Our relationship with Quiet Places began last year and their debut album as a trio is slowly but surely becoming a favorite for anyone who likes to dive into intriguing new worlds and wide-screen ambient rabbit holes., or watch epic hour-long expanses.
The three chaps behind the Quiet Places alias: Charlie May, Dennis White and Dave Gardner are all respectable producers in their own right, and with Charlie already providing us with a marathon isolatedmix, it was only a matter of time before we got into the minds of Dennis and Dave, who also produce music as Sentre.
When they’re not making massive anthems like U&ME, or Sleep Acid, Dennis and Dave are finding inspiration from the more chilled side of electronic music and pulling from a wide spectrum of influences to inform one of their many productions - be it as Quiet Places, Sentre or putting together epic live shows for Sasha alongside Charlie (seen here on stage at The Barbican).
Stepping up as Sentre behind the controls for isolatedmix 108, we’re treated to a journey that reflects the classic multi-faceted downtempo DJ. Drawing influences from more electronic/dancefloor-oriented producers, and combining more relaxed sensibilities with an overall craft for track selection and vibe, you’ll find a selection of respected electronic music pioneers in Daniel Avery, Nicolas Jaar, Rival Consoles, DJ Healer and Leon Vynehall, spliced with a couple of diggers and their very own edits as Sentre.
Scroll below for a short interview with them both and more insight on the project and mix.
Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.
Tracklist:
01. Lord Of The Isles - Inheritance (feat. Ellen Renton)
02. Leon Vynehall - It Breaks (Chapter IX)
03. John Beltran - Lose You
04. Hania Rani - Buka
05. Map.ache - Ukiu
06. Maarja Nuut & Ruum - Kuud kuulama
07. Sentre - Waiting for the Sun
08. Rival Consoles - Still Here
09. Daniel Avery - Into the Arms of Stillness
10. Nicolas Jaar - Cenizas
11. The Durutti Column - Opera II
12. Adolf Noise - Last Night of the Year
13. Sebastian Tellier - L’amour et la Violence (Simple Mind Version )
14. DJ Healer - The Interview
15. Claude Speed - R U Sorry
16. Sevendeaths - SH4A
17. The Tourist - Together at the Centre of Creation
18. Sentre - Sleep Acid ( Ambient )
19. Johannes Schmoelling - Perpetual Motion
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Hello to two-thirds of Quiet Places. Can you tell us a bit in your own words on how you feel about the reception of the record so far?
We're super happy with how it's been received and very impressed with the listenership loyalty at ASIP. We launched that album into the ether with no great expectations, so to see people buying the lovely package you put together for us is really satisfying.
How would you describe your Sentre project to anyone new and how did it come about?
Sentre is predominantly electronic music, mostly aimed at dancefloors but drawing on our different tastes and influences. There's some atonal clubby noise and also some dreamy atmospheric stuff that borders on synth-pop. I met Dave on Gumtree selling sample CDs.
Charlie May (the final third of Quiet Places) said that Dave is an encyclopedia when it comes to production…
Well I don't know anyone else who can play you Afghan funk from the 70s one moment and elusive BOC remixes the next.
It was also mentioned that two rules of Quiet Places production included no beats and no grid and that Dennis as an amazing drummer. The first is probably handy for an ambient record, but how did Dennis adapt?
It's nice to work within limitations, it'll force you to do things you wouldn't normally. That's actually a principle we've started applying to Sentre as well, we're currently working with a palette of drum sounds and seeing how far we can push it.
There's actually loads of rhythm in Quiet Places but it's hiding in arpeggios or edits we've done by hand and extrapolated out. It's really interesting that samples have a rhythm of their own when you don't force them to sit on a grid. (Doing drugs helps as well).
Some nice samples make an appearance in this isolatedmix too . Can you help shed some light on any of the samples in the QP record?
Dave and Charlie are the sample kings. We've sampled underwater creatures, ASMR videos, old interviews, UFO enthusiasts.... Our publisher had a job on his hands clearing all those!
Your isolatedmix runs the gauntlet in terms of styles but has a clear overall vibe. How would you describe it? Was that your original intent?
Yes, it was actually. We’re both big Weatherall fans and loved how he used to play a crazy mixture of music but somehow it all worked together. Jose Padilla was excellent at this too. We thought it would be interesting to try and do something similar as a little tribute to both Andrew and Jose. Hopefully, it works and people will enjoy it.
‘The Interview’ is featured in your mix - a personal fave of mine. Is that your favorite track from the mysterioso?
The whole album deserves a listen in sequence to become properly immersed! My other favorites are 'Planet Lonely' and 'Protectionspell'
We generally like to pick obscure samples so that they can be chopped up to imply slightly odd things or they just completely lose any context. A lot of work went into that for the QP record.
Given the extensive use of samples throughout your productions, people on the street are going to be asking… ARE YOU DJ HEALER?
Sadly not. :(
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