[Uzuri]

Sean Hernandez is apart from a lot of the producers of Chicago house in that unlike many who favor the genre, he is actually a native of the city. To date his output has included a couple of ethereal sounding EP’s on M>O>S as well as harder-nosed fare on Eargasmic and Uzuri. The Londonium EP marks Hernandez’s second outing for Uzuri and only one of two EPs he released in 2011, though he also left his mark via some outstanding remixes.

“London Streets,” the lead track off the EP is a roughed up, tracky excursion that recalls the best of early DJ Sneak and Felix Da Housecat. Highly strung organs blast out pulses of detuned chords that hang in the air like a heavy mist, joined by on-beat snares and tight, thumping kicks. As the tension mounts, complimentary chords in a higher key call back a maniacal response, adding an unhinged element to the drama of the lead melody. Fellow Chicagoan Hakim Murphy takes a bass-lead approach on his remix of “London Streets,” keeping things in very much the same track-based style, but opting for a cleaner, more clipped sound to the percussion and using the opposing chord melodies more sparingly, bringing them in and out of the mix to complement the bass line.

The nasally, worming acid in “Traffic” manages to just keep itself under control for the duration of the track, the wriggling bass beaten back by wave upon wave of rimshots and sloppy, brash hi-hats. Where the other tracks still felt constrained in some way, “Noise” is completely unchecked, from the eroded kicks to the crumbling, digital wipes of broken circuitry and the overdriven percussion. The deliberately sloppy, lacerated grooves have an almost primal edge to them, making the other tracks sound prim in comparison. Though both mixes of “London Streets” are more obvious picks, it’s “Noise” that sticks with you on Londonium, a hard gem that shines through its rough-hewn surface.

Some producers can plod away for half of their careers and still sound as nondescript as the next faceless electronic music maker sitting in their bedroom trying to replicate the sounds of the music they love. Others hit their stride straight away, indelibly forging their mark on everything they touch. Dave Henson under his Nochexxx handle has achieved the latter with just three proper releases in a little over a year, carving out a sound for himself via hotly tipped emissions on Ramp and Werk Discs. In his earliest musical incarnation he played keys in the English post-rock band Gwei-Lo, who had a promising career ahead of them which sadly ended with the tragic death of guitarist Al Brooker. Following the dissolution of the band Henson began indulging more in his penchant for electronic music, releasing experimental electronics under the name Ascoltare, before deciding that he wasn’t get the sound he wanted out of his software studio. Turning to a hands-on, hardware setup, he became Nochexxx, and embraced a raw, primitive sound that evokes early acid-house and new beat. LWE got in touch with Henson to find out more about the Cambridge producer and what the future holds for his music. He also put together our 111th exclusive podcast, which due to a feverish bout of the flu and its resulting woozy delirium, is a brilliantly surreal yet soothing journey Henson issues with explicit listening instructions.

LWE Podcast 111: Nochexxx (70:20)

Tracklist

01. People Like Us/Wobbly/Matmos, “Shenandoah” [Tigerbeat6]
02. Aphex Twin, “Goon Gumpas” [Warp Records]
03. Ennio Morricone, “Ricreazione Divertita” (Titoli) [Saimel Bandas Sonoras]
04. Malcom Cecil, “Crystal Lullabye” [Unity Records]
05. Nuno Canavarro, “Untitled” [Moikai]
06. Dome, “Cruel When Complete” [The Grey Area]
07. Walter Marchetti, “Per La Sete Dell’orecchio” [Vandalia]
08. Grouper, “Moon Is Sharp” [Yellow Electric]
09. Nuno Canavarro, “Untitled” [Moikai]
10. Harco Pront, “Dawn” [Music For Speakers]
11. Labradford, “El Lago” [Flying Nun Records]
12. Pierre Henry, “Après La Mort 1″ (Fluide Et Mobilité D’un Larsen) [Philips]
13. Durutti Column, “Requiem For A Father” [Factory]
14. Harco Pront, “Dinner” [Music For Speakers]
15. Aphex Twin, “Lichen” [Warp Records]
16. Angelo Badalementi, “Twin Peaks Theme” [Warner Bros. Records]
17. Boards of Canada, “Fonec” [Music70]
18. Bernard Szajner, “Crash Diet” [Island Records]
19. Hieroglyphic Being, “I Am That I Am” (New Age House Re-make) [Mathematics Recordings]
20. Laurie Anderson, “O Superman” (For Massenet) [Warner Bros. Records]
21. Alvin Curran, “Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri” [Ananda]
22. Slowdive, “Blue Skied an’ Clear” [Creation Records]
23. Laurie Spiegel, “The Expanding Universe” [Philo]
24. Pete Um, “You Will Never Let Me Fall” [Grist]
25. Ennio Morricone, “Ninna Nanna Per Adulteri” [Saimel Bandas Sonoras]
26. Grouper, “Mary, On The Wall (For Betre Jackson)” [Yellow Electric]
27. Panabrite, “Octopus In Your Dreams” [Hobo Cult Records]
28. Jim Ferraro, “Heaven’s Bathroom” [Muscleworks Inc.]
29. Test Dept., “Fuel Foundation of The Nation” [Sweatbox]
30. Ennio Morricone, “Il Grande Silenzio (Restless)” [Beat Records Company]
31. Conrad Schnitzler & Wolfgang Seidel, “Consequenz 010B” [Mirror Tapes]
32. Seefeel, “Charlotte’s Mouth” [Too Pure]

Starting with your first musical output, you were in the band Gwei-Lo, which is very different from the music you’ve been making since then. I understand the dissolution of the band was due to tragedy, but what brought about the shift in music? Was this other side of you something you had already been fostering?

Dave Henson: From the get-go I’ve been into electronic music, and during this formative period I had begun producing my own tracks using an Atari ST. After Gwei-Lo’s demise I continued working on my own ideas, some music surfaced, which eventually led to loading floppy disks on stage — we’re talking sometime ago!

Nochexxx is a relatively new moniker for you. What was the decision behind changing your name from Ascoltare to Nochexxx, and how do you feel the music you make as Nochexxx differs from that of Ascoltare?

Ascoltare was computer derived and I became increasingly frustrated with the software I was using. I was unable to make records the way I wanted them to sound. Eventually I flicked two fingers at myself and migrated towards hardware. I wanted to go back to primitive basics — not just with equipment, but also musically and psychologically. I had also begun harboring negative attitudes towards certain aspects of sound art. It was the right time to delve into club music as it was a much needed antidote to help fix my psychic ills.

Do you use computers at all or is it a strictly a hardware deal?

All the music is made with hardware, but I do use computers either to bounce finished pre-masters from quarter-inch tape or for WAV-editing large audio segments. In fact I was just saying on Twitter how even though I produce 98 percent on hardware I get to that remaining two percent, and computer says, “No!”

What machine forms the backbone of your productions?

My Akai MPC2500, quarter-inch tape recorder, and my first analog synth, the mighty Korg MS-20. I bought it from a military dude who used it in the army’s theatrical department! I also have a Juno-6, an 8-bit Eprom drum machine. I’m still trying to wrap my head round analog instruments. Recently I’ve have been having a stab at making music without MIDI (wait, is that Ekoplekz I can hear cackling in the background?). Ignorant techno confusion seems to be how I work, I’m always trying out new methods. It helps me avoid being creatively stifled.

