I cannot think of many labels that have had quite the meteoric rise that Sofa Sound has enjoyed since its inception. Focusing on an output of quality Bristol underground sound, Sofa Sound has set itself apart as a home for exciting material that pushes the boundaries. With winning best newcomer label at the 2020 Drum & Bass Arena Awards, this label has officially cemented itself in the Drum & Bass scene as a force to be reckoned with.
Sofa Sound’s latest release is no exception to the rule of hard hitting, quality bangers; Revan (one half of Ill Truth) has teamed up with new kid on the block Parallel Identities to bring a two track release full to the brim of shoe throwing, rolling vibes.
First up on the A side is ‘Beurs’. Opening with evolving pads layered with field recording samples (sounds like a sound clip from a night out… boy, I miss those so much), ‘Beurs’ soon opens up to introduce the hook underneath polished percussion. At the drop, this track opens up all of its goodness! The warm sub punctured by hammering kicks lies underneath scattered percussion and bright, driving bass leads.
A tight roller meant for the dance-floor. My guess is it will be making a beeline to every sound system in the country asap!
Atmospherics lead the way for ‘My Reality’, the B side. A real mood is created through reverb swells and slithers of tight percussion, interspersed with an evolving, distant hook. This hook then gathers force and emerges into the fore ready for the drop which lies deep in a minimal capacity. This filtered synth hook mirrors the sub which is powerful and all consuming.
‘My Reality’ really captures my attention; the evolution of one idea and rolling with it to create vibes-a-plenty is what creates groove, mood, interaction and ultimately joy. Isn’t that what we’re all here for?
To tell us more about the release, we set both Revan and Parallel Identities a challenge of interviewing themselves. Here’s what they came up with!
R: We have the Beurs/ My Reality release on Sofa Sound out now! Congrats, we made it big time with DLR…
PI: Yeah, it’s great to finally find a home for these tunes. We’ve had them ready for a while, waiting for the right label so it was a relief that DLR was into these tunes and took them as they are.
R: Exactly, it’s nice to have a home for this release. These tunes came together quite naturally with no stress, which was nice.
R: So, we know both of these tracks have random stories attached to them from a creative process. Which part of either tunes stick out as a memory? What do you think of when you think about our creative process?
PI: The name for Beurs is really interesting. It’s named that because you (Revan) bring your recorder everywhere, so you’ve been recording different places… as it turns out, we used the metro sound recordings from the train we were riding in and thought it was cool to give the track more personality through those sounds. This for me, was important; I can recall what happened that day… it gave the track personal identity.
R: Exactly, it gives it a stamp in time and place due to its associations with a Metro Station in Rotterdam.
PI: We’ve collaborated under different aliases; namely as Ill Truth and my other alias. How did you find working on this release together without Jay (of Ill Truth)? What did you think of our workflow?
R: Our workflow was really similar to when I worked as part of Ill Truth with you. Jay works with Logic, I work with Ableton and you work on FL Studio. It’s less about who’s in control of the buttons and more about let’s focus on the vibe. That’s always what we’ve done when we’ve collaborated. Always get the vibe down! When we work together it’s quite quick; once we get the vibe down and a four bar loop on repeat and it still doesn’t get boring, that’s when we get our best stuff.
PI: For me, the vibe is more important.
PI: I say it openly; I’m not really crazy into the technical elements of producing. I know Jay does go deep into that process and I’ve been wondering how you produce when you don’t have this element from Jay?
R: With our stuff, the technicality and processing is the final stage. Whereas with Ill Truth, the technical stuff becomes a part of the tune, the writing. I’m conscious of it from the beginning. But with us, we focus about the arrangement, the creative stuff, the vibe. Like you said with Beurs, it’s all about the character and the personality of the track.
PI: For me, it’s better that way. We don’t usually have that much time when we’re together, so it’s better to take care of the vibes in person because it’s easier. It’s also better to think about the technical aspects online and compare.
R: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love Vegan Sushi?! What is your favourite Sushi roll?
PI: There’s no scale! I love Vegan Sushi so much! I have to definitely say anything with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango, Rucola… it’s hard for me to pinpoint, I love it all.
R: A little bit of context: we went to Warsaw a few years ago and ordered some Sushi to be delivered. PI’s food took 3 hours to arrive because of his Vegan Sushi order! When it finally came, I’ve never seen anyone so happy to eat some Sushi!
PI: I’ve visited you in Bristol a few times. I’ve wondered: as regards your approach to music, how much do you think the city influences you?
R: I think Bristol almost dictates what I do within music. Because the music I was writing before I moved to Bristol was NOTHING like what I create now. It’s not just from what’s around you; it’s the feeling, the art, the culture of everything. The city is a melting pot of loads of different cultures I can take influence from, even just from eating the different food.
PI: I’m originally from a city where there is no Drum & Bass; I know how much this affected me not being able to share this music with like minded people. This is what’s amazing about Bristol because you can listen to music with complete strangers and immediately bond. This is how the city resonates!
R: Raves and DJing have taken a back seat recently, so outside of Drum & Bass what keeps you sane?
PI: I do love to spend as much time as I can outside, by the sea or the woods. I try to keep to a schedule for producing so I don’t burn out, which I find is quite easy to do when you can spend countless hours on it in the current climate.
R: I agree, it’s good to keep allocated music time and stick to a routine.
R: That was a good catch up! Hopefully people read this far! Thanks for joining, I’m so glad we got these tunes in on DLR’s label.
PI: Thank you. I hope people enjoy these tunes as much as we do!
‘Beurs/My Reality’ by Revan & Parallel Identities is out now on Sofa Sound.
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Catch both artists live when you can. Until then, check out their socials;
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