Tom Drummond - Interview and Exclusive Free Track

One of the most consistent producers on the scene, Tom Drummond’s name is a mark of funky quality. With massive releases on Goodgroove and Manmade to name just two, Tom flips classic samples with ease, flair and originality.

He took the time to catch up with NuFunk.net, to talk about his transition from punk to funk and the proliferation of new releases we can expect from him in the next few months.

How did your relationship with music begin? What music did you listen to growing up?

I was one of those kids who had a mum and dad that took them to music lessons each week – I played the guitar. I remember getting introduced to popular music when I was about 8 and getting my teacher to show me how to play tunes. I started figuring them out myself soon after.

I was into a whole bunch of stuff starting at cheesy girlie pop when I was 10 (think ‘Real McCoy’). Then I was a bit of a punk, when high school came around I was a Slipknot freak. Finally when I was in my late high school years I literally went from death metal to funk and jazz over the course of a few days.

And how did that develop into DJing and production?

I was big into the whole ‘playing in a band’ thing, then a mate of mine in high school showed me some production software. I remember thinking: “I can do the whole thing myself? Sweet!”. This same guy had turntables and those were the first decks I mixed on.

Is there a ‘Tom Drummond sound’? What are you aiming for in tracks you produce?

I'm a big Mr Scruff fan, I like it how his music always sounds so fresh and that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. So that’s pretty much what I aim for with my stuff; to sound fresh and interesting but still musical and not too hard to listen to. That's what I look for in the records I play when I'm DJing too.

Which bands/DJs/producers do you enjoy the most?

A-Skillz, Featurecast, Mr Scruff, Flow Dynamics, Slynk. These guys are all great DJs as well as producers.

What’s your take on the bootlegging/sampling debate? Is it a short cut or an art form in its own right?

I think it's like how graffiti dudes start out by tagging then move on to murals. Though bootlegging isn’t as destructive and people (like A-Skillz) routinely go back to it. So it's nothing like that really, ha ha.

It depends on the quality of the boot - if someone takes some big song, adds in an extra hi-hat or something then goes and sells it on Juno that’s just ultra lame.

How do you feel about new developments in production and DJ technology – Ableton, digital vinyl etc.?

Ableton is the best thing to happen to electronic dance music in a long time IMO.

As for the digital vinyl thing, it's only logical that everything is going to go digital at some point. As a producer I love having tracks come out on vinyl because it’s a tangible thing that represents the work you put into the track so it’ll be sad when the day arrives when there's no more wax to release on.

Tell us about your latest releases and any upcoming tracks we should listen out for?

I have a house release coming on Lingo Recordings. I also have a few tracks coming up on Bombastic Jam, some collabs with Slynk due out on Manmade and Bombstrikes Records. I've also got a CD release coming out on the Hip-Hop label Cold Busted in the near future as well as a collaboration with JMC coming up on the new label Shanghai Disco.

Some quick-fire questions to finish with:

What’s your favourite sound?

Funk.

What’s the last tune/album/podcast you put on your MP3 player?

A bunch of old Freestylers/Freskanova jams.

What is your proudest achievement in life?

The fact that I'm not tied down to some boring job thinking that I have to make a whole bunch of money then die.

And your biggest regret?

Not coming to this realisation sooner.

What do you think about the launch of NuFunk.net?

Great idea. I've got a few of the sample packs that have been uploaded, I'm sure they’ll come in handy.

And finally, can you tell us about the exclusive free track/mix that you are offering our readers?

This is a house type track that I did about 2 years ago (I used to produce lots of house). I think it’s a good crossover type track to go between house and funky breaks, so I thought you guys could get a bit of use from it.

And here it is, in all its glory:

  Tom Drummond - Funky Fresh From 83 by NuFunk.net

To get your copy of Tom's exclusive track, head over to our Member's Vault at the forum. You can't access the vault if you're not a member of NuFunk.net, in fact the forum is invisible until you sign in.

Once you sign in, the password for the Vault is in the forum description. We've spray-painted it out in the picture below, but you get the idea:

And if you're not a member yet, get on it and join the rapidly growing community HERE