Is it the raw and sometimes unexpected sounds you get from the machines that you prefer, or is it the physicality of how you use hardware that appeals?

There’s this horrible quote from me which says, “I abandoned computer music because its like working with cheap-quality paper.” This “cheap-quality paper” thought transpired through my own inadequacies in producing music with computers. I find there are psychological benefits to using outboard. I get excited when I see a setup that looks like the interior of a TIE fighter. Put me in front of a Logic screenshot and I’m going to puke. I think I suffer from synergy issues.

You’ve had three Nochexxx releases to date plus your free download album, but searching through YouTube, Vimeo, and your website, it looks like there are a bunch of unreleased Nochexxx tracks out there. Any plans to release any of them?

Recently I spent a few days going over my work, which roughly amounts to four hard drives, two bags of unmarked CD-Rs, some MiniDiscs/cassettes, and DATs. There’s even some bloody ADATs. Lots of truly awful stuff. I’ve finished compiling an album for Ramp, which should be out this year and there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I think is not good enough for the more expensive formats, but I’m thinking perhaps some tape releases would be cool.

Can you tell us about some of the videos for these tracks, particularly “Polterhost” and “Sandspur”?

I used some YouTube clips and crudely arranged them with Movie Maker. Generally, people are more likely to listen if there’s a visual accompaniment, besides its always worth working off total naiveté.

You grew up in various places around the world but are living again in the country of your birth, England. Are you still based in Cambridge?

Yep.

Cambridge doesn’t seem the most obvious association for your music. Can you tell us a bit about the local music scene there and about your Bad Timing nights too?

I’d be making the same music regardless of where I was living, but that’s not to say there haven’t been a number of artists that have made their indelible mark on me! In the mid 90s you had Bovinyl Records (Animals on Wheels, Vert, et al.) who were making some really cutting edge electronic music. AOW really gave weight to that whole drill n’ bass scene. He later signed to Ninja Tune and Thrill Jockey. Vert eventually went over to [Mouse On Mars]‘s label Sonig. Man From Uranus, Pete Um, and The Doozer are also local heroes producing great stuff — in fact, we’re working on a compilation for Felix Kubin’s Gagarin label. Cambridge has always seemed like a difficult place to get anything rolling, however this is changing for the better. Bad Timing (which I am no longer a part of) has always worked hard to bring in national/international acts to Cambridge. Recent BT events colluding with Aid and Abet have been immensely positive. There’s a morphic sense an arts network is building and genuinely moving towards something positive. Bloody great! I never understood why the gap between art and music establishments are so often widely separated, when they really are two sides of the same coin.

I understand Pete Um is a friend and collaborator of sorts. Can you tell us a bit about him and your musical friendship?

A true experimenter, who has been home recording since the early 90s. I recently compiled his new record, which could have been the greatest record of 2011, but has moved to number four as he cut the release down to 10 inches. He produces thousands of these amazing one-to two-minute audio miniatures, and lots of crap tape and drone work. [laughs]

How did you come to work with Sensational for your 12″ on Werk?

The golden age of Myspace. [laughs]

Did you write the beat using an MC in mind?

Yes.

Do you play live or are you strictly studio based at this stage?

I press my own dubplates, occasionally DJ, but I’ve never enjoyed it enough to pursue it. I have complexes about live performances and my own music, so I’m not sure how to break through and do something that would be ultimately satisfying. I think part of the problem is I don’t like the way venues are set up. I’m very much in favor of the musique concrète approach, until then count me out! [laughs]

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

I’ve been semi-comatose with Alpine man-flu, so I wasn’t in the mood to belt out thumpers. Naturally, I made a mix that soundtracked my fevered mind. Please don’t listen over your lunch break, take time out of your busy lifestyle, arrange necessary precautions, and enjoy the music for what it really is.

What can we expect from Nochexxx in 2012?

There will be an LP for Ramp. A few tracks will surface on Felix Kubin’s Gagarin label compilation, and my redux version of the Greatest Record should see a physical release. More news to come!

Peter Kersten first tried his hand at producing in 2000, releasing his first ever effort on Dial, the label he had just set up with friends Carsten Jost and Paul Kominek (Turner). His melancholic, measured brand of house and techno has been consistent in its quality for more than ten years, thirty singles, five full length albums and around fifty remixes. In the realm of electronic music, maintaining such a consistency of quality is rare; having your first releases sound remarkably undated over this length of time is almost unheard of, yet this rings true for Kersten’s music. With Lawrence as his most well-known moniker — dedicated to his deeper musical expressions — he uses the handle Sten for his dance floor oriented material. Over the years, Dial has seen a remarkable run of releases from kindred artists like Efdemin, John Roberts, Pigon, Pantha Du Prince, Roman Flügel and many more. Its off-shoot label, Laid, has since 2009 done similarly well on a deep house tip, with memorable releases by Rick Wade, Kassem Mosse, Smallpeople and RNDM. In 2006, Kersten, along with a few close friends set up the record store and physical label Smallville Records. The friendly vibes and family feel of the store also extends to the regular parties they throw and of course the music that the label releases. Little White Earbuds got in touch with Kersten to talk about the longevity of Dial, which producers are exciting him right now and the forthcoming projects for his various enterprises.

You’ve been releasing music for over 10 years now. One thing that has always struck me about your productions is that right from the start you’ve had a very polished sound. How do you feel your own productions have changed or evolved over the years?

Writing music for me is a very spontaneous issue. For over a decade I have been digging a lot of styles — house music, techno, ambient, hip-hop — from my very first album to my latest CD, Until Then, Goodbye on Mule Electronic. I don’t see any straight line of changes, but I am still hungry for trying out any sound that fits. The new release on Koze’s Pampa imprint was quite an adventure, as well as my latest project, an experimental jazz band with Christian Naujoks and Richard von der Schulenburg.

Likewise there is a strong aesthetic running through the artwork that accompanies your albums and single releases, which has remained consistent in theme and style. Do you work closely with the people who are responsible for the artwork?

Yes, there is a close relationship to almost all artists who are responsible for the artworks of our labels. One of my very best friends, Stefan Marx, has done all the covers for Smallville and Mule Electronic. He even released his own “record,” a gatefold cover including three gorgeous posters. Our graphic designers Christian Doering for Laid and mainly Till Sperrle for Dial Records are doing an extraordinary, wonderful job, as well as all the artists contributing their amazing pieces. After running Dial Records for more than 10 years, we just started running an art gallery in Berlin called Mathew.

Dial has also remained a by-word for quality in the world of deep techno. What has been your approach to the running of the label in terms of keeping it moving forward yet retaining its consistent high quality?

What holds the Dial family together is the never-ending openness and curiosity for any kind of music. The musicians appearing on our little eccentric label are into so many music styles, whether it is contemporary classic, Norwegian black metal, or sine wave drones. Listening to African mbira music or some old Folkways records at Phillip Sollmann’s place, for example, is part of our influences for making dance music too.

With vinyl becoming more and more rare and less of a tradable commodity, can you tell us the reasons behind setting up the Smallville store?

Exactly when selling vinyl turned out being only a business struggle, including dumping prices on the Internet and discussions about downloads, Julius Steinhoff, Stella Plazonja, Just von Ahlefeld, and myself hardly missed the main points of running a record store: having nice selected music, a great interior setup, lovely people meeting in a cozy atmosphere. Finances are not our thing, but still its working quite well with doing the Smallville parties and printing Stefan Marx t-shirts, et cetera.

And how about the label? What is the mission of the label and how does it differ from Dial and Laid?

Smallville is a straight, deep, club label with focus on friends being part of it. Laid is a house music label too, including contributions by some heroes we love.

Have you had any formal musical training or are you self taught?

I am 98% self taught, I would say. Or let’s say I don’t know much theoretically about production — it still is a very intuitive process.

How long were you experimenting with production before you started making things you were happy enough with to release?

My first try ever was also my first released track, “Shoes,” appearing on Dial-00.

Since you started releasing have there been any major changes to your studio setup that have changed the way you make music?

Oh yes, I started only playing some samples on an E-mu E64 and Kurzweil [K]2000 using Cubase. For quite a while I am using mostly Logic Audio but the really important part of my studio is some selection of vintage acoustic instruments, including a steel drum and an old Deagan vibraphone.

In terms of your album releases, how much planning goes into your albums? Are they thought out with material written around certain themes or ideas, or are they more just a collection of tracks?

There is never any kind of master plan. When I finish a single track or an album I never see an approach regarding the beginning or a straight process. But surely the feeling behind it creates a whole piece of art, not just a collection of tracks. The same goes with my first mix CD, Timeless, on Cocoon — it was quite a long process to collect the tracks and to let them grow together.

Is there non-electronic or non-dance related music that you listen to that influences your own productions?

All the time I am listening to non-electronic or non-dance related music all the time. Schubert, Scelsi, Linda Perhacs, Jeremy Jay, Ariel Pink, Robert Wyatt — a never-ending list of music — that’s my life!

Apart from the remix of the Lawrence track “Never As Always,” it’s been a few years since we’ve heard anything from your Sten alias. Do you have any Sten material you’re working on at the moment, or is your focus on Lawrence?

The focus is on Lawrence at the moment — quite influenced by Sten though.

Your latest release has come out on Pampa. Did you make the tracks specifically for the label, or did you already have them completed? Are you interested in working with the label again in the future?

“Kurama” was intended to be the very first track of my next album. But then at one of the very sweetest festivals ever — the Smallville Open Air in August 2011 — I played back to back with DJ Koze, and he fell in love with that number. He constantly tried to convince me to have it as a Pampa single. If there isn’t any new album by Lawrence this year, it’s because of Koze. But I love him; I would even give him my last pants.

Speaking of labels, what have been some of your favorite labels in the past while apart from your own ones?

Workshop has been a top label for between-the-chairs dance music, I love all the releases here. The Kann guys from Leipzig are my favorites when it comes to cozy house music. Live At Robert Johnson, Underground Quality, Pampa, Aesthetic Audio, It’s, Sistrum — a lot of great stuff is recently coming out. I cannot believe that I am digging electronic dance music for over 20 years now and it never gets boring.

And are there any newer artists you’ve discovered lately who you’re really enjoying?

Richard von der Schulenburg, aka RVDS, is not just my favorite DJ ever — he is an excellent producer playing the keys of deepness all night and day. The Juniper boys from Manchester are the shooting stars of today. Kyle Hall is one of the most exciting newsters — wicked stuff. And Smallpeople, Moomin, Christopher Rau — the Smallville’s magic releases are getting me all the time. And watch out Kassian Troyer!

What can we expect from you over the next year across the board, from Lawrence to Sten and with Dial, Laid, and Smallville?

A Lawrence remix for my friend Superpitcher should be coming out soon. As I am still not deep enough into production for my next album, I’ll be finishing a new Dial 12″ soon. The Smallpeople will be releasing their first vinyl album this year, and I just can’t wait for it — it’s gonna be wonderful! On Dial we will leave the dance floor for some new albums by Christian Naujoks, Phantom Ghost, and a new project by Stephan Abry and Pantha Du Prince called Ursprung. The year will be started by 12″s from Kassian Troyer on Dial and a various artists single on Laid featuring Palisade (aka Redshape), Moomin, and RNDM. What a happy new year!

[Eglo Records]

Ever since Sam Shepherd released the instant classic re-rub of Real To Reel’s “Love Me Like This” in 2009, the producer has been on a steady roll, releasing a series of highly collectible plates for the most part on Eglo, the label he runs with Alexander Nut. Though his past releases have clearly reflected his studies in jazz, Sam Shepherd’s latest offering, released just a month shy of 2012, seems to be the most cohesive link between his training in the field and his penchant for electronic music. But there are also references throughout the double vinyl package to the UK sound he’s surrounded by; it’s everywhere from the broken step and rapid-fire rimshots of “Obfuse” through to the more obvious, plaintive melodies and stilted percussion of “Realise.” It’s also apparent on the housier tracks — particularly “ARP3″ and “Sais” — where the shuffling drum patterns and compressed rhythms are in line with the productions of many of the UK’s other exponents of bass music gone the way of house and techno.

Being the A-side, “Myrtle Avenue” is the obvious go-to track; it’s typical of Shepherd’s sprawling, house music writ large as a freestyle jazz session style he’s laid down before on many previous releases. I can’t help but be reminded of another producer who likewise has fused jazz sensibilities with techno; in “Myrtle Avenue” it’s almost impossible not to hear the similarities to Carl Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra work and his More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art album. The track swings with the familiar pulse of Shepherd’s other notable tracks like “People’s Potential” and “Love Me Like This,” though where those tracks were more directly aimed at the dance floor, “Myrtle Avenue” skirts its perimeters.

For direct dance floor pressure “ARP3″ and “Sais” both weigh in with their own considerable might. The menacing nature of “ARP3″ is underscored by lighter melodies and also bears comparison to Craig — those insistent keys at the start of the track are quite similar to those used on “At Les.” “ARP3″ is largely a different beast, though, centered on the dark nature of its bass line and tempered by the melodic chord arrangements. “Sais,” which originally came out as a dub version on a limited run dub 10″ last April gets an overhaul here and may well be my pick of the bunch. The broken-beat and deep, mining bass line propel this bitter-sweet track, packed full of live instrumentation and machines affect by a human touch, “Sais” rates as one of the most “beautiful” Floating Points tracks to date. “Obfuse” and “Realise” act as the more experimental off-siders of the package. “Realise” carries a strain of major electronic infection from the early 90s, possessing dilated, ambient depth and a whisper of ill, proto-jungle deep in its core, while “Obfuse” is a sparse, dry-ice drum track bookended by tendrils of barely there, smoked-out synths.

Some may see only the similarities in Shepherd’s work, that he often paints with the same palette, and it’s true that many of his house- and techno-oriented tracks share a similar feel. But while the broad brushstrokes may be familiar, the details and the color used for each of his releases varies greatly from one piece to the next. Shadows exemplifies the differing sides of Shepherd and shows a producer who continues to grow, reaching greater musical heights as he does so.

