Prije nepuna dva tjedna britanski dj i producent Aries gostovao je u riječkoj Stereo Dvorani. Povodom tog nastupa naš vrli novinar Tomislav Milićević ga je uhvatio za rukav i popričao s njim! Što nam je Aries sve otkrio, saznajte u nastavku...
Reggae.hr: Can you introduce yourself, please?
Aries: Ok, yeah, my name is Aries, I write jungle, drum and bass, I DJ for 20 years. I like music, I like bass, I like whole culture behind the music.
Reggae.hr: How and when did you decided to become DJ and how and when did you start with production?
Aries: I started to be a DJ through pirate radio stations in early nineties. In nineteennineties I started to listen to pirate radios, when I was in school. And most radio stations were DJs in different types of music and diferent people doing different shows and then I learned from the music that lots of different styles or stuff. So, I was listening to pirate radio and start hearing rave music. Basiclly I started listening to rave music on pirate radios and it was only place I can hear it. I wasn't old enough to go to a rave or to dance to that music, but I really liked it. So, in school we used to listen and then started to get tape acts from rave, casette tapes, that were recorded from all the raves. Older people, the 18 and 19 year olds, all had this tapes and, basiclly, we recorded copies of this tapes. We were listening to all this DJs, some of them: people like Grooverider or, you know, big drum and bass DJs from now that were, like, around then. Then, basiclly, I found out where I can buy the records, wich was like reggae record shops and those kind of places who sold a bit of dance music and rave music imported from Belgium and Germany and all over the world, like America, as well, Detroit and diferent places like that. I liked rave music, started lisening to it then, one day, my friend had got a pirate radio transmitter, 'couse he was into electronics and decided to set one of after school in his house, his mother's house. So, we were broadcasting illegally on an FM station from his house and this was at the same time time. That's why we got into listening to pirate radio and then through that i discovered rave music and since then I've got into rave and then rave turn into jungle-techno and then it became kind of, like, jungle and then drum and bass stand in the mid nineties and then you got, like, liquid and reggae jungle and, you know, all those different types of dance music. Then all this other stuff came along, like this hip-hop influenced electronic music as well. In mid nineties we had, suddenly, all this different types of music and that's why, there you go.
Reggae.hr: What do you consider your biggest achivement in production so far and why?
Aries: That's really hard question. I think that greatest achivement was the first tune that I made, that got radio play. People were liking and my friend, drum and bass producer Heist, was getting live radio plays on BBC radio, radio station in England, and he knew the guy. I was sending him tunes, and i done a tune, sent it to Heist and he cheekily but nicely, I'm happy he did, he sent it to this same radio DJ and then I'm sitting on the internet at home in 2005, 2004 or 2005, and my friend comes up on the MSN, hits me up and he was like: „Listen to the radio now!". So, I tuned in to the radio straight away and I'm like: „Hey, no way, that's my tune!". I haven't even finished the tune. I wasn't happy with it and it wasn't finished but then suddenly this guy's playing it and then I tuned to the show a week after and he plays it again and calls it up, it gets the rewind. I'm like: „Okay, this is crazy." After that he got signed, he got released, TC did a remix, a drum and bass producer TC. Other guy, Marcus Visionary, big jungle producer from Canada, he did the remix of it as well and it came out on a few labels, so really, on a production, that was my biggest achivement becouse it achived all this other things of getting into being able to make music and being respected of the other people or the artist that I respect. Then playing my stuff out like Marcus Visionary and Benny Page and people like them going: „Hey, I like that tune, thanks. I've played it out." and then I, like: „Did you? Wow, that's amazing!". So, that's probably my gratest achivement but I have them, very lucky. Achivements recently is opportunity to work with some of the reggae singers. I've had this opportunity to work with through different people like Chopstick Dubplate or through the Birmingham crew that I know, Friendly Fire, all this different crews.
Reggae.hr: In jungle music, except DJ and producer, very important is vocalist. Wich is your favourite one?
Aries: The truth is I couldn't have a favourite becouse that would be unfair. To be honest, I like different people for different reasons. I like some singers becouse they sing, I like some reggae vocalists becouse they all got different styles. My favourite, overall, jungle MC, vocalist is Top Cat. He's top veteran of this game, he's been doing this thing for many years now and he is wicked reggae artist and also wicked jungle artist too. I also got to say Demolition Man, pretty big, wicked styles. I like Daddy Freddy, I like his style. Totally different, raw, rugged, wicked stuff basiclly. I like many vocalists for many different reason. Chopstick Dubplate stuff's been really good 'couse I've had opportunity to work big singers like Jah Mason and all the different crews we've worked with them. It was pretty cool.
Reggae.hr: Nowdays, it is offten case that d'n'b DJ includes dubstep in his set and dubstep DJs also include d'n'b in their sets. What are the reasons for that?
Aries: I think it's the bass music. Isn't it? You like reggae jungle? You like reggae, don't you?
Reggae.hr: Yes. I do.
Aries: So, if you like drum and bass then you're gonna like some dubstep becouse it sounds like bits of drum and bass. It's just the different speed. If you like rave music, you'll probably like a bit of drum and bass. They're all connected 'couse they're all electronic dance music. Think like the DJ think now. A lot of artists that were making drum and bass maybe weren't doing so well or maybe they hear out of that drum and bass stuff, the dubstep stuff and found out they can make it better and it came all natural for them becouse drum and bass with so many people producing it, it went so very competitive and it was very certain sound, lots of certain things, lots of roles in that music to get certain sounds. It was a lot of reason to start new up and coming so they started writing stuff of slowest beat and it suddendly became absolutely massive. I think it's a really positive thing. It's good becouse those guys gonna often become successful in what they do. Music, dubstep is become massive all around the world, deffinetly around Europe, Eastern Europe and certain places. Obviusly, the dubstep scene herewith festival you have, the Outlook festival. It's pretty amazing, the line up, artists, you don't get those artists anywhere all in one place in one time aprt from here. So, I think it's pretty good thing as well. It's an interesting link. It's hard to explain everything, I supouse.
