#orphan 101

Having pioneered and championed the drum & bass scene for the last 10 years, Raiden has now turned his attentions to whole new sound. Kmag had a chat with him to find out more and to bring you an exclusive mix from his new guise, Kamikaze Space Programme.

Can you tell us how long you’ve been working on Kamikaze Space Programme for?

I’ve been messing with the idea to make house for years but since March this year I’ve been working on it full time. Initially I was making tribal house just for fun, then I heard the music coming out on labels such as R&S, RAMP and Hessle Audio and was totally blown away. It fused all the things I loved about the house and techno music I grew up with but had a modern twist with big bass; that’s me through and through. It has taken me a long time to work out exactly what I wanted to make and then how actually to do it. I made about 20 tunes in five months trying to nail a sound before it suddenly came together. Within a month of going public with Kamikaze Space Programme, I'm already getting support from Bloodman, Orphan 101, Addison Groove, Mj Cole, Appleblim, Randomer and Blawan, so I’m really happy. Right, enough of the name dropping.

Most people will know you for your previous work as Raiden, is producing under KSP indicating a clear distinction between these two projects?

Definitely, I didn’t want Kamikaze Space Programme to sound like Raiden material slowed to 126 BPM. I want a fresh start with no preconceptions. It almost seems as if the UK, which has always had a bass oriented culture, has finally come with its own unique take on techno music. Coming from a techno background, it’s totally logical that this direction would be a perfect outlet for me and the fact that there are no rules is just the icing on the cake. It hasn’t been easy though, I’ve had to start everything from scratch, reconfigure my studio, learn new production tricks and it’s been quite a task getting the mix downs right. Whoever said ‘if you can make drum and bass, you can make anything,’ is a mad man. 

  Certainly this seems to be fully embracing the techno side of your personality, is this how you would describe the KSP sound?

Kamikaze Space Programme is the sound of using influences I didn’t have the chance to express before. I’ve always been obsessed with second generation Detroit techno such as Underground Resistance, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin etc and more recently the tribal exotica music of Les Baxter and Latin grooves of Hector Lavoe. I would like to think of the Kamikaze Space Programme sound as being bouncy, funky, a bit tongue ‘n’ cheek, with a healthy dose of hand played tribal percussion and big bass prescribed between 120-130 BPM.

Is the lack of a ‘drum & bass body’ why you’ve chosen to release KSP on DecaRhythm rather than your own OffKey imprint?

Even though OffKey is heavily techno influenced it is still a totally different genre of music. In order for the KSP music to reach the right audience, I chose to turn to another label. I started sending tunes to the DecaRhythm owners Orphan 101, Bloodman and Head Hunter/Addison Groove quite early on and they’ve been supporting me ever since. In fact it’s nice not having to be the label owner as it gives me the chance to be an artist and just worry about the music; a luxury I haven’t had since 2005. I will release some KSP tracks on Voodoo in the future as the concept of the label is much more diverse and not dependent on tempo.

Is there a particular reason why you’ve moved away from drum & bass sound at the moment or is it just part of your continued cycle of experimentation?

It’s a bit of both really. I love this trend in slower tempo dance music that embraces the lack of rules, it’s very liberating coming from a scene that has become very formulaic, where anything unique goes under the radar. It feels like this new emerging music is totally cutting edge, where new ideas are embraced, it’s just really exciting music that’s relevant in 2011. I could be accused of jumping on the bandwagon but it’s a bit of a contradiction because when you don't try new things you get called stale, so you can’t win. It's just really nice to be a part of a sound that is really pushing boundaries, where the sky’s the limit. Performance wise it’s amazing to be able to draw from 30 years of dance music history so I’m not just tied to playing unreleased dub-plate material, it definitely makes things more interesting.

For those not familiar with DecaRhythm, can you describe the label’s sound?

DecaRhythm is all about experimental music, mixing up styles from dub step, house, techno, garage and electronica in varying degrees. They are looking to release music that doesn’t necessarily fit a particular genre but can work on many levels. The label represents musical freedom. Personally in the short time I've worked with Rob and Roger they’ve come across as totally professional and they run a really tight ship; Rob hits me up most days calling me a slacker, which is the motivation I sorely need! He was on me almost every day for two weeks just to get this interview done, so yeah, they are on it!

Kamikaze Space Programme - Algus EP (Out 21/11/2011) by Decarhythm

When can we expect the tracks to get released?

I have the Algus EP coming out on DecaRhythm 21 November and I'm already working on a follow up EP for DecaRhythm for early spring. It seems to be going very well considering I haven’t given out that many demos. I'm planning on making a lot more material over the coming winter months so we will see what happens. It is still early days but I seem to be making huge improvements with every new track I write.

  Kamikaze Space Programme‘s DJ set-up features multi tracked Albeton with self-built drum effects and drum machines. Can you tell us a little more about this?

Digital DJing allows more possibilities, I wouldn't say that it’s a live set, it’s more an involved DJ set up. Using new technologies always keeps me interested in music, I guess I’m a bit of a nerd in that sense. I love the advancement in DJ technology, especially in software like Ableton and Traktor and the hardware controllers that come along with it. It’s so much more fun and incredibly versatile. I’m currently using a large Vestax MIDI controller where I’ve customized all the mappings and built my own FX racks. I’ve also added a 909 drum machine emulation so I can punch in my own drum loops on the fly. I really want to invest in a Native Instruments machine to take that part of it to the next level. It’s amazing to see how Richie Hawtin uses this technology, very inspiring.

There’s this attitude in drum and bass that using software to mix is cheating as you don’t have to beat match but pitching is a means to an end, not the end itself. Effects machines are harder to operate than turn tables as they offer an unlimited amount of options. I enjoying mixing records but I also enjoy using gadgets that enable me to do a lot more. Ableton is nonlinear, so you can set it up anyway you like and add any controller, so it’s totally individual which is more interesting. I think the reason some people don’t get it is because they don’t understand what’s going on, so they assume it’s cheating when they couldn’t be more wrong. I think this attitude will change within the next five years.

What does this enable you to do differently when you’re playing live?

It gives me so much more control over the set. In short I have the freedom to manipulate and fabricate the music to fit the mix perfectly, as well as being able to add some extra spice when I need it, which makes for a better experience not only for myself but for anyone who’s listening. I also have the freedom to draw on music that I wouldn't normally be able to play due to it being at an extreme tempo or having an overly complex arrangement.

I can edit the arrangements of the track on the fly to custom fit the tunes so that they mix better. I can loop any part of the track and resample it and pretty much mash the tracks to transition more than just mixing from A to B. I also have a master section where I can make my own builds, edits and breakdowns. Once you throw the drum machine on top you have a huge amount of options.

Download an exclusive mix from Kamikaze Space Programme here.