Q&A with Moresounds as He Prepares to Dub Beijing Into Oblivion this Friday

Dub fanatic and electronic music wizard Moresounds journeys to Dada tomorrow (Dec 11), to present his unique far out sound that has been turning out dance floors like crazy since his 2013 debut. We sent over some questions so that he could drop a little knowledge about the origins of dub music and impart a little wisdom on how to get started in electronic music.

How do you usually describe the music that you make?
I do electronic music, mostly influenced by hip-hop, reggae, jungle, and the underground scene. I like to be free when composing music and not be stuck in any one genre.

Would you call yourself a student of King Tubby like your Resident Advisor profile proclaims?
I can’t say that myself, but I can say that Tubby is the man who influenced my way of making music the most.

What do you think are the origins of dub music? In your opinion, what was the first dub song?
It was kind of an accident that this very specific genre was created, with artists recycling recorded tracks, then remixing and cutting up these recorded sounds in the studio. I’m not sure about the very first dub song, but I would probably say it was something by Herman Chin Loy of Aquarius Records, but there weren’t so many effects used at that time. The first I listened to, I think, is “The Blackboard Jungle” by Lee Scratch Perry. I heard that he had help from Tubby on this crucial LP.

We noticed you use some interesting samples. Where do you look for unique source material when sampling? What are some rules for deciding which material to remix?
Yes, I love samples and sampling sounds. I started making music by doing hip hop beats, and the sample is the center of this genre of music. I pick samples from lots of sources including vinyl, tapes, TV, radio, and field recordings. Essentially, from anything that can produce sound. There are no rules for me, if I like a sample I’ll try to make something with it. I think it’s interesting to use samples when you can make something fresh and new from it. That’s the most important thing.

We heard you are a hardware man. What’s your most important piece of gear at the moment?
I love hardware. I have few synths, some old tape delays, reverbs and strange FXs, and all of these are plugged into my mixing desk. It’s like the brain of the studio, which probably makes the mixer my most important piece of gear.

What are some essential techniques for an electronic music performer to adhere to when playing live?
For a live act, there are so many ways to do it, so I think it’s a very personal process. It depends on what kind of music you are doing and how you like to do it I guess. With my live set, I like to keep the dub spirit alive, splitting my own tunes with my mixer and cutting them apart with some effects, just like the early dub techniques.

What do you think are the best steps to take when getting into playing music and performing music?
Today, computers are very affordable. Many DAWs are easy to use with a bunch of quality plug-ins on board. I think starting with a computer is a good option (to get your footing) and if you really start to produce or play music you can buy some small hardware synths. The synth industry is making a crazy come back with loads of cheap, small synths popping up all the time.

See Moresounds at Dada on December 11.

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Photo: Provided by The Drop