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Features
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| 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! |
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It's the Multi-Talented Chris Nanook
Reported by Jessica Alici
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Submitted 11-07-11 06:34
Chris Nanook - Sound Engineer - Producer - Multi-deck DJ - Musician! This guy’s been knocking around in the underground scene for over thirteen years and with a healthy spread of upcoming gigs at some almighty events this year, I thought it time to see what he’s all about.
You began making music back in 1997, but I see that prior to this you learnt to play a fair selection of instruments including the Flute, the Guitar as well as the Djembe and other percussion. At what age did your love for music begin?
I actually started writing music a little later than that, maybe a year or so after, but 1997 was when my love for DJ-ing first took off. My love for music was sparked before then though, at perhaps the age of 5 or so. I remember being sat with my mum, as she made compilation tapes from her vinyl as well as various bits she’d recorded off the radio. She was always playing music around the house and in the car, and that was definitely when my passion for music was first ignited. I also remember my grandmother constantly singing. She was almost certainly the one responsible for my love of vocals!
Are there any instruments you’d still like to learn to play?
I’m terrible on keys/piano haha. I’d love to have the time to sit and learn from scratch. At primary school I remember choosing to learn the flute over the piano, which I don’t regret at all, but I wish they’d made me do both!
Who were your early influences?
My really early influences were varied and very eclectic. I guess they were a funny combination of the pop stuff my mother used to always play; The Monkees, The Beatles, then later the Stranglers, Supertramp and Madness etc. There was also a lot of 90s rave too, such as, Praga Khan, Altern8, Moby and Adamski ; The sort of thing that crossed over several dance genres.
As I came into my teens I became exposed to a lot of Mancunian House and Techno Music too. Stuff along the lines of T-Coy and A Guy Called Gerald. I also took a liking to Mike Oldfield and Jean Michel Jarre, which inspired me to explore ambient music. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop also blew my mind when I first heard the Doctor Who theme tune. Delia Derbyshire is my hero! I base a lot of my own production on the way herself and John Baker made Radiophonic compositions. All of the above played a massive part in the direction I’ve taken with my music and DJing, and would probably account for why I am so eclectic now.
Do you remember the first music single you bought?
Yeah, the first CD I bought personally, was ‘Roll The Dice’ by Lunatic Calm. I was always into vinyl though and think my first 12” was ‘LifeForms’ by Future Sounds of London. That is still amongst my most prized possessions! The sleeve art is as beautiful and as awe inspiring as the compositions.
How did you learn to mix and tell me about your three deck mixing.
As a teen, I used to baby-sit occasionally for my elder sister. Her husband had a vinyl turntable set-up in the lounge and had just finished a residency at the legendary Godskitchen, so I’d ask him to show me a new technique before he went to work and then I’d spend all night practicing until I nailed it!
He introduced me to the idea of layering extra beats, acapellas, spoken vocals or loops on a third deck, so as soon as I could get some more kit, I jumped at the chance to have a go myself. Before I could afford a third deck, I used to rip vocal samples from VHS and bang them on my portable mini-disc recorder to drop into sets during break downs. Later on, as things moved towards CD mixing, I began using a combination of CDJ and vinyl turntable. Using hip-hop style sample vinyl and loops I’d made myself and burned onto CD. I’d also go digging through the crates at any old charity shop, looking for something obscure I could use creatively in my sets on the third deck.
How did you get your first gig?
When I was 15 I got introduced to a weekly circus event through my elder brother and his friends. It was basically lots of people hanging out, learning fire skills, drumming and generally being silly. It wasn’t long before I was playing pretty much every week and it was a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere for a DJ to cut their teeth. No strict music policy and friendly faces. (I must admit it was funny playing a licensed venue when you’re too young to buy a pint!)
I guess you could say that was my first proper gig and residency, as well as the first place I was turned onto percussion. I’d played a few small parties before that, but playing a weekly residency really tests you, as you’re often playing to a crowd of regulars, and you can’t go playing the same set of tunes every week. At the age of 15 I couldn’t go out and buy 20 new vinyl a week, so I’d buy a couple and learn how to be really creative in chopping them up and adding them to my set to spice it up a bit.
What emotions do you experience when playing a gig?
Ooh . . . I’ve never really analysed that before to be honest. It depends on what the gig is I think. A lot of main room dance sets get me really excited. I quite often start off a bit subdued as I have a lot to concentrate on, but by the end of the set, if people are enjoying it I’ll be bouncing around like a loon! For the more back-room or ambient gigs I do, I tend to just feel blissed out. At those gigs I try and play music that is really emotionally evocative, so most of the time I just feel blessed to be playing music that means something personal to me, or to friends and familiar faces in the crowd.
What made you decide you wanted to produce electronic music?
It was a gradual process. I started making my own beats and samples and burning them onto CD, so that I could scan through and loop them quicker at gigs, rather than having to mark up vinyl. Marking vinyl was fantastic but a little cumbersome when you’ve got a few decks on the go. I also had just been given a 303, which I used on top of the samples and mixes, for extra squelch or acidic twitterings! After that I started to incorporate drum machines into my set, which I’d programme on the fly to add a live element. At that point it became the logical step to start sequencing and mastering it all down into my own compositions.
How would you describe your sound?
As anyone that knows me will testify, I’m not keen on subgenres, so if I had to describe my own sound, I’d say, “somewhere between Ambient and Techno”. I took a lot of influence from Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia, trying to fuse loop based Techno with Ambient atmospheres.
When I DJ however, it can range from beat-less soundscapes, to full on dance floor grooves. I’m not adverse to dropping elements of House and Techno, through to Goa and Psy, as well as off beat Breaks and Dub rhythms. I used to play a lot of squat style Jungle too, but those gigs seem to be all the more rare, as I focus on my thorough-bred House and Techno.
What is your favourite piece of studio equipment?
I generally love most Audio Technica equipment, and my studio is full of it. The UK team in the north are really nice and have always looked after me. I’m a huge fan of their ATH-ANC7B Noise Cancelling Headphones for monitoring recordings. In the studio I also use their microphones a lot. The AT8010 and AT8033 Microphones are regularly in use for recording anything from one shot samples, to percussion and even voice. They’re really versatile and have exactly the clean characteristics that I look for.
Do you feel the underground scene has changed much over the years and if so, in what way?
The underground scene has changed a huge amount over the time I’ve been involved with it. I can only speak from my own experience, but I think that a lot of scenes ebb and flow. It’s hard to tell as obviously I’ve changed a lot too during that same space of time. I’ve been to great parties and terrible parties, in all genres of music. The one thing that I think has changed has more to do with the laws in the UK. I’m not convinced that the government laws against free/underground parties and narcotics do much good for the music scene as a whole. For example, after over 2 decades of clamping down on ecstasy, all they’ve managed to do is to nudge people towards legal highs, which are untested in the long term, and are seemingly even more dangerous.
I believe people have become really discontented over the last few years with licensing laws too. I’d like to see more festivals given extended licensing so that people can party in a safe and controlled environment. I’m sure that if licensed events were encouraged, people would be less likely to consider organising or supporting squat parties too.
You’ve recently signed to Massive Music and have a new EP coming out soon – tell us about it? Where did you get your inspiration for the tunes? What’s your process when making a track?
Yeah, I signed to Massive Music UK as a DJ, not as a producer. I’m currently working on my next EP, “Smelling the Fibre-Optic Flowers”, but how it will be released and by whom, has not even been discussed yet. I don’t like to rush my production (as you may have gathered by my first album taking 8 years to finish!). The more experienced I get, the quicker the process becomes, but I’m still a good few months away yet as I have tonnes of remixes on my plate at the moment.
What’s my inspiration/process? I generally get inspired by Manchester. It’s such an amazing place to live. The people are so friendly and when you take a moment to smell the roses, it really is beyond describable beauty. When I write a track I generally start with a melody or a background pad noise. I’ll be cycling around the city centre or walking around one of the nature reserves on the outskirts and I’ll just stop to record the ambience on my phone, perhaps whistling or humming a melody over it. When I get home, I transcribe that noise into something usable, (or maybe use the sample direct), before adding percussion and letting the idea develop.
You’re also A&R for the label, what kind of material do you look out for?
I think the first criteria is fitting in with the general sound of the label. Secondly, Cameron Leonard-Schroff is the head honcho and I really couldn’t see him signing anyone that didn’t fit the ethos of the label and it’s objectives. These things can’t be rushed and they have to be done properly. I think that is one very special thing about Massive Music, in that it’s core crew are very highly motivated and organised, which makes them a joy to be associated with.
Which artists do you currently rate? Is there anyone you’d like to collaborate with?
DJs wise, my top acts have remained pretty constant for a while now. I’m a huge fan of John Digweed, Roger Sanchez and Carl Cox. I’ve recently really become a fan of Seth Troxler too. On a more local level, I’m digging the mixes Tommy Evans is putting out. When he used to help me run the Strange Daze events, he always played a blinder, but in the last 6 months or so, his stuff has come on leaps and bounds. Dan Compression who is a friend from the Leeds area has always mixed inspirational sets of classy minimal tech-house. Artists wise, Schroff from Massive Music is putting out some seriously good dance floor stuff at the moment, as are Olmec, Eastmann and Holiday Rain.
As for collaborations, I have some plans to write some new material with CheekyBeats from Leeds. Her stuff normally takes on a Hard Dance edge, but we’ve been discussing laying down some more classic sounding House, which I’m really looking forward to! I’ve also been talking to P.Lush from Nucleus Roots about doing a few remixes with some of their back-catalogue, but that’s still to be further discussed and firmed up. On the collaborations wish list however, Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia and Future Sounds Of London would most certainly be at the top! haha
You have an admirable gig list coming up, with sets including events such as Waveform Festival. How do festivals in your opinion differ from regular parties? What can people expect from your sets?
My sets at festivals don’t get treated any different to my club gigs. I take as much kit as my logistics allow and ask the promoters to provide as many decks as they can get their hands on haha. The way I structure them may be a little different however. Festival atmospheres are unpredictable, so you can’t plan as much as you would do for a club. You have to be ready to adapt depending on the mood or size of the crowd and even for the weather.
The last year or so, I’ve been playing a lot slower than I have done previously. So I guess this year, you can expect some more refined and hopefully classy sounds, rather than just up-tempo bonkers. As usual I’ll be mixing on 3+ decks, with live elements from drum machines, outboard FX units, laptop and synths, depending on the venue.
We can’t predict the future, but what would you like it to have in store for you?
I’m not sure really. I’m easily pleased! I’d consider myself blessed if I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and healthy friends and family. But music wise, I’d like to see my next EP release completed to a standard I’m happy with and hopefully see it enjoyed at a couple of events. I can also see myself taking a break from organising the Strange Daze events. In the last 8 years I’ve managed 98 of them, so when we reach 100 at the end of the year, I’d like to take a rest from clubs for a few months. I’ve also recently been asked to take on some management duties for a new European festival in 2012. I’ve been keen on working in Europe for a while now, so I’m really excited about seeing how the meetings for that pan out. After that, I want to get a new local Manchester residency, playing some Ambient music in an intimate bar venue. I really enjoy playing to familiar faces that you get to know and grow with on a weekly basis, so I’d like to do more of that over the next year or so, especially as winter draws in.
Fingers crossed some of these ideas pan out!
Chris – thanks for taking the time to answer my questions – have a great Summer!
Thanks for taking the time to ask! It’s been a pleasure and can I wish you and the readers a happy summer too!
And lastly . . . many thanks to all the random faces, and promoters that show love. Bless!! x
Click here to keep in touch with Chris on Facebook, Youtube and SoundCloud etc. Also, if you’re keen to hear the latest sounds, from Massive Music, or to read artist info and get news on releases, you can get that here
Photos courtesy of PLANK!, PRANKIN PHOTOGRAPHY, Henry Clayton/Ninja Prints, Niamh O’Reilly and SDSS. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Jessica Alici:
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.
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.
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Comments:
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From: Tara on 13th Jul 2011 22:04.58
Great stuff Jess and Chris 
Looking forward to Waveform Festival more than ever now! 
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