TC: Riding high

By the time you read this TC's new Watch the Ride mix album will have hit the streets, and if we know our music, we can predict that drum and bass fans across the country will be giving it more than a quick listen. His name is being strongly established as one of the most talented figures on the scene, bolstered by the release of last year's debut, Evolution.

It's the natural career path for someone who was so strongly enticed by music that he dropped out of school: "I was well into The Prodigy and my piano teacher was into electronic music. He gave me some samplers and I was hooked!" Soon his first Atari-based tracks caught the ear of legendary producer Dillinja, who went on to release his early material. "It was a dream come true. I sent him a three-track sampler and he liked it. It was very exciting."

TC has certainly come a long way from those early beginnings. Evolution was chosen by Zane Lowe as his album of the week on his Radio One show. "Zane has been a big supporter of my music for a number of years. It was recognition of all the hard work that had gone into the album." Last year also saw TC voted as 1Xtra's producer of the year. "This means a lot to me. It was a surprise - I thought Sub Focus was going to get it. In fact, I think he deserved it. But, I guess the great thing about awards ceremonies is that the actual public voted for it."

One of the unique qualities of Evolution is the way that many different musical inspirations work together. "I grew up in St Paul's in Bristol – an Afro-Caribbean community. We lived opposite the Malcolm X Community Centre where a whole range of music was played all the time – dancehall, dancehall blues, reggae and drum and bass." But he has other influences as well: "It's not just sounds, but how I am feeling at the time. Emotion is a very important influence when creating a new track."

It's not just his production work that is getting TC attention - he's also highly regarded as a DJ, which has led to him being asked to produce the latest mix for the Watch The Ride series; a heavy, forceful compilation drawing upon a large variety of styles and influences. How did he go about this? "I just wanted to make it flow as well as making it interesting. I wanted to represent what's going on across the board. I chose the tracks that are really working for me on the dancefloor at the moment and also the tracks that I believe in."

It's comments like this which show how serious and dedicated TC is to his work. When asked about his highlight of the past year he states that it was DJing in Tokyo: "It feels pretty good to have a whole club of people go mental! It's not only good to feed off the reaction of the crowd, it's also good to just watch what they are doing and feeling. I have a lot of VIPs and exclusives in my set at the moment. It keeps everything fresh. There's loads of people out there that want to party to drum and bass right now. I've been lucky enough to travel all around the world over the last year as a DJ, and with the band, and 99% of my gigs have been fantastic."

So, what does the future hold for TC? "Well, MC Jakes is doing an EP - so there's that. He is so full of beans which brings such a great energy to my work. He's also my best mate – so we have a laugh! I'm releasing a single with D Ramirez, which is exciting, and then we are thinking of doing a compilation called Soul Time later this year. There's a lot going on."

It's not surprising for him to say this, considering his work is so full of energy and excitement. "The minute you get lazy, the whole thing falls apart around your ears. Sound is something that never stands still, it's a vibration. If you want to work with sound, you've got to keep moving."