This weeks interview guest has been redefining and envisaging his own take on this scene for some 15 years and it has taken an unorthodox methodology in both the visual and sonic worlds to make a difference. It is these risks and digressions that excogitate work as opposed to linear approaches. It’s been this source of afflatus, and a lifetime of musical exposure, from minimal psychedelic house to classical piano and percussions, which has seen him assume the role as founder of Mean Records and Serialism.

Most artists would probably be content with their achievements if they were to claim the aforementioned paragraph as their own, though it’s only a prelude to varying expansive projects – entertaining a correlation between cultural distinctions in said affair will most certainly resonate in our own pursuits. His touring life seems far from finite so grabbing him from his schedule has been a success in itself.

The year ahead for Cesare Marchese (aka Cesare vs Disorder) will surely surpass expectations.

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Kn:  You established the ‘Mean’ label in 2006 as an outlet for intelligent, boundary pushing house and techno.  Its sister label, ‘Serialism’ was brought to life a year later.  What initially fuelled you to start each label respectively?  And looking back now, would you say both labels are comfortably traveling along their paths as initially intended?

Cvd:  The idea behind Mean records started in 2005; I was playing at local East London club alongside my partner Alejandro Ross (aka Rudolf).  Our sound was pretty different from the main hype at the time especially in the UK capital where Electro House, Progressive and Breakbeat were much more common.  We were experimenting, going more for mind psychedelic journeys inspired by labels like Perlon, Contexterrior, Vakant, Spectral, Dumb Unit, Cadenza, Musik Krause, that at that time weren’t so popular yet..

After years of studying and working on music, I decided it was the right moment to release some of my work (followed by Rudolf’s and then by other talented close friends like Ollie Silva aka Canary Fontaine), but I wasn’t yet confident enough to send my music to the labels I was in love with, and Mean was born.  I didn’t have a precise direction in mind, it was just all very natural, going alongside with my productions that were developing slowly with no pressure behind.

Serialism followed a couple of years later (when I met Stefano Pellegrini who is now actually living in Sydney) with a totally different goal… to seduce the dancefloor with slightly more classic sounds of Techno, House and Deep House, with a more dj-friendly structure, but leaving the door opened to experimentation and uniqueness…

I would say that now the labels are travelling on a next level since then, thanks to my accumulated experience and the help of friends and colleagues along the path.

Kn:  Serialism combines the use of visual arts with each release in the form of a video clip.  Tell us about the ideology and importance of having a visual reference to the product?  As you project yourself into the future, what further aspirations do you hold?

Cvd:  I’m a visual artist myself.  I’ve also studied Fine Arts, Design and Moving image (working also with video games and 3d design at a certain point in my life), apart from music, of course.  I was always intrigued by the strong connection between sound and image.  And it is no coincidence that my sister Federica and my girlfriend Fernanda are also very talented artists.  The fact that they become very good friends and started to work together on the image of my labels was instead a kind of luck for me, not having the time to follow full time the branding of the projects.

After months of preparation and brainstorming we started to create together videos for each release, False Manners was born and together with Mean and Serialism (and other artists friends) we created a series of pieces that helped to build up the whole image of the projects.

At the moment I’m travelling a lot worldwide and the new idea is to incorporate footage and experiences of my journeys into the main plan of the labels, keeping the concept of Art behind the projects that sure makes it more interesting and unique, and not only for a “Electronic music following” but also for a wider public that wouldn’t necessary buy the music itself.

Kn:  …as mentioned you place an emphasise on drawing a direct correlation between the art work and the music.  What’s your thoughts on further expeditions into other media that reflect your work cohesively?

Cvd:  We’ll try to optimise the whole package.  Our next step, for instance, after my Asia/Australian tour is to produce a kind of Music video/documentaries where we’ll unite the magic and uniqueness of oriental cultures with the futuristic sound scheduled for the next releases, making the connection between 2 totally different worlds coming together in a special way to coexist in a new dimension that is the multimedia, not thought in a classic way but in a more “exotic” way.  Let’s say like the way Brazilians treat and make Sushi.

Kn:  Combining a high creative production output with the ever demanding schedule of running two of your own labels, and constant touring, must pose its challenges and constantly test your limits.  How do you manage to meet the demands across so many platforms and if there’s any room for improvement you’ve picked on along the way, what’s the best example?

Cvd:  It is actually quite demanding to combine a high creative production with the incessant travelling during the weekends, long tours, the nightlife in clubs around the world and the office work that is behind running a label, and I’m actually dealing with two labels, that have a totally different sound, therefore need a different kind of attention, but yes, it is a challenge for me and the team.  It keeps my mind fresh all the time and I always find room for improvement; when we brainstorm with the girls for the videos, when I work in studio with collegues that have big experience, when, together with my present partner Federico (aka Onirik) we try to follow special marketing ways to come out as catchy (but no cheesy) as possible, experimenting with new ways to brand our projects. There’s always room for learnin’.

Kn:  What projects are you currently working on and what do you have coming up for your current aliases, Cesare Vs Disorder, Cesare Marchese and Queen Atom?  Any release dates planned for your long awaited Cesare Vs Disorder full length album and how are you laying foundations for it?

Cvd:  At the moment I will be touring until end of march.  Now Asia (coming back from Japan, now I’m writing from Vietnam) next step is Australia, Noumea, New Zealand, then a quick come back to Berlin for my bday special party @ weekend club after some holidays in Thailand.  Then out again for USA tour during the WMC month.

In the last few months I was working hard on few musical projects knowing I was gonna tour hard in start of 2012.  I’ve produced a few EP’s here and there as solo (my 4th ep on Stock5 that will be out in March/April), one with Jeremy P.Caulfield (out these days on Dumb Unit as Dynasty ep part2), one for Vakant and some very strong collaboration material with Inxec, with Konrad Black, with Sierra Sam (our new alias “Strangers in Heaven” that you’ll see a lot around in 2012), a couple of EP’s with Mikael Stavostrand, a EP with Walker Barnard. some tunes in compilations and a couple of remixes.  And a project I started a long time ago with Cesar Merveille that will be released by Jin Choi’s Private Gold next month with remixes by Bruno Pronsato and Jin himself.

I’ve also finally finished my debut album.  I’ve been working on it for the past 2 years and if everything goes by plans it will be out by autumn this year.  I already have a lot of proposition and ideas for it, but won’t go in details until I have a final schedule, and don’t expect the usual Cesare vs Disorder sound.

Kn:  You last toured Australia in 2009.  What has changed since then in your sound and approach to DJ’ing?  What can we expect from you this time round?

Cvd:  Some would say that my sound is more complete now, maybe more friendly as my public grows daily you can imagine that 3 years are a long time.  I’ve learned a lot by playing all over the world during this time, mixing genres up in a smoother way and creating journeys that are less uni-directional and more sophisticated from different sides. I will follow the flow naturally, choosing from my box what I think will make the people and myself have a blast.

