Artist Profile – The Death Beats – (UK)

The Death Beats is a relatively new collaborative project spearheaded by Gary Robinson, previously head of New Vision Recordings which was active in the late ‘90s. He is currently working in a career that spans both TV and film music composition, and returning to the drum and bass scene after a lengthy hiatus in 2022, he has now created the Death Ray Music label and started collaborating with artists from all over the world as he rekindles his passion for DNB.

The general ethos behind the music on Death Ray is to combine currently trending 174 sensibilities with a steady mix of Synthwave, a digital genre firmly entrenched in sounds in the experimental side of the 1980s. We love both of those things here at INSIDE DNB, so we were only too happy to talk to Gary about his projects both inside and outside of the DNB universe, as well as the two key players on their latest release (which we are also Premiering today), Chris Keya and Sara Cruz, both currently residing in Italy.

Gary! Welcome in!

You’re no stranger to the dancefloor, and set up New Vision Recordings in 1998. This was when drum and bass was still a purely vinyl based entity. That must have been fun, but also a lot of hard work?

I really miss the vinyl days, as releasing music was much more of a hustle, and if everything went to plan you could go around all of the major dance music specialists and see your release in the racks, which was amazing. I was lucky enough to get involved with Just Another Label who were essentially an umbrella that financed imprints from many of the big names of the nineties. They helped me to launch New Vision Recordings and hooked me up with mastering and manufacturing which was something I had literally no exposure to.

I had a great time running NVR and managed to get in a number of collabs and remixes with folks including Dope Ammo, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Spirit and Total Science. There was also a Source Direct remix that unfortunately didn’t get completed for some reason, but that would have been amazing. I also have to give a lot of credit to Goldie who gave my second release entitled Spinechilla a serious amount of club and festival support which gave the label a huge boost.

When you listen to some of the material on the label, especially tracks like Depth Charge (which runs in at over 7 minutes), it kind of makes you miss the days when tracks had a chance to really breathe. 7 minutes is almost a distant memory now?

Looking back now, it seems kind of insane to think that we made tunes that were often seven or eight minutes in length. I used to go to JTS in Homerton to cut dubplates of my tracks and the engineer would always complain that they were way too long. I think the longer arrangements definitely suited the production style of the time, which in turn affected how DJs would arrange their mixes. These days I’m careful to make sure that my tunes don’t run more than four minutes. You gotta move with the times!

Fair play! The birth of tech step was an incredibly exciting time though wasn’t it? I mean, saying goodbye to jungle was quite tough at the time, but ushering in that new era of exploration was amazing, and your label among others was right at the epicentre of that?

I started clubbing in 1996 so for the most part, I missed out on the classic days of jungle, even though I had been buying all of the big tunes on vinyl to listen to at home. Clubbing for me in the tech step days was all about nights like the Metalheadz Sunday Sessions, which I never missed and The Source in Oxford which was organized by Brillo who ran the classic Timeless label. I also used to tag along with DJ Swan-e (who is a long time friend of mine) to most of his weekend gigs around the UK, so from the mid 90s to the mid 00s I was attending a serious amount of events. I still think The Source was the greatest DNB club night of all time. New Vision Recordings was essentially born out of The Source thanks to the connections I made there, and the inspiration from the incredible music we would go to hear week in, week out. I can still remember standing on stage next to Grooverider when he played The Pulse by Bad Company, which was apparently the first time he had played it after cutting a dubplate that morning. Epic times!

Oh yeah! I remember when Grooverider used to walk through Hyperbolic (which was my regular venue) around ’94/’95 and the air just suddenly changed. It was like “Grooverider’s here!” You knew there was an hour of the absolute baddest dubs on the planet coming your way, fresh from Music House that morning. It was a direct link to London via the most highly regarded DJ in the scene. Insane times.

New Vision had a total of twenty two releases before you decided to call it a day, but you didn’t stop there. Your next venture was Urban Sickness Audio which ran for 5 years. Tell us a bit about the ethos behind that label?

