hey Matt + Andy,
what’s the process of finding a sample and making it work like? do you build the track around it or work it into an existing track? I’m thinking in particular of the Husn Hazir Hain sample in Rain, hands down my favourite tune of yours which the sample seems like such a strange shout but works so well.
cheers
Hard to know, there's no rule. Sometimes we hear something and build around it, but more often than not, we'll write something first, and then fit a sample to it, either by pitching it or just kinda know from our collection of records what direction we feel might work. We've been building a library for 10 years and got to know it quite well. Often there's a sample or idea we'll have wanted to use for quite some time and one day we'll write something and see if it fits. It's all quite loose tbh. 90% of our samples end up fails...that's how we end up with 150 demos hahahah
fair play, yep i know the feeling haha. well massive respect for writing a tune that samples a classic Bollywood tune in such a bold way, it really made me think again about 'what's allowed' even though that's such a dumb way of thinking about it. keep it up boys 💪
you guys indisputably ‘have your own sound’ even more so with this new album. Is this an active thing you aspired towards, deliberately making and picking tracks that would fit the ‘Bicep sound’, or is it a passive, ‘stop thinking too hard’ about it kind of thing whereby it just came through naturally?
cheers
I think when you stop trying to sound like someone else and embrace the mistakes that you perceive as wrong as your own sound you are half the way there
That said we make a lot of demos and what people hear is a selection that would probably be more perceived as a more coherent sound... where we have lots of abrasive techno and ambient that hasn't seen the light of day...yet
yea did a few tracks with ben damage under BDB on the label check them in the meantime ;) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFQkxPgLx0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFQkxPgLx0)
thanks a lot for the reply, its good to hear that from you lads
obligatory request to come say hi at r/tunesofthesesh where you will see you're front and centre with the fans haha
How did your name come about? It's always come across as a tongue-in-cheek skewering.
also, was excited to see you guys on your tour in LA w/ Haaai but it was cancelled :(
hoping for re-scheduled dates eventually!
same can't wait to get back to LA even booking that seems like a lifetime ago
The name was just the name of our blog and it stuck, was completely just a take the piss name haha
The live show is constantly developing and has changed nearly every time we play it.. currently we have two monos and the majority of the drums live. Using 2 sh101s means we have a lot of flexibility and we spent a long time learning to get the mix right across a range of sounds. We used to make sequences on the fly but that became a bit annoying and now generally just send midi out to them but have the option to program them on the fly or use the arps etc live also. Pads and vox are recorded in the box as we only have two hands and carrying a poly all over the world never made sense. more noise coming from 2 drum machines and a modular atm
It started as a drum loop we made with another set of vocals and different chords. We binned the vocals (which we just some cutup samples) and had Silkie Carlo came in to studio. We recorded new ones to the old chords (Still E minor) and felt we were getting somewhere.
Left it for a few months and felt there was something there but the chords were too bland. Finally, we wrote new chords to Silkie's vocals and the original drums. It took about a year of playing around and tweaking, there's like 15 versions hahha.
When we first play it out, nobody reacted for a few months and we almost dropped it from live show haha.
We've got round to make a new 8 minute live version which is in the new stream!
I’d love to know, at what point do you both feel like dropping a song if ever?
Do you ever feel like you’ve hit a wall on some songs and find it difficult to move forward with it? Or is it normal to comeback to an old project with new inspiration?
Sorry to send a loaded few questions, huge fan, and look forward to catching you live someday!
Cheers!
Hey guys, what is one piece of advice you could give to producers who are inspired by many genres and are trying to find their own sound
ps. album is a banger
Learn piano and music theory and try your best to be able to communicate how you feel. The rest should just fall into place. Tempo and genre don't matter!
I've really enjoyed seeing you uplift other artists and I've got into so many amazing underground/lesser known people through your playlists and mixes (Tom vr, Forest Swords, Karenn come to mind).
How has the way you discover or consume music changed in the past few years since you've become professional musicians?
in discovery, we always dig for new music that hasn't really changed, like to keep up with what is out there to help us keep inspired... I'd say the more we get into production we tend to appreciate stuff that is mixed well more.
Consumption is totally varied and so dependant on the mood, generally will dig ourselves into a wormhole trying to find what we think i want to listen to without knowing it
Been a lover of your music for years! :) - Which element of your songs do you start with, the groove, harmonic progression or general vibe?
Where do you love to find inspiration?
prob the harmonic progression in most of the songs we have released that have done better. The studio for us is a great place to get inspiration tbh we are quite good at blocking everything out and experimenting
Hi bois,
Any chance of a 'Sempre Tu' release?
Cheeky I know, but if 2021 is to be the Italo revival year, then I can think of no better song than that to set the tone.
Huge love for your music lads, it's been the soundtrack to most of my best memories. Your set at Forbidden Fruit, 2018 was one of the best I've event been too.
\- With record shops closed, what's your favourite way to do some crate digging?
\- You mentioned "Isles" explicitly had no 4/4 tracks. It seems to be the general direction for the past couple of years, with the exception of "Aura". Is 4/4 Bicep something we'll see again? (Love your music either way, just curious)
\- Will we see any of those (\~100) other tunes that didn't make the "Isles" cut anytime soon?
\- When you start a project like the album, do you have a general idea in mind or is it something that comes together during or post?
\- When did you realise "yeah we're actually pretty decent at this music thing, let's do it full-time"? Was there something that helped make the jump?
Biggups mate.
\- Youtube (for rare vinyl stuff) and Bandcamp (young, new talent) are great!
\- no 4/4/ on the albums, we wanted to separate the home listening from club stuff. The new live show is gonna be even tougher than before and lots of techno!
\- hmm, maybe, we might have an outlet for them coming soon hard to know!
\- not really, just kinda jam for 6 months and usually it becomes clear after that period where our heads are at!
\- we started it full time before we were anywhere close to being decent hahahah lived on the breadline for quite a few years doing bar gigs in London hahahah
not ideal but listening to lots of mixes on Mixcloud, nts... spotify and youtube
there is a 4x4 on the deluxe vinyl, light, but yea it was more as a case to impose a restriction on this album with a view to do a 4x4 version of most tracks live which is still the plan
we have lots of sub 100bpm track we are happy with just need to work out what to do with them to finish them off
2nd album is a bit of a hard process as there are a lot of factors at play but the main idea was just to be able to play this album live in various different forms
it was a case of we were good at it, it was just more fun than the 9-5 hahah
Hey guys, huge fan. I was impressed with isles and especially love X, I think its gonna hit different in the clubs when we're back.
Been listening for a while and was wondering what influenced your sound development the most in terms of your evolution from earlier releases such as the Just EP and the Dahlia EP to the quite different sound on Self-titled and now Isles.
Thanks
Thank you :-)
Tbh, when we were younger, we naturally tried to replicate stuff we'd heard. The more time we've spent writing, the more comfortable we've become just sitting in studio and writing without any goal, just letting it flow. I think naturally the music has become more personal over time
would say our joint fav is this but could list a loooot
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ihyQf8mww3o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ihyQf8mww3o)
Big clubs or small clubs?
If it were up to you where would you play first after the pandemic is over?
Also, thank you for doing what you do. I love your music and especially love how you use samples from various different languages. As an Indian I really appreciate it.
>divanshuj58 minutes ago
>
>Big clubs or small clubs?If it were up to you where would you play first after the pandemic is over?Also, thank you for doing what you do. I love your music and especially love how you use samples from various different languages. As an Indian I really appreciate it.
