jay haze vs me part ii
12:30 PM
jay was piping off on the ra forum; i tweeted he was a div - maybe i shouldn't have, but - and then he unleashed himself on me (which means he's still searching for himself on twitter). funny and ironic in equal measure. these are the youtube links if you're interested 1, 2.
chillwave
3:26 PM
this is outside the usual remit for this blog, but there are only two types of music, right? good and bad? i like this chillwave stuff so here comes the feature i did on the nascent scene for the july issue of djmag
Don’t let the name put you off. Chillwave may sound like a naff Hollyoaks Balearic rip-off, but the music which belongs to the only semi-recently named genre is anything but. Rather it’s a half remembered flashback to childhood, when summer days and blazing sun were endless; when you lazed about on scorched grass making daisy chains and chasing butterflies, all the while soaked in a hazy yellow-orange hue as captured through a plastic snapshot camera from the 80s. Sure, unless you’re Kevin from the Wonder Years, your childhood was probably far from that idyll. But so evocative and almost painfully nostalgic is Chillwave that it makes you remember such scenes, whether you lived them or not.
To trace the genre’s history takes you back to summer 2009 when early tracks by Toro Y Moi and Washed Out popped up, and spread, on the blogosphere, whilst to search for its influences may be to extrapolate it from 60’s psyche rock/pop/folk or to draw parallels with sunshine and synth sodden hits by the Beach Boys. More contemporary analogies are harder to draw, but imagine if lo-fi pop principal Jim Noir grew up in California instead of on an estate in Manchester; or imagine an absolute antithesis to the Ritalin generation’s fluoro, nu-rave revolution of a few years ago and you’ll be in the right ballpark. So, whilst most derivative new dance genres stem largely from the worlds of house or techno, Chillwave is different.
What’s more, rather than being born from one community of musicians working, jamming, theorising together, Chillwave is a product of Web2.0 – it’s a genre of dislocated artists (variously from New Jersey, California, San Francisco) all brought together by, and on, the blogosphere last summer, with no major label or discernable PR involvement at all. Characterised by washing synths, plenty of echo, woozy, nostalgic lyrics and a glistening, sun-reflecting-on-sea texture, Chillwave is gorgeously hazy pop pushed through a psychedelic filter.
Two of the leading proponents of these recession era, DIY sounds, Chaz Bundick and Ernest Green (aka the aforementioned Toro Y Moi and Washed Out respectively) are friends from Columbia, South Carolina and their music shares a beachy, breezy air as a result.
“It wasn’t a conscious thing we were doing, we didn’t aim to set out and make this sort of music. It just happened. The Chillwave tag is a running joke between me and Chaz; it just appeared on the internet. I prefer to call it dream pop, but whatever” Ernest tells us with a wry smile.
“For sure we share the same influences – old shoegaze, synth pop, Beach Boys – but Chaz is more instruments based where I'm more electronic. I don’t try to write songs about this time or that, this emotion or the other, I just sit down and get into it. I don’t even listen to dance music so feel a bit of a fraud making these dance-y beats, but that’s what it’s all about – just going with the music and totally getting lost.”
Meanwhile, 24 year old Toro Y Moi whose debut LP ‘Causers Of This’ came out in March and who listens to everything from French house and J Dilla to freak-folk, is a restless singer songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist design graduate.
“I started out doing guitar and piano based stuff, then went on to laptops in 2005 because already I didn’t want the Toro Y Moi sound being fitted into one style. I didn’t want people to get too familiar and for them to think Toro Y Moi is an electronic musician then for them to be surprised when I do something else, so I mix it up. I'm more interested in the end sound than how I record it. If that sound is 'Chillwave' then I'm cool with that. I see how people relate the name to the music.”
Coming at it from a different side - both metaphorically and literally - is Brit Richard Norris (aka one half of Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve with Erol Alkan, sometime producer of Joe Strummer from the Clash, ex-NME journalist and The Grid member). His roots as a label manager for the British psychedelic record label, Bam Caruso, back in the 80s releasing oft unheard of bands mean his sounds are firmly rooted in rock.
“I’d been working with Erol and playing him some of the old stuff I used to release on Bam, he got really excited about them so I made him some mix tapes and it re-ignited my passion for that sort of music. I find I quite amusing being lumped into a genre but my sound is certainly more psychedelic than most Chillwave artists” Norris tells us indifferently.
“People attach the tag to my ‘Children of the Sun’ track [from March’s eponymous The Time & Space Machine LP] which I recorded as the psychedelic record I always threatened to - but never did - make. There’s a breezy, 60s California sound to it but other Chillwave artists uses modern, digital synths and sounds where I use mellotrons and organs. There’s been an influx of colour/psychedelica since the black and white sounds of The Strokes as well as a mini Balearic resurgence everywhere from Ibiza to Germany and I think it’s those things which have lead to this more chilled and blissed-out music.“
Of course, as the genre spreads to the outside world; as the wheels of commercialism turn and the imitators jump on board, Chillwave’s innocent bedroom aesthetics will be lost. But that’s not a problem for the genre’s pioneers who have already begun to evolve their sound.
“It’s crazy. I’ve never played live before and now I'm on tour playing these songs I made in a bedroom at my parents' house" excites Ernest. "I’d never written songs knowing people would be listening and suddenly there was all this pressure and expectation. I decided for the live shows I needed to fatten-out the bottom ends so people could get into it more, otherwise I think it would have been boring. It’s more dance-y now, a bit more hip hop, but it still sounds like Washed Out."
Whilst Chaz, too, is forging ahead and aims to release his second full length of 2010 later this year.
“The second album I'm really trying to get out but it’s a challenge with all the touring. It’s gunna be a totally different vibe with more traditional instruments. There won’t be a lot of laptop or computer stuff. It’s going to be more organic” he tells us.
A new single from that album, ‘Leave Everywhere’ shows the Columbia kid has widened his remit, layering instrumentals beneath his reverb shrouded, still sweet vocals and, in the process, ensures Chillwave is maturing into something with a real potential to last.
Whether it turns out to be a passing ripple or of the all consuming Tsunami-type only time will tell. But for this year at least, Chillwave is the sound of summer.
To trace the genre’s history takes you back to summer 2009 when early tracks by Toro Y Moi and Washed Out popped up, and spread, on the blogosphere, whilst to search for its influences may be to extrapolate it from 60’s psyche rock/pop/folk or to draw parallels with sunshine and synth sodden hits by the Beach Boys. More contemporary analogies are harder to draw, but imagine if lo-fi pop principal Jim Noir grew up in California instead of on an estate in Manchester; or imagine an absolute antithesis to the Ritalin generation’s fluoro, nu-rave revolution of a few years ago and you’ll be in the right ballpark. So, whilst most derivative new dance genres stem largely from the worlds of house or techno, Chillwave is different.
