Sometimes in life you experience something so mind-blowing that it changes your path forever. Fresh from his European tour with Gridlok and having just released his first solo EP through his own label, now seems like the perfect time for Prolix to reflect back on the catalysts that stirred his life-long passion for drum and bass and motivated him to become the producer he is today.
Mr Frost basically changed my life that day… from then on every time I went out it was only drum and bass.
First Performance
My first ever performance was for Renegade Hardware at The End. That was such a great club! It was probably 2005. For the month prior to that, I’d just been learning to play about ten records… the same ten records over and over! I was already a producer but I was kind of new to DJing.
Throughout the two days before the gig, I was literally sick to my stomach with nerves… I was just opening to the bar staff, so there wasn’t going to be anyone there anyway! It was quite a baptism of fire… I’d be in hospital if I went through that much stress before every gig!
My Last Performance
That was the IDM festival in Bologna with Rockwell and Benny page. It was the end of my European Project Trendkill tour with Gridlok. We did 13 shows on the back of our album.
It was a kickstarter album, we appealed to our fans to help us and fortunately we raised about $13500 so we managed to press loads of records! Gridlok lives in San Francisco. So we started the album on tour in Australia and then I went over and did some of it in San Francisco. A lot of Dropboxing followed!
I met a couple of people on the tour that had come from far and wide. Contributors of a certain level got in to the club for free and of course it’s always great to say thank you! We got five people who gave us $500, so that was pretty amazing! We did wonder afterwards why we put the over $5000 option, I mean who the hell would spend $5000 to come and hang out with us!
First Record I Bought
I bought Bad Company’s Inside The Machine. That was the album that really got me in to producing. The sounds were so incredible to me at that time…. and even to this day, I listen and think ‘How did you make that?’ It was really inspiring!
Last Record I Bought
I can’t really think of the last thing I bought, because I get sent so much from fellow producers, I’m really lucky in that respect! I do really love the latest Mefjus EP. He’s an Austrian guy, a great producer, DJ and all round top bloke!
I buy stuff from Beatport and iTunes every so often, usually before a gig if there’s anything outstanding that I need. I get a lot of promos sent to me, too. I probably have about 100 to get through before the weekend!
First Club Experience
The first time I’d heard drum and bass out on a big system and I was like ‘What the f**k is this!?’
Aside from the shitty local discos when I was 15, drum & bass wise it was the Essential Festival at the Brighton Centre in 1997. I listened to a lot of rock and metal as a kid and I’d never really been into house, so that was the first time I’d heard drum and bass out on a big system and I was like ‘What the fuck is this!?’
It only turned out to be Jumping Jack Frost playing. It was fucking awesome! I was blown away. Mr. Frost basically changed my life that day, so big up Frosty! From then on, every time I went out it was only drum and bass. I then got into loads of styles and eventually wound up a producer.
Last Club Experience
That was in Rotterdam, with Mefjus. After Gridlok and I had played, we went on the dancefloor to watch him play and it was really, really good! Most of the time these days, I’m behind the DJ booth and I’m getting to an age where I don’t go out as much as I used to. But Mefjus is someone whose tunes I really love and I’m really into his mixing so I was glued to the dance floor where it’s best to hear it!
First Musical WTF?! Moment
I remember hearing Oxygen (The Drilla Killa) and thinking it was like machines talking to each other!
Again, probably listening to Bad Company’s album Inside The Machine, following my drum and bass awakening at The Brighton Centre. It’s something I’ve always tried to work towards, to be that good. Even though now they’re quite old tunes, it’s still a pioneering record. I remember hearing Oxygen (The Drilla Killa) and thinking it was like machines talking to each other! That was the album that started me off on a path in my life that has ended with me being a full time producer and DJ.
Last Musical WTF!? Moment
At the Let It Roll Festival in Prague, a few months ago. Misanthrop dropped a new tune of his that was really really amazing. I’ve been bugging him for it ever since! He keeps telling me it’s only 80 per cent done… actually, I need to hit him up about that again!
First Release
My first ever release was Timechaser, a collab with Noisia. That was in 2004, so over ten years now! We met on a forum and were chatting about drum and bass, sending each other tunes and sketches all the time. I went over there to Groningen and made a tune with them and I’ve actually been over there again recently, ten years on, so we’ve a got another tune coming out! It’s called ‘Asteroids’ and should be out in a couple of months on their label Vision for their new EP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dcpK0e1wKk
Last Release
The First Contact EP on my own label, Trendkill Records. It means a lot to me because it’s the first solo EP on my label and it seems to be getting a great response, which is fantastic! There are three original tunes and a remix by Black Sun Empire of an earlier release of mine called Freeze Frame. It’s been good to have more creative control from the writing of the tune through to its release.
The lead track Set The Place On Fire has had great DJ support from all the big boys in the scene: Friction, Pendulum, DC Breaks and Loadstar and was also uploaded by you guys. All in all it seems to have been a success!
It’s a small crew at the label, people like Mob Tactics, Borderline, Silent Witness, DLR, MC Coppa and a few others who I probably can’t mention yet. I want a core group of people who are always releasing to build up a kind of camp, but who knows? We’ve got a demo submission box, and we’re always on the look out for new producers. So if anyone’s got anything, we’re all ears!
(Photo credit: Hana Makovcova)
For bookings: clive@evolutionartists.co.uk
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