I decided to wind down NVR as it was becoming harder to release vinyl, and since it was one of the last labels of the vinyl-only generation I didn’t want to see it go digital. DNB was also changing and artists like Nero and Subfocus were starting to experiment with other genres such as Dubstep and House, but they were making those genres interesting because of the quality of their writing and production. At this point I decided to launch Urban Sickness Audio as a new multi-genre imprint so I could get in on the action. I was lucky enough to have some involvement from Swan-e and Doctor P in the early days of the label which really helped to give it a kick start.

Between those two imprints you and the rest of the electronic dance music scene had to deal with traversing the line between vinyl and digital. I can only imagine this must have been a very worrying time for almost everybody involved in the delivery of club based music. How did you find it personally?

When I first launched Urban Sickness Audio in 2008 I decided to give vinyl another try since I had some productions from Crystal Clear, Doctor P, Swan-e and myself in the can. This time around it was self financed though, and although I found the manufacturing process a lot easier this time, I found the distribution borderline impossible. Despite having two tracks playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Kiss FM, the vinyl was a very hard sell and pretty much all of the distributors were struggling. It was at that point that I decided to let go of pressing vinyl for the time being. I’d love to think there will be a resurgence at some point but I think because DJ technology has changed so much I can’t see it happening. I’m just thankful I was able to press the releases that I did.

After this venture you moved into making music of a completely different description. Namely, TV and Film. I can only imagine that the process is about as far removed from letting a track intended for the dancefloor grow 

I’ve actually been quite lucky in terms of film and TV music, as in many cases I’ve been able to push tracks that were written for my labels as opposed to writing spec music. Over the years I’ve managed to get most of the New Vision Recordings and Urban Sickness Audio catalogues licensed out to films and shows. We are hoping to do the same for the Deathray Music catalogue and myself and Sara have already been making some moves to make that happen.

I guess you are forced to make things fit into a certain section of time, and we could be talking about seconds rather than the 7 odd minutes mentioned earlier?

I’ve only written music to fit a specific scene on a couple of occasions, one of them being the opening to the movie Tracers starring Taylor Lautner, which was a scene that I was really happy with in terms of the visuals and how they used the music. That being said, I have produced a number of production music library products over the years which have some really insane requirements in terms of edit lengths and musical variations etc… Those kinds of projects can be very stressful and are the reason why music licensing is definitely not for everyone. I work pretty well under that kind of pressure. The more requirements they throw at me the more I want to get it right. This can be tiring but it’s the attitude that you need if you’re serious about music licensing and production music.

When looking at the long list of projects you’ve worked on, it’s quite mad to think of the audible mark you’ve made across such a wide plethora of listeners ears! With something like Chicago Fire we could be talking about millions of people that have heard your music?

Yeah!, it’s crazy to think about how far these movies and shows can take your track in terms of listeners. Most of the big Hollywood shows like Chicago Fire for example, are syndicated on broadcast TV networks all over the world and then of course there’s downloads and streaming. A couple of years ago I had a track placed in the movie Venom 2. The number of PRS listings that spot generates is pretty mind blowing. I’ve done quite a lot of reality TV work over the years as well. I’m always amazed at how often those shows are re-run and re-broadcast all over the world, most notably Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

This really is fascinating! I could talk all day about it, but moving on to your list of (retro) hardware: it is absolutely epic, with a whole host of original Roland synths. How much do you use them now, what with the vast amount of plug ins and the ease of use they provide?

I have way too many software synths in addition to my hardware collection, so I tend to approach each of my tunes with a formula in order to vary the instruments that I work with. For example, I’ll often lean towards a particular synth for a specific tune, along with emulations of that synth. For example, with the Deathray Mix of Otherside I focused on the classic Roland SH101, using the official Roland VST along with some of my favourite emulations including the TAL Bassline 101 and D16 Group’s epic LUSH101 synth. I’m also a big fan of the classic Yamaha CS80 which Vangelis used on all of his movie soundtracks. I really love the Arturia and Memory Moon emulations of the CS80 which I know Subfocus makes good use of as well.

