Anyone that's witnessed an Andy C set lately will of heard him dropping (and most probably rewinding) the huge dancefloor devastator Supreme. Produced by Callide, Supreme is the latest in a slew of releases from the Gloucester based producer that firmly enforces his position as a producer to be reckoned with...

Callide rose to prominence in 2005 after winning the illustrious Cutting Room competition on 1Xtra and has since released on labels like Mix & Blen, XS, Junction 11, Kinetic, Corrosive, Deadly, Radical Beats, Red Records and System Shock (his own imprint).

 

System Shock now has a healthy back catalogue of seriously heavyweight 12"s and is run in parallel to its sister label Mechanical Audio which is for the tougher, darker tinged side of things. We spoke to Callide to find out what's in store for him and his labels this year...

Supreme... BIG BIG tune. Andy C's been killing it, when you finished it did you know it was going to be as big as it's become?
The response to this tune has been excellent. Once I landed on the lead hook I had a feeling it was going to turn some heads. The thing is though, it's not too different to how I normally make D&B. I'm always looking for ways to slide in little tricks, or make people think a tune is going to do one thing then it does some thing else. I guess this time I really focussed on that aspect, and this coincided in the 'transitional period' of a bigger Callide sound, something I'll certainly be doing a lot more of!

Now that Andy's on it can we expect a release sometime in the next decade?!
Well, we've had a few conversations, and there's no doubt he's feeling the tune along with a handful of others I've done. I'm pleased with the response to this new sound I've been working on, my aim is to make those explosive dancefloor slammers and I feel like this is the tip of iceberg for new things to come. I know I haven't answered your question but...

You've just returned from Portugal for your own System Shock party, how was that? I'm sure partying in the sun with vast numbers of Portuguese women must be really hard sometimes?!
When you put it like that, it's like yeah, this is the life, but a lot of work goes into these parties on both sides. I've built up a really good relationship with the promoters and DJs in Porto, and I felt honoured that they wanted to put on a party for my label. The night was road block, the club and the sound system were outstanding and the vibes were electric. This was testament to the promoters, Zona 6, doing a first rate job. Playing my music abroad, for me, is about as good as it gets, but if you add sun and women to the equation... I'm not gonna complain.

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming producers / DJs?
1. Put the hours in - live it.
2. The right attitude counts for a lot in this industry.
3. I think it's better for people to discover your sound, rather than have it pushed on them.

What system are you rocking now production wise?
I been self taught from day one so I only know what I know if you get me. I don't use any fly studio equipment, just a PC with Cubase and Reason. I always use a strong kick and snare to give it that big dancefloor feel, and once a track is created, I go to town on the detail. I try not to settle on a loop, and prefer tracks to evolve from start to finish, introducing new sounds at key points to keep a dancefloor on its toes. I always put myself in the shoes of a listener as I like to party myself and think what could happen in this tune now to make me pull a 'bass face'?!

You've toured a fair few countries, what's the most interesting / funny / bad / outright surreal thing that's happened along the way?
There's a few, but the most testing was in 2008. Two weeks before my label tour in Latin America I injured my back. I couldn't walk for about ten days but had to reach the parties, so set off to the other side of the world with a crutch, a rucksack full of heavy painkillers and a bag of dubplates.

Over the tour I'd hop into each of the clubs on a crutch, often drained from the drugs, heat and lack of sleep and then walk out victorious having enjoyed entertaining a road block event in front of a great crowd. I think I notched up a total of 56 hours of flying over the two weeks. Looking back now it all seems very surreal... or maybe that was the all painkillers I took?

What's next for Callide and System Shock?
I'll be back in Barcelona, Portugal and Berlin pretty soon and I'm hoping to reach Brazil and America this year. The main focus for 2010 though will be raising the bar as high as possible. For the label we'll just have to wait and see, I've been so busy I've not thought that far ahead, but Syst 011 (Another Rhythm Journey / Night Vision) has just hit full release and doing extremely well.

Finally, any last words?
Yeah, I want to tick Asia off the list of places I've DJed, so any promoters hit me up! Vote MC Impact best new MC and big up the Gloucester heads, always.

Words: Jon Swan

Download Callide's exclusive mix

Tracklisting

1. Callide - Another Rhythm Journey - System Shock
2. Callide - G-L All-stars - Junction 11 dub
3. Hamilton - Hopelessly Addicted - Frequency Recs
4. Hoax - Be The Music - Motion Sensor dub
5. Steppa & Kitcha - Nitty Gritty - Smokin Riddims dub
6. Decimal Bass - Intergalactic Lord - dub
7. Callide - Let it Go - System Shock
8. Jayline & Vast - The Mummy VIP - dub
9. Spekky - Intensify The Treatment - Hardcut Digital dub
10. Task Horizon - Bushwalker - dub
11. Tantrum Desire - Drak Water - Technique
12. Heavy Hitters - Land of Horror - 2nd City dub
13. Jayline - Nothing - dub
14. Callide - Behind Bars - dub
15. Lyptical - Universe - 2nd City dub
16. T-Phonix - Light The Fire - Urban Bass dub
17. Flamewavers - Desire of Fire - Subfusion Recs
18. Skippa - Feeding - dub
19. Dillinja - Just Relax - Test Recs
20. D Kill - Def Teacher - dub
21. Prestige & PH - So Fine - dub

 

 

DJ Callide W/ DJ Oder GuestMix @ gloucesterfm.co.uk 10.07.09

• Callide
,
• System Shock
,
• Andy C

Related Links:

• Andy C Announces Nightlife 5
• Andy C Announces Nightlife 5 Tracklisting
• G-Shock East Sessions
• Give Em Props: DJ Joy-C
• New Label Profile: Stilla Audio

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