#138 Shackleton: Bass, mystery, and devastating beauty, "adding too much literal narrative misses the point of the music"

Oct 15, 2024

Shackleton, producer and Skull Disco co-founder known for percussive, dub-influenced electronic music, joins to talk rarity of interviews and protecting mystique. He reflects on early dubstep roots, his move to Berlin, prolific collaborations, remote studio workflows, and how venue culture shaped his sound. Short, mysterious, and deeply musical conversation.

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ADVICE

Make Music For Your Conviction

Make music because you believe in it, not to control how others interpret it.
Accept reviews and reactions but focus on doing your best work and moving on.

INSIGHT

Surface Signifiers Mislead Interpretation

People latch on to surface signifiers instead of the substance of art or music.
That shallow reading frustrates creators who want their work understood more deeply.

ADVICE

Prioritise Ideas Over Gear

Don't let gear become an obstacle; use what solves your problems and trust your ear.
Encourage younger producers to prioritise ideas over expensive equipment.

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*****ANNOUNCEMENT*****

Join us for the first ever Not A Diving Club at fabric in London on Thursday 24 Oct, an evening of chat and unreleased bangers from 8pm til late.

DJs on the night will be

Minder b2b Machine Woman

Oneman b2b Lu.Re

T.Williams b2b Tasha

Scuba b2b Braille

This will be a FREE ENTRY EVENT but you must be on the advance signup list to get in -> sign up here.

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To call Shackleton an enigmatic figure would be to understate the case, especially in the context of the modern music scene. The requirements of the modern musician to constantly explain themselves, preferably direct to camera on social media, are so far from the operating system of this week's guest as to be entirely alien. So to welcome him to the podcast is a great privilege.

A co-founder of the legendary Skull Disco label, veteran of the embryonic dubstep scene, and subsequent traveller through musical psychedelia, he's a producer with an instantly recognisable style who has managed to develop it in surprising ways while keeping absolutely true to his musical principles.

This is an extremely rare Shackleton interview so there was much to discuss, and we get deep into his highly prolific recent catalogue, his transplant to Germany and relationship with his home country, as well as that formative period in the movement that became known as dubstep.

This is a big episode and a great conversation, you're gonna love it

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