RS4 - nuum to the kore

interview by Jack Law (aka Corpsey, aka Dirtnap) with deeptech producer RS4, also known as Oris Jay also known as Darqwan - a fellow with a lot of nuum history, and who knows his history

I have often felt bleep echoes in deep tech - and extremely interestingly, Oris Jay's rediscovery of bleep - the music that "originally got me into electronic music" , on account of the fact that he grew up in Sheffield - is what lay behind his shift into the deep tech zone

Q: Why the switch from Oris Jay/Darqwan/DQ1 to RS4?

RS4: I released an album in 2012 called "To The Fly" which had a mix of genres on it. Spanning about 10 years of musical styles that have influenced me from Hip Hop, Dancehall, Drum & Bass to Dubstep. What it missed was the music that originally got me in to electronic music, which was the Bleeps & Bass sound that Sheffield was known for in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I knew one day I would try and produce a few tracks based around that old style of music (basically stripped-down House music, bass driven, 808 & 909 drums with some synth sounds). In 2006 I gave it a go with a track called "Rudeboy DJ" which I did with DJ Veteran. That was the first time I used the alias RS4. A few months after the album release an old friend of mine called DJ Lombardo introduced me to the Deep Tech House sound. I remember him saying to me, “It sounds like your Darqwan stuff but House music, you should try it using another alias”. So I did, and RS4 was back. R.S is short for Oris and 4 is short for the 4x4 time signature (four to the floor). It’s nothing to do with Audis!

Q. Its interesting to see a producer from Sheffield - a city long associated with industrialism and industrial music - fastening onto this style, which I think has a quite mechanical feel to it. Could you explain the role growing up and living in Sheffield has taken in shaping (or NOT shaping) your musical direction?

RS4: Growing up in Sheffield in the 80’s/90’s was an exciting time for me musically as my local record shop was Warp Records. I could only just see over the counter at the guy playing these mad Bleeps & Bass sounds which I found fascinating. I was too young to get into most clubs in Sheffield at that time however, walking on my tip-toes and not making any eye contact with the doormen I managed to get into a club called The Limit. This club was pitch black, one way in and one way out, low roof and massive speakers. 5 minutes after I got in the track “LFO” by LFO came on and when the bass dropped I knew music was the life for me.

Sheffield was also known for its Steel industry. Where I lived you could hear the echoes of the machines banging repeatedly like a slow faint kick drum. I guess even the sound of the factories in the background have influenced me.

On his break with dubstep:

RS4: I never really stopped making music, I just decided to make an album that took longer than I expected. A few months after its release I got a bit of writer’s block as the sound of Dubstep had changed in a way that I didn't want really want to follow. My friend Lombardo rang me and asked me if I have heard of deep tech house, I said no. He said it sounds like the tunes you used to make back in the day as it has bass and bleeps with influences of house from the 80's and early 90's. I decided to try make one which was a track called "All Around" and it ended up being signed to Audio Rehab. After that I just kept going.

So basically Oris / RS - as a listener/fan, and as creator/participant - is nuum all the way through - his life taking him through bleep, jungle, UK garage / breakstep, grime, dubstep, and now into deep tech. Only thing he appears to have skipped is funky!

RS4's newest release for Audio Rehab

Special RS4 mix for Pack London: