Bashing down the doors of 2017 with even more intent than last year, Turno has already dented the new year with his first US shows and one of his biggest records to date: the Vision EP on Mampi Swift’s Charge.
Packed with four timeless bruisers and rollers ranging from the 1.21 gigawatt grooves of The Invaderz and Frightened to the deeper more stripped back science of tracks like Sectioned, since Mampi shared the dubplates last year the EP has had support from the very top: Andy C, Calyx & Teebee, Friction, Chase & Status, the list goes on…
Following key releases on labels such as Titan, Low Down Deep and Playaz last year, and currently hogging the Beatport top spot for over a week, it’s yet another benchmark release for the UK producer. Swiftly becoming a trusted all-rounder who smashes across the board with a signature that resonates with all corners from jump up to tech, something tells us his Charge debut is the first of many new levels unlocked this year. So we called him to find out what his first ever musical experiences were…
First Performance
“All my first ever sets playing out were on a pair of wobbly decks set up on pool table pubs/bars across Bedford. It was literally a group of pubs/bars that let a little group of us do our small little parties. That would have been mid-2000s but it was when my early releases starting coming a few years later that my first proper gigs came in. CKB up in Birmingham was the first guy to book me and put me on a flyer. He ran Class A Recordings, the label that gave me my first release and helped me on my path. That felt more like a first proper gig.”
Last Performance
“I’ve had a whole bunch of shows this year but my favourite has been Dr Eps’ birthday bash. He’s my MC and he put on a sick party with his brand Team Drumz in Fire. It was a proper vibe all night. The second room was on a house one, which I’ve been really getting into over the last few years. House at a jump-up event is a rare thing but this really worked and the whole party was a joy to play. Proper music and vibes all night, the way all good parties should be.”
First Record I Bought
“I’m not even going to think far back enough to incriminate myself on my very first ever album but the first vinyl I do remember. My old dear got them for me – John B’s Blandwagon Poos and Friction’s Torture Chamber on Renegade Hardware. Solid releases to start off with. I just did a show with John and met him for the first time, he’s a cool guy. It was mad playing on the same bill as the man who made the first ever drum & bass record I owned!”
Last Record I Bought
“Sir Spyro Ft Teddy Brukshot , Lady Chan , Killa P – Topper Top. Fucking monster tune. I love buying records and looking for tunes that people might not associate with me. We get this luxury of promos and mailing lists but it’s good to look beyond that and pick stuff personally. There’s often a little section in my set where I’ll diverge and play a bit of grime and garage so because of that I search even more for those special non-drum & bass tracks that still trigger the right reaction with drum & bass heads. You know the records when you find them…”
First Club Experience
“The first time I went out for drum & bass was an event called Basic Standardz who would bring these mad D&B names to a tiny little bar called The Angel in Bedford. It was the only place in town with any type of underground scene and they managed to get Andy C, Blackmarket, G Dub, even Pendulum… Looking back, they brought some mans down there! That was my first experience of going out to drum & bass. Then my first big rave was Global Gathering – being in that drum & bass tent and seeing the atmosphere was next level. That stretched my scope massively and gave me even bigger ambitions.”
Last Club Experience
“Obviously I’m working most weekends but if we’re talking going ‘out’ out then I go to a lot of house nights because it’s something completely different to what I play and hear at shows, it refreshes and inspires me. But to be honest I think the last night I went out properly was the Drum&BassArena Awards for the first time, which was amazing and a bit of an eye-opener. It’s nice to see people letting their hair down and relaxing a bit. It’s actually nice to see everyone is normal! It was a great night and i met people I wouldn’t be on the same flyer as. Guys like Break who I would never normally be on the same line-up as. It’s important for the scene to have opportunities for everyone to get together on that level.”
First Musical WTF Experience
“This is deep! I guess you could go as far back as my old man being in a band back when I was a kid. They did quite a lot of gigs and had a reputation so seeing him do that was always really inspirational and got me into learning instruments like piano and cello. So that was always there. I also clearly remember the first time I was played drum & bass – it was on the school bus on a kid who’d moved from London’s Walkman. I was like what the fuck is this? I think it was Ed Rush with MC Riddla and instantly I was intrigued and needed to know more…”
Last Musical WTF Experience
“I can’t believe I’m saying this but it was The Voice on TV the other day. This big gospel guy absolutely smashed it and I had goosebumps all over. I can’t deny it or hide it, I’ve got to deal with it!”
First Release
“My first ever release was on Class A Recordings – it was called Pretty. Dig it out if you dare and please don’t judge me. It was around 2010 and digital – it didn’t even warrant a vinyl release. I was buzzing at the time but you are when you’re on your first release but you’re always looking to improve aren’t you? The next main goal was to get a vinyl out. Once I achieved that I wanted to go full time. Now I’ve done that I’ve got a list of labels I want to release on. Like Charge….”
Last Release
“The Vision EP has been a long time coming! It started when I made Frightened and thought ‘that sounds like Charge’ I had to send it to Mampi out of respect. Just to say how influential his style has been on me. Straight away he got back and wanted to sign it. Then we built it into an EP. The Invaderz came next and it went from there. I wanted to showcase a bit more of a mature sound. It’s a childhood dream to work with Charge. Mampi had such a huge effect on me as I was getting into drum & bass so to release on his imprint is a blessing.
“What’s really nice is that while tracks like The Invaderz are almost two years old now but still getting the reactions they have. Music changes so quickly, so for them to work after two years is humbling. The tracks – especially Invaderz – have had a mad journey. First I was playing them with friends like Logan D, Heist and Hazard then they took on a life of their own when Mampi sent it to the big dogs – Andy C, Calyx & Teebee, Chase & Status, Friction. I was astounded at who was playing them. It’s really inspiring and the best way to start a new year. Proof that there are no limits!”
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