The Mix 044: cell m8

What’s going on here then

ello m8. gd 2 b connectd. all sorts goes down on the foneline. xclusive tunes & dubpl8s etc or just about for a chat.

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If I’m not wrong your mix is all originals. How long ago did you start producing the tracks on there?

yh the mix is 100% my own tunes & edits. ive wanted to do a production mix since i 1st started puttin tunes out & so some of the tunes go as far back as a couple yrs – others i made a few weeks ago specifically 4 the mix. x

There’s obviously lots of samples and remixes of famous artists in there like James Blake. Is that what you’ve grown up listening to?

yh theres a couple nods 2 my early yrs of music discovery that i wanted 2 play with. that early 2010s era was sick & im hearing more & more of my m8s chattin bout it. theres been a lot of positive changes in music since then but u cant help but miss the cre8ivity of producers at that time. x

Evidently your creativity extends into your press strategy. What makes you want to stay anonymous?

i dno if i wna stay anon 4ever. jus think we r so over satur8d with information & id rather ppl connect with the music & concept than an image. looking back, the dumbfone era was the 1 – u can say everything u need 2 in a txt & save the rest 4 irl. lookin fwd 2 being able to meet the m8s ive made on the foneline at some point 🙂 + sumtimes the most powerful things are left between the lines 4 ur imagination 2 decide. x

Tell me about who’s messaging the foneline. How many ppl have messaged? What do you talk to them about?

we chat abt nething and everything but mostly send tunes back n forth, share production tips & nu musical discoveries aswell as gettin 2 kno eachotha a bit. sum ppl hav sent me vids of them playin my tracks @ clubs & house parties which has bn sik 2 c. i always send tunes xclusively 2 the foneline cru 1st 2 c what they think & give them 1st dibs on dubpl8s. it was rly nice 2 have my m8s from the foneline involved in this mix – u can hear them @ the beginnin & end. big luv 2 every1 who sent me voice notes. x

It seems like a really sweet community. I’ve put a few friends onto your music in the past year and every time I’ve told them about the mysterious identity approach they’ve said “oh like two shell”. What do you make of their shtick?

1stly tysm 4 sharin the music. yh the 2shell comparison was always gna happen but lots of other artists have done it as well – burial, mf doom, daft punk r a big inspo cos the art is the focus. with 2shell i think its fair enough 4 ppl to feel let down if they pay 2 c them if its a decoy but imo u should respect the cre8tivity & out the box thinkin in the way they present the music. the tunes are sick 2.

faceless or not, 4 me the special thing is building up a community with personal connection, m8 by m8 on the foneline, staying tru 2 an ethos & idea – like im workin in a record shop or flyering outside a club. fan experience is always gonna come 1st & i wanna be there irl at every show if i start 2 get sum bookings. x

Read this next: “We’re tired of hiding”: An interview with Two Shell, dance music’s final boss

I’m sure it won’t be long before the bookings start coming. Are there any other musicians you’ve grown up admiring, not just in their identities or whatever but in terms of their tunes? Like any formative DJs, producers, singers, rappers etc that you’ve always loved?

my uncle blessed me wit a bunch of his old records when i was young & learnin 2 mix. i fell in luv wit them & havin these tunes from the vaults started a habit of lookin back as well as fwd. amongst these were loads of ukg tunes & dnb records. i got obsessed wit rip productions who taught me abt vocal chops. theyre the unsung heros of that genre imo.

wit mc’s im always drawn 2 that raw uk energy so ppl like ruff squad, eksman & chip i consistently look back @ – i sampled chip on my tune unleaded. x & hes always been the bst grime lyricist 4 me. the way he had commercial hits & then brought it back 2 the underground shud be celebr8d.

from a producer pov its obvs 2 say but burial & evian christ i’ve always admired – sound design wise & 4 pushin genre boundaries. ive always rated anz & im jus mad impressed wit her annual production mixes – massively inspired me 2 do my own. dj wise ive neva seen a josey rebelle set that didnt gas me up – i rate her low-profile approach & no ig. x

You mentioned sampling chip and there’s lots of other recognisable voices in the mix too, like Erykah, Sexxy red, Flight Facilities and loads more. Have you cleared those samples?

chip 1 i managed 2 thx 2 a personal connection but the others r jus edits 4 the mix & free dl’s 4 the foneline so wnt get a full release. theres some propa forthcoming bits in the mix tho… x

I won’t snitch on you if you wanna keep that off the record.

hahaha yh if that’s kl, unless uve got links to those guys?! lol ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

lol no I don’t know sexxy red unfortunately

idk if this is gna make it in2 the interview but sexyy red if ur reading pls hmu 4 the collab <3 x