Seth Troxler | Fire Side Chat
Seth Anthony Troxler , Resident Advisor DJ poll’s #1, sat down with RBMA Radio to talk about his upbringing in Detroit, the scene, and its impact on electronic music today.
The forays into deep house are broken by his thoughts on his new abstract imprints and philosophy on living. It is paired with an exquisite soundtrack, an informatively groovy 60 minutes comprised primarily of his own edits.
Dylan Watson
Oneman | Interview
[Steve Bishop a.k.a. Oneman]
There is no denying that we have seen an influx of DJs over the past decade. In surprising contradiction though, we’ve also witnessed the diminishing of another species; what we’ll affectionately refer to as the DJ’s DJ. Steve Bishop, better known as DJ Oneman , is the epitome of this title and as such is but one of a few. Revered for his impeccable taste, honed turntable-isms, and ability to recontextualize the familiar into the novel, Oneman is perhaps even more eminent of a figure now than he has ever been. His name has many times graced the posters of Fabriclive , Boilerroom , Rinse FM , the Red Bull Music Academy , and now Igloofest , where we find shelter after his riotous performance to discuss the virtues of “Trap” music, the role of the DJ, and the future of UK dance movements, among other things. We hope you enjoy -
Low-Life: Igloofest … what is it? What’d you expect, what’d you get from it?
Oneman: I dunno what I expected.. I guess I expected an igloo. It’s good that there wasn’t one to be honest..
LL: I’ve read that one of the craziest parties you’ve played was in an igloo, back to back with Jackmaster , one deck, how did that compare to this?
Oneman: Ahh, that was so much better [laughs]. I can’t even begin to explain how much better that was. But yeah, like that was an experience in the igloo in Austria with Jack. And yeah, it fell to pieces; and this [ Igloofest ], stayed afloat. The boat stayed afloat.
LL: I guess that’s the beauty of not actually playing in an igloo. Having some actually structure.
Oneman: Yeah. Having a great stage, a good heating system for this weather..
“…if a whole new genre of music like dubstep came around… I really can’t see that happening again.”
LL: Changing the subject entirely – you’ve made a career out of being a DJ (among other things of course, label owner etc), do you think it’s still possible for an artist, a young guy coming up to make a name for themselves as that predominantly?
Oneman: I guess, well, it’s a lot harder now. When I did it, I was goin’ to clubs, I was meetin’ people in clubs, it was way more personal – not much internet involved. I’d meet people, and they’d give you a chance, because they believed in you, or they hear a mix of yours, or a radio show.
The scene was so small, that you could get away with it then. I feel like the only way that that could happen now, is if a whole new genre of music like dubstep came around; and I really can’t see that happening again. I feel like that could be the last big wave of a powerful music scene to come out of the UK, or anywhere really. I don’t think anything’s been as powerful as when dubstep came through, since. It was kind of: House, DnB, Garage, Grime for a little while, and then Dubstep. Since then, its just sort of been filler stuff. There’s never really been strong, powerful movement since then. So I think it can happen, but it’s a lot harder.
“That’s what I feel DJs should do if they’re producers. They should distance themselves from that production side of themselves.”
LL: I’ll quote you on this, you said: ‘I don’t think that the DJ is as needed or as important as when it started, all performance now is money.’ Do you think this has/will inevitably lower the bar for live performance? Essentially will it lower the bar for what a DJ is expected to do?
Oneman: Well, in a way I think yeah it’s already happened because, you used to rely on the DJ for new music. The producer couldn’t DJ. They’d have to learn how to DJ, where now it’s.. you know, a lot of producers have a copy of Ableton, and a controller, and they play their own tracks through that. Which is fine, and I have no problem with that, but it’s.. yeah it’s totally different deejayin’.. the bar would be lower, because expectations are completely different as to what they were.
LL: You’ve also said that one of your fortes is not necessarily relying on those unreleased tunes from your friends, it’s the talent in blending the existing tracks into something they’ve never heard before. Is that dwindling, or is there anyone out there still impressing you right now that can do that?
Oneman: There are a few DJs that I feel still do that sort of thing, like Jackmaster for instance, or Krystal Kleer – another great DJ that.. distances himself from his production style. That’s what I feel DJs should do if they’re producers. They should distance themselves from that production side of themselves. Not just like play all their hits, but you know, delve into what they like, or what they feel they could play against stuff. That’s what deejayin’ is I feel.
”['Trap'] reminds me of the energy that Grime had in the UK.”
LL: Just out there you played a lot of trap music: some classic stuff, Lex Luger , but also some from the more bursting phenomenon, Iggy Azalea , for instance. How do you feel about that movement?
Oneman: I feel like a lot of it has good energy.. and I feel like a lot of it has a relation to clubs. It’s club music. Bein’ the 808 beats, or the kind of straight rhythms, they have like.. set intro, set verse, set chorus. It’s good. It’s easy to play in a club, and it works. So yeah.. I mean, it reminds me of the energy that Grime had in the UK, from like 2000-2001. I hear the same sort of energy in a lot of the “trap” music.
LL: A couple weeks ago, you released a 119 bpm House edit of that xx tune, ‘ Chained ’. What provoked that, and can we expect more from you in the way of production?
Oneman: That was the Young Turks guys.. they asked Jamie [ xx ] to do a classic house edit of the ‘ Chained ’ track, and Jamie said “why don’t you ask Oneman to do it?” And then they asked me to do it, and I kind of played around with it for a bit, I had a few ideas, I used some UK Garage tracks and they didn’t really work, and then I settled on some old House stuff, and yeah.. I sent it to them, they liked it.. I think it’s good.
LL: Yeah, I think so too. One last one question – what gets you movin’ these days? What do you listen to on the plane, in the shower, whatever.. personally?
Oneman: Oh, at the moment, it’s the new Sasha Go Hard mixtape.. it’s sick. And it’s called ‘ Round 3 ’ man.. and I dunno, she’s like one of the young Chicago girls like Katie Got Bandz . She’s really polite, she’s really nice.. she raps about her boyfriend, she raps about bein’ in love, she’s so sweet. I love her.. she’s great. She’s got good producers.. Block on Da Trakk , and another guy called Absolut P I think. Yeah, that’s my mixtape for the moment.
LL: Fantastic. Thank you for your time.
Oneman: A pleasure.
Cop both his Solitaire Mix and recent Edits compilation, free of charge:
[DL via images]
words:
Samuel Rutledge
images/support:
Kane Ocean
Yosi Horikawa | Whispers From an Angel (Anenon Remix)
[Anenon]
Yosi Horikawa is a magician when it comes to crafting unique and complex beats from atmospheric sound. We were first introduced to him back in 2011 when, during his stay at the Red Bull Music Academy , he co-produced an outstanding track with Dorian Concept and we’ve had our eye on him ever since.
Horikawa’s latest piece, “Whispers From an Angel,” has been retouched by Anenon , one of the fellow RBMA graduates who was featured on the original alongside Jesse Boykins III . Anenon takes the vocal-heavy track and gives it a boost, manipulating the arrangement and laying down a stomping four to the floor kick.
Keep a lookout for Yosi Horikawa ’s forthcoming record, which is set to drop later this year.
alh
Onra | Second Chance
Following up his recent EP Deep In The Night on Fool’s Gold , Paris-based producer Onra recently shared this unreleased gem, which he had been keeping to himself since 2011. “Second Chance” slugs along brazenly. Onra ‘s 80′s-R&B inspired sonic palette brings me back to my many hours spent as a teen stealing cars, beating street-walkers to death, and moving up in the virtual Miami circa-1986 underworld of GTA 3: Vice City for Playstation 2. Those silky sensual vocals and the saxophone riffs put me in a soulful mood.
Onra has released five full-lengths as well as a handful of EPs and singles since 2006, and he attended the Red Bull Music Academy in 2008.
