Ahead of our LOW SLUNG takeover on 5^th February, producer/DJ/music fanatic The Dead Rose Music Company, has surpassed all expectations and given The Nest something very special. We asked for an exclusive download to get disco heads in the mood, he offered to produce a brand new track inspired by any tune of our choice. On a hip hop flex, and with some of the best old school breaks known to man, we chose Jeru The Damaja’s “Da Bichez”. TDRMC’s edit needs no introduction; ‘I Have A Surprise for Sophie’, produced exclusively for The Nest, is available here.

I Have A Surprise For Sophie (Especially for The Nest) by The Nest

With a fast growing support from the likes of Horse Meat Disco, The Magician, Soul Clap and a plethora of indie labels thanks to his insanely popular Soundcloud page, we can’t wait for his set next month. Check out our interview with TDRMC after the jump!

The Nest: You seem to generate an air of mystery regarding your identity as an artist; is this an artistic or practical decision?

TDRMC: Somebody once said to me, “it’s all about the story, people love a story”. That has stuck with me since. It’s both an artistic and practical decision. As an artist I have been involved with music for many years and know a number of people in the industry so I wanted this project to speak for itself and not be coloured by who I know.

From a practical perspective it’s worked out very well and allowed me the creative freedom to pursue whatever musical angle takes my fancy. I have musical ADHD and I feel that when I make tracks it’s almost like there is more than one person in control. I know that sounds a little schizo and that’s why I created Mathias and Sway Co.; Mathias is the italo, boogie, disco lover and Sway Co. is the balls out, jackin’ house lover. I have made tracks in the style of each and as a combined unit. You may want to call the psychiatric ward!

TN: Much of your work gives the impression of swelling orchestral grandeur. Do you have any classical musical training and, if so, how does it affect your electronic production techniques?

TDRMC: I have no musical training at all, I do everything by ear. And that grandeur is exactly what I want to achieve; space, movement, swelling crescendos, builds and a cinematic feel. I use a lot of sound effects to create pressure and depth, I pump compressors to give a swelling feel to sounds and a lot of tremolo to pan sounds around. I layer sounds and have them working in tandem or discord to create grooves or feelings of pace; this is all done electronically. I was brought up listening to classical music and soundtracks so I can only assume that it has influenced me as I began to make music.

TN: Tracks like “Still on it”, “Belle End” and “Criticise” by reset take obvious inspiration from urban/soul sounds but your music tends towards this sexy, groove-strong feel anyway. How much attention do you give to the contemporary rnb/hip hop charting at the moment?

I am terrible at paying attention to any kind of charting or to what other people are playing; I kind of get caught up in my own little sphere and pop my head up every now and then to see what’s cracking.

For me it’s all about the groove and dancing; if something makes my ass shake then I am pretty sure it’s going to do the same for other people. Dimitri from Paris said back in ‘96 that it’s all about the girls on the floor and for me it hasn’t changed since; if the girls are dancing then so is everybody else.  I spend a lot of time digging through old music and dissecting how something was made and rebuilding it in my own image to create something new. This can be from a sample or I will replay something that sounds similar and then twist the fuck out of it until it’s my own.

TN: You are extremely dedicated to the consistent production of new material. Do you think your viral success is somewhat indebted to your devotion to constantly deliver to your listeners?

TDRMC: I don’t force myself to make music; I went through a period of 5 years of not making a single beat. I have always DJ’d though and that has been my creative release. When I returned to the UK I turned on my mac and made “Am I Still The One” in 3 hours. I put it up on Soundcloud and within 6 minutes of it being up online somebody offered to sign it. The track is 9 minutes long!!

TN: With some of the top selling releases on wax in 2010, are there any surprise/interesting artists who carry TDRMC in their record bags?

TDRMC: Erm, I dunno really. I am surprised and pleased that anybody has listened to my tracks. When I set out 7 months ago I set myself a goal on Soundcloud, if I had a 1000 listens in six months then I would carry on making tracks. I have had slightly more than that and support from some amazing people all around the world. Surprising artists are those that hit me up from Venezuela and faraway places that I don’t associate with what comes out of my little slice of countryside.

TN: Are you looking forward to playing The Nest? What atmosphere do you hope to bring to our small, underground venue?

TDRMC: Your venue is my dream – underground, small, with a crowd that is in to the music and wants to dance. When I DJ I play across the board and don’t just play disco. every set is different and built around what’s going on in the room. I re-edit and use FX and acapellas on the fly and use CDJs to sample, sequence and re-trigger cuts and of course I use my first love, vinyl. I hope that people bring their dancing shoes.

TN: Can we expect a TDRMC LP in 2011?

TDRMC: Yup, you can expect a TDRMC LP as well as a few other little projects, one of which is going to be under a different name. It’s time that’s an issue for me. In between DJing, launching Taikomochi Records and remixing I find myself a little stretched but it will happen and I have 4 of the tracks already sketched out. There is a TDRMC EP coming out on Sleazy Beats in the summer and a Sleazy Beats Family Sampler out in Feb/March. Hitting the shelves at the end of this month is Bad Desire on Kolour Ltd and that is backed with a track from Cole Medina and one from Nicholas. My label Taikomochi launches with a limited edition white vinyl that has two from me and two from Tomas Malo of the Weirdo Police.