[Shevchenko]

With Vakula having firmly established his faultless Shevchenko label via three killer self-penned releases, he throws over control of number four in the catalog to Edinburgh’s Linkwood. No stranger to effusive, late night house maneuvers, Linkwood provides three tracks full of his signature blend of disco, house and boogie that also serve as lighter relief from the moodier strains of Vakula’s own productions for the label so far.

Heavily filtered chords distorted to the point of abstraction lead the charge on the title track, forming a sort of nucleus for the other musical elements to group themselves around. These gradually emerge in the form of insidious, occasionally fingered bass notes, off-beat high hats and ascendant, sharper sounding chords periodically appearing in the mix. “Between Me & You” could easily be a remix of “Secret Value,” its sounds and melodies sounding so closely linked it’s hard to remember which track is which. If it is a remix, then “Between Me & You” is the dub, its tone slightly darker, more intense, signposted by the obvious Echoplex-like delays.

“Ignorance Is Bliss” takes a different approach, paring back the filtered rhythms and imbuing itself with the spirit of an early 90′s Strictly Rhythm release, its rising bass line sounding for all the world like it was beamed in directly from a George Morel or Aly-Us track. Wooden blocks sound off in a call and response echo to each other in the distance, while arching, mournful strings crest over an abyss of swirling vocal ahhh’s and subtle organ chords. Music that gives you a space to inhabit puts you deeper under its spell, something that these three expansive productions all do with ease. Another clear win both for Linkwood and Shevchenko.

If you haven’t knowingly heard a Legowelt record then there’s every chances you’ve heard from him under one of his numerous guises. Boasting more aliases than Frank Abagnale, Danny Wolfers first started making music in the early 90s, inspired by the likes of early Detroit and Chicago techno luminaries and his home-town heroes Unit Moebius. Known for his gritty, machine-driven techno and electro, his impressive discography is also noted for forays into ambient soundscapes, self-designed sleeves and some of the best album and track names you’re likely to find across any genre. His unique website, beamed directly from somewhere in the vicinity of 1995, is a mixture of information, music-gear adoration and banality that touches all the right nodes of any discerning music lover. LWE opened the lines of communication with Mr. Wolfers to find out more about his favorite bits of kit, why we won’t be hearing a concept album from him any time soon and what his favorite airplane is. He also mixed our 106th exclusive podcast, a blistering collage of techno, house and electro peppered with his own productions and divine obscurities.

LWE Podcast 106: Legowelt (77:09)

Tracklist:

01. BNJMN, “Open The Flood Gates” [Rush Hour Recordings]
02. The Abstract Eye, “Cool Warm Divine” [Valentine Connexion Records]
03. Trackman Lafonte & Bonquiqui, “Fortunes of the Lord” [white*]
04. The Abstract Eye, “Nobody Else” [Valentine Connexion Records]
05. Unknown artist, “Tristate Cruising” [white*]
06. Jon DaSilva ft Donald Waugh, “Love Is All We Need”
[Hour House Is Your Rush]
07. Hieroglyphic Being, “So Much Noise To Be Heard” [Mathematics Recordings]
08. Xosar, “Zephyr” [white]
09. Omar-S, “Nites Over Compton” [FXHE]
10. Legowelt, “Days of Persistance” [white]
11. Big Strick, “Fear No Fear” [7 Days Ent.]
12. Unknown artist, “Leeward Islands” [white*]
13. Recloose, “Tecumseh” [Rush Hour Recordings]
14. Trackman Lafonte & Bonquiqui, “The Feeling, The Force” [white*]
15. Unknown artist, “Voice of Triumph” [white*]
16. Unknown artist, “San Diego Marine Biology Center” [white*]
17. Hell Interface, “Trapped” [Skam/Musik Aus Strom]
18. Armando, “151″ (Terrace Mixx) [Djax-Up-Beats]
19. Aphex Twin, “Untitled” [unknown]
20. Exit, “Detroit Leaning” [Superior Elevation Records]
21. Danny Wolfers, “Microkorg string outro” [white*]
* denotes tracks which, as of the time of publishing, are unreleased

You’re famously in possession of one of the most saliva-inducing array of analogue music equipment known to mankind. Can you remember the first piece you ever bought?

Danny Wolfers: Well there are a lot of people and studios that have way more stuff, I just have a bunch of synthesizers and I really don’t care if it’s analogue or digital. You know, people call everything that has a knob or slider analogue these days or probably even if it’s just hardware. Last week this guy told me he heard someone praising the great, real analogue sound of the AKAI MPC! The first piece I got was a Commodore AMIGA computer; that thing has been more important than any synthesizer I bought. With a copy of the OCTAMED sequencer and a sampler cartridge you basically had a pretty good sampler sequencer workstation. A lot of my stuff, like from The Nomium Syndrome EP to Beyond the Congo, under the names Gladio and Polarius, that’s all made on an Amiga 1200.

Are there pieces you particularly favor over others, that will more often end up being used on your tracks?

Sure, the Roland Alpha Juno 2 synthesizer’s a real workhorse and the Yamaha RM1X sequencer, a cheap synthesizer/drum-machine/sequencer box but one of the best hardware sequencers ever made.

Did you always have a fascination with technology, or did this gear-fetish come to you once you started making music?

I guess boys always like technological stuff, right?

Do any of the newer retro styled synths interest you, for the ease of not having to keep them serviced regularly?

Yeah, they are way more interesting than old ones because most of the time they can do a lot more and are way cheaper, too. Like those Microkorgs, I’ve got three of those. They are pretty battered and falling apart from all the live gigging but they can stand their ground against something like a Jupiter 8, exotic sound-wise.

Your Astro Unicorn Radio show ran for a good four years, though you stopped doing that this year. Why did you choose to stop doing the show?

It just took too much time to do it every week. I spent two or 3three days a week on a show and after doing it for a couple of years I just got fed up with it and wanted to do something fresh and new.

You had some great specials on the show over the years. What were some of your personal highlights?

I think the documentary type shows were the most interesting, I guess. With the background atmosphere sounds, the Lomax-esque This American Life-style docos on FrequeNC Records, when we went into the forests of the deep south, or the one with Ron Morelli when we are eating pastries in a Mexican restaurant in Queens while you hear the rain outside, stuff like that.

I’m interested in your Unreleased America 1976-1992 compilation. How did you come across these tracks and was it hard to track down the artists to get them to license them?

I basically had nothing to do with it, it was all the work of Will Burnett aka DJ Speculator. He found all those guys and licensed it, I just released it. That guy could be like a detective librarian or something.

Also I’m interested in how the video for “Equestrian 707″ came about. The Weta people are very high-profile and I’m assuming not very cheap.

There was this guy Adam Larkin from New Zealand and he was doing some movie stuff in Holland and wanted to do a video for me. I said sure and I made the “Equestrian 707 trac”k for the video especially. So like one or two years later I was touring in New Zealand and the video was finished and he showed it to me at the Weta HQ. I didn’t have to pay anything for it because he did it for fun. It’s a crazy video with green pastures, horses, paranormal investigation centers, demonic creatures, etc. Pretty cool. There are two versions, one more explicit and the TV version. I think the one on Youtube is the TV version. I think they showed it on the New Zealand news after an item about Dolphin Trainers if I remember correctly.

