• 12.02 Madrid, SP @ PLAYBACK CLUB (DJ SET)
• 12.03 London, UK @ A NIGHT WITH… (DJ SET)
• 12.05 Granada, SP @ INDUSTRIAL COPERA (DJ SET)
• 12.07 Naples, IT @ WOO (DJ SET)
• 12.08 Rome, IT @ GOA (DJ SET)
• 12.09 Milan, IT @ PRIVATE (DJ SET)
• 12.10 Venice, IT @ ALTAVOZ (DJ SET)
• 12.11 Berlin, DE @ PANORAMA BAR (DJ SET)
• 01.20 Perth, AU @ LIKES OF YOU (DJ SET)
• 01.21 Brisbane, AU @ BAR SOME (DJ SET)
• 01.22 Wellington, NZ @ SANDWICHES (DJ SET)
• 01.25 Melbourne, AU @ NOVEL (DJ SET)
• 01.26 Sydney, AU @ AGWA YACHT CLUB (DJ SET)

Interview

First of all can you tell us a little bit about how you first came to be interested in music and more specifically electronic music?

René Breitbarth: As a kid I was buying 80?s pop singles and as a result of that I wanted a keyboard. My father said he would buy me an expensive one if I’d take lessons. I ended up with a cheap one.

How old were you when you started DJing and then producing?

I started producing before DJing. I must have been around 15 when I started to compose with my Amiga home computer back then. I tried out mixing on turntables probably when I was 20.

Who were the DJ’s and producers you aspired to when you were getting into clubbing and listening to this music?

They are all mentioned in Scooter’s “Hyper Hyper.” Seriously, too many to mention.

So I understand you first appeared on the Cologne Sound Waves compilation. What were you making back then?

This compilation was a project of a bunch of people hanging out at a studio above the Space Club Cologne, later Warehouse. I was mostly spending my time there producing.

What were the first pieces of production gear that you bought?

That was an EMU ESI-32 sampler. But mostly I used the gear of friends.

Were your friends doing the same thing? Did you have people who were also starting out so you could help each other out?

Before digital production I always had studios together with friends, for example we ran a Treibstoff Studio once.

Tell us about the Treibstoff label, how you and Marcel Janovsky came to start the label and what the mission statement behind the label was.

Me and a friend made a 12-inch by ourselves with no distributor at first, then Marcel and his partner joined to go more professional, thus Treibstoff was born. We were just a bunch of artists who were fed up by sending demos to labels.

When you started the label people were definitely still playing vinyl and hadn’t yet moved to playing CDs or mp3s. How much of an impact did these new mediums have on the sales of the releases?

Of course the vinyl sales got less. But I’m not involved in doing Treibstoff anymore other than releasing an EP once in a while for many years now. So I’m not the right person to ask.

Since then you’ve also started your own label, Deep Data, which I notice is almost purely digital. Tell us a bit about the label and your reasons for going digital.

Mainly, the idea for Deep Data came from playing at Club der Visionaere in Berlin. My vision of club sound changed there a little. It was already different from the Treibstoff sound at that time so I launched Deep Data. I was already DJing digitally for four years and so it was clear that I would go for digital. Besides lower costs and effort it also brought the chance to finally release more of my tracks.

There are a lot of DJs now who have gone back to playing vinyl exclusively. Can you see Deep Data releasing on a physical format in the future or does it seem financially unsustainable?

Actually three vinyl releases were made around 2010. It IS financially unsustainable. However, it’s not my focus or desire to release on vinyl.

Most of the Deep Data releases have been your own, though I notice you are now having other artists contribute more. Are you planning to continue in this way and open the label up further to other artists?

Right now I am getting back to releasing on my own again because I simply have enough material, so it makes no sense to invest more effort, earn less and be dependent.

How would you say your own personal tastes have changed over the years in terms of music you like to listen to and also music you like to produce?

Hard one… in terms of dance stuff I would say in the past I was more into techno than house. Now it’s the opposite.

I’ve read another interview with you where you have professed to playing incredibly long sets at Club der Visionaere. What has been the longest set you’ve played? It must be very fulfilling, though incredibly tiring as well.

With my partner Toby Deschamps I played there 15 hours sets for four years. We would also invite guest DJs once in a while. It was very inspirational and surprisingly not too exhausting. DJing can give you much energy. Club der Visionaere is a very special place for that, but still after this time I needed a break from these marathon sets this summer.

Tell us about your live set up and what a Rene Breitbarth live set consists of.

I didn’t play live for some years and now I’m preparing a new set. I will do live drumming/sample triggering with the Alesis pad.

What can you tell us about the set you’ve put together for us?

Smooth and deep home recording.

And what can we expect from you in the next year?

Besides continuing to release on Deep Data and DJing I hopefully will play more live shows. Further, I will continue my monthly Deep Data radio show on RTS.fm which I just have started.

Special Download

Out on Off-Recordings

Andre Crom & Luca Doobie (12″) Got You There Snake Seven (Chris Carrier remix) [OFF009]
Chris Carrier – La Faubourienne (EP) [OFF014]
Various Artists – Get Back To The Raw Compilation incl. Chris Carrier – Opium Garden [OFF025]

Out on other Labels

Chaka (EP), Mirage (12”) Sushitech
‘The Lazy Harts Club * I want it Chris carrier remix – thirtyonetwenty 2010
Sound Carrier Records 001 (12″) Sound Carrier Records
Burnin’ Desire (EP) Hudd Traxx
Gosse De Paris (CD, 12″, EP) Robsoul Recordings
Chris Carrier & Chez Damier – Gathering (EP) Adult Only
Silver NetworkHarlem Square Club (EP)
RobsoulMorning (EP)
Silver NetworkThe Diagonal Infinity (EP)
KailashLiving Here (EP)
Robsoul 69Catwash Album (LP)
Berengei & Groovabilisme Ilario Alicante remix – Catwash #14Felipe Venegas & Andre Butano (12″)
Butangoy (chris Carrier remix) Objazz 2009
Kasper (12″) Soul Central 1 (Chris Carrier remix) Esperanza 2009
Kris Wadsworth (12″) Keep Pushin’ (Remix Chris Carrier) Adult Only 2009
Phil Weeks Vs Krakatoa (12″) Superjenn (Chris Carrier remix) Robsoul 2009

As one-half of Spectral Sound’s A&R team, alongside Matthew Dear, Ryan moved from his home town Detroit to the 4/4 underground capital, Berlin in 2009, turned on by the influx of vinyl-only record stores the city has to offer. After contributing to the Ostgut Fünf anniversary compilation last year, it wasn’t long before Ostgut signed Ryan to release his first ever EP ‘Rocksteady.’ For 2011, it looks as though Ryan has been bitten by the production bug with some very exciting releases in the pipeline- we took the liberty to find out what’s in store and chat about everything from Detroit’s highly-competitive scene, the new faces on Spectral Sound and how (heartwarmingly) fabric was his first booking outside the US way back in the day.

Going beyond the call of duty, Ryan has warmed our techno engines with a totally unique mix, exclusive to fabric. In his own words :

this mix is a little different for me – its bpm’s are a little slower, the tracks play a little longer, the mixes ride longer, its moody and sexy in that late night / early morning way. There is even some non 4/4 stuff at the beginning. As with all my sets, it contains some new tracks, some old tracks, and some special edits.

Interview

Tell us about the last gig you played and a couple of tracks that really got the crowd moving?
I just played in Panoramabar this past Saturday night. I have a monthly residency at Berghain / Panoramabar so I have the opportunity to play lots of different sets. Berghain is very different from Panoramabar, and both are very different from the outside Garden that is open in the summer when the weather is nice. I absolutely love playing in all the rooms there. It’s one of the most forward thinking clubs in the world – with both music and aesthetically. This past weekend’s set was in Panoramabar, so good quality house music always gets the crowd moving nicely. Nick Hoppner’s new EP on Ostgut, the new Cosmin TRG release on 50 Weapons, and a few old Prescription classics were some of the standouts off the top of my head.

You are one-half of Spectral Sound’s A&R team, alongside Matthew Dear. The label is going stronger than ever in its eleventh year- tell us how it all started and how has its voice evolved over the years?
The label was started as the dance floor orientated little brother to Ghostly International. With Spectral we are focusing on house and techno for DJ’s. It’s as simple as that. Dance music changes quickly, so we do too. Some of our releases are more house, some more techno, some acid, etc.. but we always make sure it has that “Spectral” feel. That means that we stay up to date on dance music movements all over the world, but also give it our “mid-western” feel from where the label was born.

What’s the rest of the year looking for Spectral Sound- who are some of the new faces we should be keeping an eye out for?
We are very excited about the second half of 2011. We just released Benoit & Sergio’s pop-house anthem “Let Me Count The Ways”, we have some excellent remixes coming off the back of Mark E’s “Stone Breaker” LP, and I will be releasing my first EP on Spectral at the end of the summer titled “Kicking Up” with an Audion remix. After that we have some special surprises for the fall as well.

What do you miss most about living in Detroit both in music and in your daily living there?
Musically, there is a genuine rawness or roughness about Detroit output that is unmatched. Everything from Soul, Motown, Punk, Rock, Techno, and House have this honest quality to it that you just don’t get anywhere else in my opinion (although Berlin is very similar). I miss that. I miss driving to the radio while a DJ does a live mix show with scratching, running doubles, and all those old school tricks that you don’t hear much anymore. I miss dirty raves. I miss Record Time and Melodies & Memories and Threads. Things “non music” that I miss from Detroit are some of the foods, my family, sunlight in the winter, and some of my friends. But Berlin and Detroit are very similar in many ways, and I’m back in Detroit pretty often.

Do you think it’s hard to win respect in Detroit ‘s ultra-competitive scene? What was it like for you starting a DJ career there & what’s your thoughts on the new wave of Detroit producers coming out of the scene today?
Yes, it is very hard. But I will say that everyone in the Detroit scene that has “made it” keeps an open mind and looks for the same qualities that made them big in others. Usually, if you posses those same abilities, you are welcomed. My DJ career stared like many peoples – going to clubs first and then gradually becoming interested in what the guy in the booth with headphones on was doing. From there it was starting to go to record shops, learning to beat match, etc. Then eventually playing your first gigs. I’m lucky. I’ve been treated very well by the “old guard” in Detroit and I’m very grateful for that.

You moved to Berlin in 2009. What’s grabbing your attention most in the underground music scene there right now?
There are people who like to say Berlin isn’t what it used to be. I don’t know if that is true of not, I didn’t live here before 2009. But I do know Berlin is still the underground music capital of the world. On any given night the amount of excellent events is staggering. If there are 15 really good vinyl based music stores left in the world, Berlin has almost half. The label and producer output coming from Berlin is absolutely unmatched. As a music nerd and obsessive DJ I completely love living in Berlin. As someone who used Traktor for many years and switched back to vinyl, I’m really happy to see a resurgence in vinyl culture. There are also quite a few vinyl only labels that are putting out some stellar music, and I feel privileged to be able to have access this music. I’ve always said I don’t care what people use to DJ with, what comes out of the speakers is what matters. I’m only saying that for me personally, the vinyl movement is really exciting again.

Describe the atmosphere when you play your monthly residency at Panorama Bar & Berghain in Berlin? How you approach your sets when playing there?
I treat each month’s residency date as very special. It’s one thing to play somewhere once and really rock it, but it’s another to show people something really good and new EVERY month. This is one of the challenges of the residency there. Also the fact that the club is open so long, the moods and atmospheres depending on time of day and room your playing can really vary as well. As a resident you really have to know this side too. Another factor that really keeps you on you toes as a DJ (and makes you stronger because of it) is that you are not just playing for “clubbers”. Yes there are people there that just want to dance, but there are also promoters from other towns there looking for new talent to book at their events, other DJ’s are there, record store workers, journalists – all kinds of very musically educated people come into Berghain and Panoramabar that as a DJ, you have to be conscious of so that you can provide the correct vibe.

It’s hard to believe but you only just released your first EP on Ostgut Ton. Tell us what the release signifies after years of you directing projects behind the scenes and does this mean we can look forward to more production work from you in 2011?
I was very excited and proud to finally release my first EP. I’ve done some edits and remixes in the past, but to put my first EP out on Ostgut Ton was really a career accomplishment for me. As I stated in a previous question, I also have a Spectral EP coming this year, along with a few remixes. Now that the production bug has bitten me I don’t plan on slowing down.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the idea behind the mix you’ve done for us?
fabric is one of my favorite clubs. Team fabric has always been really good to me (my first booking outside the US was actually at fabric, way back when) and we have developed a nice friendship over the years. I was really excited and honored when you guys asked me to do the mix, so I wanted to prepare something special. This mix is a little different for me – its bpm’s are a little slower, the tracks play a little longer, the mixes ride longer, its moody and sexy in that late night / early morning way. There is even some non 4/4 stuff at the beginning. As with all my sets, it contains some new tracks, some old tracks, and some special edits.

Last night, seth took over the bbc radio 1 airwaves and turned in his first ever essential mix. apparently recorded in one take, the two hour selection – according to the man himself during an amusingly manipulated intro – includes his usual styles of “contemporary dance and underground pop as well as experimental electronic music.”

as you should expect, the mix arcs nicely from the charming, colourful stuff to start, through more dance-y grooves in the middle and on to deeper stuff towards the end (including the penultimate track which is one of  my favourites ever, tiga’s ‘gentle giant’). so, stick it on, turn it up and wig out…

Download Extended Mix

So you grew up in Detroit right?

Ryan Elliot: Correct. I grew up on the west side of Detroit and I lived there my whole life until a year and a half ago when I moved to Berlin. I mean I went to university in a small town half way between Detroit and Chicago called Kalamazoo, but that’s still kind of Detroit.

So growing up there I guess you discovered electronic music at a fairly young age.

Yeah I mean I guess the perfect kind of answer for this interview would be that I first went to the Music Institute when I was twelve years old and then went to Richie’s Plastikman parties… but I didn’t. I discovered it from the radio. Even still today they have the “Drive at Five” show and they’ll do a live DJ mix on the radio and they are sprinkled with hip hop, booty, electro — like proper old school electro, and Detroit techno. So I was introduced to the first Submerge records through the radio… and I forgot how strange it is to hear a live mix on the radio. When I went home for Christmas and was driving from one family member’s house to another and “Nights of the Jaguar” came on the radio and I was just thinking there’s no other place where you’d get that playing on commercial radio.

So is Detroit really known for championing its own music?

I mean you’ve still got Derrick and Kevin and Juan, they’re not so much on the production front but they’re touring every weekend and they’re still flying the flag. People like Theo, Moodymann, Kyle Hall and Omar S, they’re there, living there, they’re in the trenches. But even with rock, like with the White Stripes and further back than that, there’s always been this thing with Detroit and music. Though I guess I have a very biased opinion. [laughs]

When you were starting to get into DJing and production did you feel like there was some sort of Detroit legacy you needed to uphold?

Yeah, for sure, and even now at over 80% of the shows I play someone comes up to me and says, “Oh you’re from Detroit huh,” because they know of all the associations that entails. I mean, I’m no Derrick May but yeah I do definitely feel that I have to uphold that legacy and fly the flag for Detroit.

So back in the day you’d get people like Derrick or Mike Banks mentoring people as they came up. Does that sort of thing happen today? Or did you get some yourself?

Well I came up with Matthew Dear so he was always a very good mentor to me. I don’t know Theo and those guys as well but I do think there has been some mentoring between him and Alex [Omar-S]. I mean, Detroit is not a posh city at all so there is very much a feeling of helping each other, you know, like we’re in this together, let’s stick together and help each other any way we can. I think that comes through with the production as well, with people lending each other gear and that sort of thing.

So how did you start out with Spectral Sound?

That’s a funny story. I never really got into DJing until I came back from university; I’ve always been a late bloomer in life with everything. So I started going out to clubs more and it was a natural progression. I became interested in what the DJs were doing, started trainspotting and all that. So my friends and I were living together and we bought some decks and learned to beat-match and all of that. Then a friend of mine from high school worked at this bar and they wanted to start an “electronic night,” so he suggested me because he knew I DJed. So I went and gave them a CD and they asked me to come in and try it out for a while. On the first night I played Matt [Dear] came in and said, “Hey I’m a DJ too, I really like what you played, can I come play with you next week?” and there was never a second thought about having him come do it with me. So that’s how it started and we did every Tuesday for about four years. It wasn’t just doing it, it was taking our own decks in and all that, they just had the sound system. So by the end of it he was touring more and I was starting to do a bit so I would play on my own or we’d get someone else to sub in for both of us. Then through meeting Matt I met Sam [Valenti] who owns both Ghostly International and Spectral Sound, so I eventually met the whole crew. And you know when you meet certain people and you just instantly gel and it’s like they’ve instantly close friends, it was like that.

So what year was it that you started that residency?

That must have been 2001.

And from the get-go were you interested in making tracks?

No, not at all. I wasn’t interested in making records for a long time actually. For me everything happens very slowly. So once I started buying records and then DJing, after a long time I started doing the odd edit or two. Then maybe a remix that wasn’t even released and then slowly it progressed into production. But you know, I think I’ll always consider myself a DJ first.

Yeah it’s interesting, I mean despite seeing your name for quite a while, that your recent Ostgut Ton release was your first proper twelve.

Yeah that’s my first ever EP. I’ve been flying around the world DJing for about ten years now but I have to say I was really proud to actually see my record on the wall in DJ shops. I actually have a funny story. I always shop at Hard Wax and Rotation here in Berlin every week– it’s part of my routine. I was listening to records in Rotation and this young guy comes in and he’s picking records off the wall and I got all excited because he picked my record. I was all like, “here we go, he’s going to listen to it” and he puts it in his stack and he listens to everything and then he put it back and didn’t buy it. So within five minutes I was all excited because he’d chosen to listen to my record then all bummed out because he didn’t buy it. [laughs] It’s funny because I mean it’s selling well and I’ve gotten good feedback on it but this really bummed me out for a couple minutes. Then after I walked out of the store I have a laugh about it. I mean life is good, I have nothing to complain about.

You know it’s pretty rare that you have been DJing around for the past ten years or so and have only recently been producing as well. For a long time now it’s been near impossible to have a DJ career without being a producer too.

Yeah and I’ve said it before, that for a while [the way I got gigs] was through playing with Matt when he would go tour, and I have no qualms about admitting that. But my thing was, if that was the case I had to show the promoter that I was a really good DJ so I would get booked again. But yeah, I was also very lucky that my first ever international gig was at Fabric. And Judy from Fabric has always been very nice and so have the guys from Berghain — for whatever reason a few of these really big clubs around the world took an interest in me very early on and I’ll never forget that. I was very lucky for that, so when that happens you have to make sure that you show up and you let them know that they did the right thing by booking you.

Did you ever have any career ambitions outside of DJing?

Yeah I worked for one of the big three auto-makers in Detroit for ten years. I was a financial analyst, a currency trader. I only left that job when I moved to Berlin. I mean I started there when I started doing that residency with Matthew, so as my job started getting more involved, so I was also getting more into DJing and following that side of things. But yeah it got hard to keep my mind on the jobby job, especially as it involved a lot of math, so Monday’s were never my favorite day. But I have lots of funny stories about those times. I think the worst it ever got was I worked late on a Thursday, then flew first thing on Friday to Tokyo, played there on Saturday night, then straight back and went to work on Monday morning. All of that and only plane sleep — if that even counts for anything.

Did you ever get called out by the boss and told to chose which path you wanted to go down?

No, I mean they were actually very understanding about the music. They knew that was my first love, but also I was good at my job and always did a good job for them so they tolerated the other side. But I mean, at the end I felt bad because I’m not a good multi-tasker so it was definitely time to go.

What was it that made you leave Detroit?

Well I was playing in Europe so much that it just seemed logical to do it. And my parents even said to me that I should do it, that they wished they had the chance to chase their dreams like that. I had never lived outside of Detroit and Berlin felt so similar to Detroit too. I also had such a good relationship with the Ostgut guys too, so although making everything happen and actually moving was hard, the decision to do it was easy.

Just getting back to Spectral for a moment, how did you ge into the A&R role with them?

Matthew and I split the role, and I guess it was because we were the ones who were buying records each week and the ones getting promos from other people who were maybe opening for us and things like that. We were the ones in the trenches so it just seemed like the easiest thing.

How broad or specific has the vision been for the label?

The same as Ghostly really, it’s very broad. We have things like acid from James Cotton, or then Todd Osborne who is pretty hard to categorize. Then people like Subb-An who has just done a really great record for us, who is kind of new school. I would say the only thing we really make a priority is that it must work for a DJ, it has to be geared for the dance floor. We always just know when something comes in whether it’s something for us or not.

Electronic labels take a very different approach with their artists than the majors do, but if perhaps you took a newer artist on are there instances where you will help that person develop their sound and their career?

Yeah, of course. I mean, we have a core family but if we receive a demo from someone who really blows my hair back then we take them on and if they keep coming up with great releases they become part of the core family.

So are you still in that role?

Yeah, the role hasn’t changed; Matt and I still do that.

So what is your relationship with Ostgut?

Well I’m a recording artist for them and they handle my DJ bookings. I hold a monthly residency either at Panorama Bar or Berghain depending on the month, it changes.

OK, you also did the mix of the Fünf comp too?

Yeah I did the cassette mix for them, mixing the back catalogue for them. I mean I started with Spectral and that’s my U.S. home, but being here, Ostgut is such a nice crew to be a part of. I mean I play on Sunday at Panorama Bar and I start at 10pm and I know it’ll go ’til who knows when on Monday. And all the artists are so genuine and they all care so much about their DJing and their productions. I mean, not that I’ve come across many people who aren’t that passionate, but when I met them I was like, “Wow, I’m home.”

It does seem like many people in that Berlin scene is definitely into the music for all the right reasons.

Playing at Panorama Bar and Berghain, I always take my DJing very seriously. I mean, I told you, I always record shop every week, sometimes twice a week, but when you know that you’re going to come into Panorama Bar on Sunday, you know that probably half of the crowd is just there to lose themselves and have fun, but the other half are probably all DJs or promoters and they know the records you’re playing. So it really makes you up your game because you know you’re playing to all these people, so it makes me strive to be a better DJ.

Back to your EP for a second, were you approaching it at all from the point of you also being an A&R? Like thinking, OK, these are the things I would be looking out for, I know there should be this and this and this in it to be more appealing and that sort of thing?

No, any time I sit down to produce now — and maybe this will change when I become a more accomplished producer — but right now the way I approach production is with my DJing experience, what works best on the floor. These subtle bass shifts, these ins and outs of certain sounds that I know just always work, that’s what I’m trying to recreate and capture. So really with my productions right now, I’m not interested in adding twenty elements of something. If you can add four or five or six really good elements and you can sequence those in a clever and interesting way then that’s all you really need. My biggest influences are Hood, Mills, the old Studio 1 records, Baby Ford, people like that. You don’t need a lot when it’s that good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing myself to those guys, but those are the only elements you need to rock a dance floor. It’s not rocket science. Wolfgang Voigt is an absolute master. You can rattle off ten different genres and he’s at the top of the game. His Red Bull lecture he did was so good, they’re a great resource for anyone who needs inspiration. But he was saying that in his lecture, that you can make the most amazing track from about four different sounds, if it’s done well enough.

So how much are you devoting to production right now?

Well I’m DJing every weekend and I try to take Monday as a rest day, but Tuesday through Thursday I’m at it in the studio. I’m just sprinkling the last little bits of pixie dust on to my debut EP for Spectral, which will come out this summer, so I will keep the ball rolling.

Do you feel like once you enter that realm of releasing you have to keep it up and keep your name out there?

No, I don’t. I don’t think an artist should create that way. A painter should paint when they feel like painting. If a painter paints because they need money then they’re not really a painter. It’s finally struck me that I can actually produce — and in the past I have wondered whether I would be adding anything, but I think I can now and I think this can continue. But if there’s ever a patch where I have to force it, then I’ll go back to doing something else. Production-wise I very much want to stay as an artist.

What can you tell us about the mix you’ve done for us?

The mix was recorded in a studio in Berlin using two Technics, two CDJs, and a Looper — my normal DJ set up. It was done in one live take, to get a nice feel and flow, and then pulled into some sound editing software to do a few edits and add a couple of effects. Now that I think about it, the mix was recorded in the exact opposite environment of a club setting (alone, middle of the afternoon, in sun filled and clean studio), but still does very much represent one of my current sets. I play anywhere from deep house to tough techno, depending on the show. This mix definitely lands more on the techno side, but also isn’t too banging because I realize most people are listening to podcasts while they work during the day, on their iPod while doing their daily commute or exercising, or in a car.

Content wise, it’s simply what’s in my bag at the moment. I always play a mix of old, new, and to be released stuff in my sets. I’m totally back into all my old late ’90s/early ’00s techno, so you’ll hear User and Killabite towards the end of the mix. EQD, Mills, Rolando, Skudge, and DVS1 can do no wrong in my book, so they represent some of the current tracks. I also want to mention a new act that I’m super excited about called The Express. I’ve featured two tracks from them in the mix that will be forthcoming on their own STOK label. Keep an eye on these guys as they have loads of excellent material coming soon. I hope everyone enjoys the mix as much as I did making it.

You’ve partly answered this already but what can we expect from Ryan Elliott in the next year?

Yeah, well the EP for sure and then more production. And really I’m sort of gearing up for the summer because that’s a big time for the DJ. So I’m just loading up my techno gun full of tasty bullets [laughs] to unleash on the dance floor. Techno soldiers, that’s my motto.

Elevating your consciousness with their hot-button EP ‘Where The Freaks Have No Name,’ out on Visionquest, Seth and the gang couldn’t have called upon a greater pair of techno rebels for their debut release on the label. As Benoit & Sergio ready themselves to jazz up Room One on the last Saturday of this month with an infinitely characteristic live show, we caught up with them to discuss the language of music, the Visionquest chemistry and the true narrative behind the song we all know and love them best for…

Interview

Hi guys, where in the world are you today…?
Paris and Berlin…

Can you tell us a little about your background…How did you two meet up and decide to start producing together?
We met at a birthday party in the Spring of 2008 through a mutual friend who had the proper sense to see that we might get along well. We all went to a great little bar in DC called Napoleon, where, especially on weekends, DJs play crowd pleasers like “O.P.P.” by Naughty By Nature and Kanye West music. In February of 2009, we finally entered into Benoit’s studio space, which is a kind of shrine to analog synths. We never really decided to start producing. It just sort of happened–like all relationships. There was never a moment where we were like: let’s go steady.

With your eclectic musical backgrounds, what do you think has most informed your individual and collective musical styles and creative process?
Benoit has always had a deep abiding interest in the nature of sound itself and he went to graduate school to explore this nature in an intense, scientific manner. This interest manifests itself in his love for the rich potential of analog magic.

Sergio has always been drawn to the poetic possibilities of language in any medium–literature, philosophy, everyday speech, pop songs.
What allows us to work well together musically, though, is that we both love the elegance and power of simple hooks, whether that hook emerges through a bassline Benoit writes or a synth line Sergio lays down. We tend toward concrete rather than abstract musical expression.

Kicking off proceedings with the Visionquest crowd this year, you saw the label really hit its stride with your debut release Where The Freaks Have No Name. Tell us about how you linked up with Seth & the gang and some of the fun you have had so far….
Sergio met Seth and Shaun at Club der Visionaire in Berlin in the Summer of 2006. Sergio hadn’t started making dance music then; he was just taking a summer break from graduate school. Shaun and Seth were young–Seth was only 20. But there was already a wonderful chemistry between everyone. Within a couple months of that summer, Sergio met Ryan and Lee in Chicago and Detroit. And then Benoit met all of Visionquest at DEMF in 2009, at which point the heavens writhed about in holy fury.

The whole Visionquest enterprise is just beginning, but so far the highlight has been the Visionquest Party in Miami for Ultra weekend. On fire. We’re looking forward to similar things at the Visionquest party at Old Miami on Memorial Day at DEMF this year.

Your bio reads ‘Benoit & Sergio don’t make dance tracks—they tell stories. Can you elaborate on this and explain the story behind Where The Freaks Have No Name?
Yes, we like to make songs that sometimes seem like musical open letters: editorials narrated in the voices of unidentified, yet recognizable characters. The narrative arc of “Where The Freaks Have No Name” EP would be that the girl on the couch just gets deeper and deeper into her world as A1 becomes A2 and A2 becomes B1, the dream-inflected “Day Residue” of her afternoon.

What do you enjoy most about performing live and how would you describe your live shows?
We love that moment when people stop using their iphones to text and start using them to take pictures to post on Facebook the next day. We describe our live shows as neon light from a future bereft of time.

Are you looking forward to your debut at fabric on April 30th…How do you intend to make this a special night for London’s music freaks?
It will be an honor to play there. We’ve been a couple times to listen to music and there’s a great sound and energy. We will probably bust out a new jam or so to celebrate.

What are your big and breaking plans for 2011?
Isn’t playing Room 1 at Fabric a sufficiently big plan?

Finally, can you tell us a freaky fact about yourselves?
We need to get to know each other a bit better. Maybe on our next date.

It’s a live set with bits and pieces of all my current releases and some live versions too.

Let’s talk about you. What is your musical training?

I’m completely self taught musician. The computer and midi controllers are my instruments.

When you began your career as a producer?

I’ve been making music for 2o years and been working as a professional composer for about 10.

What do you consider your main influences musically?

Traditional african music and early Chicago House.

What music are you listening these days?

A tradional african CD called ” Harpes Du Sud ” is on constant rotation.

What is your setup at live shows?

I use 3 MIDI controllers, of course Ableton and now I sing live too.

What is the difference between Portable and Bodycode?

Portable is the more experimental side of Bodycode. Bodycode is more Techno and geared to the dancefloor.

What are your plans for 2011?

I have tours all over the world, Europe, Russia and S.America and in September I have a new album as Portable on Perlon !

Buenos Aires is in the house. Or is that techno?

Jonas Kopp’s releases have been bubbling under for a number of years now—2010 was the year they boiled over. A more dark and considered ambience ran through the Argentinean producer’s appearances on Stroboscopic Artefacts, Ostgut Ton and Perc Trax last year, while Kopp continued to build upon the housier end of his range with a second EP for Belgium label Curle Recordings. Promoters across Europe and Asia seemed to smell the producer coming into bloom: Kopp was booked on his first world tour towards the end of 2010, playing gigs in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, China, Hong Kong and Japan. And this mass of forward-momentum spills over to his RA podcast. Techno is of course the common denominator, although his love for deeper house sounds is never more than a couple of chords away from the picture.

What have you been up to recently?

