Magnafide: Scott, thank you tons for doing this interview for the podcast! Most people know about your label (Soul Deep Recordings), but for those that don't know please give us some background info.
Scott Allen: The label launched on Jan. 31, 2011. The label was created as a platform to release quality Drum & Bass music from well-known producers, as well as up-and-coming talents in the scene. Since the launch in 2011, the label has broken into 2 more sub-labels called Soul Deep Exclusives, and Soul Deep Digital. I try to reserve Soul Deep Exclusives for the more well-known producers, such as Furney, Paul SG, dRamatic, mSdoS, Malaky, Random Movement, Kasper, Phase 2, and Carter, just to name a few. Soul Deep Digital has been used to highlight releases from talented up-and-coming producers from around the world. I also co-own Soul Rebel Recordings with Marco, from Fokuz, and the label has its own niche in the Dubwise/Jungle style. We are currently accepting demos to consider for Soul Rebel Recordings.
M: What about the story of Scott Allen?
S: I began deejaying in 1994, and quickly got addicted to hardcore breaks and funky breaks. I played mainly breaks and house throughout the nineties. I was inspired to change my focus to Drum & Bass after hearing some amazing sets from LTJ Bukem & Conrad and some of the other artists touring from the Good Looking label. The blending of the hectic, busy breakbeats and the lush atmospherics found its way right to my soul. I started producing Drum & Bass music in about 2005 and have released songs on many different labels over the years. I've had music released on Good Looking, Fokuz, Celsius, Soul Deep, Soul Rebel, Phuzion, Telluric, Have-a-Break, Liquid Drops, and many other labels. I started Soul Deep Recordings with the help of Deeper Connection in January of 2011. I was fortunate to sign some big artists to the label and was able to find a niche quickly in the D&B world. Soul Deep has been dedicated in releasing quality Drum & Bass from well-known artists, as well as up-and-coming producers in the scene. I'm excited about the future of Soul Deep and where it's headed.
M: Tell me more about how you first even got into deejaying, what lead up to that? How'd you discover funky breaks? etc.
S: I met some friends in college who had a good knowledge of electronic music. They played me some Jungle and Hardcore Breaks and it was love at first listen. After listening to the Hardcore Breaks for a while, I started getting into the slower tempo Breakbeat and Funky Breaks music. I began collecting records and we bought a set of turntables and a mixer. I spent about 2 weeks straight on the tables learning to mix and created some mixtapes with all my favorite jams. A friend of mine played my mixtape in their car and there was a promoter riding with her and he asked, "Who is this, I love it". So after only having turntables for 2 weeks, I was booked to play my first gig. After playing shows for a couple of years, my deejay partner, Andren, and I began performing a 2 x 4 show. 4 turntables and 2 deejays. In about 2001, the breakbeat scene started to die out and the music hit a bit of a wall. Around that time, I saw LTJ Bukem play a gig and I figured out the path I needed to take. The breakbeats with the ambient and jazzy background music was too much, I had to get involved. I began collecting and producing Drum & Bass music, but it would be a few years before I would start sending my music out to people.
M: How did you learn about producing music?
S: I was deejaying Breakbeat music in the 90s and I had some friends that produced their own music. At the time, I was deejaying as a duo with Tim Andren. Together, we decided to rent some studio time with an engineer and we produced a couple of Breakbeat songs. We didn't have much of a clue of what we were doing in the studio, but we loved being creative and jamming out with the beats. I loved working in the studio so much that I started collecting some gear. I eventually bought Reason and began writing some loops. Eventually, those loop ideas were stretched out into whole songs and it became addicting to write music.
M: Not a bad addiction to have! Have you ever gone to school for music or production?
S: I've never gone to school for music production. What I know is all self-taught. I'm not classically trained in any instruments, so everything I write is just by ear and feeling.
M: Were you ever out and about in the 90s / 2000s rave scene? Any memorable stories to tell?
S: Yes, I was out and about deejaying in the '90s. Some of my favorite memories are from the Miami Electronic Music Conferences that Andren and I attended. It was always great to meet people from all over the world that we would talk to from time to time. One of the highlights of the Music Conference was playing a deejay gig at the Miami Vice Mansion. That was a memorable night! Some of my favorite memories are from the early to mid-90s at a club called Insomniac. Insomniac was an old weekly club that we would attend to hear the finest in Breakbeat, Hardcore Breaks, and Happy Hardcore music. I'll always remember the sets I heard from the legendary deejays like DJ Dan, Simply Jeff, Mojo, DJ Trance, Oscar Da Grouch, Donald Glaude, and many others.
