tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84064308421204473952024-03-13T20:47:17.803-07:00FutureproofingAndrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-33659135605888912692012-07-17T18:02:00.001-07:002012-07-18T14:48:51.170-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Take5/Ace Decade<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Though a lot of the artists I’ve highlighted on Futureproofing so far might be relatively unknown outside of Vancouver, not all of them are necessarily newcomers; some have been active for the better part of a decade. But <a href="http://soundcloud.com/ace-decade">Mikëal Frazer</a> is an exception even to that; musically active since the mid-90s, he's an unsung staple of the city, having been involved in the late nineties club scene just as things were starting to take form as we recognize them today. I'll leave the history lesson to Frazer's enlightening interview below, but suffice it to say he's been a DJ and producer extraordinaire in the realms of hip-hop and more recently, dub and "bass music." He's been operating under the name <a href="http://soundcloud.com/ace-decade">Ace Decade</a> for the latter material, but <a href="http://soundcloud.com/ace-decade">Take 5</a> is the name the community knows him by.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's the latter category that piqued my interest in Frazer. Having only heard the name a few times (much to my embarrassment/lack of credibility; sue me), I was introduced to Frazer through Robert Squire—featured in these virtual pages as Prison Garde last year—who endlessly sung the praises of Take 5 at every opportunity he could get, and who had been working with Frazer extensively just prior to his (rather saddening) relocation back to Montreal at the end of May. Squire was particularly vocal about his excitement surrounding Frazer's recent experiments with dub, and I finally had my own experience with them last month when Frazer opened for Deadbeat at the Waldorf Hotel. A live, hour(ish)long set of his own dub material, I was so floored by the performance I sought out Frazer immediately after to ask if he would take part in the series.<br /><br />Though you might not guess it from my writing output, dub is one of my favourite music genres; along with R&B it's pretty much just my favourite music, especially for sunny days. Something about the hypnotic beats and endlessly tunneling, playful basslines strikes a powerful chord with me, and Frazer's own material had the same throbbing, passionate heart and exploratory courage of the best of classic roots dub like King Tubby or Augustus Pablo, rendered with a glossy but not obscuring modern sheen coming from his extensive, recently-bolstered home studio. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/ace-decade">More recently</a>, he's been exploring house and bass-music-influenced sounds as Ace Decade, especially in his collaborations with Prison Garde, my favourite of which is "DTES Standoff" streaming below—not only for its amazing title (Vancouver residents will understand), but of course for the music. Built from the velvet grain of Prison Garde's recent work, it's a terse, antsy track with a killer chord progression and a measured thump that lands somewhere between deep house meditation and anxious heart palpitations.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mix he's done for me is more than I could have possibly hoped for. Titled "The All Night Time Machine," it's a 30-minute opus mixing both his dub project and his newer Ace Decade work seamlessly and impressively. I'm not sure I can do it justice with words (for once in my life), but it shows an artist who can approach pretty much anything from an angle of unlikely authenticity and expertise—the mark of a true musician. I sat down with Frazer at one of my favourite Gastown coffee spots to have a lengthy chat about his history, Vancouver, and the deserved attention he's finally starting to receive.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>RYCE: How long have you been in Vancouver for?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">FRAZER: Since 1987. A while. I grew up in Kamloops as a kid, moved to Montreal for a year, and then moved back to Vancouver. My parents made that choice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When did you first get involved with the music scene here?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the late 80s I was a young teenager growing up in East Van as a skater going to punk rock shows. Eventually I started going to hip-hop shows in the early 90s. The skate scene had cross genre influences musically, so we flocked to all kinds of shows. PD used to host all kinds of asesome events for all ages back then, so the music was accesible to us. The hip-hop scene in Vancouver became quite vibrant, which was relatively small, but a unified scene; everyone knew everyone. There were different DJs playing all sorts of different clubs, KiloCee was top shelf. It was great to grow up as a youth with all of that in Vancouver, as it encouraged a lot of people to be a part of it—you could be a b-boy, a DJ, an MC, a producer, graffiti writer, whatever. Everybody was doing something. It encouraged people to participate.<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As someone who went from punk rock shows to hip-hop, how did that change your interests?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Musically they’re quite different, but they share the same elements of defiance and counter-culture. Those were both elements that were very attractive to me as a youth, as I was defiant and I didn’t believe in the system. I had very politically active parents who always taught me to challenge things, and those were ubiquitous themes in punk rock and hip-hop. It was almost seamless; it wasn’t as if I abandoned one for the other. I still love punk rock. </span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When did you first start making your own stuff? What did that sound like?</span></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I moved back to Kamloops for a few years to finish high school, and I used to listen to a co-op radio show Krispy Bisket which was in Vancouver hosted by The Incredible Ease and Mr. Bill with DJ Kilocee spinning on the 1 & 2’s. I would listen to this music up in Kamloops each week and I just thought turntablism was the coolest thing ever. Hearing KiloCee manipulate these records in ways I’ve never heard before, he’d have duplicates of these records going back to back, and he was really just an amazing DJ, that was inspirational for me. I moved from Kamloops down here in 1995 after finishing school, and I got myself a turntable and I had a tape deck and I started practicing. That Krispy Bisket show really inspired me and it was just like “oh, I wanna do that.” Before all that I took piano lessons as a kid and sang in a boys choir. I also, played guitar as a teenager, and was always involved in music as far back as I can remember as my family all sang. It’s intrinsic to me, but as far as contemporary music, I got into it when I moved back to Vancouver.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had an accident in 1995 that left my paralyzed from the chest down, so that was a really big transformation in my life and it was really difficult. At that point I was scared about how it was going to affect my dreams—for one, I wanted to be a professional skateboarder, but I also wanted to be a graffiti artist and a DJ. So I thought, well, I still have my hands, so I’ll do the graffiti art and the DJ, those two elements of hip-hop. After the accident I got two SL1200s turntables and started making mixtapes and playing at some of the clubs down in Gastown like 7 Alexander and The Hungry Eye, all those places back then. I even got to play the Krispy Bisket radio show, which was an incredible honor for me. At the time I was buying records frantically. At some point I fell in love with the instrumentals on the B-sides, and I started making recordings of all the hip-hop music blending with just the instrumentals, and in 1997 I recorded the first instrumental tape I know of, right around the time Z-Trip was doing similar stuff. I played a show with him on Granville Street in the 90s, and I gave him a recording, and he was just like ‘wow, you’re doing this too?’ That was a little bit of the step out of just pure hip-hop elements and started going into trip-hop, and I started producing that instrumental hip-hop music as Take5, the name I also used as a graffiti artist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I know your Take5 music more as a dub thing. Where did that come in?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Much later. I’ve always loved dub, but there was never really a strong scene in Vancouver as far as I knew. I remember going to the odd party here and there, stumble on a dub party late night, but it wasn’t like it is today, so making it wasn’t really in my interests then. But with the emergence of all these spaces that have happened in Vancouver over the last 10 years or so, there have been a lot more underground parties and dub has been a huge part of that, and it’s a huge influence on contemporary music, especially visible in music like dubstep. I like to make a distinction that I don’t make dubstep—not that I don’t like it, there’s some good stuff, however my interests lay particularly in the roots dub, inspired by the greats. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This whole DUB project I have been working on started about one year ago in the summer of 2011. What happened was that a friend of mine Rob Squire (Prison Garde) moved out here to Vancouver, and had a studio right around the corner form my place. I’d been speaking with him about his workflow at that time, and we discussed our approaches to creating music, and I expressed to him that I had lost some inspiration. He suggested that I get some new gear and change my workflow. At that point I didn’t quite understand what buying any new gear would do, as I thought I had everything I needed. In any case, I bought an MPD 32 as he had one too, and Rob hooked me up with his template, and I found it to be very intuitive, and essentially to put stuff together. At some point I loaded up a dub song on there, and I noticed there were several parts of the song that were actually totally isolated—one that just had the bass, one that just had the skanks, and another part that just had the clean drum break. I thought, oh, maybe I’ll just make a mash-up of this song, and I started playing around with it and the effects, and I found it to be really fun to have all the parts isolated to dub out like the greats used to do, and I thought holy shit, I could just write my own stuff! I play guitar, I play piano, and I can do all this. So, I actually just started working on a body of music for a year, writing everything from scratch, and I showcased it intermittently as it developed at different parties around Vancouver, namely the Red Gate, which was a wonderful space curated by Jim Carrico who was an avid dub fan. Jim was always putting a classic dub track on the turntable, so when I showed up with this music, he was very supportive by letting me use that space to create. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Different people would come by the space at those parties, and there was this one party where a bunch of locals were playing. Michael Red was there with Taal Mala, Calamalka, Rob Squire and PhonoGraff and all those guys who’s sound I love, and they all said after my set ‘wow man, this is really dope, keep doing it.’ So I felt like I had the support of the community, the people that I looked up to, so I just kept going with it. I kept working on this original set, and I was eventually asked by Nina Mendoza from Red Bull to open up for DJ Krush in February, and that was a big opportunity for me to showcase the work in a nice club with an excellent sound system. The momentum commenced, and things started happening for me. I did some remixes around town. I did a remix for The Passenger, which turned out great... Michael Red heard that song and booked me to open for Deadbeat, which was my most recent show with the dub set. I’m also working on another body of music now under the alias ACE DECADE. </span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What’s the difference between Take5 and Ace Decade?</span></b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">People are always asking me why come up with another alias, but all the music I made under Take5 was very cinematic, orchestral, textural hip-hop-based music. Some was ambient, some was really downtempo with a lot of live-sounding elements, inspired by that whole Ninja Tune era of artists like Bonobo and Amon. So when I started making this more current sounding work I wanted to distinguish between this and the older work, so people who were looking for the newer stuff wouldn’t be confused as to what I was making.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What styles inspire ACE DECADE as opposed to Take5?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m really inspired by a lot of local talent, and current artists. I really like The Passenger, and admire sounds buy guys like Nosaj Thing, Flying Lotus and this list goes on imfinitum. I love Japanese Telecom and Washed Out! This is what inspired ACE DECADE. As for Take5, well that music is inspired by a plethora of artists spanning decades, and many genres. The earlier Take5 stuff was really inspired by Funki Poricni, Bonobo, Savath & Savalas, Aphex Twin and the like. There are also many musicians and artists I draw from all the time, like David Lynch, Keith Jarret and Mad Professor. Those are the masters!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Any plans for a live set around ACE DECADE stuff, or are you sticking to the dub?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The night before the show with Deadbeat, I played at Bonz.ai—which is a great exposé for up-and-coming electronic producers in Vancouver, and that body of work is a continuation of the work that I did with Robert Squire aka Prison Garde at Catalog Gallery. This was my debut as ACE DECADE. Rob was preparing a set for MUTEK this summer, and he had only a couple of weeks before he moved to Montreal, and at one point he decided he was going to do an entirely hardware set—Machinedrum, SH-101, Juno 106. He was also working on a score for David Cronenberg’s son’s film, and I just came in one day and started playing some stuff and he was like ‘oh, let’s print that!’ I started helping him program the chords into the Machine drum with this chart he had (it was a lot of work)! And we just went from there every day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At some point we wrote a few songs together, which came out great. The combination of our talents worked really well because he has a very solid knowledge of beatmaking. Rob can whip up an amazing beat on a drum machine in under a minute that guy, and he just knows where to put everything perfect. That skill set that he had combined with my knowledge of chord structure and music theory proved to be a very excellent combination. So we kept going working on his Mutek set together, eventually transposing the modal stuff we wrote earlier on the hardware set into songs to be performed via Ableton with a SH101 and MachineDrum. This whole time we shared together was the birth of ACE DECADE. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So Rob packed up and left Vancouver to go play Mutek, and a lot of us were very sad to see him go, but I took that momentum and kept writing and decided that this is what ACE DECADE is going to be; a lot of screwed-down house/acid/electro from 105-120BPM, and very synth-oriented with drum machine percussion. And so I became inspired and I went on a bender and just bought a whole bunch of analogue gear after hanging out with Rob. He’s a big fan of the gear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I can see how that would happen.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And Jesse too, the Passenger, he’s such a big fan of analogue gear. It’s sort of a fetish I have. I love this rich sound! It’s been good to take that background in all that other music and push it forward into something new, more current sounding. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJTb9VCNeH2dm0PJvP3nLPBTrZCOzhd1M9dIsxDafuG9iZj4ysdu8EYqXqHUDpn9PpmsqJyvWoB2jneSWxR_llTJr-njqpvJs_Cxbpxl-MTP2RdDCVw4FilbLHtSAdwWCfLzI9hVPLNg/s1600/IMG_3624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJTb9VCNeH2dm0PJvP3nLPBTrZCOzhd1M9dIsxDafuG9iZj4ysdu8EYqXqHUDpn9PpmsqJyvWoB2jneSWxR_llTJr-njqpvJs_Cxbpxl-MTP2RdDCVw4FilbLHtSAdwWCfLzI9hVPLNg/s320/IMG_3624.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You mentioned that in the past decade or so, more spaces have led to more open-mindedness in the city. How do you feel about the city the past two or three years in terms of venues and spaces?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That’s been a very arduous uphill battle with the city itself. When I say the city, there’s two parts to that: what is happening in the city in the music scene, and city’s policy towards artists and musicians. The city of Vancouver have not made it easy for artists to represent themselves or the scenes they’re involved with, by shutting down any space that poops up that is under the radar. The Red Gate is a perfect example of this, and the same thing happened with many other artist run spaces in Vancouver. There is also a larger problem which relates to our struggle. Vancouver has this real estate fantasy going on, which is tied into foreign investment, which turn into these unreal speculative markets that make things very expensive. The city has done nothing to protect people from this market-bubble. I mention this real estate mumbo-jumbo because it is related to how unaffordable Vancouver has become. Also the city does nothing really to help protect artists run spaces keep going while the slumlords wait for profit. This is all part of the fantasy of what real estate is worth. The Olympics will do this to any city that hosts it’s games. All this is happening while the whole Downtown Eastside is transforming right before out eyes. These spaces that were empty and cheap to rent that would be something an artist could pick up are now turning into things that are unaffordable as a result of renovations for gentrification. Artists are getting pushed out of their communities which were host to so many of these amazing spaces, the Red Gate being the one that I was involved with. We had all kinds of meetings with the city and attempts to work with the owner, but it didn’t work out. This story is echoed in a lot of other artist spaces. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As for how that relates to our music scene, what happens is that a lot of the music gets pushed into clubs, but the clubs are still institutions in a way. What happens in an open, free, and democratic space, is that <i>anything</i> can happen, there’s no rules, these are the birthplaces of actual genres of music and artistic movements. This is why Berlin is the Mecca, because they’re so open to artists and allowing them to breathe. Here it’s just stifled by so many regulations and of course this unaffordable real estate. Most artists or musicians I know now cannot afford to rent space and do what you want to do in their own community. What are the alternatives there? Do we keep moving further east as it gets pushed further underground? It’s been a bit of an ebb-and-flow but sadly right now we’re at a low point. I keep hearing about spaces being closed, like 151 W Hastings, which has been around for a long time as an artist space.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Imagine someone like me—I don’t make a lot of money. Where does someone like me go to listen to the music that I make? Studio space is not affordable. I’m not just talking about of availabilities of venues but even space to just create that work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To have a studio that’s not your bedroom.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yeah. I can’t always do things at home. Musicians need practice space, where they can monitor stuff and jam. That’s another detriment as part of the unaffordability.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">10 years ago, people like the Jonson brothers and that whole axis moving to Berlin, and now with people like Rob moving back to Montreal because he couldn’t get what he wanted out of the city...</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yeah! Look at Jeremy Shaw, he was known as March 21, he was one of the greatest talents to come out of the city in the last 15 years, both visually & musically, and he was another one of those Vancouver’s exports. That list is pretty long.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aside from the practical issues, do you think it’s a healthy scene right now?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I don’t know how to answer that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <i>[Someone walks by and tells him ‘nice tunes!’]</i> I guess we’re doing alright then! <i>[laughs]</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maybe it’s just because Vancouver is small. We have a very small scene, but there’s a large amount of talent. I would just like to see more stuff happening more often. I don’t know if that’s reflective of the scene’s health or not... there are some bad things. There are some promoters that bring in acts to Vancouver that do not represent the scene’s interests. There’s bigger promotion companies that are bringing in the artists that I would want to play with, but the promoters are not giving back to the scene, they’re just cashing in on it. That’s a bummer. I’ve always dreamed of a day where everyone in the scene has a sort of union and everyone knows when someone is bringing someone else into town, and being able to boycott the show out of solidarity when we know they’re not giving back. But when someone brings a big name into town, people aren’t going to say ‘no I’m not going to play that because you’re not supporting the scene.’ I was faced with this once, and it really opened my eyes and my heart to what was going on. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That’s where it’s unhealthy; when the larger corporate promoters cashing in on what we do. There’s money in that, they know it. They’re cashing in on something they had no part in creating. That sort of thing has a long history—if you look at a lot of festivals, they go corporate, and then a lot of the magic is taken out. I’m not against people making money, but what needs to happen is that is must become sustainable in relation to how it is created in the first place. It needs to be symbiotic, or better yet synergistic, not parasitic. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">With all that being said, there are some wonderful things happening here in Vancouver—the Bass Coast party fro one.. there’s no corporate sponsorship, everything is sustainable, and if you look at the list of artists, everyone has a chance to do something, everyone’s up there. I’m not talking about its’ environmental sustainability (which it is), I mean that it generates support & solidarity in a community. Scenes need to support up and coming artists, scenes can’t just let one group of people be in the limelight. If we are doing something for the scene, we have to be open to the possibility that there’s all this talent that might be underneath because we’re saving everything for the top. I don’t think that happens all the time, but I think if we’re going to be responsible in that way in the musical community, we have to be open to all the people that want to shine. That’s what those kind of free and democratic spaces do. They breed community and encouragement. You don’t have to be this big name to play an underground spot. Those spaces and festivals will keep popping up because we are resilient, determined and genuine in our creative efforts. One love! </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: TAKE5 - The All Night Time Machine</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>(NO T/L)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?k77rbmkd755akd0">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>You can hear more Take 5/Ace Decade material at his <a href="http://soundcloud.com/ace-decade">SoundCloud</a>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-1614353109509733042012-06-21T09:24:00.004-07:002012-06-21T09:26:02.096-07:00Futureproofing Calgary: Dan Solo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past year, the Futureproofing blog seems to have shifted from a personal outlet for my ramblings and showcases from some of my favourite artists (Peverelist, Kevin McPhee) to something more centred around my local scene here in Vancouver, with the Futureproofing Vancouver concept becoming far more comprehensive than I ever expected, and whether or not it was planned, I can't say I'm not proud of the shape everything has taken. While mulling over who to spotlight next (I'm still waiting on you, Mr. Michael Red), I received a promo from a Calgary-based label (<a href="http://soundcloud.com/cruderecords">Crude Records</a>) whom had previous released some of my favourite Vancouver artists, this time featuring Dan Solo, a producer I had already been acquainted with through both hearing his name thrown around and through his semi-ambient Sanctums project with fellow Calgarian Evangelos Typist, which caught my ear earlier in the year.<br />
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The latest Dan Solo release on Crude represents the most fully-formed and confident effort I've heard from Solo yet. The tracks fall firmly (or not-so-firmly) in the nebulous nexus of 'bass music,' and like so many other producers in Western Canada he's come out of the whole dubstep camp armed with a sound much sleeker and sexier, focused on minimal tracks where small percussive sounds resonate formidably. "Arcan" represents potentially his best production yet, shades of broken techno with iridescent pulses, but what makes it most interesting is something which Solo discusses in the interview below, incorporating hip-hop elements that manifest themselves in twitchy little drum machine sounds that dance around the squalls of bass, which act as an anchor and magnetic centre for the seemingly dislocated percussive accents. The whole idea of "trap music" being floated around by North American producers is a little problematic for a number of reasons, too complex to be delved into here, but regardless Solo's work here represents one of the most seamless incorporations of those vague ideas yet.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48410820&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Same goes with "Soothsayer," which takes the template of "Arcan" and breaks it up even more. The track carries itself with a dub techno swagger (repetitive, reverberating pulses), but throws it with an unstable arc that owes a lot more to garage, skipping frantically over fearsome vibrations that recall suppressed dubstep. The EP is rounded off with "Platypus," another track built on the same model of carefully-swung percussive wireframes on top of thickset bass foundations, but here the drums lose their sense of restraint and go haywire, with snares nearly saturating the track's top end in some sections as if they're trying to blot out every last iota of empty space with their trebly snap.<br />
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The Crude Records EP felt like such a massive (and I want to say instantaneous, but that's probably not fair to him) improvement and self-realization that I felt it necessary to tap Solo for a mix and interview as I had done with Vancouver artists, so lo and behold, the makeshift "Futureproofing Calgary." What Solo has provided me is completely up to par with the rest of the series, a 27-minute mix that weaves through his own productions, all of his own aliases and styles, dipping from highly melodic sections to heavier, more stripped-back club bangers. You get a taste of his recent stuff (both "Arcan" and "Soothsayer" make an appearance), some older bits, unreleased material, his Piranha Piranha project, and his Sanctums project. It's a strange, restless little mix, but needless to say it's a fun ride with a particularly fun ending through the Sanctums remix of Little Dragon and the Dan Solo remix of Vancouver favourites HxdB and Self Evident—both of whom have contributed their own mixes and interviews to the series in the past.<br />
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<b>RYCE: How long have you been based in Calgary for, and where did you live before, if anywhere?</b><br />
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SOLO: I was born in Calgary but grew up on opposite sides of the country, first Halifax then Vancouver before moving back to Calgary for my teenage years. When I finished high school, in 2000, I went traveling around Asia, Australia, and parts of the USA for about two years before settling in Vancouver. I lived in East Vancouver from early 2002 to late 2007. In 2007 my girlfriend (now wife) and I were both feeling the need for some change. Vancouver wasn't working out for us at the time—mostly on the job/cost of living side of things—so we decided to move to Calgary with the intention of saving money and perhaps moving abroad to either Europe or NYC. However after only a few months of being here, we got pregnant with our first of two children and kinda got stuck here. We've made the most of it, and the city has really grown on us, taken care of us. We've made it our home (at least for the time being). We talk of moving back the West Coast often—or maybe heading East like our initial plans were—only time will tell.<br />
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<b>How would you describe the health and size of the scene in Calgary? Do you think it's nurturing to artists and Djs?</b><br />
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The scene here is very strong and has been for as long as I can remember...people come out and support shows/events of all different styles numerous times a week. Parties are always well attended, the scene I'm most active in with TheRinseOut Crew/Modern Math/HiFi Club is a very tight knit group of people. We know almost everyone who come to our events and have created a really nice community of friends with a lot of them. The crowds are both educated on what is happening in music and open to new things, which is about all I can ask for as DJ. All of the artists in the city get along (for the most part) and there isn't too much of a competitive air in the scene... at least not for us.<br />
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If there's one thing I love the most about Calgary, it's the people, especially the people in my direct environment. The underground music & art scene(s) here are supported by so many talented & friendly people. Calgary often gets painted with a redneck image, but I've found the people here to be some the most open-minded, humble, and honest people I've encountered anywhere.<br />
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<b>Is Calgary a good place to go out? What are the good venues, and who is doing the best work in terms of programming and booking interesting acts?</b><br />
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Calgary is a good place to go out. There are few really good bars, and lots of good new restaurants/lounges if you're in a conversational kind of mood. It's a good thing we have good places to go out and a good scene to support them—because there isn't a lot else to do here (especially in the winter). I'm lucky because my two favorite venues (HiFi Club & Broken City) are the two venues I do my weekly events at. <br />
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HiFi Club is the best dance club in the city by far. It's the only bar that from its inception has only booked underground, emerging, and forward-thinking artists exclusively. It's run by artists, so artistic integrity has always been part of its ethos. I do a weekly party there called Northern Lights on Wednesdays, and Northern Lights has turned into the city's main night for forward-thinking music of the bass persuasion. We are coming up on our two-year anniversary at Northern Lights, and over those two years we've hosted a wide array of talent from the global bass / UK dubstep community, to techno, drum & bass, beat-centric hip-hop and just about every other microgenre that has perked our interest.<br />
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Broken City is the other venue I really love. I do a Saturday night hip-hop party there called Natural Selection. We focus mostly on 80s/90s-era stuff (which is my first love in music) with some new rap thrown in for good measure. It's always lined up down the block with a diverse mix of people ranging from 18 year-old skater kids, to hipsters, punks, and folks in their mid 30s-40s. Because it's in a gritty rock'n'roll bar it keeps the gangster/chongoe set away which has always been the problem with hip-hop nights in any city I've been to.<br />
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<b>What sort of music is most popular in Calgary... dubstep? Is it an open-minded scene?</b><br />
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Between 2008-2011 dubstep was definitely the most popular music here - at its peak in 2010 this city was hosting between 2-4 headlining dubstep acts per week. When it first took off with our Modern Math parties in 2008, it was a really exciting time for Calgary's scene. The parties were legendary, it was something completely new for Calgary and the crowds supported it wholeheartedly, and DJs loved coming to town. No matter what day of the week the crowds were responsive.<br />
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However, as the sound became more mainstream and formulaic and profitable, other promoters (with less integrity in my opinion) exploited the sound for monetary gain. Parties went from costing $5-15 to attend to $25-80, which is preposterous for a DJ show. This, along with people getting bored of the halftime aggro sound, has led to a big decline in dubstep's popularity. Thankfully people have moved on and evolved their tastes as have many of the city's DJs/producers. Rather than trying to beat a dead horse our scene has adapted with the times. Techno and house are doing really well here, and we recently started new monthly event called "Shapes," which is a strictly a house & techno night and has been a huge success so far (with lots of the dubstep heads coming out to dance).<br />
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The other style really taking off here and everywhere in North America is the new hybrid trap/juke/booty bass club sound. I'm personally really excited about this sound, and don't give a shit that people are calling it "the next dubstep/moombahton" or whatever. First, coming from a hip hop/rap background of course I'm going to like it, and secondly, in my opinion this is a bass music genre North America can legitimately call its own. <br />
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<b>How long have you been DJing for, and how long have you been making music as Dan Solo for?</b><br />
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I've been a DJ since I was five years old, making mixtapes for friends/family and exploring new sounds anywhere possible, and fine-tuning my musical tastes. However I've only been really DJing for about 11 years, and producing for about eight years (and only been serious about production for about two-three years).<br />
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<b>How has your own music evolved over the past few years? How would you describe your music in terms of style, influence, etc.</b><br />
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I'm really happy with the way my music has evolved over the past few years. I'm finally at a place where I'm confident, including my own music in my sets. I have a really hard time describing my sound—definitely not purist in any way. If I set out to try and make a specific style or genre it always ends up sounding like a weird hybrid sound, like, I've never made a song that could be pin pointed has a dubstep song or a house song. I've tried to do both, but it always ends up its own thing. My main influences are hip-hop (specifically New York from 1986-96), Radiohead, classic punk rock, & 80s synth soundtrack music. But I make music thats sounds nothing like said influences.<br />
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<b>Can you talk a bit about your Sanctums project with Evangelos Typist? When it started, what it is, etc.</b><br />
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Sanctums has been an amazing project from the get-go, and I have grown more as an artist through this project than I could have ever hoped. We started Sanctums in early 2011, a time when we were both quite bored and not interested with club music in general. Aggressive dubstep was all that people seemed to want at the time, and we wanted nothing to do with it. <br />
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We wanted to write music for the sake of writing music, without the pressure of fitting it into a box so it could work in a dancefloor/club atmosphere—we wanted to reach people in another part of their lives.<br />
We share a few common loves in music: classical, film soundtracks, hip-hop and Radiohead, and with these influence's we started to build a sound. The process we have together is really fun and natural.<br />
We released a full length album in early 2012 (self-titled), and hope to have a follow up LP released before the end of the year. We already have a bunch of new material we will be playing at shows this summer. The sound has already evolved so much from the first album, so it's very exciting for us.<br />
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<b>What's your release schedule like? </b><br />
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I started 2012 with a couple remixes, first was one for my good pal, Wax Romeo, that came out on Bigfoot Records; kind of a UK funky inspired number, and percussively one of my strongest tracks.<br />
Next was a remix for Vancouver cat Frank Grimes on Crude Records; I did a half time weirdo 160BPM juke/trap remix that I still enjoy playing out. Then came the Sanctums self titled album which we self-released via bandcamp for free.<br />
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On June 22 I have a solo three-track EP dropping on Crude Records. Two of the tunes from it I included on the mix; 128-133 bpm bass music styles, UK funky/garage influenced. In July I have an EP coming on Mat the Alien's Really Good imprint that I'm very excited about, it's called the <i>Prism Face</i> EP and features two original trap style club tunes of mine, along with some really amazing & diverse remixes from Wax Romeo, Self Evident, Mr Geography, DJ Cure, SKLTN, & Crimson.<br />
I also have a remix of HxdB & Self Evident's "Hot Mustard" which is forthcoming on East Van Digital this summer. I also hope to have some new Piranha Piranha and Sanctums material released by the end of 2012.<br />
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<b>Can you talk a little bit about the mix?</b><br />
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This mix was a couple of firsts for me. This is the first all original mix I've ever done; it's nice to finally have enough material to be able to compile a whole mix with. Secondly, this was the first mix I've ever done in Ableton.<br />
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In the past I was of the attitude that a mix should be done on the medium you perform with live, and for me that's turntables with Serato. My mind has changed on this subject, however, and because this is a mix of my own music (which I wrote using Ableton), I decided to use the program to blend the songs as I saw fit. I wanted to have a diverse mixture of my productions. All of the songs were produced over the last 12 months except for "One Hitter" by Piranha Piranha (which is my other collaboration shared with Mr Geography), that was made in 2009. Lately I've mostly been making hip-hop/rap/trap style beats, but I didn't want the mix to be one dimensional so I only included the one (Hot Mustard Remix) at the very end. I chose songs that I have played in the club and work in that environment, but also have a listenability to them.<br />
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<b>FUTUREPROOFING: DAN SOLO</b><br />
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Sanctums (Dan Solo & Evangelos Typist) - Did You See Me? (Unreleased)<br />
Dan Solo - Arcan (Crude Records)<br />
Wax Romeo - I Hope I Hope I Fall Down the Stairs (Dan Solo Remix) (Bigfoot Records)<br />
Dan Solo - Nebulae (Unreleased)<br />
Dan Solo - Quartz Riddim (Unreleased)<br />
Dan Solo - Vaults (Unreleased)<br />
Dan Solo - Soothsayer (Crude Records)<br />
Piranha Piranha (Dan Solo & Mr Geography) - One Hitter (Unreleased)<br />
Piranha Piranha (Dan Solo & Mr Geography) - 095 (Unreleased)<br />
Little Dragon - Ritual Union (Sanctums Remix)<br />
HXDB & Self Evident - Hot Mustard (Dan Solo Remix) (East Van Digital)<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?70muwdzpodzi0wo">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b><br />
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Should you want to explore more, Dan's <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dan-solo">SoundCloud page</a> has a wealth of his own material, often streaming full tracks. He's on twitter as @djDANSOLO. You can check out the Sanctums material—including the debut eponymous LP up for free download—on their <a href="http://sanctums.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp page</a>, and there's also <a href="http://www.therinseout.com/">TheRinseOut</a>, his online music collective and blog. The<br />
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<br />Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-50954543584197593662012-03-30T18:03:00.001-07:002012-03-30T18:04:21.239-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Daega Sound<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80NG5PTXkISDkdonKOWDFdZaF6W2AAyhKSGy6iSWg3LFbocND2GzWUn9cY2Wqtizy2_xWcxC5zIIIRPfDuxddZnmYv3b1QglpE-_uUPFtTxUBNKGTkgxQWZNFoNWGxqjvDGO0WF_J_Gc/s1600/daegasound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80NG5PTXkISDkdonKOWDFdZaF6W2AAyhKSGy6iSWg3LFbocND2GzWUn9cY2Wqtizy2_xWcxC5zIIIRPfDuxddZnmYv3b1QglpE-_uUPFtTxUBNKGTkgxQWZNFoNWGxqjvDGO0WF_J_Gc/s320/daegasound.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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Vancouver likes its dubstep, or at least it used to—it’s hard to tell these days. Since the advent of (and thanks to the hard work from) the city’s LiGHTA! crew, this duo of brothers (Ben and Josh) has been pushing a smart and sleek dubstep sound a little bit removed from some of the more obviously dubwise and reggae-influenced music of the other members. That’s not to say they lack anything, but you can tell the roots of Daega Sound come from a history of techno and garage as much as the other touchstones, more concerned with percussive agility than heft and wobbles, more preoccupied with buffed chrome textures than ruffnecked aggression.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The first time I saw them play (a set heavy on their own material), I was struck by how... tribal it sounded. Not in a shitty tribal tech house way (obviously), and not in a pseudo-spiritual Digital Mystikz sort of way either. Instead, they carried this iridescent throb meted out in dollops of synth and staccato drumbeats that seemed to stack their weight on top of each other so each bar ended with a real bang, only accentuated by the sexy sharp swing most of their productions incorporate. There was something about the chords and pads they used—sensually pulsating, soft-focus blobs—that held an allegiance to the sort of half-awake twilight reveries you’d find on the best Chain Reaction releases, and a powerful yet not overtly masculine sense of physical pressure that reminded me a lot of Scuba. Mid-period Scuba is not a bad reference point here, and Daega’s sound takes all the good parts of the <i>Mutual Antipathy</i> era and places Paul Rose’s clinical steel into a warm bath of reverb and bleary early dawn melody.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Daega are an example of a Vancouver duo making it past that seemingly impermeable Rocky Mountains barrier, notably playing Pinch's well-loved Dubloaded night in Bristol (I was there—it was great, and amazing to see two local guys play with Pearson Sound at a night curated by Pinch). The mix they’ve done for me here is a short but near-perfect display of their own wares: oscillating smears of sanguine warmth, drums that click and clack with accidental precision, and melodies that course in spurts through the cold metal framework like antifreeze. Loaded with dubs, it showcases their <a href="http://soundcloud.com/echodub/daega-sound-let-it-all-go-ep-preview">recent six-track EP release</a> on Scottish label Echodub, as well as their forthcoming single on Seattle's Car Crash Set.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: DAEGA SOUND</b></span><br />
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<div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Let It All Go - Echodub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Winter's Horse - Forthcoming Car Crash Set</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Whirlpool - Dub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Legion - Forthcoming Car Crash Set</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Bug In The Rug - Echodub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Mole Man - Echodub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Construct - Dub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Fonica - Dub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - The Ridge - Dub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Unspoken - Dub</div><div><span class="il">Daega</span> Sound - Stranded - Echodub</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?xd9p7yrr2ybkl4r">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><div style="font-weight: bold;">RYCE: How long have you guys been making music for, and how has it changed over time?</div><div><br />
</div><div>DAEGA: We have been involved in music since we were about 5 years old. Classical as we grew up, then branched out into experimental bands.It was in our late teens that were exposed to electronic music—Ben immediately bought turntables and we began DJing. We’ve been making music as Daega Sound for a little over 4 years. Most of the change has happened in the production arena. We have been learning how to write and mix over the years and the quality evolves and gets better whereas the vibe with our sound is very congruent over the years. We are both intrigued and driven by the same vibey deep rolling beats and bass that we were when we began writing.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Have you always been based in Vancouver?</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>We grew up in a small city a few hours north of Toronto. We spent some time in Victoria as well as living in Toronto and Guelph, Ontario, where we promoted as Balance Productions and performed as DJ Sela (Ben) and Deep Six (Josh). The west coast was calling us though and we returned to Vancouver where we we're based for about 7 years before shifting the headquarters a short ferry ride from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>When did things start picking up for you, and when was the first time you played outside of Vancouver, and where was it?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Things have been steadily gaining momentum since our first release in ‘08. Slowly at first, yet each year seems to bring new opportunities so we can make ground. Summer performances at West Coast Canadian festivals Shambhala, Soundwave, Bass Coast and New Forms Festival have definitely helped to introduce us to new listeners which has undoubtedly brought more opportunities. Last year we played Live at MUTEK and in the UK for the first time at Pinch’s night Dubloaded in Bristol. Our 6 track Ep that we put out with Echodub out of the UK late 2011 has also aided in bringing our sound out the world with support from some notable UK DJ's/Producers such as Loxy, Appleblim, Chef, Om Unit and more. Though there were many shows outside of Vancouver before we were Daega Sound, as Daega our first show outside of the city would have been live in Victoria at the Jungle Room shortly before our first performance at Soundwave on Vancouver Island.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Has Vancouver been a nurturing home for your music and your careers? How often do you play gigs?</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>Vancouver has been a good place for us to build up: solid people, productions, and scene. Most of our gigs as Daega Sound have been in Vancouver, though now we play less in shows Vancouver and more outside the city. We probably play 2 a month on average, with some busier times and some quieter times depending on the time of the year.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>You guys are still making dubstep at a time when a lot of people are moving away from it; do you feel like the genre/format is still important, that there are still things left to be said?</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>It's all about the sound. We didn't get into dubstep because it was popular, but because we found a sound that encompassed everything we loved about drum & bass, techno, deep house and 2step/garage and rolled it all into one. The tempo just works for it. Its at a funny time in its evolution—paradoxical, right now there is less “dubstep” being made at a time when there is whole heck of a lot of dubstep is being made. In our view, what we produce and feel doesn't really have to do with something being left to be said, rather we feel the sound is still very relevant and has by no means become passé for us. The original sound, the “space, pace and bass” has always been and always will be the message - if you're looking for a message. A number of producers that were producing “dubstep” when we got into the sound have indeed shifted the focus of their current production's. This is always good for the evolution of a sound and a scene in general, but, an important point to remember is that this shift in productions doesn't nessecarily reflect the interest in the sound from the dancefloor. Is the genre/format still important? No less and no more than it ever has been. When it comes to the dancefloor or to the headphones, its our belief that peeps will always feel “space, pace and bass.”</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>How do you feel about the sort of mainstream explosion in popularity of dubstep, and the kind of stuff that is popular?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Popularity trends follow the same line, and there's not much you can do about it. A lot of factors go into making something popular... perhaps too many to discuss in this interview! We may have to raincheck on this one...</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>When you guys play a set, for example, what are some recent dubstep artists/labels that are still doing it for you? Even labels that used to release dubstep aren’t really releasing it anymore, outside of a choice few.</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Kryptic Minds, Pinch, Benga, Distance. Tectonic, Chestplate... not to mention our own dubs/releases</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Daega Sound is not purely a dubstep outfit, though, and I know that you guys are fans of lots of other stuff: any plans to branch out more with future releases?</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>We will always be putting out the deeper side of dubstep, but yes we are currently writing some heavy and deep drum & bass tunes. We are planning on releasing a bunch of these tunes over the next year on various labels. We've always written music at different tempos, just haven't put any of the tunes out yet. Expect to hear more in the 100-110 bpm range, techno, tech and deep house and downtempo in addition to the dnb.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What are your upcoming releases, and last year you started up Fathom—can you explain exactly what it is and what your </b><b>plans are with it?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Coming out in 2012 so far:</div><div>Legion / Winter’s Horse on Car Crash Set</div><div>HsPtl WbBle - Mat the Alien (Daega Sound Remix) on Really Good</div><div>Daega Sound and Hxdb collab, two tracks 12” on Crude records</div><div>Whirlpool/Falsehood/Egore – 3 track EP on DPR Recordings</div><div>More to come... stay tuned!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Fathom Recordings is our grass roots record label. We press 12” vinyl and number and hand silkscreen the jackets in a limited edition format. The basic philosophy is simple: create an artifact in this digital, disposable and deletable age.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Why did you feel the need to start your own label? What do you think of the record label situation in Vancouver in general, is there a lack of good options or viable platforms?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Our starting our own label had nothing to do with a lack of good options or viable platforms but because we wanted our own label to express ourselves creatively on our own terms. We choose the music, the art, the schedule and the direction.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I saw you perform at Pinch’s night Dubloaded in Bristol; how’d you get in touch with him and have you played anywhere else outside of North America? How were you received in Bristol and elsewhere, did you find the audiences receptive?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>We played a show with Pinch in Vancouver and he liked what we did there so we kept in touch. We were booked to play Mutek last year so we used that as a catalyst to set up a small tour in Canada and ended it at Dubloaded. It was a slow start to the night but it packed out quickly. It was a sweaty and awesome night and was an honour to be at Dubloaded and performing with DJG and Pearson Sound. We found the the audience receptive, open, well -ducated in the sound and full of energy – the feedback following the gig was very good. As far as performing outside of North America, UK and the States are the extent of our international gigs so far.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Can you talk a little bit about the mix? What’s in it, how’d you record it, etc.</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>The mix we did for you is a collection of forthcomings, releases and dubs. The first tune “Let It All Go” is out title track from our recent Echodub release. It's followed by some cuts from our upcoming release on Seattle's Car Crash Set imprint and some of our new unsigned dubs including the massive “Unspoken” and the deep and running cuts “The Ridge” and “Fonica”. This set was recorded live on the Sunshine Coast.</div></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-40773986441832507682012-03-03T09:58:00.000-08:002012-03-03T09:58:55.644-08:00Some words with Ben UFO<div><div>Chances are if you follow electronic music in any capacity -- and if you're reading this blog, I think that confirms it right there -- you've probably seen or heard about my <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1539">feature on RA</a> surrounding the collision of "bass music" and house, documenting the shift from dubstep to house, the DJs who mix everything together, and a new breed of producers who are operating in a nebulous middle ground. That middle category elicited one of the most interesting interviews I did for the piece, Ben UFO -- one of London's best and most revered DJs right now -- willing to engage on a critical and thoughtful level unusual for your regular old interview, especially a shorter one like this. I was intrigued by what Ben had to say and thought it worthy of publishing the entire unedited interview here, because for obvious space reasons the actual RA piece only included bits and bytes of our dialogue. <br />
