This weeks interview & mix comes from D&B producer Calibre
Selector Afterdark – Calibre by Selector After Dark on Mixcloud
Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?
My name is Calibre; primarily I’m a Drum & Bass producer. I was born and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
What have you been working on recently?
I’ve just finished putting together a compilation album called “Shelflife 3” on my own label Signature Recordings, it is material that didn’t come out over the years and it’s obviously the third album in the sequence.
Excellent and talk us through the mix?
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, for years I have been doing very eclectic mixes from my record collection mostly for myself, and I find that my interests in music throughout the years have been deeply ensconced in the ambient and soulful sounds out there, so this mix is a little expression of that.
I also feel that a mix like this is an opportunity to explore the beauty and commonalities between different types of music, and to immerse oneself in something memorable.
Lovely and talk us through some of the British music featured?
I haven’t really gone for the obscure with this mix, an offering just beneath the surface is what I was after, Spacemen 3 still resides in my most liked section from my teenage years. They would have dovetailed quite naturally with my interest in ambient music which I was introduced to by a curious collection of bands and artists like Mixmaster Morris, Brian Eno, Gong {half French I believe} and Spacemen3….
Brian Eno has a few tracks in the mix and remains one of my big influences; I still rate his ambient work most highly in terms of its impact on me. While Talk Talk I think remain an enigma I could not have this type of mix without them, one of the most interesting bands to emerge from the 80’s they seem to have that otherworld sense of music that pervades the ambient sounds, their last 2 albums Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock are genuine classics for me. I suppose Nick Drake has emerged from the undergrowth properly, I was introduced to his music many years ago and was entranced by his writing skills and simple beauty. He always seems to have this intimate feeling with his music, its like he is singing just for you.
Some great artists on there, were there any British DJ’s or producers that influenced you?
Fabio is a D ‘n’ B DJ and legend regarded as one of the founders of drum and bass. He is a bit of a relic in DJ terms as he is the classic version of a selector. One who lives in the moment and plays off the cuff. I also learned a lot from his patient and smooth mixing style designed to make D ‘n’ B dance floors more soulful.
Yes a proper legend! What is on the cards in the immediate future?
I’ve just released “Shelflife 3” and after this I’ll be doing a series of collaborative releases working with people across the electronic music spectrum.
And finally where is the best place in the world you have DJ’d and why?
Sao Paolo in Brazil with DJ Marky, because of its unique energy that I felt playing there a few years ago. Unforgettable.