Fresh off the back of his recent release 'Ingalls Way' on 20/20 Vision, we caught up with 214 to discuss the electro scene, his music and more.
So you’ve just landed on 20/20 with your debut release 'Ingalls Way', how would you describe your music and was there any specific inspiration behind the tracks?
Production wise, most of my music tends to fall in the atmospheric/deep and melodic side of things. When I dj I'll play it all. There was no particular inspiration behind the tracks, but the the title of the EP comes from a stunning hike in my area called Lake Ingalls.
Ingalls Way features an outstanding remix from Radioactive Man, if you could choose a dream collaborator or artist to remix your work who would it be?
Having Keith remix was an honor for me. 2LS have always been a huge inspiration, and coincidentally, I met my wife trading albums. And it so happens the first album I loaned her was Stay Down. So it's come full circle for me with him remixing. There's loads of artists I'd love to work with. 2 in particular that I'd love to have remix or collab stopped making music ages ago unfortunately - Simulant, and Nuron from Likemind.
The electro scene seems to be in the spotlight currently with various imprints and artists making waves within the industry. Who would you put on your list as people worth looking out for?
It's nice to finally see this sound getting people on the dancefloor rather than clearing it as it used to do. There's a lot of artists making interesting electro right now. Various takes on different styles. I find myself picking up tracks coming out of Australia these days. Labels like Salt Mines and Plaza. Private Persons out of Russia has also had a strong start with only a handful of releases so far. LNS out of Vancouver has been a favorite, balancing that line I love between melodic and deep. No Moon out of Manchester is another one in this category. His latest on Craigie Knowes is one of I've been playing a lot of recently. C-Lektro out of Germany has also been churning out some interesting tracks, which I'd say are more minimal and stripped down dj tools, but work really well on the dance floor. You've also got the usual suspects constantly releasing quality like CPU, Cultivated Electronics, Shipwrec, and of course my home label Frustrated Funk. There's honestly loads of fantastic music being released at the moment in the electro realm. A lot of one offs, it would be hard to call each one out. I post a lot of mixes on my Soundcloud and try to support a lot of new artists so keep on eye there for new artists and labels I'm feeling.
Being from a small mountain town near Seattle, how would you describe the electronic music scene in your area?
Well in my town there is no scene. There isn't even a venue for bands. It's a fairly small town of about 6,000 residents and where the show Twin Peaks was filmed. It's a beautiful city with many outdoor activities. I moved out here to get away from the city and it's been a great source of inspiration for my music output. Seattle is the closest city for nightlife. The scene has been bubbling up in Seattle the last few years and there's multiple events happening every weekend. A lot of the usual tours come through here, but I can't really say I'm attached to the scene here. I rarely get asked to play in Seattle - once, maybe twice a year. Most artists I know seem to follow the same pattern, more out of town gigs than in town. There are a number of extremely talented artists and djs out here.
Are there any records in particular that inspired you to get in to production?
I don't think there was a particular record(s). I was djing a few years before I started producing and I think that's what led me to start producing. I wanted to try my hand at music I wasn't hearing much of and wanted to see what I could contribute and make a sound of my own.
Do you have a studio process when working on a record?
Not really. I usually just fire up the machines and start sequencing until things come together. I always start with a blank palette and take it from there. I do get myself into a particular head space before I hit the studio. I'm lucky to be surrounded by all this beauty so I'll go for a hike before I hit the studio.
What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
Next up is a V/A on a series coming from Cultivated Electronics. Then my debut on Steffi and Dexter's Klakson, another V/A for Monotone, and my 5th EP for Frustrated Funk.
214's 'Ingalls Way' is available for digital download via beatport here and you can pick the vinyl via juno here