M: You mentioned during an interview right at the launch of Soul Deep that you would try to release vinyl, and boy did you deliver! How has the world of physical media been versus digital? Any plans for future vinyl?
S: I would like to start producing vinyl again in 2016. As everyone knows, vinyl is an expensive medium to release music. It's very difficult to break even on the investment. If I end up releasing vinyl again on Soul Deep, it's because I want to do it for the amazing fans who support the label and have been begging me to continue with the vinyl production. I've got a couple songs in mind that would sound great on vinyl.
M: You've put out quite a few tunes on Telluric, Soul Deep, Fokuz, Good Looking, and others.. tell us about your production studio & how you get inspired to write music.
S: My production studio is very minimal. I have my Macbook Pro, Ableton Live, a small midi controller, a nice soundcard, some M-Audio BX8 monitor speakers, and that's about it. I use Omnisphere and Massive for many of my synth and bassline sounds. My inspiration comes from listening to music of a variety of genres. I love listening to everything from Alternative Rock, to Reggae, to Hip Hop, and Drum & Bass. I draw inspiration from any form of music that catches my ear. When I hear something that moves me, I feel compelled to get into the studio and draw from the inspiration.
M: Do you play any instruments?
S: I don't play any instruments at the moment. Unfortunately, I'm not a classically trained musician. I'd like to learn to play the guitar or piano at some point. I really feel that learning to play an instrument would vastly improve my productions.
M: Is your family musical?
S: I don't have a musical family. No one in my family plays an instrument.
M: Do you have any quick tips for Ableton or production in general?
S: My best production tip is to be yourself... Don't try and copy someone else's style. All that matters is that you like your own work. We're artists and we create what we hear in our own minds. Don't conform to what you think other people want to hear. If you master YOUR sound you will find your niche in the industry.
M: What are some of your favorite plug-ins/fx?
S: One of my favorite plug-ins is a simple free filter called, "TAL Filter". I use the filter on every song. I'm a huge fan of Reggae and Dub, so I really like the Roland RE-201 Space Echo plug-in.
M: You've gained a considerable worldwide following online (Spotify says over 2,300 monthly listeners!), how do you see the "liquid" scene in Los Angeles?
S: The Liquid D&B scene in Los Angeles is a rather small one. The heavy, Jump Up vibes tend to draw more people to their shows. There has been some success with Liquid shows, but it seems like the lineup has to be packed with headliners to have a good draw. I'll keep pushing the Soul Deep sound in L.A. to help develop new fans of the genre. My goal is to start a monthly Soul Deep club night in L.A., but it's hard to find time to start another project at the moment. The L.A. D&B scene is similar to other scenes in the world. Most of the Liquid D&B producers that I talk to have the same feeling, that the Jump Up and more aggressive genres of D&B tend to draw much larger crowds/interest. The U.K. seems to have the strongest Liquid scene, as I can tell. Do you agree?
M: Definitely. It's never really taken off here for too long of a time. The more soulful sounds seem to cycle in and out of being "trendy" within the main scene. Muse, Funktion, and Bluebeat were events that held it down a lot during the late '00s. Respect has always peppered the more "liquid" artists into their monthly schedules. So grateful for that! I'm really excited about the potential of Xcellerated's Liquid Sessions. We used to have great guests for Sacred Sounds. But since then, there hasn't been too much. It's nice to have Hospital artists come to town and kill it, but there's not much for the smaller label sounds. I'm hopeful for the future though. Just gotta keep expanding the network.
M: So now for some fun questions.. Mario or Sonic?
S: I'm an old man, so I have to side with Mario.
M: John Coltrane or Miles Davis?
S: John Coltrane. I've heard more songs from John Coltrane that move my soul.
M: Nike or Adidas?
S: I'm a Nike guy. I teach Physical Education as my day job, so you can always find me in a pair of fresh Nike running shoes.
M: Thai or Japanese food?
