56 Q and A’s
BMK BLOCKS &
ESCHER
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF
I’m Ben McKnight, otherwise known as BMK. I’m based in North We’re Blocks and Escher from Cambridge and Brighton respective-
London and I have been producing on a serious level for around ly. We’ve both have been buying and listening to d&b since the mid-
five years and DJing 12 years. ‘90s, drawn in by the early Headz, Good Looking and Full Cycle
releases. Having been introduced to each other by mutual friend
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND? Jem One, we discovered a shared taste in music, old samplers and
I would describe my sound as intelligent drum & bass with elements general idleness. After bouncing ideas off each other for a while
of liquid, soulful and rolling grooves. Lately, I’ve been sticking to we decided it was time to throw some sounds in the sequencer, and
the deep rolling bassline tracks. that’s about where we are now!
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOUR MUSIC? CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?
I’m really inspired by many genres outside of drum & bass, these It’s a tough one, we seem to start each tune from scratch with no
include jazz, funk, reggae, house and breakbeat. Some of the art- real plan but draw upon a wide range of influences and genres. We
ists outside of the scene include James Brown, Daft Punk, Red like to keep the tracks quite spacious with a penchant for the deep
Hot Chili Peppers and Jimmy Hendrix. Inside d&b I like Break, and emotional, but also an edge of moodiness and dirt. We’d rath-
Calibre, Utah Jazz, Alix Perez, Lenzman… the list goes on and er leave the tunes open to interpretation...
grows all the time.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOUR MUSIC?
Also, there is nothing I enjoy more than seeing a crowd react when People, places, architecture, film, books, art… it could be the
a particular sound drops and this inspires me to create music in smallest thing, but you just know when something gives you that
similar vein. feeling. We’ve never been ones to sit down and force tunes out of
the studio, it’s so much more satisfying and creative to work spon-
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? taneously, when it feels right. Artists such as Photek, Dillinja,
I’m currently working on a label project with Jimmy Danger. The Optical and Source Direct have obviously made a massive impact
record label is called Audio Danger Records and we will be promot- on our tastes; their early stuff shaped what we wanted to do with
ing established and un-established artists. Our first release will be production when we started.
my track ‘Twilight Sunrise’ with a remix by Utah Jazz on the flip.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
I’ve also recently been working on some live drum & bass produc- After taking a bit of time out early this year we’re just happy to be
tions with my brother Sam. The idea behind this is to try and rep- working on music again. We have a load of new bits to finish along-
licate the old ‘97-‘98 Peshay sound but bring it up to date. I’ve also side collaborations with artists such as Naibu, Reactiv and Sam
been doing remixes and tracks with up and coming producers such KDC. We’re also hopefully finding the time to get in the studio
as Citykings, Coda, Sami Sanchez and Jett. with Data, Logistics and June Miller.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TELL US ABOUT WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING OUT SOON?
My aim is to have releases forthcoming on major labels, keep my Our first single should be out in the shops as you read this:
productions fresh, original and hopefully move the scene for- ‘Heartshaped’ / ‘All In Good Time’ on Horizons Music. We also
ward in my own unique way. You can purchase my first couple have a 12” forthcoming on Digital Soundboy which will feature a
of releases at all good stores. They are ‘Hush’ – BMK / Coda & tune called ‘Shadowplay’. You’ll also see solo stuff appearing such
Krooked (BIOS) and ‘Loyal to the Game’ – Terry T (BMK remix) as Escher’s ‘Slice’ / ‘Austere’ on Future Thinkin’, and further bits
ft. Demolition Man / Tenor Fly / Cowboy Ranger – (Jungle Soul). from Blocks on Tech Noir and Horizons.
www.myspace.com/djbmk ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TELL US ABOUT?
Our new website
www.blocksandescher.com is a kind of blog / music and
Photo: Mike Malfait:
www.mikemalfait.blogspot.com art site, the idea to eventually have a strong visual side of things to
accompany our music, check it out and get involved…
www.kmag.co.uk
K56-57_QAs.indd 56 29/4/09 13:15:37
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