Loops Haunt is eas­i­ly one of the most ex­cit­ing pro­duc­ers to bom­bard the elec­tron­ic mu­sic scene with­in re­cent years. With such an eclec­tic mon­tage of sounds be­ing rapid­ly pro­duced by the Scot­tish based mae­stro, I caught up with him to gain an un­der­stand­ing of what ex­act­ly in­flu­ences him to make such spine tin­gling sound scapes.

After watching the heart-wrenching efforts of Ed Wardle in his recent success, Alone In The Wild, it seems strange to be in full contact with the man himself via my computer - quite the opposite to the harsh lifestyle he occupied for over 6 weeks. Ed spent 50 days isolated at the mercy of nature in the Yukon, an excursion that was sure to drastically change the outlook of any person that would attempt such a feat. I caught up with Ed to find out exactly why he chose to put himself through this, and to what extent has this mind blowing experience influenced the man’s perspective of the world we live in.

For what reason did you decide to put yourself under such physical and mental hardship as seen in ‘Alone In The Wild’?

The hardship was a big part of the reason for going out into the wild. It’s a challenge, a test of who and what you are. Like the crux in a rock climb, it’s  the hard bits that define an experience and define us. I like pushing my limits and seeing how far I can go.

Prior to entering, what factor concerned you more: the potential physical damage that could occur over the course of 3 months or the psychological impact of being exposed to such a different lifestyle?

I knew that it was a dangerous thing to do and I knew I was risking my life but I consider myself to be lucky and the risks weren’t ever going to stop me. 

I underestimated the impact of both the physical and mental damage I would experience. In some ways they come hand in hand. When you look down at your own body and realise that you’re starving it hits you mentally.

The solitude was a confusing and constant strain. I had been told that it was dangerous but I had no real idea about how I would come apart mentally.

What level of training did you have to try and prevent such measures? 

I normally try to train 3 to 5 times a week, running and weights. I had packed on some weight initially but in May I climbed Everest which took me back down to about 12 stone. In the month in between Everest and going into the wild I ate constantly but only managed to get back to 12 and a half.

I talked to a psychologist about how to cope with solitude but in the end nothing much prepares you for the duration of isolation that I did. I think the experience taught me a lot and next time I know I’ll be able to handle the isolation better because I’ll know what’s coming.

After arriving into the forest, how long was it before you started to gain a real sense of detachment from the rest of the world? 

Detachment was immediate. As quickly as you might imagine looking over your shoulder to see if there’s anything there. As soon as the plane flew off I knew I was completely alone and in it up to my neck.

Did you find that you would still structure your days as if you were still in society? - If not, how was this different?

I would wake as it got light and sometimes stay in my bunk until sunrise when the air starts to warm. If it was really hot in the day I’d swim in the lake or snooze under a tree. Dusk was the best time for fishing and so I’d be cooking and eating after sunset but when its dark in the forest the best place to be is in bed. Sometimes I woke up in the night because the full moon had come up and the sky was bright. That was pretty special, standing on the lake watching the moon track across the sky listening to the forest at night.

How did you keep your moral up when faced with dire situations such as lack of food and harsh weather?

I tried lots of different motivational things.

I would tell myself that if I made it through I would be a hero and if I didn’t I would be a loser. I said to myself that each day that I made it through would make me stronger. If I made 30 days I would be strong but if I made 50 days I would be even stronger. I wrote a lot of that stuff down in a note book to reinforce it in my mind.

I had a chocolate bar and every 7 days I would sit down and break off a chunk. It was sweet and tasted incredible, it actually made me feel happy but toward the end it was running out and each time I got out my chocolate bar and saw how small it was it made me feel anxious. I don’t normally eat chocolates or sweet things but when I first got back to civilisation I hoarded chocolate bars, I craved sweet things for months.

I also notched the days passing on a stick and each time I notched up 7 days, I carved a letter into the back of the stick which week by week spelled out the message ‘I’m coming home’. The notches helped because they were a positive thing, they added up and grew. The ‘I’m coming home’ thing just made me feel sad.

The threat of bears was obviously a constant factor - how did you combat such fears to allow you to operate as you needed to? - Did this fear become less influential as time progressed? 

The stress of living alone with large, predatory carnivores is intense. I was advised to use an electric fence for protection while I slept and to always carry a pump shotgun.

I started the trip using the electric fence so that I could at least sleep soundly but after a while I felt that it wasn’t a genuine way of being in the wild. I knew that if I got attacked while I was asleep with an unused electric fence in my bag I would look stupid but hiding behind a man made electrical device wasn’t the experience I wanted so I ditched the fence.

