Off The Record Rewind - #003
Since getting on board back in the early days of the series 7AR has played live with us countless times and become a great contributor to the whole project. His first mix for the series is a funky glitch-hop nu-school breaks kinda sound that stood aside from the masses on the Irish scene. 7AR is now incorporating all kinds of bass-heavy madness like drumstep & mutant bass with some of the wonkiest & craziest hip-hop vocals around. Without doubt it's safe to say 7AR is doing his own thing, and it's been great to follow him along the journey, we had a bit of a chat with the man behind the strange name and even stranger sound recently and this is what came of it.
OTR: I know you started off primarily producing and dj'ing came next, how did you feel about getting on board with OTR in the beginning?
7AR: Yeah man, getting involved at the start was great for me, coz' I seriously was completely new to the game. I had been producing for a while before but never really played out too much like, so getting in with and having a mix I made put in-front of a pile of people was a great buzz, really got me up and moving bout' the whole dj'ing thang.
OTR: T'was a great mix you sent in, and one that cemented your place
at our launch party! How did you feel about coming to play at a
multi-genred night?
7AR: I had great fun at that party! There was
good cross of styles all very smoothly going together, was dead happy
to play with Drokkr, had been a fan of him for a while. I was on first
but on reflection I was fairly lucky to be included that night I was so
unused to playing out to a crowd, far too nervous, but I had fun playing
and had great fun boogie-ing the night away.
OTR: We've all come
on leaps & bounds since then sure! I love how every time you've
played it's been a new vibe, I always love seeing djs progress and not
get stuck in a rut, which happens far too often. Whats gone into what
now makes up 7AR's sound?
7AR: Thats the most confusing thing
I’ve ever been asked... I guess I’ve just kept an ear out for new sounds
that I like and try to work them into sets and if I keep buzzin' off
them I might try produce a tune or 2 to go with it. I guess hip-hop as
well, been listening to and playing a lot of that over the past few
month, I mean its always been something I was into but over the past
while I’ve been playin it out at any opportunity, clubs/parties/while
people are watching Jurassic Park etc. And with a lot of hip-hop tunes
I’ve occasionally made a heavy bass bootleg of em', just for the lols so
I can play em' out in heavier sets like. Mostly just listening to new
stuff and listening to what my friends are listening to is the biggest
thing that’s changed, and getting into new chaps playin' new things
through the series.
OTR: What have been your favourite gigs you've played at or just been to lately?
7AR:
Of gigs I’ve played that last OTR basement one was deffo' my fav, just a
great buzz, other than that I had a great time playin down in Cork with
Nancy’s Shnare, just a class wee party atmosphere y’know, deffo' need
to get down there as often as possible, gigs I’ve been to, the Bangface
ones in the UK are always class, and the weekender is great if ya get a
chance to buzz over to it. Lots of great people there all on the same
fun-time buzz!
OTR: Sounds good! So what do you have in the works at the moment?
7AR:
Ahh y’know me, I'm always workin away at something, got a tune coming
out on a Wonk#ay Record compilation and got another EP coming out soon
enough after that with remixes from [Insert Gore], Four Floors Of Whores
and my friend Dan Reid who I recently played in the national concert
hall with, got a few other things on the go too but it’s a bit early to
be talking bout' them. Looking forward to creating something special for
the next expansion of the OTR project too!
OTR: Finally, who are you listening to yourself and who do you think folk should be checking out?
7AR:
Been listening to a lot of Kursa, Disprove, Joe Ford, Noisia and more,
on the bass front, its all worth giving a look-see, and a lot of
Flatbrush Zombies and Danny Brown when it comes to hip-hop. And El-P,
always El-P. The new I AM LEGION album is pretty stunning for anyone who
hasn’t copped it yet too! Nephilim and Taos are two mixes from the
series I always find myself going back to, and Federal of course, great
djs/producers! Brap! Big-ups OTR, Ironing-Board Massif, Couch Crew,
Mothers Against Noise, Wonk#ay. 7AR 4 Lyfe, peace.
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