process interview
by phelyne ~ An all around Electronic Musician who is talented enough to be signed onto 3 labels and who is more that just a jungle producer. True electronic musicians dabble in a little bit of everything, because electronic music stems from everything. Here is an in-depth look at what it is like to be an electronic musician, from someone who has been in the game for a decade and is still pushing forward. More than an up and comer, but still striving for personal and professional excellence, this man has some wonderful things to say about his journey thus far.
When and how were you introduced to electronic music? How old?
It was around 15 yrs old which would be approximately 1995 when I was first introduced to "proper" electronic music. It was while skateboarding I think, it was jungle on the New York university radio.
What did you like about the music for it to perk your interest?
The beat. First time I heard a jungle beat I was hooked. Aside from that I guess it was the mystery, so to speak, of electronic music in America. As you know, it’s taken a while for it to catch on and still quite hasn’t as compared to other, smaller parts of the world. So I think maybe the appeal of it being sort of unknown and fascinating had something to do with it too.
When did you decide to learn more about making your own music?
Well, when I was a teen I was playing guitar in some punk projects and dabbling a bit with noise music. It wasn’t until the end of high school and beginning of college when I started to mess with " Electronic Music".
What steps did you take to begin learning how to make music?
Well my friends and I had some early experiences writing our own music. Learning "dance music" though was quite different. It took a bit of studying I suppose, the way a tune is constructed is quite different from rock music for example. I was fortunate to have a little bit of help and pointers from Fresh and Vegas of )EIB( through a mutual friend around 1999 or so. They were really down to earth and quite helpful.
You have traveled around the world a lot in your life. Have you gained new knowledge musically from each place you have been?
the first time i went out in London was a big eye opener. The way things are done there, the speed at which the scene develops etc.. were all really interesting to me. I think the size and fact the dnb more or less developed in London and the surrounding areas has a lot to do with how dubs are moved, who's allowed in the circle , etc..
Explain how you see music fitting into your everyday life right now.
Well, everyday is consumed by wanted to succeed as a musician. What success is and should be and all that is quite confusing. Fortunately I’ve managed to reach some people with my music. Things take time, tough business. I don’t really listen to dnb unless I need a little inspiration boost or want to see what the current trends are. However, I’m really big on ignoring trends, I’ve got my own ideas of what dnb is and what my favorite sound is so I just stick to that really. I know it won’t cut a living so there’s no point in selling out, I love it too much.
How many records have you put out?
3 records so far. The first got decent distribution, primarily in Europe. That was under causal agency 001, process "you are somewhere" and skeleton crew "Peg leg".
The second was on ohm resistance 014 that was called "fascination”, a sort of remixish kinda of thing of a classic by the band "the cure".
Third was on the ohm resistance/offshore recordings split 10 inch subscription series, the tune was called "rickshaw"
Was it a hard process to have your own music pressed up on vinyl?
I personally haven’t dealt one on one with it.
Where would you like to go with making your own music?
Actually drum and bass probably consumes 20 percent of my catalogue. I’ve got 45+ non drum and bass songs. Mostly electronic based, heavily beat oriented, some with dramatic movie like themes and others more synthetic cold and experimental depending on the point in my life. I’d love to push that stuff a lot because drum and bass is only one aspect of what I create. As far as dnb goes, id love to just keep pushing my sound, whatever that is exactly. All I can say is to me drum and bass is beautiful because of the marriage between darkness and funkiness. I’m currently involved in a hip hop project and just finished a rock one over the summer. I’d love to release my own music, score films or TV, and produce bands or artists.
What advice do you have to someone who is just learning about electronic music, who wants to delve deeper into it?
Just keep trying, like anything, time is always going to be a factor. Things take time. Knowledge takes time. If you can acknowledge your creativity and are comfortable with it, try to learn about EQing and other mixing techniques. As an electronic musician you can learn a lot about making music as well as fine tuning sound itself.
Are you signed to any labels?
Currently: Causal Agency, Ohm Resistance and Translation Recordings
What kind of music do you make?
Drum and Bass, Rock, Hip Hop, Experimental
What is your favorite style of music?
Impossible to say.
What are your biggest musical influences?
