Three years after he emerged on Soma Records as one of Scotland’s mostly hotly tipped new stars, minimal tech-type Alex Smoke is going it alone, setting up his own label Hum & Haw in between fielding commissions from the Scottish Ensemble Orchestra to compose them a piece of pure orchestral music. “Am I happy to be associated with minimal techno? Yeah, because you can’t afford to get too wanky about how you’re described in this business; all that ‘I don’t think that’s really recognising my depth as a social-commentator and poet of the people’. I’m easy with all those terms really. It doesn’t bother me if I’m not really that minimal or whatever.”
Recently producing an experimental hip-hop album with Non from The Shadowhuntaz (under the pseudonym Fool), he’s also leaving on a career high with a clear vision of what the label will be about. “I really want to avoid putting out too many things I’m not happy with,” he says. ”I’ve done it in the past and it’s a shite feeling.” He also admits he’s not worried about the chaos affecting major and minor labels throughout the music industry, with his reasons for setting up Hum & Haw (with former Soma staffer Jim Hutchison) simple. “It’s all about the same things it always has been; creative freedom and control,” says Alex. “The money situation’s not great with labels at the moment but the creative aspect is as exciting as it ever was. It means we can have it looking right, presented right and going in any direction we feel, as well as sounding exactly as we want it. It also means I can put out weird shit that no other label wants,” he laughs.
The debut label EP Vaporub came out in February, and it’s certain to appeal to Alex’s substantial pool of fans with vinyl and digital evangelists equally considered. “We’ll be doing limited vinyl runs for those that like a solid product and a nice sleeve- which includes me,” he laughs. “Playing vinyl is still the only way to prove that you care. As for digital, there’ll be an ongoing free digital release schedule for things that I finish but that aren’t getting a release. We’ll probably just put them up on the website which should be online any day.” He’s also confident he’ll avoid label/artist confrontations such as those that Omid 16B encountered when running his own label, which included one artist demanding he fix their washing machine when it broke one night. “I dare anyone to ask me to do their plumbing,” he chuckles. “I’d wire the toaster to the shower and put taps in their oven. To start with a lot of the music is me or Jim anyways, so we don’t have too many artiste liaison issues; but I’m getting Jim to throw petals in my bath every morning.”
Skrufff: Writing on your MySpace page in October you said ‘bit slow on the MySpace front recently, have been procrastinating’. How easy is it to stay focused and to work flat out constantly; is burnout an issue concern?
Alex Smoke: MySpace is a separate entity really; I get communication burn-out. I just have to avoid email and MySpace for a bit. The main stresses for me are everything but music; ie dealing with artwork, seminars, email, odd jobs. I don’t gig as hard as some other musicians either, I like to take a regular weekend off here or there.
Skrufff: How about creativity; is it about flashes of inspiration for your best tracks or can you grind them out?
Alex Smoke: It’s all about flashes of inspiration really. I work all the time but it’s only for short periods of time that you’re in exactly the right frame of mind and the ideas are coming clear and good. Also, the other things that are taking up time away from music start to eat into your creative periods so you have to remember to leave time to do nothing.
Skrufff: Why did you decide to compose an orchestral piece for the Scottish ensemble orchestra? How easy was it?
Alex Smoke: It was a commission from the Arts Council and for someone that wants to be involved in composition, film and mixing genres it’s a dream job. It was definitely the most satisfying thing I’ve done. It was scary though too because they’re really world-class and I don’t want to make a fool of myself.
Skrufff: How much do you stay a clean-living lad?
Alex Smoke: Ha, I’m getting cleaner living by the second. I might’ve accidentally taken a little LSD in Japan and gone looking for glow in the dark insects in the bushes, but basically I’m a paragon of saintly abstinence.
Skrufff: The last time we chatted you said you always get showered with compliments and feared turning into a wanker; how much does it remain a concern?
Alex Smoke: Ha… hmmm… I don’t remember putting it quite like that! But yeah I think I found it disconcerting. I don’t think I’m any wankier though.
Skrufff: How sensitive are you to criticism; have you read or heard anything that’s hurt?
Alex Smoke: Yeah sometimes it gets to you a wee bit, but a lot of the time what hurts is when you think they have a point and you’ve let yourself down. Ironically one of the things which still bothers me is the last interview I did with you when I said there were ‘too many wankers’ in London! I really don’t even think that but you say something with maybe two people in mind, and on paper you just think “fuck that sounds a bit much.”
Skrufff: You studied aquatic bio-science at University. How worried are you about global warming? Do you have any concerns about your carbon imprint as a globe-trotting DJ?
Alex Smoke: Yeah it does definitely bothers me that I’m flying so much for my living. It’s a bit shite to consider yourself socially-aware, then fly to Europe every week, but it’s how I earn my living so the best I can do is give to Friends Of The Earth and do what I can elsewhere. A lot of those carbon-neutral companies are a bit shady though, they’re pure commercial concerns; you’re better off giving to an environmental charity. I’d like to get to a stage where I’m not so reliant on touring to earn my living; or walking to gigs.
Alex Smoke returns to Australia for a live tour over the coming weeks, check out ITM Whatson for more info:
Apr 24 – Minimal Fuss, Sydney
Apr 26 – Blow Your Own Way, Melbourne
May 2 – Empire, Brisbane
May 3 – Lost Baggage, Sydney
Get into the mood for Alex Smoke’s tour with this clip of him performing alongside Apparat and Troy Pearce at last year’s Melt Festival:
JackT says...
I was there for that Apparat Melt Festival show. Woooo! Alex Smoke played a brilliant solo set. Can't wait for the tour
soma says...
And here's a taste of what went down last tour, Alex Smoke LIVE @ Blow Your Own Way, Melbourne (January 2007)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZo9GrJvJSQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZSPS98zjdw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdzpREYWHQI