The Mix 040: Fold

Through hard work and introspection, Rob Glassett AKA Fold is in a new era of his artistry, making top quality dance music which references his youth.

“I always think that the best music can be found in the intersection between evolving a sound and paying homage to what has brought it up to this point — the middle of the venn diagram,” reveals the London-based DJ, producer and label head.

There is no doubt about it, what Fold is putting out right now meets this category. From sampling the garage bars of MC Vapour on ‘Billa’, to emulating the riding basslines of Total Science and timbre of Roni Size on ‘Lotion’, little nuggets of UK underground dance music gold are littered within the releases of his recently launched label FLDIN2, founded as an outlet for a fresh body of solo work.

Alluding to past sounds alone, however, is not enough for your tunes to make it onto the USBs of some of the most in-demand DJs in the world. Fold makes a modernised and club-ready style of garage that fuses the upfront sounds of pirate radio with the high-end sound design that marked his Robert Fleck releases.

“My tunes don’t fuck about,” he states, “they’ve got big basslines.”

Big basslines is not where his work stops however. You can hear influences of dub techno and deeper electronic music in his releases and that’s why both your Ben UFO’s and your Interplanetary Criminal’s can’t stop playing them.

Read this next: DJ and producer Fold announces new label FLDIN2 with new single 'Billa'

Fold was by no means a beginner before starting his FLDIN2 imprint last year. Releases on Aus Music, Electric Minds, Shall Not Fade and George FitzGerald’s ManMakeMusic over the previous decade asserted his credibility in the house music scene on top of appearances at clubs such as Panorama Bar, fabric, The Warehouse Project and Motion. Despite this, Glassett felt that he wasn’t earnest enough in his art and his approach.

“I want to be making music which people hear and turn around to say ‘how did you make that?’,” he discloses.

Reenergised with artistic conviction following “hours and hours watching YouTube tutorials” and more hard graft in the studio, the time spent is starting to reap its rewards. In the last six months Glassett has been busier than ever, kicking off his Rinse FM residency, making his Drumsheds debut and embarking on a debut tour of Asia.

While there is a pride and seriousness to his work, that leaves the building when it comes to self-promotion. In a short flick through Fold’s instagram you can find numerous reports of #dubplateseason, a “Fold Palmer” Top Trumps card, and a general embracing of geezer culture that even made its way onto the artwork for his second FLDIN2 release, ‘Bottomless Brunch’.

“It’s just about who I am, where I’m from and what I know. I want to do it in an artistic way where I’m not ramming it down people’s throats, but hopefully they do get a bit of an idea of what I’m like as a person. At heart, I’m quite an unserious bloke,” he says.

It marks a shift to the more low-key approach aligned with his work as Robert Fleck and Well Street Records, which is acclaimed among heads-down club crowds. Since starting the label in 2019 with Sam Fussell, who he used to produce with as Homepark, the East London imprint has carved its own space in the UK underground soundsphere that encompasses broken beat techno, half-time d'n'b and, more recently, 2-step garage, with their output garnering respect from heads from across the dance music spectrum.

After years of steady releases, many of which Glassett executively produced, the label is now in the lucky position where “because we’ve established a sound, people send us a lot of stuff which sounds like a Well Street record straight away.”

The timing could not be better to hear more from Fold as he doubles down on the project. Mixmag spoke to Glassett about his change in perspective, his friendship with Joy Orbison, and, yes, dubplate season — summed up in the accompanying mix.

You’re fresh off the plane from your first Asian tour, how did you find it?

I’ve done bits and bobs before but this was my first time leaving Europe officially and it was an amazing experience. Osaka was my highlight, the gig was killer and I really liked the city, it’s got a really interesting aesthetic and feel to it. The club I played at reminded me of Plastic People a little bit. Low ceiling, big soundsystem and no pretence. It’s a really intimate venue: I was right in there with the crowd and they were well up for it. There’s not much more you can ask for than that really.

It’s amazing to see how far this slice of the UK underground music spectrum has travelled.

People knew my tunes!

Were they singing ‘Billa’?

They were having a go yeah, but Vapour’s too fast for most, haha.

It never fails to blow my mind how far this thing has spread, and it just shows you how small the world is with the internet. To see people engage with it in every corner of the world is just mind-bending. I played very UK-focussed sets on the tour, I wasn’t fucking about, and so did IZCO, who played in Tokyo and Osaka with me. Watching people react to his music was so cool.

It was a really inspiring and humbling experience, and it makes you feel like all the work that you put in is worthwhile.

You’ve been in the music game for quite a while now, releasing your first Homepark record in 2010 and putting your first solo release out in 2011, however in the past 18 months or so you seem reinvigorated and there’s been a noticeable shift in your sound.

There’s probably been a shift in myself as well! I’ve embraced the fact that, rather than being a part-timer, music is a big part of who I am and always will be. Even though I’m part-time music, I still have a day job working in water treatment, I’m a lot more focussed and driven now.

Read this next: Don't give up the day job?: A generation of DJs are working 9 to 5 without compromising their dreams

Prior to ‘Billa’, your tunes were a lot slower and groovier.

I love house music and I had a great time making house music, but when I put ‘Billa’ out it felt like it was one of the truest records, to me, that I’ve ever written. I grew up listening to Force FM, you know. Instead of making music for the sake of it, it feels a lot more meaningful now.

‘Billa’ was the first release on my label FLDIN2 and following on from that ‘Bottomless Brunch’ came very naturally. The next 10 tunes I’ve written all come from the same palette too. I’m on a roll where every new tune I make sounds like the best I’ve ever written, so I’m just trying to keep that going.

You’re part of a generation which grew up listening to garage in its inception on pirate radio. What’s your take on speed garage, the next generation’s tribute act?

