As soon as we finished listening to the Lost in Motion EP that Urple Eeple dropped last month on Chillage Records, we knew we needed to feature his sound in an LIS exclusive mix. The whole of that release is featured here, along with just as many of Peter Farr’s original productions from years past. The vibe is as much future bass as it is breaks, where intricate rhythms and buzzing synths merge to make smart melodies that successfully straddles the line between the mainstream and underground west sound. He has had a handful of quiet releases, sharpening his skills in preparation for a breakout, which he seems poised for now. Get familiar with Urple Eeple in the following interview.
What can we expect from this mixtape?
This mixtape showcases 100% original material from either my Urple Eeple or Esofact projects. Esofact is a side project that I do with my producer friend Isturite. I wanted to make a mix that had strong future vibes, showcasing intricate beatwork. The mix will (hopefully) take listeners on an uplifting journey through my sonic narrative that will leave them feeling soaked in euphoria and deeply satisfied. It also includes all four originals in from my new Lost in Motion EP as well!
What is your current studio setup?
I am a mastering engineer by trade so I actually produce in my mastering room. Because of that I also use a lot of my mastering gear for processing, which is very integral to how I achieve the specific sonic flavor you hear in my songs. I’m a huge analog guy, and using real gear I think breathes so much life into a song. DAW wise I’m using three actually. I produce in Logic, Ableton and Renoise. I re-wire both Ableton + Renoise into Logic and use all three DAWs simultaneously.
What is your current live setup?
My current live setup is my laptop, RME Babyface Pro interface, and APC40 controller. I used to perform with Ableton but for a lot of reasons I ended up switching over to Traktor, which I’ve been really enjoying.
What is your favorite free VST and can you tell us about it?
I’d say likely my favorite free VST is the Nova EQ by Tokyo Dawn Labs. It’s a fantastic dynamic EQ and is great for sidechain dynamic EQ’ing. You could for instance use this to duck the lowend on your bass when your kick hits, which tends to sound more natural than using sidechain compression. Everything they make is fantastic and free, although if you have the money to splurge on the “Gentleman’s Edition” of their plugins I highly recommend it.
Link us to three of your most influential non-electronic tracks.
1. Jimi Hendrix – “Little Wing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHHsoW6mMg
2. Miles Davis – “So What”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXk1LBvIqU
3. Busta Rhymes – “Dangerous”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJUk45l4h8c
Do you survive financially entirely off of music or do you supplement your income by other means?
I thrive by working three careers. My music being one, mastering other peoples music being another, and working high profile events as a freelancer would by my third. It’s a bit of a balance act but I find it works well for my lifestyle, and I think having other outlet’s to supplement my income means that I can write music that I feel I’m truly proud of, rather than having money be a controlling factor in how I make my art.
How did you grow as an artist last year – what is your plan for the rest of 2016?
As an artist I think I did grow a lot in the last year. I developed a new sonic palette for my Lost in Motion EP and worked with a few really amazing artists who did remixes for the release. We wanted to release something that would be truly ground breaking and dope from start to finish. My plan for the rest of 2016 is to play a few festivals this summer, and maybe have a full album finished by the fall but we’ll see how that goes. I’m experimenting with new styles of music, as I personally am not very fond of artists that make the exact same flavor of music time and time again. I’m exploring the idea of creating an album that is deeply soulful with lots of natural instruments, played in (quantized) rhythms and lots of deep textures. Think atmospheric, deep, expansive, and beat driven. I’d also like to pair with a visual artist that does really incredible hand drawn artwork for my next cover, and perhaps even a storybook to go along with it, but I really shouldn’t get ahead of myself haha.
