14/3/2007

Harder Faster take a seat with A/B Project - Read the interview here.

What led you to decide to start up DJSA records?

Firstly Hi to everyone at HarderFaster, and thanks for talking to me today. The start of DJSA Records was likely different than most others setting up a label, as it kind of came about by default. I pressed my first solo track “SAturn” to vinyl myself, and labelled it with the DJSA logo from my website – and so DJSA Records was born, I suppose by accident.! From then on I realised it’s something I could take forward to expose new music from other upcoming artists, and that was the start really.

What were you looking to get out of running your own label?

Initially it was just to see how the first track was received, then shortly after I was approached by various upcoming producers looking to be signed. I have been focusing on promoting new talent since 2004, and am currently putting full facilities in place for the label for 2007 and beyond. The website at www.djsarecords.com is currently being built, which will include a fully stocked online store, information on releases etc and much more. There will also be an iPool facility for the label at www.djsapool.com, to enable selected approved DJ’s to have access to our music before release for promotional purposes. Whilst any vinyl releases will be chosen carefully from this point forward, every release will go out on fully packaged, lossless quality CD Singles as well as digitally via all the major MP3 download portals. I have also put a dedicated A&R team in place who will be searching out new music for DJSA Records , and the label is something I am now investing well into – for the good of the scene, and for the development of the music I believe in.

Do you think you have achieved all your stated goals for the label and what do you hope to develop in the future?

The label has run for 3 years so far, and has done reasonably well – but I’ve really only just started. Once I committed to taking it forward I didn’t want it to be a short term project, so the plan is for the long term. Every release so far has seen the artists make a return on their work, the “SAturn” vinyl release completely sold out and was even used on ITV’s Boxing – so the first three years have been ok. From now on the bar will be raised significantly in every area, and DJSA Records is an exciting label to be a part of. I don’t think my goals will ever be reached, or the job ever done so to speak – as it’s very much a constantly ongoing process. The plan is to consistently sign and expose the finest new artists and their music, then to help develop them in terms of stature and quality – and we always ensure that we treat everyone 100% fairly in all our dealings. We will also adapt accordingly to suit everyone’s needs as the dance music industry changes over time, to ensure never being left behind.

You had instant success with Distorted Clarity. Did this surprise you?

Distorted Clarity was the first track that Chris and I did under the A/B Project guise, which some people may not know about. This was early 2005, and I suppose this was us trying out our first ideas, finding out about each other in the studio etc – and seeing what results we would come up with. The track was released on DJSA Records in July 2005 as a one-sided release, and is a tough driving Trancer as opposed to melodic or uplifting. We both love this track also, albeit being a bit different from what we are doing now. There is some nice stuff in there and like you say, it did reasonably well. That said, it wasn’t a massive release and so the success it gained was by hitting number one in a couple of the smaller Trance charts, but sales were good and we felt it was a decent start. I think what Chris and I mainly took from it was that we realised we worked very well together in the studio, and there would be more to come from A/B Project in the future.

Eternal Optimism has followed and again received critical acclaim. What do you think you are doing right? What tips can you give people?

The way Eternal Optimism has been received has blown us both away if I’m honest. What are we doing right? Well I think a few of the guidelines that we set ourselves help, such as that we never use an instrument twice in any of our tracks, and we never set boundaries on what to use in our work. I also think that Chris and I have brought different skills and knowledge to the table, which hugely benefit each others work and thought process. I have an extensive background as a DJ, whereas Chris has good knowledge of production techniques and audio engineering. Any tips I would hand out wouldn’t be so much technical as I believe everyone finds their own feet in that area, but I would say to write music for yourself and not for other motives such as financial gain. Not only will the emotion come across in your music, but when people really connect with what you have done - it makes it all very satisfying.

Tell us a little behind the thought process and development of this track.

After the tough and driving edge of Distorted Clarity, we were keen to do a track with a more uplifting feel – melodies, arpeggiating basslines, beautiful strings etc. Once we got started we simply did what we always do - which is experiment with a load of options, and started to pull it all together. It really helps when you are both on the same page when writing, and we both had the same goal in mind. When we finished writing Eternal Optimism, I personally felt that it really had something. We took a step back from the track and listened to it as though we hadn’t produced it, treated it as if we were listening to someone else’s track to then try and make an honest call on it. There wasn’t much that we changed along the way whilst compiling it, and upon finalising the single we were both happy with the results.

Why exactly was it called Eternal Optimism?

Haha - well the titles of the tracks is something that I sit and mess around with, I scribble stuff down as it comes to me and I eliminate the crap afterwards. Then, when I have a shortlist of titles which I like and think fit the feel of the track – Chris and I agree on one of them and we go with it. For this one I wanted something that had the feelgood factor in it, therefore reflecting the overall journey of the track – which hopefully people agree that it does. “Eternal Optimism”, as corny as this might sound, also pretty much describes the mindset in which I constantly live my life by – and so it means something to me on a personal level too.

