This week we interviewed Q.G. (aka Quentin Gauthier), a name that has been featured on the blog a few times with his tracks. Born in France and with a few releases out there already he’s been making quite some noise, especially the last few months with some pretty stunning tracks. Signed with Dga Fau Records, he is now getting ready for the release of his new EP “Razor” and here we are talking to him and hoping to find out what else he’s planning for the near future. So…
This week i interviewed Waxdolls, our Spotlight artist of the month and a name that has been featured on the blog a few times with their tracks and videos. Waxdolls are based in Ghent, Belgium and with a few releases out already they’ve been making quite some noise! Signed on Sputnik, Waxdolls just finished their “Dingeling King” EP and like most of you, I hope and will try to find out what else they are planning and what else we should expect by them in the near future. So…
Wim will be answering the questions, as Lieven is on a trip to France.
01. Hi guys! Would you mind introducing Waxdolls?
Waxdolls is an electronic live band, with members Wim Slabbinck and Lieven Dermul founded in 2007. In 2009 we released our first longplayer, “High Speed Killer Ride” on Sputnik/PIAS, recorded in Temple Studios Malta. After the LP, we made a lot of remixes for other artists (Shameboy, Black Box Revelation, Aerotronic, Wallace Vanborn…)
We used to play both in an indie rock band during high school. Afterwards we both went our own way, Lieven started studying at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, I studied Sexology. Back in the days, I used to be a drummer, but bought me some synths and workstations, as did Lieven. After a few years, we spent a few days making music and it was so much fun that we decided that we should make music together again.
02. You grabbed our attention with your tracks “Favorite Girl” and “Spoiled Rich Bitches” from the “High Speed Killer Ride” LP. An album that had a very characteristic “rock influenced” sound, what was the feedback you got for it?
Overall it was very good. A lot of gigs in Belgium followed (Dour, Pukkelpop, 10 Days Off, Laundry Day…) Due to extensive blogging in foreign countries, we managed to attract a lot of foreign fans and some touring, mainly in France, but also in Portugal, Germany, Austria and so on.
03.What are your influences/music backgrounds and what or who might have played a role in shaping your sound?
Evidently, we listened a lot to Soulwax in those days. They are also from Ghent and are always a big inspiration for us. Besides that, we also liked a lot of electronic dance acts such as The Faint, Infadels, Does It Make You Offend, Yeah?, Kap Bambino, and so on. What we liked about those bands live is that they are all able to transform electronic music to something dynamic on stage. Actually we were both mainly into rock music but somehow we ended up producing electronic music. You can still hear that background on the LP, especially on songs like “Favorite Girl”, “Epsilon”, “High Speed Killer Ride”, “System Crash”, “15 Minutes”.
04. Apparently you’ve done quite a few videos. If I’m not mistaken, 3 for “High Speed Killer Ride” and one for “Dingeling King” and you’ve been in all of them. What was the experience of participating in making those videos like? Surely “Dingeling King” looks like it was fun…
Actually, we did not appear in our first video “Chips”, but we did in all the rest. We always try to do something extra that suits the track. We put a lot of time in preparing our clips, we love to make ’em (especially the “Spoiled Rich Bitches” and “Dingeling King” clip). With “Dingeling King” it surely was a lot of fun shooting it, especially for Lieven 🙂 Staying a whole day with a bunch of nice chicks in a club on a Sunday afternoon… There are worse things than that.
05. Speaking about the videos, which school is the one in “Chips”? I bet many of the readers would like to know and personally I would love to enroll for next year. Seriously now, what happened with the “Dingeling King” video and the censorship problems? Is there an uncensored version out as well?
Long story… To start: we made a censored cut for youtube and an uncensored cut for our own website. Only 2 hours after uploading the censored version to YouTube, it was banned due to explicit images and sexual content. We kept the nudity as much as possible out of the clip (believe me, it was hard) but the sexual insinuations were apparently the major hurdle for YouTube. Of course, the press loved the story, and it was on all big press sites here in Belgium, as in the papers and so on… Promotionally speaking, this was bulls eye but the fact that we were actually making a parody on all those typical american-style hip-hopclips was left a bit behind.