<br />
<b>RYCE: How long has house music been on your radar for? Did it predate your interest in dubstep/'nuum music?</b><br />
<br />
BEN: If you have even a vague interest in electronic music, or pop music for that matter, it has to be at least ‘on your radar’. How could it not be?<br />
<br />
My listening habits when it came to electronic music weren’t exactly sophisticated when I was growing up, and I wasn’t into house music at all, but house records charted pretty regularly and you’d be exposed to them nonetheless.<br />
<br />
I came to dubstep through a love for jungle and drum and bass which developed at school and during my first year at university. I was hugely nerdy about it, and started obsessing over digging back through the music I’d missed in the early-mid ‘90s, even at the expense of checking for new music. I did go to nights and tried to DJ where I could, but my experiences with that music were largely quite insular and detached.<br />
<br />
When I first started hearing dubstep and started going to nights, what felt most exciting was that this was amazing sound system music that was being made now. There was a sense that anything could happen, and that there was all this territory left to explore. The openness of the producers involved and their willingness to look beyond the confines of their genre was essentially what led me to think about house music in a different way.<br />
<br />
<b>Did you feel like house was antithetical to the kind of scene you got yourself involved in when you started up the Hessle stuff? Did you feel any sort of barrier between house and what you guys were doing as dubstep-related/parented "bass music?"</b><br />
<br />
We started the label in 2007, and whilst we had no ambition to be anything other than a good dubstep label, house music was impacting on the music in various different ways. One of the first times I saw D1 DJ, he opened with Bass Tone by Sole Fusion pitched up to 135bpm and mixed it straight into Left Leg Out by Mala; Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound and Chain Reaction had a huge impact on a lot of the Bristol producers coming through at the time, and on me as a listener; and with regard to Hessle Audio we’ve been lucky enough to have had the support of Hard Wax and a lot of Berlin-based DJs almost since the inception of the label.<br />
<br />
<b>When did you start incorporating outright house into your own DJ sets? Was it difficult?</b><br />
<br />
There was a noticeable shift in the music a couple of years later. A lot of DJs, producers and listeners became disenchanted with dubstep, which had already developed an established formula, and were starting to look for something new. House music was being played on the pirates again, but rather than looking to the US or Europe for their records, DJs were incorporating tunes made by kids in UK inner cities which had all the traditional characteristics of UK pirate radio music.<br />
<br />
This wasn’t music being made with the dubstep scene in mind at all, but a lot of listeners latched onto it straight away. A few DJs started incorporating it into their sets, but fairly awkwardly at first. I remember seeing DJs play out and you’d hear 30 minutes of dark UK house and an abrupt pause, followed up by 30 minutes of dubstep and grime. I wanted to find ways to bridge the two tempos naturally, and whilst the music I play has continued to change and evolve, that’s essentially the style of DJing I’m still exploring three years later.<br />
<br />
<b>When did you start to notice a shift towards -- I'm only using this problematic word to differentiate it from that dark UK house you mentioned -- "actual"/'traditional" house in dubstep/dubstep-related sets? Do you feel that you were one of the first to do this?</b><br />
<br />
To my mind this question misrepresents what was actually going on. I find the critical fixation with “UK Funky” as exclusively HCC-related music rather patronising, and the implicit suggestion that UK producers introduced syncopation to house music in 2009 (this is something I’ve had people tell me multiple times) is patently absurd. There is obviously a direct and vital connection, but if you scrutinise the selection of UK DJs when this music was emerging it becomes immediately apparent that a debt was owed to US-based producers as well. Tracks like ‘No Hook’ and ‘Soundbwoy’ by Kenny Dope, ‘I C U’ by Karizma and ‘Don’t Panic’ by DJ Gregory immediately spring to mind as staples of otherwise UK-focused DJs, to the extent that all these tunes were widely bootlegged and sold to an audience who were more familiar with the productions of people like D Malice (who actually remixed and bootlegged various house classics early in his career), Roska and Hard House Banton.<br />
<br />
I don’t feel comfortable with this as a descriptor of the music I play but to use your term, I have perhaps shifted more towards “traditional” house music more than most, but this is as much to do with personal circumstance as anything else. I moved into a house with old friends a couple of years ago, both of whom are deeply immersed in house music in London.<br />
<br />
<b>A lot of dubstep/bass music champions -- and those who might have resisted or even would still resist house's encroaching influence -- might have said that "house" lacks the rudeness factor of UK music, of UK hardcore continuum music like jungle/dnb/dubstep. Do you feel the same? Did you find it difficult to reconcile and incorporate house music with the kind of music some more dubstep-hungry audiences would have been expecting? Were audiences receptive at first or was it an over-time thing?</b><br />
<br />
That kind of attitude doesn’t allow for the enormous variety found within all of that music, UK or otherwise, and it’s a dichotomy I rejected a long time ago. If you’re after aggression and propulsive rhythmic energy listen to a few Steve Poindexter records or something - and on the flip side there’s plenty of jungle releases which display all the melodic delicacy and nuance of the most beautiful Chicago records.<br />
<br />
A few years years ago, Nick Craddock (http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/nickcraddock) linked me to these cassette rips of a Spencer Kincy set at a night in Chicago called Deep in the Flowers (http://www.5chicago.com/audio/spencer-kincy/live-at-deep-in-the-flowers.html) – hearing those for the first time completely changed my perspective on how house music was ‘supposed’ to be mixed. His mixing style almost couldn’t have any more in common with UK pirate radio DJing - hyperactive cutting, quick blends and spinbacks… I can’t overstate the impact hearing that set had on my DJing.<br />
<br />
<b>You say that set had a major impact on your DJing -- how did your DJing change and what's the difference, in sort of layman's terms, between mixing for a dubstep set and mixing a house set?</b><br />
<br />
It didn’t change at all; it just reassured me that I could DJ naturally and that I didn’t need to emulate any particular style just in order to play the music I like.<br />
<br />
<b>When you started to try to bridge the gap between house and dubstep, did you find audiences to be resistant/turned off at all?</b><br />
<br />
I did, for a while. Most people from our corner of the scene will have experienced heckling from people expecting dubstep… It’s to be expected though. Music moves so quickly and scenes will always need a bit of time to catch up. If anything it’s a huge privilege to be booked to play on such a diverse array of lineups – last year I’d find myself playing back-to-back sets with my heroes from the dubstep world one night and find myself playing alongside amazing house DJs the next. I hope that continues.<br />
<br />
<b>You said that a lot of people were looking for something new after becoming disenchanted with dubstep... do you think there's something reductive or misled by turning to an older form of music instead of creating something new?</b><br />
<br />
HCC-related music in the UK has always mined older music for inspiration. I still see what’s happening now as a route towards creating innovative new music. Listening to older records and acknowledging their influence is just another way of looking for unexplored territory, and another way of creating an interesting context for the production of new music.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you see yourself as part of a house scene or still the experimental, underground, open-minded scene that once birthed dubstep?</b><br />
<br />
Hopefully both.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/benufo">http://twitter.com/benufo</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hessleaudio.com/">http://www.hessleaudio.com/</a></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-66548592618389577492012-02-21T23:14:00.002-08:002012-02-21T23:16:43.460-08:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Self Evident<b></b><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU-rqxZa9EkHz8aE09NB5IU5fXnudcpMEsCABXATU9do6m30wLHX8cGzX8fHjuApJSaItSHbx8ODYiMLVMv4M5-MttuvvniaENrrXgxEu6nuOec0Wt9Fgm_7ubTnpfUtLdzsG9RACyAc/s1600/183406_186557958051748_118247104882834_437193_7948132_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU-rqxZa9EkHz8aE09NB5IU5fXnudcpMEsCABXATU9do6m30wLHX8cGzX8fHjuApJSaItSHbx8ODYiMLVMv4M5-MttuvvniaENrrXgxEu6nuOec0Wt9Fgm_7ubTnpfUtLdzsG9RACyAc/s400/183406_186557958051748_118247104882834_437193_7948132_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I've said a lot of things here about a lot of DJs, but Self Evident -- Ben Ulis, brother of previously profiled Max -- is a name you're bound to see on a lot of fliers. In a similar fashion to Taal Mala, he's a dance music encyclopedia, full of knowledge about obscure niche genres but still with one foot in the future at all times for that rare blend of archival expertise and up-to-the-minute freshness. You can book him for pretty much any show and end up satisfied: he can play jungle, garage, dubstep, house, whatever you want, or he can just do all of those things at once. It's reasons like that he's one of Vancouver's most ubiquitous and dependable DJs.<br />
<br />
His production career is almost as prolific as DJ gigs; following his SoundCloud is a bit of dizzying affair in itself, and that's not to mention other projects like his brotherly collaboration Giant Molecules with Max. The mix he's given here -- no joke, one of [i]three[/i] he submitted in a four month period, the long gestation period of which is entirely my fault -- is composed of all originals, and shows off his current sound: clean, uncluttered, and absolutely devastating, it's all about minute percussive elements and massive, physical subs, attaching footwork-ready twitch to a bass-heavy house template not so far off from the recent goings-on in the UK. The upbeat "Standing On The Corner" melts down into the sparse "More," all bent-girder basslines and rambling percussion, which quietly blooms into the dayglo R&B of "Treat Me Right" with its high-strung vocal and candyfloss synths. The restraint and ease that he mixes these tracks together is a reflection of his confident DJing style, and even if this all-originals set doesn't quite illustrate what makes him so fiery behind the decks, it sheds much-needed light on his own output. He can go from sparse rudeboy menace to orchestral-grime synth palpitations (check the transition from "Take A Knee" to the explosive "Light Up"), and he shows off his newest production side with the "emotional drum & bass" Shapeist tracks, featherweight (yet still muscly, in a wiry way) slices of dnb that tip-toe on seismically shifting sub. <br />
<br />
The best way to be truly blown away by Ben is to see him DJ live -- and if you live in or near Vancouver, it's certainly not hard to find a gig he'll be playing -- but his mix here does a fine job of showing that his blending skills translate to production, tracks that don't really sound like anyone else but are completely measured, restrained, and deadly effective: not a moment or a sound is wasted, just pure, dubwise dancefloor pressure.<br />
<br />
<b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: SELF EVIDENT</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>1. Self Evident - Standin On The Corner</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>2. Self Evident - More</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>3. Self Evident - Treat Me Right</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>4. Self Evident - Take A Knee</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>5. Self Evident - Light Up (Forthcoming Dipped Recordings)</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>6. Shapeist - Off</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>7. Shapeist - Obvious</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>8. Self Evident - Badboy</b></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?n4o6qwq3767rsc6">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></div></div><div><b><b><br />
</b></b></div><b>RYCE: How long have you been based in BC?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
For about ten years. <br />
<br />
<b>What is it about Vancouver that you like, what is it that you don't like, and do you feel like it's the right home for you as a producer?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Vancouver has great food. I don't like the drivers. As far as a jumping off point for a producer it probably isn't the best place -- it isn't somewhere the rest of the world traditionally looks to for music. It is fiercely competitive though, because of all the talent here, which drives me to work harder. <br />
<br />
<b>What kind of music do you make -- e.g. how would you describe it ? Do you still think of yourself as a "dubstep" producer in a scene where many of the prominent DJs and producers are starting to make moves towards house or other styles?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I would say that my music is dynamic and eclectic. Hybrid music. I love rave music, world music, classical, metal, hip hop. Basically everything inspires me, and helps me shape what I do or don't like.<br />
<br />
I've never thought of myself as a dubstep DJ. Or a dubstep producer. I have <i>dabbled</i> with dubstep. Generally, when I make dubstep speed music (70-140) I am taking more inspiration from crunk and grime music. The Dubforms parties were the most important thing to happen to dubstep in Vancouver, but I don't think any of the members of LiGHTA! consider themselves dubstep artists, just... artists. <br />
<br />
<b>Can you outline all of your musical projects? I know you have quite a few things going on right now.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Self Evident is my main one. Wepa is a project with Gameboy + Will Eede, and it derives a lot of inspiration from Latin and Indigenous music. Shapeist is my new alias for emotional drum & bass. Those are the main projects now. I also have ongoing collaborations with Max Ulis, HxdB, Cure, Ronin, MC Thinktank, and Crystal Precious. <br />
<br />
<b>You do a lot of collaborative work with other producers, like HxdB or your brother Max. What appeals to you about the collaborative process?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
It can be very fruitful, two brains and two refined perspectives can get things done quicker and more decisively. Collaborations can be hard sometimes though, we all make music differently, and therefore we have to go a bit out of our comfort zone to see eye to eye. You need a healthy respect for each other. <br />
<br />
<b>Do you do any other musical projects in the city aside from making music and playing out? By the same token, you're one of the underground's most active local DJs; is DJing your dayjob, so to speak? Is that a sustainable living in Vancouver right now? </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I am a promoter -- I do a monthly at the Astoria, plus a monthly art show at the Minotaur's Lair. I also design posters and flyers for shows. I am getting by, barely. I wouldn't recommend it. So many people think they are a DJ, so many people want to be a DJ, so many DJs want a piece of the pie. <br />
<br />
<b>As someone who used to be associated quite strongly with "dubstep," how do you feel about the "dubstep" scene in Vancouver has developed and where it's gone? </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I have never stopped playing dancehall, grime, UK garage, rnb, hip-hop, jungle, and forward thinking dance music. Everyone in Lighta! is into all types of music. We play good music regardless of style. <br />
<br />
<b>Do you feel disconnected at all from the current goings-on with dubstep and the mainstream idea of what dubstep is? Is dubstep something you no longer wish to be associated with?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Yes and yes. But that doesn't mean that I dislike where things have gone with mainstream "dubstep." If it means less people liking vacuous pop, nu country, or radio rock, then it's a great thing. We need more people dancing in North America. Way too many people don't even go out. <br />
<br />
I find influence in all music, I try to pay respect to all music. Genres are important, they signify excited twists and turns in dance music tastes. But these terms are always getting construed to mean different things. I'm not gonna detail to you what real dubstep was, you'll have to do your own digging. But certain people like Daega Sound, DJG, Silkie, Michael Red, keep that spirit alive, that dubwise shit that is deep and heavy and soulful and original. 99% of the stuff coming out now calling itself dubstep is not dubstep, it's cookie-cutter bass farting, with epic trancey builds and cheesy vocals. A lot of it is bandwagon jumping. None of it makes me dance.<br />
<br />
<div><b>If one sees "Self Evident" on a bill in Vancouver (as one is wont to do at least once a week here!), what should be expected from the DJ set?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Hybridized dance music with three main ingredients: hip-hop, rave, world music. <br />
<br />
<b>You're known as a DJ who can play sets of pretty much any style of music and do it flawlessly: how long have you been DJing for and where does your extensive knowledge of all sorts of genres come from? It's not always common for a North American DJ to have such a comprehensive and expert grasp of certain styles like you might be said to have.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
My older brother and sister introduced me to a lot of music at a young age; rap, early rave, early electronic, industrial, alt rock, trip-hop. When I was in junior high I started producing beats on my dad's computer, in a program made for recording dictations. Max had turntables around since I was in high school. I have been constantly falling in love with different styles of music for as long as I can remember. I worked at the store Vinyl Records for a few years, that furthered my obsession with gathering influence from a diverse range of music.<br />
<br />
<b>What's your favourite style to DJ and why? What's an ideal set for you, in terms of timeslot, length?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I like to play on turntables, with a serato box. I don't plan my sets, but I used to when I started out, and recommend it to other DJs starting out. I have played livepa before, and it is something I dabble with, especially with the Wepa project; that will eventually be a completely live band. But I have al ot of history with turntables, and feel really natural and intuitive with them. I like to play for about an hour, it's long enough to get into a groove, but it leaves the crowd wanting a lil more.<br />
<br />
<b>You played a lot of very prominent nights in 2011; what was the most memorable for you?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Probably the last Lighta! All Crew Jam at the Astoria. It had such a fantastic energy. Basscoast and Diversity are also very special to me. There's a great sense of community at both of these festivals. <br />
<br />
<b>How long have you been producing your own music and what kind of stuff do you produce?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I started producing seriously about 12 years ago, seriously meaning OCD, not meaning I was any good -- I wasn't. I didn't understand anything about sound design, EQing, mastering, and all the stuff that makes your music sound good. Recently all that hard work has started to click a little bit, and Max has given me some pointers on my mixdowns, so I'm feeling pretty good about the last few things that I've done. <br />
<br />
<b>Are you concerned at all about releases, do you think the model of "releasing" is still important at this point in time?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Releasing is really important, it helps your music to be heard by a wider audience. There isn't a lot of money in it obviously thanks to piracy.<br />
<br />
<b>What are some of your past and future releases?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Past releases:<br />
-"Fall Away," a single on Aufect Recordings that included a remix of a Bombaman tune. <br />
-"To You," a song out now on the most recent Acid Crunk comp from Muti Music.<br />
-A remix of Daega Sound's "SOS" with my brother out now on Blipswitch. <br />
-A remix of a Cedaa tune out now on Car Crash Set. "Sapphire"<br />
-A song on the most recent Gradient compilation, compiled by HxdB. "Look In Your Eyes"<br />
-2 EPs with East Van Digital are out now, including the track "Set My Soul On Fire", <br />
<br />
Forthcoming releases include;<br />
-EPs with Palms Out Sounds, Innovative Leisure, and Freshmore, all my collaborations with HxdB.<br />
-"Eastsiders" a collaboration with my brother will be released sometime this century on his and Lorne B's label 10 Pin. <br />
-Remix for Meesha coming out on De'fchild productions "Too" <br />
-EP coming out on Crude Records soon, which includes "Armoured Truck", "Hostel" +and"U Know My Love."<br />
- Collaboration with Philthkids forthcoming on Moveltraxx out of Paris.<br />
-EP coming out on my own label Dipped Recordings, featuring songs by me, Frank Grimes + J-Lin. Very excited for this. <br />
-EP almost done with DJ Cure, that will come out on his label Aufect this year...<br />
<br />
<b>Finally, explain the mix! What's in it, how you recorded it, etc.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
The mix is completely original tunes, mostly brand new ones, including two by my new alias Shapeist. <br />
<br />
I made it in Ableton. The EQing and effects were done live, but the layout was predetermined. It is more of what I call a "showcase" mix, more about showing off new productions and less about translating a DJ performance.<br />
<br />
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</div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-1962485408107829042011-12-19T22:13:00.000-08:002011-12-19T22:15:49.634-08:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Max Ulis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnynQ-trKsrLiW7mNCdfmUqXLgNEvSXfzDz7wxQifHNT_dldB2WQhLHpombHU1A_TT7jAcdXvautfChQYBlINXLULA6yIYu6zt4qgDjpEVVCURdE0fgyyWJKRPkVBpzLUEWI1SDhuLto/s1600/max+ulisbw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnynQ-trKsrLiW7mNCdfmUqXLgNEvSXfzDz7wxQifHNT_dldB2WQhLHpombHU1A_TT7jAcdXvautfChQYBlINXLULA6yIYu6zt4qgDjpEVVCURdE0fgyyWJKRPkVBpzLUEWI1SDhuLto/s320/max+ulisbw.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Max Ulis was one of the first people I connected with in the Vancouver music scene, and rightly so: a veteran of the larger community that has expanded and expanded to what it is now, Max has been an integral part of developing and incubating Vancouver’s post-techno dance music scene since the early 2000s. Dipping his toes into garage and grime when those genres were just getting going, as an essential component of the LiGHTA! crew he brought dubstep to Canada’s West Coast and defined its early history here.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">He’s an absolutely killer DJ -- catch him on any given night and you might get an electro-leaning set, a dubstep-leaning set, a house set, a garage set, a modern “bass music” set, or any combination of the three. Ask anyone from the West Coast or anyone else who’s seen Ulis DJ and they ’ll testify that he’s a real monster behind the decks. But he’s an equally adept producer: though his style has changed and evolved -- particularly over the past year and a half -- it’s all been united by a dark, smoky aesthetic, and it’s been fascinating to see him apply it to a UK-friendly series of productions probing electro, garage, and house. </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Most recently he seems to have settled on iterations of house, which he showcases on his Futureproofing Vancouver mix, an all-originals minimix that shows off his formidable live set that I witnessed in action last weekend at Subdivision’s fantastic 2 year anniversary party at the Waldorf. It perfectly showcases where Max’s production head is at these past few months: drums that alternately needle and slam, tactile basslines that go from serrated to massaging to downright gritty, in fifteen minutes Ulis envisions a new place for bass music’s obsession with house music to go to, one that hearkens more literally towards rave-out decadence, pitch black debauchery and drug-fueled dancing past-the-point-of-exhaustion more than a lot of his contemporaries who either lean too close to deep/classic house cliches or end up referencing techno in their quest for rhythmic inventiveness. That’s not say either of those things aren’t present here: the track that comes in around four minutes (“Back To Work”), all monochrome chord stabs and grueling vocals, is halfway between electro and techno, and when Ulis’ basslines get sensual and romantic they rival any deep house record.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Ulis’ sound hews closest to Prison Garde + Eames in the grand scheme of Vancouver underground music, a similarly pseudo-dehumanized, hardware-heavy take on house music, but Ulis’ is darker, more jittery, less focused on melody and more on carefully-interlocking layers of percussion, so slicing snares and brittle hats and the almighty kick all work in glorious tandem to create something obviously multi-limbed but totally, completely unified. While those textures might be painted seven shades of black, it’s not oppressively dark: the playful shakers that come into the second half of the mix and especially the Dirtybird-baiting flute track (“Shock,” a collaboration with brother and soon-to-be-profiled Self Evident) are as friendly as anything he’s ever done. But the music remains hermetic and claustrophobic in true Max Ulis style, earning all the more power from it: the busy drum programming leaves little room for breathing once the mix gets going, the basslines smother and suffocate, and the chord progressions usually feel like they’re just barely squeezing through the cracks.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">With a release coming out on Montreal’s Swing and Skip and a fantastic remix of fellow Vancouverite duo Evy Jane coming out on King Deluxe, Ulis has a promising 2012 that should fully blossom with the founding of his new label 10Pin, one of the many things he discusses in the interview below, along with his intriguing history and view of the bass music scene both in general and in Vancouver. There’s no tracklist for the mix, as Max would rather remain mysterious, but you can find a few of the tracks on h<a href="http://soundcloud.com/maxulis">is Soundcloud</a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: small;">FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: MAX ULIS</span></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?8snu6si46ndmq68"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: small;">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</span></a></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">RYCE: How long have you been in Vancouver for, and why did you move here?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>MAX ULIS: </b>I have been in Vancouver since 1998. I moved here because I needed a change. I was tired of freezing my ass off every winter and working shit jobs in Quebec. My folks had moved to B.C. and I decided to move back in with them and enroll in school. I didn't end up getting any of the classes I wanted so I put school on hold and bought myself turntables.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">What was the electronic/dance scene like when you got here?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">It definitely took a while to discover a scene I had any interest in. If I found a club I liked, I would consistently go to it and generally I liked a lot of the music at the Lotus <i>[now-closed Vancouver club]</i> so that was one of the first places I went -- I found people at the Lotus to be open and interesting. I also used to frequent the now-defunct Chameleon that was under the Georgia street hotel, they had a really good house night and also a drum-n-bass night on Sundays that I really liked. I can still remember standing in the queue to the Chameleon on a Sunday and hearing D Product’s “Faithless” being played and the sheer excitement to have found a night with music that I could really get into. There would often be after parties in standardly sketchy places run by all sorts of interesting people. I used to go to one afterhours that was a ballet studio during the day, I was told it was run by the russian mob (I have no idea if this is true). The DJs played deep house, techno, some funkier bits, but most of the music was dark and intricate and tech-y, John Tejada type stuff. Those were some of my favourite parties back in the day. The bouncers used to tell everyone on the way in that it was a gay party to weed out douchebags, it was more like 50/50 and everyone seemed to get along well. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">What role do you think you and LiGHTA! played in the ever-growing dubstep scene in Vancouver?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I think it is safe to say that the Dubforms parties put on by Malcolm Levy and Michael Red brought dubstep to Vancouver. I think those parties created a safe and fun space for people to discover a new sound that really defined the LiGHTA! vibe and aesthetic.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I know you used to do some old grime and garage nights back in the day, can you talk a little about those?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Grime Sessions was a night that was initially thought up by Wilson Hart, he never played any of them, but he put Dr. Jesse Proudfoot, Paul Devro and myself together. The first Grime Sessions was in a super creepy place (now closed) called the Marine Club, I think. It was nautical themed and it smelled like old men. In any case we all had fun and the Shine nightclub took us on to do a regular Tuesday night in their backroom. We were often at odds with the club as we added a sub to their set-up for a while that drew the ire of their neighbors. The night went on for about a year and had it's bumps, Paul was digging on Baltimore club, and I was digging the darker sounds of people like Vex'd, so the night was pulled in different directions and eventually ended. The crowd at those nights was very diverse, we had some good press at the beginning (thanks Martin Turenne) that really helped get it off the ground.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">You've since distanced yourself from a lot of "dubstep" and compatible sounds and moved in a housier direction. Is this a new love or rekindling an old passion?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Definitely a rekindling of my first love, but at the same time, a move in a new direction as the house I am digging now is definitely a little more bouncy than the stuff I was playing in 1998. I think the scene in general seems to be a lot more open to hearing many different takes on a style in the same set which ultimately makes it a lot more interesting as a performer.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">How do you feel about the way the entire "bass music" scene seems to be gravitating towards house and electro friendly sounds? Do you think it's coming from an honest place or is it more a gimmick? Do you think a lot of these UK producers and whomever that used to make dubstep make house that's actually any good? (big, loaded question I know).</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Well first of all I don't think the whole “bass music” scene has gone housey, certainly a lot of the artists from the bass scene that you and I have found compelling have been experimenting with that sound. I really think a lot of the bass guys probably just got bored doing the same thing all the time and also frustrated at the popularity of harder dubstep. Dubstep has become kind of a bad word for some people and they probably felt like distancing themselves from it. I firmly believe that there is good music and shit music, I just try pay attention to good music and tune out the rest. As for dubstep guys that have been messing with housier tempos, my favourite dudes are probably DJG, XI, Scuba, Boddika, DJ Cure, Hxdb, Blawan's "Getting Me Down" is of course absolute fire. It's just like any other genre, some is good, some not so much to my taste....</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">How do you see yourself fitting into the Vancouver scene? What's your style right now, and what kind of stuff would you play in a DJ set?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I am in an interesting spot right now where I get bookings for [both] 4/4 shows and bass shows. A lot of the bass sets have started around 126 BPM and eventually end up in jukey territory, in those sets you may hear anything from Eats Everything to Loefah to Philip D Kick, I try and cover a lot of territory. My house sets are all over the map, Tom Demac, Boddika, Carl Craig, some Dirtybird stuff and a lot of my new original tunes.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Have you found it harder at all to get bookings or maintain a reputation with your own style shifting so much in the past few years?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Nope. Some months are obviously better than others but luckily it has been pretty consistent and I seem to be getting away with playing whatever I want. I count myself very lucky. Broadening my style took some getting used to from a lot of my regular fans, but I think they are digging my direction these days.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">You've been working on a livepa set for a while, care to explain?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I was asked to perform at MUTEK last year for the New Forms showcase under the condition that I play live. It was something I had wanted to do for years and MUTEK was the kick in the ass I needed. I wasn't going to say no to MUTEK! (I attended MUTEK for the first time in 2009 and was blown away.)</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Do you use a lot of hardware when producing your own tracks? Is that sort of analogue/digital dichotomy important to you?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The only thing important to me is that the music is good, that said having some outboard gear can help with that. Currently I use a Roland Juno 106, Waldorf Microwave XT, a super weird sounding Arp Digital piano and some outboard fx.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Most of your own work has a very minimalist, stripped-back aesthetic. Is that kind of ascetic darkness what you strive for or is it just what comes out?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">It’s just what comes out.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Do you have anything being released in the near future?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Well that is a good question. I was supposed to have a 12" release with Swing and Skip out of Montreal, but apparently there has been a holdup with distro so we will see how that plays out. I also have a remix of Vancouver natives Evy Jane and Phowa that should see the light of day on 12" in the new year <i>[on King Deluxe]</i>. Also I have a tune with my brother Self Evident called "Eastsiders" that should be released early in the new year, and it features remixes by Cedaa, Hxdb, Prison Garde and Taal Mala. I am also in talks to do a couple other remixes that I can't talk about yet. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">You recently started up a label, 10Pin, can you explain that a little bit: its mission, its sound, its fruition, its schedule</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">10Pin was an idea my friend Lorne B. from Calgary came up with. We have very similar taste and get along great. Its mission is to put out music from the Northwest that we love. It isn't genre specific, the only prerequisite is that the music is great. Expect music from Danny Corn, Taal Mala, Calamalka, Self Evident, Hxdb, myself and a gang of others. The first E.P. features Calamalka and a remix by our pal XI. Lorne and I hope to have the release dates... any day now.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">How do you feel about the scene in Vancouver right now, and in North America at large? You've been touring around quite a bit recently..</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">It seems to be really really different in every city. For people like myself who play music that isn't anywhere near the mainstream, it can be trying. Vancouver is extremely blessed to have a strong music community, full of diverse people and tastes.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">How do you feel about the bastardization/mainstream appropriation of "dubstep?" Is it just an inevitability or something that needs to be pushed against? Do you even care anymore?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Blah.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Your own music so far, despite its sonic commonalities, seems to come from all over the place stylistically. What sort of stuff are you listening to when you're not thinking with a DJ set in mind?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Blues, Jazz, Rap, Folk, Reggae, Classic Rock. I like the Black Keys a lot. I also like silly shit like Ween, Frank Zappa. One record I always come back to is <i>Naturally</i> by J.J. Cale. I have also been listening to a lot of the electronic music I have bought that may not be for the club, stuff like Black Joy, Holy Other, Floating Points. The No Gold album is in regular rotation, it is pretty much my default home listening. Mostly I have just been listening to the Game of Thrones audio books...</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Can you explain the mix you've provided? What's in it, how you made it, etc.</span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">My mix is a 15 minute clip of me playing parts of my tunes together, some are finished songs, others are bits of things to be completed that just fit nicely into the set. I performed it with Ableton Live and my Vestax VCM 600 controller. Further down the line I would like to start incorporating a hardware mixing board, outboard fx and my synths.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><i>You can hear Max's individual tunes over at his <a href="http://soundcloud.com/maxulis">Soundcloud</a>. The Evy Jane EP with his remix of "Ohso" is due to come out by February 2012, and releases for Swing and Skip and 10Pin are due to come i</i>n 2012 as well. </span></span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-86802691164888031152011-12-13T23:39:00.000-08:002011-12-13T23:53:24.570-08:00The Post-Structuralist Dance Milieu of Milyoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/12400_337983993352_202508023352_3509150_2052548_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/12400_337983993352_202508023352_3509150_2052548_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've probably already turned you off with that title. It's a little pretentious, I know. But it's in honour of Tommy Wilson, a philosophy-obsessed rock climber who also produces some of the weirdest, fussiest house music around as Milyoo. As I said in my <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=10138">review of his excellent debut album <i>Archeology </i>on RA</a>, I've been pretty heavily invested in the man's work since I first heard his debut single "Dasein" in all its nauseous, pressure-chamber glory on Mary Anne Hobbs' BBC Radio 1 Experimental show. The Kentuckian producer was the discovery of London underground scene-queen Subeena, who signed Wilson to her brand new OPIT label and released "Dasein" as part of a three-track EP that I <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2010/05/17/milyoo-dasein/">described at the time as</a> "too airy and hollow to even be called dance music."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That might have been a little harsh or even dismissive, but "Dasein" stands, even in its new context as part of <i>Archeology, </i>as a supremely weird track, like 2000s Autechre rendered in a cartoon world of playfully elastic steam-powered industry. Dismissive because, as it turns out, you could maybe kinda sorta somehow dance to Milyoo. Short-lived Bristol label Saigon released the four-track <i>Kazuadon</i> EP at the beginning of this year, highlighting Wilson's intentionally odd but persuasive grasp of vocal sampling and manufactured melody, but it was still weird as fuck. Then it seemed like a switch flip: on two singles released for OPIT and supremely undervalued London house underdog West Norwood Cassette Library, with "Colors" and "Biogram v2" respectively, Milyoo repositioned himself as a weirdo house producer, whether it was with the savant stomp of the former or the drawn-out repetitive hypnosis of the other. Milyoo's music is eminently post-structuralist, really: it refuses to confine itself to any one meaning, context, or interpretation, and comes from a place of churning alchemical transformation and metamorphosis rather than any kind of definable stability. His drums twitch, his vocal samples are cut into weird and angular shapes, and his chord progressions feel more like exhalations than proper melodies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of this comes to a head with Wilson's debut album <i>Archeology</i> released on OPIT, a record that continues Wilson's explorations into house but in typical fashion keeps them clipped in fleeting fragments, a 40-minute record that filters one of dance music's most basic and foundational genres through the tenuously tangential mind of a roving madman. For further thoughts you can <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=10138">check out my aforementioned review on RA</a>, but suffice it to say it's an excellent record, the kind of understatedly brilliant effort you'd expect from an artist as meek but clever as Wilson. Having had on/off communication with the man himself for the better part of a year or so, I've managed to capture a glimpse of his unique, quirky personality -- I suppose it matches the music -- and thought it was about time I got to interview him in some pseudo-professional capacity. So here we are. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This interview is the process of seven months' work. It's primarily laziness and forgetfulness. I first wrote these questions on my iPhone in a nearly empty gay bar in London on a particularly boring Sunday night, then hit "cancel" instead of "save draft," then had to write them again, then forgot to send them, then my laptop with said questions was stolen. Then I re-did them in August finally and the bugger disappeared for a whole season. After much exchanging of blame and dilly-dallying, I finally managed to pin down Wilson for the proper interview. Lengthy, maybe a little self-indulgent, but totally digestible, this is the ever-lucid Milyoo expressing himself in a way that's as simultaneously succinct but multi-paradigmatic as his music. I didn't bother editing his responses like I normally would -- for grammar or consistency -- because I'm sure every typographical decision is loaded with the utmost meaning and implications. He also writes in lower-case, because dude thinks he's fucking e.e. cummings or something. The formatting is a bit off, and that's a bit of post-modern non-conformism from myself. And because I'm really growing tired with blogger's horrible interface. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yeah, there's a free exclusive track at the end of it all as well, 'cause he loves me and I love y'all. "Thenagin Knowles" shows off Milyoo's usual oddball but accessible formula-not-formula, a gaseous mixture of strangely-heawn vocal samples, a lot of which are actually quite recognizable. It's three minutes of weirdness that define him pretty well, really.</span><br />
