Afro Monk

I came across this beautiful gem of a song today from The Walton Hoax, a collab from producer infraBuse and singer/songwriter Peter Vanek out of Antwerp, Belgium.  If you’re a fan of the chiller side of dubstep, 2-step, UK Garage and artists like Burial and Asa, then you’ll def dig this track. I’ve been listening to this type of music a lot lately to help me relax and focus when i get stressed or to just wind down at the end of the night. This is a beautifully constructed track with great vocals. I’m definitely looking forward to more music from these talented artists. Much thanks to The Walton Hoax for offering up this amazing track as an exclusive download for our readers!

Bio:

The Walton Hoax is an electronic music project from Antwerp, Belgium. A dark mix of 2-step, Dubstep and UK Garage is molded into a type of bass-heavy sound that is aimed at live sets as well as casual listening. It is inspired by futuristic dance producers like Mount Kimbie, Skream, Jamie Woon, James Blake and of course Burial. The project started in 2010 as a remix collab between the two founding artists. Singer/songwriter Peter Vanek had written some songs for this purpose, and asked producer infraBuse to give them a makeover. After finishing the first couple of tracks, they were so pleased with their sound, that they made it into a separate project: “The Walton Hoax.” Inspired by a 90′s science fiction film, the band name is based upon the supposedly true story of a UFO abduction. A few months after the project’s birth, The Walton Hoax put out a first song: Chemical Burn, constructed out of melancholy vocals intertwining with brooding, live-wire electronics that take the listener for a sizzling ride into the dark. It was supported with a video clip, which earned them no less than 15.000 views on youtube within the first month. This song is a prelude for the 3-track EP called “Chemical Burn” that’s coming out in June 2011. The ep will be up for download and pressed on a limited number of vinyl records, obtainable through www.TheWaltonHoax.be.

Exclusive Download: The Walton Hoax – Chemical Burn

And, check out the vid here: The Walton Hoax – Chemical Burn

Make sure to follow The Walton Hoax on Facebook.

Much love and respect!

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

soundcloud.com/djeamusic

Asa recently posted that he was looking for some blog support on an interview done over at the Greek Dubstepforum. I gave it a quick read and decided that I’d help him out. If you follow me on Facebook or some of my rants on this site I’m sure you’ll see why I agreed to this. It seems like the movement and attitude is spreading. Let’s not forget to mention genuinely being embraced by everyone with a free mind. This dude has a lot of passion behind what he says and isn’t afraid to speak his mind despite knowing it’s going against the ‘norm’. This is one of the reason I’m building a label right now. There aren’t enough outlets and places to get things like this pushed. That traditional dubstep sound is dying but that’s ok as long as it keeps evolving. The idea of 140bpm and heavy bass isn’t a formula to live by in dubstep. Hell if it was up to me forget about the bass lines and just fill it in with more melodic synth lines.

Here is the interview!

So who are you ?

My name is Asa, that is my birth name as well as my ‘alias’ or whatever you want to call it. I am a producer/songwriter from the UK, i am based in a small city on the south coast of the country, about half way between London and Bristol.

When did you started with producing and where does your style derive from?

I started ‘producing’ back in school, when i was about 15, i guess? but of course it was nothing serious, at the time my musical background was in choirs and i played piano – which has definitely contributed towards the way i write a lot of my music now. But in all honesty I’d say my production derives primarily from being sick and tired of hearing so many generic artists, i just wanted to hear something different. I make tunes for myself mostly, it’s like therapy, ya know? its personal and it’s intimate, well it’s intimate until it’s released anyway. then it’s the listeners property, which is the way it should be. For me, it just has to evoke an emotion in the listener, wherever that be on headphones in a dark room by themselves or it be on a huge sound system amongst thousands of other people – it’s got to induce some sort of emotional response. that’s the purpose of music, right? otherwise there is no point. In terms of dance music, I grew up listening to mostly garage, just a lot of 2-step and some dnb really, amongst a lot of other music of course. Bands like Sigur Ros & Incubus amongst plenty of others have as much influence on me as my contemporary ‘dubstep’ producers. But that is definitely where a lot of my rhythmic patterns stem from, for sure.  The Skippy 2-step drum patterns, i love them. I still find my garage collection to be the most varied and interesting music i have, obviously there is a lot of nostalgia involved with my relationship to the tunes, but garage did get killed off and recycled into dubstep and grime pretty much. That’s the way this music works, there is this continuum of bass music in the UK that just keeps churning out new ideas. hence why i get so frustrated with generic production traits – it’s the downfall of scene’s in the context of this music, you HAVE to do your own thing, and i think that principle is where my style derives from. I do my own thing.

