Justin Todd, aka Spinlock, is an up-and-coming drum & bass producer from Vancouver, Canada. He's just released The Nerve Damage EP on Stride Recordings so we decided to check him out...

What brought you to making drum & bass?
I came from a small town in Northern BC were it was customary to listen to either Slayer, AC/DC or Metallica, so I didn't get much exposure until I heard Ultrasonic Sound by Hive on the Matrix soundtrack. That song blew me away! I had never heard anything like it before and I instantly fell in love.  Quite a few years and raves later, I discovered Reason and put the two together.

Describe your music, does it fit within conventional DnB genres?
Most of my music could be categorized into a subgenre, however, I like to try to make something different each time. I think it's because I'm still trying to find my sound, but I hope I never do! It's more of an adventure this way.

What keeps your ideas fresh in the studio? What music outside of DnB do you follow?
To be honest, I've been listening to a LOT of drum & bass and electronic music lately!  When I'm bored of electronic music, I like to go back to my roots and listen to the music that shaped into the person I am today. It can give me direction when I feel lost. To keep my ideas fresh, I try to experience life to the fullest. If all you do is sit in a studio every day, your creativity will dwindle quickly. Sometimes you need to jump out of a plane!

What kind of rig are you running?
DAW: I'm currently running an all-software setup. I switched from Cubase to Reaper last year, and it was probably the best choice I've ever made. It's vastly improved my workflow and doesn't get in the way of my creativity.

Monitoring: I work in a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones 100% of the time (not by choice!), but they seem to do the trick.

Synths/FX: Sylenth1 - Great virtual analog synth. Makes some nasty Reeses; Morphine - awesome, lightweight additive synth; Zebra2 - Flexible utility synth that can do just about anything; Devastor - King of distortions!; Toraverb: a very smooth and sexy algorithmic reverb.

Beverages: Corona with lime and really strong, stovetop espresso.

How much time do you spend in the studio?
I usually hit the studio at around 9pm and work until 3am on most weekdays. I spend my remaining free time with my wife and kids. I've discovered that in order to see results, you NEED to dedicate the time. If you're not feeling creative in the studio,  you can still be productive by sorting samples, making breaks, reading vst manuals, or fiddling around with synths.

What is your approach to DJing & live performances?
I would like to start trying to do more live performance, within confines of my studio to start with though.  Clicking and dragging with the mouse can become dull after a while. I want dnb production to feel more spontaneous like playing an instrument, though I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to do it yet!

First 'big' break in Canada?
My first big break came recently with the release of The Nerve Damage EP on Stride Recordings. It's performing much better than anticipated in the charts, and it's being received quite well!

Side projects we should look out for?
For the short-term, I'm going to be focusing most of my efforts on my upcoming Stride releases.  Dustin (Kapulet) has been a great mentor, and has helped me grow professionally as an artist this past year.  In another year or so, I might start exploring other genres once I find the time!

Give us a top 5...

TV Shows

1. Breaking Bad
2. True Blood (that's the inspiration behind Maenad)
3. Dexter
4. The Office
5. Canucks games

How do you feel about Canada's drum & bass scene currently?
The musical output, arguably the most important part of any musical scene, is going so well right now with producers like NC-17, Gremlinz, Vice, Schematic, Override, Catacomb, Fortress, Eleventh Sun, and Psidream absolutely killing it at the moment.

And we have Kapulet's podcast gluing all of this existing / undiscovered talent together into a nice package and exposing it to the world.  Both production quality and quantity are on the rise in Canada!

 

 

Related Links:

• Stride Recordings Label Launch
• Artist Profile: Locked & Erbalist
• Nerve Ends
• Free Canadian Drum & Bass
• Nerve Gives Away Its Back Catalogue

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