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Links:  Cesare vs Disorder Facebook  / Discogs  /  Serialism Records  /  On Facebook

Booking:  Harry Klein Booking

Tour Dates:

Sat 25th Feb :: Mean Show/ Cesare Vs Disorder Bday Bash, Weekend Club, Berlin, Germany
Fri 2nd Mar :: Electric Pickle, Miami, US
Sat 3rd Mar :: Kontrol, San Fransisco, US
Fri 9th Mar :: 813, Dallas, US
Fri 30th Mar :: Mean Show, Basing House, London, UK
Wed 25th Apr :: Meet: Surealism, Watergate, Berlin, Germany

 
For a lot of people, it’d feel like yesterday since our interview guest found his feet at the footsteps of Amnesia, Ibiza.  Though as techno and electronica developed over the years and time marched on accordingly, he’s not only participated in the movement, he’s been a pivotal catalyst.  Furthermore, it’s given birth to a procession of heavily fortified releases which more than justified his inclusion on Cocoon’s booking roster.  Now some would argue to themselves, and rightly so, that taking a breath and finding contentment in such an achievement would put their aspirations at ease, though it only served as a direct mandate to continue a digital altercation.
 
Paco Osuna’s words and performances have never fallen on deaf ears, so it comes as no surprise our interview allocation shuts doors and sheds a glimpse of light on fresh projects.

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Kn:  Your early days playing as a resident at Amnesia in Ibiza must of been very exciting times for you as an emerging artist.  Where do you draw most of you inspiration from these days?

PO:  Day to day I was looking at what the other djs played, it did’t matter what style of music, each dj that was spinning showed me something.  It was a great experience to be part of Amnesia during that period, because I learned how to make people dance and also I learned a lot about different styles of music.

Kn:  You’ve had some big releases on labels such as Plus 8 along with the growing success of your own Mindshake imprint.  What’s coming up next in your release schedule and what plans do you have for developing the label?

PO:  Well, the schedule depends on the gigs.  I am the kind of person that needs to be seated in the studio and relaxed to produce and right now I have so many gigs that once I arrive home I don’t feel like going to the studio to produce.  But as soon as I have had a couple of days to relax I work on it;  hopefully soon I will be focused again on studio time. 

About Mindshake, the idea is to develop the label as much as possible, with parties, new artist, etc… Mindshake is like my little son and as I say before it has to grow up.

Kn:  Any plans for a Paco Osuna Album?

PO:  Yes, very soon I have in mind to work on that, probably after the break I am going to have in January and in February I will be producing a lot and I hope what I do will be good enough to release an album, but what I can say is my album is not going to be for dancefloor, maybe 1-2 tracks but not more, it will be more for listen.

Kn:  Technology has made it possible to stretch ideas without limiting one’s imagination.  Tell us about your new hybrid DJ/Live set up and how it allows you to translate your ideas to produce dynamic sets?

PO:  I dont know, my dj sets always depend on the crowd and the atmosphere.  Sometimes I do sets where I focus more on the music than on the effects and sometimes I do sets creating crazy effects all the time.  It depends on the crowd but I always try to use the technology for the maximum possibilities, because for that it was created and I like not to be obvious and to surprise people with new things.

Kn:  You had quite a busy touring schedule with your Mindshake fall tour.  Tell us why this tour was so special for you?

PO:  It was very special because I had a few people with me recording on video at all times, all the nights and all the gigs, for a project I have in mind for 2012. I will announce this soon!!

Also, every time I am in US it is very special for me, I love that country and the scene there.

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Links:

Paco Osuna  /  Beatport  /  Facebook
Mindshake Records  /  Beatport  /  B4 Bookings  /  Facebook

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Tour Dates December 2011: 

07.12.11 | BCM, Mallorca. Spain
10.12.11 | Kama Kama, Tuscany. Italy
16.12.11 | Proyecto, Guimaraes. Portugal
22.12.11 | Goa, Rome. Italy
23.12.11 | Kristal Club, Bucharest. Hungary
24.12.11 | Eventual Music 2011, Mallaga. Spain
25.12.11 | Memento Night at Refresh, Padova. Italy
26.12.11 | Pygmalio, Dublin. Ireland
31.12.11 | Paco Osuna 5hr Set at Club 4, Barcelona. Spain

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Track List: 

01 Jeff Mills – Brace Yourself (AxisCD044)
02 Egor Boss – Neon (Gynoid051)
03 Delko – Asilo (Ness Remix) (SHT031)
04 Dacido & Meta – Eruption (Jeroen Search Remix) (FluxusDigital01)
05 Lee Holman – Perception (HOME009)
06 Jeroen Search – Paper Space (CSF035)
07 Claudio Masso – Just a Reason (Gynoid053)
08 A Hvich – Directory T (Logotech’s Innerview) (Archetype 001)
09 Shifted – Junk (Mote Evolver21)
10 Joboday – Display (Patrick Bolton remix) (SMR011)
11 Dadub – Biopoiesis (SA Monad VIII)
12 Darkcell – Radiant Flux (Translucent 3)
13 Mattias Fridell – Justify Or Prove (Gynoid054)
14 MFS – Institoris (Translucent 7)
15 Antonio De Angelis – Straight To The Bank (Gynoid07)
16 Peter Van Hoesen – Last One AT 1080 (Inertia-1)
17 Headroom – Strike (PRUK34)
18 Headroom – Giger (COMP01)
19 Blind Summit – Subconcious Distractions (UTSCH)

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Kn:  It’s been eleven years now since your first release with close friend Alexander Johansson, and even longer since you started to bind an ever closer affiliation with music in Sweden.  Can you tell us a little about how growing up led you to where you are now?

MF:  Well, I really think I’m a product of the environment, hehe.  I grew up in a very musical family and I found friends with a similar music interest early on.  We used to buy records and record tracks & mixes on a double-cassette deck I had.  My parents had an old keyboard with a very simple sequencer that we played with & recorded the result.  That’s probably the foundation for my early productions.  Electronic music got us hooked right away.  A few years after I met up with Alexander we discovered that we shared the same common goal to really focus hard on our biggest interest music.  

The Techno movement is Sweden was coming on strong and we really liked the whole thing.  It was very inspiring.  We had so much fun during these learning years and we were probably considered very nerdy for sitting in front of computers, synths & groove-boxes and constantly talking about music and music production, haha.  After our first release we got some amazing feedback and the record went well.  Soon after we got offers from other labels and that’s the path that took me to where I am today.  After several releases Alex took a 6 year long break from Techno but I never stopped.

Kn:  You played an equal hand in founding Tonal Path with Glenn Wilson, which certainly has hosted some outstanding records in the past and this year is no exception.  If we deconstruct its origins, what was the underlying sentient behind starting the project and what have you learnt along the way?  Plans for it’s future?

MF:  The Tonal Path project was set in motion after much talking between me and Glenn.  We wanted to have a platform for our collaborations and Glenn felt that his other labels didn’t fit the style & direction we wanted to focus on.  He had a nice logo formed as a T from a former live-project with Dean Rodell and we decided to use that one for the label.  Also the name Tonal Path comes from an old track by Glenn on Planet Rhythm that made a huge impact on my work and its also one of Glenn’s personal favorite tracks from himself.  We figured that was a nice name to use especially since the musical output on the label was gonna take a different “path” or “bridge” then our previous work.  We worked fairly hard to form the musical concept and discarded many ideas along the way & the first release “The Bridge” is something we’re really proud of.  We got some nice demo submissions and felt we wanted to let a selected bunch of artists hop on the vision of the label.

