2012; Kris Menace: Don’t Talk to Me about Dubstep! (interview)
Kris Menace (click for more)
According to the Mayan Calendar the world (or at least civilisation) is due to end cataclysmically on December 21st 2012. With economists and futurologists also almost all predicting a year of upheaval, Skrufff asked a bunch of our favourite DJs and personalities for their predictions for 2012; both musically and apocalypse-wise . . .
Kris Menace: Don’t Talk to Me about Dubstep! (interview)
“Everybody is talking about dubstep. Dubstep here, dubstep there. By the way, what’s the difference in it from garage or 2step? So word on the street in the UK is that this will be the main thing for 2012, even on the radio.”
Laughing, (‘I personally don’t care, I’ve never followed any hype and always did what I liked; which is maybe why I’m not the hottest shit on Earth”), German tech-trance-house star Kris Menace is the first to admit he’s no fan of dubstep, however much the UK adores it.
“I think most people wanna’ always listen to nice and understandable music,” he insists, “instead of following these media created hypes.”
2012: Judge Jules’ Cloudy Crystal Ball
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According to the Mayan Calendar the world (or at least civilisation) is due to end cataclysmically on December 21st 2012. With economists and futurologists also almost all predicting a year of upheaval, Skrufff asked a bunch of our favourite DJs and personalities for their predictions for 2012; both musically and apocalypse-wise . . .
Judge Jules’ Cloudy Crystal Ball (interview)
Though he started studying for professional law qualifications over 5 years before announcing his Radio 1 departure several weeks back, Judge Jules insists he’s far from confident about predicting the future; at least musically.
“I really struggle with musical predictions, since dance music has a slow evolutionary path which doesn’t comfortably lend itself to changes that are definable by calendar years,” he says.
“As regards to what I think will happen to club-land: at least in the UK, I can be more specific,” he qualifies.
“Right now the independent clubbing sector of owner-operated venues with low overheads seems to be prospering, whereas the monolithic leisure-chainowned multiple venues business model seem to be struggling,” he notes.
“In my view, this is a good thing,” says Jules, “because McDonalds-style clubbing is a long way from what I’m about.”
2012: Is the End Nigh (Or Not?): Perc (interview)
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According to the Mayan Calendar the world (or at least civilisation) is due to end cataclysmically on December 21st 2012. With economists and futurologists also almost all predicting a year of upheaval, Skrufff asked a bunch of our favourite DJs and personalities for their predictions for 2012; both musically and apocalype-wise . . .
Perc: Berghain Bandwagon Jumpers and Despicable Dubstep (interview)
“In the sub-niche that I work in there will be a continuation of more and more people jumping onto the Berghain/ industrial techno bandwagon.”
Though he’s more than adept at producing top quality underground serious house, Perc, aka Ali Wells, is best known for delivering highly original and idiosyncratic industrial techno such as that featured on his new artist album Wicker and Steel. Adored by critics (Resident Advisor chief Todd Burns loves it, and Quietus dubbed it ‘an antidote to wishy washy electronica’ in making it one of their albums of 2011: http://bit.ly/tXckuu ) the new album has more than a few producer fans too, though copyists are unlikely to impress Ali.
“I’m not bothered 95% of people making this stuff get it so incredibly wrong, with such a lack of vision, that it barely registers on my radar.” he laughs.
“If you were making Minus style minimal two years ago, then big room white noise laden techno last year, then anyone who has any actually knowledge of this music can see your fakery from a mile off,” he warns.
Despite name-checking Berlin’s best known club Berghain (where he performed twice this year) he’s got no plans to join the thousands of other DJs who’ve made the city their home.
“The most inspiring place should be the city you have a local connection with,” he explains.
“People should try to build things up in the city where they are, not dream of moving to Berlin, then getting there and realising that unless you already have some profile you will just become one of the masses scratching around for DJ gigs in bars. For me that city is London, there is a combination of innovation, open-mindedness and energy that is unique to the city,” he says.
Christopher Lawrence’s Australian Error (Interview)
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Picking up numerous ‘Best American DJ’ awards in the middle of the last decade, Christopher Lawrence sparked surprise when he moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2008, just as America’s electronic music scene finally started taking off.
Returning last year, he admitted missing Melbourne’s coffee (‘probably the best in the world- the coffee in California is horrible’) though was otherwise happy to be back. One year on, he remains similarly grateful.
“Moving to Australia was an epic ‘Fail’. It was a bad career move as I was living fourteen hours away from my biggest market,” he admits.
“Touring was a disaster when I was based in Melbourne. I was never home and that really messed with my family. Moving back to Los Angeles was the best thing I ever did.”
As well as continually touring the world spinning his preferred flavour of progressive pumping trance, he’s also continuing to develop his label Pharmacy Music, through which he’s just launched a new compilation series.
Marketed with the catchphrase ‘You’ll never be embarrassed to admit that you like our trance’, the series offers ‘solid pumping trance designed for the dance floor’, though as the catchphrase indicates, not just any dance floor.
“We don’t care about superstar DJs and we don’t make cheesy music videos,” its accompany press release insists, “but we will rock you so hard that your teeth will chatter.”
Chatting to Skufff today, Christopher admits he’s far from impressed with the majority of his superstar DJ peers.
“The pop-dance scene is a pretty sad state of affairs and the worst part is that most of the DJs are pandering to the lowest common denominator,” he complains.
