Maximono Takes This Ain’t Bristol ‘Selections’ Series to the Next Level

Developing a brand into a dancefloor-dominating phenomenon doesn’t just happen overnight. Yet the amount of love and support This Ain’t Bristol has already amassed in the quick year since they’ve pushed the on button for their operation makes us feel like that might very well be a huge crock of bull. It’s insane how fast they’ve blown up, with heads eating up every last beat they put out there.

Selections was the first statement made from their camp, a compilation that showed the world these guys know how to handle their bass-heavy house and tech. Now, the series is entering into its fourth installment, where they’ve decided to let a single entity take the controls and own the role of curator.

The first honors go out to Maximono, the TAB cofounders that everyone won’t shut up about. It’s easy to be the center of attention when you’re wrecking the scene like these two gents have been (take a look at any of their Dirtybird and CUFF appearances for context). They bring that same thirst to keep things fresh and flowing onto the compilation, as well as their own addition, “Bleep,” which gets its first full stream here. With the album dropping today, it felt like perfect timing to get with the Maxi men and hear all about Selections and their plans for This Ain’t Bristol.

You’ve spent the last four months piecing together the latest installment of Selections. Can you walk us through the process of assembling a compilation of this nature and what type of speed bumps you may have run into along the way?
After our first three editions, we had to find a way of keeping the concept fresh and interesting. So, we decided to change the initial idea into the artist curator concept. The team decided that we should do the first one, so we wanted to set a statement with it. Our main goal was to get a selection of tracks that covers all spectrums of our productions, whilst sticking to the spirit of the selections by showing a broad range of “good vibes” house. It had to be a mixture of funky tech, bass-heavy house and, of course, some grimey breakbeats.

Another important point was to stick to the concept of combining established artists and hot talents. And last but not least, all tracks on there had to be exclusive ones which haven’t been heard anywhere before. So, these were the basic parameters when we started compiling it last December. Five months later, we’re happy to say we’ve managed to set it up, and we’re super proud of the product. Hopefully the listeners are feeling it as much as we are.

There have been more than a few TAB followers who have said some kind words about the release. What sort of feedback has really struck a chord with you, and why?
There were quite a few [who] said that they couldn’t decide which tracks are their favorites because they are all strong. We were proud reading this, as this was exactly what we were trying to achieve. There was some great DJ feedback as well. Here are some of our favorites:

Ardalan: Loving them all
Vanilla Ace: Bass overload! Good stuff
Justin Martin: HEAT!
Bones: MASSIVE RELEASE. Can’t pick a favorite; they’re all jackin!
Low Steppa: Dope shit
Matt, Perfect Driver: This Ain’t Bristol owes me a new pair of pants! I just sh!t when I saw this track listing.
The Squatters: GET ALL OF THESE IN MY BELLY!!! Cracking album this chaps!
Tim Baresko: HUGE!

Of the 22 tracks, which one has made the hugest impact on you personally?
That’s a tough one. We’ve selected these bits out of more than a thousand tracks, I’d say, and therefore all of them are super special for us, and every single one had a big impact on us in its very own way. We’ve road-tested all of them over the past months, and it’s no joke that none of them disappointed.

If we would really have to pick one, I’d say it’s Tru Fonix’s “Orange.” First of all, we wanted to work with them for quite a while now, and the track has been really killing it in all our sets. Same goes for Fake Blood, and Jakwob, and Bruno Furlan, and, and…

Your own “Bleep” has been featured here. Was there a light bulb moment when the idea for this track truly showed itself?
It simply came out of one of our fun writing sessions in London last year. As we live in different cities (London and Hannover), we only get together for these writing sessions every two–three months, but those are the moments for us where the magic happens. We don’t put any pressure on [ourselves] or set any goals; we just get together in one of our two studios and have fun for a couple of days. Most of the sessions will lead to 10–20 decent ideas, from which we choose the best ones to keep working on whilst we’re both back in our own studios working on our own. We’d say the light bulb moment for “Bleep” came a bit later when we saw Justin Martin playing it on some big festivals. We both agreed to hold it back for a very special release. So, here we go.

The label has been seeing some proper traction recently. What sort of goals have you put out in front of yourselves, and where do you hope the imprint is headed long-term?
It’s still a bit unreal for us, as the label is only just over a year old. We never expected it to grow that fast in such a short amount of time. So, we have to admit that the development was quicker than we were able to react and set ourselves up for. Right now, our main goal is to get the label up to a professional level without losing the fun that brought us six crazy chaps together.

On the label showcase side of things, which of your branded events so far has popped off the most?
We have to say that our own residency in Hannover at Weidendamm is killing it. Most of the people don’t know this, but that’s where it all started. The label idea came up after doing a couple of resident events and booking the first guest DJs from abroad.

Apart from that, we were super happy about the opportunity to host two pool parties at Miami Music Week this year. The reaction was dope, and we hope to be back next year. Also, we’re getting more and more requests for label showcases in other cities, clubs and festivals, so Benjamin [of This Ain’t Bristol] is working hard on setting up some kind of a label tour at the moment. If you’re interested, just drop him a line at [email protected].

Heaps of fresh talent are already filling up your catalog and roster. Who should we be paying close attention to, and why?
You could check any name on our Selections album, obviously. If it comes to fresh names affiliated with This Ain’t Bristol, you should keep an eye on Landis LaPace, Li-Tek, Harry Judda, Marc Spence, and our very own Gold Teeth, as they all have got some amazing forthcoming material scheduled with us. But as we said, there’s so much talent out there. Exciting times.

Buy Maximono’s Selections compilation here:

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