This week we spoke with drum & bass duo The Vanguard Project, who have just released their latest EP ‘Vol.3’ on Spearhead Records. They fill us in on how the collaboration began, and how they would like to see it develop.
What initially prompted the collaboration between you both?
We met when I went over for a meeting with Villem, McLeod & Riya about the Riya album. As Villem only lives about 30 mins away from me, we decided that we should try and work on a track together. After a few sessions in the studio we had made some great progress and soon ended up with quite a few finished tracks. When we started looking at what to do with them all, we quickly realised that we both already had so much other music with other people, and from there we decided to use an alias.
How long since the idea was had did it take to start the project?
The project started before the idea. So we had about 4-5 tracks finished before we decided on an alias.
What qualities do admire in each other’s production styles?
Villem smashes it with the engineering.
BCee smashes it with the sample digging.
If you could describe the ethos of The Vanguard Project…
Rollers.
What have been some of the best parts about working on music as a duo? And the challenges?
It’s much easier to keep ideas flowing with both of us working on a project. The challenge is really just having the discipline to keep getting in the studio together, with so many other pressures on both of our time.
You’ve made some fantastic remixes since starting the project, alongside your original material. Which ones have you found the most fulfilling to make and why?
Villem – My favourite so far is the Riya – ‘Don’t You Know’ remix, it just came together really quickly and works so well in a club.
BCee – My favourite was getting to work on the Stanton Warriors – ‘Get Low’ remix. That one isn’t out yet, but I’ve been playing it out and about and it always does the damage.
Tell us a little bit about your new EP ‘Vol.3’… what did you learn from making the previous editions that you’ve put into this version?
We are improving our techniques and work flow all of the time, but also we are constantly writing more and more music. At the moment, while we have a lot of finished material, once one EP is out, we are listening back through all of our music and deciding which 4 tracks to release for the next volume.
Are you planning on making the series a long-term collection? If you were to make an album, are there any particular contributors/collaborators you would particularly like to work with?
Yes, I think we will do a few more volumes yet. We may well release an LP in 2017 if we have enough material.
Do you feel there is a marked difference in the drum & bass scene today, as opposed to when you both started out? Do you consider it a positive change?
Obviously it’s changed loads, mostly due to the changes in technology. We both love it more than ever, so that can’t be a bad thing.
