MAKO - Tropicality EP HNHEP028
Released November 5th 2012
http://www.junodownload.com/products/tropicality/2065303-02
UK based DJ and producer
MAKO draws you in with his soulful sound. Growing up in Bath before living in Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh all these cities have influenced his sound since he began DJing at the age of 15.
A seasoned DJ, MAKO has played clubs and free parties across the UK.
His versatile productions range across numerous genres yet always maintain a link to bass-heavy sound system culture. On discovering large bass-bins at a young age he has been drawn to all forms of bass music yet his productions don't focus on pure weight, maintaining a melodic, textured and atmospheric edge.
We asked Alex our '6-Pack' of questions to get to know him a bit better, this is what he has to say:
Q 1. Where were you born?
A. London
Q 2. What got you into making electronic music?
A. Discovered Jungle around the time I started high school and got more and more interested in dance music. I got a pair of decks when I was 15 and after a while listening to endless bad records when shopping I thought I could make a better attempt than some so I gave it a go! Played around with a Roland 404 for a while without much success but finally got a copy of Logic which really got me addicted.
Q 3. What other types of music influence your production style?
A. The whole bag, I find myself listening to all kinds of stuff. I'd say I spend most time listening to dub/reggae and hip hop which have certainly influenced me. I think current music influences me as much as music from the past. You listen to different things for different reasons, if you want to relax you might put on some jazz or soul but friday night will probably be Bass music. What comes through in my music depends on my mood and what I've been listening to that day.
Q 4. Drop The Dead Donkey or The Office?
A. Tough call but narrowly edged by the Donkey.
Q 5. What is your favourite musical instrument and why?
A. The guitar's got to be up there, it's just such a versatile and expressive instrument. I wish I wasn't too lazy to learn to play it properly.
Q 6. Any shout outs?
A. Aye aye! Liam "Wachs Lyrical" for putting me in touch with you guys, Alex "DFRNT" who runs echodub and Andrew "Tactus" from ABAGA Records. Thanks for helping get my music out there! All Manchester/Edinburgh/Leeds/London/Bath crew too of course.
The Tropicality EP is a collection of tracks which are equally as at home in the dance as they are in the home. The beautifully crafted synths intermingle with driving and original drum patterns and weighty b-lines to rock the party right. Passing from 2 step to space boogie this EP demonstrates MAKO's versatility in the bass music arena.
Early support from the likes of; Christian Martin, ill Gates, Krueger and Tomb Crew.
Also included on the Tropicality EP are remixes from the UK's
ALLMOSTT, the Bay Area's
Shouts! and
Huffaker Park .
OUT NOW and currently tearing up the Bass Charts at Juno Download, Here's what they have to say when they reviewed the release.
"Mako is the latest name to arrive on the Hot N Heavy imprint, bringing his own brand of intricate bass music. The sparse title track focuses in on weighty 2-step kicks, wrapping all manner of subtle melodic riffs and vocals around its complex percussion. "Hurt Me" is more explicitly UFK, rolling forward on a rhythmic flex of funky snares, reverb heavy vocals and filtered synths, while "Good FiRday" shows the producer to have a knack for crafting boogie infused hip-hop beats, combining neon saturated 8-bit melodies with weighty organic beatwork. A hefty remix package is also offered; Almostt turns Tropicality" into a moodier, snappier cut, "Shouts" swathes the track in rippling dub effects while, Huffaker Park transforms "Hurt Me" into a precise piece of swung 4/4 house." - Juno Download
MAKO - Tropicality EP (Preview Clips)
*Mastered by Michael Harms at MegaSonic in San Francisco, CA.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MAKO/170542239638791
http://soundcloud.com/mak0
