Timbah dashed across my radar a few weeks ago when I was on my weekly search for musical treats on soundcloud. The 19 year old producer from Sheffield has me transfixed with his upcoming debut release “Can’t Love Without You”, set to release on the 27th of this month via Bad Taste Records in UK. Drawing big inspiration from household names in the dance industry has helped him mold a sensational EP that highly impresses and grabs ears from start to finish. The 5 track release is injected with a heavy load of bass which is then properly blended with cool, refreshing chopped up vocal bits that pack a good punch to the record. Already swinging support from the likes of Mele, Squelch & Clap and a variety of others, Timbah’s future is looking bright as ever for 2012 and many years to come. Take a look at the chat I had with the young man, get to know him better and don’t forget to preview and support the EP when it comes out!
Timbah – Can’t Love Without You EP Preview by Bad Taste Records UK
What was ‘life’ before turning to music? Tell us about yourself !
Weirdly, breaking was my main thing until I got into music. Nottingham was where I grew up, and there I was in a crew called ‘Force’. We just used to bboy pretty much all the time to old school hip hop beats (like Eric B and Rakim, Freestyle Fellowship), and used to practice in the street, in parks, like, wherever we could really. And eventually we got to perform on some stages, which was just incredible. I think my interest in music started there, but that hobby died round about the time I started going to bass music nights; I gave up bboying and started dancing like a crazy idiot at the front of the rave instead. Kinda a shame really. Apart from that I’m studying French Russian and Spanish at university.
What do you listen to in your spare time?
Quite a mix. I’ve been really really into kuduro ever since I saw J-Wow last year – the guy literally turned a club into a street carnival. So now I rinse Munchi, Buraka Som and Schlactofthebronx tracks when I’m on a hype. I don’t think anyone goes harder than those guys, mad energy and a really refreshing approach towards music. Otherwise I like chilled out stuff on the vibes of How to Dress Well and oOoOO, I think artists like that capture something very organic in their productions that you can just listen to for hours, as well as hip hop artists like Dilla, Flylo and Samiyam.
Who are some of your Influences in music?
I think mentioning James Blake is relevant, because the ‘Air and lack thereof’ release on Hessle marked a new time for me in music. I think he captured all the right glitchy elements of hip hop that I was feeling from other LA artists at that time, but on a 140 tempo and with a solid sub, so it was a tune that made me realise what I really liked about music, and what I wanted to create. Early Rustie tracks and Zomby are other big influences from the scene, because I like their bleeps. Bleeps are fun to dance to. Apart from that I take a lot of influence from people I come into contact with who are interested in music. I have to mention my boy TOYC down in London, because sitting watching his production techniques and stealing all his software were very important steps to being able to produce a sound I was proud of.
Cheryl Cole – Fight for this love (Timbah remix) by Timbah_
How has your sound changed since your initial efforts?
Well, my initial effort was a drum n bass track interspersed with Family Guy quotes that I finished in one night, and then played to my friends on my phone the next day at school when I was 15. I actually just used to exclusively make stupid beats, then I got bored of that, and only started producing again when I started fresh at Uni. I use a lot more samples now rather than trying to create a track entirely composed of synths, which I think makes the tunes sound better layered. Obviously as well RnB vocals have started figuring in every single tune. Vocals are pretty important to me because they give tunes that human quality that make people able to sit and listen to them rather than them just being played in clubs.
Talk about your new EP for Bad Taste Records? It has impressed the hell out of me! So good!
Well, the title track is ‘Can’t Love Without You’, which is the first tune out of all of them that I made and probably the one which best represents my sound. It took me a long time to make a tune after that, but the other tracks came eventually in the same mold, but with slightly different inclinations. There’s tracks that lean towards house, but then I’ve got the remix I did for Walter Ego on there which is on more of a grime tip. The comments I’m getting for the EP are all really positive, and I’m really happy with how its being received. In particular nice comments from people I really look up to in the scene like Slugabed and Mele have been massively encouraging. Also glad I’m doing things with the Bad Taste crew, because they were the first guys who ever gave me any recognition, put me on at nights in Sheffield and told me that I could produce whilst I didn’t have that much confidence in my productions, so I owe them a lot.
Who would you collaborate with if you could?
Definitely Hudson Mohawke. I’d just get him to stick that trumpet sound he has on the tune and it’d be a straight up smasher right away.
Walter Ego – Level I’m On (Timbah’s level 999 remix) by Timbah_
Funniest / Weirdest experience since your introduction to the EDM world?
Probably turning up to play after Dark Sky. I didn’t have a CD case at the time so I just wrapped the CDs that I’d burned off in my Spanish test paper from the day before, and they saw me pull it out behind the DJ booth and were like “respect”.
Are you a genre man? Or does all the specifics not really phase you?
Not really. I mean, like everyone, there are certain genres wherein most of the music will appeal to me and others where I won’t be impressed by much, but I make an effort to listen to as much as I can. Apart from anything, if I listen to one type of music for too long I just get really sick of it. I think people get a bit too religious in the genre they listen to these days.
Favorite cuisines?
Get bread. Toast it. Put olive oil on it. Put a tomato on it. Proper nice. I think its called Spanish toast?
Drink of choice?
Mountain Dew. Mad energy.
What does 2012 hold for Timbah?
I’m looking forward to having some time to just make beats for fun, but I’m really keen to get on another release before I go to France in September for my degree. In my hometown Notts theres a label called Mimm who are doing really good things, possibly something in the pipeline with them. Aside from that, more studying languages, more dancing like an idiot. Perhaps more bleeps in my music.
Thank you so much, such a cool opportunity! Any final message to our readers?
When you’re brushing your teeth make sure to brush your tongue as well because that’s actually where most of the germs are.