What do you respond to the whole thing about dubstep and heavy bass. Is it just a trend?

Well it’s just the ridiculous amount of mid range lfo abuse i hear. I mean, i mostly only hear it when residents are playing that stuff before me at bookings. But don’t get me wrong, the producers I’m closest with like KOAN Sound, Statix & Culprate – they  make some of the hardest stuff around – but it’s so well executed, i get just as excited about a new Culprate tune as i do about a new Burial one, and that’s the way it should be i think. Good music is good music. But there definitely is a lot of poorly produced dubstep, i know that much. there is not enough space in the mix downs in most dubstep tunes now. No room for the sub frequencies to be the prominent focal point in the mix. Which was the only ‘rule’ in Dubstep in the first place, if you can even call it a rule. It had to be around 140bpm and have emphasis on sub bass, the rest was up to the producers individual creativity. That’s how it should be. Me and a few of my friends have all been writing music around 100bpm recently, after becoming somewhat disillusioned with what people think ‘dubstep’ is now, we have just reached a point where making music defined by one tempo just isn’t plausible. We don’t want to do that, as much as dubstep is and will continue to be the home for our music. There really has been a very notable divide in the scene over the last year or two; it’s clear to everyone involved on either side. A lot of people on one side hold a lot of animosity towards what is now commonly associated with the tag dubstep; as a result they are deliberately pushing further and further away from the cliché production techniques which is a positive creative drive for sure, but I for one am still more than happy for my music to be tagged as dubstep. I still think the best thing about the genre is its diversity, so if producers like me try and distance ourselves from dubstep, and then what hope does it have? Creating sub-genres is like pushing yourself into a corner, setting up more boundaries; it will only limit people’s creativity.

Your last release is ‘Sweeter Things EP” and let me tell you, we like it so much. whats next? are there unreleased or new tracks coming up?

Ahhh that’s awesome, i am glad you like the EP – i was a bit hesitant about it, i mean, it’s music i make for me and a few close friends to listen to and I know it’s not what most people are used to hearing. So it’s really good to know that some people have picked up on it and get the point of the tunes, that sort of thing is really cool. I really appreciate it whenever anyone tries to connect on a personal level and say that they like the tunes, that sort of thing really means the world to me. As for new releases myself & KOAN Sound just done a remix for Kito & Reija Lee’s EP on Mad Decent, which has been getting huge support and a great response recently which we are really happy with. Right now I have a whole bunch of remixes due for release – the list is so long i wouldn’t even know where to start. The same applies to collaborations, I’m still working with my core group of friends more than anyone, mostly KOAN Sound, but I’m now getting to work with some of my favorite artist’s, which is something i am really happy about. I apologize about being so vague and not mentioning artist’ names, but i have realized recently that it is good to keep such things under the radar until they are completely finished and on top of that I’m simply just not allowed to talk about things until certain dates etc. I write music all day, everyday. So there is no shortage of new music, it’s just an odd period for me and my friends at the moment – a lot of decisions being made with labels and all that kind of stuff, so a lot of our tunes are in a state of limbo at the moment.

Where do u see dubstep/step/future garage going? *just another trend like minimal techno

I really do not agree with the whole genre branding thing, as I’ve said. To me – ‘Future Garage’ is one of the most ridiculous tags i have ever come across. I could sit here for hours and moan about why i disagree with it, but it’s not worth it. i just don’t agree with it. It’s dubstep, don’t call it anything else. there is something in it for everyone – that has been the whole point of this music from day one, it was the main principle that attracted me to it, ya know? The scene is thriving, regardless. There is so much good music consistently being put out. that’s all that counts – it is not a ‘fad’ or ‘trend’. its just another part of this constantly evolving bass music continuum that we are so lucky to have in the UK. Creativity is thriving, the underground really is glowing…

What u know about Greek Dubstep in Greece in general and if u have any thoughts to play here?