[Onra a.k.a. Arnaud Bernard]
Wolfey
Anenon | Gelatin Silver (Flutters)
“Gelatin Silver (Flutters),” produced by one of Red Bull Music Academy ’s forward thinking alumni, Anenon , can be found on Ouroboros, a compilation curated by Bryant Rutledge a.k.a Low Limit . Ouroboros is a showcase of North American artists who are pushing the boundaries of electronic music and features the talents of Machinedrum , HxdB , Obey City , and more. You can stream it over at FACT here .
“Gelatin Silver (Flutters)” is a short high. The melodies move so smoothly that, despite the fact that the track clocks in just over three minutes, it seems like it’s over before you’re ready. Nevertheless, the song is a generous taste of Anenon ‘s signature atmospheric electronica. Brian Simon’s in-depth studies of composition over the years are evident in the organically textured percussion and harmonious tones of his latest piece.
[Anenon]
alh
Nguzunguzu | Interview
[Asma + Daniel aka Nguzunguzu - photo by EdG]
Last April, Rader and I, sam.i.am, had the opportunity to conduct a post-gig chat with the dance-floor heating duo, Asma and Daniel, better known as Nguzunguzu . These guys are busier then ever these days, jumping from working with New York’s Fade to Mind and UK’s Night Slugs imprint, to designer behemoth’s Kenzo and SSENSE , and of course the Red Bull Music Academy . Needless to say, its a pleasure to have had the opportunity to discuss their music, brand, and developing history outside of Montreal’s Blue Dog Motel . We blew the dust off of this one for your educational pleasure -
LL: Alright, let’s start with your beginnings. Daniel, I read that your Puerto Rican father used to sing lullabies to you, or was it folk songs, whatever. And your mother, Asma, was a DJ at a candy shop. Can you guys elaborate on those respective introductions?
Daniel : My dad’s actually from the Dominican though.
LL: Dominican? I read wrong .
Daniel : Yeah, my mom’s Puerto Rican. He lived in Puerto Rico for a while but yeah, he sings. They sang. They’d get drunk and sing.
Asma : Um, I dunno. My parents just love music, they always played it. I mean, they used to play a lot of Hindu songs and I hated it when I was young. Me and my brothers and sisters hated it but, um, now I really appreciate it. Opened my mind and shit.
LL: Hell yeah.
LL: And how can we hear those influences now- like, the Puerto Rican, the Hindi, in your songs. Is it there? Or am I looking too hard.
Daniel : I mean…
Asma : Indirectly. I don’t think that, like, we’re so like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna sample Bollywood,’ or something that’s so, like, trite, like, I guess.
Daniel : There’s some kinda rhythms that are like that but..
Asma : Yeah..
Daniel : I dunno if that’s at the forefront, but some rhythms are there, definitely.
[WILDNESS - Asma Maroof, Wu Tsang, Daniel Pineda, and Ashland Mines (Total Freedom)]
LL: I understand that the majority of your connections came from the WILDNESS parties at the Silver Platter- there’s a long list of names. But was that “world club,” quote on quote, that “tropical disco shit”- was that a prominent genre at those parties? Or were you unique to that and is that why those connections came about?
Asma : I feel like people just didn’t know what to call it so they just said “tropical,” which I still don’t technically understand. I was like ‘Oh, does that mean like brown people making music is tropical or something?’ or some shit like that. I dunno how I feel.
Daniel : Yeah it was a Latin club- we played all kinds of music.
LL: How did you guys get into the project with Kenzo that you just released a couple weeks ago?
Daniel : Yeah, that was like… we had a lot of people from Opening Ceremony that would come, like Humberto and Carol, that design Kenzo now and I guess they used to come to our party and then people that worked there used to come and then, I mean, just out of the blue they hit us up like, ‘Oh, in two weeks we’re doing this fashion show. Can you make a 15-minute original mix?’
LL: Are you looking forward to doing any more fashion in the future?
Asma : Hell yeah, man.
LL: What can we anticipate in 2012? In terms of collaboration from you guys, or any other creative venture?
Asma : Well, we have an EP coming out soon. It’s called Warm Pulse - look for it out on Hippos and Tanks .
