Page 46 - Zone Magazine Issue 008

What is your current setup in the studio, what is your must have piece of equipment?
I have 2 places I make my music, firstly and mainly produce/write most of my projects at my home studio, where I have a Mac with Cubase as my preferred DAW, I used to rewire Cubase with Reason for many years, but more recent updates in newer versions of Cubase have made it perfect tool to stand alone for the last couple of years.
The second place is somewhere I take my finished tracks for immaculate rounding off of tracks, the mix down and mastering and that is Fidget Studio's in my home town, Coventry.
Longtime friend Barry Diston, has the most immaculate studio environment there, and is a massive part of getting my tracks bang on the money at the final steps. It really is a brilliantly, perfectly designed environment, to get cater and get anything music production wise to the sounding to the highest standard.
Must have piece of equipment, is a tough one, as I have treated myself to many new bits recently, these days more software than hardware, but if I gave you one of each, Software would have to be VPS Phalanx from Vengeance, replacing for me many years using Battery, it's so much quicker in editing and processing especially my drums and percussion, and once I got to know fully my way round it, it really is a one stop shop for a lot of things I need to do. Pretty cool for sampling and cutting synths and Vocals when you get deep into it's full capabilities.
Hardware wise I have always had a guilty pleasure for Roland TB-303, it's one piece of hardware that for me no replica software can totally imitate. There have been many good ones come close. But there is always something missing for me.
Layer 909 your record label is smashing out some fine techno at the moment what do you have in store you can tell us about in the coming months on the label?
Layer 909 turned a year old as we had this interview, the first year was always about getting the sound of Techno that was important to me for the label to represent. 'Driving Techno' so the whole of the first years releases we already had to filter out their month by month.
We have been very lucky for a label in the first year to get so much support from the who's who big guns in Techno. There are not many names I have craved to get a response or feedback from by the end of 2015.
2016 is about getting more of the producers I have recognized as personal favorites onto the label more consistently. Some I have been very successful with like Ukrainian Spartaque, who is one of the most talented, down to earth professionals I have met in Techno so far. And also at the turn of the New Year Alen Milivojevic and Steelgrooves, whom both are massive guilty pleasures of mine. Their productions always flood my DJ playlists.
Alen has just let me sign this week an Original by him that he called his 'Baby', and Steelgrooves I have managed to bag 2 Monster Ep's, and are both fully charged 'TECHNOFIRE’. Again both these guys are very talented, and most importantly humble and a brilliant attitude towards music.
Also German rising star Urig & Dice, have done some phenomenal remixes of future 2016 releases. These pair are a breath of fresh air and we have a great amount of banter online. Just waiting for a big juicy Original from them this year that is designed especially for Layer 909, it's on route I’m promised.
There are others that I’m working on out there to get on board, people like Steve Mulder and Anti Slam and Weapon are very good friends and producers that sound again I support a lot of.
The other side of the coin is to try and help progress more this year new talent I have found and believe in last year. Names that made instant impact of first releases and will be involved a lot are Halvy, Nico Luss and Silhouett3. Some massive tracks in the bank from these lads.
Acid Bath which was reviewed by DaGeneral in this issue was caned by Carl Cox, of course
you had the urge in the studio for an acid based track at that time.
Acid Bath came from a few things. I had been working on a Phutek rework of Joey Beltram - Energy Flash for a while in little spots of spare time and from trying to recreate
the parts of this legendary track, it got me more accustomed to processing acid lines.
Around the same time early 2015 I went out with Carl Cox to a couple of his UK gigs,
Circus in Liverpool and We are festival down South. Carl was hammering a couple of top notch Techno acid tracks at the time and at both gigs I went from back stage into the crowd to soak up the full sound and atmosphere experience on the dance floor, and at both gigs he dropped Josh Winx - I'm Talking to you. I had heard this track many a time prior on the net in podcasts etc. online, but on them monster sound systems, it was different level to my ears. And every time I went in the studio the next couple of weeks, I had to put down anything else I was working on, to get this desire to make an acid based Techno track with my own twist on it. Structurally this was new ground for me, but it was one of the quickest tracks I put together last year.
And although it's not out yet until 8th Feb. Carl as you say well and truly put it out there all year after dropping initially at the opening of his Music is revolution night at Space.
And I give him massive thanks for his continued support, as along with 'Timerunner’, Acid Bath is one of the most inquired about Phutek tracks to date.
