We’re pumped to host this mix from Royce Rolls. It was recorded 100% live and it’s a bit of a ‘best of 2011′.

I was introduced to Robin around the middle of last year by Cooly G after she signed him to her label Dub Organizer. As you will read in our interview, he is an artist with a lot of experience. From Hip Hop to Dubstep to Theatre – he’s been there! Best of all he became a father last year and his daughter is bringing a new dimension to life.

After a flurry of unofficial remixes and bootlegs NYC label Trouble & Bass gave Royce the nod of approval, posting up his unofficial remix of Supra 1’s I Believe. Back home, BBE records enlisted Rolls for his first official remix of TY’s Heart Is Breaking feat Sway and Roses Gabor. With a solid debut EP release just before the dawn of 2011, Rolls has been busy in the studio creating sounds influenced across the board, from 90s Jungle and Speed Garage through to the latest soundsystem vibes from across the world. Matched with varied production techniques like gritty sample-heavy chops to euphoric synth breakdowns, his sound is hard to pin down.

Check out our exclusive interview with Royce Rolls here and visit these links for more:

http://soundcloud.com/roycerolls
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http://www.facebook.com/djroycerollsuk

Look out for more news about the Dub Organizer compilation and mixes from artists on the label over the coming months.

How long have you been producing music for?

Woah.. years man! (laughs).

I mean, I started when I was 13 or 14. Yeah, sort of 14 really. I got my first beatbox. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one – a Yamaha RM1X.

Oh yeah… wow okay.

Yeah that came out like ‘98/’99 and that was the start when I got that. Before that I was sort of messing around trying to DJ, but I never had decks or anything; I could never really afford them. I wasn’t that interested in DJing straight away, but I sort of DJed in a youth club every week when I was 14.

It was this under age club that was run by a church. It was like an underage rave – it was hilarious! They didn’t have vinyls though they just had CDs – you know the old style like typewriter CD decks. So I used to go down there and DJ with friends.

Before the Yamaha I had a keyboard. I would get frustrated because I’d record down a bass-line and drum on one tape recorder then sort of play it back and maybe record it all on another tape recorder through the mic. That was pretty much it – I could only have a few tracks.

When I got this little Yamaha thing it just kind of exploded for me really man. For a month I was just on it every night after school and the whole weekend. I was just trying to learn everything on there. It didn’t sample or anything – it was just a synth basically with a sequencer.

Then I made a tape and I played it to some of my friends in school and they were like “cool, cool” and whatever. I was like: “Who do I give this to? Who do I take this music to?”

Back then, I wasn’t even burning CDs – it was on minidisk or something like that. I mean, I couldn’t make loads of demos and send them to people. I just had a few tapes and being a kid in Teesside I couldn’t just walk down to the Sony offices in London!

So I took this tape back to the guy [Mike] who sold me that bit of kit. I was like, “it was kind of your fault that I made this!” (laughs)

Mike kind of laughed at me and told me to come back at lunch so he could have a little listen.

I was really into Jungle and Drum n Bass but I couldn’t sample on the Yamaha. Obviously ninety percent of Drum n Bass and Jungle back then was all sample based with the Amen Breaks and everything, so I just couldn’t get that sound. So my tape was all kind of like housey trance stuff.

Anyway, I went back and he was like, “Wow man! I can’t believe you’ve come back in a few weeks with a demo like this, you’re just a kid!”

He told me to get in touch ‘cause he managed local artists and he was part of a band. He introduced me to scratch DJ K-Delight who I kind of half knew because I had heard of him in the area. I think he’s well known in the Australian Hip Hop scene.

So by 15 I had a major label knocking on my door for one of these trance tunes! Mike had sent it off to a lot of people and got local DJ’s to test demos in clubs around the North East. Then he came to see my mum – he didn’t want to manage me straight away, just like help me out.

So once or twice a week after school, when I was 14 or 15, I would go to this guy’s house. He had a home studio and he would just teach me how to do stuff basically; like compression and mixing down properly.

Mike had a singer who’s kid was big – it was actually Zoe Birkett. If you go back to the original 1st UK Pop Idol, she came third and is now a singer on the West End! She’s from my end and we made a couple of tracks together. We were like 14 or 15.

So what happened with the major label interest?

They didn’t realize how old I was. Mike sort of a passed a lot of my demos out but was keeping it quiet of how old I actually was. He didn’t want anyone to think anything straight off. So yeah, they started sniffing around and they sort of freaked when they realised how old I was.

My mum didn’t really want me to sign anything or get involved until I could handle it myself and after I had finished school and stuff. To be honest, they also lost a lot of interest when they found out I wasn’t old enough to go and DJ in a club and promote it. At the same time it was a good little confidence thing. I suppose that was the point when I realized that music might be a thing for me.

Confidence is really important when you’re starting out…

Yeah, definitely. This guy Mike really helped me out and gave me loads of confidence. But by 16 I sort of moved out of the area and just really lost touch with him.

I moved down to the Leeds/York area to go to music college just after my GCSEs. Then I sort of started a new chapter and got more heavily into Drum and Bass, Breaks and UK Hip Hop at that time. I was at Leeds College of music from 2000 to 2002.

Did anyone mentor you in those days? What type of music were you producing? Yeah there was a lot of great people at LCM, and although I was mainly studying Performance and Jazz during the day, I used to hang out a lot with the Degree and HND music tech students when I could. A couple of guys really helped me out; one was doing releases for LTJ Bukem’s label Good Looking, and I used to hang out round his studio in Chapeltown, where he also introduced me too Jerk Chicken and Jamacian food as well (laughs). He taught me all I needed to know about sampling and convinced me to get a decent sampler. He also gave me a retro-fitted 4 meg Atari ST to go with it for sequencing.

Then another guy Andy P who was involved in the Breakbeat scene; he gave me my first sets in Leeds at his own night where I would play out live on the RM1X and sampler, as I still didn’t own my own decks; all my spare cash at this time was going on studio gear.

That early gig led to loads more and I also ended up doing bits for some of the biggest promoters in Leeds at the time. I got more into promotions through this as well and learnt from a lot of great people and also got to meet loads of great artists from all over as well as Leeds, like DJ E.A.S.E [Nightmares on Wax], Ed Rush Iration Steppas, DJ Die, Utah Saints, Groooverider, Coldcut, Fingathing, MC Verse and so many more it was a great time. I even got given a mid-week night to help organize. I was keeping the age hush hush though (laughs). I still wasn’t quite legal.

You were saying before that your first demo came out totally differently from the type of style you intended to make. Do you think that type of ‘happy accident’ is a major part of producing music?

Its was more down to the limitations of the gear I had at the time, which in a way pushed me harder and I learnt more tricks and the ins and out of what I had at the time. I remember trying to make the Amen break on GM Midi drums and never really getting it right but I learnt a lot from doing it (laughs) I just worked with what I had at the time and the strengths of the equipment which was mainly House and Trance style sounds even though I was really burning to get the Jungle sound but couldn’t do that till a few years later when I finally got a sampler. The whole game has changed though since I first started with everyone being able to pretty much make what they want using plug-ins and a laptop, but I still find the best accidents happen when the hardware comes out. I’ve had quite a few producers come round the studio to find my plug-in folders pretty much bare (laughs), I am still mainly on hardware and sample based for synth’s and sounds. I think limitations can bring out the creativity and mixed with a few happy accidents like when the Midi goes wrong or the Roland hasn’t warmed up properly, will always produce something no-ones heard before.

I can hear from your tracks that you have been producing for a long time and that you have a good technical knowledge. How did you learn?

Mainly from the people I’ve been lucky enough to meet along the way; especially back in the early days with Mike, at college, and when I was at Uni hanging out in Ed Solo’s and other peoples studios in Brighton. I didn’t really take a course involving production till I got to University at 18; so the four years up till then it was just self experimentation with whatever equipment I could find and just learning from others that were willing to help.

What advice would you give to budding producers and people wanting to learn?

