NT: Hey, can you give an introduction to those who haven’t heard of you yet?
I&N: We are Ill & Natti…next question. No haha, we’re a reggae/hip-hop influenced dubstep duo based out of Iowa, USA (but don’t tell nobody). It’s Ill, DJ/producer and Natti, vocalist/producer.
NT: What came first for you? The reggae or the dubstep, and did liking one help you discover the other?
I&N: Good question. This happens to be a combination of opposites; Natti has been into reggae since day 1, and wasn’t much interested in electronic music until he heard the Bassnectar remix of Kingston Town. Ill on the other hand, went through phases of punk rock and then electro house and then migrated towards dubstep in 2008, and then the reggae influenced dubstep after that.
NT: On your Soundcloud profile, it says that you are “influenced by Damian Marley and Tupac as they are by Rusko, Distance and Youngsta.” Rusko aside, that last group of artists doesn’t have a particularly high profile stateside. How did you pick up on those producers and DJs?
I&N: One of the first tracks that we ever heard and liked in the genre was ‘Traffic’ by Distance. It was such a good jam that we had to find more, and so over the years we’ve always come back to Distance as one of our all time favorite producers. Youngsta is a different matter.
In 2009 and early 2010 it is safe to say that we went through a “brostep” phase where we were into the heavier side of the genre, but it passed, and we started probing the underground for a different take. We found GetDarker and Youngsta and have been avid fans of the sounds that they push ever since. Also from a DJ’s perspective, Youngsta is someone to look up to as his transitions and selection is top notch.
I&N: We are Ill & Natti…next question. No haha, we’re a reggae/hip-hop influenced dubstep duo based out of Iowa, USA (but don’t tell nobody). It’s Ill, DJ/producer and Natti, vocalist/producer.
NT: What came first for you? The reggae or the dubstep, and did liking one help you discover the other?
I&N: Good question. This happens to be a combination of opposites; Natti has been into reggae since day 1, and wasn’t much interested in electronic music until he heard the Bassnectar remix of Kingston Town. Ill on the other hand, went through phases of punk rock and then electro house and then migrated towards dubstep in 2008, and then the reggae influenced dubstep after that.
NT: On your Soundcloud profile, it says that you are “influenced by Damian Marley and Tupac as they are by Rusko, Distance and Youngsta.” Rusko aside, that last group of artists doesn’t have a particularly high profile stateside. How did you pick up on those producers and DJs?
I&N: One of the first tracks that we ever heard and liked in the genre was ‘Traffic’ by Distance. It was such a good jam that we had to find more, and so over the years we’ve always come back to Distance as one of our all time favorite producers. Youngsta is a different matter.
In 2009 and early 2010 it is safe to say that we went through a “brostep” phase where we were into the heavier side of the genre, but it passed, and we started probing the underground for a different take. We found GetDarker and Youngsta and have been avid fans of the sounds that they push ever since. Also from a DJ’s perspective, Youngsta is someone to look up to as his transitions and selection is top notch.