For those of you who may have been living under a rock for the last couple of years; Metro Area are one of the great productions teams that changed the status quo, and signaled the onset of the ‘nu disco’ movement. It happens every couple of years; a turning point that stems a ‘new sound’ that musically, leaves tidal waves in its wake. Can you recall the time a couple of years when disco records starting creeping into every DJ’s box? No longer just the create diggers’ obscure gem; there was more then enough cowbell to go around.
Darshan Jesrani and his production buddy Morgan Geist are the Metro Area in question. On the eve of Darshan’s Australian tour, and the release of the Metro Area 7 compilation on Environ, ITM found out exactly what the hell is going on in Darshan’s mind…
It’s been a while between drinks for new metro area releases, what can we expect for the forthcoming 12”?
Well, it’ll be a three-track EP; one vocal with a dub, and one instrumental. I feel like it’s definitely an extension of what we’ve been doing, but hopefully a bit more developed in terms of both mood and sound. Obviously, Metro Area spawned a massive scene with the whole nu-disco sound, what kind of pressure did you and Morgan feel going back to the drawing board?
Thanks, it was a little weird for a while but I think now we can sort of continue where we left off. I think of our sound as more than a production style or a palette, so I’m hoping we’ll be able to draw from a much looser, harder-to-pin-down sense of what makes our sound ours, and to produce some unique and effective records with that.
How does it feel, years on to be responsible for such a huge musical movement?
In our dance-music world of micro-niches the movement doesn’t seem that huge to me at all – I think the change would have to be deeper and affect more people.
The term ‘Metro Area-ish’ is a stamp of approval (still) for upcoming artists. How does this sit with you personally?
That’s flattering but what if, instead, people took similar influences to what we draw on, but did something different with them? I think that would be even better.
What influences have you taken in since then?
I’ve really been interested in the idea of making songs which are either instrumentally, lyrically (or both) more poignant, but not having to sacrifice a bit of funky-ness, spacey-ness, rhythm or function. From what I see, this means going back to just before the term ‘disco’ was coined and/or listening to other stuff with has some of the same qualities but is not classed or formatted as strictly as ‘disco’.
You’ve worked with some amazing groups, producers and vocalists over the last couple of years such as escort and also with Ewan Pearson and Sasse on the new Tracey Thorn album, how does it feel working with such exciting and accomplished artists?
It’s great, I really like and appreciate everyone and I like every one of the products of our collaborations; I enjoy listening to what we’ve done together, and feel good about the releases. They’re good statements of musical exchanges and hopefully people also dig them.
Also you’ve got remixes coming out on two really strong labels, Tirk and Tiny Sticks; exciting, yeah?
Yeah, definitely – the Tirk thing is actually an original production called Fantasy Lines by Arcade Lover; that’s Dan Balis from Escort with Lisa Shaw on vocals, and myself on a groovy odyssey onboard flight AL001. The release on Tiny Sticks is a remix I did for Mock & Toof of their song Black Jub, which was a lot of fun to do because of the original song’s hyper, non-stop clavinet line which really keeps the whole thing moving.
Speaking of remixes, I saw on djhistory.com that there is a bit of contention over a remix of Miura that’s doing the rounds: ”... an updated Metro Area,” to quote a few retail websites; what are your views on bootlegging?
I think it’s the lowest form of musical product in an already messed-up market, and I can’t think of many situations in which I’d personally buy or play a boot over, or in addition to the original. There are RARE cases, like if there’s an edit which is exceptional and successfully brings a particular aspect of an obscure piece of music to an entirely new context from where it was found originally.
With a downturn in vinyl sales and the perception kids are scouring blogs for fresh tracks and illegal remixes – which is a big issue in Australia – do you feel the pinch of this in the US or with your European sales?
Digitally distributing mash-ups and illegal mixes is totally fine with me, but they should be kept out of every imaginable avenue of commerce, and the makers should never be allowed to sell them unless they themselves are required to pay a license or percentage of royalty for usage of the original material. If record buyers find something really great at the store (online or physical) I think they’ll buy it, I don’t think that where people get stuff is the issue.
How you do feel about the digital age? Is Environ, or other labels you’re affiliated with, looking at long term returns with digital downloads?
Not really, unless the business model changes – labels (and thus, artists) don’t make very much that way – but then I really think the future of money-making in the music business will eventually be in owning the copyrights to pieces of work, not so much in their distribution, unless there’s some renewed interest in a physical product of some sort. This requires some letting go which I think is really difficult. I can feel the pinch as an artist and producer, not even being involved in the label or sales side of the biz. I can tell you that there have been a great deal of closures over here – of distributors, record stores, even our pressing plant which Morgan had been dealing with for years closed down.
And I have to ask: with so many people into production at the moment, what software and/or hardware are you using to make music?
We use all hardware instruments and devices (analog and vintage digital synths and boxes, traditional instruments and mics) for playing/recording, and mostly hardware for effects, though some plug-ins are used. MOTU Digital Performer 4.61 on a G4 is our DAW, which we use for editing, mixing, EQ and dynamics.
What are you really excited about in the production realm?
Production-wise, I’m interested in learning more about recording with mics, and the mixing and layering of acoustic and electronic sources to create weird, new sounds.
As a producer that so many people look up to, what advice can you impart with regard to production and the confidence to get tracks out there?
Thank you! I would say take some time to play around, have fun, find your own musical personality and style; see if you can put down what you hear in your head. I think as you practice you’ll find that both your ability to do that, and your ideas themselves develop. There’s no real rush to put something out, and everybody has their own timeline and their own challenges. It took me about 4 years of consistent practice before I put out my first record, and even then it would be another 6 years before Metro Area did its first record, and so on. I still feel like I’m only beginning – I think music production is a life-long endeavor.
Production aside, what can we expect from your DJ sets down under?
I try my best to play dynamic sets of old and new dance music, keeping the vibe spanking, energetic and sweet – lots of old underground disco and RnB, some deep house and techno, some Italo and random old imports, some new productions and/or mixes from myself and friends.
You’ve graced the decks at some of our finest parties, are you excited about coming back to Australia?
Yeah, absolutely! My last time there was a blast and there have been some really great nights on previous trips over as well, so definitely.
Check out Darshan doing the disco thang’ at the following shows!
Dec 1 – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
Dec 2 – Cut The Rug at The Loft, Sydney
Dec 7 – Secret Show, Sydney
Dec 8 – Revolver, Melbourne
