Like promised some days ago, the time would come for some of the artists featured on the Metalectro blog and MixTapes to give us some answers and explain themselves. Today this time has finally come!
The first artist interviewed is 1inoleum, an artist that has been featured on the blog a few times with his Metalectro tracks. 1inoleum is a Sydney based producer with a few releases already, some of them being a rmx of DJ Tuco’s “Disco Kicks”, a rmx of Nick Cenic’s “Substance D” and recently a remix of Francis “Warning”. The last few months he has shown a particular interest in the Metalectro genre, with banging remixes of tracks originally from NEUS, Dj Antention, Underoath, and Noize Generation amongst others. So, let’s talk to him a bit !
01. Hi Julien! You’ve been rocking the Metalectro blog for a while now, how are you lately? Are you working on something and how is this going?
Hey Zak ! Thanks for this interview ! I just moved in a new house, and everyday I can hear this lovely piano sound from the other side of the road. So for 2011 I’m just gonna try to compete with this piano player by sending him back some distorted frequencies. He’s inspiring me, I’ll be inspiring him. That’s love.
02. As you know you grabbed our attention with your Noize Generation “Monster” Rmx. Was this the first Metalectro track you ever did? How did you come up with the idea?
Not the first actually, I first tried this style with the NEUS – Blast remix. I though it sounded cool so I continued exploring this genre. I think it’s all about the original material. With original tracks like Underoath – Illuminator, or Noize Generation – Monster, the remix got to be violent. I think the lesson here is to choose wisely your sample material cause that directly influences the outcome.
03. What would you say is your biggest achievement/highlight so far? Tell us about it
My Underoath – Illuminator remix. I did it in about 5 or 6 hours, using both Maschine (for the instrument tracks) and Ableton live (for warping the vocal track). The longer you take to make a track, the harder it gets to finish it. I know people doing a track in an hour. I know they have a different approach and a different way to do their stuff, but still I envy them. Cause if you finish quickly you can have a rest and watch family guy or something.
04. What are your influences/music background? Have you ever played in a metal band?
Got about 200 GB of music, everything bought on iTunes of course (not)… So I really listen to everything. I like listening to movie soundtracks. It’s not instant gratification, as you don’t launch the track and wanna dance, but it’s all about nuances and variations. I also listen to rock/punk rock/metal stuff. Sometimes, I’m kind of sick of how all the drums in electronic music are all made on the same structure. Four on the floor is great for clubs but at home you always have this pumping effect and a break from that is definitely needed ! Rock music is much warmer because it’s less compressed, not quantized and with a less repetitive structure.
I used to play guitar and I had a shitty punk rock band back in high school, that was fun and I remember the drummer was really taking a lot of care of his hair. One day he called and said he couldn’t come to practice, because he had to go to the hair dresser.
05. Are you more of a metal or an electro person?
None… It really depends on the weather and if I had sex last night. Usually I prefer lyrics form punk rock albums. In metal they always complain, and in electro they have nothing to say.
06. Do you prefer working only with computers/sequencers or do you get your hands dirty playing and recording instruments? Do you use samples and what’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?
Wow that’s actually a lot of questions, that could be asked for an essay in uni.
I forgot who said that but I’m gonna quote this person : “all artists that do electronic music are basically geeks, because they spend most of their time in front of a computer, surrounded by blinking electronic devices”. That was something like that, I’m not sure, but it’s well said. I try sometimes to play my old guitar but that’s too hard.
As for sampling, it’s the best. Actually, everything on my soundcloud page is sampled. I have some synths (operator, analogue, from Live suite) but I never use them. It’s cool cause the sample material gives you limits in which you have to work. I prefer the challenge of transforming a sample into something totally different, than creating a sound from scratch. For copyright stuff, I check youtube and Who Sampled who (whosampled.com) and wonder…
07. So, what is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing? What do you think about popular/chart music?
Music, it’s just entertainment. You can put feelings, politics, whatever you like in it. But at the end you’ve got to entertain if you want your message to be heard.
Popular/chart music, it’s all bullshit. I like lady gaga music, but I don’t think she deserves that much presence in the entertainment media for example. You only hear about the 10 same artists, wtf ?
I will obviously instantaneously change my point of view if I do enter the top 10 chart somewhere 🙂
08. Are you signed with any record label? Any future plans? (live shows, release, remix etc)
Not signed yet, hopefully release an original track in the first semester of 2011, while continuing to do remixes. All my stuff is here: www.soundcloud.com/1ino1eum . So far it’s a lot of fun.
09. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
I surf on soundcloud and discover unknown talents. I check my new followers on soundcloud, and if I like their music, I follow them back. Simple as that, and there is some really good stuff, even from total beginners, really promising.
10. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
Metalectro is a new blog that keeps on delivering. Well written, updated frequently, with great choice of music. I’m happy to watch it grow.
11. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
Thank you Zak ! 😉
1ino1eum