I'm going to 'fess up straight away to being a long-time admirer of Melbourne-based producer Son Of Zev, as well as a mate for 11 years.
In fact Allan Klinbail, the singular guy behind the production outfit, has been a key member of the IF? posse since he stuck a demo in my hand while I was DJing (in whacked out, somewhat embarrassingly wayward fashion) at a Hardware rave party in Melbourne back in 1998, the same night the far more professional Adam Beyer and Cari Lekebusch were on.
There was a nice note attached to the CD-R, and a few months later Son Of Zev was sneaked onto the bill for a wee little IF? party called Zoetrope 7 at the late, lamented Punters Club in Fitzroy.
Allan is literally the son of Zev - his dad - and he's performed live on multiple occasions in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle, has a debut album in the works, and also runs Little Wolf Recordings.
Allan also sidelines as a member of the LN Elektronische Ensemble with me and my our cohort Damian Stephens (Isnod), via which we've played live support to Squarepusher, Ben Sims and Spearhead... and came last in a Monash University Battle Of The Bands competition.
Anyway, Son Of Zev has a new release (T.O.M.M.S.) out today, personally I dig it (but then again I would; I'm heavily biased), and so I decided it was fine time to do tête-à-tête with a producer I can't any longer call a whipper-snapper. Well, not convincingly, anyway.
What's the deal with the new Son Of Zev EP, T.O.M.M.S., and what does the title acronym mean - and why call it this in the first place?
"The new EP is really an experiment and a piece of nostalgia at the same time. It's really a homage to the sound that got me into producing live. In the mid '90s in Melbourne, there was a sound coming out of Melbourne that could be typified as being from Melbourne. My favourite proponents of this were Zen Paradox and Voiteck, but there were many others at the time who seemed to carry a sound that was 'Melbourne': it was underground, it was minimal and it contained elements of acid and other styles. I began writing the track 'T.O.M.M.S' as a kind of tribute to this, as it was being written as a bunch of live loops for the Z-13 party [late last year] celebrating 13 years of IF? I thought it would be cool to try and capture the spirit specifically of an old IF? Voiteck vs. Zen Paradox gig, but add my own feel and update it a bit at the same time.
"The name itself is also a stab at what is currently being called 'minimal'. Minimal is a term that has come up in techno/electronica a few times in its history, but I believe the latest incarnation is a little shallow. The original minimalists were not 'electronic' artists at all, but consisted of people like Phillip Glass, Steve Reich and John Cage - to name the most famous - and the term loosely can be defined as repeating music that changes gradually over time (well, that's what I remember from my university days), and is a parallel to minimal visual and literary artists. Specifically, what interested me was Steve Reich's experiments with phase and timing, but essentially what I'm getting at is that minimal music is not limited to a very small type of sound, and has been used in reference to other sounds in the past. Hence 'T.O.M.M.S.' is That Old Melbourne Minimal Sound.
"The second track, 'Missing Parts', was created in the same vein musically, but is also a bit of self-amusement with some quotes my girlfriend noticed on a show I was watching."
Recently you've been labeled part of the "Second Wave" of Melbourne producers who emerged in around 1997/98 - including Isnod, Blimp, Frontside and Artificial - following on from the so-called First Wave of Zen Paradox, Voiteck, FSOM, TR-Storm and Snog - following on, of course, from Ollie Olsen's earlier essential inroads. How does it feel to be one of the elder statesmen of Melbourne techno over a decade later?
"I'm chuffed at these comments, but I still feel like a newbie compared to the people you've just mentioned in the 'first wave'. I like being considered part of the history, but at the same time I do feel like I have a lot more to offer. I do miss doing regular gigs with the people of the 'second wave', but the pub scene that itself formed such a large part of our gigs has somewhat diminished."
If you had to describe your own particular niche sound in 21 words (or less) how would you do so?
"Rhythmic techno with a minimalist influence, often but not always infused with breaks, funk, jazz, acid and varying degrees of experimentation." [21 exactly!]
Over the years you've remixed my Little Nobody stuff, along with tracks by Japanese producer DJ Warp and fellow Melburnian Koda. What's the joy for you in remixing, and how do you approach the craft of doing so?
"I love remixing. I find the challenge is using material that someone else has created first and making it my own. I approach remixes like any new track and the same amount of work is required. The difference is that the material tends to guide the direction the track goes in but not dictate it. The biggest joy is when the original artist gives positive feedback... my biggest fear is offending the original artists."
You've in turn just been remixed by Wolfgang Klein for the new EP. How did you feel about these mixes and how did they eventuate?
