South West DJs Technocrat and Torpitude, who are part of the SIGNaL DJs collective, are recognised for their contributions to the South West techno music scene. They explore their musical journey and discuss their evolving sound, which is currently incorporating broken beats around the 140 bpm range. A significant aspect of their approach is the emphasis on enjoying the creative process, highlighting the importance of having fun in their musical endeavors.

Listen to the mix

Tell us something positive to inspire future artists.

Just keep going. If you enjoy the process and get something out of creating art of any kind then don't let anything stop you, even if that means doing it just for yourself if that's what you want. Keep making stuff that you like and you'll attract like-minded people. It might take a little while, but finding/building a community is a beautiful thing and worth striving for.

It's also important to not take things too seriously. Push yourself but make sure you're having a laugh while you're doing it.

What artists have inspired your DJ style?

Earlier this year we got the opportunity to see Dj EZ which really inspired us to start playing around with the more 140/ garage sound. 

For me (technocrat) it's hard to call out any specific influences as i like to explore so many elements of dance music. I think if I had to, possibly the likes of Stanton Warriors, Headhunter, Krafty Kuts, Viers, to name just a small handful. My favourite sets are always the ones that really just go all out and play a bit of everything. I love stumbling across those festival djs at 2am that just bust out a mixture of nonsense on a random stage! 

(Torpitude) Not really sure about who's inluenced my DJ style, I tend to assume that most of the influence from what I listen to goes into the tracks I'm producing. Robert Hood's music was a huge eye-opener and definitely helped to solidify my obsession with groove in all kinds of music. I think it's fair to say that Cocktail Party Effect has been a big influence in the last few years. I feel like his music really proves it's possible to make stuff that's super out-there and weird but still kills it on the dancefloor, which is a big part of what I try to achieve with a lot of my tracks.

Talk us through your podcast mix track selection.

So the mix we've put together is a showcase of where we want to go as djs and as a brand. With a real focus on the expansive nature of 140bpm. We don't like to over-plan what we're going to play, it works better for us to just pick a direction and see where it leads. We love mixes that take you somewhere, flowing between genres, so that's what we aim for.