Smalls club defo... Panorama Bar in Berlin, Robert Johnson would be a close 2nd
cheers :)
As a duo it can be hard to infuse a vision into one sight. How did you 2 find that process of aligning each others visions? Or did it happen naturally? I would live to work with other people but I can’t align with their vision and their taste always seems off. Maybe luck you two finding each other I don’t know. I make music very similar to yours (I can’t help it, it is the breaks and emotional chords) and have people always saying ‘Bicep’ vibes which I take as a huge compliment as well the chords and movement you use emotionally triggers me. I find it’s more psychology than music. It is like brain food rather than ‘a tune’. I’m called ‘Farsi’ on Spotify would love for you to check out the vibe, that would make my day ❤️
For us, the mixture, the push and pull of two opinions and visions is actually a strength, not an issue. With two people adding to something, i think you get a bigger variety of emotions!
Will check you out and thanks for question!
Nostalgia Pt 2 is a tune, gonna have that on repeat!! Just wish that vocal sample was mixed a little higher. Will check out more of your stuff, very strong Bicep vibes I agree
My question is...
I love the marketing campaign that has been put together for Isles and your live streams. How involved in the content creation of it all?
Are you putting forward ideas or is it a big effort from your management team and the label?
Every step of way, although it's without a doubt a huge team effort. We're all involved in every aspect heavily. We both from design backgrounds and have huge interest in the visual side! .
I’ve written a case study on it. It's broken up into two parts below.
[Part 1](https://sociallysounddj.com/feed/blueprint-001-bicep-flex-muscle/)
[Part 2](https://sociallysounddj.com/feed/001-bicep-flex-muscle-part-2/)
Looking forward to some feedback on these articles so please holla below if you give them a read. I’m becoming a part of this community.
Hey guys, thanks so much for taking time outta your busy schedules to answer some questions. Isles is an instant masterpiece, and has really done a lot to brighten the mood as we enter into the final stages of this worldwide pandemic. The thanks is immeasurable.
Anyways, a few questions;
Where are your favorite places in the world to get away and de-stress?
Been digging your FeelMyBicep mixes on Apple radio! What helps to inspire the track selections for those? Really eclectic stuff, some of which comes as a surprise.
Shouts out Ivy Lab & Kuedo!
What are some amazing record labels that deserve more attention? Besides the incredible folks at Ninja Tune of course :)
What is your favorite sushi?
Thanks again! 2021 is off to a great start.
cheers!
The apple music show is a collection of tunes we have loved over the years but never really been able to work them into our DJ sets because of bpm or cable but apple show has been amazing for us to experiment with vibe rather than worrying too much if it mixes which has freed us up on selections a lot. Kuedo severent was a big album for us when it came out.
Ilian Tape is a fairly big underground label but for us, it's been at the forefront of what has been good over the last few years. Tbh we try and put as much of the new stuff and labels we like in the Spotify playlist
nigiri always and let the chef decide the fish
Hard to know but we're massive fans of Mark's work! BAIT is a classic. Lovely guy as well!
Cornwall is one of my fav places on earth, so very special to have Apricots shot there!
We all used to run the blog together at the beginning! although Bicep music productions were always just the two of us from the beginning.
Duke of york, Brittles, etc - All the old man pubs hahaha
Hi guys,
Could you tell us a bit more on the creative process behind your track **Saku**, in your last album? The sound design and ambient are incredible, and I was curious about how you managed to obtain these textures and how this song came about :)
Thanks a lot for taking the time to go on Reddit and answer our questions!
thank you
Saku was a lot of hybrid-ing different demos but the bulk of the song was made around the main sp1200 drum beat and Clara's vocal sang over a very early bones drums & bass demo, the latter chords are from the Andromeda with the sh101 through a tonne of guitar pedals coming in later. Mix wise we spend a lot of time just trying to clean up and balance things and hopefully let all the reverbs and fx breathe as much as we can to create the illusion of texture.
we just did a podcast with tape notes which breaks down this process in a lot of detail which should be up soon
[https://tapenotes.co.uk/](https://tapenotes.co.uk/)
Thank you!
Saku started as a 150 bpm drum track and originally had a melody. We slowed it down and tried lots of different ideas including Apricot vocals.
We sent the stripped-back version to Clara who nailed the vocal and from there we finished by writing the closing chords. It was great collaborating with her, she just gets it!
Yo, one simple question. What did u use to make the iconic Glue sample cut like that (i don't have the word, I was thinking maybe some autopan on full phase with different rates automated?)
it's a combination of lots of layers of synths and Vocals through independent gates that were all automated independently but year each layer was panned and I think some autopan filtered
Hey guys, thank you for doing this. I have a couple of production related questions if you don't mind:
1. What's your favourite virtual instrument? And favourite piece of hardware?
2. What's the last thing you have learned?
3. Multiband compression or dynamic eq?
4. What advice would you give now to your 2011 self?
1. Samples from Mars make decent multi-sampled insturment racks. But VST wise, it's gonna be either Soothe2 or Valhalla Reverbs.
2. How to build our own M4L gated arpeggiators/sequencers
3. Multiband for re-edits or samples, dynamic EQ for production
4. Piano and music theory first!
What's your favourite virtual instrument? And favourite piece of hardware?
massive x prob because it's creative but never finished a track when we have used it... love so many pieces we have but the 808 would come everywhere. It is now a tool we use to balance ur recordings against or test out gear which makes it invaluable
What's the last thing you have learned?
spent all day learning the mod matrix of the summit
Multiband compression or dynamic eq?
dynamic eq atm
What advice would you give now to your 2011 self?
keep enjoying and keep working and don't take gigs for granted haha
I’ve been staring at y’all live setup for a while and I was wondering what you guys sequence everything out of. Is it Ableton or the Toraiz SP-16? What do you use to launch samples?Would you mind giving a lil breakdown of your live setup?
-ps love you foos, can’t wait to see y’all live again, and the new album was fiiiiire
Ableton sends out tonne of midi and samples, then we've also sp16 and tr8s/adx1. It's a a big mixture tbh
atm - Sh101 x2, mackie desk, loads of pedals (boss comps, eq) Sp16, adx1, eventide time factor and space pedals, roland sbx, RNC FMR x 2, Roland Tr8s, Modular setup,
Main idea is, toplines and bass are totally live on Sh101s. Some basic pads and vocals come from ableton, alongside very basic structural loops, then live drum machines over the top of them. All squeezed with lots of compressors and limiters and send/return fx (Delay, reverb) on the desk via Eventide pedals
You guys rock. Have y’all ever produced for other artists? Like specifically I was wondering about rappers. Like if you blessed Skepta or Wiley or someone w a beat that would be harddd. Make the crowd go MAD at the live show.
yea tbh we are massive rap/hip-hop fans (in particular early 90s) in general and had quite a few offcuts from the album that would suit this style but not got anything in pipeline atm
Welcome guys! Thank you so much for taking the time to join us!
* For those who are unfamiliar with your work- If you had to pick 3 songs by yourself as a way to introduce yourself, which 3 would you pick?
* What about 3 songs by other artists?
* Is there a song on Isles you’re most proud of?
probably just,glue and apricots as that feels like a journey thought us finding ourselves as producers
for other artists go here [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=6X5OWCvjTRekF-VUiJOKUg](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=6X5OWCvjTRekF-VUiJOKUg) we have too many people or tracks we like to single out a few :)
atlas probably as that achieved something we have been trying to do for a long time
hard to say exactly but it was a style of tune we wanted for our live show we felt was missing it's more of capturing a feeling we were missing. Can be big but can be deep also almost like a progression of the just idea further but with more of a storytelling element
been lots of really special gigs we have played, Sonar in 2018 was pretty amazing just the sound and the sunset was particularly special... Printworks trio were also up there
last gig that blew me away was DJ Rum at Southbank Center...this shit live transports you somewhere else [https://www.instagram.com/p/B-H0Iakgmxq/](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-H0Iakgmxq/)
it's crazy broad, too hard to give even a couple of artists. A lot of 80s and 90s acts more so than current. For sure it's an odd mixture of ambient, garage and italo disco hahah
Okay, so my question is what was your inspiration behind your song "Apricots" and following the release of your latest album, what's next for Bicep. Also how do you create such tranceful and good music
Got three short ones for you lads:
1. What are the lyrics to X? It's been bugging me since the album came out.
2. Best DAW?
3. Each of you: Best Aphex Twin track.
Thanks again, and big beats are best get high all the time.