For 2012, Tonal Path will release more records from producers we really like and share the same mentality and ideas with.

Kn:  On the subject of recent releases, your own EP Pataphysics on Labyrinth not so long ago is one of the stand out pieces of work this year as far as we’re concerned.  How did you approach the record and what kind of strategies and tactics do you incorporate in the studio, generally, to communicate the ideas from your head space to the final product?

MF:  Thanks!  I’m really happy about the reactions to that EP. I’ve always been into mysterious music and music with a certain science-fiction approach. Previously I have released tracks like this on Teskoba and Sub sequent but with this EP I went a bit deeper, atmospheric and slower.  I have always liked science.

I made “Column of Gas” first and it really started out as a simple jam session in the studio while I was following the Kepler telescope and its journey to find new exoplanets.  The melody sequence was setting the mood and I figured it would sound nice with some sweeping eerie atmosphere clusters in the background.  The drums are the obvious 909 sounds, processed with tubes, reverbs & delays.  It feels like when making this sort of Techno there is a frame you have to stay within to keep the consistency.  I like this, limiting yourself is inspiring.  I wanted to have a movement in the rhythm sections as well as the synths so that was what I focused on.  The other tracks on the EP follows these directions as well but the “Solar Nebula” track is more dreamy.

Back in the days it used to be so much harder for me to translate what I had in my mind to the machines and the music, but today it’s kind of a 6th sense really.  I like to work with a concept, an idea very often.  Though in most cases I just sit down and start with something and see where it’s leading and I go from there.  I use lots of effects processing when I work.  I like to build huge chains of effects and experiment with them.

Something I use very little of is, surprise, compression.  I used to smash the compressors like crazy in my productions but the recent years I’ve been leaning away from it, its a maturity thing I think… To not use compression at all.  I am aware that it sounds really odd, haha.  There are many other nice ways to get punch and bite in the music, like saturation, filtering & balancing. A friend to me used to say this “First you need to learn everything the right way, then you know how to exploit the faults”.  That also applies to music production!

A trick I can share is to side-chain a reverb with a kick, make the reverb mono and low-pass filter it, mix it a little with the kick and suddenly you have a nice warm bass-line playing along with the kick.  Experiment with different time & decay values and different filtering to suit your needs.

Kn: …similarly, recycling and rebuilding ideas is always an ongoing process.  Does reflecting on your own previous constructions aid in your push forwards, and what does it mean to you at a personal level?

MF:  Yes definitely.  Reflecting on my own material is really pushing me forwards.  Sure sometimes I can sit and listen to an old track I made and wonder what I was thinking but not that often anymore.  I have lots of very old unreleased tracks that I still like a lot.  There is a special charm about listening & analyzing older tracks and production wise I’m often happy with my old stuff even today.  When it comes to sound quality… let’s say I just know so much more today but of course its an experience that I’ve gained through the years.  Experience is really important.  In todays modern age I find that many young producers complain if they can’t get a record out after just 3-4 months of music-production experience.  Why stress?  There is no need to do that, it’s not good to be impatient.  Better to take the time needed to really learn and explore and research!

Kn:  The mix you’ve done for us is something you should be proud if, it’s a killer journey, so many thanks at our end.  Is there anything we should be aware of as we move ever closer to 2012?  Anything in particular that’ll ensure you’ll be content knowing everything is in it’s right place?

MF:  Thanks, glad you mention “journey” this is something I often try to accomplish with my mixes.  Happy to deliver a mix to Kana! Regarding 2012… I have much stuff coming up that year & many nice projects I’m happy to be part of.  I’ve signed with a couple of very interesting labels which I’m honoured to work with so 2012 will definitely be good!  Something people will see more of is that I will use more aliases for different styles of music, I started this already this year.  It feels like I managed to cause confusion with my many varied styles under my own name so I’m going back to use more aliases again.  Beside this I have remixes and music coming out on Gynoid Audio, Reform, Eshu, Sonntag Morgen and other nice labels.  I’m really looking forward to 2012.

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Links:  Facebook  /  Myspace  /  Soundcloud

Buy:  Juno  /  Beatport

Bookings:  8bit Bookings

Finding peace and encouraging solidarity isn’t a trait that’s omnipresent in the world of electronic music as far as we’re concerned, but it certainly does exist in those who are still dreaming, and it’s this allurement that brings us to this weeks guest.  His presence on the global techno stage over the years is a result of a relentless and solitary crusade that’s manufactured the creation of his own imprint, Asymmetric, which now plays host to an alternative view on not just the music itself, but the way it’s distributed and the psychology behind its consumption.  These varying ideals challenge the foundations of the industry.

Having already concluded that a path least travelled presents itself with countless opportunities to progress that would otherwise be missed, he’s enforced a firm cooperative relationship between reengineering hardware and developing customised software – a redefining creative voyage that isn’t often undertaken.  Now, if you were irresolute as to whether or not it’s feasible to harbour conceptual mercenaries, this will dissolve any skepticism.  

This weeks broadcast is in the form of Inigo Kennedy.

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Track List:

Drugstore – The Birth [cicuta002]
Inigo Kennedy – Resist [unreleased]
Xhin – Vent (Pfirter Remix) [sa011]
Mike Parker – Fwd (Donato Dozzy Remix) [prg017]
Makaton – Paradise Lost [token013]
Inigo Kennedy – Yellow Leaf (v3) [unreleased]
Walker Kennedy – Untitled 02 [unreleased]
Death Abyss – The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste [mak032]
Exium – Frontline (Inigo Kennedy Remix) [nheoma011]
Inigo Kennedy – Nothing But Sun [unreleased]
Allan Nonamaka – Most Wrong [fvtd003]
Inigo Kennedy – Revenge (Blawan Remix) [token019]
Death Abyss – Love Is A Weakness [mak032]
Inigo Kennedy – Quagmire [token017]
Allan Nonamaka – The Essence [unreleased]
Donor – Em1 (Forward Strategy Group Remix) [pp033]
Stanislav Tolkachev – Negative Space [tua001]
Inigo Kennedy – The Map [token001]
Elektrabel – Hraju09 [poh007]
Lucy – Pentad [sma010]
Inigo Kennedy – Scatter [token019]
Inigo Kennedy – Untitled (2011_08_05) [unreleased]
Steve Bicknell – Why + For Whom (a1) [cos10]
Inigo Kennedy – Aldebaran [unreleased]

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Kn:  Your label Asymmetric hosted some of your best work.  Is it an avenue you think you’ll reinvent, or are there deeper projects that you’d like to intertwine into your own ideals?

