James Newmarch & Voicedrone Mix
FOLDs co-creator and technical wiz, have respectively become the driving force for UNFOLD; a haven made for their fiercely loyal and diverse crowd. With over six years of playing together, their high-energy styles compliment each other and produce a uniquely signature sound that is impossible not to move to.
Ahead of their second all night long tomorrow night at FOLD - For Tapes #128 they bring us a recorded mix from live from UNFOLD LXXI.
A drive to better the experience of all they lay their hands on bleeds into their playing style with the booth often sharing more in common with a boxing ring; the pair sparring back and forth, introducing their own styles whilst moving in a mutual direction that can only be learnt with time.
Voicedrone’s bass-heavy sound lays the groundwork to their sets and then shatters it, effortlessly moving between breaks, techno and jungle, whilst James Newmarch counterbalances him with his playful, yet unforgiving, fast tracks that leap between breaks and techno, being as infectious in their energy as they are with their positivity.
Hey both - pleasure to have you on the series. Can you start by introducing yourself for those who don’t know?
V: Hey, my name is Lasha aka Voicedrone, co-founder and resident of FOLD.
JN: I'm James Newmarch, Technical Manager and resident of FOLD.
Tell us about this mix - where did you record it & what’s the ideal setting to listen to it?
V: This mix was recorded live at UNFOLD LXXI(71th Edition) I think it suits every setting possible :)
JN: Live recording from one of our regular closing sets at UNFOLD LXXI. The 71st edition.
You both have had quite the journey, after countless UNFOLDs and over 6 years of playing together. What have been some of the most memorable moments from your performances together?
V: I think every time we play together has some sort of adventure in it, we communicate now only with gestures when we play, without knowing what music we prepared for each other. It's a kind of chess game with no losing side.
JN: I think over the years we've been to some pretty crazy places. Probably one of the most memorable ones has been recently in Georgia. We lugged a full Funktion One soundsystem up to the top of a mountain for an event with the most amazing view.
You’re going to be doing your second all night long at FOLD pretty soon - the first one was a highlight for us at Origins last year! Playing a 12-hour+ set is no small feat. How do you prepare yourselves physically and mentally for such an endurance test?
V: We both love opening slots, and we both love to move between musical genres fluidly even in 2h sets. Playing all night long allows us to tell our story without rushing, with more experimentation and fun. We always end up playing longer than we should at UNFOLD. It's never enough time.
JN: Yeah as Lasha said, we both have a very broad taste in music, and often the usual 2 or 3 hour sets isn't enough time to explore these various avenues. Having the extended run times allows up to fully deep dive into those genres we might not get a chance to play that often, and also allows us to go on a journey through these different genres.
Our favourite part of FOLD is how it’s constantly evolving to ensure the best experience for dancers, as well as artists that play at the venue. James, as the technical manager, how have you managed to get the club sounding so good?
JN: I guess part of it is due to always trying to keep on top with leading technology and equipment. I recently overhauled our full audio networking for the venue in my goals for the cleanest and highest quality playback. All these small steps add up to creating an overall sound and pushing for each link in the chain to be of the highest quality is the best path to true great sound.
I'm also never really satisfied and constantly working to improve certain areas of the dancefloor experience, whether it be sound or lighting. This constant tweaking and evolving helps keep the experience fresh and improving.
Voicedrone, as well as being one of the founders of FOLD, you also produce & run the record label and your own imprint IMPRFCT. Any upcoming releases in the pipeline to shout about?
V: Unfortunately, I don't have that much time for IMPRFCT anymore. Maybe one day I will get back to it. Who knows? But “FOLD records'' is in the pipeline and we are going to open a physical shop soon which will empower even more adventures ahead. Currently on 2 releases and the 3rd one will be my personal EP, which is almost done and I can't wait.
QUICKFIRE — Guilty pleasure tune?
V: Lag & Forest People - The Beast
JN: Up & Down - Vengaboys
Favourite night at FOLD so far (that you haven’t played at)?
V: It's hard to name one, there’s been so many great and unique events.
JN: So many events, it's hard to pick one. Some recent events I've enjoyed have been Objekts ‘All day long’, FOLD X Monnom Black and Spekki Webu & Dozzy.