Going into Resolution I had a strong feeling that Delta Heavy’s set was going to be the highlight of my new year’s eve. I’m a huge fan of many of the artists signed to Ram Records and have been listening to Delta Heavy since 2013.
The trust I have in Seattle’s #bassfam is also quite strong and every USC Events festival features a heavy-hitting lineup that gives true bassheads the chance to rage for hours on hours at the same stage. Delta Heavy’s NYE performance in Seattle was the perfect way to set the tone for a 2017 that is hopefully filled with more bass music than ever.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOxpgZnjhet/?taken-by=deltaheavyuk
RMR was lucky enough to interview the UK duo about their current tour and discussed some of the process behind their debut album.
Q: Now that you guys have been on tour for a while, how do you think fans have responded to your debut album and the latest 2 singles? Were there any expectations going into this project? Did you guys meet certain goals?
A: The feedback and live reaction has been pretty incredible actually, better than we could have hoped for. There were no expectations per say. We poured our heart and souls into the album and it represented a huge amount of hard work and ups and downs over the previous two and a half years. Hearing Pete Tong do the intro to our Essential Mix was a special a moment and a goal which I had been dreaming about since I was 15 years old.
Q: We read in Magnetic Magazine that Warehouse Project in Manchester & Red Rooms in Vancouver are two awesome places to play. Are there any other cities or venues on your tour that have really stood out so far?
A: We’d been waiting to play Glastonbury our whole careers and as we’d both never been to the festival before it was an amazing experience (and it was one of the muddiest years ever!). We also played Reading & Leeds Festivals for the first time as well as being back at EDC Las Vegas, SW4 and Creamfields amongst others. It was a big year for us.
Q: You guys have played in the Pacific Northwest before.. do you guys have any special memories from performances in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or Alaska?
A: We love coming back here to play. It’s very easy to tell that our music is greatly appreciated in this area, and we’re really excited to make it back so quickly. Regarding memories, playing Resolution this year was absolutely incredible – the crowd was insane!
Q: Let’s dive into the music a bit more. Can you describe a little bit of the process for creating your debut album? Maybe touch on aspects such as: What you do to get into the creative zone? Working through the audio engineering and recording processes, and favorite moments while creating the album. Etc.
A: Every song generally differs in its creative process but as a general rule we’ll start with a vague concept or idea which may come from finding a new sound, sample or an acapella. We’ll then build the track with the drums, then trying to get a drop and then we’ll flesh out the intro musically. At this stage if its a club track we’ll produce it to a level where we’re happy to play it out and from there it’s a case of finessing the track and perfecting the mixdown. A favourite off the album would probably be Ghost as it probably has had the best reaction and still does when we play in our sets. It also came together very quickly from starting the basic idea with the vocal topline. As soon as we head the vocal we knew musically what we wanted to do with with the track and it really turned out exactly as we wanted which is very satisfying.
Q: If you were to invite a set of random people to any Delta Heavy set worldwide, how would you describe what they might experience?
A: We always have a few new bits to test out as well our usual blend of Delta Heavy back catalogue and the latest bangers, so people can definitely expect a massively good time.
Q: Here in Seattle, people really look up to bass music producers. What advice can you guys give to that next generation of producers, and is there a place that lesser-known artists can send demos to?
A: There’s so many people making great music these days that you really need to do something different to stand out from the crowd. Find your edges and stick to your guns, rather than the following what is popular or ‘on trend’. Be prepared to sacrifice your social life and a lot more to achieve your goals, the best people in the game work constantly and tirelessly at their craft. Practice, practice and keep practicing; you NEVER stop learning. As for sending demos, start with your friends, other producers and if you’re confident enough – labels who you would like to be releasing with.
For more information on Delta Heavy performances in the United States, like or follow the official Facebook page here.