Later in the trip I had become physically weak with lack of food and decided that the gun was too much to carry along with my camera. About a mile from camp I was checking my rabbit snares and heard something big moving around in the trees near me. I felt pretty stupid standing there without any protection whatsoever. I never left camp again without a gun.

At the time which was more frustrating for you - the severe loss of weight, or the lack of mental stimulation?

We are sociable creatures and we cannot survive happily without others. Completely alone, without any communication my existence became pointless and everything I did was a dull chore.  The reflection of another human being, however faint is a powerful thing. A voice on the phone can be enough but we need company as much as we need food.

Without food our brains don’t work well but I also became too weak to look after myself properly. The wilderness is no place to be weak physically, you need to be on top form and brimming with energy.

With company I would easily have carried on for a lot longer, perhaps indefinitely so I have to say that the solitude was the toughest element for me.

As your food supplies reached bare minimum, how did you prevent yourself from hunting the large mammals that were protected by the national law (Elks etc)? 

I was there to make a TV series and if I had broken the law and shot a moose or bear to eat I wouldn’t have been able to film it. I would have had a large supply of food and no explanation of how I was managing to survive. If I was alone out there without any way of calling for rescue I would have shot a moose like the local Indians do. I don’t believe you can survive without eating big game and salmon in the Yukon.

In light of the previous question, did it ever cross your mind that considering the hardship you were putting yourself in the natural world, to be prevented from eating such animals by a socially man-made law was somewhat a contradiction?  

I wouldn’t  kill any animal if I wasn’t going to eat it and I’d like to live in a world where it’s possible  for everyone to be able to go out and catch their own food by fair means. I also believe all endangered animals should be protected by law and all hunting of them should be banned but many of the laws in the Yukon seem to be there to protect the hunting outfitter’s businesses rather than the animals which in many areas are plentiful.

With no stimulation from other people, how did you keep your mind active? 

I was constantly busy trying to make my films. I would watch back the footage that I shot and I’d get a kick out of seeing that I’d managed to get a great shot of an animal up close. I was constantly thrilled by seeing large animals like moose and wolves.

I carved sticks and I had a book of short stories by Jack London. They turned out to be stories about people starving to death in the wilderness so I was a bit frustrated by that.

If you could sum up the biggest impact that such an experience has had on your life since return back to the ‘real world’, what would it be?

I like hot showers and I love the people around me. I value them more than I did.

I am a stronger person but I am also humbled. I know that I can go back out there any time and make a decent job of surviving. but I also know that the wilderness won’t welcome me back like it might do in a romantic novel or movie. I know that it doesn’t care if I live or die. The wilderness just is. Its only us humans that think that we matter, that it matters if we live or die.

If we all went out there and experienced it first-hand I think we would have more respect for the planet, the wild places and the wild things that we seem intent on destroying. We cannot survive without it but it doesn’t need us.

Memotone is one of the most diverse and fascinating young producers in the Uk at the moment. His sound is heavily influenced by the art and nature, leaving some truly breath-taking pieces of music.

This documentary looks at how such incredible music has been created by an individual, and how his sound continues to expand without limits.

What more can you say about Bloc Weekend?! In principle the idea of combining exceptional music with comfortable surroundings appears to be any festival goers paradise, however many skeptics may have been worried that such an event could never live up to such expectations. Regardless of such anxieties this year’s Bloc Weekend gave ravers everything they wanted and more with a weekend jam packed with outstanding live performances.

Friday night saw long-time UK Hip-Hop legend Roots Manuva storm the main-stage with his full catalogue of club bangers which set the bar for all artists that were to follow him. As the night progressed it was time for the likes of Boy Better Know to keep the festivities rolling, however the most impressive set of the night came from DJ Chef. Accompanied by the ever lively Crazy D, the Rinse FM maestro proved to all why he is regarded as one of the best DJs in Dubstep at the present moment. Dropping the biggest tunes from across the vast spectrum of the Dubstep scene, Chef crafted a truly memorizing set with some of the best mixing I have ever been fortunate enough to witness.

However it is not just the quality of sound that is so impressive about Bloc Weekend, the diversity of this year’s lineup added an extra spice to the mix to satisfy the pallets of all that attended. Saturday was kicked off in style by Glaswegian new-comer Loops Haunt, who has impressed all with his face slapping basslines and staggered drum patterns since his arrival on the experimental scene. His live performance was no different. For an hour Haunt smashed out his latest creations leaving all feeling battered and bruised by such an relenting display of audio terror. This was by far the most impressive and inspiring live performance I have been part of in a very long time.

