Artist Profile – Burt Cope (UK)

For a 23 year old, Burt Cope has achieved a lot in the drum and bass world. From discovering electronic music at the age of 7 (7!), playing the legendary Boomtown and Bestival festivals among many other key venues, running an events label, releasing bad assed beats on some highly influential labels AND live streaming from whacky venues like fields full of wind turbines (WTF?), this fella is knee deep in the game for sure.

With an absolutely ridiculous 3 track EP out on Audio Addict today (27th of January), we thought it was about time he got the INSIDE DNB treatment. Read on. 

Burt! Welcome in!!!!!!

You’re only 23 but have been making music for 10 years already. We’re finding that this is not such an unusual thing anymore. There are a whole heap of really young producers creating amazing drum and bass music out there right now. What tempted you to get behind the DAW back in 2013 as 13 year old?

My love for music started from a very young age. Being around my parents and older sister definitely exposed me to lots of different styles and genres of music, from reggae to rock and roll, I heard it all around the house! I knew from very early on that music was my passion and something that I wanted to pursue a career in. Something about the way music made me feel really captivated me. I wanted to be able to create the same kind of magic. I was inspired by the likes of The Prodigy and Pendulum as well as lots of dubstep, hence why I went down the dance music route at 13. I also played drums and a bit of guitar from an early age which helped me explore as a musician.

Let’s talk about Bristol. In your opinion, what exactly is it that makes it such a huge hub for DNB creatives, and creatives generally?

Bristol has a great sense of community, especially surrounding art and music. There are so many amazing brands, artists, DJs and venues that help keep the scene exciting. Bristol is a great city which isn’t afraid to be different and diverse, I think this really encourages people to come together and be creative.

Your music covers a variety of styles within DNB. We guess there’s a different approach required when creating something with more of a liquid vibe, such as the Time EP you released on DNB Allstars. There’s the vocals to think about for a start. What’s your process for choosing vocals and vocalists, and how does the relationship between the two work for you?

I love working with talented vocalists on my tracks. Having a memorable hook and something that people can lyrically relate to really helps my music communicate with people. My track ‘Time’ came about in quite an unpredictable way, as the featured artist ‘Potent & Paranoid’ messaged me on Instagram asking if I wanted to use the guitar and vocals which he had recorded. He explained he was never going to do anything with the project and said it needed bringing back to life! I didn’t know him at the time and took a while to respond. As soon as I heard what he sent me I got cooking straight away and since then we’ve remained in touch about future projects!

With my track ‘Naked’ which is on the same EP, I found the incredible singer ‘ Lila Yin’ on a YouTube video: ‘Musicians and Producers Compete to Make a Song in 2 Hours’. I heard her voice and had to get in contact with her! I messaged her on Soundcloud and we soon got working on not only ‘Naked’ but on a UKG track which is still yet to be released.  I like to give vocalists creative freedom, I often find myself working with them to create a theme within the lyrics as well as developing the melody to resonate with the instrumental.

If you’re creating something harder or deeper, then you’re focusing on the sonic impact and the ability of the track to create that screw face energy, right? So then maybe you’re looking for filthy bass sounds or hard edged drum sounds or loops? What’s your writing process look like?

I often have a genre in mind depending on the mood I’m in, or the project I have in mind, for example a label or vocalists I have already partnered up with. I find starting with the drums is the best way to lay down the vibe of the track. For example, if you have either punchy, aggressive drums or light, skippy drums, you know the rest of the track is going to follow that path. After the drums I like to work on the basses and the core energy of the track. It’s all about trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn’t quite fit. I continue with intro sections and transition sections to help the track flow. I often like to use nice dreamy pads, fx and vocals in these sections to add lots of character, for darker tracks, I love creating suspense and huge build ups for impact. The last stage is mixing and mastering!

We’d love to be a fly on the wall during studio time! You’ve released tunes on some pretty hefty labels. How have you found that appearing on different labels has affected your following? We’re imagining that each new musical relationship bears different fruit?

Every label will reach different audiences, so by covering different labels it has definitely helped me engage with a wider pool of people. Certain artists/labels will want to work with you if you’ve also worked with a label that they associate with or admire, it’s the butterfly effect!

Yeah, this makes perfect sense. You also flirt with UKG too. ‘Unknown Numba’ for example. That 1’s a frickin banger. How and when do you decide what you’re going to make in any particular space of time?

It all depends on my current inspiration or what mood I’m in. It could be a film/documentary I’ve just watched, or on a warm summer’s day wanting to recreate the sensation of finally getting some nice weather in the UK. Some days I’ll make something really aggressive and rave ready, the next day I’ll make something to chill out to. It really just depends on how I’m feeling and how I want to express myself musically.

You’re a DJ too. Which came first, the dex or the desk?

I started producing music first. The computer in my house at the time was in my parents bedroom and I only had the demo version of FL Studio, which meant I couldn’t save projects. When my parents needed to go to bed, the track had to be finished no matter how close to finishing the track I actually was! This was a frustrating time in my life, but it definitely helped me pick things up quickly. I got my first DJ controller for Christmas a bit later on. I’m sure my parents soon regretted this decision!! (Haha! Yes, Silly move Mr & Mrs Cope!! – That was the end of your door and window frames!) 