How will having the track signed to Mondo affect your own imprint?

Darren Tate is a friend of mine, he has guested at one of my club promotions before and we keep in touch. I have always heavily promoted Mondo Records and Mondo DJ’s as part of my everyday work, primarily because I want to. I’ve always been a supporter of Darren’s work as well as the brand, and am proud to be a part of Mondo – both as a recording artist as well as a DJ. Mondo is one of the UK ’s finest independent dance labels, with a fantastic catalogue of artists. This can only be a positive thing for me, for A/B Project and also my other projects including DJSA Records . You can check everything out at the label website www.mondorecords.com if you haven’t already done so (there I go again….. haha)

Tell us about tracks you have coming up now?

Well the news hot off the press, and an exclusive for HarderFaster, is that we have now signed up our follow up track to Mondo Records too. The track is titled “Misconceptions”, and if you like Eternal Optimism then don’t miss this one. It’s different once again to the others, this time with a slightly techy edge, offset with some nice uplifting sections, and even a key change.! We are delighted with the results, as are Mondo – so keep your eyes and ears open for it surfacing soon. On the solo production side of things, I have just designed and custom built a completely new studio where I am going to be very busy from now on. A massive thanks goes to Chris here also, as he helped me put it together and get it all up and running. We continue to work on the A/B material in Chris’s studio, and I will be getting stuck into various solo projects alongside that now also such as occasional remixes for DJSA Records and some new solo Steve Anderson tracks. No rest for the wicked as they say.!

You are working with Chris Breame on A/B Project. How did you meet?

Chris and I first met at a club promotion of mine in Edinburgh late 2004. He had emailed me a few times via my website prior to this, so we had a bit of dialogue first. He brought with him a demo CD of his latest tracks to the club, which I liked and they were of a high production standard. We agreed to put these out on DJSA Records and get into the studio shortly thereafter to throw some ideas about.

How do your styles compare and contrast?

Style wise we are very similar I think, we share the same tastes and ideas of what we want in our output. You could say I have a style dominated by Uplifting Trance in recent years, whereas Chris suggested last time out that we added a techy edge to the new track “Misconceptions”. The final version merges both of these things excellently we believe, you can make up your own mind upon hearing it. Ultimately we input all of our ideas together as we go along, and retain the ones that we both agree on.

What’s your working style like? Do you do all your work together in the studio or send files back and forth over the net?

Absolutely in the studio together. I know that someone preparing tracks one end and emailing over for the other to listen to works for some, but for us - we both get in the studio and produce together a couple of nights a week or more. Like many production teams we have sessions that turn out to be more productive than others, but everything we do under A/B Project is joint and done under the same roof. Sometimes one of us feels more strongly than the other about keeping or disgarding a particular element, which we work through and come to a mutual agreement in the end. It works really well.

Many producers also DJ. How does this lack of experience translate into the way Chris produces?

Firstly I would say that Chris is in no way lacking experience. He may not DJ (although he assures me he can a little.!) but he has a vast knowledge of how Trance music is produced, and how it should be done. He never sets boundaries or ever accepts that doing things the “norm” is the right thing to do, he is always innovative and coming up with new ideas. I find it strange when people say that as a producer I also DJ, because for me it has always been the other way round.! I have been a club and radio DJ since 1994, and only in the last 3 years got fully into production. We are constantly picking things up from each other, in different areas of expertise. I previously explored offers of working together with other people prior to A/B Project, but once I got in the studio with Chris I realised that this was the guy I wanted to work with on joint productions. And who knows, maybe we’ll see him behind the decks yet!

You’ve played and promoted around the world. How different is putting on a party in Europe to getting it on over here?

The events I ran in Europe last year were my own promotion, Club SAturn – which was previously based in Edinburgh . I wanted to take it further than just the Scottish Capital, and so I took it abroad. I promoted in Tenerife at the massive Tramps club first, where I had guested as a DJ previously for New Year 2005/2006. I have a great relationship with the guys at Tramps, it’s a fantastic club and you are always ensured a great crowd there when playing. I did some promo from this end once we set up the event, which was mainly raising awareness within the online communities – and Tramps did their bit around the island, peaking the week or two before I arrived. SAturn at Eden Ibiza was pretty much the same, where I liased with the club for 6 months prior arranging flyers/posters etc for the island and again the online PR – so I suppose all in all it wasn’t a whole lot different to running a night in the UK. I also tied in with a radio station in Tenerife to put Tramps on air for the first time in their history, which resulted in their listener base reaching an all-time high that night. The profile of the nights abroad was higher than in Scotland , with people attending from all over Europe as well as the UK – so in terms of awareness it’s bigger than can be gained in the likes of Edinburgh . Regarding playing those nights, I enjoy anywhere I play as long as the crowd are there to enjoy themselves and appreciate the music. I’ve played some great clubs/events at home, and likewise abroad. I love a party, and my first love has always been playing to a Trance crowd, wherever that may be.

