The friendly gentlemen from Ganja White Night understand that dubstep comes in all different shapes and sizes. Benjamin Bayeul & Erwan Dodson have cooked up some sick bass productions for over ten years now, but what the experienced pair has planned next is by far one of their most impressive releases yet.
With a full album in the works, it made perfect sense for us to track down the GWN guys and get a better idea of where their heads are at. On top of going ridiculously hard in the studio lately, these dubstep all-stars have also arranged plans to visit North America this upcoming summer. Do yourself a favor and read up on all of the notable developments related to the duo below.
What have you guys been up to lately?
We’ve been producing like machines since January. We’ve spent countless hours making music. In fact, we almost went a little bit crazy in the process. It was the first time we produced that much new material in a short period of time like this, so it’s also the first time we’ll have an album that has a real consistency to it.
Truth be told, it was the easiest album to make. After taking a little break with dubstep on the last album, we weren’t ever sure if we would be motivated enough to create it again. We were so wrong! Been back on dubstep and it’s giving us so much energy and so many ideas, we’re really happy about it.
You recently posted a clip of Propaganda on your SoundCloud, tell me about the track.
That’s the track that gives us the thread of the album. I think it’s the kind of track that our fans really like on our albums. It’s definitely not a track geared towards headbangers, but it helps give a soul to the entire album.
How does your production process work?
It’s actually really easy. We thought a lot about how to make it function best at the beginning, but we’ve each had our own roles in the production process for years now. We constantly share Dropbox folders that allow us to save the project files. Thanks to that, we’re able to open the Cubase project regardless of where we are.
Erwan makes beats at every BPM, drawing on every kind of inspiration, big and small loops. I then choose between those beats the one that gives me some ideas, and following that step, I start composing on it. He [Erwan] is able to open the same project and keep the beat updated in relation with the rest, and that’s the way we’re working now.
Can we please discuss your forthcoming album?
So it’s a 100% dubstep album. It will be a journey between deep stuff like Propaganda and more heavy tunes like Get Down. There is also some downtempo stuff in the 133-145bpm range.
We recently had the opportunity to test out a bunch of the new tunes at Club Soda in Montreal, and we were really, really happy with people’s reactions. I’m not the least bit hesitant to say that this new album is going to be the one that we’re the most happy about to date.
What are your thoughts on the current state of dubstep?
I think that 2016 will be the year that dubstep comes back with a force. I could feel something brewing a few months ago. We’ve all heard that dubstep is dead, but that couldn’t be more wrong.
Personally, we kind of like the fact that people say we’re old school producers, mostly because of the fact that we’re not technical geniuses like some of these other musicians out there. We give more importance to the soul of the track than trying to reach a high technique level. I think old school producers in dubstep – the one’s who actually launched the style – gave more importance to making original melodies and catchy wobbles than looking for a special bass sound that defies sound design. Their tunes were pure and original.
Let’s talk about your label Subcarbon.
That’s our little baby that we’ve been steadily growing. We don’t have a lot of time at the moment, but we try to keep posting fresh material every couple weeks. We’re so happy and honored to have been able to promote new artists like DMVU, Donowitz, Kidway, Meyze, and some Belgian producers like Dark Factory – a solid beat makers crew in the Belgian hip-hop scene. We’re also working on a new release from an artist that we’ve wanted on the label. I can’t tell you the name right now, but rest assured, it’s going to be big!
I’m a US citizen, so can we expect a GWN visit this summer?
Hell yeah you can expect to see us soon. Some shows have already been announced, like Infrasound Music Festival. Which is, in my opinion, the best emerging festival in America. Our fan base in the US is so enthusiastic about our music, they really give us the energy to keep producing! Not to mention that you also offer some of the finest cuisine around, like those deep fried snack bars.
Addiction is my favorite album to date. How does it compare to your forthcoming release?
I think the new album is going to make people dance a little bit more. Fans of Addiction shouldn’t be disappointed though, because we’re always taking care of the melodic stuff. Some vocals, some melodies, some melodic bass wobbles. I think our supporters will recognize our touch really easily.
I’m curious, but who does the artwork for the majority of your productions?
His name is Ebo. He’s a famous Belgian street artist and illustrator. Most of his work is done within the hip-hop scene, but he’s definitely a versatile artist. The guy is so talented, and now that he’s also messing around with animation, we can’t wait to ask him to help us make a music video.
You are both from Belgium. I know it’s a sensitive subject, but could you please speak a little bit about the recent attacks in Brussels?
We’re about to fly back to Belgium today, we had actually just arrived in Canada the day the attacks happened. It was an extremely weird feeling to be there, and not with our family and friends. Maybe the saddest thing is that we were not really surprised it happened. We had a bad feeling it might be our turn soon, but we’ll just continue to live like nothing happened. We’re not scared. And to be honest, we just can’t wait to get back to Brussels and play our next set.
READ