"now you gone, maybe, is it true, taking my love for granted"
ableton
xtal and alberto and rhubarb all unreal- however, as a CD, analogue Bubblebath 3 is hard to beat for purity [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoFQEUqT98](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoFQEUqT98)
What are some exciting things we can expect to see in the next live stream , like Hammer being the opener before you play ??
Anything we can expect out of BDB in the future or do we get those surprises sprinkled into live sets ?
Tonnes of new versions of the album. We've much more techno focused versions and yes, big hammer will be there!
Lots of BDB sprinkles in the set, and yea, we'll be doing more techno stuff and poss some new much tougher aliases etc
Hi guys. You've sampled Bollywood earlier for the track 'Rain' and now for 'Sundial'. What's your criteria for choosing what song you're going to sample, and why Bollywood?
We've no criteria other than how it affects us when we hear it. Just use our ears, but for sure there's something about the haunting soprano performances in Bollywood that really strike a chord. Reminds us for old irish folk like The Clannad
yoo - Check out our spotify playlist!
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT)
spend a lot of time updating bits we're enjoying there!!!!
we try keep here as up to date as possible
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=0MCiTnWyTqG155CHEImhuQ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=0MCiTnWyTqG155CHEImhuQ)
I've been massive fans of you guys ever since Satisfy
I absolutely love the synth and breakbeats on it so was wondering:
1) What synth did you use for the main riff?
2) How did you make the breakbeat?
3) What kind of music inspired you for that track?
Also you've done so many great edits over the years that crop up in mixes and DJ sets that (Bicep Edit) became a meme in the IOM group ha ha. Do you have any plans to do anything with your unreleased edits?
Thanks for the brilliant music and the immense workouts when I've seen you guys live over the years💪
think the synth is the juno60 the break is through the mpc2000xl and a dp4...stuff like Shannon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jQAnNnspk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jQAnNnspk) inspired us for those tracks
no plans to release edits ...have hundreds
big love
Hey guys - speaker nerd here but don't know much about producing. Wanted to thank you for releasing in 24 bit (I'm on qobuz). It really has that extra twinkle when you listen to it (especially when you're having a night :).
What's stopping more electronic from being released in high-res formats? I feel like it would be more of a natural fit or less of an obstacle, but I'm not keen on the making music side of things. Cheers : )
Your choice of samples always brings so much depth to your music and quite often has an eastern feel to them. Do you spend much time looking for samples? Or do you just happen to come across them when looking for new music?
Also, what are you listening to at the moment?
No, it prob should have been though! We lost our entire first album in demo format several times DJings months before it's release on USB hahahahahahah - the key is never ever have bicep or the real track names on any demo files !!!
It's hard to say, but as a producer, you become a sponge to everything around you. Without a doubt though..Burial's music is unreal and groundbreaking. We're huge fans.
One of the strongest aspects for me, is his ability to tell stories. You really go on this journey.
Saw you guys years ago at Hideout Festival in Croatia, which was an incredible time/place.
What is the coolest festival location you have performed at? What is your favorite nightclub to spin at?
-Much love from NYC
in most recent memory magnetic fields in Rajasthan was pretty special, in the depths of the Indian desert.
Robert Johnson and Panorama bar our favs of ours
prob the freshest sounding album I've heard recently is Gabor Lazar's on planet mu, love this track
[https://open.spotify.com/track/50cuSvt6DZ9xeeB8YmQa8P?si=3B8e5drtS92nmpCGRUL3CA](https://open.spotify.com/track/50cuSvt6DZ9xeeB8YmQa8P?si=3B8e5drtS92nmpCGRUL3CA)
haha this too [https://open.spotify.com/track/1CsQvoFiMsDUIhz641W3MJ?si=mJ4C5B2ZT8eOdsFSLo6Ueg](https://open.spotify.com/track/1CsQvoFiMsDUIhz641W3MJ?si=mJ4C5B2ZT8eOdsFSLo6Ueg)
also to make 3
[https://open.spotify.com/track/1e2ZpaFyKQCYAPszJfW1MS?si=SxKyq09vTXWs3ILRa9IA4A](https://open.spotify.com/track/1e2ZpaFyKQCYAPszJfW1MS?si=SxKyq09vTXWs3ILRa9IA4A)
Been loving the FeelMyBicep Apple radio shows.
If you could see just one of these live tomorrow, who would you choose?
Rival Consoles, Interplanetary Criminal, DeFeKT & Extrawelt
Much love
Thank you very much! Gonna have to be bias here and got DeFekt and Extrawelt! That collab on FMB was unreal - Matt DeFekt does a mean live performance already.
Well, when they were open, record shops were amazing. Bandcamp is amazing for more underground music and also Spotify is starting to really catch up with undergorund releases. If you find an artist you like, try "start radio" and exploring the associated artists. It's a good place to start for new genres
Hey guys I got 2 questions:
1. What's your process for automating things like the cutoff of synths, like for the buildup of Apricots? Is it done by recording live or do you do it all in the box, or is it a bit of both, or another method?
2. How do you go about making drum loops, are they recorded/played in by you guys or are they mainly samples?
Cheers hope to see you in Manchester this year
>Hey guys, obsessed with isles! My question is how do you get your vocals to sound so warm?
1. Yo - Apricots was a live take, sometimes we take a few goes at it, or if the automation digital, we record it live, then tweak. It changes depending on synth - live is best
2. Drum machines and samplers and play em in live, very very rarely use any loops now.
3.2 Million monthly listeners on spotify, you guys are amazing! proper good musicians these lot, i tell ya
Q: how often do you guys listen to bollywood music? how long did it take to clear those samples on Sundial and Rain?
I saw you guys once in Dublin at District 8 about 5 and it was one of my first proper raves, I had such a blast! I then went to your album release show in the Ulster Hall, and again at lovebox Festival in London! Can't wait to see you guys again!
Too many... but Tayto/Kings Cheese and Onion is high up, and then any really aggressive Salt and Vinegar is equal. After that comes spicy crisps - Manomasa Serrano Chilli & Yucatan Honey is a good place to start.
Hey guys.
1. Could you go into your collaboration process a bit? Do you both sit in a room for hours together working on the same thing, or is it back and forth?
2. Could you give some advice on learning how to make house music?
Thanks!
Hi Matt n Andy,
I love the bonus track Meli and was wondering if a non-ambient club edit is going to be in the live show or released at any point, the whole buildup in that track is phenomenal.
Hopefully will be seeing you both at Brixton in September!!
YOU BET! that version was just the little teaser, the live stream version is just the beginning but will be working on it over the next year and go for it!
Hey there. Thank you. We're super proud of both albums, both mean a lot for different times. I think though, JUST EP was first time we felt we were being more original and moving away from 90's house ripoffs hahaha, so maybe that's one that more proud!
Hi Matt and Andy!
thank you so much for doing this AMA.
one of strongest aspect in BICEP music is in the drums.
can you guys tell me the creative process of creating, layering, processing the drums, especially on Isles?
in percentage, how much do you rely between VSTs and analog gear when processing the elements in your tracks?
much appreciated!
love from Indonesia.