What’s more, rather than being born from one community of musicians working, jamming, theorising together, Chillwave is a product of Web2.0 – it’s a genre of dislocated artists (variously from New Jersey, California, San Francisco) all brought together by, and on, the blogosphere last summer, with no major label or discernable PR involvement at all. Characterised by washing synths, plenty of echo, woozy, nostalgic lyrics and a glistening, sun-reflecting-on-sea texture, Chillwave is gorgeously hazy pop pushed through a psychedelic filter.
Two of the leading proponents of these recession era, DIY sounds, Chaz Bundick and Ernest Green (aka the aforementioned Toro Y Moi and Washed Out respectively) are friends from Columbia, South Carolina and their music shares a beachy, breezy air as a result.
“It wasn’t a conscious thing we were doing, we didn’t aim to set out and make this sort of music. It just happened. The Chillwave tag is a running joke between me and Chaz; it just appeared on the internet. I prefer to call it dream pop, but whatever” Ernest tells us with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, 24 year old Toro Y Moi whose debut LP ‘Causers Of This’ came out in March and who listens to everything from French house and J Dilla to freak-folk, is a restless singer songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist design graduate.
“I started out doing guitar and piano based stuff, then went on to laptops in 2005 because already I didn’t want the Toro Y Moi sound being fitted into one style. I didn’t want people to get too familiar and for them to think Toro Y Moi is an electronic musician then for them to be surprised when I do something else, so I mix it up. I'm more interested in the end sound than how I record it. If that sound is 'Chillwave' then I'm cool with that. I see how people relate the name to the music.”
Coming at it from a different side - both metaphorically and literally - is Brit Richard Norris (aka one half of Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve with Erol Alkan, sometime producer of Joe Strummer from the Clash, ex-NME journalist and The Grid member). His roots as a label manager for the British psychedelic record label, Bam Caruso, back in the 80s releasing oft unheard of bands mean his sounds are firmly rooted in rock.
“I’d been working with Erol and playing him some of the old stuff I used to release on Bam, he got really excited about them so I made him some mix tapes and it re-ignited my passion for that sort of music. I find I quite amusing being lumped into a genre but my sound is certainly more psychedelic than most Chillwave artists” Norris tells us indifferently.
“People attach the tag to my ‘Children of the Sun’ track [from March’s eponymous The Time & Space Machine LP] which I recorded as the psychedelic record I always threatened to - but never did - make. There’s a breezy, 60s California sound to it but other Chillwave artists uses modern, digital synths and sounds where I use mellotrons and organs. There’s been an influx of colour/psychedelica since the black and white sounds of The Strokes as well as a mini Balearic resurgence everywhere from Ibiza to Germany and I think it’s those things which have lead to this more chilled and blissed-out music.“
Of course, as the genre spreads to the outside world; as the wheels of commercialism turn and the imitators jump on board, Chillwave’s innocent bedroom aesthetics will be lost. But that’s not a problem for the genre’s pioneers who have already begun to evolve their sound.
“It’s crazy. I’ve never played live before and now I'm on tour playing these songs I made in a bedroom at my parents' house" excites Ernest. "I’d never written songs knowing people would be listening and suddenly there was all this pressure and expectation. I decided for the live shows I needed to fatten-out the bottom ends so people could get into it more, otherwise I think it would have been boring. It’s more dance-y now, a bit more hip hop, but it still sounds like Washed Out."
Whilst Chaz, too, is forging ahead and aims to release his second full length of 2010 later this year.
“The second album I'm really trying to get out but it’s a challenge with all the touring. It’s gunna be a totally different vibe with more traditional instruments. There won’t be a lot of laptop or computer stuff. It’s going to be more organic” he tells us.
A new single from that album, ‘Leave Everywhere’ shows the Columbia kid has widened his remit, layering instrumentals beneath his reverb shrouded, still sweet vocals and, in the process, ensures Chillwave is maturing into something with a real potential to last.
Whether it turns out to be a passing ripple or of the all consuming Tsunami-type only time will tell. But for this year at least, Chillwave is the sound of summer.
deniz kurtel ~ interview
9:41 AM
and that's how i first came across the turkish producer who i now know to be a close friend of the w&l guys; part of the crosstown rebels team, and an led light artist. i wanted to know more, so here it is...
how is the tour going? what's it like working with damian and the others?
it's going great, the last part of the us tour was the get lost party this past weekend at the wmc, which was a huge success. it will continue in europe till the end of june. it's been amazing working with damian and everyone involved in the tour so far, it's my first touring experience and i'm happy that i'm not doing it alone.. damian and jamie have been at all the shows with me and have been super cool and supportive the whole time.
how do you like touring and being away from home? doesn’t it limit creativity and time you can spend on writing music?
i've had a few weeks off during this tour so i've been able to make some music but a lot of my friends play every weekend and even a lot of week days and i can see how distracting that could be. but at the same time, i have learned a lot from playing my music and seeing how things work with the crowd and also how things sound on bigger sound systems. also, it can be very inspiring hearing different music from other djs and producers, so it can be limiting in a way but also expanding and feeding creativity in other ways..
how does it compare to the w+l stable? why has that been such an important group of people for you?
well, w+l and crosstown have a lot of common artists now and it all feels like one big family really, but i have known gadi and zev for the longest time and i've been spending pretty much all of my time with gadi since we've been living together at the marcy and also no regular play, who live upstairs, and zev, until he moved to india a few months ago (he just got back to ny).
ever since gadi and zev and i met about 5 years ago, we've been living, traveling, partying, working on projects together, supporting each other. over the last year or two, we started opening up to the outside world a bit more and pursuing our own independent projects as part of our growth, and crosstown is a big part of that process for me. damian has a lot of experience, wisdom and resources in this industry and it's great having this kind of support at the beginning of my musical career. i'm very happy to be part of both families.
and how important are the burning man festivals for you both musically, artistically and on a more personal level? i hear from seth they are life changing experiences...
i've been going to burningman the past 5 years and each year feels like the new year for us, a really magical and freeing experience each time.. it has had an amazing impact on me both artistically and on a personal level, definitely has opened my heart and mind a lot.
so what music did you grow up round? do you still listen to it now and/or does it still influence you?
a lot of disco when i was little, and some pop and electro growing up. hard to tell what influences me right now, i'm sure everything does!
