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Canadian producer Downlink made waves in the dubstep world last year, with tunes such as Gamma Ray Burst being plugged by reputable DJ’s worldwide and this year won’t see his progress slow down; with big collaborations and releases due to come out soon as well as the prospect of international touring looming,  2010 could potentially turn into a very important year for this filth merchant. We caught up with him to find out exactly what’s going on in camp Downlink…

How did you first get into producing, and when/how were you introduced to dubstep?
I got into producing mainly because I have a love of music and unlike playing in a band, producing music electronically can be done solo. I started with drum & bass as I had been dj’ing it for a few years, but I soon began to experiment with all types of electronic music. I first heard dubstep a few years ago, but it didn’t catch my ear right away. A hippy friend of mine had been showing me some of the deeper, earlier stuff and it hadn’t really grabbed me. I could see the potential but it didn’t have enough of an edge for me. I surfed the net and found some stuff that was more to my liking and it inspired me to start making it myself.

Downlink – This is the Night

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Obviously the dubstep scene in Canada has a particular flavour; how did you come together with Excision and other artists and why do you think the scene has exploded over there in such a way?
I first met Datsik on the dubstep forum and we collaborated on a track. He lived in the same city as Excision and so he was showing him all my music. It wasn’t long before my beats were signed up to Rottun. I met the two of them in the summer at a huge festival over here called Shambhala. We all hit it off right away and have been friends ever since. As to why the scene has exploded over here is hard to say. A huge whompy bass movement started in and around the Bay area a few years ago and it has spread right up the coast into BC. There are a lot of laid back stoner types out here and we like music with lots of bass.

What have you been up to recently and do you have any exciting things coming up for the rest of this year?
I’ve been working on several collaborations with Excision and Datsik. We have a drumstep track on the go with Evol Intent which is sounding pretty hectic. Also, I am close to finishing up another EP that will be coming out on Rottun.

In the studio what equipment do you use? (Soft/hardware etc…)
I work mainly in Logic, but I rewire Reason in for certain things. I use a MacBook Pro with shitty KRK RP8′s for now, and I have an Apogee Duet interface. I use various soft synths and plugins, but I want to get my hands on some hardware eventually.

How you describe your style, and how did you come to find your niché in dubstep?
My style is kind of frantic and adrenaline fuelled. I like music that you can nod your head to and groove to and that makes you feel energized and I get bored really easily so I’m constantly switching it up within my tracks. The influence of drum & bass and jungle is rampant in a lot of my tunes. I also have a penchant for spacey techy alien sounds cuz they just sound cool to me. I love astrophysics and everything that has to do with outer space so that stuff really appeals to my imagination I guess. I don’t really look for a niche or try to find a place to fit in I just do what I do and try to make dope tunes.

Downlink & Ale Filman – UnCut

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Before dubstep what music were you into and how did that progress into what you like now?
As I mentioned earlier, drum & bass and jungle were huge for me early on. Before electronic music I listened to lots of grunge and classic rock, but also metal and even hip hop. I honestly listen to so many different kinds of music. At home I listen to lots of down-tempo and chill out stuff but I could just as easily be vibin’ out to world music or even jazz.

Do you produce anything other than dubstep?
At the moment I’m pretty focussed on dubstep, but I have made pretty much every genre of electronic music over the past few years. I eventually want to get more into recording live instruments and integrating them into my productions. I admire a lot the world music that I hear and a lot of the production is fascinating and amazing to me.

Vinyl or Digital?
I have a pretty big vinyl collection but have taken up Serato because it’s just so much more convenient.

Do you have any plans to tour this year?
I can’t play any US dates until I get a proper work VISA so I’m stuck playing in Canada. I plan on hitting up the UK and Europe later this year (possibly September/October) and Australia and New Zealand after that.

Excision & Datsik – Swagga (Downlink Rmx)

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Are there any producers you want to collaberate with?
There are lots I would like to collaborate with at some point in time. In dubstep it would be cool to work with The Widdler, maybe Reso or Numbernin6 or any of the Circus crew. It’s hard to name names cuz there’s just so people whose productions I respect and admire and that I would work with.

What are your top 5 tunes at the moment?

Excision & Downlink – Heavy Artillery ft. Messinian

Downlink – Containment Failure

Liquid Stranger – Ripple

Numbernin6 – Hunt You Down

Excision & Subvert – Rude Symphony

Are there any artists you’ve picked up on that we should watch out for in the rest of the year?
Ajapai is sick as fuck so keep your eyes open and ears to the ground for some heavy future releases. I’ve been getting sent a bunch of dope dubs lately from lots of people; Widelows, Bukez Finezt and Statelapse are three that I can think of the top as ones you should watch.

You can check out Downlink at:

www.myspace.com/downlinkdub

Watch this space for future releases on Rottun Recordings; BIGUP!

Greg