Collected #02 – Sub0xyde [Mix + Interview]

Today, we present Sub0xyde, who prepared a mix for you filled with awesome tunes and an interesting interview to go along with Eyesome Collective owner High Dude.

 

Sub0xyde Interview

How do you present yourself to people in nowadays society?

Overall I consider myself a healthy and humble guy who wants to inspire as many people as I can in my journey. As far as how others see me, you’d have to ask them!

Is music the best way you’ve found to inspire people?

So it would seem. Music is the vehicle for my journey. I think humility is among the most important aspects of giving people hope. I’ve met people who I’ve looked up to for ages and turned out to be extremely hard to speak with because their ego has them held captive. It’s incredible how much of an effect you can have on someone if you just listen to them. We are all equals; the key difference is how much you’re willing to invest in building yourself.

Would you consider your music as expression of your personal development?

Certainly. I’ve invested more time in music than anything else in my life, so it’s a direct reflection of how I’ve grown.

When did you start producing, and what first prompted you to try a DAW?

I was about 14 when I first picked up FLStudio. I somehow stumbled upon it while browsing the web. I wish I had a more interesting story but to be honest, I think it was just a result of meddling and curiosity.

Did you play an instrument before you were 14?

Nothing aside from toying with consumer synth keyboards. I also used to play with recording my voice and reversing it when I was 8 or 9, and I got a Mixman DM² when I was 12 so that would probably be the first seed after the keyboard. The DAW was my first real instrument I’d actually invested in.

What kind of music were your producing at 14?

When I first started out, I wanted to make hip-hop/rap beats, so that’s what I aimed for. It turned out sounding somewhat electronic given the instruments that were in FL Studio, I generally took to stuff like Wasp and Sytrus presets to build melodies and a lot of the stock FL drums (with a few packs that I managed to find later on). My sound back then was very unrefined, especially since we didn’t have all of the resources available for producers today (if only!) Since I saw it as a hobby for so long, it took a very long time for me to start sounding professional. It wasn’t until after I started producing Dubstep that I began really understanding how to mix down, master, and in general balance my music, I still have old projects and renders from 2007-2010 lying around, before I’d discovered Dubstep.

Did you have a special feeling when you first heard dubstep?

That’s a great way to put it haha! Yes. Growing up with hip-hop I never could get into the electronic music that was prominent at the time, i.e. things like house and techno. Stuff with 4×4 kicks just felt lame to me. In 2010 after graduating high school, I heard Bar 9 – Strung Out and Datsik – Jenova Project, it was at that point I knew something was different, and incredible. I remember within a week after discovering it, about 80% of my listening playlists were dubstep already, it caught on and it caught on hard. I knew it was going to be my main thing from that point forward.

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Interesting. Jenova Project is still one of my old-school favorites. How do you perceive the evolution of dubstep into the mainstream (since Skrillex?)

Being one of the many late adopters, it took me awhile to not only refine my own sound, but understand all that it has to offer. It took me a few years to really start studying the history and origins of it, to recognize the deep, fundamental roots of the music. Now, I feel like it all makes sense, and has actually inspired my sound as of late.

Could you be more specific about the fact deep dubstep is inspiring your sound lately?

The roots just feel more honest. Generally speaking, all of the fundamentals are more solid in deep dubstep. Solid kick, snare, and a really powerful low end are what really make Dubstep what it is. A lot of the, dare I say, “brostep” tracks often push the high end and mids, and don’t show any love to the bone-rattling sub bass that dubstep was originally (and should still be) known for before it blew up and became more mainstream/poppy.

Considering my name is SubOxyde, I need to respect the roots; the sub. I’ve actually been on a craze lately with deep dubstep. I tend to mix it more, and have been producing it quite a bit lately as well.

How do you build your live sets lately?

I still stick to mainly heavier tunes if I’m booked for a show, since that’s what the majority of my releases are. I don’t like to do a full set of tearout though, it’s no fun if there isn’t any variation. I pepper in deeper sounds, including “riddim”, some trap, and other experimental styles to stay fresh.

As a fan of music, producer and DJ, do you try to educate your audience when you are spinning at a show?

I feel like that comes with the package in a sense. I like to announce when I’m dropping a new song, and sometimes I’ll declare what style it is especially if it’s something that people may not expect. I also like to shout out my buddies who hook me up with unreleased/new music.

I feel like the microphone should almost always be used to some degree. I personally feel hindered when one isn’t provided.

You are perpetuating the historical role of the DJ. Do you think deep dubstep will eventually become more popular?

I hope! It’s really tough to predict trends these days. It became more appealing to me as I’ve matured, I can only hope the rest of our scene follows suit.

Will you release deep tunes in a near future?

Yes sir, a whole EP is on the way. And that won’t be the last!

Do you intend to work with deep producers?

I’d love to actually. There’s a couple whose music I really enjoy that I’m pretty tight with. REZ and yourself (High Dude) are great examples of folks I’d love to work with. REZ and I are actually from the same area so that’s pretty much a promise.

Are you working on beats with REZ?

The future holds all the answers! 😉

Do you have something to say to conclude this interview?

Sure! Keep an ear out for more music, I’m always in the lab cooking up something. To all my fans, check into more deep dubstep and look forward to hearing more from myself. We all owe a lot to the original style! Artists like REZ, Kloudmen, Biome, Genetix, and SP:MC are good places to start. It’s been a pleasure, stay frosty! 😎