and who/what (if different to the above) got you into electronic music?
just being around music, and friends who dj and and make music...
fables & fairytales is a modern classic - i don’t know anyone who disagrees - where did the inspiration and influences comes from for that? it's a very thick, textured record and i think that’s why it stands out - quite druggy, too...
well, it's a remix of an amazing track by n/a, and i used a lot of their sounds, just simplified it a little. i was inspired by the original!
is it representative of your forthcoming album at all? can you tell us what it will sound like, where the ideas for it have come from?
it's hard to describe an overall style for the album. i can say it has some electro/house and some breakbeat elements.
and how and where have you/will you record it?
the album is pretty much finished. if everything goes as planned, it should be out sometime late summer/early fall.
how will you know when it is done, what will make you sit back and think ‘ok, this is finished, let’s release it?’
well, as soon as all the tracks feel right, which they do.. i'm not concerned with having an overall style, it just shows my musical journey over the past year.
there’s a lot of emotion in your music, real hair-standing-on-end stuff - where does that come from and is it a conscious thing?
i am a pretty emotional person so i guess it comes naturally..
i understand you don't dj but play live - can you explain a bit for us?
well, i just started making music about 1.5 years ago, and had no dj'ing background. i don't know how to dj, so playing live is just a way for me to share my music for now.
and you have your light installations at your shows too, right? do you control those as well as the music?
i program them ahead of time and they also respond to my music.
what do you want them to add to the music/experience of seeing you live? will you take the light show to parklife, manchester in the uk?
i was working with leds before i started making music, so it just shows my other art besides my music. i'm taking it to fabric on may 22nd, but not to manchaster unfortunately...
so when you’re working on one of your led projects…what’s the aim? are you reflecting moods and emotions just the same as when making music? is the creative process in anyway similar?
i'm sure my moods and emotions come through in all my projects beyond my control, but the creative process is quite different. there is a lot of pre planning and calculation that goes into the led projects. with music, i don't really plan to make a certain type of track, i just sit down to make music and whatever comes out comes out.
are you someone who dances in clubs a lot? do you think that’s important to understand what works or are you more into just making music you feel, rather than music you feel will excite someone else?
yeah i definitely dance a lot! it's so natural to me, i don't really think about it, just like the way i make music..
so who or what makes you happy? why?
my family, good music, nature
and who or what makes you sad? why?
seeing someone sad, also when i feel unproductive
and how would a friend describe you/your personality?
maybe shy, funny, a bit weird..
what does the rest of 2010 hold in store?
europe tour till july, hopefully the release of my album sometime late summer.. also some new art projects.
can't tell what might happen after the summer yet..
and, finally, my girlfriend likes me to ask, what is your favourite colour?
can't say i have a favorite color, depends on where it's being used...
smooth operator - seth troxler
5:53 PM
ok, it's been a while since the last post on teshno (life kinda gets in the way, you know) but i'm back. in the coming weeks i have a deniz kurtel interview for you but, in the meantime, enjoy (hopefully) this feature i wrote on seth.
it was originally published in last month's dj mag but i reproduce it here, in full, so more people get to see it. (incidentally, it was published with the same images, too, which i assume gave the piece its title in the mag. they are now part of my private collection.)
“i’m a bit of a blond i guess. i try to just take life as it is, kind of imagine the hype’s not there” says seth. “i don’t like the outside drama of it all.” whether he wants to acknowledge it or not, it’s there and, despite not fuelling his own fire as avidly as do others, it’s unlikely to go away anytime soon. especially, that is, if boogybytes volume 5 is any sort of barometer.
troxler’s first commercially released mix cd is a deft and vivid mix during which every track paints a real picture. so much so, in fact, that each record has so much to say for itself that it would almost sound as good on its own; out of context, and that’s not often something you can say of most compilations during which many soulless, sound-a-like tracks just get lost in the mire; fade into the mix.
starting with a critique of cod-shit club-chat, boogybytes 5 plots a journey through loose, cosmic vibes from luciano; timeless 4/4 shuffles from baeke; some excellent druggy tech from newcomer deniz kurtel and the trippy, heavy, minimal of matthew dear as jabberjaw, before finishing up with nicolas jaar - one of 2010’s hottest prospects - and his dreamy, afterhours house masterpiece ‘time for us.’ the mix peaks, however, with troxler’s own clever remix of fever ray’s introverted ‘seven’. it’s a dark and brooding track which subtly extrapolates the menacing foundations of the original, and is evidence of how troxler is someone who aims to create a feeling both with his productions, and his dj sets.
“when i was asked to bring the mix together i had a busted set up so ellen sent me her turntables. i think how [a mix is recorded] is a cool question but, in my mind, why is more the idea behind it. so, i took tracks that i really enjoyed at the time, sat around at home and tried to get a vibe. the music on the mix is not really the music being played in berlin now per say, but it’s very much the attitude that bpitch idealizes and a representation of my own feeling toward the city”seth explains. “it’s a fun place and i think in many ways it represents a part of me and how i play, and more so what i enjoy.”
if you’ve come across the kid from kalamazoo (the largest city in south west michigan) at all in recent months, it’s likely you’ll think that what he enjoys is partying: in successfully cultivating a moustachioed, drunken and womanizing persona – both through his music and in real life - and in often being labelled an amateur raver turned pro, seth troxler has become something of a pin-up; a cult underground figure who apparently prises jokes over all else. but, if you believe that, you’d be wrong. for one thing, the raver turned pro tale which precedes him is rather more idealistic than the truth.
“in reality i didn’t really get into raving ‘till i moved to lake orion, the suburb of detroit i grew up in. i was 14, it was 2000, and my mom just got married. i really was a bit clueless, but i met some kids who lived near me and they invited me to go to this party in the city. so we go. it’s like robert hood and adam x playing i think, so totally old warehouse and i was like ‘ohhh, this is a rave.’ i was into the music, but at the time, i had never related to it in that context.
“it was super funny because matthew dear was from the same suburb and this kid i was hanging with, little pat, had an older brother who used to go raving with matt. we stole the flyer for that warehouse party from his room, and then went along: that’s how we started our little rave crew. from then on, we drove to this city every weekend and straight away i asked for turntables for my 15th birthday. i got some along with loads of records from my step dad, and then a sort of tragedy happened...”
“my friends and i wanted to make a party. we got out my records and turntables, put them outside my house in the garden, and then went to get some food. on the way back for eating we saw all these fire trucks and i made a joke, ‘ha ha, i hope my house didn’t burn down.’ sure as shit it did.”
“so, i just moved to this new city and, within a few months, my house burned down and all i was left with was turntables and records. all my stuff from my whole life was gone... all my toys; my entire child hood. so, with just my records left, i took it as like a sign from god. i was like ‘wow, so weird, i guess this is what i need to be doing.’”
after that, young seth spent hours a day playing records. records from his father – “old dance mania stuff, black nation records, some electro” he tells us - and then he started journeying to detroit in pursuit of the ben simms, frankie bones and acid records he was hearing at raves during the time. these early musical pilgrimages shaped troxler’s musical make-up (along with, he says, “r&b and jazz which i really liked as a child, and which appealed to my softer side – it’s where my melody comes from”) and of sorts were mirrored in 2008 when the then 22 year old again chased the eye of techno’s storm, and moved to berlin along with detroit friends and fellow djs ryan crosson and lee curtiss.
“i think my tastes now are determined by my experiences, experiences of buying from mike huckerby back in detroit at the melodies and memories record store [where he also worked alongside people like techno luminary theo parrish], my early love of perlon and classic records stuff but, mainly with my sets now, i want to paint a picture. i want to tell a story in the club: i’ve always looked for records that were unique and stood out not as some party jam, but as a party jam with something to say; a party jam that’s not so obvious.”
so whilst troxler looks for something beyond the obvious when filling his record bag, it’s also something he aims to achieve with his own productions: they go from trippy minimal monsters to elongated house workouts, but always come with humour in spades. it’s that which stand them apart from the slew of oh-so-serious techno everywhere else, and that which adds to the appeal of this seemingly misunderstood renegade.
“i don’t mind the reputation i have. obviously i party, but i have quite a lot of depth as a person - you catch me on a deep one and i’m talking about what is existence, consciousness, knowledge, space, midgets, and rainbows. i don’t just get on it all the time.
the partying you may see or hear about, then, is the end of a long process for troxler: it’s his reward to himself for having his life together. at just 24, he has successfully steered the underground house and techno scene towards a more explicit, colourful end a million miles away from the bleak and austere minimal landscapes of days gone by. his array of aliases and the fantastical corresponding back stories are fun concepts, and his twisted vocals (seth has most recently added his tongue to a forthcoming deetron single) are all part of “adding an extra dimension; a great quest to find out what it is to be human; how i can express that, and how i can help other people find or express who they are, and what it is to be alive” he says.
“i have targets in the sense that i want culture to progress, and i want this brand of music to both challenge and unify people. but, no matter what depth you go into with your ideas, i think people’s natural reaction to any music is fun, and that creates the level of enjoyment i aim for. fun has been, and always will be, at the heart of what i do.”
said fun which exudes from a troxler set or production is a result of the man investing a lot of himself into his work. he treats music as art - an expression of self - rather than as a business like too many of his peers who aimlessly churn out copies of what’s en vogue; copies of what will get them a hit. like any producer worth his salt, a troxler record is instantly recognisable as such: from the tortured vocals of ‘hurt’ with tiefschwartz, to the poetic beauty of ‘aphrika’ via the dark, atmospheric longing of ‘love never sleeps’ – these textured records ooze personality and come from someone whose mind brims with ideas, curiosity and a desire to push the envelope.
“i’m from an art school background and really believe in the idea of concept. that drives me, representing my concept of life and my general ideas on how i look at the world. i think when you create something as a whole. e.g. packaging, images, sounds etc. it should hit your mind on loads of different levels. i want you to have to look at all of these factors and then have your mind put it all together, like a challenge. i don’t want to just make a song with nothing behind the curtain. i want the music to be more cerebral, have an added dimension. that’s why i have so many aliases, so i can create whole characters and stories.”
in 2010 those characters will continue to evolve, as do seth’s ambitions. “right now, i’m working on a few new things. ryan crosson, lee curtiss, shaun reeves and i are going full-on with our visionquest project this year. we’re going to turn it into a really big live thing with visuals, with the idea being this extra added dimension to the music. also, i need to make an album. it took the last year to redesign my studio in berlin, so i have some new kit and now it’s just finding the time.”
whilst a whole lot of people hope he does, the things troxler occupies himself with in the meantime sound just as promising (“bill patrick and i are trying to make a new super dj tag team with our new genre ‘prog?’ it’s like old 90's tech house, that bit prog-y, lots of chords and some air, and it’s like ‘is this prog? i don’t know but i love it. let’s just feel good. let’s just dance.’ fuck this bongos shit; it’s time to make bad house disappear“) and ensure that those still wanting a piece of seth troxler will have plenty to go at, for a while to come.
interview ~ soul clap
11:11 AM
last year saw the rise of the w&l stable, a proliferation of sultry after-hours house, and a much needed injection of humour into the oh-so-serious world of underground electronica.
then, boston duo elyte and cnyce aka soul clap took things a step further: side jobs as corporate djs meant the pair had to play more accessible, well known music for the masses which, in turn, fed back into their 'proper' dj sets.
now, here they are, aligned with w&l and a bootleg friendly sub-label, w&l black, knocking out cheeky re-edits of everyone from r kelly to fleetwood mac to whitney houston and weaving them into sets of seductive house and techno with soul and funk. the result is a warmness in your heart, an itching in your feet, and a smile on your face. now, what can possibly be wrong with that?
(one more thing - snag yourself a free soul clap: it's a 3 tracker of rnb remixes they have done over the past year, and it gives you an apt intro to the playful pair. find it on the (excellent) soulclap website.)
tell us about your musical ship of dopeness? where does it come from, where is it going, what fuels it?
it’s actually a musical spaceship. it was made in china and it’s going to yo mama’s house. it runs on the power of schwartz. duh!
so, finally i can ask...what is e-funk? where did it come from, what influenced it, where's it going?
the best way to describe e-funk is to to imagine lee curtiss invited nate dogg and george clinton for a steam at the marcy hotel. it’s basically the next step in the tradition of funk, first there was p-funk, then there was g-funk, now there’s e-funk. can you dig?
is there are a special dance to accompany e-funk music? if not, would you like to set one for the record?
the most popular e-funk dance is the air-hump.
yeh. the first e-funk ep will probably be a collaboration between us and gadi mizrahi. he got the e-funk and so do lee curtiss & lee foss. dam-funk created an e-funk anthem with “searching for funk’s future”, but he don’t really know yet.
tell us about the edits and bootlegs you do, how do they come about - how do you know they won't sound cheesy/how do you pick your subjects? from fleetwood mac to r kelly (if that r kelly edit i’ve heard is yours) that's quite a range!
