In my last post about Justin Martin I had a link to A1 Bassline’s debut release on Dirtybird Records. This release not only represented a new sound for Dirtybird, but also for an artist who is perhaps best known for his Fidget than his thoughtful House.
Back in 2008 A1’s debut release ‘Girl Thing’ announced him on the dance scene and was heavily supported from the likes of Annie Mac, Trevor Nelson and Sinden. Since then the South Croydon raised DJ/producer has gone from strength to strength with several releases on Southern Fried and more recently on his own label Tighten Up Records.
I met with him for a quick coffee and a chat about his career and what he has in store for the future!
Shimstar: First of all, tell us a bit a bit about your background, what exactly got you into Djing?
A1 Bassline: Well my dad used to run rave magazine back in the late 80s so since I was a young kid I’ve always had club culture around me. I first got into DJing when I was about 12. My sister who has been a very influential figure in my life bought me my first turntables and later on a computer and Cubase. Originally I was mainly into scratching and it wasn’t until I went to secondary school that DJing in public actually appealed to me.”
Shimstar: I take it when you were at school Garage was your genre of choice?
A1 Bassline: “No not really, I mean I wasn’t massively into garage at first. I was more into grime and drum & bass (I’m a big fan of Metal Headz). It wasn’t until I started hanging around with the likes of Kavsrave and Joy Orbison who I actually went to school with, that I began DJing/producing garage. I also produced drum & bass and 8 bar grime loops when I was about 15 years old, then later on in life I began producing fidget house”.
Shimstar: When did you actually release your first record?
A1 Bassline: “Erm, probably when I was about 17 years old, not under my current DJ name however.”
Shimstar: Ah ok, how did the name A1 Bassline come about?
A1 Bassline: “It just started as joke when UK Bassline was quite popular, I released a few tracks which were just for a bit of fun, however they seemed to catch on really quick. Before I knew it the likes of Annie Mac and Trevor Nelson were playing them on Radio One!”
Shimstar: Tell us a bit about the first time you started playing out in public?
A1 Bassline: “Back when I was younger me Joy and Kav used to put on parties at our local skate park. My first actual A1 Bassline gig was for Vice with Slew Dem Crew and Tempz. Loved every minute of it!”
Shimstar: Talking of gigs you actually run your own club night with your record label Tighten Up. How’s the label and night going?
A1 Bassline: “Really well, we did our first club night at the Den in London not too long ago. It was a great night it had a really nice family vibe about it which was really enjoyable to play at. The label is also doing very well at the moment, we’ve had 12 releases so far and its only been going for about year!”
Shimstar: Your new EP is out on the 28th September can you tell us a bit about it?
A1 Bassline: The new EP is more the sort of style I enjoy playing out. I’ve moved on from the whole Fidget sound and I’m now producing tracks which are more House orientated. Its had a huge amount of support from Dirtybird which I’m very honoured by.
Listen to the new EP here (A1 Bassline EP)
Shimstar: Yeh really like the new EP, have you got anything exciting in the pipeline for the rest of this year and 2012?
A1 Bassline: “Definitely! 2011 has been a quite quiet as I’ve spent a lot of time in the studio. Hopefully another release on Dirtybird and some other labels and with Tighten Up I’d like to go back to strictly releasing 12 inch vinyl. Possibly do a couple of artist collection packs including Dem 2, myself and Tek One.”
Shimstar: Releasing on Dirtybird is certainly an achievement to be proud of, have there been any other highlights in your career so far?
A1 Bassline: “I would say traveling in general. I’d never even stepped foot on a plane until I was 18! I’ve been lucky enough to see the majority of the world thanks to music, I am very lucky to be able to do the job I do!”
Shimstar: Being paid to travel is certainly one of my ambitions. Well, thanks for talking to us and good luck with the new EP. But before you go one more question……If you were organising the line up for the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury and could book anyone in the world dead or alive who would be your top 5 artists.
A1 Bassline: “Hmmmm very tough question! I think The Jesus and Mary Chain would have to be up there, I love a bit of Scottish metal, the Rolling Stones just because they’re one of the all time greatest rock bands ever, David Bowie is a must, Blur because in my opinion they were the best band from the 90s and last but not least the Beach Boys….everyone loves a bit of the Beach Boys!”
Thanks to A1 Bassline for talking to us.
Shimstar (BBB).