Brazilian D&B producer C.A.B.L.E. last featured in Knowledge way back in 2009. He has been steadily honing his craft at home in his native Sao Paulo and after the recent release of his excellent A Change of Seasons EP on Architecture, we decided to catch up with him to see what he’s been up to lately.

What has been happening in your life since Knowledge last caught up with you in 2009?
I’ve been through a lot of different things, including changes to my release schedule and a chain of personal problems that almost knocked me out to be honest. Big changes in my life, but I always try to keep my writing going. For the past few years I’ve been in the studio studying a lot, looking for different directions, trying to achieve new sonic results and a new identity for my sound. There’s a few interesting things completed already, but haven’t sent to them to anyone yet. At the end of the day, I just love been in studio and I have fun doing it.

Your A Change of Seasons EP has just dropped on Architecture and it’s BIG! Tell us what inspired you to make the tracks...
Sharpening Knives - The late 90s was where I started on drum n bass. I still fascinated with the bass modulation from that time and the beats. I think Sharpening Knives is my “reading” of all that. This is the first time I tried to do something on that direction and I’m happy with the sounds of it.

Blackout (2012) - The original was my first step into the game. So I gave a new sound to it, trying to keep the same old skool vibe, but with a more aggressive approach with different samples and hip hop drums.

In My Darkest Hour - This is one of the tunes I made during that bad period of my life. I think the inspiration came from what I was listening at the time and the mood that I was. Most of my influences comes from Rock, it’s what I listen since I was 7, I play most of the instruments, so the main riff I first wrote on the guitar.

Change of Season - This tune is a mix of all I got. It’s my influences from progressive rock, the early drum & bass years, lots of mood swings and techy riffs. But it’s black on white. It’s a simple and effective message.

 

 

The EP is the first release this year for Architecture, how did you hook up with the label?
I know Ink from back in the day. He actually made the bridge for me with Renegade Hardware in 2005. We always talked about on doing something for one of his labels but we were never on the same page until now.

Your percussion sound is very real, as opposed to synthetic. It gives your tracks a lot of punch and energy. I’d say your current sound is like a neuro/tech-step hybrid with a live kit backbone. How would you describe it?
Like I said, I come from rock n’ roll, so my ears are very used to acoustic sounds for drums and percussion and I give a lot of attention to the beats. I use the more natural samples, usually live recorded percussion. For the synths and Reeces I try to get as close as possible to guitar sounds, so I tend to make it heavy and spread differently across the stereo field. After that, I just put all together and see what groove I can come up with. I like the mix between organic sounds and electronic synths. It’s hard to explain what my style is, I just put things that I think sound good together.

You are from and still reside in Brazil, how is the D&B scene there at the moment?
It’s good. Much smaller than it used to be (events wise) but there’s good parties in different areas of Sao Paulo. On the production side, there’s a LOT of talented artists right now and a few more up-and-coming.

Have you any plans to come to the UK this year?
Yes, I’m planning to go to Europe in November. I’m setting up the schedule for a tour as we speak, and definitely including London on it. I haven’t been there since 2009.

Who would you say is really rocking it for you in terms of production at the moment?
Gee, the list is long. Calyx & TeeBee are on the spot for me now. It’s so perfectly engineered and creatively produced. Noisia as usual, and S.P.Y, his album sounds huge! There’s a few heads from Brazil that are killing it as well.

What is next on the horizon for C.A.B.L.E?
I’m in the studio 24/7 now. I’m obsessed with achieving what I set as a goal with my sound, sonically and creatively, so until I feel I got there, everything will remain on the drawer for a while!

Besides that, I have two remixes forthcoming on Randall’s label, D Force - Original Bad Boy and Randall & Vapour – Angels Warning that a finished a couple of months ago. I’m  also doing a VIP version for Mental Atmosphere on Luv Disaster, a collab with BTK, one with Lynx and a couple of singles that I’m still negotiating. Maybe an album for 2013, who knows, there’s nothing more uncertain than the future, right?

Purely out of interest, what other styles of music do you listen to, and maybe draw inspiration from?
Mainly rock. Very different things like Slipknot, Pantera, Soilwork, Stone Sour, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Orgy, Sevendust, The Black Crows and all the genres true fathers. But I also listen a lot of old skool hip-hop, a few things from the House field, and believe it or not, classical and erudite music. I’m always looking for inspiration, paying attention to everything that is been played around me. iPhone app Shazam is definitely my good buddy right now.

What new pieces of equipment are you excited about at the moment?
UAD! This little board is just amazing! The plug-ins are so close to the hardware version that is almost unbelievable it’s inside a small metal box.

Who would you like to collaborate with if you had a chance to work with anyone from around the globe?
Hum… redundant, but Noisia! And also some of the Ram guys like Culture Shock and Wilkinson, I love their approach, vibe and engineering.

What three tracks inspired you to start producing drum & bass?
)EIB( - Pulse, Ram Trilogy – Evolution and Splash - Babylon.

Lastly, please tell us a bit about the free track!
This is a track I made during the same time as the EP. I was looking for something very direct, right in the face. Bassline, Reece stabs and hard drums, that was the idea. I was listening a lot of Metalheadz and Reinforced’s early catalogue, so I guess I followed (at least tried to) that same dark vibe.

 

 

Before we sign off, I have to ask. What does C.A.B.L.E actually stand for?
It’s Constructive Audio Bouncing Low Energies!

Any last words?
I just wanna send a big shout to all my friends and fans around the globe, for the support and for being on my side through every step of my life and career.

Words: Daniel Beale

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