Sometimes being part of the first wave is a blessing, sometimes it’s a curse. The same thing applies to being new to something: you’re not going to follow certain rules or ideas. I’ve got a deep understanding of the genre but sometimes that can set you back.

If the new sound moves dancefloors, it moves dancefloors. Crowds have a completely different understanding of what’s going on now. I would say that they’re, arguably, less informed, even though we live in the information age.

There’s no wrong or right here, if it moves a crowd it moves a crowd. I’m not saying I love it or dislike it, I just gravitate towards what works for me.

Read this next: The 15 best speed garage records released in '97 and '98

To the uninitiated, what is #dubplate season?

I started out in drum 'n' bass and then ventured into garage. Back in the day, there was an exclusivity culture: all the top DJs would be given the top tunes by the other top DJs. It was essentially a meritocracy where if you’re the best at what you do, you get accepted, but, if you’re not, no one gives a fuck. You really had to earn your stripes.

It’s ruthless and it’s competitive but I think there’s something in that way of operation that I miss. Now it’s not so much the case, if you chat loads of shit on the internet or take good photos you might get more attention. The focus has shifted away from the music, which is a shame, but, you know, things change.

Dubplate season is my way of replicating that culture. Technology has made things so accessible and attainable, so it’s nice to hold back a little. I’m making tunes that people want to play but I’m more exclusive with it. I only give my tunes out to people I really rate, like my mate Pete [Joy Orbison] and Ben [UFO]. If they play my tunes, I’m happy.

Beyond your solo project, 2-step has started to feature in Well Street Records releases. Buckley’s ‘Gloam’ EP and COIDO’s forthcoming four-tracker come to mind immediately.

Very observant! What we’re doing at Well Street is slowly shifting our sound. We’ve built a solid foundation with our values and ideals but that doesn’t mean we have to do the same thing over and over again. We don’t want to sit on one idea, we want to keep things moving. COIDO’s EP is a great example of this, it’s a blend of Well Street sound design and the new garage thing which is going on.

We’re making our releases a bit more club-ready now, a bit more direct. We want our tunes to work on the dancefloor as well as the headphones.

You ended your NTS residency this year, after over a decade on the buttons, and joined Rinse FM this summer. How have you found it?

I loved my time on NTS, there was such a great community there when I first joined. It was around the time that I moved back to London on my own and it was great to share music with like-minded people.

It felt like the right time to move on and start a new chapter and it all came together quite nicely. Rinse really represents the ideals that I have, in line with dubplate season, and it all makes sense. I met with Geeneus [Rinse FM founder] and had a great chat with him. He's from the East End and shares a lot of ideals that my family brought me up on.

It’s no secret that you’re childhood friends with Joy Orbison and that friendship has spilled into both of your music. He’s been quite open about the fact that ‘flight fm’ was made while waiting for you to pick him up to take him to Lost Village in your car, and that after some convincing on the journey he decided to play it at the festival. Can you elaborate on how you affect his music and vice versa?

Pete is an amazing artist and a very singular guy. To be honest with you, not much is going to affect what he’s going to do. He’s always very careful about what he reveals, even to me. I’ll send him tunes on WhatsApp all day going “look what I’ve done”, whereas he’ll hold back until it’s ready.

It’s amazing to have people like Pete who I can send my music to and listen to what they have to say. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by good people in that sense.

I did hear a rumour that you taught him how to DJ.

Haha! That is absolutely false. I probably shouldn’t say this but the first time I met Pete we were at a house party and he was beat-juggling ‘Oh No’ by Mos Def, Nate Dogg and Pharoahe Monch.

Read this next: The Cover Mix: Joy Orbison

Your new single ‘Lotion’ is out now and, while still keeping the same sonic profile as previous FLDIN2 releases, there’s more emotion in this single.

I’m very wary that the first two FLDIN2 releases were quite cold and I wanted to get more warmth into my music; more melody and more musicality. Hopefully that’s showing and, if you say so, that’s a good start.

What can we expect next?

There’s a couple of tunes in the line that I’ve been playing in my sets and I’ve also been doing some collabs which I’m really excited about. I’ve been in the studio with one of my other good friends, George FitzGerald, and we’ve been chipping away at an idea together. It’s really nice to work with people who you care about and respect.

Finally, what can you tell us about your mix?

I recorded this just before my recent trip to Asia and at the time it was mostly unreleased material. Thank you to all the producers that sent me new music! I wanted to display some of the incredibly talented and unrecognised producers that are making really cutting-edge music. There are a few choice and rare cuts from yesteryear, a couple cheeky edits and some new forthcoming bits on my label FLDIN2. The mix is the physical embodiment of #dubplateseason.

'Lotion' is out now via FLDIN2, get it here

Tibor Heskett is a freelance writer, follow him on Instagram

Tracklist:
SWR - Crooked Cats
SP:MC - XL Bully
Calibre - ???
Dismantle - ???
Shaddows - ???
Haelix - Essence
Bakey - ???
Guigs - Every time
COIDO - Into The Bleak
IsGwan - ???
Cesco & Sl8r - ???
Prozak - Shine
Skantia - ???
Fold - ???
Fold - Bottomless Brunch
Grobbie - Headshot (Samuel Deep Edit)
INVT x INTROSPEKT - Ayo DJ
Fonzo - 121
Farsight - Leche de Tigre
Henry Greenleaf - ???
Bushbaby - Night (Bootleg)
DJ Narrows - Hidden Heroes (Fold Edit)
Fold - Lotion
Josi Devil - ???
Instinct x KO - Whip (Joy O Blend)
Daffy - Wicked & Wild (Ruff Style Remix)
Guigs - R32
Fold - ???
Fold - ???