Arkaik is an emerging drum & bass producer / DJ hailing from Farnham in the UK. His Trauma EP has just come out on Diffrent Music and  Dispatch are about to release his Gumshoe remix  (last year Arkaik won Disptach's Octane & DLR sample track competition), so 2012 is looking to be a big year. We caught up with Arkaik to find out more.

Tell us a bit about yourself...
I'm Pete, I've been listening to D&B since I was 14, I love coffee, I have a rabbit called Loxy and I despise mushy peas.

When did you start producing and what inspired you too?
I started producing three years ago, after DJing for six years. I was inspired by the music I was buying, and wanted to put my own sound into my DJ sets.

Was there a particular tune that made you think "this is what I want to start doing"?
Break's Dog Soldiers, S.P.Y.'s Monochrome and Sabre's Global.

You're releasing music on Diffrent at the moment, how did the signing come about?
Diffrent approached me about two years ago just before they launched. They were interested in a few tracks that had been floating about, which they signed and helped me mix down and release in 2011. After the label launched, Diffrent had asked Jekyll, Shaded and myself if we'd like to sign an exclusive contract to develop us all as new artists as we'd all been working together. We accepted and are putting it into effect now!

It seems like the Diffrent team is very in tune with the artists, do you feel the label helped you progress in your work?
Of course, I feel they have helped me with my mixing technique and artist development.

Is drum & bass the only genre your producing now or are there other sounds your experimenting with?
Drum & bass has always been my main focus, I don't spend much time at all on any other genres, but dabble in hip hop & IDM.

Which other producers do you think are doing a lot for the scene right now?
People that are doing it for me right now are the likes of Jekyll, Amoss and Xtrah. People who are doing a lot for the D&B scene at the moment would be Diffrent, AntTC1, Dub Phizix and Skeptical.

As well as the forthcoming Trauma EP on Diffrent, what else do you have planned for the year?
10" release on Dispatch end of January, Therapy Sessions in March, Innovation in the Sun in June, KaneFM Diffrent music radio show and output on Diffrent through out the year.

What where your favourite moments of 2011?
Sun & Bass, winning the Dispatch contest and getting a real job!

Describe your sound in two words...
Forward thinking

Words: Yusuf Mian

 

 

Related Links:

• Introducing: Arkaik
• Diffrent Video Interview
• Diffrent Presents Giraffecast 002
• Kmag Presents Diffrent
• Diffrent Sounds

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