Interview with Crisis

USM Archives

Editor Panos Karatzas

Sun 10 Apr 2016

Crises is thelabel owner of MindStep Music and radio presenter on Rinse Fm (106.8FM) in London.He delivers a contemporary blend of music that spans the confinements of a set genre by fusingelements of:Roots, Reggae, Dub, Deep Dubstep, Minimal and Ambient Beats…

We caught up with Crises to talk about music and his future plans with his label.
Hello Crises.

When you first came into contact with this genre of music,which was the track that was unforgettable, the track that made you love this music and made it part of your life?

Hello Panos.

To be truthful, it is very difficult to focus on a specific time or track that made me interested in this genre of music. I have been involved in the underground music scene from a young age and all of the music I listened to in the past, transcends and merges into the sound I love today.

I began, over 15 years ago, listening to, collecting and mixing UK House & Garage. From there, my interests and tastes veered towards Reggae Dub Sound Systems, eventually leading into the deeper, more authentic Dubstep.

It was the more ambient, chilled out side to Dubstep that drew me in. This was evident in the early selections on my graveyard shows on Rinse Fm, as I was generally attracted to the B Sides of any release I bought.

MindStepis a new label for special music... How does it feel that it has been recently crowned 'Best New Label' in the prestigious Dubstep Forum Awards? What are your future plans for your label?
I feel extremely honored and appreciative of all the support MindStep Music has received from the genuine Dubstep community, particularly as the label promotes and focuses on new, fresh, up and coming artists.

Winning Best New Label is more than I, and everyone who works with MindStep could have ever expected. We feel blessed, firstly to be nominated and more so to be recognised alongside many of the respected pioneers of the Dubstep scene, many of whom we are inspired by.

With regards to the label’s future plans, we will be pushing and releasing new material from existing artists: My Nu Leng, Dubtro, Pistonsbeneath, Adam Prescott and Vibration Lab, in the form of Remix EPs, Limited Physical CDs and Vinyls.

We also have exciting new signings inthe pipeline, from some of the freshest up and coming artists worldwide.

Within the midst of our plans, we are also tying up loose ends for the release of our next various artists’ compilation.

The MindStep Music label reflects the sounds, vibes and energy celebrated at the original MindStep nights, which began over three years ago. This year we are looking forward to getting the night up and running once again, maintaining a platform for the artists and DJs promoted by the label.

How do you feel that you are one of the radio presenters/DJsonRinse FM, a legendary Radio Station in England and the biggest pirate Radio in London for 17 years? Tell us the story behind this.
I am deeply grateful to be part of the Rinse family as a DJ/presenter, amongst the most respected DJs in their game.It is a radio station I have listened to since I was a teenager and one I always aspired to be on.

Rinse discovered me through a three hour-long demo mix I recorded and submitted over five years ago.

In 2007 I started aweekly graveyard shift, streaming to the world at 3-5am (UK time). At that time of the night/morning, the Rinse audience was generallymade up of international based listeners. A couple of years after that, I was given a weekly lunchtime show, which gave me the opportunity to expand my listening base to the UK and Europe.

One of the greatest things about Rinse FM as a radio station is their professional approach and loyalty to the UK artists, by maintaining specialist shows. This allows me to embrace a therapeutic approach to my DJ sets, whilst learning and progressing as a radio presenter.

What is your opinionon Greek Dubstep Producers?           
I don’t tend to take notice of the origin of the producer, however I have, and will continue to play various Greek producers on my radio show. I think they pay a nice, positive contribution to the worldwide Dubstepmovement, with their fresh, clean, experimental soundsthat to me, merge well with the tech vibe.

That’s the beauty of Dubstep / Bass music - there are various styles which are influenced by different backgrounds across the globe, creating that endless possibility of new and exciting music. With collaborations and coming together of ideas, we would not need to ask such a question because we will be one in sound…

Thoughts, Plans and Dreams for 2012?
For 2012 I will be dedicating more time and energy to my production, as I work on my debut EP. I aim to fulfill all previously mentioned plans for MindStep Music and remain as dedicated (live-a-catedlol) to it as I have been up until now.

I plan to record more frequent promo mixes for download and I would love to start, ‘guest mix and interview features’ on my radio show, from both local and international DJs/artists.

I feel great excitement about the opportunities 2012 will bring, not just for me and the label but, more so the artists who work hard on building their sounds.

Thank you for your time - Music For Your MindStep.

http://www.mindstepmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/djcrises
http://www.rinse.fm

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