MDC interview#17 "FFF"

**This interview was recorded on October 27, 2016**

FFF
Setting fire to dancefloors with chopped breaks, deadly deep subs, soundclash mentality and pure euphoria.

FFF started "djing" on 2 turntables (without pitch control) early 90s. Mixing mainly rave, techno and the sparse UK breakbeat hardcore imports that arrived at his local record shops.
First steps into making music: combining sounds from vinyl mixed with tapeloops, sounds from his sisters keyboard and a lot of feedback. Things changed big time when his parents bought a PC and his friends turned him onto tracker software.

Mid 90s he started the cassette label "Orange Socks" on which he released his own material plus music from his friends and artists he met through tapetrading. He released his first track on vinyl in 2001 (on the French Necromaniacs Industry label) and from then on kept releasing on a wide range of labels (see list of labels below) His first full length album "20.000 Hardcore Members Can't Be Wrong" was released on the Japanese Murder Channel Label in 2011. And the follow up "Keep The Fire" in 2013.

In 2001 Bong-Ra & FFF organized the Breakcore a GoGo parties. These became one of the first regular Breakcore nights in Europe. When BCGG ended in 2004, FFF continued to promote breakcore & Jungle on the monthly Wreck havoc nights which never officially stopped and still pop up once in a while.

Live you can expect amen warfare, hoovers, rave horns and tropical vibes with elements of jungle, rave, bubbling, dancehall and gabber.

Q.Your release 12" form "Myor Massiv" and "PRSPCT", and released an album this year, do you have already created a new work?
Do you have that something changes in song writing and state of mind recently?

Yeah I created quite a lot of new tunes. Mainly jungle, some ragga orientated ones but also more experimental and smooth ones. It's an ever changing process really depends on moods, vibes, inspiration.

Q.Please tell me about "In Fear".What is the concept of this album? and What is the theme of the Artwork?

I started working on "In Fear" with the feeling that I miss the oldskool noisy "breakcore". Back when everything was still more gritty instead of the overproduced "tutorial breakcore" that you hear nowadays.

About the artwork I wanted Russell Taysom to make the artwork because I love his work so much, it reminds me of all the comics, toys, animations etc that I loved as a kid (and still love nowadays). I am surrounded by toys, figures, drawings like that in my workspace so it's always there. I sent Russell a list of toys/comics/etc that I loved and let him do his thing. I am happy with the result and think it fits the music.

Q.How did you create noise that is used in "In Fear"? What equipment use for making music now?

Some of the noises are made with some old analogue effect pedals that I had from my old noise projects. Some are sampled from recordings of these projects. I also used some noises I found on backup cdr's with sounds I made years ago and also some snippets are sampled from noise records that I love.

My basic setup is Renoise and a Roland Alpha Juno II but for "In Fear" I also used Renoise. Some parts I programmed in Fasttracker 2.09 on a crappy old laptop with a shitty sound-card just like when I started making music. Next to that I used a Yamaha CS 01 and Casio MT40

Q.You had been active in the Noise project "Urban Guerrilla" and "Noisembryo".it was why created a noise music?
Do you interested in pure noise music even now?

I created noise mainly because I loved experimenting with sound. I was making tape loops and was building things that made crazy sounds (like a turntable with a guitar pickup instead of the needle) This was also because I had the urge to make music but didn't have a computer back then so in order to make anything I had to experiment with the limited equipment that I had at home. This is all early 90s.

Around 1997 I became part of the noise collective "FCKN BSTRDS" which consisted only of like-minded noise freaks. This scene was really inspiring and created a lot of side projects.
My Urban Guerrilla recordings were mainly inspired by militant political groups like RAF, Revolutionary Cells, Angry Brigade, etc. Teenage angst was also helpful of course.

I still listen to pure noise nowadays but to be honest am not as obsessed as when I was a teenager.

Q.The new generation, such as "Silver Waves","Rabit","The Spraw" has fused the noise and dance music. also, You mix to the noise music to Dance music from a long time ago.
Do you think can be fusion for True part of noise music & Dance music?

In my opinion noise always had it's place within dance music. Not in every genre of course. In some genres it might be unwanted because the noisiness came because of mastering, recording, pressing etc. But intentional noise has definitely a place in dance music. And I hope it will become more obvious soon after years of overproduced, over compressed, clean music. There has to come a reaction to this cleanliness. It's time for some dirt!

Q.You make a "Jungle", "Ravecore", "Raggacore", "Soca","Breakcore" and meny style. In your music coexist stoic and amusing part.Why do you release at all style music for "FFF" name?

I see it all as one sound. I refuse to call it "breakcore" nowadays because that term lost it's meaning (if it ever had one) years ago. It's all electronic music no need to use a different artist name for every song that sounds a bit different. That would be just as stupid as creating a new genre for every tiny change in sound. Although I do use different names for projects that are completely different to what I produce as FFF.

Q.What do you think of the Dutch music scene now? Where is the recommended place in the now of the Netherlands?
You're born in Vlissingen? What kind location that? 

