Last year, Lenzman’s highly acclaimed Looking At The Stars album cemented his position as one of the finest drum & bass producers around.
This year, the album received a fresh lick of paint in the form of a remix EP; a release that saw a selection of the genre’s best producers add their own unique spin to several of the LP’s standout tracks.
“Once the remixes started coming in, I was very happy with the results. With remixes you never know what you’re going to get, but I loved everything that was sent back” he says. “The EP is pretty varied, so there’s almost a full spectrum of drum & bass music there. To have a reception like it has had is lovely, but for me the most important thing is that it what music I believed in.”
Now that the dust has settled on that blistering EP, the Metalheadz maestro is looking to the future with a new EP hopefully due before the end of the year… And even bigger plans on the horizon!
“In the coming weeks I’m going to get stuck into writing album number two,” he reveals. “I’ve got a lot of inspiration for it so I’m really looking forward to getting back to a big project.”
Exciting! He’s also got a handful of remixes set to drop himself, so we thought we’d tap his brain and get a few top tips when it comes to producing a killer edit
“I think the key factor a remixer has to master is knowing how to pick the elements from the original that define the track and using them as tools to sculpt something that is your own,” he says. “A remix can sound similar to the original if that works, or it can sound completely different – that aspect really doesn’t matter to me so much. If it’s a great track, can be recognised in some way as a remix of the original material, but also sounds like the remixer, then that’s a good remix.”
Lenzman: Top 10 Remixes:
Jaheim – Put That Woman First (Calibre Remix)
“This track is a lot of things to me; one of my favourite drum & bass tracks of all time and one of my favourite Calibre tunes of all time. A sub-genre defining moment in drum & bass history. I can’t praise this one enough.”
Roni Size / Reprazent – Watching Windows (DJ Die Gnarly Remix)
When I was about 20 I used to go out clubbing and would always pray the DJ would drop this track – it used to destroy dancefloors. Other than the vocal it doesn’t really use too much of the original, but it’s just a beast of a track. Once the midrange bass comes in it’s game over… definitely one of the most prized records in my collection.
Ed Rush & Optical – Medicine (Matrix Remix)
Come on, I don’ t have to explain do I? This remix is as classic as they come. An inspiration to so many current wave producers. It’s one of those basslines that could go on for an hour and you’d like still not get tired of it.
Solid State – Just A Vision (Marcus Intalex & S.T. Files Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbmfFuvAW5I
I remember when I bought this in London and played it at a party in The Netherlands. It made me feel like a big deal!
DJ Krust – Jazz Note (Total Science Remix)
Very true to the original, but at the same time sounds like Total Science. They did loads of great remixes, but this is my favourite.
Commix – Belleview (dBridge Remix)
To me this remix took an already sick track from 3D to 4d; added a whole other dimension.
Shy FX & T Power – Everything (Ill Logic & Raf Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM-CqQEIC9I
Man I miss Ill Logic & Raf. This remix is possibly my favourite track of theirs and that says a lot.
Future Forces Inc. – Strontium Jazz (Dillinja Remix)
Everyone loves Dillinja and I’m no exception. To my memory this remix is a moment where Karl levelled up and took his sound in a whole new direction. What a monster.
Roni Size / Reprazent – Share The Fall (Grooverider’s Jeep Style Mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBcLh3TUl9Q
I remember losing my shit over this track when I was about 18 or 19. Signature Rider sounds. Ughhh!
LTJ Bukem – Music (Peshay Rework)
This is the first piece of drum & bass vinyl I ever bought. Enough said.
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