| :: Interviews | ||
| Featured Interviews | ||
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Nicky Siano: |
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Many things can, and have been said, about Nicky Siano: he invented the art of mixing, he was the first DJ to produce a record (with cellist Arthur Russell), he taught/influenced Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles, he mixed with his feet…. One thing can be said for certain, is that the man has lead an amazing life, and continues to leave an indelible mark on dance and electronic music culture. A pioneer of technology, Siano worked with sound and lighting technicians to create the ultimate aural and sensory experience at his nightclub The Gallery. In 1977 he played on Thorens direct drive turntables… jump 30 years later and the man tours the world using Ableton Live. He is an infectious individual, an amazing storyteller and a born performer. Whether you like his music, is irrelevant - arguably, without Nicky Siano, and The Gallery, electronic music may have a very different face today.
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| Mathew
Mulholland: Talk us through your equipment setup at the Gallery…
Nicky Siano: 4 Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre Speakers, all bi amplified with passive eq's, BUT the secret to our system, with these usually harsh speakers, was the ACOUSTAVOICE SET, a very intricate eq, with more then fifty bands left and right, set by spectrum analysis, two custom bass horns designed by a friend of our sound man, ALEX ROSNER, which were basically the bottom of the Klipschorn cabinet, built up more then two feet larger, so they would go much lower, with 15" drivers, JBL originally (very early JBL), and two sets of four JBL bullet tweeter arrays. The tweeters and bass horns were hooked into a two way crossover that controlled each of their volumes separately, a Bozak mixer, which if I lowered the master volume it lowered the full range Altec Voice of the Theatre's, while leaving the bass and tweeters playing, the fader on the turntables would kill all volume. I had two Thoren TD 125's turntables, and a Phillips turntable as a third for special effects, two-track Sony tape recorder, and a McIntosh amplifier, 110 watts per channel powering the bass horns, and a small dc60 crown amp powering the tweeters, left and right.... the speakers were cross stereo imagery, that means left and right were opposite on opposite sides of the dance floor.... lastly, in the dj booth I had hooked into one of the gains a very early drum machine, so I used to mix into that during the night, and design a drum pattern on the fly, they used to go nuts....good question MM: Talk us through the preparation involved in throwing a party, week in and week out, at the Gallery. NS: Well, we would be at the club at least two days during the week to get orders, fruit, food, balloons, etc…and we would either order these weekly, changing the food order every week, adding things...ice's in the summer, pastry for special occasions, birthday cakes.... the people behind the concession would make pasta salads, or fresh veggie salads...the punch mixes would be delivered, we had two punch machines which needed to be cleaned out.... the floors needed to be waxed weekly.... and the place needed to be cleaned, that was one day, and the orders were delivered the day after usually.....we would also have to go to stores for balloons......then we would all get there 9:30 on Saturday nights, to blow up the balloons and do a huge decoration for the dance floor, Robert the light man was always adding a lighting effect, or changing gels, I would be listening to new records, Chris did special decorating, such as mannequins hanging all over the place, and other art work, he was our resident artist who would produce incredible pieces of art to place around the club and light, the concession people would be cutting up fruit, making a fruit salad, mixing a punch in one machine, and water in the other, getting everything ready to be served, chips out of bags....the people at the front door would be checking over the mailing list, and planning a mailer if it was time, once every two months, new cards would be issued, and flyers would be sent out.....and I think that's about it....oh the change would be counted for the front door.... MM: Most people take for granted that a club is laid out in a certain way. For example, the booth and sound are arranged in a fairly standard format in most nightclubs. Tell us what influences you had on this, or how you participated in developing the look and feel of nightclubs today. NS: Well, the general lay out, the dj booth and dance floor together, with another room for chatting isn't really used anymore.... the lighting the way the night would be laid out is different now too.... we would definitely have a beginning middle and end.... it had a flow, and people would be there WHEN THE DOORS OPENED to get the whole night in....the general look of the club hasn't really changed, but our dance floor was completely separate, with a balcony over looking the action, the back of the balcony was another lounge, the concession was on the same floor as the dance floor, but we put a wall to separate the experience...we wanted the dance floor lighting to be totally black when we put the lights out, and not be influenced by outside lighting....the dj booth table was connected to two columns, so the table never touched the floor, NO FEEDBACK OR BOUNCING TURNTABLES, it was chest height, something they really need to start doing in more clubs....and the booth was ON THE DANCE FLOOR, TUCKED IN A CORNER, with the stereo Voice of the Theatre's across the room pointed straight into the booth....you had a perfect sound representation in the booth...then there was a downstairs with a FREE coatroom, cause once you pay your donation at a