SOUND BITES
SHADIENT’S EMOTIONAL BASS
Shadient: “[My music’s] about ideas now, rather than energy.”
Long-known as a remixer for acts like RL Grime, the Essex, U.K.-based Morgan Hicks (aka Shadient) began to release his own music in 2017. Since then, he’s become embraced by the world of experimental bass music with a trio of strong EPs that often buzzed and banged with force. But his recent debut full-length, Have You No Burden [Gud Vibrations], is a significant departure from those days, as he’s been inspired by the strange sense of unity that he experienced during the worldwide lockdown. In body of work that he describes as is more of a diary entry, his 13-track offering is an album that provokes true emotion. Not merely an exercise in dynamics and energy, Have You No Burden delivers an impressive range of sounds and feelings. Whether exemplified by nervy soundscapes like “Sympathy Coil,” infectious groovers like “Dancing Alone Again” – both featuring fknsyd on vocals – or ethereal dream-pop like “Solitary,” Shadient’s full-length marks new, exciting artistic territory for the 23-year-old DJ/producer. We recently took the time to chat with Shadient to discuss his emotionally charged debut album and how it came together. DJ LIFE: You’ve released plenty of tracks over the years, but Have You No Burden was your 10
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debut album. What was your approach in putting a 13-track album together? Shadient: It was definitely the most honest experience I’ve had in my years writing music. I finally felt like I wasn’t just putting sounds together and hoping for the best. It felt like I was contributing to this existing world made up of a specific feeling, almost like I wasn’t needed, but my effort was merely setting the lens into that world into a clearer degree of focus. DJ LIFE: Where do you find your studio inspiration? Shadient: There’s strong figures who have inspired my production tastes in terms of certain drum sounds, synth sounds. To name a few… SebastiAn – his drums are second to none, the best I’ve ever heard – Burial, Lorn, Boys Noize, SOPHIE. DJ LIFE: What studio gear and programs do you use? Shadient: I only used software for the longest time, but for this album I really wanted to have lots of imperfections – dust, noise, buzzing lain deep in the background of the channels... pitch drifting of imperfect old synth circuits. I did everything I could to make the sounds to feel as real and organic as possible – even if they came from a digital source. DJ LIFE: What’s your creation process in the studio? You’ve mentioned that your album is more of a diary entry. Shadient: It really is like writing in a diary these days. I’ve been making music so, so much, like every day, since around the time I started the album. It’s amazing. I feel like I’m so capable of channeling moods, feelings, inspiration from specific things or music straight into the tunes. I always start with the main body of the song. It’s crucial for me, because it’s so difficult, to sustain the initial excitement from start to finish. With this