Usually how does your process work from concept to polished article?
Well this depends what track I am working on. For example, there is different process for a Phutek Original to a Phutek Remix. And if the project has a full vocal, then again this totally changes how I work from start to finish.
In general, the best music I feel I have made to date, is after I have gone to the other side and stood on a field in front of a stack of speakers listening to my favorite artists or big influences. Looking back last year all of my bigger tracks happened from a moment on dance floor or field, in some cases one track did it, and in others a whole set gave me an idea. A good 30% of tracks I produced happened straight from getting home from an event with that special vibe still there and jumping straight in the studio, very little sleep until I felt the main vibe was out of my head and on the screen.
I also of course write music off the cuff, which sometimes can be an idea from quite a while back that revisits me. It also depends what else is going on in my life, believe it or not a lot of my tracks have a personal message edged in there from a situation or how I was feeling that day, week or month.
They are the more fun ones to make, trying to keep it Techno serious, and building the mood of the grooves around the trigger vox or synth that was the initial message of the track.
With all the changes and enhancements to the technology that DJ’s use from vinyl to CD, USB, stems. How do you see things shaping in the future, or what technology advancement would you like to see?
To be honest, I’m not the best person to give a real Tech Head answer to a question like this. You could say I have been in past years one of them Victor Meldrew's when it has come to changing times in equipment and Technology.
If I was given an ultimatum of one choice of deck it would be to play on Vinyl on Technics 1210's or 1200's all day long. And was probably one of the last to move across to move to CDJ's etc.
However, the more serious you are about music, you do have to except, you have to and it is important to change with the times in some ways.
I certainly now enjoy DJing almost as much
playing on CDJ's as I do vinyl decks, and add to that the progression into carrying music on USB's is bliss when you were part of an era lugging 2 vinyl flight cases around streets and clubs all the time. So financially the change price and accessibility to music, and the compact storage options of your music is a massive plus, and the chance to bring more studio expression into your sets with today's ever changing technology that allows more manipulation through the tools and equipment is also brilliant. But for me for now it ends there, I don't see myself moving to the next stage of Laptop, Traktor or Serato. I have through curiosity given these options a whirl. But quickly knew from a DJ perspective, its the riding the pitch and the groove that gives me the DJ Buzz. Take the original origins of DJing away for me and make me play on anything that does them parts from you would leave my music and DJ Soul empty.
All the luxuries that I waver are separated for me, and like to keep DJ Buzz and Studio Buzz separate. Anything I miss out on from my choices DJing, I get to do in the studio, and right now happy to keep getting my buzz from there.
I know there will be youngsters out there that will read this and be like ' really ' but I know there will be also a lot of old traditional heads that come from the early days like me, will get what I’m saying totally.
There really is no right or wrong option in Dj and Production enhancements, it's really down to individual age, experience and what out of all the options out there gives you your music buzz. Being Happy in what you do and how you do it is the key.
Which new breed of DJ/producers coming through would you note as one to watch?
Without a doubt Silhouett3, this trio of northern lads have been the model example of how I believe you need to be to move forward in music. For a few years now I have worked with them, signed their tracks etc. And they are masters waiting to go boom.
They have a few areas to work on networking and consistency wise, but add to the quality they are making each time they go in the studio they raise the bar every time. They all took a break last third of 2015, for things like getting married and moving house etc. And will be back with a vengeance in 2016
The last 2 tracks I signed from them were the best Techno tracks that had passed my ears last year. Remember and look out especially for Silhouett3 - Fallout in 2016 on LAYER 909.
What is your all-time top 10 tracks ever and why?
Right here is 10 out of about a hundred I could of listed. I'm gonna not list why, I’m gonna make you go and find these tracks and listen. In no particular order
1) Scott Project - U (V mix)
2) Dj Misjah & Dj Tim - Access
3) Source -Clouds (Jon The Dentist Remix)
4) Wippenberg - Neurodancer
5) Format 1 - Solid Sessions ( Dj Misjah XLarge Mix)
6) Dave the Drummer - Hydraulix 9
7) Poltergeist - Vicious Circles (Rhythm masters Remix)
8) Oliver Klitzing - Videos kill the Dj's
9) Depeche Mode - Enjoy the silence (Phutek 2016 rework)
10) Joey Beltram - Energy Flash
Connect:
http://www.layer909.com/
Words By Alan Lumely Pic By Phutek
46 ZONE-MAGAZINE.IE