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<div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>RYCE: It seems like you have an onslaught of releases this year, especially compared to the relative paucity last year after your debut. Was it planned to have all these releases at once, and do you think it's a good or a bad thing to have such overload at a time when the dialogue moves so fast?</b></span></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WILSON: First of all, the 'dialogue' - in both what it discusses and the intensity of those discussions - is entirely beyond my control. Labels put out music at X rate, publications/djs talk about artist Y, and promoters book Z person(s). This is what i'd call the 'field of dialogue' for modern electronic music, and, in all honesty, its kinda hard to plan for something you don't coordinate. so, no, i did not technically plan for a ton of releases; it's just what happened in the midst of writing tunes and talking to people. plus it's hard to say no to someone who wants to invest time and money into distributing your stuff because you have some sort of control issue with the future. hmm. or maybe i'm just short-sighted. in the end it's all good though. absolutely good. i''ve got awesome interweb friends (hi bob!) and in a zero sum game those are big wins. plus i can just write more stuff next year or change my name and start all over. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you think about the 'internet generation' and the musical dialogue that jumps from artist to artist, from new release to new release practically every day? Is the hyperspeed detrimental to 'proper digestion' of music or is it just the way it is now?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i don't think about it much really. like i said before, i have zero input in how this machine works so i just focus on myself. plus, i'd never be willing to suggest some sort of transcendent method for 'properly digesting' music. fuck. some of the best tracks ever written were done by a stoned person over the course of about 10 minutes. they wrote the lyrics on a napkin. if the goal is to put enough appreciative energy back in, then - well - that is something for the listener to decide. just because they don't spend a ton of time listening doesn't mean they don't 'get it'. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you feel about internet culture in general and the way it treats electronic music/dance music? </b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">internet culture seems to treat everything the same i think. it's a constant hyperbolic storm of inputs without any sort of sustained dialogue. the way i think about it is through David Harvey's notion of time-space compression; his idea was that transport technology (cars, trains, planes) changed the way time and capital worked by shortening the relative distance between things (ya know, time-space compression). the world and its inhabitants have been radically altered by the way in which things now moved across/through it. social media/interwebz is basically the same in my mind. instant, all-the-time, push-botton media has drastically altered the field of mediation for those products. there's no lull; no quiet to process anything. but to be fair it's not as if modern culture is some sort of vapid bag of crap. its just the product of saturated data streams. there is far too much amazing stuff to sort that daily exhortations of GREATEST THANG EVER! have become the norm. add to that a very effective media promotion industry pushing rubbish and you have an even larger - more unmanageable - pile of data. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b> How do you feel about what the internet has done to "music journalism?" Do you think the proliferation of blogs and otherwise amateur/unprofessional opinions is diluting the critical dialogue or simply making it fairer?</b></span></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ha. I think the proliferation has both muddied the gap between critical dialogue/professional critique AND has done some diluting. but i think this is much bigger than music, right? we live in an moment where politics have become aesthetics. that is, there is no "good", just your little subjective corner. this change - and i think it is definitely a result of the internet - is across the board: human rights, labor, capital, all of it. there is a virtual space for everyone to reassure themselves of their righteous sanity. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you think the internet is responsible for your success? Is there much of a scene at all in your native Kentucky? (Any plans to relocate elsewhere?)</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">clearly the "internet" isn't directly responsible (see: sick skills) but as a social tool? obviously: all my releases are out of the UK. 95% of my music friends are out of the UK. why? because the internet lets me reach out to people with lols and a .zip and try to get some music stuff happening without having to even stand up. pretty amazing really. i've done some stuff locally but all in all the electronic music scene in Lexington is small. there are a few talented artists, some wobble/electro djs, and some diehard house people i've known since the mid-90's who still throw nights, but i spend most of my time climbing and writing so if you catch me out on a weekend - i probably was tricked into day beers and you're just witnessing the extended fallout. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you get frustrated when people focus on the fact you're from Kentucky? (KENTUCKY!)</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nah. i just think its peculiar. it's not like i need to live in a global city to know what 1) i like and 2) how to make it. plus i lived in LA for 5 years (STREET CRED) just when the house scene was really starting to bubble, but most of the time I was going out to see people I had seen before... while living in Kentucky. i don't know if people are aware of this, but the mid-90's midwest house/techno/rave scene was absolutely ridiculous. when i go through old flyers they read like an electronic music hall of fame nomination sheet. seriously. that said, a lot of Kentucky is disgusting. fat christian fascists pretty much run the show here. but we have a good local/organic food movement in Lexington, decent restaurants, and a kickass community of marxists, punks, skaters, academics, bikers, etc. who make it seem like everywhere else. it's cliche (i think), but it's always people that make a place. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you feel about the situation surrounding the music industry w/r/t profits/lack thereof? Do you feel like selling music is a hopeless venture at this point? Is it simply a form of mutual masturbation for a group of especially niche-y nerds at this point?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the latter. nerds from the suburbs repping a detroit/chicago/london that never even existed. there might be piles of money somewhere, but i don't know how to get it. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you get angry when you see people "pirating"/uploading your music "illegally?" Or are you just happy that they're interested?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i'm ambivalent. i know i should be pissed, but i don't make enough that pirating matters and if i did make enough... it's tough to care about a 10% loss when you're dumping bottles of Moet out the window of your Escalade. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you make any money from music in any capacity? What's your dayjob otherwise?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> some. i've made money on gigs and my labels know how much loot we're raking in off releases (WHERE'S MY SEGWAY!?!?!). but i don't make enough to pay the bills; music income basically subsidizes an occasional video game. my dayjob was graduate school but i ran out of funding so - in lieu of reading and writing for a living - i've moved onto working at a climbing/outdoor retail store. i've found that i'm ill-suited to doing things i hate just so i can buy shit i don't need. basically i want just enough money to pay for climbing, cheap travel, and music. working at the gear shop allows for all of that sans any sort of occupational stressors. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Is trying to make money off of music in a climate where the financial system is essentially imploding irresponsible or foolish? </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">if you're getting into electronic music for the money, then you are an idiot. but there's no reason not to try and make a little scratch from doing what you love. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It seems like everyone and everything is starting a label up these days. Would you ever consider this yourself? You're clearly a prolific producer.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> starting up a label would be neat, but it just seems like it would take away from my being prolific. big. ass. time. sink. < label name. you're welcome.</span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You're a climbing enthusiast. Explain.</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">climbing enthusiast. heh. well. i've been climbing for over 10 years; mostly boulders and sport routes. it's awesome. it's the only thing i do which isn't situated through discourse. when you're 10 meters off the deck without a rope, there is no amount of hype that can save you. just you. i like the unmediated 'realness' of the whole thing. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?!?!?!</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></blockquote></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of course, you know i hate this question. they change too much, you know? i'd like to say "this glenn underground tape i dubbed in 1995 really got me into deep house", but i just (re)listened to Rustie's "Bad Science" 15 minutes ago and - you know - it's kinda winning out over the 17-year old event. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you categorize the music you make? When you started were you aiming to fit into any particular genre or scene or style or...?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">right now i'm kinda writing house. it's where i started so its nice to get back to it. but in the beginning i was shooting for psychedelic pop i think? i dunno, i'm not really talented enough to aim my music anywhere. i just sort of play around until i think its done. that said, i do wanna start writing more cinematic stuff. so... </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you think it's difficult being so 'experimental' and 'weird' in a world where genre and subgenre is more important than ever? (It seems to be that even though all this music is touted as so experimental and border-crossing, if it doesn't have a regular beat and lock nicely into other similar minded tracks it's too weird to be bothered with).</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i always thought my tracks were pretty straightforward, but apparently i'm in the minority. but i certainly don't find it difficult.</span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Are you an IDM producer, then? What do you think of the term IDM?</b></span></div></blockquote><div></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IDM.... sure. if people think i am then i probably am. i'd never use that term though as it's kinda goofy pretentious. </span></div><div class="im" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's your dream label to release on?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One-Handed... or Hessle. different directions but the same shelf in terms of awesome. </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="im"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Have you always wanted to do the album? Whose idea was it? And why on OPIT?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well. From the start Subeena and I wanted to do an album, but we thought a slow drip of Milyoo material prior to said long player would be best. You know, we didn't want to drop a ton of stuff without some context. And so after a small flurry of releases...voila! album!</span></div><div class="im"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you think the album format is still relevant? Not just in the context of the iPod generation, but also the breakneck pace of modern electronic/dance music?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sure. As an artist it allows us to lay out a more complex bridge to the listener, and I think there are enough intrepid folks out there to make said bridge relevant. </span></div><div class="im"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Can you talk a little about the title's meaning/significance as well as its spelling? (ha!)</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fancy myself quite the musical meme conjurer. that is, i think of my tracks as sonic hat tips to various musical feelings. so archeology seemed a good way to signify the sort of historical excavating i went through in sorting the album. the spelling, however, came about when I noticed the word had two spellings: archeology and archaeology. i did a bit of reading and found the latter was from the original latin and the former a more modern version pushed by American universities. beyond losing the ae diphthong, it was hoped the 'improved' version would signify archeology's movement from simple relic gathering to it being an engine for critical cultural commentary based around the material productions of civilizations. it seemed a silly split, but in the end i felt more in tune with the modern version. </span></div><div class="im"><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The album contains some previously released material; did you make the rest of the tracks with an album in mind or was it simply putting together your tracks in a way that felt cohesive? Was it mainly an effort by you or was Sabina involved in the compilation of Archeology?</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah. I sent Sabina a ton of tracks I thought might gel into a bloc and she slowly sorted them into the album. I lobbied for some tracks and left others to her discretion. It's not the most romantic story, but that's how it worked. That said, I really want to do a concept album. I should have lots of time this winter so I plan to start soon. i think i'm going to soundtrack a horror film that does not exist. should be interesting to sort it out - storyboards and whatnot. we'll see i guess. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>FREE TRACK: "Thenagin Knowles" <a href="http://mediafire.com/?0jft1t0ypv3ce6f">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milyoo's <i>Archeology</i> is out now on OPIT Records. It's worth a listen or several.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
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</span>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-60240296637450596402011-11-24T22:28:00.000-08:002011-11-25T20:03:24.473-08:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Vincent Parker<b></b><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBwKeLOT9yME4d7qsK7_RmobzsC8Y0n9mfcDrPfDZ5n0kuyfqHN1nlPqLu1_o-G5s-yLX8Lq3tU2GR8llakfkhDjaAyOADmUQago7a5zK6nIghRSvhCAHDHyrNR8sb9l4UDNiXOq1nw0/s1600/_DSC7116edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBwKeLOT9yME4d7qsK7_RmobzsC8Y0n9mfcDrPfDZ5n0kuyfqHN1nlPqLu1_o-G5s-yLX8Lq3tU2GR8llakfkhDjaAyOADmUQago7a5zK6nIghRSvhCAHDHyrNR8sb9l4UDNiXOq1nw0/s320/_DSC7116edit.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.vincentparker.ca/">Vincent Parker</a> is one of Vancouver’s most prolific and idiosyncratic artists: you’re as likely to find him booked at an ambient show as a noise show as a synth show as a dubstep(ish) show, but there’s a few reasons for that. First would be his versatility: the dude can do everything from, well, drone to noise to hip-hop to something resembling other forms of dance music without ever quite conceding to their conventions. While his sets can often devolve into torrents of noise or exploratory synth odysseys, especially lately he’s been casting at least one careful eye over the dancefloor. It might be a consummately fucked-up, misfit dancefloor, but there’s room to dance there nonetheless.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">It was Vincent’s set at this past September’s New Forms Festival that finally convinced me of his cross-platform potential -- I’d had an idea before, of course, but I hadn’t seen anything <i>this</i> direct or bull-dozingly effective in one set from him before. Preceding a bill that included L.A. hip-hop weirdo Shlohmo and Bristol grime/dubstep lynchpin Superisk, to properly warm up the crowd Parker played an all-originals set completely primed for the dancefloor. Representing some mutant hybrid of dubstep, garage, and hip-hop, his crashing beats and distorted synths were moulded into recognizable shapes, crash-landing in captivating configurations before doing it all again, shifting subtly over the course of an hour without too many of the wild changes in direction that might be expected from Parker. It was exciting to hear him so capably play to a dancefloor crowd like that, and sure enough the material he’s been working on lately runs along the same thread -- sacrificing none of his edge or energy, Parker has been crafting genreless bangers, notably unleashing them on the self-released (and absolutely fantastic) collection of cosmic hip-hop <i><a href="http://vincentparker.bandcamp.com/">Respecanize</a></i>.</span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I asked Parker for a mix to contribute to the series, I certainly wasn’t going to tell him what to do, but for coherence purposes -- and certainly after seeing him destroy the Waldorf Hotel at New Forms -- I was hoping he’d fashion something similar to that set, a concentrated burst of his most brutally effective, propulsive tunes. And I think he’s delivered. The roughly twenty-minute mix jumps from his most melodic to his most gnarled: grizzled synths shrieking, fading, buzzing, and disintegrating, it’s a fascinating journey and even more so knowing that it was all done live and on-the-fly. There are bits from <i>Respecanize</i> in there and a whole bunch of other stuff, and hearing it compressed into an easily-digestible twenty minutes illuminates Parker’s odd little view of dancefloor music. While his beats might share propensities with dubstep or hip-hop in terms of arcs and crashes and booms, the way he builds his tracks is more akin to trance, pounding bright and cheery melodies ad nauseum until they’re about to explode. But you’re not going to find any hissing snare rolls or euphoric breakdowns here: instead of giving into the temptation, Parker simply snuffs out a beat at critical mass and pulls in the next one. It has the effect of keeping the music almost unbearably on edge, providing both the thrill of build-up and almost-climax without any of the come-down or mawkish, hackneyed melodies. Just because I had no idea what the hell to expect, Parker’s contribution was one of the Futureproofing Vancouver mixes I was most excited for, and over a period of months I had build up a rather unrealistic set of expectations for what could come out of it; yet, somehow, Parker has fully and completely made good on every promise his music has ever made to me. This is twenty-minutes of uncompromising but accessible dance music made by someone who doesn’t give a fuck about genre, about what’s happening in “UK bass” or whatever the hell “dubstep” means anymore. Much like fellow Vancouver denizens Prison Garde & Eames (already profiled on this very series), this is pure dancefloor music: drum machines, synths, and a whole lotta crazy ideas.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">When you’re done with this, and you’re appropriately blown away, <a href="http://vincentparker.bandcamp.com/">download the album too</a>.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: VINCENT PARKER</b></span></b><br />
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</b></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back and Forth (originally from <i>Prism Myst</i>)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slippery (originally from <i>Prism Myst</i>)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dense Colour Wall (<i>Respecanize</i>)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slither (<i>Respecanize</i>)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ice Caps (unreleased)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White Petal Night/First Desert Highway (<i>Respecanize</i>)</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?d767cz5j9bb8sva">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></span></b></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Have you always been based in Vancouver? If not, where were you before, and why'd you move?</b></span><br />
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</b>I grew up mostly on Vancouver Island but as soon as I graduated I escaped to go to Emily Carr University of Art and Design. That happened in 2002 and I have been a Vancouverite since.<br />
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<b>Do you find the Vancouver electronic music scene healthy? What do you like about it, and what problems might it suffer from?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> I find the Vancouver electronic music scene to be very healthy... some very diverse, very interesting and extremely innovative and talented people have come from Vancouver. Just recently it has changed for the awesome. More venues and the warehouses have come up, so it seems there is always something amazing to see or place to play.<br />
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Problems I have... even though Vancouver has this rich smorgasbord of [local] music… it seems to still be most interested in imported culture. That frustrates me.<br />
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<b>Why do you think Vancouver has such a focus on "imported culture" and is there something that promoters could do or aren't doing to improve the situation surrounding local talent?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>Vancouver is just weird… it seems it isn’t ever good enough unless it's imported. I think promoters are stuck in an old model based on electronica in the 90s or even the early 2000s.<br />
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<b>Why do you think it's so hard for local artists to make a splash outside of Vancouver? </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> Cost of travel mostly. It's retarded.<br />
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<b>Of all the producers I'm featuring in this series, you're one of the hardest to pin down in stylistic terms. How would you describe your music if you had to?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> It’s just as hard for me. I am not a big fan of stylistic genre names for categorizing music, especially in electronic music. I find the genres are coined then it limits you in the mind of an audience. And then certain expectations happen and that can be frustrating all around. I would rather be known as a good show. To answer the question, I have described my style of music as “if Sebastian Tellier and Mr. Oizo had a kid and raised him on thrash metal and gangster rap.” When forced to name it something short and sweet, it’s the futuristic. <i>[laughs]</i><br />
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<b>You can definitely hear those French Touch influences in your static-y, distorted textures. What are some other influences on your sound, if I can ask that stupid and annoying question? </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> I listen to lots of different stuff… I listen to a lot of American song writers (Springsteen, Hold Steady, Dylan…) but the applicable acts that influence my music would be: <br />
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Sebastien Tellier, Mr. Oizo, Apparat, Modeselektor, Fennez, The Knife, Daniel Lanois, Washed Out, Flying Lotus, Metronomy, Chemical Brothers... Also lots of hip-hop: Wu-Tang, Kanye, Neptunes, J Dilla, Madlib, Just Blaze, T.I., Yelawolf, Pusha T, The Weeknd, and list goes on and on… But the biggest influence on my production would be from my good friends at Laptop Battle and Matthew Willox aka WNY aka Winnie The Shit aka Spark.<br />
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I was involved in Laptop battle (see more at <a href="http://laptopbattle.com/">laptopbattle.com</a>) since 2005 as either a judge or a featured performer. In 2009 I competed for the first time at the Seattle battle and won. It really pushed my methods and kept my competitive spirit stoked. Matt Willox got me into thinking outside the box in my programming and use of controllers… he was running Buzz machines back in 2004 on a basic laptop with a 16-fader controller (this was a controller before the USB MIDI -outs era) and he fucking slayed… building sounds like spider webs… always changing the sounds and composition by flicking the little switches. So fucking awesome.<br />
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<b>From what I can see your sound seems to be moving in a slightly more dancefloor-friendly direction lately. Your set at New Forms was especially... accessible. Is this a conscious/deliberate move or is it just where your head's at? Or is club music just getting more experimental?</b><br />
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For me all my tracks are fully sequenced and conducted live… so it really depends on what’s going on environmentally. My New Forms Festival set was designed to be a dance floor set cause that’s what was called for. That night the room was really sounding great and it wasn’t like the place was empty… all that affected how the show went down. Sometimes I open for bands in cabaret style shows (Protomen, Diamond Rings, shout out out out outs). In that case my set has lots of me singing, lots of complicated heady glitching, also my pace is more stop-and-start as I am trying to keep it more about each track and less about dancing.<br />
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As to the question about consciously trying to be more accessible… I have been learning more and more that I know my songs better than listeners, and I shouldn’t go glitching it so much that only like two people are following cause they know the beat. I have just been letting the beat breath a little longer before I go and change it. I have also been focusing on melody a lot more and so that might be helping..<br />
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<b>How do you feel about being grouped together here with what are primarily dance music producers/DJs? Do you feel like you're part of a particular scene in Vancouver in general or are you more of an outsider?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> I feel the “scene” is doing its own thing. And it seems to be pretty genre centric (dubstep, moombahton, house). Since I am hard to pin down, refuse to make genre driven music and I don’t DJ, I think I am pretty quickly excluded from whatever scene we may be talking about. My homies are doing their own thing their own way. Not designing tracks to fit the genre… they are making their own thing happen.<br />
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<b>What does your live set consist of and what kind of equipment do you use? Do you feel like live electronic music is a legitimate form of performance? A lot of people criticize it for being too easy or somehow invalid.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>I currently play a laptop running FL studio with an akai mpd32, two kaoss pad v2 linked, and I have the TC Helicon VoiceLive Touch.<br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it really depends if there is a performance. If there is true interaction with the equipment and sound then of course it’s a legitimate form of performance. People who criticize or think its invalid are probably washed up try hard douchebags that are jealous that I have so much fucking magic sex energy.<br />
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<b>What motivated you to do a self-release with the <i>Respecanize</i> album? Why did you choose bandcamp, and are there any drawbacks to releasing in the way you did?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> Well, I hate trying to explain my music… especially to electronic labels that are constantly inundated by newbies and clones. Just to get their attention is tough. Then I wouldn’t be interested in strictly a web release… I have released before on a netlabel (Run Riot Records R.I.P.), however the trade-off never seemed fair. I’d rather be in control of my promotion if it isn’t going to be done to my high standards.<br />
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Bandcamp allows me to have control over every aspect of the costs and I find that people trust it. The only drawback I see is the limit of 200 free downloads…<br />
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<b>What separates <i>Respecanize</i> from your other work? Did you make these tracks with an album in mind?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b><i>Respecanize</i> Part One was put together out of many different live takes that I had been collecting for the last ten months. I wanted it to be track-oriented while still giving the listener a good idea as to how I sound live. There are a lot more tracks that I wanted to include but I thought it better to first push these tracks before they get old to me. The release model was inspired by Pusha T’s <i>Fear of God</i> mixtape. The first stuff was free kept people listening.. get them on board with my freaky style then do a physical to sell.<br />
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<b>Do you find it hard to get bookings -- or even establish a reputation/name -- when your music is so.. all over the place and unpredictable? Or in a place like Vancouver, is that actually easier?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>My reputation is harder to solidify cause I don’t play a genre and roll fluid. However, I think the underground has been super accepting. 2004-2006 was difficult but since my punk booty bass group, Artemis Jackson, I have been rocking pretty good sized rooms. Must give mad respect to BassCoast, Michael Red, LongWalkShortDock, the Red Gate, Monolithium, Cam Reed (Babe Rainbow) and My Gay Husband for really allowing me to play some really amazing parties to show off my styles and prove that my style isn’t just experimental wanking and that I can rock the party.<br />
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<b>Can you talk a little bit about the mix you did for Futureproofing? ]</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> The mix is pretty much me playing through the songs live. When I say played I mean that they are conducted like how a conductor and a symphonic orchestra rolls. The parts are written but they always come out different each time I run through the tracks. It all depends on my timing and choices as to how the songs come out. I put the two tracks from Prism Myst on there cause I wanted to really exemplify the difference between recordings and plays. If you compare them you’ll see vast differences however it’s the same tune. You’ll see the same variations with the new tracks in compared to the album version<br />
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<b>With the advent of a certain type of dance music hitting the mainstream and 'club culture' arguably bigger than ever in Vancouver's mainstream, do you think it's harder to market experimental music now in Vancouver than it was a few years ago?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>I'm not really marketing “experimental music,” I am more pushing an original and fun dance party.<br />
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<b>What's the most exciting thing/person/whatever to you in Vancouver right now?</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b> I would have to say the most exciting thing is the Music Waste festival now having electronic showcases for the last two years. The festival doesn’t give a fuck about genre as long as people are pushing boundaries. The vibe is really inclusive and fun and its also cheap to attend.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://vincentparker.bandcamp.com/">You can download Vincent Parker's <i>Respecanize</i> album at his bandcamp</a>, and his website is located at <a href="http://vincentparker.ca/">http://vincentparker.ca</a></span></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-4905560427509903062011-11-18T19:44:00.000-08:002011-11-18T19:52:25.348-08:00araabMUZIK in Vancouver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000008796788-81rzyt-original.jpg?a073db2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000008796788-81rzyt-original.jpg?a073db2" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’ve told a few friends that my favourite musical instrument is the drum machine, only to be faced with dumbfounded looks or even derision. An artist like araabMUZIK, however, is exactly the kind to prove my point: one of the year’s most interesting figures, he’s slowly rising to prominence in the hip-hop world -- certainly beyond his original Dipset associations -- but has also become a sort of indie darling, though his aesthetic incites as much frothing rage amongst the musical elite as it does wagging praise. His solo album <i>Electronic Dream</i> was an instant earworm and a consummately guilty pleasure, taking entire trance songs and demolishing them with his MPC drum machine -- it was cheap, way too easy, and way too fucking effective.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">For me, anyway, <i>Electronic Dream</i> has managed to firmly stand its ground in the rushing dialogue of dance music, staying in rotation for months and months beyond so many of the year’s mostly highly-touted albums. Something about the album’s rigid but springy rhythms and the spongey decadence of its sample material is irresistible, exciting, and thrilling: pure musical indulgence, so-wrong-it’s-right-kind-of thing.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Of course, it would be wrong to subtract araabMUZIK’s own considerable talent from the equation: even when dealing with other people’s material as on <i>Electronic Dream</i>, his ear pummeling hip-hop beats that nevertheless place as much emphasis on melody is rare in his world, and his emergence is well-timed, taking advantage of a mainstream rap scene obsessed with the shittiest of lowest common denominator music. <i>Electronic Dream</i> is merely a way to take this obsession to the extreme, literalizing the hints at trance that so many prominent producers, rappers, and singer succumb to now.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Beyond just his own productions -- whether <i>Electronic Dream</i>, the super fun <i>Dipset Trance Party</i> mixtapes, or his beats for numerous rappers -- araabMUZIK also has an engaging live show, where he goes nuts on an MPC and runs wider than the scope of <i>Electronic Dream. </i>Suffice it to say it needs to be seen to be appreciated, but below you’ll find an extended clip to get the gist of the kind of drum machine heroics he supplies. I’m particularly excited for his show in Vancouver this weekend at the Electric Owl, where he’ll be joined and well-matched by Fool’s Gold associate Party Supplies, who has a similar mastery of the MPC but under a different umbrella than araabMUZIK’s cotton candy melodic tendencies. Whatever your feelings on araabMUZIK, it’s worth a gander. I’ll be there.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LfUMNiRrEAw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Event info: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/235217153200824/">http://www.facebook.com/events/235217153200824/</a></span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-68127375047773853302011-11-14T23:09:00.000-08:002011-11-14T23:09:28.000-08:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Taal Mala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkOliIB_Nliv76YRChdPA3JH3MWMaztiX_7E_AUcu9hLyboucIg03_Ib-7IA0_Lh-9YRBKiJux61uW-hcG-2q3QtYN2WUARD3u7jzEV5jkjkeNhzQrRbeigQ-tU51wxrgbC8RLxC-ZqY/s1600/Taal+Mala+Live.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkOliIB_Nliv76YRChdPA3JH3MWMaztiX_7E_AUcu9hLyboucIg03_Ib-7IA0_Lh-9YRBKiJux61uW-hcG-2q3QtYN2WUARD3u7jzEV5jkjkeNhzQrRbeigQ-tU51wxrgbC8RLxC-ZqY/s320/Taal+Mala+Live.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We've already had a great deal of talent featured on Futureproofing Vancouver, and a diverse breadth at that, but there's perhaps no better singular representative of the truly inspiring, fearless and diverse nature of Vancouver's electronic scene as one Taal Mala. A junglist at heart, his music has and does encompass pretty much every genre you could think of coursing throughout the hardcore continuum, from rave to jungle to techno to dnb to garage to grime to dubstep and a little house as well -- enough that you could mistake him for a UK producer that grew up on all that stuff in its natural habitat. His music is separated from the pack by a keen musicality missing from so many North American "dubstep" producers, an ear for melodies that are catchy and memorable without being simple or predictable, and an elastic flexibility borrowed from jungle that makes them eminently danceable to boot.<br />
<a name='more'></a>He's got a bit of a Midas touch in that he effortlessly masters every genre he gets near; this boy is no dilettante, and he sounds as if he's had every strand of dance music flowing through him since birth. It comes natural, it feels natural, it sounds natural: this is why that, even in a crowd of already talented producers, it's so perplexing that Taal Mala hasn't broken in a big way outside of the confines of the 49th Parallel and the Rocky Mountains. Take his "Rudeboy Junglist Raggamuffin Selector" mix, an ALL-ORIGINAL mix of prime ragga jungle replete with exclusive LiGHTA! vocal spots from Jamaican MCs... that he can make a 55-minute mix out of completely original unheard tracks with Jamaican cred to boot and have it but a minor part of his oeuvre is a testament to his incredible talent.<br />
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A real hardware geek and enthusiast (he owns one of the city's best sound rigs), if there's one thing common to all of Taal Mala's music it's a dedication to no-bullshit professionalism. It's not a matter of stuffy pretension but simply expert execution, that same cool-headed domination of every aspect of dance music that fuels his genre jumping in the first place. There are no shortage of DJ mixes on his <a href="http://taalmala.org/">eponymous website</a>, but his mix for Futureproofing is about as best an encapsulation I could have possibly asked for, fifty minutes of his original productions spanning all genres, and mixed together seamlessly at that. <br />
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</div><div><b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: TAAL MALA</b></div><div><b></b><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder [taal mala refix]</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Plus</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Anti Gravity</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Elegant Replica - Forthcoming Aufect</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">James Blake - CMYK [taal mala remix]</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Solar Orbit</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Mash Up Di Place</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - X Axis - Forthcoming 10pin</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Output Your Insides</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Toxiques</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala + El-B - Can't Stop</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ulae (Max Ulis + Self Evident) - Eastsiders [taal mala remix]</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Monolithium - Simon & G Funk [taal mala remix]</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala - Baseband</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taal Mala feat. Keke - lighta! run di area</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Elephant Man - Vampires + Informers [taal mala remix] - Subatomic Sound</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?a2agpozaad35n2a">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></span></b></div><br />
<b>Have you always been based in Vancouver, and if not, when did you come here? </b><br />
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I've lived in Vancouver since 2002, when I moved here from Ontario. <br />
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<b>What sets Vancouver apart musically from other cities, and what appeals to you about it? </b><br />
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Vancouver has a very unique music scene. We're very spoiled here when it comes to the frequency and quality of the shows that happen here, and the crowds that come out to these shows are generally very enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the music they are hearing and are going out for the music and for the dance, not just for the sake of being out. Vancouver's underground scene thrives on this. There is also a strong element of oppression from the Vancouver city itself, which I believe keeps the core of the underground scene so strong because we have to work so hard just to be able to have venues, which there is a dire need for in the city right now. Vancouver City Hall has been on a rampage of trying to eradicate all the underground dance venues in the city. Vancouver's underground scene is suffering right now because shows are being forced into clubs, because all the spaces are getting shut down, but this is something that will make it stronger over time, because this crew of people isn't going to back down so easily. <br />
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<div>When it comes to the creation of the music itself, Vancouver is alive and overflowing with incredible amounts of talented producers and DJ's. I can definitely say the best and most talent saturated city in Canada, and many of the producers here are of world class level and several of them are breaking out internationaly as we speak. 2011/2012 is our time. <br />
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<b>You have your own sound system that you use and rent out for events, correct? What's the situation like for systems in Vancouver? Is it hard to find good sound? </b><br />
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I do have a sound, Yes. The situation for systems in Vancouver, or lack there of, is pretty sad. There's like 2 decent club systems in the whole city, and none of the underground venues have anything worthy of noting, nor is there resources to make this so. There is amazing gear available to me in this city, but the shows can't afford it and the venues can't facilitate it. My soundsystem is just barely decent enough to my standards, but it rarely gets out these days because there's no resources to financially support a sound installation that's up to my standard, where I would be running dedicated power distro, and supplementing the speakers I have, with additional gear to get a nice full clean top and heavy bass. I've put about $12000 into my setup, and with about twice that I can get it to where I'll be happy with it. At the moment there isn't really any venues that can facilitate, or fund proper sound, so most of the time we're settling for bollocks setups. <br />
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<b>Are you a bit of a gear nerd, then? How much hardware do you use in your own productions? </b><br />
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Gear nerd would be an understatement I think. I pretty much choose gear over food if it comes down to it. I've got a pretty decent analogue synthesizer collection which is always expanding, with a few of the choice pieces being my Roland Jupiter 6, TB-303, Korg MS10, Sequential Prophet 8, Yamaha CS15, and several others. I use a lot of analogue effects as well, tape delays, spring reverbs, analogue delays and filters, tube preamps and compressors. I've just started to record to 1/4" tape again for mastering. </div><div>Most currently, I've been putting together a modular drum machine with the Analogue Solutions Concussor modules. These are standalone modules that are exact replicas of the drum circuits from the Roland TR-808TR-909 drum machines. They're shockingly replicating those original sounds flawlessly. These days I'm using as much hardware as possible, as it gives a much more hands on approach to making music and you can't even compare the sound to inside the box software versions. I'm currently designing my own synthesizer modules based on classic components of vintage VCO/VCF/VCA's that I love. I'm just getting into the prototyping stage with this and hoping to have a full system both for myself and available for purchase by next year. </div><div><br />
<b>How long have you been making music as Taal Mala and how would you describe it? </b><br />
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</b></div><div>I've been using the moniker Taal Mala since 2003. It's hard to describe what taal mala sounds like because I don't even know half of the time. It seems more and more these says that every tune I produce is completely different in style and tempo from the next. The influence of classic techno/acid/jungle/hardcore is prevalent throughout most though, and the obvious influence of jamaican music, reggae, dub, and dancehall are quite standard as well. <br />
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<b>You also have The Original Uptown Parlour Orchestra project, what exactly is that and its purpose? </b> <br />
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</b></div><div>The Original Uptown Parlour Orchestra is a music project of mine where I have recorded several classic dixieland, ragtime, and swing standards with analogue synthesizers and drum machines. It's purpose is for my selfish amusement primarily, and hopefully others too. Most people either really love it or really hate it. It's meant to inspire laughter and absurdity. It's really funny to me. Inspiration for that comes mostly from the early synth recordings of wizards such as Jean Jacques Perrey and Wendy/Walter Carlos. <br />
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<b>Do you have any other musical projects? </b> <br />
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</b></div><div>I've got a project called Bass Emperor with my roommate Frederick, which will eventually surface, and I'm hoping to put my drum kit to work as part of a deathcore metal band in the near future, which is coming together slowly. <br />
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<b>You might have been associated with dubstep at one point; how do you feel about the way the genre has exploded and mutated and where do you situate your music now? </b><br />
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I'm definitely continuing to play dubstep, and produce music that could be called that. Despite the bastardization of the original definition of the sound, and the immense amount of rubbish music being produced and released within that framework, there is so much great and original music coming out at the moment. I think that because of the genre mutation there has been a wonderful array of fringe styles within the 140bpm-ish template, drawing from origins of dubstep, grime, and UK garage, and because of the saturation of that tempo, producers are filling in the blanks from 125bpm all the way up to 150bpm. This range in tempos being explored while maintaining elements of those styles, as well as combining with those nods to several other genres, has destroyed the idea of genre as we know it at this point. Everything is colliding together from all angles and the idea of genre is dying, and fresh and original sounds are coming through strong. My music currently falls into this as well, as I have been all over the map as far as tempos and stylistic pigeon-holeing need not apply here. Bass Music. <br />
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<b>What do you think of the way a certain sector of dubstep has kind of exploded into the mainstream, especially in a city like Vancouver? Is it something healthy or a sort of corruption?</b><br />
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It's both. I feel like in one way it's really unfortunate that there is some people that are experiencing "dubstep" as the mainstream type of generic poppy rubbish, and may not know the roots of the sound and how it used to be. The Vancouver music heads that have been around for the last 6 years, know what that is though, and were part of something as it was evolving and are aware of the differentiation. It's obvious to anyone who actually has taken the time to research and catalogue the music that some of the producers that are choosing their bank accounts over their artistic integrity and producing a lot of the current mainstream crap, were some of the people that originated the sound in the first place, and have just taken opportunities handed to them as being in this position, to expand to a more mainstream audience, make more money, and lose their artistic merit. In Vancouver, this mainstream sound has created an outlet for people that are not so particular about the type of music they're listening to, and are just out to party and looking for whatever is "cool". This is making space for the real music heads in the underground scene once again to come out and enjoy music without mainstream manglers douching all over them. This situation has it's pros and cons. <br />
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<b>What do you see as your role in a local community that has somewhat splintered and fragmented in terms of stylistic/generic preferences and aesthetics?<br />
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</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I think my role is exactly the same regardless of what the current dance music trends are. Myself, and all the producers and DJ's I have been working with over the years, </span></b>especially everyone in lighta! sound, have made our role in the community as connoisseurs and ambassadors of good music and sharing that with our friends and community that hold quality music as an important part of their existence. We were doing this before dubstep, and will continue to do this throughout whatever trends/genres/aesthetics or lack thereof are taking place in current dance music. It's all about good music and fun times, innit? <br />
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</div><div><b>What would a typical Taal Mala set consist of these days, and do you find it hard to get bookings in a place like Vancouver if you don't hew closely to a certain genre or style? </b><br />
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There is no such thing as a typical taal mala set, and I think that is my strength and what gets me my bookings and will continue to do so into the future. One day I could be playing golden era ragga jungle, followed by deep dubstep, followed by acid techno, and the next day rocksteady and ska 45's, or breakcore, or grime, or UK funky, classic garage, dancehall, or even all of these in one set in the same night. I'm not known for being predictable, and I know that I will always be diverse as a DJ because I love and collect so many different styles of music.<br />
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<b>Finally, could you talk a little about the mix you made for Futureproofing? </b><br />
