Artist Profile – Future Engineers (UK)
Career comebacks and project re-launches can be exciting, especially after a major hiatus. Future Engineers were a staple part of the Good Looking collective back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. They toured the Globe with LTJ Bukem, signed to more influential labels than we have space to write and made lush, atmospheric drum and bass for days.
Last week saw them unleash brand new music upon the world as a pair for the first time in twenty years, and it’s on their very own Transference imprint. We caught up with Lee Batchelor from the DNB two piece to see what’s been going on for the last two decades.
Lee, Welcome in!
Before we even start on the DNB, you two have got quite a story to tell. When the human brain is introduced to music at an early age it can have quite dramatic effects. Tell us a bit about your back story and the world of music.
Like most people, I was exposed to the music my parents listened to at home. My father was a live sound engineer and used to tour with various bands, so I would be exposed to the music of those bands too. I went through a phase of trying to learn how to play musical instruments but at that age, I didn’t have the patience to really pursue any of them.
I got a Yamaha RX11 drum machine for Christmas one year and that got me into programming drums, but I soon got bored of its sound limitations and quickly longed for a sampler. It wasn’t until I was exposed to the pirate radio stations in London that I really got a taste for making music. My father’s friend had an Akai S950 which I got to play around with, and of course I was obsessed with the Time Stretch! Keir’s father was also a guitar player in a well known rock band, so we both kind of had music in the blood.
Those pirate stations had such a huge influence eh? You cite the pirate scene in London in particular as being a big influence during the early ‘90s. It’s probably difficult for younger generations to grasp the pleasure of moving that dial until you heard the vibes coming through the speakers, but it was key to the entire movement back then, right?
Yes, it really was! It was my first introduction to electronic music. Hearing the music on radio stations like Pulse FM where the music could be created entirely from synthesisers, drum machines and samplers sparked a big interest for me. I then got into Deejaying, so I used to religiously tape all my favourite DJs on Rush FM, Kool FM etc. The Sunday night Red Ant show on Rush FM was the highlight of my week! I’d go down to Music Power in Harringay and spend all my money on the latest tunes that we’d heard on the radio. It was a special time!
So you were already friends with Kier, but at what point exactly did you both decide that making music together was something you really wanted to pursue then?
My parents moved back to Glasgow in 1994 with me in tow, and I brought with me what was the start of an early studio that my father had helped me put together. Keir and his parents had already moved back to Glasgow some years before and we’d kept in touch. I’d send Keir recordings of the pirate radio stations and mix tapes that I’d put together myself. So, I guess it was something we naturally decided to do together. I had a couple of Akai S900’s and an Atari ST running the first version of Cubase, so I knew some basics, but we learnt together from that point onwards.
And the name Future Engineers was a play on your past musical family history?
No, the name was completely random. We knew we needed to find a name and I was watching an episode of the X-Files on TV. In one of the scenes the character said the words Future and Engineers, but I don’t think they were even in that order, the words just seemed to resonate with us.
Artist names really can come from the most random places! Out of interest, what did your fathers think of the drum and bass scene, and your decisions to pursue a career in it?
I’ve always been very grateful of my father’s support to let me pursue my musical interests. The music business is tough at the best of times, and he would have seen this first hand, but he still encouraged me to follow something that I was passionate about. We still always let him hear our music before we finalise the mix. Although he doesn’t have much exposure to drum and bass, he can still give us constructive feedback purely from a song writing and production point of view. It’s great to have another pair of trained ears to bounce off.
At some point in 1995 then you heard LTJ Bukem on BBC Radio One, and you decided that the style of DNB he was playing was the one for you. DNB has always been a melting pot, but at this time in particular what was it that made you veer towards what was generally known as ‘intelligent drum and bass’?
Yes, before hearing the Bukem Essential Mix we were experimenting with a harder sound and trying to emulate Photek and Source Direct, who were a huge influence on us and still are. We also got to know another Glasgow based drum and bass producer KMC. Keith was also writing atmospheric drum and bass, so I guess that also influenced us down that path.
