P043: Cabeza de Vaca – Dub techno special.

It has been a long time since we had a dub techno show on Cabeza de Vaca, but that is the subject of this weeks show over at Scanner FM .

Though it must be said that several of the artists on the show this week approach the sound, rather than really recapitulate it to its true definitions and indeed this has been one of the advantages and disadvantages of dub techno over the years. It has been a limited genre in many ways in that it necessitates adhering to a particular formula to work at its best and its esching of dance floor for atmosphere has often led it to be marginalised from the clubs to home listening. While this dependence on formula is necessary to maximise the advabtages of its particular mechanisms, it has also lead to a lack of innovation at times. The opposite is also true however, that the lack of club expectation allows it to grow in different directions and its dependence on atmosphere instead of rhythmic mechanisms also gives it greater scope for silene, experimentation and even emotion.

There is a little bit of everything on this weeks show.

Freund der Familie are a good case in point. Their recent album “Alfa” on their own label almost totally ignores the dance floor and looks only to mine a lot of atmospheric space at low BPM and using a different array of beat templates. The track we play is more dub step in approach, but the album is a diverse affair with plenty of other highlights like the vocal lead “Goldie Wilson”.

One thing that FDFs album has in common with S|EXP (Shaded Explorer) is a good balance between long and short tracks. One of the mistakes of dub techno in the past ahs always been of the notion that longer equals better when quite often the tracks have said all they need to say after 4-5 minutes. Of course there is nothing like a long, monged bliss out to dub techno, but you still need special tracks to go long distances and it is nice to see a few artists try and piece their albums together in a more considred way. “Shade’s Journey” (Eclipemusic, 2013) has one long track, “Atlantis” and the rest come in at much less. The flow is thus a bit faster and also varied, with a constant flux of textures and beat pressure.

There is also a few Spanish artists and/or labels on the show today. Exium also deliver a short and sweet track to open the show, also the opening track off their recent album “A Sensible Alternative to Emotions”. The album is a lot more vigorous than the more atmospheric opener “Dronid” as we also saw last week.

There is also something new from BLD an otherwise unknown Barcelona-based artist. His track reminds me a lot of the early Basic Channel track “Lyot (Maurizio mix)” for the rhythmic interaction, but BLD is a bit smoother and modern, whereas the original has that classic crashing warehouse drum sound.

Barcelona’s Subwax BCN label also continues its steady release run. We feature at rack from their dub techno label by SAM who has connections to the Fathers and Sons Productions label.

Orlando Voorn also had an album out recently on the Subwax house sublabel Subwax Excursions.

Sweden's Skyscaper  (Anders Peterson) also has a recent and fascinating album called “Atmospheric Stratification” of which we will play another track in the near future. Again, a little unconventional as far as albums go, with five original and five remixed tracks.

Skyscaper – Atmospheric Stratification album preview

Number	Artist	Track	Label	Year
1	Exium	Dronid	Pole Recordings	2013
2	S|EXP (Shaded Explorer)	Distant horizon	Eclipsemusic	2013
3	BLD	Before deep	BLD Tape Recordings	2013
4	Subjected	Concept 3	Vault Series	2013
5	SAM	Nangilima	SubWax BCN	2013
6	QY	Hokus	Blank Slate	2013
7	Freund der familie	Colombia	Freund der familie	2013
8	Skyscaper	Atmospheric Tide (Mindspan Remix)	Ghost Sounds	2013
9	Refracted	Along a ghostly trail	Silent Season	2013

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P042: Cabeza de Vaca – Eduardo de la Calle special and interview.

Another interview tie-in this week on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FM . This week’s show is all about Eduardo de la Calle, a figure of folk-lorish proportions here in Spain and who I just talked to for Resident Advisor . There were many things that didn’t make the final interview, including the opinions of many who I asked before talking to the man himself. Certainly he was painted in colourful words by those I asked, from a recloose, to a sage-like figure living in the mountain, whereas to some he is something of a charlatan. After having talked to him I can quite equivocally confirm the opposite: that he is perhaps one of the most genuine and authentic figures in modern dance music. He has a rich spirituality that influences all his work and it is both far fetched, as any belief should be, and tangible enough to keep you pursuing.

There is a couple of essential points on the video interview he did several years ago for Victor Santana’s Chaval Records label that are worth a look in. It is in Spanish with English subtitles.

Eduardo de la Calle from Chaval Records™ on Vimeo.

One thing that doesn’t get entioned much on the radio show is the Beatz documentary which just had the premiere in London and will apparently be shown in Barcelona in early September.

Beatz - Divergences & Contradictions of Electronic Music from Analog Solutions Rec. on Vimeo.

There is also plenty of other good Spanish music on the show this week, giving more fuel to the fire that the scene is raging and very much alive here. Above all is perhaps the continuing run of the Soullless Lab Recordings label who have just released Isometric Axis 2, another essential compilation that you can grab for free if hard up, though as always, better to support the artists and label with what you can. I t would be great to see some of this stuff on vinyl if possible.

Number	Artist	Track	Label	Year
1	Skaar	Reminiscent	Soulless Lab Recordings	2013
2	Hinode	Waiting for the sun	Monkey Bar Records	2013
3	The Knight Cats	Feeling It	Luv Dancin Records	2013
4	Eduardo de la Calle	Karanodakasayi (Original Mix)	Chaval Records	2010
5	Eduardo de la Calle	Untitled B1	Analog Solutions	2012
6	Eduardo de la Calle	Madhusudhana	Cadenza	2013
7	Eduardo de la Calle	Skeletalism	Semantica	2013
8	Exium	Nucleoid	Pole Recordings	2013
9	Adriana Lopez	Sequel	Grey Report	2013

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P041: Cabeza de Vaca – Boris Bunnik special and interview.

For only the second time we focus an entire show on one artist. First was shed, but this week it is the turn of Boris Bunnik to fill the full hour of Cabeza de Vaca on Scanner FM . Most recognisable as Conforce, he is however using eight different names for his work.

There is plenty of biographical detail in the show as well as a bit of analysis and interpretation. In addition there has been a significant contribution from Boris himself who generously don

ated some time to answer some quick questions by email which will suffice for notes for today. The good news is there is already a new Conforce album on the way, scheduled for October.

CdV: You grew up in Terschelling, but are you still based in Leeuwarden or have you moved on again? Was the photo for the “Machine Conspiracy” album taken in Terschelling? I find the image somehow quite representative of your style as it somehow conveys the idea of “atmosphere” which is paramount to your tracks. How much of that kind of island and low-land geography influences you?

BB: I think the pace here is what is most influential on what I make and do to be honest. The further you go up North the calmer the pace somehow.

I'm not aware of a specific atmosphere, it's a sub concious thing. But looking back you might be able to declare or relate sounds/music to a certain environment.

The image from the machine conspiracy album was taking on the island indeed. I go there every once in a while but my main city at the moment is Leeuwarden.

We have space, I think it's always present in the music.

CdV: You also work as a photographer and designer. Your other photos are often architectural and geometric to emphasise “form and function” and even dystopian ideas yet you have said that a lot of your music is “non-linear” which seems to work against this idea of “physical control” or “architectural” production methods. What would you say then are your non-musical influences on your sound?

BB: I don't like to pinhole things but when it comes to photography I would say i'm a guerrilla street photographer. It's something i'm developing every day and planning to exhibit in the future.

When it comes to photography/electronic music and artwork. I do love  symmetry, textures, lines, grids etc Abstract stuff.

As electronic music remains very repetetive. I love the subtle evolvements. 

Non-musical influences are mainly travel experiences, conversations with people and the empty moments where you have time to clear the mind and get refreshed to be able to start and enter new creative paths. So nature s very influential.

CdV: Sticking a bit with the Netherlands, you have tended to release mostly on Dutch labels. How important has the community there been to you? One curiosity I also always had was with language and was always fascinated by artists from say Netherlands or Germany releasing track and album names in English. It is obvious from an accessability point of view, but have you ever considered using more of the Dutch language to express this idea of community or origin, for example?

BB: I don't really feel part of a community, maybe a bit in my own town because there is something creative expanding here.There are a few down to earth like minded people here I can go along with very well. Shared passion and friendships are the base.

I think the web connects communities and this helped me to establish and get inspired for sure.

I have a strong relation with the Dutch labels and I like to keep it this way. Communication in your own language is a lot better and somehow more trustworthy. The music should have a proper platform. Delsin and Clone offer this. I have a lot of confidence in them also on the long term. I've stepped a bit away from the of releasing tiny bits on labels all over the globe. It's a bit strange sending a personal product over to someone you really don't know, and you may hope you get your little amount of money for it.

It's abstract.

Never felt the urge to use dutch titles because it sounds pretty retarded. I can't take it serious because the titles get too much attention or something.

It's so explicit. Music is a universal language so why not use universal language track titles.

CdV: You have now used up to 8 aliases Conforce, Hexagon, K2vx, Mi-24, Silent Harbour, Vernon Felicity, Versalife and even Boris Bunnik! Except for Conforce and your earlier work under your own name, most of these aliases seemed to have started around the time of the Conforce “Escapism” album. Was that coincidence or was it a way to kind of escape (sic) the success that Conforce was achieving at the time and give you a bit more freedom to explore creatively?

BB: Freedom of expression and fun mainly, yes.

Diversity is really important to me. And Using the names helps me to focus a bit more.

But in the end it's all me. It really isn't about the name but about the music but for me it's a way the get a way of the whole perception you create.

Maybe I'm too stubborn to do just one thing, always resisting routine. Sometimes I think I have audio schizophrenia. My brain works like this, it gets bored easily. Sometimes this is an advantage. There was a sort of fusion going on as well of all projects in the new Conforce album that will be released on Delsin at the end of October.

CdV: In an interview with “What people say” you mentioned that each of the aliases is a kind of mood which is very clear: Versalife is more electro, Conforce more Dub for example. But are there any hardware and or software differences as well behind the names to help keep them apart, or are your moods drawn to different equipment or processes in the studio?

BB: It's all mood related. Of course instruments colour your music but it also depends on how you control them and shape them.

But in general the timbres are coming from the same pieces of gear.

CdV: How do you play live these days in terms of the aliases? Do you now get a lot of bookings for Versalife and people come expecting the Conforce sound? Is Vernon Felicity more of a live project and Conforce a DJ, for example?

BB: Depends on what people want. As conforce live I play very diverse livesets. Not the typical loopy orientated sets most people do, or over conceptualized.

I can go a bit more deeper or more focussed on the floor. It's about the balance.

Versalife is only live. With other projects I don't have any ambitions to go on stage with a specific sound. That was never the intention to conceptualize it.

Also with the Versalife project, it just was there. No concept.

CdV: K2vx and Mi-24 so far have only one track each. Will you keep developing these aliases or were they just one offs? Is there any meaning behind the names?

BB: No they were fun projects and I shared a fetish for Russian helicopters with Jorn from other heights. That's why.

Number	Artist	Track	Label	Year
1	Conforce	Sonar conversations	Meanwhile	2010
2	Silent Harbour	Geometry	Echocord	2012
3	Versalife	Dawning of a new day	Clone West Coast Series	2013
4	Mi-24	Stealth mode	Other Heights	2011
5	Boris Bunnik	Starview	Glideslope Music	2007
6	Vernon Felicity	Sequential	M>O>S Recordings	2013
7	K2vx	Sequential	Field Records	2011
8	Hexagon	Envolvement	Delsin	2011

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P040: Cabeza de Vaca – Classic house 2.

