“UKF is a great place to gauge opinions and see people debate over tracks. People come up with perspectives that you’d never conceive otherwise. Sometimes good, sometimes bad…”

We caught up with London D&B craftsman Paul Insideinfo a few days after we uploaded his latest Viper rough-houser Mushroom.

A track that’s triggered hugely contrasting opinions ranging from ‘dog shit’ to comparisons to the mighty Noisia, Paul actually wrote it after an autumn walk through some nearby woods. Never did he quite imagine how divisive the track would be. Then again, that’s not really how Insideinfo works anyway.

I don’t make music to be loved or win friends or followers. I make music because I love it. I make music because there’s nothing else I’d rather do for a living.

“I never consider how people will think about my music when I’m making it,” he shrugs. “That’s not what it’s all about. I do find it all a bit bizarre though… I’ve never gone online and said ‘this is shit!’ to anything. A piece of music, a piece of writing, a cool picture, anything… It’s just not how I react to things. But everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everyone is a critic. UKF is a great place to gauge opinions and see people debate over tracks. People come up with perspectives that you’d never conceive otherwise. Sometimes good, sometimes bad…”

And it’s not just YouTube comments Paul tries his best to shut out. He doesn’t even read DJ’s reactions sheets…

“You do have to shut it out,” he states. “Even label feedback sheets with DJs’ comments. It’s nice to read but I try and make a point of not reading it. I’m sorry if this sounds arrogant, but I don’t make music to be loved or win friends or followers. I make music because I love it. I make music because there’s nothing else I’d rather do for a living. It’s an amazing feeling when you break an idea out of your head and learn new techniques to make that happen and really push yourself and your abilities.

“I’ve seen artists blow up massively because they’ve written a popular track. Then they disappear into nothing. And that’s because they’re not writing what’s inside them. People have said to me ‘you should write a poppy track and make loads of money’ or ‘you should make dubstep and get a higher profile’ and I always say ‘no, that’s not what I’m about.’ People get frustrated and say I’ve got no ambition. I just don’t want to write what people tell me to. I’d rather write what I want to write. Like mushrooms.”

Listening to his own voice. Going off his own gut instinct. There’s more to Paul’s artist name than you’d first think. It appears he’s currently as prolific as he is philosophical, too. After a slew of cuts – Transpose with Prolix, Aphanite with Maztek, a remix of Hybrid Minds’ Meant To Be and a forthcoming remix of Bad Company’s classic Torpedo – he’s now contemplating a debut artist album…

“It’s about time,” he grins. “Next couple of months I’ll be writing loads of sketches. Maybe one a week. I’m changing my workflow to do this. Once I’ve got a body of tracks I’ll develop the best ideas and make an album. That’s the plan anyway. Then again, I never stick to plans so let’s just wait and see…”

One thing is certain: whatever comes our way from Insideinfo, it will be on his terms and, like all the best creations, will not be sullied by concerns of public perception. Here’s a few other things we learnt about the Viper artist…

Insideinfo: Inside Info

First record I ever bought…

“I remember this very specifically. I read an interview with The Prodigy in a video game magazine. I’d heard one of their tracks before and knew they sounded cool, so after I read the interview I went down to Woolwooths and bought Jilted. What an entrance into this music! It changed my whole life. The Prodigy are everything; energy, big soundcapes, technical complexity. I’ve remained a massive fan ever since. No one touches them. They are why I produce music.”

First drum & bass record I ever bought…

“I used to tune into pirate stations as a kid and hear the really early jungle stuff. It sounded so mad and different to everything. It sounded so fresh. Even on a really shit hifi! So the first drum & bass album I bought off the back of hearing this was Jungle Mania 3. It had LTJ Bukem’s Horizons on it which I used to skip through because it wasn’t heavy enough! It’s now one of my all time favourite tracks…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o11cnMUTHM4

When I’m not neck deep in music…

“I’m in the kitchen. Cooking is my next big thing. I wanted to be a chef but I’m lazy and the training seemed a bit too daunting! I love everything about it; the creating side and the enjoyment people have when you feed them. I love curries and Thai food. I’m really trying to master a massaman at the moment. I’m doing a piri piri chicken right now. A spaghetti Bolognese is a really versatile dish depending on new ingredients. To be honest I love cooking anything!”