Moving away from his previous alias LAXX, the supreme bass talent LINK is already carving a serious name for himself. Fusing classic rave beats with a 2021 twist, we were immediately drawn in by bits like "I WANT YOU" and "Come Together." He has an EP titled Turbo releasing on May 7th through Welcome Records, and we can expect chunky basslines, euphoric vocals and intricate melodies.
We got in touch with LINK to hear more, plus his Current Vibes for our playlist…
Thank you for joining us for a chat! Can you talk us through the past year for you musically, and how you overcame obstacles from 2020?
I think 2020 has been challenging for everyone honestly, with the whole world flipping upside down obviously..
It honestly just made me work harder and focus on the projects that I wanted to explore but didn't have time to beforehand. As soon as it hit, I was starting learning 3D and after effects, so I basically went full force on the music videos I was creating – on top of writing and finishing a lot of new music, it was generally a really productive time for me.
What are you most excited about for the rest of 2021?
2021 feels like a fresh start after last year, so I'm excited about events starting to open back and live music being a thing again, but mostly releasing all of this music I've had backed up! I've got some major plans for LINK in general, I want to work with more artists, make more video / 3D projects, more mixes, and showing more elements to what I have in store musically.
You’ve stolen our hearts with “I WANT YOU” – it takes us right back to classic club days! Do you feel you achieved what you wanted to with this track?
This is exactly what I wanted to do with this record. Bringing back the sounds of the 2000s with a modern edge, so honestly that's the biggest compliment :)
The rest of the Turbo EP is on the way and we're hyped to hear it. How long did it take you to make? How would you describe it to someone who hadn’t heard it?
I worked on the whole EP for about a year, with a few tracks swapped out and re worked as I went. The whole EP feels like it's built on memories of sounds I was hearing growing up in the UK and being exposed to different types of dance music. It's made up of a collection of sub genre's with a modern edge: Hard House / Trance / Big Room / Techno / Garage / Breakbeat… lots of little bits and pieces all polished up and fit back together into a song which works in a packed warehouse rave, as much as it would at home when you need some pep in your step.
If you could sum up the sound of LINK in a few words, what would they be?
Musical pieces of the 2000s smashed up and melted back together to fit the 2020's. In one word: Euphoria.
Who or what influences you musically? Do you find you get inspired by lots of different genres and styles?
I've got a crazy wide music taste. I'll listen to punk and hardcore bands, and flip to jazz and classical depending on my mood. I never limit myself, and I'm always trying to find really obscure artists and music styles to find inspiration in. I heard a lot of music growing up which I didn't understand at the time and now being older I completely get it, so it feels like I'm hunting for vinyl again, and when I find something that pops for me I have to find out what that artists influences were, and I just go deeper and deeper.
Personally speaking, your favorite tunes right now?
Right now I'm listening to all types of music – here's a few:
Attitude – "Lewis Of Man"
NitePunk – "Miracle"
Love Regenerator – "Give Me Strength"
Randomer – "Sleep Of Reason"
Slowthai, Skepta – "Cancelled"
In a dream world, festivals are happening and you’re playing a b2b with your favorite DJ… who is it and why?
Gammer is one of my favorite DJs and a close friend, so I think that would be completely insane – and I'm here for it. I'm pretty sure it's going to happen in the near future… 😉
