Low-end inspiration: Flava D is at the forefront of bass music

Flava D's music is powerful in a typically UK kind of way. If you've ever pulled a screwface in the dance then you'll know what we mean. And you'll be well into Flava's tunes.

The 26-year-old is currently at the forefront of bass-heavy dance music, a position she's been heading toward since signing with grime label Butterz in 2013. She debuted on the imprint with 'Hold On' and 'Home', displaying the sugar-sweet 2-step garage vibe and grimey aggression that she's now well known for. Looking back, she says that record changed her life "dramatically".

In 2014 came 'On My Mind', a collaboration with Royal-T, as well as 'PS', a hook up with DJ Q that saw her step out on another London label, Local Action. All three producers would then unveil t q d in 2015, a project that launched with the bonkers 'Day & Night' and some truly head-spinning DJ performances. She's also had continuous studio time with the master of jazz-swinging dubstep, Swindle, and releases on Champion's Formula Records. A string of finely-crafted tracks coupled with a DJ style that crosses UKG, grime, bassline and bass-house means many dances have been going off to the sound of Flava D.

So it comes as no surprise that she's been chosen to contribute to fabriclive, the revered mix series run by clubbing institution fabric. Her instalment is typically high in energy and there's plenty of unreleased and exclusive Flava material, plus tunes from D Double E and Terror Danjah and collabs with My Nu Leng, Champion and Taiki Nulight.

As her recent tour of the United States came to an end, we spoke to Flava D about how Stateside ravers react to her music, what can be done to encourage people to produce and the influence of those around her. Exclusive Q+A and premiere of 'Motions' below.

Let’s start with the ‘fabriclive 88’ mix. How did you approach such a momentous task?

I did the whole thing in about three months which is crazy thinking of it now. A lot of work went into it. I just wanted to do something that was going to be different from the rest as there’s obviously a lot of great ones out there. I noticed a lot of them are more mix-orientated rather than being based on productions and bringing new material with it. I just wanted to show people what I’m capable of and do more than what’s been done in the past. I wanted to produce the majority of it, do some collaborations and get some exclusive material for it with people who are up-and-coming. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do that.

Champion and D Double E are collaborators on there, but there’s also some lesser-known names. Can you tell us about them?

DevelopMENT and Holy Goof are new to the scene but have been making a fair bit of noise and absolutely killing it. I thought it’d be cool to link up with them. Holy Goof’s got the bass sound on lock right now and has the buzz around his name. It made sense to come together rather than me ask him for a VIP mix of one of my tunes. That’s originally what I was going to do but instead did something more hands-on. Miss Fire is another on there, she’s one of my favourite singers to work with. When I hear her do an a cappella I instantly get inspiration and ideas for a track and it always seems to work out well when we do something together.

And how did the mix come about? Was your name put forward or did fabric approach you?

I played fabric at the end of last year. Shaun, who used to work there, approached me in the green room and asked how I’d feel doing a mix CD. Back then, I didn’t realise how much of a big deal it was, but I now know it’s a pretty big opportunity. That’s why I wanted to give it my all and put a lot of work into it.

You’ve played at fabric with Butterz numerous times in the past and released on the label, too. How integral have the label heads Elijah & Skilliam been in your development?

They’ve had a massive input in the last three years in terms of my knowledge. I think I’ve grown as a person and an artist with them. Before I joined Butterz I’d never properly released music. I had no idea about the process of doing it. Every little thing is thought out carefully, from the design of it to how it’s promoted. They’re kind of like two older brother figures. Elijah helps with managing stuff and Skilliam’s more the business guy so he’s shown me that side of things.

What about the other artists on the label like Swindle and Royal-T?

Swindle teaches me a lot. He’s a genius with keys and synths. He teaches us all something. I was chatting to him before this conversation about trying to get a sound with a synth. He was just giving me tips on how to modulate the sound. We’re always giving each other tips. He’s just moved to Ableton so I can give him advice. But I can call him up if I want a certain sound that’s not sounding right. It’s similar with Royal-T if we’re stuck on a project. It’s not just music, either. Butterz is like a family so we’re there for each other personally.

Royal-T makes up one third of t q d with you and DJ Q. How did that project come about?

I’ve worked with Royal-T a lot in the past and it was the same with DJ Q. Those two had never worked together before. They were working on their first collaboration one day in the studio when I suggested putting something on the track. They asked if I wanted to get on it and that was how it started. We were just inputting our ideas and it just made sense. ‘Day & Night’ was our first track. We did our first back-to-back set in Birmingham and it went off! Our energies just complimented each other and we knew how to blend together as a DJ collective. Footage from the show went a little bit viral and created a massive buzz so we knew we had to do more work. We never expected to be touring it all.

Shall we expect an album then?

