Step Two [Preview]
LAXX is most definitely one to keep your eye on. Having signed with the renowned bass family Never Say Die last year, LAXX dropped his explosive debut EP for them in February and is now unleashing his second on April 7th. A follow up from ‘Step One’, ‘Step Two’ is another display of his self-coined “Twitch” music, packed with jittery synths and intense rhythmical progressions – not to mention a frenzied remix from label mate MUST DIE! The iconic and wonderfully simplistic ‘Step One’ is given a more dynamic and atmospheric twist, whilst maintaining that earth shattering drop impact of the original. I particularly enjoy ‘The Limit’ with its blend of vocal outbreaks and sustained pulse throughout, and LAXX’s sense of musical identity resonates here. I had the opportunity to to grill LAXX on ‘Step Two’ and what we can expect to see from him in the future.
TMN: Did you approach making ‘Step Two’ differently to ‘Step One’? Did ‘Step Two’ feel more like you were experimenting with a new set of sounds?
LAXX: ‘Step One’ was hard to follow, but I had a vibe in my mind already and knew what sort of thing I wanted to hear. It took a while, I named so many projects ‘Step Two’ and had about 5 different tracks which I was going to go back in on, but none of them were what I wanted. When I’m writing I know when I’ve got it, and a lot of the time I just start again because it’s not working for me. As soon as I got the basic vibe of it, I must’ve known, because I named it ‘Definitely Step Two’. But yeah, I wanted a similar vibe but a different musical palette.
TMN: Which track on this EP are you most proud of and why?
LAXX: Like all of them for different reasons. ‘Brainbug’ took the longest to finish, but I’m still as into ‘The Limit’ as I was when I first wrote it. I’ve always tried to create something simple, which has as much impact as something overproduced. But in all, I’m proud of all of them, and they all took weeks of back and forth to finish.
TMN: Where does the term “Twitch” music come from?
LAXX: “Twitch” is a term I created just because I didn’t feel what I was doing was fitting into categories I was listening to. To me just means a different rhythm, not just the obvious. The vibe in ‘Brainbug’ and ‘The Unknown’ are pretty much off key and different, so thats what I mean. I take inspiration from everything, but I still see what I’m doing in a different bracket to Trap or Dubstep, so it would be wrong to call it either.
TMN: What’s next in terms of future sounds from you? What can we expect you to deliver after this release?
LAXX: You’ll have to wait and see, but I’m just going down a new route. I want to do something different and exciting and make peoples ears prick up. So, I can’t say really, but I’ve got a lot in store..
TMN: You’ve previously worked with several grime artists. Do you have any plans to collaborate with vocalists again?
LAXX: Yes. I’ve always been a big fan of grime MC’s and Footsie, D Double E and P Money are some of my favourites. I can’t really say whats to come, but there will be some colabs in the pipeline.
TMN: Could you name 3 of your all-time favourite tracks?
That’s not an easy question as my music taste is pretty broad and I go through phases with different genres constantly. But here you go:
Krust – Warhead
Bad Company – Planet Dust
Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
TMN: If you could work on a track with any Never Say Die artist, who would it be?
LAXX: I like all of the artists on Never Say Die, but I’d love to get in the studio with Zomboy. I just know he’d be a nutter to work with, he’s got so much energy in his tunes, it’d be a laugh just to work with him and see him vibe out.
TMN: Thanks for your time LAXX! Awesome release.
LAXX: Cheers for having me and make sure you grab ‘Step Two’ on 7th April!
