DJ Joe Syntax can’t remember the first drum and bass record he ever heard, but he remembers the one that got him hooked: Amon Tobin’s Permulation LP, which featured the track “Nightlife.” Years later, Syntax is now one of the drum and bass scene’s preeminent scions.
“It’s a great tempo to mix with,” said Syntax. “You can cut the BMP in half and play hip hop, electronica tunes in the same set as faster D&B. This alters the energy of a DJ set considerably.”
Career-wise, Syntax is in a very interesting place. He’s kicking off a tour of Southeast Asia, starting with a debut performance in Bangkok. Back home in London, he was recently signed to the Med School label, known for ushering in experimental electronic genres such as dubstep, jungle and breakbeat. With Med School, Syntax does a quarterly event at the infamous nightclub Fabric.
It’s the perfect fit for Syntax, who has carved own niche as a producer, doing experimental drum and bass – a blend of downtempo and unusual half-time compositions.
Syntax has caught the eye of key industry players such as Laurent Garnier and Carl Cox. He was also named one of K Mag’s “Top 10 Producers to Watch” in 2011. He talks about crafting intricate drum and bass very humbly, saying it’s not so different from making any other electronic beat.
“Its … just arranged sounds in a particular order,” he said. “However, you could argue some producers really push their production to an extremely technical level which you rarely see in house or techno for example.”
Syntax also thrives on the opportunity to bend the beat in eccentric ways.
“If you’re not trying new things nothing will change, so it is really important,” he said. “Otherwise you are basically copying a formula which is less interesting and nothing will move forward … I’ve used loops from techno sample packs before in my drum and bass tracks which are pitched up from 125 to 172 BMP. They sound quite weird in isolation but if the loop is right they can work wonders as an interesting percussion loop within the drum kit.”
Syntax’s Bangkok debut comes with the support of DJs Azek, Instinct, Orawan and Delorean at the institutional monthly party, Phatfunk Drunk and Bass.
FIND IT:
Phatfunk Drum & Bass featuring Joe Syntax (Hospital Records / Med School)
Grease
Sukhumvit 49
10pm, June 7
Entry is THB350 and includes one drink
Photo: Med School
