u z z v’s 12+1 London is kickstarting its new vinyl WAX series with its first offering ‘Higher Orbit’, courtesy of Alex Arnout.
The new release showcases three original tracks as he treads through his unique blend of techno, minimal, and breaks. The package is rounded off by a remix from 12+1 London head-honcho, u z z v.
EG caught up with u z z v to learn more about 12+1 London’s foray into wax, the label’s ‘Numbers’ VA series, future releases, and more.
EG: Hi u z z v! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you based right now?
u z z v: Hey! Just back to London where I am based right now from a US tour playing around the East Coast.
EG: First of all, congratulations on the launch of 12+1 London’s wax series! What has the initial reception been like?
u z z v: Thanks a lot! It has been awesome, the whole team were so excited about this release. We did a special showcase at fabric London for the launch, Alex (Arnout) did a really good job as always, so proud of him.
EG: So, what was it that motivated you to have 12+1 London press in vinyl? Just how much work goes into making this possible?
u z z v: It was an idea we had since the beginning of the label. After years of hard work, we now have it between our hands and spin in our turntables. Now we are working on the second wax, a Various Artist extended play.
EG: The first release from 12+1 London is Alex Arnout’s ‘Higher Orbit’, which you also got to remix. Why did you choose to go with this particular release to introduce this new vinyl series?
u z z v: Alex is one of the pioneers in the United Kingdom. I am so proud and happy to release his EP including 3 originals to introduce this project. Making a remix to the main track was such an honor to me.
“It was an idea we had since the beginning of the label. After years of hard work, we now have it between our hands and spin in our turntables”
EG: What kind of music can we expect to be pressed on vinyl? What are you looking for?
u z z v: Vinyl is more exclusive than digital obviously, most of the Wax releases on 12+1 London are only vinyl. Mature beats and hard work from our family members are what you can expect in the following months from artists such as Rigzz, Antss, Jamahr, and myself.
EG: By the way, 12+1 London also recently released its ‘Numbers Vol. X’ VA, which has a rather peculiar approach in terms of the names of each track. What’s the general concept of the series? What can fans of the label find in this installment?
u z z v: ‘Number Series’ is a Various Artists compilation divided into different volumes where the titles of the songs are just numbers, from 0001 to 0050 until now, from old school producers to newcomers. More ‘Numbers’ will be released soon.
EG: What’s next for 12+1 London? Is there anything else you can anticipate on that front?
u z z v: Last November I released a single track called ‘Bonus Point’ as part of the 8th-anniversary celebrations alongside 7 amazing remixes from Jamahr, Ray Okpara, Nicola Brusegan, Jizz… this summer the second part of the remixes will be released. Also new music from Andre Salmon, Kevin Deep, Adiel Mora, and Alex Arnout… on digital and vinyl, few more ‘Numbers’ and NFT music releases.
EG: How do you keep entertained when not in the studio? Have you checked out any good movies, series, books, or albums you’d recommend?
u z z v: Spending time with family and friends and staying active by doing some sports. I haven’t really watched much TV or movies, however, one of the most interesting books I have discovered this year is called ‘Rave Art’. It’s a collection of flyers, invitations, artwork, etc. from the golden age of raving.
“Alex is one of the pioneers in the United Kingdom. I am so proud and happy to release his EP including 3 originals to introduce this project”
EG: What’s next for u z z v? What particular milestones are you looking forwards to this 2023? Where can your fans catch you next?
u z z v: A new EP called ‘Is That Right?’ is coming out this month (pre-order on Beatport June 9th, 2023) on Set About South, Metodi Hristov and Gallya’s label. A remix to fabric London (WYS!) resident Peter Pixzel for his own label. The second part of ‘Bonus Point’ remixes from Andre Salmon, Cristian Viviano, and Pornbugs will be out in August 2023 on 12+1 London. That’s in the studio side until the end of the summer, touring I will be in LatAm end of July and August, and a few more gigs around Morocco, Spain, the U.K., Romania, and more until September.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Unai! We wish you all the best for the future.
u z z v: Thank you very much always guys!
Alex Arnout’s ‘Higher Orbit’ is out now via 12+1 London. Purchase your copy here.
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