well as we’ve said before, it’s a matter of divine intervention, we don’t really pick them, they pick us. a lot of them are tracks we’ve loved for a long time and played a bunch so we know they work. about the r kelly one, it is ours and it’s forthcoming on our new w+l black ep, which continues on our current rnb theme.
you guys clearly know your apples and you’ve been schooled by various masters - maybe in monasteries high in the nepalese mountains, who knows? - how important is a sense of history for any dj/producer?
the most important!
i understand you used to do corporate gigs... that’s popular in the us isn't it? do you still do them? what are they like?
yeh, we’ve done a bunch of corporate gigs over the years and still do quite a few. it’s fun to play in unexpected places and we get great reactions, like dancing babies and old people doing the foxtrot. i don’t know if you can say it’s popular in the us, but we’ve found it’s a great way for clients to up their cool factor and for us to expose the music to an audience that would never hear it otherwise.
your sets and productions are playful, sexy, soulful house if you ask me... was that influenced by those corporate gigs at all? i imagine early underground resistance tracks wouldn’t have gone down well...
our sets now are a culmination of every gig we’ve ever done. since 1997 we’ve been playing all styles of music, it’s the only way to survive as a professional dj in boston. for a long time we tried to keep our pop and underground sides separate, but we’ve found that just being ourselves makes us better in both worlds. the bottom line is that we probably never would have started making edits if it wasn’t for the corporate gigs. love light & conscious were staples in our macy’s repertoire, long before they were released to the world.
just like the sun rotates in orbit, do you think house music goes in circles? why is that if so?
“come on, daddy don't you know that things go in cycles
the way that bobby brown is just ampin like michael
its all expected, things are for the lookin
if you got the money, soul clap’s for the booking”
you guys are all over the internet... what the fuck would we do if someone turned it off?
honestly even though our success has relied so much on skype and our blog, an analog vinyl utopia would probably be a better place to live. we’re tired of looking at screens.
what makes you happiest?
baileys on the rocks as well as…
cnyce: bunny rabbits.
e-heavy: a good book and a fireplace.
question from simon baker... how was leeds? i heard you didn’t want to leave.....!
people in leeds are a bunch of nutters, chris evers saved our lives and gav paul is the funniest man alive. more shout outs to the d.o.t.b. boys, foz and his bird ;), char and burnski, sascha, mikey and of course ste robets and vicki you poo heads.
check out some more tracks, cheeky edits and sets over on the soul clap soundcloud page.
detroit house and techno ~ the interviews
11:21 AM
something i wrote for idj mag in the uk - thought it worth sharing...
the intro...
the re-release of robert hood’s ‘minimal nation,’ and carl craig’s re-instatement as musical director of the demf, are momentous events, not far behind us. shadows of the first and second wave detroit forefathers, then, perennially loom large over the shoulders of any new motor city blood. whether that pressure is why techno headlines have come mainly from berlin in the last couple of years or not, is now irrelevant: detroit’s where it’s at in 2009.
few artists ever claimed to be minimal, the pre – sometimes mis – conceptions that went before it put many off, but now even less people are doing so. it seems that with the world’s economy as bleak as it is, austere soundscapes have become less inviting. people stopped having fun, forgot why we played this game, were taking it too seriously, and so there was bound to be a reaction as there was from hood in ‘93. the current crop of artists coming from d town (what? they actually call it that!) are that reaction. they represent a new, spirited digression from the underground’s previous position. the microscopic, cold, hollowed out backdrops of berlin are gone, and the rich, sexy, depths of detroit have arrived. house and techno got fun again.
these new sounds are coming from labels, as well as producers: as per the movements in the 80s and 90s, this third wave after atkins, may, saunderson, then mills, hawtin, craig (yikes), of motor city producers are being given a solid platform by a collection of concentrated detroit labels. and that’s all the more impressive in 2009 when many imprints are being consumed in the face of raging piracy, depleting vinyl sales and struggling distribution companies. but, in adverse times, techno fans are finding relief in the fresh, charismatic sounds and new thinking offered by the labels profiled here. there’s an endearing charm in the new wave and, as you’ll read, they range from well schooled heads that have gradually come to the fore, to breezy upstarts joining right atop the pile. it’s arguably that balance of old and new, seriousness and playfulness, which bring us back to techno’s homeland.
the advantages of living in detroit, and so of being submerged in its culture, its history, are obvious. but with ranks of dreamers and a quagmire of precedent to tread through, the city has its drawbacks, too. having struggled amongst what kris wadsworth calls “a city of haters,” the current few representing detroit are wrestling free from the shackles of history and having a little fun...
the artists...
seth troxler
the most celebrated of the new wave is not a geeky bedroom dj turned pro as are many, but is primarily a party animal and music lover. “when i moved to the detroit area, i started raving and never stopped. i still am a raver; i just do it professionally now” boasts troxler, and he’s not wrong. his ‘love never sleeps’ track was one of the most celebrated at this year’s wmc in miami, whilst his ability to string together a mix of rich house and techno has earned him sets everywhere from fabric in london, to movement festival in detroit: not bad for a 23 year old.ironically, he now resides in berlin after having lived in detroit between the ages of 14 and 21, a period in which he believes, “you really figure out who you are.” so, why move? well, because of the opportunities it presents. “this is berlin” he says “everyone’s around exchanging ideas. in detroit, conversations are based around history and ideas. everyone wants to change the world, but no one has the channels to do so - so they leave or just get stuck in life shit.”
he decided to leave, and in doing so left behind the close wolf + lamb community with which he had become synonymous. it’s a label which “is close to my heart: [label co-founders] zev and gadi really are family” says seth. that family, and the laid back ethos of the w+l hq where they smoke pot and watch tv, as well as make records and throw parties, is what has given troxler a confidence to always do his own thing, a place where fun has always been more important than anything else. “my music,” he affirms, “is me, my life, my experiences, my feeling, my thought of how i think people would like to experience music.” the result of that assured sense of self, reckons seth, is that “people think i’m an arrogant prick. i mean, i’m a prick, but i’m not arrogant.”
if you had tiefschwartz and matthew dear queuing up for collabs, fever ray allowing you to remix her (the results of which will rule floors for months to come, such is it diverse crossover appeal) and promoters like the warehouse project snapping up your services, though, you’d probably be a little cock sure, too, right? but what makes troxler according to troxler? “good parents, great friends, woman, acid, and just life yo” whilst he describes his sounds as coming from “listening to lots of indie rock, some jazz and soul, and the perverse sexuality and feminine touch i try to hide inside myself.”
