When is the last time your favorite DJ spit his own lyrics? We’re not talking like Calvin Harris style, letting auto tune do the legwork on an otherwise overly produced track. When have you ever heard a heavy bass producer throw down a filthy set of grimy, heart-palpitating bass while rapping his own original tracks….live? Would you feel completely bereaved of this whole other world of electronic music if you were told that this is exactly what the Virus Syndicate has been bringing to the table for the past ten years?
The guys of Virus Syndicate caught up with WRR to talk about their unique style of heavy bass music, the impressive live element to their shows, and initially releasing their material in the U.S. for the first time.
After 10 or so years of killing it in the UK what sparked your decision to bring your music across the pond?
We have toured the states a handful of times now, and we felt it was time to focus a release just on the U.S. market, and make sure we were reaching out to all the people who have been to our shows and bought our music previously over there.
Could U.S. tour and festival dates be a possibility in the future?
100%! We are in the process of putting plans together for that now. We love performing over there, its really important to us to keep pushing in the U.S. and seeing how far we can take it.
The live element in bass music (at least here in the States) is pretty much non-existent. This live vocal, dubstep, filth is unlike anything we’ve seen here. There are hip-hop artists, there are bass DJs, but never this hybrid we’re seeing in Virus Syndicate. How did this limit-pushing and genre-bending package develop into the monster it is today?
Ah thanks! We come from a grime background but love hip-hop and electronic music. We have always prided ourselves on bringing something different to the table and trying to break barriers. Our sound is always developing and we will always continue to try and push boundaries.
What has been the greatest challenge you guys have faced sticking to your grassroots sound amidst rapidly changing trends in electronic music?
Its always important to stay relevant. For us, the key to that is to never be too precious about a particular sound or genre. As artists, we are as hungry as ever to grow and be the best we can be and will always be influenced by current trends and putting our own spin on them. I wouldn’t say there has been a challenge as such in sticking to our grassroots, as essentially we will only ever make music we like.
How did The Swarm, Venom, Worker Bee, kind of grime insect concept for this LP take shape?
We are from an industrial city called Manchester where the people were nicknamed “Worker Bees” during the Industrial Revolution. “The Swarm” is us paying homage to our Mancunian roots which we also follow through with our black and yellow branding and stage outfits.
What are a few collaborations you guys would like to lay down some day that didn’t make it on your most recent LP?
We are working on the next album as we speak so i don’t wanna divulge to much right now.
It’s always refreshing when a relatively unknown (at least to Americans) group of artists with so much originality and integrity such as Virus Syndicate pops up on your radar, and on our radar they certainly are. Their new 19 track LP, “The Swarm,” just debuted in the U.S. and is available for streaming on Soundcloud and purchase on iTunes.
Keep an eye out for these guys upcoming tour dates. If we’re lucky, they might bring the filth to a city near you. We’re already anticipating the neck braces we will need after the inevitable evening of head banging.
Connect with: Virus Syndicate
https://www.facebook.com/virussyndicate
https://twitter.com/virus_syndicate
https://soundcloud.com/virus-syndicate
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