Sonic Router

SR Mix #101: V.C. [Donky Pitch]

Posted in Sonic Router Mixes   

Mainly transmitting from Finland and Sweden, the skweee movement has become one of the most unique sounds in recent electronic music. Like dubstep and drum & bass before it, it freely incorporates a multitude of other styles in its influences and even though on the surface it sounds like a synthesizer drenched hip hop offshoot, analogous to what artists like Joker, Rustie or Hudson Mohawke are doing, there’s a depth of character and emotion behind that squall of high pitched computerized funk. The name ‘skweee’ originates from the process of squeezing out a plethora of tweaked sounds from the same vintage synthesizer, producing a track and a soundworld with incredibly limited means and the noteworthy basslines (the groove of R&B is one of the scene’s calling cards) is definitely one of the main focuses there.

Outside of Scandinavia and outside of the continent’s core labels, Flogsta Danshall, Harmönia and Dodpop, the skweee scene has been represented by labels like Posionous Gases in America but in England, the sound has been supported fully by Brighton based duo, Donky Pitch. The party-turned-label started in 2009 with a spat of parties that joined the dots between the fluorescent skweee sounds of people like Randy Baracuda, with DJs like Alexander Nut and producers like Gemmy, Slugabed, Rekordah and Tokimonsta before it evolved in a label, and when the two arms started morphing together in 2010, it was only natural that the bright, liquid sounds of skweee be a part of that as well; which brings us to the enigmatic beatmaker, V.C….

Hailing from Helsinki, V.C. is about to launch The Trick EP through Donky Pitch, a slinky, sometimes pomp driven, slice of electronic funk, complete with a remarkably mysterious video for lead track ‘Superfluid.’ There’s little information online about V.C., so with his Donky Pitch out this week and a 7” available on the Spanish Lo-Fi Funk imprint it seemed like an ideal time to chat with this exciting producer about his influences, his production and the future…

Sonic Router: Could you tell me a little about who you are?

V.C.: I’m an electronic music producer from Helsinki. I’m fond of realising things, food, love and sleeping. Like my colleague Wiz Motem, I also like weather a lot. I think it’s about the realest shit out there.

How did you started making music?

It came from the understanding that I might not have to learn to play an instrument of any kind; just a computer and a tracker would do. This was in ’94. After that I got a Windows PC in ’98 and started messing with stuff. I did not know anything about anything and went through a lot of entry level programs and ended up with Acid 3 or something. Then I chopped loops with that till Reason 1 was released. All the way up to 2005 it was just Reason and Acid but then I made a decision to spend money on Ableton Live 4 instead of going to Sonar festival with my friends. Good choice, I think, although the festival was bitching as well I hear. After getting Live, I couldn’t think of anything else to do but make music all day, all night.

How did you get involved in the skweee scene?

In 2006 I kind of started noticing dubstep and I enjoyed the half time rhythm and dub in it but then at same time I came across this thing Randy Barracuda was ranting about on some Finnish music forums. I was familiar with Randy’s former electro stuff when he and SLA had the group called Imatran Voima. So I kind of had trust in my heart and opened my eyes to what this skweee might be all about. I checked some tunes as there were only ‘some’ existing at the time, and realised that this is just the kind of idea that I been executing with my own music forever but I was always trying to cover and dress it to meet the general expectations towards electronic music. It’s like I felt that there was no real reason to deny myself anymore; liberation, I would say. So I got inspired and logged into the NOS forum to post my first skweee tunes. I received love and friendliness from the finest and tiniest community instantly, and got some of my tunes released by Harmönia and Flogsta.

The Trick has mostly been described as skweee, but I hear a lot of influence from dubstep in it, as well. Skweee seems to be a place where a lot of music meets in the middle, from hip-hop, techno, dubstep, house. What kind of music influences you when making music?

It is surprising to me that you mention dubstep. That surely isn’t intended, but what can I say, if you hear it, then it just might be there. I think hip hop is the most obvious influence for me, but also African music, funk, dub, techno, rock n roll, whatever really. The list is very long.

I think this is the simple beauty of skweee, it’s like a big blender where different styles mix in to make a very multi-flavored milkshake. It’s hard to pinpoint any particular flavor but the big glass of that delicious colorful and funky puree is very hard to walk away from after you had a taste.

What do you think it is about Finland and Sweden that contributed to birthing skweee?

No idea to be honest, some just got tired trying to be Brits I guess…

The video for ‘Superfluid’ is great. How much input did you have on that? Is the visual component important to your music?

I had no input on the video to be honest. Antony asked me about stuff but then ignored me and just went and did it the way he pleased. It came out good I think. There’s also another vid in the making for the title track of the EP. Should be released soonish as well and I think it’s gonna be equally exciting as the ‘Superfluid’ video.

What’s next after The Trick?

I got a huge pile of new stuff already made or in the making so I think a label needs to start releasing it real fast. There’s also the very long overdue Lo-Fi funk 7″ and then maybe something on Harmönia later on. I would love to work with some vocalists for sure, but I guess time will tell about that more than I can at the moment.

Tell us about the mix you made for us. What were you going for with your selection?

Theres lots of music I think needs to get out there; tracks from my good friends as well as tracks from all over really. I put some skweee in it, beats, hip hop… all that good stuff. Basically it’s just 32 minutes of material that I feel currently plus some of my own tracks off the EP.

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DOWNLOAD: V.C. – Sonic Router Mix #101

Tracklist:

Mötem – Smells Like Randy Barracuda
1000Names – Supercali Remix
Niño – Buio Omega
Danny Brown – Blunt After Blunt
Spartan Lover – Hand of Sleigh (forthcoming Kluts)
Broke ‘n’ £nglish – Kill Em
Don Leisure – Punta Skala
Darkhouse Family – Where Is Everyone
V.C. – Deuce Dues
Coco Bryce – Dis Cam Belie
V.C. – The Trick
Hovatron – Super Soaker
Coco Bryce – Polaroid Sunset
Andre Nickatina ft. Lawrence – 1 Flight
V.C. – Silly Dope

V.C.’s The Trick EP is out now on Donky Pitch. His 7″ for Lo Fi Funk is available now also.