Month: September 2021

avafestival · AVA MIX 004 – Space Dimension Controller

Hey Jack. How have you been doing over the last 18 months?
Things have been good considering the situation. My wife and I bought a house in the countryside and I built a really nice studio. Coming from an apartment to a detached house with no neighbours is pretty amazing as i’m able to make noise whenever I want. After making some things for the first Bandcamp Fridays before moving and a few other releases in the new place I had a break from writing electronic music for a while due to a bit of lockdown creative block. During that break I got really into Pink Floyd for some reason and back into playing guitar which has been really nice even just as a hobby.

How did you spend your time during lockdown?
I loved the first one as it felt like being a teenager again. I was playing World of Warcraft Classic whilst listening to ambient for about 8-12 hours a day just like when I was 16. It has also been really nice to have my wife working from home the whole time. When we moved house during Summer last year a lot of my time was spent building the studio so that kept me distracted, but the winter lockdown was pretty rough.

A lot has changed since you went viral at the first-ever AVA Boiler Room in 2015… What’s has changed for you though?
I’m a much different person than I was then, though I guess i’m the same type of DJ. I just lack the confidence of booze to behave anywhere near as rowdy as I used to.

How on earth are you going to top that at this year’s festival?!
I don’t think topping it has ever been part of the plan haha. Probably a party classics set or one hour of prog rock.

Do you have any favourite moments from AVA?
This will sound awful, but I don’t really remember much of the first AVA and i’ve only made it to two other editions of the festival in short visits. The first one I wasn’t really all there for various reasons, that period in general is quite a blur. Looking back at my Boiler Room set on YouTube it does seem like fun though, but I don’t remember playing it.

You’ve been quieter on social media than you used to be. Is there a reason for that?
I’ve been a bit more active on Instagram over the last couple of weeks, but overall it just doesn’t suit the type of person I am nowadays. I’m fairly private and really don’t like taking pictures of myself. Studio videos are pretty fun, but even then I think they can get a bit dull after a while. I don’t mind Twitter as it’s just a direct brain to internet interface, but I sometimes go through periods of tweeting absolute crap so i’ve got a bot set up that automatically deletes tweets around a week old.

You’ve been sober for a couple of years now, how does it feel and how does it affect your work as SDC?
It just hit 4 years last week. I try not to go on about it as much anymore as I did a lot at first which in hindsight may have been quite annoying to read. My last album was probably the most I could express the positive change it had on my life. Knowing exactly who I am, the structure and how much time I seem to have gained, all very nice.

Things got pretty nasty with R&S Records this year. As someone with a back catalog on the label, would you like to comment about it at all?
The label was so important to me from practically the start of my career as SDC. I’d been with them since I was 19, signing the contract on my 20th birthday while I was in London at the Red Bull Music Academy. When everything kicked off again once Raj left in October last year it coincided with the start of my creative block which wasn’t great. I’ve always liked not being on many labels and R&S was definitely my main one so I felt quite rudderless for the most part of the last year as I didn’t have that one label I knew I could send whatever to anymore. 

Talk to us about your new label and your Tiraquon project. We noticed a couple of tracks in the tracklist…
The first release was September last year followed by another in November. Both were digital only, but later this year i’ve got a vinyl double pack coming out that includes the first two singles along with a third and a vinyl exclusive track. Initially, the label started as an outlet for slightly less conceptual SDC stuff, but lately i’ve thought it would also be good for exploring other aliases. As for the new Tiraquon thing – Last year when I was making the hardware only EP’s for Bandcamp Friday it was my first real instance of solely hardware sequencing, so when I moved into the new studio I designed it with that in mind. A few months ago, I found the only way to get out of the creative block I was experiencing was to keep things as immediate and simple as possible which I guess is the main vibe i’m going for with the Tiraquon stuff. It’s just simpler, live arranged hardware tracks that I enjoy making with no expectations or concepts latched to it from myself and hopefully anyone else. It is also very chill to make music with zero concept after 13 years.

What is the inspiration behind it?
There isn’t any central theme or inspiration behind it all which is kind of the point. I want it to be something that I can do whatever I want with that reflects what i’m into at the time of production.

How did you approach this AVA Mix?
I guess I wanted to have it sit somewhere between this new Tiraquon stuff and SDC, though I think it maybe ended up leaning towards the Tiraquon thing more.

You’ve changed your approach to production recently, what’s exciting you the most about music these days?
Over the last few months i’ve sold a lot of vintage equipment that I was maybe too familiar with in favour of modern, more reliable equivalents and some more experimental stuff. Vintage analog synths are great, but when you’re working on a track with a bunch of machines that are 30-40+ years old all switched on at the same time it can make you feel a bit uneasy as you never know when one of them is going to stop working. 

One of the synths i’m really liking is a small modular and I haven’t a clue what i’m doing most of the time which is what is so great about it. It feels like when I first started producing music using Reaktor. I’m not thinking about getting massively technical in my arrangements, just fiddling with things until I get something that I like and recording a live take instead of spending a few weeks arranging one track that I dread working on every day.

If you could collaborate with any artist living or dead, who would it be?
Roedelius.

