Crate Expectations: Redlight

Considering he broke through into Bristol's drum n bass scene, X Colour — the debut LP from Bristol producer Redlight (Hugh Pescod) — marks just how substantial the evolution in his sound has been since his early days. It's a record that plays with pop, rnb, house, brokenbeat, garage and even orchestral leanings in order to achieve his new found, and fully realised sound. All told, it might not be what everyone is expecting.

Yet the preconception of what he is 'known for' is something Pescod has tried pretty hard not to focus on. "I'm known for making club music, and there are club elements to the album and I'm sure some of it will go off in the club, but it's more about being a cohesive piece of work. It's song based." The cohesiveness loosely works out as a concept, "it's called X Colour, because that's what it is to me, ten colours. I saw making the album as writing ten scenes." Ten scenes that then pull together to a create a patchwork of varying electronic and thematic identities. "I wanted to create a collage, and it sounds alright to me."

Not only has he pieced this entire collage together himself, but he is also releasing the record on his own label Lobster Boy — a move that is a statement in of itself. "What I want to do with this album is show that Lobster Boy is down for albums, we can stick with artists. Look at XL, starting with rave tunes, now they are putting Adele. I just want Lobster to be an imprint that reflects British music and helps artists." From talking to him, it sounds like a pretty genuine point on Pescod's part — keen to turn his label into a jumping ground for new voices and producers, rather than chasing profit. "I never had that much help, I had to make every mistake under the sun — and in the public eye. I'm fully down for helping people, and it's not a money thing, it's a creative thing."

With past mistakes (and successes) in mind — and X Colour only weeks away from release — we jumped on the phone with the man himself to have a stroll down memory lane, and a rifle through some of the records that have got him to where he is today.

THUMP: What's the first song you ever fell in love with?
Redlight: When I was younger I was into grunge, and indie for a minute, then I heard a fantasia tape at school and it all changed, but before all that the first record I owned was a album by Bomb the Bass, Tim Simenon, and there was a tune on it called "Megablast". That was the one. It's a bit like early acid house. It was on this computer game as well. I remember loving the artwork as well.

What are the first two tracks you ever mixed together?
I used to go round with these two lads who did hip hop Sundays at this cafe. They used to let me mix. It would have been hip hop, probably Nas into Brand Nubian. Having said that, I bought some decks in a video arcade in Barton Hill in Bristol, and they gave me a bunch of records as well. There was this one tune by DJ Crystl "Drop XTC", I used to always mix that into the House Crew, "Keep the Fire Burning", or the b-side "Get On Up".

Any guilty pleasures?
No such thing. I'm into it or I'm not.

The track of your own you dislike the most?
I don't like any of them! I like them when I'm making them, then don't like them for a bit, then about six months later I'm like, shit I like this now…weird right?

A tune from back in the day that you're proud of…
If we're picking Redlight tunes. For a tune that still gets battered in clubs, I'd have to say "Source 16", that's from 2011 and it is still getting played.

What's a tune you've had on repeat for the last month?
Let me have a look at my iTunes. There's a tune by MJ Cole that I'm putting out on Lobster Boy, it's called "Alcatraz". It's a banger. And the new Mella Dee EP too, ooooossshhh!

What's been going off in clubs this summer?
Obviously Mele - "Ambience" has been huge, then a remix of Tazer and Tink I made that has blown up. "Gold Teeth" which is on the album. I tell you what has been massive Rae Sremurd, "No Type". When I get into a hip hop bit, that goes off.

And finally, an end of the night, lights up tune…
I'd say, you want a proper workout drum tune, so that when the lights come on everyone is still dancing. There's a new Kowton tune that's just huge — his remix of "Root Causes" by Lo Shea. Little rolling vibe for the end of the night.

You can preorder X Colour here.

Redlight is on Facebook/Twitter/Soundcloud.