Rudimental

Rudimental -DEZii

Rudimental are a British band signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records, and Black Butter Records. The band members are Piers Aggett, Amir Amor, Kesi Dryden and Leon “Locksmith” Rolle. They have achieved multiple Platinum awards for record sales in several countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia. They are known for such hits as ​​” Feel The Love”, “Waiting All Night”, “These Days”, “Lay It All On Me”, and “Not Giving In”. They sat down to give ThriveIN the inside track after a massive performance at Ulu Cliffhouse, Bali.

Q: So tell us, how did you come up with the name Rudimental and what does it mean?

A: So initially, the name Rudimental was cut in half by Rudimental member Kesi. He was going to call himself rudiments, a part of the theory of music, and he kept forgetting his theory book for his piano lessons when he was younger. So that just stuck with him, and it was a bit of a ship name. So I said to him, let’s just make our band name into rudimental. That’s how we formed rudimental. The irony of it is we are pretty rude and pretty mental at the same time. We’re not rude, just kidding!

Q: And how did the group come together and start?

A: It’s pretty much a bit of a sort of bromance story we’ve got. The band came together long ago without knowing that we were a band. We were friends. We grew up with each other since we were five years old. We lived on the same street, played on the same football teams and made music together from an early age. We organically formed a band. We’ve been on a long old journey with each other sharing the same interest since we were kids and, fortunately, still like each other enough to tour the world and make music together.

Q: When was it important to maintain the drum and bass style, and was this an emerging genre?

A: It’s mad! I think the misconception with Rudimental is that it’s drum and bass orientated. Real drum and bass artists and heritage Jacks probably wouldn’t say that our music is really that DnB heavy. However, we were massively influenced by London culture. And when we were growing up, there was a melting pot of diverse social backgrounds and races, all living amongst each other. I remember my street; there was an Irish family playing Irish folk music. There was a Jamaican family playing reggae, and we just soaked it all up. 

Q: That’s fascinating. And what would you say your creative process is like, like how do you develop new ideas?

A: We can bounce off each other. There might be an idea that I’ve created or Amir, Piers or any one of us individually, and then we come together and finish the ideas together. And it’s a bit easier and organic because you’re not hitting a brick wall. After all, someone might come up with something else. That then inspires you to add on to that beat or to that songwriting process, and then we’re not vocalists; we don’t sing, so we’re constantly being inspired by the vocalists we get in the studio. I think the audience can feel the authenticity that we create by just bouncing off each other.

Q: And what are some insights into the process of producing a new song or album?

A: The simple answer to that question is there isn’t one. Hence why we probably frustrated most of the labels that we were on. But we’ve asked ourselves many times – is this all about just stumbling? I would like to say we strategically stumble on ideas. It’s also about getting in the studio as much as you possibly can. We are never not in the studio, even as I speak now to you in Bali. If we are not in rehearsals, we’re in the studio. So there’s always a conveyor belt of music being churned out and you kind of look at all the music that you’ve churned out over the year, and you try and put it into an album and then if there’s not enough or something to fit, you kind of target those extra tracks and figure out how you the most strategically move around that. 

But yeah, I think, especially in the modern era of making music, you can’t be too regimented and strict on how you go about making albums or making music because you constantly have to adapt to everything around you. 

Q: And here’s a question many aspiring artists may have, do you think going independent as an up-and-coming artist is a good option these days?

A: It’s like a catch-22. You want the money, support, and backing of a label to elevate your career and take you to the next level. But then you’re also on that independence of being able to do what you want and the freedom to make the music that you want. And, you know, I would say they both have their pros and cons, you know, being independent, you’re hoping to have a buzz around you at some point. And once that comes, it allows you to elevate your career to the next level. But if that buzz doesn’t come, you need to create one fire model. And that’s what labels do so well there. 

Q: What advice would you give young musicians who want to start?

A: I would say you have to be stubborn about your goals. Probably two bits of advice, be stubborn about your goals and not too stubborn to listen to people and then make your mind up. It might sound like I’m contradicting myself, but it’s not; you have to find that balance really quickly in your career. 

Q: What message do you want to send out to people the most?

A: I think the most powerful message is a positive message. You can hear it in all our music, you know. Positivity, overcoming adversity and giving filled with love. Most of our albums are all about uplifting people. Yes, there’s a massive rave culture in there, but that’s because we want to bring people together, dance, and have a laugh. I think my message to everyone is just to be easy on themselves. Be kind and positive. And on a professional level. There’s plenty more music coming from Rudimental, and we’re constantly trying to push boundaries within music and within ourselves to be seen and heard by a much wider audience. 

​​www.instagram.com/rudimentaluk