Legendary conversation: A Sides b2b Big Bud b2b Furney

Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism unite some integral names for their latest VA

Pioneers, legends and icons… These aren’t nouns to be thrown around lightly. These are descriptions of the highest calibre. Originators, founders, influential players in their field.

Players like A Sides, Big Bud and Furney.

All of them are far too humble to ever brazenly entitle themselves as legends, pioneers or icons but their contributions to the movement definitely confirm top tier status.

A Sides has been around since the acid house revolution in 89, breaking through with the one of the most pioneering crews to emerge in the earliest days of jungle: De Underground crew ran out of De Underground Records store in Forest Gate and would comprise other fellow legends and icons such as Randall, Cool Hand Flex, Marley Marl and Lennie De Ice, the man behind the anthemic We Are IE, a track regarded as the earliest jungle blueprint. Jason A Sides Cambridge has remained consistent in the game ever since as a DJ, a producer and as the owner of Eastside Records, he now clocks almost 35 years of beats.

 

 

Big Bud’s status is equally legendary. A graduate of both Fabio’s Creative Source and LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking imprint, Big Bud was regarded as a craftsman of some of the most musical and deep jazz funk influences takes on the deeper side of drum & bass. His records could be identified a mile off for their mystical dream-like quality, especially cult timeless anthems such as Millenium and Darker Then Blue.  He took a break from the scene around 10 years ago but has since returned thanks, almost entirely, to Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism founder Dr Michael.

Furney is a generation younger than Bud and A Sides but is no less iconic in his output. He started his journey into D&B a decade or so later during the early 2000s but has been a vital source of soulful, musical and deep drum & bass. Also a graduate of the school of Good Looking, James Furney has released on numerous pioneering labels such as Liquid V, C.I.A and, more recently, Soul Deep. As we highlighted in our last article Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism, Furney’s characteristic sound and funk are a signature force across the unique and inspiring organisation.

Founded by Dr Michael, Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism is a one-of-a-kind label that harnesses a love for drum & bass and embraces the power of community to raise funds and highlight awareness of St Paul’s Autism Research & Training Academy (SPARTA). As we mentioned when we first featured the project in December 22, SPARTA have three schools across the US and Crete that specialize in assisting and treating children with autism spectrum disorders. Especially those who are non-verbal. So far their Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism releases have raised tens of thousands of dollars for their operations and Legends, Pioneers & Icons Of Liquid Drum & Bass Music is one of two substantial releases that dropped on the platform recently.

A unique LP featuring four exclusive originals from A Sides, Big Bud and Furney each, the VA collection also features New Zealand MC/singer pioneer Tali, it’s been A&R’d by label to tell a story and take you on an emotional adventure from Delicate Beginnings to a Portrait Ending. It’s a beguiling trip. And here’s another one… A explorative chat into the lives, discographies and influences of these three artists legends. Get comfortable, this one runs deep!

 

 

So…. How did this all come about?

Furney: I think Michael likes A Side’s, Big Bud’s and my sound!

A Sides: He loves the Good Looking sound. I wasn’t a Good Looking artist but Michael comes from that sound. He works with PFM. Makoto, Bukem is one of his favourite DJs. I think he takes a lot inspiration from the label and we are all very much associated with that sound.

Furney: Your track Everywhere I Go. The jazz infusedness on that. It’s got so much soul. I don’t think I’ve ever told you that to your face.

Big Bud: Infusedness isn’t a word, you can’t use that.

Furney: Slow down Brainiac!

Big Bud! As I understand, Michael willed you back into the music. You were away for some time…

Big Bud: Yeah he did really. I’d done bits and bobs but he convinced me I should get busy again. He’s very enthusiastic!

How was that for you, returning? Like riding a bike?

Big Bud: Yes and no. Things have moved on a long way and very fast and I’m left behind. I call up A Sides on a regular basis.

A Sides: Happy to help. When was your last release before you took a break?

Big Bud: I’m not sure. I did a few bits with a Russian label but nothing serious.  My last album was 2012 and over 27,000 people downloaded it for free thank you very much. That’s why I went and got a regular job. The album had lost me money. I had to accept that it wasn’t the same game as it was when I’d got into it. I felt it was the best album I’d done. I thought, ‘I can’t do this. I got three kids to feed.’ So I got a job and planned to make music in the evenings but I was knackered every night so just gradually lost inspiration.

 

 

I hear that! What’s your job? Was it a bit of a culture shock?

Big Bud: I work in construction on site. I enjoy it. I’m outdoors, keeps you fit. Yeah it was a bit of a shock but the regular money made up for that!

