 |
Features
|
|
|
| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
|
|
|
|
|
Techno takeover: Rhythm Logistics hits Africa
Reported by SunnyAli
/
Submitted 12-03-08 16:15
Not content with London’s hair-raising warehouse and squat parties, technohead Rhythm Logistics, aka Alex Jann, took a five thousand mile trip far away from the winter rain and cold to show the techno crowds of Johannesburg just how to rave. His infectious funky techno sound varies from stripped down minimal beats to acid-influenced pounding sets, both of which went down a storm across Jo’burg’s clubs and bars.
You couldn’t ask for a more committed DJ, producer and clubber – Alex launched into the free party rave scene at supersonic speed and cut his teeth hosting parties with buddies the Section 63 crewv, before catching the DJ bug and turning to the dark side of producing tunes. He’s now arguably one of the country’s hardest working upcoming techno DJs, has played alongside an enviable list of techno and hardstyle legends including D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Mark EG, Alex Calver and Guy McGaffer among many others and is currently signing his own tracks to high profile industry labels like More Punk Than Funk and Wah Wah (the label of the Stay Up Forever Collective). He’s also one of the most enthusiastic new talents on the scene and is determined to haul out all the stops to add some real new passion and exciting sounds to the techno scene around the world.
I grabbed a fleeting moment of his time to see how he enjoyed the South African odyssey.
Welcome to South Africa! What brings you all the way from the UK to here? Is this your first visit?
Hello HarderFaster! Yes this is my first time to SA. I’m over here to play for Teknotribe, Psychotechnik and MNTL….. Oh, and have some fun!
You’ve been playing out a lot while you’ve been here. What’s the reception been like? How have you found the crowds here?
Firstly I’d like to say that it’s a great scene you guys have got going on out here! Energetic, welcoming, and 100% up for it. The floors I have played on have been nice and intimate, enabling me to take the audience on the exact journey I want to take them on; it’s been a lot of fun!
You’ve headed the lineup at the Teknotribe event at Loaded in Newtown and Psychotechnik at Skandal alongside local names Nick Grater and Andre Frauenstein. Is this kind of international attention something you want to take further?
Of course! It’s great travelling with your music, experiencing new things, and meeting some amazing people along the way. Also a large aide in this attention is thanks to the internet. The world is a small place now, every where’s around the corner, and by using sites like this, MySpace and Facebook etc it’s easier to connect with people the other side of the planet, bridging the gap between different regions of the globe and spreading the word about artists big and small. It’s an awesome feeling to be apart of the underground global dance movement!
How different is SA techno to the UK sound?
There isn’t a major difference to be honest - all the sets I’ve heard whilst here have been immaculate and up-to-date track wise. Even as a techno fan and DJ I have been completely sucked in from start to finish of each set, great acts, top stuff!
How much do you interact with South African DJs/producers? Do you have any long term collaboration plans with people here coming out of this tour?
I have been in contact for along time with some of the people I have been working with out here, again through the internet, and hooking up with them whilst they were in the UK. The main person in question would have to be Nick Grater. We have plans to collaborate and do something a bit different, where we work on different parts at our own studios then infuse the mix out of what we have both created, a kind of melting pot of ideas crafted in to a dance floor banger! I also have plans for doing something similar with Andre Frauenstein; get some nosebleed schranz on the go too!
Tell me a bit about you and your work. How did you first get into techno and into the mixing and production sides of the industry?
I first got into techno after going to some amazing UK free parties all around the country and later finding some dirty squat parties in London, they blew me away! It was a big change to the clubs and music that I had been into in my younger years and this newly found sound put me immediately under a spell. At the time I was doing a graphics course at a local college and had made some awesome friends that introduced me to other people who were into the techno movement too (the early members of Section 63). We all started knocking around together and as the early crew had bought a soundsystem we just started putting on field parties, squat parties, club parties, anywhere-we-could-get-away-with-it parties, free-festivals, even pubs and bars were not safe from the relentless techno beat from team 63! It was a whole lot of fun and I really cut my teeth and learnt a hell of a lot about the scene with these guys.
Alongside all this I wanted to learn more about the production side of the music so I enrolled in a production course, bought a studio and got writing. After I started to get my sound down I wanted to start DJing to be able to play my creations out. So after a couple of years of a self-taught DJ crash course, I started playing out on the S63 system and playing at some of the most unreal events all around the UK and some of the free-party festivals of mainland Europe to some enormous crowds.
It was after a few years of this that my first release came and the rest they say is history.
How would you describe your sound? What makes you different from the other techno DJs out there?
Deep, tribal and pounding! I try not to get stuck in a certain category as some DJs often do – I don’t want people to only know me for one style of techno, you know? I love working my way through the deeper tracks and I take great joy in building up my sets with a sense of excitement and climax to a mindblowing finale. I always want to keep the floor entertained and focused!
You have played out with the likes of D.A.V.E The Drummer, Mark EG and Guy McGaffer. Who or what do you consider your influences both as a performer and a producer?
When I perform live I get my inspiration and influence directly form the crowd, there’s a real buzz that you get from playing out that has to be tapped into and let your set feed from it. I love that feeling of “we’re all in this together, right now, let’s smash the S@£$ out of it!”
Without sounding too “cryptic”, I think in the studio I’m very influenced by my mood whether it be up or down, light or dark. That tends to really affect me when I’m being creative. Sometimes too I’ll hear a weird sound that I come across whilst out and about, that is no way musical, and be totally inspired to get in the studio – I’m like “wow, how the F%&$ can I make that sound?”
Who would you like to play at an event with in the future?
Tough one! Personally I’ve always been a Chris Liebing fan, so him for sure. Maybe DJ Rush and Eric Sneo as they both absolutely have it when they’re playing!
Tell me about your releases. Which was your first one, which has been most successful, and which do you like the most? Which labels do you release on?
The first release I had was a B side on the More Punk Than Funk (3). The second release was on Glenn Wilson’s highly acclaimed label Templ8r (2) with me on the A this time, I still love that tune and feel that was the most successful and earned me a lot of attention as someone up-and-coming. I really respect Glenn for picking that track up and looking for new talent, it’s what keeps the scene going.
The third release meant a lot to me as it was picked up by the one and only Stay Up Forever Collective’s imprint Wah Wah (17). This track seriously kicks and when I’m playing acid it always gets a play. The fourth track I’ve had out was a collaboration between myself and Joe Giacomet as Punk 63, and production-wise I really like this track – it also sold really well so defiantly a contender for the most successful.
I don’t really have set labels that I solely release on. But if I had to say one it would definitely be the good ship More Punk Than Funk. I love the label’s ethos and the collective of artists who release on her! MPTF forever baby! Hehe!
You’ve got more releases in the pipeline – can you tell me about these?
Sure, the year is only just on its way and already the release schedule is rolling along nicely. When I get back to the UK I will be jumping in the studio with 3 Phaze Generator, and we will be writing the A-side for the forthcoming (3rd) release on Generator UK.
I will also be getting back in the studio with old partner in crime Joe Giacomet for another Punk 63 instalment for his almighty More Punk Than Funk imprint.
Finally, I am intending to get my label off the ground this year. It will be a digital label to get my music directly to the people that want it and then release vinyl every-other release. So watch this space!
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given to help your music career?
“Keep at it!” just keep doing what you’re doing. I think this is so true. If the stuff you write is good then it will happen, don’t rush it, just enjoy the ride.
Techno ravers are known for their love of gathering in wet muddy fields, squats or warehouses, in the UK. What’s the most random event you’ve ever played?
I think the clear winner would have to be a party I played at in East London in an out-of-action sex-toy factory, where some of the stock had been left! There was a massive Funktion-One Soundsystem, it was crazy! - People were dancing with vibrators instead of glow-sticks! – Mental!
What are your future plans? What is your ultimate goal – to play a particular event? Own a record label?
As mentioned earlier, I really want to get my label up and running, so at the moment that is my main focus, although saying that I’m also building my live show which should be ready early summertime (UK). That’s gonna go off!
You play regularly on radio stations – that must be a lot of fun. Is this something you want to do more of, or is it mostly clubs you like to play in?
For me nothing beats playing out live full-tilt at a packed club, it’s one of the biggest rewards I get from this work, it’s just pure energy, I love it! But having said that the radio is a completely different animal and has its own benefits; it’s a great avenue to parade some of the quirkier and more out there pieces of music that you can’t usually play when headlining on a full-on techno bill. It’s a beautiful thing being able to take listeners on a much more scenic trip through my music when they are usually at home, relaxing and I have their full attention.
To find out more about Rhythm Logistics visit www.rhythmlogistics.co.uk
Photos courtesy of HouseGuy. Not to be reproduced without permission
Share this ::  :  :  : 
Follow HarderFaster :: 
Other Features By SunnyAli:
Darude's whirlwind decade
No sleep for Rachel Auburn
In the Presence of Carl Nicholson
Frantic Timeless 8 – totally worth ruining Valentine's Day for...
It's like Origami, but with power tools..... One Awsum Xmas Party reviewed
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.
|
|
|
|
|
![[HarderFaster] - Work Hard, Play Harder!](/images/mainbanner_top1.gif)
Techno's a difficult scene in CT - I wonder if someone wants to take it on *challenge, anyone, anyone....
* 