In Conversation with Repulsion (Off-switch Audio)

Published on 2019-04-10 00:00:00 by Tom Blain

Recently youll have seen we featured Grand Prix by Repulsion; ahead of the release of his new EP on Off Switch Audio.  We were lucky enough to speak with the man behind the exceptional release and talk to him about his journey, his techniques and the future.**Nice to speak to you today Joshua, for the uneducated; can you let us know a bit about yourself and your musical journey so far?**Likewise to you. So, I picked up an interest in music production in 2011. Back then, I used to use websites to create music. There was one I honestly cant remember the name of, but it had various pre set loops for you to use on it. Its kinda crazy to think how I was using things like that and Audacity to make tunes just from loops.First time I used an actual DAW was early 2012. It was a copy of FL Studio 9 on my brothers laptop. I later upgraded to 10 on my computer. I stuck to self releasing on YouTube and Bandcamp for a while until I started talking to people actually within the scene I chose to dive into, which was Dubstep.My first turning point was when I signed to Substantial Audio and Subquake Audio.  Following that, was being introduced to Abstrakt Sonance through Fill Spectre, then signing to F-One and Dubfreqs label, Southside Dubstars UK.  Vinyl Vigilance was next, releasing my first vinyl EP with musical partner in crime, nova and Pacific Numen.Now, Im signed to the Sub.Mission agency with my booking agent and co-booking agent, Max Kipperman and Diana Neculcea.I honestly couldnt be more content with the growth over the past 8 years as well as the people Ive been fortunate enough to meet and befriend.**How does a guy from Oklahoma end up releasing on a label run from Bristol?**Great question! No one ever really expects hearing that Ive lived in this state most of my life after hearing my music; Not Chicago, not New York, not California or even Texas. I mean, we live right above Texas, but thats a lame claim to fame.I guess I was just fortunate enough to hear Dubstep in 2011 and wanted more of it. I got into it more and more and dived into the roots of the genre. The power and energy across this scene with its music is honestly mind boggling. I kept to it, and now I have my own sound and style.**Your EP differs so much from side-to-side; what led you to create such differing sounds for this release?**Honestly, I was just having so much fun with every track on that EP. I didnt start with a particular sound in mind for “Damn Them” or “Dirty Rainbow”. Just, whatever I thought of at the moment was placed into it without question. Rapid, almost aimless work. “2D Girlfriend” was also an accidental track and I didnt think anyone would like it that much, but surprisingly it got a good response from people. Its a weird track though, for sure. As for “Risky Shit”, that one had the most direction to it from start to finish.**Having attempted to produce in the past; the prospect of getting involved for someone new is daunting to say the least; what tips would you have for any future producers?**Yes. If you wanna produce, you gotta 100% do it cause you genuinely want to. I wanted to do it because I thought it would be cool to make my own stuff. It just seemed so addictive and cool, sound design and making tracks. What was cooler than that was being able to show that art to others.So, dont worry about numbers, clout and the popularity game. Do what you do because you love it.**Having watched you remix other artists tunes on your livestream as well as creating impressive tunes for your release, do you have a methodical approach to your production or do you run with an idea till it doesn’t work?**So, I more or less do things backwards when it comes to production half the time, because sometimes I will start with the mid range, not the drums. Other than that, I will start with the drums. In the more rare case, I will start with an atmosphere or drone sound.  So, I dont exactly have a solid approach. Guess I would say I run with an idea and keep working with it unless I lose the feel for it.**With Festival season becoming all the talk currently; if you could play any festival, what would it be and why?**Thats a seriously tough decision, but between Infrasound and Outlook, I gotta say Outlook. First off, Ive never been out of the country, and Outlook is where all the people Ive known through this music end up going.2019 really seems to be starting great for you Joshua.  For people who are looking for more, who are the artists youll be looking to hearing from this year? Wow, theres a lot of names I could list, but I wanna say first off: nova (all lowercase) is one to watch. Hes on the rise for sure. Also, Counterfeit Rainbow, Dalek One, Retina and Seraph.**Thanks for talking to us today. Looking forwards to more from you.**You can find the full release over on Off-Switch Audios Site, where you can purchase the EP on vinyl and digitally right now

Written by Tom Blain