from KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole
For such a young cat, Will Holland AKA Quantic has over 10 years of brilliant albums, remixes, collaborations and DJ sets to show for his prolific career. A mathematics student from Worcestershire, England, he played guitar in local funk bands and amassed what became a world-famous vinyl collection, all before his 21st birthday. Quantic now lives in Cali, Colombia with his wife and an impressive analog record studio, from which he records timeless music with legendary local and international musicians twice his age.
Quantic is at the absolute top of my list of favorite producers in that he started as a musician, became enraptured by beat-based, sample-laden, and Hip Hop-inspired approaches to production before seamlessly and maturely returning to the essence of classic recording styles – and bringing his fans with him.
I’ve had the honor of getting to know Will in recent years – mixing with him on several gigs and hosting him at my weekly Afro Funke’ event (at Zanzibar in Santa Monica). It was a pleasure when I got the OK from him and the label to be the first Radio DJ in North America to break his new album on the air last week! The forthcoming album is titled “Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno: Dog on a Rope,” released on Tru Thoughts records, is his return to the “Flowering Inferno” series which plays tastefully in the blending of Dub Reggae and Latin styles like Cumbia and Guaguanco.
Many who attempt to juxtapose multiple styles together, end up doing so at the expense of losing authenticity in each respective style. Our man Quantic however, blends the two in a way that purists of both genres would respect and appreciate.
Check out the archive of my show (4/29) to hear a preview! Also, check out new forthcoming music from The Lions, as well as an exclusive from Ubiquity recording artist Clutchy Hopkins and (Gilles Peterson award winner) DJ Day.
– Jeremy Sole