IK:  In many ways Asymmetric was developed specifically to release work that I was very happy with but that was otherwise considered too risky or not commercially viable for other labels or organisations.  I’ve always adopted the position of that being nothing but a compliment even if that might be misguided!  This goes back more to the vinyl days when of course there are commercial pressures to take into account; vinyl is not cheap to manufacture or distribute.  Asymmetric is a much more personal outlet too.  If there’s one thing I want to achieve as a ‘brand’ it’s that Asymmetric is very personal music and quite distinctive.

For various reasons I adopted the digital avenue very early on and evolved Asymmetric the vinyl label to become Asymmetric|MP3.  To me it was clear that this was the way things would go and I doubted then, as much as now, that the right business or commercial models would ever exist for the digital medium.  For years there seemed to be people flailing around in the dark and, in my opinion, also adopting technology for the sake of it; the actual music suffered a lot.  Historically too there were a whole lot of people in the middle that made far more (money) than I ever would from my music.  Not necessarily the primary motivation but definitely unfair and unnecessary.  Now I release the music for free via Asymmetric|MP3 and that’s something I feel reasonably strongly about.  Many people still, although less so now, hold the opinion that this in some way devalues the ‘product’ and I think it’s a pity that that is the way things are.  It’s been interesting to see people realise the inevitable over the last five to 10 years though.

Kn:  On top of your consistent monthly podcasts, the pseudo-recent release of Trust – Acceptance involved yourself and other artists.  A sign of solidarity between those involved no doubt as it’s a free release.  What are your thoughts on it being something that should be incorporated more often?

IK:  Oh yes!  It’s been quite a commitment to produce 90 minute mix every month this year!  Now that the latest TS0011 is done and there’s one more to go this year I haven’t yet decided which way things will go in 2012!

There’s an increasing amount of music made available for free and the quality is shooting up too.  There are actually quite a lot of compilations and net labels around that have adopted a free distribution model.  I’m not really sure if it’s a mark of solidarity or just a commercial reality; it wouldn’t be possible to do projects like that if there was a commercial angle; if there was one it would be basically pointless as everyone involved would take home about enough for half a beer.  I think it’s good to encourage an attitude of generosity with people’s creativity.  It’s also a way of moving away from constraints and let’s people release music that maybe they are really pleased with or that means a lot.

photo by k4

Kn:  Your Asymmetric releases introduced quite a unique techno sound to the world right from the beginning.  A sound that would distinctly become ‘Inigo Kennedy’.  It was documented early on that you achieved this by rewiring the internals of your synthesizers in order to create unique textures.  What fascinated you to get inside these machines to begin with?  Do you still practice these techniques?

IK:  I’ve certainly spent a fair but of time with a soldering iron in my hand!  My early records were basically recorded to cassette through a mixer I built and part of my early sound was more or less down to a brutal filter unit I designed (it’s in the attic these days).  I hacked together all sorts of guitar pedals, oscillators and so on back then as well (there are boxes of all sorts of electronic bits and bobs in the attic too).  Thanks to my dad I’ve got a very inquisitive attitude to technology that has followed me all the way through life.  I suppose it’s contributed to me having a signature sound but I think that that’s also got a lot to do with attitude in general.  Rather than fall back onto the staple techno hardware I’ve always sought out more unusual and digital synths; things that you really have to get under the skin of but that to me is where the gold dust lies.  The same goes for software, I’ve avoided a lot of the big players and like software that encourages accidents or feels more like sculpting than simply filling in squares and joining dots.  There’s no denying I like technology and I’m very happy to feel like in the last few years finally the software revolution has started to allow things to get back to the organic and emotional side of creativity.

Kn:  Leading on from your eclectic production techniques, what are your thoughts on “random generation” VST’s and the like?

IK:  I’ve developed a fair few of my own things in this area; VST plugins to process midi, Reaktor, Max/MSP and so on.  I’m not an advocate of truly random techniques (they’re contrary to how our brains operate so are generally unsatisfactory) but I am very interested in controlled randomness or allowing accidents to happen in subtle ways.  I think some of my best music has come about but letting the machines do unplanned or unpredictable things and then, if necessary, taming the result.  In a hardware studio to some extent this is easier as it’s more about moving faders and controls.  In the software world the concept is perpendicular, there’s less immediate control but there are almost infinite options.  I’m a big fan of a modular sequencer called EnergyXT (the original masterpiece v1.4.1) which I still use religiously.  It’s an inspiring and very transparent way to work to me; allowing you to connect elements in a very organic way.  I don’t like to feel like I’m making music in a linear way and the process of recording a track for me is much more like a one-off performance than a premeditated repeatable thing that has been designed to the smallest detail.

Kn:  Do you have any stand out influences as to why you got into electronic music? What do you like/dislike about the current state of EDM?

IK:  My road to electronic music was through 80′s synth pop and proper early electro into Depeche Mode, etc.  My local library played a big part – the original 80′s “home taping is killing the music industry” era!  What a great way to discover all sorts of otherwise unknown music.  Several very influential radio DJ’s like John Peel and Colin Faver (a London radio legend) pushed me along as I got into techno and Dave Clarke and Jeff Mills opened my ears to the art of vinyl manipulation in the early 90′s.  Without a doubt Aphex Twin is the genius at the top of my inspiration tower.  I’m pretty gob-smacked when I occasionally read comparisons between my music and his.

I think the current state of music is actually pretty exciting.  It’s been through a bad patch as I mentioned above but there’s some fantastic talent around at the moment and there are people doing genuinely interesting things.  There’s a really nice cross-fertilisation of styles happening at the moment – abstract, industrial, techno, experimental.

Kn:  In house sound guys… do you see them as an expectation, a big help, or just a waste of time?  Tell us about your funniest and worst experience with them?

IK:  I suppose I’m fairly agnostic.  Sometimes things are excellent and sometimes they’re a shambles.  Everyone’s got a job to do in a club environment.  There’s a lot going on and a lot of people trying to do a job without knowing anything about each other; that’s not easy.  There have been times when an over enthusiastic sound engineer is tweaking the levels down all the time but it’s only ever really a frustration when the equipment simply isn’t up to the task or is set up badly in the first place!  To be honest the worst (and sometimes best) experiences come from inebriated random people jumping on the stage, picking up needles, stopping records but that’s all part of the fun!  

Usually when there are technical problems it’s when there’s nobody in sight to sort anything out; bad organisation more than anything else.  That said, nothing is quite as embarrassing as picking up the wrong needle during a set!  All too easy with four decks on the go, especially if they’ve for some reason been connected up in a totally confusing order – which happens surprisingly often in itself!

I’m sure when I get to Sydney in December after 24 hours of flying everything will be awesome at the club there! This time I’ll just have to battle with the unpredictable jet-lag!

Links:

Inigo Kennedy  /  Facebook  /  Discogs  /  Asymmetric  /  Discogs – Asymmetric

News:

Saturday 3rd December 2011, Swarm & Fervent presents Inigo Kennedy @ The Valve Bar, Sydney, Australia

Inigo Kennedy ‘TS0011′ mix available for download now!

Out Now:

Inigo Kennedy ‘Revenge’ [TOKEN019] featuring a remix by Blawan
Exium ‘Roots Of Time (Remixes)’ [NHEOMA011] featuring a remix by Inigo Kennedy

Coming Soon:

Joint release between Inigo Kennedy and Allan Nonamaka on Fervent
New Asymmetric|MP3 release [ASYMP321]

Kn:  There’s a number of fantastic techno artists who call Glasgow home.  How did you find your place in the thick of it all and how did you adapt along the way to ensure your own perspective moved forwards with a distinctive sound?

GB:  It was very tough to break through in the Glasgow scene.  I remember going to listen to guys like Silicone Soul and Slam and thinking the quality was so good.  I had an idea of what kind of sound I was after and I just stuck with it.  I sent many demos away to the Glasgow labels but nothing really happened.  I guess the ‘never give up’ phrase comes to mind and eventually I was recognized.

Kn:  Moving the time line forwards from those earlier days to 2008 , being picked up by Richie Hawtin on Minus certainly had an impact on your direction.  How did you adjust from a point of obscurity to the spotlight?

GB:  It was a massive surprise for me when this happened, as I was only really releasing on small digital labels at the time.  It gave me extra confidence in the musical direction I had chosen.  I was only inspired even more to produce and I wanted to prove that there was much more in me than just one record on Minus.

Kn:  From that point onwards you’ve been featured on respected labels such as Soma Records, Perc Trax and of course Drumcode.  Some producers work with a strategy of consultation which eventuates in the final product, how do you approach your relationships with varied labels as they no doubt have their own superintendence?

GB:  There were a group of labels in which I have always admired, however I never set out to make a record for a particular label.  I like to change my styles quite a lot so once the track is finished, only then will I decide where it might fit.  I set up my label BEK Audio in 2009 as a platform to release my music.  It’s really starting to grow and we have some amazing artists on board such as Mark Broom, Speedy J and Mr. G.

Kn:  You’ve had a busy schedule this summer in Europe.  A lot of artists manage their time differently, but for you, what tactics do you incorporate to ensure that not only your own studio work has sufficient allocation, but also the performances out?

GB:  Yes it’s been very busy!  On my return from travelling (usually on a Sunday night), I will take time to chill and organize my studio ready for Monday.  I will always work from 9-5 in the studio, as this is the same hours my girlfriend works.  So when I finish at 5, I can switch off, and do things completely unrelated to music.  I love this approach and it’s working for me very well.

Kn:  …we just touched on production, and with so many standardised digital tools and tutorials (I.e. YouTube) available to the producers of tomorrow.  Do you feel it breeds a sense of mediocrity or is it something that should be encouraged more often?

GB:  I like to use lots of hardware in the studio!  I feel that technology is becoming too advanced which is ripping a chunk out of the soul in music, not just in the techno scene, but everywhere.

Of course there are producers who are making great music with the new technology, however I’m a lover of rawness & unclean music.  I still use programs and keyboards which are at least 10 years old!

Kn:  There have been a lot of techno artists of late that have done, and also hinted at a foray into other artistic mediums that intertwine with their music.  Have you contemplated the idea?  How would you subsume the concept so it reflected your own work appropriately?

GB:  Absolutely.  I played in an orchestra in my youth and this kind of music means a lot to me. I’m currently working on an album for Soma Records which will showcase some of the other styles of music I like.  In each track I have tried to get my sound to come across to the listener, except in a completely different genre!

Kn:  There’s a lot of deep thinking that’s associated with electronic music for some and for someone like yourself the music has led to a successful path that’s shaped who you are.  Do feel there’s too much or even not enough analysis, not just from those who fill the dance floor, but also in your own discourse?

GB:  Never think too much about things, it will only get you into a pickle.

Kn:  Life plays tricks on all of us so I guess it’d be presumptuous to some extent to get a clear picture on where it’s all going, but are there any goals and aspirations you’d like to share with us regardless of the time frame?
GB:  I would love to continue what I’m doing for as long as possible.  I love to travel and meet different people and that is one of the most special things to me in this career.  I’m also really looking to move my label BEK Audio forward over the forthcoming years.  It’s an exciting project with many amazing releases to come.

Our interview guest who recently provided an eclectic variation of sounds across Kana Broadcast 015, has taken some time to reflect on his own ascension over recent years.  His home town of Glasgow no doubt served as a source of inspiration, primarily via industrial submergence but he’s found further cause for cementing his position as a caretaker of electronica’s interest – the move to London has opened fresh doors on both his music and personal anterior.

With a foray into film scores, nurturing upcoming artists and branching into foreign creative avenues, Andy Graham, Aka: Sei A, has no doubt induced a demanding schedule upon himself, but one he’s more than satisfied to undertake.

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Kn:  Growing up in Glasgow certainly would have given you an opportunity to being exposed to the electronic movement.  What role did it play in defining not just your sound, but yourself as a person?

T:  Glasgow growing up is a privilege for someone into electronic music.  For a city so small, the amount of great club nights that have kept on top of it is amazing.  As a producer and with the surroundings of the Sub Club and The Arches in particular, these have been regular places to listen to the very best DJ’s and producers.  I’ve always said – Sub Club is somewhere special for House & Techno.  Every week there would be a new guest and while being a lot younger you could take so many ideas and inspiration without really noticing.  With Glasgow the City itself, portrays a very industrial feel, which I think this helps a Techno/Electronic producer as well.

Kn:  It’s been a few years now since your debut album ‘Editing Shadows’, a great record that proceeded a few earlier EP’s.  A turning point without a doubt – what approach did you take to the album and what had you learnt about yourself after its release?

T:  Editing Shadows is a funny one.  It just happened.  It was easy, no real thought went into it.  It was like everything I was doing at one point just seemed to click.  The Missive crew were great to work with because they loved everything I sent so it was really easy to just do an album without much thought to it.  When it comes to the whole ‘Album’ idea, at the time it was a little daunting, but after you realise you have 12 or more tracks ready after only a few months, then there’s nothing to hold anything back.

Now, I would love to go back to that way of thinking but as I’ve grown older I’ve started to scrutinise certain sounds I’ve been working on.  I guess as well with so much amazing music out there you have to grab a space and try to be recognised but it’s getting harder without a doubt.  The hard thing about releasing music now is that everything is there one week and gone the next, so you really have to think about the structure – what product you want at the end, whether it’s vinyl or digital only and how it will be marketed and PR’d.  Taking yourself out of the producing world and stepping into the business – you can get completely lost with it all.

Kn:  Whilst we’re on the topic of your time in the studio and production, it’s been some time since you’ve collaborated with another artist straight up, Milton Jackson would of been the last?  Being in your own space without compromising is a prevalent tactic you’ve employed, have you entertained other ideas of late that could lead to projects with others and how do you personally function in such an environment?

T:  With Barry (Milton Jackson) it was quite easy.  We both lived in Glasgow so would hook up for a pint and listen to new ideas and speak about what we had planned.  After that we would both start a track and then just share ideas through iChat.  It was really simple and really effective as we were in our own environment.  We’ve got so many tracks lying about when I think about it!

With other projects and if I’m honest I have a few alias’ but with that I cannot say who… I’m doing another collaboration or ‘collective’ with 2 well known DJ’s/Producers but that is something that’s ‘unknown’ (for the time being).  There’s other collabs in the pipeline with Jacques Greene which we’ve been trying to finish for a while now but I guess pinning him down at the moment has been slightly hard.

Kn:  The move to London from Glasgow took place a year ago.  Many artists have done similar things so was it a strategic move to further your own goals?  If so what was your reasoning and how have things developed since the relocation?

T:  It wasn’t completely a strategic move but it definitely has helped.  My girlfriend was staying in London but there was also a small incline to make my way down to see what sound I could grow attached to as well.

Without a doubt it has progressed my sound in so many ways.  With everything that comes out of London, it makes you really try and create something that is different.  It’s hard to find the right balance as I want to try and cross certain genres, hoping it will all tie in at some point.  For this to happen, London is definitely the best place for me at the moment.

Kn:  So much has happened this year alone.  Looking onwards, whether it be in the imminent future on the news front or in the many years to come as aspirations develop, is there anything else you’d like to add about your thoughts on where you’d like to be?

T:  My aspirations have definitely fallen more and more towards music for film.  This along-side Electronic music is where I want to be.  I’ve written music to a couple of scripts and waiting for a full feature length to begin.  This keeps everything fresh for me as a producer.  Developing younger artists is also an aspiration and something that feels rewarding.  On top of the techno I want to have my own take on ‘Pop’ and see where that goes.  There’s so much to do with music on a whole which is why it makes it so exciting and the best thing is, I’m always learning.

Having left his Philosophy PhD studies some time ago, circa when he was submerged by a fresh movement of punk rock, our interview guest has crafted his own articulate circuitry thoroughfare which has seen his releases featured on the likes of Clink, Poker Flat and Audiomatique.

We wind the clock forward to September 2011, and as the hand rolls over midday in New York City, we’ve taken some time with one of the most innovative purveyors of minimal and house on the global touring scene.   With an imminent Australian tour on the door step as well as further releases and progress on Scissor & Thread, all the furtherance in recent years appears to be nothing more than an introduction.   Deep thinking, an eclectic venture into other musical vices and electronica paves the way for this weeks spotlight to be firmly placed on Francis Harris, aka: Adultnapper.

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Kn:   It’s been some years since your foray into punk rock and a higher educational venture into philosophy, but you now call the electronic world home – a complex mix that you’ve reflected on surely?

A:   I guess I mean life is kind of strange like that.   The funny thing is, is that a lot of people I knew that used to be into more hardcore music and indie rock ended up in electronic music.   Its just that punk rock became really commercialised in a lot of ways, with every single teen movie having a punk rock soundtrack to it.   It sort of became something that really wasn’t reflective of an alternative lifestyle or culture which is really what always attracted me to, you know, whether it be literature or philosophy or music or a different way to live or some sort of subversive culture which is something that I’ve always been attracted to for whatever reason that might be.

Now a lot of club music isn’t subversive at all.   I’d say 99.9% of it is quite trite and superficial and a duplication of a high school popularity contest, without having to do your homework.   Lots of people getting A’s without actually doing the work for it.   But there are those really special moments that are the reason that you keep doing it.   There’s something quite primal and real about it in a world that doesn’t have much in it other than mediated feelings and mediated experiences.   I would say that when a dance floor is right and a groove is really tight, there’s something somewhat pure about it.

Kn:   The move to the Adultnapper alias would no doubt have meant something to you and the direction you’ve proceeded into.   What’s the moniker’s purpose and why was it created?

A:   I used the moniker before with a couple of art projects when I was in college.   The first one was an installation piece that I did where I took a bunch of guitars and took the pick-ups out of them and put transistor radios and created this feedback loop with radio signals and delay pedals.   I would sing the top ten music videos from MTV one step out of key and it was called ‘Adultnapper’.   It was kind of a joke.

I’ve always been attracted to graphic novels and Adultnapper was meant to be sort of like a joke, a graphic novel character with this sort of dystopian piss-take on post-modernism.   Which I think a lot of people take as really dark, because the music is really dark but there’s always something kind of funny and strange about the music.   I’ve always had a sense of humor about it.   Mostly Americans get the joke and that’s why my popularity in America has been more prominent than what it has been in Europe.   Adultnapper was meant to be somewhat of a humorous jab at post modernism.

Kn: On the subject of concepts, lets talk about the concept behind the Ransom Note label and the art and literature associated with it?

A:   Ultimately Ransom Note was meant to be a part of a graphic novel.   Really what it is, is making fun of postmodern literature.   The language is extremely verbose and it’s written in this dystopian philosophic language.   It’s not meant to be serious.

Kn:   Well there’s a direct correlation with your music there.   There’s always been an element of quirkiness and playfulness in the Adultnapper sound.

A:   Yeah, I’ve always attempted to do that.   I think that any kind of one-dimensional music can be a bit of a downer to me.   I always try and have the music and the compositions to be multi dimensional.   It’s always good to have any kind of humor in any project that’s somewhat serious.   It’s the balance that makes the message all the more clear.   That’s what we were attempting to do with Ransom Note – was create this comic book figure.   It was supposed to be a full concept.   I’ve always appreciated record labels that were ‘full’ concepts, both from artwork design, conceptually, artistically, where every element of it is important.   It’s not just putting out records.   So that’s where we were going with Ransom Note.   Then things started to change for me and its pretty much come to a close.

Kn:   How do you go about tailoring each production to each label you work with?   This must be quite an involved and rewarding process?

A:   Well at this point I’m working with very few labels.   Now that I have a new imprint, I feel like I’ve started developing and honing in on a sound that I’ve been looking for.   The only other labels other than my own that I’m working with are Get Physical and Poker Flat.   Get Physical, mostly collaborations, and Poker Flat because Steve and Tobias – the managing director of superstition – are good friends of mine and I trust them wholeheartedly with pretty much everything that they do.   I can always trust that the choices Steve is making has nothing to do with trends and nothing to do with trying to remain hip.   He’s just releasing music that he loves.   They do it the right way and they take care of the artist.   The business is right, contracts are done right and I can trust them.   The older you get the more you want to feel somewhat grounded in a career.   I just want to work with people that I trust, that really have my best interests and their own interests in mind, working together where we cover mutual interests.

Kn:   You’ve mentioned in the past that you like working with an A&R strategy, how have you developed personally as an artist from this process?

A:   I think I’ve developed a great deal, not only in the A&R process.   I think in any artists’ life there are two developments that get you over the hump and to becoming confident enough to start creating things that have significance.   In terms of developing yourself, I think the biggest developmental aspect of it, is firstly, understanding that not everyone is going to like what you do and being ok with that – not being swayed by that.   And number two, being able to take criticism from people who matter – who know what they’re talking about, without being personally offended or hurt by it.   And lastly, being able to let go when you’re finished with something and move on, and understand that its not going to be the last piece your going to do.   I think when you’re first starting out, you hold onto the music that you’ve made like it’s the most important thing.   But as you go along you begin to realize that there’s different stages and you are always going to be developing and moving in a different direction.   If you’re stuck on one thing then you really not going to go anywhere.   That was a big step for me.   Being able to swallow my pride and not be paranoid about what people think – and I really just don’t care what people think, at this point.   I just do what I do.   They can take it or leave it.