I was on tour around the world the past six months. I first went to Europe and then I was playing in Asia, in places such as Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong. I have been working on my new project and label that will be in stores soon this year (it will be available only as vinyl). I also had the opportunity to teach music production. I want to show my knowledge to the people that love electronic music. 2010 was a great year for me!

How and where was the mix recorded?

I recorded this mix with two Technics 1200 MkIIs and an Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer—this is the current technical equipment that I’m using at the moment in my shows as DJ (classic way!). It was recorded at my studio in Buenos Aires.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the idea behind the mix?

This is a little sample of the music that I’ve been playing lately in my DJ sets. I like to play from ambient to house and techno. I really like to create different atmospheres. I try to mark a strong difference between my live PA and my DJ sets—because the direction of my live PA is more techno. I really enjoy playing different kind of styles as a DJ.

How is the house and techno scene in Buenos Aires at the moment?

Techno is the beat of the moment at the underground nights in Buenos Aires, but house is taking the stage… I think this year will be good for house and techno music. I want to start to do some parties in Buenos Aires in May and start to book some interesting names, friends of mine that would love to play in Buenos Aires. The crowd are waiting for new artists proposals in Buenos Aires.

What are you up to next?

Setting up my next European tour in March/April, a lot of huge gigs have been confirmed: Berghain, Culture Box, Harry Klein, Trouw and Cassette Club among others. I’m working hard to get a lot of new music, I have talked with DJ Deep about making an EP on his great label Deeply Rooted House, so I’m working on this project at the moment and lots of remixes. 2011 is really interesting for my label Traut, with really solid releases coming up and working on tracks for my new label M too. I have a lot of remixes to do, but one of the most important is my contribution to the new label project of my agency Pullproxy. They are releasing the first record soon, a Falko Brocksieper track with a remix of mine among others.

One thing that remains with everything that Shonky turns his hand to is the quality. His mix for Technique’s Podcast series is no different as he maintains a firm house vibe to supply an addictive 78 minutes of music. Sit back, relax and get into Shonky’s groove.

Michigan born but Berlin/Detroit native, Seth Troxler shares his Halloween set with Bodytonic recorded live at Just Jack InMotion.

This week I’m very proud to have an exclusive mix from one of techno’s greatest artists : Anthony Shakir. His releases on his own label Frictional are an essential component of any self-discerning techno DJ’s box and form an important backbone to the history of the genre. From “Soundblaster” on Gigolo to his latest on FIT, Shake’s unique and often unusual take on techno keeps the listener guessing. I personally find it somewhat like a particular code or algebraic problem – once you “get it”, his music makes perfect sense. In an age when techno seems all too easy to produce or imitate, he is a perfect example of the wisdom of isolation. Whilst some of his contemporaries have had greater commercial success, Shake’s unique take on dance music remains fresh and startingly innovative. It is also life-affirming to see him back in the studio. There’s no tracklisting for this mix but the first track is from the aforementioned release on FIT.

Toby Frith

From his label, Ghostly International:

Its drums are militant, its pace is unswerving, and the squarewave synths that start falling like mortar shells are searing and wide-eyed.
Then there’s the marbled voice of Dear himself, pent-up and sexually charged, beckoning you for a ride in his “big black car.

Is it hot in here, or is it just us?

The track has nothing in common with the fantastic “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (aside from the sexual tension), but that’s no reason to pass up a good thing.

RA catches up with the talented DJ as he finally starts his production career in earnest.

They call them “DJ’s DJs.” The type of guy everyone seems to love, but the one that can’t seem to catch that break that will vault them to the level that you know they deserve. Derek Plaslaiko is a consummate example, a DJ too humble to trumpet his obvious talents, yet one too obviously talented to credibly remain humble. Needless to say, he’s one of RA editor’s Todd L. Burns favorite spinners, which is why he nabbed him for the latest edition of RA’s Exchange.

The two have been friends for a number of years, which is why this particular Exchange might be a tad more familial than normal. But we think that with an acclaimed EP finally under his belt (after a number of years without a production credit), that the time was right to delve into the Midwestern scene from which he came. Topics include how to open for Laurent Garnier, how he stole his DJ name and pixie sticks.

Dear’s currently on the road in support of the record, and he just added some new tour dates. Check out his full schedule below.

Matthew Dear:

10-13 Pittsburgh, PA – The Stone
10-14 Chicago, IL – Metro *
10-15 Hamilton, Ontario – Red Mill Theatre
10-16 Toronto, Ontario – Wrongbar
10-18 Montreal, Quebec – Belmont
10-19 Boston, MA – Great Scott
10-20 Brooklyn, NY – CMJ
10-21 Philadelphia, PA – Voyeur
10-22 New York, NY – CMJ
10-23 Brooklyn, NY – CMJ
10-24 Washington, DC – DC9
10-27 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
10-28 New Orleans, LA – Howlin’ Wolf
10-29 Austin, TX – TBA
10-30 Dallas, TX – Meltdown Festival
10-31 Austin, TX – Mohawk
11-02 Phoenix, AZ – Club Red
11-05 Los Angeles, CA – Vanguard
11-06 San Francisco, CA – Mighty
11-08 Portland, OR – Holocene ^
11-09 Seattle, WA – Nectar
11-10 Vancouver, British Columbia – TBA
11-13 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
11-14 Madison, WI – The Frequency
11-15 Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig
11-23 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
12-01 Rennes, France – Le Transmusicales Festival
12-03 Liverpool, England – O2 Academy 2
12-04 Glasgow, Scotland – Stereo
12-05 Edinburgh, Scotland – Sneaky Pete’s
12-06 Manchester, England – Deaf Institute
12-08 Brighton, England – Audio
12-09 London, England – XOYO
12-10 Paris, France – La Maroquinerie
12-11 Rennes, France – Transmusicales Festival
12-13 Brussels, Belgium – Rotonde Botanique
12-14 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Trouw
12-16 Torino, Italy – Hiroshima
12-17 Rome, Italy – Brancaleone
12-18 Milan, Italy – Tunnel

* with Four Tet
^ with Small Black

Chicago-based Kate Simko is a classical pianist turned left field house and techno producer. Releasing music on labels such as Spectral Sound, Kupei Musika and Traum, Kate draws from a wide range of influences, combining her sense of melody and structure with her background in Chicago house and Detroit techno. Whether playing live or DJ’ing, Kate’s musical selection maintains a warm, soulful character, full of funky bass lines and loose rhythms.

A versatile DJ, Kate was named one of the Top 10 DJ’s in Chicago by XLR8R magazine. Her music has received positive remarks in zines such as The Wire, XLR8R, de:Bug, Mixmag, URB, BPM and Remix and her Detalles project was named one of the ‘Next 100′ artists by URB magazine. Kate has performed at festivals such as Mutek (Montreal and Chile), the Detroit Electronic Music Festival and Worldtronics (Berlin), and has played beside a myriad of genre defining artists throughout the United States, Europe and South America.

Growing up studying piano and music theory, Kate discovered underground dance music during her teens and began DJ’ing at college station WNUR in 1998. At this time, Kate made a switch from a degree in classical piano to electronic music composition. In 2001, Kate moved to Santiago, Chile, where she continued her studies in music composition and met Andres Bucci. Bucci and Simko combined forces and have since recorded two full-length records together as Detalles (Traum , Kupei Musika).

Back in her hometown of Chicago, Kate is honing her talents, producing and performing full time. Kate is continually evolving as an artist, combining her wide range of influences into her own music, creating a unique personal sound that crosses genre borders, blending rich textures, melodies and intricate programming with funky bass and groove.

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Enjoying life inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno. Pär Grindvik is an artist that always aims to compose music that keeps the sparkle and curiosity alive within the ever changing adaptations of the artistic world.

Pär Grindvik has been a core person of the Swedish electronic scene since the nineties as record store-owner, label manager and producer. He is a well established artist and after many years of touring and releases on big name labels like Drumcode and Spectral, he is now based in Berlin, Germany.

Enjoying life, inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno, Pär is an artist that always aims to compose music that adds sparkle and curiosity to the scene. Doing this is also the goal of his record label Stockholm LTD.

Doing this is also the goal of his record label, Stockholm LTD, which he created and founded in 2002. It began as an outlet for singles and EPs from Swedish electronic artists with a focus on releasing timeless electronic music.
Nowadays it’s much more, as each release tells its own story. Every inch of Pärs’s work, including the label, artwork, release info and music, is wrapped with heart and emotion, which keeps the sparkle and curiosity alive within the ever changing adaptations of the artistic world.

Inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno. Stockholm LTD aims to find the perfect place between retro and future, aesthetics and underground culture.

Pär Grindvik started his career in a suburb to Stockholm. Playing the saxophone, he approached music in a classical way and studied at Stockholm Music Conservatory School. His older brothers introduced him to Kraftwerk and early italo and he made the school introduce DJ-lessons to the students. Besides school he started the respected record store “Illegal Stockholm” together with Tobias von Hofsten.

Pär Grindvik or his pseudonym The Hollow is a well established artist and producer and after many years of touring and releases on big name labels like Drumcode and Spectral Sound, he is now based in Berlin, Germany.
Pär Grindvik is one of the most promising names around today and one of the most respected producers out there!

http://www.littlewhiteearbuds.com/tracks/2009/LWEPodcast22PortablevsBodycode.mp3

Alan Abrahams maintains that traditional African music and house music are much the same thing. In his music as Portable and Bodycode, Abrahams acts a living link between the indigenous sounds of his youth in South Africa and the first Chicago house records whose futuristic aesthetic broadened his horizons. Since leaving South Africa for London, Lisbon and now Berlin, Abrahams launched the Süd Electronic label with Lerato and released on ~scape, Spectral Sound, Karat and Perlon (among others). Tomorrow sees the release of his second album as Bodycode, the spectacular Immune on Spectral Sound. Full of fuzzy synth chords, needling percussion and Abrahams’ emotion-filled vocals, the album finds his sui generis sound in its most realized state.

www.myspace.com/bodycodemusic

Source : Little White Earbuds

01. Oleg Poliakov, “Rainy Dayz” (Portable remix) [Circus Company]
02. Bodycode, “Meaning and Memory” [Spectral Sound]
03. Portable ft. Lerato, “Body to Body” (live remix) [Yore Records]
04. Portable, “Release” [Perlon]
05. Bodycode, “Subspace Radio” [Spectral Sound]
06. Portable, “The Many” [Perlon]
07. Bodycode, “I’ll Hold Your Hand” [Spectral Sound]
08. Bodycode, “Nanotechnolody” (live remix) [Spectral Sound]
09. Bodycode ft. Lerato, “What Did You Say” [Spectral Sound]

At what age did you start listening to Chicago house? What drew you in about the music? Did it relate at all to what you were already listening to at the time??

Alan Abrahams: I must have been around 16 or 17 when I first started listening to Chicago house music. I guess what drew me to it was the fact that it was new music. This was the time when some of the first drum machines and new synths were being made, and you had a completely new, futuristic sounds being experimented with. Some of the the really early Chicago house tracks were completely revolutionary. Like Liz Torres’s “What You Make Me Feel” or Master C & J’s “Face It.” Some made only with a 909, [which was a] brand new sound back then, you must understand; this is after the latter years of disco and the biggest change I felt was the addition of a harder, more bottom-ended bass drum, sparse vocals and amazing pads! There was no real relation to what I was listening to at the time. In fact, before house there was only pop and african music for me as a pre-teen.

How long were you making music before releasing your first record in 2001? Did your years of experience mean you already knew what you wanted to make when you were able, or was it a lot of experimenting?

I was making music for a little while before, more experimenting with different incarnations. In fact I was part of a duo called The Mighty Masses, my first foray into singing. We had a big record deal, recorded the album but it was never released. The label felt it wasn’t “black enough” for the country. Funny as I was black and the execs were not. I then left this and started experimenting with more dance related music. A CD was released called “Dance for Freedom” in 1994 under my one time pseudonym, Plexes, on Mass Records in South Africa. This was to coincide with the first South African democratic elections and the release of Nelson Mandela. It was a rare remix album of traditional African freedom songs, one of which later became the national anthem, remixed into a house context. During this time I also had my first foray into deep house music for a record shop/label in Cape Town called DJ Syndicate. I was told it was never released but discovered, after I left Cape Town for London, that in fact it was released without my knowing. In fact, Lerato, who now appears on “What Did You Say” is featured on one of the tracks. So after my move to London a few years passed and it was 2001. “Patterns and Signals,” my first international release was on Sutekh’s context imprint. After that I sort of found my way into the international musicstream.

Your records often find interesting ways to combine African music with house. I was curious where you think the two sounds naturally meet? Do you ever get tired of producers trying to replicate African sounds and, rather often, doing a mediocre job of it?

It’s funny, somehow I feel that house music and traditional African music are really one and the same. Traditional music is made with the intention to get to your soul via rhythm, and the earliest and truest house music is intended for the exact same purpose. I use traditional African sounds and instruments and convert them to bring them into the digital domain. I never just use the sound as it is, that is not the ethos of my sound. My goal is to re-interpret these ancient sounds for the here and now, not just to sample and re-use them in a cheap way, which all these cheap producers do. They are just lazy, it’s easier and easier to make music but not so easy to compose something truly from the heart. I often here these guys talking about how they’ve got this hot track, only to find out that it took them a couple of hours — and of course it sounds that way. Like everything in life, for a piece of music to be timeless, it needs to take time to compose.

It seems since you started using vocals in your projects you haven’t gone back. What significance do your vocals hold in your music? Do you use them when you want to be more explicit about thoughts/emotions? Who are a few of your favorite house music vocalists?

As I mentioned before my first foray into the music world was as a singer. I left that for many years and really just stumbled onto it again recently. I was trying to figure out different ways to move my sound forward and the natural progression was to use vocals, specifically mine. But not vocals just for the sake of vocals, but just when needed. The general idea was to make the tracks more personal,and how more personal can you get than by adding your own voice. I guess my favourite house vocalists are Liz Torres, Robert Owens, and Aaron Carl.

You’re more of a live PA guy rather than a DJ. What draws you to that over DJing? Who are a few of your favorite producers who do live PAs?

I’ve started playing live just before Ableton 1 arrived, back then with a desktop of all things, haha! Then along came Ableton and opened up a whole new world for the live electronic music composer. I love playing live. You can change your tracks and really feel your music making a difference with the audience. Many times the live sets come up with completely unique versions of my tracks that wouldn’t happen anywhere else but right there on the dance floor. Although I like DJing sometime, I feel I have more to offer as a live PA. And recently I’ve been using a homemade theremin and adding my voice too, so who knows what happens next! As of yet I’ve not seen any outstanding live PA’s, so I don’t have a favourite.

What are the difference between the Bodycode and Portable projects? Your Portable remix of Oleg Poliakov’s “Rainy Dayz” and your Portable singles for Perlon and Musik Krause sound to me a lot like your new Bodycode album. Are the two projects growing closer together production-wise?

I would say the two projects are growing closer for sure, they were never meant to be too far apart. From the start Bodycode was a dance version of the Portable material. Why the remixes and Perlon and Musik Krause releases sounds more dancey is because they were vinyl based releases for the dance floor.

The Portable sound has shifted quite a bit since it first started, though it feels a bit more “stable” these days. Is it more important for you to present a consistent sound or to be flexible?

The very name Portable is meant to mean always moving,being able to move with the flow of existence. I guess it’s sounding more stable now cause these times are a little more stable for me. It’s only important me to present a sound I feel is right and moving with the times, whether it’s stable or not.

When making the Bodycode album, were you aiming more for the dance floor or home listening? How important is it to you to appeal to both settings/audiences?

To be honest, if I’m not listening to classical music or traditional music then I’m listening to dance music. But the Bodycode sound is a dance floor project. So it’s a dance orientated, but because it’s not just thrown together slapdash like so many of today’s productions you can listen to it when you’re cycling or when you’re running or cleaning or cooking or just hanging out with friends, because I feel it appeals to all these aspects.

I know you’ve moved around quite a bit since leaving South Africa. Are you a restless person? How has living in multiple places influenced your music or musical outlook?

I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and then moved to London to further my music aspirations. While in London I started my Süd Electronic label with longtime friend, Lerato. While there my music as Portable was signed to Background Records, then later with ~Scape and I was able to carve out a reasonable living only composing and playing my music live. After ten years in the concrete jungle that is London, I wanted a change. To be able to live closer to nature but still be within Europe. On a gig to Lisbon I fell in love with the city and this opened up the door for this kind of lifestyle, a little city and a lot of nature, beach and beautiful weather. So I moved to Lisbon. It is topographically similar to my home town, a city on the ocean, and I think this influenced my music in a big way. Almost as if I had come full circle in a way. It reminded me of why I started to compose music in the first place, which mainly was to include natural elements in electronic music. After three years of this style of life I needed a change to some place with yet more urban appeal. This was what prompted my move to Berlin, Germany. I’ve only been here for a few months so I really can’t tell you what kind of influence it’s having as yet. I doubt it will have time to affect me too much as I’m continuing my life in Lisbon come September.

Tell me a little bit about how the “Emerald Life” EP came about. The Aside is rather raunchy and rocking while the B side is so beautifully melancholy. What was on your mind?

Well I was listening to a lot of early ghetto house music at the time and all of that music is really raunchy. And if you think about it, a lot about dancing is sexual, and also a place to meet people. So I wanted to include this sexual element, an often neglected element in today’s electronic music scene, into my music. On the flipside I wanted to compliment that honesty in a deeper why, with the track “The Shallow,” in that it’s easier to be shallow than deep.

I’m also curious about the track “Imitation Lover” on Immune. It’s so emotionally vulnerable, reminding me a bit of Prosumer & Murat Tepeli’s “What Makes You Go For It.” Would you tell me how that track came to be?

Well, it was kind of a mix of things. I was in Tokyo on tour and a very good friend of mine there was telling me about his lover problems and how they always end up fake — “imitation.” Both of us are really crazy about old school house, so on a night out we jointly came up with the “No No No, imitation lover” line whenever we spoke of someone or saw someone who fit that description. Later on, while composing the track I expanded it; in fact, the dub version is the original. I then started brainstorming the theme and wrote the lyrics to transpose into the online singles lifestyle. “It’s all pretend, a simulation,” and how in a sense, it brings us closer together yet further apart… “a firewalled mankind.”

Are there more releases to come on Süd Electronic?

Yes the next release on Süd Electronic is my first live set ever recorded in 2002 and features many unreleased tracks. Shortly after that is an EP by Lerato.

What else is coming up from you in the next year?

Right now I’m working on a new release for Perlon and possibly a new Portable album for Perlon; but for that, it’s early days. Think more vocal tracks from the heart and mind!