Daniel : We’re gonna do another EP on Fade To Mind and hopefully a bunch of other stuff, we don’t really know what.
Asma : We’re also touring with The Claw . That’s us, Nguzunguzu, with Kingdom , and Total Freedom , so look out for that.
LL: When does that start?
Asma : We’re going to Europe in April.
LL: Cool. Festival Circuit?
Asma : We’re doing some festivals.
LL: Which ones are you doing?
Asma : We’re going to Amsterdam – I don’t remember the names of anything but we’re playing this art festival in Italy. Then a boat in Serbia and some other cool shit. That should be fun. We’re excited.
LL: Final question: do you guys feel the spirit of Nguzunguzu guiding you on this adventure of yours- or is it just a cool fucking name?
Asma : [Laughter] I love that. That was cute. Oh my god, I didn’t even think about that. Like, that’s what’s guiding us. That’s so cute.
LL: From your turntable canoe.
Asma : That’s so beautiful. I’ll just say yes to that question. All of that.
Daniel : You know, man, we’ve confronted some obstacles.
LL: Some border control.
Daniel : But somehow we make it through so something has helped guide us.
LL: Thanks for your time.
sam.i.am, rader, alh
Biblo | Redundant Ambience (Yosi Horikawa Remix)
Yosi Horikawa , the man behind “Bubbles,” one of our favourite tracks of 2012, premiered a new one just a few days back.
In a rework of fellow RBMA graduate Biblo ‘s “Redundant Ambience,” Horiwaka reintroduces us to his affinity for finding order in found sound. This time around he has refined his tone, only slightly, producing a melancholic yet lively piece grounded in organic ambience.
Download || Redundant Ambience (Yosi Horikawa Remix) – Biblo
See previously: Yosi Horikawa | Bubbles
alh
Robot Koch & Kuhn | Sludge
The Red Bull Music Academy tossed this one out today; an exclusive download from ’99 participant, Robot Koch , and the relative new comer, Kuhn . Though the track does stick to each producer’s respective tendency toward the experimental big-beat, it also flirts with both trap and dubstep genres, quite successfully I might add, through its respective use of MPC-swinged hats and a collection of bass tones that are uncharacteristically “deep” for either artist.
“Sludge” is just a taste of Berliner, Robot Koch ‘s forthcoming “ Cosmic Wave’s 2×10 ” EP, out on Project Mooncircle , August 31st.
sam.i.am
Nouveau Palais | Avant Gang EP
[brought to you by the RBMA]
The Red Bull Music Academy brings you the collaborative effort of Lunice , Ango , and Prison Garde , as well as that of an onslaught of contributors; Sinjin Hawke , Monolithium , HxbD & Self Evident , Bobbi Kay , and RBMA alumni, Canblaster and Salva , in anticipation of their Mutek showcase this Thursday night. You’ll be happy to know that the healthy 14 track extended play is also free of charge. There’s no stopping these guys. (The Canblaster / Sinjin and Salva additions are particularly fantastic, if I do say so myself.)
[Ango, Prison Garde, Lunice]
sam.i.am
Bullion | It’s All In Sound
Hailing out of West London,
Red Bull Music Academy
contributor
Bullion
possesses a distinct ability to craft flattering hooks with funky and precise execution. Following Bullion’s well received
You Drive Me To Plastic
, a 2011 release off of
Young Turks
, The West Londoner dropped the EP
Love Me Oh Please Love Me
, on May 7th of this year, off of his self-run record label,
DEEK
.
Stream the EP’s leading track below.
[Bullion]
Atom
Pazes | Rogue States (ft. Biblo)
[Pazes]
Brazilian beat maker Pazes steps through with a free track, crafted during his time at the Red Bull Music Academy ‘s 14th annual addition held in Madrid. With the help of Biblo , who lent a hand in the making of the tune, Lucas Febraro offers a laid-back number with a distinctly early-morning vibe. ‘Rogue States’ blends sonic haze, warbling synth flourishes and a delicate female vocal line, which pays tribute to the sounds of Bossa Nova.
Download || Rogue States (ft. Biblo) – Pazes
alh