El-B, also known as Lewis Beadle, is one of those producers who has been around for so long he seems to have seen and done it all.
Having played a big part in crafting the dubstep sound throughout the late nineties and early noughties, in 2000 he was part of a movement of young producers looking to break away from the UK garage scene (itself adapted from the American genres of house and garage) in search of a bass-heavier alternative. This bass-heavier alternative was officially termed dubstep around 2004, and has gone on to generate global popularity and spawned many international DJ’s and chart-topping hits in its wake.
The fact is, whilst many today would consider themselves familiar with what dubstep is, each individual’s notion is different. Spanning over a decade of development, the term itself has been applied to many different sounds – there’s roots-led dub like Cotti, Cluekid and Mungo’s HiFi, then there’s the deep and meditative sounds of Mala, the at-times-abrasive work of Coki, and – fast forwarding through an extensive name dropping session that could take forever – let’s not forget the commercial womp popular circa the Mephedrone craze of 2009-2011 which saw a multitude of pop chart hits remixed for ‘dubstep’ compilations, eventually feeding into the emergence of EDM.
Wherever you sit on the fence of bass music snobbery, you should definitely make time for El B because he knows his shit! In the run up to the release of the new ‘This is the Roots of Dubstep’ compilation, which features productions from the man himself alongside the likes of Horsepower Productions and Darqwan (get your copy here), we got together for a chat with El-B to get some history on the development of the scene and hear what he’s got coming up next! (Spoiler alert, he’s looking to release a track with Burial)! Read on for more…
Hi Lewis, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today! For those who don’t know, can you start by telling us your name, where you’re from and how you’d describe your sound?
My name is EL-B, born & raised in south London & I would describe my sound as dark & sensual dance music.
Many people consider you a pioneer, both of modern bass music in general and dubstep in particular. We’re curious to know, how did you first get into making music?
I got into music as a child through my mum who used to play rare groove & funk around the house. But mostly through my dad who used to take me to his gigs & on tour to various countries with various bands he was in at the time. I’ve always been a multi genre lover with a small knowledge of the drums & piano.
You’ve previously said that you felt the aggression and basslines of your tunes were responsible for garage’s decline – do you still consider this to be the case?
Myself & Zed Bias, Oris J, Hatcha etc. have on occasion joked about how we messed up the garage sound/scene & opened the door for grime to be created. But this is not the first time a single style has changed the whole direction of a sound/scene & will not be the last.
Of course with the dispersion of garage came the rise of grime and dubstep, and with Croyden’s adoption of those strong basslines the sound has achieved global acclaim. How involved were you with that movement?
Extremely involved, we all were. From being the only few guys to actually make the stuff, to each running own labels & dealing with distribution companies, record shops & major labels.
We know you’re also into house and techno. How do you see that all these different genres fit together?
I’ve never been known to make a techno record but have produced & co produced a lot of house lately. I’m enjoying the slightly different methods used that give house its diference to uk garage.
Moving on to what you’re up to at the moment… you’ve got a new release coming out soon, what can you tell us about that?
A lot of different projects being released. Few good remixes due. Ghost recordings had the Buck & Bury remixes feat.Tunnidge plus more. The Ghost label crew also started a house based label “Fraction” that has featured many of my house productions & is looking forward to its new release (013).
Any features or remixes you can spill the beans on?
I am attempting to get an official release on the track I was lucky enough to get Burial to feature on, back in 2010 when we both used to live in the same district of South London.
Can we expect a tour any time soon?
Another tour or two is a great idea. This needs to be addressed as other studio & work projects, releases & single gigs have been enough to keep me busy over the last couple of years but there are a few plans casually in the pipeline at the moment actually.
What else have you been up to lately? What’s going on with Ghost at the moment?
Ghost recordings is as its always been….there but rare! Ghost has always been an “under the radar” label with no real release time table. (2/3 per year) im about to set up the “Amazon remixes” for early 2015.
What are you listening to at the moment? Anyone you see blowing up in the near future?
In the clubs I’m loving some of the productions from Joedan, Cause & affect, Jook-10, Hybrid theory, Duncan powell. theres lots of talent around at the moment but he who pushes himself the hardest will as you say… “blow”
Haha, somehow that ended up sounding dirty! Do you have any tips or advice for DJ’s and producers coming up who are trying to get noticed?
I need advice as a dj but for producers; try & stand out in whatever you’re making. Always be clear, loud & confident with your production.
Thanks again for chatting with us! Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom to lay on us?
To listen/study/examine or simply understand various genres of music from past & present is vital.
The compilation is out now and you can pick up a copy here. Check out a mix El B did for THUMP to promote the release.
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