Scottish DnB Talent Ekwols Shares 10 Tracks That Shaped His Sound

Edinburgh’s Ekwols triumphantly returns to Evolution Chamber with his latest track, ‘Drowning’. This Drum & Bass masterpiece defies conventions and pushes boundaries, showcasing Ekwols’ exceptional talent. The track takes listeners on a symphonic journey through emotion and sound, with captivating vocals and an interplay that keeps them hooked. ‘Drowning’ expresses gratitude to those who’ve been pillars of strength, encapsulating the profound impact of that one person who consistently pulls you back from the brink. You can buy/stream it here!

To mark the release of his latest bone-crunching single, Ekwols shares the ten tracks that have most influenced his sound and ultimately led to the sonic identity we’ve come to know and enjoy…

DJ Red Alert and Mike Slammer – In Effect The Remix

This track was on the very first ‘Rave tape’ I bought back in ’94 when I was about 10 or 11. It was called “Illegal Pirate Radio II”, a compilation on Strictly Hardcore/Strictly Underground, and The whole tape was full of insanely good breakbeat hardcore. In effect (The Remix) always stood out to me on that compilation as it had everything I could hope for in a track: massive breakbeats, scratching, a piano breakdown, pitched female vocals, and filthy hoovers. Fast forward about 30 years, and this still sounds amazing, and I still put all of these elements into my tracks and live sets.

The Prodigy – Break and Enter

Break and Enter is the opener for “Music for the Jilted Generation” and is a perfect example of setting a scene and creating a visceral, immersive experience through music. The heartbeat, the breathing, the glass smashing, you can feel you’re there, you can taste the danger, it’s illicit, it’s illegal, and it’s excellent. When I’m building ambiences and introductions, I aim for this level of immersion. The Prodigy nailed this at such a fundamental level I still get tense listening to it today. I also love that Baby D vocal!!

Rusty K – Riot

Rusty K, aka Rustam (one half of Magnetude), is a musical genius, and this was the first track I heard from him. I was producing other styles of music at the time, but hearing this was a turning point. I couldn’t believe the aggro, in-your-face energy and musicality he’d managed to transfer into a DNB track. It was way beyond anything I’d heard before. This influenced me to start seriously producing DNB, and ultimately, it led to the birth of “Ekwols”. Also, it probably goes without saying everything Rustam and James have done since as Magnetude has influenced me; every track they do blows my mind wide open – best in the game.

Blanck Mass – Dead Format

I’m a huge fan of Blanck Mass and his dark electronic soundscapes and soundtrack work. I’m also a massive horror movie fan and find that so much of his output recreates that feeling of tension and dread for me, which I love! Dead Format is incredible; it just starts at full intensity from the get-go. It’s built on this pounding tom riff and goes heavy on the feeling of impending doom. I love how he uses vocal cuts for a lot of his main leads, and I try to add that human element into my work as well. I find it can make a deeper connection with your listener than a synth lead.

Memtrix – Capsize

I spent so many years trying to reverse engineer and learn how Memtrix made this insane track. Absolutely incredible tune that blew me away when I heard it. The energy and approach here were very different to what was being done at the time, and the musicality was off the chart. There were so many layers, and it was so complex; it really set the bar for the musicality required in a track for me, and I’ve tried to meet that ever since. Still sounds so fresh, too; Memtrix, come back and give us some more DNB, please! 🙂

Pitchshifter – Subject to Status

I’m an electronic punk at heart and believe in merging and splicing genres. Pitchshifter were all of that combined on “Subject To Status”. I saw these guys perform this live around 2000, and it was pure energy, punk rock that you could dance to. I’ve also watched dance music over the past 20 years; the beats get harder, the moshpits have come in, this expression of energy and release, this was the same experience just coming at it from the other side. I love the attitude, the sneer, the message and the cynicism, the energy and the meeting of two worlds. I slam this on loud when I need inspiration to take a track to that next level of ferocity.

Rawtekk – Here’s To Them

This one gives me shivers every time I hear it: insane sound design, ethereal vocals, and esoteric feel with an aggressive edge. It brings everything I love about modern electronic music into a single piece of art. On top of that, it speaks directly to my gothic-horror-movie-loving dark soul! What I love most about this track, though, is that it doesn’t care about genre; this, to me, is a band of the future writing music at any tempo, for the emotion, through circuits and software. That is the lesson I took from these two. Incredible.

Task Horizon ft Mc Spyda – Shattered Self

Task Horizon are sent back from the future to show us how it’s going to be done. I picked this up in 2013, and it was so futuristic, heavy and technical, way more so than anything else at the time, and it melted my mind! On top of that, it’s also juxtaposed with this epic melodic intro and insane level of musicality. Love it! Now, nearly ten years later, it still punches equally hard today and STILL sounds like it’s a step ahead from a future planet, and I don’t know how they do that!!! For me, the influence I take from all of Task Horizon’s work is to go beyond what you’ve heard, take it as heavy as you can go and really. Don’t fear the unknown cos the future’s bright if we keep moving forward with open minds.

Ed Rush and Optical – Bacteria (Pendulum Remix)

It would be hard not to include this one, and I get a double bumper for being able to include both Ed Rush and Optical and Pendulum in one! The original Bacteria is one of the cornerstones of the neurofunk genre, and by the time I was DJing house parties and raves in ’03, it was already considered a classic. This was around about the same time Pendulum were using new technologies and turning DNB on its head with new levels of production and energy that hadn’t been heard before. When this remix dropped in ’04, it just destroyed the dance every time I played it. The combination of melting those massive high-energy drums with the dark, brooding, tense original – this is really the sonic aim of what I do as Ekwols. Thank you, and massive respect to the Dons!

Nine Inch Nails – Hurt (Johnny Cash cover)

Finally, this is pretty much the most emotional song I can think of, and it always gets the hairs on my arms standing up. Nine Inch Nails are one of my main songwriting influences, as Trent can do so much using so very little. Hurt is one of those songs – so simple but conveys such raw and bare human emotions. Couple that with Johnny Cash’s delivery at the end of his life, and this is one of the finest examples of capturing the human experience. This one reminds me music connects us all, and the more emotional and honest you can be in your music – the more impact you can have.