We pinned down Deetron for a quick chat to talk about the new album, wising up to production and why he isn't nostalgic about the 90's music scene.
How have you been recently?
Very well thank you. I just came back from a family holiday in Asia and been working on finishing the upcoming album since. In general I'm happy I got to spend so much time in the studio this year.
How have you seen the scene change since you started out as a DJ in the 90’s? What are some of your favourite memories of this time? For example, your residency at Zrichs legendary Trax club. Do you ever get nostalgic and long for those times again?
There were times when the music seemed to become just a background soundtrack to a night out and an excuse for getting trashed. All that really mattered were kick drums, hats and white noise. Thankfully that has changed for the better again and I believe now is a great time for our music, quite possibly even better than back in the day so it's safe to say I'm not nostalgic at all. However seeing Surgeon and Jeff Mills on a regular basis back then was a very special treat.
How have your musical tastes evolved since then? Are there still sounds you are wanting to explore?
Absolutely, there are huge amounts of music I'm buying but not really getting around to listening to properly. I'd love to dig deeper into contemporary Jazz, Soul and instrumental Hip-Hop and I do so whenever I get the time.
How often have you been to Detroit? How has the Motor City had such a strong influence on you?
Only twice if I'm not mistaken. The city itself is not that exciting, which probably is the reason people tend to spend their time on making amazing music. Obviously our kind of music started from there and it was also the music from Detroit, which caught my attention and got me hooked to electronic music in the early days.
Who are some of your favourite Detroit producers?
Theo Parrish, Carl Craig, Patrice Scott.
Why is Music Man the label home for a lot of your consistent studio output? Can you pick a couple of your favourite releases for the label and tell us why?
My relationship with Music Man started with a demo tape over 10 years ago and we have consistently been working together ever since. I really like the way they work as they're not just interested in a short time success or a hit single but intend to build an artist's career over time. My favourites are "I Cling", "Orange" and "Crave" simply because they're possibly my favourite tracks from my back catalogue.
What’s the vision behind your forthcoming album on Music Man?
There is no strict concept behind it other than making good music but the intention is to work towards a more song oriented structure in the club context.
How is this project different from your debut album, ‘Twisted ‘and why have you chosen to wait till now to follow it up?
The reason is quite simple: I kept releasing singles of my tracks and working on a lot of remixes so I never had enough music for an album. Recently I've had the inspiration to work on so much music though and I've also concentrated almost solely on the album for the past few months.
Can you describe for us the single ‘Out Of My Head’, featuring Ovasoul7 on vocals. How did George Fitzgerald & KiNK get involved on remix duties?
It's a very soulful vocal house tune with the beautiful voice of Ovasoul7, who sang on "I Cling" as well. I remixed George's "Every Inch" last year and he returned the favour in the form of his excellent remix. As for KiNK, I met Strahil a few times on tour and he's such a lovely guy plus I'm a fan of his music so he was the obvious choice for the second remix. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing his live act - he's one of the best out there!
How would you describe the style in which you DJ? What other DJ's do you look to for inspiration in their ability to traverse their personality, energy and feeling to the crowd?
I find it hard to describe it myself but it definitely has a strong technical aspect to it. Furthermore I don't like to limit myself to a certain genre only and try to create a musical experience, which is energetic and versatile at the same time. As mentioned earlier I was always really into the DJing of the Detroit guys, in particular Theo, Derrick and Jeff. More recently Todd Terje has impressed me very much with both of the sets I've heard from him.
Your biography mentions your extreme self-criticism when you are selecting tracks to play out, and also with our studio output. Can you tell us about this a little bit, and how you turn it into a positive as a creative artist?
I find a lot of music, which I like but whether to play it or not is a totally different story. I'm not the kind of DJ who needs the newest tunes every week, I actually hardly ever play any tracks just once or twice but rather choose tracks which can work over time. As for the production side of things, it can be tough at times but I've become a bit wiser in the sense that I keep any drafts or unfinished tracks, which I'm not totally happy with on my HD and restart work on them after weeks, months or sometimes even years.
What are you looking forward to most about this year both in your artist output but also on a personal note?
From a musical point of view, the main thing to look forward to is the album obviously. On a personal note I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with my family!
Article Sourced: http://www.fabriclondon.com/blog/view/a-quick-chat-with-deetron
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