Gareth reminds me of me when I was 22. Skinny, youthfully gaunt, big ass baseball hat, big ass hoodie, eyes always glued to a computer screen undoubtedly displaying a sequencer. He's more of a hustler than I was though. His label, , started in his home town of Portadown, Northern Ireland, is the nation’s sole purveyor of beat music, hip hop inspired electronica, electronica inspired hip hop, whatever you want to call it (I'm just gonna name it l;kajsdfl;kajsdf one of these days to make life easier).Under his drum-pad name , Gareth released his first record in February of this year.I spoke to Sert recently and got his thoughts on the scene in Northern Ireland, his favorite sample sources, and fine examples of acting by Nicholas Cage.SertOne: Ayo mate. Hope you’re safe and keeping well.Noisey: I am. You guys working on anything?Just uploaded , mate.Cool. Where are you living?I live in Liverpool, England, but I’m from Portadown, in Northern Ireland.What made you move to Liverpool?I moved because of uni, and also because I thought there would be more music opportunities. Ironically though, I now spend most weekends touring in Ireland.Are there any other labels besides Melted Music in Northern Ireland that release your kind of music?There are tons of labels but Melted Music and are the only ones really push electronic/beats. They push more dancefloor-oriented stuff, really deep grooves and vibes. Lovely stuff. They used to host a radio show too but I think it got shut down. They run the odd night in Belfast tooWhat’s it like to throw a party in Northern Ireland?It’s a weird one. When I left Northern Ireland at 18 there was no way you could do what I do now, but recently I’ve been playing with bands like and and people get really into it, dancing to stuff you'd probably think was undancable.What changed that made it possible?Probably due to radio shows like , which, like small minds they are, the BBC are axing, and magazines and blogs like . Also just the internet in general. You can put stuff up and get fans around the world and then suddenly people back home will pick up on it cause everyone else is talking about it.That's a weird thing how that happensYeah, it’s like the old saying “A prophet is never recognized in his own land.” But thanks to the internet, people can see how you’re being embraced elsewhere.Did that happen to you too?Most def, and still does. I moved to Liverpool to try and get into the UK scene, and then suddenly Irish magazines, radios and press were all over my release and I was getting no attention in the UK. Now I’m getting bigger in Ireland, heads are starting to turn over here in Liverpool.Often when people think of Northern Ireland, internal conflict immediately comes to mind. Is Northern Ireland a place conducive to the kind of chilled out music you produce?I dunno that’s a hard one. I don’t think it’s a mistake that people like myself, , , , and all come from Ireland, but I’d say it’s probably due in part to the economic troubles back home. The best music always comes at a time of diffcultly. Like the UK during the 80s and Thatcher’s Torie government, with anthems like . On my track “Past, Present, Future” I used the sample because it talks about a lot of issues happening in Northern Ireland now, but the sample is from the late 70s, so it just goes to show these things repeat themselves in history. And look at all the amazing art and music made in UK and Ireland during the late 70s.What do you prefer to sample?Basically all the music I’ve ever sampled has come from the 70s. Anything after ‘79 usually has sounds on it I don’t want, like programmed drums, etc.Some dudes love that 80s shit, , , etc., although maybe they're recreating it more than sampling it.Yeah, there’s definitely some great music from the 80's but just for me and the way I go about creating music, I like to find stuff with as little drums and bass in it as possible, basically stuff I can recreate myself. Anything soundtrack or folk or prog rock.What are the last couple of songs you cut from?The last one was a remix of , candian singer, beautiful voice, and the “Fly High” track is a . I also did a track based on “Willow’s Song" off The Wicker Man soundtrack.The original or the ?The original.Good call. I don’t know how I would have felt if you said ‘the remake’.HahahahahaYou’re about five years younger than me and I’m wondering, what are your five records; the five albums that made you a fan and a producer?God damn. I’ll give you five, but not of all time. Just the five that have been inspiring me the most in the last year or so. Top five of all time would take me a week or two to put together.I feel you. Let’s hear it.1. - Bad Vibes. The recording on it is so lo-fi, and really adds to its beauty.2. - She Was Coloured In. Amazing Irish duo who make stunning almost 'cold war' sounding music.3. Paul Giovanni and Magnet - soundtrack. It’s all quite cheery and nice but really eerie and disturbing (which I try to put into my music).4. – XXX. Best hip hop album I’ve heard in ages. Everything I love about hip hop and had almost forgotten about.5. - Satin Panthers. Dancefloor music that shouldn’t work but does, brilliantly, and has made me want to work more aspects of that into my music.Those are the big that you can hear in my newest stuff.And you're a big big fan of Nicholas Cage, yeah?HahahaI’ll be sure to include that.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
