hit play on that video and let me introduce you to someone who's been pricking my ears... at 25 years old, düsseldorf born alex niggemann is a pretty young man in the generally mature world of electronic music. unlike pop or indie, where you have teenage upstarts like arctic monkeys [literally] topping the cool list, dance culture seems to prefer its artists to really earn their stripes. there's none more canonized than old masters like the belleville three, whereas the same certainly isn't true in other genres: would anyone really protest if i said that no one gives a fuck about paul mccartney or u2 nowadays? i doubt it.
so, for alex to have fans like thomas schumacher (who he'll remix next year) ralph lawson (on whose label he'll release next year) and get physical/supernature/8bit (for whom he has already produced) he's done pretty well. his early productions - like assign me - exuded a confidence to belie a man of his age - there was no big hook or catchy riff to steal floors, just subtle, mature grooves. it's now 18 months on, and the 8bit release embeded atop this post has been everywhere this summer - its warm, spare keys add depth to a pure house track with groove to spare - so i thought it time to chat...
how are you?
thanks, i'm fine...
how was sonar for you?
pretty nice...but was really experience. i got to know so many new people and met all those i just know from emails or skype as ‘the guys from 8bit and supernature’ or ‘the oslo guys... federico, christian or nekes’ who you had in your last interview...but it was also very exhausting...running from one gig or party to the other and all that in three days...next year i'll take a few more days to relax and chill on the beach.
you're soon to release on 2020 - have you finished the track? what's it like?
well...no i haven't... i will start with it after finishing the remix for freerange i'm working on at the moment....but the release will be next year...ralph from 2020 just asked me for a release and i told him i'll do it for next year because there's a lot coming up at the moment.
how did you come to link up with nick and 8bit?
puhh...more or less it was a coincidence... gorge charted the ‘burka’ remix i did for supernature recently, and i just had finished the makayuni song..and i was trying to find a label for it...so i sent it to 8bit and they first signed it for their va [8bit reasons part one – a label comp mixed by boss nick curly]...but he told me, if i got 2 more songs they like, they were up to do a ep...a month later i had them and nick and gorge liked them!
what kit do you use when djing and in the studio?
i just changed from vinyl to traktor scratch because i get so many digital promos at the moment, and i really want to play them but i'm not a cd-dj...and i never was...i still like playing vinyl.
in the studio i use logic 8, a lot of plugins and some hardware such as a midi controllers and a korg synthie to produce my tracks...nothing very special...
tell me about the artist/party/album/drug which got you into electronic music
haha...well...it was from all a young age...i've always been listening to electronic music, but the time i got really into it was when i listened to nas, talib kwali or dr. dre...i was a real hip-hop teen...my brother was a techno dj at the time...once he brought me to a club and i was just flashed...since that day, i had my first pill and i listened to ken ishii set in a club called ‘tor 3’ in düsseldorf and after i started my dj career.
how does your music reflect you?
a lot...it's just the mood you are in....it manipulates you even though you don’t really recognize...
does living in berlin help or hinder you? there's a lot of famed competition...
no.. it helped me a lot...all that i am now was influenced by the city and its people...i got to know all the contacts i have now...and which are still really important for me...see, if i didnt move to berlin, i wouldn’t have done a remix for booka shade, without their label get physical, i wouldn’t know audiofly, without audiofly i wouldn’t know the 8bit guys and so on! but yes, there's a lot of competition, but competition stimulates the business...the only thing i real hate is enviousness and there's a lot..this is not good for berlin..when did the last electronic wave really came from berlin....long time ago...just frankfurt, mannheim, hamburg, cologne...because they have less competitors and supporting each other...berlin should do the same...
you're a relatively young man in the generally aged world of house and techno. how does that help or hinder you?
well..ask the new pop artists if the beatles hinder them in getting famous...i grew up with the techno and house of the late 90ies...it just influenced me in the same way as artist like dj-t were influenced by frankie knuckes or dj pierre. i'm just a new era.
if i gave you ten euros, which album would you buy and why?
tell me where do you get a album for ten euros today...lol...well, i would buy an album from an artist like martin buttrich if he had done one... he's one of the best producers..maybe the best in the scene!
does a good quality release or an equally good quality headline slot interest you more and why?
a quality release...man, there's so much bullshit out these days since the digital era...labels should more focus on quality than on quantity or artist name.
where would you like to be in 5 years time?
well...i hope i can live from doin what i love...electronic music!
[question from nekes] how do you feel about the electronic scene and about its evolution in the last years?
i feel a bit upset and sad about what happens...as i said...there's more quantity then quality in music at the moment...digital era won’t be stopped..music pirates won’t leave...but we have to take it as it's...life changes every day and we need to handle and deal with it!
please leave me with a question for the next person i interview...
the scene’s running through a crisis at the moment..what do you think what are the reasons and how could we handle the problem?
alex niggemann ~ interview
10:12 AM
nekes ~ interview
11:29 AM
before you start reading this, why not compliment nekes' words with some of his sounds, and download yourself the podcast he's just done for louche (after all, it's the man's music, not words, which i imagine you're most interested in). if you like what you hear in that mix, (which takes in myriad house styles from tumbling, deep 4/4 to funkier fare littered with warm analogue rushes and thudding, looped bass) then check him out live at louche on october 9th, alongside ray okpara, for an oslo records showcase.
incidentally, louche are worth checking out any month of the year: their house and tech bookings are always on the pulse, their attitude is spot on, and their home - mint club - has the best funktion one i've heard, plus a cool watergate style disco panel above the dancefloor. plugging the gap left at the club after the halycon days of asylum & technique, the 5 strong louche cartel started the night because they loved mint and nothing decent ever happened there. which i think is pretty cool. fast forward to now and the club's re-invigorated in this, its 12th year, and is once again leeds' nocturnal doyen. anyway, i digress...
as for oslo, well, lots of ink has been spilt on them, not least in part because of johnny d's ubiquitous 'orbitalife' smash last year, but also because of their place amongst the deep house resurgence. 18 months or so on, though, and they are still fairing well having diversified with techier artists like christian burkhardt who keep feathering away at the divisive line between house and techno and, for that reason, they interest me enough to have done this interview...
[some of these answers may seem a little court, but could you answer questions like these in a foreign tongue? (don't answer that - i don't care, but you get the point)]
how are you?
thanks, i´m fine.
tell us a little about the podcast - what were you aiming for?
the podcast reflected back the music i like to listen to and to play. it has a little touch of summer - like a warm breeze in the evening.
where and how did you record it?
i maded it at home in my studio, in mannheim.
what's been the highlight of your year so far?
there was a lot of highlights for me in this year. it was the first time i played at the winter conference in miami, and i was impressed by the perfect feeling we had at our oslo vs cecille showcase party at the victor hotel. also one of my favourite parties was the oslo vs. remote area showcase in barcelona at sonar festival.
in just two years you've become a top label with consistently good output. what's the secret?!
there is no secret. we only release what we can stand behind and what we like!
how important is the family ethos at the label? you all know each other well, right?
i think sometimes it can help. most of us have known each other since many years - we used to share an apartment, and we made parties together - like the zoo club. there are many many more memories of friends which go round my head at the moment, too.... but this doesn´t mean that we don´t want to have new artists on board. i think you have to be open to new people: if the personal relationship is harmonious, then it ´s perfect. but also you shouldn´t forget your family and friends.
was oslo a purposeful backlash to minimal?
no. we started with oslo only because we wanted to release our understanding of sound.
how is it doing in the current climate? are you mainly vinyl or digital?
of course, i stand behind vinyl. i think the last few years there have always been up and downs on the market, so we aren’t too worried.
how do you feel about having spearheaded the rise of the mannheim sound, and now being synonymous with it?
i´m very proud that people talk about „mannheim sound", and we are really glad to send something special from this city, with a special sound, around the world.
did you know johnny d's 'orbitalife' would be such a hit and such a turning point at that time? did you expect it to cause the stir it did?
no, none of us thought it would be as big as it was.
how do you go about getting people on the label, who does a&r?
federico [molinari, oslo co-founder]
anyone you'd really like to sign?
