere, the grooves are out there and different but still carry swagger and deep atmospherics as well as the important sub low, the future of underground music as we know it is blossoming.


DnB is going from strength to strength at the moment aside from the dustup explosion who are you backing at the moment?

I'm really excited for everything that is coming from Exit, Non Plus, Swamp 81, Autonomic as well as the Med School More Blood EP' as well as the more experimental sounds from Noisia's new label Invisible. I'm looking forward to hearing more Synkro, Indigo and Distance on the 170, also anything by Blu Mar Ten, ASC, Vaccine, Riya, Soularize, Sabre, Royalston, Helios, Dub Phizix, Commix and Camo and Krooked really. I like the idea of producers who have a working formula experimenting with the space and bass that can be found in minimal or half step 170 bpm stuff. Another artist who has really stood out for me in the past few weeks in L.O.L. i genuinely cannot wait to hear more music from them.

Have you got any pasteman releases coming soon and where can we catch you playing out ?

The hard work is really paying off and there are some exciting things in the pipeline, keep your eyes and ears peeled for forthcoming material and colloborations.
 My next few sets are at The Bash Out at Wire Leeds on the 20th, Musicology at Faversham on Friday 24th and Bigger than Barry on the 28th.

would you rather have no eyes or no ears?

Eyes. Although i like the idea of photoshopping sounds. Saying that i wouldn't mid having Mala's - Eyez.

Safe Pasteman

PASTEMAN EXAMPLE MIX ...