Tag Archive: interview

LWE Interviews Theo Parrish

LWE recently checked in with Theo Parrish, finding him as busy — and as brilliant — as ever.

LWE Interviews Robert Hood

In a career that spans some twenty years Robert Hood has indelibly left his mark on the techno landscape, and to this day he continues to explore his particular brand of stripped back, haunting techno funk. LWE spoke to Mr. Hood about his new album, Omega, injecting faith into music and hearing the echoes of Motown through techno.

Little White Earbuds Interviews JD Twitch

Jumping from Optimo’s peculiar envisioning of peaktime techno to a strange series of events deep in Madrid clubland, JD Twitch gives Little White Earbuds a peak into the infamous past and exciting future of some of dance music’s most singular party-starters.

Little White Earbuds Interviews Kyle Hall

Save your free pass for another youngster: Kyle Hall gets by perfectly fine on his own merits. Boundlessly optimistic and precocious to boot, it was my pleasure to speak with Hall in advance of his Movement ’10 appearance about his passion for the visual arts, how he’s dealt with success, and the future as he sees it.

LWE Interviews Tama Sumo

Months after her popularity boom and the world tour that ensued shortly after, we checked in with Tama Sumo to get the scoop on the Panorama Bar renovations, the state of the Berlin club scene, and where she’s heading next.

Talking Shop with Running Back

Running Back is one of the most consistent labels about. Only in terms of quality, mind. Consistency doesn’t equal homogeneity, and frankly Running Back can be all over the shop stylistically. Ravey, wildpitch house from Radio Slave one release, Robert Dietz’s desiccated Mannheim funk the next, Running Back is unafraid to thumb its nose at genre purists. For a busy man, the label’s owner Gerd Janson is exceptionally generous with his time, and it was a pleasure to shoot the shit with him for a couple hours about the eternal vinyl versus mp3 debate, Walter Benjamin, British dub soundsystems, and what we can expect next from the least predictable of labels.

Little White Earbuds Interviews Virgo

One of the positive aspects of living in a reissue culture is that people who didn’t get their props first time round do so on the rebound. Merwyn Sanders and Eric Lewis are two such guys. They released only three records in their short-lived career, but those first two (under the names M.E. and Virgo Four, released on Chicago’s legendary Trax label), were compiled into their eponymous album Virgo. They were kind enough to give us their thoughts on the reissue, how a dog was responsible for their record deal, and why their school discos were considerably cooler than yours.

LWE Interviews House of House

Ever since the breakout success of their ecstatic “Rushing to Paradise (Walkin These Streets),” a full-blooded rollercoaster of a house anthem, House Of House have kept a surprisingly low profile. In a year when deep house was dragged kicking and screaming from the underground into global dance music conscioussness, the theatricality and the sheer emotional exuberance of the track ensured that it featured prominently in most late-summer DJ crates. The duo, made up of Saheer Umar and Still Going’s Olivier “Liv” Spencer, have a slew of remix projects scheduled for 2010 which kicks off with one for The Juan Maclean to complement their A Mountain of One “Bones” remix from 2009. In this insightful interview with both guys, they finally break the silence about their hit, where they’re going from there, and just how important New York is to their sound and that of the many game-changing house acts emerging from the city at the moment.

Little White Earbuds Interviews Levon Vincent

Although Levon Vincent has seen his profile rise dramatically over the past 18 months he’s anything but a newcomer. Having spent nearly a decade making house music after many years studying music generally, Vincent’s recent fame can be seen only as welcome payoff to someone who has spent his fair share of time in the trenches. Enmeshed in the much-discussed revitalization of New York house with his own imprints, Novel Sound and Deconstruct Music (with Anthony Parasole), alongside Jus-Ed’s Underground Quality stable, he blends his influences into a thick, rich soup of raw house music that finds him wearing his heart on his sleeve. LWE caught up with Vincent in Paris before his appearance at Rex Club kicking off a month of touring around Europe to discuss everything from Thriller and Discreet Music, the newest musical instrument in his arsenal, and the struggles of being a vinyl proponent in America.

