Georgia Phoenix has been gaining notoriety over the past year, getting her tracks into the hands of key tastemaker DJ’s and building up an arsenal of dancefloor destroying riddims ready to drop just as clubs are set to re-open. Her latest offering has been snapped up by BBC Radio 1’s René LaVice & is released today on his DeVice label. We caught up with Georgia Phoenix to find out more about her…
Congratulations on the new release! DeVice has been putting out some great music lately, it must feel good to be releasing on a label with such a solid track record?
It feels good to be part of it all. It’s all very exciting!
You seem to have generated a lot of hype with your music, getting played on Radio 1 & featured on BBC Introducing etc. It must be frustrating not having been able to hear your music played in clubs for the past year?
Yeah it has been frustrating seeing one cancelled event after another, but it seems there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Drum and Bass has always been a big part of my life and the online D&B presence over the past year has helped artists maintain and grow their following, it’s been managed so well.
Production
I know you take your production very seriously. What was it that first got you into making music?
Purely the love for it. I started DJing, then once I learned that, I wanted to start making my own music. I love learning, I like to understand how music is engineered. There’s a science to it which I get lost in.
How did you get your head round learning how to produce when you first started out? Did you have people around you to learn from, or were there a lot of late nights watching YouTube tutorials?
I started out at college. I signed up for a music tech course which was on Cubase. Following that I went on to study for a degree in music production at Canterbury University. I really enjoyed learning about it. There weren’t many people making D&B at uni, I was probably the only one!
I picked up a lot of techniques from other D&B producers, plus of course YouTube videos after uni. I feel the education aspect allowed me to have an open mind to understand music language and the engineering side. I’ve adapted my learning to effectively use the techniques for D&B.
You don’t need education to become a drum & bass producer but it definitely helps. It’s useful to spend time in the studio with other D&B producers to pick up cool techniques. So much of it comes from trial and error but being around like minded people can be really handy.
I find a lot of my favourite techniques come from accidents… Here’s a fun fact, did you know that the 12 inch single was a mistake? Someone was meant to cut an album on to it but accidentally cut 1 song instead and it instantly sounded bigger and had more bass?! The room on the record allowed more space for the low frequency waves which made it sound warmer. That’s how the 12 inch single was made. Just an example of how accidents can work. I like to call them happy accidents.
What’s the the most useful piece of production advice that you’ve learned?
Don’t be afraid to start again. If it’s not going the way you want it too. Start again! Try new things and experiment!
Of all the D&B tunes ever released, is there one that you wish that you wish had made? Like the benchmark for you in terms of production, vibe or how it goes down in a club?
I haven’t got a bench mark tune I’ve just always wanted to be a part of it I suppose! Drum and Bass is so broad. I like different tunes for different reasons. Like Etherwood and Hazard both have influences on me for different reasons. It all depends on what’s happening in front of me whilst making music.
Studio Set Up
Let’s talk about your studio set up! What DAW are you using? Which monitors do you have?
My studio set up is based around an iMac running Ableton. I’ve got Genelec 8010 monitors, and use a pair of Sennheiser HD660SI studio headphones to reference my mixdowns against the monitors. I also use Sonar Works on the master bus which can be useful.
Do you have a particular plugin that you find using over & over? If so, what is it about that plugin that you like?
I use the Ableton built in plugin’s a lot!! I think it’s super important to make sure the dry sound is as good as you can get, then use plugins to enhance what is there already. I really like Cableguys plugins though, they’re so so good!
Forthcoming Releases
What’s next? Any more releases in the pipeline?
I’ve actually been quite busy. I’ve got a release coming out on Agro’s Subliminal label. He is doing a various artists release. I also have a release on an SASASAS album which will be coming soon. On top of that I have another 3 releases lined up on DeVice Recordings this year too. I have some other exciting projects I’m working on at the moment that I’m looking forward to announcing in the near future.
Finally on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you for clubs & festivals to reopen? Is there a certain event or club you want to get back to?
10… I would love to play at any event!! A Critical event would probably be my favourite place to play though
Express Yourself / All I Have by Georgia Phoenix is out now on DeVice
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