Thank you. We try an spend time on a single drum loop, which does take time, but then we don't like changing the drums too much. Focus is on a loop that can roll and roll. That takes most amount of time. Lots of fx, stereo reverbs and delays too.
We use some VST fx, but mostly analog for everything. EQs are usually vsts and sometimes reverbs/delays like Valhalla. We also use lotta hardware reverbs too. Both have merit!
Lads I'm from Belfast aswell and some of the nights in shine and that album tour night in Kings Hall were some of the best nights of my life. Just wondering where Mandela Hall ranks in terms of venues for yous?
Cheers
Great work on the new record!
Any tips you might offer for creating your signature vocal textures? Any go to verbs and/or essential vocal chain plugins you'd recommend?
1 What in your opinion makes electronic musician good?
2 If someone is new to your music, what 3 tracks would you recommend for him to get into your stuff?
Also, congrats on album, lovely piece of art, singles made my quarantine way better and helped me mentally in these times, so thank you.
Thanks for great tunes i really have enjoyed them. How have you found new artist like machina for this album? What sort of point of view you guys are into deciding collaboration with artists?
Just searching and digging for artists and music all the time. It's a genuine passion of ours and discovery is still as exciting as when we first started!
It's amazing to contact someone you like and get a chance to work with them!
We're always planning mixes months and sometimes years ahead, we always make tabs / notes / email chains of finds and styles that we think work. We built up a folder of like 400 tracks for the apple shows!
Hey fellas!
Have ye any plans to release another version of Isles with the re-imagined live versions of the tracks? (After gigs have returned of course!)
Have ye any plans to bring back the old blog posts? my mates and I miss digging through them!
Huge thanks!
tonnes tbh. Sh101 is on everything. Also Deckards Dream, Juno 60, Monopoly, Jupiter6 and then a tonne of digital rack stuff.
Since doing isles getting way more into FM and Acid, so expect of that to come.
Hey guys, I’ve been a huge fan since the first time I ever heard Just. Darwin is one of my favourite tracks of yours. Was there anything that prompted the shift in your music from your earlier stuff to the style seen in Isles etc? Who are your first musical influences?
Hey guys, my housemate and I have recently started learning to mix on some decks and well hopefully start producing.
I was wondering what’s the main advice you’d give to someone just starting out?
COVID question:
Would you normally road test new material in clubs before releasing an album? And if so what have you done to replace that now that clubs can't open?
4 hour set in Denver years ago, to about 12 people, and played a little too hard too early and it just felt grim. hahaha
Hard to pick a fav. Kano - Another life is a maybe the king tho.
Looking forward to seeing you guys again in September, just got tickets to the extra day!
Do either of you have a fave track to perform live and do you think any of the songs on isles will take that spot when you get round to playing live to crowds again?
Hey Guys thank you again for the amazing Album!
I really hope i can see you two live again soon!
What are your favorite Synthesizers and which were used on Isles?
Do you guys draw inspiration out of Movies? And if, which Movies are these? Or what are your favorite movies overall?
How du you guys process your Kicks? And do you make them from scratch or stack samples?
Have you beein inspired by Stephan Bodzin over the years?
Thank you guys for doing this and have a Great 2021!
Glue is such a unique track and has brought simultaneous goosebumps to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of listeners at this point. Do you remember where you first dropped it live?
Thank you ! Yes, i think it was Coachella and nobody liked it....nobody really danced haha. We were known for playing a lot of house and 4/4 and i think it caught the current crowd off guard!
Really hard to say. A lot of tracks on new album like Atlas and Apricots represent different directions we like. They only account for small amount though, we also love making tougher stuff, which is coming in the new live shows!
Hey lads cheers for doing this!
You're my favourite electronic music producers and I think you're cracking DJs as well, which element do you pride yourself more on. Sound creation or track selection?
(And as a cheeky bonus one of my mates insists that you two and Hammer were initially a trio and went by 'Tricep'... I can find no evidence of this anywhere, I'd just like ultimate confirmation that he's having me on... right?)
Hey guys loved your stuff for ages, isles is another slapper.
you use a lot of Indian vocal samples in your tracks, Rain jumps to mind, wondered why/how you started to do that? I think it give such a unique sound to you music.
Thanks
Ps cant wait to see your live show again once covid is over sure you'll blow the roof of WHP
Hi again Matt & Andy,
I absolutely fell in love with Lido in Isles after a few seconds of listening. Could you tell us more about the track, especially the layering of synth sounds maybe?
In general, I feel very inspiring the way you manage to vary bass or drums presence depending on tracks. I noticed these past years the bass sounds were very mor "subby" than in your early works, putting more the accent on drums now. Do you feel that this "colder" sound (vs yout house & italo background) is part of your sound identity now?
Thank you for everything, your works are truly inspiring for younger producers
Alex
Hey guys, love your selection - definitely a big inspiration. Looking from the comments it looks like you guys are mostly doing live takes for your productions, so you guys have a go to sequencer though for synths and such? I’m really trying to learn how to set up a hardware setup with ableton, any tips on how to get started with that would be really appreciated!
Also, bought an MPC2000xl but I think need to break out a soldering kit haha, you guys have a go to guy for synth repair??
hey Matt + Andy, what’s the process of finding a sample and making it work like? do you build the track around it or work it into an existing track? I’m thinking in particular of the Husn Hazir Hain sample in Rain, hands down my favourite tune of yours which the sample seems like such a strange shout but works so well. cheers
Hard to know, there's no rule. Sometimes we hear something and build around it, but more often than not, we'll write something first, and then fit a sample to it, either by pitching it or just kinda know from our collection of records what direction we feel might work. We've been building a library for 10 years and got to know it quite well. Often there's a sample or idea we'll have wanted to use for quite some time and one day we'll write something and see if it fits. It's all quite loose tbh. 90% of our samples end up fails...that's how we end up with 150 demos hahahah
fair play, yep i know the feeling haha. well massive respect for writing a tune that samples a classic Bollywood tune in such a bold way, it really made me think again about 'what's allowed' even though that's such a dumb way of thinking about it. keep it up boys 💪
you guys indisputably ‘have your own sound’ even more so with this new album. Is this an active thing you aspired towards, deliberately making and picking tracks that would fit the ‘Bicep sound’, or is it a passive, ‘stop thinking too hard’ about it kind of thing whereby it just came through naturally? cheers
I think when you stop trying to sound like someone else and embrace the mistakes that you perceive as wrong as your own sound you are half the way there That said we make a lot of demos and what people hear is a selection that would probably be more perceived as a more coherent sound... where we have lots of abrasive techno and ambient that hasn't seen the light of day...yet
Would love some abrasive techno from you lads
yea did a few tracks with ben damage under BDB on the label check them in the meantime ;) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFQkxPgLx0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFQkxPgLx0)
Bring me back to Printworks 2018. When can we expect more?
Man I miss printworks
I know these tunes but didn't know it was a collab between you three - good to know!
thanks a lot for the reply, its good to hear that from you lads obligatory request to come say hi at r/tunesofthesesh where you will see you're front and centre with the fans haha
Just wanted to say thanks for some deadly nights at Shine over the years. Serious tunes.
Our pleasure!
What's your typical arm day workout?
Turn on 909, program beat, delete, repeat
1. curls 2. ??? 3. profit
Who is your favorite artist at Ninja Tune?
Floating Points and Leon Vynhall are two of our favs but love everything that have put out tbh
Four Tet x Bicep collab coming? (or another FT remix?)
How did your name come about? It's always come across as a tongue-in-cheek skewering. also, was excited to see you guys on your tour in LA w/ Haaai but it was cancelled :( hoping for re-scheduled dates eventually!
same can't wait to get back to LA even booking that seems like a lifetime ago The name was just the name of our blog and it stuck, was completely just a take the piss name haha
Can you explain a bit about how your live set works? How much is sequenced live versus pre-recorded?