Trawling through your discography and website I gather that apart from an obvious predilection for nature and animals you have some love also for aircraft. Any favorites you’d like to share with us, and have you ever flown on some more exotic craft than your stock standard air-planes?

Yeah, my favorite plane is the Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin otter. I also like Russian air planes like the Tupolevs and Illushins. I know Tupolevs always crash but they just look so cool. Actually for that matter the Illushin IL86 and IL96 are considered the safest planes in the world and didn’t crash once.

You’ve been making music for quite a while now but even so, the sheer amount that you have released is incredibly impressive. How often are you in the studio?

Every day from early in the morning ’till late in the evening.

How do you generally go about writing your albums? Are they concept based or loosely based around a series of studio sessions?

Well I just make tracks, basically. I really hate the word concept album, that sounds so fucking cheesey and toe-bending prog rock style. I would rather call them exploitation albums, like “The Rise and Fall of Manual Noriega” or “Phalangius,” etc. There was just this story or movie in my head and those albums were made in a couple of days in one flow. Nowadays the albums are just a collection of tracks I guess.. I don’t know, man.

What sort of music do you like to listen to in your spare time?

I guess mostly old soul music and African stuff, Detroit house too, 90s ambient stuff like Mixmaster Morris and The Orb.

The press release you wrote to accompany your The TEAC Life album was not just brilliantly original but also refreshingly funny. Ever considered a side career writing press releases or reviews?

Sure, hit me up.

What was your decision behind giving the album away for free/donation?

From the moment I started making those tracks I knew I had to give it away for free. I dunno exactly why or what but I didn’t want the music to be imprisoned on a piece of vinyl, these tracks needed to be free in cyberspace.

Have the donations actually financed you buying some more crap synthesizers or fixing your Juno 106?

Yes, the people have been quite generous, thank you very much for that again. The Juno has been fixed and I bought some crap keyboards from the rest of the money like a Casio MT520 and MT540 and MT640 which I already did a few projects with. They are like really ghetto house machines, like the drums are even cheaper versions of the RZ1 (Steve Pointdexter’s “Work That MF” drums) and they have really lo-fi house organs and strings and stuff.

What can we expect from Danny Wolfers and his many aliases in the next year?

I really don’t know, I hope to further advance my music with something fresh and new. I am working on some new material that pushes it a little bit further. Also, I started a software company called Pacific Micro International, it will release mainly audio applications and paranormal software. One of the products is called PACIFIC TAPE STATION and this will simulate the artifacts of cassette tape on your tracks, you can really push it far and make it sound all fucked up and saturated like half of your track has been disintegrated from the tape. You can also do E.V.P Electronic Voice Phenomena stuff with it because its emulates Germanium crystal diodes. Another product will be the PACIFIC LAGOON SYNTHESIZER which will be an easy to use VST plug-in synthesizer which can emulate very raw and organic analogue synthesis.

With the lines of genre distinction becoming ever more blurry in modern electronic music, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to pin down a producer’s sound. In the case of Luke Blair, recording under the name Lukid, saying simply that he makes electronic music seems like the safest bet, for the producer incorporates so many differing elements in his releases that listing them all would be an exercise in futility. The young Brit seemingly came out of nowhere in early 2007 with the immediately arresting album Onandon, and has followed up the acclaim that accompanied the long player with two further albums and a clutch of single releases. His earlier work had him pegged as a contemporary of artists like Mike Slott and Hudson Mowhawke, though his more recent releases, particularly those on his own Glum imprint, show a harder, club-based direction that is seeing him earn even more kudos from his peers and fans alike. LWE contacted Lukid and got the official potted history of Luke Blair, asked about his predilection for releasing albums and found out that it is the fear of death that impels him to create. He also compiled and mixed together our 104th exclusive podcast that showcases the wide reach of his inspiration and provides a damned fine soundtrack to your journey through the confusing mess that is modern life.

LWE Podcast 104: Lukid (48:07)

Tracklist:

01. The Fall, “Hard Life In The Country” [Flying Nun Records]
02. The Lines, “Come Home” [Fresh Records]
03. Owiny Sigoma Band, “Doyoi Nyajo Nam” [Brownswood Recordings]
04. Urban Tribe, “Progam 1″ [Mahogani Music]
05. John Heckle, “A Basement Interlude” [Mathematics Recordings]
06. Samoyed, “Klondike Rush” [Glum]
07. E-Dancer, “Pump The Move” [KMS]
08. Eric Martin, “Emergency” (Steve Poindexter Re-edit) [Muzique Records]
09. Lil Wayne, “Up Up & Away” [Cash Money Records]
10. North Memphis Playa Click, “Mac’s About His Hustle” [self-released]
11. Jon E Cash, “Cash Beat (AKA Hoods-Up-Dub)” [Black Ops]
12. Lukid, “Dragon Stout” [Glum]
13. 1991, “Reborn Ice Horn” [white]
14. Tapes, “Ghetto Rock” [white]
15. 1991, “1991″ [white]
16. Black Milk ft. Bishop Lamont & Elzhi, “Goatit” [Music House]

A lot of DJs and producers have elaborate websites all about themselves with the mandatory shot of them wearing some shitty sunglasses. In your case it’s pretty hard to find anything even resembling a bio, so perhaps you could help formulate the Lukid myth for us and give us a brief, fantastical bio now.

Luke Blair: If you really want to hear about it, I was born in North London in 1984 to Catherine McEwan and Leslie Robert Behr. By all accounts I was a lively and loving child until I sustained a severe head injury at the age of 8. I attended my local school, which was very big and in which I believe I managed to remain completely anonymous. I enjoyed English and playing football. I was a good student, but not outstanding. After my GCSE’s I went on to my local 6th Form College, where I achieved A Levels in History (A), English Literature (B), and Film Studies (B). During this time I was composing music in my bedroom using a PC and an EMU sampler.

On leaving school, I enrolled in a media course at a well known London arts school, but I didn’t like it and left after a month. I spent the next while making music, reading books, watching films and crying, in what are now known as my Wilderness Years. During these dark days I came to the realization that music was what I wanted to do with my life. I had received great encouragement from family and friends about the music I was making, and decided that I should study music technology at a university, because that’s what people do, isn’t it. So, I attended the Leeds College of Music from 2002 – 2004. Now, I know you want me to say I loved it there, that I’d finally found my niche, that after years of drudging through the educational wasteland I had at last landed in an environment where I, Luke Blair, would be allowed to bloom. I appreciate your sentiment, reader, but it was shit. Proper crap course. Don’t think I learned a single thing at that place. I did, however, meet some very lovely and creative people, some of whom I lived with, shared music with, shared musical ideas with, but most importantly swapped illegal music software with, on which I could sit in my freezing room in Burley and compose strange and depressing music.

I returned to London without a degree and without a fucking clue what I was gonna do with my stupid little life. What I did know was that the music I was making was getting a bit better, so I decided to keep on making it. After a while I sent off a demo to a few labels (literally sent them, on a CD, remember those, children?) one of which was Werk Discs. A little while later I released an album on Werk Discs, and here I am today, all these years later, writing this prologue to the “Lukid Special Collector’s Edition” of GQ.

What were some of your first hard hitting musical experiences, things that really touched with you and stayed with you?

Nothing comes to mind really. I always liked music as far as I can remember. There are songs and albums that had a big impact on me, of course, but there are no particular moments that I can pinpoint. I didn’t get into music through going out or through being part of a scene, so those moments that shaped the music part of my brain would’ve been experienced at home with headphones on or in the car with my mum listening to tapes or something.

How long before you started thinking that your sound was coming together and you were really happy with what you were making?

It took me several years to make any thing of any real quality, but I only really became happy with what I was making sometime last year.

Was Werk Discs your first port of call when it came to sending out demos?

Nah, I sent a few out but they were the first ones who answered me.

Although music of a more left-footed and bass-wise slant has been topical in the UK for some time now, your sound could more rightly be aligned with that of the West Coast US scene. Do you feel more of an affiliation with those producers as opposed to your English peers?

Not really, no. I guess the first stuff of mine that was released was in part influenced by people like Madlib and Dabrye and SaRa, and I’ve never really been able to shake that off. I feel pretty English, and I’d like to think that the music I make reflects that in some way. It’s funny, I heard my track “Dragon Stout” played on the radio recently, and that is very much a grime influenced track, which is about as English (and Londonish) as you can get, and the DJ said it sounded like it was from America. I give up.

Going by the statistical output of your albums to singles, it looks like we should be getting a new Lukid album next up. Is that fair to assume or sheer statistical coincidence?

You’re good. I’m putting the finishing touches to a new album on Werk just now.

With three albums under your belt already it seems like your productivity rate is pretty high. Do you feel your music comes across better in album form, that it’s a better setting for your tracks?

I guess the music I make varies in style a fair amount, so in that way it’s more suited to the album format. I can put together a nice little story with all the different types of songs. It depends on the output though, the Glum stuff for example is I think more suited to a 12″/non-album format.

How would you say stylistically your music has evolved from Onandon through to Spitting Bile?

Angrier.

Are there any artists you feel have really influenced what you do who may not be immediately obvious to someone listening to your music?

Mark E. Smith.

Or for that matter any other outside influences, perhaps ideas garnished from different books you’ve read, or funny shaped clouds you’ve seen in the sky, etc?

I was thinking about this the other day. I’ve answered this question a few times, about what influences me, and usually I just reel off a few names that will make me sound like I know what I’m talking about. But if I really think about what makes me get off the sofa and turn on the computer and make a tune, it’s usually either hearing another track that makes me really envious, or watching a film or something and thinking, “That guy (or girl) made that film off his (her) own back, he (she) could’ve just sat at home twiddling his (her) thumbs and watching tele, but he (she) didn’t, he (she) got off his (her) arse and made something amazing and now you’re watching it and it is affecting your life and isn’t that something good, and why are you just sitting here now and not being creative?” So I guess it’s jealousy that inspires me. And fear of death.

Your Twitter account has been a source of many laughs at the LWE HQ. Have you ever considered a sideline in comedy, perhaps even incorporating it into a live PA?

I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or not, but anyone who has witnessed me attempt anything close to public speaking will tell you that this is a very bad idea.

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

Be ready to ride the big dipper of the mixed metaphor. Be ready to dip your hands in the lucky bag of life, gather the storm clouds of fantasy and anoint your own genius.

What can we expect from Lukid in the next year?

He will endeavour to make better music and be a better human being.

Anything you’d like to add?

It’s hard to live in the country.

Overnight success is a rare and elusive beast, though anyone might think that’s exactly what happened to the hitherto unknown Murphy Jax when his Mike Dunn endorsed debut release, “It’s The Music,” hit us with all the polish and verve of a seasoned veteran late last year. The truth is that the Berlin based producer had already been making music for several years, having released under a variety of names before settling on the Murphy Jax handle. Evoking the pure strains of Chicago house with a healthy serving of disco, Jax has been steadily turning on new fans with each release, so far gracing the likes of Clone’s Jack For Daze imprint, Turbo and My Favorite Robot. He is also behind the monthly radio show/podcast No More Pop where Jax and occasional guests lay down mixes both forward thinking and nostalgic, just for the sheer fun of it. LWE got in touch with Murphy to find out about his affinity for Chicago house and the journey that lead him there. We also coaxed out a hot mix of acid house that stretches from the early days of the little silver box and heads off far in to the future, making our 103rd exclusive podcast a freshly minted future classic.

LWE Podcast 103: Murphy Jax (60:38)

01. Adonis, “Lost In The Sound” [Trax Records]
02. Farm Boy, “Move” [D.J. International Records]
03. Mink, “What Does It Take” [Sound Pak]
04. Murphy Jax, “Untitled” [white*]
05. The Six Brown Brothers, “City Hall” [Serious Records]
06. Actual Guy, “Acid Emotion” [CNR Records]
07. Adonis, “Reck The Joint” [Black Market International]
08. Jared Wilson, “This Love” [7777]
09. Phuture, “Rise From Your Grave” [Strictly Rhythm]
10. Phuture, “Phuture Jacks” [Trax Records]
11. MC B., “Aquarius” [Dance Street Records]
* denotes tracks which, as of the time of publishing, are unreleased

Where did you grow up and how much of an impact do you think this had on your musical education?

I did grow up in a pretty small city, and there was nothing of an impact really. On the typical long way of searching for life’s sense and what to do with the stuff you love or like, I simply found out that it’s music. So I’ve chosen the hard way of becoming a paid artist, learned to produce, started with piano themes, went through new-wavy and early electro-clash stuff, and found finally my passion for old school Chicago house in combination with discoid and 1980′s style synth work.

You’ve got a very distinct sound in making retro-styled Chicago house and disco tracks. I’m interested to know though, what was the first electronic music you heard or that really inspired you to become a producer?

Ha, the first electronic stuff must have been 90′s dance, but the chart stuff didn’t really inspire me I guess, ’cause I was nine years old. But there I started to think about the music I listened to. So what inspired me was a bunch of stuff that I found out about much later. The late 70′s electronic music period, until the early 80′s synth wave did inspire me a lot. As well as music themes out of the electronic genre. Like those nice little groovy themes of “Beverly Hills Cop” that didn’t ever appear on any soundtrack compilation. The “Airwolf” themes and much more.

Were you a DJ before this? How long were you DJing for before you thought about producing?

Its not really about being a DJ or not, because at the end it’s just presenting tracks in a club. If there is a certain kind of public interest, and people do care about your taste, great, let’s DJ. So I pretty much produced before ever spending a thought on DJing.

And what is it about Chicago house that really appealed to you? What were your first experiences with it?

The original house stuff was always all around. It just didn’t catch me that much in my early days or production, because I was a bit chained inside some other genres. But at the end its the way of transporting a special kind of fun. A honest and authentic way of fun. As minimalistic as it could be from time to time, as authentic as it is. Looking at all that commercial house after 2000 or highspeed 90′s dance, I pretty much think that Chi-town house music with all its discoid and soul-like vocal influences as still the most authentic electronic music on the dance floor.

Having your focus on a particular sound like this can either pigeon-hole you or allow you to really explore the intricacies of what you do. It is an approach that STL takes in making his music and one that many artists have taken – focussing on a particular style or theme their whole career. What are your thoughts on this? Are there other unrealized sides of Murphy Jax to come out?

