All Things Neurofunk with DnB Talent 'Sahota'

Carrying on in the Artist Interview Series, we recently spoke to Sahota who was last years top rated applicant. You can listen to one of his high energy neurofunk DnB mixes here.

Rosa Audio: What have you been working on recently musically?

Sahota: Recently, it’s been quite a quiet start to 2024, Rosa was actually the first booking for me. I’ve got a residency in the works with a label in Buckingham - but I can't really say the label just yet, I've got to wait for it to be confirmed. Other than that, I’m tryna crack on with production which can be hit and miss if I'm quite honest - I'm not at the point I want to be just because the stuff I want to make is neurofunk, so the heavier stuff. It can be hard to structure a track properly but it's definitely in the works.

Rosa Audio: Big part of it though is the funk, you've got to find the funk, but then somehow make it filthy and awful but very clean.

Sahota: It’s a hard combination to grasp and to perfect! I’m very much able to string together a liquid track but I'm very much a neurofunk artist. It's certainly on it's way though.

Rosa Audio: Whereabouts is it that you’re based? 

Sahota: So I'm based in Milton Keynes. I've played here and there; obviously I came to the Peak District last year for you guys, played ministry of sound last year. Played a few events in Banbury, Leicester. Been here there and everywhere - played an event in Belgium. Start as you mean to go on - plant my feet and go from there.

Rosa Audio: What’s been your favourite moment from 2023?

Sahota: Well funnily enough it would be Rosa - you guys were actually my first festival booking, and it was good to integrate, meet everybody, meet the team, and get to know new people. It was a really wicked experience. I was semi bricking it coming up thinking what if I mess up, once I got there it just really flowed naturally as everyone was so nice which certainly eased the nerves.

Rosa Audio: Well we had confidence in you man! Last year you were the highest rated mix of the applicants, you got full 5’s across the board.

No pressure for this year then!

Sahota: Well yeah it’s gonna have to be even better than last year! That’s sort of my dynamic in a sense, I love the fast paced intensity and the gritty DnB - its a niche sub-genre not everyone’s into it, other people love it but for me it’s my bread and butter - I love my neuro.

Rosa Audio: I always feel like neuro is the metal of the drum and bass world.

Sahota: Exactly it gives that proper grunge vibe! I love it.

Rosa Audio: So what was your favourite moment at Rosa seeing as it was your favourite moment of the year?

Sahota: Definitely integrating and meeting people. So I met a lot of new faces. I didn't know anyone at the festival - I had a few people that were gonna come but they had a few issues so I didn't bring anyone with me, in a sense that was good because it pushed me to meet new people, put myself in the firing line.

Rosa Audio: Out of the frying pan in and into the fire.

Sahota: Exactly mate. And sort of push myself to broaden my horizons, yeah it was good i met a lot of new people. I met KEEF, he’s a really nice lad, I don't know them all by first name basis - I just know all their aliases.  I met Tinted Lense. 

Rosa Audio (Tinted Lense): We should get that B2B in some time!

Sahota: Yeah man! I just love all that heavy hitting stuff, for me it's always been neuro - I went to Rampage and I fell in love!

Rosa Audio: How was it?

Sahota: Yeah it was insane, I went in 2019 and that was the first festival I'd ever been to. I started off strong. It was insane man. The whole production, the light shows, the sets.

Rosa Audio: What's a European crowd like?

Sahota: I’m not gonna lie it’s so much better than the UK! It’s so versatile, I'd met people that have come from New Zealand, Australia that had come all the way to bloody Belgium for a festival. There's a massive variety of different people with different ethnicities and backgrounds - it really brings people together, not because they're there for any other reason other than to listen to music and meet people and enjoy themselves. That’s why I love it so much. Drum and bass is the genre that brings people together. Obviously you get the odd few idiots in the rave but I've never really gone to a festival and had an issue with someone - everyone’s so welcoming and yeah it's amazing!

Rosa Audio: Who do you reckon your biggest inspiration is and what about them inspires you?

Sahota: A.M.C. for me purely because it's the dynamic that I'm going for - I like that fast paced mixing with different drops, different build ups and you never know what to expect basically. I supported him at Milton Keynes actually, it was wicked really - I got a photo with him and had a little chat with him backstage, he seemed like a really down to earth guy. His Let It Roll and Rampage sets were ridiculous. Some of my mates are actually playing at Rampage - In The Lab recordings, based in Northamptonshire.

Rosa Audio: I think we already know the answer to this next question but - who would be your dream B2B? 

Sahota: Yeah A.M.C. - I know I have nowhere near the experience or versatility that he does but like tune selection wise and going off energy I reckon it would be nuts. Incredible for sure.

Rosa Audio: What was it like doing the Sigma tour event?

Sahota: It was good to be fair! For me they surprised me quite a bit - I thought they were going to come out with a lot of their old school stuff and the real dancefloor killers but no they played a lot of jump-up, rollers so yeah it was surprising. But yeah Sigma was really good, they surprised me a lot, they played a lot of different music that I wouldn't expect from them and they’re really down to earth. I didn't really get much chance to speak to them as I took over from them so it was a very brief ‘Nice Set mate!’ kinda thing. The crowd really enjoyed my set, it was quite a late one I think it was 2-3am, so usually by that time after the headliner people are like ‘Oh yeah let’s go home type of thing’ but I seemed to keep the crowd quite well.

Rosa Audio: Where do you think the scene is headed?

Sahota: So with social media, and obviously things like TikTok have come into play more recently, it’s expanded the scene exponentially, so you get people coming in listening to music that haven't really listened to drum and bass before. For me, social media is a massive platform and enhancement to the growth in the scene, the development of future artists down the line. If it wasn’t for Tiktok and Instagram I wouldn't have found half the artists that I've found. So it's a massive factor and for me I can't see it disappearing or going anywhere. If anything, it's just going to grow stronger and stronger every day. New talents, artists and producers are coming into the scene and yeah it's an ever growing collaboration.

Rosa Audio: Have you got any guilty pleasure tunes other than DnB?

Sahota: I like my 4x4 and Gabba, and I don't know why but I really like hard techno, like Sara Landry - the real Berlin vibes. I don’t know why but I've got a real sweet spot for it. I see some of the clips on Instagram and I’d love to go there, it looks wicked. Honestly I've got quite a large variety of sub-genres that I'm into but for me definitely guilty pleasure would be hard techno. And a bit of bassline every now and then.

Rosa Audio: What are your thoughts on the Rosa line-up so for?

Sahota: It’s wicked I'm not going to lie, there's a good variety of artists, like with last year when I was there I was listening to artists that I’ve never heard of before and they were absolutely shredding their sets. And it went for me to go and follow them on Instagram and communicate with them and yeah some of the artists are wicked. I can’t wait to see Zero personally, it’s gonna be messy! And yeah this time I can stay for the full duration as I've not got any other bookings.

Rosa Audio: Shall we wrap it up with a daft little question then…. If you were a biscuit, what biscuit would you be and why?

Sahota: A bourbon, because I'm brown and sweet.

Rosa Audio: Unreal! Big ups bro!