Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts
2.06.2011
LISTEN UP :: Lunice & SAFEWALLS Collab / + Free Mixtape.
Montreal-based music-maker Lunice is a rising star in the arena of thumping, bumping club sounds. Rising with impressive velocity, as a matter of fact. It was exactly four years ago, in December of 2006, that Lunice Fermin Pierre II — a teenage breakdancer at the time, with little more than a local profile — began work on his first foray into music production, the online release Kibbles N’ Beats.
Lunice’s efforts to reconcile hip hop’s mainstream and underground sounds, bringing in elements of electro and other flavours, and his dedication to detonating dancefloors earned him admission to the widely noticed Turbo Crunk crew, leaders in the playful yet heavy-duty new club sound that New Yorker scribe Sasha Frere-Jones christened “lazer bass”. Since then, he’s rapidly found doors opening up for him around the world, and anticipation for his releases has become increasingly feverish.
We at SAFEWALLS are understandably thrilled to have a talent of this calibre and consequence creating the soundtracks for all our forthcoming our video clips as we tour the world’s cities and art scenes. For a taste, check out what he did for our video of the SAFEWALLS X En Masse artwork at Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, or download Lunice’s exclusive mix for SAFEWALLS, featuring four remixes, five unreleased tracks and a number off his EP with the label LuckyMe, Stacker Upper. And read our interview with Lunice below, in which he proves himself enthusiastic, optimistic and above all far more humble than he ought to be!
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Before you began making music seriously, you were a b-boy, breakdancing with 701 Squad. What’s your forte as a dancer, your strongest moves?
Footwork and style. I was always about finding unconventional ways to hit the beat and do certain moves that would make people go, “Hmm… Interesting…” when I would do some footwork.
Do you think your background in dancing helps you when you make music?
Totally! It gave me the ability to push the boundaries on what a club track should sound like because I would be able to tell if it’s danceable or not. And if people don’t know how to dance to it, I would just go front-stage and just wild out dancing, and as long as I look like I’m having the time of my life on stage, people will get that vibe and start dancing too. Then it becomes all fun times and good vibes, all night!
You’ve also done a bit of beatboxing. Does that affect how you make music as well?
I guess you could say that it helped shape my sense of rhythm a bit. Even in beatboxing, I wasn’t interested in crowd-pleasing tricks. I was mainly focusing on how much of a swing I could add to beatboxing, and trying out different rhythms and sounds. Then, eventually, it came to mind — but it wasn’t that moment where I decided — to maybe produce my own music.
You’ve dabbled in graffiti, way back when. Do you have any favourite visual artists, in graffiti, street art or otherwise?
Yeah, man, I’m aaaaall about street graffiti — or you can just call it “handstyles.” I like pieces and throw-ups but I find handstyles says a lot about a person’s lifestyle and taste. I’m a big fan of Remio but a bigger fan of a few local street artists I know — but I don’t think I should name them out.
You came up through the Turbo Crunk parties in Montreal. What was so special about that scene and those nights?
It was the only night of its kind in Montreal, literally! It was all about experimental rap music, really, just a group of homies getting together every month to see who’s got a new banger to play out. We’d get inspired off of each other’s new tracks and then go back to the drawing board and create the next big tune. So it was a really fun and inspiring night to be in. It was specifically that club night and my homies/mentors — Megasoid, Hovatron and Seb Diamond — that really brought my sound to where I am at now.
Now that you’ve toured the world a bit and made a lot of connections, where else besides Montreal do you think there’s a really good community for creative, next-step bass bangers?
Vancouver seems to be the next big Canadian city to get on the sound and vibe we’re doing! Other than that, there’s an amazing scene in most of the West Coast of the U.S., like Portland, San Francisco and L.A. As for the East Coast, Toronto is slooooowly catching on to this scene, and New York is already up there, but that’s all I know so far.
You have wide-open ears, finding inspiration in all kinds of music. Is there any one style or genre that you really can’t stand?
Reggeaton used to be one but not anymore, ever since I met this amazing producer from Cuba called Nando Pro. He has such a distinctive sound in his production. But ever since then, I’ve come to a realization that there isn’t a genre I hate. The only thing I could hate is if the composition and the main feel of a song is not right. I would have a harder time standing it. But in the end I always try to find the best out of anything I hear.
You’ve signed on with the Glasgow-based label LuckyMe. Why is that a good home for your music?
Because it’s something that happened naturally. It’s really like finding an amazing girlfriend — ha ha! You first become friends and build on that relationship for a while, then all of a sudden, you’ve got more than a friendly relationship going. Weird analogy, but that’s sorta how I see it. I always try to feel the grounds of a label first before signing and they’re such great, likeminded people with the same views and ethics as I that it just naturally happened without any second thought, and it’s been nothing but the best vibes!