I am not that much focused on that style as it might look like. The period we are looking on is extremely short. It’s just one year. Nobody knows what comes later. My My Favourite Robot release, called Masters of Meta Space, was not Chicago styled at all. It was space disco themed. And I still have a lot of theme-like material which is great to listen to, but there is no label out there having the balls for it (as far as I understand). So we are probably looking onto a future album here. What’s planned and coming next is a hip-house release on Hypercolour, somewhere around December 2011/January 2012.

What equipment are you using for your tracks?

I am a strictly digital person when it comes to producing work flows. An exception are some own built synth modules and modifications and a 707 drum machine that I dig out from time to time.

And do you play live or do you have plans to do a live set?

Of course I do. That’s what I do mainly. On the old-school machine way, without any laptop action. Love the coloured LEDs all around me.

Tell us about No More Pop. How long have you been doing that?

I did start the No More Pop Project in 2009, and until then there is still no big intention about why I’m doing it. The major thing about it is pretty simple: combining the styles I like and put it into a nice graphic surrounding. And if I find out about artists who seem to have a taste similar like mine, I go for it.

Doing a radio show is quite different from playing in a club and very enjoyable in its own way. What do you enjoy about doing a show?

It’s the freedom to play what you like, when you like, without having in mind if somebody is dancing to it or not.

How did you manage to get Mike Dunn on your “It’s the Music” release? That’s quite an achievement for your first release.

That was actually pretty easy. I contacted him, showed him the track. We contracted it, and two months later he came up with that great chant idea.

How long had you been working on tracks as Murphy Jax before you had this release?

Maybe three months. Not more.

Your retro styled tracks are perfectly suited for the Clone label. Were they the first people you went to with “It’s the Music”?

They were the first and only. Clone got the instrumental version before I actually thought about getting Mike Dunn on board for it.

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

Its a different direction this time. After doing mixes for Dazed and Mixmag, I decided to do it the way I do a big part of my live set. Acid.

And what can we expect from Murphy Jax over the next year?

I work on a new track with Mike Dunn at the moment, and on some other material for 2012′s release schedule. Let’s see what happens, as I don’t want to create that big expectation for a follow up hit like “It’s the Music.” Unique stays unique.

[Huntleys & Palmers]

With embellishments coming from the likes of Ricardo Villalobos for Auntie Flo’s debut release, Goan Highlife, on the Huntleys & Palmers label, there have been more than a few ears tuned to the next installment from the Scot with Indian heritage. His newest release for the label’s second 10″ is already getting a solid hammering from a wide range of jocks, this time backed by the South African talent DJ Sdunkero who offers up further heat with “Choosing Love.”

“Oh My Days” taps into the vital vein of UK bass music while casually sidestepping the ravey elements of the genre by alluding to big beat influences. Its tribal drum patterns are meted out with a deft hand, proffering more of a mad party vibe than a dark, streetwise one. The repetitive vocal hook accentuates the rising synth lines, which hoist the energy of the track further, the kinetic clatter of the tribal percussion petering out briefly when the vocal chant becomes a rallying cry. Tightly compressing the sweat factor into a less-is-more approach makes the track seem a lot shorter than it actually is, clocking in at nearly five minutes but seeming somehow to end abruptly. On the flip, DJ Sdunkero keeps the fire burning with sweltering synths towering over a perpetual African rhythm, the concussive drums moving along at a tight clip. It’s the more contemporary sounding of the two cuts, though also not as unique sounding as the A-side. Regardless, Huntleys & Palmers serves up two extra-crispy dance floor biscuits with their latest, which will no doubt garner more attention for both of these artists here.

Providing an incubus of sorts for ideas and explorations about music rather than simply setting up a record label, Armon Bazile has truly forged his own path through his music. It’s a path that runs deep with a spirituality whose intent is felt on each record, whether that’s the otherworldly, downtempo electronics of “Moonstalk,” the soaring, spatial techno of “Ozzie Davis,” or the blissful, aquatic deep house of “Underworld.” Releasing his first pieces of music digitally on his own Deepblak label in 2001, Bazile’s big break came when a friend passed on his music to Ron Trent, who duly signed the young producer to the first release of the then-resurrected Prescription label. The two went on to collaborate as Indigenous Space People on the Prescription off-shoot Future Vision for a beautiful moment in deep house, “Across The Universe.” Since then Bazile has been releasing under a raft of different names and with an open mind towards the genres through which he expresses himself, has established himself as a true artist. LWE caught up with Bazile to talk about Deepblak, the perils of accessibility and why his label mates are more like brothers than musical peers. He also provided us with our 101st exclusive podcast, an intimate collection of past and future Deepblak classics that will slowly rush over you like a rising tide.

LWE Podcast 101: Aybee (51:10)

Tracklist:

01. Herbie Hancock, “Tools” [white]
02. Aybee, “Ozzie Davis” [Future Vision]
03. Aybee, “Nigg#z and Space Machines” [Deepblak]
04. Prof. Delacroix, “Build Her” [Deepblak]
05. Mist Works, “Common Question” (Aybee’s Immortal Mix) [Atjazz Record Co.]
06. Ron Trent, “Manifesto” (Aybee’s Blak Space Federation Slap) [Deepblak]
07. Orion 70, “Enki” [Deepblak]
08. Orion 70, “Blak Planet” [Deepblak]
09. Aybee, “Love Of” [Deepblak]
10. Aybee, “Solaris” [Deepblak]

You set up Deepblak ten years ago. Can you tell us what your involvement in music was before this?

Aybee: I dabbled in production as kid, nothing serious. It got serious while running a portal site that covered night-life entertainment where I began to start hearing things in my head.

You have talked about being somewhat disillusioned with music you were hearing around this time. Do you mean specifically electronic music from around the Bay area, or techno and house in general?

At the time I was taking in a lot of music from the different scenes and for the most part enjoying it all, but there was something missing. I never felt complete. It was like an incomplete sentence. I kept hearing things in my head that I could not sync.

Was there one final moment that pushed you over the edge and made you want to start Deepblak?

As I mentioned I would go out to clubs and come home feeling incomplete, so I would start playing around with my drum machine (an old Dr. Rhythm) searching for ways to express what I was feeling internally. After gaining confidence in what I was doing, my D.I Y. gene kicked in with all its foolishness, convincing me that I could start my own label. I remember going up to an early DJ mentor of mine, John Paul Shiver, at a tiny little night I had at a DJ bar and saying, “I think am going to start a label”. I’ll always remember, he looked at me with this little grin and said, “OK we starting labels now?” and that was it. That endorsement was all I needed.

How thought out was the label? Was it simply a desire to create something different, to find your own sound or were there deeper lying concepts and ideals behind it?

It was not very well thought out at all. I just followed a feeling. I was a recovering web 1.0 guy who was lucky to escape that bubble bursting without having a nervous breakdown. With music I felt like a child again, like the first day of school. I was spiritually changing — my life perspective was changing. All I knew is that I wanted it to be a home for creativity. I basically disappeared from society while within it for a year. I became a monk of sorts. I began to live rhythm. I began seeking a greater understanding.

Tell me about the rest of the Deepblak crew? Were they all on board from the start or have there been additions along the way?