S: I tend to like Thai food more... But I have been eating Japanese more frequently these days since my wife loves sushi. I'm not a big sushi fan (yet), but I do love Teriyaki and noodles.
M: If you could work with two music artists, who would you pick, and what kinda music would you make?
S: I would love to work with Thievery Corporation... I love the vibe of their music, so lush and soulful. I also like the earthy, organic sound of their music. I appreciate how they draw their inspiration from many genres of music around the world. I would love to work with Barrington Levy on a track. His vocals have that timeless sound that I never get sick of hearing. I'm a big Reggae/Dub music fan, so I think he would be amazing to work with. As far as the Liquid D&B scene, it would be great to work with Calibre, Furney, Dramatic, Intelligent Manners, Command Strange, and many others.
M: Vodka or whiskey?
S: I'm more of a vodka guy. Although, I don't drink hard alcohol very often. I like a nice citron vodka and tonic from time to time.
M: What superpower would you have? Why?
S: I live in L.A. and we have terrible traffic issues. For that reason, I'd love the ability to fly, so I didn't have to sit in traffic anymore.
M: What is something surprising about you that most people don't know?
S: Something surprising about me... I played Water Polo for 4 years in High School and also played in college at a Division I school. I grew up as a competitive swimmer and Water Polo player. After I finished playing at the college level, I began coaching High School Water Polo and now I've been coaching for 20 years. Coaching Water Polo also led me into wanting to be a teacher, and now I've been a full-time teacher for 15 years. I currently teach Physical Education at a K-8 school in Long Beach. I teach P.E. students ranging from 6 to 13 years old. I also have a love for Interior design and Architecture. I currently live in a Cliff May home in Long Beach that was built in 1953. Cliff May is known as the "godfather of the Ranch Home". My mom was an interior designer, so I've been influenced by her to take my home design very seriously. My wife and I are in the middle of designing our home with a mid-century modern theme. We often spend our weekends out at vintage stores looking for the perfect items to fit the home.
M: So what is up your sleeve, musically? What is next for Scott Allen and Soul Deep?
S: Well, for Scott Allen I have about 5 collab songs and 3 remixes I need to finish. Between my regular job, coaching, family, and the label, time is very scarce for producing. However, I'm going to do my best to finish all the songs I promised. Furney is visiting California in early November, so I hope to have him over to my studio to work on a couple of collab songs. Deejay bookings have been rolling in at a decent rate, but I hope to play more live events in the L.A. area to help push the liquid sound that I'm so passionate about. I've been doing my monthly mixes for Future Sounds Radio to help highlight the forthcoming Soul Deep songs. As far as Soul Deep is concerned, I'm going to keep on doing what I do... I'm going to continue to push to sign the highest quality D&B and release it promptly. Also, I have a new Soul Deep E-store that is being built. I was told that the project should take about a month or so, so I should have the store up and running between Thanksgiving and Christmas sometime. I'm excited to have a new home base for Soul Deep, especially since Soundcloud is starting to crack down hard on the samples that producers are using. It will be nice to have an outlet to release bootleg remixes for free without dealing with getting strikes from Soundcloud. For the passionate vinyl collectors out there, I hope to begin releasing vinyl again in early 2016. I've signed some music lately that I feel is vinyl worthy, so keep your eyes peeled for the Soul Deep vinyl projects.
M: Where can people get ahold of you? How can they get you demos if they're interested in the label?
S: If people want to submit demos, they should send them to: souldeeprecordings@hotmail.com
M: Any last remarks, or shout outs!:
S: I'd like to send a few shout-outs... First of all to Magnafide for allowing me to do a guest mix and an interview for his blog. I'd also like to send a shout-out to Mo Taha for agreeing to design the Soul Deep website. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. I'd like to send a shout-out to Machete, Julien, Jeremy Eichberg, Jeremy Fitzgerald, and Ruben Luna for pushing the Liquid D&B sound in L.A. at your club nights. Thanks for the bookings! I'd like to send a should out to all the Liquid D&B producers in the U.S. Keep writing the beats! I'd also like to send a big shout-out to DBase for always coming correct with the cover artwork for the releases on Soul Deep. Onward and upward!
M: Solid, man. Thank you so much Scott for the opportunity to get a glimpse into your mind! Much respect!!
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