Tell us a bit about your EP, Stacker Upper!
Yes! This project is mainly me trying to bridge the commercial sounds of rap music with the more underground/experimental sounds. In high school, I used to be the biggest backpacker ever. I used to hate anything that’s commercial, but as I got older, I started to recognize the geniuses who would compose the tunes, and that’s when I started to focus on them and, being in a completely different scene where most artists have a more experimental sound, it came to me to try to bridge the gap between the two and to see how the end result would sound!
Who did the cool cover art for the EP?
Collin Faulkes, he runs the visual communication department at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore, did the illustration. He used to paint graffiti and breakdance too, and being a good friend of the LuckyMe family, it was the perfect opportunity to get him to design the cover of my record!
You collaborated on a Deerhunter remix with Diplo. What was it like, working with the current king of global ghetto funk?
Unreal is all I can say. But I keep it professional, ha ha.
What’s your one favourite item in your wardrobe?
Snapback caps, hands down.
You participated in the Red Bull Music Academy in London this past year. What was that like?
An unreal experience! It literally brought work ethic to a whole other level. I’ve just learnt so much from the team and the participants because every one of them was a likeminded person with the same ideas and views, so we all got along as if we’d known each other for years!
You also played the prestigious Sonar music festival in Barcelona. That must have been a blast!
That’s something I will always remember for my whole life! Four days of intense partying from daytime until the next morning. I played twice, during the day and night, and I was absolutely surprised I had the energy for both performances because I was actually afraid I would be tired on stage, and that’s completely the opposite of what I am on stage! But with all the excitement and adrenaline going through me, I gave a great show and I am really happy for the positive response I got from people after the gigs!
Besides those two big events, what were some other highlights of 2010 for Lunice?
Playing Osheaga was really great! That Red Bull Megahurtz party I did in Vancouver was pretty amazing as well! There’s just so many highlights in 2010, my head will explode trying to think about every one of them.
What are you most excited about for 2011?
New music!
Given your crazy schedule and productivity, what do you do to relax? Presuming you ever do relax!
Games. Play games. Lots of games, ha ha! Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Final Fantasy XIV — can you believe these guys are at 14?! — etc. Other than that, I would just do whatever else that would put my mind at ease, from kicking it with my close friends to watching a sitcom with my girlfriend.
Lunice :: Another
Lunice :: BLAZE
K-OS :: Zambony (Lunice Instrumental RMX)
Lunice :: Hitmane’s Anthem
Mexicans with Guns :: Sell Your Soul (Lunice RMX)
Lunice :: Dreamtaker
Lunice :: Cups Up
Lunice :: Take Away (Take Two)
Elephant Man :: Shake It (Lunice RMX)
12.11.2010
LISTEN UP: CHICAGOIST FEATURES LOCAL DUBSTEP DJ + FREE MIX.
The Chicagoist Mix Series is a regularly produced feature that appears in the local publication, Chicagoist. The feature profiles local DJs and the mixes they create exclusively for Chicagoist. I have included the original article below, for your reading pleasure. And for your listening pleasure, I included a free download of Widman's - created exclusively for the Chicagoist - mix as well. Enjoy!
When Chris Widman came to us about contributing a mix, we were more than just excited. Widman's a long-time DJ for a type of music we've really yet to represent for Chicagoist Mix Series. Though many might just call it dubstep, Widman is a man who plays what he calls "future music": a blend of dubstep, funky, house, bass, etc. What's more is that he is not just a sprout-up; Widman has been DJing since the mid-'90s, everywhere from University of Missouri's radio station (ahem, my alma mater), to Loyola University's, to Smartbar, Sonotheque, and the list goes on. As part of the Abstract Science crew, he's put on the Thursday Smartbar event Subfix, a dubstep-centric night that's always hopping. He's got a deep, intimate knowledge of music and shows it in the upcoming interview. You can hear the knowledge first hand when he DJs the next Subfix Massive all building event Saturday, December 18 at Metro/Smartbar with Eskmo, Martyn + Liquid Stranger.
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Chicagoist: You're part of the long-running Abstract Science DJ crew. Can you give us a little background?