After some time honing your craft and getting your sound down, you released ‘The Silence’. I guess an artist’s very first release is always a time for a bit of nervousness, but Renegade Recordings was and still is regarded in very high esteem. That was a big deal for an unsigned act, right?
Yeah, getting your first release signed to a label is always a big deal, especially when you’re young and just starting out. Also, when the label has put its faith in you and created a physical product, there can be more pressure for it to do well. But once that first label takes a gamble on you and it pays off, you generally find that most music you write from that point on, will get picked up by other labels. I think a great thing about the digital scene nowadays is that labels are not afraid to take a shot and release music from an artist that is unheard-of.
We definitely agree with that. So, soon after this you became a part of the Good Looking Records camp. How did that come about?
Having music signed to Good Looking was always going to be an aspiration of ours, especially back then when they made up such a large portion of the “intelligent” drum and bass scene. We had written ‘The Silence’ which was heavily influenced by the amen tracks we were hearing on the Bukem essential mix. We supported a night in Glasgow where Bukem played and we gave him a DAT which had ‘The Silence’ on it, which he went on to cut and play out.
This was a massive boost in confidence for us. We then started sending all our music to other Good Looking DJs like Blame, Tayla, Seba and PHD who started signing our tracks to their sub labels, and eventually Bukem signed ‘Time Shift’ and ‘Components’.
This in turn led to a flurry of activity with track releases, tours, DJ’ing and studio-based work for a number of years. This must have been both rewarding and educational?
Having exposure to the DJ touring side of things was an amazing experience, I remember playing at The End the first time they got the first-generation Pioneer CDJ players installed. We had only just started mixing our sets purely with CD’s and these were completely different to the traditional front loading Denon machines we were used to using. So, it was a sink or swim moment but was relieved when we took to them like a duck to water!
After that set we went straight out and bought ourselves a pair! Travelling as a DJ can be tough though, it’s not as glamourous as you may think. I take my hat off to all the DJ’s that tour around the world on a regular basis, I’m not sure I could do it. Having said that, playing your own music in front of a crowd and seeing their reaction is one of the best experiences I’ve had in my music career. Often, it’s the thought of playing out that inspires me to get into the studio and write new music.
After a while you decided to take the solo route and amicably stepped away from GLR. I guess at some point most people with some experience under their belt want that extra touch of artistic freedom. It was time for the next step for you?
I think we both came to a point where the bubble burst so to speak, and we realised that we wouldn’t be able to support ourselves financially purely with music income. Blame had left Good Looking which by that time was where most of our music was being released, through 720 Degrees. We both got full time day jobs and we lost interest in the music for a few years. It was quite liberating having a 9-5 job and a routine that was “normal”.
Presumably this was the reason for your quiet spell then. What were you doing between winding things down and this epic comeback were witnessing now?
I guess you can never keep the music inside If it’s your passion. I picked up the reigns again as Future Engineers in early 2000 and entered a steep learning curve in the studio, as by this time most producers had moved to ‘In the Box’ production and computers were being used with software and VST’s, removing the need for a lot of hardware. I also moved from Cubase on the PC to Logic on Mac.
When you work as a duo you can get too dependent on what the other person does, they may prefer a certain part in the writing or production process so you both play to your own strengths. But then when there is only one of you, you must learn to cater for all aspects of the creative process yourself. So, I’ve always been keeping things ticking over as a solo project under the Future Engineers name. The first solo track I released after we left Good Looking was ‘Down-Time’ which came out on Camino Blue mid 2000.
I did various releases for ASC’s Covert Operations label and Electrosoul Systems Kos.Mos.Music. I wrote the track ‘Eden’ which came out on Vibez Recordings, and then I launched Transference back in 2010 with the ‘Ellipse EP’ when I lived in Brighton in the UK. During this time, I’d still been in touch with Keir on a personal level, we just weren’t writing music together due to having families and career obligations. It’s harder to prioritise the music when you get older and have other commitments!
Why now then? What is it that has prompted this return to the scene?
There were a couple of positive things that happened during Covid that inspired me to relaunch Transference after a 4-year break from the label. When Covid hit, I started an online Production group live on Zoom. Mainly to let people hear new music I’d been working on, but I also felt comfortable that I had got my production to a good place and wanted to share some of my workflow tips and go-to production techniques with any up-and-coming producers.
