Free Samples: Technique

Technique

Simon Bassline Smith & Drumsound are some of the few producers in the drum & bass scene that managed to reinvent themselves post-2000 and keep the pressure strongly applied until to the present day. Some others – complete legends – don’t make tunes anymore, or the quality of their output has dropped off the radar. Versatile, hard working and creative, the boys spoke to Knowledge to tell us what this decade means for them.

"2009 has been Technique Recordings' tenth anniversary, so to celebrate this we decided to put together an album to show where we have come from as label, and where we are at now. It's a collection of new music and remixes of some of our most popular tracks over the last decade, featuring all of the artists on our label including Phetsta, Tantrum Desire, Technicolour, Youngman and obviously ourselves, with guest appearances from Shock One & MC $pyda."

If the Technique bosses have one piece of advice they would like to part with from a decade in the game, what is it? "To never be afraid to try something new," says Andy from Drumsound.

"Believe in yourself and your abilities; be persistent and patient," says Ben from Drumsound.

"If you’re not going to work hard – get a 9-5!" Simon adds.

What exactly is the Technique technique, then? "We make all kinds of music and this is because we have a set of really wide musical influences from funk, rare groove and gospel all the way to indie, dubstep and electro. We don’t necessarily start with a particular outcome in mind except that, as DJs, we want to be able to play our own music in our sets and that we want to keep up with the styles of the time."

What have the boys seen change in the game in the last decade? "The biggest change in the last decade would definitely be the shift from analogue to digital. For a few years there were many people who were reluctant to change i.e. to preserve the analogue 'warm' sound and so on. Also, the format we chose to perform with in clubs was hot topic for a period of time. Drum & bass has a strong dub plate and vinyl culture and there was a core that wanted to passionately preserve that way of life. Ultimately it's had massive impact on the way everyone works now, in the studio environment and ultimately in the way we buy and sell music."

It’s all digital download in 2010, which is very convenient for consumers and a pickle for slacking producers. Technique Recordings – ever on the cusp of the modernity – have made some free samples especially for Knowledge, that you can download from this very page. "We have given you a few bits we made using the same equipment we used to make our Studio Technique sample CD available from Loopmasters that was released recently."

What do we get? "The first drum break is a take on the famous Dennis Coffey Scorpio sample, which we've supplemented with some meaty kicks/snares and effects to give it a new skool-meets-old skool flava.

"As for the second drum loop, we can't remember the actual name of the underlying break, but it shows that you don’t always have to use an Amen to provide a live-sounding feel to your breaks. By adding a live percussion to a heavy kick and snare you can often improve the overall feel of the tune you are working on by giving it some depth; some soul if you like.

"The basses were created using widely available replica analogue VSTs. These reproduce the sounds pretty well if you can’t get your hands on the actual real synths. The same goes for the pads… if you layer oscillators with LFO sweeps and tonal changes at 5 and/or 7 semitones you can create lush, deep, moving textures."

Now that we’ve downloaded the samples, how to we put them together with the panache of the technique of Technique? "Get the basics down and then experiment and – musically – you are rarely wrong."

So, what does Technique have to say for themselves after all these years? "We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last decade! The Ten Years Of Technique LP is out now! Enjoy … Peace!"