uuh, there are a lot. that´s a hard question - if i think about my personal development since i was fifteen there are a lot of artists who inspired me and who i respect, so i couldn’t name one single person i’d like to sign.
what lengths do you go to to stop piracy?
that´s really difficult to say. always there will be people who share tracks... on one side i understand that because young people without money in their pockets wouldn’t hear the same music as the others, so if there is an option to download then everyone gets to hear the same stuff. but for the industry, and the people who have to live from that, is it really hard without a payment barrier.... so perhaps we should appeal to people to think about this because nobody wants to work for nothing...
please leave me with a question for the next person i interview...
how do you feel about the electronic scene and about its evolution in the last years?
stacey pullen - 2020vision [2020 vision] lp review
9:39 PM
if detroit's stacey pullen seems an odd choice to have mixed this 2020vision, you obviously didn't hear the one about him being one of the first djs to support the label via fax (text, on paper, down a phone line, apparently) 15 years ago, back when it still wore nappies. the fact that pullen is low-key, though, nicely complements the ethos of 2020 and its boss, ralph lawson—a man so uninterested in leaving the comfort of his back to basics residency until fairly recently that bill brewster dubbed him "britain's best kept secret." not bad for someone who runs one of the uk's foremost house labels and holds a residency at one of the country's longest running club nights.
it's worth mentioning that there are very few imprints whose artists and releases traverse as many niches as 2020. what other labels could boast the unadulterated manheim sound of johnny d, the housey disco of crazy p, the deep and sensuous 4/4 of ekkohaus and the old school stylings of greg wilson? most would have a splintered into a network of sub/sister labels to do so but lawson trusts his judgement and isn't afraid of simply putting out good music, rather than honing any sort of image for his label, or pushing any one sound—a brave choice in a world so concerned with branding and lifestyle choices.
bearing that diversity in mind, it seems even more apt that pullen was selected to mix this one, then. being informed rather than formed by his detroit schooling alongside the first wave pioneers is what makes him flexible, and suitable for the mix. he is someone who claims never to plan a set, never to know where he's going, and instead "play(ing) from the heart," be it with house, techno, soul or whatever.
pullen takes in everything here, starting with the early percolating house of lawson's wolf-n-bear alias (a project he undertook with former fellow b2b resident huggy and carl finlow) and moving into the genuine, early house party vibes of inland knights' "after me." the tech gradually edges in with the upright shuffle and glide of julien chaptal's take on simon baker's "way out of my head," before peaking with the bouncing mannheim cycles of johnny d's ubiquitous remix of 2020soundsystem's "sliding away." from there, the journey through the back catalogue is less smooth (roberto rodriguez's forced crazy p remix a considerable sticking point) than was the imprint's rise to prominence, but as a showcase, it documents an accomplished label in 2020, a man with many strings to his bow in lawson and a dj it would be nice to hear more from in pullen.
jay haze vs me
8:51 AM
so, i wrote this review of anthea & alex celler's 'playmaker' 12" and, as you can see if you read the comments, jay haze took a dislike to it. i never got involved. unlike anthea, who, under a pseudonym, made the first post in response to my words, pointing people towards positive reviews. if you look at all her pseudonym's comments it seems it's something she does a lot.
anyway, on friday, i tweeted this. jay then saw that, and contacted me through my blog. here's the short exchanged which ensued...
hey man [jay to me],
saw you tweeted about me railing you?
i wouldnt take it soo seriously, and anyway what i was railing on was the writing. shall i break it down for you?
the reason why i made that comment is because in the first paragraph you go out of way to make points about the fact that anthea works at phonica, which is where hector works...
then you go out of your way to point out anthea charted her own record 3 times... which is what everyone does as she is excited about her new record.
also you make it sound strange when you add this is how she probably got into production scene etc..
if you cant see that the way you write that comes off jealous, then you are not looking at it closely enough.
i dont claim to be perfect, and i never meant to insult you personally, as of course i dont know you.
also contrary to anything you might have ever read about me, im much more a lover than a fighter.
u just happened to write that review about my friends, and i did anything a friend would do..
ez?
thanks bro
h a z e
--
love is the answer
--
hey dude,
how are you?
