Features

Silviu Costinescu aka Alien Pimp describes himself as "some hybrid entity mutated from the creative genes of an electronic music producer, a media whore, a visual artist, a crazy preacher, a DJ, Don Quijote AND Sancho Panza."

Originally from Bucharest, Romania he now lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. He's a versatile producer of electronic music as his exclusive mix for us demonstrates. He runs a record label called DubKraft and he's about to unveil his first album after 13 years and dozens of releases. The album features excursions in many genres, from techno to classical but always retains a deep "dubsteppish" backbone. We spoke to the man himself to find out more...

How would you describe your style of music?
I don't have a style, nor do I seek one. But I have a track: Marginal - Style Is A Cage. Just try putting me on just one shelve! But I hope I do progress, and that progress is towards intensity of the feelings transmitted, clarity in expression and originality.

What are your biggest influences on your style of music?
Oh, hard one... I've been through everything, from grind metal to classical, from micro house to macro basslines. I want to believe I've learned something from all of them.

After going from pop to hardest rock in my childhood, as a teenager I fell in love with "Little Fluffy Clouds" by The Orb. From there I started to pay more and more attention to electronic music, whilst developing my taste in punk, indie and industrial.

Also I still love the scene from 20 years ago represented by the likes of Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, The La's. Guitar centered music stopped producing almost anything interesting for me after grunge, Skunk Anansie and the last Faith No More album.

Once I started dreaming about making my own music, everything I've heard was mentally deconstructed and comprehended as musical work too. Except when I was headbanging too hard!

What was the concept behind your album?
The concept was simple - I'm intense in my passion for music and arts, you will feel this intensity through hearing, sight and understanding and the experience won't be easily forgotten. Wishful thinking, I know, but there's a chance! Part of the concept is also the DIY side of things in the new digital paradigm: how much you can achieve with no budget, just work and ideas.

What inspired you to set up both your record labels?
DubKraft started in 2006, there were very few dubstep labels then and they were hardly looking after talent outside the UK. But I was already in touch with enough quality newcomers that had something to say. So I started building at the boundaries of the forming dubstep establishment, permanently hybridizing the genre and bringing in fresh blood.

That's still the policy, but I think now it evolved into something of its own, we're pushing now mostly deep and original bass music at 130-140 bpm, mixable in dubstep, garage, techno or broken beats sets.

As for Grinch, that one is supposed to be about harder and more dancefloor oriented dubstep, wobble or not, but the tracks need to have a twist, something that makes them really personal and easily recognizable in a set. And in most cases I guess you can spot a Grinch tune from the first eight bars played.

How are your other projects unfolding?
I'm very happy how Marginal is growing lately, I'm enjoying awesome support both from labels and DJs. Marginal is the outcome of a chat between me and a friend from Russia, Datacode, where we agreed on the on the following assertion: "F**k it, let's make d&b 100% as we feel we should, careless for labels and standards. We're gonna make it heard one way or another, we can't let our love for d&b fade out just because people seem to always seek the same three tunes endlessly refurbished."

Having an album signed for Cylon, a few tunes awaiting release on Translation and Broken Audio, plus the sheer amount of DJ support makes us blush and feel really grateful to the people who are keeping it true in the scene. I don't fancy namedropping, but I need to send special regards to Loxy and Talvin Singh and much love to everyone supporting us.

So things are busy enough and there's not much time for other projects, occasionally I put out a sort of warm organic dubstep as Subjazz, which is getting nice feedback from surprising places.

The rest of it all will be out mostly as Alien Pimp, I can't make a project for each style as I used to because they need an image built up and that's all the personality splitting I can do! So next time you see an Alien Pimp release put the needle on it before you buy it, it might not be what you think it is!

Part of the album is about the cinematic experience, what are your favourite films?
The best film ever made I think is Requiem For A Dream. Others include, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the first two Star Wars, the Matrix trilogy, No Country For Old Men, Bladerunner, Babel, most of Tarantino's work and many more, they all should be in my top five. Less psychedelia than you might expect though.

Words: Joe Goldsworthy
Photography: Camil Dumitrescu

Download Alien Pimp's exclusive guest mix