So let’s talk about why you’ve decided to come back to DNB after all these years. What’s the story there?

Even while I was busy with film and TV work I always kept an eye on the DNB scene. At the end of the day I was never going to leave it behind for good. I think it got to a point a few years ago where I felt that the new wave of vocal tracks that were emerging were some of the best tunes that I’d ever heard. With that in mind I felt that it was time for me to jump back in.

I had also been working on a lot of Synthwave music for my licensing projects and I’d got really into the vintage sound which was also coming through in those new DNB tracks, mostly thanks to people like Culture Shock, Dimension and Subfocus. So I figured it was time to get something new going. I’m not one of those guys that lives in the past and hangs on to the old skool. I was very eager to embrace the new sound of DNB and hopefully add something to it that was uniquely mine.

Definitely! I love my old skool, but there is so much new and interesting music out there right now, it’s impossible not to get excited by it! The Death Ray Music label already has a number of heavy releases under its belt. Please  explain to us a bit about the general philosophy of the imprint?

The concept behind Deathray Music is to release tunes that fuse vintage synth melodies and cinematic atmospherics with current DNB, with each release also being a collaboration with a singer / songwriter. I’m also very interested in producing half speed 4/4 DNB variations which is a subgenre that I refer to as Drumwave. Therefore each single that goes out on Deathray Music is bundled with a Drumwave mix. Thankfully the Drumwave concept has been received really well by most of the top Synthwave artists and playlist curators including Color Theory, UAP and Rogue VHS. So I must be doing something right!

I would have to say that the most successful release on the label so far in terms of DJ support and notable playlist support has been my recent collaboration with Sara, entitled Aløne. Her vocals are so moving and so powerful on that track and the first time she played them to me I knew we would end up making something epic.

Oh yeah. Her voice is something very special, and this links us nicely into the latest release which we’re Premiering for you today. You’ve linked in with some very talented people for this one, namely Sara Cruz and Chris Keya who we will speak to in a moment, but tell us how this partnership came to be?

I first met Sara in 2010 and ended up managing the sync licensing for her catalog. For whatever reason we didn’t collaborate on a song together until 2017 though, when we made a track entitled ‘Ready For Yah’ which went out on Urban Sickness Audio. We started talking again in early 2022 about the prospect of us working on tunes for Deathray Music which so far is working out pretty well.

I enjoy working with Sara as her vocals are incredible and she also likes to have a say in regards to the production. I first came across Chris through Instagram and Twitter a number of years ago, when I began making connections in the Cyberpunk and Synthwave scenes. I recently noticed that Chris had begun to make some DNB tracks and earlier this year he offered me one for Deathray Music. It turned out that it was way too dark for the label which is why we decided to collaborate on something new together, and this is how ‘Otherside’ came about. Once we had sketched out the instrumental I was very keen for Sara to come on board and lay down some epic vocals.

Wicked. Thanks Gary.

So Sara, tell us a bit about yourself. You’re an Italian native living in Livorno, so firstly, what’s the DNB scene like in your part of Italy?

Yes, I’m Italian (also ex-Londoner). My full name is Sara Spagnoli but I’m known professionally as Sara Cruz. I’m a cat mum. I have released a few records and I have a big crush for retro & 80s synths, lush, dreampop soundscapes and of course for the whole DNB scene, which is very non-present in Italy unfortunately, especially in Tuscany  – hence why I’m working with Gary.

You lived in London for a time though, and this is where your journey in music began. I’m really interested to know what your relationship was with music generally before this point, and then how your journey from singer to recording artist transpired?

Well, I did take some hardcore vocal lessons when I was in high school that really helped shape my vocal technique to its best. And then of course lots of Karaoke bars after that!

Then yes, my serious music journey began while I was living in London. I started out in a rock band and we played The Jazz Cafè, The Bedford, and some other cool gigs in Camden. Shortly afterwards I signed with Sony Atv Scandinavia Publishing and found myself in sessions with all sorts of writers & producers – including a very stoned Robbie William’s band.. oops!  As a songwriter, I got to work within many genres from rock to soul, orchestral & symphonic, k-pop to electronic and everything in between for a while.

