Reg.: Sep 2008
Location: belgium
Posts: 82

Influenza Interview : Hobzee & Zyon Base + Xclusive Hobzee Mix

Hey everyone,



Here we are with our second interview with no one else then Hobzee & Zyon Base,both hailing from the U.K .
They have releases with Fokuz,Samurai Music,Diverse Products,Shogun LTD ,and many more to come! With their release on Influenza (INMD003 with "Sad Song") coming up end of January 2009,
We thought it's time to highlight them + get an exclusive podcastmix.

Hey Andy (Hobzee) and Dan (Zyon Base) ,thanks for doing this interview with us.

So,tell us who you are and where ur both from exactly?

Andy: I'm andy a 25 year old (26 in 280 Hours and 13 minutes!!!) Dj cum producer cum office worker!!! Im from a wonderful place called Chatham in Kent! Shout to all the chalkpit massive!!! and massive props to the albert road co-op aight!

Zyon Base : I'm from Manchester, lived in Belfast for a few years and am now set up in Bristol. I don't wanna talk about work on a Sunday.


When and how was the first real contact with music? Any musical background before you guys started producing?

Andy : I have no real musical training as such due to going to a school that thought a music lesson involved children bringing in now thats what I call music compliations and explaining to the class what they like about Josh Winks - Higher state of conciousness.

The first time I heard Oasis was probably my musical awakening and defintely (maybe) made me think I can do that!!! The music I/we produce is somewhat different I'll admit but if Oasis never existed I doubt I'd be into music as much as I am! I think it was about 96/97 when I first gave drum & bass a proper listen when I borrowed a Nicky Blackmarket Roast tape from a mate (thanks!!!)... I knew a lot of the classic jungle stuff purely from being alive in the early 90's!! You couldnt really escape it round my way growing up!

Zyon Base : Yeah Oasis pretty much... then onto Hendrix, Marley and the like, then I became a hip hop obsessive, then got into DnB relatively late to be honest. I've been playing guitar since I was 9 or 10. I got Fruity when I was about 16 and as soon as I worked out how to sample on it, I was away. Music's been pretty much all I've wanted to do since I realised I wasn't great at football.


We are hearing a lot from you and your projects this year, tell us a little about what you've been up to the past months and what more we can expect from you?

Andy : Well as long as our PC's dont pack up you can expect to hear a lot more, if the PC's do pack up then don't expect too much, its literally that precarious!!! The last month or so has seen quite a few of our things coming out, we've had Rain On Lens on Samurai, Unspoken on Fokuz, the diverse products 12 with Don't Go/Red Letter & of course Sad Song coming up on Influenza!

Zyon Base : We've nearly completed our 2nd collab with Brother, really pleased with that one. I'm also doing a remix of a Naibu track called 'Yunmee'. I hope to make some more solo bits in the new year, and always enjoy collaborating... should be some stuff with Eveson soon too, and not necessarily DnB...


We've seen you both got several tunes signed solo/together. To which labels exactly can we expect some future releases on and is there any solo projects planned aswell?

Andy : We have the well received One Thousand Paper Cranes forthcoming on the Samurai Lp in early 2009 which we are both very glad to be involved with, going to be a very nice release with some lovely artwork and some top tunes! Then we have 125th Street with Brother forthcoming on a Fokuz 12 also early next year.

We've quite a handful of finished tunes at the moment that are going down well and its just a matter of finding the right homes for them! Who knows we may even start our own label for them! Solo wise I can't see myself finishing a solo tune unless its something that feels really really special, for me its more fun bouncing off of another producer.

Zyon Base : Yeah like I say I'm gonna work on a few more solo bits, and always working on other tempo stuff... I just need to realise a proper outlet for it. In terms of labels, I try not to think about that too much... I'm not gonna write tunes with any label in mind, I don't think I could...



Question for Zyon Base (sorry Andy ) : Did your style changed a lot since your first release on L-Plates?