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The mix I have done for futureproofing is a wide array of tracks from my own productions, remixes (both official and bootleg), and collaborations. There's a little bit of everything in here. Some old, some recent, some classic ideas and some future ones, with BPM's ranging from 145-127. Most of these are unreleased tracks. A couple of them are forthcoming to be released.</div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-50603952269737552102011-11-04T20:43:00.000-07:002011-11-05T18:20:53.214-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Monolithium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUtQ2lnrTfnF6eIyaHuviqiegmzFmAZFyAWXB1sDURfVOPg1ZzulKsImD5CooWVmVCBEDSiOkpT3VWbQTkle3SJ9UxzxkGgqYyL1FoIIGGgrhbeIlSNorvdEb8-sd6oFyaDEt3u_kE54/s1600/Contessa+2011-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUtQ2lnrTfnF6eIyaHuviqiegmzFmAZFyAWXB1sDURfVOPg1ZzulKsImD5CooWVmVCBEDSiOkpT3VWbQTkle3SJ9UxzxkGgqYyL1FoIIGGgrhbeIlSNorvdEb8-sd6oFyaDEt3u_kE54/s400/Contessa+2011-8.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe this one should be titled Futureproofing Victoria. Monolithium, aka Longshanks, aka Chris Long, is perhaps <i>the</i> "head" in Victoria -- bawse-man of the city's prominent Subdiv crew, promoter extraordinaire, and one hell of a DJ to boot. He's arguably responsible for building one hell of a dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate scene in a relatively tiny city, one that might be said to rival anything Vancouver could offer. He's part of this series not only because of Victoria's incredibly close proximity to Vancouver but because his impassioned and precocious efforts have had a mutually beneficial effect for making both cities hotspots in Western Canada for underground electronic music, and his endless support for local talent has helped to nurture the kind of overwhelming roster I'm presenting to you with this very series.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beyond his promotional skills and DJing prowess, Long has also initiated his own production project under the name Monolithium, debuting with the excellent <i>Simon & G-Funk</i> EP on German label Error Broadcast. Emerging as a hip-hop project -- or what Long himself described as "astral crunk," the Monolithium material seemed to burst from the floodgates absolutely out of <i>nowhere</i> with a confident, assured, and most importantly <i>tight</i> sound. While the music on his debut EP easily lives up to some of the most lauded of L.A.'s "beat scene" -- maybe his most comparable peers at this point -- its remarkable focus and seamlessness was a one-up on a scene associated with rambling, THC-addled wanderlust. The tracks on <i>Simon & G-Funk</i> could burst with colour, but they were focused beams rather than blinding and chaotic spills of radiant light, and his grasp of development and subtlety meant his tracks could go hard without turning abrasive, swing without tumbling over. Even better are his drum sounds, instantly recognizable but totally implacable, and always raining down in a controlled chaotic cascade that's simultaneously thrillingly ramshackle but cooly controlled.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the release of <i>Simon & G-Funk</i>, Monolithium's sound has diversified, and arguably even better. While there haven't been any releases yet, tracks like "I Want UR Luv," "Spiral Face" show new sides to Long's musical personality: alternately buoyant and melancholy, "I Want UR Luv" is quite possibly his most lush and pillowy production yet, but still kept to the ground with percussion that swings drunkenly and hits hollow like someone swinging around a bag of doorknobs (yes I just said that) and a grinding bassline. On the other hand, his EPMD re-crunk is an exploratory hobble through several eras of funk past and future, a cosmic slop of vocal samples, slapping drums and punishing basslines.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=36c6609fae&view=att&th=13368a1b5450d5ef&attid=0.1.2&disp=emb&zw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=36c6609fae&view=att&th=13368a1b5450d5ef&attid=0.1.2&disp=emb&zw" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rather masterful mix he's done here is pretty much a perfect showcase of where his sound is heading at the moment. Beginning with the skidding thump of his forthcoming B-ju mix, we're taken on a ride through every facet of Long's musical personality, culminating in the aforementioned "I Want Ur Luv" which brings the mix down into a gorgeously mournful synth outro. Over twenty minutes we're pushed every which way by hungry basslines, prodded by restless drums, and soothed by the expensive-sounding array of smooth funk jets. There's so much going on here -- whatever the hell the B-Ju remix is through footwork in "Bounce 4 Life" to the low-slung funk of "Lancashire" and "I Want UR Luv," it's all tied together with Monolithium's distinct pallet of chunky heft, nimble drumming, and syrupy melody.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">B-Ju "Mia Got A New Haircut [Monolutium Re-Up]"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Monolithium "Bounce 4 Life"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Monolithium "Rugged Like Rwanda [Co-Flow Recrunk]"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Monolithium & Hrdvsion "Too Many y Chromosomes"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How long have you been in Victoria; why'd you move there, where else have you been based?</span></b></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well I was actually born in the north of the UK, close to Manchester. I lived there until I was about ten, then family moved to Winnipeg. Left Winnipeg at 19, spent time in Canmore and Kelowna. I’ve been in Victoria for about ten years now. I love it here.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You run sub|division, correct? Could you talk a little bit about exactly what sub|division is, its inception, and how it works at this point in time?</span></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Subdivision started almost two years ago. Its genesis was the result of a few planets aligning. Kevin Eames had just moved back to Victoria from Montreal after having being exposed to the Turbo Crunk crew and he was ready to light up Victoria with new music. Around that time I’d become well acquainted with The Big Reds (Rhythmicon, Frame, Gobe), Victoria’s premier dubstep DJs. With those guys I’d thrown a party with Appleblim and despite me coming from a different sector of Victoria’s club community, we decided it would be hella fun to link up and give underground dance music a go. When we started in 2009, our mandate was “dubstep, glitch hop, wonky, techno” which was admirable in some respects, but also a bit comical in hindsight. Within a couple of months of throwing parties, it became apparent that all the new 130-140 UK stuff was really what was going to fuel our residents’ sets and by then, dubstep was already spiraling out of control. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fast forward up to this year and sub|division is Victoria’s homebase for the good shit, meaning a lot of things; garage, trap-rap, deep house, footwork, post-hip-hop, lots of UK sounds… we manage to squeeze a lot in there. Currently, we’re throwing a couple of parties each month, with one of those nights usually focusing on residents. In our brief stint at this we’ve been lucky enough to have some world class talent roll through: Machinedrum, Gaslamp Killer, Jacques Greene, Julio Bashmore, Pearson Sound, Illum Sphere, Silkie, dEbruit, XI and many more.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Online, we’ve put in a lot of energy to make subdivnet.com a bit of a hub where we not only keep people posted on our events, but the goings on in Vancouver and also the global community as well. The website extends our reach and allows a curatorial angle to what we do, which is important because I think many of us would agree that North American crowds are massively undereducated when it comes to discussing modern dance music. As you know so well, the web element is always a grind, but I have an amazing team that works hard on keeping the site fresh (many thanks to Amy, Jamie, Sarah!).</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We’ve released quite a bit of free music via our site now as well, most notably Prison Garde’s album earlier this year. That gained amazing traction and we plan to release more freebies by the end of this year. We’ll also be running a 2011 Recap series through December, where every day we post a new recap from someone important in our scene. We did it last December and it was really rewarding collecting a vast array of year-end opinions.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Vancouver is often criticized for its venue situation -- lack of choice and heavy restrictions -- does Victoria suffer from the same issues or how does it differ?</span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Is it hard establishing a base in a smaller city like Victoria or do the logistics actually make it easier?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Getting sub|division going two years ago was pretty straight forward because of how immediate Victoria’s dance community was at the time. We had a great venue in Lucky Bar, we had a great team ready to go and there was a palpable desire for people to dance to some fresh new sounds. But even now two years in, it’s not like we’re a dominant force in our city or anything. We still play small rooms. We still try to keep cover cheap. We just do our thing and slowly try to spread the gospel.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We got going right as Turbo Crunk was ending in MTL and as Lighta’s true dominance of Vancouver was slowing down, but both of those scenes are a huge influence on us many respects. Not just the individuals involved and the high level of talent, but both of those crews walked the walk, they stuck to their guns musically. Over the last few years I’ve been blessed to get to know most of the dudes from both scenes and it’s helped me reaffirm that sub|division is totally doing great things. It’s nice to hear that from dudes you’ve taken advice from.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Venue-wise, we try to only really fuck with two rooms – Lucky Bar and Hush. Both have great sound systems, both have their own built in regular crowd and both are great dancing environments. We occasionally do larger venues if we have no option, but in the age of every promoter gunning for mega-event bells & whistles, I like that we focus on the two clubs that have a stripped down, immediate vibe.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We've spent a lot of time dissecting the scene in Vancouver. What's Victoria like and how does it differ to Vancouver? Both in terms of the larger scene and the producers/minds/DJs that make up its backbone.</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As a whole, brostep, breaks and heavy electro are really big in Victoria. It’s common for two or three shows each weekend and some weekday shows as well. Real techno and house are hard to find in our city. Like for real, you will not hear proper teutonic techno anywhere in Victoria this month. Drum & bass seems to have a solid chunk of support, due in part to my man Outsider who carries the torch for that scene.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our parallel underground scene in Victoria is small, but really tight nit and always growing. Outside of sub|division, there’s a Thursday night at Hush called Theory run by April Mundell – she does a fantastic job of booking that room. She takes risks and keeps all the locals rolling through.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We have a lot of great people in Victoria but things are still a little disparate for my taste. There’s obviously a bit of romance in being the rogue squad booking killer hip shows, playing fresh music etc. But at this point, I want awareness of our scene and sound to grow – we’re too good to be constantly fighting to fill our dancefloors. That’s going to be a major priority for me in 2012.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What else do you do in Victoria aside from putting on nights?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I work at Ditch Records, which is Victoria’s largest record store. I’ve worked in music retail most of my life & I still totally love it. I have a weekly Saturday residency at Lucky Bar which is more traditional crossover weekend club fair, more remixes & hip-hop. I also help put together Rifflandia Festival, which as the years go by and the festival grows, is becoming a job that extends earlier into the year. I’m also a cuisine-obsessed husband. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How do you feel about the way dubstep has blown up in the public eye -- especially over here -- in the past few years, and how does it affect the still-extant scene? Is dubstep something you no longer want to be associated with?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Oooh. Well talking about dubstep in North America is a weird one. Calamalka had an amazing quote, something to the effect of “brostep has replaced Nickelback for weekend warriors” which I guess is kinda true. What you and I call dubstep is not really what everyone is complaining about. The whole North American razor-face bro thing is really getting so far removed from the UK sound that I kinda wish that scene would just start owning the brostep tag so we didn’t even have to distinguish. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There’s a strange dichotomy where some people in Victoria actually think I DJ dubstep (?) but then some of my producer homies prolly think I hate dubstep. I booked Skream & Excision’s first shows ever in Victoria and to be honest, dustep helped get sub|div up and running. There is a lot of proper dubstep that I do love but the reality is that there are some ugly truths about what’s happened in North America. Generally my take is that there’s too many exciting things happening in dance music right now for me to spend time thinking about how sad dubstep has become. But at the moment, we’re a continent obsessed with fight culture and iPhones – so it is no wonder people wanna rave to music that sounds like a robot taking a violent shit. Brostep is basically UFC club music now. It’s taps a lot of masculine, testosterone-driven signifiers that echo the kind of vibes that Korn and Limp Bizkit were channeling 15 years ago. It’s not remotely sexy in any way and the last time I checked, sexy dance music made for a way better dancefloor.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And promoters: guys, what the fuck are you doing? Stop paying ridiculous fees and stop booking one-dimensional lineups. It has created a sonic monopoly on the dancefloor – the idea of dynamic within a night of music is completely gone. “Hey, here’s huge dubstep act A, with local brostep guy B and a wompy breaks DJ! $25 thanks!” Historically, promoters would be on the ball looking for new sounds to break, but that has gone out the window for the sake of the mad brostep cash grab. Thank god for people like Red Bull. Tours like Destination Tokyo are fucking important. The fact that Jacques Greene, Lunice, Ango and Prison Garde toured the whole country earlier this year is a testament to how dedicated they are to supporting real music.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What other musical endeavours have you ventured on before Monolithium?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
In Victoria, most know me as Longshanks. I’ve been a resident DJ at Lucky Bar for five years. I’ve moved through pretty much every genre - I started playing Arcade Fire and Bowie to hipsters in 2005… I’ve played house music, disco, rap, electro, lots of stuff. Over the years I’ve dabbled as an MC – hip-hop has been at the core of my musical backbone the longest. I’ve had a Roland 505 for 15 years, so I’ve always had that machine going, but I never had the gusto to get my shit together. Until Monolithium got going, I was playing bass in a band with some friends as well. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When did the Monolithium project start and where does the name come from?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I wrote “Selfish Lil’ Crunk” about two years ago, so yeah, that long. Previous to that I’d made a couple of beats under the Longshanks name, but I wasn’t really feeling them. I honestly owe Hrdvsion a massive thank you – he sat me down for a few sessions on one of his visits back from Berlin in 2010 and really helped me get over the hurdle of workflow in Ableton. Up until that point I was kind of flailing. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Weird thing, even before I was happy with the beats, I always knew I was going to call it Monolithium. Just popped in one day and I was like “baddass!” Even before the EP was finished, I was working on art with CabDesign – having a cohesive aesthetic was always going to be a part of any project I attach myself to – it’s something that I’ve always respected, artists that don’t slack on the visual side of things. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Do you feel disconnected at all making hip-hop/crunk beats in a place more often than not associated with straight-up dubstep?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes. Playing my crunk shit in Victoria is always a bit of a scare. Victoria is so fucking white, if you’re playing 90 bpm shit, people are either expecting wompy West Coast glitch or they’re waiting for Biggie to chime in. So it is a bit of a weird one when you drop into some loping, spacious funk. But our little core scene has been really supportive of my music and really, I don’t give a fuck lately. As a weekend DJ, I’ve spent so much time catering; I’m definitely not trying to do that with Monolithium.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How'd you get in touch with Error Broadcast for your first release and were you happy with the way it went? What's the future looking like in terms of releases, and are there any labels in particular you're dying to work with?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I started the Monolithium SoundCloud page, I sent the first two drafts to a couple of labels. I was really feeling Montgomery Clunk’s <i>Superbus</i> EP around that time, so I ended up sending EB my stuff just on a lark. The first two tunes were “Heat Pump” and “Selfish Lil’ Crunk”. And to my delight they were basically down to do something right away. Working with them has been great. Between Sven and Flip, they really rep their team well on the web. They’re responsible for a lot of the hype around Eastern Europe’s own beatscene and they have really shown me tons of love online. The fact that “Simon & G-Funk” has been played on Rinse FM is mindblowing. Eastern EU dudes like Pixelord are starting to crossover and they’re instrumental in that. I have copious amounts of love for EB.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In terms of future releases, there is nothing concrete. I’m talking with a couple of labels and I’ll work with EB again at the drop of a dime. But right now I’m just concentrating on finishing up a boatload of tunes. Label-wise I have a lot of respect for LuckyMe and Planet Mu – their quality control and aesthetic is completely inspiring. Working with either of those labels would be amazing. But my whole plan is to put my head down, make some good music and rock the shit out of some crowds – label stuff will happen when the time is right. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Your music seems to have a lot in common with the L.A. beat scene and SF hip-hop scene, do you feel any particular allegiance with those producers?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes. I do love the musical umbrella that Low End Theory has managed to raise in our corner of the world. It covers a fantastic mix of influences: Dilla is obviously a huge touchstone, LA’s jazz/funk is there, all the Latin sounds coursing through California. I am feeling a lot of cats from California, especially Sa-Ra, Salva, eLan and Low Limit. Thundercat, man his record is just a monster. And I never tire of Dam-Funk. So yeah, there is a lot of inspiration there, which is a bit weird for me because despite having lived out west for a minute, I grew up a strict East Coast kinda dude. I did not listen to a lot of West Coast rap growing up, I was all about hard knockin East Coast styles. I guess in a way my hip-hop beats are trying to negotiate those two sounds.<b><br />
</b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
You're embarking on a West Coast tour with FUCKING DABRYE. Explain.</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yeah, I’m overwhelmed. Dabrye is a big dude for me, <i>One/Three</i> is a trailblazing record. A lot of people up on current beat music might not know him, but he is one of the legitimate torchbearers of the post-Dilla legacy. So playing with him is going to be fantastic, because I’ll get to see him rock crowds. And he’s playing mostly vinyl! The fact that I get to open with my own music – a lot of which is hugely influenced by his production – is an amazing bonus. Plusssss, it’s my first proper tour ever. Really excited to play Low End Theory – the night is ground zero for the post-hip-hop movement in North America, so it’ll be great to drop all my crunk shit there. Basically I‘m shitting bricks in anticipation of the tour.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How do you feel about the health of the BC (Vic/Van) scene now compared to, say, three years ago? What changes has it undergone and what have you noticed as a promoter?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The scene so-to-speak is a tough thing to really define right now. Whereas in 2008, it would have been pretty much just Lighta! and a few other cats, in 2011 there’s so much going on between Vancouver, Victoria and even Nelson. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As a promoter, 2011 has been rewarding as hell musically but frustrating on other levels. Jacques Greene, Julio Bashmore, Pearson Sound, Zed Bias, Salva, all amazing bookings, but few of these shows made money and some drew less than impressive crowds. It’s tough… the web makes all these new sub-genres and micro-movements seem so immediate, so massive – people that are into this shit are reeeeally into it. But I think the reality that we’ve all discovered over the past year is that even in a city as large as Vancouver, there’s still only a remote amount of people that are interested in tangibly contributing and supporting a local scene based on fresh new music. A UK DJ like Pearson Sound/Ramadanman – he’s such a major name to us, but the reality is that our world is still a niche cross section that doesn’t reach the majority of North Americans who are interested in dance music. Most people going to the big mega-bro shows don’t really care about the music – they’re just following the pack to the wildest party. So it’s sometimes hard for us to keep our head above water because our scene focuses so heavily on the music and kinda forgets about trying to bring people into the scene.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I think to a degree, the rise of terms like “bass music” and more-so “future bass”, while I see the purpose they kinda serve, they’ve kind of clouded the image of our scene in some ways. It’s like in this mad scramble to separate ourselves from brostep, we kind of lost the plot when it comes to talking about what it is we’re actually passionate about. Like the Pearson Sound show – it was a fucking house music all night! But nobody was selling that aspect of it. And it’s not easy. It’s easy to moan about rackety bro beats – see my above post – and I hate that. I hate being a whiner. I think overall, we collectively need to work on growing our scenes, bringing people in and being genuinely positive about what we’re doing because it is important. A healthy dynamic dance community informs the cultural vitality of any major urban center. So we need to address this going forward. There’s a tendency for us all to get slightly guarded and stand off-ish about our lil’ world, but really, we need to turn more people on to the amazing music being made by these homegrown ass dudes. Prison Garde live is NOT a difficult thing to engage with – it’s a fucking cracking dance party! This shit ain’t rocket science.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I think BC is blessed with some phenomenal talent right now. I won’t list everyone off, your blog is doing a great job of covering the appropriate individuals. The main challenge is getting these dudes in front of a few hundred people so they can do their thing and recalibrate the dance communities in these cities, let people understand that you know what, sure it’s fun to flail to brostep for an evening, fine. But I promise if you have a drink and give yourself to Eames for a night, he’ll blow your mind with new deep house bangers that you won’t hear ANYWHERE ELSE. Get Calamalka in front of a crowd of proper hip-hop heads, they will bow down. That is the challenge right now, how to grow the scene.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As someone who puts on shows of all kinds and has a rather wide-ranging taste himself, what's the music -- genre, scene, geography, whatever qualifier you want to use -- that most excites you right now?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hmm, always the fun question! When it comes to dance music, I like all the typical dudes; Boddika, Mark Pritchard, Jacques Greene, Machinedrum, Salva, HudMo, Om Unit. All those guys have released music that I’ve enjoyed a great deal this year. Ango’s LuckyMe EP has been on constant repeat, really excited for him to blow up. The Kuedo record is every bit as amazing as I was expecting. The latest Bruno Pronsato is an unbelievably dynamic record, I never tire of his take on 4/4. And man, our regional dudes are really killing it: Prison Garde and Eames, Max Ulis, Calamalka… it’s so great hear their tunes getting rinsed out. Really excited for Michael Red’s new live set, it’s apparently monstrous.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Outside of the obvious… the Thundercat record is massive for me. Still rinsing the last Oneohtrix, really enjoying the new one as well. There’s a lot of less-recent music that I’ve been returning to. Aphex, Badu, Robert Wyatt, Cannibal Ox and Orbital especially. And honestly, I listen to Autechre more than any other artist. I can spend hours on a tune and then listen to <i>Tri Repetae</i> and feel like a complete fucking tool. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Your more recent -- as of yet unreleased/forthcoming -- material sees you moving in a direction less dictated by generic constraints (e.g. hip-hop). Was this an intentional move? Are you going towards something more idiosyncratic or something more in line with the rest of the "bass music" sphere that operates in the 130-ish tempo range?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yeah I’m excited to explore different tempo ranges for sure, I’m not gunning to stay in one cubicle. I’m definitely a child of hip-hop and I love that my first EP showed that, but like most dudes, I listen to a shitload of different styles and am ultimately influenced by more than just headnod beats.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A lot of my new music is exploring more traditional dancefloor tempos. There’s just too much fun to be had between 130-150 bpm, it’s impossible for me to ignore all the inspiration. Those “bass music” influences are definitely present, but Warp/IDM are an important part of my musical for me and I can slowly hear those colours creeping into some of my new ideas. So yeah I think moving forward, there will be a myriad of styles, although I’ll likely try to keep actual releases stylistically coherent. Scheming on a few proper 2step garage tunes right now, really excited about that.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can you talk a little about the mix? What's it made from, how you made it, etc?</span></b></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The mix is all new jammies. A few fresh looks, I just wanted to showcase some new tunes that I’ve been rinsing live. “Bounce 4 Life” is a 160 footwork-influenced tune, <i>extremely</i> fun making that one, gonna be exploring that realm a bit more. B-Ju is one of Error Broadcast’s secret weapons, that remix will be out early 2012. The song with Hrdvsion is one of a couple that have been around for a minute, we’ve just been hushhush with those tunes until the time is right. The Company Flow remix is part of a pack of edits I’m doing of classic 90/00s hip-hop beats, gonna try and make that a freebie for December, fingers crossed. I made the mix in Ableton with my Ohm 64 cuz that’s how I roll!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-68886925712298541942011-10-03T20:31:00.000-07:002011-10-03T20:31:47.242-07:00Salva's Weird Science<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS10bLqY3eHe9DFmeO1MOC79H2bLWeDAM958Cn6EM8Cg7u4tJDcZmyau5jM4N4eEis3YWJnHTHvTGag4nYvZDvjYj6MahlRdDjlOI5IvErYiwh_ITqUSjr1FeK15Twdz4k8yKKdRLeUYI/s1600/paulie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS10bLqY3eHe9DFmeO1MOC79H2bLWeDAM958Cn6EM8Cg7u4tJDcZmyau5jM4N4eEis3YWJnHTHvTGag4nYvZDvjYj6MahlRdDjlOI5IvErYiwh_ITqUSjr1FeK15Twdz4k8yKKdRLeUYI/s320/paulie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Paul Douglas and a cross for whatever reason</td></tr>
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I've said a lot about Salva, whether it was in my<a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=8534"> deservedly glowing review</a> of his debut album <i>Complex Housing </i>or in my <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1358">RA Label of the Month feature on the label it was released on, Friends of Friends.</a> But I'll say it again: the former San Francisco scene kingpin (now based in L.A., the goddamned sellout) is one of the most inspiring and multi-talented producers going in a very crowded landscape of experimental California electronic music. Part of is due to heritage: growing up on a diet of as much house as hip-hop, Paul Douglas' music doesn't have the same top-heavy swagger of so many of his Cali contemporaries, but instead a delicate and nimble sense of movement that makes his tumbling snare hits feel graceful instead of sloppy. His own music, especially since <i>Complex Housing</i>, has been a melting pot of styles, whether he's just barely hinting at garage with tracks like "Keys Open Doors," squelchy future funk by way of "Beached" and "Wake Ups," lightfooted house on "I'll Be Your Friend," or a personal favourite, the serrated cotton candy fuzz of "Icey," which I called "the best Joker track never made" and I pretty much stand by that statement. And I'm talking prime Joker there. [Read on after the jump for more babbling praise an exclusive mix]<br />
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He also runs the Frite Nite label and collective, who've just released their first compilation in the form of Surreal Estate, featuring exclusive tracks from Salva himself, Distal, XI, Comma, EPROM, Sepalcure, DJG, and the list goes on. I'll have some thoughts on up in the usual places soon enough, but needless to say it's a fascinating look at a North American bass-centric dance music scene that <i>isn't</i> centered around the distinctive death-rattle of "wobble dubstep," and that many of its seventeen tracks are one of each artist's best (Distal's "Mamanimal" in particular) certainly doesn't hurt.<br />
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Salva is currently on a North American tour as part of a dual-header with fellow SFer EPROM, and, well, it's quite a show. Having seen them both play their live sets at this weekend's past Decibel Festival, I can say that Salva's live set delivers on the multi-genre wonders of his album, a perfect blend of prickly funk, drunken hip-hop and staccato house patterns. The tour continues this week through Western Canada before finishing up in California, and needless to say it's a must-see for a look at an alternative home-bred North American dance music. There's something to be said for the fascinating contrast between Salva's subtlety and EPROM's ruthless thrashing, as well, but those are probably thoughts best saved for another post.<br />
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Oh yeah, I'm getting somewhere with all this: just today I was delivered an exclusive mix from Salva himself, a short little showcase of his own productions (one of which comes from his excellent forthcoming Friends of Friends EP <i>Yellobone, </i>which certainly continues the <i>Complex Housing</i> hot streak) that gives you an idea of what to expect from his live set. Energetic but subtle, funky but focused, this is why Salva is one of my favourite American producers going right now, and has been since I fell in love with <i>Complex Housing</i> late last year. Check it out.<br />
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<b>SALVA'S OCTOBER MIX</b><br />
Beans - Blue Movie (Salva Remix) - Anticon Promo <br />
Salva - Komodo - Forthcoming Friends of Friends <br />
Salva - Issey Miyake - Friends of Friends <br />
Salva - Mag Clips - Frite Nite Trax <br />
Om Unit - Prawn Cocktail (Salva Remix) - Civil Music <br />
Wheez-ie - Keep Yr Chin Up (Salva Remix) - Forthcoming Embassy Recordings<br />
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<div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?dh7mk6r6d65ng6k">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The remaining tour dates for those curious:</div><div><br />
</div>10/6 - Victoria - Club 919 - w/ Eprom<br />
10/7 - Vancouver - Five Sixty - w/ Eprom<br />
<div>10/8 - Nelson - Spirit Bar - w/ Eprom<br />
10/14 - Ashland - Culture Works - w/ Eprom</div><div>10/15 - Arcata - Arcata Theatre - w/ Ana Sia, Eprom, NastyNasty<br />
10/21 - Santa Cruz - Don Quixotes - w/ Ana Sia, Eprom, NastyNasty </div><div>10/22 - San Francisco - Mezzanine - w/ Eprom, Ana Sia, Chrissy Murderbot, B. Bravo, and more</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i><a href="http://boomkat.com/downloads/375867-salva-complex-housing">Complex Housing is out now</a> on Friends of Friends, the Yellobone EP will be soon, and more info on the Surreal Estate compilation can be found at the <a href="http://fritenite.com/">Frite Nite website.</a></i></b></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-73459337305512770212011-09-26T19:08:00.000-07:002011-09-26T19:08:37.686-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Bartel<b></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0V-8YnXD0flaEmv1YYYyUfXLzcQrMw2uHxi-84ZQ6cIc3NI5ZK2Tb65dOBLcWg8Eb4nH23paBgJPYlhiFLOwveXn1xH8fgzjnCCQxQy1IIdUz4-2a9JmTAxov337mwP57K_3ngqg1yk/s1600/5415410703_d505bb5375_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0V-8YnXD0flaEmv1YYYyUfXLzcQrMw2uHxi-84ZQ6cIc3NI5ZK2Tb65dOBLcWg8Eb4nH23paBgJPYlhiFLOwveXn1xH8fgzjnCCQxQy1IIdUz4-2a9JmTAxov337mwP57K_3ngqg1yk/s320/5415410703_d505bb5375_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><b><br />
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</b></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Thus far the Futureproofing Vancouver series has focused mostly around what I'd suppose you would call "dance music," but there's no shortage of interesting ambient, experimental, and whatever music in this city as well. Whether it's the Quiet City nights put on by Panospria head Constantine Katsiris (aka Scant.Intone) or any number of shows and concerts put on at semi-legal venues in run-down parts of town, there's no shortage of either soothing ambience or noise in Vancouver. Bartel doesn't really fit into either of those categories, though I guess if you had to pick one he slots more in the ambient section: making gorgeous tracks that are somewhat beat-oriented, Bartel's sound is marked by its warm, tactile textures and organic soundscapes. Incorporating guitar and other "real world" sounds, and a deeply complicated bed of ambient sound, he finds a way to suffuse electronic music with a distinct and tangible humanity it can so often lack.</span></b><br />
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<a name='more'></a></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">With two EPs out on The Flashbulb's Alphabasic label, Bartel is currently working on a full-length album. You can grab the beautiful track "Rain When You Look Down"<a href="http://bartel.bandcamp.com/"> at his bandcamp</a> for free, and the incredible all-originals mix he's provided here is a masterful expansion on the themes presented in his already available music. It's a work of art in itself, a 17-minute symphony for guitars, drums, and, uh, electronic noises. It runs the gamut from peaceful to anxious to sandpapery and abrasive, and its breadth shows off a wide set of influences from post-rock to ambient to dubstep (check those growling basslines). Over the course of those 17 minutes we're run through mournfully pacing guitar held up by a balefully ticking metronome and shimmering chimes -- think a more sanguine Four Tet. The beat begins to fall away and the soundscape dissolves and shatters into shards of glimmering resonance, before re-collecting into a dazzling meteor shower of mechanical sounds. Harris' attention to detail is simply astounding, as melodies snag, catch, and glitch, turning the decorous into grotesque disfigurations momentarily before allowing them to snap back into place milliseconds later. It's that contrast between the ornamental and the harsh that makes Bartel's music so powerful: the uplifting moments are pockmarked with distortion and painful processing, and the darker moments are tinged with unnerving silence and dreadful pronouncements (both vocal and instrumental). When I had the idea for this series, I envisioned a collection of really fuckin' formidable DJ mixes. But what I got from Bartel was something even better, and I'll be honest: after hearing this mix for the first time, you can put me at the top of the waiting list for that forthcoming album. This is music for late night streets, for the dark and wet forest, all that cheesy shit, but most importantly it's going to toy mercilessly with your emotions no matter where you listen to it. Incredible stuff, I'll say no more.</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WGFF8DsArAGxBFfv7wZg45Fa6orpabgWVU3M4l59KZ-_a8ISCBsBfeIEsasCncjOth1MLpgsFubspBwYzcOaOAmidy6zzU-c7SGLBw_dGtIxjE1PA4ez7iyMFGE-DaiwodPVvN-W7IE/s1600/andrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WGFF8DsArAGxBFfv7wZg45Fa6orpabgWVU3M4l59KZ-_a8ISCBsBfeIEsasCncjOth1MLpgsFubspBwYzcOaOAmidy6zzU-c7SGLBw_dGtIxjE1PA4ez7iyMFGE-DaiwodPVvN-W7IE/s320/andrew.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: BARTEL ORIGINAL MIX</b></div><b><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F24006128&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff3cec"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F24006128&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff3cec" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bartel/bartel-futureproofingmix-2011">BARTEL FutureProofingMix 2011</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bartel">BARTEL</a><br />
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<div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b>RYCE: How long have you lived in Vancouver, and if you're not</b><b> from here why did you relocate?</b><br />
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BARTEL: I've lived here for 3 years. I grew up In Atlanta, GA, but had been back and<br />
forth here throughout my life. After a bit of time in Toronto, I followed my heart here. I consider it home now and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am able to work as a composer and sound designer here, and it's by the beach. Good people and great dope.<br />
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<b>What do you like about Vancouver in terms of its community and music? </b><br />
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I like that Vancouver has a small community in its general scope. It's easy to connect with the people doing what you like, and as far experimental electronic music goes, there is a healthy surplus of talent. Taste-wise, Vancouver is always really pushing forward and fresh. People move on quickly. The community is small and I love all the renegade parties everyone throws. Because it's so small, I only play here a few times a year. The city is close to Seattle, which makes flying around the US very affordable for shows.<br />
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<b>How has it changed recently as you've been here?</b><br />
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In the last 3 years I caught the tail end of some great dubstep parties and a lot of the branch-offs. The electronic scene (to me) is currently bombarded with bass-heavy twisted creepy California shit and leftover aggro dubstep music. I like a lot of the sparse, clickity clacky brainfeeder-esque stuff, so it's good for me. Vancouver also has a good techno scene and books some great acts, which I like.<br />
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<b>How long have you been making music as Bartel, and how would you describe the music? What's your goal?</b><br />
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The Bartel project started at the beginning of 2009. Bartel takes a cinematic approach to electronic music, incorporating lots of live instruments as well as field recordings. Hints of nostalgia, claustrophobia, and fleeting time haunt the music. I think the goal of BARTEL is to put out music that I feel is worth the listeners time and to continue to release music I believe in.. It's an outlet for all of my sound design ideas and emotional cues.<br />
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Around the time of the first EP, I asked a friend and sound designer named Kevin Chamberlain to contribute to some elements and programming on some of the songs. At first his input was smaller - he generates most of the custom statics and bursts that are part of the music. Now it is practically half and half - a duo. He lives in Toronto and I send him ideas and he jams back.<br />
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<b>What's your live set like? </b><br />
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My live set is based on an Ableton format, with various controllers. I also use at least one keyboard live and a host of outboard effects. Another big focus is using the guitar, whether to play it traditionally or for the wealth of textures that it can generate. As time goes on, the live situation gets more and more organic to the point where I've developed a lot of the tracks that have morphed out of a live situation into full compositions. I recently did a small US tour and Kevin accompanied. He played a lot of bowed guitar and grinding moves with his gear that was great. Working back and forth off each other made the sets a lot of fun.<br />
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As far as tone, I try and tailor the set to the place and crowd. I usually play dance music related shows so I try to not stray too far off into a beatless world. Sometimes I play ambient sets or ambient guitar. It's all about trying to match the night and place.<br />
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<b>Do you think the amount of electronic producers doing live sets recently is a reaction to an overcrowded world of DJs, the inability to sell recorded music, or...?</b><br />
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I think it gets better as more producers play original music versus strictly being DJs. As far as a recent insurgence, I think it's just simply that the generation of kids that grew up with accessible music possibilities and and computers in their cribs are just getting old enough to get some perspective on the live situation. A lot of these dudes I look up online are teenagers or just into their 20s, which I think is great. Things are changing and we are coming up with new types of avenues to pull things off in a more live respect. Because music is no longer something that takes time and money to aquire as a listener, people's tastes and exposure happen so quickly, and people get new ideas. Not to mention being able to make it available to the world in half a second. It only makes sense that the "home-producer" category will keep growing. Playing a traditional instrument or a guitar isn't the only option a young person has when they are getting interested in new or popular music anymore. I don't care about any over-saturation of music 'cause good musical ideas are good musical ideas.<br />
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<b>You're part of Alphabasic, could you explain a little about what that is and how you got involved?</b><br />
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Alphabasic is small boutique label run by Benn Jordan (The Flashbulb) that was originally launched to self release his own albums. I originally met Benn when we were working together on a sound design project, and I had always been an admirer of his music and programming. Originally the BARTEL project was going to come out on a Toronto label, but Benn liked the tracks and offered to do a BARTEL release. Being associated with an American label helps exposure and touring is easy as I am one person. Chicago, Detroit, and the surrounding Midwest is an interesting place.<br />
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<div><b>Any plans or aspirations to release on any other labels/mediums?</b><br />
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I am aiming to have a 12" BARTEL full-length out by the end of the year or the start of 2012. Another project I have -- a duo with a drummer called SLEEP LETTERS -- is having a 7" EP pressed right now. This will be on a label called Non-Participant records. I would love to put out some other releases on<br />
different labels....<br />
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<b>What are your immediate plans for the future, in terms of music?</b></div><div><br />
Working on a few remixes right now for some local acts and other artists. Meanwhile I'm slaving pretty hard on the BARTEL full length and doing a lot of recording. As I mentioned earlier, I am also working on a duo project called Sleep Letters. Always doing shows.<br />
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<b>Can you talk a little about the mix?</b><br />
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This mix showcases a handful of songs from the last few EPs, and contains new edits of most of the tracks. The first and last track are unreleased or I guess coming up off the full length. It's all original material and gives a good scope of the BARTEL sound.</div></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-30556300587378759192011-09-22T22:47:00.000-07:002011-09-23T17:20:07.164-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Prison Garde + Eames<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Though he's only been in Vancouver for two years, for me, Prison Garde is the epitome of the city's current inspiringly wide-open outlook on dance music. He defines what Vancouver's club music should be like: witnessing one of his live sets -- particularly in the past year -- is to witness an hour plus of unfiltered, unleaded, unpretentious <i>dance music</i>: drums, bass, synths, all hitting the right places at exactly the right moments. On the one hand it's almost simplistic, on the other hand it's bewilderingly genius. He's produced as part of the outfit Megasoid and formerly as Sixtoo, with a long and storied history in his hometown of Montreal, but his material as Prison Garde might be his best yet. With roots in hip-hop, his sound has been moving all over the place in the past year, and the free album he released just prior to this year's Bass Coast festival -- <i>Systeme Hermes Vol. 1 <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_445754804">(</a></i><a href="http://www.factmag.com/2011/08/10/prison-garde-systeme-hermes-vol-1/">which I reviewed for FACT Magazine)</a> -- is an excellent showcase for his diversification, spanning BPMs from 74 to 150. House, hip-hop, dubstep, techno, whatever, you name it and it's probably swimming somewhere in the Prison Garde stream. (He also runs the <a href="http://cataloggallery.org/">Catalog Gallery</a> in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood.)<br />
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Then there's his recent partner in crime, Eames, aka Kevin Ehman. Ehman as a DJ is maybe a bit more of a house head but shares the same appreciation for both hip-hop and a wide swathe of dance music. A mainstay in Victoria's bustling scene (soon to be profiled via Victoria kingpin Chris Longshanks) for the past year, he recently relocated to Vancouver and has used the opportunity to maximize his collaborations with Squire, and the result is a wealth of tracks under the name Garde + Eames, subtle but devastatingly effective tracks that pull bits and pieces from each producer's musical personality and turn them into streamlined, purified slabs of silky seduction.<br />
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The one thing that defines their current sound is hardware; hardware, hardware, and more hardware. The duo are currently working on a practical way to have a completely hardware livePA -- no computers, no digital -- and you can tell from the mix they've provided here. Part of the reasons these tracks sound so confident and streamlined is because this is no-bullshit stuff: like I said before, drums, synths, basslines. Crisp hi-hats, lush chords, pulverizing kicks, everything in hi-fidelity for maximum impact. There's something almost melancholic about these tunes: they're no holds-barred but they're utterly classy and restrained, not giving into the dumbed-down dancefloor dynamics (or lack thereof) that the duo openly decry in the interview below. Smart, sexy, and sleek, this is vintage dance music for the future, and it's honestly some of the most exciting Vancouver has to offer. If you like any of the California abstract hip-hop scene, any of the London/Bristol house axis currently on the rise, or any of Berlin's bass music flirtations -- you get the idea -- you need to hear this mix, the West Coast's take on it all that stands up just as well to the likes of any big name UK megastar you can think of.<br />
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<b>GARDE + EAMES - FUTUREPROOFING MIX</b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBWt6vEWj3FjjSHRVLYqM-i0odNGD6D-aSXAWANgEVRMN-OeEFt7uZtvVRr4nLVkG90P0bgqLer25mNj2b7vkNj2Ij1f9zMYrNr54x2-ldX_B9I84TYLZJq8ekDI1VL9QsDzFtkPpdY0/s1600/FUTUREPROOF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBWt6vEWj3FjjSHRVLYqM-i0odNGD6D-aSXAWANgEVRMN-OeEFt7uZtvVRr4nLVkG90P0bgqLer25mNj2b7vkNj2Ij1f9zMYrNr54x2-ldX_B9I84TYLZJq8ekDI1VL9QsDzFtkPpdY0/s400/FUTUREPROOF.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></b><br />
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</b><br />
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<div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>RYCE: How did you two meet?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Kevin and I met in Montreal through mutual friends of ours. We had both spent some time there, and then both coincidentally ended up on the west coast. Him in Victoria, me and Vancouver. It was about four months after I came that that Kevin decided to move to Vancouver, and we’ve been working together ever since.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I met Rob in Montreal, and when I was moving back to Victoria he had already taught me a bunch of stuff that I was trying to develop. I figured Victoria would be a middle ground “somewhere else,” and so when I moved here -- sort of inevitable at that point -- I had a bunch of synths and my apartment’s not big enough, so it really made sense to put them here <i>[Prison Garde’s gallery]</i>.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Why did you move to Vancouver?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I don’t really know. I wasn’t planning on staying. I came because my sister was having a baby. I came out here and then when I saw what some friends of mine (all east coast transplants) were doing in Gastown I wanted to be a part of it. It was just exciting. It reminded me of a lot of places that I’ve moved to at the inception of their 'gentrification' (although I wouldn’t really throw that word around here because I think this neighbourhood has had the hardest fall from grace of anywhere in North America). This neighbourhood was being rejuvenated by independent, hard working people that respect its history. So seeing what my friends were doing, being offered an opportunity to be a part of it, and to have my own business was enough to keep me here. I have always felt like Vancouver’s music scene needs some nucleus personalities to start taking the reins and responsibilities for something that could be amazing. Not to say that I’m the person to do that, but I have a lot of experience throwing parties, booking, running labels, curating, and things like that, and feel that I have some experience to add. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>How did you find the music scene when you first got here?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I’ll have been here two years as of October. It’s a different thing. Vancouver is a very young city, it’s got this illustrious history of a lot of really good techno producers and the rock scene here is really healthy, but I think the places where new music meets people makes it seem a little bit insecure. I think there’s definitely room for club culture to expand.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The techno scene kind of dropped off in the mid-2000s and was overtaken by dubstep.</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think that one thing that has led to a really interesting development in cities like Toronto, New York, Montreal, is that there’s this really strong sort of mentorship, you learn how to do shit from old-school guys if they see the potential in you. Whereas here, a lot of the techno guys got to a certain age and maybe felt that what they were doing became too sophisticated or adult and negated youth culture in some way, which made it ripe for new music to just change the landscape. My mentality about it is very different than that, I think that when you see potential in people you embrace it and create real communities out of it instead of feeling threatened by it, and have music that aligns itself with the history it has come from.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I can’t really speak to the scenes here, I haven’t really been part of any specific scene in Vancouver firsthand, I’ve only heard about various venues that have had runs and what not. I can’t speak to the demise of the RedGate or any number of other illegal venues... those venues are the most important thing for an underground scene to exist that is actually semi-profitable or at least breaks even. It’s so healthy to be involved in things outside of nightclubs.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What do you think about Vancouver’s venue situation? It’s notorious for restrictive laws and licensing issues...</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: People talk about it so much that it stays this thing. In any interview about music in Vancouver inevitably the venue discussion comes up, and the same points are made by the same people. It doesn’t make the problem less extant, but...</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I’ve seen a ton of venues that have been independently run and operated, promoted, kind of fall by the wayside or places that have had these illustrious histories -- like the Cobalt, the Rickshaw -- get absorbed by Clear Channel or some other bullshit. First of all, American media outlets have no fucking business being here in the first place, but taking these places with these histories and turning them into puppet venues for big business as it relates to arts and media and culture... it is bullshit. Even with the gallery and what I’m doing as an arts programmer -- I run a creative agency behind my gallery to fund it, because the art scene is really polarized in this city -- much in the same way that genres polarize music here. I think people just need to think of new ways to solve the dilemmas of whether having good live performance venues or places with good sound or even a code of etiquette for your parties.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: That’s what’s been great about the W2. There seems to be an unspoken code of ethics. It’s reflected by the staffing they run there; there’s no infrastructure for douchebags at W2, there can’t be any douchebaggery.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What do you think of the ongoing underground infiltration into real nightclubs?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: Regardless of content, there’s such an essential feel to a venue, even if you’re running the most underground programming in a club, you’re still in a club. You have to buy expensive drinks, even if they’re cheap they’re still expensive. There’s bouncers and shit... it vibes me out. But cool shit still happens in clubs, not trying to say that by any stretch.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: The problem is the programmers themselves don’t have a scope on what actual global club culture is. That’s a problem when you have places like the Waldorf that could be running one underground event with two mainstream events simultaneously, or something like the Fortune Sound Club which is one of the best sound systems in the city but you never get to hear anyone push a live P.A. through it. In my opinion it’s just really short-sighted. Vancouver presents itself as an international contemporary to many cities but it’s still very young. Vancouver doesn’t need to be a contemporary, it should just be itself and not worry about how it is seen to the rest of the world. There’s this wanting to fit in, or thinking that every saturday night you have to have a hip-hop DJ or a house DJ where the fact of the matter is that a lot of people just want to hear new fresh shit.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I think the bum rap that Vancouver might give itself -- or at least the arts communities gives itself -- is compared to some other cities through some non-existent competitive level. I don’t give a shit. Make your fun.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you find it hard to get crowds in to shows that aren’t focused around one genre?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: Promoting is one art form I am not a master of, and have never claimed to be.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I think maybe there’s just a lack of awareness about what’s actually up. I think we’re trying to do that through DJing or throwing live sets and throwing parties. We just started the Yours Truly party so it’s hard to gauge that.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Why is Yours Truly necessary, what makes it special?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I like the mix of residents. Aleem and Zeeaa are super cool people and have great taste as selectors. I like the venue and what we did with it last time was really cool in terms of setup, and we got Ryan Lindow running sweet visuals.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Good music, a great environment to dance in, and world class talent being booked, with a focus on real club culture.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I’m with Rob with on the club culture thing. That is my shit -- dark, loud, good people, illegal space. Cans of beer.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you feel like “interesting’ house is starting to make a comeback in Vancouver?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I think worldwide house is kinda cracking right now. Really, music is wide open right now, the genre gates are just bullshit right now. Being the purist about one end of it is just.. yeah. If you listen to the best house music being produced right now, I think some of it is being made by people who haven’t traditionally been from that scene.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: It’s all in the eye of the beholder in the ear of listener. I would go to a Kompakt night, but that night couldn’t really exist in Vancouver... maybe like a guy like Wolfgang Voigt would draw in Vancouver because there’s a knowledgeable crowd here, but the kind of dance music you hear in the club these days -- e.g. dubsteppy type things -- has ruined people’s attention spans so badly that they cannot appreciate nuance in music.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Or anything that doesn’t have a vocal in it. If you look at the landscape of big tunes right now --</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: Everything has a fucking vocal!</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: -- or a vocal sample. Sometimes you don’t even wanna fucking hear a vocal. Sometimes you don’t want to hear a vocal for two hours and you want to have the lights out and have it fucking loud. [laughs] I think there’s a time and a place for all that stuff but I think that vocal music has always been catered towards top 40 and I think that it’s infiltrating pop music is cool, but it shouldn’t have to be that way.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: You should be able to play more than three songs without a vocal and not worry about losing the crowd. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>If dubstep could be said to be the sound of Vancouver’s underground back in the day, what is it now?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: It’s wide open.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I literally play everything from 70bpm to 150, 160. I think when you’re dealing with a night like Yours Truly we’re pushing club music primarily, but you will hear some rap, some footwork, whatever.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Is it hard to get bookings when you don’t stick to any one style and have so much variation?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: If you're booking me, you know what you’re gonna get. And if you don’t, you can fuck yourself. I don’t really need the bookings, I’ve got other shit to do. Hah.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I think the bigger thing is trying to figure out this tour.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Yeah… It’s been three months and we’re sitting on all these songs... maybe twenty songs. We gotta get the hardware set going. You get sick of pushing buttons on a midi controller in Ableton. Nothing sounds better than a drum machine and a synth plugged into a live PA.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>When did you guys start working together as a musical unit, Garde + Eames?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Pretty much as soon as Kevin arrived. Kevin and I gelled immediately in Montreal. We weren’t throwing parties together or anything, but we were kicking it and swapping tunes and stuff.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: It just took me a while to work with both the computer and the synths on my own time to get to the point where I could have a good workflow with Rob because he works quickly and knows how everything works [laughs] so if I was going to be of use and contribute in a meaningful way... that time in Victoria was good for me, Chris Longshanks taught me a lot and I just got down to business.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you now want to be seen as a unit together?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I think we should promote them under a different name but everyone’s telling us there are too many aliases.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I think it’s cool to have it billed as a collabo thing -- I mean we’re both writing tunes outside of this but I think the strongest stuff I’m doing right now is definitely involved in this.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What kind of stuff is coming out of this project?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: It’s primarily club music.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: It’s a bit all over the place, but we’re definitely trying to write danceable music. Creepy guy dance music. There’s definitely a blending of our two sounds for sure. I forced Rob to write more 4/4 and he forces me to write more broken stuff. I like writing 4/4 stuff a lot.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I like writing rap music but lately I’m burnt out on writing rap music so.. I’m writing other music.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you think your live set, when it comes together, will it be well received or will it be a challenge? Especially in Vancouver...</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I think it’ll be just fine. Judging by the last time I played, the last Yours Truly with Jacques Greene, the stuff that garnered the best responses were dubs of mine and Kevin’s. I’m not really worried about people responding to it especially when they see a live hardware set attached to it.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What’s your favourite thing about Vancouver, in general? Why are you still here?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I just love the West Coast! I like the outdoors a lot, I love beaches, getting on my motorbike, getting away from shit. I love the food here, the air, I love my west coast people.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I don’t know, haha. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: You gotta like something about Vancouver!</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: I find generally what Vancouver lacks in terms of in those places we were talking about.. you know, as an international contemporary.. it makes up for in landscape.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: It’s inescapable. It really is. It’s so goddamn beautiful here, you just can’t help but cut it some slack in other departments. And it’s been the story of Vancouver forever for people, and that’s why I think the arts and music scene has been known for being a bit self-defeating. “Oh, it’s just so goddamn beautiful.” I’m not the first person to pitch that theory, and I won’t be the last.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: It’s just stunning. Riding your bike around the city, going to work in the morning, there’s nothing better than having fresh sea air and the ocean beside you and a fuckin’ blue Heron looking at you.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you find the music scene right now, as you can see it, to be healthy?</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: Oh yeah! There’s a ton of dope dudes in the city that are doing all kinds of shit. I went to New Forms this week and the dude that I sold a synthesizer to had the best live set of the whole damn thing.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: There’s a lot of people here with amazing taste. You’re always gonna get people promoting against each other in a weird way -- I’m not saying we have to have some circle where we all hold hands, but it seems like if we all communicated a little bit better, something could for sure build. There’s a lot of dudes killing it right now.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Garde: The main thing is having a place for all of those people to come together, whether it’s a club or a warehouse or a fuckin’ park, whatever. The dialogue of music is the thing that’s exciting about it at all times. Whatever your individual contributions are to that conversation, there should be a place that nurtures those conversations, and that to me is really what we’re trying to do with our club night. As a mandate, as DJs. Create a conversation, make people talk about music, get into it -- or hate it, you know, who cares. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eames: I just want people to rave. </span></div><br />
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<b><i>Prison Garde + Eames are playing at this weekend's Rifflandia Festival in Victoria. You can download </i>Systeme Hermes<i> for free <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?cnh3au9x9udjjks">here</a>.</i></b>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-80477602208660779112011-09-19T23:03:00.000-07:002011-09-23T17:20:20.672-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: The Librarian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DKw4T1Krjocoor4wGPw6MXPtfjwahFvUQDANGMSnqTRhuiSyAe0dTmhLsU8F2XTL44xlDwEttGXlr-4JGBZbg_bHc7DD8mEAZmGa8QdAljqig3n3GBrbDgqZHPCbaKFJLIdtrPN6ffk/s1600/thelibrarian-logo-grayscale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DKw4T1Krjocoor4wGPw6MXPtfjwahFvUQDANGMSnqTRhuiSyAe0dTmhLsU8F2XTL44xlDwEttGXlr-4JGBZbg_bHc7DD8mEAZmGa8QdAljqig3n3GBrbDgqZHPCbaKFJLIdtrPN6ffk/s320/thelibrarian-logo-grayscale.png" width="247" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div>It might be an unusual pseudonym for a dubstep DJ, but trust me, this is one Librarian who's more than happy to let her hair down. (Sorry). Based in the beautiful town of Squamish just north of Vancouver itself, Andrea Graham isn't your typical dubstep DJ either. She calls her vision of dubstep "sexy, powerful, and spacious," and though I might be the "writer" here truth be told I'm having a hard time coming up with a better description. Her DJ sets are something to behold, building sensually and organically into a climax that's paradoxically as gentle as it is explosive. There is something to be said for "spacious," and her selections have a tendency to bounce around and between the walls of a room as if feeling out the empty space: you need to hear her in a large fucking room to understand. As focused on elegant melodies and clean lines as much as bassweight, hers is a sound that verges on polite (certainly pleasant) but isn't afraid to dip into the down-and-dirty at just the right time. It's an enviable balance between the tear-out violence of so much modern North American dubstep and the kind of graceful 2step variations that have since sprouted, halfway between the UK and the West Coast and all the better for it.<br />
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<a href="http://soundcloud.com/eastvandigital/sets/new-release-evdep001-the">EVDEP001 - The Librarian - Arctic Swallow EP</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/eastvandigital">East Van Digital</a><br />
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</div><div>She's not just a DJ, but also the head of the considerably massive Bass Coast Project, an annual summer outdoor festival in the woods near Squamish that only grows considerably larger with time. A weekend-long party in the forest -- replete with camping -- the festival has seen considerable expansion (and considerable praise bordering on the near-rapturous, religious, and cultish) in its thus far short history and has become a brand in itself, playing host to recap nights and an annual Hallowe'en special back up in the forest. As the curator of Bass Coast she provides not only a unique British Columbia experience to raving but also provides a wide open purview of dance music -- from dubstep to dnb to house to techno and everything else -- to a mostly hometown audience that otherwise might not be exposed to those same artists or styles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarUOOFtPSwExf_kKDWYJy5Og0jVfXhjwQXFOibae_gLSAew4mjDBkBZ-z2hOeCFVPHTsjHyWRTGAlBNaCkbvU1m6TLz49mCqXeurON0YmhfyUVicWw97KnWeqWDFWkd2sxA9hKswdGRI/s1600/282124_261403570539023_156435081035873_1148036_3959025_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarUOOFtPSwExf_kKDWYJy5Og0jVfXhjwQXFOibae_gLSAew4mjDBkBZ-z2hOeCFVPHTsjHyWRTGAlBNaCkbvU1m6TLz49mCqXeurON0YmhfyUVicWw97KnWeqWDFWkd2sxA9hKswdGRI/s320/282124_261403570539023_156435081035873_1148036_3959025_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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Her mix here is a nicely compact summary of her careful and eminently refined DJing style: melodies swoop in and out and wind around each other, the mixing is quick but never whiplash, and she tip toes her way through some heavy material without ever giving into the cheap thrills of the womp womp womp. Check the way her own gorgeous "Blue" naturally melts into Dark Sky's "Be Myself," and the range of her selections are inspiring, from the Finnish dubstep of Turn It Up to less classifiable producers like Doshy and Dizz1. Be warned about that Tunnidge remix of Truth's "Puppets" (one of the dubstep tracks of the year, no doubt): it comes crashing in and it feels so right, before the mix settles back down and closes with Graham's amazing "Arctic Swallow," also her debut release.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER: THE LIBRARIAN</b></div><div><b><br />
</b>Blue (Coastal Mix) - The Librarian<br />
Be Myself - Dark Sky<br />
Whoop - Doshy<br />
Mt Angel - The Librarian<br />
Turn It Up - Tes La Rok<br />
Back Off - TMSV<br />
Decay - Dizz1 (Forthcoming Black Acre)<br />
Drama Lost - The Librarian<br />
Puppets (Tunnidge Remix) - Truth<br />
Resistance - Grimelock<br />
Arctic Swallow - The Librarian<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?d409mmrbt27trvp">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></div><div><br />
</div><div><div><b>RYCE: You're not currently based in Vancouver proper, but have you ever been? What do you think of the scene in Vancouver, and what's the community like in the city you're currently based in?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>GRAHAM:<b> </b>I've lived in Vancouver 4 times over the past 10 years, but now call Squamish home. I love it here because it's got the best of both worlds: Both city and nature are within reach and the community is young and vibrant. Squamish is a quiet little town in winter but it comes alive in the summer with a number of music festivals developing a new draw to the area. They cover all spectrums of sound from live music at Live at Squamish to forward leaning electronic music at Bass Coast. Throughout the rest of the year there's not much music in Squamish so you have to head to Vancouver or Whistler to find electronic music culture. I play in Whistler on Tuesdays with Mat the Alien at his weekly called Really Good Tuesdays. Mat has built this night over many years and the styles have evolved over time from hip-hop to dubstep and everything in between. You can always count on his night as a staple in Whistler's music scene. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Bass music in particular seems to have fractured into many crews which each focus on a different subculture or sound. This naturally separated the community for a little while. But when W2 Storyeum opened, it provided a large space where multiple crews could be hosting different stages simultaneously and that contributed to building a community that is open minded and really supportive of local producers and DJ's. The music scene is growing and the sounds emerging from the city are fresh and mature. Local artists are pushing boundaries and their music is undefined which is putting Vancouver on the map.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Do you think the community and artistic vibrancy of Vancouver and Victoria extends itself to the rest of the province? </b></div><div><br />
</div><div>There are a few areas like Nelson, Vancouver & Victoria that stand out for their vibrant scenes and that support local and touring artists. Each area seems to have it's own personality and sound that defines it. It's hard to support yourself as an artist in the smaller towns around BC, so many artists end up gravitating to one of these areas at some point. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>It seems like so many Vancouver DJs, producers and artists have trouble breaking outside of the considerably large Vancouver circles and crowds, why do you think this is?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>The artists leading Vancouver's scene are talented and humble. They seem to be focussed more on production then hustling shows. Though they are not all touring extensively, more and more of these artists are gaining international recognition with their releases. For example Calamalka, Prison Garde, Daega Sound, Self Evident, Max Ulis, Monolithium, HxdB & Taal Mala are just a few who have put out excellent releases this year <i>[and all of whom you'll see gracing the pages of this blog - Ryce]</i>. And Michael Red has been quietly creating a library of excellent sounds! Collectively they are creating Vancouver's identity with regards to bass music. I think it's only a matter of time before more of Vancouver's artists will be seen more frequently outside of Vancouver.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What is the Librarian project and how long have you been making music under the moniker? How would you classify it (if forced to)?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>The Librarian emerged just over 4 years ago. Prior to that I had been exploring different styles as a DJ and as I discovered my sound, I was named The Librarian. I wear glasses... and it was a nickname that I just couldn't escape! My sound is rooted in low end frequencies and melody and my sets visit the different faces of bass music and touch on the roots of dubstep, grime, & the many different flavours now emerging out of dubstep. There are usually some my own tracks woven into a set as well as tracks from other Vancouver artists and beyond. I like to tell a story. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Recently my debut Arctic Swallow EP was released on East Van Digital. The title track Arctic Swallow has been receiving some excellent support and is a percussive and driving dancefloor oriented track. Blue and Drama Lost are both more hip hop and hyphy influenced tracks and Mt Angel is a melodic sunrise piece. This is my first release and the feedback has really inspired me to get back in the studio this fall.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Can you talk a little about the Bass Coast Project? What it is, how it works, and what you do?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Bass Coast Project was founded three years ago by myself and two friends Liz Thomson and Andrea Oakden. Our goal is to build events that promote BC's thriving subculture and to build community through art, music and our environment. We produce a 4-day festival every summer and a halloween and new years event each year. With each event we curate a selection of art installations, performers, and music with a heavy emphasis on West Coast talent but that also includes international emerging artists. The stages are art installations and we encourage participation from everyone in attendance. Bass Coast has grown into it's own vibrant community and has now taken on it's own life.</div><div><br />
</div><div>My areas of responsibility include programming, technical coordination, marketing, business planning, and talent coordination. We've each naturally been drawn to different areas of the business which allows us to work in the areas we are passionate about. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Has Bass Coast been a success so far in your eyes? What are its best points, and some things that need to be improved?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Bass Coast has been incredibly successful so far. We are very thankful for the support of everyone involved and everyone who makes the journey up to our festival! Like every new event attendance was quite small in year one but it doubled in year two and again in year three. It now feels like Bass Coast has carved out a unique identity and has created it's own position on the festival circuit. So many people have contributed to its success and the result is that Bass Coast truly is a West Coast experience; a platform for home grown talent and international talent. The music, layout, workshops, artists, volunteers and attendees all contributed to the overwhelming good vibes at this year's festival. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We try our best to take in all feedback and use it to improve the festival from year to year. This year we focused on stage design, sound design, relationships with the community, bulk water, vending layout, on site art, workshop programming, line up diversity, and talent hospitality. We are really pleased with the improvements in each of these areas and are now are taking inventory of what areas we want to focus on for next year. The biggest things that stand out for us at the moment are the front gate experience, ticketing, and sustainability throughout the festival. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Vancouver is notorious for strict venue and licensing laws, what's it like trying to throw a multi-day all-night party in the forest?</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div>It takes a lot of time and planning to obtain all the necessary approvals required for a special event permit. It's been a huge learning curve for us and we really value the relationships we have with the different agencies who sign off on the event. We do our best to ensure people's safety, that the natural environment isn't harmed, and to prepare for all the situations that could arise. There are inevitably new challenges and surprises each year, so we have to work through them to find a solution. It's always a challenge.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What's on the horizon in terms of your own projects in the near future?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm really looking forward to working on new music this fall and am hoping to put out another release sometime this winter. I'm also working on some vocals for a couple co-labs. It was such an inspiring summer and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to play festivals like Diversity, Shambhala, and of course Bass Coast! With festival season now at a close I'm going to focus more time in the studio writing music as well as working on Bass Coast Halloween and next year's festival. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll continue to play Tuesdays in Whistler with Mat the Alien and also have a few dates booked in Calgary, Victoria, & Vancouver in the coming months.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Can you talk a little bit about the mix you've done and what it represents?</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>This is a 20 minute mix that touches on some of the different styles you'd expect to hear me play live and it also features the 4 tracks off Arctic Swallow (East Van Digital). It represents an evolution out of dubstep that's sexy, powerful, and spacious.<br />
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<i>Arctic Swallow is out now on <a href="http://www.eastvandigital.com/">East Van Digital</a>. You can <a href="http://www.junodownload.com/products/arctic-swallow-ep/1786068-02/">purchase on Juno</a>.</i><br />
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<b>PREVIOUS FUTUREPROOFING VANCOUVER ENTRIES:</b><br />
<b><a href="http://ftrprf.blogspot.com/2011/09/futureproofing-vancouver-kuma.html">KUMA</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://ftrprf.blogspot.com/2011/09/futureproofing-vancouver-hxdb.html">HXDB</a></b></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-428290593847929602011-09-14T10:49:00.000-07:002011-09-23T17:21:03.932-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: Kuma<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Name: </b>Kuma (James Graham)</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Hometown: </b>Vancouver</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Vancouverite since: </b>"the age of three or four"</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Associated labels: </b><a href="http://thekonspiracygroup.com/">The Konspiracy Group</a>, Immerse</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Associated acts: </b>Gunshae</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Essential tunes:</b> "Dawn Stepped Outside," "What It's Not," "The Blood Of Heroes (Kuma Remix)"</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we're talking about this whole "dubstep" / "post-dubstep" / "bass" / whatever shit in Vancouver, my mind always goes back to one figure: James Graham, better known in the city as Kuma and under any variations of the pseudonym involving bears. Or "Captain of the Great Dubship." You get the idea. One of the very first musical connections I myself made while exploring the city, Kuma has been enlightening in outlining the recent history of the city's electronic music scene, partially because he played such a big hand in it himself. This is the man who brought Kode9 to Vancouver to the infamous "Secret Location" all the way back in 2005, before most people in North America had ever heard of "dubstep.' Though his role as a promoter has definitely receded in the past few years, he remains a persistent spectre haunting the Vancouver scene: you're likely to encounter the looming stature of his person at the city's best musical shows, he runs a label and collective called The Konspiracy Group, and is also deeply entrenched in the city's flourishing ambient scene as part of the duo Gunshae with Lady Eve. He releases on his own TKG label -- the recent "What It's Not" single comes with a <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=9488">hearty recommendation from yours truly </a>and also a Greivous Angel remix -- and he's also released on Bristol-based Immerse records, where he actually managed to rouse Horsepower from their hibernation in 2008 to remix his immense "Dawn Stepped Outside." If that weren't enough, he does a radio show on Thursday nights called <a href="http://www.artofbeatz.org/site/index.php/aobsite">Art of Beatz</a>, which has become an institution over the years and even hosted local writer Andrew Ryce (har har) for a year-end retrospective late last year.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for all my talk of O.G. dubstep cred, Kuma's own productions aren't exactly traditional dubstep. Owing much to the dark garage prototypes of very early Tempa records -- Horsepower, Horsepower, Horsepower! -- Kuma's music is tinged with mystical anxiety and Orientalist tropes, like Shackleton holed up in some remote corner of the Middle East instead of overcast London. Kuma's music shares the same snaky, wandering basslines (though his are more indebted to the lush pockets of sub-bass of garage then Shackleton's extensive feelers), and he's got an unparalleled sense for percussion, contorting 2step's bounce and swing into a woozy, punch-drunk sway. The tendency for decentered, floating percussion has only increased over time ("What It's Not" is a prime example), nicely showcased on the all-original 20 minute mix he's thrown together for Futureproofing. Coloured by tense, anxious strings and melodies, this is the stuff of old martial arts movies and low-budget sci-fi ratcheted up with modern production values and post-modern structural ideas. If Horsepower especially were fans of incorporating film dialogue into their music, Kuma doesn't have to, because he achieves the same mood and atmosphere of quivering dread without the need to make it literal.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't stress how proud I am to host this fantastic and personal mix here on my blog. "The Miraculous Image Of Sound Washed Ashore" says it all, really. It's a dense twenty minutes of intertwining basslines, cresting soundwaves, and stalking melodies, and it sounds more like a carefully composed multi-movement symphony than a "DJ mix." When I had the idea for the series this is exactly what I had in mind -- short, digestible, a perfect snapshot of what it is that makes Kuma so intriguing, so inspiring, and so, um, fearsome. I'll (try to) spare any more words, but I'll leave you with the idea that this is one unconventional, brave, and entirely convincing alternate vision of the hardcore continuum, where quick, lithe movements are valued as much as bassweight (though you'll find plenty of that here).</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kuma's "The Miraculous Image Of Sound Washed Ashore (Twenty Mins for FTRPRF)" Mix</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Gunshae- I Left My Heart At Arena Mexico (Ohm Resistance)</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Kuma- Don't Give Way (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Kuma- Hutch (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Kuma ft Juakali- What It's Not (Grievous Angel Remix) (TKG Music)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) Kuma- Furnace Room Dub (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Kuma- EKG (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) Kuma- Kuroshiro (Forthcoming Resist)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8) Kuma- Ursa Major (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9) Kuma- Luminescent (Dub)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?z7745222u39u1kg">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9JDquT4gztr5pUtop8-z6O-GGtFeFul5PvYD8vf-Uu9Xn0qRasI0bh43L5d9p38Av5-GUBRWJZ9dCmYA-66A6EEHAdaxkM6GOYCU41xoioJfZdEjyyOZ0jFWinMpkrXNzyju1daWItI/s1600/cmasskuma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9JDquT4gztr5pUtop8-z6O-GGtFeFul5PvYD8vf-Uu9Xn0qRasI0bh43L5d9p38Av5-GUBRWJZ9dCmYA-66A6EEHAdaxkM6GOYCU41xoioJfZdEjyyOZ0jFWinMpkrXNzyju1daWItI/s320/cmasskuma.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>RYCE: You're originally from Bristol, correct? When did you move to Vancouver and what's your current connection with the UK? Do you think being from Bristol had any conceivable effect on your musical career?</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>GRAHAM: </b>Correct. Born at Bristol General Hospital in the dark heart of a warm summer many moons ago. I moved to Vancouver at the age of three or four. My mother was a single parent and unwilling to raise her first born in the shadow of Maggie Thatcher, so I got the be the kid with the weird accent as opposed to being a poll tax rioter.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Current connection to the UK? By blood, philosophically and label wise with the city of Bristol. I didn't run with the Wild Bunch and Roni Size's nan wasn't my babysitter. But I am proud to carry on a lineage of thought provoking bass action that dates back to people like Mark Stewart and the Pop Group; was brought to public light by 3D, Geoff Barrow and Roni Size and continues on via cats like Ekkoplekz and Peverelist. My first record came out via Bristol's Immerse Records and I am blessed for that linkage. As a label owner, Kid Kut has more balls than anyone else I can think of and I am forever grateful he not only signed "Dawn Stepped Outside" but didn't think I was completely insane when I said 'dude, can we get Horsepower out of retirement to do the remix?". </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bristol is in my blood, is my lineage and is something I'll carry forever. But I have always repped Vancouver since day. Where I come from is, was and will always be an influence, but it's never been a selling point. I'd prefer to stand on sound and vision than geography.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I would not be doing this and in the fashion that I do were it not for what acid-house era Psychic TV and Coil, as well as Scorn, Techno Animal and Dead Voices On Air taught me very early on. Individuality of sound, principles, philosophy, structural attack. These are all cats from the UK.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;"><b>What exactly do you do in Vancouver? There are many facets of your musical persona from production to DJ to promoter to radio show host. Is music your de facto day job?</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To steal a line from my bretheren; Winnie The Pooh: I'm the little black rain cloud, hovering over the honey tree.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the last decade, I have lead an organization known as the Konspiracy Group, an umbrella under which we have run a booking agency, a label, a promotions house and a general home for the promotion of ambient drift and bass science. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We made our name working with SF junglists like Sage and UFO! early on and were the first agency to take on dubstep during its initial breakthroughs in North America. We are proud to have watched the homies at 11:11 and Surefire take from what we started and move on to the mindblowing work they're doing today and deeply amused to watch certain larger agencies latch on to the sound once they realised it was relevent and viable but also might actually make money.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As promoters, we were the first in Vancouver to bring in a UK dubstep headliner when we brought Kode 9 to Vancouver in the winter of 2005. We have continued to push a broad spectrum of bass appreciation through shows with T-Power, DJ Rupture and SF icons and TKG family, Kid Kameleon and Ripley. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we've also been doing ambient shows in a different city around the world for the last seven years. One cannot live on bread and water alone.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have been DJing for sixteen years now. To this day, all I want to do is make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, just like the people who blew my mind back in the day did. Doesn't matter if I'm playing dubstep, ambient, jungle, techno or the occasional Godspeed You Black Emperor! tune.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I make music. I've put stuff out on Immerse (Vancouver's first dubstep signing), Ministry of Sound and our own TKG Music label as well as having remixed the likes of Clubroot, Sub Swara, the Blood Of Heroes and Tomas Jirku to name a few nice folks. I've got stuff due on The Agriculture, Resist and a few other places but I'm quite proud of our next record on TKG Music. We've had two of the most distinct voices in electronic music vocal a tune I wrote called "What It's Not." I'm tremendously proud to have Juakali, who for me truly is the voice of North American dubstep on one side of the record. Then, to have my old friend space jazz queen Amalia on the flip on the same rhythm couldn't be better. If you ever saw Sekoya, the band she fronted back in the day, you know just how close to Billie Holliday co-piloting for Sun-Ra she can get. The fact that Grievous Angel, a guy whose work I've respected for ages likes Juakali's version enough to do a ridiculously smashing remix just takes the cake. I am proud of these songs, they make my hair stand on end every time I listen to them. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am one half of an ambient band called Gunshae with TKG's Lady Eve. Our second record is coming out on Brooklyn's Ohm Resistance in 2012, it's called "Out Of Darkness, Light." We make discrete music in an Eno style, post-apocalyptic mint julip drinking soundtracks or whatever you might imagine happens when you put a classically trained oboe player together with an old jungle DJ with a thing for live improv. Stars of The Lid meets Sunn 0)) uptown with Ryuichi Sakamoto leading the orchestra.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am also currently one of the host/producers of a radio show called Art Of Beatz, currently the longest running home for electronic music from 0-200 bpm on the city's airwaves. Our remit is quite simple, electronic music culture by the people, for the people, because of the people. We have brought Vancouver everything from internationally reknowned talent like Kuedo, Kode 9 and Alex Paterson of the Orb to the cream of Vancouver talent from Luke Mckeehan to Hxdb and onward to kids just getting their start in their bedrooms. I spent several years hosting and producing a show on Saturday nights on CBC Radio 2, Art Of Beatz has been a platform for me to take everything I learned there and to give it back to the communty.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Music does not pay my rent, it makes me happy and that's all I want to ask of it. Perhaps when the day comes where rhythmic danger and textural delight outsell cheap thrills on Beatport. But untill then, I am happy to work 40 hours a week to pay my rent and continue the fight against conservative thinking in electronic music.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>When did you start promoting shows in Vancouver and what has been your proudest moment so far? And why have you sort of stepped back in recent years?</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I've been doing shows since I was 17 and specifically in Vancouver for over a decade. I have done time with infamous local techno theorists the Shrum Tribe and ambient and and as a member of downtempo/ambient collective, Team Lounge. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Under the Konspiracy Group banner we've done ambient shows, techno shows, jungle shows and dubstep shows. We've brought everyone from Pieter K to Move D to T-Power through Vancouver. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm most proudest of the Kode 9 show we did in 2005. Not only was it the first time Vancouver had seen a producer of that nature roll through but by linking with Dave Q of Dub War to split the flight costs, we were able to make sure Dave, Joe and Jua got what I'm pretty sure was their first international headline. It was a tipping point not only locally but on a a larger scale. While there may have only been 200 people there over the course of the evening, you look at the faces in the photos that were taken that night and you see the lineage of dubstep in this city today. In one photo, it's Ben, Jamie and Michael from the Lighta! fam. In another, it's Mako from the Wiggle Kru, the guys who long before I was dubstepping or Max Ulis, Jessie Proudfoot and Paul Devro were doing Grime Sessions, were running 2-step in the northwest. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I stepped back for several reasons. Around the time that we brought Kid Kameleon in, someone in my immediate family was diagnosed with cancer. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That was an immediate change in priorities. Between working 40+ hours a week, running the agency, making beats, DJing, the radio show and trying to do shows, something was going to go by the wayside or I was going to collapse. Which I almost did.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I also have this thing about wanting to do stuff when it feels right. At the end of the day, I'm still happier to work from instinct even if it is to my own detriment from time to time. We will be doing more shows, but we will do it when the cards laid out are right. We have a specific individual in mind to join us when we throw the Konspiracy Group's tenth birthday party. All things in their time. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>You were one of the biggest actors in bringing dubstep to Vancouver. How do you feel about "dubstep" in the city now and what's your role in everything? How do you think about the electronic music scene overall in Vancouver?</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The old Thelemic nugget is "Do As Thou Wilt For Thou Shalt Be The Whole Of The Law." I'm happy to see the culture flourish even if there are some elements I'm not entirely cool with. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are a number of local promoters, DJs and producers who have no issue (or in some cases have had and have seen the light) in spoon feeding the city lowest common denimniator horseshit. Fair play, that's cool. However, there's a bunch of people who were here before you arrived that will be here long after you've left. Better to leave a legacy than scars.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On the other hand, there are a plethora of amazing producers, djs and promoters moving the city forward and making inspiring art in the process. The Daega Sound boys astonish me anytime I hear something of theirs. Michael Red remains one of this city's most uncompromising and unique soundboys. Prisongarde not only makes a mean cup of coffee but some of the dopest shit around; all the cats riding Machinedrum's jock are going to be on him next. Pari Kishi is for me, the dark horse for 2012. One of the most exciting DJs in the city right now, we are infinitely stoked that she is officially part of the Konspiracy Group. A ferocious jungle DJ, she's also done a vocal on the What It's Not rhythm that we're stoked to be putting out and if we have our druthers, she'll be doing an EP for us as well.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As for me, I'm just going to continue to do what I do and what I have always done.. I am happilly content to continue to attempt to be a catalyst. Anything the waves wash back in makes me very happy.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have achieved a bunch and I'm proud of it. I feel blessed to have been able to work with the people I have, to have been acknowledged by people like Mary Anne Hobbs for what I've done and to represent this city internationally . I'm going continue to make beats that I think are dope, support producers who make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, put out records I believe in and bring in artists that I think will blow other peoples minds as strongly as they've blown mine. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As for electronic music in the the city of Vancouver on the whole, I think it flourishes wonderfully. We're not L.A., Berlin, Tokyo or New York but we have internationally known and loved labels like Nordic Trax, Upstairs Recordings, Panospria and others all sitting in our backyard. The culture and the sound continues to flourish and that's what counts.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Can you talk a little about the label you run?</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We had talked about starting a label under the TKG axis for ages. After everything we've done, it just made sense. Then one of my former clients decided to take up working with another agency. That's totally cool, wouldn't be the first time somebody we repped for wanted to work with someone else. Trouble is, they neglected to tell us and have yet to actually speak to us to this day. We all handle business in different fashions and we wish them nothing but the best, but that was very much the catalyst to starting TKG Music</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">TKG Music is the umbrella under which we put out music that we love and that excites us. We love a ton of different kinds of music, so it throws people for a loop when we tell them we've put out ambient *and* dubstep. We lack the compelling urge to niche ourselves, which is why we put out Gunshae's first record alongside a compilation of artists that played at a show we did in Tokyo that encompassed 303's, steel pan and downtempo mixes of jungle tunes. Add to that my "Of Silence and Secrecy" 12" which takes one of my fave dubstep tunes that I've written and put's it together with Flippo's radical deconstruction and you begin to get the gist of where we come from. When I look the the labels I've loved over the years, people like Fat Cat and Kranky, it's been about vision, principles and sensibility much more than it has been about being "that dubstep label from Vancouver." </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My "What It's Not" 12" with Juakali and Amalia's vocal versions plus the Grievous Angel reworking should be out sooner rather than later. The digital version should have Pari Kishi's vocal and some very special remixes I'm working on. After that, we're doing a 12" with Sharmaji from NYC's Sub Swara crew. Dave is a gent and a half and for me one of North America's most under-rated producers and I'm astonished at this record we're doing. It's as close to a devotional as I think dubstep will ever see. Then, we're also in the process of curating a compilation called TKG:10 which will be a celebration of a decade of the Konspiracy Group. Exclusives from folks we've worked with over the years, some remixes and other fun.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The future? A tune I wrote called "Mine." Some nice lads from London have the stems, we're looking forward to the remix. I have this 12th Planet tune that John sent me years ago that I want to sign eventually. We're not at a loss for interesting ideas. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>What about Vancouver makes it different from other cities in North America? And what do you like best about Vancouver?</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What makes Vancouver different? An abject sense of apathy, gortex and a seeming desire to be someone else as opposed to being itself. A lot of this is because Vancouver is young, it's just getting its training wheels going. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But what it has going for it is a core. A bloody, beating heart to the city of glass that has no greater a desire than to transcend all the things and people that make it shit; and to make art and culture which stands on its on two feet, leaving a legacy that's more than just condo towers and Fed Ex guys driving around downtown cranking Skrillex. </span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Vancouver is my home. A portal to the glories of the Pacific Rim, a capital of the Cascadian revolution and a melting pot like no other. It is home to art and culture and food unlike anything else, all things that would have not bloomed elsewhere. They are the revolutionary seeds of the Cascadian melting pot come to fruition. It is these blooming flowers that we fight for and why I'm still here.</span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>What's It Not is out now on <a href="http://thekonspiracygroup.com/">The Konspiracy Group</a>, and Gunshae are currently wrapping up work on the follow-up to their debut album.</i></span></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-27218915470654131632011-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:002011-09-23T17:20:51.184-07:00Futureproofing Vancouver: HxdB<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">I just recently did a profile on Warsaw label Concrete Cut, highlighting the label’s virtuosic versatility in the larger context of an underappreciated local scene with a vibrant cast of characters with as much to offer as any better-documented hub (London, Berlin, Los Angeles, et al). Well, I like buried treasure -- a lot. My hometown of Vancouver -- in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, for those unfamiliar -- sits in a similar position to Warsaw, with a large, colourful and close-knit scene that could rival many of its better-known counterparts. We can brag about having Kode9 play all the way back in 2005, and an early support system and love for dubstep -- ahead of much of the rest of the world -- has laid the groundwork for an exciting and deeply experimental dance music scene that mirrors London in the ongoing brilliant reinventions and incorporation of other genres (house, electro, juke) into what was once the dubstep template. All of this is why I’ve decided to start a series of features on the best the city has to offer, featuring interviews and mini-mixes of original material, an aural snapshot of what each artist is about and a chance to see inside one of North America’s most inspiring electronic music hotspots.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Photo by Vasho Pekar</span></td></tr>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Name: </b>HxdB</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Hometown: </b>Vancouver</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Vancouverite since: </b>a long time</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Associated labels: </b>Gradient Audio, Tectonic, Brownswood, Surefire Sound, Friends of Friends, Crude, Innovative Leisure, Aufect, 10Pin, Mindset, Formant, Palms Out, East Van Digital</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Essential tunes:</b> "Typewriter Tune VIP" (Surefire), "New Sense" (Crude), "Booyant" (Tectonic)</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<a name='more'></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">First up is one of the city’s most adored DJ/producers, HxdB (pronounced Hexadecibel). Severine Erickson has long been a staple in the city’s bass/dubstep community, always playing memorable sets chock full of the finest dubs from our continent as well as The Continent. Increasingly focused on steppy, garagey tunes, Erickson’s most recent sets have done a fascinating job intertwining narratives between the UK-based “future garage” hybrid-revival and ongoing experimentation in the US with dubstep and hip-hop forms for something that sounds surprisingly natural. Seeing HxdB open at our Night Slugs night here in the city in March was inspiring, and it’s no small feat that Erickson’s set held its own even against stormers from Bok Bok, Girl Unit and Kingdom.</span><br />
