I think most of us can safely bet on the fact that our journey in electronic music, irrespective how it makes us feel now or how much it means to us after all these years, solidified around the likes of May and his conspirators. Tony Scott isn’t any different in that respect though his vision most certainly is. It’s perhaps those moments of purpose and impetus that curated and established the framework for his raids on CLR, Stroboscopic Artefakts and Ostgut Ton. As the year is drawing to a close things don’t seem to be receding and you should be able to throw Prologue amongst those alongside the likes of Lucy, Silent Servant & Markus Suckut.
This week isn’t business as usual for us. It’s been a hectic week of news content and we’re pretty excited about some of the stuff leading up into the Australian summer. This addition to the broadcast series reconfigures it and sets a precedent. Edit Select plays Kn. 037 – heavily medicated electronica is a consistent theme.
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Kn: Tony, Glasgow is your home base and you share it predominately with a lot of guys in the techno game. What kicked things off for you back in the early nineties and what keeps you there? Tell us a bit about your early life.
ES: In the early 90’s I was going to the Sub club on a Saturday night and the guys were playing house. Although it was fun, I felt I needed a fix of something else – then along came Derrick May and a Mr Andrew Weatherall. This was Techno! I was blown away… I started my new life. As many people have said before, Techno is a lifestyle that you never can change. Once you’re hooked, it’s there for good.
Kn: If we were to grab a couple of records that catalysed your commitment to the path you’ve danced down, say Todd Terry’s “Black Riot” and Richie Rich’s “Salsa House”, what music out there at the moment is close to doing the same thing? Do you throw on the headphones and listen to something vastly alternative to techno or?
ES: Yes those records were very influential to me and for some reason Richie Rich’s ‘Salsa House’ grabbed me and took me somewhere else. Escapism from the norm is what I wanted.
In the early days I used to hang about Rubadub records all the time and there was a real feeling of excitement when a new batch of records were being delivered to the shop, it’s still the same buzz today when I receive a great track via the Internet. In comparison to those early tracks I think labels like Prologue, Mote Evolver, Ostgut Ton, Avn, Edlx are a few who’s output I always trust and I get the same feeling from there tracks as I did from day one.
Kn: Leading up to a busy period in Europe and no doubt your schedule, how do you manage the little time you’ve got? Do you step away from the studio, end up sleeping in it or find a balance? Does it change if you’re working with somebody?
ES: When I’m on the road DJ’ng there’s more of a sense of purpose to my life, I mean for me it comes in waves so I have free time, I’m not in the studio all the time. Work wise I prefer to sketch an idea and maybe take it to a friend and mess about with it a little, wait and see if it sounds good the next day and then decide what to do with it. Like if you have a great idea and you get stuck its better for me to send the parts to someone else I trust musically and do a Collab. It’s exciting waiting for their take on it to return.
Skype is also a great way to work on music with someone – throwing around ideas while a track is being made live whilst everyone has a different outlook on how things sound so you have to step back a little from your own vision and just make sure the outcome is to both tastes.
Kn: If we were to connect a line in the sand from working with others to how you approach running your label, is there a consistent vision that’s always being employed? Has it always been the same?
ES: The label has always had the same ethos as the music I play – no nonsense Techno. I’m not one for putting too much into a track if it doesn’t need it so the label has always had that vision though maybe a little blinkered but if I like something I’ll put it out.
Kn: Just looking behind the scenes a little, as not everyone operates in a similar fashion, but can you give us a brief run down on how you work the label from having some release worthy material in hand to getting it out there to retailers and the public?
ES: I always start in a similar fashion if someone sends me track, or if I make it, and I think is worthy, I send it to a couple of trusted friends and get their opinion and then the whole process starts, although at the moment vinyl plants are working to capacity so it’s been difficult to time things from the promo to vinyl stage. Most annoying, as timing is everything. Once you have a track it’s not the same, your looking for the next one right away.
Kn: It’s been a big year already and we’re not done. Any boxes you’ve ticked for 2012 already and anything left we should know about? Tours, releases, personal commitments?
ES: I’ve ticked a lot of boxes this year so maybe getting the label back is the most enjoyable one. I’m still working on new ideas with other people like Jonas Kopp, Markus Suckut & Dadub so I have a few things up my sleeve but I still have a lot to do. I’m hoping to finish an EP for Prologue. It’s a CD for the Japanese market which is like a best of Edit Select with new takes on older tracks and remixes with artists like Silent Servant, Lucy, & Markus Suckut involved. Tour wise, watch this space!