One of my favorite Dubstep producers hailing from the U.S.A. was kind enough to give us a few minutes out of his busy schedual. I've had several people asking me to add SPL to my interview list to find out more info on how he makes his music.
Well now you can find that info and plenty more!
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1. How did you come up with the name SPL?
I was reading about audio engineering techniques and nerdy music stuff and I came across "sound pressure level". Abbreviated as SPL, sound pressure level is the term most commonly used to measure the intensity of sound. Decibels are a measurement of SPL. My name is Sam Pool so when I stumbled across this term it occurred to me to use it as an artist name. It's a pretty nerdy name.
2. How would you compare the U.S. Bass scene to other countries?
I'd say that compared to other western countries the bass scene is "new". Maybe that's not the best way to describe it because there have been Drum & Bass, Jungle, and Breakbeat parties since those forms of music spawned, but this is the first time it's seen any sort of mainstream popularity. I use to tour almost exclusively in the UK, Europe, Russian, New Zealand, South America and Australia without playing much at home, but these days most of my shows are in the U.S.
3. How did you get into Bass music and production?
I got into production because I loved the way synthesizers were being used in dance music and I wanted to figure out how to make those cool sounds myself. Then I went to some raves and it really changed a lot for me. Once I heard some records from Kemal & Rob Data aka Konflict I was hooked and I wanted to explore that style. I just dug deeper and deeper at that point.
4. Most memorable gig you played to date?
That's a really tough question. Since different gigs are memorable for different reasons. There are two that really stuck with me though. One was this headlining gig in Kiev in the Ukraine where I played for 8000 people in 2009. I was really blown away at the response. I was playing hard Drum & Bass at the time which made it even more of a unique experience. Another memorable gig was probably the 2nd rave I ever played in my home town of Bend, Oregon. I got a really warm response from the crowd and it's sort of what addicted me to performing live.
5. Where do you see Bass Music going from this point?
I think Drum & Bass is going to make a major comeback and see a greater audience than ever. I'm seeing the start of it already and i'm really excited to watch it grow.
6. One artist/producer/band, dead or alive, would you give anything to see live?
I still haven't seen Tool and that's probably currently at the top of my list.
7. What DAW and Plug-ins are you using to write music?
I'm using Ableton live and a mix of Native Instruments as well as other plugins. I really love the Fab Filter stuff as well as iZotope stuff as well.
8. If you could have any set up you wanted for live gigs, what would it be?
Currently my favorite to play on is 4 x CDJ 2000s linked up to a Pioneer Nexus 900.
9. Who do you listen to for musical inspiration?
I"m really all over the place, I listen to everything from non commercial country to hip hop to classical to rock. My tastes are chaotic.
10. And finally, What's next for SPL???
I'm currently developing my next EP which is going to be a follow up to Balearic Bass. It's still in the conceptual phase so I don't want to give away too much since it's ever-changing. You can expect some more Drum & Bass from me though. And definitely a continued emphasis on melody and harmony that I established with the Balearic Bass concept.
I was reading about audio engineering techniques and nerdy music stuff and I came across "sound pressure level". Abbreviated as SPL, sound pressure level is the term most commonly used to measure the intensity of sound. Decibels are a measurement of SPL. My name is Sam Pool so when I stumbled across this term it occurred to me to use it as an artist name. It's a pretty nerdy name.
2. How would you compare the U.S. Bass scene to other countries?
I'd say that compared to other western countries the bass scene is "new". Maybe that's not the best way to describe it because there have been Drum & Bass, Jungle, and Breakbeat parties since those forms of music spawned, but this is the first time it's seen any sort of mainstream popularity. I use to tour almost exclusively in the UK, Europe, Russian, New Zealand, South America and Australia without playing much at home, but these days most of my shows are in the U.S.
3. How did you get into Bass music and production?
I got into production because I loved the way synthesizers were being used in dance music and I wanted to figure out how to make those cool sounds myself. Then I went to some raves and it really changed a lot for me. Once I heard some records from Kemal & Rob Data aka Konflict I was hooked and I wanted to explore that style. I just dug deeper and deeper at that point.
4. Most memorable gig you played to date?
That's a really tough question. Since different gigs are memorable for different reasons. There are two that really stuck with me though. One was this headlining gig in Kiev in the Ukraine where I played for 8000 people in 2009. I was really blown away at the response. I was playing hard Drum & Bass at the time which made it even more of a unique experience. Another memorable gig was probably the 2nd rave I ever played in my home town of Bend, Oregon. I got a really warm response from the crowd and it's sort of what addicted me to performing live.
5. Where do you see Bass Music going from this point?
I think Drum & Bass is going to make a major comeback and see a greater audience than ever. I'm seeing the start of it already and i'm really excited to watch it grow.
6. One artist/producer/band, dead or alive, would you give anything to see live?
I still haven't seen Tool and that's probably currently at the top of my list.
7. What DAW and Plug-ins are you using to write music?
I'm using Ableton live and a mix of Native Instruments as well as other plugins. I really love the Fab Filter stuff as well as iZotope stuff as well.
8. If you could have any set up you wanted for live gigs, what would it be?
Currently my favorite to play on is 4 x CDJ 2000s linked up to a Pioneer Nexus 900.
9. Who do you listen to for musical inspiration?
I"m really all over the place, I listen to everything from non commercial country to hip hop to classical to rock. My tastes are chaotic.
10. And finally, What's next for SPL???
I'm currently developing my next EP which is going to be a follow up to Balearic Bass. It's still in the conceptual phase so I don't want to give away too much since it's ever-changing. You can expect some more Drum & Bass from me though. And definitely a continued emphasis on melody and harmony that I established with the Balearic Bass concept.