like i said in my tweet, good work on the fabric mix and, despite what everyone else thought, i actually pretty enjoyed 'love and beyond,' too.
so, you been searching for yourself on twitter, hey? nice.
if anyone's taking it too seriously, surely it's you - i wrote the review, stand by it, and moved on without getting involved on the message board. you and the others over at ra are entitled to their opinion, so am i, and that's why ra gave me the voice to do so. incidentally, they score releases in house, so someone there agreed with me, too.
i was actually excited about hearing anthea's tune, i've heard a lot about her so wanted to see what the fuss was about. it's just a shame i was disappointed. as for being jealous - i still don't see where that comes from. i'm happy to get behind artists i enjoy: just read the interviews on my blog, or my recent review of stacey pullen's 2020 - i'm not jealous of talent. that would be silly. but i won't get behind something just because everyone else has, which is surely fair enough?
re anthea charting her record 3 times - once cool, twice maybe, thrice not cool.
re mentioning phonica - dude, i was framing the review, adding a little back story, that's how it works. and, if you read it again, you'll see i attribute her getting into production not through working at phonica, but rather offer it as a reason for why her name is popping up all over the place.
i'd love for you to review the release so i can post it on my blog - a right to reply if you like ;)
i'm glad you're a lover not a fighter. wanna hug?
take it easy.
kc
hi kristan.
everyone has a right to their opinion...
i cant force you to see the way you wrote the review has a facetious tone.
why? because thats my opinion.
thanks for your kind words on the love and beyond album.
happy you enjoy the fabric mix.
have a splendid weekend...
j
seth troxler ~ interview
7:50 PM
seth's rocked my world this year. his music has character, as does he, and that's something house and techno could do with more of. there's playfulness, seriousness, depth and charm to his work, and i reckon some of that comes through in this interview, too. he's done a load of them recently so some questions are as you'd expect, some are aimed at prising a nugget of info from the man that no one else has before. let me know if i succeeded, then sample his sounds with an ra, ibiza-voice or save the cannibals podcast.how are you?
im great, been listening two a few of my fave rock lps. momus 1st lp 'circus maximus' is blowing my mind brain. like this second.
what does detroit mean to you?
detroit and michigan are home for me. i was born in kalamazoo but grew up in suburban detroit. the age from 14- 21 where you really figure out who you are. i owe it to the city, its people. i gained the general mindset that i live with today.
to what extent is the city a help or hindrance to you as an artist?
i think growing up there was not only a help. a big problem with michigan as a whole is that once you’re an adult there are no jobs. no jobs, no money, no ability to survive on your craft, or the time to really give it your full go. however the struggle to get out of this situation is what makes so many great artist and not just musicians. michigan has some of the best universities in the world. but michigan’s #1 export is its youth and talent. mix this with a general attitude where no one really is into any hype, helps you develop as a artist and person. in detroit knowledge is power, its a city of people who are deep into their crafts studying meticulously for their chance to do something, not because of fame or fortune it's just what you do. 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. when everyone that's around you does the same thing it makes for heavy competition and down play of the overall situation. which in hindsight breeds a certain type of person, and i'm really grateful to have been lucky enough to be in that and so blind while it was happening.
what drew you to electronic music?
my parent's taste, they are big fans of house and have been since i was a child. i've said it before. then when i moved to the detroit area i started raving, and never stopped. i still am a raver, i just do it professionally now. i do have to say, there has been a mix up with my parents stories and what i was able to remember. my mom read a recent interview of mine and corrected me. my parents worked with brett dancer and not jay dunham, jay was just in the opposite dj crew of my step father whom were doing more chicago house and hip hop things.
where do your sounds come from?
i think my sound comes from my taste i listen to tons of other music lots of indie rock, some jazz and soul. i've been listening to dance music in all its forms since i was about 8. but maybe it’s the perverse sexuality i try to hide inside myself or my feminine touch. i can’t really tell you could maybe get better idea from my friends.
to what extent does your music represent you or detroit? how do you chose who to collaborate with and why?
