Phaeleh has been slowly but surely carving out a niche for himself over the last couple of years, writing all variety of dubstep-related beats; from deep and soulful, to fired up and hyped stuff.  He's one of the more versatile producers in dubstep at the moment, and on top of that co-runs the label Urban Scrumping, which, this week, reaches the grand old age of 10 (releases) with Gyu's 'Purified' EP.  (Check Gyu's site here).

Anyway, massive biggups to Phaeleh for this mix, which takes us through his myriad styles, from chunky speed garage-esque stuff, to funky, spacious dubstep and hard-hitting bangers in 50 concise minutes.  And for this mightily in-depth interview!  Enjoy:

So, for people who don't know, please introduce yourself.  Who are you and what do you do?

I’m a Bristol based producer who makes quite a diverse range of music, though mostly quite chilled melodic stuff around 140bpm. I also write some heavier tunes, but am probably better known for the deeper side of things. I also run a small digital label called Urban Scrumping Records.

What's the deal with this mix?  Is it the kind of set you'd play in a club?

This mix is a bit different to anything I’ve done recently. It’s a nice mixture of sounds, with a lot of tunes I’ve rinsed in the last 6 months but haven’t managed to put in a mix yet.

It’s something I might play in a club, but when I play out my sets tend to vary depending on the kind of night it is. I’ve got a quite a short attention span, so generally like to keep things diverse so guess the mix does reflect that.

At the moment I’m trying to stick to mainly deeper sets, and playing more of my tunes, which I’m never a big fan of, but is a criticism which pops up quite a lot. Luckily I’m into the tunes I’m writing at the moment, so hopefully will enjoy playing them out.

You run the label Urban Scrumping - can you tell us about it?  What's the thinking behind it?

Well we’re a small digital label based in Bristol, mainly pushing tunes around the 130-140bpm area. It’s generally managed by myself, though Chris Scrumping who runs the Urban Scrumping Soundsystem looks after the website side of things and Andy from Byte Design does all our lovely artwork.

I guess we view it as a good platform to give producers more exposure. It’s fair to say that it started off as a ‘mate' thing, but we’re currently hatching a few plans to push the label more and start working with some new artists, so watch this space.

How did it come about?

Well it all happened by accident really. I was at a point where I was getting a lot of people asking where they could buy my tunes, but I had no where to send them. The few releases I had lined up on other labels at the time didn’t actually happen. So I think as a result of this I decided to try selling some mp3s myself.  It was whilst uploading the 1st couple of Phaeleh releases that I thought I might as well see if any mates wanted to put some of their tunes online too.

What releases are coming up?

Well the latest release is ‘Purified’ by Gyu, which has been getting a really positive response, and is one for fans of the deeper/future garage sound. After that we’ve got a killer EP from Sclist which he’s applying the finishing touches to at the moment.

At some point over the summer we’ll be dropping a free EP, which will be featuring a couple of different artists on the label, along with a few new faces hopefully.

What about your own stuff?  How's that coming along?

The music has been going really well the last few months and I actually really like the tunes I’ve been working on, which is quite refreshing. I just need to find some time to get on the mixdowns.

In terms of my releases this year, I’ve got stuff dropping on Wheel & Deal, Disfigured Dubz, OpenEarz, Box Clever, Soul Motive, and Formant , along with a few other 12”s I’m just finalising at the moment.

You've done loads of collaborations, especially with vocalists.  Is that a direction you're particularly trying to pursue?

I really like collaborations, especially if you end up with a tune which is different to what the producers would make individually. I really enjoyed the process of writing ‘Reconcile’ with VVV and ‘Unharmed’ with Clubroot for that reason and it was also a really natural process to work with them. They’re both producers I really rate so was happy they were up for doing a tune. I’m also currently working on some pretty tasty stuff with Boot, Kidkut, TMSV and Von D.

I’ve worked with a couple of vocalists for a long time, like Anneka and I-mitri who’ve I’ve made random tunes with since about 2004/2005. More recently I’ve worked with Ngaio who is a ridiculously talented vocalist from Bristol who I really need to write another tune for (makes mental note) and Indi Kaur who’s produced some stunning vocals on ‘Rise’ and ‘Healing’.

At the moment I’m working with a producer/vocalist from Canterbury called Soundmouse, who’s got some really amazing ideas. The track I did with her called ‘Afterglow’ got an amazing response off the back of my recent Electronic Explorations mix, so hopefully people will be feeling the new bits we’re working on.

What about with live instruments?

