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In Seventh Heaven: Interview with Solus
Reported by Less is Bat
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Submitted 18-03-05 20:39
As of late there have been a number of young producers catching the attention of everyone involved in the scene; Technikal, M.D.A & Spherical and Seventh Heaven. Seventh Heaven is a name you will be hearing more of in the coming months, with some exciting remixes on the cards and a Live P.A. set for the Launch of Divine.
We ‘Harderfasters’ know him as Solus. His friends and family know him as Alan. Here is a chance to meet another alias, the intriguing young producer Seventh Heaven! I caught up with him to find out his views on production, DJing and his musical interests.
So young producer pup, how old are you?
Still young and tender at the age of 20, but got my 21st coming up in several weeks. I'm aware that I'm young compared to many producers and promoters involved in the industry, but I hope that doesn't put anyone off!
At what age did your interest in writing and producing music begin?
I started producing dance music in 2000, although I've got a lot of knowledge in music composition from classical education when I was much younger. Starting in 2000 meant I was heavily influenced by the sounds being produced in 98-99 which I guess is reflected in what I write now.
Do you play any instruments?
My dad has always been very musical (not my kinda style, but hey!), and made me take piano lessons from about the age of 6/7. At the time I took it all for granted and didn’t really enjoy it that much. By the time I was 15, I'd had enough of being told how a piece of music was meant to be played, so packed it all in. I doubt that I'd have managed music production if it wasn't for all those lessons, so I really appreciate it now. I also played the guitar for about 6 years from the age of 8, but I didn’t take to that as well. I played the saxophone for a couple of years at around 13, and I'll even admit to having several singing lessons when I was young, although I don’t know what use they'll be now... maybe I could do some live acapella work in my p.a!
What? ...
Ok maybe not.
What was your first piece of equipment?
Well apart from kiddy style Casio keyboards which I grew up around, I guess the first proper production equipment was the Korg EM-1. I spent lots of time playing around with the previous versions at shops and music events, and although they are very much amateur pieces of equipment, they are what I used when I started. There's numerous tracks I produced with just that, an SH-32 and a Yamaha keyboard... and thank god those tracks are hidden somewhere safe in my studio up north!! They are pretty dire.
Do you think it’s important for DJs to have some knowledge of music production?
Yes and no. I know many DJs that have had no education or previous knowledge in production, and yet they astound me every single time they play a set. These DJs though, have been at it for a fair amount of time, and have a good ear for going from one track to another. However people I know who are more musically talented with either classical background or other, tend to have a better idea of structure for a track, and also a better idea notation wise. I get really fed up with DJs who create very simple mixes with just a couple of twists on the mixer from one track to the other... Jockeys who mix and mash tracks with acapellas and samples everywhere really rock my boat. There's so much time in-between mixes that DJs don't take advantage of, and this is where some people make their break and become pioneers in the scene. Mixing in key is a necessity to please me, and nothing makes it better in a DJs set than when they can mix in a bass line to the point where everyone throws their hands up in the air and screams 'ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh' !
Have you ever been tempted to build up a profile as a DJ rather than producer?
I began DJing far before I started producing, and picked it up around the same time as Paul Divine when I lived up in North England. I was totally enveloped in mixing at that time, and spent pretty much every penny on vinyl when I had the chance. After three or four years, when I started at uni, rather than spending all my money on buying Technic decks, I spent it on production software, and turned a different corner.
Although DJing still appeals to me, my heart and mind is set on production and I spend most hours through the night with headphones bound to my ears, writing sections and riffs until I pass out.
What has been your favorite collaboration?
So far I've kept collaborations to a minimum... I tend to have so much I want to write down into a track, I end up getting carried away on my own. I also think that productions should come from either a very powerful idea or emotion (cheesy as it sounds) and if I didn't know the person I was working with, I doubt it would flow that well.
However... getting back to the question, my favourite collaboration would definitely be Rainbow Dust - No Limits (the theme) (the first remix, by me, Paul Divine and Kev). We produced this in line for the launch of No Limits, at Paul Divine's studio at Merton Road at the time. We all were really hyped up and full of energy, and the track flowed together within a couple of hours. Paul played it out the following weekend in one of his DJ sets and the crowd went nuts for it!
I've got a few secretive collaborations for remixes and productions coming up this year, although I'm keeping my mouth shut at the moment!
When was the first time you heard one of your tunes played out and how did it make you feel?
The first time I heard one of my own productions out, was at the age of 16, and I lived up in North England then. I'd written a track which sounded great at the time, but listening back to it now is really embarrassing! It was called Substream - Whited Supulchre, and it got played out in The Waterfront which is a pretty pop/chart orientated club and on local radio the following week. I'd got my sister (Hannah, aka Amora) to do the vocals for it, and although the eq'ing, baseline and synths sound appalling, it somehow managed to rock the club and keep everyone dancing! Unfortunately my sister's living in Spain at the mo, so I haven't had chance to record many vocals with her. The latest track featuring her is Cloud Cascade which I hope to have finished within the next month or two.
What is your favorite piece of equipment?
My favorite piece of production equipment I own would have to be my Roland SH-32. It can make some really nasty tough bass sounds, but also does gorgeous dream like sounds for when I make my more typical trance work. I've currently got my eye on a Novation Supernova... I had a play on one in a shop in far West London a year or so ago, and since then, no other hardware has come close. The sounds that it makes you tingle, and I can't wait to use this piece in my works to come.
Which producers give you inspiration and influence your own style?
To be honest... there's so many producers that influence me, it's hard to narrow it down to a mere few. My productions emerged very soon after 1999, and I reckon that's where my sound is still based today. I've picked up a lot of sounds from Mike Koglin's tracks, and also other producers like Above & Beyond, M.I.K.E., Ferry Corsten and S.H.O.K.K., all of who amaze me by the unique crisp sounds of their work.
What do you hope to achieve, is music production where you see your future career?
At this moment in time, I'm really overwhelmed with the way my work is going. I get a lot of response from people around the world who listen to work I've done, either on the radio or in clubs, and this is what keeps me at it each day. I don't expect immediate success from what I do, and am quite content if just a single track makes a few people bounce. I also don’t expect to make huge tracks one after another, so I make sure I spend as much time producing as I can, racking up hundreds of productions at home and when I finally like one track I've been working on, I'll ensure to spend much time making it work out the best I can.
From here on though, I want to just carry on with each album I make. Remix work is definitely playing a bigger part for me at the moment and I love putting a different edge on a track it didn't possess before.
I also want to carry on working with my live p.a. stuff and play more events in London and the UK. I really enjoy seeing people jump around clubs and going mad to tracks I've spent time on, and I'm going to keep doing it until they stop!
I respect the music ability of producers of dance music, yet there is a degree of snobbery in the way you are viewed by musicians and composers of other genres of music. Do you think it is possible to compare dance music production and, for example, indie music composition and production?
I don't dislike or hold anything against other styles of music. From folk music to garage, there's only good music or bad. In my eyes, music is very much the same, just differing in rhythm and by the instruments used. I'd class production software on computers as an instrument... albeit electronic. So in the short, I don’t have any sort of boundaries with genre. If someone knows how to structure a work really well (in any style) it will appeal to me.
How would you describe the style of a majority of your music?
The majority of what I produce gets called 'trancey bol**cks' most of the time by my mates! But to put it in better words I'd describe it simply as storming euphoric trance. I tend to edge off to different genres when I work with other people. Like when I produce with Paul Divine, we work on a style which is much like Scott Project sometimes edging off towards Nick Sentience styled hard sounds.
Would you be confident attempting to produce something different within the dance music genre, for example breakbeat?
I really enjoy producing different styles of music, and have a lot of enthusiasm when doing so. I wrote lots of classical pieces when I was younger, and although mainly helping me produce trance works, it has also helped with numerous chill-out tracks. I often put breakbeat rhythms into tracks that produce; Yoji Biomehanika - A Theme From Banginglobe, is one of the favorite remixes I’ve done, and it has a really heavy break down to it. I first played that at No Limit's the first birthday and it was definitely the highlight of my set!
Thanks for taking time to answer these questions Alan and I’m looking forward to hearing you play live soon!
Thanks Jess, I’ll see you there!
All the best,
Seventh Heaven (aka Alan aka Solus!)
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Other Features By Less is Bat:
Celebrating the launch of Party Proactive at its new Turnmills home — an interview with D.A.V.E. the Drummer
The HeatUK and HarderFaster Xmas Payback Party — reviewed!
The freaks come out! Riot Spooktacular reviewed
Party Proactive is coming: interview with Soto of Botchit and Scarper
Squelcher VS Guilt — The Beach Party review
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Great interview buddy 
well done cya 2moro 
