Bxentric has been churning out choice nuggets of disco gold for a few years now, having released music on esteemed labels including Eskimo and Glasgow Underground this month marks the unveiling of his new label, Nanda Records.
With a new EP on its way on July 20 – and a new sense of direction – we’ve managed to bagged the premiere of the oh-so trippy video for his new single ‘Chrome’, that’s sees acid reconciled through the prism of disco.
Check out the video above and read the interview with the producer below, where he talks about the label’s name, where he’d like to see it in 5 years, and why it’s called Nanda Records.
Hello Bxentric – tell us your name and where you’re from?
Hey nice to meet you, I feel like I’m on blind date with this first question (sorry I’m taken) ha! So my name is Bryn and home for me is Hackney in East London but I was born and raised on a playground called North Wales where I played Disco outside of my school, when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making….actually you don’t need my life story ;).
So you’re launching your own label, Nanda Records, alongside your new single ‘Chrome’ on July 20, that’s a brave move in today’s climate isn’t?
I don’t know if it’s brave but I do know it feels like the right time to take on my own record label. I’ve a few years of experience now, along with a great team of friends to support my vision. It’s so exiting to create my own label and a platform for my friends to get involved with too.
What’s the story behind the label’s name?
I won’t go deep into the story but it’s in memory of my mother. She was named Nanda after the mountain in India, and subsequently she named me Bryn, which in English means ‘hill’.
What vision do you have for the label – where would you like to see it in, say, five years?
The vision is to create a platform for everyone I am lucky to have involved with it, be it the photography to the illustration. In 5 years when I’ve got some more time and experience under my belt I would love to have some fresh new artists that I can help mentor, thus helping them find a home on a larger label.
Tell us about your first single ‘Chrome’ – when did you make it and what’s it all about? Acid & Disco presumably?
It’s kinda hard to answer as I’m constantly creating ideas which over time morph into something or other. I can’t plan when I’ll make a track, for me it naturally happens through inspiration that’s quite organic. I guess I started this early last year, I tend to tinker away on ableton, first coming up with a texture that I like then I’ll take it to the next level and really focus on the track when it’s got legs. For ‘Chrome’, that came from a 2-day session of sequencing early this year, hence the acid sounds you can hear via the Juno 60. I guess because of all the disco and other music I listen to the vibe of the track comes out this way, so it’s really a true reflection of the sounds I love and hopefully the way I was feeling at the time comes through on the track, as the emotion is really important to me also. I’m not out to just create a DJ tool, but something in the middle of that and a full song.
So can we expect releases from other producers on Nanda Records, or is it just something for you?
Right now I’m gonna say expect some new things from me, I’m already working on the next EPs. It’s been a long time since I was in the record releasing game due to unforeseen circumstances, but it’s full speed ahead now. Once I get some more experience locked down I’ll be sniffing out some fresh talent.
You have, of course, been releasing music for a while –with releases on Glasgow Underground and on Aeroplane’s In:Flight Entertainment compilation – is getting complete creative control a really important concept to you these days?
It’s not massively important to me but it’s nice that’s for sure. I’m still down to release on other labels but you know, I figured I wanted to get my initial material out there and show what I’m about.
Through setting up my own label, I’m able to really communicate who I am and what I rep. I’m only one dude with a small team of talented friends, I’m totally open to a larger label supporting me.
We’ve got the premiere of your new video – tell us a little bit about it, who made it, it’s pretty trippy, right?
A mysterious dude by the name of Kenaim from Arizona happens to be the creator of this tripped out piece of work. Let me take a bit of his own words for this. “The Chrome project started off with a visual theme of metal working. As I worked on it, the project moved less from plainly human areas and more into elemental connections. In a general sense, metal is made from excavating or blowing up rock then melting it down, changing raw material into molten iron, and using that as a metal base. Chrome ended up being a piece about digging for growth and adding to your base. Its a tribute to Bryn’s mom Nanda and my dad Salem. They both gave us a solid metal base which we can use to hold some of their essence while moving forward without them. Bryn told me a story about his mom Nanda, who was named after a mountain in India by her mountaineering father, after he saw its beauty. My father Salem was a big hiker and had this small mountain behind his house that hiked, that he liked to called Mt Salem. I have a piece of Mt Salem rock on my desk.”
If your studio was on fire, and you could go back and save one thing what would it be?
My bottle of red Campo Vielo Rioja haha. I like my wine cheap and warm, but not burning hot.
You can catch Bxentric DJing at the Islington’s Lexington on July 24. ‘Chrome’ is out July 20 via Bxentric’s Nanda Records.