i think my music is me, my life, my experiences, my feeling, my thought of how i think people would like to experience music and what direction i want music to go. as far as collabs go its 90% my best friends in the world and me fucking about, we’re all making tracks and it’s fun to sit around, have some drinks and do it together, otherwise it’s people i've meet, like, become friends with then we find it could be cool to work together, this is berlin, everyone’s around exchanging ideas.
i'm profiling you, patrice scott, intrusion, omar s, kyle hall, kris wadsworth - a new wave of detroit producers - why do you think so much good is coming from the city at the moment? how do you feel being heralded as part of the new wave? [i am obviously aware not all these artists are new generation, but the wave is happening nonetheless]
i think this is a funny question, people like patrice and omar aren't new, these guys have been in the game for ages, just chilling perfecting their craft. there is a deep crew around the beatdown guys, kenny and theo. raw musical talent just around them not much known to the world. there are loads of other guys no one knows about, and who i think are the real detroit heroes, the people who are really detroit. mike, derek plastiko, keath wrothy, ryan elliott, mike geiger, kevin reynolds, mike servito, dtm, patrick russel, john johr, matt abbot, and so many i can't name them all. these guys are from a forgotten generation and really without them kris, kyle, or my crew (crosson, curtiss, reeves) and i wouldn't be here. to be heralded as being this new wave is a bit funny to me, because were such a small portion of the whole. i was lucky enough to grow up with the spectral and minus crew and get turned on to things outside of detroit. and for them to help me break internationally. kyle is a real gem i think he's 18, going to a creative arts high school, its beautiful because being young and black and into dance music especially house in america is rare, you're kind of looked at as a freak or gay, and its magical for me to see things changing. i don't know his story but he might be the last real detroit producer. in the end we're all just hit a patch of luck and have been lucky enough to have friends or people around us to make our dreams seem accessible. kyle with omar, kris with jimmy edgar. myself with the spectral and minus families.
what part has wolf and lamb played in your success?
i've released one thing on wolf and lamb, so musically it’s done a small part but on other levels and on levels as a person, our relationship has been hugely influential. i'm working closely with them as kind of an a&r with lee, ryan & shaun, and if anything it’s been a way for people to notice our crew’s generally ideology. zev and gadi are really family, and with me releasing on so many labels, all of which are run by friends - whose ideology i also agree with - but with wolf and lamb, its much closer to my heart and how i look at dance music and i think people see and relate with that, their general idea of who i am.
what makes you, you?
what makes me me, is like asking what make a horse a horse, i would say good parents, great friends, woman, acid, and just life yo.
does your music get you girls...
i gets laid son, not so much from my music, but i'm really funny [not to mention modest] i think girls like that. however if i like a girl there’s an 80% chance she’s not falling for it. so i’m left a cold, bitter man.
how does your favourite music make you feel?
it makes me feel human.
when were you last impressed?
everyday, life just constantly blows my mind.
and depressed?
constantly but i hide it because who wants to hang out with debbie downer, seriously get it together people, no one’s happy so don’t bring down your fucking friends.
what would you spend your last $100 on?
records and probably food. i’ve spent my last cent on both many times
what question do you wish i’d asked you?
i would love for there to be a question where a girl who thinks i'm a cool guy could contact me and we could go on dates.
are you misunderstood?
yeah i think people think i’m a arrogant prick. i mean i’m a prick, but i’m not arrogant.
i read you farted on lee curtiss’ head and a bit of shit came out. did he ever get you back?
i'll leave that to lee to answer [see lee's answer], but we thought it was funny. if i did shit on his face it would be a whole different story
what you got coming up?
well i just did this thing with matt dear on spectral "hurt", as well as "trust" with tiefschwartz, i guess guys both names say a bit about me. i also just finished a remix of fever ray for turbo. i'm working on some art projects and just trying to make something i think is worth listening to. besides that i'm going to burning man to find myself.
(this question comes from bearweasel [viva/murmur/bloop]) for a young man, you wear a ‘tache with the confidence of a seasoned pro – are we to assume you older than you say you are???
with the ‘tache come the dick swing that how you want. Also, ive been raving for almost 10 years, and when you live like me friend, the years just come running around the eyes.
xx
seth
