The Parisian producer Von D is swiftly gaining acclaim on the dance scene. He is establishing himself as a key man to watch, due to his unique studio style, and his latest work is definitely worth listening to. He has been remixed by dubstep producers Tes La Rok and Skream and included in mixes by three time DMC world champion DJ Craze, as well as acclaimed by BBC tastemaker Gilles Peterson. Overall this producer is certainly one who refuses to be pigeon-holed.

The scope of this album is vast- it crosses a whole range of different feelings and moods, and I think it succeeds in creating a beautiful blend of sounds borrowed from different genres.
The first track ‘Love Music’   introduces the more soulful side of the album, and is one of quite a few smooth and sleek sounding beats. Warm sounding piano chords wash over the drums and ride with Phephe’s soft hypnotic vocals.

After listening to the first track I find myself feeling a little sleepy actually. In a way it’s a brave choice for a first track, but it sets the listener up well for the slightly more percussive tune ‘Watching You’ which follows. The vocals are equally nice, bouncing off an arpeggiated synth sound past half-way in the track. ‘You’re the one’ opens with a jazzy piano which continues throughout the track, typical of the mature and stylish sounds.

After track 3 I’m wondering what other gears this album will be able to push us to, and bang on cue the harder, more bass heavy ‘From Jupiter to Venus’ shakes up our journey’s direction. It has nearly an 80’s charm to it, in the way the rigid drum-beat marches and the retro sounding synths are used.

The real stand out tune on this album would definitely be ‘Maximum Boost’ featuring Spyda and Foreign Beggars. It’s a banger which kicks you onto your feet if you’re not there bouncing already. What seems an unlikely collaboration between the vocalists serves as a testament really to Von D’s style bringing different elements together for a top end result. The variation of this album seems to have something for everybody, but is clearly dominated by soulful vocals and a sweeter dancehall rhythm.

The drums and bassline on ‘One Day’ seem to glance back to the pre-20th century drum and bass era, and his influence of artists like Photek is visible here. The bass in other tracks like ‘You’re My’ Is just as deep and moody, contrasting the soulful vocals of Phephe. This track seems to flirt with sounds of the garage genre. In ‘Liquid’ the jazzy trumpet goes against a head bouncing wobbling bass; a reminder as to why London’s dubstep pioneer Skream secured a release from Von D on his label Disfigured Dubs. The emotive, garage inspired but dubby tracks certainly remind me of some of Skream’s work. The arpeggiated chords against soulful vocals make me think of some of Joker’s tunes as well, and I think Von D will be remembered as a producer pushing the limits of dubstep. This album is an impressive mash-up of styles by a musical pioneer, and I’d imagine he’s one to keep your eyes and ears tuned into.     

Words: George Allonby

Von D Q and A : 

Example :   Your new album ‘Daydreaming’ features a range of artistsincluding Riya and Foreign Beggars. Who was the most interested artist you teamed up with and how did you approach it (e.g. did you write the tune and have an idea of how you wanted the other artists to contribute, or did they approach you etc.)?

I work naturaly with singers.Most of the time its people that i met and we start doing things together.When i started music i was involved in bands and recording in studio as a Drummer so i know how to talk to
a singer for example if i need to explain things etc but to be honest most of the time its just flowing and happening naturally.

For example with Phephe we made Show me in almost 2 days. Generaly in few takes its done. im happy to work with professional people and very good musicians.
in the first place its alsways a Music colaboration so its all about good vibes and sharing a good moment on a  track even with big names its always a cool atmosphere.

Example : Which three emotions would you say your album expresses the most?

Freedom,Love,Happiness.

Example :  You’ve released tracks on a range of prolific imprints including Argon, Skream’s Disfigured Dubs and DJ Chef’s Sub Freq label; what are your top three labels of all time?

HAHA hard Question but concerning the labels i have been release music
on i would say

Soul Jazz
Boka
V recordings

Example : Your sets have conjured “a global buzz” amongst many fans; what do you do that makes you stand out from other artists?

I have no idea i just produce music and try to add my own vibe to it.and i also play a lot of exclusives tracks in my set so people pay attention to that . i always look to the crowd and try to make them
feeling it. i like to take people on a trip .

Example : Having established yourself as a sound engineer, what is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout the years?

That there's NO RULES ...

Example : What was the first tune you ever made, and how did it sound? How have your ideas developed much since then?

i think the first track i ever made was back in 96 it was a Jungle track called 'Potard'. (potard is a french slang word for Butons) as it was all hardware based. When i started producing music i was making any kind of music from
house to hip hop , reggae , Jungle,Ambient, Breakcore etc ... my first vinyl release was a Breakcore track. i was producing a lot of experimental music,well its hard to describe this cause it was very diverse .

Example : Being based in Paris but having toured the world as far as America and Australia, what has been your favourite place to play and what has been your most exceptional weekend so far?

i realy enjoyed playin in Miami for the WMC in 2010 but to be honest  the best party i have done was Sub Dub in Leeds , its not very  far from my place or incredible but that was one of the best. Its a hard question . i loved Playing in the USA , Canada , Israel Russia , europe etc ;

Example :  Who would you most like to see skanking out in a crowd?

Lee Perry and George Clinton . they both still alive so ...

Example :   A lot of your influences, including Sting and The Beatles, play acoustic instruments. Would you ever consider using live instruments in your tracks, and if so which ones?

im already doing it . some percutions ,some rides cymbal lines (i still got my drums at home) some horns too i got a lot of very good musicians around me we are like a big family we did grow up together in my town .

Example: Any final words for fans out there?

Stay focus on the music and don't believe the hype :)