Interviews

Patrice Scott Interview

Last modified on 2010-06-08 14:19:20 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

JQM: Hey Patrice! I see you’re rockin’ 734 these days. Why not the 313?

PS: Hahaha I used to live in Bellville, which is about 20 minutes from Detroit, I kept this number.

JQM: So where are you staying now?

PS: Now I’m staying in Southville.

JQM: You said in an interview last year that you are coming out with a full length. Is that still in works or are we going to see that very soon?

PS: Nah It’s still in the works. It’s funny that you mentioned that, cause I was just talking a to friend of mine about an hour ago and I told her after this next 12 inch I do, I’m not putting out any more 12 inches until I put the album out. I mean, I got tons of tracks, I got tracks for days, but you know it’s just a matter of making it. I want it to be a true album, I dont want it to be just a bunch of 12 inches combined and put together. You know what I mean? I don’t
want it to be all dance music. I want some up tempo stuff, some down tempo stuff, just a variety of things on there. I don’t know, I think I’m my own worst critic, so that’s what the delay is. I really want it to be good when I do it, I see a lot of so-called albums out there now, they are just bunch of 12 inches compiled, you know like 6, 7, 8 tracks on there and it’s not really an album, you know? When I think of an album, I think about the old R&B type of stuff. I want to have maybe one vocal track on there. I’ve never done any vocals. I want it to be an album. I’m not one for quantity, I’m about quality. That’s why we don’t release a lot of records every year. This year will be the biggest though for me cause usually on the label, itself, it’s usually only like three 12 inches a year, two by me and one by another artist. This year the third 12inch is about to drop in the beginning of July, which is unusual for my label, so this year will be a total of five 12 inches. I just want to do something different.

JQM: We thought Distance Against Time had nice feel to it. The beats were pretty heavy on one side and the other side had more of a really late feel to it. We thought that maybe would be a nice preview for what we could have expected for the album.

PS: Yeah pretty much so, you know stuff like Distance Against Time, to me it was more like a late night track. Other ones are more like Detroiter style with the hard beat. To me, the percussion and the beats was reminiscent of Detroit as in the crashing sound, the hard sound, it’s like something that was made out of an auto plant in Detroit.

JQM: Any impression of Carl Craig taking taking over creatively the reigns again?

PS: Yeah I was glad to see that happen, cause I respect what everybody’s done from the beginning till now and it’s good to have something like that in Detroit, but i just thought it was getting away from puting the Detroit artist on display. I personally, again, with all due respect to the festival itself and the people that have ran this thing from the beginning untill now, but I still think this year could have been more Detroit artists. I can just name the guys who I would love to hear play from Detroit you know..

JQM: Like Scotty Grooves?

PS: Of course! Yeah he’s a good friend of mine and I can’t believe they still haven’t asked him to play! It’s crazy, I mean, he’s one of my favorite producers from back than until what he’s doing now. He’s an excellent DJ. Some guys are like musicians, producers and then they get booked to DJ cause they make great tracks. He’s one of those guys but, he’s a great DJ, too. He went from musician to DJ, but he’s a great DJ. You would think he was a DJ first. I’m like a critic when it comes to DJs, but he should def be there. I would love to see Omar S play. Those are the two that come right out of top of my head that never played the festival, but I think with Carl directing it again it will probably each year get a little bit back to what it used to be.

JQM: Tell us about the places you like to play?

PS: I love London man. That’s like a second home to me. I’ve played several places in London over the past few years. I love Panorama Bar in Berlin. When you play there, you know everything is going to be technically. The crowd is always receptive. Those are my favorite places and if you take London and Berlin those are my favorite places to play. Watergate is cool. I played there for the first time in January downstairs on the waterfloor. That was pretty cool.
I’m hoping when I play this next one on June 25th that it’s upstairs. I wanna kinda get up there, they have a better sound system in the main room. Watergate is cool. I’d have to say that would be my second favorite club in Berlin. There are a lot of places I haven’t played that I’d like to play, so hopefully that opportunity will come up, too.

JQM: What about the States? Is there anywhere you would like to play?

PS: Ohh man I haven’t really played anywhere here, I mean, I played in New York a couple times. I hear about couple places in San Francisco, I wouldn’t mind going out there. I hear about couple places in Miami, Boston. I would love to take a U.S. tour. I have to fly over the ocean to try to make some money. It would be nice, but we will see what happens.

JQM: Do you connect with NYC guys like Fred P and DJ QU?

