Freestylers Other Worlds & Digitise

Team Digitise take time to chat to Freestylers about their recent album and more!

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Last updated: 25th Oct 2021

It has been a big year for the Freestylers duo five years since their last full-length, they came out swinging with their latest album Other Worlds. We explore many angles of the old school electronic music feel. From the luscious and groovy to the ominous and atmospheric, Other Worlds packs a punch that hits right in the sweet spot for a good party.

Catch the duo live and direct this Saturday at Digitises halloween smasher Toxic Bassland. The duo will be alongside DJ duo Evil Twin (Mini Da Minx x Madame Electrife), Kin & resident DJs Dom James and Quack Tactics. Until then, learn more about the headlining act the Freestylers in our exclusive interview with them!

Hey Aston, great to have you for an interview. First off, how are things going?

No problem. All good here, nice to be back to normality after what seemed an eternity. Lets hope it stays that way!

Your 2021 album Other Worlds is a journey through electronic music eras with a refreshing, modern production. Lots of old school­ names and beats, too. How was it to create this album? Tell us all about it

That was the whole idea, we wanted to go back to our roots but make it sound current, to attract our original fan base and a newer generation who would have missed out. The album came about after discussing all things music with Lady Waks, when she stayed at my house around the end of 2018. What we talked about inspired me to embark on this new outing. It was great fun to make as there was no pressure, plus, we were not following any trends. It was good to work with a bunch of new artists as well. It was meant to come out last year but for obvious reasons it was delayed.

Being in a production duo, what does your creative process look like? Also, for the gearheads: what kind of hardware are you using these days?

I generally start the ball rolling, as Matt is a full time Psychologist these days, but when we get together, our ideas seem to roll off really quickly. Obviously you do get "writers block" but that happens to all creative types at one time or another. Gear wise I just use Logic 9 on a Mac G5! I know that is old school now but it seems to work for us. We still have some of our retro gear, like a Juno 106, a Virus and the best Vocoder; a Roland SVC 350. All of these got used on the track "Electroshock". Apart from that I have just got 1000s of plug-ins that I use for effects and keyboards of which the EXS sampler and Ozone 5 get used a lot.

The Freestylers are an old-school element, but very much known in the modern era of electronic music. Having seen so much, what do you think is on next for electronic music from your point of view?

I dont think you can ever really predict what is going to happen but you do find that music does a full 360 in trends though. A lot of ideas have been used already so it seems to just be new interpretations. The best thing is to stick to the plan and eventually it will come back around. The one thing that has massively changed from when I first started making music is the technology, it used to be very hands on whereas now you have the world of music at your fingertips, from the production side to how music is bought, sold and listened to.

You are due to play at Digitise -- a collective out of Manchester pushing many styles of electronic music. What can people expect from your set?

Best come along and find out!!! Ha ha, I guess our sets have always been eclectic so you will get to hear Breaks, Bassline House and Jungle; mostly our productions with a few others thrown into the mix

When one mentions the word "Freestylers", many cannot help but think of your collaborations with Pendulum. What was that era like for you?

Oh that is quite a while ago, 2004/2005?..Cant remember but it was probably great! I mean the 2 tracks we made with Rob "Painkiller" and "Fasten Your Seatbelts" were huge, and they are still staple massive tunes in our sets today. In saying that, we just had a massive crossover hit "Push Up"; that was big in Europe, Australia and generally everywhere, so we were quite rock n roll for a short period. Ha ha!

As veterans yourselves, what kind of advice would you have for producers nowadays?

Learn music, learn how to use your chosen DAW but most importantly, be original and create your own style, as there is no point copying anyone. This is the hardest aspect of music production but if you stick at it you will get there eventually

What are the next months looking like for yourself and the Freestylers?

As many gigs and as much touring as possible, plus we have a new alias on the go - "Pirate Jams". Pirate Jams will be releasing an album next year which we are currently finishing off. Also there will be a remix album of "Other Worlds" and I am going to continue with my "Aston Presents" project on the legendary hardcore/rave label Suburban Base, so lots to look forward to in 2022 and beyond.

It was great to have you! Any words of wisdom to leave us with?

Thanks, I am looking forward to playing at Digitise!

Enjoy your lives, be happy, and respect the planet! Oh also buy a copy of our album "Other Worlds" it is out now, you wont be disappointed. One more thing, only support Tottenham Hotspurs if you have a strong will to live! Ha ha!

Cheers,

Aston

Catch Freestylers in Manchester for Halloween bringing you their signature Breaks sound and much more!

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