Soundcloud has had a serious bashing lately… But it’s still a jewel-encrusted mine of new talent and fresh ideas when you dig hard enough. My most recent find? The awesome sounds of Russian artist Gillepsy.
After hearing his remix of the Valentino Khan’s infamous Deep Down Low, and realizing there little to no information out there on him, besides a recent Mad Decent-released remix of Daktyl, I had to find more.
Please meet Gillepsy, the 31-year-old producer from Russia who turned Deep Down Low into a groovy, unique piece of art that’s backed up with whole body of originals, edits and remixes. Get acquainted…
The Internet turned our lives into some kind of musical speedway, and musical snobbery comes from the underground. If something were considered as underground yesterday it could become new hype tomorrow. That’s why it’s better to just stop wasting time on tags. Just relax and listen to the music!
There’s really very little info about you anywhere! Where are you from? What’s your name?
Hi! I’m Oleg. I live in a small province in central Russia called Bryansk. It’s my hometown, and I love it, but it’s pretty boring. And if we’re talking about music–it’s even worse. I’ve had the chance to play a lot of sets around my country, but never in my city… That sort of explains it for you.
How long have you been producing music?
I was first introduced to music production software in 2000. My first experiences were with eJay, it was really fun and simple! But I became bored of just moving premade loops so I moved over to FL Studio and have never cheated on it with another DAW since. It’s almost become part of my family. There’s me, my wife, my son and Fruity Loops instead of a puppy!
I don’t have any musical education, but I played in school bands on drums and guitar. While studying in university, I played in a progressive-hardcore band with my mates. But being part of the band started to be too complex and I started to work on my own music. It’s much easier to organize and you don’t need to share your fee with anyone, haha.
What other types of musical work have you done?
Through all my music experience I was always attracted to something new and undiscovered. That’s why I never tried to copy any of the canonic styles. I’ve created weird hip-hop, IDM, glitch, breakcore, chiptune, ambient and even synth pop abominations. Moods and directions of my music were changing so frequently that I was improving, but slowly. On the other hand I’ve developed really valuable experience and useful methods from different genres.
I never tried to hit the hype; I was just interested in doing every single genre. Finally I ended with music I’m doing at the moment.
I know it’s the hardest question to ask an artist but how would you describe your style?
The musical world turned mad a long time ago because of all these new genres that keep coming out of nowhere every six months. The Internet turned our lives into some kind of musical speedway, and musical snobbery comes from the underground. If something were considered as underground yesterday it could become new hype tomorrow. That’s why it’s better to just stop wasting time on tags. Just relax and listen to the music!
I guess my latest tracks are mostly tagged as future bass or chill trap (although I hate this term!). The fun part is, I have no idea how I will sound in a year. That’s why I prefer to stick with the simple term: Bass.
You got the opportunity to remix Daktyl on Mad Decent…
It was an honor. And of course it’s an honor for me to have my track released by Mad Decent, it was a really good opportunity for me to show my skill to a large amount of people, so I’m thankful for that. I woke up one day and checked my email – message from Mad Decent was already there. There were few topics in discussion and one of them was the question if I’m ready to remix Daktyl. I really enjoyed the original vocals from Cyclical, but I still decided to make some changes. I pitched it a little here and there and added some energy and emotions to the whole tune.
Any other labels you want to work with in the future?
I will continue to work with my friends from Hyperboloid Records. They’ve helped me since the beginning. This fall they’re releasing a remix compilation of my 2014 Online Odyssey EP. Also, I’ve been working on my new mini-album for pretty long time. I hope it’s going to be my next step as a producer. I’m happy to say that I finally have live vocals, recorded especially for me, instead of vocal-samples. I can’t say where it’s going to be released right now. I have some good offers, but I should probably finish it first.
Tell me about this remix of Deep Down Low
When I’m on remix duty, I always try to show the original track from a different and unexpected angle. That’s why it was so obvious for me what I should do with such a dry, mechanical and a little bit evil tune as Deep Down Low.
I’ve made it more melodic, alive and smooth. Also, I’m crazy about synth solos, no matter if it’s old funk-jazz by Herbie Hancock or nowadays synth bangs by Haywyre. Maybe I left too little from the original Valentino Khan tune in my remix. But I think that makes it more interesting.
Interesting and catchy…
I love catchy music! Not the type that is pretending to be some kind of mystery. I like the type of music that is seeking to have a beer with you, swim in a pool, or play a videogame. I mean friendly. But it doesn’t mean that music should be dumb or burdening to your brain. It should make you feel bright, alive and emotional. And if you are saying everyone, including you, loves it that means I’m pretty close to the point I was heading to all this time!