if it weren’t for this artist pouring as much of his charismatic self into his music, we’d still be being presented with the ever more reductionist and sparse digital sounds of the naughties thus far. instead, heartless blips and drips void of personality have been replaced by the poetic beauty likes of ‘aphrika’ (with words from maya angelou's ‘phenomenal woman,’) the slightly unnerving, tumultuous world of ‘hurt’ and the hypnotic, trance-y grooves of productions like ‘doctor of romance.‘ and for that, seth troxler and his formative detroit years are at least in part to thank.
listen to: ‘aphrika’ [wolf + lamb]
find at: myspace.com/sethtroxler
lee curtiss
after a decade in the game, lee curtiss attributes his success to “having surrounded [myself] with good people, who make good music, and run good labels.” people like those in the wolf + lamb stable, without whom curtiss adds, “i don't know where i’d be... probably curing cancer or something.” but instead, after being prompted into a move from west michigan to detroit by matthew dear in 2000, he’s making music with funk, soul and an ability to get you shifting. “house is more fun, techno is more mental” says curtiss, “i don't think they could exist without one another, and i keep that in mind when producing.” also in mind when producing, is the music curtiss is listening to when in the studio: “i’ve been drawing inspiration from 80’s and 90’s music again, like inxs, hall and oates and the cure.” wherever his ideas come from, they are unpredictable, be they on w+l, esperanza, leftroom or om. they move forward always, implode or explode unexpectedly and, in their diversity, are microcosms of the one of his sets: “sometimes i’ll play disco, house, 80's pop and techno in one set. it's all about waiting for the right moment and building up to dropping the right tracks at the right time” states curtiss, rather belying most electronic musicians from detroit, whose sounds are normally from more complimentary sonic pools.
so, what role does the city in question have? curtiss explains, “living in detroit gave me a rich background of electronic music. carl craig, zip, villalobos, moodyman, and magda were playing regularly, but those days are over... most of the clubs and parties in detroit have shut down, changed their programming to commercial music or just plain vanished.” if that’s true, it makes it all the more impressive that curtiss has persisted, risen through the ranks and is now a shining light in what he claims is a fading city.
listen to: the mantra [cityfox]
find at: myspace.com/leecurtiss2
omar s
omar 'alex omar smith' s, is a law unto himself. as purely detroitian as the ford motor company he works for, his bravado and introspection make him an interesting, if not controversial, character. he recently mixed a fabric cd composed entirely of his own tracks, and told idj, he "did it for promotion, because i knew it would reach a lot of different people" and reach it did…in 2009 the fxhe boss has stormed into the conscious of many house and techno fans, not least in part because of ‘pyscotic photosynthesis,’ a track on that mix which smith reckons is one of the best of the last ten years, and he’s not far wrong. rising bass line leads off, then, during the ten beautiful minutes that follow, you are taken on a trip through the highs and lows of its intertwined rhythms. there are no brash breakdowns just shifting timbres, subtle undulations, and a reserved excellence from a man who cares little for anything outside his hometown.
smith’s raw, mechanical music with its old school synths and heady funk tease body and mind, and represent the past, present and future of detroit music.
listen to: psychotic photosynthesis [fxhe]
find at: omarsdetroit.us
luke hess
at the polar opposite end of the techno spectrum to the clunky machine music of, say, jeff mills, is next new wave proponent, 29 year old luke hess. notoriously a man of more considered religious belief than most, he tells idj that his smoky dub atmospheres come “from a combination of analogue machines and god’s creation.”from heads-down, pure detroit minimalism, to drifting synths and rippling chords, there’s a lot of thought goes into hess’ work to reach the emotional depths and heady intensities it does. hess offers that “the theme of the record [light in the dark] is the ultimate battle that every thinking person has to face at some point in his/her life. what is my purpose here on earth? the album is meant to shed some light on the subject. popular culture and science suggests that we are matter and that we have a consciousness, but when we die we rot and cease to exist. i believe there is much more to life.”
having released on detroit labels fxhe, d records and berretta music, what influence has his hometown had on him? “detroit was founded on sweat, blood, and tears” offers hess. “where there is spirit - there is liberty. and where there is liberty - there is no limit to what can be achieved...” apparently not.
listen to: ‘self control’ [echochord]
find at: myspace.com/hesslabs
kris wadsworth
whilst part of the new crop of detroit producers, you’d be excused thinking kris wadsworth had been around a lot longer. well he has, sort of, as he started producing at just 14 years old, but it’s the breadth of organic instrumentation he employs which hints at talent to belie a man of 24 years.from intricate percussive foregrounds, to the more consuming kicks and toms which roll in from below, wadsworth is confidently restrained in his approach. keys, sax, horns whatever... he’s happy for his productions to undulate and evolve naturally, weaving funky lines or stomping a heavy groove as they go, without pushing too hard.
each have a timeless quality in their referencing - from motown and james brown snippets, to motor city shuffle and jazzy undercurrents, it’s all in there. if garnier’s happy to put his name on the growing list of wadsworth fans, so should we be.
listen to: ‘mainline’ [hypercolour]
find at: myspace.com/thedepthsof
kyle hall
bizarrely, the youngest artist turning attention upon himself and his hometown is the one who draws most from what’s gone before, and who hints at the musical maturity of someone much older. cutting up soul, motown and rare funk with fxhe records and his own richly musical productions is what 18 year old kyle hall does when mixing, and is why his fans include omar s and patrice scott.when it comes to his productions, hall’s sounds are informed by - but not restricted to- the moods of forerunners like theo parrish and carl craig, but also draw on the raw, slumped hip-hop of dilla, and crackling jack of chicago house. the results of which are genuinely learned productions from someone, in the us at least, who’s not yet old enough to booze.
hall stands out in his disregard of the rules. whilst others use soul or funk inflections from a spread of genres in their productions, the framework often remains sternly house, or staunchly techno. this guy, though, imposes no such restraints on himself, and is as freeform as he likes, going where ever his preference takes him. and idj, for one, are happy to go with him.
listen to: the water is fine ep [moods & grooves]
find at: myspace.com/kylehalldetroit
patrice scott
patrice scott is by no means new to this. “i was drawn to electronic music back in the early eighties when i attended a party by a local detroit group called sharivari. another local dj group, direct drive, also played - from that point on i was hooked.” shortly after, he was brushing shoulders with artists from detroit’s first wave when the likes of troxler and hall were just knee high to a grasshopper. despite such early exposure to the detroit sound, this artist, unlike many of his peers, hasn’t restricted his a&r - curtailed his own influences - to the city’s outer walls. instead, both scott and sistrum draw on a world of sounds, past and present. they nod to many but bow to none, giving scott every chance of succeeding in his aim to “make timeless music that people can play years from now and that will still sound good.” lose yourself in one of his soul drenched, micro-evolving house textures, and we doubt you’ll disagree.