party, there is no other money to take out.....and a downstairs lounge with four speakers EVI, low so you could talk over them.....then behind a wall was a dressing room, with an elevator that took you up right onto the dance floor MM: Who are some of your DJ/musical influences? NS: David Mancuso, Ritchie Kaczor, David Rodrigues, and Michael Capello. MM: You took a long break from the music scene for various reasons. What brought you back? NS: Destiny MM: How do you view contemporary dance music and dance music culture? NS: Boring, for the most part, the same old same old...I wish someone would either bring back the old ways, cause they would be totally new today, or think of some new way to design a dance palace. MM: You tour extensively throughout the world. Tell us which are your favourite cities and countries to play in and why? NS: London is absolutely my favorite place to play, the crowds go nuts, Tokyo same.... Melbourne Australia, and last but not least NEW YORK NEW YORK...the crowd Saturday night in new York was just OFF THE HOOK, tambourines and whistles all night long...it was something. MM: One thing I find particularly impressive is your ability to utilize technology over time. For example, you have played on everything from belt drive turntables to Ableton Live. What are the differences, advantages and disadvantages in the various technologies you have used throughout your career? NS: First off, I always think you have to embrace technology, why not look at new ways to make them dance harder and to hear something they have never heard before...to me, vinyl is still the NUMBER ONE best sound you can get in a club.... I think cd's are the hardest to mix and keep on beat.... vinyl is much easier to work with, accept LIVE, which I now use, is the easiest for mixing, once it is fully set up, which took me MONTHS...im still doing a year and half since switching over...you have to warp the songs, and the old ones, where there are live drummers are very hard to warp. MM: In your opinion what does the future hold for vinyl? NS: its sad, but it looks like the trend at this moment, it might become very rare...it really saddens me, cause it SOUNDS BEST.... NS: And finally, where would we be had the Gallery never opened its doors? MM: I have no idea, cause the (Paradise) Garage, and Studio 54 were both exact replica's of The Gallery, so what would have happened, I have no idea...im glad it happened the way it did, cause I feel we really loved what we did, and we brought that love to the whole scene, without that it could have gotten much darker much sooner then it did.... and it did get dark.... remember the SAINT.... |
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| Nicky Siano's latest single "Power of Love" featuring Arline Burton can be purchased through www.axisofdance.com or via Nicky's official website: www.nickysiano.com For more information, tour dates, tracks and mixes: www.myspace.com/djnickysiano www.myspace.com/mulhollandmathew | ||
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Tortured Soul |
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 Ethan White (keyboard), Christian Urich (Drums main vocals) Jason Kriveloff (JKriv) (Base), |
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| Tortured
soul are real musicians from Brooklyn New York. In the space where electronica and live music collide and the boundaries between current and classic dance music blur, you'll find Tortured Soul. It's a new concept in the world of house music: no DJ's, no loops, no sequencers…Tortured Soul performs completely live. The instrumentation is simple and organic - drums, electric bass, vintage keys, and vocals - but the sound is thick with layers of heartfelt soul, danceable grooves, and infectious hooks. On stage and in the studio, Tortured Soul blends modern pop and dance music sensibilities with American R&B to create a sound evocative of Jamiroquai, Stevie Wonder, and St. Germain. |
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| 1) I think
what you guys do is fairly unique, when you think of house music you tend to
think of purely sampled electronic house, not real instruments played live. So
how did you guys meet to become a band? Christian: Around five years ago, in addition to working on various different projects and productions, I was also playing restaurant gigs and parties here and there around NYC to pick up extra cash. Somewhere along the way I met this guy Topaz, a sax player who had been gigging around and was pushing an instrumental groove concept. He asked me do a couple recordings and gigs with him and, that's around when I met Jason and Ethan. The three of us became his rhythm section and we toured fairly extensively with him for about two years. Though playing in that band was fun, It still wasn't exactly what I or J or E wanted to be doing. I wanted to sing, do more songs. We started taking over creatively and introducing more material to the band that was being met with some resistance. Each of us ended up quitting the band a few months apart from each other, then ended up regrouping a few months later with a couple years experience playing together as a rhythm section. Armed with that playing history, a few more songs I had been working on in the studio, a couple successful single releases on central park recordings as Tortured Soul, and the desire to continue playing together, we were ready to really take the plunge with Tortured Soul as a band. 2) Tell me about your inspirations in the past? Did you grow up listening to mainly electronic dance or real soul artists? Christian: Soul artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Gap Band Slave, Chic, Donna Summer, James Brown, Bee Gees, Sister Sledge, Micheal Jackson, Jackson 5.... Jason: Our interests and influences are pretty diverse ranging from the classic to more modern stuff, but we've all always been interested in soul and groove-oriented music. 