06. Speaking about “Dingeling King”, you collaborated with Gloria on the vocals, how was that as an experience and are you happy with the result? If you could pick anyone to collaborate with, whom would you pick?
Well, she did a great job on the track and we will work with her again. She’s also featuring now in our new live show this summer, we already had some shows with her already (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmw4Ks6LmsQ)
Personally, I would love to work with Kelis. She’s such a great artist and a great musical inspiration (Wim). Or the lads from Simian Mobile Disco, I wouldn’t say no to that!
07. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far?
This interview! No, serious? I think, playing before Digitalism at Ancienne Belgique, playing before Squarepusher at Pukkelpop, closing down Dour Festival and headlining some festivals in France.
08. 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?
We do both. Mainly, we start off on computers/sequences, but when we go to recording mode, we go analog most of the time. Regarding samples: actually, on whole the “High Speed Killer Ride” album there is not one sample from another artist. We made and make all our sounds ourselves.
09. If your studio was on fire what would be the first thing to save?
Wim: Backups, backups, backups! After that, the monitors, my teisco 60-F, after that: my record collection.
Lieven: Ms 20, monitors, and my coffee machine!
10. The best and worst thing about working with each other?
Wim->Lieven: Best: very good in chords and voice recording, worst: I am his alarm clock
Lieven->wim: Good in giving interviews while I am on a trip, getting things done…
11. I know you guys are big fans or “real mayonnaise” and like you dinners served with plenty of it. What’s your favorite mayonnaise?
Actually that’s the preference of a mixer of ours. I hate mayonnaise!! (Wim)
12. What is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?
Music means freedom for me. I can totally relax while listening to music, but I can also go totally wild.
Regarding the music industry, it’s a shame that young people think music is free now, or should be. I still like to buy cd’s or go to a store and find those special albums that stand out and can make your day. It means some much more than just clicking on a torrent or going to mediafire to get a song.
On the other hand, the industry has been way too slow in coming up with alternatives for the challenges that lied ahead. But bands are becoming more and more independent and with the social media, you can reach your fans instantly, you can do your own promotion, give your band a face without a big commercial promotion campaign.
13. What do you think about today’s mainstream music?
I don’t listen regularly to mainstream music. I don’t really care about it. We are doing our own thing and are not interested in what’s hot or not.
14. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
Well, we do. It’s not easy all the time, especially as the income of bands depend more and more of their live shows, so you have to be able to make a difference there, why people would want to see your band live. We try to give some extras to the audience during the live shows to get them more thrilled.
15. You’ve been playing more than a few live shows, any interesting backstage or on-stage stories to share with us? If you could pick any artist to share the stage with whom would you pick?
Well, one of the funniest things happened on Euromillions Roofs Festival 2008. It was a line up with us, Chromeo, Fedde le Grand and some other chaps. After the show, we started boozing and at a certain moment, my ex-girlfriend asked me to sit down next to her. When I sat down, I felt something soft and juicy under my ass. Seemed that it was the birthday cake for Fedde Le Grand. The organisation was panicking, I told them to relax and half an hour later I was eating the cake with Fedde next to me. Afterwards we crashed at Chromeo’s hotel room. Funny night!
16. You’re currently waiting for the release of the “Dingeling King” EP. Who is going to be remixing the track and should we expect to listen to another Waxdolls release this year? Give the readers something to look forward to…
The remixers are Shameboy, Zombeez and Wasabi, and a special version by ourselves. It will be released in a week or so. Dingeling King has already been released in May.
