ASC has been releasing forward thinking drum and bass since 1999 on labels like Nu Directions, Good Looking, 720 Degrees, Offshore and Covert Operations, his own label. He's now working exclusively with NonPlus+ Records & Exit Records, helping to forge a sound aimed firmly at breaking barriers between genres, and pushing only the best in quality electronic dance music. His 12" on Instra:mental's Nonplus+ imprint, Porcelain / Focus Inwards, is imminent so we decided to find out more...

Tell us more about your forthcoming 12" on Nonplus+...
Porcelain has been a big tune for me this year. It represents a meeting point of styles for me and thanks to support from Instra:mental & dBridge, has propelled me a bit more into the spotlight.

 

Porcelain by ASC

 

Focus Inwards is me taking things even deeper. You could say it's quite self-indulgent I suppose!

 

Focus Inwards by ASC

 

You're now working exclusively with NonPlus+ and Exit, why is this?
It's all about longevity and creating something far bigger than what we are doing right now. I think we all see this as a long term project without any boundaries, so it's only right that we all work as close as possible from here on.

The whole Autonomic sound that dBridge and Instra:mental are pushing seems to be gathering momentum at the moment, what's your take on things?
It's extremely healthy for music in general, not just drum & bass. We're bridging genres with the music and there's a lot of interest from plenty of other scenes. For me, as an artist, this is the future.

Are you still making "traditional" drum & bass?
No. I'm writing electronic music that happens to fall into the 170bpm range most of the time.

Tell us more about the album you're planning to release in 2010...
The LP will be called Nothing Is Certain. We're looking at an April release for next year on NonPlus+.

Tell us more about the collaborations you've planned for the album...
I've already finished collaborations for it with Consequence and Vaccine. I'm also redoing a track with vocals from Riya. There's also two more collabs in the works with Instra:mental and dBridge.

Done any interesting remixes recently?
I've remixed an old Blu Mar Ten tune from the late '90s called She Moves Through, which is getting a warm reception right now. Not sure if that will see a release due to legal complications though, but stranger things have happened. I've also remixed Consequence's 11 Circles, which should feature on the FabricLive CD mixed by dBridge & Instra:mental early next year, and a little VIP of Instra:mental's seminal No Future is also doing the rounds right now.

What's the next challenge for you?
Every day in the studio is always a challenge to better myself, but other than that, I'm just gonna keep pushing away and forging my own unique sound.

Do you make any other styles of music?
Yes. I've put out dubstep under the Intex Systems guise, I've also released ambient and downtempo stuff under the ASC name in the past, and more recently, I've put out a dub techno LP under the Mindspan name.

What tracks, producers and labels are you feeling at the moment?
Instra:mental, dBridge, Consequence & Vaccine, all go without saying really, but outside the immediate family, I've been dropping a bunch of tunes on this tour by Felix K, Eveson, Mr Sizef & Unquote, Abstract Elements, Method One, Synkro, Stray, etc.

You've lived in San Diego since 2004, please tell us how you came to live there and what it's like...
I met my wife in San Francisco while I was over there and she lives in San Diego. I decided to move over in 2004 to be with her and ended up staying and getting married. San Diego itself is great. Lovely climate, lovely people, close to the sea and very laidback.

 

ASC - Fabric Promo Mix by fabric

 

Interview: Colin Steven

Photography: Max Photography

 

• ASC
,
• Autonomic
,
• NonPlus+
,
• Exit Records
,
• Instra:mental
,
• dBridge

Related Links:

• dBridge & Instra:mental Start New Label
• Instra:mental Start Another New Label
• dBridge & Instra:mental mix FabricLive 50
• Instra:mental Confirm NonPlus+ Release Schedule
• Instra:mental - Resolution 653 LP Preview

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