Soul Intent, aka Alex Judd, is a Nottingham based DJ / producer with releases on Samurai Music, 31 Records and Creative Source, to name a few. Since his first release on Blindside Recordings in 2007, Soul Intent's release schedule has been gaining momentum, so we've caught up with him to hear about his forthcoming releases and plans for the future.

For people who haven't heard of Soul Intent, how would you describe your sound?
I still don't really know how to describe my sound. I like lots of vibes and styles, and I've always wanted to be a producer that could make varied sounding tracks. Hopefully people don't see me as a one-trick pony. I guess I'd say my stuff is musical, moody and rolling??

What influenced you to start writing drum & bass?
I've been DJing since I was about 16, but it was so hard getting gigs on DJ ing alone. I'd always been interested in producing, but in about 2005 I thought it was time to really try and get into it.

Where do you get the inspiration from for your music?
Since getting into production I've become a bit too zoned into drum & bass. I grew up on 80s pop, then rave and jungle when I was at school. I always remember watching MTV's Party Zone with Simone Angel. Me and my brother used to record it and watch it back on Saturday, I wish we still had those old videos... some proper classic videos made on about a budget of £19!

Lately I've been really getting into film soundtracks, I love emotive orchestral stuff. If you're a film buff you'll probably recognise quite a few samples in my music.

Could you tell us a bit about your production set-up?
It's pretty basic really, a PC running Cubase 5 and Reason 4. I got an Access Virus TI Mk1 last year, but I've still not really got the most out of it. There are some seriously nasty sounds on there, but my computer and it have a love / hate relationship.

I've also got a Samson S-Com pro compressor but that's pretty rubbish. I'd love a Culture Vulture or something with valves to dirty stuff up in a true analogue way.

You recently collaborated with Vapour, is there anyone else you'd like to work with?
I'll definitely be doing more with Vapour, as I think our styles work well together and the two tracks we've done so far are getting a lot of interest. I've also got people like Eveson, The Insiders, Doc Scott and Mr Joseph pencilled in.

People outside the dnb scene I'd love to work with are people like Burial, Liam Howlett, DJ Shadow, Orbital and Aphex Twin.  Artists who've been a big influence on me over the years.

You've got a 12" that's forthcoming out on Gridlock's Project 51 label, how did that come about?
A promoter I've been speaking to in the US thought I should send Gridlok some tracks. I'd been trying get stuff to Ryan for a little while now but wasn't getting anywhere. After getting his AIM address, I fired over a few tunes and didn't think I'd hear back to be honest.

Then, a week later, Gridlok called me. He was really excited about the vibe of the tracks I'd sent and wanted to get some releases sorted. It was wicked to hear him so hyped up about my music as I really rate him as an artist. Hopefully we'll be sorting out two 12"s or an EP, and that's just to kick things off.

 

Soul Intent - On My Own (forthcoming on Gridloks Project 51 label) by Soul Intent

What release are you most proud of to date?
My first release, Jus Vibe on Blindside, was special because it marked the beginning on my producing journey. I also still really like those tunes and think the vibe on them is some of the best I've done. But having said that, all my releases have been important, as they represent early stages in my producing career.

I still feel I have loads to learn and miles to go before I get to where I want to be. But as long as I keep enjoying myself and feel I'm progressing, I'm happy.

What do you think about the vinyl vs. mp3 debate?
I'm still a big vinyl junkie, but play CDs out because decks are usually in bad condition and I've had too many sets ruined by jumping needles, etc. At the end of the day it's only a format; the music still has to be good.

I'm not a fan of these streaming sites like Spotify though. They seem good for the consumer, but labels and artists seem to get very little out of it.

I'm not convinced about these Ableton sets either, I'm yet to see one that engages the crowd. Tim Exile has got some serious skills though, but that's more live performance using Reaktor and controllers rather than an Ableton set.

Your own label, Brutal Recordings, has been quiet since 2005; have you any plans to release something of your own on there, not under the alias Dataset?
I co-ran Brutal with a load of lads from Nottingham a few years ago now. We were all mates and into drum & bass so we thought we'd try working together rather than individually.

We had a good laugh but when there's five or six people involved it's hard getting people together at the same time, and there's lots of opinions and tastes to consider. We managed two releases before we packed it in, but the late, and a little messy, studio sessions were a good laugh.

What would your dream line up be for your own night?
Hmmmm Prodigy live doing a '93 set, DJ Shadow doing an Endtroducing set, me playing (obviously!), Aphex Twin, Fabio and Bukem doing a classic Speed set and Global Communications taking care of the chill-out room.

How do you feel the drum & bass scene in Nottingham is at the moment?
Detonate is still going very strong, they've pretty much owned the Nottingham scene since I got here nearly ten years ago. Cult is a good little night that's slowly building. There's some other little nights with local DJs, but I've not checked them out yet.