I have a dear friend of mine who guys by the name of ‘Skru’, he goes by other alias’s also, but he is a great soul and has so much passion for the music. He has always supported my stuff since i started, but other than that i know very little about the scene in Greece. I hear about events occasionally from my friend, but that is about it. it is obviously a place i would love to come and play, meeting people and traveling is one of the best things about music – it is what I am most thankful for out of all of it. I hope i am lucky enough to have a Greek promoter want to book me someday!

Tell us some of your favorite source for sounds. VST plugin’s , DWA’s, hardware…

I don’t like to talk about production methods so much, for a lot of reasons really… I think sharing knowledge about production and such things is one of the most important things, no doubt. But i prefer to do it on a one to one basis – I would happily teach or show anyone how i go about putting this sort of music together if they were willing to just sit there and learn. Making tunes brings people together, the people I value the most in my life are the ones I have met through music. the whole networking side of it so important. Production tutorials and things like that seem to be a bit too ‘paint by numbers’ for me, it cuts of that human experience of writing music. The fun and the vibe you can get from working on music with someone who approaches it in a completely different way is one of the most exciting things for me. Sitting around with KOAN Sound and just working on tunes have been some of the most beneficial moments of my life. Do you know what I mean? i will say this though – i record all my own foley sounds, i have my own production palette. Well, i hope i do anyway..

“I made this for you” , i have to admit that was my first ‘contact’ with ur music, its one of my fav mix’s and i have the question if the title and the hole mix is ‘personal’ to you. maybe a girl ?

Well, i really don’t know if i should talk about these things… but it’s ok i guess. i mean, I am personally invested in it all for so many reasons. But they are not going to be the same reasons for the listeners, if that makes sense? I really don’t want to come across as pretentious. I just like making tunes, that all. so yeah, Essentially, a lot of the music i have made in the past was as a result of a very messy, break up from a long term relationship –a lot of it is about telling stories for me. It’s like therapy, it really is. That situation is well in the past now of course. so in regards to the mix entitled ‘I Made This For You’, it is in relation to another person… the key is in one of the first track names, that is all i will say. she knows who she is and that is all that matters

5 tracks I am into at the moment

Ed Sheeran – The A Team (KOAN Sound Remix)

Culprate, Tekka& Sticky Disco – Finger

Earl Sweatshirt – Earl

Joy Orbison – Sicko Cell

Asa – Sweeter Things (eleven8 Remix)

Interview done by: dubstepforum.gr

Radiohead has a new album if you don’t live under a rock. I’ve seen so much fuss around it but hadn’t listened to it. I actually thought it was another free album but guess not. I did find this youtube stream of the album though so felt like I should post it.

What I found interesting was Thom’s office chart. There’s some Burial, Nosaj Thing, Jamie XX, and Untold in the mix there. Def cool to see that some of his listening material. Thom Yorke is one of those guys that you can’t help but respect. I never thought people didn’t like Radiohead but regardless if you do you’ve got to respect what they’ve done. Personally they are def in my top 10 favorite bands ever. I just did a full listen and to be honest it’s alright but nothing spectacular but better than most stuff out there.

Definitely check it out. Lotus Flower is by far the best track off of it.

Asa is a dj and producer out of Southampton, UK. His style of sound is similar to that of Burial and explores the chill side of dubstep and glitch music. I definitely recommend listening to this mix with your headphones on and just appreciate how beautiful the composition is. Check out his other tunes and grab a free download of this mix at soundcloud.com/asadubstep. His upcoming 6 track “Sweeter Things ep” will be out March 14 and I’ll have a review of that album up very soon.

Make sure to keep up to date with what Asa is up to on his facebook.

