Devenu aujourd'hui l'un des meilleurs producteurs français, signé sur de nombreux labels d'outre-manche, c'est pourtant pour ses mixes éclectiques que Redeyes a d'abord été reconnu. Rencontre...

Short presentation : are your influences mainly Afro-American ? How did you discover DnB ? When did you start mixing ? Did you start right from DnB ? When did you begin wanting to produce music ?

I discovered DnB, let's say, naturally, after what I used to listen to at that time (1996-97): Hip Hop, Trip Hop, Breakbeat,... I often listened to the radio (fmr, campus) when Le Lutin, Kush, Peyo... livened up the first Jungle programs. Then the Jungle Fever night was organised by the Dragon Crew at the Bikini club. I immediately loved this music which sort of put together all of the other styles I was influenced by. The decisive turning point came with the release of Roni Size "New Forms"' album Reprezent: I became a fan.
I started feeling like mixing when I saw DJ Food at a Ninja Tunes performance here in Toulouse in 1996, I guess. They were two with four plates , one in front of the other: bloodclat ; I had never seen something like that! Ever since I began buying records and borrowing my friends' plates; mk2 were too expensive at that time … Look, I don't even have any today!
Then I started mixing some Hip Hop with some beats by the Ninja Tunes label. Since 1997 I've started buying my first DnB records (Warhead, Funktion,...).
The desire to produce came progressively. Once you can mix, you want to go up to the following step, it's a logical evolution, something essential when you are really into this music. But I had to afford buying me a pc for that… It's only around 2001-02 when I could buy one and I started practising it.

You grouped together with Central Massive in 2004 : how did you meet each other ?

In Toulouse, we all know each other, so we didn't meet up at any particular time. One night, at a party with Hive, where everybody was almost merry, Brooxs and Youthman popped up and talked about their Central Massive project, blah blah producers blah blah, DJs blah blah.... They aimed at setting up a jam made of good DJs/producers and above all simple people…

What was your engagement into the compilation ?

I guess you faced some problems but you must have had some good news as well… : is there anything particular that you would like to tell us?
My job in this compilation was mixing, which is not that bad already… The project was set up two years ago and ever since we've spent all our time making experiments, we didn't want to be a fiasco. Then it's true that our first tracks were a bit naïve at the beginning. We did it right to wait for the good moment, till we had the good tracks and the good selection for the compilation. I'm not lingering about tracks that can't be in the selection for x reason, for pochette or mastering problems… For you come across problems every day with this kind of projects ! But it's the same reason we're so proud of our result! Two years ago, not so many people would have believed we could make it…

Today you're one of the best French producers, under contract to many foreign labels, how did you make your way through to the other side of the Channel ?

Little by little. At the beginning thanks to some contacts like Danny Wheeler who had already come to play in Toulouse. But it all really began when I was playlisted on 1xtra radio.
At that time I used to make mobiles tones. I had put a track of mine on www.lavibe.org and I sent the link to some producers, DJs, labels ... that is some pm to Bailey, Skitty, Horizons... on the website Dogs on Acid. My contact list was gradually shaping up. Finally my tracks were played on the BBC. For, when one of your beat is played by Bailey, Flight or Fabio, you can be sure that in a week a label will propose you to sign a contract!
It's also true that having first being under contract to BINGO - DJ Zinc's label - has been of great help, since most labels are not really willing to hazard with unknown producers. Vinyl market not being at its best, most labels suddenly were waiting for the track to come out for Bingo to plan my releases.

What about your next releases ? Remix ? Featurings ?

The next 12 will come out for Creative Source - Fabio's label - in May or June. Then I have some other oncoming 12 for Bingo, W10, Intrinsic, Horizons, Good Looking, Brigand...
As far as featuring, I regularly work with Peyo. We have an oncoming 12 for Bingo. But I'm on some projects too with Youthman, Alix Perez, Sweed, Hugabass Funktastics Stunna from Chicago, Mutt from Canada, Basic Operation from the USA, Jenna G, etc...

What do you think about the evolution of the DnB scene, and of the French one in particular ?

I'd rather talk about the French scene. I'll let Andy C and the others talk about the other ones !
I think that the French scene is doing pretty well, thanks, above all, to the many producers who are all the rage now, like Funktastics, FX909, Stalefish, Sweed, Brainfuzz, Dirtyphonics... There are more and more producers in every region, big performances like Black Label or I Love Jungle in Paris, labels that get busy like Haze, Step Express, Oxygen, Vandal,..and some good MCs like Youthman, Taiwan, Youthstar... You can feel that this wave is moving away from the other alternative movements we are often said to be bound to (Hardtek, free party,...)

They say that French producers should distinguish their own style against the British : how would you describe the "French drum"?

I don't think that any country should have any particular style of its own. Does Makoto sound like Japanese Drum'n'Bass or Kabuki like German Drum ?
I think it's more a question of maturity and quality of the sound. We should stop saying that we're playing Dillinja if we use a "square" bass. We're all influenced by the British because the sound comes from over there. Nowadays this music is spread all over the world ; every country has its own producers who are under contract to some label, Drum'n'Bass is universal, we all play Drum'n'Bass and that's it!

Would you suggest us some young French or foreign talents we should keep sight of ?

I fear I'll forget somebody and I apologize beforehand !
I'll begin by the most French among the British : Alix Perez, who is just 21 and is incredibly gifted. In France there are: Audio Unit (even if they're not so young hehe), Sweed, The Funktastics, Brainfuzz, Nano Hana, Peyo, Dirtyphonics, Stalefish, Offset, Infraktus, Tarik'n'Djamel, Arggll and many more, I'm sure :)
Abroad there are : Mutt, Sabre, Random Movement, Syncopix, Soulmatic, Skitty... and many more but everybody know them...

Who are your favorite producers and DJs ?

D-Bridge, Calibre, Ill Logic , Marcus Intalex, Commix, Logistics, Makoto, Kabuki, Martyn, etc.,.......
DJs : Marky, Zinc, Andy C, Marcus Intalex, Fabio, Bailey... nothing new !

Which is your best memory of a performance?

I don't really know …
Maybe those I made with Youthman at the Nouveau Casino and at the Scène Bastille in Paris. They were all eclectic nights with live performances, DJ Electro, Hip Hop, etc... Every time we had in front of us a different audience and it's really inspiring to win over a public you hadn't conquered at first.

Elo B

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