Celebrated in his hometown of Perth, having won Best Electronic Producer at the Western Australian Music Industry Awards in 2005, breakbeat producer and live act Lo-Key Fu has just released his latest 12” on Title Fight Recordings. He got the chance to release on the label, headed up by honorary Australian Klaus ‘Heavyweight’ Hill, when he was selected as the winner of their recent talent search The Contender.

‘Gung Ho’ is Lo-Key Fu’s debut 12” release and follows on from his full length album ‘Itchy Techno Finger’, which was released back in 2005. Promising a slew of brand new tracks over the coming months, ITM caught up to find out what else Lo-Key Fu has on the cards.

So where’s best scene; east or west? Careful now…

Diplomacy aside, the serious answer would have to be neither. Like any two places, each side of our continent has its own unique pros and cons. With regard to Perth, the effects of our comparatively small population certainly makes a tangible difference to the dynamic and process of our local music scene; but it certainly doesn’t seem to hold anyone back. On the contrary, in the last year we have witnessed a number of west-side producers in the limelight, touting international releases on reputable labels – The Beatslapperz, Heretik, Karl Sav, Micah and The Signal Drivers immediately spring to mind – though I expect you’ll be hearing an increasingly large dose from the West Coast in the near future too. Did I mention that we have a bell tower?

Your titles convey a touch of the Asian persuasion. Were you a ninja or geisha in your past life?

I can’t deny that the almost irrepressible urge to round-house innocent bystanders and backflip away in a cloud of funky blue smoke is one that features regularly in my day-to-day life; but more truthful discussion of my moniker would involve d-grade kung fu movies, the promotional club circuit and possibly a pizza.

So your sound is conversely breaks and electrorock?

Breaks? I don’t see my ten year love affair [with breaks] relenting any time soon. Broken beats form the backbone of music I have enjoyed the most over the years, and writing what I enjoy always features prominently on my musical agenda. Electrorock? I guess it depends on how you want to define the term, but I prefer to think of it somewhat literally as “electronic rock”. Grinding wah-guitar synths, souped-up rock kit and riff-oriented melodies push my musical buttons and form an integral part of my own sound too.

You are signed to two labels; Title Fight and Qstik. Do they have any qualms regarding the other’s allegiance?

As far as I know none whatsoever, though I don’t think it’s really a matter of allegiance. Over the last few years of studio time my music has changed significantly and I think the shift in label reflects that change. Qstik were the right choice to release my debut album nationally back in 2004, and Title Fight/Bijou Breaks have done a great job of launching my debut 12” to an international audience just last month. I don’t see the products as competing, but complimentary and if asked, I think both labels would feel the same way.

Do you deliver selective genre orientated tracks with each label?

Yes and no. Style is definitely a consideration in terms of which track eventually goes where, but I like to focus on the music first and the release second. With the modern trend being to sign the music rather than the artist, tracks are often negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Independent labels are usually looking for a specific sound to compliment their existing roster and further strengthen their brand, and this leaves plenty of room for flexibility on both sides of the equation.

Do you wish to reinstitute you vocal writing and performing abilities in your music, as you did with your previous band, Rollerskates?

In many ways those ideals have never really left me in the studio. There have been home-grown vocals of one sort or another in almost every one of my tunes to date – some featuring talented vocalists such as Paula Graham, Evil Tenieville and MC Skatta – though my own vocals tend to be manipulated more as another sound or instrument rather than a musical focal point. That said, I have at least one new track in-progress that is set for some solid hip-hop treatment – at breaks tempo that is – and I’m itching to get back on the mic for a short spell when the time is right.

Who or what is number one on your speed dial?

I’m simply not a speed-dial kinda guy. [There’s] nothing more awkward than inadvertently leaning on your handset at four on a Sunday morning and having to explain the voicemail mayhem to your formerly sleeping friend the following week. Anyone would think that we make calls at that hour on purpose or something…

Who would you like to collaborate with in the breaks scene?

Moreso, is there anyone I wouldn’t want to collaborate with on the breaks scene? The problem here is time; and no matter how much of it I seem to start out with, the hours evaporate faster than words from the mouth of Miss Teen South Carolina 2007. As it happens, I currently have a collaborative work with reputable trio The Nyquist Freqs on the go. “Espionage A Trois” has been kicking back and forth for some time, but may finally see the light of day sooner, rather than later, after some recent developments. Without doubt it’s a summer festival tune, and with summer just around the corner anything could happen…

You experienced band life and knew full-well the singer always gets the hot chicks. Did this gospel truth arbitrate your move to the one-man band status?

Entirely. There was never any other motivation.

‘Gung Ho’ is out now through Title Fight/Bijou Breaks.