3) I see you tour extensively, do you prefer playing to a live audience as opposed to studio productions? Christian: They both have great moments, When song writing or in the studio there is something magic that happens when you work on something and discover the way you've put something together makes you excited and happy for the first time, but I think part of the excitement is in realizing or imagining what other people are going to feel when THEY hear it for the first time. I love both. 4) Besides America, Canada and the UK do you guys have a following in any other countries? Christian: The album has also been released in Japan, and it is sold on www.cdbaby.com and itunes and a number of other websites. We get emails and fan mail from all over the world, but we haven't visited many of these countries yet. I'll let you know in a year, as we have plans to tour more in many new countries, and I'll be able to tell you first hand how many people are singing the words at the shows.... 5) How do you find the English crowds and scene compared to back home? Christian: We have some great crowds and shows in the US. Atlanta Houston NYC DC San Fran Portland, and more...., but I have to say there is something extremely open and loving about the English crowds. it's like in the US people are saying "o.k. try to impress me" English crowds are like "c'mon! we want you to impress us! " A little less stand off-ish, a little more encouraging, I guess... I don't know. 6) Do you have time to go clubbing yourselves, who are your favorite DJ's. Ethan: We spend most of our lives in clubs playing shows. When we're off the road we manage to get out some but often times we're so tired from spending every night partying at clubs that we take a little break. That being said, we still get out to hear good music as NY has so much going on.. We enjoy the sound at Cielo, the people at Shelter, the stage at Bowery Ballroom, just to name a few spots that regularly have great music. That being said, I think I speak for the 3 of us by saying we don't want to pick favorite DJs - there's honestly many great DJs out there - people who have honed their DJing skills while taking the time to find great records. We respect people who take their art seriously. 7) Most house producers start off life as a DJ, have any of you DJ'd before or any aspiration to do so? Ethan: We all started off as musicians, and have come to producing from that angle. But Christian's DJ'd at some house parties and Jason's done a couple small club gigs... and I think I've made some damn fine mix tapes! Seriously though, you'll be hearing about Jason doing some DJ gigs later this - I know his record collection has been growing steadily and he's been getting a lot of interest for BGB (a house project with several releases on Dessous Recordings. Christian and I will probably stick to mix taping and house party DJing. 8) How do you go about making your tracks, melodies, grooves, baseline etc? Ethan: Every track has a different story and it's hard to generalize. Sometimes one of us brings an idea to the table - be it a groove, a melody, or a bassline - and then we develop it together in rehearsal. Other times one of us starts a production and brings it to the table for ideas and criticism. Other times we just remember something nice we hit while improvising a transition at a performance and we develop it. I should add though that Christian tends to be more in charge of the lyrics and vocal end of things with Jason occasionally collaborating on lyrics with him. But overall, a track can start almost anywhere. 9) I hear on the grapevine you are quite particular when other people remix your tracks, is this just you protecting your sound? Ethan: That's an interesting reputation to have! I guess we are protective of our sound but I think we're generally pretty straightforward with people who have done mixes for us. Generally we just point out what we think were mistakes on the part of the remixer. For instance, In several cases individual parts within a track weren't lined up properly - something obvious to us but maybe not to the remixer. It's an easy mistake to make. But I don't think we get too nit-picky with producers because we honestly don't give music out to be remixed unless we know the remixer will do something we like. We've had great results this way, and we have a bunch of really cool new mixes ready to be released over the next year. 10) What's your general view on all the house remixes of old tunes, should the classics be left alone? Ethan: There's nothing wrong with rehashing classics, as long as the producer does something special with it! To simply drop a familiar melody onto a new beat is a little cheap, don't you think? But if you can bring something unique or fresh to make it your own, well, what's wrong with that? Old example: When I was getting into soul music one of the first records I loved was What's Going On... when I heard Donny Hathaway's live version of that title track, I fell in love with it all over again. 11) What do you think about the digital age we are in with new music formats such as MP3 are you worried about copyright infringements etc. and do you think it can degrade the sound? Jason: Burning and file-sharing has been something of a big topic of discussion for us. Many of the tracks for "Introducing" were completed way before release, and we were freaking out when we found out the whole thing was up on soulseek almost a year before the album dropped. Needless to say, we're being very careful with all the new material. We're interested in looking into some of the new technology that allows for limited burns of a CD or an mp3 download. Exclusive Mp3 downloads would make everything easier...mp3's can sound pretty damn good if encoded at a high bit rate. But it seems you need to offer people some incentive to buy a physical product rather that rip it off their friend...we'll be getting creative for the next release. 12) Are you feeling some of the quality soulful sounds coming out of the UK, such as Joey Negro's Sunburst band etc. Yeah, definitely, and it's no wonder...soulful music, in all of its different forms seems to have some serious support in the UK. It's a really nice thing. 13) How was the 2005 Winter Music Conference in Miami? It was a really great experience for us this year. The two shows we played - the Shelter Nikki Beach Party and the M3 sunset sessions - were fantastic shows with great lineups of artists and big enthusiastic crowds. We connected with a lot of fans down there and I think opened some industry people's eyes to what we're doing. And we partied our asses off. 14) What artists / producers would you like to work with in the future? There are so many really...on the soulful house tip I suppose it would be great to work with people like Louie Vega and Blaze....but we're also interested in getting together with some producers who have a lot of experience recording and producing live bands. We want to try to capture the energy of what we do live on a recording, which we haven't really done yet. 15) What future projects have you got in the pipeline? We've collected some great remixes of tracks from "Introducing" and we'll be putting out some singles and/or a remix album in the near future, and we'll definitely be releasing an album of all new material in '06. Thanks guys for taking the time to answer my questions. I can't wait to see you live again and to hear some new tracks KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! (Paul) |
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| I went to see
these guys live on 3rd of June 05 at Cargo in London, if you thought they sound
good on record what til you hear them live, simply amazing!! the most enjoyable
concert I have ever been too. Click
here for further tour dates |
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Interviewed June 05 by Paul (DJP) Copyright : Pressure Radio. Not to be used or copied in any form without express permission. For further information on Tortured Soul check out their website www.torturedsoulmusic.com |
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Karl "Tuff Enuff" Brown |
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| Karl Tuff
Enuff Brown is one of the leading underground djs around. He has been mixing quality music for many years, and still to this day he is known as the expert of the UK/US and classic house selections. I got together with him to find out a little bit more about him. |
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| How long
have you been djing for? As a hobby it must be about 13 years now, but professionally I don't really know a long time though. What MC's do you like working with? Creed & CKP. What is your favorite tune at the moment? Anything, which has soca beats, 2 step and off course my 4x4 classics. Which producers/re-mixers do you rate? Todd Edwards, MJ Cole, Masters at Work & Sunship. So what's in the pipeline producing wise? Well I’ve got a couple of things: Joseline Brown - Good life Fully loaded project -Todd Edwards and myself featuring Kele le roc & Vincent Elvin. Where do you see the future of garage going? Anything could change. What do you think about the violence in the scene? I think we should all try and help to cut out the violence, as it will eventually kill the scene if it carries on. What was the first record you brought? Stevie Wonder - Super sensation. Do you think that a female could be taken seriously as a promoter/dj/mc? No I don’t believe there taken seriously but I think if they work hard and show that they are dedicated they will start being taken seriously. Any shouts? Big shout to everyone who appreciates good music. |
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| Interviewed
by A N W. Pressure Promotions 2001.Thank you Karl! For more information check out the official Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown website at onetuff.com |
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LTJ Bukem |
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| Pressure Promotions exclusive Interview with D'n'B legend LTJ Bukem | ||
| How long
have you been djing for? 17 years....... What record has been your most successful? My album "Journey Inwards" What record have you most enjoyed producing? All really, as I love being in the studio that much Which other producers whould you like to work with? It's hard for me because I don't make enough tunes myself, so I'm always wanting to work with myself, but there are so many talented artists present and past that appeal to me so hopefully I'll one day make it happen with a few. Do u prefer the music off today or the music 10yrs ago ? Impossible to answer as some of the best tunes ever made were created 20 or 30 years ago. As far as electronic music goes I love tunes from every year in the last 10. I just love the progression and where we have ended up, the future definitely looks interesting. Which mcs do you rate? All those that appreciate the music they are chatting over, and what the DJ is trying to do. The Mc must entertain as much as slipping and sliding in and out of grooves. Where do you see the scene in 5 yrs? Unfortunately I have no crystal ball. I don't really want to see into the future, it would be frightening. Where do you most like to play (in the UK or abroad)? Again too many places that have been so good to me. Next month I'm going back to Japan, and I love playing there and the Liquid Rooms has to be one of my favourite places to play. Next month will be the 6 or 7th year of playing there and it always feels like the 1st time. Our residency the 2nd Fri of every month at the End is a session I love and look forward to. One for how much energy the people have in the D+B room which just