Filling D&#8217;Void &#8211; interview with Funk D&#8217;Void

Filling D’Void – interview with Funk D’Void

December 10, 2009

funk+dvoid+1000th+post This recent interview with Glasgow techno legend Funk D’void found it’s way to the Melbourne Techno Collective this week; and we have been lucky enough to gain permission to share it with the world. Discussing topics as diverse as fatherhood, sampling and life in Barcelona, this is a frank and insightful look, at the life of a techno star who has survived longer than most in the world scene.

Questions by Daniel Lars courtesy of Zebra Magazine

Q. You recently commented on Resident Advisor about sampling and the ‘lifting’ of musical ideas; do you feel that it should really be left to the market to decide whether or not this is acceptable or should there be strict rules in place to determine what can and can’t be done in this context?

A. Of course it all depends on the context. A beat or millisecond blip used compared to a recognisable synthline or vocal for example. Beats are fair game (ooh nice t-shirt slogan!), but “hooks” or a direct recognisable lifting of another artist’s idea isn’t so cool. I’ve been guilty of it in the past and paid my dues because of it…

Q. Would you say that the problem is not so much sampling itself but rather the recycling of spent ideas? It does seem especially prevalent at present …

A. If done in a lazy or uninventive way then sure…but listen to the works of producer Sian for example and the final product sounds better than any new plug-in or remnants of the original sample. You still have to be creative in your own way – and make the sound your own. I use good samples ( I think!) from an extended career in being able to collect cool sources – of which I will refrain from revealing of course.

Q. You’ve two separate production identities; will Francois DuBois also become a performance alter ego of some sort? You’ve certainly invested some time having fun with the name and personality!

A. Humour in electronic music is important to me – since the very beginning! The joke’s running thin now with my deep house wine bar music hero (grandad house?) – I think it’s time to send up another country, mmm let me think, the hot new talent of Chilean Goat-herder music – Juan Pachanga? Super delayed conga loops over world music samples? Anyone?

Q. Besides stating that Francois was the cheesiest French name you could come up with, you’ve gone on to explain that “He’s more laidback, into the deep stuff. He always DJs with a bottle of wine next to him on the table and he has a really expensive cigarette holder.” As much as the last bit got a good chuckle out of me, how would you go further to define the musical differences between this and your Funk D’Void alias?

A. Well I have always been a fan of house music, but since the 90’s I have been always booked for big room techno gigs – which are fun, but I like my crowds a bit more diverse these days, and a few years ago I decided to produce a more deeper sound in order to be able to play this music, which I have always been a fan of, to smaller more intimate gatherings. It was a real soul saver in my case. But I had to come up with an alter ego to do this, otherwise it would’ve been confusing for some promoters. The styles have been blurred together a bit more these days so I just play whatever I feel good playing now, wherever I am – hopefully surprising some people in the process.

Q. You seem to have released a lot of tracks so far this year, have you been more productive in the studio than usual or is this a case of some things coming off the back burner?

A. I’m not very prolific – it takes a lot out of me in the studio, I’m not a music machine. I’m proud of most of my productions but have a genuine fear of being rejected or suddenly being unpopular! I usually just stay under the radar and release things occasionally…inspiration comes in rare waves, it’s not always there, which I think is a good thing. I have a lot of other things to occupy my time that bring me back to my creative side.

Q. Referring to the studio, has there been anything outside of the ordinary which has been especially inspiring you to get creative or has changed your musical view point somewhat? The resurgent classic house sound seems like something which you’d at least find satisfying but does it come with any worthwhile changes to the format?

A. yeah funny that – it’s “hip” again. It never became unhip for me, but musically these new genres for example grime or dubstep, haven’t really grabbed me. The last “Oh my fucking GOD what is this??” moment was probably hearing drum n bass in the late 90s. I would love to hear something that new, that out-there, that would turn my creative centre over it’s head. Sometimes I feel I need it, like I would spend more time in the studio, you know? I do think a bigger shift is needed these days – feeling jaded is not an attractive trait for a producer but sometimes music alone isn’t enough I think to make such a cultural phenomenon. A lot of other factors come into play, like what kind of drugs clubbers take for example, how the public interact with the music – how it reflects the social tidemark we’re in. There have been such easy genre targets over the past decade, but I’m in this for the long haul and still have an insatiable appetite for fresh ears! This music constantly revives me.