Andy : Whatever!

Zyon Base : Not consciously, but those tunes were done over 5 years ago... I think I'm a lot closer to the sound in my head back then than I was. Whether that sound has changed, I can't really remember.


So,how does the production studio looklike and what do you guys use to produce the tunage?

Andy : As I mentioned we are both PC's (to quote a recent annoying windows marketing campaign, although I think Pharrell saying he is a pc is a bit more important than us!)

We've both been using Fruity for absolutely years now and we've seen it go from being purely a drum sequencer to a drum sequencer with flashing lights and customisable knobs. It's just a sequencer to us its all about what sounds and plugins we put into it!

Zyon Base : I am pretty basic: PC running FL, Midi Keyboard and a guitar running through it. I really want a Korg Polysix though. And yeah FL all the way, it's all I've ever used for making DnB.


As well as producing you are also dj's ? Did producing your own beats influence the tunes your playing at gigs recently?

Andy : I was djing before I really started to take production seriously but I think having my own tunes to play definitely has influenced my style. Sometimes its important though to take a step back and just think about playing the best tunes you have that night, I think some producer dj's get caught up in using mixes and sets as a showcase for their own sound.

Zyon Base : Na I'm the same, I don't wanna feel constrained in my tune selection when I play out, but then it depends where you are on the bill I suppose... if I'm playing at 3am I'm not going to roll out deep atmospheric tunes, let's put it that way. I'm playing for the crowd, not for myself or 'my scene'.


Can we get a current top 10 from both of you?

Andy : In no order...

SPY - Close Encounters (Soul R)
Brother - Junction (Eveson Remix) (Influence Dub)
Mixmaster Doc & Random Movement - Rattled System (Dub)
Hobzee & Zyon Base - 221 (Nu Directions Dub)
Saburuko & Brother - In Control (Horizons Dub)
Drifter - Elsewhere Now (Fokuz Dub)
NotioN - Be Your Lover (Nu Directions Dub)
Henree & Hiten - Apologies (Dub)
Eveson - Dead Man's Chest (Dub)
Calibre - Ringtone (Samurai Dub)

Zyon Base :

SPY - Alone (31)
Hiten - Blot Out (Red Seal)
Commix - Bear Music (Hospital)
Data - Liberty City Blues (Headz)
Eveson - Hotwax (Channel 82)
Luca - Eastern Highway (Dub)
Whizz - Pack 1 (Dub)
Hobzee & Zyon Base - Knife in the Water
Electrosoul System - Bookworm (Soundtrax)
Soul Intent - Studio Pressure (Influence)


And some last words for the fans?

Andy : Many thanks to anyone who's ever supported my music, all the people who helped out early on hosting my mixes and sending my tunes to people, its very much appreciated!

Dan : This is a serious message to all my fans, after the 15th December NOTHING WILL BE SIGNED, please don't send anything after the 15th December or it will be disposed of. Peace and love, peace and love.

thanks Andy & Dan for this interview and keep up the good work!
We're expecting more goodies the coming months!

Exclusive mix by Hobzee for Influenza Media
Tracklist :

01.Brother - Lower East Side
02.Specific - Out Of Reach
03.Henree - Wild Cherries
04.MISTICAL - Eject
05.NotioN & Hobzee - Hidden Life
06.Eveson - Naughty
07.Commix - Bear Music
08.Hobzee & Zyon Base - A Knife In Water
09.Calibre - Ringtone
10.Mixmaster Doc & Random Movement - Rattled System
11.Henree & Lynx - Hypothesis
12.Sol ID & Subtone - Depth Perception
13.MJ Cole - Sincere Remix (You would never guess who remix!)
14.Hobzee & Zyon Base - Red Letter (Suvival Remix)
15.Calibre - Hypnotise
16.Hobzee & Zyon Base - Sad Song (forthcoming INMD003 - 10/01/2009)

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