Dave we first became of your music under your current Pezzner guise, the deep house you were producing stood far apart from much of the other music being produced within this genre, equally for its elevating qualities and eccentric nuances …something we later learned was indicative of your previous production alias (Jocob London) It seems that you can add humor to music and still take it seriously, Is this an important part of your (production) process?
Yes I think its important that I don't take my art too seriously. I have a note to self here that says "Remember, Its Just House Music". The energy that you'd find in any of the Jacob London tracks is very different from my own works though, because those Jacob London songs were written with my long friend Bob Hansen. That's just the vibe we get in the studio when we're together. We get a little drunk and take this 'anything goes' approach to house music. "Serious" goes out the window and we take all this creative energy and put it towards having fun and making musical sense out of nonsense. Anyone who isn't familiar with the Jacob London project, I highly recommend checking it out.
It certainly opens the door to experimentation, something that has characterized your productions, your recent mix of Hugo Barrit's "Lilly Hole" was described to me me as sounding like a swarm of any africanized bee's… were angry africanized bee's a big influence at the time? : )
Totally I guess I was feeling very apiological at the time I was working on the track. Actually the mix does carry an air of frustration that really speaks to what was going on in my life a couple months ago when I was working on it. I have a baby at home now and we live in a small place. For me my work life has become an incredible uphill battle recently. I'm with my child during most days, and working late nights, getting very little sleep. Maybe you can hear it in this remix?
I need to quote you from an interview you did with Ibiza Voice, when asked "Where, who or what is really influencing you and your work right now? part of your reply was "I use an alarm clock radio to wake up and it's tuned halfway between stations so that when it goes off its static and noisy but sometimes it will catch a beat that sounds fantastic and when you combine this with the lucid state of waking up, I'll wake up with this rhythm that leaves an impression. I love that." I love that, it's reminds of a famous Einstein quote " the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources" Would you agree all music is derivative of something? it just varies on how abstract the influence is and do you apply this use or influence of everyday sounds to all your music?
Yeah I'd somewhat agree with Einstein there, at least speaking for myself. I usually try to get inspiration from hidden sources. For me its like digging for gold. Finding influences from say, my alarm clock radio, or the windshield wipers on my car. Here's a good one: Lately my promo box has been piling up and I haven't been able to provide feedback on the music that's coming in. Its been kind of stressing me out a little bit. Well, I had a dream the other night that I finally had a chance to go through and listen to these songs. In my dream, the music in my promo box was some of the most amazing house tunes I'd ever heard, and I woke up with the basis of a song that I was able to start for my next LP.
I read that you produce your music with the ipod in mind rather than the dance floor. It's a kind of a strange place we have got to with house music where this is probably the point of greatest consumption, do you find there is a strange balance producing music with a blueprint that has been taken from the dance floor and making it with the home listener in mind?
Yeah of course generally speaking, everyone listens to music on their devices - their computers, ipods, phones... Long is gone the days when house music was only heard on vinyl. You don't need a nightclub system, or a DJ mixer to hear this music. I'm finding more and more with each tour that the growing majority of people who listen to dance music rarely hear this music in nightclubs. The home listener doesn't care about how this music can excite the subwoofers on a Funktion One System, or how easy the song is to mix with other songs. So it makes sense to produce my music for the headphones for the home listener, of course keeping the DJ and nightclub in mind - but really on the back burner.
You can check out Pezzners rather fantastic Burlington podcast here
1. Ugly Drums - Is It Worth It - Quintessentials
2. Chris Special + Brady - Mind Games - Loco Records
3. Andre Lodemann - The Light - Best Works Records
4. Osunlade - Pride - Johnny D Mix - Strictly Rhythm
5. Mattias Vogt - Under The Radar - Lazy Days
6. Hugo Barritt - Lilly Hole (Pezzner Remix) - Vitalik
7. Ryan Sullivan - The Chase - Eight Tracks
8. Super Flu - Euterpeh (Ruede Hagelstein Rmx) - Monaberry
9. Mattias Kaden - Kawaba - DJ Koze's Kozesan Remix - Vakant
10. Alejandro Mosso - Caracoles - Mosso
11. Gus Gus - Over - Life and Death Remix - Kompakt
12. Pillow Talk - Far From Home - Wolf and Lamb
13. Art Of Noise - A Nation Rejects - China Records
Having said that, you have created some monstrous club tracks, Big Roll and Don't Try It being prime examples. Touring every weekend with your live show must inspire this?
Very true. I'm also producing music to work well in my set. And while the majority of my works could be considered deeper and more for the head. I feel like its important to balance that out by performing a bit heavier for the late night club audience.
Your discography of remixes over the last two years is rather impressive, you have been prolific to say the least. Does the responsibility of being a family man encourage productivity?
I do have a lot of mouths to feed. We just had a baby as I mentioned, and we have a 16 year old. So yeah, with so much at stake, its incredibly important that I not only stay working, but also that I put my very best into everything that I do. Without my family, I might be lazy.
Your album "The Tracks Are Alive" came out on Freerange last year and received praise from press and public alike. I hear you have another album in the pipeline for Freerange this year can you tell us a little about that?
Yes, I'm working on the follow up LP now. Its hard to describe. Much of the work was done on my off time on my last tour. I had a week off between shows in London and Moscow, and I decided to spend it alone in Malta. I rented an apartment for the week in Sliema and worked non-stop. Then I did the same the following week during my off time in Rome. So far, the music I've written is perhaps a bit more personal, maybe a little abstract in some ways. I guess more cinematic, as I'm trying to paint a picture for my listeners with interludes and sound design. I think this 2nd album will tell even more of a story than The Tracks Are Alive.
Got any interesting gigs coming up that you would like to tell us about?
Nope. At the moment I'm staying home with my family and my focus is on my next album.
Lastly please leave us with some music… (preferably stuff we can find on youtube so we can include a player)
Whats the best thing you have heard today?
Such a tough question. 'Best' is such an objective word that changes with my moods, and I couldn't possibly use it to describe the music that's moving me at any point in time. I mean 4 weeks ago I would have told you the best thing I ever heard was "Scrub The Ground" by Splack Pack - Because I was on a serious old school booty bass kick:
But then there are these albums that keep me coming back. I think about the first time I listened to James' Wah Wah album and I was literally floored by this music. I cant remember the last time I was this blown away.
Albums like Cliff Martinez's Solaris Soundtrack keep coming back to my playlists:
What record are you most looking forward to dropping at your next show?
Shir-Khan Presents Black Jukebox with tracks by Mercury and Homework. The whole thing is massive:
http://exploitedghetto.de/blog/music/shir-khan-presents-black-jukebox-02/
The last record that bent your mind?
This tune by Nosia & Phace. Amazing drum and bass and sound design