Hello : Albees

Exciting Italian talent hits us with a massive Drainpipe

Long time DJ, burgeoning producer, graffiti writer, exciting rising talent: Italian artist Albees steps up for the latest dispatch in our free download series.

Make way for Drainpipe!

On our radar since his early collaborations with Xyde a few years back, Albees has been bubbling away on labels such as Phase Records, Innerground, BNC Express and DeVice with a broad explorative sound that has so far delved into deep, liquid, dancefloor and tech. Now we can add 1 More Thing to that list with this walloping timeless dancefloor bruiser.

Download it here and read on to find out more about Albees and his journey so far.

Drainpipe! What a banger! Thank you! Tell us how this tune came to life?

Thank you! For the track I chose an energetic and dancefloor mood, I always like to experiment and let myself be carried away by all the sub-genres of D&B.

I would say this is one of the heaviest things you’ve done so far. Would you agree?

I am constantly looking for my sound, often instinct leads me towards techy and rolling sounds but when I create I leave room for creativity and the influences of the moment without setting limits, in fact in my catalogue it is possible to find deep, liquid tracks but also rhythms that are darker and more intense.

There’s got to be a story behind the title Drainpipe.

Ahahaahah this is really funny. While I was working on the project in the studio at home the drain pipe of the washing machine broke. To avoid flooding I interrupted the work and saved the project as Drainpipe. And so it remained.

 

 

Tell us everything about you! Your bio tells us that you have been involved in drum & bass in Italy since the early 2000s. Take us back to your roots.

I frequented the hip-hop scene as a graffiti artist and I was passionate about breakdance challenges, so I also started selecting music for my friends (breakbeat, funky). Later I became interested in electronic music and I think drum & bass is a perfect fusion between dance, breakbeat and hip-hop. So in the early 2000s I started playing D&B and collecting vinyl and I haven’t stopped yet.

In recent years there’s been an exciting growth of dnb artists from Was A Be to Neve to IHR (to name a few) More recently artists like yourself and Xyde have made a real impression. How is Italy’s scene right now and would you say it’s in a good place?

In my opinion, the D&B movement in Italy went through some wonderful periods about 10 years ago, at least here in the south where I live. There were many evenings and international guests, then gradually there was no generational change, no new fresh organisational groups eager to push this genre were formed. Luckily today we have many talented Italian artists but very few situations to express themselves, there are very few clubs that host this genre, we prefer to aim for more commercial music such as house, techno and disco. So to stand out it is necessary to aim abroad, where the genre is much more appreciated and above all has a large audience.

 

 

I hear you. You collaborate a lot with Xyde who we’ve featured in the past. How do you two link and how does he inspire you?

During my years as a DJ I have always been curious about the production aspect, however I have rarely tried my hand at it but without too much commitment. In 2020 I met Xyde, almost by pure chance, he had just finished his long experience as a guitarist and was starting with a new production project towards D&B… He knew that I already had an in-depth knowledge of the genre and many contacts in the movement. We immediately entered into synergy, skills met and a beautiful friendship and continuous collaboration in music was immediately born.

What particular challenges have you faced as a new artist? 

It’s a fantastic experience, I’ve expanded my network of contacts exponentially in recent years. I receive support from all over the world on a daily basis and this flatters me, thinking that my music travels without borders is everything to me. Receiving support from genre relevant people like you, the legend DJ Marky and many others is something special that makes me proud. But all this doesn’t happen by chance, the market is saturated, every week (luckily) we have many new producers who bring out fantastic music, to emerge you need to work hard and be innovative but always with references to the old school!

Yes! What comes next from you release-wise?

I have some releases planned on Lizplay Records, a fantastic upcoming label where I usually release my more liquid soul tracks. I’m also working on an EP for the historic Grid Recordings (Big Up Twisted Individual) and other ongoing projects.

What else besides music makes you smile or inspires you?

As I mentioned before, I love to paint, I am a graffiti artist and I enjoy creating and weaving letters. another great passion of mine is basketball, I watch it and play it constantly

What do you stand for?

What I want to represent is my great passion for this genre, creating fun rhythms and involving listeners.

Download Albees – Drainpipe now

Follow Albees: Soundcloud > Instagram  

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