Boards
SR Mix #113: Artifact [Deadplate]
Continuing our completely unofficial run of people who’ve helped make 2011 interesting musically, we thought we’d ask Artifact, aka Ryan Bonfield, to wrap up a turbulent 12 months by providing what could well be the last SR mix of the year.
If I’m completely honest, he’s one of those guys that we simply just started talking to. There wasn’t an epiphany, any hype or a detailed hustling chase. Then living in Bristol, he just started sending tunes through, initially as Portrait, a production duo he founded alongside Ziro, and that in turn led to our introduction to Hodge, the producer who made SR Mix #107; but I digress… We started playing Bonfield’s tracks on the radio, utilizing their steadfast rhythm and melodies to blend between moods and since then we simply kept in touch.
A few digital releases followed but it’s now, since he’s confirmed his debut physical release, the second 12” on the freshly minted Deadplate label, that he really seems to have found his voice. Without trying to blow smoke up his arse, ‘Archaic Line’ builds on the promise of his early dubs, fusing that ear for sensual melodies with a drum line that just pounds and pounds on top of them. It’s that prominence of the kick drum and the force of the grime bass pulse on the early part of the B side ‘Deserted’ that proves he’s become canny enough to let his rhythm parts shout the loudest. He’s grown sonically, confining the colour to short stab like bursts on ‘Archaic Line’ and those short squeals and sprawling chords on ‘Deserted’ and pushing the emphasis; totally finding his grounding in the interplay of organic hats and percussion.
We’re stoked to be hosting this mix; it’s a session that really seems to elevate Bonfield out of the little ‘must check’ spot we had reserved for him in our inbox. To frame it properly we caught up with and quizzed the producer who’s currently in Germany on a work placement…
http://www.sonicrouter.com/2011/12/sr-mix-113-artifact-deadplate/
Artifact – Archaic Line (Graphics Remix) [Forthcoming Deadplate]
Artifact – D.A.R.E (HxdB Remix) [Freshmore]
JTRP – Get Down On [Unrelesed]
Artifact – Brittle Bones [Unreleased]
Arctic – Sky Chase [Unreleased]
Lung & Maxx Roach – Booty Call (Randomer Remix) [Deadplate]
Ziro – Coded [Unreleased]
Graphics – D Transition [Granholme]
Thefft – Pull It Out [Unreleased]
Ziro – Strays [Unreleased]
Dubbel Dutch – Darq [Mixpak]
Arctic – Stop Motion [Unreleased]
Ziro – Oni [Unreleased]
Mosca – Wray ‘n Neph [3024]
South London Ordnance – Slow Dance [Unreleased]
Hodge – The Baddest [Unreleased]
Wachs Lyrical – Parrot Chat [Wicked Bass]
Artifact – Deserted [Forthcoming Deadplate]
Graphics – Colour Her Hair [Made To Play]
Throwing Snow – Pyre [Local Action]
Artifact’s Deadplate release, ‘Archaic Line’ b/w ‘Deserted’ & Graphic’s Remix of ‘Archaic Line’ is out on the 16th January 2012.