April Dubplate features Marvyn LP, a DJ and a creative entrepreneur based in Mumbai, India. A metalhead who got introduced to Drum and Bass back in the year 2007-08 [while in boarding school], established a proper connection with the genre during his college education in Spain. Delving into his passion for music, he started with the moniker 'Moonshine Distillery' and is now known as 'Sedition'. Marvyn also runs a co-working space that aims at providing comfortable environment to the variety of creative individuals who call Mumbai their home, and also hosts seminars, listening sessions, intimate concerts etc. for the like minded folks.
Read further to know more about our feature of the month. And don't forget to press play, this mix is a much needed vibe amidst the current scenario.
1. When did you get into Drum & Bass? A - I got into drum and bass in boarding school, around 2007/08. I was a total metalhead at the time and the energy that DnB had to offer really jumped out at me. Artists like Pendulum, Spor were my introduction with their heavy sounds, but the more I dug, the variety in the genre was what made me stick around. Growing up playing the E-flat horn, trumpet and whichever brass instrument was needed at the time in the school band, the jazzy ideas from folks like London Elektricity, High Contrast and Danny Byrd created a new comfort zone. Media of all kinds was heavily monitored there, so I had to keep the volume down, and the limited internet access (hello Surfcontrol) made music discovery a lot harder than I would have liked. I would spend whatever time I could during the semester making lists of music that I would buy during the holidays back in Mumbai. If there was a crucial, must-have album, we could rely on the day students to get a hold of it for us. It was my time at university in Spain that really got me hooked, since that was my first real introduction into bass culture as a lifestyle. In addition to meeting some awesome people who shared a similar musical direction, the country was going through the worst parts of the financial crisis. Since this genre is all about revolution and tearing down the barriers that separated people, the soaring anti-establishment sentiment really opened my eyes to what could be. Music really is an extension of yourself and your environment. Getting lost in the sound is something that I wanted to share with people. That’s when I started DJing dubstep, drum & bass and gritty electronic music as Moonshine Distillery. My first controller was a budget Hercules DJ Control Air and it has braved through the years with me.
2. What and when was the pivotal moment behind starting the Sedition project? A - I had kept the moniker Moonshine Distillery for a few years. There was no real focus on a particular genre, but it was during that time that I felt Drum & Bass was my calling. I wanted to change the name to something short, sweet and social-media friendly. I was having trouble promoting posts as Moonshine Distillery because Facebook thought I was a bootlegger, and promoting posts to people under 25 years old resulted in my page getting Zuccked. So subverting authority is it, I guess. I would love to revisit Moonshine Distillery, but I’ve taken a decision to do one thing at a time. Consistency in musical output is something I’ve been struggling with for a while, since I had decided to start up GUAC Spaces, a co-working space for creatives and freelancers. That took a gargantuan amount of my time, effort and consumed my capacity to focus on anything else. More on that later though.
