Sparxy Interview

This week I had the opportunity to talk to a talented DnB/Dubstep producer by the name of Sparxy. Sparxy is also the owner of “Bacon Dubs” Records which is home to many other talented producers. We talked about the family at Bacon Dubs, producing and his new album Exile/Relentless which is due out on the 31^st of October. Enjoy

Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself etc. (Name, age)

Hello! My name’s Matt Sparks, but you may know me as dubstep DJ and producer
Sparxy. I’m 25 and from Portsmouth in the UK. I’m also label owner at Bacon
Dubs Records.

Tell us about the family at Bacon Dubs

At the moment Bacon Dubs is me, my buddy Radzta, Skriptah, Intelligent
Delinquent and Reamz. I feel we are all very versatile, with a mixture of
tastes that all cross over somewhere along the line. As a fan of the full
spectrum of bass music, I wanted to create a label that doesn’t pigeon hole
itself to a particular sound. My ethos is just to put out quality music
covering the full spectrum of UK bass that hopefully all types of fans of
dubstep will enjoy. The artists I have on board I feel are extremely talented,
and I feel our diverse range of bass music is what will set us apart.

Is there any meaning behind the name Sparxy?

Well, my second name is Sparks and growing up I was nicknamed “Sparxy” by my
mates. It’s just something that has stuck over time really!

When did you first hear dubstep? Did it inspire you to
produce dubstep?

Originally I was into Drum n Bass, I still remember the day I picked up a copy
of “The Nine” by Bad Company on wax when I was 15 years old! I was heavily into
DnB and DJing at the time. As my interest expanded I got into production around
2006. I have been into dubstep ever since I first heard Skream’s “Midnight
Request Line” around 2008. It really caught me, I felt the entire emotion
of the tune and just seemed to “get it” right away. I’ve been hooked
ever since and my production / DJ focus switched from DnB to dubstep very
quickly! What I love about dubstep is its versatility. There is an amazing
array of styles and sounds for just one genre, and I am a fan of it all. The early
stuff was all about raw vibes and emotion and you can really feel the artists’
vibes in the music. I think this is still mostly the case today and whether
you’re looking to chill out and meditate, or go mental raving, dubstep can
cater for it!

Which artists are your main influences?

Being a DnB head I am heavily influenced from the likes of Bad Company, DJ
Fresh, Hive, early Pendlum, State of Mind, Moving Fusion, Concorde Dawn,
Lynx… I could go on naming my favourite DnB producers forever! I have always
been a fan of darker, moody music and DnB created a certain energy on the
dancefloor.

In terms of dubstep, well I don’t think any dubstep artist
can forget to mention Skream. The man is so versatile with the ability to
create a massive range of vibes in music and was instrumental in dubstep’s
early days. Thesedays my taste is very eclectic, I am massively influenced by
deeper darker stuff like Truth, Distance and Tunnidge. 16Bit are amazing in my
book, Joker is an originator and a big influence in trying to keep my music
original. Kutz is another one of my favourite producers, the man is genius. I
can also appreciate the energy created by guys like Funtcase, Cookie Monsta and
Excision. I guess you could say i’m just generally a fan of bass music and
believe there’s a time and place for almost any style!

I don’t like pigeon holing myself to a particular sound, I
try to stretch my interests as much as possible and hopefully this comes across
in my productions as well.

What can we expect from your first release
Exile/Relentless?

For me music is all about emotion and how it makes you feel. I made Exile when
I was in a bit of a dark place and it really reflects how I felt at the time.
Relentless was made purely for the dancefloor and you can expect it to be a bit
more facemelting!

The release is out on Bacon Dubs on the 31st October,
available anywhere you can buy tunes online.

So what’s your studio like? Tell us a bit about the
equipment you use?

I have a home setup in a semi-treated room, a decent PC with Focusrite Saffire
sound interface. I have it hooked up to Alesis M1 Mk2 Monitors which are
getting on a bit now, they’re not ideal, but I know them inside out. The
important thing when it comes to monitors/speakers is to train your ears and
understand how the sound coming out of them translates to other systems. I know
some big producers who still use HiFi speakers!!

What about the equipment you use in your live shows?

I’m old school when it comes to playing out live. You can’t beat a pair of
Technics, I think it gets the DJ involved in the sets like nothing else can.
With the digital revolution though I have now got Serato SL1 timecode setup
which I have been using at home and for my radio shows, its really cool, and
blends all the advantages of mixing turntables with the versatility of digital
music. I have yet to test this live yet, and tend to play it safe when DJing
out and use the CDJs at gigs.

Where can everyone find your music?

I put new stuff on my Soundcloud every so often – http://soundcloud.com/Sparxy there are
also a few free downloads on there and some mixes. Also keep locked to all your
digital music stores – Exile and Relentess will be out 31st October and you can
cop it from iTunes, Beatport, Juno or anywhere else you can buy tunes online!

You can also keep up to date with me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/SparxyUK

And also Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/SparxyDubs

Any last words?

Just want to say a massive thanks for doing this feature.
Shout outs to the Bacon Dubs fam – Skriptah, Reamz, Intelligent Delinquent and
Radzta.

Keep locked to www.bacondubs.com
for some sick tunes from guys you haven’t heard before – whatever styles of
dubstep you like I can guarantee there’ll be something for you.

Also check out http://soundcloud.com/Bacon-Dubs
for free downloads and exclusive previews of upcoming releases on the label.