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</b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9081917"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9081917" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://soundcloud.com/hexadecibel/distal-hxdb-booyant-clip">Distal & HxdB - BOOYANT (Clip) : Forthcoming Tectonic</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/hexadecibel">ΗxdB</a></span><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He’s also an amazing producer, and as he moves further and further away from established genre his music only gets stronger. His most recent material has seen him traverse new territory in this whole “future garage” business, making the most out of white space and clean, resonant tones. While the defining feature is a gentle but mechanical swing, HxdB’s productions are also marked by his almost new agey melodic sensibility, where catchy melodies tend to flutter and float, taking the scenic route along each chord progression. To kick off the Vancouver series, Erickson has provided an absolutely stunning hour-long mix of all original 2011 HxdB productions. It’s a stupefying hour of music that would almost certainly fool you into thinking it was the work of a number of unknown geniuses were it not for Erickson’s cheeky but restrained personality constantly poking through. He's got releases come and gone on all sorts of labels big and small, most notably his collaboration with Distal "Typewriter Tune" <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=8584">which I raved about on Resident Advisor earlier this year.</a> Another collaboration with Distal, the unbelievable "Booyant" (trust me, it's special), will be coming out on the legendary Bristol institution Tectonic later this year. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Photo by Vasho Pekar</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">He's also involved with <a href="http://gradientaudio.com/">Gradient Audio</a>, an upstart digi (for now) label with a focus on the prismatic, farthest-flung variants on "bass music." Most notably they released the rather intriguing <i>Future of Bass</i> compilation, a comprehensive and even overwhelming collection of names you've probably never heard of before providing a wide and inspiring outlook at how weird and out-there this stuff really can get. It's no surprising that with his fingers in a project like this that Erickson's own music is so all over the place. Because he has such a wide and growing body of work, I've tapped him for a special hour-long mix to kick off the Vancouver series -- the rest will be in more digestible chunks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4IQbCJyuQVY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Playing around with dubstep and garage, HxdB’s mix is an hour of snappy drums, lithe basslines, layered with shimmering synths that accent without saturating: Erickson has a different approach to synths than many of his counterparts, preferring subtler and classier progressions to the kind of undulating saturation of so many producers operating in the same spectrum. The beats vary from dubstep-lite to full-on garage (his speedy remix of Resketch’s “Good For You”), and sometimes in between -- centrepiece “New Sense” swoons with the rhythmic arcs of dubstep, but claps with the swing-and-skip clatter of garage and rounds it all off with housey chord stabs. But no matter how jazzy, nervy, skittery, or stoned his music gets, there’s one thing holding it altogether: the bass. Every track finds some wonderfully womblike pocket of low-end frequencies, whether it’s luscious bass stabs or big, elliptical phrases that’ll either turn your stomach or massage your brain. If there’s one thing conspicuously absent from Erickson’s productions here, it’s the good old LFO wobble, showing how far from original dubstep he’s come. His collaborations with fellow Vancouverite Self Evident are especially promising, finding a new niche in garage revival, tropical-tinged without feeling gimmicky or giving into cheap sunny Balearica. And something must be said for penultimate track and 3rdeye collaboration “Transpacific,” because it’s just kind of wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Futureproofing Vancouver #1: HxdB's 2011 Showcase Mix</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB & Self Evident - Cloud Turtle // Unsigned</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">qp - sol jerk (HxdB RMX) // Forthcoming C/C/S</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Taal Mala - Elegant Replica (HxdB RMX) // Forthcoming Aufect</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">LWSD - Keep it Round (HxdB RMX) // Forthcoming East Van Digital</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB - 2 cap // Forthcoming C/C/S</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Distal & HxdB - Booyant // Forthcoming Tectonic</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB vs. Cairo - Bassixx // Forthcoming Party Guy</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Resketch - Good For You (HxdB RMX) // Forthcoming Inhale</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB - New Sense // Forthcoming Crude</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB - Mustard (Cure Rerub) // Gradient Audio</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Blind Prophet - Recollection (HxdB RMX) // Unsigned</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Nouveau Palais - Drama (HxdB & Self Evident RMX) // Forthcoming Surefire</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Jack Dixon - Lost Count (HxdB RMX) // Forthcoming Silverback</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Cedaa - Palomino (HxdB RMX) // Unsigned</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB feat. Cairo - Once Bytten // Forthcoming Party Guy</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB - FLunK // Forthcoming Party Guy</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB & Self Evident - New Stylee // Forthcoming Palms Out</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB & Self Evident - The Light // Forthcoming 10PIN</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB vs. 3rdeye - Transpacific // Forthcoming Frijsfo</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">HxdB - Stylish Cadaver // Forthcoming Inhale </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?s0914mk9kpoo1ip">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>RYCE: A lot of my readers might be new to you; introduce yourself!</b> </span><br />
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HxdB: I am a Canadian producer, based out of Vancouver, with a handful of digital and vinyl releases on various record labels. Random fact: I am a serious beer-snob.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>When did you start making music, and when did it develop into something closer to what you do now?</b><br />
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I have been producing music for several years, but only very seriously for about 3.5 years now. I think over the course of the last almost 2 years, my sound has been progressing and changing. When I first "found my sound" a couple years ago, I started to focus heavily on the deeper, more emotive sounds of dubstep and UK garage. I have however noticed a change recently, in both my production approach and the palette from which I draw influence. I have been listening to and implementing more dancefloor-ready, house and UK funky influenced material, moving further away from the realm of "dubstep".</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you always been based in Vancouver?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, for better or worse.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you make of the Vancouver electronic music scene right now, and is it in a healthy state?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this present moment, I would like to think of the city's scene as currently in the "rebuilding" phase. Let me explain myself - A few years ago, the underground dubstep scene was in it's height here, there were huge shows happening almost weekly, and it wouldn't be surprising to see 400-500 people out every weekend. As things progressed, people's interest seemed to wain, both from the perspective of the of the party-goer, and from those involved in putting the parties on. With the rise in popularity of "brostep" and other splinter subgenres of dubstep, there was a huge paradigm shift. Massive brostep shows took over the city, catering to young college students and more of the "Granville Street" crowd (which for your uninitiated readers, can be summed up by saying 'ED HARDY'). The founders of Vancouver's scene from those earlier days went back underground and started focusing on all of the "in-between" sounds and not necessarily what is in favour at the moment. One other thing of note, is that the city of Vancouver has taken a very strong stance on how some of our more infamous underground venues like the Dollhouse, Red Gate, the Woods etc are being handled by the law. Seeing each of the venues being attacked by, and with the exception of the Red Gate, shut down. So, it's bitter-sweet. To know that sure, our shows are much smaller now, and it's much more difficult for us to plan and promote events for the reasons above. But, we know that this rebuilding phase is necessary. The people that stuck around are the true fans, and we're seeing more and more new faces all the time. Plus with the increasing open-mindedness of Vancouver's artists, promoters and fans of other genres, I believe we're moving towards a very bright future for electronic music here. There is some hope for our venue situation also, with the emergence of the W2 media society, which has been working closely with the city to provide us, with a safe, legal venue that can go later than 2 am.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What makes Vancouver special? Do you identify yourself as a distinctly Vancouver artist, do you identify with your city?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it has to be the people. Of course I believe that we're a direct product of environment. I just believe that we have so many fantastic people here, contributing in a positive way to do their part and contribute their energies to music and just art in general. It's very bohemian in that regard, and one of the things I most cherish about this place. I certainly do identify myself with my city because so much of my material inspiration comes from my surroundings - People I meet, places I see, things I experience...However, I think some who hear my music might have no idea where I'm from, because you can't really attribute a particular sound to Vancouver, there are simply too many.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty much since the beginning you’ve always made music that fell in between established styles; how would you classify your own music? </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You've asked the question I most hate in a way that I am actually interested in answering. Nice. I think the basis of your initial question is partly the answer. I have always made music that honours whatever has caught my interest at the moment ie. books being read, movie recently watched, beer tasted, music being listened to, horses, etc. It's only natural for me to experiment with the blending of motifs. I've always sort of strived to make material that is at once both something that could be danced to, and something that will hopefully provoke thought or emotion. To classify my music? I've said this in other interviews, I'd really rather not, however there are certain realms that my music touches upon, including UK garage/funky, house, techno, electro, grime. I love to play with shuffled percussion, moving snips of beats and hits around unquantized to try and create that perfect swing and lend a more organic feel, or even just make shit sound straight up weird. I realize I'm getting off topic, but I think that's a strong part of what identifies my music. Bass Electronica, ha!</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you think of “dubstep” these days -- whether it’s real dubstep or whatever it is that gets called dubstep -- and do you get annoyed if you’re referred to as a “dubstep” producer?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dubstep is what it is. There is still an incredible amount of excellent material being released all over, especially from the more established UK labels. It's nice to see that many labels have stayed ahead of the curve and been looking forward to different sounds. Labels like 2nd Drop, Immerse, Hemlock, Hessle, Planet Mu, Punch Drunk, Tectonic, Black Acre, Hyperdub and several more have continued to innovate and not remain locked to a single genre or sound. That being said, I am pretty fed up with the inverse of this. The sheer tsunami of cookie cutter dubstep producers and annoying Soundcloud fanbois. I think the word dubstep, unfortunately is getting a very negative reputation due to the amount of unimaginative producers, creating their own hype machines via Soundcloud and Facebook spam, ala "Heeeeeey bruv, check out mi phat dope wobble tune, bassface swaggggggerstep." Now, don't get me wrong I'm not hating on everyone here, the people that are touring and hustling in the game legitimately, are doing it up, and deserve mad credit! It is slightly annoying when people call me a dubstep producer because it means they likely haven't listened to my music for 2 years, lol! I actually don't really give a shit what people call me nowadays, just book me and you'll hear what I am.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you find it was more difficult to get gigs, get tracks signed, and so forth because you didn’t fit neatly into any one scene or style?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gigs have always been a bit of a challenge for that reason, in addition to the fact that I was fairly new in this scene when I actually started performing. I had to earn my stripes I spose, not to mention as a fledgling DJ, I wasn't really the greatest, hehe. Getting tracks signed on the other hand has never really been much of a problem for me since I am really good at the networking side of things.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mix you’ve done is completely based on your own productions; are you a particularly prolific producer or is this more of a survey of your entire career so far?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am pretty prolific, but I produce in spurts typically. The tracks in the mix are all productions from the last 4 months, so it is a survey of a very recent iteration of myself. On my soundcloud you'll notice I have about 60 tracks up, those are the survey of my entire career so far. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don’t usually play sets of all your own material; what does your usual set consist of?</span></b><br />
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<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My usual set consists primarily of amazing tracks that I get sent daily, plus about 25-30% original tunes of mine. I haven't purchased music for a very long time, mostly because I'm poor, but I've been putting together some pretty epic sets with my friends' music. I guess you could say I'm quite privileged in that regard. Things are on the change for me as a DJ though, having recently sold my turntables and mixer, and purchased 3 portable MIDI controllers for my new stage show. I feel that since I have always been a producer first and DJ second, that this is just a natural move for me. I'm having SO much fun with it already, I know it was meant to be. My performance at the festival, Bass Coast project was my inaugural performance and was truly an epic experience...Video soon come!</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You seem like you’re somewhat prone to collaborations, what is it about the collaborative process that appeals to you? </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The range of inspiration that you get from working with so many different individuals is so gratifying, and I feel really keeps me challenged as an artist. For remixing, I always put so much pressure on myself, to make sure, first that the tune I am remixing, I am totally in love with. Second, to make sure that my remix does the amazing original justice, and Third - Make sure the remix also has a distinct part of me throughout it. Online collaborations are fun too, watching as the song evolves as the parts are sent back and forth. Nothing beats sitting in the studio with someone though. I think the work I've done with Distal and Self Evident is some of the most fun and rewarding I've done. I love the tug-o-war and friendly sparring that goes on as ideas are built and decisions made about the tunes as they progress. Not to mention the obvious rewards of learning what each other has to offer in the studio technically.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’re a bit of a Vancouver staple and yet you’ve only ever released on labels based elsewhere in the world; is this a concern for you or is it just the way things work now?</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the way things have always been for me, and really, not too much of a surprise since my music isn't typically what is in favour in the city. I see things changing though, I have 3 releases upcoming on Vancouver based labels, 1 digital on East Van Digital, and 2 vinyl releases, on Aufect and 10PIN.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you feel like the internet and its ability to bridge geographical gaps is beneficial to a strong and close-knit scene like Vancouver or is it going undo these communities in favour of larger, non-physical musical communities?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's tough to say really. I mean I recognize the importance of the internet, and rely on it heavily but I see the negative side of it too. Though, people are so concerned about their facebook friends and twitter, and can forget it's still really all about getting out and enjoying yourself with flesh and blood friends. I think no matter if we approve or not, both dynamics will exist in our society. The interwebs are here to stay and help/annoy the shit out of us, so we might as well find our own happy balance. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’ve been somewhat involved in Gradient Audio. What is Gradient, where is it based, and what exactly is your role in it? </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, Gradient is based wherever the homeboy Jason B1t Crunch3r is at. He is a travelling rogue, scouring the American highlands looking for the next Simon Hung of Dubstep. Jokes! Gradient is a really cool label, exploring several avenues in the bass music continuum. Anyways, up until recently, I have been the "behind-the-scenes" guy, helping with web design, art, A & R and promo.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have a compilation out now called “Future of Bass” featuring a number of tipped producers and some brand new names. What kind of sound are you trying to showcase with the release, and did you compile it yourself? </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I compiled it myself, and I did the artwork too! I alluded to my friends that send me amazing music before, and this is a culmination of several months of just that. People kept sending me tracks that were blowing my mind, so I decided to use my position with Gradient to the advantage of all of us. It was a no-brainer really. I wanted to show some of the great variety that forward-thinking bass music has to offer. These are artists that I have a very close affinity to myself, so really an extension of what I myself was already doing musically.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gradient Audio is digital only, correct? How do you feel about the disparity between physical and digital releases, and the idea that digital-only releases flood the market without any sort of filter? </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, Gradient is digital only at the moment. We are coming up with a plan to release upcoming LPs and larger EPs as CD, but it's unlikely vinyl will ever be an option. Simple economics at the moment. While, I help to operate a digital label, I completely agree with the idea that digital labels flood the market. It's sad, even Gradient had to flood the market at it's inception, just to meet some ridiculous requirement that Beatport had for us to have our releases stocked. Some of the label's first releases did not get the amount of attention and recognition that they deserved I feel. With this new era of immediacy, music certainly does feel, less special, less "collectable" in some regard. I mean, the sheer volume of music out there is enough to boggle one's mind. I think this is the new, big, challenge for labels, to be looking past what is now, and be looking for what is next. Those will be the labels that are, for lack of a better term, "collected".</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s quite a few labels based around our general geographical area that are digital-only or mostly digital, is that purely a money problem, a logistics problem, or just a preference?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>It's really a tricky subject. Vinyl is still the holy grail for producers. Ask, pretty much any producer and they'll profess to you their lust for their music on vinyl. The problem is, so few people are buying it nowadays. Add to that, the distribution houses of yesteryear are shrivelling up and dying. For most labels to even consider the venture into vinyl, they need to either have lots of money, or potentially sign a tricky P & D deal, that could leave them on the hook for huge costs, or risk losing the distribution. That being said, I think it is still possible for a label to make the venture successfully, they just need a solid promotional plan, top quality product, and hopefully some love from blogs, publications, etc. To address your question specifically; For most labels, yes, money is the issue. I think most people's preference would normally be what they can choose to make more money for themselves and their artists, get music out more quickly and easily and without the hassle of making back insane amounts of money cover manufacturing costs. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Judging from the tracklist, you’ve got quite a bit of stuff coming out in the near future, anything we should watch out for coming out soon?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=9325">"Savage Pets" just dropped on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood,</a> also, my <a href="http://www.junodownload.com/products/crude-records-001/1777425-02/">split EP with Self Evident on Crude</a>. Vinyl coming on Tectonic, Innovative Leisure, Inhale, Aufect, 10PIN, Mindset & Formant. Digital releases coming on Fat!, Friends of Friends, Silverback, Palms Out, Surefire, Frijsfo, Car Crash Set, Party Guy, Inhale & East Van Digital...whew!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And what have you got under your hat for Gradient Audio? </b> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A huge LP coming from one of the most exciting dubstep producers I can think of, Culprate, has just been released, also, EPs from Sephirot, VAX & Blind Prophet. I'm also compiling Volume 2 for Future of Bass. There will be plenty more surprises coming up too that will keep people interested and guessing, including a sneaky drum & bass LP. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9Ok5jRP3w6_ruvrnY4OPYVJXDQt0V1bJ1Oy8HxHC5nzKHkZBnml7eXeQOzzNpGPN3pzvTIXQhXymZi144FOn4WJnLmkPmOy9hrOv-3AMWUWfNvLOWRw1MP-yBBmC_rjW3o98ZhaATRk/s1600/HxdB+06%253A2011%25288+of+8%2529by+Vasho+Pekar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9Ok5jRP3w6_ruvrnY4OPYVJXDQt0V1bJ1Oy8HxHC5nzKHkZBnml7eXeQOzzNpGPN3pzvTIXQhXymZi144FOn4WJnLmkPmOy9hrOv-3AMWUWfNvLOWRw1MP-yBBmC_rjW3o98ZhaATRk/s320/HxdB+06%253A2011%25288+of+8%2529by+Vasho+Pekar.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo by Vasho Pekar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-34960431810601063162011-08-11T09:08:00.000-07:002011-08-11T09:08:23.029-07:00Concrete Cut: Warsaw's Elegant Industry<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrNg2gmNDrOV-VJic2yg6vHwPJWsZbfrih6fEUERA54X36ReEl831VFE8Ua7-2UviQOXPL9UX8hAIqZxkEMOnGjo-ulQg7XURcvxuYl4zmd7YXHIp0JhOx3aqnh2eGprQHzDazdgSrB0/s1600/concrete-cut-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrNg2gmNDrOV-VJic2yg6vHwPJWsZbfrih6fEUERA54X36ReEl831VFE8Ua7-2UviQOXPL9UX8hAIqZxkEMOnGjo-ulQg7XURcvxuYl4zmd7YXHIp0JhOx3aqnh2eGprQHzDazdgSrB0/s320/concrete-cut-logo.png" width="285" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Concrete Cut are a label that first came to my attention with their fourth release, from Sentel, a chiptuney chunk of UK-funky indebted strangeness that sounded like Ikonika on Mars. It was a good enough release to warrant keeping eyes on the label, and since then they’ve released the gorgeous ambient/dub/garage experiments of ptr1, the post-rock drama of Shoju, the hollow drums of Tom Encore, and the Shackleton-indebted dread tones of Rhythm Baboon. With releases (notably their debut) from Liquid Molly, they’ve even dipped their toes into the straight-up dubstep stakes (indeed, you can download a Concrete Cut allstars remix package of the first Liquid Molly remix for free).</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So yeah, they’re a good label. So good, I’m willing to overlook the fact that they’re a digital-only label (give it time). But what is it that makes them stand out? Well, they’re based in Warsaw, Poland. All of those artists mentioned above are Polish. While it’s not as if Poland is some barren, unknown frontier, it’s not the first place any of us look for experimental and groundbreaking dance music -- and if you do, then kudos. But there’s really no reason for such discrimination, and thankfully the internet is doing its job in knocking down geographical barriers. Home to the well-respected Unsound Festival and an increasing number of prominent UK and German DJs, the Polish club seem appears as vibrant as ever, at least as much as someone who lives in Vancouver can see and understand.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Taking a survey of the label’s output so far, one begins to realize there’s a vibrant spectrum of music coming out of Berlin’s oft-ignored Eastern neighbour, a localized hub of talent that seems unfairly ignored despite the constant upwelling of talent in a manner that reminds me a lot of my hometown of Vancouver. While there are some obvious moments of debt to UK originators, each producer puts their own idiosyncratic spin on these sounds -- personally I can’t recommend the work of Sentel or ptr1 more, and their releases on Concrete Cut are 2010 highlights. The overall impression of the label’s output is of a scene that’s arguably more experimental in sectors now ignored by those other, more visible local scenes: just check the way Sentel incorporate UK funky ideas into their music when UK funky arguably lies at its least influential back in its homeland. It’s that mixture of incorporating trends and discarding the actual <i>trendiness</i> that makes Concrete Cut so inspiring: these artists just sound like they’re doing whatever they want, and they do it consummately well. Concrete Cut might be a digital-only label relatively green behind the ears, but it suffers from none of (what I call) the SoundCloud syndrome of shitty drums, cheesy pads and bad vocal samples. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Because I was intrigued by the label’s obviously hefty store of talent, and wanted to learn more about this burgeoning Polish scene (there admittedly isn’t a <i>lot</i> of (English) writing about it on the internet that isn’t by yours truly), I got in touch with label head Dana Dramowicz for an in-depth interview discussing the label and the scene in Warsaw and larger Poland. If that wasn’t enough, Dramowicz has provided Futureproofing with an exclusive all-Polish mix spanning music both signed to Concrete Cut and other labels, and it’s one hell of a ride showcasing not only the unpredictable grab-bag that is the Polish beat scene but the uniformly high production values and execution. It doesn’t sound like the work of a bunch of relative unknowns, and with any luck, the lot of them won’t be relative unknowns for much longer.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><b>What's the electronic music scene like in Poland, and what are the</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>most dominant "genres" right now? There seems to be a bit of a thread</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>around UK-Funky-esque rhythms</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Everyone is doing their own thing, like anywhere else, but in the last couple of years a trend has emerged, definitely. Artists like Sentel, Zeppy Zep, Supra1, and The Phantom are leading the way with their own mix of UK funky, dubstep, and house. It’s quite nice that Poland is starting make a name for itself in that particular style, but there are just as many, if not more artists, making equally amazing music that might just not be qualified as so “trendy” right now in the tastemaking places like the UK. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>How long did it take for dubstep and related music to really hit Poland?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m probably not the best person to ask such things, not having been born and raised in Poland and really experienced its musical evolution. But as far as I can tell dubstep caught on very quickly in Poland, particularly since we tend to have pretty strong associations with dub music -- and the precursors to dubstep, like drum’n’bass, were huge. </span></div><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3735063662/size=venti/bgcol=000000/linkcol=f5bf00/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://shop.concretecut.pl/album/above-the-structures-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Above the Structures EP by ptr1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>I think a lot of people think of Poland as a rather remote place for</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>whatever reason but it's not really that far from the rest of Western</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Europe. Do you think being relatively close to Berlin has any impact</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>on Warsaw's scene?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When house and techno were the dominant genres in underground clubs, for sure. Berlin dictated and Poland followed, and Poland in particular has always tended to look west for influences much more than other Eastern Bloc countries. However, alongside the Berlin influence, the UK influence has grown hugely, particularly through the popularity of drum’n’bass, and now dubstep. Berlin still has a mystical musical aura, there’s no doubt about that, but most people I know would make a pilgrimage to Berghain to see SUB:STANCE rather than to see someone like Marcel Dettmann these days. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What's your favourite thing about Warsaw, musically? And what are the</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>nights like - do you have many worthwhile interesting nights/clubs?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There’s a general feeling these days that Warsaw is on the rise, and I, certainly, even in just my last two years of living here, have noticed a huge boom in clubs and interesting nights. The opening of 1500m2 club in Warsaw brought about the most visible change, and introduced a real space for the local scene to grow. Last season I could, nearly every weekend, expect to stop by 1500m2 and see someone like Jamie XX, xxxy, Girl Unit, Oni Ayhun, Pariah... the list goes on and on. It was so mind boggling it almost became exhausting after a while, but this level of booking has really changed the city’s music taste as a whole. There are of course many other great clubs in Warsaw, such as M25 - a huge former factory which hosted parties with techno giants like Juan Atkins and Robert Hood and probably has the best soundsystem in Poland. Jedyne Wyjscie seems to be an up-and-coming home for underground club sounds as well. Some other great clubs in Warsaw (for their atmosphere above all): Sen Pszczoly, Powiekszenie, Luzztro, Obiekt Znaleziony, Cud Nad Wisla & Plac Zabaw (the latter two both summertime-only outdoor spots).</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Is there a "Warsaw Sound" so to speak? And what makes the Polish</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>iteration(s) of this music different from the rest?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think it would be hard to put Warsaw in a corner and label it with one specific “sound”, particularly since its many disparate scenes are so healthy. As a relative outsider, having only lived in Poland for a handful of years, I can tell you that Polish artists are humble and open-minded, and elitism or snobbery basically doesn’t exist. Visiting DJs love Poland because we’re not too cool to dance and look like we’re having fun. And this openness is what allows Polish music to be flexible, experimental, and to comfortably find its own voice -- which is a process, rather than a state of being, if you ask me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5_Cfpo15jCNHirZBVOkMgN0hvNA2ZpX-9p7NGTN1ZgQHZH8chu8YGjr7XdkpURbf6mhUXfPee6atal4Th0aSOvoNIvRufyrd5E0jUuiStMLuzBGeSmBHQtUAdQCOf33Cz49bQvnukmY/s1600/SHOJU-PRESSPIC2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5_Cfpo15jCNHirZBVOkMgN0hvNA2ZpX-9p7NGTN1ZgQHZH8chu8YGjr7XdkpURbf6mhUXfPee6atal4Th0aSOvoNIvRufyrd5E0jUuiStMLuzBGeSmBHQtUAdQCOf33Cz49bQvnukmY/s320/SHOJU-PRESSPIC2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Concrete Cut duo Shoju</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><b>How long have you personally been involved in music, and in what</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>capacities/roles?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’ve been involved in music my whole life, first starting as a reluctant violin student and eventually discovering electronic music in university. I was playing in a post-rock band when dubstep completely stole my heart and I started getting seriously into club music of all sorts. You could say my journey has been a little unusual <i>[laughs]</i>. Since then I’ve been DJing as Artfruit and producing with my partner as Shoju, and I hope to try to bring together my entire, weird and wonderful, musical history into that project. In the last few years I’ve also started up Women in Electronic Music, which began as a Last.FM group and grew into a Facebook page. I also just started HerBeats.com, a blog dedicated to female producers.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>When did you start up Concrete Cut, and where does the name come from?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Concrete Cut started just over one year ago, in May 2010. The credit for the name goes to my brother Bart, who joined us in one of our very first label brainstorming sessions.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Are you the head of the label and how many people are involved?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There are two of us behind the label - myself and my partner Mateusz (who I also record with as Shoju). We usually divide our tasks by language, I do English promotion and Mateusz does Polish promotion. Between the two of us we’ve managed to cover almost every single aspect of the label by ourselves, and the DIY style of our label is something we’re really proud of. Mastering, photography, press & promotion, it’s all done in-house. We even built our own online promo delivery service. If we could distribute our own music we’d probably do that too. So many of our artists are also graphic designers that the vast majority of our release artwork has also been designed by the artist behind the music.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Did you intend for it to be representative of Warsaw?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Not really - our first release was by our friend Liquid Molly who actually lives in Bialystok, though of course our sound and intentions have evolved quite a bit since then. There are a few elements that can be difficult to balance with the label. There is the desire to only release music we are truly passionate about, and then there’s the responsibility of representing the scene. Our label is probably somewhat representative, but filtered through our own taste, desires, and the atmosphere at the time. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Was it supposed to be a "dubstep" label at first? There seemed to be</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>a pretty sudden shift at some point towards something more open and</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>experimental, and if I'm right about that, what prompted that shift?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When we first started, we never thought we’d be a “real” label to start with. We wanted to help Liquid Molly get the word out about his dubstep tracks, and we just threw together a logo, a website, and some artwork and hey-presto we became a label of sorts. It wasn’t until later that we started thinking that there must be tons of other Polish artists like Liquid Molly, and started looking around to see if we could find some other tracks we liked. Think was our next artist, and while he’s already not your typical dubstep artist, he still stayed in that vague dub-tech area. Of course it all changed when we signed Sentel, based pretty much solely on the tracklisting of a mix (back then people with such good taste were hard to come by) and a couple very rough demos on their Soundcloud. We just thought - we’d be crazy not to release these guys.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>In summer 2011, at this point in time, what is the sound you are</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>trying to push with Concrete Cut?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Right now, we are, as always, open to practically anything. Sure, we’d like to stay in the “bass music” genre, but what the hell does that even mean, anyway? I don’t think the people who invented that term, or the people who use it, even know (including us). The way I see it is that the more you try to pinpoint one style and focus on it, the more other, possibly more innovative stuff slips through your fingers. This is our dilemma, that by our current focus on Polish artists, it’s not feasible to focus on one very specific “sound”. Like probably every one else, we strive to be as open as labels like Planet Mu or Warp, who simply get by on releasing what they consider to be good music. And if you want to have a more concrete answer to that question, you need only listen to the mix, which has quite a few unreleased Concrete Cut gems on there.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Can you outline and describe some of the artists that are part of Concrete Cut?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We have the dubstep guys, like Liquid Molly, Tom Encore (who delivered some really interesting tracks for us, but actually best known for his releases on Rottun if you can believe it), and Think who is starting to go into Sepalcure-type territory these days. ptr1 tends to stick to chilled-out garage sounds, and is our local analog gear guru. I love Rhythm Baboon’s music because it is so out-there - no rules, and no barriers. Sentel injects a 4/4 party vibe and takes the no-rules approach to the max - it’s wild but it’s genius at the same time. Shoju is probably the most experimental project, and our tracks are usually the least dancefloor-friendly. As for future artists, there’s Deam and 0311 whose music you can hear in the mix.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Concrete Cut producer ptr1</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><b>What has been the release you're proudest of and why?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s pretty much impossible to answer this question without offending a large group of people haha.. but if I’m completely honest I’ll have to say that it would be Sentel’s Chapel 20. We took a risk with their, frankly insane, music, but we believed it was something so fresh and innovative we just went with it and put in the hours to promote the hell out of it. Its success really launched us as a label, changed how people perceived us, and we launched the career of a duo who I think has just begun blowing people’s minds for a long time to come. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Have there been any difficulties or hardships arising out of the fact</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>that you're based in Warsaw? How do you get word out about the music?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Of course. I think every label that is not based in New York, Berlin, or London (or anywhere in the UK for that matter), already has certain barriers to cross, but as a label east of Germany, these things can get near impossible. Luckily Poland’s reputation has been bolstered as a bit of a cool place, thanks to the work of such people like the Unsound Festival in Krakow, which is probably one of the coolest festivals on the planet. We are not some experienced label professionals, and the way we get the word out is good old persistence and believing 100% in what we’re doing.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Has the label been a success to you so far, in terms of both sales and reaction?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The concept of paying for music has yet to reach most of Eastern Europe, probably it never did... That’s just the reality we operate in. And as a digital label we don’t even have vinyl to rely on for a little income. We are simply on a constantly losing battle with MP3 piracy. However, it’s not something that really concerns us as our priorities were never with sales but always with promotion and helping out artists we really believe in. When you consider how much our approach is basically amateur and completely DIY, I think the worldwide reaction to our label has been out of this world fantastic. And it just proves that all you need is passionate people and solid, innovative music.</span><br />
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<b>Are there any other worthwhile or interesting labels or collectives in</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Warsaw or Poland as a whole that are worth checking out?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">For labels, there is New Moon, which tends to focus on more traditional dubstep or dubtech sounds with artists like Hatti Vatti and Think. U Know Me, which is the more modern hip-hop-influenced label belonging to the Junoumi collective, has also been influential, along with their many sublabels, parties, and DJs involved. Of course there is also Catz n Dogz’ Pets Recordings and Jacek Sienkiewicz’s Recognition, which are probably the most famous Polish labels right now. In Warsaw, the Mustnotsleep collective has been making waves with their summertime Music of the Future series inviting artists like Bok Bok and Kowton to play. But every city in Poland has its own collectives and DJs, it would be simply impossible to name them all!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Futureproofing: Concrete Cut/Shoju All-Polish mix</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Tracklisting:</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Think - If Only [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">0311 - It's Not [forthcoming Concrete Cut]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Rhythm Baboon - Shimmer [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Liquid Molly - HDD (Sentel Remix) [Concrete Cut]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Same - Fungeez [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Broken Fuse - Wireless [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Intreau - Alpha (Space, Ladies Remix) [Wicked Bass]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Sentel - Shut Your Eyes [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Tom Encore - Spellbound (Zeppy Zep remix) [Concrete Cut]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Teielte - 7days [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Phantom - Arctic (Dub) [Senseless]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Deam - Joint [forthcoming Concrete Cut]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Liquid Molly - Zimba [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">xtnt - Loungey [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Think & 0311 - Lookback [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Shoju - SBNY [Concrete Cut]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jacek Sienkiewicz - Sing It [Recognition]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Same - Shipyard [Phatt Sounds]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Hatti Vatti - Great (Andy Stott remix) [forthcoming On the Edge]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Fau & Deam - Longtrip [dub]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ptr1 & E_nn - Crystal Drops [dub]</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?erin5uiizwc18rd">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://official.fm/tracks/290660"><b>DOWNLOAD [OFFICIAL.FM]</b></a></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Further Listening: </b>ptr1’s <i>Above The Structures </i>and Sentel’s <i>Chapel 20</i> are essentials, but everything else beyond there is worth checking out too.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.concretecut.pl/</span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-70267326016695481572011-07-07T17:31:00.001-07:002011-07-07T17:31:43.311-07:00Futureproofing is coming back very soon.I swear.<br />
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With something special.<br />
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Special things.Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-53791699213978838812011-05-10T22:01:00.000-07:002011-05-10T22:24:32.634-07:00Deep, Heavy, Soulful: Bristol's Andy Mac<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Late last year, this humble little blog debuted with a not-so-humble barnstormer of a mix from Punch Drunk label head Peverelist. Aside from a boatload of promising new material from Mr. Tom Ford himself, the mix included two other prominent debuts: Kahn's "Like We Used To" and Andy Mac's "Everytime." In February, Kahn's track was released on the label </span><a href="http://www.factmag.com/2011/02/24/kahn-like-we-used-to/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">to great acclaim</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, a perfect and poppy synthesis of dubstep, garage, and house. Well, the next Punch Drunk release was the other debut from the mix's other standout, Andy Mac's "Everytime," two slices of dusty garage-inflected house striking the perfect balance between propulsive and catchy and doing it all with a rather on-point sense of age and crackle. I </span><a href="http://www.factmag.com/2011/05/04/andy-mac-everytime/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">reviewed the single over at FACT</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, and Andy Mac's subtle and slightly dark tunes remind me a lot of what I love about another one of 2011's brightest new prospects, </span><a href="http://ftrprf.blogspot.com/2011/04/get-in-with-kevin-mcphee.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Kevin McPhee</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxzImDOPam5n8-cEVSIGUF50Ovg3FQ2lxC8rs40kJjA35AbDwKcR_PlebkOVXR2okExKXJBvfPs7CIvFzTKZTsQpglRNoDaw4zcrMW-LxjWreoPHGyN1O1DUBx1GJcGOBEs_dxQk7oFQ/s1600/Andy+Mac+Press+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxzImDOPam5n8-cEVSIGUF50Ovg3FQ2lxC8rs40kJjA35AbDwKcR_PlebkOVXR2okExKXJBvfPs7CIvFzTKZTsQpglRNoDaw4zcrMW-LxjWreoPHGyN1O1DUBx1GJcGOBEs_dxQk7oFQ/s320/Andy+Mac+Press+Photo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But really, who the hell is Andy Mac? I had certainly never heard of him; I contacted Peverelist to find out more and it turns out he's a DJ ("first and foremost"as Ford puts it). So who better to to do a Futureproofing post on than a producer with such high potential? Liking his single so much, and wanting to hear how he would contextualize his sound in a DJ mix, I tapped Andy Mac for a mix and a short interview, and I'm glad I did. Mac's mix is pretty much exactly what you could expect if you've heard his debut 12-inch, and if you have, then this is worth your time and then some. Over the course of 90 minutes Mac feels out every tangent and influence that you could possibly pick out of his music: deep, jacking house, garage-leaning tracks, swift and smooth techno, spacey dub, and everything in between. He doesn't provide a tracklist, but that's just all part of the fun: there are of course familiar tracks, but it's impressive how he manages to make everything sound both timeless and curiously, mysteriously aged, like some old mix unearthed from a decade and a half ago. Interview and download after the jump.</span><br />
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</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Andrew Ryce: Who are you and where do you come from?</span></b><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Andy Mac: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My name is Andy Mac</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, I currently live in Bristol, although I was born </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">in the midlands and grew up in Cornwall, down in Penzance. I've also </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">lived in London a couple of times to but Bristol feels like home now.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How long have you been DJing for, and when did that turn into production?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I've been DJing for while now, maybe nine years or more? I was really </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">into hardcore/jungle through various cassette tapes that came my way, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">but was way too young to get involved at the time, so when I grew up a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">bit hip-hop was the first music I really participated in. It was the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">main thing people were going out to in my hometown of Cornwall. There </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">were some strong DJs playing really good hip-hop like early Slum </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Village, Lost Boys or Q-Tip, so that kinda inspired me to start </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DJing. I moved to London around 2001 or 2002 and that opened my ears to a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">whole lot of different music again. I'd be heading into town to go to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">buy hip-hop but then I'd check out Vinyl Junkies and listen to a load </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">of deep house, and US stuff like Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Osunlade or broken stuff like Afronaught, Seiji, IG or some Mark </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pritchard bits. and of course I'd hear garage on the radio whereever I </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">went but I didn't really start buying or playing it at the time. I </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">moved back to Cornwall and still mostly concentrated on hip-hop, m</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">aking beats inspired by Pete Rock and later on Jay Dee on a sampler I </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">still use today. But I stopped producing for a long time before I started </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">the stuff i'm making now. I never stopped DJing though, what I play </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">just evolved through that period.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What kind of stuff do you usually play in your sets?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Good question! That really depends on the night, I guess I've been </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">playing a lot of house, but not exclusively. I'd say basically deep, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">heavy, soulful underground dance music in a range of different forms. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I like it when I have freedom to play around as long as, hopefully, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">it's a good track. I think there's definitely a certain vibe that </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">attracts me, someone recently told me that its warm and raw... which </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">sounds okay to me! I like it when it all becomes abstract, when dancers </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">are so locked in you could play a techno record next to a soul record </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and then play some grime and it all makes sense, i guess its as much </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">to do with the crowd as it is the DJ though.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How did you hook up with Tom and Punch Drunk?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I met Tom through Rooted, I was always buying records there, he was </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">always behind the counter so we just got talking and one day, around </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">this time last year I think, he asked me if I made music. I gave him a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CD of "Everytime" and another track. It turned out he was feeling it </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">so we kind of went from there. I really appreciate what he's done for </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">me, putting out my tracks and helping me with the release, it's </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">something I've always aspired to since the beginning but I never knew </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">if it would happen.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Your music seems to have an older, very retro tinge to it, is this an intentional effect? Do you create your tracks with analogue equipment/hardware?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I wouldn't say I try to be intentionally retro, it's maybe just using </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">elements that have been around for while in other forms of music, but I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> didn't have any particular styles in mind when I made both the tracks </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">on the Punch Drunk release. I make everything on a sampler, so I find </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">producing a bit like remixing my record collection, in terms of being </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">influenced by things I hear and actually stealling noises from them to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">build my own tracks. The sampler has its own sound to which is pretty </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">scuzzy, but again it's not really intentional, that's just what I know how </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">to use to make music.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/10BUTQIjK-k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Am I wrong in detecting an influence of old 4x4 garage in there?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">No that's not wrong, but it's in amongst other things too. It's in there </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">but I'm certainly not an expert on the genre (as much as I love it and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">would like to know more!). I do play some garage of various kinds, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">but I couldn't go deep on 4x4 (or any kind really!). I was into those </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">early Artwork bits and the Horsepower stuff on Turn U On, I'd say they </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">really influenced me: it's vocals, but not chopped, so you don't know if it's </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">samples or not; plus it's soulful, heavy and dark!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What (other?) sort of stuff do you listen to, what inspires you these days?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, really good DJs inspire me the most. People who select amazing </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">tracks that you've never heard and put them together in a way that </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">grabs you and sucks you in and can take you places. I really enjoy </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Theo Parrish's sets and his own music. Ben UFO is incredible, and Floating Points is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">too! But I'm inspired by all sorts I guess. I think Levon Vincent is an </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">amazing producer and DJ. Elgato too, I dunno, loads of people! I think </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I like stuff that has an intensity to it but not necessarily noisy or </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">chaotic, just genuine, real emotional content. I try to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">do that, but it's not easy, I'm not that good of a producer.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What other sort of music have you been producing? Can we expect any further releases from you in the near future?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">here will be other releases, I'm not sure when, or really what </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">they'll sound like though! But there are some things coming up.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Do you do anything else in music aside from DJing and producing on the side?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm part of a crew called Falling Up, and put we sporadically put on </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">nights together in Bristol, and do regular mixes (check out the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><a href="http://soundcloud.com/fallingup"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Falling Up SoundCloud</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">). We DJ together a lot too, Type and Jay L are </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">both wicked DJs (watch out for Type's music too!) and I'm really glad to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">have met them.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How did you record the mix and what was the thought process/concept behind it?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The mix was recorded a home with records, 1210s and a CDJ for a couple </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">of newer bits. I just wanted to try not to mess about with the delay on </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">my mixer too much... I think I failed at that though.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, what's your favourite record of all time?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">No way! That's impossible. I couldn't answer that. </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2076840213"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Black Joy - </span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_w6b0-GTdE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Untitled</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> or </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrSVAvOBHKc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Foul Play - Being With You</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<b>ANDY MAC: FUTUREPROOFING MIX MAY 2011</b><br />