Another program of classic house tracks this week on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FM . It is perhaps a telling sign that there is still a lot of compilations appearing focusing on early house sounds and not early Detroit techno, for example. Indeed, I make a comment in the show about a line in a recent review of a Rick Wilhite single on Resident Advisor in which Will Lynch opens with the line:

“Detroit house carries a lot more weight than Detroit techno these days”

Most of the focus has been on Chicago, but that is also not to say that there hasn’t been plenty of interest in Detroit house either. There is certainly a lot of older compilations focussed on this subject, but maybe it is only a matter of time before something specific sees the light of day again?

This week we play something from Walt J who I know almost nothing out and my research before the show didn’t find anything substantial on him to present either. Another artist who remains unknown is Choo-Ables who had only this single on the Miami E-SA Records label. Another man who you might have thought would release more is DJ International boss Rocky Jones who only released two or three 12”s although he did have a hand in producing Fingers Inc.’s classic “Mysteries of love”.

One of the highlights of the show is clearly the chance to listen to Jesse Saunders “On and on” again. You can hear all the main house tropes in there somewhere, but there are times when it feels very New Wave, just like some of Jesse Saunders other pre-“On and on” tracks that came out on last year’s Still Music compilation “122 BPM: The Birth of House Music”. “Fantasy” has the same bass line and even some gnarly guitars, whereas the kick drum is more resistant to dropping into a straight 4-4 pattern.

“(I like to do it in) fast cars” is more New Wave even, sounding like a lo-fi Blondie or any other synth pop group from the early 80s. There is very little trace of house in this track relatively and is clearly the last departure point.

Marshall Jefferson’s “House music anthem” is another essential piece of the puzzle, whether its claim to be the first piano-led house track is true or not. An anthem it certainly is, with the said piano bringing a jazz sophistication to it that was and still is hard to pull off to such as level as achieved in the psychedelic coda. My old vinyl copy could use a little bit more depth to the sound, but it is getting pretty old now! There are many different versions of this track, with slightly different variations of the same including this “Move your body” version which jumps straight in with the piano and adds a lot of width to the hi hats.

There is also the epic 20 track remix project released on Ultra Records last year if you reall cant get enough.

One feature that I have wanted to explore more is also the term “jack” and where it has gone from the modern electronic music vocabulary. Early house music history is full of albums called “The house that jack built” or calls to “jack your body” like in the Marshall Jefferson track. What does it really mean and where did it go?

In this instructional dance video the teacher defines it as such (start around 2:45):

“The Jack is the way your body gets the rhythm of the music”

A second video gives almost the same definition:

“Jacking is just moving your body basically.”

The technique here is a little different, using the same knees-bent push up while rolling the body, but after a lean forward, meaning that unless you are really fast, the down beat move will be every second beat and not every beat like in the first video.

This pretty essential dance vocabulary video also has a variation “Jack-in-the-box” that seems like a variation of the jack shown in the previous videos, but with more upper body movement (Check around 2:40).

Although most people aren’t dancing like this in clubs, it is still a mystery of why it disappeared as a term. Is it something to do with its over use in early house culture? Did it lose a sexual meaning that was fundamental to its power? Perhaps it is still active in sub-cultures?

In any case a curiosity.

Number	Artist	Track	Label	Year
1	Parris Mitchell	The Underground feat. DJ Funk	Dance Mania / Ghetto House Classics	1994 / 2012
2	Jesse Saunders	On and on (Original 12" vocal mix)	Jes Say Records / Rush Hour Recordings	1984 / 2013
3	Frankie Knuckles featuring Jamie Principle	Baby wants to ride	Trax Records / Soul Jazz	1987 / 2005 + 2013
4	Rocky Jones	Choice of the underground	DJ International / Soul Jazz	1987 / 2013
5	Choo-Ables	Hard To Get (Bt's Massive Groove)	E-SA Records / Mule Musiq	1993 / 2013
6	Walt J	Love is on my side	Professional Records / Fit	1996 / 2012
7	Chez Damier and Stacey Pullen	Forever Monna (Mix 1)	Balance	1995 / 2011
8	Marshall Jefferson	Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)	Trax Records / DJ International Records	1986

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