PS: Yeah I’m friends with those guys. As a matter of fact, my two opportunities in las year that I played there, one of them was because of Anthony Parasole, who runs Deconstruct. I played his party and then there were some other friends of mine, really well know like Anthony and Levon and those guys. They throw parties from time to time. But other than that there really hasn’t been any other opportunity in U.S. The last time I played in Detroit was almost three years ago. It was during the electronic music festival. It was a party that my friend Keith Worthy and I organized, so that was the only reason I played. [Laughs]

JQM: What about this year’s afterhours?

PS: The one I’m planing on hitting up is the one with Theo Parrish and Larry Heard. I’m definitely going to that.

JQM: Do people send you massive amounts of demos?

PS: All the time, but normally when I get demos, it’s not the type of stuff I’m looking for. Anybody that came out on Sistrum was because I asked them. That’s not to say that I don’t get any good music, but it’s not stuff I think would fit the label.

JQM: Tell us what music you like at the moment?

PS: Majority of the stuff i listen to is old stuff that came out in 90s. I play a lot of that prescription stuff. I try to dig and play stuff that everyone else isn’t playing, so I find myself going back in the crates and digging out old stuff from time to time. I have few things that never leave my bag. New stuff? Aww jeez, that’s a tough one, man. To me, I don’t think I’m the best thing going out there by any means. I hear a lot of music that I like and and I go, wow, that’s great, I wish I could do something like that. A lot of the stuff now sounds something I heard a years ago. There are so many tracks that sounds like something that I already have. That’s why I don’t buy a lot of new records. I hear something, it might sound good, but I have like ten other records that have the same type of chord or whatnot. One new record, and it’s really not new, is Cosmic Waves by Norm Tally with new remixes on it. The XDB remix on there is awesome, I love that. I like a lot of the stuff by DJ Q. I like his sound, dirty, kinda hard. I like Keith Worthy. That’s one of my favorite artists as well as DJs.

JQM: Do you think you’d ever do another collaboration with Aesthetic Audio?

PS: Ohh yeah we are going to do underground anthems. We’re gonna do a Volume III on Sistrum and Volume IV is coming out on Aesthetic Audio. Hopefully that will be out before the year is over. That’s in the works right now, so keep an eye out for that.

JQM: YOu have a big slot for the Undergound stage, any concerns about that?

PS: Yeah, I am concerned, because I’m the first one playing and I’m wondering if things are gonna be right. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully there won’t be too many technical difficulties.

JQM: We’re looking forward to it. Anything coming up in the works that we need to know about?

PS: I’ll be going to Japan for the first time in August. I’ve got a couple gigs coming up there. Other than that, I’m planning on another 12″, it will probably be out in late August/early September. Another Sistrum release will be out around the beginning of July, an artist by the name of Leon head, he’s from Ireland. This is pretty good, too. I’m happy about this one. In October, we’re playing at the Movement Festival in Italy. That’s about it.

JQM: Thank you very much for your time and we’ll see you in a couple days.

PS: Thanks for contacting me.

See Patrice Scott at Made in Detroit Stage 2Pm -430pm at Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.



ExtraSensory Perception Pre-Movement 2010 Interview with Woody McBride

Last modified on 2010-05-19 03:53:16 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

JQM:  Please tell me something about yourself.  How did it all start?  Where were your beginnings and how many years ago?

ESP:  Thank you for having me on your station.  It’s a pleasure for me.  I wish you all the best.  I’ve been doing this for a while.  I graduated from high school in 1986 from Bismarck, ND.  So you might imagine the cultural isolation that I was in.  I was lucky enough to have a few friends discover some early electronic music.  We had a cool, sort of hippy, rock and roll record store that brought in some indie from England and I got introduced to Front 242 and New Order and Renegade Soundwave, so that was kind of a gateway for me.  Then I moved down to go to college in Minneapolis in 1988 and got a job at the coolest record store in town.  I got a lucky break to play at one of the most famous nightclubs in the world called First Avenue, a club that Prince made famous in the 80s.  It was back in the day when you were smart enough to go get a $50 303 at a pawn shop and a $60 909 and run it through a DJ mixer and make some acid house.  You set yourself apart and I was one of the first guys to do a little bit more of a heavier acid sound and everything fell into place right away.

JQM:  Definitely.  So basically you’re telling me you started quickly with the drum machines.  Did you start with DJing first or did you start trying to produce you own music?

ESP:  It was at the same time, really.  Maybe a little bit of DJing first, but I was immediately drawn to the production.  Freddy Fresh showed me how to make music and I did my first record with him.  He helped me get my first record deal.  I owe a lot to him and I also got a big break from a legendary DJ Kevin Cole at First Avenue Nightclub.  It was a combination of recording and DJing.  I played real adventurous music in my early days, real cross-genre going for everything from trance, rock, acid, acid house, techno, Detroit techno.  It was back when kids were taking LSD and not meth, they were expanding their minds, we were all wearing unisex clothing and it was all about dancing.