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<i>No tracklist provided. (Have at 'er, trainspotters!)</i><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sendspace.com/file/463j47">DOWNLOAD [SENDSPACE]</a></b><br />
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<i>Andy Mac's debut twelve-inch "Everytime" / "Asteroid Belts" <a href="http://boomkat.com/downloads/403645-andy-mac-everytime-asteroid-belts">is out on Punch Drunk now.</a></i></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-88611528494280634292011-04-28T10:10:00.000-07:002011-04-28T10:10:00.418-07:00Brendon Moeller's Midnight Radio (Part 2)So I would hope by now you've all read the comprehensive and, if I may so myself, <a href="http://ftrprf.blogspot.com/2011/04/brendon-moeller-capturing-spirit.html">fascinating interview with Brendon Moeller</a> posted last week, called <a href="http://ftrprf.blogspot.com/2011/04/brendon-moeller-capturing-spirit.html">Capturing The Spirit</a>. If not, well... it's long, but it's worth it. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whiskey, sit down, and read the honest and heartfelt thoughts of one of techno's most talented artists.<br />
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Of course, it seems like not many electronic music related editorials come without something to <i>hear</i> attached to them, and Moeller's got us covered for that too. The interview featured the first part of the Midnight Radio podcast, a sprawling exploration of what inspires Moeller or simply tickles his fancy, from late night guitar strumming to explosive shoegaze to dingy post-punk to balearic soundscapes, and beyond from there. If you can imagine the edges blurring between the tracks -- as they sometimes do in the headier sections -- you can almost see the hazy, undefined lines of Moeller's dubby techno begin to form, and you can certainly see how Moeller isn't your regular "dub techno" producer, but rather a conoisseur of music who manages to mix disparate ingredients into one hell of a seamless whole. Links to both parts of the podcast below.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">BRENDON MOELLER'S MIDNIGHT RADIO </span></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">PARTS 1 & 2</span></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">PART 1</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">1. a certain ratio - abracadubra<br />
2. 23 skidoo - lock groove<br />
3. air france - introduction<br />
4. fluxion - field ll<br />
5. deerhunter - earthquake<br />
6. broadcast - microtonics 06<br />
7. dirty three - three mile creek<br />
8. moondog - streetscene<br />
9. robyn hitchcock - pit of souls (country version)<br />
10. atlas - let the blind lead those who can see<br />
11. calla - pete the killer<br />
12. flying saucer attack - oceans<br />
13. ethiopiques 4 - instrumentals - asmarina<br />
14. cluster - hollywood<br />
15. rhythm & sound - roll off<br />
16. african head charge - elastic dance<br />
17. mogwai - white noise<br />
18. lalo schiffrin - danube incident<br />
19. scott walker - the big hurt</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://official.fm/tracks/239543">DOWNLOAD/STREAM [OFFICIAL.FM]</a></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2if5qgxaviv2qqn">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>PART 2</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">1. flash & the pan - walking in the rain</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">2. butthole surfers - space II</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">3. max richter - maria - the poet (1913)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">4. bill callahan - Jim Cain</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">5. high llamas - hiball nova scotia</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">6. tom trago - flourgreen fag</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">7. colin newman - dont bring reminders</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">8. dan deacon - paddling ghost</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">9. tom waits - goin out west</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">10. dabyre - how many times (with this)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">11. detroit escalator company - ghana</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">12. model 500 - milky way</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">13. tones on tail - lions</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">14. spiritualized - pure phase</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">15. king midas sound - outta space</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">16. gas - pop 1</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://official.fm/tracks/242965">DOWNLOAD/STREAM [OFFICIAL.FM]</a></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?ahox50ss2vy15wb">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Moeller's <i>Subterranean</i> album as Echologist is out now on his own Steadfast Records, don't hestiate to <a href="http://boomkat.com/downloads/399039-echologist-subterranean">check it out</a>, it's an amazing journey (and it really lives up to such a hackneyed phrase, really).</div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-10223720741096162462011-04-20T22:33:00.000-07:002011-04-20T22:54:30.174-07:00Brendon Moeller: Capturing the Spirit<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Whether you know him best as Beat Pharmacy, Echologist, Lightness, even more aliases, or simply by his given name, Brendon Moeller is a bit of a veteran in modern techno stakes. Originally hailing from the permanently smokescreened world of dub techno, Moeller's music has evolved over the years to take what Moeller would probably like to call the "spirit" of the genre into new and exciting places. While dub techno as a scene arguably begins to stagnate, Moeller moves above and beyond, whether it's anchoring the <i>dub</i> aspect with his Beat Pharmacy project, or making banging dancefloor tunes and heads-down headphones hummers as Echologist, or simply his own mix of sub-styles under his own name, not to mention collaborative projects with Area (Lightness), David Kennedy (Shetland), and Shigeru Tanabu (Manaboo).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu1foGvfF9zxq8x_m-PipuncJInGHB33qISgvOLCaIXbhQ_ZZ4GRx5hA63aameelvGzBmVY0TrmMdTmIKoaGwvKInkBAUCPbLsiOeBgybrmnsl7bfGeJvPfLSZFm2Z8tGRvlZ0HcjZs4/s1600/IMG_1851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu1foGvfF9zxq8x_m-PipuncJInGHB33qISgvOLCaIXbhQ_ZZ4GRx5hA63aameelvGzBmVY0TrmMdTmIKoaGwvKInkBAUCPbLsiOeBgybrmnsl7bfGeJvPfLSZFm2Z8tGRvlZ0HcjZs4/s400/IMG_1851.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Last year, Moeller also launched his own Steadfast record imprint, a label that has seen the release of some of Moeller's finest material thus far as well as promising EPs from associates Area and Billy Shane. But it's his Echologist project that has arguably been the star of the imprint with a stellar run of diverse and unforgettable EPs. Moeller is just now releasing the second Echologist album, on Steadfast, <i>Subterranean</i>, a stunning journey through the heart of dub ensconced in a techno fever dream (they're separate things; I wouldn't call this 'dub techno'), and I'll refrain from saying much more about it -- that's what my review is for, look out for it on RA -- other than the fact that it's a near masterpiece and one of the most accomplished statements of Moeller's long career.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">As a <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2010/10/22/brendon-moeller-close-up/">documented fan of Moeller's output</a>, it was a bit of an honour to do such a frankly massive and comprehensive interview leading up to the album's release. Wanting to make this count, what you'll find below is a painstakingly considered summary of a series of interviews conducted throughout February and March of this year. Wanting to scratch beyond the surface of press-landslide interview inanity, we talk about the album, aliases, dance music politics, the music industry, boutique labels, dub techno insularity, dubstep, promo culture, information overload, and more. It's a fascinating insight into an artist who exploits modern technology to the fullest extent -- both in terms of his musical production and his online presence -- a savvy figure who isn't afraid to say how he feels.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">In addition to the ten thousand or so words he so generously donated over many, many hours of Skype, Moeller has also contributed two podcasts of what he calls Midnight Radio, beautifully mixed collections of his muses, inspirations and ruminations surrounding the creation of the album and its aftermath. You can find the first below the interview, and part 2 will be online early next week, just in time for the release of the album.<br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Andrew Ryce: You have a new album coming out on your Steadfast label under the Echologist alias. Why the sudden outpour of Echologist material, and how did the new album <i>Subterranean</i> come about?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Brendon Moeller: “The Echologist moniker became more active because as I was putting my label Steadfast together, I realized that monikers could actually work in my favour in terms of breaking up projects and different vibes of things, especially since I wanted to release mostly my own stuff. I consciously decided to keep the Echologist moniker for deep, dubby, techno, maybe a little on the darker side of things. Less jazzy or funky. I really had a great time putting together the Echologist tracks; I enjoyed the process and before I knew it I was compiling quite a few tracks. Some I ended up releasing, some just kind of sat around. It was at a point where I realized that I had quite a nice bit of material here, that seemed to have a consistent theme and mood running through it all. Then I came up with the concept; why don’t I take this and try to put together an album? Then the thought process came about how to <i>actually</i> put together the album. I didn’t want to just compile an album of tracks, because that makes no sense, it defeats the purpose of an actual album. Like buying a book, you want the plot, the intro, the outro -- you want that whole journey. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So I came up with the idea of compiling <i>Subterranean</i> as I would do a live show or a techno mix, and the only thing I wanted it to be was <i>not </i>to be the kind of mix you could download from Soundcloud. I wanted it to convey the same sort of moods and sounds you could hear at 4am in the Berghain or Fabric or the Bunker in New York, but I wanted it to be more abstract. I wanted to leave out the kick drums, the hi-hat, the claps, the signature things. Not <i>completely</i> -- there are elements -- but less pronounced than usual. As I started organizing the resources, I decided that the best way to do this and really capture the spirit of a DJ mix was to just do it in one take. So I got into my studio and just did it, one take, complete. Then I went back and did some very minor changes, so it was essentially just the result of completely spontaneously taking all these elements and capturing the sense of what a DJ does, which is take you from point A to point B to point C in a manner that entices you to want to keep going along. Hopefully I’ve succeeded at that. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Why leave out the kick drums and hi-hats and those other elements?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I wanted to convey that those elements don’t have to be what creates that sort of driving, throbbing, momentum. You can use other things, textures, bass, filters, and atmospheres to capture the essence of all that without the necessity of a drum to drive things. As a result of listening to tons of ambient music -- basically starting off listening to a lot of ambient music and getting deeper into it and getting into seventies experimental electronic from Germany, and Krautrock -- all those elements come into play. Shoegaze bands that I was into, like My Bloody Valentine, Loop, Jesus and Mary Chain, just <i>so</i> many things, <i>so</i> many references that come from having been a music listener and collector and fan for twenty-four years. Whether it’s conscious or even subconscious all these things reared their heads to me. For me, it’s cool to see a derivative aspect in my music, it reminds me of where I’m coming from.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>But It’s filtered through your own creativity rather than just taken from somewhere.</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yeah, I think for me it’s more about capturing the spirit of that stuff rather than actually wanting to do it or sound like it; it’s the spirit for me, the attitude, the philosophy behind the style of music, the minimalism. Some people might say “some of your tracks have fuckin’ sounded too much like Rhythm & Sound or Basic Channel,” but I’d agree and say that it wasn’t completely intentional. It’s about evolution, and that evolution continues. As a musician, the constant evolution keeps you inspired, the constant desire to move forward with your own thing and move toward an identity of sorts -- making your mark. Every writer, painter, any artist, it’s about wanting your voice to be a unique voice. Obviously there are fewer originals than there are derivatives or copycats. You strive to find something or tap into something that’s gonna be completely fresh and unique. Whether that happens, I guess, it’s a combination of thinking about it and just doing it. With music, it’s more about being in the process -- you can only grow and evolve if you’re making music and playing music. Same with writing music -- you can only write a song if you’re writing it, with a guitar or an MPC or pads or whatever -- you have to be doing it, and that’s where the magic happens. That’s why they always talk about the muse and the magic -- that thing that happens as a result of being in the process. You keep moving, and then you’re suddenly like ‘how the fuck did that happen?’ and that’s a result of getting lost, getting in the zone and blocking everything else out. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Subterranean is always churning and moving, like it’s experiencing the creative process itself. Would you agree?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I do, and I’m really happy that you would imply that because that was what I was trying to convey. Constantly evolving, especially in real-time; I didn’t want it to feel contrived or static, I wanted it to be real-time creation on the spot. The great thing about putting that album together is basically that I had a fair idea of what I wanted to do, but until I actually I did it I had no idea what it would end up being. That sense of adventure, the unknown, and the suspense -- as an artist, you live for those things.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>So it’s safe to say you’re a believer in the techno album as a format?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yeah! I think it’s been kind of hit or miss for me, but I’ve enjoyed many techno albums where there’s been more of a concept behind things, or an album mentality to it. Then again, there’s been exceptions to that rule, compilations -- Maurizio did a compilation of the M series, and Basic Channel did two compilations of their stuff. Those two are, without a doubt, important influences. I appreciate the stuff where there’s a little thought, albums that are gonna take you on a journey rather than just a set of tracks that are together for the sake of an album. I like things to be well-thought-out; Vladislav Delay and people like that tend to do that on their albums. Although with his other guises, he’s done more straight-up tracky albums... I don’t know. I think at home I tend to want to hear something I’m not going to hear out in the club; I’m not opposed to having that feel but I want something more. In a club, when you’re doing a live show, you tend to go that extra mile to spruce things up with energy. Techno, in most cases, needs very pronounced drum and bass rhythms, otherwise people are going to... [laughs].</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2lk3NdunHBDgxDlVfZ5kAfKb5qu1NUEvLR0is5ZiefUZV35EIUjGPdHKsCbOkAgnjWi8ws6-7t4AWCwMOu8uaqMsNia38b2Re-6J-HTYDZI9-BXBaEM8IZI5mcVcSbOPaeBSZ1dOSMw/s1600/subter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2lk3NdunHBDgxDlVfZ5kAfKb5qu1NUEvLR0is5ZiefUZV35EIUjGPdHKsCbOkAgnjWi8ws6-7t4AWCwMOu8uaqMsNia38b2Re-6J-HTYDZI9-BXBaEM8IZI5mcVcSbOPaeBSZ1dOSMw/s320/subter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Echologist album <i>Subterranean</i> out 4/28 on Steadfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you feel like that even with the iPod generation the album is a more accessible statement for the average person?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I guess DJs are the few people that are still paying for music. I would like it not to be that way, I would like the average person to come back and realize that if it’s good music and it affects you in a good way and you get pleasure from it, you should feel some sort of sense, if you can, that you should contribute to the cause. You should help sustain something. You want to try and give back to something that people are putting time and energy and passion and hard work into. My roots in electronic music were about listening to full albums. While I was always sort of a DJ, I was never driven by singles as much, I was always looking for the album tracks, I wanted to hear the obscure, the more leftfield. And that’s how I DJ too, I tend to be playing not the obvious singles, because to me that’s where the element of surprise comes in. Yeah, you play familiar things, but for me it’s trying to bring people in and show them something now.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>That’s where the art of DJing comes in too; making it your own and not just playing a bunch of anthems.</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The way you string it together -- the phrase, as once was written in Little White Earbuds, “curatorial spirit” -- it’s an important thing for the DJ. You have to know your records, gather them in a manner that makes sense, tells a story, keeps people with you. Just as a writer would want to have chapter one, chapter two, chapter three. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the digital DJ cultures, you have guys fucking going out and downloading a chart on Beatport or an RA chart, and they’ll go and play a gig that night having not even listened to the track for more than thirty seconds and go out and play that track. Use that gig as a testing ground for the track, which for me is fine if that’s what you want, but I want things that are tried and tested. To be a DJ takes a lot of fucking time. It takes a lot of time, and...</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Thinking</b>.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yeah! That’s the thing; there needs to be more of an emphasis, with digital DJing, on trying to make upcoming DJs aware that Jimi Hendrix had to fuckin’ learn to play the blues better than anyone before he could step out and blow people away with his own style. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk, basically, you have to pay your dues. It can’t just be “put down your hundred dollars, spend your fifty dollar voucher at Beatport and you’re good to go!” [laughs] That’s what makes people angry, that’s what makes vinyl DJs who spend years and money and time buying and carrying around bags of records, and spending hours in their bedrooms seeing which tracks beatmatch well or which have the same key, shit like that. Unfortunately, the average clubber, punter, whose going out there just to have a good time cannot really discern the difference between any fuckin’ DJ and the top DJ, ‘cause the similarity is so close. To try and get people to know what’s real and what is not is a battle. To try and tell the difference between a track by someone who has spent three months with Reason or FruityLoops and someone who has been working at it.. it’s difficult to tell right now. But the other side of that coin is that opening DJ who has only been working for six months, can tell a bunch of his friends, so the promoter is thing about that kind of thing as well, bringing people in. If it’s a hobby and you’re doing it for fun, you’re lucky in my books. If you’re doing it as a job, you have to really be sure and disciplined about what you’re doing, try and make the right decisions. Would I say it’s better for people to rather get into this as a sort of hobby? I don’t know. It’s a tough call. Part of me says that if you’re not in it one hundred percent you’re not really in it. That was fine maybe a few years ago, but now does it make sense for people to put their eggs in a basket as fucked as the music industry right now, in terms of how people get paid, and what has happened as a result from a lack of revenue from the sales of merchandise and product, and the fact that there’s a lot less stores to sell it. I think maybe a thousand streams of my song on Spotify is gonna get me, I don’t know, twenty cents? [laughs] What a game.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Going back to aliases for a second, why do you feel the need to have so many aliases? Do you feel that it’s a necessary thing in dance music?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Aliases aren’t necessary, but just because they have been a part of my career I decided I would live with them rather than scrap them and move ahead. It ended up being a convenient thing for me to establish different musical entities. I think we’re now at a point in music where you can actually put together an album and you’re gonna be free because people are much more aware of everybody being influenced by so much material. We have so much more information. The amount of music my kids will hear before they get to eighteen compared to what I heard as a kid, simply because I didn’t have access to it... Now with the internet and the options you have available, shit! People are processing so much more and you hear it in electronic music. This is why we like what we do. You see all these young producers at tender ages of twenty-two that are drawing from a huge well of information, and you can hear how they’ve sort of listened or appreciated to everything. I sense that it is definitely as a result of people being able to go online and just delve into music and be turned onto stuff.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m comfortable with aliases now. I’ve been asked to do an Echologist album for Speedy J’s label Electric Deluxe, and I’ve been asked to complete a Brendon Moeller album for Third Ear. Then I would like to, for my own label Steadfast, have a Beat Pharmacy album within the next two-three years. I’m looking at one album a year for myself at this point, I don’t want to do two albums a year... but it might work out like that. The Echologist might come out early next year, and then later in the year the Moeller record, and then the next year the Beat Pharmacy album. I look back on all my musical heroes, and during their early periods and moving towards success, they’ve all always done an album a year, sometimes even more. Even back then. I think it’s a good discipline.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Don’t you ever feel like you’re spreading yourself too thin?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think as long as I have the discipline and the muse flowing, I’m going to let it out. The key is selecting what to release and what goes on the shelf and possibly never sees the light of day. I’m painfully aware of putting out stuff that really is not gonna... I want everything that I put out to be something that is timeless. I have put out tracks that I know that aren’t that, but it was a learning experience, I was evolving and growing. This is, for the last five years of my life, how I have to make my living, so there’s been the question of economics as well. It hasn’t been just based on the music itself, I’ve had to make decisions about money and treat this like a job -- which it is for me right now. So I have to think of the business side of this as well. It isn’t just about what I’m creating. It’s art and business combined. And as we know, talk about treacherous waters! [laughs] You have to navigate and go with your gut instincts and try to do things for the right reasons, but also you have to pay the rent. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m well aware of people that feel that I put out too much music. Time is the equalizer; it’s very difficult to think of what you’re going to still like ten years down the line. There’s no formula to go about this; you go on a whim about what to put out and what not to put out, and ultimately time will tell. I already know, having been releasing stuff since 1996, that some things are things that I’m gonna be proud of, and things that I think are gonna stand the test of time, others are horrendous, and I’ve realized that it wasn’t what I thought it was. This is all part of the creative process.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">At the end of the day, ten years from now, I’ve accepted that there’s going to be stuff that I’m super proud of and stuff I’m not so proud of. As an artist it’s unavoidable, especially as you grow older and evolve. I’m trying to make sure I’m not diluting myself by having what I have out there right now. I feel like I’m much more aware and trying to make sure there is a level of quality control that conveys that, but we’ll see. Even over the last year I’ve done a lot of remix work, and the remix work I do is based on economics.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>THE BUSINESS</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s all based on economics: what is this gonna do for me, my association with this label, with this track? There’s that side of it, and then there’s also the fact that it’s a little bit of money that’s going to help my cause. Not every track you do is going to be the result of getting into that zone where something phenomenal happens. Sometimes there’s a discipline involved and with remixes, if someone’s giving me a certain amount of money or time, I have to work within a timeframe and get things done. Sometimes they’re great, sometimes and they’re not that great. All I can do is stand by it; I think at this point I’m not giving anyone anything that I think is inferior. I think people might be like, ‘well, that’s a little less... great’ than your usual stuff, but if people want me to be involved with their label on the remix level, I’m happy to do my best and try and bring the spirit of the actual song I’m remixing and add a little of my own flair. When I tackle a remix it’s an attempt to capture the essence and spirit of the track. I’ve done remixes for labels and they’ve rejected a couple of things a done, and I’m just like “Well, look, just fuckin’ tell me what you want from me!” and they said “well, we were hoping it would sound like this track of yours.” Then why didn’t you just tell me to make a track instead of remixing? This whole remix business, and how this people use the association of names and producers and everyone in this techno scene, it’s an associative thing -- working with this label, with that producer, with this distributor, these clubs, these promoters. For some people, working with ‘that’ label is a kiss of death, for others it’s a thumbs up. The politics of navigating your way through this becomes treacherous as well.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">People will interpret things. Just like interviews, where you can be misinterpreted, it’s the same with tracks. There are people I know that really don’t pay me any mind because ‘he did this and now he did that, and so fuck him.’ They’re haters; that’s basically all I can call them. If you’re going to really be like that, what am I going to say? That’s your choice. I’m not like that with people, with musicians; even my favourite musicians, there have been moments where they’ve done stuff and I’ve been like ‘meh, this one’s not for me.’ But then they’ve done other stuff that’s fuckin’ inspired the hell out of me. So I don’t hold people to a standard. I think if you’re an artist and you show that you’re determined and you’re going to push on and do shit for all the right reasons, people have got to give you a little leeway to move around. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Especially -- this is a business, too, right -- you have to make business decisions sometimes, and a lot of people hold business decisions against me. This is a fact. Certain clubs won’t book me. That’s how it works, that’s how this game works. That is the reality, but fortunately there’s more good people and more open-minded people, people wanting to be surprised and wanting people to take risks, that’s what keeps me going. It’s not the people that are saying ‘we’re not gonna book you, we’re not gonna buy your record because you made that shit.’ I’m not gonna be concerned with those people. I’m going to be loyal and concerned and appreciate of people that are like ‘we dig what you do, and we’re going to buy some of it and not buy some of it.’</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>And not just dismiss you outright.</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m fine with people having their favourites. My only issue is people saying outright ‘well, because you did this track in 1998, that was the kiss of death, and it’s over.‘ All I’m going to do is keep doing my thing, and if I can get those people back on board at some point, I welcome them with open arms. I’m doing this because this is what I’ve been driven to do, I love doing this, this is why I quit teaching and sold my car and bought a ticket to New York: so I could start producing electronic music. I’ll continue doing this until I don’t feel inspired to, but right now I’m more inspired than ever, driven every day to make another track, a better track, something that’s going to challenge me as a musician and move things forward.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>You keep mentioning it is a business, which of course it is. Do you think this negatively impacts the music at all?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I am aware, and I think especially with rock & roll there’s this concept of ‘selling out’ [laughs]. “Oh, you signed to a major label, you fuckin’ sellout!” But it all depends on the artists involved. There are some phenomenal people that are still creative forces, and what they bring to the table is always as interesting to me as what they were making when they were starving, living in a fuckin’ hovel somewhere. So I think it’s really up to the individual; there’s a track record of people going off the rails as a result of the money and the security and the whole change of lifestyle, but I think it’s not a given that that’s going to be the case. It’s really up to the artist. Money changes people, it’s a known fact. I’m not making a great living doing this but I’m making a living, and it gets stressful at times. When you have a family and two kids, it’s something that adds to the stress. When you say artists should stay true to their art and it should not be about economics, it would be a shame because artists, just like anyone else in society, should be able to sustain their living if they’re making an honest living. If you’re doing something that people want and you’re out there doing your job -- and for me, my job is giving people music that’s going to inspire them, help them escape reality, give them a little bit of a joy, for me that is my job and it’s a great job. I feel fuckin’ blessed to have this as a job. And that’s why I keep going.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Let’s get right down to what’s on everyone’s mind: how the hell do you make money off of this kind of thing?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">You have to look at all the possible avenues to make money doing this, and back when I first started, the industry was completely different, there wasn’t illegal downloading, there was, in America and all around the world, more outlets for vinyl, more vinyl distributors, the culture was driven by a lot of product. Twelve-inches were selling thousands of copies as opposed to, now, three hundred to five hundred copies. When I started off, I managed to get advances from labels -- now you don’t even get an advance for doing a release or an album. I managed to get deals with labels and get some licenses of my stuff to various TV/movie formats. As I got back into the live and DJ aspect of things I realized that could also be a way to get revenue, and once I had that in place I decided to quit my dayjob and go full steam at running the business, which is a lot of work. Maintaining relationships, economic and political decisions... making money has been tricky. Thankfully I’ve had a wife for quite a while, so with two incomes, the early part of this equation was at the least secure. My wife is now at home, not working at the moment because we have two young kids, so I’m running this and as a result of a very little money from actual music sales, it’s become about doing shows, and so I spend a lot more time making sure that when I do a DJ gig or when I’m going to do a live show, that when people walk away from it they’re gonna be like holy fuck, didn’t expect that. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As a musician I think I’ve spent more time in my studio and working in general, making sure that what I do live is going to really fucking blow people away. So far, on the shows I’ve done on this tour, I’ve had that it and it feels really fucking good, because I fucking work hard to make it good.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I do shows on a laptop, and people are skeptical about that, so there’s the added pressure. I go in there and people are like “oh, hmm, what’s this guy gonna do,” and just walking away and being like “fucking hell, we like what you’re doing and we wanna have you back next year.” That’s what I want to hear and that’s what I’m working towards hearing. I want people to feel like it’s something they’d want to do again. I want people to feel like that with my albums as well, I want them to pay for that album and feel like it’s something they want to keep, and share with their friends. And yes, you can go burn the CD if you want, I don’t have an issue with that, or if you want to share the download with your friends. I can actually say that now because I’m putting it out on my own label! This is my label and I want my music to be out there, and some people are going to pay for it and some are not. I’d like to hope that the people who aren’t gonna pay for it are going to come to the show and pay for that and work it that way. I was here last year after the Beat Pharmacy Wikkid Times album, and I made a point of asking people at shows about how they had known about me. I found about seventy percent admitted to me it was a result of downloading the album, or a recommendation from a friend to download it, and they were at the show! For me that was a really great thing. So what was I going to say? “You fucking asshole, how dare you steal?” You know? So it’s a give-and-take thing, you’d like to think that things have a way of evening out. Right now as a musician it’s the only way to look at the status of the industry.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Is there any money left in recorded music? How does the dynamic of the recorded music work in a world where you can’t really sell it?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Now more than ever I’m doing music doing much more live stuff. I’m driven to want to make music that can be used live, thinking constantly about how I’m going to jam with it live. Albums are going to be the result of what I do live, collecting little bits of material here and there and then developing them live. Half of the material I’m doing in my live show this weekend will be live remixes of stuff I’ve done, and the other half will be completely new and fresh material that is being incorporated spontaneously with a huge bit of improvisation going on. At the same time that I’m rehashing old material and updating it and doing versions of people’s favourite tracks, I’m composing new ideas and seeing how things work and seeing how people respond to things. Even the tracks I’ve been doing here in Amsterdam are the result of live shows.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Now that I’m going to focus on the live show, because this is how I’m going to be paid, the focus is on blowing people away on these gigs. It’s the element of surprise that I want to use to blow people away. Especially at DJ gigs, where people might have an idea of what they’re going to get.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Let’s talk about Steadfast. Why did you want to start your own label, have the rewards outweighed the challenges?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the main reasons for starting the label was that I wanted to not be in bed with so many labels, and have the artistic freedom to put things out in a timely fashion -- when I wanted to and how I wanted to. This wasn’t a major problem working with other labels in the past, but the issue was always finishing a piece of music, giving it to a label, and having that label getting it on the shelves eighteen months later. For me, that became frustrating. I understand that labels need to do that, and they have schedules, and their distributors force them to stick to those schedules, and they need to build each release. But personally, there’s certain things that I was coming up with that I thought needed to come out within a few weeks, or at least two or three months. I wanted the freedom to do that. Also, I had just wanted to start a label pretty soon after my second album. I had an inkling that I would end up starting my own label, so it was something that was in the works for a while, and then the timing seemed perfect. I spoke to Jon Berry from Kompakt, and he immediately offered a distribution deal with a P&D deal attached.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s been a year since the label started and I’ve not made any money from running it, but I’ve definitely been satisfied putting out the records that I’ve released. I’m now into the second year and basically this Subterranean CD is the only thing on the schedule officially, but I have quite a few interesting projects that I’m working on. I’m not rushing them along or feeling the need to put something out every month, which I did before. I put out nine vinyl releases in the first year, which i thought was more than adequate, and now I’m happy to put things out as I think they’re ready to go out. I think Kompakt are happy to have me do that, I’ve not sensed any pressure from them. They’re comfortable with what I’m bringing to the table and they’re happy to let me progress as I see fit. Having seen how things are selling, and which releases have done better than others, I’m now more able to make judgment calls on how to go about releasing things. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The label’s not really a stress for me at all. I’m treating it as something that I have, and when the right project is done and good and ready, I will proceed. It’s actually not too demanding, because I have the luxury of having the mastering and manufacturing handled by Kompakt, and then it’s just about me making sure I set up some sort of promotion. The label’s really great, and I’m quite satisfied, and I think it’s definitely helping boost my profile because I’m showing up at all these gigs in these small cities and people are coming with Steadfast vinyl for me to autograph! I’ve had some people not even aware that Steadfast was my label! The label is a great thing, and it’s not preventing me from working with other labels, and I see probably five vinyl releases coming by the end of the year on Steadfast.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP4A-maBAo9aGUdbJPHwaVoX0qjuMyRlKiahuhCm2VztOJk4aefN7z5CgAFjOJG8EDNSOR8S14G3H5TSFMW7P7gqCVEdg6VijVWbN-PTbB2g2QpEoef0RF7VnUovMGyVkGNlFni7a0-o/s1600/L-170824-1261192573.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP4A-maBAo9aGUdbJPHwaVoX0qjuMyRlKiahuhCm2VztOJk4aefN7z5CgAFjOJG8EDNSOR8S14G3H5TSFMW7P7gqCVEdg6VijVWbN-PTbB2g2QpEoef0RF7VnUovMGyVkGNlFni7a0-o/s1600/L-170824-1261192573.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moeller's label's distinctive logo</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Have there been any particular challenges with the label?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">No! You know, it’s actually been a pleasure. The people I’ve worked with, namely Area from Chicago and Billy Shane from New York, are both friends. I’ve kept the whole operation very simple and transparent. I think the main challenge is to try and make sure that you’re putting out quality material that has shelflife, that’s gonna end up being repressed or sought after or licensed down the line. I hear stories that guys like Soundstream are shipping like 10,000 copies of every vinyl release, and that the likes of Skull Disco have had some incredible success, particularly the Villalobos twelve where I heard they shipped 15,000 copies of that on vinyl by now. Whether or not that’s true I’m not sure, but holy shit. [laughs] To pull that off in this climate, kudos! Most of us, most distributors are advising their labels right now to do 300-500 copies maximum of something, because it’s just so tough now.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Have you been happy with the performance of the label so far, financially and in terms of sales?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Well, financially, I’m okay. Obviously I would love to be making money from the label, but I went into it realizing that just like any business it’s about investing and taking time to build something with legs and longevity. I think the overall benefit right now is that the label really helps embellish my DJ profile; it’s just another reason that people are talking about me or listening to records. It all helps the cause of me getting gigs, which ultimately is where I make bread-and-butter money. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>I see this as someone who gets a lot of music, but it seems like the past five years, everyone has their own label. Did you feel any trepidation towards surrounding your own label, and why does Steadfast need to exist?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I was certainly aware of the fact that ‘everybody’ was starting a label and I think, for me, it was just something I wanted to have fun with, to have freedom with. I treat Steadfast as a sort of hobby, to be honest. I try not to get caught up in it as the primary focus of what I do, because it isn’t. It’s a side thing. There’s some people that would say well, why bother with the label? I accept that point, but I just want to have the outlet, the ability to release something on my own. I do see Steadfast as something that’s going to continue as long as my musical career continues, so whether it’s on hiatus or has something coming out every six months while I’m working on projects for other labels, that’s fine, but I’m going to keep the label going. In terms of what separates it from everything else, it’s just gonna be that little personal touch. It’s just a nice addition to my repertoire as an artist, remixer, producer, the whole shebang.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you feel like the proliferation of labels makes for an individualist artist utopia, or is it a too many voices crowding a small field? Is it a problem or an improvement?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I don’t see it as a problem. It’s great to see this freedom, the inspiration people are having to want to do their own thing. I think the main thing that should be questioned is how people go about it and how much experience and thought goes into that’s going to make it successful. If you can get a distribution deal, someone’s going to release your music, and you want to do it, I say go for it. Competition is great; I don’t think it hurts. Yes, it’s making your and my jobs more difficult because there’s so much more music coming from so many places and we have to sort through so much more stuff, but, if that means looking for that little gold nugget amongst all the trash, so be it. It just becomes about processing. I think that’s what this age of technology is about. You and I are processing so much more information than our parents. My kids, lord knows, the amount of information my daughter is already processing, just because of her ability to go onto youtube and go online and start looking at things!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I guess the discipline for us as human beings is gonna be about how we process things, and how successful that processing is. I know that I have a problem with processing myself, because when you get so much music, you have to be in the right headspace to make a thorough judgment about it. I think one of the parts in this equation that is broken with this proliferation of labels and music is the promotion. It’s understandable why store owners around the world don’t pay attention to DJ feedback and much of the press surrounding music anymore, because none of it holds any water. There’s no legitimate way that you can listen to a promo for thirty seconds and give a couple of lines of feedback and call that worthwhile. That part of this whole equation needs revamping, and as DJs and people who are trying to make sure that good music is coming to the fore rather than mediocre, homogenous nonsense, we have a responsibility. I’m trying to be more cautious when giving feedback. You’re forced into a position where you have to make those decisions, where you have to decide is this good, is this something I’m going to play, is this something I’m going to want to listen to again? At what point can you say you’ve spent enough time thinking about something to make a credible statement about it? Unfortunately, the blogging world -- everyone wants to have their say now, it doesn’t even matter, they’ll listen to a thirty second clip of a track and think they have a right to say something about it.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">On any given day, I’m getting about thirty to fifty promo emails, pretty much every day. From people I’ve not requested, either, it’s just insane. I delete pretty much eighty percent of the stuff because I don’t have the time, and I choose to pull out a few that in any way strike a chord or seem familiar. The majority I just don’t pay attention to. What do you think the solution is?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>I don’t know if there is a solution. There’s a lot of problems, but there’s not an easy solution. There’s so much music but you don’t want to arbitrarily dismiss it, and you don’t want to stick to artists you know because you’ll never find anything new. It’s a difficult thing. There needs to be a better filter, but how to go about that I have no idea.</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yeah. The problem is, with this system, it’s all about making sure the good stuff goes through and what makes it onto the soundsystem in these clubs and on these radio shows is the good shit. Not the shit that’s been made by someone playing with Reason for a few weeks and has the Loopmasters dubstep sample pack. Your average punter, not the sort of person researching, reading up and rabidly collecting, is not going to be able to tell the difference between that track and the track made by, say, Peverelist. That’s where DJs and tastemakers and blogs play an important role, trying to educate, making people aware of what’s good, what’s not, where it’s coming from, and the history. That’s the real battle, trying to educate people about how to go about picking the good stuff versus stuff that’s just thrown together by people who aren’t fuckin’ living and dying to make this stuff happen. I’m, like you, not really sure if there is a solution to this promo system or how it’s going to end up, but yeah, we’ll see.