mAson
Interview with Laurence René from My Passion – Dubstep Vs Rock.
Something a little different for you all today. You may recall ‘The Future of Dubstep?’ Article where we looked at the Dubstep Vs. Rock debate. To follow this up, we sit down with Laurence René. Laurence is the front man of the exciting and fresh, UK based band: My Passion. With regular features in Kerrang! Magazine, a number of cover shots, a strong discography and an ever increasing fan base, 2012 is set to be a big year for the band. What does this have to do with dubstep? Laurence happens to be a big fan of the high-energy electronic sub-genre and was also skanking out at the recent UKF Bass Culture event. Let see what an exciting new “up-and-coming” UK band’s vocalist has to say about the music we all love..
1. Many know you as the front man for My Passion. However I know you are also a big fan of electronic music and dubstep. Can you explain what artists and tracks have an influence on your performance and song writing?
We’ve always been a rock band but with a heavy synth/ electronic influence. I guess it started way back in the stomach of my mother with the 80’s movement where synth pop hit big and the beginnings of dance music took off, from there I was taken to illegal raves in factories and forests in the 90’s and there was something about the heavy basslines and atmosphere at those events that hooked me. I went on to listen to electroclash stuff like The Faint, The Prodigy, Aphex Twin and music that to me sounded futuristic and captivating. However much rock and metal I have got into I’ve always found myself going back to electronic music and especially a mix of both, There is something about what you can create with machines and the experimentation that can be had that gives no boundaries to the music, you can literally imagine a sound and go ahead and create it. More recently There has been a huge boom in dubstep with acts like Nero, Skrillex and Knife Party and bands within our circle like Enter Shikari & Pendulum are really nailing the rock/ electronic mix. The influence on the liveshow side of things is the atmosphere you get, that electricity that makes people want to go insane and artists like Deadmau5 that have one of the best lightshows I have ever seen. Artistically electronic music lets us create an epic soundscape with layers of harmonies and textures that we would never be able to create with guitars alone. There is no end to what can be created only your imagination really.
[quote]Artistically electronic music lets us create an epic soundscape with layers of harmonies and textures that we would never be able to create with guitars alone.[/quote]
2. A little birdy tells me you have a new album coming up, will there be any of the above mentioned influences and sounds making a sneak appearance in any of your new tracks?
The new stuff more so than ever. There are huge heavy synths that merge with the guitars, it’s like an orchestra of sound. We aren’t directly influenced by any one of these artists but it is always great to have people pushing the boundaries of sound and that then pushes us to create something even more outrageous. We’re keen as ever to sound unlike anyone else but at the same time keep up with the development in synth and electronic music. This album will be by far the most advanced thing we have created especially with the electronic side.
3. We have noticed a wider variety of fans of the Dubstep genre, with big name bands like Korn getting involved. Where do you see the dubstep scene going in the next couple of years? How does rock music fit into this?
I think the rhythms and sounds used within dubstep just link so well to rock acts, much of the modern dubstep is essentially rock music but with synths, its meant a massive crossover this year probably unlike anything we’ve seen previously. The heavy sound and cut up beats of Skrillex worked really well with Korn I liked what they did on those tracks and Korn now seem reinvented and current when they were looking a little tired. Good news for us is that electronic music and dubstep in particular are really accepted by rock fans now and it even stretches to mainstream pop music, we’ve been waiting a long time for something to lift the rock world and I see it as such a positive move. These big crossovers can only be a good thing, We have always imagined our sound appealing to a huge variety of people and I think 2012 is the perfect time to unleash these new songs on the public. Where it will go from here I am not sure but we will definitely be one of the bands pushing to create new songs that will really surprise people. The songs already feature heavy cut up vocal sampling and an industrial style destruction of machines. It’s a brave sound set in the future which is exactly where we are heading.
[quote]The songs already feature heavy cut up vocal sampling and an industrial style destruction of machines.[/quote]
4. If you could collaborate on a dubstep/rock track/electronic track how would it be with and why?
“I guess Skrillex would be the perfect choice but the truth is we much prefer creating our own sound on tracks and we are already doing that work ourselves rather than working with a purely electronic act. A remix would be brilliant though. I’ve been into Foreign Beggars for a while now and that would be something completely different for us, I’d like to do something very grimey with those guys.”
5. Any shout outs at all?
“A big one to DJ Deckscar from London AKA Neil Barrett, he’s been remixing My Passion for a while now and has nailed some killer remixes from the last album. A huge one to Jonathan Gaskin our guitarist, Vocalist and Electronic Mozart who is with me as I type creating the sound of the world splitting in two and aliens turning people to dust. And last but not Least Ken Renney our wise father who amazes me daily as he adapts to sounds we create that would have been as likely as flying cars 40 years ago. To anyone who encounters us in 2012 download the tracks and give it your time, your ears and your unhindered minds.”
Find out more about the band and their music at: My Passion Tumblr.
Comments
Loading…