JQM: So tell me this, I see about 150 tracks on Beatport, I know you probably produced way more than that.  Do you remember your first track you produced and released and what year was it?

ESP:  Yeah, the first track was under the name Psycapocalyp I did it with Freddy Fresh.  It was on a really hot German techno label at the time called Adam & Eve.  Adam & Even had a few big tracks in the 90s and they basically gave me my first break.

Then I did a couple of relatively important records on EXperimental Records out of New York.  One of them was called The Earthworm Sings.  Those Earthworm records were real pivotal for me, too, that was a real heavy, intense sound.  Damon Wild and Freddy helped me get those records out, and then all of a sudden I jumped up with this unique sort of Midwest sound, which was built in sort of a rural barn with raving and serious techno.  We didn’t have any club scene out here at all.  The only club shows we had were happening once a month on a Wednesday night.  That was the only club show happening in the Minneapolis area.  So imagine the excitement when the underground scene started to explode.  We did some really important, cool parties along the way, much different than Chicago, who had a pre-established house scene.

JQM:  Tell me how did you evolve throughout the years and how do you see the scene changing throughout the United States in the last 10-15 years?  Where do you think it stands now?  Is it better or worse than back in the day?

ESP:  It’s different.  A lot of people now they take for granted their access to this music.  In the late 80s/early 90s in many places in America, the only place that kids could hear this music was at an event.  There were no CDs out, there was no internet.  Some of the popular regional DJs were doing mix tapes and those were cherished.  So a lot of us recorded our music for a live performance, either a live PA or DJing out.  Whereas today, music is recorded a little more for the home listener or the computer speaker listener, so it’s quite a different approach.  It’s interesting, because I’ve always mixed my tracks on crappy little speakers.  I heard this great interview with George Martin, the producer of the Beatles and he said, “We were the greatest band in the world, but we had to figure out how to sound good coming out of a 3-inch dashboard radio in the 50s and 60s.”  So it made sense to me that my music’s gotta sound cool.  The basic essence of a good song should song good on a 3-inch speaker.  It’s so interesting; it’s kind of come full circle now.  Whereas in the 90s, we really got into Fidelity and you heard all your DJs and Producers talk for hours about who’s got the best monitors in their studio and all that mumbo jumbo.  Now I do most of my mix sounds on my laptop speakers, my little 1-inch MacBook Pro speakers.  I try to get it to sound good on there, then I do a demo on my monitors and it’s the Beatles all over again.  I’m sure there are many other producers doing the same exact thing.

JQM:  Please tell me about your moniker: DJ ESP.  What does the moniker stand for and when do you use your moniker and when do you use your actual name?

ESP:  Well I’ve had a lot of good laughs over the years.  I go to foreign countries where ESP doesn’t translate.  It stands for “extra-sensory perception”, which is psychic power or the ability to sense things beyond our immediate senses.  But I’d go to Germany and I’d get to the party and they’d go, “Ahh, DJ esp!  DJ esp!”  And I would laugh hard.  So ESP was inspired by a Deee-Lite song and it’s all about a DJ and he can really tap into what you’re feeling and he can sense where the party needs to go.  I also love Deee-Lite.  They were a real special artist in my early years.

Deee-Lite – E.S.P

JQM:  Tell me something about your music, itself.  I listened to a few tracks and it seems like a very stripped-down techno and acidy sound.  That’s the sound you’re mostly known for.  Where do you stand with your sound right now?  Are you continuing with this type of sound?

ESP:  I’ve gotten more into a deeper sound, really influenced by some sort of progressive metal, like Tool and some of the heavier European techno.  My techno is sort of metal and hypno-influenced, very spaced-out.  It has more of an east India and metal hybrid sound of meditation, yet with extreme intensity and introspection, strong percussion and some would say psychedelic.  The day came when psychedelic spoke back to me and said, “Our time is done.”  Yet it definitely chose the tone for me as a producer that I’ve continued for nearly 20 years.  Most of my songs do go on an inner journey and my main influences are probably Tool, Ravi Shankar, Jeff Mills, Cirrus, Basic Channel and of course my own instruments that I’ve tuned myself, so I have a unique sound. I don’t have a 303 anymore, so I’m known as one of the more influential acid artists.  I haven’t really spoken that language in a while and I may again.

JQM:  Since we got on the topic of the equipment, what do you currently use?  What is your set-up?