We are currently working on a new album. We don’t know when it’s going to be released, probably at the beginning of 2012 or something like that. In the meantime, you can check the dj set set we did for Studio Brussels here: http://soundcloud.com/waxdolls/waxdolls-kills-your
17. Any other plans for 2011? (live shows, releases, videos, remixes etc)`
Probably some more remixes and a new single in autumn or winter 2012 with videoclip off course :-). Summer of 2012 will be filled with touring!
18. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
According to my last.fm stats, these are my top artists for the moment: Siriusmo, the new cd of SebastiAn, Hot Chip and Simian Mobile Disco. I recommend them all!
19. What do you like to do when not in the studio producing music?
We often go out to grab a drink here in Ghent, attend some concerts. Checking out new musical stuff and having sex of course.
20. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
I often check it to find out about upcoming artists. It’s becoming a reference for electro music.
21. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
….
This week i interviewed Liberty!, a name that has been featured on the blog a few times with their tracks. Liberty! are based in Los Angeles and with a few tracks out there already they’ve been making quite some noise! The last few months especially, they seem to be taking things to the next level with some stunning original tracks and remixes. The duo form LA, is currently working on their debut EP and like most of you, I hope and will try to find out what else we should expect by them in the near future. So…
01. Hi guys! Would you mind introducing Liberty!?
Dan: Hello there…
Jeremy: Hi!
02. You grabbed our attention with your remix on Justice’s “Stress” at first and then came the remix on Vindata’s “Nightsky” which had a huge success as well. Would you say “Nightsky” played some role in Liberty!’s development as your first released track and what was the feedback you got for that remix?
The “Night Sky” remix definitely was the boost we needed and we were flattered with the amazing response we received from it! It was our first label release (Noise Porn Records) and was featured as a “Beatport must hear track” charting in the top 100. That was the moment we realized the potential career we could make for ourselves… from then on we have been staring at this damn computer working on music nonstop… we have A LOT of music that is coming out, we’ll elaborate more in a minute!
03. What are your influences/music backgrounds and what or who might have played a role in shaping Liberty’s sound?
Jeremy: I’ve been playing piano for a while now; so i’d say my greatest influences are Bach & Mozart (sorry if i sound like a douche haha). I’m also very influenced by BBr & Danger. If i were to pick an artist that may have shaped Liberty!’s sound, I’d say it would definitely be Danger. His idea of giving his songs a storyline (as well as all his songs being amazing) basically said, “you need to do this.” Lets be real, Skrillex is also an influence. That guy walked in and changed everything.
Dan: My influences come from all types of music… from industrial metal to classical as well. BUT, if I had to choose 5 main influences they would be: Nine Inch Nails, Danger, Boys Noize, Sebastian, & yes, Skrillex. If there’s anyone I look up to the most, it would be Trent Reznor of NIN. In my opinion he is the GOD of production.
04. You have been doing quite a few remixes as well as original tracks. Do you prefer writing original tracks or remixing and why?
We really have no personal preference between remixing and writing originals. We honestly just love writing. Regardless of how it may be.
05. Apparently you are also involved in a record label if I’m not mistaken? Would you like to tell us a few things about it?
Dan: Myself, and our manager Mike, started a record label a short while back, “Solfege Records”. We plan on that being Liberty!’s home label for most of our original releases, but Liberty! is not strictly exclusive to it. It’s just nice to have the freedom to put out your music with complete control over the release. I’m currently building up a small roster of talented undiscovered artists, so don’t hesitate to send me or my partner Mike a submission! Solfegerecords@gmail.com
06. Speaking about non-Liberty! activities, are you involved in any other projects or do you produce music only as Liberty!?
We both have our solo projects. Jeremy has My Teddy Eats Children and Dan has The Executive. Right now, those projects are in our back pockets. We’ve both decided to give 100% of our effort to Liberty!; and then maybe start working on our solo projects again. Safe to say, you won’t be hearing from Teddy and The Executive for a while.
07. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far? (Personal or as Liberty!)
The great success of “Middle Fingers Up” really excited us. We had no idea that song would have such an impact, especially with it being our first original release.