Just get involved, find out who’s doing things in your area and in most cases people are happy to help if you help out too. I’ve made a lot of tea, carried a lot of records about, handed a lot of flyers, helped move a label office and re-fit studios, but I’ve always got so much back in the way of knowledge and skills back then. I would also say learn the basics whether its synthesis, sampling or whatever it will make getting round all those colourful plug-ins a lot easier if you understand the processes going on in the background, and will definitely help if you make it into a big studio. And just believe in your self and your sound; I would probably say that’s one of the most important, you need to create your “own” sound even if your taking influences from other artists. Plus that said at the same time don’t get caught up in your own hype if things suddenly explode at whatever level you’ve got to keep the balance.

Tell us about some of your ‘ups and downs’ since you started?

Wow deep one! (laughs)

It’s a funny old game. Like any business there’s up and downs, sharks in the water, and mistakes to be made and things to be learnt from those experiences. This kind of links back to keeping the balance. (laughs)
Some of the early “ups” were the early Major interest and writing and performing some music with the RM1X live for a show in the Millenium Dome in 2000; I also wrote some dance music for another theatre production in Teesside about the same time, meeting and performing with Jazzy B (Soul to Soul) for the opening in Stockton, and generally my whole experiences at College in Leeds and Uni in Brighton.

After Uni I played some of my biggest shows ever as a touring Scratch DJ playing with Busta Ryhmes to tens of thousands in Africa, hosting Portugal’s version of the DMC’s plus other gigs in Europe and further a field.

I’ve also got so much out of the teaching and workshop based work I’ve been involved with. One thing I’ll always remember was teaching a 13 yr old how to make his first “wobble” bass-line using the LFOs; the look he gave me when it clicked was priceless.

There’s always a balance though and I would say some of the downs were when the Hip Hop bubble burst and a lot of work dried up for me mainly due to not having any control over what I was doing just being the beat-maker and crew DJ.

There was a point where I didn’t even go into the studio for nearly two years just out of frustration with what was going on at the time. Up until recently, I would trust someone with their word, until out of the blue they tried to get their major and lawyers to sue me over a simple miscommunication.

Another close friend of mine recently got his track ripped off by another big name after he supported them and played out his track thinking they would rep it, not rip it. I think that affected him deeply for a little while too.

But yeah, you just have to rise above it and keep doing your thing. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for all the experiences that I have had. Positive or negative, it’s all game. (laughs)

What have you learnt from that and what approach do you take now?

I’ve learnt a huge amount from all those experiences and maybe for a moment I let some of them affect me. I think I am a lot wiser than I was, and as far as passion and love for the music, that’s only got stronger in the last couple of years. I think there’s always a trick or two to learn everyday though, anyone who thinks they know it all is either not human or just lying (laughs).

I think my approach is a lot wider and more open than maybe it was back in the day.

What does being signed to Cooly G’s label, Dub Organizer, mean to you?

Oh man, so many things!

I am really excited about this year and the link up with Cooly G and Dub Organizer. It has been on the cards most of 2011 so there’s a lot of anticipation building up, but yeah its going to blow the roof off (laughs).

We first got chatting when she’d heard a demo from me and that was it, we just kind of clicked musically and it was go from then on. It’s been hard to link up as it’s been busy times but I recently went out to Switzerland to play electronics on her new live show at Switch festival.

Cooly has also lined up other amazing artists and DJ’s for the label, on top of her already being repped by some of the biggest names in the game; its exciting times and definitely means a lot.

What releases have you got coming out this year?

The first Dub Organizer compilation is coming very soon with my track Avalon Riddim featuring on that. Then two EP’s are following on Dub Organizer, the Listen EP and Battle 4 LDN EP, I am really excited about these two – can’t wait for them to drop. There’s also talk of another Dub Organizer compilation coming later in the year too.

I’ve also got a double A side coming soon on WW called Avalanche Riddim with a remix pack to follow. This ones been waiting for over a year for release, and again I am really excited for this to finally drop.

I’ve written two EP’s this summer with another producer and old friend Rogue State. One is based round the 130/140 sound which might be coming with their own label R8 Records, and one is a UK Moombahton sound featuring Bongo Chilli, aka Peppery, City Culture and long time Ragga MC Deebo General.

Last but not least, look out for a remix on Whistla’s (SubFm) L2S label coming soon as well.

So what are your other plans for 2012?

It’s going to be a hectic one with the music this year, but I’ve got plans to set up a small clothing label with my partner, something I’ve been banding about for years.

On the personal side I just want to be there and support my little girl. She’s the new big thing and a total inspiration to everything I do now. Having her has been a huge learning curve in itself. The next generation is here! (laughs)

I also do a bit of Mountain Biking and would love to go back and do the Mega Avalanche this year, but we’ll see, it needs a lot of planning and was a big challenge when I did it a few years back. It was the most dangerous and craziest thing I’ve ever done outside of the rave. (laughs)

Whatever happens this year it’s going to be fun.

Royce Rolls – Best of 2011 Live Mix – Tracklist

1. Royce Rolls – Battle 4 LDN (prt I) “Exclusive”
2. Mosca – Bax
3. Julio Bashmore – Battle For Middle You
4. 2 Bit Thugs – Hacienda
5. Purpl Pop – The Way [T.L.G.B Dub Edit]
6. Didz – Invaded “Exclusive”
7. Dutty Dan – Movin It Large “Exclusive”
8. Royce Rolls “v” Robin S – Why Dont U Show Me Love
9. Rogue State & J Vandal – The Chant “Exclusive”
10. Myth Rychards – Twisted Techno Wheel “Exclusive”
11. Royce Rolls – Electric People “Exclusive”
12. Crystal Zulu – One Man Island “Exclusive”
13. Karin Park – Tiger Dreams [Photek remix]

http://soundcloud.com/roycerolls
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http://www.facebook.com/djroycerollsuk

Melbourne DJ and producer, Same O, hits the decks for Symbiosis 81. As part of the Too Much! crew he has been putting on some of Melbourne and Australia’s most forward thinking parties for the last few years.

This mix finds him in fine form and exploring a different side of his tastes.

“This mix has been done completely with Symbiosis in mind. I thought I would try and show how I have progressed as a DJ and the sorts of things I am listening to at the moment. I wanted to feature tunes that just fit nicely together rather than trying to pack the mix full with new tunes, some of the tunes are particularly old but I think this shows the kind of point that dance music is at. A lot of the older Detroit and Chicago sounding stuff is completely at home with this whole sort of UK House/Bass/Techno (whatever you call it) thing happening at the moment. I also decided that I wouldn’t put any of my tunes in the mix and would leave that to the next mix done under the Donalds House monicker which is done by myself and my brother.” – Same O

Tracklist

01 – Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin – Atlas
02 – Marshal Jefferson vs. Noosa Heads – Mushrooms (Justin Martin Remix)
03 – This Is Something – Coat Of Arms
04 – Claude VonStroke and J Philip – California (Julio Bashmore Remix)
05 – Claude VonStroke – Who’s Afraid Of Detroit
06 – Dark Sky – Neon
07 – Jacques Greene – Tell Me (Kingdom Edit)
08 – Sepalcure – Every Day Of My Life (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
09 – Boddika – Grand Prix
10 – Boddika – Rubba
11 – Crystal Fighteres – In The Summer (Shortstuff Remix)
12 – Jam City – Magic Drops
13 – Jamie Foxx – Can I Take You Home (Lucid Bootleg)
14 – Lunice – I See U (Girl UNIT Remix)
15 – Brenton – RDI (Girl UNIT Remix)
16 – Mosca – Bax
17 – Y-Tribe – Durex
18 – Anita Ward – Ring My Bell

Andy Vaz returns to Symbiosis to celebrate the release of his new album. Check out his laid back mix for Symbiosis.

No tracklist

Check out Andy’s new LP, Straight Vacationing on Yore Records.

Soundorom is on his way to Australia for the first time this month. He is playing shows with fellow Circo Loco resident Matthias Tanzmann in Perth and Sydney, then playing on Cup Day at Lucky Coq in Melbourne. Chatting with him in Ibiza, it feels like Soundorom is extremely comfortable with his popularity and the pressure that brings. He has just played the closing party for Circo Loco and ended the Ibiza Summer party season on a high point.

“It was super nice! It was really packed actually. I have the feeling that it was the busiest closing that I have played but every year I say that!” he laughs.

Growing up in Paris, Soundorom first discovered House music through his brother. “Originally, and most of the time where I find my inspiration, I listen to quite a lot of hip hop but its like older stuff, you know. I had no idea about like house and techno and I only knew what was dance at that time because I was watching TV. I guess I knew all these things like famous dance tracks, like Black Box or Robin S it was like the music at that time and I knew what was dance you know. Then my brother came back with this tape and it was like a lot of techno on that tape but I was not really into it.”

That mix tape set the seed though. Discovering one track and following the trail, Soundorom made some great contacts.: “There was a track on there that I fell in love with and I start to research. Then I discovered more about this music and I started to go out! The funny story is that I started to discover this club called Les Bains Douches in Paris where David Guetta was the owner of the club. I was just hanging out there, some of the music was good but it was like not exactly totally my style, and I was just going out there every weekend.”

It’s true that luck plays a huge role. “Then one weekend David came over to me and he said, ‘I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks and I like how you behave and how you talk to people. I want you to be like PR for me.’ I was like 17 and I didn’t have any idea what PR means that time you know and he said, ‘I want you to bring like 20 people to the club and stuff like that.’ So well, at the same time I was still going at school you know and he said, ‘Yeah well, I pay you to this you just have to bring 20 people and let’s see what happens you know.’”

It was Soundorom’s big break: “I did this and that time I start to really get into music and start to buy records. Then after six months of doing this he gives me my own party and this is exactly the time I met Dan Ghenacia. He was the resident at Batofar and I asked him to play at my party. This is where everything started properly like music-wise – I was starting to buy a lot of records and starting to play at my own party.”

Ghenacia owns Freak n Chic and also Lola Ed. He gave Soundorom his first release and took him under his wing. “I did this party for like two years and it worked pretty well,” continues Soundorom. “The good thing was that we didn’t have the same taste of music with David Guetta but he totally let me like do my thing because he wanted to do one night different in his club. So we like pretty good friends and we found a way to work together which was cool. Then after two years of organising that party I stopped and I totally focused on music.”

“I was starting to play around in Paris but it took me a bit more time to play in different countries. I was not producing at that time – you know how it works! But Dan has been truly a help for me. He always supports me and he has given me the power to focus on music. It’s been a long process but its just a beautiful story so it’s like when I go back to the past, where I’ve been to and where I am now. it’s super cool.”

So has moving from more underground parties to the point where his popular status put him in the top 100 DJs for 2010 on Resident Advisor created difficulties with his sets? “I don’t think I’ve any reason to change or for looking to like seduce more people you know. I think if you are true to yourself, well you have to refresh yourself sometime, but I think if you are true to yourself people will follow. People need to see that you’re enjoying what you do so if you’re true to yourself I think its the only way. This is the way I see but I don’t think you need to be trying to play more what they expect.”

Ultimately, Soundorom plays music with wide appeal. “I like to play like that groovy kind of music in a way so I guess maybe that’s why people are enjoying it, you know. I mean groovy can be can be dark, can be like vocal or whatever, it doesn’t mean a lot. I dont know, I just think you just have to be true to yourself.”

Soundorom has a label in the works with Ghenacia and Shonky, Apollonia. “We are going to be ready at the end of the year or somewhere early in January. The main idea is just to have a platform to release our music but we’re going to put out music from the other people also. It’s just like a strong friendship and its like we are sharing the same taste of music and the same musical vision.”

“I am super excited about the tour to Australia! Music wise I’ve been doing a lot of remixes in the last year but now I want to focus on my own music. I just wanna finish a couple of remixes that I am working on which are really exciting. There is lots on!”

Stefan Panczak, aka Inch-time, might have swapped the environs of Adelaide for the hustle and bustle of London, but it’s a move he’s glad he made. Since releasing his earliest records back in 2003, Inch-time has quietly forged an irrepressible niche which has taken on a life of its own.

His subtle melding of gleaming electronica and a whole host of other ingredients – from dub to folk textures, and languid jazz stylings to post-rock atmospheres – has evolved to take in new elements while sticking to the unique approach which Panczak has made his signature since his debut album, 2005’s Any Colour You Like.

In this exclusive mix for Symbiosis, Panczack shares some of the sounds that have been rocking his world lately and, in our chat below, he reveals more about his artistic practise.

“I’ve been doing a lot of mixes recently, as I do a monthly mix for my record label podcast. These mixes have tended to be quite dense and planned out around a particular theme, and mixed in Logic i.e. not live. So for this mix I decided to do something more spontaneous. I’ve been delving back in house music a lot over the past 12 months so I made a mix the old-school way, just two turntables and a mixer. It’s a mix of of some of my favourite house tracks, old and new. Plus I slipped in some Mount Kimbie to finish. They’re a great example of the whole post-dubstep genre-mixing sound that’s exploding in London right now.”

Tracklist:

1. John Roberts – Ever Or Not
2. Lawrence – Treacle Mine
3. Rhythm & Sound – Poor People Must Work (C2 Remix)
4. Appleblim & Ramadanman – Sous Le Sable
5. Secondo – Doktor Pangloss
6. Axel Boman – Purple Drank
7. Ben Nevile – Vancouver And Fairfield (Sutekh Remix)
8. The XX – VCR (Four Tet Remix)
9. Pepe Bradock – Ghost
10. STL – Jungle Sometimes
11. Mount Kimbie – Carbonated

Recorded at my mate Ross’s flat, London. Feb 12, 2011.

mysteryplaysrecords.com
soundcloud.com/mystery-plays-records

It has been around 8 years since your first record, and 6 since your first album. There has been a wonderful progression and maturation in your sound since then. What are some key lessons you have learnt along the way?

I started making music using a hardware sampler and very rudimentary computer. Since then computers and software have evolved at an incredible pace so now you can do everything on your laptop. In fact, the possibilities can rapidly become overwhelming.

I think it’s very easy to get lost in possibilities now. Because of this I set limitations on how I make my music. From these limitations it is actually easier to produce music because it gives you set choices to make instead of endless ones.

The Floating World was made in my home studio. As the acoustics in my music room are so bad I mainly reverted to constructing tracks using only headphones for listening. This automatically predetermines the end result of the music produced. If you are sitting at a desk listening in headphones the music you make will naturally tend to become quite introspective, just from your posture at the desk and the insular listening experience of using headphones.

For my new album that I am working on I made the decision to hire a studio and work solely on my music in that environment. The studio has an amazing sound system which makes the sound physical and alive. The fact that I can walk around the studio still listening to the song and play the various instruments as I go means the music making becomes spontaneous and intuitive.

Tell us about the creation of your last album. You mentioned in your bio that it was inspired by Ukiyo-e!

The inspiration for the album came from the Japanese art movement Ukiyo-e which translates as ‘Pictures From The Floating World’. It was an art movement centred around capturing ephemeral moments such as a beautiful view, a market place in Spring or a gust a wind blowing off passer-by’s hats.

Readers may be familiar with the famous woodblock prints by Hokusai or Hiroshige showing different views of Mount Fuji or The Great Wave of Kanagawa. These artworks really took me into this alternate, exotic world which I used as a starting point for the creation of the songs on the album.

There is a real organic feel in your music that is quite hard to come by nowadays. Do you get comments on that regularly? What part of your approach creates that feel in your opinion?

Yes, people do comment on that a lot! I think it’s for two reasons. Firstly I use a lot of real world instruments in my songs. Either sampled or played live such as acoustic guitar and piano. I also spend a lot of time when producing my songs making sounds and samples sound ‘real’. So I will carefully take out glitches and abrupt noise drops so the instruments sound like they are being played live.

You have released the album on your own imprint, Mystery Plays Records. What are your plans with the label?

The label is a home for my music and in the future I plan to release other like-minded artists. At the moment I am busy promoting the album, playing shows and busy in the studio working on the follow up.

I have a few artists working on music which will be released on the label but this may not be until next year. I’m in no rush to do too many releases. I’d prefer each one to be very special. Both in the music and physical package.

Do you perform live or DJ much at the moment? What sort of form does a live Inch-time show take?

I’m not DJing much at the moment but plan to get back into this very soon. I do miss playing records out to a crowd.

I’m playing live quite a bit in London at the moment to support the new album. I am two thirds of the way through a trio of “Mystery Plays Presents” shows at Cafe Oto in Dalston, an amazing jazz bar in east London. So far we’ve hosted AM/PM, Icarus and Badun.

In July I’ll be playing at the Open Art Festival in Poland. I’m really looking forward to this gig as I’ll also get to see Jan Jelinek play live. His music has been a real inspiration to me. My live show is laptop based. Just me, the computer and a midi controller that allows me to perform and “remix” my tracks live. I’m working into incorporating some visuals and more hardware into my set. The great thing with programs like Ableton and Max is that they really allow you to perform your songs live and intuitively.

Lawrence English is a composer, media artist and curator from Brisbane, Australia. His successful imprint, Room40, recently celebrated ten years of running events and releasing unique music so we invited him to create a mix for Symbiosis.

Room40 have just put out a 10th Anniversary release that you can download for free.

“This mix, apart from being a pleasure to put together, marks out some of the sounds and music I’ve been returning to this year. It’s been a curious year of travel and intense work and I’ve found much of this music to really hit the spot when it comes to varied situations – be that airports, antarctic field bases or here working at Room40 in Brisbane. The mix also taps into some of the other things that have really dominated my mind this year – for example the incredible films of Werner Herzog. A wonderful year to revisit his varied works (and listen to his commentaries on the films!)

It’s also been a great year for music and arts I must confess, really some inspiring editions and projects from amazing folks all across the globe. I have to confess to being excited about the changes coming in the music world too – access, distribution and interconnectivity are all shifting very quickly and that’s been wonderful to interact with.” – Lawrence English, late 2010

Tracklist:

Wind Measured – LPE (unreleased)
Triangles – Kevin Drumm/Lief Elggren
Klaus Kinski – Jesus In Berlin
Francisco Lopez – Untitled #175
Minit – CG
Junior Boys – Count Souvenirs
Neil Hamburger – I’m In Your Band
One Ohtrix Point Never – Betrayed By The Octagon
Kiss – Hidden Track from Destroyer
Rafael Anton Irisarri – Passage
Refused – Worms Of The Senses
Ben Frost – Peter Venkman Pt 1
Jim O’Rourke – Eureka
Orenette Coleman – Lonely Woman
Chris Watson – Warrigal Night
Popul Vuh – Aguirre I

www.lawrenceenglish.com
www.room40.org

So.. where do you find yourself right now with regards to your own artistic practice?

Good question. it’s been such a busy year – between all the room40 10th anniversary and all the tours and releases we’ve had there hasn’t been as much time as I’d like to work on new pieces.

Right now I am in the process of working on two streams of work – the first is the seasonal album theme, which will follow on from A Colour For Autumn. I’ve been trying to experience summer in a wide array of places – Japan, USA, Antarctica – seeking out the elements that differentiate and unite that season.

The other stream of work I am focused on is following on from Kiri No Oto, and is concerned with the ideas orbit harmonic distortion and the ways in which related and unrelated elements can be brought into and out of relief with one another. I’ve made a good deal of field recordings too around this idea and they are feeding into the project as well.

How do you feel your work has evolved over the years?

Over the past decade I have been interested in a wide range of sounds and concepts – which is in some ways a blessing and a curse. Those interests though I am finding really are beginning to boil down into a series of related but difference approaches to sound and music. I’m increasingly interested in exploring a number of relationships, two of which I mentioned before. I guess the third stream of the work is field recordings, which I really do have a deep interest in. Right at this moment I am completing a new piece based on wind recordings from all across the world. It’s been something I’ve been working on for the past 5 years and finally it’s coming close to being done. I’m excited to see it almost there.

Is it difficult running Room40, with all of the commitments there, and also continuing your artistic output?

I spend 90% of my time focused on working with artists on achieving their goals. Room40 takes up a great deal of time and at times i’m acutely conscious of the lack of time I have for my own work. That said I truly find working with other musicians and artists very rewarding. I deeply believe in all the artists we work with and I want to see their undertakings getting out to the right ears. It’s a juggle, but one that provides a good challenge I feel.

What advice would you go back and give to yourself for when you started composing and also when you started Room40 from what you know now?

In terms of Room40, probably to sleep a bit more! In the first few years there really wasn’t a second free and that at times was quite a challenge. I think the other advice might be to just let things be organic. And to enjoy the journey.

What’s coming up for you this year?

I am just finishing a new album, The Peregrine, based on the book by J.A. Baker. It’s an incredible piece of writing. I’m also working on work around ideals of wabi sabi and just finishing the queensland version of site listening.

On the live front, I am presenting The Monolith with Werner Dafeldecker, based on our work in antarctica last summer and touring The Peregrine I’d dare say.

Top 5 artists right now?

Werner Herzog, Harmony Korine, Eugene Carchesio, Hiraki Sawa, Grouper

What tracks or albums have been essential listening on your player of choice (ipod, vinyl, cd) recently?

Having been on tour it’s been live shows from Sanso Xtro, Grouper, Ben Frost, Fennesz, David Daniell, Taylor Deupree and Xela.

Considered to be part of the ‘second wave’ of techno from Detroit, they got their break when their track, I Believe, was featured on the (10 Records) compilation, Techno 2: The Next Generation (alongside Carl Craig, Marc Kinchen, and Jay Denham) in 1990.

They went on to form their own label, 430 West, and since 1990, the Burden brothers have released over one hundred records.

Throughout their careers they have worked with such artists as Derrick May, Underground Resistance, Eddie Fowlkes, Juan Atkins, Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, Members of the House, Terrence Parker, and The Martian (Red Planet). They have remixed tracks for such artists as Massive Attack, Akabu (Joey Negro), DJ Rolando (Jaguar), Steve Bug, John Thomas, The Trampps, Rhythm is Rhythm, and Inner City.

2000 brought the biggest Octave One release to date, Blackwater. The track has appeared on over 30 compilation albums worldwide (with comp sales exceeding one million collectively). Late 2006 brought the release of the first full length DVD/CD project from the group, Octave One featuring Random Noise Generation Off The Grid. Then 2008 brought their first studio album in 4 years, Summers on Jupiter.

Octave One are on their way to Australia for the first time. They’re playing at the Sydney festival, in the Becks Bar, on Saturday 29th January. Check out our exclusive chat with Lawrence Burden and the live set from La Maison that they sent across.

Download the mp3.

S: Hey Lawrence. How are you?

LB: I’m good man!

S: It’s 8am here.. what time is it there?

LB: It’s 4pm here.

S: How’s the weather?

LB: It’s good. It’s a little rainy but this time of year and season in Atlanta that’s what we’re expecting.

S: I think we’re expecting about 85-90 F here today.. so you are coming over at the right time.

LB: (laughs)

S: So this is your first time in Australia..

LB: Yep – it will be our first time there. We’ve never actually been to Australia! We have been looking forward to it for ages but this will be our first time actually touching the shores man.

S: Any reason why it has taken so long?

LB: Uh, just, I guess finding the right promoters to pull it off or whatever.

S: How do you balance playing live, studio time and the business side – having a couple of record labels – of what you do?

LB: In the beginning it was a lot harder just because we had so many artists. I mean, at one time I think we had up to about fourteen artists between our two labels. It was just kind of mayhem – you were always on the phone and there wasn’t really much of a balance. Three quarters of what we did was pulled towards our business at that time. And yeah, the music side really suffered.

But we streamlined things down over the years. We had sat down over the years and decided that we really missed the music side of it. The business side of it was good and we were pushing a lot of artists but at that level it can be a bit of a headache too (laughs).

So, I mean, we had to get back to the part that we really enjoy because you got a lot of artists with a lot of attitude. And everyone is a rock star. You know, it’s like, “You guys… come on… it’s music we love – don’t get caught up in all the hype because you read your article in..”

It’s music – let’s just enjoy the music part of it. We’re glad to return back to that. So, mainly it’s now an easy fifty-fifty now. It’s not hard now just because we’re primarily the artists as well as the label. So that brings some balance and makes it easer for us.

S: That’s great to hear. I guess when I was preparing to chat today I was remembering all of the great records you have produced. And I have always felt that positivity in your interviews. That feeling that you’re giving back and, as artists, you just want to cut through the noise.

LB: Yeah that’s it. We always look back at what our reason for getting into in the first place. I mean, we just loved it! I think, over the years, I see guys who I have known for years and they get kind of caught up in the whole.. I don’t wanna call it the ‘star syndrome’ but it is just that. To me, it’s always been about the music and not any political agendas. I didn’t get into music for whatever agenda. That stuff is cool and you have an awareness that you get over time. But that’s not what drew me to producing dance music.

I love the sound of synthesisers, kick drums, hi hats! We still try to keep that really pure for us and pass that on to our fans.

S: And it’s so exciting when you discover something new, or learn a new technique isn’t it?

LB: Oh man! It always is. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing it – there is always something new to learn. And if there isn’t, you need to sit aside and go do something else. There’s always a new adventure, a new sound, a new technique, or a new rhythm.

I mean, I might hear a new rhythm that is totally non-dance related and it just kind of influences me to go into the studio and create something towards dance.

S: Well speaking of pushing your sound further, I guess your last album was all about that?

LB: Yeah, we had some ideas that we wanted to get out and we just wanted to try some things. We wanted to get them out of our system really! (laughs) That’s what Summers In Jupiter was all about. It was to purge a bit, you know, and to see what happens. That was our purging session.

S: Now you are bringing it full circle because you started the Revisited series last year.

LB: Yeah, yeah, we have.

S: I have really been enjoying your Read Only Memory remix for Aril Brikha. And you have a remix from him coming up in the revisited series next. Tell us about that..

LB: Oh yeah, Aril is a good friend of ours. We’ve known him for years and he asked us to remix that track. We were just like ‘Alright man but you’ve gotta do one for us as well.’

We’ve always wanted to work with Aril on some things and it was a lot of fun. It was a different for us because of his style. It took us a little while to figure out what we wanted to do with it, you know.

S: I was going to ask about that because you’ve really made the track sound like one of your own.

LB: To me, I think that’s always been the key for us when we’re doing remixes. I mean, if I want somebody to remix one of my cuts I want their flavour. So we just kind of did the same. We tried to give it the Octave One flavour as if we were producing with Aril when he made the cut. We try to and on a good day it happens! (laughs)

S: When the magic happens! (laughs)

LB: Yeah man, that’s right.

S: So how would you describe the Octave One sound? In your own words.

LB: Well I would probably have to think about all of my brothers and I. It would turn from jazzy to industrial to wow.. it’s all of those elements. Soulful. All of those elements kind of mixed into dance music. I’ve got one brother who’s into deep, deep jazz and any time he works on a track it has a jazz element. Lenny likes the rougher edge, more of the industrial kind of style. And I kind of like a deep, soulful thing. Then I have younger brothers who produce as well and they’re much more towards hip hop or pop.

So it just depends which guys come together to produce on a track. But it’s all of those elements in the form of dance.

S: But generally it’s you and Lenny as the core unit right?

LB: Well, yeah, generally. Then there are brothers who pop in and occasionally outside artists. But yes, generally me and Lenny are consistent as the core.

S: Yeah. It’s really fascinating listening to tracks that you guys create vs tracks with your brothers. You can definitely hear the extra influences.

LB: Oh yeah, I mean you never know what’s gonna happen. You just go in and let it do what it’s gonna do.

S: I mean, I remember hearing Blackwater, which was a huge track for you guys and Lorne worked on that with you didn’t he.

LB: Yeah he sure did – that was him on there.

S: So is it something where you sit down and one of you brings an idea to the session?

LB: It can happen in so many different ways. We might just be in the studio chit chatting, you know, and literally someone might start playing some things on the keyboard or something and then another brother might add to that.

What we used to do – and a lot of people don’t know – we used to just sit in the studio and have jam sessions. We wouldn’t even record it, we would just jam, you know. A lot of times it still comes back to that but now we might say, ‘hey man, we need to sequence that.’ (laughs)

That’s what we used to do though. We might just be sitting around talking, you know, having good times and laughing and stuff. Then brother might start on the bassline or brother might start on the keyboard lick, or you might hear a string rhythm or somebody might start with some drums. Sometimes if we bought a new piece of gear everybody wants to touch it. That might bring in three or four new songs real quick. You know, it’s never a set way how we get into whatever’s going on. It just kind of..

Sometimes a brother might be at home and he might have started something too. He might say, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’. And we might go, ‘That’s cool – take this out here or change the rhythm there.’

So it comes to us a lot of different ways.

S: I guess it works well having the critical ear of more than one person on your tracks. You were speaking about your studio there.. I was interested to know how your production methods and the equipment you’re using has changed over the years.

LB: I guess we stick to what we know. It has been consistently the same but the equipment has changed. Sometimes we get bored with a piece and we get rid of it. Then four or five years down the line we really miss that piece and we’re scouring all over the internet trying to buy it back! (laughs)

Generally, for the most part, we’re always going to be hardware. That’s what we love and it’s the most consistent thing of what we do. We tried to touch into the software side of things for a minute but it’s not us. So our approach has always been from the hardware point of view and that’s pretty much consistently what’s going on with us.

S: So, it wasn’t until 1999 or around 2000 that you started performing live, right?

LB: Yeah it wasn’t until then that we starting going out consistently to perform.

S: You had been doing a bit of DJing before that right?

LB: Yeah, actually, I was DJing quite a bit – mainly in Europe. That was around 1994 that I ventured off and toured around there. It was fun but it reached its peak. I was always gone, coming home for a day or two to wash clothes and then going back out.

It turned into work and my approach with music was that I said I would do it until it turned into work. DJing started to not be fun any more and it was work. So I thought I wasn’t benefiting or the fans because my soul wasn’t in it. I was having a punch the clock attitude.

So we started the live thing. That was so much more fun for me because it gave me a lot more tracks to play with for starters. It was different too. I don’t want to call it the ‘same old, same old’ but for me DJing kind of turned into that. There was only so much I could do.

Performing live was kind of limitless.

S: Did you start playing live before Blackwater really became popular?

LB: Actually we started performing right before Blackwater became popular.

S: It was serendipitous timing though..

LB: Oh yeah for sure. You have to thank Jeff Mills though because he really got us to focus in on Blackwater. It was him and Electric Indigo.

We weren’t paying attention to it. We were working with Jaguar at the time, helping Mike Banks with the Jaguar situation.

S: Yeah sure. So let’s talk about your other group, Random Noise Generation. I think the last thing you did was 2006. Are you still considering that to be active or have you put that away now?

LB: Wow that’s a good question because literally, maybe about two weeks ago, we were sitting down and talking about what we wanted to do with Random Noise, since all the focus had turned into Octave One.

We haven’t put it down. We have some ideas that we’re going to toy with and we want to see what actually becomes of it. We’re going to try a new approach – I can’t explain it really (laughs) – and see what comes of it.

Random Noise was always an experimentation of sound. It was mainly samples of that nature. So we kind of want to go back and see what happens.

S: Sure, and do some experimentation under that name I guess?

LB: Exactly, exactly.

S: On another note, Detroit has been in the news a lot due to the financial downturn and the way the car industry is. I saw some photos just before Christmas of some beautiful but disused buildings. How has that affected you guys?

LB: Well, you know, when we go back to visit Detroit – we’re there six to eight times per year – we see a steady decay. But, for us, it was different because we were always living in that decay. Maybe if you live there – I still have brothers and family who live there – they don’t notice it as much because it’s a day-to-day thing.

We notice it now because we live in Atlanta and when we pop in we see how things have changed. And a lot of times we lived in that environment. If you live a certain way it doesn’t seem so unusual because that’s your situation. But yeah man, we see it. it’s a lot of decay. It’s sad to see because the city has so much soul and so much passion. But it has just been robbed of its economic base and it’s hard to really bounce back from that if no money is coming in.

It’s a day-to-day struggle. It’s always been a day-to-day struggle in the D anyway but now it’s more of a dire day-to-day struggle.

S: So, what’s coming up for you and your labels this year?

LB: Well as far as the label is concerned, we’re gearing up to add a couple of new artists. I don’t want to talk about them yet just because we’re not quite sure. A couple of people who we really kind of like their style. We have steady productions coming from Octave One as well.

We’re continuing the Revisited series with the Here, There, Beyond which is quite a few remixes from various artists. It includes Luke Slater, to Ken Ishii. It’s quite a few people who we have been fortunate enough to get to do remixes.

We’re also working on a brand new album that we’re going to release in the fall. It’s as yet untitled but we have been producing tracks for it, and that’s going to be Octave One as well. Actually the new album is really coming together too – it’s really solid. I’m really excited about it as well.

S: That’s great – I’m looking forward to hearing some new stuff from you guys.

LB: Thanks man.

S: On that note, I’m going to let you enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks for your time today.

LB: No problems man, see you soon.

Vaz hails from Düsseldorf and has been releasing music through his Background Recordings imprint since 1998 – starting with other producers and then finally putting out something of his own after 2000. Since then he hasn’t stopped with many releases on his own labels as well as others like Persistencebit Records and Telegraph.

Apart from having played countless clubs, festivals and venues (he’s done everything from the legendary “Liquid Room” in Tokyo to the Mutek Festival and the DEMF in Detroit) Vaz has build up an excellent reputation as a crowd shaking and unique sounding live act. He is known for both extended dance sets and more abstract listening performances.

www.andy-vaz.de
www.yore-records.com

Download the mp3.

01. Braxton Holmes – 12“ches of Pleasure (Ron’s Foreplay Mix)
02. Chez’n Trent – All about You
03. Dennis Ferrer – Untitled
04. Floating Points – Love me like this
05. Theo Parrish – Can take it
06. Roy Davis Jr. – House Inferno
07. Amp Fiddler Feat. Corrine Bailey Rae – If I Don’t
08. Taxi C:A.B – Son of a Beatnik
09. Earth People -Dance (Club Mix)
10. Chez Damier & Ron Trent – Hip To Be Disillusioned Vol. 1
11. House Master Baldwin* Featuring Paris Grey – Don’t Lead Me
12. House People – Jack Me Frankie – (Chip E Mix)
13. Omar S. – Set It Out
14. On The House – Pleasure Control
15. Woz – Let Me (Inst.)
16. KB Project – The Symphony
17. Lil’ Louis – I Called U (Saxy Version)
18. Moodymann – J.A.N.
19. Phuture Scope – What is House Muzik?

You have been DJing and producing music for some time now. When you look back what has been the biggest change over that time?

The biggest change probably has been the turning-point when the whole thing became more and more professional for myself and my operations (as a label-manager).

It still took many years while I was already fully living of music, that I was still pretty much still looking at things from a (music) fan perspective, a collectors perspective, and was doing all these various operations (playing, running the labels, producing etc). It was sort of a “I don’t know really what I am doing, but whatever, I am just doing it anyways” attitude.

This only very slowly progressed over the years. It changed my whole outlook on things when I began to understand how to do things on a professional basis. Thinking more in a long term sense and all.

It has been a learning process and I am quite satisfied being in the place where I am now. It was great fun having all this freedom and all the DIY attitude and just going along and roll with it kinda vibe, but it feels quite comfortable, having a more developed, precise way of handling my things now.

Where do you find yourself right now as an artist and how are your labels going?

I feel that I am in a very comfortable place now. I have been doing it for so long, being in my mid thirties now, that I have gained so much from it and learned a lot. I’ve seen things and people come and go, develop and stretch in various forms and I have grown with it and looking back, it seems I have always been in the right place at the right time to play an active role in this music culture.

I found my latest Label Yore before this recent global Deep House revival arrived and I have been making House Music way before it. I am still working on expressing my own niche within the House sound.

I am actually currently working on my new full length album, which is going to be my second album only and it’s been 5 years since the last one. I am quite positive and still bursting with energy. I am quite enthusiastic about the album! A lot of material had to remain unreleased and unfinished to finally arrive with something I was 100% comfortable with.

Tell us about your musical background – why did you decide to produce music and when?

I started my first musical love affair with early Hip Hop when i was around 12 years old then got in touch with Techno. I always dreamed about making a record one day.

I heavily started collecting techno and house music when I was 15 and then things took the usual progression. I started DJing in my bedroom, diving more and more into sound, then I started fooling around with my first gear (sh-101 and a roland 707, got hands on a RZ-1 to do them DBX beats etc).

I then first started my first label Background, concentrating on other peoples output, allowing myself the time to polish my production and to feel more comfortable with the progression of how to use the gear properly. I also wanted to go beyond imitating a standard formula of how house and techno music has to sound. I then needed more time to come up with my own sound, something I felt was 100% me and sort of a new formula. That resulted in the release of the experimental Sound Variation series which were my first releases in the form of a conceptual 10 records series.

Was there an artist, or a few artists, or songs that inspired you?

I was really into the early Robert Hood; Metroplex, UR sort of thing and of course the first radically minimal things coming out of Europe later on (Saekhoe etc).

What is coming up for you in 2011?

I will be focusing on my Album as I mentioned. I will also dive deeper into my own radio-show on Cologne based online station: www.soulsender.de

From 2011 onwards I will be on air bi-monthly, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, 21.00 – 23.00 CET (Central European Time). Archives and playlists can be found here: www.yore-records.com/radio.php

The show will present new and old house releases, moderated by myself and will also features guest interviews and mixes.

What is coming up for your labels in 2011?

There is going to be the IBEX full length album release (as 2×12” and CD) as well as my own full length album. Also be prepared for some new .Xtrak EP’s, later on this year.

Overall 2011 will be more of an album, then just a steady 12” dance EP year for Yore. You won’t see 12” releases as steady as the years before – also a consequence of professionalism.

12”ches are good and are the basis for this music and its still a great effective weapon for the heads & dj’s out there, but for a label that wants more and which is growing, albums are gold – from an artistic perspective also of course. Since the label has been growing, it’s the right time to concentrate on albums and really work on successfully building up our artists.

What are your top 5 tracks right now?

01. Jill Scott – lonely when you are around
02. Daphne – Comin` on Strong
03. Theo Parrish – Monster Mash-Up
04. Serious Intension – You don’t know
05. ARP 101

Well, it’s good to be back after a few weeks away for Christmas & New Year. I hope you are all well and your festive season was great!

Symbiosis 75 features the work of Rotterdam newcomer, Halp, who had his debut release put out by Seclusiasis late last year. With a jump-up sound typical of their artists I just knew that I had to get him on Symbiosis for a mix and chat. Enjoy it!

You can grab Leek now in all good digital stores.

Cheers,

Simon

Download the mp3.

Tracklist:

Cubic Zirconia – Josephine (Egyptrixx remix)
The Phantom – Night game
Mj Cole & Wiley – from the drop (l-vis-1990 Remix)
Samo Sound Boy – Taking it All (Mele remix)
Marcus Price and Carli – Var E Naaaken (Girl Unit remix)
Jacques Greene – Holdin’ On
Monky – Drukerdz (Halp remix)
Halp – Ass
Halp – Bukkel

Chat History with Thomas de Rijk
Created on 2010-11-25 08:45:28.