catches you like a fever and because the 2nd room gives me a chance to play other kinds of music that I love so much also, be it house, soul, funk, hip hop, and invite DJ's and producers I've always respected. I always encourage guest DJ's to play exactly what they feel, basically have some fun. Which djs inspired you when you first set out? Alastair from Rap Attack, Special Edition, Master Mind, Mr C, Eddie Richards, Colin Favor, Kid Bachelor, Jazzy B and H. African Centre sessions in Covent Garden, Giles Peterson, Norman J, Saxon/ Young Lion Reggae sound systems. What do you have in store for the future? The main thing is to stay healthy as things are basically always hectic, and to grow musically personally and with the label by incorporating different styles. Technics or Vestax? Technics, there's only one! What do you think of UK Garage? I love aspects of all musical styles as there is always something for you in every style, you just have to have time to search it out. |
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| Pressure
Promotions would just like to thank Felicity & all at Good-Lookin
organisation and especially LTJ Bukem for his time and for bringing us such
inspirational music. For more information check out thegoodlookingorganisation.co.uk |
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Kris Lopez |
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| Interview with Kris Lopez 15/11/03 By P_Pressure for Pressure Radio | ||
| Firstly
Kris, congratulations on joining Defected records. When did you first start
getting in to dance music and what are your first memories? I got my first taste of dance music when I was about 9 or 10, I started collecting records at 11 and DJing at 12. I used to lock in to Don FM back in the day and Kiss when it was went legal but still had the underground vibe. When did you first get into buying tunes and DJing and who and what influenced you? My addiction for buying records started the first time I went to my local record shop in Wealdstone with my dad (naked records which was the boys behind Chicago FM). He used to buy me records until I got my self a paper round and found myself doing bits & bobs to raise money for vinyl. I would say it had to be pirate radio in the early 90's that gave me my first taste & influenced me with dance music Why soulful house? I actually stated buying Hardcore/Hip-Hop records but always US house (Kerri Chandler/MAW) with Soulful Garage. I soon committed myself to House & Garage in early 95 playing uplifting vibes. I guess I just fell in love with the soulful 4'4 beats What DJ’s and artists have inspired you since you first started DJing and producing. DJing it has got to be: my mate Sean T (teaching me the ropes & the tricks of the trade) Samba La Casa/Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson / Brandon Block & Alex P (just because they have such a laugh/pure vibes) For producing: MAW / Kerri Chandler / Frankie Knuckles / Fat Boy slim (his success) Naked music off the top of my head How would you explain the development from original Chicago house to the new soulful house sounds of today? The old Chicago house was very deep (purest vibe) and some still is today! Soulful house today is still slamming but the word 'soulful house' is used a lot more now to describe a form of house music which might not even be soulful. I find a lot of funky house & even some tech house records described as soulful house on there record sleaves which is giving the scene a bad name. Soulful House 4/7 years ago was Soulful House but today the name is slowly being rapped and filtered out with crap production & producers from other scenes looking to make a quick buck. So tell me about your own productions. How you made the progression from DJ to Producer. I have always wanted to make music! I had a chance to a few years ago but looking back I am glad I didn’t. About a year ago I produced my first record called ‘Bittersweet’ which had a Samba La Casa mix which sold 500 units. I have been putting out records over the last year or so and my last release was a Latin track called 'Still Samba' which sold 1000 on export and did ok in London. I have to big up my friend Chris samba (samba la casa) for helping me start out with the producing side in the soulful house scene. I have along way to go and a lot to learn in the studio but I can only get better! How do you go about making your tunes, do you work on the baseline first? O yes always start with the beats! So what productions are you working on at the moment and what’s can we expect in the future? I have a new track I am working on at the moment called 'You Are My life' which will include an NYSoul mix out next year 2004 and even a remix in the pipe line for a major international artist. I hear your now running your own promotions tell me about these? Ok I actually started putting on my own nights at the age of 14 so its nothing new to me. I used to pack up halls with all my schoolmates and just took it from there. I have recently started putting on nights with your very own Mr Pedro at the Fez club in Chelsea every month, and our new night Jelly funk at Anexo bar (Turnmills) every First Saturday of the month. We have had Samba La Casa/Neil Pierce /Dave Lynam & NYSoul as guests so far. Thank you for your time, we look forward to your future productions. Is there anyone you would like to acknowledge? First of all your self Mr P and the Pressure family for this interview I love coming up doing guest shows with you guys. Shout to Amy, Sean, Chris Samba, Pedro, Pablo (Samba La Casa) NYSoul, Linq & Penfold (after life) ‘Jelly Funk’ clubbers, Toni Tambo & the Defected family, Raz @ Paris, GT & Damian (London by Design) & to all the people I know God bless you. |
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| For more information about Kris Lopez check out his official Website djkrislopez.com | ||