08. Back to your sounds, I will assume you’ve had your share of rock/metal music in the past. Did you ever play in a rock/metal band or have you always been into electronic music?
Jeremy: Hahah… I’ve been in too many bands. Both rock and metal. Don’t want to talk about it. I’m embarrassed even thinking about it hahaha. EDM is so much easier. Everybody wants to be the star in bands.
Dan: I played guitar in nu-metal/grunge bands growing up… My love for electronic music didn’t come about till only a couple years ago, but it’s safe to say I prefer creating EDM over rock music any day.
09. 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?
So far we’ve only been using computer/virtual synths, but we’ve definitely thought about incorporating some live instruments in the future. We rarely use samples beyond kicks and snares, but when we do they are for some of those strange glitches we like to throw in the drop. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with sampling as long as it’s done tastefully.
10. If your studio was on fire what would be the first thing to save?
The computer!!! Everything else is replaceable. We both agree that we’d die if we lost all our music.
11. What is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?
Jeremy: Music is the best way i can express my emotions, my imagination, and basically myself. The industry’s changing for the better if you ask me. Everyone’s getting noticed now that were all playing each other’s music. We’re all big fish in the pond now.
Dan: Music is art and the ultimate expression of self. It’s basically the exciting version of math… you can communicate with any living being through music. I love the way the music industry is changing, it’s about time those damn major labels are wiped out! They are the reason commercial radio music is such garbage in America. Right now it’s musical revolution and the freedom to create something original and be heard is back and stronger than ever thanks to the Internet!
12. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
Unless you’re signed to Mau5trap and shoved into the spotlight, it’s pretty impossible to feed yourself from just music sales with file sharing these days… and we’re not complaining about that. We’d rather the world have our music, give it to all their friends and come to our shows! Because shows are how you can make a great living. So in a way, yes!
13. You’ve been playing quite a few live performances and been DJ-ing as well for a while, what’s the most memorable on-stage/backstage moment would you say and why? If you could pick one artist to share the stage with whom would you pick?
Our favorite show to this date was our Denver gig! The crowd there is just amazing! Everybody is there for the music and will go fucking nuts on every drop! Well, the artist you are going to see us billed with quite often on line ups, is our good friends Mr. Skeleton. Liberty! and Mr. Skeleton is definitely a good live pairing, because although we are both hard electro artists, our sets are just different enough to compliment each other greatly.
14. What do you think is the best thing about working with each other and what the worst?
Jeremy: The best thing about working with Dan is that we have this mental link where we’re thinking the same thing. It sounds stupid but I swear it’s true… haha! We both agree on everything musically; and were both talented musicians. I really can’t ask for anything better.
I guess the worst thing about working with Dan is that his apartment is a pain in the ass to drive to with these shitty gas prices.
Dan: Honestly, same answer as Jeremy. We work great together and that’s something very hard to find. I don’t really have anything bad to say… Ask me in about a year of touring.
15. You’re currently working on your debut EP, what should we expect to listen and when? What’s the title of it? Give the readers something to look forward to…
We don’t have an EP of music coming out, instead we decided to spread out our original tracks as singles for the moment. The title of our first single release is “ThunderFist” which features vocals from Whiskey Pete and will have remixes from Trowa and Over The Top. We don’t want to give too much away but we ask that you don’t wear your favorite pair of pants! It’ll be out very soon, stay tuned 😉
16. What other plans do you have for 2011? (live shows, releases, remixes etc)
All of the above! There are honestly too many remixes and originals coming to list… just expect A LOT of music from us this summer and quite a few tour dates lined up soon!
17. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
Jeremy: Well right now my favorite song is “Needle” by Dirtyloud and “Werewolf” by Figure.
Dan: Friday – Rebecca Black has been on my playlist for the past 2 months. The lyrics are just chilling and take me to a special place.
18. What do you like to do when not in the studio producing music?
Jeremy: Simple answer!!! Party and get drunk out of my mind!
Dan: Living in Los Angeles, there’s never a shortage of things to do…
19. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
We love it, big fans of the blog and all the artists metalectro supports!
20. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
I think we’re good! 🙂
This week i interviewed Jay Sauce, runner up with the third place in the “Ghost House Beats” remix competition hosted last month on the Metalectro blog. Jay Sauce, who is based in the UK, saw his tracks “Camera’s Ready” and “Clumsy Bass” recently being released on Saucy TraxRecords and has already produced around 30 tracks, both originals and remixes. He also held a residency for industry giants Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi in Egypt playing 5 nights a week. Jay also has a 3 track EP being released on June 27th with Bone Idle Records. Let’s see what he has to say…
1. Hi Jay! Would you mind introducing yourself?
Hi guys, I’m Jay Sauce, a DJ / Producer / Remixer from the UK and started off dj’ing about 10 years ago in a small bar in Worcester and progressed overseas to Egypt where I spent a fantastic year with Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi playing to some of the best crowds DJ’ing alongside some big international DJs. I’m mostly known for my ‘Funny DJ Trick’ video on YouTube now hitting around 200,000 views and support from Laidback Luke, The Wideboys and many more. Check it out and hope you enjoy the Trick!
2. How long are you doing Jay Sauce and how would you describe your music?
I’ve been producing and remixing for about 3 years now, but only in the past 12 months have I really got my head stuck in the studio to create some new and original material. My music varies as I love to experiment with different styles but I have to admit I am a huge lover of big, wobbly, dirty bassline house and the energetic upbeat style known as Fidget House.
3. You were recently a runner up with the third place in the remix competition for The Hats “Ghost House Beats”. How did you come up with the idea for this remix?
My remix was based upon a bit of UK Garage style percussion and subtle wobble bassline to try and create a simple, yet effective mix. I came up with the idea as I had just been playing a gig in the UK where I played a lot of UK Garage and wanted to try and mix the 2 styles together.
4. You have been doing quite a few remixes, do you prefer writing original tracks or remixing?
This is a question I’ve asked myself many times! Haha. I can never decide because creating your own track from scratch by building the drums, percussion, bassline, leads etc.. and getting great feedback on the finished production is a great feeling as its all your hard work paying off, but remixing is such good fun and a little bit less stressfull as you get given great samples to work with and your imagination can run wild. So in answer to the question im 50/50 haha.
5. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far?
Well, on my soundcloud I have an unofficial bootleg I did of David Guetta – Don’t let me go, mashing up some samples I got from the amazing Vengeance Sounds website and just threw it all together to play at a New Years Eve gig and got a great response to it so I stuck it up for free download on my Soundcloud account and its tallying up some huge numbers on listens and downloads so I think that’s my highlight so far on production.
6. Are you working on any new material at the moment? Do you want to tell us about it?
I’ve always got something new in the pipeline as I tend to start a project then put it to bed for a few weeks then pick it back up again! Haha. But I do have a new track out that’s on my Soundcloud now called Pitch Bend that is a very sub bass driven, fidget house track that I’m hoping will do well as it may be released on my Label (Saucy Trax) this summer.
7. Do you prefer writing original tracks or remixing?
Never played in a metal / rock band before no… But Dire Straits and AC/DC are definitely up there in my top bands selection! My main influences come from some big wobble / fidget house producers like Stupid Fresh, Calvertron, Herve, Micky Slim and all that crowd.
8. 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?
I’m a bit of a geek and just love my iMac studio too much, so its all about the digital sequencers and synthesizers for me. I only really use samples if I’m doing a free bootleg to give-away where as if im doing an original production or remix I like to add in my own sounds I’ve engineered to give it a personal touch, otherwise your stuff can easily start to sound a lot like everyone else. Copyrighting stops a lot of people making a lot easy and cheeky cash so I’m all for it, if a sample from a track I produced got used without permission then its just not fair unless it was for non-profit material of course.
