Spotlight: Hello chaps, what's new in the world of Octave One in 2011?
Octave One: Wow! Where do we start, at present we have a release of the second 12" from our forth coming album "Here, There and Beyond", which features remixes and reworks of some of our favorite artist. We've just completed a remix for Vince Watson that will soon be available on his label, entering the studio to start working on a new full length Octave One project, mad touring and so on and so and...Lol!
We're excited about the prospect of seeing you guys play at Space on June 1st for the CR2 party, what's you history with the island? We're not sure if you've even played here before....
We're just as excited about coming and playing in Ibiza! And believe it or not this is absolutely the very first time that we will be stepping foot and playing on the island. We've heard millions of great stories about it, but now we get to have our own story :)
Tell us a bit about your show, from a technical point of view, it's anything but your regular DJ set?
Our show is actually quite far from a regular dj set. It's actually totally and 100% live from the drums to the basslines to the strings and so on and so on. There a few samples, drum machines, synthesizers all being driven by our MPC1000 which also holds the sequences. All of these sounds are then sent to the mixer where they're mixed, effected and compressed live through 24 tracks...phew! I think that's everything...lol!
How does this affect the atmosphere at your gigs, say compared to a regular club night?
At a regular club night we might tend to experiment a little bit more, because sometimes we're curious and kind of want to know what happens if we do this or try it this way. How will the dancefloor react to that? And for larger crowds we take some of those experimentations that we've had and see how far we can push the boundaries of them to move the masses...we start to feel and hear the rumble of the crowd which drives us and before we know it we're all caught up in a very progressive and intense atmosphere!
I'm not sure if it's just my perception, but you seem to be playing out a lot more in recent times. Why so much touring now?
Its a lot more than just perception, we have been doing a whole lot more playing especially lately. A lot of it is attributed to a select few adventurous and forward thinking promoters who have taken a chance on bringing us to the stage at some of there larger events and allowing us to do what we do best. And more than even that it's been the fans who want to see us and pushing and pushing and pushing the promoters to bring us. And we feel so fortunate to have fans that are as intense as we are about the pure music!
You've also played for We Love in Miami and return to Ibiza to play for them later this summer. Do you think the demand for Detroit first and second wave artists seems as is strong as it's ever been. If so/not, why?
That's an interesting question for us, because we have seen such a very large interest in the Detroit vibe lately with a focus on those first and second waves too. But the funny thing is that we used to say among ourselves was that the most logically next step from the minimal sound would have to progress to something more musical, so that would lead to some sort of either hybrid of the Detroit or possibly Chicago sounds. And here we are!
What's the biggest challenge you face as producers with 20 year careers behind you?
As producers we don't see too many challenges facing us because we always stick to our creed of we'll do it as long as we love and only produce when we feel we have something to say musically. That's how we started and we hold on tight to it daily. But if we had one of the biggest we would have to say being motivated by sounds. It may sound crazy but after being around and creating our own sounds for almost 20 years sometimes it can be a bit of a chore to find that one sound that really strikes you to start your creation with. We've heard so many sounds and variations of sounds that at times we find ourselves seriously searching for just that one that tickles our ears and inspires us to create.
How can unique producers and DJs make themselves heard?
The market is soooooo saturated right now, more than we've ever seen since we've been involved in it. But you know we really do feel there is still room for unique producers and dj's and the key will be to develop your own style that your audience will grow to identify you by. Many times we run across some really very talented folks that all seem to run and make the exact same mistake, they tend to want to copy there favorite artist. You'll never get your own identity following in the shadows of someone else, you need your own sound for your own identity! Its very important for the development of your fan base to have this.
Is there anything else you'd like to add or tell us about?
Just "Warn the Beautiful" cause we're coming :D !
