On the spot: Omar-S

omar sIn den letzten Wochen war Omar S nahezu in allen Blogs, Mags und so. Zeit, das alles mal zusammen zu fassen. Als erstes wäre da sein aktuelles Release auf Theo Parrishs Sound Signature Label. Blown Valvetrane ist mal wieder einer dieser knöchernen Houstracks, die mit einem Groove und minimaler Ausstattung auskommen. Omar-S schraubt an den Effekten, entwickelt einen Spannungsbogen und hat am Ende doch alle auf seine Art gekriegt. Mein heimlicher Favorit ist B2 – Deep Valve Cover mit dieser warmen, weichen Bassline und dem oldschool Percussion-Groove. Bei Resident Advisor konnten wir dann ein Interview mit Ihm lesen. Ich lernte: It’s all about the Namegame. Die Stifte, mit denen er einst seine Platten auf FXHE beschriftet hat, die hat er von der Arbeit mitgenommen und das Beste am Fabric und der Panorama Bar ist die Technik. Aber was ist denn mit dem Dancefloor?

Am 16. März erscheint seine Mix CD Fabric 45. Sie enthält nur Omar-S Tracks, die zum Teil auch noch nicht veröffentlicht wurden. Ich finde das wirklich klasse. In seinen DJ-Sets legt er auch gerne mal einen dieser Vocaltracks auf, die mir dann persönlich manchmal ein bisschen auf meine Technonerven gehen. Bei seinen eigenen Tracks hält er sich ja mit Vocals immer zurück. Bodytonic hat freundlicher Weise vorab eine 30-Minuten Aufnahme eines Live-Sets veröffentlicht, damit das Warten nicht so lange dauert. Beim FACT magazine hab ich eben noch ein weiteres Interview mit Ihm gefunden.. Alle Links hier:

  • Bodytonic Podcast

Jeff Mills: Exhibitionist Video & Wire Interview

Im aktuellen Wire Mag gibt es wieder mal ein schönes Interview mit Jeff Mills. Neben der typischen und wie immer lesenswerten Mills-Philosophie geht es auch um Produktionstechnik, den visuellen Aspekt des DJs, X-102 Rediscovers The Rings Of Saturn. und dieses Exhibitionist Video:

Cassy: Save the Cannibals Podcast & Bodytonic Interview

cassy podcast interviewEs gibt neues von Cassy! Einen sehr schönen Mix für den Podcast der Save The Cannibals Party in New York. Leider gibt’s keine Tracklist – dafür aber ein kurzes Interview von Bodytonic:

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?

So many things. But I guess to sum it up, it was my move to Berlin – getting to meet all the people I liked before and getting to play with them…

What has been the ‘defining moment’ for you so far?

Being a resident at Panoramabar. I played there at the very beginning of the ’new‘ Panoramabar for a Cadenza night Luciano did. In the last two years, it started taking off… so I guess the ‘moment’ has been four years of building up a residency.

What is your favourite time to play?

Anytime Sunday.

The club is very popular now – have you noticed a change in the crowd or atmosphere since it became more fashionable?

It’s become better and fuller – which is great for a DJ. The club of course attracts many people from outside… If you go there Saturday at the beginning of the night you might not know anyone or meet anyone you could know, but the later the more likely you meet your friends and acquaintances…

The last year has been amazing for many of the club’s residents: do you feel any pressure now?

No I don’t feel pressure. I feel recognized, welcome, respected…

Your Cassy label is vinyl-only. Will it remain that way?

No, it will not. I’ve decided to do digital sometime soon. I’ve been convinced by people who are not able to buy records and like to have my music too…

There is something very hypnotic about your production style. How long did it take you to get comfortable with your sound?

It took quite a while. It was something that’s been more or less going round in my head for ages… I didn’t know how to make it happen or how it would finally sound like. It’s a work in progress. It’ll hopefully never stop developing.

Do you work with anyone else in the studio? How does a track come about?

I will do co-productions for my album. A track usually starts with a beat or a bit of synthesizer!

It feels like you use your voice as an instrument, or an instrumental element rather than a vocal…

Absolutely. It’s hard to do songs, to come up with a vocal that consists of a chorus and a verse. It’s something very special if it happens more naturally. I don’t like it if it sounds too forced… if the song is too much of a song.

How will you progress your sound?

Good question. I don’t really know. That’s something slumbering or ‚limboing‘ in my head and subconscious. It’s something that needs to be developed on many levels – not only in the studio. You need to build up your consciousness in order to recognise it when it hits you or meets you. You have to develop the ability to understand what you’re looking for…

You travelled quite a bit as a child. Was it in Austria that you started making music and DJing?

I travelled more later on. I left England for Austria more or less as a baby with my parents and then spent most of my time in Austria until I was 19. I started off as a vocalist with Elin aka Autorepeat.

You are probably classed as a deep house DJ today – what way do you describe what you do?

No, I’m actually not a deep house DJ – because deep house means vocal house to most people. I’m not a vocal house DJ. In the States, I’m classed as a techno DJ, because house means straight house. And in Europe I’m a house DJ, because I play house and deep techno.

Chicago or Detroit? (or Berlin?!)

Both. But I love and feel Chicago, I completely revere Detroit…

What’s next for you?

Working on a mix CD and my album…

via Bodytonic