9. Do you ever run out of creative ideas in the studio?
I think every producer has that day where nothing sounds good or something just sounds off and when I get a day like that I sometimes just shut off and go home, but normally a few beers sorts out that problem though haha! The best way to re-spark your creative side is just to slap on a few of your favorite tunes from different music genres and that normally works for me.
10. So, what is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?
Music has always been that escape from normal life for me, no matter what is going on (even if I have a monster hangover), sticking on your headphones and blasting whatever music you love into your head always brings a great feeling. The music industry is nothing what it used to be, nowadays to produce music you only need a few hundred pounds and you have a studio on your computer or mac which is great but I think the music industry as too many people in it if im honest.
11. What do you think about today’s mainstream music?
In todays mainstream music the personal touch is being lost as many producers just use old samples from past big hits and stick a rap over it and new beats to wiggle into the charts.
12. You’ve been DJing for a while and have already played some big clubs. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
Yes if you are lucky / good enough to secure a residency with a venue but freelance DJs must be finding it tough as just like the production industry, the DJ industry is easy to get into now with software programmes running straight from a laptop with most of them giving the option for the “DJ” to literally just select the track and the software does the rest! I started off on 1210’s playing vinyl and back then a DJ was respected and had a following, but now not many people are bothered about who the DJ is in a local club as so many DJs are out there now.
13. Are you signed with any record label? Any future plans? (live shows, releases, remixes, etc)
Well I run my own label called Saucy Trax which is fairly new to the industry and hoping to get it well established by this summer. I recently got signed up to a fantastic Electro / Fidget label called Bone Idle Records who have a great artist roster and I’m also a remixer for Savage Trax who under my old name (John-e Jay) I have a few releases out for an artist called KJ.
14. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
A big tune for me at the moment is Redlight – Source 16, it has got one of the best basslines I have ever come across! Also check out a producer called OH MY! on Soundcloud, he has a great original sound and style with some free downloads available to. Other names to check out are Carbon Parlour and Tomas Rubeck, both making some great stuff.
15. What do you like doing when not in the studio?
I love keeping fit and do kickboxing as a hobby but if I’m honest, 80% of my time I spend in the studio! Haha.
16. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
The Metalectro blog is great and very well managed. The music supplied is nice and varied and I will definitely be sharing the blog to friends and my followers!
17. Anything else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
If you get a few mins then take a surf through my website www.jaysauce.co.uk I also have some free music downloads on there!
This week i interviewed Supersized, winner of the “Ghost House Beats” remix competition hosted last month on the Metalectro blog and his remix will be released on the forthcoming EP on ThAF Records. Supersized, who is based in Belgium, was also recently featured in the “Guild Of The Crux” compilation, released by CRUX Records.
01. Hi GJ! Would you mind introducing yourself?
Ok, Let’s see. My name is Gert-Jan hence the nickname GJ, I’m 21 years old and I live in Dendermonde. A wonderful place in Belgium where everyone worships a horse (no shittin here, look it up). I’m now in my last year of school studying for applied Informatics.
A fair warning, if you’re going to keep reading this interview, my friends have described me as “genially retarded” or “retardedly genius”. And yes, I seriously doubt that that’s even a real word.
02. How long are you doing Supersized and how would you describe your music?
Flashback to a very very…very long time ago… It was at least March 2010! All my friends were getting a girlfriend and I was getting a computer. Needless to say I had a lot of free time, which I filled by learning how to make music. After a few months of dicking around I was creating some very basic electro house tracks, back then I was still just using my own name ‘GJ’ because I didn’t really think I would get noticed in the first few months. But then I entered my first remix contest just for fun, which surprisingly I actually won and got me a release on CRUX records. (Asian Trash boy – Whisper GJ remix). Since then I started to take producing a bit more seriously and I began thinking about an artist name which I could use. Then around the beginning of 2011 I started using the name Supersized. It doesn’t really mean anything, and just to set the record straight for all Belgian people out there: It has nothing to do with the Milk Inc tour. God No.