LWE Interviews Moritz Von Oswald

Moritz Von Oswald is simultaneously one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in techno. As part of Basic Channel, Maurizio, Rhythm and Sound, and other configurations with Mark Ernestus and a revolving cast of musicians and vocalists, Von Oswald became one of Europe’s first techno innovators. Basic Channel defined dance minimalism early on, both through a love of repetition as a form of change, and a willingness to let the music speak for itself. More recently, Von Oswald has demonstrated that his reach extends far past the dub-inflected electronic soundscapes he helped introduce to dance music, with stunning remixes of not just Tony Allen, but also Ravel and Mussorgsky. Finally, last year’s Vertical Ascent matched Von Oswald with Sasu Ripatti (Vladislav Delay, Luomo) and Max Loderbauer (nsi, Sun Electric) in an improvisational group, yielding a standout release of 2009 by any measure. LWE had the distinct privilege of speaking with Moritz Von Oswald in advance of his trio’s American debut at New York’s Unsound Festival. Like his music itself, Von Oswald’s approach to thinking about music is simple and direct. But like his music, depth and complexity are immediately apparent.

Little White Earbuds Interviews Todd Edwards

Rare is the artist who can credibly claim their music inspired a musical movement; and while New Jersey producer Todd Edwards might not suggest so himself, there are plenty of admirers who would jump at the chance do it for him. His effervescent brand of garage house is the result of a visionary’s ear for making disparate sample sources fit together to create dazzling new melodies — moving mosaics that have influenced producers well beyond the limits of underground dance music. His tracks for i! Records and Nervous and remixes for everyone from St. Germain to Kim English were like a lit match for the U.K. dance music scene’s fuse, setting off an explosion of sample heavy 2-step that’s still smoldering today. Feverish fans even dubbed him Todd “The God,” although as a devout Christian he would likely prefer the title “Man of God.” His faith has certainly colored and informed his music, often in the form of positive, sometimes even praise-styled lyrics. But what might seem like a risky move for music geared towards a largely secular community only further distinguishes Edwards as an artist who believes completely in the messages laced throughout his work and has the guts to be forthcoming about it. After a few years spent on the sidelines, Todd Edwards is back with a raft of new tunes, remixes, and finally a legitimate way to procure his hard to find back catalog. He was kind enough to talk with me via phone about his methods, his message, and the Almighty in his life.

LWE Interviews Martyn

Dutchman Martijn Deykers has made a sizable impression on electronic music over the past two years with a striking run of singles and remixes under the moniker Martyn that helped to shed light on the burgeoning disparities within dubstep. This was crowned by his debut full length album which dropped at the start of 2009; Great Lengths had instant classic stamped all over it and this was reflected by its high placed status in end of year lists and polls. A DJ for many years, his music production career started out with drum & bass releases for Marcus Intalex’s Revole:r label, before side-winding into dubstep after the release of his “Broken/Shadowcasting” 12″ in 2007. Ever exploring new territory, Great Lengths also hinted at an affinity for house and techno, a penchant which is also mirrored in his DJ sets. LWE spoke to Martyn while he was on tour in Canada about his new Fabric mix, the inspiration of environment, and the development of his harder side.

LWE Interviews Hard Wax

In anticipation of Hard Wax’s 20th anniversary (an occasion marked by a show of truly epic proportions, see flyer inside), LWE talked with Torsten Pröfrock, one of Hard Wax’s buyers and a renowned if tight-lipped producer, about the changes Hard Wax has seen over 20 years, the shop’s larger impact, and a tip for getting space on its hallowed shelves.

Little White Earbuds Interviews Vladislav Delay

Luomo. Vladislav Delay. Uusitalo. Whichever name he used, Sasu Ripatti has been pushing boundaries for his whole career. His legendary Multila album on Chain Reaction took dub techno to places it had never been before (and has never been since), while Anima on Mille Plateaux continues to astound eight years after its release. As Luomo he practically defined “micro-house” with Vocalcity, considered by many to be simply the finest house album of the decade, while Uusitalo is an outlet for his reduced techno excursions. Recently he has received praise as the all-important drummer for the Moritz von Oswald Trio, released Tummaa as Vladislav Delay and collaborated with partner AGF on Symptoms. We caught up recently with Sasu to chat about his history, his future and just what exactly those “drums” are on Vertical Ascent.