Widman: Abstract Science is a "future music" radio show that broadcasts Thursdays, 10pm-2am, on WLUW 88.7 fm and is archived at abstractscience.net. Future music is a term we use to describe a wide selection of innovative electronic music; the roots of that music is in funk, jazz, disco, dub, and so on; and bands informed by electronic sounds. The format is part traditional radio programming, DJ mixes and live recordings. I started the program in 1997 with schoolmate Henry Self at KCOU, the University of Missouri college station. We came from DJing and throwing raves in Kansas City and didn't feel there was a proper broadcast outlet for DJ/electronic music on college radio. The rest of the crew--co-host Luke Stokes, manager Kim Schlechter & programmer Colin Harris--came on board one-by-one in Columbia, Missouri. We moved the show to WLUW 88.7 fm and ourselves to Chicago around 2000. The radio program has always been an integral part of sponsoring live events and DJ nights: by showcasing artists we champion on air, we market the radio show to their fans on the ground. We soon started doing Monday nights at Smartbar (2001-2003) and went on to do residencies at Sonotheque and many one-off shows at the Empty Bottle, Abbey Pub, Metro and Smartbar. I am very proud of the series of 10th anniversary shows we either co-sponsored or put together ourselves: Plaid, Amon Tobin, Monolake, Cinematic Orchestra, and Unkle. I am also very happy with the success of the Subfix night at Smartbar and the potential new listeners. We couldn't do it without all the collaborative effort.
C: You're closely tied with the dubstep scene in Chicago. How's it been to see the genre rise out of obscurity and explode the way it has?
W: It's really interesting to see dubstep evolve. Back in 2002-2005, there was a handful of people in Chicago, including myself, who DJed UK garage, dubstep and broken beat, but the sound never really took off. Abstract Science focused more on promoting/DJing techno, downtempo and experimental electronic shows. But as dubstep started to take off in 2008, Phaded aka Victor Holloway--another old friend from Columbia, Missouri--asked me to DJ a show with FSTZ at the Morseland. Later, when a few techno shows fell through, I worked with Victor to fill the night with a dubstep line-up and amazingly, lots of people showed up. We started doing nights there more frequently and drew more people. Smartbar started to get involved directly and the scene has just grown and grown. I was watching Emalkay last night--he killed it by the way--and I recalled the moment when I realized how big dubstep was getting: Bassment Jaxx starting their set at Congress with "When I Think of You". Caspa has gone from playing for 100 people at Bass Goes Boom to Lollapalooza. The downside is, with an influx of new fans, DJs and producers, you lose that feeling of an intimate community and a deep familiarity with the history of the sound. Instead of connoisseurs, you get everything that comes along with people who are new to the music and going out in general. People using dubstep as a blanket word for all bass-heavy electronic music, like the old record store "techno" section stocked with Prodigy and Massive Attack. That said, it's been since I saw Roni Size/Reprazent's live show at the Metro in 97/98 since I've seen such a combination of dancing, jumping around and hands-in-the-air good times. The really heavy side of dubstep is cathartic for some, and I think it resonates with the spirit of the times. The kids love it; I have to say, they make a fun crowd for a DJ.
C: What have you been listening to lately?
W: A lot of music for this mix. Lots of vinyl from Gramaphone. I started off with the intention of showcasing a peak-time dubstep dancefloor set, but instead of getting really heavy, the selection skewed more towards weird and then into techno territory. The mix is kind of funky and off-kilter part of what I'd play in the club and part for the radio show. After all the dubstep and electronic music, I've been listening to Sleep's "Jerusalem". I love stoner metal.
C: Best album of 2010?
W: Brian Eno's inscrutable and lively "Small Craft On A Milk Sea" (especially the parts that sound like a Surgeon record) and King Cannibal's "Way of the Ninja" 256 track mashup mix of the Ninja Tune catalogue that takes Double-D-and-Steinskism to a new level. Both records are brilliant and have eclipsed everything else. My favorite dubstep album of the year is either Jack Sparrow's on Tectonic or Guido's on Punch Drunk. Can't decide.
C: Where do you think Chicago's club scene is headed in 2011?
W: Well, there certainly are a lot of new clubs opening, but we'll see if they end up catering more towards music or bottle service. So I'm not sure about the club scene, but I think this latest rise in the popularity of electronic music is more of a sustainable grassroots nature than the major label push of the 90s. Bassnectar is selling out the Aragon and he's not being pushed by a big label.
C: Any New Year's resolutions?
W: Contact my loved ones more often: it's easy to get absorbed in the music world. I also produce music with Colin Harris as Quadratic and we need to finish an EP, album and live release ASAP. We've been playing our songs out live like a band and now we need to record like one. We have a new remix coming out on Droidsong recordings on December 21 (the Automata EP), that is our heaviest tune to date, but have a diverse assortment of dance floor oddities we need to unleash on the public. There is a new QUADRATIC demo at the very end of the mix which is a bizarre hybrid of half-step drum ‘n bass, Kraftwerk, juke and Steve Reich. Stay tuned.
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