History | Press Release | Artists | Interviews

9-15-2003

What advise do you have for beginning musicians/artists?

Do what you want to do. May sound a bit canned, but if more people would make the music they want to do instead of copying the music people want to hear we would have a much better variety of music out there.

What were your early influences, and what do you listen to today?

Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Skinny Puppy, Walter/Wendy Carlos, Test Department, Kraftwerk, He Said etc. I still listen to some of those, but what gets my goings now is in the Hard Tribal/Acid techno and psy trance, stuff like Neuromotor / Biodegradable, Chris Liberator, DJ Hardware, Manu LeMalin etc.

What's your favorite hang-out (restaurant, club, anyplace) and why?

Lately the best hang out for me has been outdoor events that last more than 24h. The energy you get from a gathering combined with the closeness to the earth is indescribable.

What other artists inspire you, influence you, etc?

The whole crew at planet dog in London has influenced me tremendously. They manage to blend a good dose of dub with pure elements of world music. Everything these guys touch turns organic. Otherwise, in the fusion vein DJs like Cheb i Sabbah and Pathaan play a healthy role in demonstrating what is achievable in mixing.

When was the first time you performed live? What was it like?

I performed live the first time under the guise of detsme at a college radio station 89.1FM CHUO. It was a live improvisation based on tape loops and electronics. The show began at 1am lasting until 4h+ in the morning with the music being industrial atmospheric.

What are you looking forward to right now?

I'm looking forward in collaborating with musicians that play traditional instruments. The idea being that we will mix tribal techno with these instruments, and be able to play everything live, something that doesn't happen very often in the realm of techno music.

What are your musical goals for the next year?

I am looking forward to organizing my very own events that will push the limit of fusing live electronics, traditional instruments, performance dancing and VJ. I have a couple of buddies in London and in Montreal who are already actively looking at the logistics of this, so keep your eyes and your ears peeled !

What are the primary ingredients for a great song?

Foremost, the bass is the fundamental part to me, it is how one actually gets to feel the music in a tangible way. Then, once the body is engaged, an organic feeling needs to emerge. This is accomplished by a judicial choice in sound and atmosphere, somewhat akin to sound sculpting.

When you travel, what do you do for fun?

The single most important thing to do when traveling is to feel the culture, whether it is by eating, smoking, listening, touching or seeing. I make a point to slow everything down, sit somewhere look and listen, it is an absolute must for me.

What do you want the listener to get out of the music?

I want the listener to awaken. To be moved, to be able to travel while listening to the music. And then be able to remember this voyage at one time in the future.

At what point did you realize or were told that you had the talent to be a performer/musician?

I never listen to compliments, well not true, at the moment the compliment is paid it feels good to the ego, but then I quickly brush it off as not being true or someone just being nice. Nevertheless, there is something inside that pushes me to continue. Without it I wouldn't feel right, I wouldn't be me.