Furney: Out in the real world with real people! You still got the juice bro.

Big Bud: I sleep well at night for sure.

A Sides: But the best thing to come from all of this is that more Big Bud material is coming over the next year.

That’s great to hear! So Pioneers, Legends and Icons. That’s a big old title isn’t it? I’m guessing Michael had the concept already in mind…

Furney: Yeah definitely. He does have a lot of input on the music full stop. A lot more than any other label owner. I enjoy that though. I like his way. In the world of today when you send a tune out and no one comes back, no one cares. But he comes back with so much enthusiasm and so many thoughts and ideas. It’s refreshing.

A Sides: He makes a lot of suggestions. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree but that’s music. It’s a personal thing., when you deliver something it’s got your final seal on it.  He’s the label guy, he’s invested in it, he cares about it and I respect his process. It’s the same with Hospital or any big label where you’d have a collective of A&R people giving feedback.

You had a good point Furney earlier about people not caring. It’s great to find someone who responds and cares about your art, right?

Furney: 100%! And you’re absolutely right. I miss the days of AIM. That’s where I met Bud!

Big Bud: I was on it all the time. Seeing a load of tracks coming in from your favourite artists before your gig was always a treat.

How much have things changed from your perspective, Bud?

Big Bud: Everyone is getting younger! There are two lads in work who don’t believe I make drum & bass. They’re like, ‘You? You don’t make drum & bass you old fuck!’ I was making drum & bass before they were born! They think it’s a wind up.

No way!

Big Bud: Honestly! But they’re 18 – 20, why would they have heard of me?

 

 

They will though. That’s what I love about the genre is when you get into it, you get into it and you eventually dig backwards. There’s just a lot more to dig through now as more generations have come through…

A Sides: Very true and we’ve even got fathers and sons or daughters playing together back to back!

Yeah loads! So…. Putting you on the spot now! Who’s the icon, who the pioneer who’s the legend?

Furney: I look up to these guys. I’ve spent every day in the last 15-20 years in the studio looking up to these because they were doing it before me. Everything changed around 10 years ago. I was on a line-up with a well known DJ. They booked him for 500 euros. A little while down the line he’s 30,000 Euro.

What? That’s silly money.

Furney: I agree. But I bring that up because I look up to these guys a lot more than I do to this DJ. I don’t understand those numbers. It’s pop music with a D&B beat. These two are the icons for me. Not those guys on the massive fees. And the thing is, you can make a living off this. If you own your own music and you’re releasing it regularly and claiming your royalties you can live off it. It’s not massive earnings but you can do it.

Better than piracy times? Because of streaming revenue?

Furney: You used to get a lot better royalties from Radio 1. £27 per minute played. I love Fabs and Groove, they’d play my tunes all the time! But it has been difficult and for years I’d live off label buy-outs, just selling a tune for a few hundred quid, week after week. It’s not the usual way of working, most artists will do more gigs .

Big Bud: I’ve noticed that the music is even more of a promotional tool for performing now.

 

 

That does always put the art in jeopardy when music is being made for that reason.

A Sides: There’s a whole other layer of pressure when you have to rely on the music for income.

Big Bud: I don’t think any of us are though or else we’d be making an entirely different type of drum & bass. Back in the days people were telling me to jump on various genres because people were making serious money but I couldn’t. I couldn’t make music I didn’t like.

Furney: Jason haven’t you had your music on America’s Next Top Model?

A Sides: That’s not D&B stuff, it’s library stuff that I do. I’ve been doing library music for years but that keeps on giving with royalties. It’s a slow burner. Top Gear, Ross Kemp on Gangs, all kinds of shows. No movies yet.

Furney: I did a Sky One documentary called Sir Alex Ferguson’s Most Wanted. They wanted D&B football style. That was a nice pay day.

Wow. Ross Kemp. Alex Ferguson. Bud… How you gonna top this name dropping?

Furney: Weldon Irvine

Big Bud: Oh yeah that was the highlight of my musical career. Sitting with him and talking to him about working with Malcolm X and Nina Simone. That was mind blowing.

 

 

Furney: I’d advise anyone interested in the history of black music to look up his catalogue. Wow. Sadly he shot himself. Listen to his music, the amount of jazz funk and fusion he did was just out of this world.

Big Bud: It was very humbling. We didn’t have much in common on paper but we got along really well. I had him in stitches. He liked my British sense of humour. He’d ring me up. He said ‘hey Bud you got a new fan over here’. I’d say ‘oh yeah’ And he said Q Tip from a Tribe Called Quest. He was giving him piano lessons and played him the record. Q Tip asked who it was. ‘Some white guy in his bedroom in England!’

Brilliant

Big Bud: He was a remarkable man. He turned up late for Nina Simone’s audition and she just indicated him to just get involved and play so he did and she said, ‘Stop! You’re in.’ Because he knew the key instinctively and just played. He was telling me stories like that. A very sad loss. He was a great man.

Rest in peace!

Furney: You mention A Tribe Called Quest… The amount of US hip hop love for drum & bass is unreal. We saw Brand Nubian and they told us they knew about our music and about the legacy of the Good Looking sound. When Bukem played in Space Dre and his entourage hung out with him. It’s quite mad isn’t it? Jason you’ve been playing over there for years haven’t you?

A Sides: The first time I went over was in 95. My first gig was in Atlanta on Freaknic weekend. It’s the black student weekend, a bit like spring break. 200,000 black students all partying for the weekend, it was like an Outkast video. All the booty girls everywhere. It was my first time in America. I’d always wanted to go. Then Nashville, Cincinnati, Boston… Those were the good old days when it was all fresh and new. I think there’s a photo around somewhere where I’m playing in New York and Jeru the Damaja is on the mic. A lot of hip-hop guys went to he club. Many of these nights have been going for years.

Furney: How long has Respect been going for?

A Sides: Over 25 years I think Elements in Boston is the longest running night. They’ve been going for so long. Still going strong.

You’re all going strong too. Let’s wrap up… what is this? An album? A big EP? The start of a series?

A Sides: I see it as a compilation album. It was meant to be three or four EPs and it’s all turned into an album. Mike reprogrammed it and he changed the titles so they flow in a certain way so it’s like a journey. He cares about those type of details. It makes sense logically. The last song is ‘Portrait Ending’ but it started as portrait. Same with Delicate Beginning. That started as Delicate. It’s a very personal and artistic touch. But yeah moving forward, Bud is doing another project, I’ve sent over more music, there’s some other things with people like T.R.A.C, Break is involved, Marky, Makoto… There’s some interesting bits in the pipeline. It’s exciting.

 

 

Amazing. Who are your all time pioneers?

A Sides: J Dilla, Herbie Hancock, Quincey Jones, Jazzy Jeff.

Big Bud: Thelonious Monk. It took me a long time to get my head around his music, I kept reading about how great he was but I couldn’t quite get it. But then it eventually clicked as I got older. He’s a genius.

Furney: Who’s the most out-there producer or musician? I’ve been sampling for 20 years and Sun Ra… I can’t begin to say how far out he is. He’s an alien. He is proof there can be no rules.

A Sides: Absolutely. Deliah Derbyshire needs a shout too!

Furney: Innit. Roots Manuva’s Witness The Business was a sample of hers. I love all those fusion mid 70s sounds, there was nothing like them.

They were making the sounds of the future…

A Sides: It’s a reminder that we should always look back at those foundations and have that depth of musical history and knowledge. Growing up listening to hip hop disciplined me to listen to other genres, jazz, funk, rock n roll and everything else. You’d hear the sample and want to hear more.

Furney: It was listening to D&B and hip-hop that turned me on to other genres hearing people like Idris Mohammed from a Roni Size tune.

Big Bud: As I’m a bit older I grew up with jazz funk and soul, seeing bands like Maze and The Crusaders and legends like Roy Ayers. It was through them that I could hear the electronic element come in and I thought, ‘Yeah I’ll have a bit of that’.

I’ll have a bit of this! It’s been a wicked conversation. Anything else to add?

Big Bud: A big up to the doctor for making this happen.

A Sides: He’s got a big heart.

Furney: I don’t know where I’d be without him. He’s put some serious wind beneath my sales. In all the years of chasing people, it’s like drawing blood out of a stone. It’s a nightmare. Working with him is a breath of fresh air. He’s passionate about it all and he cares about the music. I got so much love for him. People like him don’t exist in the D&B scene.

A Sides: He’s an individual. People like him don’t come around often.

Big Bud: The only doctor I’m happy to see.

Great to know we’ll be seeing and hearing more of you too…

Big Bud: You can thank Liquid Drum & Bass 4 Autism for that! I’m very happy to be back in this way.

A Sides: We all are!

Furney: I’ll second that, you’re a pair of legends!

Legends, Pioneers & Icons Of Liquid Drum & Bass Music is out now

Drum & Bass 4 Autism is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and that 100% of all sales and streams is donated directly to 1:1 autism treatment therapies and research.

Find out more: Website / Facebook

 

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