LWE Interviews Terre Thaemlitz

For Terre Thaemlitz, audio is never “innocent.” From Thaemlitz’s earliest ambient recordings, through a series of incredible electro-acoustic projects for the Mille Plateaux label, to a current triple-life as producer of astringently political “radio shows,” deep house auteur as DJ Sprinkles and K-SHE, and writer/polemicist, Thaemlitz’s project has always been to unsettle any putative audience’s assumptions of what constitutes knowledge and politics. Thaemlitz is also possibly dance music’s finest socio-political commentator. Not to mention her continual “queering of the pitch.” With DJ Sprinkles’s Midtown 120 Blues somehow managing to be one of the best dance music albums of both 2008 and 2009 (thanks partly to a staggered release schedule, but also to the ineffectual nature of most any of its supposed “competitors”), it’s time to take the temperature of the “ideology of the dance floor” with our scene’s most articulate outsider.

LWE Interviews Roman Flügel

Roman Flügel is one of those producers whose multifaceted career makes him difficult to describe narrowly, so I’ll stick with two simple truths: his 15 years spent making electronic music have proven him to be courageous and innovative. Never one to shy away from new sounds, Flügel has tackled everything from tribal house to experimental electronic jazz. But his most lasting project have been equally bold, from the serrated edged acidic electro of Alter Ego to the soothing scope of Sensorama (both in partnership with Jörn Elling Wuttke), from reduced and acid-house as Soylent Green to the IDM-flecked downtempo created as Eight Miles High. He’s harnessed the highs of crossover hits and powered through the lows of of steep expectations, never apologizing for being ambitious as an artist or appreciating success. Mr. Flügel was kind enough to chat with LWE about underground credibility, challenging audiences and days spent producing in a garage.

Between the Bars with Daniel Wang

Well loved DJ/producer/label owner Daniel Wang was kind enough to share his thoughts on and memories of five tracks found on the recently released Presents Balihu 1993-2008 2xCD compilation. Below you’ll also find a free download of his early track “Like Some Dream I Can’t Stop Dreaming.” Without further ado, take it away Mr. Wang.

LWE Interviews Mary Anne Hobbs

Having hosted the experimental new music show on the BBC’s Radio 1 for over ten years, Mary Anne Hobbs knows her stuff. She wants to know what else is out there, and she wants to share it with you. She is arguably the person who turned the world on to dubstep, in the early hours of January 10th 2006 on a very special Breezeblock entitled Dubstep Warz. Since then, she put together two eclectic compilations for Planet Mu (Warrior Dubz in 2006 and Evangeline in 2008) and is about to release a third called Wild Angels. LWE caught up with MAH a couple weeks before her 10-date American tour in support of that record. We spoke to her about the rise in popularity of dubstep and her experiences as a BBC broadcaster and globetrotting DJ.

LWE Interviews Marcel Dettmann

In discussions of his solo and collaborative productions for Ostgut Ton and his own MDR label, his biting remixes for folks as disparate as Modeselektor and Sandwell District, and his infamously expansive DJ sets, club music commentators invariably accuse Marcel Dettmann of being a purist. But purism — as a stance on techno — implies pretension, and you’d be hard pressed to meet a man who puts on fewer airs about this music than Dettmann. At his headlining appearance at New York’s famed Bunker party, he may have threaded the needle from Tan-Ru’s “Assembly” (his fitting tribute to the late Ian Loveday, who passed away in June) to Newworldaquarium’s “Trespassers” and touched on countless rare techno sides in between. But if Dettmann — casually clad in jeans and an MDR t-shirt and handing out high-fives to all who approached him — played professor in any regard that night, it was only delineating how one brings down the house and keep revelers enraptured straight through 6 a.m. A few hours before all this madness commenced, I sat down with the famed Berghain resident for a chat on dubstep, Deuce, and what this whole techno thing means to the man who has lately come to personify it.

LWE Podcast 29: Black Jazz Consortium

For many listeners, Fred P. was one of 2009’s major discoveries. Less a young upstart than a veteran finally getting his due, Fred Peterkin has become one of the key players in New York City’s resurgent house scene. His affiliations with Jus-Ed and Move D — both of whom are contributors to upcoming releases on Peterkin’s Soul People Music imprint — hint at his elegant deep house style, but his releases for the past two years as Black Jazz Consortium have established his unique voice. Fred took off from working on his ever-expanding label and his own productions not only for an in-depth discussion, but to provide us with our 29th podcast as well: an exclusive two hour journey through the deepest house — including some unreleased cuts.