Reggae.hr: It's also noticable that many d'n'b producers give up on d'n'b production and start to produce strictly dubstep. That's the case especialy in UK. Do you think d'n'b eill become past becouse of popularity of dubstep music?
Aries: No! It's a simple answer to that. Becouse right now with the jungle music and in the drum and bass scene it's just progressing and changing and evolving like the music has. This music that we were all into is rave music ftom 1990, then became hardcore and then became drum and bass, then became jungle, jungle-techno. Some went off into happy hardcore, some went off into house, some went off into techno. It's always gonna happen. It's always gonna evolve. I think on the end of the day, people like dance, people like music, people like good beat, people like bass. You know, wether it's reggae, wether it's jungle, wether it's dubstep, whatever you gonny call it, it's all the same. And that's not dying, is it? Reggae jungle is massive in the moment, especialy in England. Places like Bristol have many, many nights where all north-american reggae jungle artists, all european jungle artists are being invited over to go and play there. To me, it' says it's quiet healthy. Producers out there, certain people like Jacky Murda and DJ K and all this guys, people in Austria, all this reggae jungle producers, lots of them, too many to mention, so many of them, everyone is just getting better in what they're doing. I think the music like reggae jungle, especialy, the reggae music that's in that jungle is 30 years old and when it was made, when first came around in mid-nineties, was still old music. So, I think that, actualy, it's gonna stand there, it's gonna be where it is.
Reggae.hr: What are your plans for the future? Do you, maybe, have some clearly defined goals?
Aries: Yeah, I supouse I do. I want to continue to do music and to continue to travel and to get the opportunity to people to listen to the music that I make or when I'm performing and Djing to enjoy that music. Really, I want to continue to do it like I have done for many years now. Basicly, I wanna go to many more countries and travel around more and meet more people and get the opportunity to expirience what I've been very lucky I expirienced in last 3 or 4 years. It regards to travelings, to meeting people and going to strage places, different places to what I'm used to.
Reggae.hr: How do you comment parties in Balkans? Yesterday you were in Sarajevo, today in Rijeka? How do you like it over here? Can you compare parties in Balkans with parties in England.
Aries: I like it, i like it in the Balkans. Becouse people like music, there's different energy here from the way people, all the young people, the way they react to certain music. Maybe the energy back at home, in England, was there in the nineties. Now, it's different over there. Music got break out commercial, goes into night clubs and it's very kind of controlled. Whereas earlier on there was a lot more kind of illegal parties and that kind of thing wich had that energy. Overhere, even if in the club, it's that kind of thing, it's got that whole energy. I've been in Poland, Czech Republic, all this part of Europe, Eastern Europe, and not even the Europe 'couse some of the places aren't even Europe, but just this part of the World. I think that parties over here and people over here has different energy, very positive, good energy. Last night in Sarajevo, when I played, the point is: I was looking up in a crowd and all I could see were big smiles on people's faces. Everybody dancing, enjoying themselves but smiles, you know. I mean, in England, there is massive clubs, wicked parties, great vibes there but there's so much stuff going on all the time becouse it's verry popular music. Maybe not every part has got that energy whereas you come out and play in places like here. There might be one party a week or not many nights but everybody is into it. You know, like: „Wow, we go out!!!"
Reggae.hr: Have you ever heard of some Croatian or ex-YU d'n'b producers before? What do you think about them?
Aries: I've met them the couple years ago. Two and a half, three years, when I first came to the Balkan area, one of the guys that booked me was Rahmanee from Belegrade and I played in Belegrade for him. He was playing me some traditional folk music but he didn't like it. I heard his stuff, I was really impressed. And then he introduced me, when I went to Zagreb, to Filip, Filip, I can't pronaounce his last name (Motovunski nap.a.). So, I met him and he started sending me his stuff and I was like: „Yeah, wicked!". And obviusly this guy's putting music out on different labels, Junglex from Canada and various different things. I was really quiet into it. All these other people, I think it is Dada, is it? Dada, it's a girl from Belegrade and there's Queen of Dashdown and few other people, I don't know them but watching them what they do. There's obviusly the Kingston, who I played for again, obviusly been looking for Seasplash and see what's going on with promotions and with the crews that they got there. I was playing for the Baga Sound crew in Bosnia, in Tuzla, reggae crew overthere and wicked crew as well. Obviusly I've met Kingston, Baga Sound, Rahmanee in Belegrade, obviusly the boys I've played out with last night from Concrete Jungle whom I was, really, able to meet half that crew last time when I played in Tuzla. They traveled to Tuzla to come and I met them and I partied with them. Pretty damn cool, really. There's some good crews here, you know, strong crews've obviously been here for a while and you having Outlook festival and the one in Novi Sad as well (Exit nap.a.). Exit festival it's pretty massive.
Reggae.hr: Do you, maybe, have any important message for readers of Reggae hr?
Aries: An important message? (smijeh) Please clean your teath twice a day, first thing in the morning and maybe after the meal as well to get the bits between the teeth becouse obviously it couses bacteria wich couses toothdecay. So, I recomend that. Deodorant in the nightclubs is pretty good as well becouse you know, don't you? What else? Change your socks every day, keep clean, do your washing, say please and thank you to people!