Thomas de Rijk: 07:50:56
yo

Thomas de Rijk: 07:51:03
sitting at my desk now

Simon Hampson: 07:51:58
Cool. Just walking to cafe give me 10 mins

Thomas de Rijk: 07:52:12
cafe!

Thomas de Rijk: 07:52:15
get me a beer haha

Simon Hampson: 08:06:54
Haha. So.. I have really been enjoying the mix!

Thomas de Rijk: 08:07:08
nice, thats good to hear

Thomas de Rijk: 08:07:22
it contains some of the stuff i really enjoy at the moment

Simon Hampson: 08:07:38
Do you DJ in the clubs there much?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:07:54
only had my first 2 gigs in the last month or so

Thomas de Rijk: 08:08:10
used to dj a lot some years ago but just at home and house parties

Thomas de Rijk: 08:08:22
was too scared to play gigs back then, haha

Simon Hampson: 08:08:31
Wow! So is the Symbiosis mix typical of what we would hear from you at a club?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:10:31
hmmm, not really i think. Getting more into house lately, but i like dubstep a lot as well, still trying to find something in between or around that area, most of the stuff i’ve made so far was either hip hop ish or dubstep, only finished two 130 bpm tunes, the monky remix and ass, up on my soundcloud at the moment. But yeah i’d like to play stuff people like to hear in a club but stuff i still really enoy myself as well, and thats been more house related as of late

Thomas de Rijk: 08:10:39
but also play dubstep

Thomas de Rijk: 08:10:44
not as much as i used to though

Thomas de Rijk: 08:10:58
Hope someday it’ll be a nice blend of everything i like

Simon Hampson: 08:11:51
It’s tough.. you either have to do DJ edits to mix so many different BPMs.. quick cuts.. or other DJ tools. But I feel like your set was a nice blend man.

Thomas de Rijk: 08:12:12
yeah djing is weird like that haha,

Thomas de Rijk: 08:12:12
thanks

Thomas de Rijk: 08:12:25
would be sick to a live set someday, with visuals

Simon Hampson: 08:13:17
The live set & visuals idea is a great one.. technology is certainly making it easier

Simon Hampson: 08:15:56
Tell us about your history in music. How old are you?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:16:11
22 years old

Thomas de Rijk: 08:16:18
started djing about 5 or 6 years ago i think

Thomas de Rijk: 08:16:36
dubstep, shackleton, dmz, distance, vex’d etc

Thomas de Rijk: 08:17:07
and then when the wobbles started creaping up so to speak i stopped djing (also because all my money was spent on records haha) and then started dabbling about with ableton

Simon Hampson: 08:17:28
And what inspired you to start DJing?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:17:43
hmmm

Thomas de Rijk: 08:17:44
well

Thomas de Rijk: 08:17:50
told this story a few times already

Thomas de Rijk: 08:18:20
but i dont really know, but i have this book from when i was 8, the ones you pass to all your buddies to fill out a list etc and it says i want to become a dj

Thomas de Rijk: 08:18:52
and thats probably the most interesting story i have to tell about my inspiration to become a dj haha

Thomas de Rijk: 08:19:34
wouldnt know what really made me decide to do it back then, might have been afraid of ending up in some random office so wanted to something with music maybe, also wanted to go to art school

Simon Hampson: 08:19:53
Nice.. did you go to art school?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:20:00
in the end yeah

Thomas de Rijk: 08:20:08
did a social study for a year

Thomas de Rijk: 08:20:22
then did a year of doing nothing, and applied for art school

Thomas de Rijk: 08:20:42
thats also the year i started to make music for more than 1 hour a week or so

Simon Hampson: 08:20:57
What year was that?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:21:05
hmmm…

Thomas de Rijk: 08:21:07
3rd years now

Thomas de Rijk: 08:21:15
so 3 years ago

Simon Hampson: 08:21:18
So around 2007..

Thomas de Rijk: 08:21:25
2006/2007 yeah

Simon Hampson: 08:21:30
And the Seclusiasis release is your first release right?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:21:52
yeah first solo release, did a remix for monky on robox neotech before that

Simon Hampson: 08:22:19
Monky from Wales, UK?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:22:31
Yep.. cardiff

Simon Hampson: 08:22:59
So how did you hook up with the Seclusiasis boys?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:23:07
well

Thomas de Rijk: 08:23:12
i made leek

Thomas de Rijk: 08:24:04
i was doing this video for slugabed, who was one of my favourite producers at the time, and he heard some of my music through that and really liked it, so then after a week or so i made leek and decided to send it to my hero, starkey

Thomas de Rijk: 08:24:20
on facebook, haha, he liked it a lot and played it on sub fm the next day and said he wanted to release it

Thomas de Rijk: 08:24:44
and talk to the other guys involved over the internet a lot

Simon Hampson: 08:24:45
Does PJ know he’s your hero? haha

Thomas de Rijk: 08:24:55
i think he does haha

Simon Hampson: 08:25:29
Starkey is a great producer but more importantly a great guy too. The whole team at Seclusiasis are always really open I think.

Thomas de Rijk: 08:25:31
or he must know in a way haha,

Thomas de Rijk: 08:25:39
yeah for sure

Thomas de Rijk: 08:25:46
they’re all sick

Thomas de Rijk: 08:26:06
love that starkey signs more unknown people

Thomas de Rijk: 08:26:13
and that he’s generally such a great guy

Simon Hampson: 08:26:36
I think established producers have a responsibility to support up and coming producers

Thomas de Rijk: 08:26:38
dev 79 as well

Thomas de Rijk: 08:27:04
yeah thats how i feel as well, but a lot of them probably dont have a lot of time to do that or something, or just dont care

Thomas de Rijk: 08:27:15
he’s a music teacher as well, so he has that quality i guess

Simon Hampson: 08:27:22
Yeah absolutely.

Simon Hampson: 08:27:34
So now that you have the Seclusiasis release out, what are your plans?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:27:55
got a remix for doshy coming out that i made together with coco bryce

Thomas de Rijk: 08:28:02
out on the 12th of december i think

Thomas de Rijk: 08:28:17
doing a remix for kaiser on slit jockey

Thomas de Rijk: 08:29:02
and trying to make some more music really, making some stuff for two labels and see how that turns out, trying some collabs, did one with sduk thats probably gonna be released

Thomas de Rijk: 08:29:33
oh and also doing a remix for our lowriders label, hovatron remix together with coco bryce

Thomas de Rijk: 08:29:55
and had my first piano lesson today, thatll play a big role in the near future as well i guess

Thomas de Rijk: 08:31:01
i took 3 lessons when i was about 12 or something i think, but then quit because it sucked in my opinion, totally regret that now

Thomas de Rijk: 08:32:51
do feel lucky though, getting something out at age 22

Simon Hampson: 08:33:15
Yeah.. the most important step is getting stuff out there man

Thomas de Rijk: 08:33:41
yeah and just doing it, just do it like nike says

Thomas de Rijk: 08:34:06
its good to get heard

Simon Hampson: 08:34:12
Absolutely!

Thomas de Rijk: 08:34:20
and get compliments and shit, obviously

Simon Hampson: 08:34:36
and critique too.. that can be helpful

Thomas de Rijk: 08:34:40
yeah for sure

Thomas de Rijk: 08:34:51
talk to people about it, hear good stuff, share music

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:01
its and endless learning process as well

Simon Hampson: 08:35:04
What have you learnt from this release do you think?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:09
haha

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:11
hmmm

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:12
good question

Simon Hampson: 08:35:21
I save the hard ones until last

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:36
i’ve learned that i’m capable to make music that other people like

Thomas de Rijk: 08:35:41
was really unsure about that before

Thomas de Rijk: 08:36:24
still worry a lot though

Thomas de Rijk: 08:36:35
maybe even more haha, now i’m pretty hard on myself

Simon Hampson: 08:37:11
Your sound palette on Leek is great man.. but being hard on yourself is a good thing – keeps you motivated!

Thomas de Rijk: 08:37:21
yeah for sure

Thomas de Rijk: 08:37:31
it can get bad at time though, haha, being in art school as well

Thomas de Rijk: 08:37:41
dont have a lot of time to make music

Simon Hampson: 08:37:51
Sure.. critique is a whole school there too!

Simon Hampson: 08:37:59
What sort of art are you doing?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:38:10
so when i do i should be happy and just do it, but tend to think about it too much because i want to do it right or something, for myself

Thomas de Rijk: 08:38:18
i study audiovisual design

Thomas de Rijk: 08:38:43
so film basically, i made a music video for slugabed, working on one for coco bryce now and got some more lined up

Thomas de Rijk: 08:39:07
and doing a documentary this year about this guy with a porchse, and a sick ass studio etc

Simon Hampson: 08:39:08
Nice.. do you shoot the footage and edit or work from sampling other stuff?

Thomas de Rijk: 08:39:44
mostly animation stuff, made in after effects or with sampled material

Thomas de Rijk: 08:39:48
gonna try some 3d animation as well hopefully

Thomas de Rijk: 08:39:56
and i should also be filming more

Simon Hampson: 08:40:35
Nice.. it sounds like you are in a creative hotbed right now! Can’t wait to hear more tracks and see more film work from you Thomas.

Thomas de Rijk: 08:40:46
haha hotbed

Thomas de Rijk: 08:40:48
thats a big word

Simon Hampson: 08:41:09
So.. on that

Thomas de Rijk: 08:41:10
but yeah im getting there haha

Simon Hampson: 08:41:25
So on that note.. I should get going. Thanks for chatting today Thomas and for your Symbiosis mix.

Thomas de Rijk: 08:41:40
your welcome man, thanks for the interview!!!

http://soundcloud.com/halpmusic
http://www.seclusiasis.com/

Steve Young’s music as Hedflux has seen him combine Breaks with the jumped-up sounds of Tech, Psychedelic, and Funk. The sound fits perfectly with the surging popularity of UK bass music in recent years. It has been a long journey but one that I get the feeling has fulfilled a creative and spiritual need for him.

Hedflux Jan2011 promomix by Hedflux

Based in Southern town of Norwich – traditionally the second largest city in the England after London – Young can barely contain his excitement about his impending visit to Australia.

“I have dreamed of going to Australia and New Zealand since I was about 5 years old, and right now this is what its all about for me. I’ve got a load of brand new tunes and just can’t wait to get there and see the sights and meet the people!”

Young’s musical tinkering started in the early nineties with production experimentation on Amiga computers plus a start in DJing. “As the technology progressed I got more and more into it, although it was always just something to play with in my spare time at school and university.”

But around five years ago things became more serious: “It wasn’t until around 2005 when I left uni and got a job that reality hit me – I either had to suffer in a soul crushing job for the rest of my life, or hone my production skills and try to go full time doing something I love. I worked in IT for about 5 years, and was generally pretty stressed and pissed off a lot of the time. Learning music production was where I channelled all my energy and frustration, and then finally at the beginning of 2010 I took the leap of faith and quit my job and I haven’t looked back since.”

That confidence was due, in no small part, to Young joining Broken Robots Recordings in late 2008. Music Is My Weapon was an explosive track that launched his career with the label. It also saw him play sets at high profile festivals like Glade, Waveform, NewFoundLand and iBreaks, as well as headlining at numerous club nights across the UK and Europe. “That was really when I started to get wider recognition, and more bookings at psychedelic parties in the UK and abroad.”

“Until then my experience with labels had not been very encouraging, but Dom Smart (Neurodriver) saw a lot of potential in my music and really helped me to refine my sound and break it to a wider audience. It makes such a difference to have someone in the scene who believes in your music and is willing to help you, i’m enormously grateful for that and hope to do the same for young producers who are coming through now, writing music in this style.”

UK bass music has made quite an impact in the last few years which in some ways has helped Young and he even feels it may see a resurgence of Breaks. “The breaks scene in the UK has pretty much dissolved, I’m not sure there is anyone left running breaks club nights any more, but in the few places where it is played, there is usually also dubstep and electro.”

“I get a lot of production techniques and ideas from dubstep, it has some very talented producers and a wide creative spectrum, and I like it in small doses. It has a lot of impact, but usually its just that – impact, impact, impact – with not much emotional dynamic or subtlety. When I hear it played out I get bored of it very quickly – I just can’t sustain that level of intense aggression over and over and over – I like my dance music playful, progressive and groovy.”

“But I do listen to a lot of deep chilled-out dubstep at home. Interestingly though, I have played at some events where younger kids who have grown up on dubstep are hearing breaks for the first time and getting excited by it as a fresh new sound. So I think it’ll come full circle again.”

I unlock Young’s history outside of music when we start to talk about inspirations. “Spiritual teachings and experiences are a big inspiration for me. But I am not talking about religion here, I am talking about direct, lucid experience of being in-spirit, whether that is in dreams, meditation, astral travel, shamanistic or psychedelic journeys. When you are disconnected from your body and exploring an internal space beyond the consensus physical reality, you learn a lot about who and what you are, and the nature of life and death. Inner space is the source of all creativity, but in our culture we rarely dive in and confront it head on. I’ve had a number of shamanistic journeys with Ayahuasca which have been the most inspirational and transformational experiences of my life. I believe that direct spiritual experience of this kind – which are so central to all indigenous cultures – could really help to heal and transform modern western civilisation. When i’m not writing or listening to music, i’m often researching this kind of stuff. Of course, my gorgeous baby daughter Ava and beautiful wife Carrie are also a massive source of inspiration!”

Young explores these ideas in his Soulflux column for LSD Magazine. “During what seems like a lifetime ago, I studied quantum physics to degree and PhD level. For me this was a quest to understand myself and the universe. Ever since I was a kid I couldn’t stop questioning things, and physics and maths seduced me as they promised to hold all the answers. However by the end of my PhD I had much bigger questions than I started with, and felt that the answers given by science were quite shallow, and all designed to reinforce a dis-empowering worldview that the whole universe is just a series of random accidents.” 

“I always kept this part of myself quite separate from my music interests, but during an interview for LSD magazine, I was asked a lot of deep questions relating to this stuff, and I could barely contain the words. It just poured out. After that interview, Cyrus ‘Sirius’ Bozorgmehr – the creator of LSD mag – asked me to do a regular column. In it, I have tried to show how science is a construction of the mind – like a map of reality – and just as the map is not the territory, so science is not reality. The minds which created science were rooted in particular kinds of thoughts and beliefs which no longer stand up to reasonable questioning. I’ve introduced a lot of spiritual ideas which I have found to contain deeper truths than any scientific theory, and I try to show how a shift of perspective out of the scientific worldview can give a person more power and compassion in their lives.”

“I’m not saying science is ‘wrong’ as it were, obviously it has given birth to a lot of wonderful things and advances in understanding, I’m just trying to show that its not the leading authority on truth, as it so often claims to be, and in many ways it stifles the truth. It’s not for everyone of course, there are those who don’t care, those who don’t understand, and those who just flat out disagree with it all. I am just writing about my own experiences and what works for me, and I hope it finds the people who are open to it.”

“For future columns I am keen to explore how the scientific and spiritual worldviews converge in music, since it is through music that I have found the greatest connection to myself.”

Young is looking to take things even further in 2011. “I’m really excited about 2011, not least because my first tour of Australia and New Zealand is only days away! I feel like in 2010 I laid a lot of groundwork, and defined a new sound, and there are now a lot of new artists coming through making tracks in this style.”

“There is a lot of buzz and we have some exciting things planned for Broken Robot, including a compilation album featuring lots of fresh new talent. I want to arrange more tours and generally take my sound to the next level. I am hoping to see a migration of talent back into breaks, as the electro, techno and dubstep genres seem to be saturated with derivative music just now. I have faith that breaks will rise again, but with a much more refined and cutting edge sound.”

Check out the Australian & New Zealand tour dates on the Hedflux Facebook page.