Lee Brinx is a name well known on London’s underground circuit. A steadfast member of the electronic community for many years, he has grown and evolved with the ever changing musical landscape that surrounds him. His only constants have been a dedication to quality and his ideological alignment with the underground. An impressive producer in his own right, Lee is also at the helm at one of London’s most important labels, Lower East. Alongside friends Cozzy D and Dexter Kane, Lee has helped build the imprint from an outlet to release their own music into a highly respected label that doesn’t confirm to expectation. Releasing emerging talents like Alexis Raphael, Wildkats, Peunte & Rosch, Max Chapman and Rebel, Lower East are helping shape underground house and techno with a fresh perspective and some funky grooves. BeatsandBeyond caught up with the man himself to discuss the scene as a whole, whilst finding out what role he sees Lower East to play within it.
Electronic music is undoubtedly more fragmented than ever at the moment. In what way do you think that has affected the scene? Do you think that is a good thing? I feel that for some reason society feels the need place things into boxes, genres, sub genres, sub genres of sub genres etc. Everything started with house and from there as the music developed, so did the genres – In the UK, house produced hardcore which lead to jungle techno, which lead to drum & bass etc, and that’s fine as it is progressive development of the music and for as long as people continue to make music we will constantly get progression and new genres will develop. The necessity to constantly categorise things into genres is great from a consumer perspective, as if you wish to shop for certain type of track then it’s very easy to do so now, but also annoying as people seem persistent on pigeon holing everything – There’s pro’s and cons from both sides of the argument - my view of it is neither good nor bad, just simply a sign of modern times.
Lower East really seems to epitomise that merging of styles. From house to garage and techno and beyond. Was that always your intention with the label? Not at all, our intention of the label was to create an outlet from which we could release our music and that of our friends – The fact that it demonstrates this merger of styles simply reflects our multitude of influences.
How did you, Cozzy and Ed all meet? There seems to be a strong friendship between you all and all the other artists on the label? We met on the London club scene, through sharing a love of good music and partying. We’re mates first and business partners second and the same goes for many of the artists on the label - we try to keep it that way and like to establish personal relationships with as many new artists as possible.
There is quite a London-centric sound on the label. Are you proud to represent such a strong identity with a city? Are the label showcases in cities like Nottingham and Manchester a chance to spread the sound further afield? Of course we’re proud of where we come from but again I feel that the reason our sound comes across very ‘London-esque’ is because that’s the scene on which we all cut our teeth. Hardcore, Jungle and garage are all music’s that were born in London and bred into us from a very early age hence why these sounds are evident in our music.
How would you describe your own style whilst behind the decks? I play to the crowd! I like a deep groove and melody in the bass lines… Garage beats are always very prominent, but I still like to adapt to my surroundings and the time of which I’m playing… I like for my sets to take people somewhere, starting slower, more down tempo and building up, if the listener feels as though they’ve been on a journey then I consider my job well done.
Where have you got gigs coming up? We’ve heard rumours about tours of Mexico and Australia in the pipe works? I’m gigging pretty much every weekend at the moment, and I’m busy right up until the middle of the year so far. I’m in Portugal next weekend for Topless Music, which I’m really looking forward to and there was talk of an Australia tour but it couldn’t be arranged in time to fit into my schedule. I’m out in Mexico in April and then onto San Francisco and New York after that which should be fun…
What is your aim when you are DJing in a club? For everyone at the party to have as good a time as I am!
Moving onto productions, what have you got lined up for the year? I’m currently working my next EP for Lower East due out at the end of April. I have a remix of the M-People classic ‘How Could I Love You More’ being released on Sony’s dance music off shoot, Deconstruction. This has been in the pipeline for over a year now and keeps getting pushed back, but I can assure you it will be coming out at some point this year so it will interesting as to how it is received.
When making music, how do you balance referencing your influences and making something fresh and new? I never try to make something particular – if I do I always hit a blank. I need to clear my mind. I know a lot of producers that listen to other tracks as reference during a session but that is counter-productive for me. My best creativity comes from a clear mind and head ( …and normally on a Tuesday! )
What is your studio set-up like? The studio is centered round logic pro. For soft synths I use a lot of the arturia and GeForce stuff. For processing and effects I use waves, sound toys and logic plugs. All my drum programming goes through NI maschine (essential kit) and an esx24. The hard ware setup is focused on a lot of vintage analog gear with some classic Roland stuff – 106, 808 etc.. all running through an old mackie desk into a presonus interface.
Finally, 2011 was a great year for you. How would you sum it up? Surprising, exciting and inspiring!
What targets have you set for the next twelve months ahead? To continue enjoying what I do and put 100% into everything I strive to achieve, and most importantly to continue putting out music that I love!
