Interview: Adam F

ARON SOLOMONS talks to producer legend Adam F in part two of our dance music interview series.

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Adam F has achieved a lot in the last 15 years. Starting out in the late 90s with his MOBO winning Drum & Bass album Colours, he now runs his own record label with DJ Fresh and has produced tracks for a plethora of hip-hop heavy weights Stateside, including LL Cool J and Missy Elliot.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTZAQlr6ZZc

Adam F- Circles from 1998 album Colours

I chatted to Adam as he was taking a break from a recording session just outside London. Having spent the last year focused on his record label Breakbeat Kaos he was eager to be back in the studio.

There’s a new single coming out in April. I’ve been so busy with the label – with Fresh – with Pendulum – so busy – finally doing some new Adam F.”

We spoke about the dance scene at the moment and he seemed genuinely excited at the general vibe over the last 12 months. There has never had a time that an audience has been so open to genres – in the past house had its own room, dubstep its own room… now everybody is playing all these different styles.”

Having only started DJing live after the release of his award winning album he remembered being thrown straight in at the deep endat Glastonbury in the late 1990s, acknowledging he was spoilt at the beginning”.

We spoke about his most memorable gigs as he reminisced about the label nights with Fresh and Pendulum, but also when he got M.O.P. to play at Fabric – it was fucking nuts – it just went off”.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNrqCHQnIik

Adam F ft. Redman- Smash Sumthin

I was keen to chat to him about his hip-hop production that started in LA when he was watching Method Man and Redman’s Blackout tour; I hustled my way back stage into the dressing room while they were sitting there smashed after the show.

He played them a demo and three months later he was in New York recording a track. The whole thing snowballed after representatives from Def Jam heard it and he was soon producing for Missy Elliot amongst others.

He told me what it was like to record with such famous names – Nothing better than working with the people who inspire you…. most amazing experiences I’ve had as a producer – all a bit surreal”.

I then proceeded to squeeze some stories out of Adam. He paused, and then chuckled: If we have a three hour interview with video footage… crazy people.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_y3K9s1QR4

Adam F in 2012

We ended the interview by talking about his Breakbeat Kaos label, which notably released Pendulum’s best-selling debut Hold Your Colour back in 2005. That album undoubtedly changed the Drum & Bass scene forever.  For Adam though, whilst the starting point may have been Drum & Bass, the vision has always been to move forward with bass music.

Adam F’s new single ‘When The Rain Is Gone’ is out in April.

Check out the first part of our dance music interview series HERE.