ESP:  I’ve got a combo of hardware and my computer.  In my studio, I’ve got a Korg MS2000, a Korg WaveStation, a Roland drum machine, Arsenal, Revolution, 303 clone, and then on my computer I’ve got Ableton, Reason and Absynth.  I’m a family man now, so most of my producing happens in the hotel room when I’m away gigging on the weekend.  I’m largely using Reason and really love working in that environment.  I took the time to sample up a lot of my hardware.  I’ve got a trademark palate of sounds.  When my kids get older, I’ll probably return to the hardware and have a little time in the studio.

JQM:  How old are your kids right now?

ESP:  3½ and 1½… And I’m 42!  Haha!

JQM:  So you still have some years before you get that time to rock out with the hardware.

ESP:  Well they like to rock, so I think we’ll all be good.

JQM:  Are you planning on training your kids with all the music equipment and do you think you will try to push them to produce music in the future and be very musically-inclined and continue in your footsteps?

ESP:  Most definitely.  My oldest son Ocean is very musical already.  He’s all over me when I’m on the computer.  He wants to know what’s going on.  I predict he’ll be programming really solid techno within a year.  He’s just a real fun-loving, cool guy, and like I said, he likes to rock, so that’s the most important part.

JQM:  Well my kids will probably be interviewing your kids in the future!  Haha!  So moving on… You have traveled all over the world and played pretty much all techno festivals, including Mayday.  Where is your favorite place to play?

ESP:  Every continent seems to have my home away from home.  In America, my home away from home is probably Milwaukee or Chicago.  In Europe, my home away from home is in Paris at the Rex Club or in Düsseldorf with the Acid Wars party.

In South America, of course it’s in Buenos Aires, arguably the best place in the world to play.  I have a lot of favorites.  It’s some people that I’m on the same wavelength with.  A DJ is a channeler of a universal code or energy that’s around us and is transmitted to the people and then right back.  I learned an important lesson when I grew up in Bismarck, ND.  Everything was quite exotic there.  I remember seeing Metallica come to town in 1986 and play for about 100 people, but they performed just like there were 100,000 there and they gave it their all.  That’s something that stuck with me and I try to carry that with me at every gig I play.  I have two identities; I’ve got an old school identity and a new school identity as well.  Some parties I show up to are 50 old schoolers and we go for it.  That’s something I want to tell all the new DJs out there: if there are 8 Tibetan monks sitting in a circle on the top of a mountain in Asia chanting and meditating, as a DJ, your job is no different and every time you get up there and play, you should give it your all no matter how many people are in the room.  It’s your opportunity to share some good things and positive energy and helping humanity evolve in the right direction.

JQM:  I wanted to ask you about your label, Communiqué.  Can you please tell us something about that?

ESP:  Communiqué has always been a label that gives new artists and opportunity to break into the scene.  I travel around and I see new fresh kids that are on the pulse of what’s coming next and I love to be part of that and give kids their break and return the favor that was given to me once.  We also had many legendary artists on the label: Josh Wink, Derrick Carter, Roland Casper and Brian Vince.  The discography is pretty solid.  There’s a good balance and good reputation with Communiqué.  It was a real shame when the vinyl market caved in and everything went digital.  Communiqué and DJ ESP, we had our own section in every independent and dance music record store in the world and all of a sudden those all dried up in a matter of months.  It was real hard to watch.

JQM:  How did that change your perception of the whole thing?  Do you think going digital is a step forward into electronic music in terms of selling music digitally and distribution?  Or is it taking from the artists, because of all these illegal download sites, is it harder to make money?

ESP:  Some people are making money, I think, and others are not.  I think it put millions of dance music people out of business in just a few months.  It ended careers.  It’s really a shame.  You can’t stop evolution, it’s more efficient and environmentally-friendly, but we’re not selling the music we used to.  I think some people are selling music, but a lot of people aren’t.  I equated it to Einstein.  Even though he unlocked the secrets of the atomic bomb, should he have shared that with people?  Sometimes I get sour and I want to blame the founders of Final Scratch and Beatport for messing everything up for everybody.  I’m sure there are some really successful people that would say just the opposite, but I know a lot of people who aren’t.  A lot of the power and the sales have been consolidated into the hands of the few.

JQM:  What is your stage set-up?

ESP:  I just play records, or if I play live, I play with my computer and the controller.

JQM:  What midi-controller do you use when you play live?

ESP:  I have an Axiom, it’s an M-Audio.  It’s got a little keyboard and I can play with the sounds.

JQM:  Let’s talk about Movement.  This is your first time playing at the Movement Festival.  Your set is planned for the Main Stage on Saturday, May 29 before Josh Wink and Plastikman.  Are you looking forward to hearing him?