TRACKLIST
Our Mothers Meds – Bathing The Ghost – Sores (Sound+Matter)
Mark E – Rain (Patrice Scott Remix) – 18437
Louf – Tides (Saine Remix) – Omena
Marlon Kirk – Don’t Call Me I’ll Call You – Unprincipled Records
Schiggeria – Morning Dew – Wetpak Rec.
Tristan Arp – Alternate Looking Glass – Eternal Ocean
Giulia Tess – Mesto Ritma feat. ioieo – Scarlet Tiger
Doctor Jeep – Key Activation – DRX
CiM – Crash – Delsin
DJ ADHD – Blem – Pretty Weird Records
Tiraquon – Unreleased – Forthcoming Tiraquon Recordings
RR – Chord Bomb – Paloma
Silas Ryder – Inaugural Dance – untitled (recs)
Yush – Periwink – Awkwardly Social
Tiraquon – Unreleased – Forthcoming Tiraquon Recordings
Lack – Microshift – Livity Sound
Anastastia Kristensen – Volshebno (Ctrls Remix) – Houndstooth
Bolam – Hype Shifter (Al Wootton Remix) – Breaks N Pieces
Plant43 – Cloud Monolith – Future Massive
VC-118A – Update – Delsin

To celebrate the launch of her new record store, Sound Advice Belfast, we caught up with Marion Hawkes, one half of LGBTIQA+ disco powerhouse Ponyhawke. Marion has championed the role of women within the local scene by hosting female exclusive DJ workshops. Ahead of her set at AVA September 2021, she provides us an interview and an esoteric hour of chugging electronica for AVA Mix 003. 

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How have you been doing in these strange times? 

I’ve been good, tackled many a banana bread and done a fair bit of DIY and gardening. The wild DJ lifestyle. 

I suppose like everyone else trying to stay creative, we’ve all had to turn our hand to other things the past 18 months which hasn’t honestly been a bad thing. I’d just started to get into production but then had this notion of opening a record store. 

You’ve just recently opened your own record shop, Sound Advice. Could you tell us a little about it and what you’ve got in stock? 

The shop will be based in the upcoming East of the city in a multi purpose warehouse space called Banana Block which will house a living museum amongst retail and hospitality. I cant divulge too much about that right now but it’ll be worth the wait. 

The idea behind Sound Advice was to offer a selection of music that isn’t available in Belfast right now. Basing it off personal taste and current trends and your only option is to source that online rather than in person. Electronic music is severely under-represented here at the moment. 

Stock wise we’ll be pushing the more eclectic and expansive club sounds, balearic and lo-fi lushness, a strong soul and disco presence. Alongside a great second hand selection as that’s usually where all the interesting bits are found. 

What’s it like running a record store in Belfast?

Up until now I haven’t been in sole charge of one but I imagine it will be hard graft but rewarding. It will have its ups and downs like any small business but what better way to put the day in doing something you love, I’m up for the challenge. 

Getting everything ready to go has been intense and there isn’t a single day that I don’t have record distribution lists to go through so it can be overwhelming trying to find the right things for the store. But I’ll find my groove shaping and growing it and I’m very excited about it’s potential! 

You also run a night called Ponyhawke. Are you excited to get running nights again?

Yeah absolutely, it’s been such a long stretch and I think we are all ready for it y’know, to have that big release of energy. I know there is a fair amount of anxiety to go alongside that, not from just the crowd but the people behind the nights, but once we do this a few times that will pass. There is going to be a real thirst for new sounds so I’m excited to hear what’s going to come out of the lockdown pause. 

If you had to go B2B with one artist from this year’s AVA lineup, who would it be and why?

Probably Optimo for the sheer depth of music they would fire out, that would be one to keep you one your toes! 

What are your favourite moments from AVA’s past?

Midland’s set from 2018 was a proper masterclass in DJing and up there with one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. 

My own BR from 2019 for obvious reasons, it was so surreal and I was properly bricking it! I’ve never felt such a buzz before though, I was on cloud nine all day. 

Chris Hanna/Carlton Doom who came on after me, his sent properly went off, he really vibes off a crowd and its so great to watch.  

The locals always bring it to be fair. 

If you had to recommend three things to do in Belfast during AVA, what would they be?

A trip to Yugo for a quality feed is essential, swing by Never Never for some top notch threads and a bit of record shopping obviously! Starr Records on Berry Street has an amazing selection of obscure and niche new releases, while their sister shop Dragon has some great second hand gems, as does Voodoo Soup over in Smithfield, Timeslip in Botanic and Andy’s Records Stall in St Georges Market are also worth dropping by.

How did you approach this AVA Mix? 

I always enjoy building up a set as you can really throw a good few left of centre choices in there so thats the vibe I’ve gone for with the mix. Some trippy chuggers and ALFOS type nuggets. I don’t think I’m quite ready to bash out peak time bangers right now, maybe I need one or two gigs under my belt before I can get in that headspace. 

One more for the warm up or comedown.

Anything else you’d like to shout out?

Shouts to all who have supported me on this journey setting up the record shop, it’s needed a lot of push and encouragement at times so I’m grateful I have such solid circle around me. 

TRACKLIST
ELLLL – Housebreaker (Parris’ Slo Motion Remix)
DJN4 – The Orm
Transit State – Angst
Tornado Wallace – Midnight Mania
Fantastic Man – Robotic Temptation
Perdu – Yesterday’s Tomorrow
Sleep D – Red Rock (IV Mix)
Sputnik One – Vain
Exquisite Corpse – Kupuri
Days Of Being Wild – Shamanic Body Music
Rheinzand – Blind (Superpitcher Remix)
Pardon Moi – Power To The People
Boot & Tax – Celeste
Alleged Witches – Salu-Ki
Pleasure Pool – Night Scars
Eagles & Butterflies – Can’t Stop (Gerd Janson Remix)