Kn:   Staying with production, your new album ‘Leland’ on Scissor and Thread should see the light of day shortly.   Tell us about the idea behind the album?

A:   The album is a requiem for my father who past away in February of 2010.   It was written almost immediately.   The music was written within two to three months after he passed away.   I recorded all the instruments for it, recorded all the players on it, and it was mixed over the course of last summer, over a course of three months on 48-channel SSL board – all very organic, in a style that is the exact opposite of the trends in dance music – and the trend in dance music is ‘volume’ or I should say ‘loudness’, not ‘volume’.   I don’t think a lot of producers understand the difference between loudness and volume – “a limiter is not volume, its loudness” or the perception of volume.   We mixed everything very low, very soft and organic.  We did an experiment and did everything very soft and didn’t sacrifice dynamics for any aspect, so the album took a long time to mix.  

It went through a few different stages of possibly working with labels, but I really wasn’t willing to compromise.   In the end, the guy who helped mix the album with me ended up being the main artist on our label – Black Light Smoke – who is a guy named Jordan Lieb.   We realized we have a sound here and a concept and an idea of how we want to do things – “so lets do it ourselves”.  

We’re starting out as vinyl only format and eventually we’ll do digital.   The Album is being released as a triple pack vinyl.   Because the music that we’re making for the label is format specific.   Meaning – we’re making it analogue; we’re making it for vinyl.   That’s one of the things that I think is left out of the debate between vinyl and digital.   Music that is made for vinyl should come out on vinyl, and music that is made inside of a computer, release it as digital.   Why would you make something completely in a computer that never leaves the box and then put it on vinyl?   It doesn’t make any sense to me.   It’s not format specific.   This isn’t a judgment.   There’s great digital music out there and great producers producing on laptops for electronic music and just because it sounds digital doesn’t mean its bad.   You know, Richie Hawtin’s music is digital and its great, it’s just not the kind of music that I want to do.   A lot of the former Adultnapper stuff was digital, but now its become more and more organic and that’s an aesthetic choice, its not right or wrong.   The only criticism I would make of the digital industry is that there’s too much amateur music being made and being released because nobody wants to invest – neither in A&R or in an artist.   That’s a big element of our label, we’re not signing EP’s, we’re signing artists and album deals and investing in an artist.

Kn:   The Scissor & Thread label is New York based and you’ve expressed your love for the city in the past. Places and their space have, and will always have, an impact on people – how has it affected both your life and the evolution of your sound?

A:   I love New York!   It’s a love hate thing with New York.   The New York vibe is the fact that you always have to hustle and work and there’s a consequence to all the actions that you have.  

No decision that you make in this city comes without a price, so you get some true artists that come out of this city.   You have to work really hard, there’s no laziness, you know.   There’s no cheap rent, and hanging out, and going to parties if you want to get something accomplished.   You have to make a lot of sacrifices, but there’s no greater city in the world for musicians in my mind.   The multicultural vibe and its economic diversity produce an energy in the city that is unmatchable.

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Adultnapper plays the Subsonic Festival Launch at Brews Brothers, Woolloongabba, Brisbane on Saturday October 1st hosted by the LGM crew.

Links:   Halcyon Online  / Adultnapper / Facebook / Scissor & Thread

Last week Secret Cinema treated us to an exclusive hour of straight up Techno.  If you haven’t heard this great mix yet be sure to check it out here.  

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Kn:  Few techno artists have maintained their presence on the global techno scene for a prolonged period of time, yourself being one of them.  I guess everything comes and waves, how have you adapted over the years?

SC:  By continuously re-inventing your self.  Also I always have the feeling I can do better, which keeps the energy flowing.  Now with my label Gem Records and the change from playing only live to DJ-sets a few years back, I can reach more and more people.  And having a lot of talented producers around me helps as well raising the bar production wise….

Kn:   On the topic on ups and downs, and regardless of what creative industry you’re in, some artists deal with the concept better than others.  What do you do to pull yourself out of a “block” or what do you do to best deal with it?

SC:  Breathing is all you can do.  After I finished my album there was complete emptiness…  It took me a while to come back from that, but now with the remixes doing well and all the good music coming out, it all came back!  I realised I need to trigger my senses a lot to keep myself on top all the time.  So good feedback and people liking your music helps to keep me going!

Kn:  You’ve got some big gigs coming up, but you’ve also had time to put out some great releases of late, the Minerals LP is definitely one of the standouts.  You’ve collaborated with a few different artists on that album – how do you survive and achieve results when you’ve got different ideas being thrown around in the studio working with others?

SC:  The ‘Minerals’ idea had already been in my head for two years but I never really got it started. The best thing for me at the time was to give myself a deadline.  So I ended up having only eight weeks to make the album.  Therefore I checked my computer for unfinished tracks which I liked and also asked my friends and favourite producers to do collaborations with me.  Kalden Bess sent over some files and I finished them as I also did with Egbert.  The Ramon Tapia and Cosima tracks we worked on together and were almost finished so that was that.  The Ambient CD was done afterwards and I directed Mental Youth and myself to the deeper side of sound utilizing what we already had prepared on our hard drives.  The pressure helped to make things work between friends, otherwise it’s easy to say ‘let’s do it later’, haha!

Kn:  Gem Records has gone from strength to strength since you founded it, the most recent release SELECTED GEMS is killer.  What sort of direction is the label heading in and how do you tie it in with your own work?  Are they one in the same?

SC:  The tracks on Gem are tracks I have to like in the first place.  It’s really my taste in (dance) music.  Also all of our artists have something special that separates them from other artists in my opinion.  It’s always something I care about as well, doing something different every time within the limits of my own taste.  In that way things are similar you could say.  I can only be happy others recognize something special.  That way you communicate without using words.  That’s the great thing about our music!

Kn:  Where to from here Jeroen?  Any ideas and/or concepts you’ve been throwing around inside that you’d like to touch on?

SC:  I have a lot of ideas all the time.  The online platform will be bigger and better.  Also I’m about to start a vinyl only label with no print and handwritten numbers on it with the Gem artists.  We’re looking for opportunities to host Gem nights in clubs around the globe and give all the Gem artists the attention they deserve.  Making video’s, albums, t-shirts, tours, etc, etc.  All for the love of music and each other here at Gem HQ!!!

Kn:  Thanks for the interview and hope fully see you around somewhere soon!  Don’t forget to follow Secret Cinema on facebook / soundcloud / residentadvisor / whatpeopleplay

With the ever changing world of electronic music, from it’s production, to it’s distribution, to the club and festival mediums it’s heard in, we’ve taken some time with Alex Smoke to grab his thoughts on the status quo of digital life.

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Kn:  The sound you’ve focused on of late is definitely pushing things in a more challenging direction, as opposed to some of your peers, more so than ever after the Lux release.  A natural progression you’ve been conscientious of?

