PERC interview
...just did this with Ali Wells over the past few days.
You’ve been making tunes for around 10 years, right? Was your first record ‘I Make Nuclear‘ on Easy Access? Kick me if I’m wrong – but if I’m right, what do you think of it now, with the benefit of hindsight?
“I’ve been messing around with drum machines and effects pedals since I was 16, so a bit more than 10 years. I’m still quite proud of ‘I Make Nuclear’. As a statement for a debut release it set out my sound well and the title still pleases me. Due to some dull contractual issues it’s not available digitally and maybe that makes it a bit more special. Whilst I am proud of that track, the B-side (’Trailer Perc Trash’) and a lot of my other early releases make me cringe a bit when I hear them now.”
How do you feel electronic/dance music itself has changed over the past decade?
“Wow, big question. It has changed in every possible way. Formats, distributors, labels and complete methods of selling have all come and gone. I’ve said this before but the death of the record shop as the hub of a town or city’s techno/house scene is a blow that a million forums and Twitter feeds cannot replace.
“The Internet makes it easier to track down an elusive track but it also leads to a homogenization of scenes. A track can blow up through the blogs and will get played in every major city in the world within hours, eroding the individuality of different national and regional scenes.”
Here’s the mandatory inane question: If you were pressed into a corner and forced to confess under great duress, how would you define the sounds/styles you’re currently making?
“Droney, industrial-tinged techno. A mixture of 4/4 and broken beat stuff – hopefully moving forward with the knowledge of the past assisting me. If any purists get pissed off along the way then that’s a definite bonus.”
What on earth keeps you motivated after so long working in this biz, and what do you foresee happening with the music we care about in 2011?
“As long as the music keeps exciting me then my passion will remain. I enjoy helping and watching artists grow from their first digital releases to them releasing on bigger labels and playing bigger and better gigs. That is why there has been a conscious decision recently with Perc Trax to work with a smaller pool of artists rather than releasing an endless stream of unconnected releases. Then the label will have a stronger identity and more time can be spent helping each artist grow at their own pace.
“I think 2011 is quite a crucial year for techno – there are a number of key debut albums coming that could be the making of their producers. On the down side I’m also starting to notice a glut of techno badly copied from Berghain/Ostgut style records. This will either make that sound stagnate or mutate, hopefully the latter. These are the people that were making minimal a few years ago, then switched to looped-up tool house for a while. Whilst these bandwagon jumpers do not bother me personally, they can make a once vibrant sound date and become old very quickly.”
What gear/software are you making most use of in the studio at the moment?
“The studio is based around Ableton 8 with a few key bits of hardware. Jomox MBase 11, Doepfer Dark Energy, Ekdahl Moisturizer, Boss DR55, Boss RE-20, etc. Monitors are Adam A7s with an Adam sub. Max for Live will be the next thing for me, but I’m waiting until my album is finished before installing it.”
Which part of your studio is the most vital facet?
“I have a wooden dining table that I’ve had all my equipment on for a good 10 years. It moves with me everywhere and is really the only constant in my studio. It’s solid and dependable, unlike a lot of studio equipment.”
Which current crop of artists and labels are grabbing your attention, and why so?
“Firstly I am continually amazed by what the current crop of Perc Trax artists are producing: Sawf, Forward Strategy Group, Donor/Truss plus a few newcomers that will be revealed soon. Outside of my label then it is a mix of old and new: Ancient Methods, Regis, Silent Servant, Adam X, Robert Hood, Sigha, Surgeon, Tommy Four Seven, Milton Bradley. Bas Mooy, Radial, Go Hiyama and the rest of the Audio Assault crew are always on form; if they were from Berlin and added some tape noise to their tracks they would be huge! CLR and Stroboscopic [Artefacts] are big labels for me and it is great to be involved with them – both seem to be developing their sound with every release. Finally Lucretio and the rest of the Restoration Records artists are pretty unique and along with Kassem Mosse they make the kind of house I like, messy & jackin’.”
In your RA mix in December you threw in Throbbing Gristle’s ‘Industrial Introduction’, Cabaret Voltaire’s ‘Automotivation 2′, and the Fred Gianelli remix of Chris & Cosey’s ‘Telepathic Exotika’. I’m a huge fan of all these people (I did my uni thesis on T.G. and the Cabs for their industrial music output in the ’70s). How do you feel about them?
“For me these guys pretty much started everything. They pioneered rhythmic machine-based music which would later evolve into house and techno when ecstasy came along. For me T.G., C.V., etc, present a gritty aesthetic which is the reverse of Kraftwerk’s clinical electronics. Whilst some of this was imposed on them by the equipment they could afford, it is a sound that to me still sounds dangerous and alternative to this day.
“I once spent an afternoon in a pub in London talking to Mal (Stephen Mallinder) from Cabaret Voltaire and the way he told it C.V. seemed to strike a perfect balance between a pre-prepared musical manifesto and a series of happy accidents in the studio. To me that’s very inspiring.”
Current movers and shakers like Traversable Wormhole, Surgeon and Bas Mooy also shape that RA mix.
“They all have a part to play techno. They have earned respect for sticking to their guns and doing what they believe in, no matter what the trends of the day dictate. That, for me, means a lot.”
What’s happening with Perc Trax, and what plans do you have for the label this year? More to the point, how has it shaped up since you first started the outlet seven years ago?
“This year the label moves more seriously into album territory with Sawf and myself both serving up our first albums. There will be vinyl singles from the core artists – Forward Strategy Group, Donor/Truss, Sawf and myself. The only guest producer with a vinyl release on the schedule is Samuli Kemppi, and of course there are some surprise remixers on the way as well. On the digital side of things Jeff Derringer’s second EP is due soon and I’d expect to see more from Hans Bouffmyhre and BCR Boys coming later this year.
“I’m always looking into new ways of doing things such as merchandise, direct selling, club nights, etc. Some of these things work out and become part of the label’s future; others come and go without anyone really noticing. The label’s sound is more focused than when it began but I still feel Perc Trax can accommodate a wide range of sounds and rhythms. A track for Perc Trax has to fit within a certain aesthetic that exists in my head. The track could be house, techno, drum & bass or whatever – it just needs to have a certain vibe and atmosphere to it.”
You’ve done some killer vinyl recently for Perc Trax, CLR, Stroboscopic Artefacts and Ovum – what’s your relationship like with these labels (aside from Perc Trax, obviously), and do they set any parameters or do you have open slather?
“I’ve been with CLR the longest of all these labels, with ‘Antifunk‘ being my third release for them. My CLR releases map out the development of my sound over the last few years and my relationship with them is goes from strength to strength. I’m playing more showcase gigs with CLR this year, so it will be great to see Chris [Liebing], Tommy [Four Seven] and the rest a bit more.
“Stroboscopic actively encourage experimentation and I think the worst thing any new producer could do when sending a demo to Lucy is to copy the current releases on S.A. People forget that the tracks a label is currently releasing might have been written six to nine months ago, so churning out an inferior copy of that sound is pointless. Making something that is relevant and compatible to the labels sound but is also something different is the only way to get a label’s attention. It will be interesting to see where the S.A. sound goes this year.
“Finally, I’m very proud of my Ovum release and how it did but it is a bit of an anomaly when put against Ovum’s other recent releases. That said, I gigged quite a lot with Josh Wink in the summer of 2010 and had a great time. Nothing more is planned for me Ovum at the moment, but you never know what the future holds.”
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