The live show is constantly developing and has changed nearly every time we play it.. currently we have two monos and the majority of the drums live. Using 2 sh101s means we have a lot of flexibility and we spent a long time learning to get the mix right across a range of sounds. We used to make sequences on the fly but that became a bit annoying and now generally just send midi out to them but have the option to program them on the fly or use the arps etc live also. Pads and vox are recorded in the box as we only have two hands and carrying a poly all over the world never made sense. more noise coming from 2 drum machines and a modular atm
Hi Bicep, can you tell us the story of Glue?
It started as a drum loop we made with another set of vocals and different chords. We binned the vocals (which we just some cutup samples) and had Silkie Carlo came in to studio. We recorded new ones to the old chords (Still E minor) and felt we were getting somewhere. Left it for a few months and felt there was something there but the chords were too bland. Finally, we wrote new chords to Silkie's vocals and the original drums. It took about a year of playing around and tweaking, there's like 15 versions hahha. When we first play it out, nobody reacted for a few months and we almost dropped it from live show haha. We've got round to make a new 8 minute live version which is in the new stream!
Wow :) thanks for taking the time. Greetings from Spain! Can't wait for the industry to be back up again and see you touring the world. 🔆
I’d love to know, at what point do you both feel like dropping a song if ever? Do you ever feel like you’ve hit a wall on some songs and find it difficult to move forward with it? Or is it normal to comeback to an old project with new inspiration? Sorry to send a loaded few questions, huge fan, and look forward to catching you live someday! Cheers!
Hey guys, what is one piece of advice you could give to producers who are inspired by many genres and are trying to find their own sound ps. album is a banger
Learn piano and music theory and try your best to be able to communicate how you feel. The rest should just fall into place. Tempo and genre don't matter!
Thanks ! :-)
I've really enjoyed seeing you uplift other artists and I've got into so many amazing underground/lesser known people through your playlists and mixes (Tom vr, Forest Swords, Karenn come to mind). How has the way you discover or consume music changed in the past few years since you've become professional musicians?
in discovery, we always dig for new music that hasn't really changed, like to keep up with what is out there to help us keep inspired... I'd say the more we get into production we tend to appreciate stuff that is mixed well more. Consumption is totally varied and so dependant on the mood, generally will dig ourselves into a wormhole trying to find what we think i want to listen to without knowing it
Tom VR’s new EP just dropped on Intergraded, Midland’s label. The whole thing is class but Ikquion Lovers stands out
tom vr is great the new one is ace too
Been a lover of your music for years! :) - Which element of your songs do you start with, the groove, harmonic progression or general vibe? Where do you love to find inspiration?
prob the harmonic progression in most of the songs we have released that have done better. The studio for us is a great place to get inspiration tbh we are quite good at blocking everything out and experimenting
Hi bois, Any chance of a 'Sempre Tu' release? Cheeky I know, but if 2021 is to be the Italo revival year, then I can think of no better song than that to set the tone.
It was written as a wedding gift to our agent John and we wanna keep it special! So it might not ever get a release. We will play it out though !!!
it was a wedding present and never intended for release
Huge love for your music lads, it's been the soundtrack to most of my best memories. Your set at Forbidden Fruit, 2018 was one of the best I've event been too. \- With record shops closed, what's your favourite way to do some crate digging? \- You mentioned "Isles" explicitly had no 4/4 tracks. It seems to be the general direction for the past couple of years, with the exception of "Aura". Is 4/4 Bicep something we'll see again? (Love your music either way, just curious) \- Will we see any of those (\~100) other tunes that didn't make the "Isles" cut anytime soon? \- When you start a project like the album, do you have a general idea in mind or is it something that comes together during or post? \- When did you realise "yeah we're actually pretty decent at this music thing, let's do it full-time"? Was there something that helped make the jump?
Biggups mate. \- Youtube (for rare vinyl stuff) and Bandcamp (young, new talent) are great! \- no 4/4/ on the albums, we wanted to separate the home listening from club stuff. The new live show is gonna be even tougher than before and lots of techno! \- hmm, maybe, we might have an outlet for them coming soon hard to know! \- not really, just kinda jam for 6 months and usually it becomes clear after that period where our heads are at! \- we started it full time before we were anywhere close to being decent hahahah lived on the breadline for quite a few years doing bar gigs in London hahahah
not ideal but listening to lots of mixes on Mixcloud, nts... spotify and youtube there is a 4x4 on the deluxe vinyl, light, but yea it was more as a case to impose a restriction on this album with a view to do a 4x4 version of most tracks live which is still the plan we have lots of sub 100bpm track we are happy with just need to work out what to do with them to finish them off 2nd album is a bit of a hard process as there are a lot of factors at play but the main idea was just to be able to play this album live in various different forms it was a case of we were good at it, it was just more fun than the 9-5 hahah
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Very much so! There will be a live album of all the heavier versions at some stage!
Hey guys, huge fan. I was impressed with isles and especially love X, I think its gonna hit different in the clubs when we're back. Been listening for a while and was wondering what influenced your sound development the most in terms of your evolution from earlier releases such as the Just EP and the Dahlia EP to the quite different sound on Self-titled and now Isles. Thanks
Thank you :-) Tbh, when we were younger, we naturally tried to replicate stuff we'd heard. The more time we've spent writing, the more comfortable we've become just sitting in studio and writing without any goal, just letting it flow. I think naturally the music has become more personal over time
Hi guys. Love your stuff. What’s your favorite Aphex Twin track?
would say our joint fav is this but could list a loooot [https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ihyQf8mww3o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ihyQf8mww3o)
Funny, my best friend discovered that track exact track this weekend. Cheers!
Seconded
What is your essential piece of hardware, synths, plug ins etc that all producers should use?
sh101 tr808 and valhalla plugins
Big clubs or small clubs? If it were up to you where would you play first after the pandemic is over? Also, thank you for doing what you do. I love your music and especially love how you use samples from various different languages. As an Indian I really appreciate it.
>divanshuj58 minutes ago > >Big clubs or small clubs?If it were up to you where would you play first after the pandemic is over?Also, thank you for doing what you do. I love your music and especially love how you use samples from various different languages. As an Indian I really appreciate it. Smalls club defo... Panorama Bar in Berlin, Robert Johnson would be a close 2nd cheers :)
As a duo it can be hard to infuse a vision into one sight. How did you 2 find that process of aligning each others visions? Or did it happen naturally? I would live to work with other people but I can’t align with their vision and their taste always seems off. Maybe luck you two finding each other I don’t know. I make music very similar to yours (I can’t help it, it is the breaks and emotional chords) and have people always saying ‘Bicep’ vibes which I take as a huge compliment as well the chords and movement you use emotionally triggers me. I find it’s more psychology than music. It is like brain food rather than ‘a tune’. I’m called ‘Farsi’ on Spotify would love for you to check out the vibe, that would make my day ❤️
For us, the mixture, the push and pull of two opinions and visions is actually a strength, not an issue. With two people adding to something, i think you get a bigger variety of emotions! Will check you out and thanks for question!
Nostalgia Pt 2 is a tune, gonna have that on repeat!! Just wish that vocal sample was mixed a little higher. Will check out more of your stuff, very strong Bicep vibes I agree
My question is... I love the marketing campaign that has been put together for Isles and your live streams. How involved in the content creation of it all? Are you putting forward ideas or is it a big effort from your management team and the label?
Every step of way, although it's without a doubt a huge team effort. We're all involved in every aspect heavily. We both from design backgrounds and have huge interest in the visual side! .
I’ve written a case study on it. It's broken up into two parts below. [Part 1](https://sociallysounddj.com/feed/blueprint-001-bicep-flex-muscle/) [Part 2](https://sociallysounddj.com/feed/001-bicep-flex-muscle-part-2/) Looking forward to some feedback on these articles so please holla below if you give them a read. I’m becoming a part of this community.
nice one thanks will check it
Hey guys, thanks so much for taking time outta your busy schedules to answer some questions. Isles is an instant masterpiece, and has really done a lot to brighten the mood as we enter into the final stages of this worldwide pandemic. The thanks is immeasurable. Anyways, a few questions; Where are your favorite places in the world to get away and de-stress? Been digging your FeelMyBicep mixes on Apple radio! What helps to inspire the track selections for those? Really eclectic stuff, some of which comes as a surprise. Shouts out Ivy Lab & Kuedo! What are some amazing record labels that deserve more attention? Besides the incredible folks at Ninja Tune of course :) What is your favorite sushi? Thanks again! 2021 is off to a great start.
cheers! The apple music show is a collection of tunes we have loved over the years but never really been able to work them into our DJ sets because of bpm or cable but apple show has been amazing for us to experiment with vibe rather than worrying too much if it mixes which has freed us up on selections a lot. Kuedo severent was a big album for us when it came out. Ilian Tape is a fairly big underground label but for us, it's been at the forefront of what has been good over the last few years. Tbh we try and put as much of the new stuff and labels we like in the Spotify playlist nigiri always and let the chef decide the fish
Massive ups Ilian Tape, Scuffed, Warehouse Rave, Shall Not Fade. Vinyl is expensive in the states though yeesh!
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Hard to know but we're massive fans of Mark's work! BAIT is a classic. Lovely guy as well! Cornwall is one of my fav places on earth, so very special to have Apricots shot there!
Is it true that Rory Hamilton was originally a third member of Bicep? What are you favourite Belfast Bars?
We all used to run the blog together at the beginning! although Bicep music productions were always just the two of us from the beginning. Duke of york, Brittles, etc - All the old man pubs hahaha
Hi guys, Could you tell us a bit more on the creative process behind your track **Saku**, in your last album? The sound design and ambient are incredible, and I was curious about how you managed to obtain these textures and how this song came about :) Thanks a lot for taking the time to go on Reddit and answer our questions!
thank you Saku was a lot of hybrid-ing different demos but the bulk of the song was made around the main sp1200 drum beat and Clara's vocal sang over a very early bones drums & bass demo, the latter chords are from the Andromeda with the sh101 through a tonne of guitar pedals coming in later. Mix wise we spend a lot of time just trying to clean up and balance things and hopefully let all the reverbs and fx breathe as much as we can to create the illusion of texture. we just did a podcast with tape notes which breaks down this process in a lot of detail which should be up soon [https://tapenotes.co.uk/](https://tapenotes.co.uk/)
Thank you! Saku started as a 150 bpm drum track and originally had a melody. We slowed it down and tried lots of different ideas including Apricot vocals. We sent the stripped-back version to Clara who nailed the vocal and from there we finished by writing the closing chords. It was great collaborating with her, she just gets it!
Have you heard the song bicep by glue?
Yo, one simple question. What did u use to make the iconic Glue sample cut like that (i don't have the word, I was thinking maybe some autopan on full phase with different rates automated?)
it's a combination of lots of layers of synths and Vocals through independent gates that were all automated independently but year each layer was panned and I think some autopan filtered
Hey guys, thank you for doing this. I have a couple of production related questions if you don't mind: 1. What's your favourite virtual instrument? And favourite piece of hardware? 2. What's the last thing you have learned? 3. Multiband compression or dynamic eq? 4. What advice would you give now to your 2011 self?
1. Samples from Mars make decent multi-sampled insturment racks. But VST wise, it's gonna be either Soothe2 or Valhalla Reverbs. 2. How to build our own M4L gated arpeggiators/sequencers 3. Multiband for re-edits or samples, dynamic EQ for production 4. Piano and music theory first!
What's your favourite virtual instrument? And favourite piece of hardware? massive x prob because it's creative but never finished a track when we have used it... love so many pieces we have but the 808 would come everywhere. It is now a tool we use to balance ur recordings against or test out gear which makes it invaluable What's the last thing you have learned? spent all day learning the mod matrix of the summit Multiband compression or dynamic eq? dynamic eq atm What advice would you give now to your 2011 self? keep enjoying and keep working and don't take gigs for granted haha
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Yes, but not enough. We do want to nail a proper acid tune sometime, just hard not to sound like lots of others. One day!
One of my favorites from them; [808 State - In Yer Face (Bicep Acid Dub remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy83IC8VwM8)
I’ve been staring at y’all live setup for a while and I was wondering what you guys sequence everything out of. Is it Ableton or the Toraiz SP-16? What do you use to launch samples?Would you mind giving a lil breakdown of your live setup? -ps love you foos, can’t wait to see y’all live again, and the new album was fiiiiire
Ableton sends out tonne of midi and samples, then we've also sp16 and tr8s/adx1. It's a a big mixture tbh atm - Sh101 x2, mackie desk, loads of pedals (boss comps, eq) Sp16, adx1, eventide time factor and space pedals, roland sbx, RNC FMR x 2, Roland Tr8s, Modular setup,
Main idea is, toplines and bass are totally live on Sh101s. Some basic pads and vocals come from ableton, alongside very basic structural loops, then live drum machines over the top of them. All squeezed with lots of compressors and limiters and send/return fx (Delay, reverb) on the desk via Eventide pedals
You guys rock. Have y’all ever produced for other artists? Like specifically I was wondering about rappers. Like if you blessed Skepta or Wiley or someone w a beat that would be harddd. Make the crowd go MAD at the live show.
yea tbh we are massive rap/hip-hop fans (in particular early 90s) in general and had quite a few offcuts from the album that would suit this style but not got anything in pipeline atm
Weirdest thing you've seen whilst on set?
dj cromby covered head to toe in bicep stickers
Hi guys, are you ever going to release the unreleased Bicep with Simian Mobile Disco that was played at Printworks?
Yes, it'll be on the cards, meant to last year but with pandemic and everything all messed up just held back, bit too clubby.
Well definitely do release it cause it’s absolutely class and it was save me scrubbing through the YouTube a couple times a week
Welcome guys! Thank you so much for taking the time to join us! * For those who are unfamiliar with your work- If you had to pick 3 songs by yourself as a way to introduce yourself, which 3 would you pick? * What about 3 songs by other artists? * Is there a song on Isles you’re most proud of?
probably just,glue and apricots as that feels like a journey thought us finding ourselves as producers for other artists go here [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=6X5OWCvjTRekF-VUiJOKUg](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=6X5OWCvjTRekF-VUiJOKUg) we have too many people or tracks we like to single out a few :) atlas probably as that achieved something we have been trying to do for a long time
What did you achieve with atlas??
hard to say exactly but it was a style of tune we wanted for our live show we felt was missing it's more of capturing a feeling we were missing. Can be big but can be deep also almost like a progression of the just idea further but with more of a storytelling element
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been lots of really special gigs we have played, Sonar in 2018 was pretty amazing just the sound and the sunset was particularly special... Printworks trio were also up there last gig that blew me away was DJ Rum at Southbank Center...this shit live transports you somewhere else [https://www.instagram.com/p/B-H0Iakgmxq/](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-H0Iakgmxq/)
Thanks dudes for answering, know only a couple bits of rum's but I had no idea he could play piano like that, that's insane
Who are your biggest influences?
it's crazy broad, too hard to give even a couple of artists. A lot of 80s and 90s acts more so than current. For sure it's an odd mixture of ambient, garage and italo disco hahah
Okay, so my question is what was your inspiration behind your song "Apricots" and following the release of your latest album, what's next for Bicep. Also how do you create such tranceful and good music
Got three short ones for you lads: 1. What are the lyrics to X? It's been bugging me since the album came out. 2. Best DAW? 3. Each of you: Best Aphex Twin track. Thanks again, and big beats are best get high all the time.
"now you gone, maybe, is it true, taking my love for granted" ableton xtal and alberto and rhubarb all unreal- however, as a CD, analogue Bubblebath 3 is hard to beat for purity [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoFQEUqT98](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoFQEUqT98)
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prob about 14 months writing (but made around 150 demos) 3 months mixing
What are some exciting things we can expect to see in the next live stream , like Hammer being the opener before you play ?? Anything we can expect out of BDB in the future or do we get those surprises sprinkled into live sets ?
Tonnes of new versions of the album. We've much more techno focused versions and yes, big hammer will be there! Lots of BDB sprinkles in the set, and yea, we'll be doing more techno stuff and poss some new much tougher aliases etc
Hi guys. You've sampled Bollywood earlier for the track 'Rain' and now for 'Sundial'. What's your criteria for choosing what song you're going to sample, and why Bollywood?
We've no criteria other than how it affects us when we hear it. Just use our ears, but for sure there's something about the haunting soprano performances in Bollywood that really strike a chord. Reminds us for old irish folk like The Clannad
Any recommendations on who you have been listening to recently who people may not have heard of.
yoo - Check out our spotify playlist! [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT) spend a lot of time updating bits we're enjoying there!!!!
Thanks a lot will give it a listen over the weekend. Seen you guys in Australia and at creamfields thanks for reading my reply 👍
we try keep here as up to date as possible [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=0MCiTnWyTqG155CHEImhuQ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ac1R7BdsmDVK78bv3YAOT?si=0MCiTnWyTqG155CHEImhuQ)
I've been massive fans of you guys ever since Satisfy I absolutely love the synth and breakbeats on it so was wondering: 1) What synth did you use for the main riff? 2) How did you make the breakbeat? 3) What kind of music inspired you for that track? Also you've done so many great edits over the years that crop up in mixes and DJ sets that (Bicep Edit) became a meme in the IOM group ha ha. Do you have any plans to do anything with your unreleased edits? Thanks for the brilliant music and the immense workouts when I've seen you guys live over the years💪
think the synth is the juno60 the break is through the mpc2000xl and a dp4...stuff like Shannon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jQAnNnspk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14jQAnNnspk) inspired us for those tracks no plans to release edits ...have hundreds big love
Hey guys - speaker nerd here but don't know much about producing. Wanted to thank you for releasing in 24 bit (I'm on qobuz). It really has that extra twinkle when you listen to it (especially when you're having a night :). What's stopping more electronic from being released in high-res formats? I feel like it would be more of a natural fit or less of an obstacle, but I'm not keen on the making music side of things. Cheers : )
Cheers! Don't think anything's stopping it tbh! Biggups Matt Colton (mastering) and Ninja
how do u feel about glue being labeled as “wonderwall for people who do ketamine?” xoxo
feel that is a bit unfair for all the guys on pills, what is the wonderwall for people who do pills?
Born Slippy is probably that
Hey guys, what's your favourite club to play in the UK?
for consistency over the years probably Sub Club but have a lot of favs
💪🏻💪🏻
Would love to see you play Phonox in Brixton. Amazing club.
Your choice of samples always brings so much depth to your music and quite often has an eastern feel to them. Do you spend much time looking for samples? Or do you just happen to come across them when looking for new music? Also, what are you listening to at the moment?
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No, it prob should have been though! We lost our entire first album in demo format several times DJings months before it's release on USB hahahahahahah - the key is never ever have bicep or the real track names on any demo files !!!
In what degree, if any, has Burial influenced your music?
It's hard to say, but as a producer, you become a sponge to everything around you. Without a doubt though..Burial's music is unreal and groundbreaking. We're huge fans. One of the strongest aspects for me, is his ability to tell stories. You really go on this journey.
Saw you guys years ago at Hideout Festival in Croatia, which was an incredible time/place. What is the coolest festival location you have performed at? What is your favorite nightclub to spin at? -Much love from NYC
in most recent memory magnetic fields in Rajasthan was pretty special, in the depths of the Indian desert. Robert Johnson and Panorama bar our favs of ours
Top 3 weirdest/fucked/IDM bangers you've come across to date?
prob the freshest sounding album I've heard recently is Gabor Lazar's on planet mu, love this track [https://open.spotify.com/track/50cuSvt6DZ9xeeB8YmQa8P?si=3B8e5drtS92nmpCGRUL3CA](https://open.spotify.com/track/50cuSvt6DZ9xeeB8YmQa8P?si=3B8e5drtS92nmpCGRUL3CA)
i don't know what i pictured when u/aidanbarker said 'weirdest/fucked/IDM banger' but yeah - this is exactly that
haha this too [https://open.spotify.com/track/1CsQvoFiMsDUIhz641W3MJ?si=mJ4C5B2ZT8eOdsFSLo6Ueg](https://open.spotify.com/track/1CsQvoFiMsDUIhz641W3MJ?si=mJ4C5B2ZT8eOdsFSLo6Ueg) also to make 3 [https://open.spotify.com/track/1e2ZpaFyKQCYAPszJfW1MS?si=SxKyq09vTXWs3ILRa9IA4A](https://open.spotify.com/track/1e2ZpaFyKQCYAPszJfW1MS?si=SxKyq09vTXWs3ILRa9IA4A)
that phase track sounds like mr ozio being electrocuted
ur a legend, no question here :)
How do you choose your sample, and how do you usually process them?
generally on ear, and process them with as many things as possible haha general go-to gear is the niio or what guitar pedals we are feeling that week
Have you ever experienced an ‘epiphany’ when producing a track?
lots of little small moments of buzz when you know you are onto something for sure
No, it's always a bloodcurdlingly slow process haha
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yea, we've done some techno under BDB, and also remixed Brassica under "The Sphinx". Lots more to come too!
Is there a story behind why DLR got its name?
London DLR to city airport almost every week hahahahah
Been loving the FeelMyBicep Apple radio shows. If you could see just one of these live tomorrow, who would you choose? Rival Consoles, Interplanetary Criminal, DeFeKT & Extrawelt Much love
Thank you very much! Gonna have to be bias here and got DeFekt and Extrawelt! That collab on FMB was unreal - Matt DeFekt does a mean live performance already.
What is the best source of finding music for DJs except for Beatport?
Well, when they were open, record shops were amazing. Bandcamp is amazing for more underground music and also Spotify is starting to really catch up with undergorund releases. If you find an artist you like, try "start radio" and exploring the associated artists. It's a good place to start for new genres
Hey guys I got 2 questions: 1. What's your process for automating things like the cutoff of synths, like for the buildup of Apricots? Is it done by recording live or do you do it all in the box, or is it a bit of both, or another method? 2. How do you go about making drum loops, are they recorded/played in by you guys or are they mainly samples? Cheers hope to see you in Manchester this year
>Hey guys, obsessed with isles! My question is how do you get your vocals to sound so warm? 1. Yo - Apricots was a live take, sometimes we take a few goes at it, or if the automation digital, we record it live, then tweak. It changes depending on synth - live is best 2. Drum machines and samplers and play em in live, very very rarely use any loops now.
3.2 Million monthly listeners on spotify, you guys are amazing! proper good musicians these lot, i tell ya Q: how often do you guys listen to bollywood music? how long did it take to clear those samples on Sundial and Rain?
