Interview – Calyx & TeeBee
The world of drum and bass as a genre has never been short of creativity and has, in fact, mostly gained its popularity by being a positive force of experiment within the electronic music field. Although it can be quite hard to pin down specific leaders in the field of Drum’n’bass production, there is no mistaking that both Calyx and TeeBee clearly sit within that circle of prominence. Whether it is within their own solo productions, individual DJ sets or as the incredibly energetic performance and production duo, Calyx and TeeBee have risen over the years to prominence with their blindingly powerful, yet meticulously rendered talents.
There are a thousand different stories as to why individuals join ranks with each other to push the boundaries of their own individual work, and yet it is less common to find two individuals that seemingly merge effortlessly into each other, and it their detailed approach to their art that allows these two friends to integrate their skills into a cohesive unit.
“Firstly, we have a really good and strong friendship that goes back a long way,” Calyx explains of their partnership, citing possibly the most common reason two musicians join forces. “But more importantly,” he continues, “we have very similar tastes. We also aspire to similar ideals in what we love from drum’n’bass and what we want to do with drum’n’bass and how we want to sound. I think also we have a very similar work ethic, which is kind of around very meticulous attention to detail, which means spending a long time on each track. Whereas a lot of other people will roll a track out in a few hours, we will spend literally weeks on it.”
In a time where it is increasingly hard for drum’n’bass producers to have their work stand out from the flotsam and jetsam of releases, attention to minor elements within composition seems to be the hallmark of truly successful drum’n’bass tracks. It is by wielding this ethic, instead of being held back by it, that really pinpoints Calyx and TeeBees strength together.
“I’m not sure if we are more meticulous together than we are on solo track, Calyx ruminates. It’s just one of those kind of ‘the sum of the whole is greater than the value of the parts” kind of thing – but basically I think we just bring out the best in each other when we work together. I think maybe TeeBee brings a lot more depth than stuff id do on my own, and I bring a lot more raw energy than the stuff that he does.”
“Someone the other day said the other day that they could almost hear that TeeBee had a little more of a soulful influence and I had a more of a rock influence, which isn’t necessarily how I’d look at it, but I think that our tunes find a great medium between us. I just think we bring out the best in each other and the end result is like a really good medium which is what we are both about,” he remarks, in a well thought out manner that seems a perfect reflection of his creations.
The road to Calyx and TeeBees first full blown artist’s album together, the Anatomy LP, is perhaps the culmination of their efforts in trying to bring a focus to the journey of the music, whilst at the same time producing something that their fans can sink their teeth into.
“All we wanted to do was to make a whole collection of tunes that we enjoy making and that we enjoy playing out as DJs, that’s pretty much the criteria,” Calyx admits. “When we started we went tune by tune, making tunes that we loved, and once we got about two thirds though the album we sat back and thought well ‘what do we really want to do with these related tracks to really make this an album and not just a collection of tracks’. It’s pretty much the same sort of way I did my previous album, which starts off making some track that I enjoy, then once you get about half the way through what’s missing and what else do I want to do.”
“We could have had more diversity in styles because obviously drum’n’bass played out and just drum’n’bass as a genre can be really eclectic and diverse,” he continues, delving further into the ethos of the albums construction, and why the album doesn’t deviate too far into the more esoteric regions of the genre. “But we really just wanted the album to have an identifiable sound and to be a chapter in our careers, and hopefully in drum’n’bass, that you could hear something and it would be totally identifiable as being a part of that album and that era at that time.”
Hitting their creative mark seems to be a necessity for Calyx and TeeBee, and as the Drum’n’bass genre has shifted around over the years, it has been a constant task for all producers to keep up their efforts in terms of innovation. It is general feeling in CAlyxs mind that the main strength in drum’n’bass is its ability to shape itself to the mood of the times, when this strength is lost however the genre suffers as a whole.
“I think that there are a lot of people who are enjoying diversity,” Calyx explains. “There were a few years where the mainstream of drum’n’bass was kind of dominated by a really dumbed down, childlike type of drum’n’bass with sort of ring tone riffs and a crude simple loop that would be drawn out for five minutes, that really served to do little more than just get a rewind.”
The seeming rut that drum’n’bass found itself in for several years had a major impact on both sales and the ability of artists to really stand out from the crowd, however Calyx points out, quite correctly, that the trend is now well and truly over. “The impression that i have got now, is that people, the market for drum’n’bass, has started to really embrace what brought drum’n’bass to prominence in the first place, which is mainly and eclectic, a sort of future music. Something that makes you feel a little more than just gritting your teeth and shouting for a rewind. The demographic of the market sort of plummeted and it all got dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, which I’m sure is a process that other forms of dance music have gone through.”
At the end of the day, the journey leads to the road, and the road to Australia in the coming weeks will for the duo be the beginning of a well thought out world tour, that will see them showcasing their album to a planetful of drum’n’bass enthusiast.
“We’re just looking to represent the album and all the other styles of drum’n’bass and the music we are into,” Calyx remarks enthusiastically. “Before we come down we are going to be putting a lot of thought into what we are playing, more than ever I think, into what we are playing and who’s playing what and just making sure that the we do are a really good journey and very in style to just take people on a proper journey. That’s pretty much the plan, and hopefully we’ll do the best at promoting what we are about, and the music that we are about.”
Tags: anatomy LP, calyx, teebee