Dutch trio Noisia have been the biggest influencers in the drum & bass parameter. They are the undisputed kings in a triplicate of hard-edged drum and bass. A trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands, they produce a wide variety of music including drum and bass, dubstep, breakbeat and house.
2016 was HUGE for Noisia. Last summer’s ‘Outer Edges’ album became one of the standout artist releases of 2016, earning them 3 awards at the Drum and Bass Arena Awards (Best Producer, Best Album with ‘Outer Edges’ & best video with ‘Mantra’), ‘Best Album’ at the UK Drum And Bass Awards, and contributed towards them receiving the Beatport award for ‘Best-Selling Drum & Bass Artist’.
After ‘Outer Edges’, Noisia followed with another monster, The ‘Outer Edges Remixes’ album. ‘Outer Edges’ just got a refreshing remix makeover from 20 different artists! Released on 7 April, the compilation brings together remixes of the album from the likes of Bassnectar, Ivy Lab, Machinedrum, Amon Tobin, Camo & Krooked, Mat Zo, Dyro, The Upbeats, and more.
LISTEN: Noisia – Outer Edges (Remixes)
Handpicked by Nik, Martijn, and Thijs, the artists range from across the electronic music spectrum, with many of the mixes taking the original versions outside of drum & bass entirely – something Noisia were keen to achieve with this project.
We checked in with the Groningen natives to learn more about their thoughts on the success of the compilation.
Sagar – The ‘Outer Edges Remixes’ has absolutely revolutionized the bass music spectrum. Not often do we see a compilation so powerful and so diverse. What are your thoughts on the album?
Noisia – We are very proud of the result. The concept of the original album was to explore the extremities of the musical space between the three of us. What we wanted for the remix album is for other artists to explore where they could take that material. We were hoping for a very varied package that would take our music way beyond our own comfort zone, but with still good music as result. We’re happy to say that we think it was a success.
Sagar – The original album didn’t have any collaborations and that has helped you guys explore a wider range of artists in the remixes. Was it on your mind while making ‘Outer Edges’?
Noisia – The decision to not have any collaborations but have a lot of remixes was taken very early in the development of the concept of the album, yes. Obviously the concept behind the title Outer Edges really makes it about us – exploring our edges and our limitations, which meant collabs wouldn’t really make sense conceptually.
Sagar – Rival Consoles has featured in your radio shows before and his inclusion in the remixes album is really very exciting. A Rival Consoles rework of Noisia music was always on your mind?
Noisia – Rival Consoles was one of the musicians we wanted to contribute most of all. We were late discovering his music, but were really impressed, and still are. So we were very happy that he said yes to our request, and obviously happy with the end result!
Sagar – The album artwork is absolutely wicked! Nik’s conceptualization again?
Noisia – Yes. The concept for the artwork was actually conceived before the album was made, and underwent different stages of realization (and failure) in collaboration with Rutger Prins when the music was finished. For the remix album Rutger Prins suggested changing the liquid, an inversion if you will. We’re very happy with how both turned out. It has always been very important for us to have a strong image as an integral part of an album project.
Sagar – What are your thoughts on the concept of Live Drum & Bass?
Noisia – Much of the drum and bass we like most is very precise technically. This technical precision can not be equalled by live players. There are other genres of DnB that lend themselves better to live performing of the music, melody driven stuff like Netsky’s and Wilkinson’s being the obvious examples. We chose to go the “audiovisual route” instead of the “band route” – our Outer Edges show isn’t a live music performance by humans playing instruments, but it is an experience in which we’ve tried our best to find the optimal balance between focusing attention on lights, video and sound.
We have discovered that we’re really motivated by the challenge of making an immersive interdisciplinary experience that makes sense to our audience and that makes sense with our music. The presence of video, and the control over lights also give us the opportunity to think in other ways than when we are just DJ’ing – we could potentially play a very long and slow section because we might want people to just watch the video if we have a really good bit of video. This kind of thinking is challenging for us, a new path for us to discover.
Sagar – The ‘Outer Edges’ Live show has really given a different edge to Noisia parameter. Can we expect more ‘Outer Edges Live’ shows in the future?
Noisia – Yes. We have a pretty busy festival season ahead of us first, but we’re also already thinking about what we can do after that….
Sagar – Your favourite remix from the album?
Noisia –
Thijs: Get Deaded – Machine Drum Remix
Martijn: The Approach – Rival Consoles Remix
Nik: Tentacles – Ivy Lab Remix
Sagar – Thank you for your time guys!
Want to listen to our favourite remixes from the album? Click here!
Don’t forget to share your favourite remixes from the ‘Outer Edges’ remix compilation in the comments’ below.