The list of events you’ve played is enough to make anybody stand up and pay attention. There are some pretty prominent names on the list! Tell as about a few of your experiences from those gigs?

One recently was a bucket list set of mine. I had always wanted to play at Boomtown, and luckily last year I got that opportunity! I remember I started the set and it wasn’t too busy. I looked up after playing a couple tracks, and I couldn’t see the back of the crowd. It was incredible! The energy from the crowd, seeing my mates supporting me, the beautiful weather, it was all so memorable.

I also recently played on a boat party up the river Thames in London which was quite exciting. Being able to see the London Eye whilst sailing past playing absolute bangers was a bit of a movie!

Now THAT sounds like absolute scenes!

We need talk about ‘Can You Cope?’ – which is the events side of your career. This incorporates live club events but more interestingly, live streams from whacky places like abandoned warehouses and on tops of towers in the countryside! This sounds absolutely wicked, so what’s the idea behind these unique streams and how the heck did it come about?

I started the brand and put on the first ever ‘Can You Cope?’ event after watching the Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix. I thought to myself, no matter how bad the event could possibly go, it will never be as bad as that! The event sold out and was the incredible send off to the prestigious Cellar venue in Oxford, RIP!

In lockdown we all saw a huge increase in live streams, which helped keep the world of DJing and dance music alive in desperate times. We decided to take it a step further and set up streams in the most unusual and interesting spaces. We got land permission in advance and made sure everything was good to go before inviting some of the best artists in DNB and UKG to play!

Sounds absolutely wikked! We’ve talked about DNB and UKG, but you also cite music generally as a major influence on your personal life. What might we find in your collection that is about as far removed from your production genres as possible? Surprise us!

I love all kinds of music, from soul and jazz to reggae and psychedelic rock. Finding love from all different cultures and sounds really helps find inspiration. I love a bit of Marvin Gaye, also Nick Drake is quite an unusual one that I enjoy. As long as it’s not some corporate X Factor bollocks, I’ll be able to find something in it that I want to explore more of!

We’re old gits here at INSIDE DNB, and by that we mean we were there first time round. The thing that really caught our attention was your obvious passion for the 90s rave scene. It’s clearly a part of your DNA. Where does that deep seated love of the decade manifest itself?

I have always been fascinated by rave culture and of course having an understanding of the roots is a huge part of that! I wish I could have been around in that decade and experienced the illegal parties. I love seeing old footage of huge crowds in warehouses, no one has their phones out, just living in the moment and being taken away by the music!

It was good times for sure! *closes eyes and reminisces*…………….With that love of the decade and the scene also goes the smiley face and the use of it in your work. It’s an iconic emblem innit?

Yeah, I love it! I have smiley faces all over my room, even down to my logo. It’s a great representation of dance music, just positive vibes with lots of character.

You played your first gig as an underage raver! What’s that all about?

I was slowly picking up recognition for my music productions and was asked to play a Saturday night slot. I was only 17 years of age so I wasn’t old enough to be in the venue! The promoter smuggled me in by having me bring in crates of beers before the event started so I didn’t get hassled by the bouncers. Was a fun experience!

Wrong uns, the lot of yer. Don’t tell anybody, but we used to do that too! Finally then, and the reason through which we made contact in the first place, this dirty, filthy stinking EP you’ve got coming out on Audio Addict today. It’s minging! Talk us through the tracks and tell us how the release came about?

I’m really proud of this 3 track EP, the lead track ‘Lies’ I made during my move to Bristol. It reminds me of the excitement I had at the time of moving to a new city. The R&B vocals along with the smooth chords contrast with the energetic jungle breaks and warm basses. It all comes together to create what I’d call is a sound system anthem!

Warrior’s Skank, which samples the lead riff in The Prodigy’s Warriors Dance, is definitely me paying homage to my early inspiration for The Prodigy, RIP Keith Flint! This track is unforgiving. it’s a fast paced, rolling DNB weapon which will catch people off guard with its skippy bass synth, and booming low end!

The final track ‘Saxy Dub’ is a track I made a while ago, it enthuses jungle breaks as well as wobbly bass patches which I used to frequently use in my older 4×4 Bassline tracks. The sax sound comes from the M1 synth which has a really great authentic feel to it!

With the jungle themes as well as the rave-ready basses of this whole project, I thought none better than DJ Hybrid’s label to release the EP on. I hope you all enjoy it!

Fair Play. Leave us with a few words of wisdom then Burt. What’s your philosophy in a few sentences?

Take risks and don’t care what other people think. Express yourself in the loudest, most vibrant way possible. Live your life like you’re going to end up in a documentary all about how inspiring it was! (This last bit is THE BEST piece of advice we’ve ever heard from a producer here at INSIDE DNB! – we agree! Because if you’re knee deep in DNB, this might just happen to you!)

FIND OUT MORE HERE:

Stream Burt Cope music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

Burt Cope 🇬🇧 (@burt_cope) • Instagram photos and videos

Stream Audio Addict Records music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud