Mark Verbos Promo Mix
Tracklist
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As you've been DJing for over a decade, what trends or changes in the live exhibition of techno music (whether about the performers, audience, promoters, etc) stand out to you most?
I started out as only a live performer in 1993. I was making music and some friends came over. I played some stuff for them, just jamming on my hardware, no arrangement, and they said, "You should do this at our party!!" And I didn't even know what they meant. So I did that and it was a hit, and we didn't even know what to call that. I went on to play like that all over the place, but nobody was doing that at the time. Now there is an entire industry dedicated to live techno performers. Ableton Live, MIDI controllers, MPC1000. I like to DJ, but I think that the ultimate expression of your music is to play a whole set of nothing but your own music and improvise it live. I feel like most people don't get that without some kind of risk it's not interesting to see a performance. In the early 90's everyone was happy to be hearing and playing the music, now it is all very defined. There have been lines drawn that you must paint within in order to be acknowledged as valid. Let's get back to celebrating diversity. As far as DJing goes, I think people weren't as critical of mixing in the old days. They judged a DJ on the overall vibe that he gave the room. Both things are valid points, but what's more important? Are there any places where you particularly enjoy performing? What is it about these places/the people of these places that makes a desirable audience? I like Spain a lot. I used to play there about once a month, but it has slowed down this last year. I love Eastern Europe (Czech, Slovakia, former Yugoslavia). They really love techno and go crazy when someone comes there and really nails it. They like it really hard too, which isn't common in the States. In America I think the MidWest is still the best. I grew up in Milwaukee, going to Drop Bass parties and that was all acid and hardcore, I still love that dirty kind of vibe. I play really heavy, and they can follow it. It's interesting that you speak of Spain and Eastern Europe as being great places to play, because I have heard/read this before. Elsewhere, DJs have referred to these locations as being (or at least having been) "fresh" for techno in certain ways. Would you agree with this/why? What differences stand out to you between your European dates and your US dates? Those places have yet to be spoiled. I think that as soon as magazines pop up in the scene, telling people who the "best DJ in the world" is, then they no longer listen for themselves. Someone who impressed them before is suddenly not good enough, because he's not a journalist's choice. Of course the press is run by PR companies, which ultimately means $$$. We had a great scene here in the states until the magazines and Hollywood got ahold of it. Also, people in Europe are more open minded about music in general. As a DJ, you won't lose them if you go off on a tangent musically, that's often not true in the states. People here know what they like and that's all they want to hear. If you stray from that formula, you'll lose them. Maybe they are just waiting for something to dis you about. What is the significance of "Simple Answer" as the name of your label? Well there are really ambitious concepts behind some artists' labels. Maybe this is one too, or maybe it's just the lack of one. It's open to interpretation. Describe any particularly memorable experience from your time at StudioChicago. Working on a vocal house session, recording vocals, with a guy named Vince. One time while the tape was rewinding he asked, "So what kind of music do YOU make?" I said "techno." He said, "Oh I like techno, did you ever hear of Tresor? I have some records on that label." I figured he meant that he OWNED some. Later on I found out he was Vince Lawrence, that he had made records for the house subsidiary of Tresor and was one of the people for responsible for starting the house scene, by helping run Trax. In what ways does your background in traditional instrumentation inform your production? I feel like it's best to be able to do anything you want to and decide to do what you do, than to only be able to do what you do. Does that make sense? I studied playing instruments from 5 years old, took music theory for a couple years as a teenager and went to Full Sail for engineering when I got out of high school. I learned about electronics and fixed and built analog synths. I worked in a studio where I recorded all kinds of music, from jazz and blues to house and hip hop. So I feel like I need to get all the information and then decide what to do with it. How do you go about producing a track? Which elements do you think about/work on first? Do you set out with a desired sound, or do you usually figure out what you want as you work? At what point do you feel that your track is complete? I don't plan anything. I just mold everything until it sounds good to me. I think potentially a track could never be done, so I just have to decide to stop at some point. When it sounds ready. Do you have any advice for those