Q. Some of your releases this year have been out on Soma, but you seem less active with the label of late, is this the sign of a slowing relationship with the label or do you feel it will carry on regardless of any changes?

A. I think Soma are strong at the moment. I have a few releases in the pipeline with them and love the direction they are taking, including their sub-label Paragraph. I think they have that survival warrior spirit – I mean they have The Black Dog on their label, my heroes. Not afraid to take chances either…they’re going to be around a long time and I will always have a relationship with them.

Q. In the wider view of your career, how instrumental was Soma in getting you ahead and do you think you’d have done things differently or been able to achieve what you have without them?

A. I had other offers from big indie labels in the beginning but they showed faith in my sound and have put me where I am today, no question. I couldn’t imagine my career turning any other way.

Q. By and large the house and techno scenes in Scotland seem to pumping out some very talented artists of late, do you hold much of a direct relationship with any of these folks?

A. I’m friendly with a few of them – our paths seem to cross now and then, but actually living in Barcelona it’s not as frequently as I’d like it to be.

Q. You’ve been living in Barcelona for quite some years now, how has this changed your lifestyle and influenced your music?

A. Lifestyle yes, music I’m not so sure. I’m not the healthiest person on the planet but I reckon I did myself and my body a favour by getting out of Glasgow at the tail end of the 90s…probably the wildest decade since the 70s! I’m not overweight and I just gave up cigarettes, also I’m thinking about getting back into basketball again after 10 years – so Barcelona does keep me on the right track. Also having two small children keeps me in shape as well.

Q. A reasonably old interview I read had you discussing the opening of your own club in Barcelona; have you since gone ahead and done this? If so what did you end up calling it and how does your sort of music policy set it apart from local clubs?

A. It was a disaster – I got involved with the wrong people to start a business with, there was no basis of trust from the start so it was like a house of cards. I will definitely do things on my own with my next venture (which will be significantly smaller!).

Q. In the same interview you mentioned a the Barcelona club scene as lacking in some regard, is this still the case and if you have/had the chance to do so, what would you do to change this?

A. I love playing at places like Moog, Loft and Shake Your Bones nights around the city, and new places like WIP are promising…but I don’t live here for the nightlife – it’s one of the best cities in the world to actually live in. I can always fly over to Berlin for the weekend. Ideally I would love to own a small venue like the wolf & lamb parties in NYC – total freedom.

Q. You also mentioned that you were aiming to reach the top 10 clubs in the world in two years with your own venue, do you still feel this is achievable?

A. I can now change it to “top 10 people not to go into business with”…

Q. You seem quite taken with Soundcloud of late, has this changed the way you promote your music and how much freedom of communication do you feel it adds to existing means?

A. It’s a great way to see how people react to a work in progress, at specific points especially. It has my favourite user interface out of all the social networking sites, also mixcloud is on the horizon for me as the next site to utilise. I’m hooked to all of them, Jesus I’m such a Twitaholic these days. It’s all about the followers.

Q. You popped up one of your own tracks up there for free download but your unreleased E-Dancer remix was based on one which came out in 1999; is this the sort of thing you need to run by the label or are they generally not too fussy in that regard?

A. Well I got a little pissed off at Kevin at being messed around when I was doing a remix of “Rock To The Beat” – of which I did two versions, both refused on the basis of them being “too minimal”, then he put out a new remix…by a minimal artist. This little gift to my soundclouders is between me and them, and I’m sure no-one is going to mind this friendly drop in the digital ocean…

Q. Additional to music commitments you apparently run a clothing label; does this bear much connection to your other pursuits?

A. I just do the occasional funny DJ slogan t-shirt design, it’s not like I’m J-Lo with my own fashion empire. It’s for a very select few who “get it”…like a lot of good music these days…

Q. How’s it going being an ‘acid dad’?