Cet article MIXED BY/ Closet Yi est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Cet article Unknown Mobile – Ravers Sojourn [Pacific Rhythm] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mixed-by-roberto” /]
This is someone you should definitely be keeping an eye on, as we have been, and this is why we’ve invited him to play at our Piknic Electronik stage. Ahead of the event, we’ve asked him to put an assortment of tunes together for us while also letting us dig a little into his background. Find out more about Roberto and his influences in the interview below. You can catch Roberto alongside Silktits and Seb Wildblood at our Piknic Electronik stage on June 10th.

INTERVIEW

Let’s start with the usual – beginnings. Where’d you get your musical start, what or who pushed your influences into house/disco/beyond growing up?

I don’t know about the very start but in terms of dance music specifically, without a doubt Eddie C was the one who introduced me to it. We went to the same high school and became friends around ’92 or ’93 I think. At the time I thought dance music was pretty cheesy, but he’d play me these hardcore breakbeat records, you know like early jungle stuff and it just blew my mind. I was already heavily into punk and industrial etc., but yeah that was pivotal for me… I mean I’m still into it all this time later! We’re still buds too.

As you’ve been a local DJ in the Toronto scene for quite some time, we’d like to know what your first major breakthrough was in terms of DJing?

My first regular gig in Toronto was at this bar called Babylon in the gay village. It was pretty small but had great sound and a great DJ booth that looked out onto Church Street from the third floor. Some friends and I did a Thursday night there called Dub Poetics for I think 3 years or so. We had a lot of great local and regional DJs play with us and it really was a breakthrough for me in terms of finding my place in the community. The scene in Toronto was so vibrant then! I already knew many of the DJs and promoters, but that was a place where I could be myself and show that I wasn’t shit, haha. That started in I think ’98.

How about your first breakthrough on the production front? When did that take place and prior to Roberto/Conga Radio, were you doing something else?

I’ve put a few things out over the years under various names but when Jex and I did the first Conga Radio record that was a big boost for me. Certainly more interest in my own work came out of that.

When did Conga Radio start, how did your close relationship with Jex Opolis come to be?

I actually met Jex buying the first Good Timin’ record off him! I saw that he was based in Toronto so I messaged him on Discogs because I wanted to save on the shipping, haha. We met up at a subway station and figured out that we knew a bunch of the same people and were into a lot of the same records. Anyway we started chatting and hanging out a fair bit and eventually got together to try making music. I think we got 2 or 3 tunes written that first session and realized we worked well together.

2016 was a pretty big year for you with quite a few solo releases coming out with EPs on Good Timin’, No Bad Days and a couple of solo releases as well on Superior Elevation and Red Motorbike. How did those come about? Were you sitting on a bunch of material and things just sort of fell into place?

Those releases came on the heels of a fairly productive stretch, yeah. At the time I was buying and selling lots of synths and studio hardware and just having fun learning new gear and experimenting. So yes, I was sitting on handful of decent demos that I polished up for the releases.

I knew Tom Noble from playing a couple gigs together and obviously I knew Eddie and Jex very well, so basically those releases just came from sharing tunes with buddies. I connected with Jake and Gabriel from No Bad Days over the internet and that was just a great fit musically that came together really quickly. That’s a couple of real nice guys there.

Do you feel like you’ve received more local and possibly international attention within the past year or so? You’ve recently had a gig lined up in Brooklyn and of course the one in Montreal at Piknic, which we are promoting here, so it seems like your production and DJing path is starting to take you to new surroundings.

A bit more, yeah. Jex organized a tour to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Good Timin’ earlier this year. We played NYC, Montreal and Toronto together which was a lot of fun. I played a show in Quebec City as well this winter which was excellent. Honestly any time someone reaches out and wants me to come play their show because they like my records or mixes, I mean, that is about as good as it gets. I’d love to travel more but I’m not really out there chasing it like a lot of other cats are. I am very fortunate I get to play in Toronto pretty often, then a few little trips each year spice things up nicely. But hey, anybody reading this who wants to party gimme a ring! haha

And yes, I’m really, really looking forward to Piknic! I’ve attended numerous times over the years as a patron so I’m stoked to be on the other side of the stage for this one.

Are you regularly continuing your work in the studio or are you finding it hard to balance “real” life with that of music? Have you got something lined up coming out in the near future that you can share with us?

Every day I try to work in the studio for at least a bit, but yeah it’s tough. I have a fairly demanding full time job and the remaining few hours in the day often just isn’t quality creative time. It makes completing new material a pretty slow process for me. That said, I am working on some new stuff that I’m excited about. I just finished an EP that will be coming out later this year on the label Pulp out of Spain. Also working on collaborations with Eddie C and Ciel that I’m super pumped about.

We touched upon you being a regular in the Toronto scene, as you’re very active in helping to promote both your own records, gigs and those of friends as well. How are you finding it is evolving over the past several years? Any special shout outs to people in Toronto or beyond that you think deserve some more recognition?

