'LKX001' - Interview with Hed Adernnes
The first vinyl release on Local Knowledge is Hed Adernnes’ schism between meditative dub and hard-hitting Jump Up inspired breakbeat
Two years of love-stained wizardry has been cascaded into this incandescent two-track release from Sydney based Hed Adernnes. As the first vinyl release from Naarm/London crew Local Knowledge, the record flies through breakbeat-infused dub invigorated with acid-bass and chopped-up vocal hits before transcending into contemplative beats in second track “Hunched”.
I had the chance to connect with Hed Adernnes via the interwebs to talk about the release, Local Knowledge, how lockdown has changed his creative process and, of course, his affinity for the legendary wheels.
Read the interview below
This is a killer 2-track release that also happens to be the debut record release of Local Knowledge. What does this crew mean to you and how does it feel to be the first release?
The Local Knowledge crew feel like family. I first met Ollie (Issa) almost ten years ago when I was first coming down to Melbourne to play shows with a previous project and we hit it off pretty much immediately. I think having that close and enduring friendship really facilitated working with the whole local knowledge crew. They mean the absolute world to me. They are generous with their energy, open in their ideas, and everything they do comes from a place of love and support. I couldn’t be happier to be able to share these tracks as part of their first record.
Of course you co-run Body Promise, the party, radio-show and label run from out of Sydney though you only started releasing tracks within the last few years. How did you get into producing and when did you know it was the right time to start releasing?
I got into making electronic music when my older bro brought home a cracked copy of Reason during high school. I didn’t really have other friends that were interested in writing music at that time so it provided a great way to do stuff on my own without the need of recording equipment or a band.
I guess I’ve been releasing music since then under various guises but the hed ardennes stuff is the first time I’ve done a solo project. When Amelia and I started to put together the first Body Promise compilation I started to try and write music specifically for that release, as a bit of a statement of intent. The project started as a way for me to write music that tapped into the vibe of the label and radio show, and experiment in areas that I wasn’t really exploring in other projects.
While quite different to your previous releases, “Dutton Bleeds Out” seems as though it develops on the ideas of “Devender” with it’s jump-up DnB bass-line while upping the tempo and adding a classic vocal chop. How do you feel as though your production has transformed over the years? What producers are inspiring you?
Dutton was written just after Devender actually so it’s been kicking around for a while - it’s the same bass patch in both tunes actually, just tweaked in different directions. The few ardennes tracks that have come out up to this point were written within the space of a fortnight or so in a flourish of activity. I think Hunched, the B side on this release is the exception and was written a bit later. The deeper more introspective sound of that tune is what I’m currently interested in exploring. At the moment I’m getting inspo from a lot of deep techno, textural, ambient, dubby stuff. Anything with a psychedelic flavour. Forest Drive West, Rrose, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Avancera, Feral, Paleman etc. Locally I’m vibing everything on Kia’s Animalia imprint, the recent Steeplejack releases, Thomas Gray and Liam Ebbs, Cousin, Gallery B… so many!
I’m super interested to hear about your creative process. Are you more an in-DAW or hardware only kinda person? What’s your go-to hardware and what are you craving to buy atm?
I dabble in both worlds. All the ardennes stuff that has come out has been pretty much recorded live straight out of the Korg Electribe ESX. Those boxes have been my go-to for a long time but I’m getting back into writing computer based music recently. I love the simplicity of being able to write using one machine, and the flexibility of using Ableton Live is pretty hard to beat. I’ve started making a lot of textures and source sounds in VCV Rack too which is this freeware software modular environment - it sounds great and I’d highly recommend it to anyone that’s looking to mess with the modular world without the price tag. I think I’ve been opting for these things recently because I think craving new gear or having the need for hardware to write music has been a bit of a crutch of mine for a long time. I’m trying to moderate my own consumer habits by committing more to a software based workflow.
“Dutton Bleeds Out” is a hard-hitting wobbly acid bass and dub record while “Hunched” is a more meditative exploration of pads and muffled breaks. How important is it to you for a record to feel balanced in mood and energy?
As a listener I can get on board pretty easily with whatever the artist has intended so most records feel pretty balanced to me on those terms.
In the context of this record, I never really thought of the tracks as being companions until Henry and Ollie approached me with the idea of putting them out together. I really like how they had the foresight to imagine how it could work as a physical release -- because you have that act of flipping the disc that divides the listening experience in two, it’s nice to recognise that action by putting contrasting ideas on each side.
How do you feel as though isolation has changed your creative process and approach to making music, if it has at all? What do you hope that parties and people will gain from the experience of being locked down for so long? (I know it is slightly different in Sydney, though!)
I’ve been writing less functional dancefloor music, and more process-driven stuff I think. I feel like when you’re writing dancefloor music, you’re always imagining the function of a track on some imagined dancefloor, or how something will sound on a soundsystem. The process feels deliberate, like you have to tick certain boxes along the way. I think my process has become a lot more exploratory - it’s fun teasing out sounds and ideas that are making me curious or excited at the precise moment they’re forming in front of me, rather than thinking whether it’s going to make someone go bananas on a dancefloor. I think the result is that I’m writing introspective, headphone tracks and to be honest I think that’s going to be the music of the moment given the state of things.
I hope everyone has a chance to explore listening in different ways, for different reasons, and outside of music had a moment to explore more solitary pursuits that maybe weren’t so much of a priority when there were so many excellent parties and social events to attend.
As a side note, what is it about Hed Ardennes wheels that you so love?
They’re the only set of wheels I’ve ever had! I copped a pair on the cheap from a bike friend and they haven’t skipped a beat since. Big ups the second hand bicycle market.
Finally, what’s next for HED Ardennes?
Hopefully get some more music out, keeping writing, etc. I’m super keen to get back playing live shows too when things open back up. But hey, one step at a time :)
Stay up to date with Hed Adernnes on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud and Bandcamp
Article and Interview by Margarita Bassova
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