It’s been said to me on a number of occasions that with the shrinking of the superclub market, replaced by many underground smaller parties, that the outlook for clubland has never been better. What do you think?

The clubscene throughout the UK as far as I can see is extremely healthy at present, with huge diversity in the nights that are being run - and no shortage of UK talent. As a DJ, I have always loved the intimacy of playing smaller clubs, perhaps 1000 people or so. I resided at a club in Edinburgh from 2001-2003 which was that capacity, and had some great times there. A great crowd, the freedom to educate them with new music, an electric atmosphere at nights when I played live on radio from the club etc – those were great events. In Scotland there are a couple of promoters who bring in the bigger name DJ’s regularly – the main one being Colours in Glasgow . I believe that the balance of small and big clubs/events is about right, giving everyone a choice of which nights they wish to attend. I suppose one thing I would say, is that if there is a night in your area that you like the look of, get yourselves along and support it!

What do you hope to achieve after 15 and 20 years in the industry and how has it changed over the time you’ve been in it?

Chris teases me about this now and again, but I’ve already been here that long in various forms.! Before I took up as a DJ, I won world honours as a drummer and played drums in a few bands. Dance music took me over completely in my late teens, and it’s a huge part of me now which won’t change. In the late eighties/early nineties I was a regular attendee at the big all-nighters up and down the UK such as Fantazia, Streetrave, Rezerection etc - where the feelgood factor throughout the industry was very prominent. Between 1996-1999 I must confess to losing a little direction in the dance music that was around then, and so I channelled all my time into boxing - which is the sport I love with a passion. Once Trance blew up in 1998/1999 I fell back in love with it and have remained there since. In recent years I have played and promoted across Europe and in the USA , launched the label, kicked off A/B Project with Chris and the scene looks like it’s just going to grow and grow. I’m always optimistic (no pun intended!) about the future of dance music, and while it will continue to have high and low points – it will always grow. I firmly believe that dance music is the one style that will always be around in some shape or form.

What have you got coming up on your own label?

The DJSA Records website is just about to be kicked off fully at www.djsarecords.com , and so to tie in with that I have carefully selected and signed new material for releasing soon. The first release of 2007 will be a track titled “Lost In Control”, the first release by an exciting new UK artist called “Ignyta” – which will be remixed and promoted prior to release. There are other signings in the pipeline which I will reveal the details on once they are in place, but there is plenty going on and we are always looking for new music. As I mentioned earlier I now have an A&R team on board at the label, who will help identify music which meets the standards we are now looking for. So any Trance/Tech producers reading this who are looking to take their production careers forward, and think they meet the quality levels and criteria required – then get in touch with us at info@djsarecords.com. We will provide responses and feedback on absolutely everything we receive, whether we end up signing it or not.

How does it feel to be working with the Mondo team?

Mondo is a brand I have always bought into, whether it has been by supporting their releases since 2000 as part of my DJ work, or since I have been more involved with them as an artist. I rate Darren Tate as highly as anyone when it comes to dance music production - the background, skills and diversity in his work constantly keeps him on top of the game. He has the knack of creating huge crossover tracks which work both commercially as well as on the underground scene, and he also seems to pull out some fantastic new talented vocalists from nowhere every time (does he stash them away somewhere.?! haha) We knew that upon signing Eternal Optimism to Mondo that we would be in good hands, as a) the promotion would be excellent, b) Mondo are very well established in the scene and c) the communications are always very good. Dale Corderoy is who I mainly deal with at Mondo, a cracking guy who has always met our needs and acts very professionally in all the dealings. We never had any doubts about teaming up with Mondo, and will continue to positively take forward both brands.

How do you hope to develop with them?

As far as developing as artists with Mondo, I suppose it depends on how you mean. In terms of exposure and our profile, this has been substantially raised since their promotion of Eternal Optimism. The follow up “Misconceptions”, which is also going out on Mondo Records, further cements our relationship and commitment to the label and is also hopefully set to do really well. In terms of developing as production artists, I personally believe that to be a two way street. Mondo have high standards, as do we. We will continue to push the boundaries in the studio and aim to improve every project upon the last, utilising what we already know and building upon it with what we learn as time goes on.

Websites:

www.steveandersonmusic.com

www.djsarecords.com

www.myspace.com/steveandersonmusic

www.myspace.com/djsarecords

www.myspace.com/abprojectmusic