It is definitely blooming! The scene in Toronto, or at least the little corner of it that I hang around is a really great community. There is a lot of new talent coming up and it seems like a lot of younger people are genuinely interested in dance music which I feel hasn’t been the case for quite a while. People are supporting each other’s efforts and collaborating all the time. It’s a really exciting time and there is an abundance of excellent music happening every week despite a relative scarcity of venues.

I could fill a whole page with Torontonians deserving of more recognition but I’d like to give a shout to some of the badass femmes that are working hard and making waves in Toronto right now; Ciel and her Work In Progress radio show and parties, Kehdo, Efemmera & Ceremonies and their On Earth parties, Milch from the Invisible City team, Korea Town Acid who just put out an amazing EP, Babygirl, Jaime Sin, Diana McNally, Club Fitness and Stacey Sexton are all super talented, knowledgeable DJs that you will be hearing more about soon if you haven’t already.

Any particular music you’re feeling at the moment? Could you highlight some tracks you just can’t put down?

Well, I think I have every record Roza Terenzi has put out. She is definitely one of my fave producers at the moment. Also Khotin has been on fire lately, I’m picking up everything he’s putting down. The new Benedek is serious top shelf stuff, pure class. And I’m enjoying the recent Darling releases as well, stoked to check his new LP.

How and where was the mix recorded and anything you want to add about it?

It was recorded live in my attic studio with two turntables, two XDJs, my little rotary mixer and a delay pedal. I did two takes and was happy with the second pass. I wanted it to have a nice summery vibe but still have a bit of toughness which I think comes through. Hope you guys like it!

Interview by Igor

Cet article MIXED BY/ Roberto est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

INTERVIEW

Hey Gabriel, thanks for taking the time to speak with us and thread some tracks together for us to explore. Know this mix has been cooking for some time—care to give us a hint at the recipe?
I want to do something standout for you guys, to really try and put thought into it. There’s a loose theme of using deep cuts and B-sides from well known artists in a different way, trying to throw back to a bushy-tailed time before being “in” the “biz”, blah blah blah. At heart though the core vibe is set as ‘serene silence while out walking on an icy morning’ aka ‘eyes closed facing the bright horizon in winter’ aka ‘When The Sun Hits’. But then I took too long and it wasn’t balls-freezing anymore and I have to wait for the seasons to turn again. Typical!

Tell us a bit more about your 2018 so far! It seems your splitting your time these days between an ever-increasing array of projects; do you have anything new lined up this year your excited to embark on?
Ha, you’re walking into a minefield asking this I’m afraid. 2018 has been a challenge. In quick succession I saw my dog crushed to death in a car collision, was robbed in broad daylight, abruptly lost the lease on my flat, collapsed on air at Radar and – while on a drip in A&E – read about the station itself collapsing the very next day in scandal, shelled out over half a grand to have a corrupted hard drive fixed, only for the fixed version to get damaged in transit on the way back to me, wiping my music library of 70,000+ tunes…you know, not exactly ideal stuff.

All through, I’ve been hobbling along with something chronic and as-yet-undiagnosed that renders me bedbound one day and oddly fine the next. Lots of hospital visits and blood tests yet everyone is stumped. A spot of broken sleep could paralyse my right arm all day or some ravioli might trigger a Tony Soprano style collapse, it’s weird (amateur doctors, I’m by the phone and waiting for your call!). Bit of a bummer. It’s definitely inverted the tirelessness you kindly allude to.

Conversely, there’s been fun to buttress that frustration. Lately I’ve been involved with some of the most gratifying BR shows we’ve ever done; Manchester especially was a blinder. Dekmantel, VIVA and a big doofer in Rotterdam are round the corner too. I gave a quasi-TED Talk about failure to a predominantly Flemish-speaking audience, who now know all about my cracked teeth and college dropout woes. That was a first…and probably last.

Jake and I are plotting an exciting run of No Bad Days shows in and around London for the remainder of the year with our favourites joining – that’s good. Also good: HMT Hard Cru made it alive out of the bizarre, brutal battlefield of Bangface. Both are hitting their straps for #marketability: I could in fact now go Monday to Friday wearing just NBD and HMT merch if I wanted to. I don’t, but you get the point.

I’m forever delighted when something new and daft comes off: I managed to sneak into the BBC schedule again, sneak a piece about Madonna into national press, and sneak a roadtrip deejay tour into reality. And I am still entrusted to do so many nice things for, and with, a lot of great people across the musical map. That remains a sturdy raft of joy to cling onto in a choppy period.

What was one of the biggest musical highlights for you of the last year?
I’d love to give you a credible answer but, honestly, watching Foo Fighters at Glastonbury with loads of mates and a 2 litre bottle of decanted Buckfast was probably the biggest. Also happening across a Minion mansion of my dreams in New Orleans. That’s not music as such, but it is high art.