listen to: the evolution [sistrum]
find at: myspace.com/patricescott
intrusion
even if you’ve only tentatively peeked into one of techno’s dubbier pockets, you’re likely to have caught a glimpse of intrusion, for the busy man behind the moniker is stephen hitchell. one-half of echospace with rod modell and empathybox with josh werner, he’s also known as soultek for jazzier, faster techno, and runs a dub label, echospace [detroit], with modell. between deciding which of his productions will be attributed to which of his aliases, as intrusion, hitchell managed to create what was an early contender for ‘2009’s best album’ way back in january.his ‘seduction of silence’ effort is a dreamy, pulse slowing but trend setting offering as essential as was his last lp, echospace's 2007 oeuvre ‘the coldest season.’ ‘seduction of silence’ defies the usual techno blueprint by spurning crescendos, breakdowns and kicks, and instead spreading horizontally out wards, surreptitiously absorbing you from below. his tracks are surrounded by salt shaker hazes which soften the already round edged dub bumps below, all the while, sounds are melting together and minimal mutations are moving things on as your mind and body sink into the lush electronic depths.
comparisons to dub techno pioneers moritz von oswald and mark ernestus and their 90s basic channel work are unavoidable. but hitchell is enriching the arctic soundscapes of his forefathers with a calypso warmth, rhythmic playfulness and spiritual being. in doing so, he’s carving detroit its own special place in the hearts of many a dub techno fan.
listen to: ‘seduction of silence’ [echospace [detroit]]
find at: echospacedetroit.com
the labels...
wolf & lamb
set up “mostly out of necessity: we like to do what we want, when we want it” according to co-founder zev eisenberg, w+l’s playful music is unsurprising given their bachelor pad-like label hq. it’s home to detroit newbies lee curtiss, shaun reeves and ryan crosson who zev says are “an integral part of our family” and who have helped make w+l the hottest label of 2009.
find at: wolflambmusic.com
sistrum
detroit’s sistrum signs people from all over the world which “was not done intentionally,” says owner patrice scott, “it’s just the way things turned out. “ since 2006, the label has become synonymous with evocative deep house courtesy of releases from the likes of manuel tur, efdemin and giles smith, as well as the boss himself.
find at: sistrummusic.com
fxhe
run by omar s since 2003 and the home to releases from ryan elliot, seth troxler, redshape and more detroitians, fxhe was initially a very personal project. its independence has since waned due to - unsurprisingly for omar - frosty relations with distributors, and since the boss realised working with outlets like fabric and beatport has its merits. the quality remains, though.
find at: omarsdetroit.us
echospace
detroit’s answer to berlin’s lauded basic channel, releases from deep dons fit nicely into the echospace ethos. almost spiritual dub techno comes from rod modell (aka deepchord) and steve hitchell’s label which, they claim, is run ”for the love of it all.”
find at: echospacedetroit.com
spectral sound
spectral is the dance arm of ghostly international. “it is” says ryan elliot, “the dark horse younger brother who dates fast women and stays out too late.” the spectral sound is aimed squarely at the floor and comes from the likes of bodycode, audion and troxler.
find at: spectralsound.com
lee foss - interview...
11:10 AM
once again this teshno interview comes to you accompanied by a louche podcast (bundled content is all the range now don't you know) so why not stick it on before we delve into a session with one of 2009's underground stars.
you'd normally get a potted history of the interviewee now but, as his liquid, libidinous house and techno should already be playing in your ears, and as he has so kindly gone in to as much details as he has below, i shall cut the preamble short this time: introducing mr lee foss...
tell us...who is lee foss? where have you come from and where are you going?
hmm, i’m from dekalb illinois originally, lived in chicago for 10 years, except for a few seasons when i was in ibiza/london, then moved to los angeles a little less than 2 years ago. i’m probably going to be moving to london primarily but still spending a lot of time in la and ny in the new year, just had a difficult breakup from a long time girlfriend and need a change, and as jamie jones and i are starting a label and focusing on more hot natured stuff it makes sense.
if the aim of this interview is to introduce people to you, what should i be asking? what do people need to know about you? what makes you, you?
hmm i couldn’t say what people need to know about me, but i guess what makes me me is loving music and having a sense of urgency about doing something about it.
also, i love the wire.
what music did you grow up around and does that influence you now?
my parents listened to pretty standard white 60’s stuff mostly around the house. beatles, momma’s and the papas, jim croce, beach boys, stuff like that. as a child that is what i grew up around, i do remember really liking michael jackson songs that i heard. as soon as i was old enough to buy my own tapes and cds it was hip hop and r +b and new jack swing, and that was pretty much the only music i was into throughout the 90’s, daft punk and stardust and going to a few raves started getting me into house towards the end of the decade just before i moved to chicago. the house stuff got me into disco when record shopping as chicago is a great city for that.
i would say that my love of 90’s r&b and hip hop and new jack swing influences me more than anything else and is tied in closer to my ethos, though obviously 80’s funk and disco are a huge interest and influence as well.
you've done some edits and stuff for w&l's black label... what makes you want to play around with old stuff/samples?
i think there are a variety of factors, but i would say it’s largely because i was making music for years on my own in chicago in logic and not really getting very far, except for when i would do edits which i would send to my friends who were bigger djs and they would love. my experience and interest in 80’s funk and disco and 90’s r&b and hip hop were probably my strongest asset till i moved to la, started working on music full time and switched to ableton live which improved my workflow enough to become a competent producer quickly.
to tell you the truth it takes a long time to get the notes right as a producer. it’s trial and error for a long time and gradually you just start to do everything better, so for a long time samples were the best and only way for me to really start a track and not get bogged down. they sort of worked like sculpting around a mould, forcing me into a key, then from there the sample might not even end up in the track in the end but it would have helped shape the creative process, that happened in almost every song on my album.
you're close to jamie jones and work as hot natured together but individually your sounds are quite different i’d say... how does it work?
i think with the hot natured releases, they sound different from our individual tracks because we are sort of meeting in the middle of what we do. and also sometimes they are mini experiments, like let’s do a song like ‘a’. i can tell you this much, i’m really excited about some of our upcoming releases this winter.
it’s a cool working process, it’s nice because we respect one another’s opinions and always listen to what the other person has to say, and i have a very specific skill set that actually brings something to the table, because obviously jamie doesn’t need any help to write great records.
how does it work? we just sit down in long sessions and make music. sometimes we take breaks.
