DMX Krew “Vicious Bleebz”
Leave it to Ed Upton, better known as DMX Krew, to unload a retro-inspired release that dips perfectly into the bins of iconic rave influences. Forming the fourth issue for Jerome Hill’s Super Rhythm imprint, the UK producer offers up a vintage-informed venture aptly titled 5 Ways 2 Jack. Here, the hardware maestro throws together a miscellany of club cuts drawing from the raw acid and bleep ‘n’ bass scenes to full effect.
Leading out the five-track pack is “Vicious Bleebz,” a 303-driven monster that’s both minimalistic and menacing at once. Relentless hats and a knocking kick work in unison to tee up the energy, while a bleepy acid lead brings the warehouse vibes to the fore. It’s very proper.
Available May 4 via Super Rhythm Trax.
Were you impulsive on this track, or did you have a sketch in mind before you started?
I just go for it when I make tracks—do whatever comes. This is a very simple track, and the main thing I kept in mind was not to clutter it, just to keep it spacious and keep the listener’s interest by making small changes all the way through. I wanted to do a 303 track with no slide. I knew I wanted the kick drum to get way bigger halfway through. So, you’re already raving, and then when the big kick comes in, it’s like BLAM.
Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process of this track that made you feel as though you were creating something pretty damn special?
It was when Jerome Hill got out his damn checkbook.
Do you think advances in computer technology and gear have affected your creativity?
I don’t miss paying £50 for a 30-minute reel of tape, but I do miss the ease of getting a good sound from tape. The best thing about computers is infinite takes and easy editing. If I make a mistake in a performance, I can just go again and then edit the takes together without a razor blade & cutting block. With DATs, it was even worse: just rewind the tape and do it again, no mistakes allowed, and no nice tape sound.
Beyond replacing my tape recorder & DAT machine with a laptop, I don’t use computers much. There is no computer in the room when I am composing the music; I only get the laptop when it’s time to press record. This track is made on a TB-303, and I think a Machinedrum plus some effects units. All my music is made using old machines, no screens. Screens and computers are vibe-destroyers… but I think I did use some compressors in the computer to get everything sitting together nicely.
Creatively, how did the work on this track stack up to previous studio sessions? Was this more challenging to complete than others?
It was pretty easy; it’s a simple track. Nearly all my tracks are made in a couple of hours. With this kind of stripped-down track, it’s more about getting all the elements 100 percent right and getting them to work together. You have to make each sound stick out through the gaps in the other sounds. A lot of the time with very simple tracks, you just make them and then decide which ones turned out good and which ones turned out bad. There isn’t that many parameters to change before you are just starting again. There is a bit of craft in there with the flow of the arrangement, the timing of notes and stuff, but it also comes down to listening and exercising taste: sometimes you should press record, and sometimes you should just turn off the synths and go and make a sandwich.
What’s your favorite sound/synth/effect/etc. used here?
Gravulon 5000B—I like the way it compounds the waveblend.
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