Whitehaze & Ill Phil, aka Ill Haze, are an up-and-coming drum & bass production duo from Essex with releases on Hustlin Beats Audio, Rough Tempo Audio and Intense Recordings. We caught up with Whitehaze to find out more.

Tell us about a little about Ill Haze and how you got started.
It all started after a heavy night out on the town when we were introduced to each by a mutual friend.  After a good few hours of mindless babble about our love for drum & bass, we decided to put our heads together.  Whitehaze comes from a DJ background and Ill Phil comes from a production background.  We knew we had all corners covered when it came to production and DJing.

 

After a few early studio sessions and more mindless babble, we had some decent sound coming out the speakers.  We were trying to think of a name to call ourselves.  After countless hours, we stuck with the obvious and combined our names together hence the name Ill Haze.

 

 

You and your partner have been DJing and producing for a very long time, how has the evolution of the scene impacted your music production?
It has always made a big difference in how we produce music.  Ever since we started as Ill Haze the scene has changed considerably.  We are always striving to produce current and fresh sounding material.  When we hear something that breaks new boundaries or catches our ears, it inspires us to get in the studio and create something new.

 

What is the scene like in Essex at the moment?
The drum & bass scene in Essex is growing rapidly.  We have regular nights going on all the time.  We do travel about, but normally we go to london which is just down the road.  With that said, we would travel anywhere in the world to get the chance to play and spread our music further.  Our fanbase is important, so any chance we get to increase it will be taken.  We are currently residents at a monthly event called Deepah.  Deepah takes place in the Southend at Talk Nightclub.  The place is always packed and full of great vibes so we really enjoy playing there.

Which brings you more satisfaction, DJing or producing?
We would have to say it's a mixture of both.  The finished product of producing is always very satisfying, but the icing on the cake is unleashing a tune on an unsuspecting crowd and learning from their reaction.

What gets you motivated to start a tune and how do your influences impact how you write?
Inspiration can come from many places for us. We are inspired when we hear new music, listen to someone's vocal recording, or just from creating sounds after chatting all night until 4am.  For some reason this hour seems to be a productive time for us.

What are some of the labels you have worked with and also, which ones would you like to work with?
We are currently signed to Hustlin Beats Audio and have three EPs out with them already.  We are also signed on Rough Tempo Audio and are expecting some big releases towards the end of the year with them.  There are some big name remixes in the cards as well.  This month we have had our first vinyl release out on Intense Recordings.

 

This is a big thing for us because we believe the digital revolution is taking over the music scene by storm and vinyl is becoming less common.  Of course we would love to work with any of the big names in the scene, but anyone that can bring something to the table is always welcome to work with us.  Working with other producers and artists always broadens our horizons.

 

Who are some producers that inspire you?
There are plenty of producers out there that inspire us. We also don't hold down our influences to just one genre.  Some of influences include Noisia, Dirtyphonics, Tantrum Desire, Calyx, Teebee and Mampi Swift and also range to the likes of Knife Party, Far Too Loud and Funtcase.  That's just naming a few though.  The list would be endless if we attempted to include all of our influences

What kind of advice do you have for up and coming producers in the game?
Stick at it and don't ever give up!  We are up and coming producers ourselves, so we know what its like to hit that brick wall.  Just keep at it.

What are your influences outside of music?
We like to watch films and partake in the occasional flavoured roll up!

 

What can we expect from you in the future?
We'll definitely have more releases coming out that's for sure.  We also just finished working on an album with MC Nuclear called Snakes and Blaggers.  We are planning to work with him in the future so watch this space!

How can we lock into your radio show?

You can listen to our bi-weekly radio show on Rough Tempo.  Our shows run on Fridays from 9pm to 11pm GMT.

 

Related Links:

• Early 90s Essex Hardcore Documentary
• Eric Haze Special Edition G-Shock
• EZ Rollers To Release Rougher Than Rough
• Remi/Rough & Stormie Mills Exhibition
• Check The Label: DFA

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