ESP:  I am!  I’m a big fan of his.  He hasn’t produced anything in a while.  He’s one of the top few DJs in the world having only produced a few tracks in the past 15 years.  We all kind of privately wish he’d get his shit together and start making some rockin’ tunes again, ya know?  Like Metallica, you don’t hate on them just because they’re still not making some tracks like “Seek and Destroy” and “Substance Abuse”.  You gotta hang in there with the legends and be respectful.  I’m looking forward to the show.  I think everybody is.

JQM:  Are you playing any afterhours?

ESP:  Yeah I’m playing at All Acid afterhours on Sunday night.  And then on Saturday, I’m going to be there all day and take in all the music I can.  I’m really looking forward to it.

JQM:  Please tell me something about that afterhours party.

ESP:  I’m not sure.  I just got contacted about it a couple days ago.  I think it’s a DJ Pierre/Afro Acid get together, so it should be pretty cool.

JQM:  Thank you so much.  Would you like to add something to the article or give a shout-out to anybody?

ESP:  Big respect for Detroit Electronic Music Festival for what is arguably the premiere underground techno event in the world now.  Thank you for having me.  I’m really looking forward to it.  I feel that I’ve got something important to say right now to the world, especially as techno has been redefined into what people really know as tech-house or house music.  I think that the term “techno” should be reclaimed into a little bit more of the original renegade rock and spirit and I plan to do that.

JQM:  Definitely.  I’m looking forward to seeing you on the Main Stage rocking it out and thank you again.

ESP:  Thank you for your interest in me and thank you for your thoughtful questions.  Best wishes to you, my friend.

SEE WOODY ON MAY 29th AT MOVEMENT 2010 MAIN STAGE! FOR TICKETS PLEASE CLICK HERE

_________________________
Interview: Peter Kazimierski
Editor: Lauren Stearley
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Pre Movement 2010 Coverage – AGORIA

Last modified on 2010-05-18 23:04:33 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

After a successful Winter Music conference debut at Listed presents Balance 016 release party and an infamous Sunday School for Degenerates appearance back in March, forward thinking DJ and producer Sebastien Devaud, a.k.a. Agoria, is ready to get back to the New World continent…

Just out of his teens, Sebastien, already a music lover, stamped his feet in front of the counter at a record shop that specialized in electronic sounds. He was waiting for improbable American or German vinyl that would shape a culture and a well-defined willpower to engage permanently in an eccentric/electric lifestyle.

Sebastien acquired a true education while residing in the countryside family nest, where his fairly artistic parents (his father is the architect of the bubble-house on the cover of his debut album, and his mother teaches music) give him a taste for music and real life, and where his radio served as a musical matrix…

When he discovered his first techno tracks and raves, it was the true electroshock that led this young man to give life to what could have been a mere childhood dream.  Instead, Sebastien became Agoria, a passionate worker with an insatiable curiosity and eternal smile, and a new sound was born.

Today, JustQualityMusic sits down with Sebastien to talk about past, present, future plans and his North American Tour…

JQM:  Bonjour, sa va?

AGORIA:  I’m good, just sitting in the studio how are you?

JQM:  Bon! Merci! Please introduce yourself.

AGORIA:  My name Is Sebastien Devaud. I go by the name of Agoria. I live in Lyon in France and I produce and DJ electronic music.

JQM: Lyon France! Why not Berlin? Seems like that’s the Mecca for techno.

AGORIA:  No I’m really happy to have the town I’m living in right now.  It allows me to build the scene here.  I think it’s important everywhere for the artist that is involved in the whole techno movement not to be only thinking about themselves and travel every few years changing the town just to have fun.
Maybe I’m a bit more militant than the new generation, because I remember the thing in the 90′s.  It was really impossible to organize techno parties.  The rave parties were being cancelled everywhere, and it was really difficult to listen to techno music.  That’s why I get this militant feeling. That is also a reason I created NUITS SONORES festival with some friends. I’m not involved anymore day by day with the festival but they are my family and I’m very close to them.

JQM: How do you see the French Electronic Music Scene at the moment? Is it still electro dominated field or is it changing?

AGORIA: To be honest I was never a big fan of the French touch, as the media called it, it was 1.0 and recently the 2.0.  I think this is much more marketing, because the French scene is I think really relevant at the moment.  It’s not anymore like headbanger and the Electro stuff.  We have a lot of newcomers like Danton Eepron, Marc Antona, and Sarah Goldfarb.  With my label Infine we sign a lot of people, not only from France, but we have interesting newcomers like Spitzer, Arandel or Rone.  I really believe in all those new names. What I like in the techno scene in France is that we really have a lot of different kinds of sounds. I was thinking about the Ed  Banger, Justice or Sebastian scene.  But also the techno scene is much more influenced by the Detroit scene or the Berlin or the German sound of Berghain or Panorama bar and I found that quite interesting to have all this different music in the country. I think we have a lot of artists in France, too, because the club scene is not so big, so we have a lot of time to make music, because we don’t have as many clubs as in Belgium, England or Germany.  We have like two good clubs in Paris, one in Lyon and maybe one in the south of France and that’s almost it.  So because of that, all the artist get time to makes music, I guess.