you also work with lee curtiss as freelance lovers. that’s a lovely name...tell us about that partnership? how is it different to your solo work and work with jamie?
we’ve finished a couple of really cool tracks but haven’t been around each other
enough to work in a long time, which is a shame as lee is a really good friend of mine and we work together really well. but we should have plenty of opportunity really soon and i’m excited about that, should be really fruitful.
how do you prioritise with all these different projects?
well the hot natured original productions only happen when jamie and i are in the same place, so until recently, only if he was visiting l.a. as i spend more and more time in london, the priority will increase. i would like to work with lee curtiss more but we just haven’t been in the same place at the same time enough, but again i think that will change in the new year. to answer the question the collaborations take priority when i’m with my friends but aren’t touched otherwise although i have worked on a few hot natured tracks on my own if the project was started but not finished.
you used to play r&b and hip hop i think... why the change of track? what do you make of the state of those genres in 2009? are there any lingering references in your work at the moment?
i was initially a house/techno/electro dj in chicago and was opening for big djs pretty quickly in that scene, but obviously there isn’t a ton of money in that, so as i transitioned to a full time dj, i started working w venues in other scenes playing old school hip hop and 80’s funk and disco, new wave etc. i went through a phase where i was getting back in to 90’s hip hop again 3-4 years ago and the parties were really fun. it was a skill set i already had, and i knew the music, it’s what i grew up on. i can tell you that a few years in chicago playing 3-4 nights a week, sometimes 20 hours a week will really make you a good dj. it also forced me to find a ton of music again and to learn more about those genres. specifically w r+b and hip hop, i didn’t purposefully stop playing them, they were making me a lot of money in chicago, i just never went out and made the connections in la to start playing them or working in those genres. i threw myself into building what we were building and those other genres were still influencing and informing my production so i didn’t feel like i was losing anything.
the state of hip hop in 2009 is a joke. yeah 90’s hip hop and r&b is in everything i do.
what's an average day/party with the wolf + lamb family like? they said on one of their podcasts they are 'obsessed' with you! sounds a lot of fun...
i couldn’t begin to explain the average marcy party here, but i love being in ny with those guys. gadi, zev, denise, greg, i consider them all really good friends even though i’ve only known them since march. it’s edifying that they are into what i do, because i’m definitely into what they do.
the average day usually involves biali’s at atlas in the morning, eating something else that is really ill, working on music, ordering rueben’s late night. walking around williamsburg. the average party is the best party in the world, can’t be described.
how does that help you musically or personally?
musically gadi has had really good feedback that has helped me, and playing the parties is definitely a great experience as a dj, i would say it has raised my profile in nyc. personally it’s helped me to have some great friends who are looking out for me in a really amazing city.
what rules/processes do you impose on yourself before, during and after writing music... what do you aim to achieve?
i wouldn’t say i impose any rules or processes on myself but i can tell you that there was a point this summer when i was writing the bulk of my album that i was obsessed with it and the work and it’s release to the point that it was instrumental in some irrevocable damage to my personal life.
i would say i have enough drive to do the work, and i don’t really need any processes, i generally have ideas. in my day to day life, or at parties, when i get new ideas i text them to myself and they usually work out. i work as much as i can but there are various factors that usually keep me from working excessively or even as much as i’d like. it’s one of those things the more you work/play keyboards, build/use your sample libraries the easier it gets to make music you are excited about.
i hope that music reaches people and that they enjoy it, my goal is just to continue to improve as a musician and to make music that i am proud of that others enjoy, for the first time in my life i can honestly say i consider myself a musician first, instead of a dj.
and how do you hope people will react to your music and is that important or do you have different goals?
i suppose the most important thing for me is that i’m happy with it, but yeah i care if people enjoy or react to it. i don’t really think of the music i make as club music though i’m sure some djs will play it, so i’m always immediately thinking of my music from a album/afterparty/car/home listening situation, and i want people to enjoy it and for it to affect them. that was what was so important to me when i was doing my album was creating a cohesive and emotive statement. i find it hard to believe anyone makes music only for themselves.
you started culprit records this year i think... what's the label's outlook, how is it going?
i would have to say it is droog’s label, though i do have quite a bit of input and influence on the direction, and a lot of the early output has/will centre around me/hot natured. i think the emphasis/outlook is on what has been going on in la and how the scene grew there and artists started to work in my/droog’s studio and the great music that was coming out of that and influenced by what was going on there.
i think it has been very successful for a new label, and i think it will really turn the corner w the release of hot natured equilibrium/wintertime a forthcoming ep that is garnering a lot of attention.
what brought about the move from chicago to la? you moved your whole studio didn't you? you must really have wanted to go - artists i’ve spoken to before from chicago says it's player hater central was that anything to do with it?
i think it can be hater central, but it wasn’t for me, i actually had tremendous success there and was making a ton of money djing locally and my ex girlfriend was making a ton of money as well, so we gave up a sure thing and it was hard to do. i basically saw an opportunity to build something in la with my friends that would be really special and it has been. they were bringing me out frequently to dj, and i saw the opportunity we had to throw some incredible parties and start a brand. i think had i stayed in chicago my career definitely wouldn’t have progressed the way it did, but i can say that giving up my life there was the hardest choice i ever made, and the struggle of being in la with virtually no income the last few years was more pressure than i would wish on anyone, but i’m proud of the results.
i can tell you for a fact i didn’t really want to leave chicago and i had as good a local career as you can probably have there, the problem is there is no real local scene or community to inspire you, build your profile, or help you connect to other artists. it will always be my home though and i love
to go back and play for spybar.
you've built your own scene in la with droog and the rest of your crew - what has it taught you, how does it influence you? was it very important to bring the party to you instead of go to the party in i.e. berlin or wherever?
that is actually a really good question and something that conflicts me heavily about my possible move to london. i have been proud of working with growing u.s. labels like culprit and wolf + lamb, and the idea of building something ourselves. it was very important to me that that was my path rather than going and riding coat tails in europe. for me i saw no point in sending my music to big labels and hoping to be a cog in a wheel on a machine where i have no say in the direction. my friends and i have enough good ideas to do things the right way from the ground up.
the scene in la influenced my life in more ways that i could begin to explain and definitely influenced my music.
can you tell us about your love of vests?!
ha i like tank tops. l.a. is hot.
tell us a bit about what people can expect from you at louche?
they can expect me to play songs beatmatched into each other and ‘mixed’ with eqs. probably about half of them will be songs i made. then get really off my head.
and finally can you leave me with a question for the next person i interview please?
what is the meaning of life?