"I love the Wolfgang Klein mixes; one of them is on my MySpace page still - until
he puts them up himself. I met Wolfgang on an IRC channel that discussed making music with Linux software. The guy knows a lot about music and is quite an odd character. He uses some of the same software I use and was looking for stuff to play around with, so I shot him some samples. What he came up with were effects-laden experimental mixes that kind of use dub techniques. They were done
completely in software, which is something I don't do, and he is pretty new at it all but has some great sensibilities."
Which labels have you worked with, and how are they different - and in what ways do you adjust to the needs of each outlet?
"Until last year I had only ever released through IF?, plus got picked up on the odd compilation. Last year, my Submerged EP, in its final version, was released on Elektrax in partnership with IF? and I've since had some more stuff coming out on Elektrax by way of remixes. So having two outlets is new to me, but my approach is now to send Elektrax the more dance floor thumping tracks, while IF? is my outlet for experimenting. I'm still getting used to this, so I tend to
write the tracks first and then work out where to send them next."
Which other producers and/or labels are doing it for you at the current time, and why so?
"As far as producers, I am a complete DJ Warp fan at the moment and have him on high rotation in my mp3 player, followed by DJ Hi-Shock and Bitch Shift. I've always been a sucker for Tresor, but really in the last 12 months both IF? and Elektrax have really done it for me - I'm having trouble keeping up with the output of both of these two labels; they're really pumping out the releases at the moment and the quality is superb. I know I'm involved with both of them, but I just feel really honoured to be tagging along. Both of these labels are working with established artists and new up-comers equally as much.
"I've also been following Dead Channel lately, as the mix of artists is fantastic and suits my eclectic tastes. I found Dead Channel as a result of some Little Nobody releases, but have really been exploring everything coming out of there. As they provide everything free, it's music made for the love of it and you can hear it."
How's the Melbourne scene at the moment, and which producers there pique your interest?
"Melbourne has always been a great place for producers and continues to be so. There are so many good producers around at the moment, it would be hard to list them all. Of the newer ones Bitch Shift (aka Ben Mill), Enclave, Dylabs, Pat Stormont and Blinky come immediately to mind. In the last year I've seen good sets by Bubble and Squeak, Machina, and of course Zen Paradox (who has had some tasty releases in that time as well). Isnod always seems to be coming up with gold too. I know there are people I must have missed... so I apologize to myself first as I know that I'll be kicking myself when I realize who I've missed, and then I apologize to those I have."
What equipment are you currently using to produce music, and what added extras do you keep in the studio to amuse/inspire you?
"My studio hasn't changed much, just slowly grown over the last 10 years. On the hardware side I'm running: Akai MPC 2000xl, Yamaha TX-81z, Yamaha an-200, Korg TR-Rack, Kawai K1, Soundcraft Spirit SX mixer, Digitech Quad (FX), MO-FX (fx), DBX 166xl compressor (*2), Behringer MDX 4600 quad compressor, Behringer MIC 200, Emagic AMT-8 (midi patchbay/interface) Emagic Unitor 8 (midi patchbay/interface), Behringer BCF2000 midi controller, Edirol PCR-300 Midi keyboard/controller, and Edirol PCR-30 used only for live, as the keys are busted. Focusrite Saffire Pro 10IO audio
interface, Roland EP-50 keyboard, 2 * Neutrik patch bays... and my ever-beloved
Rhodes Piano (Stage Piano Mk1).
"On the software side, everything I do is on Linux, so much of this may be new to people out there. I'm primarily running Ardour with a bunch of LADSPA plugins for multi-tracking
and mixing. I use Jamin' for mastering when I do the mastering myself. I've been occasionally using the MusE MIDI sequencer and have been helping the developers get it ready for version 1.0 release by testing and providing feedback when I get the time.
"For amusement I play around with some Linux based softsynths and more experimental software but mostly just muck around on the Rhodes piano."
Any hot tips for aspirant producers out there?
"There's no substitute for practice. Just keep at it. There is nothing wrong with emulation to help you learn your craft - Bach did it all the time - but straight out copying is not cool. There's lots of reading material to help you learn techniques, but most of all trust your ears. Oh, and get a half decent set of monitors... mixing in headphones will kill your mixes. Also try and use some open source software; you shouldn't have to break the
bank paying for software just to get started."
All time most-inspiring musician...?
"Miles Davis, without a doubt. He was able to keep ahead of the times stay inventive and never get stale through his entire life. He kept abreast of new technologies and styles and worked to incorporate them and interpret his own way with them in his own music. He collaborated with young new musicians always and they seemed to always become massive themselves."
Really enjoyed what this dude has to say, thanks.