Third on the bill at Circus Records Presents Flux Pavilion, Cookie Monsta and Funtcase have been whipping up bass laced frenzies for years, riding the storm of dubstep to its current status in 2015. Ahead of their show on the 25th of April, the pair talk about what we can expect from their exclusive back to back set. Be warned, they don't agree on everything...

 

Do you feel any pressure getting the crowd hyped for what’s to come?

Funtcase: Not so much anymore. In the beginning I worried too much and got nervous but that's because I definitely overthought things. I've always been a stage performer though, and admittedly, having a mask helps!

Cookie Monsta: There's never any of that feeling for any show to be honest, I just jump on the decks and try my best to smash up the disco.

 

Who is the biggest deck hogger out of the two of you?

F: I'd say Cookie...we're supposed to do three tracks each but sometimes he does four or he'll take slightly longer mixing a track in and I’m just walking around on stage trying to be entertaining!

CM: It depends, if I'm a bit drunk I'll try and squeeze a few quick extra mixes in there!

 

For those who may be new to your music, how would you describe your sound?

F: I'd say it's angry energetic dancefloor dubstep. Face screwing, but not too much.

CM: Energetic bass music. Something to tear down your house to.

 

What to you is the difference between playing B2B and individually?

F: It's easy to do back to back but also kind of hard. My sets are formulated into sections so I can take the crowd on a journey. When I play B2B with Cookie I have to kind of match the style he comes with or vice versa. It's fun and always interesting!

C: Well, it's kind of a competition when it's a back to back, we always try and push each other further and harder. On our individual sets we play more personal tracks.

 

What have you got coming up on the horizon?

F: I've just finished my best production yet, a remix of "Requiem" by McMash Clan! I've got a bunch of publicly demanded releases lined up and hopefully an album. It's my dream to write an album...

C: I've smacked myself in the ass to get back on writing music more often. The past year or so I've been in the wrong mind-set and haven't been excited about making music, but I've just jumped in the studio hard as hell and I'm just making so much more music. So now every month I have a release!

 

What do you think of the state of dance music at the minute?

F: It's hard to determine but it's pretty obvious how everything is running. Dubstep exploded, everything was dubstep, you couldn't get away from it. That led to a heavy fall in popularity due to it being too mainstream and eventually it died down back to a steady level and allowed another genres to explode i.e. house. Dance music in general is in the best state it’s ever been, and will continue to grow. Big DJ's are appearing in movies now and festivals are huge! It's amazing.

CM: It's not what it used to be, this is why I wasn't excited to make music. It just seems that now everyone copies each other and it's all a bit boring and inbred.

 

Who are the most exciting underground artists that our readers might not have heard of, but who you think will be big names to come?

F: For me right now I'm really loving people in drum and bass like Annix, Upgrade and Tyke. Dubstep, I'm really feeling 50 Carrot, Badklaat, Aweminus. The next big name to come? I have no idea... I'd say Trollphace maybe, with his Skrillex connections and current hype?

CM: London Nebel make really sick wobbly stuff, they've been making some great stuff recently.

 

What do you like to do on your day off, what’s a typical Sunday like for you?

F: Usually chill with friends or play Playstation. I don't go out much, unless it's for bowling or training for a local football team I play for...gotta do some exercise or I'll gain the classic "producer's belly"

CM: Sundays are either full of traveling back home after DJing somewhere or it's a Sunday roast and a trip to the park with Mini Monsta. I love Sundays.

 

How do you prepare for a gig?

F: I don't have any gig rituals as such but 10 minutes before I’m on stage, I put on my mask and try to get into character. The whole Funtcase craziness isn't actually what I’m like as a personality so I have to get into a zone before I play.

C: I make sure to go to the bathroom until the last minute as possible, the last thing you need is a piss half way through you're set! Also don't drink beers, drink spirits!

 

Tell us something we don’t know about Funtcase and Cookie Monsta?

F: cookie once admitted to forcing his pinky into a hedgehog, raising it in the air and shouting "MAHUANGAAAAAAAAAAAA"

C: Funtcase once told me he violated a badger in a shed.