Audio tells us about his new ‘[unsocial]’ LP
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‘[unsocial]’ is the brand-new LP from Drum & Bass producer Audio, a name which sent shockwaves across the community when it was announced he’d signed to influential imprint RAM Records. But his fifth album ‘[unsocial]’ goes further than the sounds he’s cultivated over decades and instead sees him dig even deeper into what is at his core as an artist. After feeling a certain amount of pressure which came through writing big tracks of a certain style, the ongoing pandemic has helped him elevate himself out of the pigeonhole he’d found himself in whilst keeping him planted at his roots. With the world going into lockdown, he felt a pressure release, not being so reliant on music financially, especially the type of music he’d written to get the best reactions whilst playing out. But after the DJing disappeared, it became more about what he wanted to focus on artistically. It wasn’t until he was out of the other side, producing back at home and away from dancefloors he came to realise the love had been squeezed out of his work. Something which returned with the creation of his new LP ‘[unsocial]’.
Covid provided Audio with a reset as survival mode kicked in and he started to dismantle the stereotype of his artist name. An unforeseen consequence of world’s changing face saw him fall in love with Drum & Bass again, washing away the complacency and leaving him no longer feeling boxed in by his position. Now there was no question about whether exploring a more expansive path would affect bookings, and he certainly didn’t want to repeatedly produce another ‘Headroom’, but still wanted to continue the hard style he was renowned for. The voice he thought he’d forgotten he now found with ‘[unsocial]’ and it felt like a similar homecoming to the conception of his legendary album on Virus Recordings, ‘Genesis Device’.
We recently had a little catch up with Audio to delve a little deeper into the back story of the new album…
Hey Audio! Thanks for speaking to us. Now [unsocial] is finally out, how do you feel it’s been received? Were you nervous about releasing something a little different for your fans?
So far, the reaction has been amazing, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive about all the tracks, which is obviously really nice when I’m trying to push people’s expectations of me. I know there will be die-hard people who only like the older stuff I did and that’s fine, I get that, but we all must evolve and this is just me evolving again.
Can you tell us the top five releases from your career and how these have led to the process of creating ‘[unsocial]’?
Resonant Evil ‘Troubleshoot’ [Renegade Hardware]
My first experience of making a big tune, part of a 3-man group this reached no.5 in the UK dance charts and was the first time I had Andy C starting his set with a tune I was involved with!
‘Warehouse / Destroyed’ [Freak Records]
This was my first big solo tune that got a lot of traction at the Therapy Session parties.
Collision [Virus Recordings]
This was the biggest tune and arguably still one of my biggest tunes that was part of my debut album on Virus called ‘Genesis Device’.
‘Headroom VIP’ [Virus Recordings]
This very innocent little VIP I did of ‘Headroom’ turned into a monster, if ‘Collision’ isn’t my biggest tune, this certainly is, I can play it today and it’s still carnage.
‘Lost’ [unsocial] [RAM Records]
This tune signified a turning point for me, in the middle of lockdown I found a freedom in the studio I hadn’t felt in years, this lead directly to the forming of the [unsocial] album project.
Which RAM artists excite you the most right now?
SKANTIA – I can’t wait for his album. He is of this new generation that aren’t getting pigeonholed into one style or sound and it’s great, I’ve been smashing something he sent for ages now, I think it’s on his LP, absolute monster though!
How do you feel like the last two years have helped you evolve musically and what were the least expected challenges of lockdown?
The last 2 years have drastically helped me grow in all aspects of my life, I needed that mental and physical reset, I was stuck in a rut doing the same things, the cool shit only happens when you swim against the current and I had forgotten that.
What shows coming up are you most looking forward to?
There’s the RAM Xmas Party at XOYO on 17th December which will be carnage! Plus, a huge Korsakov Weekender next year where I’m doing a b2b with Mefjus which should be very cool
Can you describe the emotions behind your first gig back after lockdown? Where were you and how did you prepare your DJ set after such a long time not being behind the decks?
Yeah, I can, I was absolutely shitting myself lol, thank god it was a Killbox show in Paris, so I could at least share the nerves with Ed Rush, it was crazy though as soon as I took over and pressed play on the CDJ it all came flooding back, like riding a bike I guess!
