An interview with Bass'Flo & Ziyal ahead of their new release Lucid Dreamer on Cadence Recordings ou

Where did you get your first taste of D&B and what led you to start producing?

Bass'Flo: In the beginning of my journey through deep philosophy I was discovering the ‘feeling from within’ trying to understand life itself & what’s out there, are we alone in this universe? I felt the only way to express my feelings to the world we are living in is to interpret my visions through sound-waves, I just felt it was important to let people know what I feel and I’m sure there’s others asking the same questions, I believe D&B came into my life around 2001, before this I was producing Ambient/Scores, I believe D&B led me to keep exploring this vision of space music, I believe it’s a faster way to travel through time, atmospheric drum & bass can take you to places that many other things in this life cannot. This vision for this sound is far beyond human understanding, there’s been a number of time’s when I have created music I felt I could not describe what I’m hearing only visually I could understand where it’s taking me because it came from the source, the spirit from within is far beyond my understanding through using words, that’s why creating the feeling from within and translating it from the outside-world of using sound-waves is the best method for me.

Ziyal: I found an compilation of old school jungle when I was around 12 years old, and I instantly fell in love with the rapid drums and deep, slow basslines. Soon thereafter, I came across atmospheric jungle and drum & bass and I was hooked. I was a drummer and played in different bands, and when we started recording demos on computers, it opened up my mind to music production, and subsequently I started experimenting with different styles and sounds, including drum & bass. Making music has been an essential part of this lifetime.

There’s a strong ambient vibe to your sounds, what is it you like about the more atmospheric side of music in general?

Bass'Flo: I have always been inspired by ambient-drone music for nearly a decade now, I discovered an internet radio station Bluemars: – Music for the Space Traveller, this station played ambient drone music 24/7, there were 3 stations within this radio that I still remember, – Bluemars, Cryosleep, Voices From Within, it was around this radio station that changed my feelings towards music, I started taking interest in astrology due to the channels visions of space music, I still remember playing this station every-night before I went to sleep, and I would get up in the morning and it would still be playing, 10 years ago I was questionings my thoughts about if music is sounding like this now, what’s it going to sound like in the next 5 to 10 years or even in the future? I just remember feeling within my soul, doesn’t matter how much it changes, I would never stop producing ambient because this was the path for me to follow, it’s my form of classical future music. Atmospheric music is becoming more deeper than ever before, to create this form of music we should all understand the beauty of music & the possibilities of where it can take you. I’ve had a lot of messages from fans around the world telling me about there feelings towards my music and where it takes them, it encourages me to keep going further, I would like to thank all fans that have supported my music for the last decade, my heart goes out to all the believers of space music & atmospheric visionary’s.

Ziyal: There is just a natural affinity with those kind of sounds in me. It seems there is a quality of transcendence in ambient soundscapes, dissolving boundaries. Like looking deeply into the sky and disappearing into the seeing, dropping the experience of being separate from what is seen.

What was it like to be able to work with the likes of Kirsty Hawkshaw? (Opus III)

Bass'Flo: Working with Kirsty Hawkshaw has been a highlight throughout my career in music, she has been an angel to work with, I still remember how it all started in Torquay, I came down with Tidal to see Ulrich Schnauss and Aural Imbalance perform on the same night, as the night ended we we never knew they were both connected mutually, as we were outside I remember just talking to A.I & supporters about the future of music & the direction it’s heading into etc. This photographer came to listen to me & was amazed about my philosophy & enthusiasm about music, she asked if I could do a live interview on film, when I asked for her name & told her who I was, that’s when everything just happened, what’s even more interesting Kirsty Hawkshaw was mutually connected to Aural Imbalance as-well, the best way to put this into perspective, ‘I was at the right place at the right time’ this will be a moment in my life I will never forget, we both connect very well when it comes to music & the main reason why we are doing this is because ‘we are doing it for the right reasons only, I’m currently working on her next album under the affiliation of The Outerworld, should be ready by 2015, please show your support by checking out Kirsty Hawkshaw’s record label:https://soundcloud.com/wellheadrecords

Ziyal: It was pure joy connecting with Kirsty and working with her beautiful vocals and inspiring lyrics. The collaboration took off just before I left everything behind, and my life took a new direction, so I only got to be involved in one original track and a remix together with Bass’Flo. Perhaps there will be a second chapter some day…

And how did you come to releasing tracks on Cadence?

