Sonic Router

SR Mix #82: EPROM [Rwina]

Posted in Sonic Router Mixes   

Swag is a funny thing. Whilst it’s become something of a buzz word thanks to the rise in popularity of the Californian skate crew cum rappers Odd Future, they even had Mos Def repeadtedly (and rather cringeworthingly if we’re honest) screaming it down the camera lens on a prime time US chat show after a rousing performance of lead voice Tyler ,The Creator’s ‘Sandwitches,’ the phrase’s essence still rings true. To present yourself as being ‘swag’ or to have something that can be referred to in the same breath is a good thing – although there are underhanded connotations with burgulars stealing someone else’s possessions and cramming them in a bag with the letters SWAG stamp all over it – and no matter who you are, what you do, or how you do it there are ways you can present yourself that will maximise your swag factor.

Someone like EPROM, a US producer currently residing in San Francisco has been quietly honing his own swag quota for a number of years now. His relentless quest for big drums and attnetion destroying synthesizers has seen him release work on labels like Surefire Sound, Rwina and even a split 12” with Eskmo on the globally renowned Warp label – at the same time he’s been putting out super hectic beats like ‘Rubber Sheets’ on self released EPs like last year’s Bay Area EP. In the same vein as producers like Nasty Nasty, or to make a closer to home comparison, Slugabed, EPROM’s music hits low, rooting itself to the floor with big, quaking low end whilst he propels laser guidde synth lines in an array of pretty patterns over the top . Tracks like the Rwina released ‘Lick Out’ are personal anthems; dirty, low slung, seedy digitzed hip hop anthems.

His latest work on Rwina, which was out last month, Pipe dream is a three track EP that in part explores the outer realms of that mid range bass tone that makes you recoil in horror when its deployed badly. The eponymous track is basically a scything bass riff that gets clouded with bubbles and rising chords set over a lollop of a drum beat, one that packs a punch but is at the same time hesitant and a little lazy. ‘Chromium Decay’ is everything all at once, manic distortion clouds, thudding kick drums and clean chords set over the kind of feedback you get when you hold you thumb on top of a live guitar jack and closer ‘The Symbiote’ is an awesome exploration of almost cinematic melody exclusively played on the lower octaves.

With European appearances coming (from 21st May till 11th June – UK readers can catch him in London when he opens the tour and at Glade Festival when he finishes it) and a deep sense of respect oozing out of our speakers everytime we’ve linked EPROM’s music we caught up with the producer, shot him some ‘getting to know you’ type questions and asked him to put together our 82nd Sonic Router Mix.

Sonic Router: Tell us a bit about yourself what do you get up to on the daily?

EPROM: I’m living in San Francisco right now, in kind of a sketchy hood, so I am feeling a bit alienated by the city to be honest. It’s affecting my music. I make bangers most of the time, but lately I’ve been exploring some melancholy sounds and just some vibey beats shit. The city has a definite energy, and depending on where you are and how you’re wired it can be a beast or a beauty. I try to channel that energy into music as much as possible. Other than living in the city, I’m doing a lot of graphic design and some visual coding when I have time. I’m really into exploring the intersection of music and code and art. I’m excited to bring some of those explorations into my live set this year.

What’s the scene like in San Francisco, what sounds are taking over?

I think people here see bass music as part of a continuum of garage music and hip hop and house and even elements of the live music scene. What we’re doing here is perceived as a cross-pollination of styles. I’m totally fine with that, because I tend to jump from genre to genre within sets or even within one song. In SF there’s an amazing vibrant collective of talent. I’m thrilled to be part of this community.

Who else should we be looking out for from the area?

Comma is a brilliant young producer, his new Colortronics EP is out on Frite Nite. Salva is also amazing, as are NastyNasty, B. Bravo, Shlohmo, and DJG. These are the guys who are carving out a real niche and a unique sound for west coast music in 2011.

Eprom – Pipe Dream EP [Rwina]

You’ve turned in a right banger of set, keeping it tough and ravey with that twisted beat sound still shining through; can you talk us through some of the tracks and ideas behind the mix?

Yeah, I’ve always loved rave tunes, I love that energy, I like dancing. So I wanted the mix to reflect that. A lot of my tunes steal elements from old school rave and just repurpose them. I’ve always loved rap and hardcore, so this mix represents those influences coming together. I’m not super serious about music. It’s supposed to be fun, this mix is for dancefloors. I think the sound of oldschool hardcore has a certain irreverence, a willingness to sample anything and turn it into a tune, and I really love that attitude.

Some of these tunes are just all-time classics that I love. Especially the Autechre tunes, those are the gold standard for me. Still light years ahead of what’s happening now. Unknown Shapes tunes are really doing it for me right now too, they’ve got this element of hardcore in there that makes the tunes sound really massive on a big system, but sort of tempered by slower tempos and a beat-minded framework, amazing stuff. Then there are a few of my tunes that are more hardcore, tunes I’m playing out a lot these days.

How did you get into this music, what kicked you off on search of the sound then what made you want to get into production?

I started producing drum and bass about 10 years ago, experimenting, finding my footing. About five years ago I broke off from that genre due to sheer boredom and started making stuff in this weird, tweaky west coast mentalist style. Music for acid-heads. Production came first, before performance, before DJing. Production was my first love.

How would you describe your sound for anyone zoning in on it for the first time?

Brain melters.

Whats your studio set up like?

I’ve got a Moog Little Phatty, Moog Slim Phatty, Moog Freqbox, Eventide Space reverb unit, Ekdahl Moisturizer spring reverb. Those are all great for getting some kind of analog quality to songs that would otherwise be really digital and too sonically aggressive. Everything is running to a MOTU Ultralite and a MacBook Pro. I sequence in Logic, and do some experimental sequencing and recording in Ableton Live and NI Reaktor.

What’s inspiring your productions at the moment musically or otherwise?

All I do is just think about Gaslamp Killer freaking out, like he does, and make tunes for him to freak out to.

Have you got any words of wisdom for our readers?

Get your hands on the music. Get a piece of real musical hardware you can touch and manipulate. Record everything you do.

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DOWNLOAD: Eprom – Sonic Router Mix #82

Tracklist:

Buju Banton – Murderer
Unknown Shapes – Used to Give a FK
The Bug feat. Killa P & Flowdan – Skeng (Autechre Remix)
Eprom – Aliased
Nicoluminous – Love Sets You Free
Eprom – Gonk
Luke Vibert – Ataride
Darqwan – Said the Spider
DJ Rob 3 – Let’s Go Ravers
Eprom – Psycho
Machinedrum – She Died There
Unknown Shapes – Sounds & Shapes Pt. 2
Eprom – Feldspar
M.A.N.I.C. – I’m Comin’ Hardcore
The Weeknd – High For This (NastyNasty 808 Edit)
Dom & Roland – Can’t Punish Me (Dials Remix)
The Game – Big Dreams
East Flatbush Project – Tried By Twelve (Autechre Remix)
Eprom – Pipe Dream