Beyond Wonderland 2012 had an amazing Drum & Bass lineup this year. We were lucky to be able to sit down with Hospital Records star High Contrast after his set and ask him a few questions.
Festival Zoo (FZ):
So you’re in the US on the Hospitality Tour. How’s that going so far?
High Contrast (HC):
Yeah, this is the fourth gig I think and it’s been really good so far. There’ve been all kinds of shows from a kind of smaller rock club in Boston, to then South By Southwest, to a big capacity club, 1500 people in San Francisco…And then the huge Beyond Wonderland stage here. It’s nice to have a spectrum of dates and that’s what’s kind of good about touring in America is that there is so much range. Tomorrow night I’ll be at Dim Mak studios in Hollywood.
FZ:
What else are you looking forward to doing on the tour? Any particular stops you have memories from?
HC:
I haven’t played in Denver in a long time and I know I have a lot of fans there so it’ll be good to be back there. My Eve party in Miami will be good. One of the last days of the tour is in Toronto at the Cool House, and that’s one of the best gigs, it’s like 2000 people and the stage is on hydraulics, so it’s a very cool show.
FZ:
So what’s it like playing in The States versus the UK since DnB isn’t as big here. How does a sold out Hospitality night in the UK compare to here?
HC:
Yeah, you know, it’s different, but it’s nice to play around the world to different types of crowds, different cultures. With this tour we’re trying to spread the word and try to establish something over here, to get more Hospitalities going. Yeah, I think Drum and Bass is on the up over here. I think it dipped a few years ago but it’s on the up.
FZ:
What do you think is bringing it up?
HC:
I think dubstep kind of reengerized EDM over here. A lot of people have kind of gotten into that and started looking into things, looking to where dubstep came from and they’re finding drum and bass.
FZ:
I heard this quote going around “What’s this fast dubstep stuff?”
HC:
*laughs* No! What’s this slow Drum and Bass stuff!
FZ:
So some of our readers had some questions about your new album which just came out, The Agony and the Ecstacy, less than a month ago. It’s a pretty new sound for you … would you agree with that?
HC:
Maybe…To me it’s just me still.
FZ:
What were your influences for this album?
HC:
Uh..kind of like liturgical music, like relgious music from the 18th century, and there’s bits of 70s rock in there, and then my general kind of soundtracky atmospheric vibes, it’s a mix of all these strange things.
FZ:
How do you think your album was influenced with Hospital Records getting so huge. How has that influenced your work?
HC:
I think subliminally I started playing out in small rooms, so the tunes could be a bit more intimate. But then as the rooms get bigger than you play in, you have to fill that space and bring more people together…so you need bigger tunes.
FZ:
So I read online that you’re a vegetarian and you don’t drink. That’s true? Tell me about that.
HC:
Haha, well what more can I say? To me I’m not doing anything odd. It’s everyone else that’s being odd. I’ve been doing it for many years, you know. If I can say no to something I will, haha, I like saying no.
FZ:
How do you feel when you go to a show and there are a lot of people there for the alcohol?
HC:
Well the drugs too, yeah. It’s alien to me. I don’t…I just have never felt the need to do it. It’s not so much a moral thing, it’s just I’d rather be in control and be able to appreciate the music for exactly what it is.
FZ:
Here’s another one from one of our readers. How can a new Drum and Bass producer get noticed?
HC:
Well, by making an amazing tune. You know, you should be aiming to make a heartbreaking work. I think now it’s harder than ever to break through in a way because of saturation of music in general. There’s so much noise that for anything to break through is miraculous. But, still, I think if you make something of genuine worth than people will notice.
FZ:
Any tunes from nobodies right now that are amazing? Stuff to look out for?
HC:
Well I know it happens. You look at someone like Joy Orbison who came through with Hyph Mngo. He was pretty much unknown before that and suddenly he’s playing big festivals around the world. But yeah, I think I kind of came through when I did in the pre-facebook era, pre-internet saturation. I’m grateful for that, because there’s so much music being made now. I don’t really listen to too much music, haha. I prefer to be influenced by silence.
FZ:
That’s where the name of the track comes from? First Note is Silent.
HC:
There you go.
FZ:
Here’s a random one. Someone from Iceland wants to know when you’re coming over.
HC:
You know, I did play there a few years ago. 6 years ago. It was good. Iceland is a very interesting place. The landscape looks like an alien planet, it doesn’t look like anywhere else. I would like to go back, but I don’t know when.
FZ:
Someone else … this isn’t really a question, but he said to “keep making awesome shit.”
HC:
Haha. Ok. I will!
FZ:
Here’s the last one that we ask everyone here. If you had to pick a party animal that represents your style, what kind of party animal would you be?
HC:
A squirrel! Haha, I’m joking.
FZ:
How does a squirrel party? haha.
FC:
He goes nuts! Haha. Ok yeah, so what is my party animal? What’s the word … Spirit Animal! I do like foxes. They’re just great. I just love them. What’s cool in London at the moment is that lots of foxes have moved in from the countryside into the city, and they’re just roaming the street. They’re getting really cocky and attacking babies and things…Which is not cool! But if you go to London, at night there are just foxes running around.
FZ:
So not to take this out of context … but, you don’t go around attacking babies, do you?
HC:
Haha, no no! You know, in Russia they have been breeding foxes for like the last 40 years. What they’ve been doing is like, each new fox that was born, if it was agressive, they’d put it in farm, and it was mellow, they’d put it in another. And they kept doing that, so they’ve got completely domesticated ones that are like dogs. But then you’ve also got the evil farm where they have demonic foxes!! Why would you do that!? If they ever escape it would be … sigh … horirble. Anyway. I like foxes. Yeah, that’s a random fact.
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