Oversight – Different Drumz Podcast Episode 16
Episode 16 of The Different Drumz Podcast Series featuring a fresh and exclusive drum and bass mix and interview from UK based Drum & Bass artist Oversight (Jazzsticks / Celsius / Influenza / LoveThatBass)
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The Tracklist
1) Sunday Grooves – Interstellar
2) Easy – Almost Blue
3) Oversight – Say Something
4) Oversight – Where the Heart Is
5) soulTec – Don’t Rush
6) Maykors – Archangel Radio
7) Inigma – Uncharted
8) soulTec – Change That
9) Inigma & Sorn – Broken (ft. Jax)
10) Tassone – Jazz Club
11) Oversight – Let You Down
12) Curricula – Inside Out
13) Sunday Grooves – Gravity
14) Alpha Rhythm – Earth
15) Inigma – Focus (ft. Oktae)
16) Curricula – Tired of Excuses
17) Retrospekt – Memories
18) Carter – Pointless
19) Retrospekt – Deception
20) Maykors & Pharelia – Orchid
21) Rezillient – Voyage Through the Void
22) Tassone – Montevideo (Al Pack remix)
23) L-Side & Andrezz – Better Days
24) Oversight – Red Moon
25) Caeseum – I Want You Gone
26) Rezillient – Break Free
27) Evasion – True Intentions
28) Easy – Reaching
29) Maykors – Amazing Nearby
30) BDJ & Da Tu – High
31) Sola – I Still Love You (pyxis remix)
32) Duophonix – Dreaming City
33) Oversight – Dangerous Love
The Interview
Hey Joe thank you so much for getting involved with Different Drumz again for our podcast series, it’s awesome to have you on board! We have been following you as an artists for quite some time now and we love your sound but could you start by giving our listeners a little background info about yourself for those that might not yet know about ‘Oversight’ and tell us a little about what we can expect from your podcast mix?
Sure, so I’m a DJ and Producer from Kent in the UK, I make liquid drum and bass and have recently been putting music out with Jazzsticks and Influenza amongst a handful of others. I’ve been DJing for 18 years and trying to make beats on and off for the last 10. I think this mix is a pretty good insight into who I am as an artist and where I see my sound being right now. Lots of liquid and a fair few of my own tracks in there.
We read that you have a history in the punk rock music scene as a drummer. Can you tell us a little more about your transition from rock to drum and bass, and how punk has influenced your music production?
You’ve done your research! When I was in my teens I played in a few punk bands yeah, I was more into alternative punk/ metal/ hardcore etc than anything electronic or dancey in those days. Then I went to college, made a bunch of new friends who liked metal but ALSO liked drum and bass and hiphop. So yeah that broadened my horizons significantly! I had heard a bit of DnB before, Like I really liked a few Roni Size tunes, but i hadn’t heard much else. The new people I met introduced me to Mampi Swift and the stuff coming out on Breakbeat Kaos. I think it was an easier transition because a lot of it was quite heavy and a bit dark at the time, and I was mainly listening to hardcore punk before hand which was heavy and fast, so yeah probably quite an easy transition at the time. To be honest I don’t feel that punk really influences my music these days, although saying that I think everything you’ve ever heard or experienced ultimately influences your creative output in some way as its going to be a sum of your experiences.
There is a very noticeable, harmonic feel from your music, a feeling that it has been influenced by orchestral music and jazz. As we’ve previously discussed you used to play the drums. Do you play any other musical instruments? Where is this influence drawn from?
No not really, I mean i can strum chords on a guitar and have a couple of riffs that are stuck in my brain but I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a guitarist. No i wish I was more musical tbh, I really want to learn the piano one day. I’ve always liked and been drawn towards emotive and melodic/ harmonic music. As a kid I loved pop music, the cheesier the better usually, the more emotional the better And I’m a sucker for a good hook. Then with the alternative music in my teens it was always the more emotional and melodic music that got to me. So I think with drum and bass it was kind of inevitable that this is where I’d end up. Plus in the lab i just find musical stuff comes easy to me, compared to the technical side or basslines for example. Also in the lab if the track I’m working on doesn’t have proper music in it I find it really hard to keep the motivation to keep working on it.
We know you’ve had releases on some top labels such as Celsius, Love That Bass, Suspended Motion, influenza media and Jazzsticks Recordings, and I also understand you have been self releasing too. When did you decide to start self releasing and how did you find it? Was it harder than you thought it would be?
I’ve only done a couple of self releases but yeah, basically I’d sent “Looking back” to a few labels and noone had wanted it, and usually I would see that as good quality control, but with this track it was different, like I was SO confident it was good that I though fuck it i’m gonna put it out myself, also i kind of just wanted to see how it all worked really, so yeah I did it and it was suprisingly easy and yeah it was well recieved and to this day I still think it’s one of the best tracks I’ve written so I’m glad I put it out there. (Available now from my Oversight Bandcamp page)
After listening to some of your releases from 2023, one that stood out as being different from the crowd was ‘Beautiful Lie’ ……amazing tune! It must have been incredible to get air time on Radio 1 with such a banger big ups! This track seems a little heavier than some of your other tracks, especially in the drums. What was the inspiration behind this track?
