Q: You released some great music in 2008 and 2009 which has raised your artist profile, has this changed your life in any way?
A: Yeah I’m more or less doing music full time now, which is great to have the time to do it properly – writing music is very time consuming, it’s hard to get started when you have other commitments as I’m sure a lot of producers out there will know. And now I get strange people offering me high class prostitutes. Or sometimes low class. Which are obviously refused.
Q: You have carved a name for yourself as a deep techouse / techno producer but I believe as a dj you have played different styles in the past?
A: I’ve played all sorts yeah, I have a lot of different musical interests, and don’t like to get pinned down. I used to be all into turntablism, scratching and juggling and all that, which unfortunately doesn’t fit over the sort of music I’m playing now, hopefully I can get back to that somehow in future.
Q: Can we expect to hear some different production styles in the future or are you a 100% purist now?
A: I guess I’ve accidentally answered this partly with my last answer – you can definitely expect some new styles, especially for my album which I’m working on now.
Q: Do you get to cross genres in any of your current dj sets?
A: Yes, my recent mixes up on FTVS and Fabric sites for example, include de
ep house, modern classical, dubstep, electronica, techno and minimal. I’m all for crossing genres and keeping things interesting.
Q: If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?
A: One of my favourite producers who would play in a club is Stephan Bodzin, who I still haven’t seen out. But to be honest most of the people I’d go out of my way to see wouldn’t play in clubs – Max Richter, Philip Glass and Helios for example.
Q: Harmonisch Serie, Stochastisch Serie and Chaotisch Serie are three of your latest releases on Traum, please explain these names and the concept behind them?
A: The names and concepts are all tied into scientific/philosophical ideas which I find interesting, and which influence my productions and which the videos for the tracks were based on.
Q: What projects / releases are you working on at the moment?
A: I’m doing remixes of two of my favourite artists – Minilogue and Ryan Davis at the moment, plus working on album tracks and a new 12inch EP.
Q: Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from?
A: I mainly listen to modern classical and melodic electronica, so things like Max Richter and Helios as mentioned, and Jon Hopkins, Deaf Center, Olafur Arnalds.
Q: What else in life gives you inspiration to make music?
A: Science, philosophy, art, nature – I find these things almost inseparable from what drives my music.
Q: Did you take inspiration from anything when you made the superb “I”?
A: That track was supposed to be called “i”, but the small letterness of the name got lost in translation somewhere along the line! The name was supposed to refer to the self (i.e. “I”), as well as the square root of minus 1 (i.e. “i”), because the inspiration behind the track was to represent something personal in an electronic form.
Q: How does your production process work?
A: It varies from track to track, but the best work happens when I start with a clear concept or emotion to try and represent, and work as accurately as possible to that theme so that its message is most clearly conveyed in the resulting track.
Q: Do you use any hardware in your production or is it all made on computer?
A: Strictly software for me! I would love to have some real synths, as there is definitely something to be said for the analogue sound in its dance music effect, but they are expensive, and I’ve focused my studio expenditure on maximizing sound quality so far – acoustic treatment and monitors etc.
Q: As a dj do you play records, cds or are you computer based?
A: DJing is mainly CDs, plus the odd vinyl, much more fun not to have to worry about a computer when possible, always causing problems those pesky things! I have to use one for my live show though of course. Someone pointed out recently that in spite of the fact that I do all my music and science on a computer, I am in fact a technophobe.
Q: What makes a good party for you?
A: Pass the parcel.
Interview by Robin Ball
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