Shambhala Series | Featurecast

As Shambhala Music Festival fast approaches I've teamed up with homegrown, Perth producer DNGRFLD & UK Bass Badman Featurecast to bring you the next installment of According to Evie|Shambahala Series. In May, Featurecast dropped his highly anticipated 2nd LP "Shout It Out". The album not only delivered a fabulous collection of mid-tempo break beat tracks but also skips & jumps over a wide range of genres. From funk to DnB, hip hop to rock. The result; a magical display of turntable & production wizardry. In true Featurecast form of coarse ! 

DNGRFLD: I'm stoked to be able to ask you questions in the lead up to Shambhala 2016! A few years back, I got to see you play a set at Shambhala, It was amazing. You played at the funkiest place on earth, The Fractal Forest! How can you describe the feeling playing at Fractal Forest in comparison to anywhere else that you have played?

Featurecast: Shambhala is a very unique festival for me especially the fractal forest. It's almost become the central hub for everything mid-tempo and funky. They have some of the best DJ's up on that stage I think, DJ's that have their own sound and tend to go against the grain a bit, which I really like. I feel very lucky to be a part of it all to be honest. As well as that you have some of the most amazing festival punters wanting to hear and appreciate good music. I love the fact that everyone is just as excited and supportive about seeing one of the local DJ's as they are about seeing a headliner.. I can't think of many festivals where this happens.

[Fractal Forest]

DNGRFLD: Your mixtapes are an inspiration for not only myself but for djs/producers and punters across the globe, in a fast paced and ever changing music scene, How much pressure do you feel to put out these incredible mixes and stay  on top of the latest sounds coming through?

Featurecast: Thank you! Yes there is a bit of pressure to get them done. I kind of shot my self in the foot with those mixes as when I started putting them together I had a very unique way of doing it which enabled me to get very creative with them, but it also means each one needs to be better than the last so they have become quite a labour of love. This is why I just do one a year. 

DNGRFLD: On that note, I have noticed a lean towards the drum and bass from you over the years, is there a tempo you hold favourite when playing / producing?
Featurecast: As for the D&B... yes I've loved Drum & Bass for years and it's something I always play in my sets. I'm trying to make more D&B when I can by releasing on the Jungle Strikes label.
DNGRFLD: As you know Perth is the home of another small festival called Breakfest do you think Breakfest and Shambala draw any similarities to one another in terms of vibe?

Featurecast: I think they both have a different feel but for me, music wise It was still the same. People just want to have a great time and dance to some good music... that never changes. I'd still put Breakfest down as one of my favourite shows I've ever played, that was a very special gig for me.

DNGRFLD: We’ve recently had some lock-downs in Sydney due to quote “drunken violence which has had some significant negative impact on the to the nightclub and live music scene over there” Shambhala is alcohol free. How do  you think that affects the vibe compared to other festivals being that there is no alcohol?
Featurecast: I think it's amazing! and one of the main factors of it being so successful. The other factor is it's run and attended by Canadians who are very appreciative and supportive to the music they love. I always feel very lucky to be able to come to Canada as much as I have....and when there is no alcohol involved there's nothing but love. They definitely do not have the bad attitude towards drinking like we have here in the UK and Australia by the sounds of it.

DNGRFLD: You’ve done some collaborations in the past the various artists who is someone that you really still wish to take off that wish list in terms of collaboration and why?
Featurecast: Only one person....Liam Howlett from the Prodigy, I studied him closely growing up and would love to pick his brains on music. He is super talented and writes killer riffs and hooks :) Other than that i'd probably say it would be great to work with some amazing singers like Stevie Wonder or someone like that. I find working with singers pretty straight forward but not so easy with other producers.

[Liam Howlett]

DNGRFLD: You always pull out a few surprise from your crate, whenever I see you play live, can you let us in on any insider information in terms of what we can expect from from Featurecast this year at Fractal Forest?
Featurecast: I've got a load of new music i'm working on at the moment so there will be a lot of new surprises in my sets as well as a lot of Featurecast-edits, there might be a few surprises with genres this year as well. I find Shambhala is the one place you have to come correct each time you play, I want people to have fun and enjoy the music but there are also a lot of chin scratching from other DJ's that stand behind you so there's double the pressure to come with a good set. lol. ;)

[Featurecast at the Fractal forest 2012]

You can catch Featurecast at Shambhala playing on the Fractal Forest stage at 3am on Sunday Morning!Oh & here's a lil bit of lovin' for all my DJ's out there... head HERE for a heap of free Featurecast edits, remixes and mashups! Keep an eye our for a new mixtape in the near future n a production sample pack for Loopmasters, this will be accompanied by a series of production video(CAN I GET A HELL YEAH)!!!

A massive thank you to both DNGRFLD & Featurecast for taking the time to complete these questions, you guys rock! I can't wait to see you both at the Farm, not long now.

Want more? You can follow me Insty and Twitter @according2evie & ya'll can subscribe to all things fun here!

xXx