(Photo by Tim Jones)

Following the gut wrenching massacre of Loops Haunt, it was time for Warp Records superstars Flying Lotus and Autechre to take to the stage. Flying Lotus took a while to warm up, however once at full pace the lush liquid soundscapes created by Lotus allowed for a beautiful spectacle of sound to develop over the course of his hours set. Autechre took a much different approach to their performance. Using live sound manipulation, Sean Booth and Rob Brown constructed a brain jangling set made up of ear piercing basslines and memorizing atmospherics. Even though such music may not have the typical dance floor appeal of a number of the other artists that were at Bloc, you cannot deny the skill and craftsmanship that was on display from the two Warp geniuses.

(Photo by Ew Smith)

If anyone thought that Sunday at Bloc would be a light ending to nurse the already monumental hangovers, they were wrong. Reso and Vent smashed out an hour of pure techy filth to remind everyone exactly where they were. This was followed by a somewhat mixed performance by Mainstage headliners Skream & Benga. Despite the sound system rattling from the bass-weighted chaos instigated by Croydon’s finest, after a weekend of inspiring new music it was somewhat disappointing to hear a set crammed full of tunes that have been on the club circuit for quite some time now. The final act of the weekend gave everyone one last knees up as DJ Hype slammed down the classic Drum & Bass that we all expected from him. Such numbers from the likes of Shy FX and DJ Hazard turned the dance floor into a fury of stopping feet and smiling faces.

For anyone who has not yet experienced the wonders of Bloc Weekend, I cannot recommend anywhere better to hear your favourite music, and for one weekend loose touch with the reality of those mundane tubes journeys to work. Paradise.

Dark Sky are a London based trio that have recently taken the Dubstep scene by storm with their dynamic and vibrant approach to production. Since joining Black Acre records in late 2009, the three producers have established their own unique sound that has caught the attention of a number of heads within the Dubstep scene.

In this short documentary we will be taking a look at Dark Sky’s unique approach to making music, as well as finding out more about their releases and future production.

N-Type has always been one of the most talented and respected DJ’s in the Dubstep scene. I caught up with him to talk about his perspective about the progression of the scene, and how he has been a part of it. As well as this, he tells us about his Rinse FM show, and of course his record label, Wheel and Deal recordings.

Easily one of the most enjoyable interviews I have done so far. You can find out more N-type by visiting his Myspace page, and check out Wheel and Deal recordings on their site.

Akira Kiteshi is one of the biggest players in the Alternative-Dubstep scene at the moment. Taking strong influences from Hip-Hop and Electronica, the Black Acre producer has established his own diverse style of music that has impressed all that are exposed to it.

Planet Mu producer Ital Tek has taken a somewhat abstract approach to writing Dubstep. By fusing dark Electronica with the atmospheric tones of early Dubstep, the Brighton based producer has created a sound of his own that has revolutionized the way people perceive Dubstep.

Dub Police MC Rod Azlan has championed his own upbeat style of controlling the mic. Starting off in the early days of rave music, Rod has worked his way up through the scene to become one of the most recognizable and respected MC’s in the game.

If you were to ask your average festival-goer what their one wish would be, most would scream at you for a festival where sleeping in a wet tent is not an issue. Bloc Weekend has the answer to this. Celebrating its fourth year, festival organizers have ingeniously combined the raw flavors of rave culture, with the comforting and somewhat nostalgic atmosphere of Butlins holiday park. In complete contrast to the spectrum of UK festivals, Bloc Weekend lavishes ravers with a warm bed to crash in after a frantic night of partying inside the resort’s complex, a miraculous combination that has inspired the formerly rain-soaked festival goers of past times.

This year’s Bloc proudly boasts one of the most impressive lineups so far, with a wide range of electronic music that is certain to satisfy the pallets of all that are lucky enough to attend. Dubstep maestros, Skream and Benga, are poised to continue where they left off last year with another epic performance that is sure to get the subs rattling, and the dance-floor moving. To add to this, other big names such as Salt-N-Pepa, Ms Dynamite and Flying Lotus are set to set to bring their own unique styles of performing to Minehead, a clear indication of the infinite amount of fun that is in store this month.

However, the beauty of Bloc’s diverse lineup can be demonstrated by the inclusion of a number of experimental producers. Warp Record legends, Autechre, return to the live circuit ahead of their highly anticipated new studio album, as well as the inclusion of Loops Haunt, who is sure to impress all with his dark, unrelenting sound-scapes.

A number of tickets are still available for this year’s event, however if previous year’s from are anything to go by, they won’t be available for much longer.

By Tom Mullett