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>THE SCENE</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Let’s get controversial here. Dub techno. Personally, I feel that it’s stagnating, or that people are making all this stuff that sounds the same: mellifluous, flowing -- it all sounds the same except for a few people, like yourself. As someone often labelled a “dub techno” producer, how do you feel about that scene, do you agree, and who is really making dub techno happen right now?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I absolutely agree with you, the amount of dub techno that I get that I just delete or get rid of, it’s insane. The weird thing about is that I see all these dub techno fanatics on Facebook or Soundcloud all forming these groups, getting together and talking about doing these massive dub techno events and wanting to have dub techno festivals... which is fine, but really, I’m very suspicious of anything labelled dub techno right now. It seems like the one genre in techno and electronic music where a formula is stuck to so rigidly at times: the padded reverb, chord strike, the long echo tails with some phasing, the Rhythm & Sound bassline that everybody opts for. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When I’m trying to come up with music, the second I feel I’m falling into some sort of stereotypical dub techno thing I just immediately start over, because it’s too easy to make dub techno right now. It’s pretty obvious at this point what the tricks are, and one of the problems is that there are still labels old and new that are prepared to put out this mediocre dub techno. There are even some really great producers who I feel have fallen prey to just putting out dub techno because there’s enough of an audience out there who are going to make it worth printing up 300 copies that you can get rid of. If a clubnight is billed as an evening of dub techno, you can pretty much count me out. [laughs] I think there’s so much more. But while there’s definitely a stagnation there, I don’t think it necessarily means the genre is dead. People just need to work within it, to push it forward, find new ways to express that spirit. That’s basically what a genre is, a spirit; you wanna capture the spirit of dub techno and there are ways to do that without the cliches and stereotypical sounds that are making it really bland. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s a genre that was born from the masters; Maurizio, Basic Channel, I don’t think anyone’s gone further than what was accomplished there, to be honest. I’ve put out some stuff where I thought ‘okay, so, basically I’m being a copycat here, I’m putting out a record that is emulating something that’s perfect to start with’ so what’s the point of me putting out it? But there’s a seductive quality to dub techno that makes every producer that gets into it wanting to prove that they can do something as powerful and as awe-inspiring as Maurizio or any Chain Reaction thing. I guess that’s one of the big problems with dub techno. You’ve got Chain Reaction as the blueprint, to take things further than that is just.. [laughs] it’s a real fucking challenge! I guess a testament to this fact is that not even really Maurizio is making dub techno records anymore: they already said what they needed to say with that sound. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s gonna take a lot to push things forward and I think it comes down to hard work, coming up with your own unique sounds and signatures, rather than opting for the tried and tested, proven successful sounds. I’m trying to do that because I’m a fan of great dub techno. But I’m also aware that the more people keep releasing this stuff that isn’t pushing things forward, the less chance there is of this genre not becoming anything. There’s elements of dub techno everywhere, they abound in many styles of techno. Ostgut, Fachwerk, Delsin, they all have elements of dub techno in them. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Who do I think is making interesting dub techno now? I’m kind of afraid to say because I’m afraid of running into those guys and having them say “how could you say I make dub techno?!” [laughs]. So I’m not going to name names. But there’s some people working within the community of dub techno and ambient techno that are definitely trying to move things forward. The power of a great dub techno track becomes evident when you hear it on a big system. But, like we said earlier, an entire evening of dub techno would bore us to tears. It’s just another small niche in the techno scene, I don’t consider myself a dub techno producer. I’ve made so many different types of things and sounds and styles, I definitely spent a nice chunk of time working within dub techno constructs, but I wouldn’t say that that is what is driving me. I don’t feel like I’m a spokesperson or representative of that scene. It’s just an aspect of what I do.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>But you’re often pigeonholed as a dub techno producer. Do you feel the reputation/label pins you down?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It has. In fact, a lot of promoters have not booked me because they’re like “well, this guy is kind of dubby, can he actually rock a dancefloor?” In that respect, I’ve had to prove a lot of people wrong, and I happily do that. It can be problematic to be pigeonholed, period. Being a dub techno guy can get you dub techno gigs, but if you’re looking to get other gigs outside of dub techno, it can be problematic. But then if you’re not pigeonholed, in the dance community, people don’t know what to make of you. I’ve also had promoters come and say “this guy’s not consistent, one minute he’s making deep house, then he’s making dub techno, then he’s making ambient, then he’s making afro house” -- a lot of promoters have been like “he’s just too hit or miss.” It’s tough to please everyone all the time, so the only person I try to please is mostly myself, because it’s the safest bet, and I also have to deal with the consequences of that bet.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQjCX_OdVpDVZnwdAx_tFy-GVCmI16n0cxPIrUnM3RZY6GD3Isah_xoTdFyiuwV6bJW0isjeKNgdFMkNUsRwYH-1V727gosZeW2NCXhsXwzNKkBFFbJzc-Dud5BllFh2uRNDKy74SZUI/s1600/closeup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQjCX_OdVpDVZnwdAx_tFy-GVCmI16n0cxPIrUnM3RZY6GD3Isah_xoTdFyiuwV6bJW0isjeKNgdFMkNUsRwYH-1V727gosZeW2NCXhsXwzNKkBFFbJzc-Dud5BllFh2uRNDKy74SZUI/s320/closeup.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moeller's fantastic <a href="http://www.delsinrecords.com/release.php?idxRelease=2476">"Close Up" single on Ann Aimee</a>, an example of modern dub techno done right</td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>On that note, you’ve been playing a lot of dubstep/bass stuff in your sets. What do you think about the evolution of dubstep and bass music and how it’s interacting with techno? Do you feel like dubstep is becoming a credible/actual thing as opposed to a gimmick?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I spend as much as time listening to and buying dubstep stuff as I do all other stuff. Whether the term ‘dubstep’ is the way to look at it, well, ‘bass music’ makes more sense. For me it’s a flourishing genre with all these fresh perspectives without being influenced by dance culture over all these years. I think it’d foolish of any DJ to overlook it; I was, on this tour, playing little towns in Italy, and when I dropped dubstep tunes the response was always great! People enjoyed it, and they enjoy breaking up the monotony of four-to-the-floor stuff; it makes for much more colour, in a sense. Anyone who dismisses it, they’re missing out, honestly. You see dubstep, garage, 2step, bass stuff, the DJs that are hip to it -- the ones that aren’t are pretty much playing within a formula and to a crowd who want that formula. They’re playing Space Ibiza where if you played a dubstep track people would probably boo you off. [Laughs]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Since the get-go I’ve had a soft spot -- almost an allegiance -- with dubstep because as you know, dub is a strong element of what I do. What these guys are doing and have done resonate with me. I continue to follow it, I continue to buy it, I continue to play it; I don’t generally make dubstep tracks and I’ve never felt like ‘oh, let me jump from my usual 120-122BPM to 140 now because that’s what everyone is doing.’ If I felt that, if that’s what I was emotionally and instinctively driven to do I would, but no. I’ve not felt the need to suddenly start making it. I would say there’s a remarkable number of people who I think are really an asset to electronic music production right now. If you’re ignoring dubstep/2step/bass music, then you’re missing out. That’s the bottom line.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What’s the hardest thing about being a techno producer/DJ?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The hardest thing is remaining relevant and fresh. When you’re dealing with a genre that has been shaped by amazing people who sort of set a benchmark and a standard that was so interesting and so powerful, the desire is to not simply be labelled a follower, I think that’s what every techno producer is striving for right now. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It is a genre where there are so many tried and tested anthems that work. Even now, when I go out and play predominantly techno gigs, I find myself playing the classics because the classics work so fucking well. Everything else is a copy or an interpretation that doesn’t take things any further, so why not just play the original? That is the struggle of being a musician, being relevant -- at least for musicians whose intentions are longevity. You have to create a unique sound for yourself, pioneer something. I’m still working at that. Some people come out and nail that right away, for others it takes years. The main thing is to keep experimenting and keep pushing forward, not just taking the easy way out.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">But this is a great time for music. Being a journalist, you know, the amount of fresh music you’re getting is ridiculous. There’s a lot of creative forces at work in this game, and if you’re not, you’re not gonna get too far unless you decide you’re going to play to one crowd and stick to one sound. Go for that pure money avenue.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Like a vegas show or something.</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yep.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>What do you think of the obsession with retro -- Rush Hour, people making stuff that sounds older. Do you think this is a bad thing?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think it’s a great thing. I think it’s the result of the internet which has now allowed people to see how much old stuff that’s passed them by. People are getting turned on via blogs, via forums, via torrent sites, via whoever -- people are realizing that you’d be foolish to not be looking back as well as looking forward and in the present. There’s just so much there. I think it’s great that all this old stuff is emerging and some nineties house and acid and all these things are being re-released, because they are classic and they stand the test of time. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Obviously, when it becomes really derivative and watered-down to the point of being bland, I’m not gonna get behind that, but I have no issue with people looking back and interpreting and trying to recreate the spirit of those tracks. Instra:mental/Boddika does that, you hear it in his stuff, the acid house influences, the techno influences, the Tresor influences, early breaks, the electro stuff of those early labels, early 2000s from London.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I also enjoy going and hearing a DJ spin that’s gonna end up playing more old stuff than new stuff. Especially playing old stuff that’s familiar but new, and turning people on. This last gig I played in Amsterdam, where Kenny Larkin was playing for three hours, the majority of stuff he played was old stuff but it just sounded so fucking good. I got to drive back with him to Amsterdam for three hours -- hence I know it was old stuff -- and he’s just getting a kick out of pulling out old records everywhere he goes. To your average young punter out there who is not looking back like you and I are, this stuff is fresh and it doesn’t sound dated.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you find yourself looking back more now than say, ten years ago?</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think I’ve always been curious about looking back. Ever since I started collecting vinyl around the age of sixteen, and then seriously from eighteen/nineteen onwards, I was always looking back, whatever genre I was interested in. Because I was always reading about it, curious to hear about artists’ influences and what inspired them to do stuff, I always wanted to go back and hear for myself. I’m pretty much always looking back. I’m a big fan of researching, I love timelines of music, looking at how things have gone one year from the next. I don’t think since the emergence of the internet I’ve necessarily looked back more, because I was always reading what used to be music papers and books. I also worked as a buyer for a music store for four years, and then at a distributor, I was always as interested what was coming in but also more interested in what was getting reissued and back catalogues. As a collector you always want to have everything of everybody. If your favourite person recommends or namedrops something as an influence or inspiration, you wanna go get it and own it as well. I’ve kind of been like that for years.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><b>Do you think that wanting people to get educated about dance music is pointless? How do you feel about the academic approach to dance music?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think you and I don’t listen to music and think ‘this is dance music, this is just for a dancefloor, so let me put on something else.’ I think good music is good music. It should be about quality control, making clear what’s written with real artistic genius and what is just cranked out from an assembly line. It’s a battle against mediocrity. I know a lot of people too who say “it’s just fucking dance music, why get so philosophical about it” but I don’t see it like that. I get as much from being on the dancefloor at Berghain at 6AM on a Sunday morning as I would going to see a Mogwai show. I think it’s about quality, not distinguishing between dance and non-dance. That’s why you write what you do, because you’re trying to raise awareness of people who are trying to bring something fresh, something innovative, new ideas. But also making you want to shake your ass on the dancefloor, which is a big plus. [laughs]</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Social networking is obviously a big factor in these days in bridging geographical gaps and bringing scenes together; how does it affect the industry? </b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Like everything, there’s pros and cons to the social media thing. I think it’s about finding the balance, and since this is all so new to humanity, it’s getting overdone and overused. Just like everything: we tend to go headstrong into something new and do it to death until we’re sick of it, and I think that will be the case with social media. For me, it’s not really benefitting anyone, going up on twitter and saying “I’m having a fuckin’ pastrami sandwich for lunch and then I’m gonna take a shit,” there’s some things that are better left unsaid. What makes life great is the mystery and element of surprise, and when everything is out in the open and your life is an open book and everything you do is demystified, it becomes too much. You can actually be your own journalist, autobiographer, these days. You can make or break yourself. You can tell which people are mindful of this stuff and which aren’t.. but then there’s also some people who just gratuitously promote everything, that’s sickening too! Give us something! I think we’re all figuring out how to navigate this potential minefield where things can be misconstrued.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The cons are just the amount of shit that’s up there that’s a waste of time. I don’t know how often you go on twitter and actually go through your feed, but you end up having to wade through a lot of stuff to find the goods. That’s all part of it, I guess. That’s the great thing about social networks: if someone is wasting your time, you can stop following them. You can delete them.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Do you think that the lack of localized scenes now, as a result of the internet, is a good or bad thing? </b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yeah, that’s an interesting point. It used to be some kids in a little remote suburb of Bristol who gathered at their favourite record store every weekend and formulated ideas about making tracks or running nights. I do wonder whether that sort of grassroots evolution of music has been hurt by the globality of the internet. I guess time will tell.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It is cool for someone operating, say, in a remote part of Romania, and putting something on Soundcloud and finding someone that can dig what they’re doing or help them get it out there in a matter of hours. Judging by the amount of music coming out now that’s innovative and fresh I don’t think grassroots scenes are hurting. It’s more difficult now to stand out from the pack, but it’s all about natural selection too. If you’re serious about wanting to be in the game, you have to be good at the game and get in the game and make sure your shit is tight. I guess those few record stores that are left that have the kids meeting there on Friday to see what’s new, or starting their own nights or parties or whatever, that’s still going to go on. It might not go on at a record store anymore, but it might be Twitter, Facebook, their blog.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s an exciting time for music. Yes, there’s more stuff to sort through, more to process, but that’s fine -- we have brains, and brains that we’ve not tapped into, the untapped potential. Hopefully the fact that we have so much more to process means that we’re gonna develop our cerebral cortex a little better than it has been. Bring on the processing!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>BRENDON MOELLER'S MIDNIGHT RADIO: PART 1</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">1. a certain ratio - abracadubra<br />
2. 23 skidoo - lock groove<br />
3. air france - introduction<br />
4. fluxion - field ll<br />
5. deerhunter - earthquake<br />
6. broadcast - microtonics 06<br />
7. dirty three - three mile creek<br />
8. moondog - streetscene<br />
9. robyn hitchcock - pit of souls (country version)<br />
10. atlas - let the blind lead those who can see<br />
11. calla - pete the killer<br />
12. flying saucer attack - oceans<br />
13. ethiopiques 4 - instrumentals - asmarina<br />
14. cluster - hollywood<br />
15. rhythm & sound - roll off<br />
16. african head charge - elastic dance<br />
17. mogwai - white noise<br />
18. lalo schiffrin - danube incident<br />
19. scott walker - the big hurt</span></b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://official.fm/tracks/239543">DOWNLOAD/STREAM [OFFICIAL.FM]</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2if5qgxaviv2qqn">DOWNLOAD [MEDIAFIRE]</a></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 12px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><i>Moeller's new album as Echologist, </i>Subterranean<i>, is out next week on his own Steadfast records label. Check back next week for Part 2 of the </i>Midnight Radio<i> podcast.</i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-13404758489237557732011-04-16T15:37:00.000-07:002011-04-16T15:49:42.036-07:00Canada's Radiant Sounds<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">When you think of the world’s most vital and interesting “bass music,” certain hotspots are bound to come to mind: London, Bristol, San Francisco, LA, New York, Moscow, and hell, a case could even be made for Poland with its weird UK Funky/garage hybrids. But does anyone think of Canada? Always in the shadow of its bigger neighbour, it seems almost inevitable that Canada’s contributions would be ignored in favour of America’s, or simply subsumed into one North American post-dubstep-diaspora (to borrow Michaelangelo Matos’ wonderful phrase that I will continue to borrow for many years to come), but given the extreme amount of exciting music that seems to be oozing from the country’s pores (after, arguably, a long incubation period of local infamy), it’s about time Canada got some recognition on its own. (There's a mix inside for you people not so oriented towards words, just to be clear.)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Why? Well, for one, there are two specific centres of activity, with rich, deep histories and suddenly bustling, internationally-visible scenes. On the West Coast, you’ve got Vancouver (this writer’s hometown, for what it’s worth), immersed in dub and with a seemingly natural penchant for dubstep, and more recently, indefinable hip-hop-oriented dancefloor styles championed by the likes of Prison Garde and newcomer Monolithium. Back East, Toronto has a junglist/dnb heritage that continues strong today, fostering a bass music scene perhaps most obviously represented by the hardcore-continuum-mangling Egyptrixx, XI, and now Kevin McPhee, a producer just featured on this blog who evokes dingy dubstep and Burialesque garage melancholia in his stunning breakbeat house. We can't forget Montreal, which suddenly finds itself at the centre of the new wave of UK house’s obsession with R&B and hip-hop, as producers like Lunice and Jacques Greene find themselves signed to labels in London and Glasgow, in high demand across the pond -- Greene even recently hosted a session on Rinse FM. And of course, there are less visible local scenes -- Calgary, Regina, Victoria, god knows where else, and even the small interior towns of BC, from whence Excision and Datsik, some of the biggest names in, um, “filthy dubstep” (we’ll save epithets for another time) hail.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">2011 has been an incredible year for Vancouver in these first four months alone, seemingly stacked with interesting shows and raves -- both legal and illegal -- every single weekend. What’s most impressive is how easily and capably Vancouver local acts, typically opening for bigger DJs and performers, can stand up to their headliners: rare is it when you actually <i>want</i> to sit through the opening acts. You’ve got the blackened skeletal stuff from Max Ulis, exploring house and techno and dubstep with its spidery limbs, the spiritual dubstep meditations of Daega Sound who find their own footing somewhere in between Scuba and Digital Mystikz, the post-Joker g-funk twitch of Calamalka, the crunk-cum-dubstep-via Brainfeeder of Monolithiummm, and the indefinable wisps of filtered bassweight from scene lynchpin Michael Red aka souns.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Overwhelmed yet? Red has handily put together a podcast in anticipation of Vancouver’s New Forms Festival stage at the MUTEK Festival in Montreal. Blending together over thirty local tunes from all the above mentioned artists (as well as Warp-signed laptop maestro Babe Rainbow), Red assembles a striking hour of music that jumps from no-frills dubstep to hip-hop to ambient to broken beat and some styles that probably haven’t been invented yet. Forget associations and the fact that most of these are “unknown” (to the rest of the world) producers: a more inspiring hour of somewhat danceable electronic music you’re rarely to find in 2011. It’s a common trend for electronic dance music producers to move somewhere more ‘active’ once they get some outside attention, but it’s pieces like this podcast that make the case for Vancouver as a standalone scene with its own merits, idiosyncrasies, and sounds. Though it obviously cribs from sounds located internationally, the weird mix of IDM and hip-hop that tints these tunes is entirely unique, Vancouver’s own many-limbed and sprawling approximation of electronic music, and it sounds like absolutely nothing else out there. Local scenes like this are no longer a homemade imitation of London or Bristol or Berlin or wherever else you want to point: Vancouver is Vancouver and doesn’t need to aspire to be anything else. A link to the podcast w/ tracklist is provided below.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images4.clubzone.com/events/images/342674/342674-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images4.clubzone.com/events/images/342674/342674-3.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That’s just one part of what inspired me to finally write this kind of post, but last night was also my first experience of the new Radiant Sounds concept at local, expensive sometimes-kinda-gay club 560 (Five Sixty), a series of nights curated by Vancouver’s Very Own promoter Andishae Akhavan that brings Vancouver’s underground music from its usual assortment of dingy bars, gallery spaces and other makeshift venues (though it must be said that this tide is gradually turning anyway) into a trendy environment otherwise associated with er, “mainstream” clubbing. The first night was a local showcase -- Max Ulis, Taal Mala, Babe Rainbow -- while the second night featured Chicago/NYC house don Brenmar, and last night was an all-Canada showcase. It’s heartening to see such a prominently displayed, well-attended night of all-Canadian talent: there was no need for a big name DJ from the UK or the US to bring in the crowd. One of the most visible faces in Vancouver’s growing techno/house crowd, Derek Duncan, opened the night with an agreeable selection of catchy, melodic house, while fellow Vancouverite Prison Garde laid down a set of his typically unclassifiable dancefloor styles, kicking off with his violently spastic<a href="http://www.weaponshouse.com/prisongarde/keysopendoors/?p=231"> 808 edit of The Weeknd's "What You Need"</a> and later peaking with luscious vocoder jam "Drama," a tune from the Canadian supergroup (you heard right) Nouveau Palais consisting of Prison Garde, Ango, and Lunice.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The latter producer/DJ was next up, and the Montrealer's energy was infectious as he laid down a set of his own like-minded productions and lurching hip-hop tracks lit up with neon filaments that nicely connected the harsher, thuggier aesthetic with the more, dare I say feminine styles of Jacques Greene and Mr. Garde. Lunice's exaggerated, animated dancing and MCing was almost as essential as the music he played, and if his set was a little oddly placed in between the slightly faster Prison Garde and Jacques Greene material, it seemed like he won the crowd over regardless. By the time Jacques Greene came on, the crowd had started to thin out -- at only 1:30, a rare example of Vancouver crowds apparently <i>not</i> wanting to party well past the legally mandated partying hours -- but everyone that remained was in for a real treat as Jacques Greene proffered a pleasure overload, pulling out nearly every single perfect dub you could hope for. It's funny to think that Jacques Greene's R&B-flecked house sound can seem rather gentle in comparison to a lot of his UK peers, but not after hearing this set, where his chunky house grooves sounded as massive as any dubstep drop. He played a set heavy on his own material -- "Tell Me," "The Look," "Another Girl" -- and tunes from the likes of James Fox's "New Jack Swing" (first time I've heard that excellent soon-to-finally-be-rescued-from-dubplate-purgatory UK jam in Vancouver) and what sounded like Machinedrum, mixing up rhythms and turning from smoothly caressing to slamming and screeching on a dime.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">What made this Montrealer's set so inspiring was that it felt like one of those fabled watershed sets in London or Bristol that those of us stranded on this side of the Atlantic are often told of in hushed tones, yet it was in Vancouver by a Canadian DJ. Greene's set was not only totally concurrent with the ongoing cannibalization of R&B tropes into UK house and bass music, but was arguably ahead of the curve in the way he mashed North American sounds with UK, taking a much more honest angle with the "urban" music he pilfers than some of his English counterparts. Slowly being built up as Night Slugs' secret weapon -- the most fully realized of that label's decadent rhythm'n'rave dimension -- and going off of two flat-out amazing EPs on Glaswegian LuckyMe, the rapidly popularizing UK house sound championed by the likes of those labels, Local Action, Silverback, Well Rounded, etc -- finds itself a prominent and capable figurehead in a Canadian producer. Who the hell knew? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">International audience -- I know you exist -- check this shit out:</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Michael Red's "New Forms Festival" MUTEK Preview Podcast</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>(All Vancouver all the time. Highly recommended.)</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>babe rainbow – greed<br />
michael red – the haarp<br />
villalobos – easy lee (monolithium recrunk)<br />
calamalka – say it<br />
babe rainbow – stax<br />
monolithium – selfish lil’ crunk<br />
calamalka – dominoes<br />
monolithium – lancashire hammer<br />
monolithium & hrdvsion – too many y chromosomes<br />
calamalka – new directions, aka 8th dime<br />
calamalka – goey<br />
calamalka – 7 foot 2<br />
babe rainbow – combed<br />
wildbirds and peacedrums – fight for me (michael red’s minimal dub)<br />
you say party – dark days (babe rainbow remix)<br />
michael red – o<br />
michael red – mwah<br />
babe rainbow – enoanco<br />
grimes – crystal ball (babe rainbow remix)<br />
calamalka – avisura<br />
daega sound – forest floor<br />
max ulis – chill houston<br />
michael red – some sleep<br />
monolithium & hrdvsion – windextrous<br />
michael red – change<br />
max ulis – stroke of the pen<br />
daega sound – regenerate<br />
max ulis – special<br />
daega sound – afterlife<br />
michael red – sequential<br />
daega sound – 11c<br />
max ulis – d.i.y.<br />
michael red – care<br />
hrdvsion – captivated heart (monolithium remix)<br />
max ulis – thrill<br />
daega sound – the key<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.mutek.org/podcast/243-new-forms-festival-mixed-by-michael-red-mutekpreview009">DOWNLOAD (from MUTEK website</a>)</span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-66611263879160945872011-04-07T10:40:00.000-07:002011-04-07T12:33:45.103-07:00Get In With Kevin McPhee<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m the last person who wants to get overexcited about a new prospect before they’ve even got their first release out, believe me. Well, too bad, because Toronto’s Kevin McPhee is worth getting exciting about. To be fair, he’s not really <i>that</i> new, having his first release signed just under a year ago to [nakedlunch] (only now getting released) and producing a remarkable steady trickle of tracks in the process. But what makes Kevin McPhee so special?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9J-zOTa4azmwaxMU37uCkz_cSk_c3p-3cbyMT-uQkGnfH24u6ko-6GsZsB-EcC8qOBl_Xc3Hk7s0npiACXtZgINYrUYi7Qeiz6ZM6ldEHm0NM5RWwbzalXlZEDIkC22RT2LMKJ2_fXQ/s1600/180501_10150144063886210_501461209_8507277_1953591_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9J-zOTa4azmwaxMU37uCkz_cSk_c3p-3cbyMT-uQkGnfH24u6ko-6GsZsB-EcC8qOBl_Xc3Hk7s0npiACXtZgINYrUYi7Qeiz6ZM6ldEHm0NM5RWwbzalXlZEDIkC22RT2LMKJ2_fXQ/s320/180501_10150144063886210_501461209_8507277_1953591_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">McPhee’s tracks have a worn, nocturnal feel somewhere in between Burial and the classic house and disco records he so cherishes; think Theo Parrish gone broken beat with a hefty dose of UK-referencing vocal sampling, something like that. Though his first release “Get In With You” on [nakedlunch] hearkens back to his early days producing dubstep -- slowly loping, spectral dubstep -- since then he’s made a wholesale move to house (displayed on another forthcoming release for Bristol’s Idle Hands), but he’s not just jumping on anyone’s deep house bandwagon. McPhee’s songs employ rickety, homemade breakbeats that crunch and clack as individual parts bash into each other, a fascinatingly fluid quality that only becomes enhanced when they’re mixed in and out of each other. He’s got a way with vocals, too, and while the way he cherry-picks R&B samples is nothing new, there’s something to be said for how the vocals ring out in his music with absolute clarity, the very warmth of their humanity setting the inhuman beats aglow. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">A local Toronto DJ with growing prominence, Kevin McPhee is the consummate opener/warmup guy; though it's ostensibly partly due to his role as a local newcomer, his heavy-lidded house plays it to a tee. I asked him to do a mix for Futureproofing, and he’s delivered about the best thing I could ever ask from him: an all-vinyl mix of his own tracks -- forthcoming releases and dubs -- and some of his favourite contemporaries, his own personal vision of house. He’s got well over twenty wonderful tracks in his own right, and this mix shows off quite a few of ‘em. McPhee also makes for a fascinating study case, a true product of the internet age: only coming onto electronic dance music recently, McPhee's music processes and internalizes not only the rapidly-evolving world of bass music but also an entire history of house music as he discovers it all.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>What’s your history with your own music? When did you start making music, and when (if at all) did you ‘switch’/‘turn’ to electronic dance music?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I started playing guitar when i was about 12. From there, I started playing with my brother and friends but I’d always wanted to try to do stuff on my own. Soon after I started fooling around with a demo copy of reason and once I got tired of not being able to save my project files, I ended up buying it. I don’t recall if I started using samples because Reason didn’t have the ability to record audio, or if I simply turned to samples out of interest, but soon after I was making goofy hip hop tracks. I really didn’t start to take notice of dance music until I heard a bit of drum and bass. Before then I was into musicians/groups that used electronic elements (Radiohead/Bjork) but I’d never thought about the club side of things.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>You’re somewhat new to electronic music; when and what was the change and what precipitated it? How exactly did you go about ‘learning’ more?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Dubstep was the first kind of electronic dance music that I seriously got into (As I said before, I knew of some drum and bass before, but I didn’t really own much or know many artists), so I’ve had to kind of backtrack from there. I think it’s safe to say that I started focusing more on dance music when I bought my first turntable while at university. About a month later I had purchased my 2nd deck and starting obsessively buying vinyl. My journey back into the other forms of electronic music has come from checking out songs at my local record store, but mostly from being sent stuff from friends online. Now, I do most of my ‘digging’ on discogs. House and Techno are still the newest to me, as I only really took notice after hearing Actress’ “Lost” remix last year. From that song I began looking into the detroit house/techno stuff of the 90s, then, I kind of took a big leap backwards into the 70’s and have been moving my way up ever since. This isn’t to say I’m ignoring what’s going on now in the slightest, but I feel like I should try to catch up first, as I think it’ll help me understand and appreciate the new sounds even more.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>As someone who is still getting into electronic music, are you still finding new discoveries in the past, and the classics? What are a few things you find particularly inspiring right now?</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Looking at my record bag right now, I’m finding more and more classics in there than I had this time last year. I’m really enjoying the Virgo Four “Resurrection” LP, the Mr. Fingers “Slam Dance” EP, and a fair bit of the Italian disco stuff from the late 70s, early 80s. I’ve also begun the expensive journey into acquiring detroit house/techno 12’’s from the 90s/early 2000’s. I also try to keep a lot of the earlier DMZ records in the bag.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>You usually play warm-up sets, don't you? Do you think that particular perspective informs the slow-burning, almost hushed intensity of your work?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">So far I’ve been playing mostly warm-up sets. And to be honest, I think with the majority of my earlier songs work better in opening time-slots. When I first started producing at 140, I hadn’t really taken into consideration the time at which tracks are best to be played, as I’d yet to even play out at that point. I’ve only recently begun to take into consideration set times when I make tracks. This isn’t to say that I’ll sit down from the start and attempt to make a song for set time x or y, but rather, If I notice that the song I’m currently working on is shaping up to be suited for a certain time, I’ll take that into consideration for the remainder of the track. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>You play vinyl out and cut your own dubplates. What’s so important to you about vinyl, and what makes dubplates worth the considerable cost for you? How often do you cut dubplates and how long have you been doing it?</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I’ve been cutting dubs for about a year and a half now, I try to cut every month or so, sometimes more, sometimes less. The reason I play vinyl is really for personal enjoyment. I mean sure, at first when I started cutting dubplates I was trying to maintain “the tradition” but really, over time I realized I was just doing it for my own enjoyment. </div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It’s not about the “sonic superiority” for me anymore, as there a lot of other variables involved in getting the “ideal sonic experience”. Most of which aren’t really in your control, especially if you’re playing outside of your bedroom. </div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I play vinyl and cut dubplates for a few reasons: the first being that I simply enjoy the process of it all. I like the challenge of having a limited amount of music at my disposal as it forces me to try to be more creative with what I have on hand (this isn't to say you can’t be creative with a hard-drive! It’s just not for me!). I also cut dubplates because I feel that it’s really improved my overall mix downs. I feel like having your music pass through someone else's hands before you play it out can be really beneficial. I’d even go so far as to suggest that some people who play MP3s should look into maybe getting their tracks mastered before they play them out. That being said, I know a lot of artists who have learned to trust their ears and their studio setups in such a way that they can easily master their own tracks for club use, I’m just not one of those people. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Why is “Get In With You” a good track to make your debut with? Do you feel like the [nakedlunch] EP is representative of you or where you’re at now? Do you feel odd releasing a ‘dubstep’ EP after you’ve already mostly moved on entirely to house?</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I think “Get in With You” is a good track to debut with because it’s an accurate representation of the type of music I enjoy making in the dubstep tempo range. I feel the EP as a whole is very representative of where I’m at with my music. I couldn’t be happier with the tracks that were chosen and the way the remix ended up. </div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>You had LV remix “Get In With You,” why them, what did they do with their remix?</b></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Micky proposed the idea of getting a remix done for the EP mid-way through last year. He mentioned approaching LV to do it, and at the time Boomslang had just become a favourite of mine, so I was really excited at the possibility of them doing something in a similar vain.</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">LV did a great job with the remix as they were able to make the track much more dance-floor friendly. This is something I’m aiming towards myself with my own productions, so having a remix like that on the EP will hopefully widen the range of sounds that people can expect to hear from me in the future. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/QACL_Cx1NOw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QACL_Cx1NOw&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QACL_Cx1NOw&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Would you agree with the classification of your newer music as 'house,' and what drove the change?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I’d agree with it to some extent. I certainly would agree that when I started to take producing seriously, I relied on a lot of elements associated with dubstep, however, as I began to produce at a slower tempo, I really didn’t change much in my approach. Originally I’d began working at a house tempo in hopes of maybe learning how to manage a 4/4 beat without it becoming overpowering. I found I couldn’t do this at 130-140, so I made the drop. Now, as I begin to find my footing, I hope to be able to bounce freely between the two styles.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>A lot of talk I’ve heard surrounding your stuff -- particularly the nakedlunch release -- revolves around a supposed Burial influence. Do you feel that Burial is a distinct influence on you, and if so, how is it manifested? Is it an important part of your sound?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I really wouldn’t put Burial on the shortlist of influences. I think it would be fair to say that his productions helped me kind of take note of things such as syncopation and dynamics, and in turn, maybe appreciate music I had originally dismissed, but to say that his music had a direct influence on shaping my own sound, might be a bit of a stretch for me personally. If others feel the need to note similarities in terms of mood, rhythm or vocals. I say feel free, however, I’d likely acknowledge other artists as influences before him.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Your tracks also make critical and transparent use of vocal samples. Do you feel that the vocal hooks are the focal point of your tunes, or are they just meant to grab your attention?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">A bit of both, really. I mean, in most cases I think people will only grab onto the vocal hooks but I hope people will stick around long enough to see what I’m trying to do with the overall rhythm as well. I don’t think a catchy vocal hook is enough to make an interesting and more importantly, long lasting song. Sure, recognizable or catchy vocals work great as a means to pull a listener into a song, but I feel that once you’ve got them listening you have to turn to something else to keep them there. For me, I try to make my drums just as memorable as the vocal hook. I guess it would be best to picture it as a sort of balancing act; if you focus too heavily on one element, then the other aspects of the track will likely suffer. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>You use mostly R&B vocals, what’s your relationship to R&B and why do you think it makes such great sample fodder? Are you an R&B fan?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I don’t really have a relationship with my vocal sample sources. This is something I feel I need to work on, simply out of respect towards the genre that’s provided such a essential element to my ‘sound’. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I don’t enjoy R&B. I mean, one of my favourite song’s is an R&B track ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l10hdwFRuto), but when it comes to specifically Top 40 R&B, I’ve yet to take a close enough look at the music itself.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Do you feel there's anything odd about the fact that you’re a Torontonian producer getting his start on labels based in Dublin and Bristol?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I don’t think there’s anything odd about the fact that I’m not situated closely to either label. To my knowledge, neither has used their location as a theme for their output, so I don’t feel as though I’m an exception to their back catalogue in any way. I’ve never felt out of the loop of things either; I can go to the local record stores here and easily purchase records from both labels. [nakedlunch] and Idle Hands have both been in frequent contact with me so I’ve never felt as though I’ve been othered to any degree. I’m simply part of their rosters. Which, for me personally, is all I could ever ask for. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>What’s the piece of yours that you’re proudest of so far? </b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">This is a tough question to answer. I like certain tracks for different reasons. For example, the song “One52” is enjoyable to me because of how it works in a mix, yet songs like “Move On” or “It’s What She Wants” appeal to me for their continued stability outside of a mix. I wouldn’t say I have a track I’m most proud of, but “Sucre” to me exhibits a lot of the characteristics that I’m hoping to continue to tap into, regardless of tempo.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>Are there any specific directions you’d like to explore in the future? </b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Recently I started working with on a few collaborations with XI. Collaborating on music is something I’d like to do more of in the future as it allows for some interesting results and kind of takes me out of my comfort zone. I’d also like to start doing some remixes.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>What’s coming up in the near, more concrete future?</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Aside from my nakedlunch release in April and my Idle Hands record after that, I don’t have anything lined up with absolute confirmation. With school wrapping up soon, I’m hoping to start to play more shows. Other than that, I’m really just going to keep making music and see where I end up. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>What inspired this mix, how did you mix it, and what kind of material is represented? Is it at all representative of your DJ sets? </b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">This mix has been under construction for a long time. I had a few ideas for how to approach it, but I ultimately settled on trying to showcase not only some of my more recent productions, but also some really great tracks from fellow artists. I started the mix off quite slow, maybe around 115ish and then made my way past 130 by the end. I’d say it’s pretty representative of my DJ sets as I try to cover the same range at shows. I’ve used all dubplates/vinyl, and there are a few muck ups along the way! </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I’ve tried to make this mix a bit more dance-floor friendly -- at least in the middle. This is where you’ll notice a lot more tracks by other artists rather than my own. That being said, I included 4 tracks (2 of which are collaborations with XI) that I feel are very much suited for the dance-floor. I hope everyone enjoys the mix!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b>KEVIN McPHEE'S FUTUREPROOFING MIX: APRIL 2011</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Coach (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Hang my Head (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - House 44 (Forthcoming Idle Hands)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Who Loves You (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Try (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kowton - Never Liked Dancing (Forthcoming Idle Hands)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Bridges ([nakedlunch])</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - It’s What She Wants (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Szare - Action 5 (Forthcoming Idle Hands)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Alex Coulton - Representations (Forthcoming All Caps)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Gerry Read - Untitled (Forthcoming Fourth Wave)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - One52 (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">XI & Kevin McPhee - Collab 1 (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Alex Coulton - Bounce (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">XI & Kevin McPhee - Collab 2 (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Words Not Chosen (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Clouds - Untitled (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Andy Mac - Everytime (Forthcoming Punch Drunk)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Gerry Read - Some Day (Dub)</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Get in With You ([nakedlunch])</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Kevin McPhee - Move On (Dub)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>McPhee's debut EP "Get In With You" / "Bridges" / "Get In With You (LV Remix)" is out on [nakedlunch] in April, followed by the "House 44" / "Sleep" single on Idle Hands. Don't sleep.</i></div>Andrew Rycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11999252852998173795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406430842120447395.post-83784235095165564672011-02-23T16:32:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:32:59.576-08:00Downliners Sekt: Lorem Ipsum<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you didn't know from my glowingly </span><a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=8314"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">positive</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7655"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">reviews</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> or my lengthy </span><a href="http://www.factmag.com/2011/01/07/new-talent-downliners-sekt/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">interview feature on FACT</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, I am a devotee of the Downliners Sekt. Despite being pretty close with the duo-sometimes-trio-sometimes-conglomerate, I still don't know all that much about them, but I like that. We all need a bit of mystery in our lives, and who better to explore the "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">seedy underbelly of the industrial age" than a bunch of hooded spacemen? They did an amazing <a href="http://electronicexplorations.org/the-show/127-downliners-sekt/">40-odd-minute mix of all originals for Electronic Explorations</a>, which is probably the best way into their sound if you're for whatever reason afraid of diving into their <a href="http://downliners-sekt.com/">freely-available EPs</a>, and as an outtake from the sessions that produced that material they've given me a free, brand new track to share! What better way to commemorate over 500 twitter followers?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Lorem Ipsum: Staggered, slamming beats that seem to come together in split seconds like thunderclaps; tense, airless atmosphere; oppressive blackness interrupted only by the reflective qualities of chrome; disorienting polyrhythms; out-of-nowhere bouts of acoustic guitar splintering their way through the metal. All the hallmarks of what might be considered archetypal Downliners Sekt, which is 2011-speak for really fucking great. Download now.</span><br />
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