JQM: I can understand the whole not having a lot of techno clubs down here as well, trust me Washington, DC has only one legit place where techno sounds like it should.

AGORIA:  I have discovered this fantastic artist from around Washington, DC area.  Her name is Kid A and I love her.  She has an amazing voice and is a fantastic singer.  I am going to work with her soon, so I’m really happy.  On my new CD Balance I put one track with Kid A and I’m a big fan of her voice.

Kid A – Lonely by AGORIA

JQM:  So tell me what came first when you started your journey with music, DJing or producing music?

AGORIA: Well I don’t DJ anymore at home. I have so much work with the label, artists, working in the studio on my own music.  I’m trying to get a social life with my girlfriend, my friends, the festival, so many things to do.  The first thing I’m doing I guess like everyone at the moment, is taking a coffee, looking on Facebook one minute what’s happened (laugh) and then go on working.

JQM:  When you started your music exploration, were you a DJ first?

AGORIA:  Yeah, I was a DJ first.  One day I saw Jeff Mills play, it has been a big discovery for me. I was shocked by this mix. I think I was 15 or 16 years old. It was the first time I saw a DJ playing with three turntables, a drum machine, and with totally different approach, a unique way of groove and way to mix. He played the records really fast.  Even if it was not technically perfect at that time it was beginning of 90′s he was the only one playing these kinds of things. It was really interesting. I said, wow, this is amazing. From that point on, I bought my first turntables and that was my first step as a DJ. I really started producing few years after that.  I was 25 or something like that. I was too lazy to buy computers, synthesizers and all these things.  It was also really expensive at that time. It was not easy to buy all the studio gear and I was not really rich. It takes a while to become a producer and make electronic music as a musician. I was DJing 7-8 years before I made my first record.

JQM: Your new mix album on Balance series #016 was released in March of this year.  Can you tell us something about this project itself? It seems like the first CD focuses on more of a sophisticated listener and the second is more dance floor friendly.

AGORIA: Yeah, it’s a bit like that. A friend of mine told me: I like this concept, it’s like a sound installation. It’s not so much of mix CD as mix CD is classified. I wouldn’t put a sticker of “mix CD” on this. The concept behind this was to make the balance between all the material I found during five months I spent looking for.  I asked all my friends to make me listen to their top 5 tunes that I could have missed during the last year and I organized a contest on Soundcloud to find newcomers. I spent a lot of time searching unreleased tunes on forums everywhere. So I had so much material that then it was coming like evidence to make a balance literally, to find a right degree of all this material. Another point about this mix CD is that I love to mix two records or tracks that are not supposed to match together. I won’t say it’s easy to mix techno and house all the time, but I guess everyone can manage if they spend some time to find 12 – 15 tracks to make a good mix CD, but today with all the opportunity and all the things that you can find on the internet all the podcasts on every website, you can find every track in less than one minute. I mean what is the use today to make another new mix CD of 12 tracks even if it can be really cool and results can be very good, very nice, but I was myself not really excited by that idea. That’s why I tried to challenge myself to look for all these tunes and to create this sound installation. My friend Francisco Tristano told me it’s the first time a mix is not linear or growing or being mental.  It’s the first time a mix is circular.  I said wow.  And in fact it was true, because I started and finished with the same tracks on CD 1 and CD 2.  On the CD 1, the climax of the mix is at the very middle at 30 minutes.  The idea of this CD was to take you on a journey round trip, like in a cycle. I was quite happy about this.

Balance 016 Disc Aller Retour “Soundcloud Edit” by AGORIA

Balance 016 Disc Aller Retour “Soundcloud Edit” by AGORIA

JQM:  How was it recorded?

AGORIA: The first thing I had done when I got the selection was I spent hours mixing the tracks together to get the flow of the mix CDs.  But then when I got the flow, I sequenced everything in the computer and then I mixed everything with xone92, because I couldn’t arrange everything in the computer.  Nothing is arranged, everything is sequenced just to be on the right tempo and to organize loops and to put all the layers like I was doing first when I played all these tracks for the first time, but then everything is mixed live because I couldn’t spend my time on the computer correcting all the tracks in the computer on live. It was just for the sequencing to have no tempo problems and to organize and add a lot of loops and lot of possibilities.  You get a good groove and a good flow to do it live.

