An interview and guest mix from Solitude...

As far as Night Tracks goes, we consider Solitude a pretty big name. He's amassed thousands of loyal followers with his mixes that showcase the latest and greatest dark, bass heavy tunes, put together by a man who clearly puts a lot of effort into digging for the perfect tunes, and as part of Solace Records has released a slew of top-notch releases, we considered ourselves pretty lucky recently.

After Budeaux put together a guest mix for the Solace Records podcast series, he offered to return the favour with something we'd really wanted for ages; A Night Tracks guest mix from Solitude. This really is a sublime mix, not just track after track, but a series with a well worked flow, obviously one that a lot of thought has gone into (and the three-way Burial vs Lana Del Rey mix is as amazing as it sounds).

Check it out. We also got in touch with Solitude for a few words.

Limited Download

NT: Hey man. First off, can you give us an introduction... 
S: Hello, I'm a DJ from South East London... Been playing under the name Solitude since around 2003.

NT: Correct me if I'm wrong, but contrary to the traditional ways of building a reputation, playing sets locally, badgering promoters, etc. you built up a following from your "Ambient Dubstep" mixes on the net. Now that you're playing more sets live, would you say it's made things harder or better for you to get noticed by promoters? Can you see more DJs following your method of success? 

S: My intentions were never really to start playing out or to even share the mixes with anyone, the whole 'Ambient Dubstep' thing started out from me not having anything decent to listen to while in the bath one day. I was inspired by a set I'd heard from Canadian producer Graham March 'Desimal' who sadly passed away in 2006. He put out a mix titled 'Ambient Dub' back in 2003, it sent me on a mission to find some deeper moody tunes. I eventually come across Burial's first album at a friend's record shop and was hooked. I was always into the darker side of Garage, so hearing that was pretty big for me. 

Solace Podcast 008 - Budeaux

Night Tracks' own Budeaux was asked by Solitude over at Solace Records to put together a mix for the amazing Solace Podcast series, previously featuring the likes of Clubroot, Solitude himself and Irrelevant. The result is 100 minutes of fresh tunes, up-front dubs, and classic night tracks.

Enjoy.

Tracklist after the jump...

A Recommendation: Clubroot - Scars/Hellion

When we interviewed Jamie from Solace Records back in January, we spoke a little about their first forthcoming release by dubstep don Clubroot. Well, we're now a little closer to the release date, and I thought I'd tell you a little more about it.

If you've listened to Clubroot's stuff before then you know what to expect (and if you haven't you're seriously missing out!) and A-side Scars won't let you down. A deep, dark track with a huge sub to keep things rolling. Check it out below:

However, for what it's worth, my opinion is that the flip, B-side Hellion, is the stand out track of the two. It's a powerful track with plenty of (tastefully-done) midrange, something that quite a lot of producers seem to try nowadays, but none seem to have the impact that Clubroot does on this track. Check it out.

The release has got a lot of support from DJs as varied as Rob Da Bank to TRG to Mary Anne Hobbs to Sasha, and it really is quite a way for Solace Records to introduce themselves to the world with a stunning debut, that will definitely keep me happy until Clubroot's long awaited third album drops.

You can bag it in stores on vinyl and digital from stores on February 27th 2012. Put that in your diaries now, you won't want to miss out.

Interview with Solace & Silk Recordings & Night Tracks 028: Guest Mix

Today we've got Jamie (Forge) and a little from Tom (Solitude) who are both involved with running the record labels Silk and Solace to tell us a little bit about their plans for the two, and Forge drops a dub filled guest mix for your listening pleasure too (Download here or listen after the interview). Read on...

NT: Hey, can you give us an introduction? 

F: Yes sure, my name is Jamie Stowell I produce under the name Forge for d&b and Stole for my dubstep/downtempo stuff. I’m also one half of ‘The Hybridz’ with my partner – Jefferson (Integration Now) from Brazil and I’ve recently just started a new house project with one of my friends here in Melbourne. We still have no name for the project yet but the tracks have been going down really well on the radio so far. I also run Silk Recordings and now Solace Records with my partner in crime Tom – Solitude.

NT: So, you run the Silk Recordings label, which is pretty well established already. What made you want to get involved with Solace Records too? 

F: It kind of just happened naturally. I meet Tom thru a mutual friend of ours Edd (eleven8) and I had told Edd I was looking to setp up a new dubstepish label. He introduced me to Tom who also had the same idea, I checked out his mixes and was really impressed with the quality and sound he was portraying. We got talking and soon realized we both had the same clear vision about what we wanted to achieve and the sound we wanted to bring to the label. A year later and lots of planning I suppose you could say the rest is history.

Clubroot - Scars (Solace Records)

Solace Records

There's a new label in town, and it's definitely one to get excited about. Solace Records is the brainchild of Jamie Stowell (Forge) & Tom Bond (Solitude). It's been in the planning phase since late 2010, and only recently has become a reality.

You may have heard of the fathers behind Solace before. Solitude is well known for his 'Ambient Dubstep' mix series that get serious plays and downloads, and Forge as the head of Silk Recordings. If you have heard any of Solitude's sets, or any of the stuff released on Silk, then you may have some idea what to expect as they are combining their knowledge and building on a concept of keeping to their own musical tastes and roots.

Clubroot - Scars (Solace001)

I'm really excited about this label. After hearing their first planned release (by Clubroot, one of my favourite producers, nonetheless), I then saw some of the artists they have on their release schedule. Aside from Clubroot, they have eleven8, Phaeleh and The Hybridz lined up. Something that also caught my eye was that they say they have a massive focus within the label to bring the more underground and upcoming artists through. Keep an eye out for the limited vinyl releases, and if you're not a vinyl fan, make sure to search for the 'few high quality sites' where you can bag the downloads.

Clubroot - Hellion (Solace001)

There will be more from the Solace crew on Night Tracks in the near future, so keep checking back.

Finally, all demos can be sent to solace@katipoaudio.com or their dropbox on their soundcloud page.