
Brighton boy wonder Dismantle has answered some questions for us ahead of the release of his EP “Warp” for Digital Soundboy, which promises to cement his already promising reputation as one of the main players in the current Bass music scene. You can also check out his video for Digital Soundboy ahead of the release here, in which he gives a little tour of hometown Brighton with backing clips from the EP. The EP drops on the 15th of July.
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If you’ve had your ear to the ground when it comes to UK dance music over the last few years, it’s most likely that you’ll have come across Will Knighton before. Known to most of us as Dismantle, the 19 year old Brighton resident has been making a rapid ascension through the ranks of the UK scene, with his 2011 track, computation receiving heavy air play from the likes of Diplo, Skream, Annie Mac and Zane Lowe to name but a few. But of course, not to be overshadowed by his accomplishments to date, Dismantle is back in full force circa 2012, with his debut release on Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy label, an EP entitled Warp. Boasting 4 solid, hard hitting tracks chock full of chirping high end synths, Warp sees Dismantle keeping hold of his trademark style but channeling it into a more house orientated groove. At a time when many UK producers are turning towards serious techno for their influences, Dismantle is here to ensure that club music isn’t going to loose it’s sense of fun and mayhem anytime soon!
This week we caught up with Will for a quick Q&A.
Hey Will, hows it going? What have you been up to this week?
Hi guys, all good thanks. I’ve been recently working on a new track which I’m excited about and I have just shot a viral video to promote my debut Digital Soundboy E.P, in my hometown Brighton. It was a lot of fun, did some funny things for it and should be out on the DSB Youtube page soon.
As someone who’s working out of Brighton, what do you think of the current scene down there? Who’s making stuff happen at the moment?
The Brighton scene is cool man, there’s a huge house scene here, especially on the weekend which is wicked. Supercharged are a big ‘bass’ night who put on some wicked events and we (Gangoon Dubz) run a few nights as well, which is always good fun. We’re not promoters as such but we like to hold an annual event called Goonie Island.
How long have you been making music? Where did it all start?
It started in my bedroom when I got a pair of cheap turntables and a mixer when I was 13. My mate Hizzle Guy (from Gangoon Dubz) was mixing at the time as well and so it kicked off there for me. A year later he introduced me to Reason and I started attempting to make drum’n'bass and dubstep. I was coming home from school everyday just making tunes in my room and gradually I got better I guess haha. It wasn’t until about end of 2010 I started getting noticed for what I make now, and ever since signing things to labels and getting some steady releases, it has become very busy with things I love doing.
A lot of your music has a very upbeat quality to it, what do you think it is that’s inspired this style in you?
Probably because I started getting into House. I’m not saying my music is house but I’ve got into it over the last 2 years or so, all kinds, deep, tech, dutch. Making half-step was not doing it for me anymore and I started to incorporate what I was listening to into my music but at 140, starting off with a track called Clone. It took a while for things to get noticed but I wasn’t making the style to start something new or start a trend, I did it because it was what was inspiring me to make music at the time and still does now.
If you could collab with anyone in the world right now, who would it be and why?
Probably Diplo or Major Lazer. They have their sound on smash and their Major Lazer project a few years back really opened my eyes to new music and ‘carnival’ vibes. Saying that, he did say he wanted to get in the studio at some point so maybe this could happen.
Would you mind telling us a little about your Gangoon Dubz project, how did it all come about?
It came about around 2008. Hizzle Guy knew I was making Dubstep and asked if I wanted to join a project him and a few mates were setting up. I went round and showed them my music and it started from there really. We started getting noticed locally at nights such as Subsplash (old big dubstep night in Brighton we were residents at) and other nights and our tracks were started to get recognised a little, both locally and on the internet. After that we decided to make the collective into a record label and release music. We’ve had 3 releases so far and we have got some strong releases forthcoming from the artists in Gangoon and other artists too. In all fairness we’re just all a bunch of friends really who share the same interests. We now consist of myself, Hizzle Guy, Zaius, Redz, Hanz1, Hurley, Bolger and 184.
Whats the weirdest stuff you’ve ever come across in your time as a producer/DJ? Any good stories to tell?
A weird one was having N Type come up to me about a month after I made Computation at a night in Brighton I was a resident at and asking if he could sign that and Word Dance. My music was getting support from Kutz then but having N Type (I was a big fan of his Rinse show) ask me to sign those tracks to Wheel & Deal was hard to take in haha. At the time I couldn’t believe it. That and then having Shy add me on AIM and ask if I wanted to sign Warp to his label was also crazy. At that point of my life I couldn’t believe what I was being asked! Another story is a promoter in Prague showed me to a backroom at a bunker type club I was playing at. I thought what I was being shown was a room 3 and you had to climb through a hole in the wall to get into it. I thought why not…it was a swimming pool! This was 5 minutes before I had to go on and I was soaked head to toe and my phone and bankcards were all f**ked. I ended up playing in tracksuit bottoms with holes in and a ridiculously baggy t-shirt I was lent. I was screwing at the time but looking back it was a laugh and a story to tell now!
Is there anything about the state of music today that’s pissing you off?
I think music (bass music) today is the most exciting it has been for a while. With dubstep kicking off everyone’s doing so many different things it’s great. I don’t like to watch youtube comments and stuff as some people on there are such idiots and know-it-alls, when they probably can’t write a beat themselves. That kinda gets on my nerves.
What does the future hold in store for Dismantle?
Making more music and hopefully visiting other places around the world. Music wise I’m looking to work with vocalists for my next DSB EP and keep working away at what I love doing.