Then, in 2010 a friend of mine introduced me to Gary and that’s when I started writing and releasing songs that were a fusion of electronic & drum & bass, and later on expanded my sound to dreampop and synthwave. I also love the contrast of writing haunting melodic toplines over a classic drum & bass beat.

You also produce as well though, so tell us a bit about the music you make?

I do find myself connecting and inspired by most of the 70s & 80s music. From the lyrics and the melody to the synthesizers shaping the soundscape and vibe. So I try to recreate a similar vibe that just inspires me really, and I do this initially just by laying down some chords, a synth riff and some weird FX noises that really help build a texture and make it more striking and unique. Then I decide a theme for the lyrics and just do my best with writing toplines that can resonate and have a general feel where one is drawn to it instantly.

Like Gary, some of your music has also found its way onto screen and TV. That’s a whole other type of accomplishment?

Yes, there have been some adverts for brands such as Tampax and Andrew Christian in addition to being played in stores such as House of Fraser and Footlocker. There has also been some scoring for popular video games such as Assassin’s Creed & Our World which was nice, but I still want to land a cut with a real movie or series, and I truly hope to be able to achieve this in the future.

You also cite a love for people with a heart filled with love and compassion. This is a fantastic standard to set oneself when choosing friends and partners, right? The world needs so much more of this right now.

Aww… thank you. 🙂 Yes, I do invest in people and put myself out there for everyone I care about. I value relationships a lot, to me a loyal friendship is the foundation of everything, whether in business or private matters. 

Agreed! One thing I picked up on though, amongst all of this musical information, is that you like Nutella on your Pizza. In my book this makes you a bit of a wrong ‘un. Please explain! 🙂

LOL!! 😂

Well… it’s all about “contrast” Dan… sweet and salted complement each other. 😉 “The proof is in the pudding”!!

Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe I’ll try it one day! Thank you for sharing this insightful information Sara, we will move on to Chris Keya now, who is the third collaborator on the track we’re premiering today.

Chris, you’re also Italian but reside in Rome. So I’ll ask you too, what’s the DNB scene like in the capital?

Hi everybody! Well the DNB scene in the capital lacks any kind of substantial presence due to the different clubbers tastes here. Techno is much more played all around, but I always make sure to play it when I host my own format night Bloc Freaks here.

Fair play! You can squeeze some in to your sets if you’re the boss! You were the main DJ at the Milan fashion week for a good number of years. That must have been pretty interesting!

Thanks! Yes it was a very cool experience and introduced me to lots of new and talented people.

Your musical exploits are varied. You cite cyberpunk, phonk, synthwave, DNB & trap as genres you’ve produced in. That in itself is a very diverse selection, though it’s all based within the digital framework, so how do you find jumping from one style to another?

Exactly! Well, I find jumping from one style to another always exciting and actually easy because I’m a pretty avid listener of all those genres, so it’s even cooler to blend them together most of the time.

YJKL is a pretty interesting label that you run, which specializes in lo-fifand chill-hop. These two are not really on my radar, so tell us a bit about these scenes?

YJKL is the name of my main lo-fi and chill-hop project, and the label I’m running with my Australian friend Andrew Simpson is Calm Waves Records. The scene is actually well developed and all of the producers like to work together to craft new tracks and push everything forward. It’s one of the fastest growing genres of music at the moment and it will be even higher in future years.

There have been some pretty cool collabs as well in the past, which I’d love you to expand on and explain a bit more about?

There have been a lot, from producers to singers. With producers we usually share an idea of the track and then add our parts step by step. With singers, I usually send over the whole instrumental and let them write their own lyrics with full freedom. I like when singers get feelings from my tracks and I love to see if my initial idea is similar to their written words.

That’s very interesting and shows huge trust in the creative process. I love this. With the Deathbeats project you are all Cubase users. With so many options available now, this must have made working together so much easier!