Did that one get on Radio 1? I can’t remember. Yeah I think the last couple of years I’ve basically been working hard to get some of the fundamentals of making drum and bass nailed down and therefore there are definitely a few tracks where I can tell I was trying new things/ I think this was me going for a bit of a grittier, sample based darker sound as an attempt to add, I don’t know a more organic/ saturated almost old skool approach. I don’t know if it works but it turned out a nice tune and that’s the main thing.
We noticed you have recently been releasing tracks on Influenza Media, some really great tracks we might add – We love ‘the ‘What If EP’ deffo one of our favourites – Can you tell our listeners more about your collaboration with Influenza and how it came to pass? Are you still working with them?
I collaborated on a track with my pal Blean which he had sent over to Marco who runs Fokuz, Celsius and Influenza. It ended up coming out on a compilation on Celsius called “Late Night In Buenos Aires EP”. Then Marco new who I was and I was working on a track with the incredible Lucy Kitchen. I sent it over to Marco and he signed it and this one ended up on a compilation on Influenza, and then really I just pretty much sent tunes to Marco for the next little while, I like him, I was fans of his labels prior to signing and i find him great to work with tbh so yeah, did a few solo releases on influenza, the last of which was the “What If ep” which I’m really proud of. Right now I’m extremely honoured to be putting music out with Paul SG’s Jazzsticks primarily, I’m a big fan of the label and to be honest I struggle to think of anywhere else that is a better fit for the music that I’m making at the moment, but I would say it is very likely that you’ll see me releasing with Influenza again, I love those guys.
Are there any collaborations you’ve done that have really stood out to you as benefitting your career?
I mean “Falling In” with Lucy was a dream come true and it’s certainly got people’s attention, I guess “Seasons” with Blean has probably had the biggest impact due to it opening the communication channels between me and Influenza.
What have been some of your greatest musical moments of 2023?
Oh gosh, signing with Jazzsticks, playing at Baseline with Nu:tone, Riya, Collette and Ben Soundscape (and of course my homie Phloem), and being the sole support act for one of the nights on Roni Size and LTJ Bukem’s tour was pretty fucking dope too. But I think aside from those sort of “one for the CV” events mainly its that I’m actually starting to be happy with how my tracks and mixes sound for the first time. That’s a good feeling.
Can you tell us more about any plans you have for future releases or any collaborations you have in the pipeline? Is there anything currently cooking in the pot that you could give us a little cheeky heads up about?
So I have another two track signed to Jazzsticks, no idea on release date as yet but I think it’s probably my best release to date. I also have a few collabs with Phloem in the pipeline, a track with Blean… and yeah other than that I’ll be getting my head down in the lab and hoping people book me for gigs haha
If you could give new aspiring dnb producers any tips or advice from your experience and lessons you have learnt with regards to getting their tracks out there and on some of their favourite labels etc what would it be?
Networking is important, the quality of your character matters almost as much as your music I think a lot of the time. Put in the hours in the lab but also have some sort of plan to get your music to the right people. And be prepared to be patient, because it doesn’t happen overnight. Making music is very accessible these days which is great but it also means there are loads of other people sending music to the same labels you are. Focus on making the best music you can and continuously improving also.
Who are some of your favourite producers in the game right now? Anyone standing out to you? Or is there any particular artists who’s style of production resonates with you?
Right now I’m really enjoying output from Bloque, Phloem, Blean, Telomic, Sevin, Motive, Da Tu, Hobzee, Adyn, Syncline, Con-Figure, Tassone…. Those are the ones that come to mind but there is so much good liquid out there at the moment it’s insane!
Before we wrap it up, do you have any shouts you would like to give?
The kent liquid mandem, Phloem, Bleam, Telomic, out to Paul SG at Jazzsticks and Marco at Fokuz, biggup Will at UK Export, out to Craig, Jon Boy, Paul, Gary, Loz, T, Samantha, Tay, love to EVERYONE who has been playing/ buying/ sharing my tunes it means the world and lastly and most importantly bug love to my amazing wife Sammi and my beautiful Daughter Marli
Finally, we always love to know what’s in our favourite artists ‘record box’.. could you tell us your top ten favourite tracks at the moment in any order?
Coming soon…
Thanks again for getting involved with the Different Drumz Podcast series and for such a beautiful mix, we wish you all the best for 2024 and look forward to hearing more of your music and working with you again more in the future!
Useful Links
Oversight Facebook | Oversight Soundcloud | Oversight Instagram | Oversight Bandcamp