JQM:  I wanted to ask you about the front picture for the album cover, you are sitting all tied up with plastic wrap on your head.  What was the message behind that?

AGORIA: When we did this photo session, the idea was again around the balance concept.  I wanted to be surrounded with one gay black guy and to get this sensation of interracial balance. And also on the cover of CD the idea is also with balance that is the freedom and the slave theme, because the freedom is this white thing I have on the head and the slave theme is that thing that is surrounding me to be stuck on the chair, so that was the feeling.  It’s all about balance.  Every photo is about the balance.  So we tried to find the good interpretation and good ideas to express the balance theme. So one is with black guy and gay guy and the other one is with this thing for the wedding and the freedom and the happiness.

JQM:  What software or hardware do you currently use to produce music?

AGORIA:  That’s going to be easy because I’m actually in the studio right now (laugh).  For synthesizers I use a Minimoog Voyager.  I use an Andromeda Alesis, which is a very good.  I can’t stop working with it, because every time I find new sounds and new ways to work with that.  I also have a Nord Lead 2.  For effects I have a TC Electronic FireworX and an Eventied eclipse.  And for drums, I have machine drums from Elektron.

JQM:  Tell me about your current set-up on the stage.

AGORIA:  On stage, at the moment unfortunately I don’t use any more vinyl. I only use CDJs, because I still need to play live things and to analyze the tempo, because to put the right info between the records it’s this thing that gives me the groove and to help me to mix and to build the flow, so I don’t use any computer on stage.  And I don’t use any more vinyl, because it’s difficult to find right sound to mix records with CDs, because the sound is too different.  I just always have problems to mix those perfectly together.  So that’s why I’m using either only vinyl if I can play at home, for example, or only CDs if I’m playing outside of home.

JQM:  The Balance016 tour starts soon.  Where can we see you in the United States?

AGORIA:  It starts May 21^st with New York.  Then the day after I’m going to play at Windsor.  Then I will be in Detroit, El Paso, Texas, Guadalajara, Mexico and I’m back to Detroit for the Movement Festival.

JQM:  Let’s talk about Movement. Since you are playing on main stage and the boat party what kind of sets can we expect?

AGORIA: I have no clue (laugh), because every set is different, it depends on the audience and what the DJ is going to play before me.  It depends on my mood, if I’m going to be tired or fully of energy, happy or sad.  It depends on so many things.  I can just say that, if I have a little slot like 1-2 hours, it’s difficult to play really eclectic sessions, because most of the time we have to go to the essentials.  We are DJ, it’s not a live act, so we here also to please people, even if we have to please them with our sound and the thing that we love.  It’s also to make people dance and I think most of all what’s happened in our days is people have to enjoy and have fun and DJs are here for that, too.  So at Movement, I think it will be something happier with energy and on the boat it could be housey. I have no clue, because I don’t know who is playing with me at the Movement main stage.  Maybe you can tell me?

JQM:  I really don’t know about the main stage but you’re playing with Mirko Loko and Carl Craig on the boat.

AGORIA:  I think that it’s going to be a lot of fun, because the line-up is very cool and everyone playing good music and are good artists.

JQM:  What are your favorite records at the moment?

AGORIA:  I will do a little bit of self promotion, if you agree with that.  It’s not my music, because I am not so egocentric, but something that is going to be released on my label, Infine. It’s a new album form my home time Lyon and the name is Arandel.  I’m a big fan of this album.  It’s really interesting, totally different what you can expect from club or techno tunes. But I fell in love with this music so we decided to release it.  So I would say “Arandel – In D” is the record of the moment for me.

JQM:  So what are your future plans? What is your plan after the Balance016 tour in North America?

AGORIA:  I’m actually working on my new album, so I’ve been spending a lot of time in studios.  What I can say about this album is, for example, that one of the guests of this boat party that is going to play with me is going to sing on the album.  It’s going to be a techno, quite dubby album with a lot of featured guests and a summary of all the music I loved in past year and a summary of what I’ve done in my first albums.  I’m really in my head about this album at the moment so it’s difficult to speak about it, but soon you will get it, hopefully in October/November.

JQM:  The last question is from one of our listeners.  It’s about the track “Les Violins Ivres”.  He is asking how did you approach the string arrangement on this track and did you record the strings live?

