The name Hash Tag may not mean much to you – but fear not. The name is a new moniker for Erb N Dub and KG, who, after years ploughing solo furrows, have now teamed up to wreck havoc on the drum & bass public. The Hurt & Pain EP is their first outing, out now on Technique Recordings, and we chatted to the guys about past, present and future. 

After your individual successes, how and why did you decide to start working together?
We have been friends for over ten years. We both started producing at the same time but different styles of d&b - Erb N Dub making jump up and KG making more musical d&b.

 

This year we decided to combine our skills. Before we even started making music we knew we had to up our production skills. KG created killer synth patches and researched every plug in known to man! Erb N Dub took time out to really refine his studio mixing skills. After a few months of hard graft the tunes started to flow.

 

How did the hook up with Technique come about, and why did you decide to drop on that label?
It started from a collab track called Replica that L Plus and Erb N Dub released on Technique earlier in 2012. Simon Bassline Smith asked to hear more tunes. When the time were right we (KG & Erb N Dub) sent over a few tracks and from there we were offered to sign to the label.

 

Take us through the tracks on the EP.
The title track - Hurt & Pain came out of nowhere. We were experimenting with live drums Erb N had recorded with his live band a few days before. We layered some classic breakbeats, added a vocal and wrote the bass line. It was less that an afternoon’s work. The next day we mixed and arranged it and it was done. We wish all tunes were that easy.

 

With Paralysis, again we used the live drum recordings with layered breaks. This time we went for a minimal bassline and dreamy pads. Again the tune was finished within two days.

 

Take Control - we couldn't release an EP without a club banger. KG was busy working on ideas in the studio, Erb N Dub got a phone call and blasting down his phone was a new synth patch and bassline. They met up that evening and got to work.

 

The final track on the EP is the dubstep mix of Hurt & Pain. There is so much scope with Hurt & Pain we wanted to try another mix and dubstep is the obvious choice.

 

 

 

How long does it take you to put together a Hashtag track on average?
So far it's been a matter of hours to get the basics of a track down. We both have very different studio skills. This allows us to be each working on different parts of a track cutting down a lot of work you have to do solo.

 

What, for you, are the vital elements that make a track successful?
Melody, drums, arrangement and a great mix down.

 

Lastly, what are your future plans as Hashtag?
We are currently working on our next batch of tracks for Technique & in time an album. We are already gigging as Hashtag and will continue building our fan base plus developing our brand. We are working with a great label! It now comes down to us making great music and that is what we intend to do!

 

 

Related Links:

• Podcast 36
• L Plus Guest Mix
• In The Box: Technique
• In The Box: Technique
• Free Samples: Drumsound & Bassline Smith

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