​Plastician: “Bass Music in the US is Healthier Than in the UK”

South London stalwart Plastician has been at the center of bass music since the millennium turned and dubstep rose all those moons ago. His Rinse.FM show has long been essential listening and his Terrorhythm imprint has released tunes by everyone from Joker to Om Unit as he’s grown into something of an elder statesman in the UK and beyond.

“It’s basically just me getting old and still trying to hold onto my youth by ‘keeping up with the kids,’” Plastician laughs, midway through a US tour that saw him celebrate the Trouble & Bass finale in New York this past weekend.

“It’s great that people hold me in regard like that,” he goes on. “I feel like there’s so many great DJs around these days that you have to really step your game up if you’ve been around as long as me, or the next, younger, hungrier individual will quite easily knock you off of your perch.”

Whereas his contemporaries have responded to this pressure by moving into vastly different genres or threatening to retire entirely, Plastician looked over the pond to the forever-developing stateside bass scene for inspiration.

“I think the scene in the States is really healthy,” he says. “A lot healthier than the UK, actually. Look at the LA Beat Scene, guys like Team Supreme, then look at Teklife and the footwork movement. In New York you have Swim Team making this insane blend of styles, some of the best music in the world right now. The way that hip-hop and bass music have seemingly blended together in the past decade has also opened up a lot of doors and broken down the boundaries for hip-hop and rap music to find its way into the club scene again.”

There is a collaborative, intrepid energy in the US at the moment that is pushing artists forward, a trait that hearkens back to the salad days of dubstep and grime. “Everyone on the whole seems a lot more open to experimenting, as opposed to maybe five years ago where all that mattered was how hard your song’s drop was or how loud your mixdown was,” says Plastician. “Now people are excited about vibes and exploring new territories. It’s exciting to watch from afar.”

A-Trak and Plastician at the Trouble & Bass finale, Photo by Razberry Photography for Verboten

Plastician’s current stint in the US came to a close this weekend as he was part of Trouble & Bass’ emotional farewell party at Verboten in New York. His ten year relationship with the party squad proved to be an indicator of how Plastician’s tastes would develop over time. “I played with Star Eyes and Drop The Lime in New York back in 2006 with Skepta and Jammer,” he says. “It’s crazy to see how Skepta is doing right now, but that just underlines how ahead of the curve Trouble & Bass has been for so many years.”

The T&B crew has been a perennial influence for the all-seeing, all-hearing selector from Croydon. He explains: “The vibe at their events was always party-centric, but without lowering themselves to churning out sets full of classics. They’ve always had a knack for knowing who within the realms of the ever-changing music industry is going to be able to service their dancefloor with a fun yet educational experience in partying. They changed the way I ran my label, and their events have served as a benchmark for me pretty much anywhere I play all over the world.”

We would be amiss to speak with such a master of the game and not cop some audio knowledge out of it. That in mind, we’ve got a 65-minute mix from Plastician above that exemplifies where he’s at right now.

“It’s a mash up of styles,” he says of the mix. “Lots of stuff I like at the moment, but focusing a little more on the club vibes…It still builds up slowly, somewhat of a journey as I know this is likely to be listened in many settings. When I record a mix for online, I like to imagine how it might aid somebody doing their day to day, or perhaps getting ready to go out, or the journey to work. If you listen to it in any of these settings I think it’ll make sense. Also, there’s some Juicy J vocals in there, purely because I can’t get away with playing stuff like that on the radio. It’s gloriously offensive!”

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