Deep N Beeper and Zac Z
We talk to Deep N Beeper and Zac Z about Tripsville, Tennessee, their new album release on ZaZ Records.
Nick - Deep N Beeper is Nick Knatchbull (aka 5D) was first introduced to proper dance music at an underground rave in Peckham in 1998. Hooked on the vibe and music, he spent many many weekends lost in maze-like warehouses all around the capital interspersed with some visits to forests and fields and grew to have a very prominent place in his heart for the intense heavy grooves and deep soundscapes of the music at the time, especially bass driven music. Attending parties religiously for the next 20 years and studying music technology and sound design, moving into production seemed like a
logical step.
Zac - Born in India to diplomatic parents, he spent his childhood moving, and finally settled back in the U.K. After school he studied photography - and life. Creative musical impulses turned him into a multi instrumentalist: guitar, bass, drums,
piano, turntables, and vocals. He set up Zaz Records and put together and released two albums. He is also focused on other creative projects showcased on ZacZ.com which he calls art fashion.
Tell us about your new musical release?
Tripsville, Tennessee. Zac’s musical chops as a guitar-led multi-instrumentalist shine through the skilled production. A deep singing voice layered over the top and that extra psychedelic space
vibration make these guys chameleons of the ambient world. “Our music's like a razor blade,” says Zac..
Guys tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences?
Nick -
Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher and a-lot more of late nineties Warp Records style.
Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky and Bristol Triphop,
Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def, Mobb Deep, and older Hip-hop sounds
Radiohead a-lot of D&B & DUBSTEP was very into Psytrance & Acid techno back in the day too
Bob Marley, Rage Against The Machine, DJ Spooky DJ Shadow.
Zac -
Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso, Paul McCartney, Jack White,
Tom Yorke, Björk, Beck, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Buddy Guy,
Jeff Beck, Boards of Canada,
Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood... the
list goes on!
What is your creative process like?
Nick - I tend to create like I would approach painting (although I cannot paint). Rather than bring specific musical ideas to the proceedings (not that I never bring general ideas of what to create) I tend to experiment with different things from my, and other peoples', palettes so to speak and then discard them or add more. I continue this process until the "painting" is complete! It's different to how a lot of people create music granted but its how I work. This process also allows more experimentation to happen I would argue.
Zac - Musically its been learning to play lots of instruments. Artistically I am free flow with pen and paper and usually let the pen
or paintbrush find its way. Photography is more structured, figuring out the balance of shutter speed, aperture and iSO, and then playing with the light to try and get the most out of the picture. As for this album, it was really a case of spending a lot of time together with Nick and trying out things.
www.zacz.com
www.zazrecords.com
Deep N Beeper
https://soundcloud.com/deepnbeeper
https://twitter.com/DeepNBeeper