Producer wise there's a lot of people coming through. Dramatic and DB Audio are doing some really good Bukem-esqe vibes. There's a couple of new guys called Catalyst who are really interesting me, rolling on a Spectrasoul sort of vibe. There's a few other guys who've started sending me tracks which I think have a lot of potential.

Joe from Nebula 2 (of early 90s rave fame) is still doing music, and also hosts the drum & bass show on a local community station. Obviously MC Spyda is from Nottingham and still gigs and appears on tracks from time to time.
 
How do you think that social networking affects you promoting your music and the scene as a whole?
For promoting my music it's great, it's become easy to reach people all over the world (though it takes a lot of time to add people, keep pages up-to-date etc).  I think people should still make the effort to get out there and meet people face to face though, it's all too easy to just lock yourself indoors and sit in front of AIM all day long.

I can't say I'm a massive fan of forums though. On the most part they seem to be a breeding ground for negativity and childish antics. People wouldn't say half that stuff if they were talking to the other person face to face.

What was the first record you ever bought?
The first record I actually bought was Rude Boy Monty Out In Da Streets on Frontline. I was on a school trip to Berlin at the time and just walked past a record shop and it was playing.

I had records bought for me before then, but they weren't underground. My dad's printing company produced the Roland Rat LP, so me and my brother both got copies. The Pink Bucket Reggae Song does damage on an unsuspecting crowd!

You've got a release forthcoming on Ingredients, you can't divulge the recipe that comes with the track obviously, but are you a dab hand in the kitchen?
I won't lie to you, I can't cook! I'm going to have to steal a mate's recipe I think. Luckily I've got some mates who can cook really well, there's a pork dish in particular that's going down a storm at the minute. But before I worry about stealing someone's recipe we still need to decide on which tunes to release!

 

Soul Intent - Synthetic (forthcoming on Ingredients) by Soul Intent

 

You've had releases on Samurai, have you any plans to play in New Zealand?
Yeah, hopefully next year I'll be able to get out there and meet the Samurai family. Geoff is a good mate but I've never actually met him in person which is a bit weird.  Hopefully I'll be able to tie going over with some gigs and studio time, and really make the most out of the visit.

What other music do you listen to other than drum & bass?
I'm really into film soundtracks at the minute... deep orchestral, usually pretty sad stuff. I like how it makes me feel emotion and want to try and make some music myself. I've already got some ideas started, but whether I get them finished is anyone's guess.

I also like hip hop, ambient, funk, whatever really. I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and listen to random stuff these days. But I think as a producer it's really important to have a wide range of influences.
 
Have you got any album plans for the future?
It's been mentioned a couple of times, but I think it's a bit early for me to start an album. It doesn't feel like the right time yet. It's definitely something I want to do, just not sure when.

What can we expect from you in the rest of 2010?
Hopefully I'll have a few more 12"s out before Christmas, my 31 and Mac 2 releases should be out soonish. I'd like to play aboard again before the year's out, but it's looking unlikely. I've had a few cancellations this year and appreciate it's a tough time for promoters at the moment.

I'm trying to do the podcast a bit more regularly, but when no-one's forcing me to do it, I just forget then realise its been six months since the last one! But the general plan though is to keep busy in the studio. I've started spending a night a week on 140 BPM stuff. Alley Cat has signed something for compilation she's planning for Kokeshi, so that's a good start.

Words: Boudi Chiles-Collins

 

Check out Soul Intent's latest releases here

Download Soul Intent's guest mix

Tracklisting

1. Soul Intent – Hurt Me – Project 51
2. Cern – Terminus – Project 51
3. Catalyst – Turn To Stone – CDR
4. Blocks & Escher – Miller – DSB
5. War – Rafale – CDR
6. Edward Oberon – The Reckoning – Influence
7. Soul Intent – Cowboy Town – Cylon
8. NC17 & Nusense – Dirty – CDR
9. Soul Intent – Vices – CDR
10. Teknik – Rift – Project 51
11. Survival – Alien – Dispatch Recs
12. Gridlok – Smugglers – Project 51
13. Soul Intent – Rebel Music – Mac II
14. Gridlok – Shinning Snares – Project 51
15. Ulterior Motive & Zero T – Breach – Subtitles
16. Cern – Double Down – Project 51
17. Soul Intent – Own My Own – Project 51
18. Tokyo Prose – All You You – Samurai Music
19. Generic – The Big Zero – Vampire Recs
20. Soul Intent – Be Strong – Samurai Music
21. Soul Intent – Vapour Trailz – 31
22. Theory – Pictures, Shapes and Patterns (Soul Intent's Dark Up The Dance Remix) – Channel 82

Mix hosted by www.digital-tunes.net

 

 

• Soul Intent

Related Links:

• Soul Intent - Be Strong Video
• Free Soul Intent Track
• Doc Scott Announces Five New Singles
• Evol Intent US Tour News
• Vampire Release Drumz Of The Damned LP

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