A Quick Chat With Submorphics

A Quick Chat With Submorphics (Interview)

The one and only Submorphics is back in the states for a short run of shows this month and we were lucky enough to catch up with him ahead of his performance at SD Union on July 27th.
Now that he is based in Amsterdam, NL we wanted to see how living abroad has been treating him, where his inspiration for his music comes from and what he misses about the States.

It’s been a little over a year since you made the move across the pond to the Netherlands. What are some of the things you miss the most about the U.S. DNB scene?

I miss my friends + family in Detroit, Chicago, and SF/LA, tacos, pizza, burgers, and sunshine! But I’m loving being based in the NL right now– I always wanted to try living in Europe and in D&B I think you really need to be based across the pond to do this thing at a higher level. My North Quarter family and new agent Tom @ ESP have been amazing and it’s an exciting time for me as I make plans for 2020!

Your sound is very unique, using a lot of vintage samples that span several decades. How do you go about selecting the perfect throwback tracks to put your signature twist on?

I tend to go for obscure 60s-early 70s soul samples on indie labels or privately pressed; stuff in a minor key and with a melancholic or bittersweet tone to them. If a melody speaks to me and I have ideas for how to add my own musical layers I go from there…and figure out if it works in 172 bpm!

You’ve collaborated with some pretty impressive names in drum & bass, Lenzman, Jenna G., and T.R.A.C to name a few. If you could collab with anyone, who would it be?

I love working with folks outside the D&B realm. These people I’d die happy if I ever worked with: Moses Sumney, Anderson.Paak, Herbie Hancock, Madlib, The Internet, Q-Tip, Rakim, Moodymann… I’ll stop there cause I could go on + on…

San Diego LOVES us some Submorphics. What do you look forward to the most when planning a trip here to S.D.?

I’ll only be in town for about 5 hours but I obviously need me an SD burrito! That place that Calculon takes me to with the Mexican wrestlers on the wall!

I want to thank Submorphics for taking time to sit down and answer my questions. He is truly a motivated man with a bright future ahead of him and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

If you’re in the SoCal area, you can Catch Submorphics this Saturday, July 27th at SD Union as he returns to San Diego alongside MC T.R.A.C., Bachelors Of Science and a slew of San Diego’s best. Make sure to Follow Submorphics on all of his socials so you can keep up with everything this busy man is up to!

Emily Widuch

Editor @ UBB