Yes, Cubase is life! My favourite DAW ever.

Thanks Chris! It’s been fantastic to hear from you both. Let’s hope Italy jumps on board the DNB train pretty soon. I know of a few labels and producers there, but it’s a shame the country isn’t quite ready for it yet.

Moving on to the release itself now then. The second I heard it, I totally fell in love with it. I have listened to quite a bit of synthwave and while I’m not an expert, I appreciate everything about it, so Gary, what made you decide to blend this awesome style with DNB?

Well, I had fallen in love with Synthwave thanks to my music licensing exploits and once I heard Dimension and Subfocus going down the vintage synth route I figured this would be my angel in terms of getting back into the DNB scene. Other producers and DJs have always told me that I have a problem conforming to the ‘current’ sound and that my music was often way too avante-garde. With this in mind I felt that blending DNB and synthwave would continue this philosophy, however, it seems to be working out as the tracks are getting support from some really big DJs thankfully.

Chris, with your background you clearly had a lot to offer, so what part did you play in the track?

I basically made the whole DNB Drop and added layers to what Gary initially laid down. Then passed the track to Sara and the magic was made.

And Sara, what was your process for laying down vocals to suit this wonderful blend of dancefloor energy and sub-genre sonic exploration (which are stunning BTW)?

Aww… thank you again!! 🙂

Well, when I heard the first sketch of the instrumental it was actually a Drumwave version so, to tell you the truth I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do.

I didn’t know if I was supposed to follow the more Pop-DNB wave of tunes that were in the charts, because I did want the track to fit into that mould, but I also really wanted to follow my heart and just write something that moved me in the first place, regardless of it fitting a model. So I just started listening to a few of my favourite tunes to get some inspiration, as I usually do before any writing session. One of those tracks was Jason by The Midnight, which kind of helped me put things into motion and so I started to visualize the song as I was writing.

Then it all started rolling pretty fast. I was finished writing “Otherside” in ten minutes, which for me is kind of rare, and I thought that THAT was perhaps a sign that things were taking a very positive turn. 

Gary, When I listen to it I get images of Tron and computerized high speed travel. It’s just exploding with energy. Do you you feel like you achieved what you set out to achieve with this tune?

I’m glad to hear you say that as it’s what I have in mind when I am writing the tunes. I often find that after listening to the mixdown several thousand times that it becomes hard to visualize these retro influences, so what I often do is run Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 movie trailers on a loop alongside the tracks, just to make sure I am getting the right vibe. If the music works with the visuals then I know I’m going in the right direction.

That is another fascinating insight into how people make music. Before we say goodbye, please all three of you, tell us what you have coming up that we can look forward to, and will there be any more Death Beats collaborations?

Gary: In terms of The Death Beats, I have a number of projects in the works right now. I’m currently finishing a three track cinematic synth EP which is going to be a music licensing project. I’m really proud of this project as the composition is incredible. I’m also working on a hardcore / jungle inspired DNB project that is entirely sample based in order to give it an old skool sound. I am most likely going to offer this to other labels as it’s not really suitable for my label. I’m also busy working on a new release for Deathray Music which is really coming together, however it’s very early days in terms of who will be working on the vocals. I’m also hoping to work with Chris again in the future and I’m hoping Sara will continue working closely with me via Deathray Music.

Sara: Well, I do have an EP that I have been trying to finish for some months now. Hopefully, I’ll manage to get that out sometime in the near future and get back into the licensing side of things. I also hope to work with Chris again, as it was great teamwork on all levels, and as he truly is very talented. With Gary, there is a long term friendship and there will be more projects to come in the future that I look forward to.

Well all I can say is, this single rocked my box 30 seconds in and if this is the basic Death Beats model then I’m already looking forward to hearing future endeavours. Thank you all for sharing your stories, and maybe we will meet in some sweatbox of a nightclub somewhere! BIG UP!

FIND OUT MORE HERE:

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

Stream Sara Cruz music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

Stream Chris Keya music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud