Finishing off the first month of interviews for 2008 is none other then Australia's own Narc Having just released a monster 4 track EP on Madcow as well as a release on Volitile Records, which both went to #1 on the BangingTunes.com Charts, as well as a awsome remix of Oz on The Beat Ranch Digital, it is with out a doubt that this man need any introduction

The Beat Ranch presents, Narc

Thanks Narc for taking the time out to do this interview and mix.

No problems, thanks for featuring me on your site.

First thing is first, where abouts are you from, and how did you come up with your name?

Im born and live in Adelaide, South Australia. The Narc identity was taken from an old graffiti tag (but back then spelt with a k) that was around my neighbourhood when I was growing up. Its short and easy to remember for djs, promoters and punters, so it works for me. I leave it to the individual to interperate it as they like.

How has the scene been over there? What styles or genres are taking over the speakers?

Over here in all honesty the scene has been better. Its too easy to go out now and catch a night full of rave/hard tunes. There seems to be some type of hard event on most weeks and I dont think theres a big enough crowd to sustain decent turnouts week after week. Its very hit and miss and i preferred it when shows were more of a monthly event that you would look forward to. As far as popular genres go its hard for me to comment, I dont get out that often, but i would say its more a case of whats been promoted well as opposed to whats really popular.

What made you get into the hard nrg scene over other genres?

Its been a combination of listening and buying loads of different music. My tastes have been all over the place the past decade. I never really stuck to one genre. I was buying Tinrib records the same time I was buying Adam Beyer records. I was buying Deathchant hardcore records the same time I was buying early Nukleuz stuff. I was buying Q-Bert scratch vinyl the same time I was buying Transient psy records. I could go on and on. A tune is a tune, allsorts of music appeals to me. I guess it wasnt until I heard the likes of OD404 and Nick Sentience that I knew roughly where I wanted to go.

What came first djing or production?

Production. I had a hardware kit that was all connected via midi, where I learned alot of the basic concepts of producing. It was a Roland mc303, KorgZ1 and Emu Emax. I even played live with that kit, but eventually found the setup too technically limiting for what I was trying to do. Although to be fair, I was also collecting tonnes of different music on vinyl and cd at the same time, iI just couldnt afford the 1200s etc til later on down the track.

How do you go about making a track, do you have set rules or do you just go with the flow and see what happens?

No set rules really, kick and bass first as the backbone, then the fun part when you can start being creative.

You seem to have a trademark bassline, do you stick to the same one, or does it vary from track to track?

I prefer the off beat basslines and always use them. I'll try and change key and sample from track to track and have started to use more zip/mid basses. I've experimented with the rapid or wobbly styles but their not really my cuppa. The offbeat style has always got a good reaction from crowds I've played to when mixed right. Its a major component of my sound. Love it or hate it, its made for serious sound systems and is where it works best. It also gives you a better scope to up the tempo and create more energy.

Have you ever produced anything other then hard nrg?

Allsorts of bits n pieces, with the hardware kit I was mainly making hardcore stuff, but as I crossed over to software studios I made a lot of breaks styled material aswell.

Can you give the gear sluts a run down of your studio?

I use Reason 3 and Cubase SX3 on an oldschool Imac G4. I also have a pc which runs CubaseSX3 where I can use more powerful vsts like Korg Legacy, Z3ta, Massive etc etc. Ive got Tannoy Active Reveals monitoring sound, and an Evolution Mk225c midi keyboard.

Whats your favorite piece of gear to work with?

Reasons NN19 sampler matched to the Matrix arpeggiator. I wouldnt have my sound without them.

What other producers/djs have impressed you in 2007?

MattR is always helping to push my sound along technically and creatively. We've progressively headed away from the more traditional hardhouse/nrg sound together into harder and faster territory without sacrificing production quality or sound design. Hes one of the few guys round that i know that is on the same wavelength as me when it comes to tunes. Other producers like Disturbed and Dr.Tre are coming up with the dark stuff, High Dosage have some wicked tunes, and I quite liked the 'Fishy Situations' tune by the Omega3 guys. Most of the collabs being done with Dom have been pretty tasty aswell.

On the djing front, what have you got lined up?

Not alot to be honest, which kind of suits me at the moment because i need a bit of a creative break. When im busy with gigs i work quite hard to have new material regularly, and year after year this has worn me down a bit. Ive been thrashing xbox360 the last few months just to relax a bit. I am playing in Brisbane, Queensland, with Mr.S next week which is something im very much looking forward to though. A few local gigs aswell.

Whats been your favorite place to dj?

New Zealand for sure. My two favourite shows I've played there would of been 'Disturbed Nation' in Wellington with proper underground atmosphere including caged dancing girls, and another mad event with an awesome crowd in Auckland called 'Mas vs Bezerk' where I played alongside Grady and Karim. Wild times. The Enchanted parties here in Adelaide are always great to be part of aswell, outdoors, allnight, fat sound, what more could you ask for.

What about the worst?

Im pretty fussy about club sound quality and ive played a few dungers where you come home and your ears are pretty much bleeding. I wont name names but in the future I'd happily pass on some local clubs.

If you were not a dj and producer what would you be?

Well I'm a factory worker at the moment and that pays the mortgage. Djing/production is pocketmoney for me, although the paid for overseas/interstate trips are always a great bonus/reward. If i had nothing to lose I'd be a soldier.

Any last words?

I had originally planned to have my own webstore online this year where i was going to sell .wav copies of my tunes. Ive canned that idea and have decided to join MattR on the new Pistonrecords website where we have decided to give our tracks away for free this year... Digital sales are low, and the vinyl releases have been a headache. Weve decided its more important for us to get our sound out there, more important than making a few dollars here or there. Theres a new version of the site under construction which will have more community input and better features etc. Stay tuned, we'll have a more detailed explanation why weve decided to do this when the new site is live soon.

Click here for Narc & Matt R's Mix
Click here for tracklisting.

Past Interviews