M&A #03: Question 2

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Interview by Imi Phillips

Question 2 is relatively new to the Cambridge DJ scene, but has been around the block as the drummer in bands Groove Theory and SAFFRA, who played at the Arcsoc Cabaret in March. Having turned his attention from jazz to electronic music, he takes us around the tribal lows and sizzling highs that define psychedelic and percussive techno.

How did you record the mix?

I recorded it through rekordbox on my laptop using a Pioneer controller that I bought last summer.

What ideas did you approach it with?

I came at it from being a drummer really, and so a lot of the stuff I wanted to put in there was very percussion heavy. I started by thinking of some tracks I really wanted to include, so the Villalobos remix of Deardrum is one because it’s so textured, the Ninos Du Brasil tune is one I love because of how tribal and raw it feels, then also Belter (Joy O Belly Mix) because there’s just something that’s really hooked me since it came out about a month ago. I wanted to take some influence from HAAi’s mixes and Radio 1 residency a bit and I was really drawn to how her psychedelic techno style has loads of interesting rhythms without losing the melody, so tried to put things together that went through a couple of ideas with a percussive build up leading to a song that has something more tuneful about it to kind of make it feel like you’ve made it somewhere.

The beats you use range from straight techno, to more latin influences. What draws you to tracks like this and where does that come from?

I used to be a massive indie kid and I heard LCD Soundsystem’s frontman James Murphy do an interview where he was talking about being a DJ and also a 'rock'n'roll' musician. He pointed out the distinction between head music, the kind you want to sing along to, and body music with that 4 to the floor kick pattern that forces you to dance. After that I started listening to more and more dance music and found that everything I liked about it was the rhythm and percussion. Since I started drums when I was 7, I always preferred playing samba, mozambiqué, latin and a lot of stuff that I’ve now realised is what James Murphy meant by body music. It’s there to make you forget about everything else in life, dance and feel good. I think when you’re in a club dancing around a group of random people, with that kick pulsing, its quite a primal feeling. Whenever I hear new music, it really grabs me if it has an interesting rhythm, so I was trying to mix all those up to stay interesting and a bit unexpected.

So how do you look for new music? Do you go looking specifically for tracks with good percussion, is there a process behind it?

I normally just stick on a mix, playlist or radio show and do something else like working or just scrolling twitter lol, then make a note of something whenever it catches my attention. I can get really impatient when I sit down and all I’m doing is looking for stuff, because I just want to hear it all at once. I think it can be kind of pointless just skipping to different points in a track to get a feel for it, and I get frustrated whenever I catch myself doing it, as that’s not getting any of what the artist was trying to get across. I think finding labels you like, playlists by people you trust etc and just leaving it on is a really good way of forcing yourself to listen to whole tracks. My life ends up kind of having a soundtrack as I never want to turn any of it off.

You mentioned you were trying to put in bits of melody to keep it all together, but something that is featured that may not be common to a lot of techno is the range of vocal samples, from just spoken word (Belter (Joy O Belly Mix)), spooky nursery rhyme (Samba by Alex) to a full on vocal hook (Finn & Mella Dee). What role do you think vocals play in dance music?

In electronic and dance music I think vocals are often just the icing rather than the whole cake, which might be the case in other genres. The most important bit of a dance track, to me at least, is the beat. Everything else layers on top to create a vibe around it that might be really prime-time at-a-club euphoric, or more reminiscent and mournful, the kind of thing you might play when you’re closing out a long party. They can be really great tools as well. If you leave people dancing away to deeper stuff for half an hour, then bring in a human voice whether that be from a stand-alone a capella record or from something like Gypsy Woman, that kind of moment can make a night really special. 

In the mix I use vocals quite frequently as I think each song uses them to convey how it feels really well. The Finn & Mella Dee song feels like you're dancing when you just don't give a fuck, and the vocals are more happy to show that. The Radiohead remix and the Alex tune are a bit more eery but the Radiohead one still has a sense of going forward and getting to a big, interesting part. Then Belter is quite low key by comparison, so having something that sounds conversational fits it really well. 

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

Justin. Timberlake.

What is the last song you listened to?

It was the last track off DJ Koze’s album from last year, Knock Knock, as I was listening through that. Pick Up is the song everyone remembers from it but there are so many quality tracks on there.

Who is your favourite producer/performer at the moment?

There a few but if I had to say it’d be HAAi or Skee Mask. HAAi I love because she used to be in an Australian psychedelic rock band (yeah like Tame Impala) and then fell into DJing and is just an amazing performer and always plays the most varied music. Skee Mask released the best album of last year by far, Compro, then I saw him at The Cause in December, and it was the most mind-blowing set I’ve ever seen. He played calm stuff, weird stuff, heavy heavy techno, gabber, jungle, DnB then just smashed out a bit of grime and dub and left everyone’s brains on the floor.

What is your go to tune to bring a party up/banger?

Bit of a funnier one but LOFT put out a free album at the end of last year of tracks she’d remixed beyond recognition and there’ a thank u, next remix called the Salford Girls Club Flip that’s so much fun. Tru Dancing by O’Flynn is a bit of an unbelievable banger as well but it might have been overdone a bit.

What was the best party you’ve played?

I don’t have many to choose from since I haven’t been focussing on DJing for long, but the first time I ever used CDJs was at a multi college bop in Ballare™️. That was really special because it was my first gig on my own, all my friends were there and I could basically play whatever I wanted because everyone was fucked. I don’t know if many moments will top playing Let Go Of This Acid and FJAAK to a room full of people dressed up for a Christmas bop in Cindies.

What have you got planned for the future?

I’m playing with the band a bit but I’m looking to DJ at anything I can this term. Running this blog is taking up most of my non-revising time, so it’d be fun to put something on at the end of term so everyone that’s listened can get down together.

Question 2’s Track List

[min] Title - Artist

[00] Ego De Espinhos – Gonçalo Penas

[04] Algo Ou Alguém Entre As Árvores – Ninos Du Brasil

[08] Blacksmith – Rødhåd

[10] Your Disk Is Full – HAAi

[12] It’s Something We Can All Learn From – HAAi

[15] Sama Doma (Forward Strategy Group Remix) – LAG

[17] Ode To The Pleiades – Clap! Clap!

[20] Nokturn (Grand Finale) – Axel Boman

[23] Sometimes The Going Gets A Little Tough (Mella Dee Going Got A Bit Tougher Mix) – Finn, Mella Dee

[26] Shout (12inch Version) – Kuniyiki

[28] Caos – Upercent

[33] Deardrum (Ricardo Villalobos Remix) – Alejandro Mosso, Burnt Friedman

[34] Samba – Alex

[39] Objects From The Past – Peter Van Hoesen

[40] Lotus Flower (SBTRKT Remix) – Radiohead

[45] iii’s Front – Overmono

[46] Belter (Joy O Belly Mix) – Off The Meds

[49] Showreel, Pt. 2 – Djrum

[54] Celsius Loss – 96 Back

[57] Metaxas Carnival Tandoori’s Voodoo Mixx – Kasper Marrott

[59] How You Gonna Feel (Pangaea Remix) – Commix

[63] I Wanna Smoke – Gangsta Pat