I would describe my music as a combination of elements from different electronic genres. It’s mainly a mix between trashy electro and techno, with a lot of acid influences. Lots of bleeps, scratches and hard bass sounds. It’s not the best music to dance to but I like to experiment with sounds and it sounds epic when you’re drunk. (This is a tip I got from Gtronic actually… so yeah, make sure drunk people love your tracks!)
03. You recently won the remix competition for The Hats “Ghost House Beats”. Was this the first Metalectro track you ever did and how did you come up with the idea for the remix?
Well the ghost house beats remix did turn out to be a lot more trashy than I originally thought it would, but that’s sort of how I work. I just download the stems, play with them, see what comes out.
I never really start out with a big picture of how I want a track to sound. I just have a set of effects, settings and techniques which I try out on various stems of the track, and sooner or later I find something cool I can use… Sometimes I add my own synths, sometimes it’s just purely the samples of the original, but often I change them so much they’re unrecognizable.
04. You have been doing quite a few remixes, do you prefer writing original tracks or remixing?
Tough question, I think making remixes is a lot faster and easier, and when you’re just starting out as a producer, it allows you to make better sounding tracks. But opposed to that, an original track is always more special. I spend waaay more time on an original track. A remix is mostly done in a few hours, while an original can take up days or even weeks before its perfect. An original track is something you have fully created on your own, every sound is something you have chosen, and that’s a feeling you don’t fully enjoy with creating remixes.
So I’d have to say that in a way I prefer writing originals because of the feeling of accomplishment you get when it’s finished. But remixing can be equally fun with less effort.
05. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far?
Well I’m just starting out as a producer so I’m still thinking small. Every single release is an achievement in my book. So winning remix contests like this and having this interview definitely counts as a highlight!
06. Except from working on a Tommie Keeston remix for the “Through Glitches” competition are you working on any new Supersized material? Do you want to tell us about it?
Well I have some originals lying around with some of them being scheduled for a release. It’s not always easy to decide which tracks I should try to get released and which should be put away for now, as I’d like to have some consistency in the style of tracks that I release under the Supersized name. And some of them fall out that range.
As for remixes, at the moment I have to lurk the internet for remix contests, one of them being the Against Time “Revenge” remix contest. I’m finishing up with that remix at the moment, it will probably be online by the time this interview is posted. I’m hoping that after some exposure I’ll get to do some official remixes as well. So if anyone is reading this, I’m open for requests!
07. What are your influences/music background? Have you ever played in a metal/rock band?
I actually have no musical background whatsoever. I’ve just always had an interest in electronic music, ever since I started going out to clubs. At first I listened to a lot of hard-dance, hard-style and French tek. I grew up with tracks from Da Boy Tommy (damn this is still good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs5dDfJCE8I ) and DJ Coone but then I realized most of hard-dance tracks were just cheap rip-offs from classic electro/techno tracks. So I went to the originals and listened to that.
As for influences, I’ve always looked up to the really big names like Daft Punk, Vitalic, Boys Noize, Tiga, Zombie Nation… In a way they got me started but after a while you stop wanting to copy them and you just try to make your own style by combining the stuff you’ve heard and learned.
08. 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?
Right now I’m using only software to create my tracks. At this stage I don’t think any hardware is necessary. It’s amazing what sounds you can get out of vst’s. Perhaps someday I’ll get some hardware because it just seems cooler to twisting and turning buttons rather than dragging automations with a computer mouse. For now I’ll just make do with what I have, a crappy computer and Fruity Loops… Yes, I said Fruity Loops! I thought of moving on to Ableton or Cubase but I still haven’t found a good reason why… FL does everything I need it to do.
About sampling, it has always been a big part of dance music. I think a lot depends on the tracks you sample and how you use them. Daft Punk was all about sampling but they used tracks that most people didn’t really know. Same thing with Duck Sauce, how many people are singing that Barbara Streisand song without even knowing it’s actually Boney M “Gotta Go Home”? I guess I’ll just go with the quote: “good artists copy, great artists steal”. Whenever I use samples, I make sure they’re quite different from the original though.
09. Do you ever run out of creative ideas in the studio?
Yeah sure, sometimes I have periods that I’m totally stuck and can’t create anything new. Then I just take some time off, you can’t force yourself to create a good track… In those “dry” periods I try to read some theory about music on forums, doing some experimenting with new techniques, new vst’s, etc… Often that ends up with some cool new sounds that I can use for tracks.
10. So, what is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?
Wow, philosophical question time. Music is something emotional that sets the mood for everything. People always listen to music, whether you’re on a wedding or a funeral; a party or alone in your room. Music has always been a part of life.
It’s hard to talk about “the music industry” as a whole because there are so many different aspects of it, different artists with different goals. You can’t compare a Britney Spears song to an Evanessence song or a Boys Noize track. Some artists just seem to make music for profit, while others are trying to bring quality with every release, no matter the genre of music.
And no matter how the music industry evolves, there will always be good music out there. Even if you’ll have to look a little harder to find it.
11. What do you think about today’s mainstream music?
Like most people I guess, some I love – some I hate. Mainstream pop music is taking more and more stuff from the electro/dubstep scene. I absolutely hate it when they just take an electro track and let some rapper shout about curvy overweight ebony females. I’m looking at you Lil’Jon!
Stuff like Lady Gaga I can appreciate, it’s very commercial yes but the tracks themselves sound pretty good and the lyrics actually contain a message other than “yeaaaaaaah, biatches and hooooooo’s, jump jump jump”.
And she’s dressed in meat. I love meat.
PS: I guess here’s the question to which I have to admit that I like watching glee? There I did it, sue me.
12. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
It’s possible but very hard I guess. 95% of all producers will probably end up with nothing. You just have to hope that you’re in the 5% that does make it to the top and stay there long enough to build a fanbase. You just need a combination of talent, social contacts and a bit of luck. Wait, make that a ton of luck!
13. Are you signed with any record label? Any future plans? (live shows, releases, remixes, etc)
Nothing signed yet but an EP on CRUX Records is being planned.
As for now, I’m just producing but as this is turning out to be quite successful for me, I guess DJ-sets or live shows is the logical next step. I guess I’ll just have to see how far this Supersized thing takes me. Winning remix contests and being featured on a blog is already something far beyond what I thought was gonna happen when I started this.
14. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
My Chemical Romance and Placebo are always on my mp3 player, I’m quite into emo-rock. As for electronic music, I really like Clouds, the track “Numbers” is definitely one of my favorites at the moment. The Subs, Gtronic and The Oddword are also some of my favorite producers as well.
I feel like I’m the only one who also likes the new Boys Noize tracks from the last few months.
When I go to festivals I also try to spend a little time listening to some hard-dance or hard techno artists. I can enjoy an hour or so of listening to a DJ Rush or Frank Kvitta performance…
Omg, I almost forgot to mention Paul Chambers, YEAH TECHNO! <3
15. What do you like doing when not in the studio?
The studio…. Oh you mean my bedroom…
I do what most 21 year old like doing I guess. Going out with friends, having a drink, watching a movie… having another drink… nothing special really… And I’ve beaten my WoW addiction, Huzzah!
16. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
Some really great stuff here and an ideal place for less popular producers to get some of the recognition they deserve.
17. Anything else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
Become a Facebook fan, apparently I’m giving out blowjobs to the first 50 people that join once I’ve reached 1000.
http://www.facebook.com/Supersizedmusic
http://soundcloud.com/supersized
Btw, You might have noticed the lack of photo’s and logo’s, I’m gonna make some when I have some free time this summer!