High Contrast Interview

You will be aware of the beats and the bass of Lincoln Barrett, probably without even knowing it. Lincoln, better known as High Contrast is without a doubt one of the biggest pioneers of Drum & Bass music since the early naughties and is a solid part of the Hospital Records family along with other artists such as London Elektricity, SPY and Camo & Krooked.

With remixes of acclaimed artists such as Adele, Utah Saints and the Future Sound of London; up there with the greatest D&B tracks of all time, High Contrast is a legend in his own right.

Hello Lincoln, how are you today? Where are you right now?

I’m just at home chilling.

How has 2012 been for you as a year of production?

Yeah it’s been really good. I put out my album in February, and then I was involved in the opening ceremony for the Olympics over the summer. Underworld got in touch and asked me if I could remix a few of the songs for the ceremony, and then I got to make some new music for the Athletes Parade.

Why the name High Contrast?

It just went down as a good way of describing my sounds really, I’m not particularly tied to one style of music. I like to mix things up and have a contrast. I had a few other names when I was just starting out but it’s probably best not to go into them too much.

(Laughing) I wont ask you about them then! I recently chatted to London Elektricity, how is it working closely with such pioneers of music?

Yeah it’s good, we all get on really well and I’ve known them now for almost ten years and it’s just like a little family vibe and they’re just a pleasure to work with.

My love for D&B in the mid-naughties definitely has High Contrast written all over it, when did you know that you were at the pinnacle of the D&B era, or do you feel the best is yet to come?

I don’t know, it feels like Drum and Bass has become more accepted now than it ever has been. It is especially a lot more accepted on the radio, about eight years ago none of my tracks would have been played on daytime radio, but now they’re a lot more open to that. It seems to keep on progressing and expanding.

Who at the moment is a stand out artist for you as a producer? Do you find that you listen to music and criticize a lot that you wouldn’t if you weren’t in the industry?

I really like Metrik; I think he is one of the best producers around. I guess I can’t help but analyse music, whatever kind of style it is, I’m always kind of deconstructing it in my head. That’s just how I am though, just very analytical.

What other genres of music did you listen to growing up in Wales? Where do you live now?

To be honest, I didn’t really listen to music growing up; I had no interest in it at all, apart from film soundtracks. I really enjoyed watching films and the music that went along with them. It wasn’t until I was about 17 that I started listening to and enjoying music and when I heard Drum and Bass I just fell in love with it. I think I was just getting frustrated with filmmaking; I went to university and studied film so it wasn’t that fulfilling. When I heard Drum and Bass it kind of just took over. I just loved how I could make a Drum and Bass track on my own, at home in the studio, and get pretty good results.

‘Tough Guys Don’t Dance’ is an amazing album, was this what kick started your career?

That was my third album, I guess each thing I’ve done has pushed me further, just like a slow gradual progression. Every new challenge opens up various different doors.

Your remix of ‘Papa New Guinea’, Future Sound Of London was banging, how did you come about to remix this?

Yeah, it was a track that I didn’t hear when it first came out, but it was one I picked up on from an old friend of mine. I found the competition online that had the different elements from this track on the website and I just did the remix off my own back, and did it how it felt right to me at that time. I didn’t really think about it, I just did it and it kind of just blew up and a lot of people liked it.

If you weren’t in the music industry, what would you be doing?

Well I’ve always been into films and film making so maybe I would have pursued that.

How do you think the D&B scene has changed in the past ten years?

Yeah I mean when put my first tracks out the bass was just raw and simple, but now with the new producers coming through it’s a lot more advanced. It kind of sounds a lot more polished and professional now, it’s good that the standard’s gone up so much.

This year is destined to be another big year for High Contrast as your fourth artist album, ‘The Agony & The Ecstasy’ has been released, what’s different about this album to the rest of your productions?

Yeah I think so, it’s come out three years after the last album, and I think it’s definitely got a more mature sound to it and all of the tracks on the album kind of flow together and have that kind of cohesiveness. It got some pretty good singles on there but as an album, as a concept, as a finished piece of work, I think it works better than the others.

Quick fire round: do you have any pets?

No I don’t, but I used to have a pet monkey. I can’t remember his name because I was so young when my family had it.

Banana hammocks or shorts?

Shorts.

An embarrassing moment?

When I first started out DJ’ing I had a nasty habit of taking the wrong needle off the record when the other one was still playing, and then there was just silence… I always used to just blame it on the sound engineer!

Home or away?

My life always consists of both, but if I had the choice I would have to say at home.

Nice one Lincoln thanks so much for your time!

By Frankie Salt

Check out our new BBM Dance Music Podcast Featuring So Called Scumbags.