Have house and techno evolved as far as they can?
To me, house and techno are a utility music. The evolution is quite gradual, the tempos go up and down, but you don't want to keep the same piece of gum in your mouth forever without the flavour changing, do you?
Is it important to keep up to date with new product?
Yes, absolutely. Although sometimes it's a mighty trudge through a sea of very average productions. But if you don't keep up with what's new you might miss one of the nuggets of pure delight that come along every few months (and that is a personal thing, right? What I consider to be a truly great release might be way different to what others are seeking).
If “house is a feeling”, are there any limits to what it can be?
I expect so, otherwise we'll start calling it something else. House is a sound isn't it?
Do you think that house/techno, etc, can survive without clubs?
Yes, but in a more limited sense. Nothing ever really dies. There are still people writing classical music, bluegrass, delta blues etc
If you are a DJ, etc . . .
How much of a typical set is composed of new tracks?
That depends on how often I'm playing. Typically I would include 70% tracks released within the previous 12 months mixed with stuff which still rocks from the previous 5 years. It's always fun to trawl back through the old promos for things you might have missed.
How far do you think a crowd can distinguish between what is old and new?
Not much. Due to the nature of disco circumstances most people are just living in the moment, so as long as you hit the buttons in a way which keep both them and you happy I'm not sure it really matters to anyone else.
What formats do you use?
Purely digital. I'm not the least bit romantic about the old days of vinyl. Anybody who is probably didn't have to try and lug 150 records through an airport. I even feel it was a victory for sound quality when I was finally able to put WAVs on a USB... seriously, a lot less chance of finding the turntables poorly connected, badly earthed, or with a stylus that had been ground to a nub by a numpty dropping the needle on the slipmat.
When recording mixes, do you write track lists?
No
If not, why not?
I'll only do it if asked, and even then I have to go through the tracks and try and work out what they all are. And to be fair that is sometimes a decent eye-opener, but usually I just don't really bother.
If you are a music lover:
How often do you go clubbing?
Almost never...so you can probably scrub the following section for me. I'll just leave a general answer instead... as a bona fide veteran (57 years old) I don't much enjoy clubbing as a punter anymore. I love seeing the crowd having a great time when I'm playing, but I really only go out and get involved about once a year, and only then to listen to a DJ who I can really trust. To be brutally frank I get bored unless i'm doing gear, and that's not really me anymore.
Do you feel that a night club is a safe haven, an artificial construct or something else?
It's a construct with benefits. Sorry to be cynical but once you've seen a few clubs after closing time, with someone sweeping up and someone else counting money you kind of understand it for what it is.
Do you think you are treated well or badly when at a club?
How much house and techno do you listen to in your free time?
Where do you listen to it?
In what form: specific tracks, albums, mixes?
If you don’t go out but still consume the music and keep up to date with things in general:
How do you listen to music?
How much money do you spend on it and in what format?
How important is it to you?
Do you see it as an integral part of your lifestyle?
How easy do you find it to describe the music you listen to?
How much have house and techno evolved over the last 35 years, or since the inception of disco?
Why are we often “looking back in order to go forward”
Do you think your musical taste has changed much over time?
Yes
How?
I'd be more worried if it hadn't. I know this is a personal thing but I think it's important to remain open to the endless joyous opportunities which music provides. No point in saying “oh, I don't like THAT type of music” coz you never know if your tastes will change. It's fine to like something then go off it entirely, and it's fine to not like something and then to start liking it. No-one is judging you except yourself.
If you are a music maker:
How long have you been making music?
40 years
Is this a full-time occupation for you?
Sort of. I don't earn enough to support myself through music anymore. I'm lucky to be in a position where I can spend a lot of time making music and running a label without having to worry about paying huge monthly bills... but it's been a lifestyle choice. I didn't have kids or take out a mortgage that I couldn't pay off, partly because I wanted to be able to do music full-time. I'd have been a lot more comfortable financially if I'd just treated it as a hobby. I'd also have missed out on lots of exciting stuff which music has brought into my life.
Are labels/genres important to you?
Labels, yes, because they are usually run by curators – arbiters of taste. If you can trust a label to look for things you will like then it's an absolute joy to hear whatever they have to offer. I think 4AD is possibly the greatest example of this in the history of indie music.
Do you listen much to similar music to what you make in your free time?
No. I listen to music which is a long way removed from my particular brand of oompty-boompty. I love a well-crafted pop song from The Beatles to Methyl Ethel, Post-Punk, electric Miles, Krautrock, Film music, Dub reggae, a bit of ye-olde Prog Rock, JSB, Stravinsky, Prokofiev. That doesn't mean I don't LIKE dance music, it's just something I see as a separate strand in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment