(Photo by Ellie Kynaston)

Bristol based producer Artifact, aka Ryan Bonfield, represents something of a new wave of producers who look set to break through in 2012. He’s just had his first 12” out late last month on Deadplate, which recieved incredibly positive reviews across the board and gained him a number of high profile fans including Mary Anne Hobbs for whom he recently did a mix. His dark percussion heavy sound is the result of a number of years of hard graft honing his skills as a producer and as such the tracks on his Deadplate EP feel like complete articles - as Andrew Ryce pointed out in his RA review “this EP feels like one of those moments where an artist is finally realizing his potential all at once.” 

I caught up with Ryan last week to discuss his debut and find out a bit more about how it came about. 

So are you doing the music thing full time at the moment or are you balancing it with a day job as well?

I’m actually on a work placement at the moment for a VST studio, so I do that from home in the day and then have the evenings and weekends for music.

That’s pretty useful, which VST studio are you working for?

They’re called Brainworx and they also run a website called plugin-alliance which is basically a shop, community and licensing system for all the plugins they make - they do a lot of work for other hardware studios too, for example SPL and Elysia. They make some sweet mastering plugins and analogue modelling VST’s.

That sounds really interesting, how did you get involved with them?

Well it’s actually a University work placement. I emailed them seeing if they needed anyone for a placement, and they did.

So like a “year out in industry’ type thing?

That’s it.

Are you going to look at getting into the tech side of things or try and pursue the music making when you finish?

Well I did want to do programming, so I guess we will see where that goes in my last year of Uni and beyond… I mean obviously I’d love to just make music forever but you’ve got to be realistic!

I know the feeling!

(Laughs).

DPL002: Artifact - Archaic Line + Deserted Out Now 12” & Digital by ArtifactBeats

So - the Deadplate EP is really good. How did it come about? Did you know Synamatix (Deadplate label boss) beforehand?

Haha thanks! I’ve known Alex (Synamatix) for a while. It actually goes right back to, like probably, almost 2 years ago when this guy I know from the old dubstep blog rubadubdub told me Alex was starting a label and to send some tunes. Then he was selling his monitors, so I bought them and we kinda became mates from there. It took a while for the actual release to happen, but I’m glad because this release is a lot more of the dark percussive sound I’ve been going towards lately - before that I was a bit all over the place with my sound.

I think thats true for a lot of people, you spend time developing and experimenting with loads of different things.

Exactly, like always moving forwards.

The million and one different Logic projects with 8 bar loops or random ideas that seem to ultimately end up in a few decent tunes.

Yeah - many don’t make the cut though.

A lot of people have been writing about you being a house producer and the EP being house. I was curious if this was something you’d agree with?

Ha, not really no.

To my ears it certainly takes influences from house, but it’s by no means a house EP.

I mean people say that and they often refer to the progression in the structure, which is a house element but I don’t think it’s house. If anything it’s kind of percussive 2 step/garage but it’s more of a blend of a few different things, I wasn’t really aiming for any genre when writing it.

Funny that - obviously reviewers are keen to be able to describe it neatly but they seem to be a bit off the mark in my opinion.

I guess the whole house movement in Bristol and me being from Bristol helps though.

Do you consider yourself to be part of that movement?

Not really, I feel like I’m part of something else that’s not constricted to Bristol. I mean the only guys on a level musically there would be Ziro, Tessela and maybe Hodge, but he takes a lot darker and slower route.

I guess house is going to be the “Bristol sound” for 2012, by which I mean, everyone is going to write about Bristol in conjunction with house.

I think techno inspired stuff will be huge this year and going into 2013.

There’s a lot of really great stuff coming out of Europe at the moment which has been influenced by the UK stuff but is drawing on other sounds as well.

Yeah, well spending time in Germany, you’d be surprised how behind they are there, like in the entire region I was in there was only one duo of notable bass music producers, JTRP, who are amazing and then everyone else is into the same big house and dubstep names as anywhere else.

I dont know much about JTRP to be honest…

They did a few releases on Deep Teknologi and have a forthcoming on B.Yrslf… really amazing guys.

You were in Cologne right?

Yeah thats right, just outside - dead in the middle between Cologne and Dusseldorf.

Techno heartland?

Haha it’s not really like Berlin, there is techno but I found it to be the kind of cheesy stuff. There’s a lot of good house music in Cologne.

You see lots of interviews with producers who either live or have spent time in Germany, mention how the country has affected their sound. Would you say the same is true for you?