3. Would you like to produce some music in the future? A - Most definitely! As mentioned in the response to your last question, I’ve been finding time hard to come by, and music production is the holy grail of what I would like to do. However, it’s not something that I want to make a career out of at this moment. Learning how to use a digital audio workstation will take just as much dedication as learning an instrument, with a whole lot of extras that are totally unique to each individual. I feel that currently I’m in a good place to try and take all of what we have in, learn as much as possible, and try a few things out here and there. I love watching production masterclasses, especially from artists like Culprate who don’t shy away from a complete immersion in music theory. Since I’m already running a business, I want to give it my all, get results, and use it to create a platform from where I can take more risks. Music production as a significant part of my life is the reward at the end of the grind. 4. You own a lovely co-working space. Tell us more about it! A - Thank you! 2 years ago, if you asked me whether I’d be running a co-working space, I would have looked at you with a dazed expression. GUAC Spaces is the result of the frustration I experienced working from home. We converted our family business office into a shared workspace with some plants, light and a whole lotta soul. I want everyone who works at GUAC to feel comfortable being their most honest selves, and to really push their own personal visions to make it a hub of expression. Everyone is welcome, and I want it to represent the fantastic variety of people who call Mumbai their home. We have had a whole range of intimate concerts, workshops and seminars already, and going forward I would love to do more shows on the terrace. We’ve already hosted Sofar and REProduce Listening Room, and in the future I plan on recording audio & video so that artists can feel comfortable taking that next leap in their careers. We made a decision to close down the space before the government-sanctioned lockdown, because I didn’t really want to take any chances. The wellbeing of my staff and community is my top priority, and I really hope that everyone takes social distancing seriously so that we can go back to living our normal lives. Go Corona, Go. 5. What are your go-to genres other than Drum & Bass? A - Depending on my mood, I’ll listen to hip-hop, glitch, indie, trip-hop, progressive metal and reggae. Bandcamp is my absolute favourite resource right now. It has really opened my eyes to music that I would have never really come across. I’ve started a YouTube channel called Otterly Smooth to share tunes from my favourite independent artists, with their permission. The genres are varied, but smoothness is what ties the whole channel together. 6. 5 tunes you are digging at the moment? A - I intend on getting signed to a tier one lable this year, and to play live more and more. I’m already planning on my next EP, and I’ve also started following courses exclusively for Drum and bass production, which will help me to push myself further. I’m determined, and I hope to work towards my end goal. I have also started working in collaboration with a few pop and rap artists in the country and I hope to make a few commercially viable tunes as well. It all counts when you spell ‘EXPERIENCE’. 7. tunes you are digging at the moment? A - Redeyes – Outlines - Erik Jackson – Lonesome in the Neons - Gerra & Stone - Polarism - Carlito & Addiction - Hellas - McKinley Dixon - Life & Times ft. Micah James (Thomas Prime Remix) • Follow Sediton - Facebook | Mixcloud | Instagram
Tracklist
1] Airshots & Ben Shemel - Can't Catch Me [Spearhead Records] 2] Dialect - Pawn Shop - [DNB France] 3] Makoto - Fancy Free [Hospital Records] 4] Logistics - Triangles [Hospital Records] 5] Degs - Levitate Your Mind (ft. Unglued) [Hospital Records] 6] Need For Mirrors - Zxana [Spearhead Records] 7] Low:R - For Dem [Such Music] 8] Enei - Save Me (ft. Charli Brix) [Critical Music] 9] Sunchase - Lapdance (ft. Dissident) [Drone Audio] 10] Screamarts - Tribes [Delta9 Recordings] 11] S.P.Y. - Manicured Reality [Hospital Records] 12] MISSIN - Directions [Delta9 Recordings] 13] Alibi - Directions [V Recordings} 14] Alix Perez & Halogenix - Rollcage [1985 Music] 15] Mefjus - Sinkhole (Skeptical Remix) [Vision Recordings] 16] Nas - No Idea's Original (Sam Harris Bootleg) [Columbia Records] 17] Splinter - Reason [Forged Recordings] 18] Moby - Natural Blues (Icicle Remix) [Shogun Audio] 19] Arcatype - Space Age [Symmetry Recordings] 20] Technimatic - Let It Fall [Shogun Audio] 21] Kimyan Law - Glow [Blu Mar Ten Music] 22] Utah Jazz - Broken Home [Vintage Recordings] 23] Bop & Subwave - Dead Almost [Hospital Records] 24] VixiA - Temple of Idleness [The Earth Music] 25] Random Movement - The Change Is In You [Fokuz Limited] 26] Murdock - Headshot - [Hospital Records] 27] The Caracal Project - Was Like It Will Be [DNB France] 28] Urbandawn - Messiah Complex [Hospital Records] 29] Data 3 - Komparen [Flexout Audio} 30] Culprate - Dawn [Open Outlets] 31] Mefjus - Together [Vision Recordings]
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