We’re working on new music at the moment – we’re just wrapping up our latest tune. It’s just hard because I’m in America at the moment, Q lives in Huddersfield and Mark lives in Southampton. We’re always busy so it’s hard to get into the same place. We’re going to work on more singles and there’s a lot coming up but I can’t really go into it. We’ve got a tour to announce later in the year but then we’ll take a break from it for a bit. We don’t want to overdo it and play the same cities over and over again.

DJ Q’s been around for years and is obviously a bit of an icon in the bassline scene. What impact has working with him had on you?

He’s influenced me massively. I was listening to his BBC 1Xtra show when I was 17 or 18. I look at him as a DJ EZ-type figure. He produces as well, he’s not just a quality DJ. He’s the full package. He can make a disgusting bass banger but he can also make really nice, chilled 2-step. You don’t find many DJ/producers that are that consistent. He’s one of my favourites and I’m privileged to be working with him.

You’re touring the US right now. How receptive has the US crowd been to the kind of music you play?

What I’ve noticed this time is that people are getting down to grime. They’re a lot more responsive to the bass sound now. The whole vibe is different thanks to guys like Skepta. There’s still a long way to go but every time I come back it gets better. I was playing in Seattle and my tune ‘In The Dance’ got a reload. Obviously the reload culture is not really a thing in the States compared to the UK. It’s what we do. That was a big moment. Even if I drop a Skepta track, like the very first bit of ‘Man’, the people love it. There was even people coming up to me asking if I could play certain tunes of mine. It’s just good to know I’m playing to people who know about my sounds.

Do you reckon this type of bouncy, vigorous bass sound has the potential to conquer the US as dubstep did?

I feel like there’s potential as there are a lot of people using a lot of bass inspiration and making cool stuff. But there’s some that are just jumping on it because it’s really popular right now. They’re not necessarily doing a good job of executing that sound and it’s kind of taking a commercial turn. I hope it doesn’t get really commercialised and get ruined. If people continue to come up with creative ideas and not repetitive bass sounds, it could have a really long future ahead of it.

Bass music is killing it once again in the UK. Do you think there’s a possibility of it becoming as popular as house and techno are now?

House is always going to run things. I wouldn’t say it could overtake house, I think it can do well in itself. It’s really thriving right now and it’s a completely different sound. There’s been things in the charts, not bass music but tracks with elements of what we would consider to use in our music. It’s flirting with that whole bass sound. What the bass scene is really missing right now is a big vocal track, something that’s in the middle but has enough to cross over, too.

Something like Magnetic Man and Katy B’s ‘Perfect Stranger’ in 2010?

Yeah, something that’s not cringe and still sounds authentic. Just a good track that can reach out to more people without ruining the sound.

Why do you think that sound is so popular right now in the UK?

People always love dubstep and the mad bass sounds where you think ‘how did they make that?’ The ones that make you screw your face up. It’s almost a mixture of garage and the grime bass sound, but there’s also a house loop. You’re merging all of those sounds into one and it’s a good way to please someone that’s in to all of those. It’s easy to dance to.

You were 16 when you started producing. What would your tips be for people looking to get into music production?

Don’t rely too much on sample packs to do the work for you. A lot of people are getting these loops or getting these one shot sounds and not really motivating them to use their own ideas properly. It’s just not very creative. You just have to think what’s going to make you different. Don’t make what everyone else is making because that way you’re not going to stand out for much longer. A lot of emails in my inbox are sounding like things that have been made in sample packs. You just have to work on creating your own style. If you can create something that people are going to recognise, you’re always going to be winning.

Would you say you’ve got a special sound?

I don’t know if people notice but every track I make I have a signature echo noise that I put on the first drop of the tune or in the build-up. Pretty much most tracks I’ve made, even my grime instrumentals, a horn noise is always in there. If my production was on a mixtape, my name wouldn’t be on there. I thought if I put that sound in my tunes, people are going to know it’s a Flava D beat. It just always stuck and I think people recognise that, too.

E.M.M.A, Ikonika, Dexplicit and P Jam hosted the Beginners’ Music Production Workshop For Girls in June. How important are things like that?

Things like that are really good as it can give new females in the game confidence. It’s not such a male-dominated scene anymore, though. There are female DJs and artists popping up everywhere. Obviously there’s things that could change but it is changing for the better. There’s a lot of talent emerging in all areas of the music scene. Nina Wilde is someone I’m really rating.

What could change?

I’m not into all girl line-ups. It’s good to see females on a line-up with males and being seen as equal. I like seeing that rather than females being bunched together. I want to see them presented for what they’re good at and for them to be more equal, not being known as a good ‘girl’ DJ. I want them to be known as a good DJ or producer.

'fabriclive 88' is out on July 15, the same day as the launch party featuring Flava D, DJ Q, Elijah & Skilliam, Royal-T, D Double E and more

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter