Cam McLaren, aka Consequence, was originally born in Toronto, Canada but he moved to New Zealand at an early age and this is where he found his love of music. Early childhood experiments with a variety of instruments led to his love of composition and melody.

At 17 he moved to London to pursue a career in music and played in a band as lead guitarist, performing in a number of successful live shows which led to record deal for the band. He then developed an interest in audio engineering and moved back to New Zealand to study this profession. He became focused on electronic production, specifically drum and bass. In this time he honed his skills and took influence from his previous musical experiences.

He now lives in Melbourne, Australia and his debut album is coming out on dBridge's Exit label on November 30th so we grabbed a quick word to find out more...

How did you link up with dBridge?
I met Darren in New Zealand through a mutual friend. It became clear after knowing each other for a few years that we had very similar ideologies of music.

The whole minimal d&b sound that dBridge and Instra:mental are pushing seems to be gathering momentum at the moment, what's your take on things?
The Autonomic sound is definitely getting a lot of interest at the moment. I wouldn't necessarily like to think of the sound as being 'minimal' though, I feel that it's all an experiment. For instance there are a lot of intensely tonal, vibrant, musical tracks all over the place at the moment and to me that is not minimal; I'd say this sound is more textural. It's great to see more of a songwriting mentality coming back to the music at the moment.

Tell us more about the album you're releasing...
The album is called Live for Never and is coming out on dBridge's label Exit Records. Initially I wanted to use the project as way to try new things and experiment with the way I write music. As I worked through the album it became clear to me that I wanted to approach it as a band would approach an album. I would want people to feel like they are listening to something with a live element, not just straight programming.

What's the thought process behind the title?
There are a lot of reasons why I choose that title, last year was a very intense and at times disappointing time for me. Basically, nothing lives for ever. Live for Never.

What did you set out to achieve with it?
I wanted to create a diverse, unusual feel throughout the whole album. That's a big reason why it features collabs with the Autonomic crew.

Who have you collaborated with on it and what was it like working with them?
The LP features collabs with dBridge, Instra:mental and ASC. To do a tune with dBridge had always been a big goal of mine, so I got a lot of satisfaction when we got our tune Life is Timing finished. The other collabs worked very quickly and naturally. Both Instra:mental and ASC are my favourite producers at the moment so obviously it was great working with them. There are already a number of new collabs lined up for 2010.

How does working on albums compare with of singles?
I really like the way you can step back throughout the process of writing an album and see what works as a whole. In a way I look at a good album as being one track, basically creating a mood that evolves. I think that it helps to keep your ideas changing. When I was given the opportunity to work on this album it made me realise that it's definitely a preference over doing singles.

Can we expect anything different on it?
I would describe it as a combination of blues, soundtrack, love songs and fairy tales cross pollinated with drum and bass, techno and electronica.

Over what period was it made?
The first track was written in late 2008 and I finished the whole thing a few months ago. It took a good eight months to get it done. I can see how easy it would be to spend years and years on an LP, but for me the best tunes always come out quickly and when you least suspect it.

What's the next challenge for you?
I have started thinking about the next album, planning on starting that very soon. I'm going to be touring the LP in 2010. That is definitely going to be a challenge that I'm looking forward to.

Any plans to visit the UK any time soon?
Yes, I'll be heading over to the UK for my tour early 2010.

Anything else you want to tell us about?
Look out for Dreadtone / Timeloss coming soon on Darkestral Excursions as well as The Autonomic Fabriclive 50 compilation coming in Feb 2010.

Tracklisting

12" Sampler / Cat No: EXIT017

A. Pseudo Echo Audio Link
B1. Feeling Like We Do
B2. Short Lived

CD / Cat No: EXITCD004

1. Long Lies Audio Link
2. From A Distance (ft. ASC)
3. Feeling Like We Do
4. Life Is Timing (ft. dBridge)
5. Pseudo Echo
6. 11 Circles
7. Lime Green
8. Reflex Reaction (ft. Instra:mental)
9. Fog
10. Short Lived
11. Farewell
12. Flashes
13. A Man and A Woman

Vinyl / Cat No: EXITLP004
A. Fog
B. 11 Circles
C. A Man and A Woman
D. Life Is Timing (ft. dBridge)
E. Lime Green Audio Link
F. From A Distance (ft. ASC)
G1. Flashes
G2. Farewell
H. Reflex Reaction (ft. Instra:mental)

You can download a Consequence mini-mix here on dBridge's recent Rinse show...

 

• Consequence
,
• Exit Records

Related Links:

• dBridge & Instra:mental Start New Label
• dBridge & Instra:mental mix FabricLive 50
• Exit Readies Mosaic Compilation
• Instra:mental Start Another New Label
• ASC Goes Autonomic

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