AGORIA:  Yes, we recorded the strings live and I worked with two guys that I love: Francesco Tristano, Rami Khalifé.  They are amazing pianists.  They are members of the band Aufgang, so we decided to make a track all together.  I made them listen to the loops of “Les Violins Ivres” and I wrote first the string arrangement and then we worked on this arrangement in the studios recording the strings live.  They’re going to release a new single in end May or beginning of June under the name Grande Torino and it’s similar in a way, but more and more I’m really matching classical instruments in techno music.

JQM:  Thank you so much for all your time and hopefully see you in person in Detroit!

AGORIA:  I hope we can have a drink all together on the boat.

JQM: Absolutely

Interview by: Peter Kazimerski
Edited by: Lauren Stearley
________________________
Agoria North American Tour Dates:

May 21: New York, NY @ 50 Bowery www.biatchcorp.com
May 22: Windsor, Canada @ Boom Boom Room www.boomboomroom.ca
May 27: Detroit, MI @ Pulse Lounge www.pulsedetroit.com
May 28: El Paso, TX @ Malibu Discotheque www.myspace.com/malibunightclub
May 30: Detroit, MI @ Detroit Princess Riverboat www.paxahau.com
May 31: Detroit, MI @ Movement Electronic Music Festival www.movement.us



ERIC JOHNSTON INTERVIEW

Last modified on 2010-03-17 16:02:19 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

PK:  It’s been almost a year since I saw you in person… What have you been doing all this time?

EJ:  I’ve been busting my ass!!!!  Working two “real” jobs, making music, playing gigs, traveling, pleasuring myself, trying to stay sane and having a blast doing it!!

PK:  I like to call you “The last Detroit survivor” as you come from the circle of people including: Crosson, Curtiss, Troxler that moved to Berlin etc. Tell us something about DJing and living in the D throughout all these years.

EJ:  Being born and raised in Detroit has been a blessing.  In 1989 I was 9 years old…..my brother and I used to listen to the radio on our little boom box/cassette player before going to bed.  On Friday and Saturday nights we were allowed to stay up later than on a school night which gave us the opportunity to hear “Richie rich live from the shelter”.  This was of course Richie Hawtin playing his first residency at the shelter, the basement of st. Andrews hall. My brother and I would start freaking out to these strange sounds coming out of our radio and got in quite a bit of trouble as a result.  At the time I had no idea who Richie Hawtin was and didn’t really find out about him until sheet one was released in 1993.  Still, I’ve been losing my shit to techno for over 20 years now and that NEVER would have happened if I wasn’t from Detroit.

PK:  Old Miami Residency with Auxetic..

EJ:  I first met Maggie, the creative mind and bad ass bitch of a business woman behind auxetic, just over 4 years ago. I was playing an after party for the st Patrick’s Day parade, a Detroit tradition for decades.  She approached me when I finished my set and said “I’m starting a monthly, a Sunday afternoon party, you HAVE to come play the first one!!!” so I did…..it was AWESOME.  I had so much fun that I told her I wanted to play at every one of her parties.  She was like “yes!!!” and that’s where it all started.  We understand each other rather well so working together on these events has been amazing.

PK:  In which other countries have you played?

EJ:  Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy….and many more to come!!

PK: What is your plan for the near future? Any new releases heading our way? What labels?

EJ:  I plan to continue pushing myself ever harder to live my dream of being a rock star……I’ve wanted it my whole life and I’m not going to stop…..EVER. I’ve got a few releases in the works….ep’s on leftroom, archipel, cityfox….as well as some hush hush stuff

PK: How do you see techno scene in U.S. past, present and future?

EJ: I LOVE IT!!!!!  Sure, I could go on and on bitching about what sucks about techno in the US but who gives a fuck?  I always have a good time and I do my best to make sure those present when I perform have a good time as well.  There are so many people out there who say “it’s just not like it used to be”. To me that sounds like some closed minded asshole on fox news talking about the moral fabric of the Untied States. Of course it’s not what it used to be, who wants things to stay the same???? That was the past, this is the present and the future will be even better!!!

PK: So you are moving to Vienna this month, why not Berlin?

EJ: Berlin’s great…..I have a ton of friends there.  But when I spent some time in Vienna I completely fell in love with it.  It has to be the most beautiful city on earth.  The architecture and history there is just astonishing.  I have a great little circle of friends there as well so it’s perfect……..everybody moves to Berlin……not this cat.

PK: Favorite 3 records at the moment.

EJ: Well…..they’re not records yet!!!  All unreleased stuff from my friends…..this is going to be a great year for music!!!

PK: Have you been to DC before?

EJ: I have actually……in 8th grade for the school trip.  we saw the sights, took the tours….it was cool but I’m really looking forward to spending a little time in our nation’s capitol as an adult before moving overseas!!

PK: Thank you for the interview and see you on Friday!

EJ: Thanks! Let’s do this!