Konrad Black interview
We chat to the dark-lord of techno.
Konrad Black has been involved in DJing, producing and performing music for the past ten years. He's become renowned for his dark and atmospheric house and techno soundscapes, all with a unique sound. Tracks such as 'Draconia' and 'Medusa Smile' have catapulted him into the big league, whilst releases from his and Mathew Jonson's Wagon Repair label litter the sets of DJs around the world. With an appearance for Underwater at The End in March '07, we caught up with Konrad Black for an in-depth interview.
Endclub.com: You're one of many international producers that have ended up based in Berlin, and it has become the creative hub of so many great musicians. Is it something in the water?
Konrad Black: Location, location, location...and price, price, price! For me, being here on a somewhat permanent basis was the result of coming to Europe for a 'three month tour', which is to say that I had no intention of moving here initially. I had come to Berlin to DJ and to hang out between other European gigs, and at that time the Minus crew were key in showing me the advantages of living in the city. So when I came for the 'three month tour', about a month in, while I was staying with Troy Pierce, he asked a very simple question; "So...um...tell me again what is it you're going back to?" I realised that for the music I make and play, for the most part, Europe is the spot, and any time you have a place, whether it be an area in a city or a whole city itself, as in the case of Berlin, where it's cheap to live and there aren't so many restrictions in place, it attracts artists. So I ended up being a part of the ongoing North American migration...It shows no sign of slowing down either. To be surrounded by so many talented people really makes you up your game as well.
Tell us about your label, Wagon Repair. What inspired you, Mathew and co to start it up?
We started the label for a couple of reasons...Firstly, we were all based in Vancouver at the time and are all good friends. Second of all, we wanted to do a label that allowed us to put out our music on our own terms. The mandate for the label was, and still is, to put out whatever moves us, not to be defined by style or sales figures. It serves as a creative outlet for all of us...musically and aesthetically.
What is on the horizon for the label?
Watch for new albums by Mathew Jonson, Cobblestone Jazz and Circlesquare. New 12"s out now are Missing Link - Uncle Bill's Cabin, Luca Bacchetti, Cobblestone Jazz - DMT, Mathew Jonson - She's Got Science and an upcoming 12" by yours truly.
I also have upcoming remixes for Snax on TNT, Troy Pierce on Minus and Underline, TG on Fourtwenty and Martini Bros. on Poker Flat.
There's been some fantastic sleeve artwork on Wagon Repair releases, is this something you guys have made a conscious effort to ensure? Do you think packaging is important in these times of dwindling vinyl sales?
The visual content is definitely a big part of our label. Our art director Frank does most of the covers, and I do my own. I know for all of us that the graphics serve an equally important purpose. I love great album artwork...and I do think it helps when it comes down to buying a hard copy as opposed to downloading. Just look at a label like Factory Records, Peter Saville made such amazing covers for those records.
In the next six weeks alone, you've got gigs in Hungary, America, Japan, Germany and the UK. What are the best and worst things about being a jet-setting DJ?
The best thing is travelling!...meeting new people, seeing and experiencing new cities and countries, ending up in strange foreign situations...The worst thing is travelling!...no sleep, and usually not much time in these amazing new cities and countries. It can be a bit of a tease at times. Ending up in strange foreign situations. However, all in all, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Which are your favourite countries to play?
They all have their good points. Berlin in the summer has a special feeling to it I must say...
You started your career in drum & bass. Living in Vancouver in the late 90s, how did the hook up with Formation and then Virus Recordings come about?
I was living in Vancouver and playing most of the shows that were coming through town, and because of that I was meeting and staying in touch with a lot of the DJs and producers that came and played. If I remember correctly, DJ SS had told me about the 'World of Drum and Bass' project he was putting together, and I wanted to show up the east coast guys and bag the spot of representing Canada. At the time, the east coast had a huge d&b scene, and they didn't really think much of the west. It's the age old east vs. west deal. So I was working on a track at the time that I sent to SS and he liked it, however the mix was crap so I had to as quickly as possible learn how to mix down a track...which I barely pulled off if you ask me! What led to the change in your musical direction? Simply put, drum & bass stopped being what it was that got me into it in the first place. I was hooked on the more minimal, spacious, dark drum and bass. People like Optical, Dillinja, Matrix, Doc Scott, Photek...the list goes on. All of the early Metalheadz and 31 Records, Prototype, Virus Recordings. I was more often than not into the B Side of a record, where they would put the deeper tracks. The formula seemed to be that the A side was the club killer, and the B side was for getting weird. I am into that formula still...but drum & bass stopped doing that for me at one point. Every record was a double A side. Also, the music starting getting more and more hectic...and faster. I think it was also due to the fact that a lot of producers started to DJ as well, because that's where the money was. So they started making club bangers only, to play at the clubs. Around the time I started losing interest, I began hearing records like Maurizio and Tikiman, Plastikman Consumed, Swayzak and some Perlon and Klang stuff. This was around 98/99. When I heard that kind of 4/4 music I was blown away because up until then, all I heard in Vancouver was 'sexy funky deep house'. Which, needless to say, I can't stand. I remember thinking about how amazing the production was, and where I could get my hands on more. So I went looking for it. The rest is history.
How do you feel about the state of dance music in Canada?
Erm...well. I can't really even say that much about it only because I haven't played there in ages. I never really had that much of a connection to Canada, as far as clubs go. Vancouver I know well due to having done many nights there, but I am no longer there so I couldn't tell ya.
And finally - what's the best thing that could happen for you in 2007?
Musically? Finish my solo album.
Published: 1/03/2007
