In the 1980s, DJ / producer / painter Noel Watson, together with his brother Maurice, was instrumental in “breaking” both hip hop and house in London. Noel has recently relocated to his family home in Northern Ireland, and here, in hopefully the first of a series of articles, he provides some insight into Belfast’s thriving underground music scene. 

Interview conducted by Noel Watson

Since founding Belfast’s Rudimentary Records back in 2010, Andrew McHugh and Rory Hanratty have quietly built up a roster of artists and releases that continues to develop alongside their Neighbourhood Radio and Club events across the City. Remaining steadfast to their roots in Dub and Bass influenced genres, their low-key aural anaesthetic has provided listeners with a broad template which encompasses elements from hip hop, broken beat, jazz and lo-fi tech. Relatively unheard of outside North Ireland, it seemed like the right time to give the guys some credit and shine a little bit of light on the label. With an upcoming release from New York’s Tech Dubmeister Brendon Moeller, under his Beat Pharmacy moniker, due July 7^th, I caught up with Andy and Rory for a quick chat.

Rudimentary Records roster: Bass Clef, Danny Scrilla, Enoe, t-woc, Hekkla, Roughquest, Fono One, Yoru, Hungryghost, Me&i, Future Cruiser

Hi guys, firstly this is quite an achievement to have someone so esteemed grace a small independent Belfast-based label!…how did the release come about?

Andy: I’ve been a fan of Brendon’s work for quite a while and I had a particular 10” of his which got a lot of plays. The track was Mental Universe featuring Negus Shabaka. I can’t find much info about Negus, or any of his other releases, but he seems to be a healer these days judging by the search results that came up. I think he’s trying to heal the universe with home made tonics and African food. Anyway, that record would move around in my record bag everywhere I went, and I’d play it anytime I got a chance to. We’re a little unsure about how we first connected with Brendon, but I do remember being quite shocked when a message popped up on Soundcloud from the man himself. He was very complimentary about what we were doing and we started to talk about a release from there.

Rory: Like a lot of our releases it moved slowly, real slow. We are definitely not at the same speed as the music industry, and we did have a back and forth with Brendon for about 2 years. Thinking about concepts, formats and general jibber jabber, looking for the tone, or tone inspiration for the project. The ideas eventually formed and it came together during lockdown.

Andy: Brendon has been making dub techno for a hell of a long time, and he’s developed such a clear vision for his productions. His work always feels like a natural continuation of his last piece, and an extension of himself. This one has all the sensibilities of classic dub, constructed with the minimalist loose tempo of techno and dubstep. However there is a warmth to this release which comes from the ambient textured layers throughout the E.P., and the jazz inspired moments that pop up.

He is quite a character it seems. I knew relatively little about him or his output until now, but instantly took a shine to him, and it’s refreshing in this narcissistic obsessed world to find such humility in an artist as prolific and talented as he is…

Andy: Yes, Brendon Moeller, Beat Pharmacy, is in love with tennis!…his two loves outside of his family are dub techno and tennis, and until he tore his ankle on the court he’d become more focused on trying to master his on court game. He takes it very seriously, much like his music, he’s carved a tidy career making music from his upstate New York hideout. His time there has been spent in studios producing highly respected and accomplished albums, E.P.s, singles and remixes. He’s one of the most prominent producers in his field, releasing material through several major labels, Electric Deluxe, Echochord and Silent Season, with live and DJ performances at clubs like Fabric through to Berlin’s Berghain, so we’re stoked to have this project and Brendon become part of our Rudimentary family.

Who did the artwork for this release? It remind’s me of the classic Sci-Fi inspired art featured on Far Out’s releases. 

Rory: Andy McHugh on the artwork. He does most of the art and design for the label. Andy prides himself on working closely with the artists to make sure that the ideas represent the music and the artists thoughts. We explored ideas around light and science experiments and how to visualise that for a while. However, a lot of the artwork for the label comes from just following our noses. We wanted space, time and light to be a part of the concept, but less upfront and obvious. The apple seems like the perfect combination of elements for this release, it symbolises the open spaces that summer provides, while simultaneously representing Issac Newton’s eureka moment that inspired his law of gravity. I love the juxtaposition of this traditional look, and old world with new fresh dub sounds. It’s exactly what Brendon does. He’s using the tradition of the dub sound, but always bringing a fresh perspective.

Lastly, before we finish up, give us a little update on whats next for the label.

Andy: Well, we also have just recently released a 12” by The Cyclist, which was received really well and had some solid radio plays. Andrew Morrison – The Cyclist – was interviewed by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft. It turns out that Tom is a big fan, and loved the E.P. It was great exposure for the label and Andrew. I do think it is incredibly difficult to be heard in the sea of music that’s out there though, and we only ever make marginal gains with press stuff. So, it’s important to put out quality music, and I’m proud of how the label has grown. Next up we are working on an E.P. / LP with local duo Kinnego Flux. It’s a bit of a change in direction yet again, which we love. It keeps people on their toes. It’s a concoction of funk, soul and buckfast. Buckfast funk! Expect some really crisp drums, soulful voices and some pretty jazzy noodles.

Beat Pharmacy’s Virtual Science Fair is out this Friday on Rudimentary Records. You can place your order, and have a listen to the label’s back catalogue, over at Bandcamp. 

You can keep up with Noel, and his forthcoming Strangford / Born Of The Sea project, on Instagram.