In Bruges: Netsky

His festival highlights...

After two stunning singles earlier in the year, D&B heavyweight Netsky has returned for his sophomore album, ‘2’. The Belgian producer first pricked ears with his impressive self titled debut in 2009. Heralded as a new purveyor of liquid funk, it wasn’t long before comparisons to High Contrast and London Elektricity flooded into the music press.

The new album was released on 25th June, a joyfully vociferous mixture of electro-house, dubstep, hip-hop and a constant push for variation and versatility that most didn’t expect. The result is fourteen tracks that sound completely different to one another, yet simultaneously sit quite perfectly in euphoric harmony. We caught up with Netsky at the 10th birthday of London’s Lovebox festival to discuss his surroundings, the new album and Belgium.

What’s your opinion on festivals?
I think playing at festivals gives you another kind of crowd compared to club shows. I’ve always loved going to festivals myself. There’s a nice open atmosphere – there’s no fights, there’s no aggression.

What’s the worst thing about them?
The worst thing about going to a festival is forgetting your wellies, which I’m going to be regretting later on today.

Your best experience at a festival?
That’s a tough question. I saw Miike Snow last year at Pukkelpop, the festival in Belgium and they played in a very intimate, small space.

Tell us more about your new album…
My album is coming out on the 25th of June. I’ve been working all my life on ID4 about a year now and that’s been in the back of my head when writing the album. It’s very live compatible, there’s a lot of instruments in there, live playable. I’ve been experimenting with some other genres. It’s not a full on drum’n’bass album anymore. I just felt much more free with this album to experiment with different things.

Was it the classic “difficult” second album to make?
I think the third album is going to be the hardest album to make. I had much more time for this
album than the last album so I feel a bit more confident about it.

You’ve been known for some impressive collaborations, with Dynamite MC, Diane Charlemagne, Selah Sue, Bridgette Amofah and Jimmy Jams all appearing on your new album. Who would be your dream team-up?
One person I really want to collaborate with is the singer Fat Freddy’s Drop who might be my favourite band in the world and he’s got the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard so if I could do a tune with him I’d die happy.

How did you get into your brand of D&B?
I think I started messing around with computer programs to make music when I was 14 or 15, and at first I was into deep, loungy kind of house. I’ve heard a high contrast remix of ‘Gold Digger’ by Kanye West. He had the energy of drum’n’bass but the soul and the musical side of it that the original tune had and that completely sold me to drum’n’bass

Finally, if we were to head to your homeland, where would you recommend?
If you go to Belgium I think a lot of UK people have seen the movie In Bruges. When you go out you don’t want to go to Bruges though, after ten it’s pretty dead. If you want to go out you definitely have to check out Antwerp and Brussels.

Words by Luke Warmth

Netsky’s new album ‘2’ is now out on Hospital Records.

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