Kicking off the proceedings for this first Loose Synths post is an interview with young South London based producer, Shooting Horses (Rob Swaine). Previously a member of Nottingham electro DJ Duo Obstacle One, Rob has assumed the equestrian moniker to explore a deeper tropical house vibe that draws on broad influences, using world samples mixed with deep rumbling basslines and bouncey, breaks infused beats. I caught up with Rob earlier this month to chat about his productions.
First up, give us a bit of background about yourself?
I’m 23, I live in South-West London, I have a politics degree, I’m an expert in UK counter-terrorism, but what I really enjoy doing is sitting infront of my laptop for hours on end, fiddling with 8 bars of original homemade sound.
What do you do with yourself outside the djing/producing thing?
Apart from debate the illegality of internships, which I’ve been doing in various forms for the last 4 months, it’s got to the stage now where all I think about is music production and DJing. I sometimes think that I’ve probably become quite a boring person to talk to but I try to keep my inner musical dialogue to myself. When I’m not working 8 hour days for free or making music, I try to get out there and check out the London clubbing scene. I try to find new nights that may inspire me or steer my musical focus. I’ve discovered some great new nights, artists and venues recently as a result of going to things I wouldn’t usually think of going to.
How did you start out producing?
I got into production through being in 2 bands while at sixth form. I increasingly became interested in the recording and production process as we recorded our tracks in the guitarists kitchen, over actually playing the drums. I soon got myself a copy of Reason and Cubase and used to spend hours remixing nu metal tracks as made by these bands into drum n’ bass and breakbeat tracks. I was real proud of them at the time but listening back to them now and I can see that I’ve come a long way. I hope.
Whats your set up looking like currently? Any favourite bits n bobs?
It’s very basic at the moment. My Macbook with Logic on, a MicroKorg that I mainly use as a midi controller, an Edirol UA-101 external soundcard, and my pride and joy, 2 Genelec 8030A monitors. It’s just an absolute pleasure to sit back and listen to my favourite records through the clarity and width of those 2 bad puppies. I’d love to get the sub to complete the 2.1 setup but alas I’m a pauper these days.
What kind of things are influencing you at the moment? The Curriculum nights seems to draw on a lot of world music a in particular the tropical/carnival vibe, is this something that you’ve found seeping into the music you’ve been making?
Doing the whole Curriculum thing has been a massive inspiration to me, both in terms of music production and the pleasure I get from listening to and playing music. The whole idea of Curriculum has been to explore a large spectrum of world sounds, and it’s been great fun recording the podcasts and plotting the clubnights as our way of sharing a whole plethora of sounds that we believe should not go unheard. It’s about taking a step away from the relentless, grating and cliched basslines of fidget house and the anal over-production of dubstep and techno, and simply enjoying a more organic approach to music.
I do, however, realise it’s limitations in terms of my own music production. It would be silly if I were to attempt to make a baile funk tune because I’m not from a Brazilian favela, or if I tried spitting some aggressive Angolan lyrics over a kuduro beat I’d rustled up from my comfortable bedroom in the lovely green London borough of Richmond; not that this kind of mentally has stopped Major Lazer, Toddla T and Warrior One from making dancehall. For me it’s about finding a way to incorporate these different sounds, genres and styles into my sound.
What do you think about the current state of Dance music in the U.K.?
I try not to get bogged down in the intricacies of the UK dance scene and instead try to keep track of the global dance movement that’s relevant to the kind of music I’m starting to make and play out, be it house, techno, Baltimore, baile funk, new world funk, or whatever. That said, there are alot of exciting UK artists who are keeping things ticking over. Boy 8-Bit is forever pushing things forward for electro, Julio Bashmore has brought a refreshing new spin to house music, while Seiji, Randomer and Altered Natives are all doing fascinating things with broken beat and UK Funky. As for the whole ‘future garage’ thing, it doesn’t really turn me on. All I hear is the same noises that have been used in drum n’ bass for the last fifteen years played at a different speed. I’m after something with more life, soul, guts and spirit.
Shooting Horses has been kind enough to let us have two of his own productions to give away for:
Plus if you head over to the fat!club blog you can download a free copy of his TLGB - Winter Hunter Remix, which is an absolute stormer featuring huge drums and an even bigger riff! Don’t sleep on this one!
Check out Shooting Horses Myspace