There's a lot of good music from the Netherlands in many different styles/scenes/etc.
I still love my home town Rotterdam because there's a lot of interesting things happening on different fronts

You have PRSPCT of course that is the main supplier of hard electronic music. Worm is my favourite venue of the city, open minded programing from Musique Concrete to hardcore jungle. I also love the scene around the Clone record shop.

Vlissingen.... It's a small harbour/beach town in the south of the Netherlands. It was ok to grow up there but when I was a teenager I couldn't wait to leave. Culturally it's a shithole. If you don't like pop music, football or drinking then there's nothing for you there. Which was also a good thing because that forced me to create my own entertainment in making music. There was a good youth centre there where we occasionally could organise nights with music we loved. But the city council even managed to destroy that..

Q.Although we Japanese are not able to image, Legality of cannabis is has given any effect on the Dutch music scene? It is a good situation for you?
Cannabis has been Legality in US.It will gradually be affected even in the music scene. Do you think that it is also valid for other countries?

Not sure if it really affects the music scene here (or anywhere) It's so normal. Of course there are stoner genres of music. But I think that's an influence on select groups and not on the musical output of a whole country. I hope it will become legal everywhere. Making substances illegal is ridiculous, I don't think it's the governments task to say what you may and may not use. It's so hypocrite when tobacco, alcohol are legal...

Q.Bizzy B did a Remix of the FFF's tune in "GHz Junglism".What's the impression of the he's Remix?
Do you have to under the influence of Bizzy B? Please tell me your favorite song of Bizzy B's works.

Bizzy B has been a huge influence!! Been listening to his music since 93. Definitely one of my favourite jungle producers. It was a dream come true that he did that remix!

Favourite Bizzy B tune that's a tough one. These are some of my favourites: The Reel Message Is Power (from the Infactuation E.P.), Only The Strong (from Shape Vol. 1 w/. Pugwash), Hardcore Mayhem, Take A Deep Breath (from the Darkness ep), Merder Style (from the 2 Dope E.P.) etc etc

Q.Please tell me the songs you have first heard "Jungle" track. Do you think that you are "Junglist"?

It started with breakbeat hardcore for me so the move to jungle was gradually. It started with the usual Sl2, Prodigy, Altern 8 type stuff but that made me curious to dig for other stuff like that. One of the records around that time that has been a big influence on me was Shag 'n' Skoob - Skooby Chewnz Vol. 1. I love the way that record is filled with so many ideas, sample overload and so energetic!! Not sure what the actual 1st jungle record was that I ever heard.

I do consider myself a junglist. Almost everything I produce is with a junglist influence.
The charm of jungle for me is the energy, the changes in grooves and vibes, the no rules approach to sampling from different musical genres, breaks never get boring, the fire on the dancefloor. the BASS, the overall vibes!!

Q.JUNGLE has to Importance of the foundation.Young junglist has been studying history and 90s masterpiece has always continued to be played. But, I think that to the Jungle Hit tune birth has become a difficult environment.
I think it's because it is nostalgia principle. Of course, born a good Jungle tune/Jungle Producer in the underground every year. Why do you think Jungle can not be the main street like a '90s?

Yeah I think that's a problem in the scene the endless reworks of the classics. It seems artists are trying to get heard by making yet another remix of Super Sharp Shooter, R.I.P etc. It's so boring and un-creative. These tunes are anthems for sure but there are plenty of new tunes that are just as sick. It's important to look back and know the roots but it's even more important to take that roots and let it inspire you and create your own sound with it instead of rehashing the anthems.

Jungle is big again nowadays. Even heard people call it "the second golden era of jungle". There are so many good new releases, great & inventive producers and labels. I doubt it will be as big as in the 90s mainly because it was a totally different time. (bigger record sales, more record shops, more independent radio/tv/magazines etc).

Q.You are great record diggers. Recently, Did you get a good record in where country?
What is The most interesting was experience in the record dig? I foggte, you meet sister of Carl Crack at Freemarket in Germany?

Last place I digged for records (outside of the Netherlands) was Bialystok, Poland. I went there for a gig on the Up To Date festival but stayed an extra day to see the other acts play and to dig for records. Sadly only one record shop was open but still managed to leave with a bunch of good records. Found some great Polish 70's synth/prog records and a great white label which only contains horror movie trailers.

There's been so many great digging experiences. One that comes to mind was also in Poland. I asked the promoter by mail a few weeks before the gig if there were any record shops in Sopot. He said there sadly were none. When I arrived there he said he found something that might be interesting. He took me to a second hand book store that had stacks of records under the stairs. We spent some hours there digging through towers of random records, dust, fungus etc and managed to find some amazing stuff. (some bits from these records I've sampled on "In Fear")

yeah I've met Carl Cracks sister at a flea market in Berlin. I bought the Praxis compilation Paraphysical Cybertronics - Volume One and the CFET Land Speed Record and Ec8or - AK-78 cd from her.

Q.Please message to your listener.

Thanks for the support, more stuff coming soon!! keep the fire!!!!