Features

Implex and Enei

St. Petersburg D&B heavyweights Implex (aka Kirill Kalashnikov) and Enei (aka Alexey Egorchenkov) get together to record an exclusive mix for Knowledge, showcasing Russia's deep dancefloor drum & bass.

Over the last four years Implex & Enei have been breaking into the Western D&B scene more and more with solo vinyl releases on top labels such as Critical and Fokuz and remixes on Formation. 2009 marked the release of their co-produced debut album, Sublife, which caught the attention of the D&B experimentalist dons at Medschool.

Looking to build on the success of the recent Future Sound of Russia project, the Hospital sub-label is now set for the release of their New Blood compilation, featuring big tracks from Kirill and Alexey.

"Enei's track Z Grab is one of the more aggressive tracks on the album, but it works... thinking man's wobble, if you like!" says Ash Medschool. "This one hits hard on the dancefloor and it's one of four tracks that will be available on the vinyl format of New Blood 010."

Meanwhile Personal Diving, Implex's collaboration with Derrik and Tonika, displays the more melodic aspect of the St Petersburg duo. "It's a deep laid back affair with an electro tinge. It has a subtle but beautiful progression with some 'speak and spell' style vocal whisperings and, crucially, it doesn't surrender all its ideas in the first 16 bars... something we feel strongly about at Med School," adds Ash.

"Saint Petersburg is a hot bed at the moment for high quality drum & bass," continues Ash. "And Implex and Enei are right up there with the very best Russia has to offer. We thought we'd already hit the jackpot with Bop, Unquote, Mr Sizef and Engage but the music keeps coming. We've just signed Enei as an exclusive writer to our publishing company Songs In The Key Of Knife. His dubstep output as one third of GIANT! is also superb."

Russian dubstep has really picked up lately, thanks to the St Petersburg trio of Enei alongside Ekta and Nersa, who've also put out releases with UK dubstep label leaders HENCH! and Dub Police. GIANT! are residents at Russia's biggest dubstep night Capital Bass and Bass Machine, which has hosted guest DJs like Rusko and Benga. Enei said they'd soon be touring Europe, dropping in on the UK, Holland, Belgium and maybe a few more.

The two New Blood tracks on Medschool capture the versatility of Implex and Enei, who can step up the pace from the deep to the dancefloor. Asked how he describes his sound, Implex said "I like to think I write music which is atmospheric but which sometimes switches up to rocket-power-spheric!"

Sublife, their ten-track long player on Respect Records, Petersburg's most prolific D&B label, is available digitally and on CD at most big online record shops.

The album has wicked stripped back sounds with strong musicality. Some tracks lean toward the liquid edge of drum and bass and others towards the techy/neuro side but there's nice consistency throughout.

St Petersburg's microfunk sensation, Bop, said his favourite track was the album sampler, Grey December. "I really like the mood in that track - those dark, minor samples along with that superbly cut-up trumpet – it's a great tune," said Bop.

Enei and Implex actually couldn't release their sampler because they lost the files in a moment of what you might call new age, rock star recklessness. Anyway, both tracks are now available for free download at www.myspace.com/implex and www.myspace.com/eneidnb

Implex & Enei Q&A

How did you get into drum & bass?
Implex: It all started in 95. I was living in Surgut, an oil city in the north which is pretty dead as far as culture goes. Completely by chance I ended up going to this club where a DJ from Moscow was playing and he put on some ragga jungle track. At the time I was listening to The Prodigy and breakbeat, but right then in that club I just lost it and from that moment I started looking for jungle wherever I could.

Enei: I got into D&B in 2000. I was listening to a lot of old jump-up mixes with Aphrodite and Mickey Finn tracks and others. I loved the energy of those quick funk loops and synthetic basslines. Bit by bit I started discovering different styles, studying D&B. I got hold of a copy of TeeBee's Black Science Labs and Photek's Solaris and then I really got the deeper side of the music! It just went from there...

What was your breakthrough moment?
Enei: I remember really well the moment when I put my first track out and straight away loads of people were talking about it on a forum and they put it on some awful compilation – it was still a great moment for me!

Implex: I was playing out once at a house party and playing my tunes straight off Fruity Loops. I met a load of like-minded electronic musicians and we decided to put on club nights. That was a breakthrough for me personally, but as for my career it has be when Fokuz signed my track The Shape of Time.

What projects have you got coming up?
Enei: I'm also a part of a dubstep project called GIANT! I'd say we're really pushing the dubstep scene in Russia forward. We've already put out three records and two of them on Dub Police and HENCH. At the moment we're getting ready to tour England, the Netherlands, Belgium and maybe a few other countries. Apart from dubstep we're making fidget house and some other stuff as well...

Implex: I'm writing tracks with Alexey and also with Derrick & Tonika. It's drum & bass only, but I think I might well get round to doing some dubstep soon as well.

How would you describe your music?
Enei: I used to write music with just one thing in mind: make people go nuts on the dancefloor. Now I like writing slightly stranger tracks, but still with that rolling energy and adding a bit of minimalism. My music is very simple and with minimal changes, but at the same time I feel it's got a soul to it. My sound leans more toward tracks like Artistan or Trago by Lomax, or Get Lo by Interface. I like making what I call deep dancefloor, as paradoxical as that sounds! But I think it's a shame that the style hasn't evolved much since that track Artisan.

Implex: I would say that my music has a certain kind of good, constructive energy... Even if I write a sad track, it's not going to be hopelessly depressing – it's going to be lightly melancholic but still giving something positive. I like to think I write atmospheric music that sometimes switches up to the rocket-power-spheric!

Do you prefer DJing or producing?
Enei: I love both. They've both got their pluses. You get that euphoric moment when you're playing out and you're controlling the crowd and you get an electric charge of the people. Producing music is more of a personal process which you also get huge enjoyment from – when you imagine how people are going to going off to your track. It's all linked!

Implex: I agree with Enei, it's difficult to choose.

How's Russian D&B at the moment?
Enei: Russian D&B is really evolving and developing at the moment, but it's lost its roots. And that's why the younger generation that grew up to the neurofunk sound, that's why their taste has been really ruined. But on the other hand, there's a huge amount of new creativity going on! For instance, Bop and his friends have really taken off – they've won over and inspired a lot of people by creating their fresh sound called microfunk. On this side, our scene is really strong at the moment, but we've got to keep the dancefloor in mind as well.

Who are you favourite producers at the moment?
Enei: At the top of my list has to be Subwave – he always brings something fresh and new. Second, I'd say NPhonix – his music also has real energy and it's high quality stuff.

Implex: Well, Russia-wise it has to be Subwave, Paul B, Electrosoul System and, of course, us! Worldwide – Subfocus and Camo & Krooked.

What's the dream then?
Enei: Earn a lot of money and buy a Range Rover Sport!

Implex: Get together a crew a la Pendulum and go live in Europe and DJ around the world.

Which labels are your guys part of?
Enei: I'm not signed D&B-wise, but dubstep, I'm a part of Dub Police.

Implex: I don't like attaching myself to things – either labels or promo groups. I like to have total freedom in everything I do and rely on myself.

So tell us a little about the mix...
Enei: It's siiiiick!

Implex: The mix is a good overview of Russian D&B today. And yes. It's sick!

Anything else you want to say?
Implex: Yes - cop our album Sublife! It's just out in shops...