We talk with French Dark Sci-fi Electro Producer and DJ, UMWELT, real name Freddy J, about Satamile Records, Electro, Cyberpunk Electronic Bio-Implants, and more Hardware that you can poke a Roland 808 at.
Hi Freddy,and thanks for talking to us, just a few questions if we may:
1. The term "Umwelt" has been translated as "biological foundations that lie at the very epicenter of the study of both communication and signification in the human [and non-human] animal." (The term is usually translated as "subjective universe")...Being the name you produce under,how did you select it, and what does it mean to your musical work?Actually I chose that german term because it includes a lot of essential things that are connected to our human condition: the nature, the animals, the ground, the roots ... and of course all that the human activities generate: the wars, the pollution, the poverty, the hatred, the power,the religions ... Umwelt sticks to my state of mind and things I daily think about.
2. What does "Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation" mean?GVS is a japan project. GVS is a method that allows to drive the humans with a remote control through a electrod system put in the back of the ear. It manages the balance of the body. I find this project is exciting and at the same time really terrifying. Therefore humans are already highly conditionned. At the same times music is abble to act on our thought, feelings and body.
3. The Double Lp is very dark, futuristic, dystopian... Do you agree? It feels like the soundtrack to dark science-fiction-is this what you are expressing?Yes I agree. It's melancholic ... and rather realistic too, but not pessimistic! I like Scifi soundtracks, aesthetics and movies but I'm not obsessed by that art. I think that in a near future humans will move somewhere in the universe.
4. Your bio says you began djing in '93,and producing in '96... What are your recollections of your beginnings in the musical field? How has music changed for you since that time, if at all?I bought my first dance and new beat records in 88. I was resident dj in a squat in Lyon in 93-94, it was a crazy place!!! At the same time I launched a radio broadcast called Teknoland that met a huge success here, that was great. Umwelt wasn't born, I played under the name of Freddy'J. Music hasn't stopped evolving with a large place for the past influences.
5. Do you remember the first time you played live in front of an audience?I played my first live in 98, It was more techno (like my releases). It was a good experience, I brought many synthetisors and my Atari... it was a perfect oldschool set-up. I lost the tempo button of my 808 for the party. :))) Anyway that was not really serious! My first true live act took place for the Kommando Nacht in Paris in June 2006 ... since that I wasn't ready for live acts. Thanks to Satamile and K6 that pushed me to work on live acts, I found my best set- up.
6. What are the highlights of your djing and live career so far? Who are your favourite djs/artists you have performed with?My biggest activity as dj was between 93 and 98: my best rave parties year!!!! First I played Hardcore, Breakbeat and then Detroit. My sound has always been rather dark and mental. I really liked a belgian crew called BWP Experiment with Dj Deg, Acid Kirk and Seal Phuric. We played several times together and I felt very close to their styles. Parties by parties a lot of djs and producers influenced me (Direct Drive, Industrial Strenght, Basic Channel, UR, Chain Reaction, Adam X, Bwp Experiment, Leo Annibaldi, Alec Empire, Lory D, Manu le malin, Luke Slater, Sensureal, Porter Ricks....). I've always been closed to the rave parties state of mind.The electro dark and electro breaks scenes are my favorite, these sounds are perfect for warehouse parties.
7. Where do you see electronic music going in the next year? 5 years? 10 years? Where do you see the the role of darker,futuristic musicians in this? Where do you think it *should* go?Actually I have a lot of feelings and ideas about the human future but nothing about electronic music future.
8. Regarding drop in popularity/sales of vinyl-what are your thoughts on this? Is the medium important? Or purely the music?Popularity of vinyl is not in drop! Hip hop and electronic music has generate a huge craze for the vinyl. Jazz, pop and classic music lovers are still passionated by the vinyl. The true music lovers like the vinyls and have sensuel and conpulsive relation with them. Vinyl has the best sound, dynamic, heat ... and is the most beautiful object. We can't compare to the cds or mp3. For instance mp3 is nothing, it doesn't exist. In my opinion, the drop of vinyl sales is not the same for the different scenes, For instance the hardcore scene is closer to the vinyl and the djiing that the electro scene, in wich their are more live acts. I don't appreciate that « fashion » among organisers that only schedule live acts for their parties. That means that if your only a dj you can't exist and play for parties ... that's ridiculous!
9. What is your approach to making music? Do you start with a concept? Some rhythm tracks? Is it spontaneous?Oh yes it's purely spontaneous. I have no concept. To be honnest, at first I have no idea, I only sit in front of my machines and it runs or not. I can spend a day to program sounds in my machines only for for the play. I have no pression, I do what I want ... and what I like!
10. You don't like software... why? What is your favourite equipment and synths to work on,and why?Yes you're right I don't like the softwares. For me they are only efficient for live configuration to record audio sequences for machines I can't bring. Softwares are cold and virtual! Many are only toys. It's often easy to recognise the softs used. The sounds made with softwares are standardize, sanitized, rapidly oldfashioned... In the softwares Universe, the machines control your creativity. In the hardwares Universe, you are free, you have an affective relation with the machines, you can physically touch them ... it's like making love. Their sounds have strong character. To conclude I don't really like when sounds are to clean. To me the music has to stick to the human who made it: with their positive and negatives sides.
11. How did the recordings on labels such as K6 and Satamile come about? How have you found those labels to deal with?I discovered K6 through the Tecroc EP and Satamile thanks to Silicon Scally and Scape One realeases. I sent them a demo with a lot of tracks.
12. Have you ever turned down a gig? And why?Actually after 98, I didn't want to mix in parties because of the bad mentality and the unbearable narcissism of many french djs and organisers. The «rave» cool mentality totaly disappeared and business took place. Actually since 95, Nicolas Sarkozy (a current french Secretary of the Interior ... and I hope the «never french President»), did vote repression against «amplified music», «techno music» and «rave parties». Parties have almost disappeared and the majority of electronic music organisations are festivals subsidised and then controlled by politics.
13. Best and worst gig experiences?All my worst gigs are when police men stopped the parties and all the best one are when I meet cool, humble and passionated people and artists.
14. Do you make a living from music? What else do you do in life?I don't live from my music and I 'm not sure I want it because as for the politicians it's important to stay in touch with the «real life» and the people. I work for the french post and I select the records for the french online shop www.templeplate.com
UMWELT Links:
www.umwelt-music.comwww.myspace.com/umweltwww.satamile.comwww.kommando6.de
simulacron.org
