Q: It goes
without saying that breakbeat is huge in
Australia right now. Do you think this will
last?
A: I hope it does, because
the way I see it, the more people making
breaks the better. I think the good
thing about breaks now
is that the tempo's around 130 BPMs
and it mixes in really
well with the four-on-the-floor stuff.
So you can blend it.  I
mean, if I go out and I hear a night filled
with nothing but dark breaks, I get tired.
I want variety.
Q: So I hear
you'll be making a trip over to the USA
soon?
A: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that.
As I said before, I feel that breaks came
from hiphop and if I'm going to go and get
an influence from anywhere, it'll be there.
I've been to Queens, New York, before and
the hiphop just felt so right for that scene.
I loved it though I didn't get to hear any
breaks. I'll be going for about three weeks
this time and I'll be making a trip to Kansas
to hook up with the NuBreaks crew. After
that, I'll be making a trip to London to
see what they've got going on over there.
I just want to come back with hundreds of
new ideas and start writing.
Q: So what's
the near future looking like for you, aside
from the remixes we've already talked about
and the trip to the US and London?
A: There might be a few collaborations coming
up and we'll see where that leads. But the
next thing I'll be working on is the full-length
album. I want it to be completely different
from everything else I've done, but still
breaks. I may choose some of my favorite
12 inches, but I like an album to be a bit
varied, like BT or Hybrid. BT's album is
excellent because there's a mixture on there.
You have breaks, downtempo stuff, trance.
It's just good electronic music. It's hard
to predict what my album will sound like
though, because I change my mind a lot.
I want it to cross all of the emotions.
I want something pumping, something moody.
Q: Is an
album something that your label wants?
 A:
It's something that I want. I think that
as an artist, an album is the
next step.
Q: Have you
ever thought about starting up your own
label?
A: No, not really. Anthony's doing a great
job with Sound Not Scene and besides, a
label deals with the more business side
of everything and I don't like getting involved
with the business side of things. I'd rather
just make music.
Q: Any suggestions
or advice for the novice producers out there?
A: Yeah, just keep at it and keep writing.
Experience, practice and learn. You have
to start somewhere. The main thing is to
not be narrow-minded. Keep an open mind
to everything. Listen to everyone's opinions
and ideas and learn from them. Write the
music and get it out of your head. Initially,
the interpretation won't come out exactly
as you envisioned it, but you'll learn.
Listen to other people's records and study
and analyze what they've done.
Q: What about
equipment?
A: Get whatever's easiest, PC or Mac, and
just start making music. The main thing
is getting comfortable on software that
you're fast with. I've been using Cubase
for over 10 years, and more people would
probably tell you to go with Logic, but
I'm fast with it. The last thing you want
is getting an inspirational idea and thinking,
"Oh fuck, I gotta do this and this
and that just to get the idea out".
You'll lose focus and you'll lose track
of what you're doing.
Q: Would
you recommend your Yamaha A3000 sampler
to beginning producers?
A: A few years I ago I would've because
PCs weren't fast enough. But nowadays PC
is the way to go because it's cheap. It's
not the be-all-end-all either, but it's
a good place to start. I think hardware
is where you get the quality results, but
that's also just my opinion. That's why
I said you always have to be open-minded.
Someone else may have a completely different
opinion on what you need to produce music,
because there is no right or wrong. Just
take little bits from what everyone says
and use it for yourself. That's what I've
done. You'll always be learning.
The live photos were
taken by
in Melbourne on July 26th,
2002. The other photos are courtesy of Sound
Not Scene.
EK's EP "When All
Else Fails" and his three 12"
releases are out now through Sound Not Scene.
For more info, go to:
http://www.globalrecordings.com/
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