Lone, aka Matt Cutler, is a Nottingham based producer that has been making moves in the scene with his lush and perfectly executed productions that take listeners on amazing journeys. His first release on his new Magic Wire imprint may differ slightly to his normal style but they do not fail to impress with Pineapple Crush already having been caned by the likes of Kode 9, Gilles Peterson and Joy Orbison. We spoke to Lone about his new label and his future plans...

I hear the name Lone came about from the idea that making music is a lonely thing, is this correct?
Yeah, it can get pretty lonely but that's cool. When I'm working on tunes it's the one of the only times where I feel like I'm doing what I should be doing. I feel way more comfortable in that situation than pretty much any other so I don't mind cutting myself off for a while, because usually the end result is worth it.

How would you best describe the music you make?
Shimmering... Loud and shimmering, but warm and friendly.

I hear Boards of Canada have had a big influence on you, are they a reason behind you getting into producing?
Not necessarily a reason for getting into producing because I was already writing tunes and stuff before I heard them but they were, and still are, a huge deal definitely. Discovering breakbeat hardcore and jungle stuff was the reason I got into making my own stuff in the first place. That was the first shit that blew me away.  

How do you feel your productions have changed since Lemurian was released?
I definitely got a bit sick of writing hip-hop tracks to be honest. I'd done so many tracks at that speed since the age of like, 16 or something. I'm just well into making house stuff now, so I guess the main difference is the tempo. I definitely think my 'stamp' is still all over what I do; it's just that I'm drawing on influences from the kind of time when I first discovered music - that early hardcore and house sound. And the theme from the second level of Streets Of Rage 2 for the Megadrive. That's heavy. Definitely deserves a mention I think.

The new tracks Pineapple Crush and Angel Brain are slightly different to your usual style, is this just a new direction you're taking or are they more just tracks you felt you wanted to make?
Yeah, it's just what I'm feeling at the moment, I don't want anything to be set in stone. I wanna have tried out as many styles as is humanly possible before I die.

How do you go about making your tracks?
Lately I've been spending a lot more time just preparing. Like, usually, any time working for me would just be an attempt to bang out a track in that same session - so by the time it was finished it was still fresh to me... I'd hear it like the listener would hear it almost. Now I might spend a day just gathering samples, or working on little loops, so that when I come to actually write a track, I have a much bigger library of stuff to work with as a starting point. Makes it much easier to get working and saves loads of time. Having said that, it changes a lot depending on how comfortable I am, how tidy my room is (usually not too tidy) and what mood I'm in.

What tracks have you decided to go for your Kmag mix? Does it resemble the kind of set you would play out?
It's a mix of influences I guess. The second half is a lot closer to what one of my sets might be like these days.

With the emergence of yourself and Brackles and Shortstuff's Blunted Robots label, do you feel Nottingham is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the music world?
I hope so, yeah. Wigflex is one to look out for too, those dudes are going from strength to strength. It is really cool how the list of good shit happening there is growing, because being in Nottingham you're kind of really up against it because it's a pretty small city. There's an impressive amount of cool, musically educated 'heads' there considering how small the place is.

What can be expected from your new label Magic Wire?
For now I think I'll put out a couple more Lone records out, just to keep the momentum going... I'd love to sign other people eventually though.

How is your Kona Triangle project going?
We're keeping that on hold for the minute just because we're both really busy working on our own stuff but we've talked a lot about doing another record. We don't want to repeat ourselves though, so we'd have to do something totally different next time round. It will happen, it's just a matter of finding the time.

What does the rest of this year hold for you?
I've just found a place to live in Manchester, so I'm relocating. I'm now a resident at Hoya Hoya with Illum Sphere, Eclair Fifi and Krystal Klear, which is really exciting. As for releases, I've got Once in a While coming out on Werk Discs real soon plus another Lone EP for Magic Wire that should drop around October time.

Words: Ben Sanders

Download Lone's guest mix

 

Mix hosted by www.digital-tunes.net

 

Related Links:

• Review: Sample Magic Dubstep & Grime
• Issue 102
• Propellerhead Introduces Reason 6
• Bladerunner Launches True Bass
• Marcus Intalex Reaches 21

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.