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Introducing: Solardo As They Present Their Bass Driven fabric x Kaluki Mix

DJ and production duo Solardo were born and raised in Manchester, a city where music has historically been central to life. Coming from a background in dubstep, the pair have taken these roots and cultivated them into a fresh bass-heavy signature that has started to resonate with a wider audience, building up a force of fans and nods from influential label bosses along with a healthy slew of releases behind them on the likes of Kalkuki and Viva Music. Having put the hours in developing their ethos and aesthetic, 2016 is already proving to be a big year for the production team. Here the pair (made up of Mark Richards and James Eliot) have delivered us a large chunk of bass driven techno, featuring a very special and exclusive first listen to a collaboration with Skream, another techno convert, who they're set to link with when they make their debut in Room Two on May 7th. Download: Solardo - fabric x Kaluki Promo Mix Can you tell us a bit about you guys met and how you came up with your name Solardo? James: We're a DJ and Production duo from Manchester with releases on Of Unsound Mind, Viva Music, Madtech, MTA, Underground Audio, Snatch! and Kaluki. Mark: We met around 10 years ago when I was involved in the dubstep scene as MRK1. James was more of a raver and we partied in the same circles of people. Around a year ago we thought we would hook up and try making our own take of house music fusing different elements of musical genres we have listened to and been involving in over the years. We thought we would just experiment with sounds and equipment to see where it would take us. We locked ourselves in the studio for 8 months, working 12-15 hours a day trying to perfect our sound. We made around 40 tracks and then sent them to labels. Within 2 weeks they were all signed to some of the biggest house labels in the scene and Solardo started. In terms of the name, we messed around with loads of different name options, and eventually came up with Solardo. It means nothing but looks cool (well we think so haha). Who are your greatest inspirations as DJs and producers? Mark: Liam Howlett is my greatest inspiration as a producer. His music 20 years ago is still relevant now, and timeless. To be able to do that takes some doing! James: Jamie Jones is one of my inspirations as a DJ. He is the king of new music. Do you feel that working as a pair has added to your output musically? Mark: Yeah definitely. Working together helped us both focus solely on our music and sound. When we first started out as Solardo we did nothing else but focus on music, techniques to make different sounding music, and sounds! We wouldn't have been so focused if we weren't both of the same mindset. Do you still live in Manchester, and what does the city offer that other places don't? James: We do! The musical heritage of the city runs deep. As an artist this helps you focus more on what you are doing. The scene here is also going off, theres so much energy here! To what extent would you say your sound as Solardo has been shaped by past projects in other genres that you've worked in, like dubstep for example? Mark: When I was involved in the dubstep scene the sound then was brand new to the market. It was warm and every tune we made was something new. After doing it for 15 years that feeling has gone from the music and there's not much if anything new that can be added to the genre (as yet). The Solardo project feels just like it did when I started out making dubstep. There's so much inspiration there and the sound is so fresh to me, making it easier to produce and come up with new ideas. How would you describe what you do to an elderly family member at a wedding? James: I would say that I make music, full stop. I don't think they would understand the DJ side of things. They would take one look at the DJ at the wedding, then look at me and then potentially disown me, haha! What can we expect from you guys in the coming months? Mark: We've got loads of new music coming up, including EPs on Kaluki, Viva, and Roush, a few very decent remixes and a number of tracks on compilations. We're also looking at a lot of DJ bookings all over. We feature in a new TV show on Redbull TV, called After The Raves which is out next month. It's an American TV show which follows DJs around doing day to day life things. In the episode we're in, they come to the UK and spend a couple of days with us and Fatboy Slim. We show Tommie Sunshine about Manchester and speak about the music scene. It's pretty cool! James: We've also got a collab EP with Skream coming out in September on his label. I've been mates with Olli for 15 years, and it's taken this long for us to actually get in the studio together so it's going to be pretty special. I've included one of the tracks that we have done in this mix! It's the first time we've played it in a recorded mix so its a bit of an exclusive! Are you looking forward to coming down and playing for us? James: Yeah we can't wait! We've been coming to fabric for years, so getting to play for you is a real honour and something we really can't wait for!
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