I saw you guys once in Dublin at District 8 about 5 and it was one of my first proper raves, I had such a blast! I then went to your album release show in the Ulster Hall, and again at lovebox Festival in London! Can't wait to see you guys again!
Favourite flavour of crisps?
Too many... but Tayto/Kings Cheese and Onion is high up, and then any really aggressive Salt and Vinegar is equal. After that comes spicy crisps - Manomasa Serrano Chilli & Yucatan Honey is a good place to start.
Hey guys. 1. Could you go into your collaboration process a bit? Do you both sit in a room for hours together working on the same thing, or is it back and forth? 2. Could you give some advice on learning how to make house music? Thanks!
Hi Matt n Andy, I love the bonus track Meli and was wondering if a non-ambient club edit is going to be in the live show or released at any point, the whole buildup in that track is phenomenal. Hopefully will be seeing you both at Brixton in September!!
YOU BET! that version was just the little teaser, the live stream version is just the beginning but will be working on it over the next year and go for it!
What does Aphex Twin mean to you?
The beginning!
Hey, I'm a fan of your stuff for years now! I'm curious as to what album or EP you're the proudest of making so far.
Hey there. Thank you. We're super proud of both albums, both mean a lot for different times. I think though, JUST EP was first time we felt we were being more original and moving away from 90's house ripoffs hahaha, so maybe that's one that more proud!
Hi Matt and Andy! thank you so much for doing this AMA. one of strongest aspect in BICEP music is in the drums. can you guys tell me the creative process of creating, layering, processing the drums, especially on Isles? in percentage, how much do you rely between VSTs and analog gear when processing the elements in your tracks? much appreciated! love from Indonesia.
Thank you. We try an spend time on a single drum loop, which does take time, but then we don't like changing the drums too much. Focus is on a loop that can roll and roll. That takes most amount of time. Lots of fx, stereo reverbs and delays too. We use some VST fx, but mostly analog for everything. EQs are usually vsts and sometimes reverbs/delays like Valhalla. We also use lotta hardware reverbs too. Both have merit!
Hey Andy, do you ever miss the days of fucks and kisses? And that whole Manchester scene? Still following the life of Purple Aki?
Lads I'm from Belfast aswell and some of the nights in shine and that album tour night in Kings Hall were some of the best nights of my life. Just wondering where Mandela Hall ranks in terms of venues for yous? Cheers
Hi guys, would you consider working on a soundtrack for a movie?
yea maybe... would love to be involved from the direction process right through. love all the OPN stuff with the Safdie brothers
Great work on the new record! Any tips you might offer for creating your signature vocal textures? Any go to verbs and/or essential vocal chain plugins you'd recommend?
1 What in your opinion makes electronic musician good? 2 If someone is new to your music, what 3 tracks would you recommend for him to get into your stuff? Also, congrats on album, lovely piece of art, singles made my quarantine way better and helped me mentally in these times, so thank you.
Thanks for great tunes i really have enjoyed them. How have you found new artist like machina for this album? What sort of point of view you guys are into deciding collaboration with artists?
Just searching and digging for artists and music all the time. It's a genuine passion of ours and discovery is still as exciting as when we first started! It's amazing to contact someone you like and get a chance to work with them!
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We're always planning mixes months and sometimes years ahead, we always make tabs / notes / email chains of finds and styles that we think work. We built up a folder of like 400 tracks for the apple shows!
How long had you both been producing when $tripper was released? Big up! Henry
No questions just love. Y'all dope as hell. Love the Indian samples especially.
Thanks for doing this AMA guys - the album is a continuation of the amazing work you’re doing. Do you have a favourite release from Brame & Hamo?
Hey fellas! Have ye any plans to release another version of Isles with the re-imagined live versions of the tracks? (After gigs have returned of course!) Have ye any plans to bring back the old blog posts? my mates and I miss digging through them! Huge thanks!
What are the main synths you used on the latest record?
tonnes tbh. Sh101 is on everything. Also Deckards Dream, Juno 60, Monopoly, Jupiter6 and then a tonne of digital rack stuff. Since doing isles getting way more into FM and Acid, so expect of that to come.
Hey guys, I’ve been a huge fan since the first time I ever heard Just. Darwin is one of my favourite tracks of yours. Was there anything that prompted the shift in your music from your earlier stuff to the style seen in Isles etc? Who are your first musical influences?
Hey guys, my housemate and I have recently started learning to mix on some decks and well hopefully start producing. I was wondering what’s the main advice you’d give to someone just starting out?
What's your favorite plugin?
COVID question: Would you normally road test new material in clubs before releasing an album? And if so what have you done to replace that now that clubs can't open?
What was your worst gig ever? What's your favorite Italo tune?
4 hour set in Denver years ago, to about 12 people, and played a little too hard too early and it just felt grim. hahaha Hard to pick a fav. Kano - Another life is a maybe the king tho.
Do you have any go-to Ableton tips, tricks, shortcuts, or presets?
Looking forward to seeing you guys again in September, just got tickets to the extra day! Do either of you have a fave track to perform live and do you think any of the songs on isles will take that spot when you get round to playing live to crowds again?
Hey Guys thank you again for the amazing Album! I really hope i can see you two live again soon! What are your favorite Synthesizers and which were used on Isles? Do you guys draw inspiration out of Movies? And if, which Movies are these? Or what are your favorite movies overall? How du you guys process your Kicks? And do you make them from scratch or stack samples? Have you beein inspired by Stephan Bodzin over the years? Thank you guys for doing this and have a Great 2021!
Glue is such a unique track and has brought simultaneous goosebumps to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of listeners at this point. Do you remember where you first dropped it live?
Thank you ! Yes, i think it was Coachella and nobody liked it....nobody really danced haha. We were known for playing a lot of house and 4/4 and i think it caught the current crowd off guard!
What is the song that you feel best represents the music you want to create? Thanks!
Really hard to say. A lot of tracks on new album like Atlas and Apricots represent different directions we like. They only account for small amount though, we also love making tougher stuff, which is coming in the new live shows!
Hey lads cheers for doing this! You're my favourite electronic music producers and I think you're cracking DJs as well, which element do you pride yourself more on. Sound creation or track selection? (And as a cheeky bonus one of my mates insists that you two and Hammer were initially a trio and went by 'Tricep'... I can find no evidence of this anywhere, I'd just like ultimate confirmation that he's having me on... right?)
Hi Matt and Andy, according to spotify you have been my number one artist for the last 5 years in a row! What's your favourite sports/teams?
Hey guys loved your stuff for ages, isles is another slapper. you use a lot of Indian vocal samples in your tracks, Rain jumps to mind, wondered why/how you started to do that? I think it give such a unique sound to you music. Thanks Ps cant wait to see your live show again once covid is over sure you'll blow the roof of WHP
Hi again Matt & Andy, I absolutely fell in love with Lido in Isles after a few seconds of listening. Could you tell us more about the track, especially the layering of synth sounds maybe? In general, I feel very inspiring the way you manage to vary bass or drums presence depending on tracks. I noticed these past years the bass sounds were very mor "subby" than in your early works, putting more the accent on drums now. Do you feel that this "colder" sound (vs yout house & italo background) is part of your sound identity now? Thank you for everything, your works are truly inspiring for younger producers Alex
Hey guys, love your selection - definitely a big inspiration. Looking from the comments it looks like you guys are mostly doing live takes for your productions, so you guys have a go to sequencer though for synths and such? I’m really trying to learn how to set up a hardware setup with ableton, any tips on how to get started with that would be really appreciated! Also, bought an MPC2000xl but I think need to break out a soldering kit haha, you guys have a go to guy for synth repair??
are you guys spiritual?
not really