I’d like to think a lot of people are my influences. I guess you can say I’ve been influenced by everything I’ve ever heard and I hold David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed and The Pixies in a high regard.
Do you have any upcoming releases?
None yet, but lots of tunes!
Check out these links!
When and how were you introduced to electronic music? How old?
It was around 15 yrs old which would be approximately 1995 when I was first introduced to "proper" electronic music. It was while skateboarding I think, it was jungle on the New York university radio.
What did you like about the music for it to perk your interest?
The beat. First time I heard a jungle beat I was hooked. Aside from that I guess it was the mystery, so to speak, of electronic music in America. As you know, it’s taken a while for it to catch on and still quite hasn’t as compared to other, smaller parts of the world. So I think maybe the appeal of it being sort of unknown and fascinating had something to do with it too.
When did you decide to learn more about making your own music?
Well, when I was a teen I was playing guitar in some punk projects and dabbling a bit with noise music. It wasn’t until the end of high school and beginning of college when I started to mess with " Electronic Music".
What steps did you take to begin learning how to make music?
Well my friends and I had some early experiences writing our own music. Learning "dance music" though was quite different. It took a bit of studying I suppose, the way a tune is constructed is quite different from rock music for example. I was fortunate to have a little bit of help and pointers from Fresh and Vegas of )EIB( through a mutual friend around 1999 or so. They were really down to earth and quite helpful.
You have traveled around the world a lot in your life. Have you gained new knowledge musically from each place you have been?
the first time i went out in London was a big eye opener. The way things are done there, the speed at which the scene develops etc.. were all really interesting to me. I think the size and fact the dnb more or less developed in London and the surrounding areas has a lot to do with how dubs are moved, who's allowed in the circle , etc..
Explain how you see music fitting into your everyday life right now.
Well, everyday is consumed by wanted to succeed as a musician. What success is and should be and all that is quite confusing. Fortunately I’ve managed to reach some people with my music. Things take time, tough business. I don’t really listen to dnb unless I need a little inspiration boost or want to see what the current trends are. However, I’m really big on ignoring trends, I’ve got my own ideas of what dnb is and what my favorite sound is so I just stick to that really. I know it won’t cut a living so there’s no point in selling out, I love it too much.
How many records have you put out?
3 records so far. The first got decent distribution, primarily in Europe. That was under causal agency 001, process "you are somewhere" and skeleton crew "Peg leg".
The second was on ohm resistance 014 that was called "fascination”, a sort of remixish kinda of thing of a classic by the band "the cure".
Third was on the ohm resistance/offshore recordings split 10 inch subscription series, the tune was called "rickshaw"
Was it a hard process to have your own music pressed up on vinyl?
I personally haven’t dealt one on one with it.
Where would you like to go with making your own music?
Actually drum and bass probably consumes 20 percent of my catalogue. I’ve got 45+ non drum and bass songs. Mostly electronic based, heavily beat oriented, some with dramatic movie like themes and others more synthetic cold and experimental depending on the point in my life. I’d love to push that stuff a lot because drum and bass is only one aspect of what I create. As far as dnb goes, id love to just keep pushing my sound, whatever that is exactly. All I can say is to me drum and bass is beautiful because of the marriage between darkness and funkiness. I’m currently involved in a hip hop project and just finished a rock one over the summer. I’d love to release my own music, score films or TV, and produce bands or artists.
What advice do you have to someone who is just learning about electronic music, who wants to delve deeper into it?
Just keep trying, like anything, time is always going to be a factor. Things take time. Knowledge takes time. If you can acknowledge your creativity and are comfortable with it, try to learn about EQing and other mixing techniques. As an electronic musician you can learn a lot about making music as well as fine tuning sound itself.
Are you signed to any labels?
Currently: Causal Agency, Ohm Resistance and Translation Recordings
What kind of music do you make?
Drum and Bass, Rock, Hip Hop, Experimental
What is your favorite style of music?
Impossible to say.
What are your biggest musical influences?
I’d like to think a lot of people are my influences. I guess you can say I’ve been influenced by everything I’ve ever heard and I hold David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed and The Pixies in a high regard.
Do you have any upcoming releases?
None yet, but lots of tunes!
Check out these links!
 |
| c-a.at |
 |
| ohmresistance.com |
 |
| translation-recordings.com |
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