-EA

EA@afromonk.com

soundcloud.com/djeamusic

These two are unstoppable and do NO wrong. Apparently this collaboration track has been around for awhile but was removed from Flying Lotus’s MySpace some time ago but has revealed itself again via YouTube. There is no word about the track being officially released but just shows you what can come about from two guys just hanging out and deciding to work on some music together. As much as artist need to eat I’d love to hear more stuff like this come out that they know they don’t want to deal with paper work for release.

The past three years in dubstep have been quite prolific. The sound has evolved and the genre of dubstep is becoming quite a well known animal in the clubs. It has been since Benga’s follow up of Newstep EP release, Dairy of an Afro Warrior, that much hype has been surrounding new albums to me. Silkie’s new album City Limits Vol. 1 has finally graced us and boy did it live up to the hype. This is just the beginning of the albums to slap us up with bass.

One of the biggest names in Dubstep, Skream, has been non-stop since 2000 producing banger after banger. This man has blown us away with Skream!, Skreamizm volumes, and tons of masterpieces. Skream is finally at work to follow up his release of Skreamizm Vol 5 with a new album. I’ve had the great opportunity to catch Skream recently and hear two of new tracks off the album. As far as I know these tracks are still untitled but boy do these tunes carry a sound of epic proportions. The sound has become a lot more open and driven with a blend of dope b-lines meeting epic synths building the tracks to deep peaks. The sound of both these tracks have a legendary feeling as they rise your body to a relaxed groove.

Skream has been working with closely with Joker, a new comer which has taken the sound and created his own signature sound we’ve all come to love. The two taken the alias of Parma Violet. Their track Skittles has been well recieved and hope to hear more collarborations from these two.

Talking about Joker… This man is one busy producer. Digidesign put this man on the map and now the name Joker has built up the most momentum I’ve seen. His signature hard sounding synths and beats have created a new take on the genre of dubstep. Joker has’t seen an album release yet but boy is he going to make the end of 2009 and 2010 his. His recent remixes & tracks are instant hits. He is hard at work with his solo LP which will feature Tron, My Trance Girl, and work with TC.  After that we’ll finally get to see what Joker & Silkie can do together when they collaborate and put out a an album together. Silkie’s recent Purple Love & Joker’s Purple city seems to be just the type of flavor I hope we see from these two. The next thing we’ll probably see from the man is a full length album with Ginz, Gemmy, & Guido. The four of them have worked with each other closely and finally coming together to release their first album as a whole. The Purple Trinity (Joker, Gemmy, & Guido) & Ginz will not let down and this piece of work will probably be a big step forward for the music.

The next set of albums that are about to be pushed out are Shackleton’s new work Three EP on October 12th 2009. The release will be pressed on three 12″s and feature nine tracks. He has mention how he decided to put together a collection of tracks and release them as three EPs and reason for this is that it’s not really a concept album just more of a collection of EPs.

2562′s new album is being released November 2nd and should be quite a crowd pleaser. It is a follow up of aerial a masterpiece of sound. This should be an album to pick up and enjoy with a good glass of wine and smoke.

Another prolific album due out late 2009 is Kromestar’s 2nd album, The Other Syde. His first album, My Sound, was on repeat for a month of mine. I have great expectations of this considering how his sound keeps mutating into all sorts of dark wild creations.

One of the most mysterious names in dubstep/downtempo is Burial. This man has created quite a name for himself and yet kept such a low profile. It was even once rumored that Burial was just another alias of Richard James. The rumors were smashed eventually. He doesn’t play out nor seem to desire the fame and hype of the culture. His debut album and Untrue are considered some of the best albums to come out in the recent years. No work on a new album from the man but we have seen a recent release from him on a split release along side, Four Tet. It has been annouced that a new track from Burial, Fostercare, will appear on Hyperdub’s next compulation.

Last on my list is a big name in music right now, Flying Lotus. His name has been growing and his tunes keep showing signs that it’s only going to get bigger and bigger. Flying Lotus has announced that his new LP will be coming out in 2010 and considering it his “most creative work yet”. His release alongside Joker is nothing short of amazing.

Dubstep is here to stay!
These upcoming months will bring many new vibes and flavors of music.
It’s safe to say that despite the growing trend of many recent releases being critized for consintrating on the wobbly bass that these albums and singles coming out will show the critics it’s not just about the wobble.