September 12th sees the next release from drum & bass behemoths Ram Records, with veteran producer Cyantific teaming up with (relatively speaking) new kid on the block Wilkinson for the AA-side ‘Touch Me’/’Get Into It’. Releases are coming thick and fast from the Ram stable, and this release will make up RAM104. With the quality of releases not dipping or wavering, we wanted to bring you more about the new single, so we interviewed Cyantific recently.

Cyantific has been producing and DJing high voltage d&b for as long as I can remember. He has been responsible for such classics as 88mph and Hong Kong Express, and is well known for his 15 Years of Hospital Records live sets. He spared us a few moments to talk about his sound, his techniques in the studio, and his new single on Ram with Wilkinson.

Example : For anyone who doesn’t know who you are – can you introduce yourself, and tell the readers how you got to the stage you’re at now?

Cyantific :I'm Jon AKA Cyantific. I've been making and releasing drum and bass music for near enough ten years now. I used to be one half of a duo, but the other chap went off to make some disco.

Example :You are known for your releases on Hospital. How did you come to release this single on RAM, and how does it feel to work with this label in particular?

Cyantific : I always wanted a release on Ram, they released some of the first music I ever bought to play on my first set of crappy belt drives. So it's a real honour to have it happen. I basically sat down about a year ago and thought, 'I'm gonna try to make something that Andy would like, that would fit in with my sound and the current Ram sound' and that's kind of how it happened...luckily he was a bit tipsy when he heard it first, I think that helped.

Example : Can you tell us what your writing techniques are, and how does this segue into the production side - is it one and the same thing, or are they different?

Cyantific: I usually work with samples. I find it helps to get past the fear of the blank canvas, you have something to work with from the offset. I usually start mixing down the record from the very first sound I put in, otherwise there's a massive mess to sort out at the end. So the production and writing have to go hand in hand. So much sometimes that say for example if the main sample you start with is in a low key like C, I might pitch it up a few notes so that the sub-bass isn't too low.

Example : How do you feel production in d&b has changed since you started out?

Cyantific: It's so much more polished now. There's not so much of a margin for poor production as there was 10 years ago. A lot more thought goes into it. Some people might argue it's a bad thing, as there's a rawness that's not there anymore in most peoples’ music.

 

Example :What was your approach on these two tracks, and was it different to how you normally go in?

Cyantific: It was a pretty simple process doing the A side, I've got a decent collection of old skool samples, and a Korg M1 emulation synth. It was just a case of picking my favourites, then experimenting with what I could do to the bass sound. The mixdown was a bit troublesome, and if I'm 100% honest I don't think it's right still...but then maybe that's just me. Sometimes you just have to say 'this is finished'.

The B side was a different kettle of fish altogether. Mark and myself decided to do a tune, we went through my samples and found this old disco track that has a really nice loop. We put it down, but realised it didn't have the hard edge we wanted to it, so we went in with some stab samples and bass patches to give it more balls. The end result was having two really different sections in the main body of the tune.

Example : What are your hopes for this new single?

Cyantific : I wanna get to number 1 so Cher Lloyd doesn't.

Example : What do you think have been some of the elements which have meant you have been so successful for so long?

Cyantfiic : Hard work. I don't profess to be the most talented musician out there, but I have ambition, so I work hard at it. It's easier to make it than to stay there.

 

Example : You’ve hooked up with Wilkinson on one side of this release – who are some of the people you’ve enjoyed working with most, and who haven’t you worked with that you would like to?

Cyantfic : I love working with Mark, we have a definite common ground with music. I really enjoyed working with Logistics, and Matrix in the past too. I could list hundreds of people I'd love to work with, but it'd never happen!

Example : What do *you* like best about drum & bass music at the moment?

Cyantific : It's as exciting and fresh to me as it was when I started out.

 

 

The new single will be hitting your shops soon. ‘Touch Me’, the A side, opens nicely with an Amen-style break, which folds itself into old skool-type beats and piano. Electronic sounds usher in the ‘touch me’ female vocal snatches. The track feels old skool, but bang up to date at same time.

This leads into main vocal snatch, which again, is nicely old skool sounding. You really can tell the quality of the track, and the production and mixdown that has gone into it. 2011-style bass squelches come after this – the sounds are clean, and not overbearing as sometimes happens. As the track goes through, the balance of perfectly matched breaks and beats is maintained.
Overall this is a well-rounded, definitely interesting addition to the artist's work. It is convincing, and high quality. ‘Touch Me’ is what I like about d&b – clear, uncluttered drum sounds and rolling, well-handled bass.

The flip-side, ‘Get Into It’, with Wilkinson, has a looped piano introduction, with film-style spoken dialogue over the top. The repeated vocal sample sets the tone for the track, before the beat drops quite unexpectedly, levels out, and then builds back up filtered behind the mix. The piano continues in the background, and the way in which the beats collide will see a major amount of skanking on the dancefloor to this one.

The elements of the track continue on a level, with a synth line finding prominence later. The track, much like the A-side, will leave an impression on you whether you’re at home, on the move or in the club.

In summing up, both sides are relatively understated for the artists involved. This is no way a bad thing and makes a nice change to the usual rampant floorfilling of a lot of recent releases – for example, the lead out on ‘Get Into It’ is quite chilled. Whilst still dancefloor-friendly and not exactly 'contemplative', both tracks are mellowish rollers, and make for a bit more of a quieter listen.
SCORE – 8/10