In listening to your radio shows and mixes (especially the raucous New Year’s mix as part of HMT), it’s clear that you have a deep reverence for the music of your childhood; are there any particular songs that have taken on new meaning to you as you’ve explored your own taste throughout the past few years of presenting and selecting?
I deliberately topped and tailed the 8hr Radar finalé with some tunes that have stuck with me for that very reason. The ones with especial resonance, that give off a sheen of familiarity even for people having their first listens. I’d gladly admire the dewdrop notes of Suicideyear’s version of “When You Sleep”, or get lost wandering around the cavernous dubby basslines on Smif-N-Wessun or Sheila Hylton, for the rest of my days.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/szatan/sets/last-train-to-szatansville” /]

Also, genuinely, I’ve been hearing the Goldeneye 007 soundtrack in a whole new light. Some of those songs absolutely go off when played out. Fuck the fidelity, “Frigate” is a turbo-banger. Big tip.

Your (not so) recent sit down with Benji B and Blackdown to discuss the 10th anniversary of Untrue for Contemporary Classics was so enjoyable and eye-opening in terms of the context London itself brings to the experience; are there any particular favorite albums of yours that you’re looking forward to showcasing and deep diving on?
Just had a bucket list one the other week in fact, on Sound of Silver. My parents came and drunkenly fanboy/girled out with LCD’s guitarist Al Doyle, which was really cute.

I desperately want to do Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, perhaps to coincide with its 15th anniversary this September. At this stage it’s strangely both overplayed and underrated, plus there’s so many stories to tell with OutKast. But mainly hearing “Where Are My Panties” pumped through a £100,000 tube amp would be priceless.

You raised a fascinating point in the end-of-year feature for Mixmag regarding new, younger fans of dance music and a lack of sensitivity to the context and role that sexism and harassment unfortunately still play at many events. Do you envision a future where respect can be fostered and nurtured alongside a growing passion for dance music?
Yep, I have a healthy amount of belief in that. The last few years have seen a huge acceleration in the depth of understanding and steps toward inclusivity. Old dregs out of the scene are being cleared out (hi Funk D’Void), gobsmackingly tone-deaf artwork is being called out (hi Elrow), more promoters are setting out important rules of engagement for physical spaces; all this is key.

But I do reckon shaping more safe, equitable and harmonious dancefloors is a two-way street, and respect cuts both ways. Rancorous dialogue at the moment is not nailing all the right targets. There’s in-fighting and, in some corners, heightened elitism which runs counter to the “all welcome” mantra. When firebombs are pelting down, it could create what I can only imagine is quite an uninviting proposition for young fans gingerly trying to nurture that burgeoning passion and develop their ethical code.

Welcoming the next gen up with a warmer, more sympathetic touch will pay dividends in the long run. Else we could end up with a mirror of what’s happening in wider politics: an invasion of scorned mini-Jordan Petersons to counter the wave of vital new voices and perspectives who have come to the fore lately and refreshed the landscape. No-one wants that.

Ungainly but eager 19-year-old ravers bumping around and getting their wings at a Mall Grab show are
really, really, really not the main enemy out there.

Looking back at your start in music, what were some of the challenges you faced coming from a more journalistic background as you moved into more tangible roles putting on traditional events, running a label, and playing music out yourself?
That’s a very good question and something I’ve never considered before.

I don’t really have the temperament or talent to stay still and commit to just one thing; jack of few trades, master of none. My hearing is shot so I’ll never be the most precise DJ, and this innate hyperactivity means I can cannon out a 3000 word email with ease, but wriggle through the laborious parts of putting out releases and booking up shows –– which I’m sure infuriates a lot of the long-suffering folk that have to be around me (sorry!)

Being articulate at shouting about others does mean you’re less likely to have anyone shout about you. I see a lot of musos, even in their 40s, grapple with this lopsided relationship. You’re forever a ring-bearer or bridesmaid on someone else’s special day. But that’s fine.

I guess I’m alright at understanding the link between this and that era or sound, absorbing line-ups and lists like osmosis, remembering pointless facts, and generally mentally cataloguing music in a Rain Man kinda fashion – so that’s my USP. It’s not a challenge so much as different wiring. You end up with a slightly tweaked way to approach the DJing, booking, A&Ring or whatever from someone who possesses a more organic drive to their chosen field. It’s all passion at the end of the day; the same record, just rotating at a different speed.

Do you have strong bread preferences? I ride or die for ciabatta.
Ciabatta’s up there with brioche and challah, yep. But the very best I’ve had in recent memory was on holiday with my partner in Atlanta last year. There’s this spot called Mary Mac’s, which is a proper institution down there, with fading peach decor, whole wings of the building reserved for post-church gatherings, and all these celebrity visitor portraits hanging on the wall. They brought out a basket of home made bread before our meal – nothing unusual there, we thought. Wrong. I don’t know what the fuck they did to them, but these standard-looking small white bread rolls were the real deal. Like, off the chart good… transcendently, face-meltingly good.

There was a framed photo of a beaming Dalai Lama next to our table, and I’d like to imagine he got his face melted too.

Some tasters for the eventual mix:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVs–EDp_qk

Interview by Dan

Cet article Times & Tunes with Gabriel Szatan est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.