In a way yeah, but not due to the influences there, I didnt reach many “techno” nights. I tried to stick with the JTRP guys who threw some great parties. I think just having the time all alone out there to focus on my sound really helped me.

Did you build up a backlog of tunes?

Yeah I did a few, and I played around with some other genres which I then brought elements of back into my music.

Drum and Bass?

Oh god no, Footwork/Juke - it’s on a Soundcloud somewhere.

The reason I ask is because some of the drum programming you’ve done on the Deadplate EP has flecks of breakbeats in it. 

Well the Deadplate EP was written before I went Germany, probably about 8 months ago now but I do like playing with breakbeats and my juke stuff has a pretty jungly vibe to it. I do like some D’n’B, but mostly the darker hard stuff and I dont really like hearing it out… saying that I did finish a set in Germany with one of Beverton’s tunes.

No actually, I was never a massive fan of Jungle but do enjoy a bit of it, I think it’s got some really good moments. I actually first got into pop-punk at school, then was in a semi-successful metal band for a few years, touring and we released an album etc. During that time I started going to Valve nights at the local club in Swindon and through that and going out in Bristol I got into dubstep. Then I moved Bristol to pursue making dubstep and ended up finding a lot of other music - after about a year I made the move to 130bpm and then Artifact. 

So you moved to Bristol to do the dubstep thing, how have you found living in the city?

Better than a small town outside Swindon!

Ha, Fair enough. So from an outsiders perspective Bristol seems to be great for nuturing up and coming talent?

Bristol’s perfect, lots of clubs, music and people but it’s small enough to walk everywhere. Everyones really friendly man no matter what genre - I have people like Gemmy into my music, and the feelings mutual. A lot of the producers in Bristol definatly seem to enjoy taking a genre or sound and making it their own.

A scene which is linked by a mutual love of electronic music rather than one particular sound or ideal?

Exactly and there’s no contest, it’s all supportive.

Do you find some of the older guys have been good with helping you out production wise or in other ways generally?

Everyone’s always happy to take a listen to what you’ve got, which is cool but I found the most help you get is from your peers on a same level kind of thing. All the new talent in Bristol seem to be on each others side.

So have you got a lot of stuff in the pipe line?

Release wise not at the moment, still trying to organise some releases but I’ve got a fair few gigs. I just signed with Elastic Artists for bookings and I’ve got some other website features on the way.

Have you still been working on the collaborative stuff as well?

Portrait?

Yeah

Me and Ziro have got a few releases coming under that name, but then we are both putting it on hold for a year or two whilst we focus on our own music and it will be coming back in a completely different context. Nothing more on that for a while.

So what came first? DJ’ing or Production?

DJ’ing by about 6 months!

Did you start out the old way i.e. vinyl, turntables and proper record shopping?

Yeah and it lasted for a while too until I got fed up with being let down by the local clubs decks so just gave in and switched to CD’s. Then in my first year of uni I had to sell all my decks and vinyl for food money!

So who else in Bristol is doing big things at the moment?

I think Ziro’s going to break through in a huge way this year, then there’s Tessela who is incredible, Hodge, OH91, The Young Echo Crew; lots of good smaller acts coming through at the moment.

Top 3 tunes at the moment?

Ziro - Minus

South London Ordnance - Witch Hunt

Thefft - Speshlty

Favourite bit of gear in the studio?

Gotta be my lovely Adam ANF10s, need to upgrade though really.

Have you got your eyes on any?

Not really to be honest. I mean when I’ve got the money yeah but I’m more than happy with what I’m rolling with at the moment, I think expensive hardware makes you feel like you have to use it. I prefer a bit of raw creativity.

There’s a lot to be said for that! OK so seeing as you’re involved with making VSTs… hardware or software? Does it even make difference?

In the box for me just because of ease, but yeah hardware does have the “warm” sound that hasn’t been fully replicated yet, however, my work are about 98% there. They’re very good at modelling.

You reckon that a couple of years down the line it’ll be indistinguishable?

It’s getting there.

Okay so you’re on a desert island and you’re allowed to take one album with you which will be the only music you’ll ever get to listen to again… what do you take?

Sully’s album. Wait. No. Explosions In The Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place. I could literally listen to that forever.

Why that album?

It’s just something I’ve always liked. I’ve never got bored of it and it has got me through a lot of hangovers!

Great choice! Okay so final question, whats the best piece of musical advice you’ve ever been given?

Be patient and dont be lazy.