Vice Versa are a Sydney based drum & bass duo who’ve been gaining props from all over the globe for their superior production work. Made up of Mirage and Ro, the pair recently inked a deal with The Good Looking Organisation, the label run by drum & bass legend LTJ Bukem. He likes their stuff so much he’s signed 9 tracks to his label, with a number making an appearance on his latest Progression Session CD. Jayb caught up with the pair.
What was your first introduction to Drum & Bass
Mirage: We both listened to hip hop from an early age and as teenagers. Groups like A Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr, NWA. Then around the end of 1997 while I was studying for my end-of-degree final exams I was listening to the radio late at night and heard a jungle show on Radio DEX. I was hearing these complex beats and basslines that (to me) sounded like hip hop but sped up and more complicated. After that I found out about the Bass Code nights (big ups to Mr Dave Edwards), started buying the music, and finding out about a whole genre of music that I had never even known existed.
What appeals to me is the variety. Not that there isn’t variety within other styles of music, but I think drum & bass has done a lot for pushing the envelope in terms of production and studio techniques. New artists are always coming up with something original, new labels are appearing all the time. It’s great because it gives me new tunes to put in my record bag, and inspires us to keep writing music.
How did your association with Bukem’s Good Looking Label come about (where do you see it heading, what tunes are coming out on the label)?
Ro: We met Bukem last April two days after his show at the Metro in Sydney. He had heard that there were a group of guys pushing the Good Looking Records sound in Sydney so the day after his gig he dropped into the weekly Sunday night that we are part of (Airbourne). After listening to a CD of our tracks we got a call from him the next day – he was very impressed by what he had heard. We met him and MC Conrad at their hotel the next day and Bukem basically told us he wanted to sign four tracks from the CD right away and that he was keen to get more music from us. Since then we have signed five more tunes to the label, these include “Shining Through”, “Trust (remix)” and “Still Doin’ It” which are all on Progression Sessions 8. So at the moment we have nine tracks forthcoming on Good Looking Records, and we’re very happy with that. It’s just an amazing feeling to know our music is going to reach thousands of people across the globe through the association we have with the Good Looking Organisation, a label which we both love and respect immensely.
What particular flava’s of Drum & Bass are you guys feeling when u play out & what are your influences when producing beats (other than getting insanely stoned)?
Ro: hahaha hmm well we are into a large variety of drum and bass from the harder stuff to the very mellow. When we play out crowds will most likely hear tunes from Good Looking Records as well as tracks from labels such as Virus Recordings (Ed Rush and Optical), Soul:R (Marcus Intallex and ST Files) and CIA (Total Science). As far as influences go, (apart from what you mentioned hehe) it would be impossible to name them all here but the drum and bass artists who regularly inspire us are; Calibre, Makoto, Nookie, Ed Rush and Optical, Matrix, and Total Science.
What are your thoughts on the Sydney DnB “Scene”, how do you see it developing?
Ro: I think the Sydney Drum and Bass “scene” is very healthy at the moment. Its great nowadays there’s hardly ever 2 weeks that go by without a good DnB event to go to and crowds are much larger than they used to be say, two years ago. We’ve been involved with Drum and Bass in Sydney since 2000 and there have been some times where we felt as if we were fighting a losing battle, but things are definitely much more positive now. This has to do with a number of things including the growth of nights such as “Moving Through Air” and “50/50” as well as our own “Airbourne” and “Momentum” events. Also, the shift in Drum and Bass away from too many snarling bass sounds into a more “musical” and accessible realm has helped a great deal. I think Drum and Bass in Sydney has grown a great deal but there is still room for it to expand and if things keep going they way they are now there’s no telling how large it could get.
What are Vice Versa’s plans for the rest of 2003, what releases can we look forward to?
Ro: Our plans for the rest of the year are still abit of a mystery even to us. There are rumours of a tour to Brisbane and possibly even Stateside but those are just rumours. As far as production is concerned we’re always writing new material when we’re not too busy with University studies. We are going to do a mix CD soon which as well as including vocals from myself, will feature some brand new tunes from us. This CD will be an Airbourne exclusive so people will only be able to get their copy by coming down to one of our events. As far as releases are concerned as mentioned before, Progression Sessions 8 (available on import at the moment in Australia) has three of our tracks on it. It’s a great CD, anyone who loves good music should go out and buy themselves a copy.
What are the top 5 tunes in your box at the moment?
1. Cause 4 Concern – Soul (Matrix and Fierce remix)
2. Calibre – Twister
3. Usual Suspects – Calimist
4. Vice Versa – Still Doin’ It
5. Marcus Intallex and St Files – How you make me feel (Photek remix)
Vice Versa will be playing @ Momentum alongside DJs Munk, Lucian, Alf, Guy and Fire this Saturday at Uber, 111 Liverpool St, City. You can also catch them regularly every Sunday 6pm-11pm @ Airbourne, V Bar. Check out ITM’s whatson for more info.