The Oakland based crew is Afrikan Sciences, Damon Bell, Blaktroniks and myself. Our paths all intersected along the road. About 3 years in I found myself getting some head nods from the broken-beat community. One day I was contacted by Afrikan Sciences via the 4hero board saying that he was digging the vibe, and that he was living in Oakland. When I checked out his music I knew something was happening. I now had a fellow traveler and we proceeded up the road. Blaktroniks had always been around. They had been doing their thing since ‘96, and were a source of inspiration as I decided to pursue my path. They had been on Jonah Sharp’s Reflective label, had several albums out, and were seasoned live performers. The were very much a pioneering group in the Bay Area. If you go back and look at Oakland sonically in ‘96 you will not hear anything close to what we do. So it took a lot of courage on their part to step out to the world. Mutual respect between us was always there. One day we just asked ourselves, why are we not working together? We had a meeting at Afrikan Sciences’ pad in ‘07 with the now Berlin based Onyx Ashanti in attendance to figure out how we could work together. That’s when Blaktroniks became involved with the label. Damon Bell came into the fold after moving to Oakland from So.Cal. We became friends through our mutual friendship with Ron Trent. I knew Damon as a DJ, but he mentioned to me that he had been doing production. He let me hear some his stuff, and boom, it was a done deal.

And do they stand for more than being just artists on the same label? I get the feeling the ties are a bit stronger than that.

These are my brothers. These are the guys who lend you 20 bucks when you’re broke, or invite you to dinner when you are hungry. I have respect, love, and admiration for them individually as men. It’s life enhancing. I am humbled and forever grateful that I am able to experience this cycle with them.

I know you take some inspiration from your grandfather and your uncle who were both involved in music, but what were some of the first electronic tracks you remember hearing that really switched you on to it?

So much and so many. But I will say this: when future civilizations dig us up I hope they find Manuel Göttsching’s “E2-E4.”

And were there any parties you were going to that inspired you?

I have a wide ear so I would roll to a lot of different scenes and draw inspiration from many things. There was no definitive party or moment. But I will say I had a soft spot for what the drum and bass kids were doing in San Francisco. They had a lot of passion.

What were the first pieces of equipment you bought?

Dr. Rhythm DR-660 and a Korg X5.

Still on equipment, what forms the basis for your most of your tracks? Is there one piece of gear that you find indispensable for your tracks?

The basis for most of my music is emotion… life. The more I live the more I experience, the more colors I gain to express myself. The equipment is inconsequential. It is merely an extension of the spirit. Hardware or software I can use to speak.
When you started Deepblak I understand you took a year to shut yourself away and focus on it completely. Were you undertaking any kind of practical exercises at this time to help you develop your skills, or were you basically working solidly on making tracks?

I was trying to figure who I was and why — what was this rhythm I had inside and why would it not leave me alone? These things require sacrifice and isolation to understand. I think the primary skill I built in that time was listening and feeling. Hearing something in my head and trying to bring it to a tangible existence. I had no map. What I learned is that every sound has a soul. It has life-force, electricity, a few seconds of root cause. The greater attention you pay to the sounds the greater your ability to articulate your soul’s thoughts.

With the concept of seclusion in mind and developing your own sound, how much help or hindrance do you feel the accessibility to music and information is these days?

Access can drown out your voice. People have unprecedented access to everything, and don’t even know why they want it. As my dad always says they have “Text but no context.” The access is only reflective of one’s consciousness. There are amazing things happening and terrible things happening. This balance is ancient. The information age puts people on a hamster wheel of speed, acquisition, and transaction. The need to keep pace takes over, and they soon forget why they are running. Speed is often a killer for creators because we need time. Things take time. When you put the emphasis on speed context becomes expendable. Context is essential in finding what old jazz musicians call one’s “voice.” Take your time, unplug, and find yourself — find your voice. If you can find the discipline to do so I think you can use the access wisely.

From various sources (your bio, track names and your tweets) I gather there is a deep vein of spirituality running through your life and your work. Did you grow up with this or was it something you discovered yourself?

I don’t believe that you discover something that was already there. I think that we are ALL born with the answers and we spend our lives learning the questions. My path is my purpose. Everyday is another day in school.

How do you feel it informs your music and creativity?

It is the root cause. The source.

Can you run us through some of the aliases you use and what they mean to you.

o1o (Oakland’s 1 and Only) was a name I used for things slower in tempo. Afrobatik was more up-tempo staggered in homage to the jazz fusion things I love. Prof. Delacroix, honestly I just thought it would be cool to put out some music with a French name. Orion 70 was more of an homage to techno. Bla Kula was for underground remixes. Lamaj was deep, late-night house or what Ron Trent and I like to call The Brotherhood of the Baby Powder. Aybee is all of the above. There are others, but a good friend mentioned that I should kill that practice because folks were getting lost and he was right. So Aybee from here on out.

You’ve released two albums to date. Was the approach to the albums different? Did the medium of cassette for the Further release play a part at all in the way you made Ancient Tones?

Yes the approaches were very, very different. With the East Oakland Space Program album I wanted to put frequencies in the air to offset the negative ones that were suffocating my home town. That’s how it started, but by the time it came out so much had changed in my life, it became so much more than I intended. With the Ancient Tones project, Mark at Further Records essentially gave me a blank piece of paper, crayons, and then said, “OK, color and call me when your done.” It was so pure, that experience. Just coloring. The cassette was great because I knew people would engage in a long player format so I could really stretch out in a cinematic way. And I must a admit also there’s a great feeling going to a café, and pulling out a 20 year old Walkman with no reverse button in the midst of iPods.

The way Ancient Tones flowed, parts of it sounded quite like a live PA. Do you play live?

Yes, I do play live. It is the most exhilarating feeling. I stumbled into it last year. Afrikan Sciences and Blaktroniks were very helpful in that process. There is nothing like the pure horror of people looking at you as you build a vibe. That horror turns into happy accidents and excitement as you get the roller coaster going with no steering wheel. At least that’s how we do it. I will never forget the second live session Afrikan Sciences and I had at my apartment. We just plugged in everything and he started with a some crazy warped out sample and we built from there. One hour later he was murdering his upright bass with sweat dripping onto his laptop, I’m building beats, playing synth and anything else I could find. Pure madness that all made sense, just one of those moments where the stars aligned. We stopped and looked at each other like what just happened? We go to check the recorder, and we only had the first 10 minutes recorded. We just shook our heads. We always say God took that session. That was a thrill. I will spend the rest of my life trying to do that again. I am working on developing a monthly in Oakland around the concept of our live sessions.

You’ve had a few releases now on Further Records. Do they feel like a bit of a kindred label for you?

Yes! They could have been great label owners in any era of recorded music. They are the type of people where you can say, ‘I have a recording with beetles jumping into a bowl of buttermilk on top of my Moog,’ and they will be like, ‘Let’s do it.’ That attitude makes every artist better. Very grateful to know them. Good people.

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

Sort of a mini Deepblak sampler. A small trip. Dedicated to my feline Brother Stew who recently made his transition. Hopefully the mix is a little propulsion on his journey.

What can we expect from Aybee and Deepblak in the next year?

Albums from myself, Afrikan Sciences, Damon Bell and a lot of cool concept projects. More work with Further and others. More live performances. Continued study, evolution, and development of our voices.