Bass'Flo: Cadence Recordings has always been a label I wanted to be apart of since the beginning of my journey in deep drum & bass, 10 years from now I never knew I would be here right now working with artists I have always been inspired by the likes of Aural Imbalance, Deep Space Organisms, PHD etc. I believe it was the main man himself Aural Imbalance that helped introduce me to everyone on Cadence Recordings, I remember sending A.I a zip folder of unreleased music for the submission of Cadence, it was at that point that I got my material signed, many years ago I thought all this was just a dream until I worked hard to become an artist that is willing to never stop and to keep pushing my dreams until they become reality. I feel very blessed to be here in this life I’m living right now, because what I have seen & heard makes me feel I came upon this earth at the right time.

Ziyal: I don’t remember exactly how we got in touch, but it must have been through Bass’Flo and Tidal. I was aware of Cadence before, mainly through the many amazing releases by Aural Imbalance on the label.

Prior to this, you released the ‘Timeless Travellers’ LP on Cosmic Origins Records, tell us a bit about that?

Bass'Flo: The Timeless Travellers journey came along when I was working with my CO-Producer Ziyal from Sweden on many compositions, we just felt after all this time it would be a good idea to produce an album, Tidal from Advection Music UK was already thinking about creating a new sister label affiliated with ADV / Cosmic Origins. We felt that this would be the perfect beginning for our album on a fresh new label focused on deep atmospheric music. since the album has been sold out, we’ve had Akira Yamaoka the Film-score composer & producer of the Silent Hill movie remixing 2 tracks from the LP which is looking to be released in Japan on 12″ Vinyl & CD Maxi Single.

Ziyal: There was such a flow when me and Bass’Flo started collaborating. We quickly had quite a number of tracks in production and starting new ones all the time. I remember Bass’Flo telling me that he had a thousand tracks we could work on, ha-ha! Somewhere in the process, the idea of creating an album came in, and it soon expanded into a double album as the number of tracks increased. I think the most amazing part of this whole thing for me was being invited over to the UK for the release-party, meeting everyone in the Advection family – the people I had connected so deeply with through the sounds. It was a wonderful trip.

Now, you’ve got a new release coming up on Cadence ‘Lucid Dreamer’, tell us a bit about that, have you guys ever tried lucid dreaming?

Bass'Flo: Lucid Dreamer came around after our successful release of Invisible Worlds on Cadence Recordings, we felt that Lucid Dreamer would be the sequel to finding what’s really inside of a world your in which you can’t see, in terms of trying to reach there in this life would be difficult, Lucid Dreaming would take you there without even knowing you was already there since the beginning. All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream..

Bass’Flo & Ziyal: Mind meditation is the key to opening worlds that we can’t see with our eyes open but our eyes closed..

Ziyal: I used to work on techniques for lucid dreaming many years ago, and after I stopped I noticed that it happens spontaneously from time to time, when I will suddenly become aware that what I am experiencing is not real. This could just as well happen during a night-time dream as when you are standing in line at the grocery store. The experience of existing as a separate individual in this world is as much a dream as the worlds and scenarios of our night-time dreams. Becoming a lucid dreamer is a shift of identity, or a loss of personal identity – instead of believing you are a person within the dream, you realize that you cannot be found anywhere within the dream. So, who then are you?

And final words and mentions?

Bass'Flo & Ziyal: We would like to thank everyone that has supported us from the beginning of our journey, i.e. Jay Le Roc (The Legacy Lives On) Talvin Singh, Aural Imbalance, Tidal, Galaxi, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Lii, Akira Yamaoka, Ulrich Schnauss, Nemanoe, Kytel, Soul Objective, Donic, MC Smilee and everyone else that has supported us and continue to do so.

Check Out the official video for ‘Lucid Dreamer’ here

Stream the whole EP here: