Too progressive for the prog fans, but not housey enough for the house heads. What’s Canadian DJ/producer Luke Fair to do? Nothing! He’s happy to find a balance between the two. “House people call it progressive, and true prog people call it house, so progressive house works for me!”
A favourite of Australian clubbers following his critically acclaimed ‘Balance 011’ mix in 2007, Fair is heading back this August to bring our dancefloors up to date. He’s been focusing his attentions on reigniting his production spark lately, finding inspiration in Ben Watt’s much-admired Buzzin’ Fly label.
If you’re a fan of four to the four club music that’s well planned and expertly executed, be sure to give Fair a run. Chances are you won’t hear anything you know, but you’ll definitely hear something you like.
The last time we saw you in Australia was a little over a year ago, and there was a lot of hype around you at the time because you’d just put out a ‘Balance’ CD. Tell me a little bit about what you’ve been up to since?
I’ve been doing lots of touring and getting back into production. I’ve had some great shows in really unexpected places, like Beirut and Morocco. I just finished my first remix in years, and have a couple more tunes nearly done. The remix is coming out on Witty Tunes, and the track is called ‘Coast to Coast’ by Solila. I’m also working on a bootleg of an old Kathy Brown track from Defected. I had actually taken off most of January and February to work on production. Things went well, then I got a nasty computer virus that wiped out nearly everything! It was partially my own fault for not backing up properly, though. I had just gotten a new computer so I didn’t really think of getting a virus, but of course I ended up getting one. Anyways, I’m back up and running now and happy with how things are going. I’ve got a few new toys as well – Virus TI and Nord Wave synths – that are helping with the inspiration.
A few years ago you set up your own record label, but things seem to have gone pretty quiet with it. How is it operating a label in the current environment?
The label is done, after a single release! I was shamefully really lazy with it, and I have a terrible business sense. I’ve since joined Discoteca, though, a label run by myself, Dana Bergquist, Tom Morgan, Erik Molthe and Somnus Corp. My initial reaction was that it would be too many cooks in the kitchen, but it’s actually going really well. Basically we all vote on whether or not a track makes the cut, which ups the quality control, I’d like to think. We also have a lot of contacts collectively, so finding music is fairly easy. It’s been a lot of fun and we have loads of great and diverse releases coming up.
Listening to your sets over the years, and to some of your recent ones too, one of the biggest things that stands out is that you’re not an anthem basher. Your sets really are comprised of tracks that most of your punters won’t know.
I’ve never really been big on the anthems. For me, I love to go out to a club and not recognise a single track. A lot of people prefer the opposite, but I try and cater to the like minded people. It definitely takes a lot of time, as I have to spend most of my days searching for music online, but I feel it’s worth it. All of my most memorable nights out have been where I’ve heard completely fresh music, and turned onto sounds that I normally might not listen to. The most recent was Ben Watt at WMC in Miami this year. The music that night was incredible, and a true feast for the ears!
You’re also a DJ who’s very focused on pacing your sets in a delicate and subtle fashion so that it paints a bigger picture. You’d think that would go without saying, but there aren’t that many DJs that do it that way.
I definitely put a lot of thought into each night I play at. Trying to find that balance of playing for yourself and playing for the crowd can be tough. Sometimes sets have backfired, sometimes they’ve gone amazingly well. But it’s all about constantly learning from each show. You are right, though, there are more and more DJs out there who just seem to be playing random tracks. I’ve seen this a lot lately, with DJs using strictly Ableton, and not doing anything creative with it. It almost becomes a jukebox. It makes the mixing way too easy which takes out a lot of thought, like knowing which tracks work well together and having to know the records inside and out. That being said, there are a lot of people using it and doing some amazing things that haven’t been done before. That’s cool, but using it just to replace mixing is lazy.
Earlier in your career you were tagged by many as a progressive DJ, whether that was really accurate or not. It probably had a lot to do with how much support you got from the Bedrock label. But I think in a sense it suits you because the term ‘progressive’ has come to mean an eclectic approach to underground house.
I don’t mind being labeled a progressive DJ at all. I think there have been about 30 different definitions of the word, in terms of the musical style it represents. I’ve always seen ‘progressive’ as that more eclectic type of house you mentioned. House people call it progressive, and true prog people call it house, so progressive house works for me!
What’s doing it for you in house music at the moment? The minimal tech sound has obviously had such a huge impact, has it featured in your sets or are you still very much playing music with melody and warmth?
I’ve really been re-inspired lately, as the quality of music out there right now is as high as it’s ever been. I was never into the full on minimal stuff, which made searching for music very frustrating even a year ago. There’s a lot of great stuff out there right now that straddles so many genres. Chymera is probably my favorite producer at the moment. He’s a true musical genius. Ben Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly label is really consistent too. A lot of it is pretty deep, so it’s rare that I get to play for a crowd that’s into that, but when it happens those are usually my favorite nights. Dana Bergquist has been making some amazing music as well. I basically play everything he gives me!
We’re talking because you’ll be back in Australia soon, but in a bit of a different context. Generally you’ve played club shows, but this time you’ll be one of the headliners at the Freedom Festival in Sydney. How do you usually adjust your sets when playing big shows like this?
There’s usually wider range of music fans there, as opposed to smaller clubs, so you have to keep things a little more accessible and turn the energy level of the music up a bit. It’s also best to leave the deeper stuff at home, unless you’re playing early!
Luke Fair plays shows in Australia this weekend:
Fri Aug 22 – Darkbeat, Melbourne – w/ Steve Porter
Sat Aug 23 – Freedom Festival, Sydney
Sat Aug 23 – Chinese Laundry, Sydney
Cozza007 says...
good interview. really looking forward to the weekend. he's made some amazing mixes as of late!
jamie_stevens says...
luke rules. that is all.
hanky says...
Luke Fair is being inspired by Ben Watt? This can only mean good things for Fair's sound!