TEN 4… BURT COPE
1… Who is Burt Cope?
I’m a 20 year old DJ, producer and all round music enthusiast from Oxford. I specialise in mostly Garage, Bassline and Drum&Bass.
2… How have you found lockdown so far?
Lockdown has been up and down for me really, it’s been great to focus on a lot of new projects, also been working in a warehouse which is good for getting out the house and having that routine! Missing friends is a big downer though, as well as missing out on various events and motives, something to look forward to though when this is all lifted!
3… How has the Oxford scene influenced your musical taste and development as an artist?
The Cellar, while it was still open, was a huge influence. Having the opportunity to play various events such as Fluid, Deep Cover and Free Range from a young age, these brands and the venue itself definitely helped me develop as an artist. The community surrounding The Cellar was so valuable, it was such an inspiring thing to be at the heart of while it was thriving. Some people thought The Cellar was just a dirty drug dungeon, but it was the dirty drug dungeon which made me who I am today!
4… You described your MAYDAY track - ‘Wavy Dance’ - as the kind of thing you used to make before your neighbours started to hate you. What inspired you to change up your style?
When I first started making music at the age of 14 I was making mostly Dubstep, then I got in to making more house and garage, I then discovered Bassline which I found clicked with me. My choice of genre to focus on has always fluctuated but I’ve always experimented with lots of different styles of music. When I started making Bassline I got more serious about my productions, I eventually stopped producing on the family computer and got my first pair of studio monitors for my room, this is now why my neighbours hate me!
5… With the likes of Crucast, Deeprot and Lengoland pushing the UK bassline resurgence, it really feels like this is your time. How have you found being thrown in the deep end with some of the biggest artists in the scene so early in your career?
I found being involved with some of the biggest artists in the scene from an early age to be very exciting. It was crazy being on the same line ups as well as B2B’s with people I looked up to. I felt that the years prior of building up my own sound really paid off. I did face a lot of learning curves from being so young in such open waters but it’s definitely been good for me.
6… We’ve also seen you make waves in the UKG community with frequent involvement with Conducta and his Kiwi imprint - are you moving more towards this style with your upcoming releases?
As I mentioned before I’m always experimenting with different styles of music, but in recent times I have definitely been more fixated on producing Garage, as well as building a name for myself in that part of the dance music scene. I’d say now is a good time to be releasing Garage music with everything going on in the world, spreading positive vibes.
7… We’ve been rinsing your tune ‘Desire’ (OUT NOW) for a few weeks now - can you tell us a bit more about this one?
‘Desire’ was just one of those projects that I forgot about. I was never sure what I wanted to do with it, whether it would be an instrumental for a rapper or released as it is eventually. But after it was getting supported by Conducta and had a really good response, I knew it had serious potential! ‘Desire’ is a summery Garage/Grime track, filled with soulful vocals and instrumentation as well as skippy drums. It’s coming out on Leicester based label Wang Records on the 12th of June and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!
8… Based on how you were moving before lockdown, I expect we’ll be seeing plenty more Burt Cope bookings once we’re allowed outside again. Having experienced the scene up and down the country, can you let us know you favourite and least favourite aspects of touring clubland?
Good question! I’d say least favourite has to be some of the stupidly long train journeys when I haven’t been able to sort a lift, I remember last year I had Exeter one night and Sheffield the night after, I couldn’t sort a lift in time so had a long weekend of train cancelations and waiting around at multiple platforms while it was ridiculously hot and sweaty, was an absolute nightmare! Favourite has to be being able to experience different cities and even countries as of since January when I played in France. I love meeting new people and seeing friends in cities which I wouldn’t be able to visit as frequently without playing sets. Lockdown has really made me appreciate those experiences so much more than I did before!
9… Where is this all leading? Where would you like to see your career five years down the line?
I’d like to have expanded my own ‘Can You Cope’ brand in to a record label and be doing way more frequent events across the country. I’d also like to be continuing to grow as an artist and play at events and hopefully more festivals!
10… Any words of encouragement for anyone out there who might be struggling to stay motivated these days?
Don’t force it, experiment and don’t be too hard on yourself when things aren’t working out how you planned. All good things come with time and patience.
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