As a producer, Ewan Pearson is a man who’s reputation well and truly precedes him. Having amassed a stunning catalogue of remix and solo work over his expansive career, the Berlin-based UK-born identity has made a recent shift into the world of producing albums for bands. He’s done celebrated work at the boards for The Rapture and Everything But The Girl vocalist Tracey Thorne, and in November he’s returning to Australia to work with local indie lads Lost Valentinos on their eagerly anticipated debut. He’s also squeezing in a club show while he’s at it, which is rather nice. ITM caught up with him recently to chew the fat, finding out about his unique approach to remixing and producing.
I’m sure you’ve been shooting across the globe a lot lately, whereabouts in the world are you right now?
I’m in my flat in Berlin actually, surrounded by piles of receipts – I’m doing my bookkeeping – and pausing every so often to do a phone interview to promote the album. The sun is shining and I’m listening to Can. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
2007 has been a really big year for you, and it’s seen you shift your status from that of a renowned dance music producer to an uber studio producer, with all the success you’ve had working with the likes of The Rapture and Tracey Thorn. I know this was always part of the plan for you, how do you feel now that you’ve succeeded in making this shift?
It’s something that I always wanted to happen since I was a teenager, but I had to learn how to make records myself first. No one really teaches you any of this, unless you go the traditional teaboy/studio assistant/engineer/producer route, and that’s really rare these days. I’m an autodidact, so most of what I’ve been doing over the past years is working out how to do all this. I still have massive amounts to learn as regards the band and artist producer thing; I’m a total beginner in many ways, and I have much to get the hang of still. But that’s a big part of the enjoyment. Being something of a nerd, I enjoy being permanently in school in one way or another.
On the subject of your production work, you’ve got a bit of an Australian connection having agreed to produce the Lost Valentinos album after spending some time here over the New Year period. This was a major coup for the band, obviously. What made you decide to work with them?
Well, we only did a single together (‘17 Deaths’) when I was over to DJ in January. I knew Luke Wallace from Mosquito’s Tweeter [the band’s label], and he just asked me if I fancied trying out a track as I was in Sydney, and we all got on really well and really enjoyed the session. They’re a great band and full of ideas, and I’m really looking forward to us doing the album in November.
You’ve released a collection of your best remixes called ‘Piece Work’. It really is an impressive compilation; they’re all tracks that many dance music fans would have heard at on their own at certain points over the years, but putting them altogether puts it in perspective that they’re all from the same person. Was this part of what you were trying to achieve with the album?
Well, remixes by their nature end up all over the place, on promos and odd formats, some of which never really get a full commercial release, or can be hard to get hold of if you’re not a DJ on a mailing list. I already did a compilation of my early remixes when I was still working with Soma records (‘Small Change’ in 2001), and I always wanted to do a second volume and bring all the more recent stuff together. Especially as lots of it had been more successful. It’s great when you hear the tracks next to one another; you can see the threads and connections between them. It becomes a proper album, I hope. And it makes me happy to see it all there as one body of work.
‘Piece Work’ also serves as a reminder of how you were tied with the whole electro house movement as it rose to prominence over the past couple of years, but interestingly, none of the tunes really adhere to any of the formulas that have developed. What’s your relationship with that genre now, is it something that you’ve chosen to distance yourself from?
I’m very happy to have been an influence on or an inspiration for people, but I never wanted to found a movement, or be seen as representing some kind of genre. I hate the labels that get applied to music, and I try really hard not to be repetitive or to flog a formula. I work really hard to change things, and also to be sensitive to the tracks I’m remixing and to respond to them. I think that’s clear when you listen to the CD. The problem with genre labels is as soon as they’re created then people work out the common denominators and then start churning out things in the same vein; it turns into a formula. At that point, if you’ve any sense, you run in the opposite direction as quick as you can…
A pretty common sentiment you hear from producers is that once they’ve built up a profile, they’re no too keen on doing remixes anymore because they prefer to focus on their own solo work. Are we going to see you continue to do remixes?
Absolutely. I believe that remixing is a valid and inspirational art form in its own right, and I don’t do it for any other reason than I absolutely love it. It’s the best job in the world. People often ask if it’s frustrating giving your ideas to someone else’s records, but that’s absolutely the point; I like being part of a bigger whole. When I remix, it’s not just about me, it’s about creating something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts. I get immense creative satisfaction from it and I have every intention of carrying on remixing, alongside producing other people and making original stuff myself.
So what sort of sound are you pushing as a DJ at the moment? Was your recent FabricLive CD a fairly good reflection of what we’re hearing from you in the clubs?
As with the remixing, the way I play develops and changes over time. Partly in response to the music I’m hearing and the way I hear it fitting together. There are certain things which stay in there; a love of melody, certainly, but also this last year maybe a bit tougher more jacking sound. But it’s always changing, and that’s what keeps it exciting. Sometimes people comment that my style has really changed, but I think that’s a strength. Once again I would hate to think I was flogging a formula. Maybe it would be a way to get richer quicker, but that’s never been the motivation. The DJs that I love are never content to do the same thing year in and year out; they constantly looking for new excitement and so am I.
‘Piece Work’ is out now through !K7/Inertia. You can catch Ewan playing the Minimal Fuss 1st birthday in Sydney on Friday November 2nd at the Oxford Arts Factory, alongside Dixon. Tickets are available on ITM now!
