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Since the age of 15 ACM Production Alumni (2010) Richard Follett had been performing in small local bars and halls for birthday parties before starting a Drum and Bass event with a close friend based in Guildford.
After these project ended, Richard signed up for the ACM to help develop his production skills and help realise his potential. ACM caught up with Richard Follett aka Ethic to chat about his recent experiences.
What motivated you to come and study at ACM?
I went to college to do A-Levels and just didn’t enjoy it all; it wasn’t right for me so I dropped out and decided that music was the thing I really cared about and wanted to pursue! When I found out about ACM I just knew it was where I wanted to be and applied straight away.
The thought of studying at ACM really inspired me and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything but writing music and performing. You just never know how things will pan out and where the passion of music will take you, but this is exactly what makes the music industry such an exciting industry to work in.
What was the best part about studying at ACM?
Just being surrounded everyday by like minded people who share your passion for music! It really is something that doesn’t happen very often and it makes you love what you do even more.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to since leaving ACM?
I’ve been working hard on my production skills and have recently been signed to Caspa’s Dubstep record label ‘Dub Police’. I’ve also played at a few nights across the country, but have mainly focused on writing Dubstep.
Who have you been working with?
In late 2011 I collaborated on a track with fellow ex ACM student ‘Subscape’ which got released on his ‘Universal’ EP. I’ve also been collaborating on some tracks with Dub Police artist ‘Mydas’ recently, though these are all still in early developments. In late 2012 I managed to get a track onto ‘Caspa presents Dubstep Sessions 2012’ which I am really proud of. I’m pretty much the only artist on that album that isn’t a global star!
What’s been your proudest moment/career highlights so far?
Well for me it has to be playing in Room 1 at Fabric nightclub in June this year for Dub Police’s bi-monthly gig. I’ve been raving at that club since I was 18 and seen so many of my heroes there! It was a surreal experience seeing the crowd going crazy but from the flipside.
Other career highlights so far include DJing live on KissFM, getting onto the Dubstep Sessions 2012 mix as I mentioned earlier, but getting signed onto Dub Police records this year is definitely an important moment.
So what’s on the horizon for 2013?
My debut EP on Dub Police comes out later this year and after that, I will be playing more Dubstep nights and hopefully getting more radio work!
Do you have any advice or tips for our current ACM students?
NETWORK. I never realized how important it was until I left ACM and put it to practice. If you like a record label and want to be a part of that label, then go to their gigs. Find out where the members of that label are performing and wait for them to finish. Talk to them, give them a demo and then bug the hell out of them until eventually they can’t forget about you!
Get to know the people in the area that you’re trying to break into and make sure you put the hours into your music. The more time you spend on it, the more you will get out!
ACM would like to thank ACM Alumni Richard Follett aka Ethic for taking the time to get in touch with us and we wish him well with his forthcoming EP and projects. For more information about Ethic follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud.