Well this is something I was discussing with someone the other day, as they didn’t realise I play a lot of the instruments heard on my tunes. I think they asked about the melody ‘sample’ on lounge, and I pointed out that it was me playing bass which then led to me pointing out random guitars, basses, melodicas, recorders, keyboards etc on tunes of mine. I do really wish I could I could play the flute or bansuri, though  I’m extremely lucky to know Shammi  Pithia and Jut Lew, who are 2 phenomenal musicians who literally make me insanely jealous of their skills when they send me anything.

I’m definitely a big fan of incorporating instruments in my music. I think they add a human quality which electronic music can occasionally lack. There’s also occasions where I think why spend 3 hours programming something, when I can pick up a guitar and improvise something which ends up having more emotional impact on the listener. Though at the same time, I think my housemates can confirm I love a good synth work out!

You've got a more varied sound than most producers I'd say, from soulful vocals to amen rinseouts.  How do you think that's working out?  Does it confuse people or do they appreciate the variety?

Well I’ve never set out to write any particular sound, hence why there’s such a diverse range of music. I personally don’t have a problem with it, and if anything, people hit me up to say how much they appreciate that I keep it varied with my output. I think it does confuse some people though, I think a few ‘heads’ think I’m committing artistic suicide by not strictly sticking to one style, and I do see their point which is why I might have to start thinking about a few aliases for things.

Do you have any side projects under other names for that stuff?

Well there are no side projects at the moment, but for the reasons just mentioned I think it might be good to do at some point, just to differentiate between the different styles. If people came to see me off the back of ‘Within the Emptiness’ and see me reaching for techno and wobble it might confuse them.

How's the Bristol scene treating you?  Have you always been based here?

Bristol has been very kind to me since I’ve lived here, it’s such a chilled out city and people seem prepared to give new names a chance to play out which I was very thankful of when I moved here.

 I’ve lived here about 3 years now, and I really couldn’t see me wanting to move for a long time. I’m originally from Wiltshire, though lived in Leicester for a few years before I moved here.

Do you think it helps smaller producers, to be based in a city where so many big names are located?

I think it definitely helps to have so many inspiring producers based in one place, I think that can only be a good thing in terms of making you raise your game. There’s a really healthy scene in terms of the number of nights and there’s always new names appearing on flyers. I generally think in terms of the dubstep scene it’s an open minded place where promoters will book people based on the music, not just reputation.

I think as Bristol is seen as being very artistic - it’s a great place to be based if you’re pushing a more individual sound.

What's next for you?  Plans for the rest of the year?

At the moment I’m really focusing on production and working on tunes. I’ve got quite an exciting project I’m working on at the moment, which should see something happening around October. Though will be some more details about that in the next few weeks.

Other than that I just want to keep working on music, and try and push Urban Scrumping a lot more.

Anything else you'd like to plug?

Guess the key things to plug at the moment are this recent release by Gyu on Urban Scrumping, and a remix of techno artist [sic] I’ve done for new Bristol label, Slime.

I'm also playing a wicked night this coming Friday in Bristol at the Croft called Groove Points with Peverelist, DJ Madd, Forsaken and myself, so get down there if you’re in the South West this weekend.  Details here...

 

01. Kidkut - My Sound [Dub] 
02. C.R.S.T - Revisit [Dub] 
03. Other Weapons - Backflow (Sub Swara Remix)[Subfinity] 
04. C.R.S.T - Take it Back [Dub] 
05. Sclist - Dub56 [forthcoming Urban Scrumping] 
06. MJ Cole - Dawn [Prolific Recordings] 
07. Horsepower Productions - Let's Dance (Club Mix) [Tempa] 
08. Ramadanman - Glut [Hemlock Recordings] 
09. Twisted - Cannibalism [forthcoming Police in Helicopter] 
10. Bass Junkies - Devils Haze [Migration] 
11. Sidney Samson - Riverside (Breakage Remix) [Data Records] 
12. Synkro - Just Say [forthcoming Box Clever]
13. Unknown Artist - Tyrone [Ghetto Knowledge] 
14. TMSV - Dahaka [Dub] 
15. Kähn - Living Goddess [Dub] 
16. Wachs Lyrical - Pariah (TMSV Remix) [Dub] 
17. Wascal - Glisten Up [Wascal Dubs] 
18. Tri-Funk - 749 [Dub] 
19. Vista & Wil Blaze - Glo Worm [forthcoming Boka] 
20. XI - The Ghost (Headhunter Remix) [forthcoming Orca Recordings] 
21. Gyu - Finesse [Urban Scrumping] 
22. N-Type & Seven - Unity [Black Box] 
23. June Miller & Chillum - Scudder [Dub] 
24. Rob Sparx - Cold Blooded [Sour Grapes] 
25. TMSV - Signal [Dub] 
26. Gyu - Moment (Dubstep Mix) [Dub]

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