I then launched the Future Engineers Production Sessions, where I now run two groups for different time-zones, and we work on new music together with me guiding the outcome. Everyone can get involved, provide feedback and work on the stems from the sessions and help influence the direction of the track. I then release the finished music on Transference.
I thought it was important to be able to have full control over the complete end to end process, from the initial creative stage to the production and then the final release and the marketing.
The first output from the Production Sessions group was released on Transference in April 2022.
Also, to accompany the release I did a short 3-part tutorial series giving a behind the scenes look at some of the workflow and production techniques used in the making of the track Recall:
Re:frame – Recall – Track walk through [Part 1]
Re:frame – Recall – Track walk through [Part 2]
Re:frame – Recall – Track walk through [Part 3]
The second positive thing that happened during Covid was due to the whole world having more time on their hands working from home, Keir was inspired to come out of musical retirement and work on finishing some ideas he’d been playing around with. Each clip he sent me was better than the last, and I then knew we had to do something together with the music again.
Transference is the name you have chosen for the label. What would you say are the main ambitions for the imprint? Drum and bass is a different place now, so what space are you hoping to occupy and what are the goals?
The ethos for Future Engineers music and Transference has always been focused around pushing the music and the production forward. Something that was a stronghold in our approach to our later releases on 720 Degrees. We do still draw influences from the past and the nostalgia of the golden era will always be part of our sound. We want to write music that we’d like to hear and play out in our DJ sets.
Ideally, we’d like to appeal to the people that liked our music in the past but also present it to a new audience who may not have heard our style the first time around. Times have changed and so have musical styles and production techniques, and we always want to evolve as artists to keep things current and fresh, while still maintaining core trademarks of our original sound.
Gareth Jones is a name that popped up in the Resonance Records interview we did with MC Conrad last year. Tell us a bit about your working relationship.
Gareth Jones initially joined the Production Sessions group and due to his history and experience working with Nick Purser in the artwork department at Good Looking, we instantly got talking about a rebranding exercise for Future Engineers and Transference. Gareth also designed the Production Sessions branding, redesigned the website and does all the release animations and artwork.
It’s great to have him as part of the team to help ensure there’s a consistent theme to what we do from a visual perspective. Gareth’s attention to detail is incredible, for example, if you turn the Production Sessions logo clockwise on its side, the six vertical spectrum analyser bars form the letters ‘F’ and ‘E’.
Some people are just too clever! This beautiful two track EP you’re re-launching with is lush. Tell us a bit about the tracks.
So, these were tracks that Keir had written and I’ve come in and helped finish them off with a few artistic choices and helped with the production and the mixdowns. I think they perfectly capture the FE sound and are a testament to Keir’s song writing abilities and musical vision. Circadian and Immersive are about 2 years old now from when the first ideas were written. They have gone through a few iterations, but they are essentially the same tracks as before.
We have a pool of newer material that won’t take as long to be released, now that the label is up and running again and we’re getting back into a rhythm. Circadian and Immersive are now available to buy/stream on Transference (links below).
And finally, what can you tell us about the music or artists that we might be seeing on the roster in the coming months.
There will be new music from us in the coming months, which could possibly come in the form of an EP. I also have new forthcoming music from the Production Session groups which we’re looking forward to sharing soon. I have some artists in the group that have come on leaps and bounds since they first joined, and I dare say we will see new music surfacing from them in due course.
I would also like to mention that I have just launched a new podcast called Transference Radio. The podcast will be a platform for forthcoming music from us and the label and other artists and music that we like. The podcast will also have a focus on production, and the first episode includes extracts from the Production Sessions Blame Q&A. Blame joined us on Zoom, and we covered topics like workflow, mixdown mindset, inspiring tracks and Blames Shadow remixes. You can check out the first episode here:
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Circadian / Immersive (fanlink.to)
Future Engineers – Production Sessions
Music | Future Engineers (bandcamp.com)
Future Engineers (@futureengineers_transference) • Instagram photos and videos
