So many of our fans are aspiring producers. What was the first step you took to becoming a producer of bass music?

I started making music properly around 5 years ago, probably a bit longer than that now even! I remember hearing Skrillex – “First Of The Year” on the radio while I was in the car and i couldn’t quite understand or believe what I was hearing. These days it’s like 90% of what I listen to but back then there had never really been anything that sounded like that before. I went straight home that evening and opened up my old copy of Fruity Loops and started trying to learn how to create music like that! I quickly moved into Ableton and found it much easier to use for me personally. I think in terms of my first steps, I learned pretty much everything I know online, from youtube tutorials mostly or from lurking on music production forums. I think there’s a huge amount of information out there these days–you can learn a great deal if you’re willing to put in the hours of scouring the web!

What was your most important production tool you used on this EP?

The most important thing I have when it comes to making music in general is Sonnox Inflator. Not many people have heard of this, and, when I’m doing a collab, it tends to cause problems because I seem to be the only one who has it, but for me its absolutely essential! I’m not even sure exactly what it does, I think its some kind of exciter/distortion plugin. Its basically a magic plugin that makes things sound a lot louder without raising the actual volume and without compromising audio quality (within reason).

What would you say to critics of bass music who feel it has strayed too far away from its roots?

There certainly was that attitude here in London when America got hold of Dubstep and morphed it into the crazy noisy beast that it is today. But to be honest there’s no need to get yourself annoyed about it, things change, especially music and that’s definitely a good thing. The old school sound of Dubstep still has its place in the world, Caspa & Rusko are still making music and the DMZ lot are still about every now and then playing shows. Yes Skream left to make disco or whatever he does now but you can still go and listen to his old filthy tunes from back in the day if you want, he’s not going to stop you!

If bass music is to innovate, what needs to happen?

I think Virtual Riot needs to stop making preset packs. Just kidding haha, shout out Virtual Riot… But seriously I hear a lot of new producers coming through who are clearly talented and their music is well produced, but sometimes the ideas and the sound design isn’t anything new or exciting and it sounds a little bit contrived. I think it’s important for people to switch it up and experiment with different tempos and styles. It’s easy to fall into a trap of making a certain style because you feel its what people want to hear, we’ve all been there I think. But lately I’ve been having a lot of fun making Breakbeat at House tempo (around 125-135bpm) for instance my track ‘The Discoteque’ . Breakbeat was pretty popular in the UK in the late 90’s early 00’s and i think with a bit of modern production and some heavy bass and crazy sound design it could potentially be reborn.

What is the best way to waste time?

I think the best way to waste time is social media. Sometimes i quickly check my twitter & facebook for 5 minutes and when i’m done i realize an hour as passed and i’ve started 5 different online beefs with people i don’t know.

Leading the EP is “All I need”. The track takes no time at all sinking its hooks in by offering up a catchy vocal that eventually acts to balance out the essentially aggressive edge of the track. But the strength of this track is in the range of bass music beat structures Jarvis explores. Halfway through, the track shifts surprisingly into a filthy rolling swampy beat. RIP your neck.

With “Discotheque”, Jarvis dips back into rave history and creates a superior homage of sorts to the electronica rave anthems of the past. The top lines and melodies reflect the subtle and less intense synth arrangements of modern dubstep. Listeners can experience this track while imagining slipping into a warehouse party circa 1997. This would be a solid track to shift up the vibe of any festival set.

The title track “Hit The Deck” featuring Born I Music goes all in. This is Jarvis at his finest, and he’s created a fantasy track putting forward his best sound design techniques in one 3-minute stretch. From an 808-fuelled buildup, to insane growls and murderous synth stabs, the track is a perfect canvas for Born I Music’s vocal swagger.

Rounding out the EP is “Wait For Me” and it shows off Jarvis’ skill as a true composer. A pop hook is absolutely slayed by Jarvis’ superb synth structures. His use of a live guitar feature over a trap beat is incredibly intoxicating, and it proves his far-reaching vision. Perfect for massive festival sets.

More on Jarvis:

http://www.jarvismusic.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/JarvisMusic/
https://twitter.com/Jarvismusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/JarvisDubstep

More on Firepower Records:

http://firepowerrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FirepowerRecs/
https://twitter.com/FirepowerRecs
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirepowerRecs

For press inquiries:

Lee Underwood
Manager of Publicity I Firepower Records I Twitter @LeeFPRecs