Our October Dubplate feature, we have 'Ravana', an artist whose music is synonymous with infusing traditional Indian music with his production styles in the most intuitive manner. DJing since 2002, he has released 25 albums in the last few years. That's something, isn't it?Read on to know more about him, after you press play to this funky mix he has put together for us and our audience, you guys. Check it all out. Don't forget to support, share and show some love.
1. You had previously mentioned that you were a part of a band, Kali Death and eventually Drum & Bass became your go-to genre. Can you tell us more about the transformation from the old skool styles that you explored, to Drum & Bass?
A - 1. No, I had mentioned that we had a hypothetical/imaginary band called Kali Death. And us teenage boys used to shadow practice and do mock concerts with the music playing in the background. This was the time when I was devoted to Heavy Metal music.
But even in those times I got to listen to The Prodigy and got instantly hooked onto the breaks present in them. In the meanwhile I also liked listening to, Rage Against The Machine, Biohazard and Dr. Dre and ofcourse Enigma and them bests, ufffff, which kind of helped me in my transformation from metal music to Electronica.
Sometime in 2000 I was introduced to the sound of Aphrodite (dnb) and I also had a job with a corporate and super fast internet connection to explore my wits end.
And through internet my full transformation happened from a metalhead to an electronic buff, especially drum n bass.
2. What's your opinion on the different styles of Drum & Bass that have evolved in the last few years?
A - To be frank I have lost connection with what has happened as far as Drum & Bass music is concerned after 2005 and that is the reason all my dnb mixes and shows still contains artists and/tracks from those times. I think my last new genre that evolved from dnb was trance & bass. I m still a lover of that raw sound which used to be prevalent in the old skool dnb of Ray Keith, Aphrodite, MC Det, Congo Natty, Mickey Finn to Bad Company, Ed Rush & Optical, Decoder, Tech Itch and Roni Size.
3. You had also mentioned about your own style of productions in your previous interview with us. We never got a chance to ask you about how you like to go about your projects?
A - Since my days from a dnb DJ I have also moved on to become a total DUB producer, concentrating on the Politics of India and the mismanagement of Power abuse by the Elite and Powerful. Anything that goes around in the country which has had a tragic effect and created huge ripples in the lives of the common citizens will have their voice in the form of bass heavy and content driven music through my aliases RAVANA and recently evolved DRAAMA.
4. Lately, More and more artists are taking inspiration from the signature jungle undertones and they're producing groundbreaking music. What's your take on how the scene is bubbling at the moment?
A - Yes, in the last 2 decades the growth in technology has made a lot of non players, people who like to make music but are not capable of playing any instruments (people like me) a chance to explore sounds and produce music. Not only Jungle, majority of the sounds that we hear or produce has got its roots in Africa or the people who belong to that diaspora and the scene is exploding like never before.
5. Five tunes you are digging at the moment?
A - Uffff, there are too many tracks that I'm digging these days, especially desi rap tracks.
A. DHANGSHA - EARTH BLOC
http://dhangsha.bandcamp.com/track/earth-bloc
B. HEMANT SK - HOMAGE TO A MOTOR
https://youtu.be/aDNUTMo3kws
C. DRAAMA - OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
http://draama.bandcamp.com/track/occupied-territories
D. RAVANA - DANTEWADA DUB
http://ravana.bandcamp.com/track/naxalite-part-3-dantewada-dub
E. RAVANA - WAR FOR PEACE
http://ravana.bandcamp.com/track/war-for-peace
• Follow Ravana - Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
Tracklist 1] Natural Born Chillers – Rock The Funky Beats (Original Mix) Urban Takeover 2] Natural Born Chillers – Rock The Funky Beats (Remix) Urban Takeover 3] Aphrodite & Micky Finn – Bad Ass (Remix) Urban Takeover 4] Aphrodite & Micky Finn – Bad Ass (Original Mix) Urban Takeover 5] 2Vibe & Eps - Hype The Funk (Original Mix) Urban Takeover 6] Aphrodite & Micky Finn - Drop Top Caddy (Original Mix) Urban Takeover 7] Lemon D - Urban Style Music (Hidden Agenda Remix) Metalheadz 8] DJ Hype - Ready or Not (jungle remix) EMI Music 9] Aphrodite - Style From The Darkside Aphrodite Recordings 10] DJ SS - The Lighter (Original Mix) Ministry Of Sound 11] DJ SS - Sound Of The Future (V.I.P. Mix) Formation Recs. 12] Adam F Feat. LL Cool J - The Greatest Of All Time' (Ray Keith VIP Remix) System Recordings 13] Amit – Swastika Commercial Suicide 14] Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce - Alien Girl Prototype Recordings 15] Hive - Ultrasonic Sound (Dillinja Remix) Vortex Records 16] Ice Minus – Clones Tech Itch Recordings
Comments