Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film | Technology | Science | Culture)

Exclusive mix with Dropout Marsh: LISTEN HERE

When the very talented Dropout Marsh came into contact with us for an exclusive beat mix, I knew we were in for a treat. Lush landscapes, highly stylized wonders of a supreme love through sound and a bottom end that would sound perfect in the best systems around the world, this is one producers whose works became of immediate interests after we became aware. Dropout Marsh sent us this exclusive beat mix this year that comprises a timeline of music he has created over a very extended period of years. It’s an exclusive beat mix that we had to wait to release and the time has finally come to drop this one for all of you joining in on our online radio podcast series via Mixcloud.

Dropout Marsh makes the kind of music that dives into deep exploratory modes of sound and you can hear the voice of a unique and highly gifted producer on every track in this mix. This is for those who appreciate the underdog and thrive in a world where everything is possible with standards set to the highest degree. This is the type of artists who crafts his material with a very specific attention to detail and it has taken over a decade for this producer to come closer to the summit that he originally set out to release. Also included is an exclusive Q&A with this talented member of the modern experimental electronic scene. We really believe in this artist and it is our hopes that you will feel the same way after hearing this mix and reading what he has to say.

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Sound Colour Vibration: For those out there reading this who have yet to hear about your past, tell us a little bit about your career as a musician?

I had my first Rap Crew back in 1998, we were only kids, but I felt I already wanted to do it kind of seriously…! This is pretty much when I started doing my own beats to rap on it. I got involved in many different projects, bands and collaborations from then, from death metal to post noise, drum and bass to alcoholic rap ! I never stopped doing beats, but this is only in 2008 I started to share my music on the internet. Since then, I released a few tracks on some compilations, and 3 EPs, but I still got a lot of unreleased material of course !

But I think this is only when I got booked out of France I realized some people did noticed me and really like my music….

SCV: Producing music comes in a lot of different forms now with analog and digital technology being readily available for people to use. What are your preferences in gear?

DM: The gear I use didn’t really change since 2002, it is quite an old PC now! I just added a few external sequencers/samplers/keyboard, some good monitoring and sound card… and a brand new computer for mixing and final bounce.

SCV: Process is an area we are fascinated with as it reveals a lot about the purpose and intentions of an artist. What types of processes do you partake in to complete your music?

DM: The process I follow is a combination of sources, old and new gear, export from a software, re-import it in another. I usually produce a new track after a period of listening that can last a few days or a few months, and some days I turn my old PC on, like an old instrument you only take when you feel right to play with it. I start a track in the evening, and don’t stop doing it, like into frenzy, until I feel the track fits what I was expecting, this usually comes around 7 or 8 in the morning…All my tracks are produced in one go.

SCV: Music is a language that I feel really transcends many other forms of communication. When you create your music, are you trying to communicate with your audience or is your music a reflection of how you live and other personal aspects that have little to do with the listener?

DM: When I’m producing, I just feel like nothing exists around me, like if time had stopped, and I’m only following my instinct, so my music may be a reflection of who I am, instinctive, dreamy, unpredictable. I let you tell me!

SCV: What are the most important aspects of music to you?

DM: Emotion is the most important aspect of music to me!

SCV: You are an artist from France who has been producing content for a lot of years now. How would you describe the music communities in France and what has it given you that you don’t think you could get anywhere else?

DM: France has always been influenced by American an English music a lot, I don’t think the music communities are so much different than in other countries. We have great rock bands, good rappers, world know DJ’s, and many underground pioneers that had always brought the really fresh sounds up to the people.

French Rap and French classical music are probably the more relevant elements that have something to do with the music I do, but I’ve been influenced by many french artists, from Debussy to Gainsbourg, Fabe to Dj Mehdi .

I really love how diverse the mix is that you have presented with us. What was your initial thought process for putting together the mix and how did you construct it?

DM: I first wanted to make it chronological, but wanted to move some tracks so the mix could be more gradual, I followed my instinct again actually!

What content are you releasing this year and what are some of your long term and short term plans and goals right now?

DM: I am going to release a free EP before the end of the year, maybe more if some labels ask me for some tracks, a few remixes are planned too. I’m also starting a new collaboration with 3 other beatmakers/musicians from South France, and we’re planning to release some free stuff together very soon, and some solo EPs will follow. We called our project RLADE BUNNERS.

Thanks for your time man, it really means a lot. Before we go, we wanted to ask, what have been the most rewarding elements in being a part of a world music community?

DM: Traveling to play my music is probably the most rewarding thing I ever had in the end.

SCV: Thanks again Dropout Marsh.

DM: Thanks a lot to you!

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Exclusive mix with Dropout Marsh: LISTEN HERE

www.soundcloud.com/dropoutmarsh
www.soundcloud.com/dropout-marsh-mixtapes

http://dropoutmarsh.bandcamp.com/

*Conducted by Erik Otis