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New Music Review: FANS OF THE DARK 'Video'
Rating: 9 / 10 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 8.5 out of 10. FANS OF THE DARK is: Alex Falk (vocals), Oscar Bromvall (guitar), Rickard Gramfors (bass), Freddie Allen (drums) REVIEW – Swedish melodic rock powerhouse FANS OF THE DARK are set to release their third studio album, ‘Video,’ on October 11th, via Frontiers Music Srl. ‘Video‘ takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through the magic of the…
DEEP CLUB INTERVIEW: Grey People & Alex Falk
This is the first interview we’ve ever done, and we’re really excited to start it off with two of our favorite American house / techno producers and deejays. In an attempt to learn a little bit more about our friends from the south, Ryan from Deep Club caught up with Grey People (Alex Michalski) and Alex Falk just before their performance at DEEP CLUB this coming Saturday. Pre-sale tickets are available for purchase though Brown Paper Tickets while they last.
DC: Greetings to you both! Let’s start with the basics. How long have you each lived in Tennessee? What’s the scene like there? How’s the record shopping? I’ve never been there, but I guess I would just assume there isn’t much going on there. Am I wrong?
Grey People: I’ve lived here for about 6 years. Nashville is pretty dead when it comes to techno and parties. I’ve tried in the past to throw shows but something always gets in the way. There is a decent house community here, and parties are starting to happen fairly regularly which is a good sign. I might try to start something up again, still debating it. I’ll let Falk speak to Knoxville as they really have something good going on.
Record shopping here in Nashville is good, there are a ton of shops. None that really specialize in dance music, but I’ve had a good amount of luck picking up old disco/boogie/italo records in dollar bins. Every now and then you come across a record that you wouldn’t think someone here would own and it kind of blows your mind as to how it got down here. A few months ago someone dropped off a huge collection of mid/late 90’s to mid 2000’s techno records, the shop priced them cheap and I bought the majority of them. If you know how to dig here, you will have some luck.
Alex Falk: I was born in and grew up here in East Tennessee, I started going to southeastern raves (“parties”) as that scene was burning out at the end of the 90s. The music scene here in Knoxville was beyond dead thru the 2000s, but over the past five years we have developed a tight-knit community of techno and house heads that support our small (50-100 person) events on a monthly basis.
We’ve been able to hold it down here thanks in large part to having access to and good relations with local DIY spaces and concert venues, doing free events as well as utilizing opportunities to play music on the patio or side rooms of nightclubs hosting EDM concerts and mainstream dance nights. There are plenty of DJs here in Knoxville, and we also host guests from the surrounding area: Atlanta, Nashville, Asheville, etc.
As for record shopping in Knoxville, there are no stores selling new dance records. Occasionally I’ll run into collections of liquidated 80s/90s dance records from skating rink / nightclub DJs but there are probably more places to go digging over in Nashville.
DC: That’s interesting. Knoxville has the better scene, but shitty record shopping. And Nashville is basically the opposite. The current Denver scene sounds more like Knoxville, although we’re maybe a little bigger. I’ve only been here 3.5 years though. I can’t speak to what went on here before that. The ‘90s and early ‘00s Colorado rave scene was massive though. And we have decent record shopping now, but it could be much, much better. Now moving on — which artists and DJs would you say influence your style the most? Feel free to dig far and wide here — it does not have to be only dance music.
Grey People: I’m not sure, it’s hard to pin point one artist or DJ. I find myself going through different phases all the time of what I’m listening to and what I’m feeling.
If I were to choose a top 3 it would probably be Severed Heads for their crazily diverse incredible catalog. LTJ Bukem; hearing some of his DJ mixes at a very young age really shaped my tastes. More recently I’ve been really into Specter, I think a lot of his records are going to be sought after for quite some time, I’ve caught him DJ a few times and have never been let down.
Alex Falk: The biggest influences on my style today go back to the raver days: Tennessee and North Carolina DJs such as Red Commi Bastard (techno) and DJ Kri (goa trance) introduced me to new sounds around the time I started going to parties and really affected the direction i would take in the future. Before that, I found tons of techno/rave compilation CDs, bass CDs, industrial albums etc. in record stores around the area, all of which were a huge influence while I was in grade school. In recent years, the greatest influence continues to come from the many friends around the region who are producing music, operating labels, throwing parties, DJing and dancing together.
DC: How long have you been producing music? Have you always made house / techno? What gear do you use? What’s the overall creative process you go through?
Grey People: I didn’t get serious about production until about 2008, prior to that I was just dabbling with Ableton and any cracked VST that I could get my hand on. I finally got a job that paid well in about 2011ish and started buying gear around that time. With gear, I’m pretty sure that I have the same syndrome that I did with cracked VSTs. I kind of buy whatever I can get my hands on for as cheap as I can get it and then figure out how to incorporate it into my setup. Over the years, thanks to Craigslist and friends, I’ve amassed a lot of older gear both analog and digital and have picked up some newer shit on the way. If there is one nice thing about Nashville, it’s that recording studios are always going out of business and posting all their shit for a fair price on Craigslist. As much as I hate seeing that industry die, it’s benefited me immensely.
The creative process changes each time I flip on the machines. For awhile, I was really only interested in making 1 take straight to tape stuff (last CGI ep is the best of that era), but I’ve kind of taken that approach and gone back to multi-tracking stuff, editing shit that doesn’t sound good, and trying to “clean up” a little bit. I really enjoy collaborating with people in my room and seeing what they do with what I have, it gives me new ideas for how to approach what I’m doing. I feel like I’m still learning, hopefully I don’t stop learning.
I’ve dabbled in other genres, but feel like I can experiment the best with house and techno.
Alex Falk: I started messing around with making beats in the mid 90s on my computer using Scream Tracker. I was mostly trying to record “industrial” type stuff on a 4-track until the late 90s, when I switched over to an Ensoniq sampler and made a few cheesy techno and drum’n’bass demos I gave to DJs around the area. Around the same time I got some 1200s and started DJing whatever weird-sounding stuff I could get my hands on. The 2000s were mostly all about Cubase and VSTs — I was making goa trance while veering off into techno and idm/glitch inspired stuff within the boundaries of that scene. I got to travel around the country to play at hippie psy parties and raves, eventually I was spinning a mix of idm / microhouse / techno type stuff on the side stages at those events pretty regularly. Around 2008 I started spinning at events in my home state again, eventually producing tracks with folks like Joel Cox (Piltdown Sound) and Will Azada. Will had the balls to start a vinyl label (Proper Trax) around 2011 and the rest is (recent) history!
Like Michalski, my hardware setup changes alot (I am an eBay addict) but I’ve been consistently using Maschine and Ableton the past 5 years. I especially like to collect hardware rack and pedal effects, usually I’ll have just 1 or 2 hardware synths hooked up at a time and record raw jams with the Maschine + varying hardware signal chains. The current synth on the desk is a box full of eurorack modules and my go-to effect module is the Ensoniq DP4.
DC: How did you get hooked up with Matt at CGI? What role do you see CGI and Proper Trax playing in the national and global techno scene?
Grey People: I met Matt a few years ago; He was throwing this party in Atlanta that Will & Alex played at. I crashed at his house after the party and he showed me some music that he was making at the time under the alias of Featureless Ghost. I am really into darker synth pop and industrial, so we started talking more about that kind of stuff. I showed him my music and a few months later he told me he was starting up a label.
CGI & Proper Trax both, to a certain extent, pull from the same artists. Proper Trax is a bit more dancefloor, while CGI is a tad bit more adventurous about what they release. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘what role do you see them playing,’ I think the main intention is to release quality music from artists based in the Southeast (although, there are some releases by non-SE artists), and make people aware that there are dedicated folks down here doing their thing.
Alex Falk: I don’t think you need a response from me on that question, Alex covered everything!
DC: What are some of your other favorite labels right now? US-based or otherwise.
Alex Falk: Looking thru my collection, I seems that I am not at all loyal to labels or even artists (besides my proper/CGI comrades) — I try to keep an open mind, everything that catches my attention seems to come from a different direction. The labels and artists from whom I have the most releases are in some ways the least remarkable — consistent “DJ tool techno” and the like.
Grey People: I tend to support the people that I’m friends with the most, so like Falk said, I have def been loyal to CGI & Proper Trax, as well as other labels that I release on (Cult Trip, Public Systems, Finale Sessions, etc.). There is so much stuff coming out these days that it’s almost impossible to keep up with. I recently picked up a bunch of records off this Philly label Great Circles that are really good. I also just picked up the last few Argot’s, I really like sound that label is pushing.
DC: Who’s your favorite producer at the moment?
Alex Falk: As far as recent stuff goes, Stefan Ringer’s latest EP on CGI is super dope, and The Lost Kid & Grey People’s last releases on Proper Trax were killer too. Like I said though, I don’t get too fixated on individual labels or artists. Jeff Mills and Rob Hood are probably my picks for Detroit techno deities, but I don’t always wind up steering my DJ sets toward either of their vibes.
Grey People: Aside from the Southeastern techno people, I’m really into this guy Unfinished Portraits out of Argentinia, he makes some very cool moody techno. JASS is someone that I think people will be hearing more about sometime this year, cool EBM inspired acid. J. Alberts just had a tight release on Cult Trip that I’ve been playing a lot. I think the overall state of techno right now is pretty healthy and forward thinking, but these people have caught my attention.
DC: What’s your favorite club that you’ve played?
Alex Falk: I played at Alex Grey’s COSM gallery when it was still in Manhattan, that was a pretty unique experience. Humanaut also had a good thing going at Belvedere’s in Pittsburgh I played a few years ago, although now I think they are focused on doing after-hours parties in a much smaller (but very cool) space with Hot Mass. Most recently Michalski and I played together at TBA Brooklyn with Mike Servito for the Broke City crew, that was alot of fun!
Grey People: Will Azada and I played Smart Bar a few years ago, the sound system there is killer and I really like the vibe of that club. The whole weekend was a blast. I think Falk and I’s NYC trip this past October is on par as well. I had never been to NYC and had a great time.
DC: Smart Bar is basically the best club in the county. At least of the ones I have been to. It’s one of my favorite places on earth. I also have deep respect for Hot Mass. And probably some jealously too, haha. Next question: of the records that are currently in your bag, which one has been in there the longest?
Alex Falk: Frankie Bones “Technolo-G” EP on ESP-SUN, it came with a box of random records thrown in with my first pair of 1200s which I purchased on ebay in 1998. I play “Broad Channel” all the time but the other tracks are pretty cool too!
Grey People: I think the record that I’ve always had in my bad, since I was a teenager, is Nitzer Ebb’s “Join in the Chant”. I might retire it soon though, my copy is getting a bit worn out. I like layering that kind of stuff over harder techno and acid.
DC: That reminds me of a recent RA feature about Marcel Dettmann and some of his biggest influences; he also cites Nitzer Ebb and talks about working tracks like that into his dj sets. I love when deejays tastefully mix in tracks like that totally out of nowhere, yet almost everyone knows the track. It’s a great way to change up the energy in the room and get everyone on the same page before diving back in. In my opinion, not enough deejays do this, and it’s usually only the much more skilled selectors that even think about doing such a thing. You did this a couple of times in your new CGI Mix and it immediately stood out to me. Okay, last question! Have you ever been to Denver or Colorado? Is there anything else you want to do here since you’ll both be around for the whole weekend?
Alex Falk: I played at Beta Lounge & Fusion Factory a little over a year ago with Will Azada for John Templeton / GATF, who showed us around town and the mountains! The weather looks nice so I’ll be especially easy to entertain. It’s Michalski’s first time though… anything fun going on Friday night?
Grey People: Nope, I’ve never been to Denver. I’d like to avoid getting altitude sickness. I’m not sure what I want to do, I kind of like playing everything by ear. I’m looking forward to it though! See you this weekend.
DC: I remember falling ill literally the same day you were in town last year. I was so bummed I had to miss the party. Friday night will be lots of venue prep! You can sit around and drink beer and (legally) smoke weed as you watch the guys sweep floors and carry speakers. Haha! Afterward I suggest a visit to one of about a million microbreweries. Dean will probably try to take you to TRVE. It’s a really cool metal brewery in Baker. Definitely make a point to enjoy the outdoors and perhaps venture out for a hike if you can! Thanks for the interview guys. Stoked for Saturday!
Alex Falk - BF (2014)
Alex Falk - F U 2
CLDB (from 'Definitive Findings' / Proper Trax)
http://store.propertrax.com/album/definitive-findings
Mr. Cad by Webb & Chaplin is now out of print.
There are the last few copies left at Ti Pi Tin!
