Words: Miljan Milekić
The young gun of the Dutch neurofunk scene, Pythius is one of the most exciting young producers around. Bringing the energy from rock and metal music in his music, and especially live sets – trust us, we’ve seen it, he provides a unique experience. A few days ago, he delivered another proof in the form of his debut LP ‘Descend.’ Music you need to hear sets you to need to see, and the interview you need to read.
A few weeks ago you dropped your massive new single ‘Monster Black Hole.’ Are you happy with the feedback, and how does the crowd react when you play it during your sets?
Pythius: Got some great reactions to the tune, and the crowd seems to love it! I wrote it as a dancefloor tune and I think that worked out quite well.
On Friday you released your new record. Can you tell us more about it?
Pythius: It’s called ‘Descend,’ it features twelve tracks, and I tried to make sure it isn’t just twelve tracks of straight-up drum & bass bangers. So, there’s some more rolling stuff, some vocal stuff, even a synthwave track and a metal track on there! I hope everyone will appreciate the diversity.
You have been on the scene for some time now, and you’re finally releasing your debut LP. How did you know when is the right time, and that you’re finally ready to step up and release a full-length?
Pythius: I just felt like doing it! I signed to Blackout and I thought “Now, I have a good platform to release it, so let’s go for it!” So, I started working on it like two years ago but I also did some other projects in between, like the ‘Heresy’ EP and some remixes. I took my time but I feel it was worth it.
The new album will be released via Blackout, your home for the majority of releases in the past. How does it feel to work with them, and how did you start working with the label?
Pythius: It’s great! We all live in the same city, and actually, work in the same set of studios so the communication is quite direct. But I love that! I actually used to intern at Blackoutwhen I was still studying music production. I used to open the Blackoutparties before it became a label, and I just bothered them long enough until they gave me the intern spot. While being the intern there I also showed them a lot of music I was working on and at some point, they really liked some of the tracks and signed the first EP called ‘Abandon.’ Black Sun Empire was one of the first drum & bass acts I ever heard, and Blackout is also the first d’n’b party I ever went to, so that sound they pushed is really my roots in this genre.
Listening to your music, but also looking at your image, it can be seen you are a fan of metal music. Do you think metal music influenced your own work and your production? In what way?
Pythius: Majorly! I think, in my drum & bass tracks, I subconsciously try to get the same energy, drive, and vibe that metal has. It’s all quite riffy as well, I think you can easily play most of my tracks on a guitar and it will sound quite natural. I haven’t tried myself as I can’t really play guitar very well, but I saw some guys on Youtube go for it already!
Do you think you could ever dip your fingers into rock and metal music, or have a collaboration with a rock artist?
Pythius: Actually! I dabble occasionally in writing metal when I’m out of drum & bass inspiration. I have a really good metal guitar Kontakt Instrument which I used on the album as well. And I just go in and write some moody stuff, it’s a good way to let some steam off, too!
You are announced for Revolution Festival in Timișoara, and, as far as I know, it will be your first show in Romania. What can the crowd expect from the set? Is there any difference in your approach when playing a club, and playing a festival?
Pythius: It’s actually the third time I will play in Romania. I’ve played in Satu Mare and Timișoara two years ago. So, it has been quite a while since I’ve been in the country! And I think the set is going to be good! Lots of album stuff, of course, probably some even newer stuff from me, and a bunch of tracks by other producers that I really like. I don’t try to differentiate between festival sets and club sets too much. Personally, I wouldn’t start to play more crowd-pleasers, as some DJs do, just because it’s a festival set. (laughs)
We had a chance to see you live two years ago in Novi Sad, at Drop Sensei’s Birthday party. It was a massive show with Audio, Kodin, Kryptomedic… What is the craziest show you ever played, and what kind of feedback from the crowd you love the most?
Pythius: Yes, that was one hell of a party! I don’t really have one specific show in mind which was mega cray, but I love playing the hometown Blackout Utrecht shows as those always go off. Shows in Czech, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, or France also really go off every time I play there. I just really love it when people are visibly having a good time. Personally, I don’t mind if there’s a mosh pit going on, although some people really do. I mean, the stuff I play is quite angry so I’m not surprised if it happens. (laughs)
With an album out, and a lot of 2018 still on the way, what can we expect from you?
Pythius: Working on a whole bunch of remixes at the moment, and I hope some of those are gonna come out this year! Also, slowly started working on more new solo stuff and some collabs, so we’ll see what the future holds!
Follow Pythius:
Facebook: facebook.com/Pythius
Instagram: instagram.com/pythiusbreaks
Twitter: twitter.com/Pythiusbreaks