without sound engineering knowledge on mastering and finishing their own music? What are some basic things to look out for? It's important to be loud, but that's not the most important thing. Make sure that you don't crush it so much with digital limiting that it no longer pumps. Rest your ears before you commit. Don't work for 8 hours without a break. Your ears fatigue way before you do. If you leave the mix for awhile, you get your head back together. In what areas of producing or mixing would you like to improve? I strive to completely have my own sound. I would like to someday be able to get my influences in check so that they don't come out in my music so much. What work outside of electronic music has influenced the way you think about/create/perform techno? The way I enjoy techno is just in the feeling I get when it is just right. I am moved by the music and I can't tell you what exactly makes it perfect t at that moment. I think that's true of everything inspirational, including love. What makes techno particularly worthwhile? Why might a musician such as yourself choose it over other approaches to electronic music, or to any other music? In its truest form it is totally real. There is only the artist and his equipment. In any other kind of music there is a team involved in some sense. What has been interesting or different about your non-techno music projects? ...how much more accepting mainstream people are of music. I get the feeling that techno is the hardest music to make for the least return, both financially and in popularity. Here people are just waiting to criticize you. Maybe that's why I love it. ; ) Something interesting happened within the past two days that I'd like to talk about. Somehow your set was listed online as being Robert Hood & Jeff Mills in NYC, 1992. People online went nuts for it...here are a few quotes off one thread: "Absolutely pummeling!" "This is fucking devastating!... I'm gripping the edge of my desk while listening to this." "It's pretty amazing. So timeless." Then someone confirmed a few suspicions; then the tracklisting for your set was given. A few posts down: "Likes his own tracks, doesn't he!" Although your set has been circulated and appreciated, it wasn't until this mistake that it became a big topic on forums and email lists. It's interesting how you spoke of having to play within certain lines for recognition, but it seems like in some cases you may have to BE somebody else to get the recognition you deserve. In some ways it's cool to have people appreciating your set, but then it must also be discouraging that this took place because of an error. What is your response to this situation, and why do you think that cults of personality are so strong in techno (and other) music/arts? What are some of the consequences of this tendency? I got a few emails about it asking if the mix was me. I told them that it was and I'm sorry to ruin the mystique. I attached a track listing, since it was mostly my own records. It was intended as a Simple Answer promo mix, and I play a lot of my own music anyway. If I don't, who will? I guess once they knew that it was me mixing and not Jeff Mills, they were no longer moved by it AND when they knew that some of the tracks that made them "grip the edge of their desk" were me some no longer appreciated them. This is what underground music has become. I think that people are afraid of their own opinions and they decide how much they'll like it before they hear it. I certainly didn't tell anyone that my mix was a UR mix, and there was a very good reaction to it before this incident. However, it is sad to see people more willing to love something that they were told to love, than something from little old me, a guy with no publicist. Maybe we should all stop pretending. The top spots are filled. So it doesn't matter what any of us do. We'll never be as popular as Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Cox, Dave Clarke, Sven Vath, etc. All I can do is make and play my music. I hope people like it, but I can't change the world. Are there any musicians whose current/recent work you find particularly interesting/enjoyable/important, and why? In techno I think Speedy J is the top dog right now. He's been around forever and still keeps hitting hard. Whatever he does, it's top notch. The doublepack with 200 locked grooves? sick. The guy stopped making techno for like 5 years and came back to out-produce all of us! I have a stack of really impressive Thomas Heckmann records he gave me in Germany. He combines the best elements of EBM/Industrial music with techno. We've done a few records together and he's really taught me a lot. Recommend 5 albums/eps/tracks/whatever for listening (old, new, electronic, non, whatever)... 1. Ministry - Twitch 2. X-102 - The Rings of Saturn 3. Jeff Mills - Mecca EP 4. Joey Beltram - Ballpark 5. Laptop - Opening Credits And last - What type of audience reactions make the most of a performance for you? Dancing, Screaming, Staying in the room. Simple things really. I played at the Substance party at the DEMF this year, that was a great reaction. I haven't seen people so happy to hear techno in a long time. interview by bijan for droid (august 19, 2004) |