AS:  I think it’s down to your approach to music, whether it’s something that you do for a living or whether it’s something you do because you feel you have something to express.  So for me it’s just a question of pushing at the boundaries of my own musical interests and moving forward.  For others, particularly in a shrinking music market, it’s about consolidating your career and maintaining a particular musical style.  I understand both points of view, but I care much more about music than money.  I’m maybe also a little restless, and the idea of making just the one style of music ad nauseam would kill me.

Kn:  There’s a lot of music out there at the moment, some great, but the majority could be categorised as an ‘electronic faux pas’.  It’s been a while since the introduction of Beatport and it’s brought a lot of quality music to the world that otherwise would have been missed.  However, do you think the online electronic vicissitude of recent years should have proceeded differently?

AS:  Ultimately I think these things simply develop the way they can, organically and as influenced by the market and the technology at the time.  I love physical music formats because of how we interact with them, but I don’t have anything against digital distribution and all its associated repercussions.  The digital music world has led to a massive increase in people making music and people having a much wider knowledge which is why I think we now have so much music blurring the boundaries of disparate styles.  People are downloading dubstep and jazz and afro-beat and techno and then making music which contains elements of all of them.  This is exciting.  It all comes down to artistic integrity and talent, and if you have these I think you can still make an impact, but you have to be prepared to fall in and out of fashion as you make your way because the media and the public are not so patient in following one career amongst so many other new ones.

Kn:  On a similar note, there’s a strong global sentiment that retail DJ charts and the like often harbour a clique culture….?

AS:  Ultimately it is a clique culture I guess, but I think DJ charts have probably always expressed the DJ’s personal relationships with labels and artists.  In the case of Beatport charts, I don’t entirely see the point as by its nature it is limiting you to tracks on Beatport, and that cuts out about 80% of new music, particularly in other genres than just straight dance floor stuff.  There are still DJ charts out there that are informative and illuminating, but you have to track down the individuals whose charts aren’t just a list of the 10 best promos of the month and their own releases.

Kn:  Anyone with a laptop and pirated software can contribute to the world of electronic music production which has changed so much in the past 10 years.  The debate of analogue/outboard gear as opposed to the exclusively digital approach has been thrown around more times than we’ve both taken breaths.  How have you adjusted over the years and where are you now?

AS:  Electronic music as far as I’m concerned is an expression of whatever technology is around, so really I’m open to everything on an equal footing.  I’m no analogue purist, that’s for sure, and I suspect that most people ultimately feel pretty similar.  It’s all about ideas and whether you make hip hop on fruity loops with tracks you got off bit torrent, or techno with a studio full of analogue modulars, most people listening won’t give a shit if it sounds good.  Technology allows us to push forward and do new things which is important in electronic music I think so I wouldn’t want to limit  myself by only using equipment that’s 20 years old.

Kn:  There is a growing trend of digital retailers inflating costs of songs, especially high quality versions such as .Wav and .Flac files.  In some cases, these come in at half the price of a Vinyl for a single track.  How do you feel about this new music commerce?

AS:  Utter, utter bollocks.  The reason vinyl was and is expensive, is that it’s fucking expensive to make and distribute.  Once you take that out of the equation, then the cost should reflect that.  The artist will benefit very little from vastly inflated format prices, and really I think it’s just profiteering on the part of certain online retailers.  All music should really be sold as WAV/FLAC now that storage costs are so low.  MP3 was created to solve a problem that largely doesn’t exist now so I think we should start to be more vocal about demanding full quality music.

Kn:  Do you think this has had a negative impact on the volume of sales, pushing more consumers to find an alternate, albeit more affordable medium to access their music?  And, going one step further, if you were to set up a digital shop yourself how would you do things differently to attract more sales; would you set a lower price point (mp3 320 kbps vs high-quality Wav/Flac), or focus on ‘added value’ items such as gig tickets, merchandise, composition stems and exclusives?

AS:  All music now should be full quality, although if people still demand small downloads then distributors will ask for it and shops will provide it.  At the least, you should be able to get access to both for the one price.  I think it’s more interesting to provide extras, but it takes imagination to implement it.  Good music won’t need extras anyway.

Kn:  This leads us to the question of direct artist to consumer exposure where online music retailers are bypassed.  What are your thoughts on that and do you see it as a viable solution for artists/labels at all levels?

AS:  It’s a very viable option, especially for labels, where the label’s job is to sell the product.  For artists, it’s much less appealing, certainly for me.  I don’t want to have to spend more of my time fucking about online when I should be making music, so I’d always want someone else to handle selling it for me.

Kn:  You’re playing a club gig in Brisbane for the Auditree crew at an intimate venue, which is lining up to be a killer show.  Club culture has taken a big hit in Australia which can mainly be attributed to the over saturation of music festivals.  Is it a feeling you’ve picked up on elsewhere; if so, do you see it declining?

AS:  Festivals in Europe have also blown up over the last few years, but many have also gone bust more recently due to over-saturation.  A club is not a festival and as long as it can accent the difference and make it appealing, club culture will be fine.  Personally I like both things, but if I really want to get the full music experience I go to a club.  At a festival it’s more dilute, although the distractions are fun.  There’s also the fact of attracting musicians and festivals can pay more so if Australians want to continue seeing good acts, then support them at clubs when they’re in town.  I’m not being entirely self-serving when I say that! It’s just that having a healthy club scene in a town is part of what makes it alive.

Kn:  Anything else you’d like to add, Alex?  Any thoughts on your own direction and the ever changing world of electronic music?

AS:  I like to take the long view.  If you get too caught up in the ephemera of any current situation, you lose sight of the general lay of the land.  The best thing anyone can do is to stay open-minded and inquisitive.  There’s too much analysis and too much looking backwards.  Personally, I’m going to make weird pop music, bang out straight techno and compose modern classical and see what happens.

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Many thanks to Alex for putting the time aside for us.  Full respect.  You’ll be able to catch Alex Smoke at Barsoma, Saturday August 20, which will be run by Brisbane’s Auditree crew.

Support Alex by sharing this article and following the links below:

Buy his new music from What People Play

Alex’s Label: Hum + Haw

Follow him on Twitter

Link up on Soundcloud

And if you still use Myspace…

Joris Voorn Interview – Balance 14 Tour – Brisbane 2009

After the success of Voorn’s Easter Saturday appearance in 2008, Logic & Kana were quick to get the Brisbane leg of the Balance 14 tour nailed down and after a heavy dose of everything from disco, house and tech from Mike Redfern, bpm, Elliot Clarke and Fuzion, Voorn’s return appearance was set for something fairly monster.  Kicking things off with some of the quality deeper music he’s been throwing around for sometime the afternoon dynamics shifted seamlessly in to the darkness of sunset.

Three hours later we were left floorless.  The comments being thrown around and the intensity of the party rattled from one wall to the other, long after we left the venue.  There’s no doubt in our minds it was one of the best parties we’ve all been a part of so a huge thanks to Joris and most of all those who turned up!

Post-Party, Joris was kind enough to have a few words with Kris Swales, chief editor for Time Off, and we’ve attached it to the footage from the event.  Australia’s Techno and House scene definitely has something to be proud of and it’s only getting better.

See you all at the next party – thanks and all the best

Kana