“All the genres have merged into one sound. You can go to any club or festival, close your eyes and you can’t tell the difference from one DJ to the next. They all sound the same and play the same tracks.”
“The lines have been blurred between he genres and everyone is playing the same trance-electro-dubstep-house sound,” he continues.
“It has made it difficult in some respects because people no longer go out to be blown away on the dance floor by music they have never heard before.
Instead, they want to hear all their favorite songs and if the DJ doesn’t play the hits they feel disappointed.”
Chris’ assessment of the blandness of America’s pop-dance favourites matches the even blunter views of British tech-house DJ Steve Lawler who, chatting to the Miami New Times this week, is equally frank (and reportedly ‘disgusted’).
“This electro-pop-dance that all the R&B artists are jumping on is the worst music I have ever heard in my whole life — cheap, no soul, no meaning,” Lawler snorts. “[It's] only made to make money.” (http://bit.ly/vRByzv )
2012: Is the End Nigh (Or Not?): Claudia Cazacu (interview)
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According to the Mayan Calendar the world (or at least civilisation) is due to end cataclysmically on December 21st 2012. With economists and futurologists also almost all predicting a year of upheaval, Skrufff asked a bunch of our favourite DJs and personalities for their predictions for 2012; both musically and apocalype-wise . . .
Claudia Cazacu: I Am an Avid Follower of the Mayan Prophecy (interview)
“It’s been quite a while since I passed my banking and finance degree but from my amateur position I don’t think the current situation is going to get better any time soon.”
London based tech-trance DJ Claudia Cazacu has already lived through one revolution having been a child when Romania’s dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu was deposed and executed in 1989.
“Part of me feels the system needs to fail to be able to rebuild itself again on realistic value. At some point one country or another is going to have to default or else have their debt written off at the cost to another nation. When this happens we may well find money as a belief system seriously compromised,” she predicts.
(Click here for more on Claudia: Facebook: http://on.fb.me/fcL0Hg /
2012: Patrice Baumel & the New World Order (interview)
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According to the Mayan Calendar the world (or at least civilisation) is due to end cataclysmically on December 21st 2012. With economists and futurologists also almost all predicting a year of upheaval, Skrufff asked a bunch of our favourite DJs and personalities for their predictions for 2012; both musically and apocalype-wise . . .
Patrice Baumel: The New World Order & the Coming Chaos (interview)
“Democratically elected governments are taking decisions against the very people who put them into office, all to protect banks, oil and big money in general. We are already living right in the middle of a New World Order.”
Growing up in Dresden East Germany, nowadays Amsterdam based tech-house-eclectic producer Patrice Baumel was 14 when the Berlin Wall came down and 22 years later, sees more than a few cultural parallels between then and now.
“People are more educated and better connected than ever, so it becomes harder and harder to suppress the truth,” he continues.
“And once the mob gets angry because their pension is gone and their jobs are gone and their kids are hungry, they will mobilize and turn against the powers that be. It will get ugly,” he predicts.
“At the same time people will have to find other ways to happiness than consumption, which will lead them closer towards the truth in life and each other. Overall, change is good.”
For more on Patrice (who as well as touring the world as a DJ nonstop is also a resident and co-promoter of Amsterdam’s top underground club Trouw) click here: http://www.patricebaumel.com/
My Big Break; Funk D’Void: Never Play For Free (interview)
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Growing up in Scotland in the 90s, Funk D’Void (aka Lars Sandberg) started DJing when just 15, running two under-18 clubs himself.
Signing to Soma in the mid 90s, he’s since released tracks under various pseudonyms including Chaser, X-Funk, Hellfire Club and Francois Dubois though it’s as Funk D’Void that he remains best known; as both a producer and DJ specialising in top quality underground techno.
Pig & Dan- We Love David Guetta (interview)
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“He is an amazing DJ in my eyes and I really love the fact that someone who seems to have his heart in the right place and with his feet on the ground is at the forefront of the scene. I think people think he’s cheesy out of envy.”
Though Pig & Dan’s own particular style of dance music has always been firmly centred on underground house and stripped, sometimes minimal, techno, Dan Duncan admits he’s more than impressed with David Guetta’s pop-centric success.
“I’ve seen him play damn good dirty-ass tech tracks that blew away a very uneducated crowd,” he enthuses.
“They expected the hits and he played something different and shows them a taste of what we are all trying to get across. He has opened more respect for the scene than most and I take my hat off to him. Rock on David G.”
Joining Dan (as Pig) is Igor Tchkotoua (the pair met on a flight to Spain in 1999 and teamed up in the studio soon after), though today he’s solo, chatting to Skrufff to promote their latest artist album, ‘Then & Now’ (out now on Yoshitoshi).
Ring Tone Etiquette; Jagz Kooner- Forbidden Planet (interview)
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Posh people’s etiquette organisation Debretts have recently issued fresh guidelines for mobile phones and ring tones so Skrufff asked a bunch of producers about their personal preferences including London rock/ dance uber producer Jagz Kooner (of Sabres of Paradise, the Aloof, Primal Scream, repute…)
Ring Tone Etiquette; System 7: (interview)
Posh people’s etiquette organisation Debretts have recently issued fresh guidelines for mobile phones and ring tones so Skrufff asked a bunch of producers including psy-trance/ electronic legend Steve Hillage (System 7) about their personal preferences . . .
Click for more on System 7 (& their latest album)
