M. Stratosphere
New Member
we asked Siobhan Kane to ask her name sake a couple of questions, and a brilliant job she did too. see for yourselves below!!
catch Mr Kane DJing @ RiRa this Friday
Maximum Joy and DC Recordings present
HAIRY ON THE INSIDE
PADDED CELL (Live)
RICHARD SEN
J SAUL KANE
In the Globe
JAMES DYER
MICÍ DURNIN
9TH MAY
RiRa, DAME COURT, D2
11:30pm til 3am
Adm: €12
Music Interview – J. Saul Kane
Superhero Music
DC has very powerful connotations; Washington, the comic book world of Gotham City, and in terms of music, as one of the most interesting labels at work today. With founder Jonathan Saul Kane acting out a kinder version of his namesake Citizen Kane as part-benefactor, part recording/producing magnate and part-inspiration (and also part-Irish); the label has continued its ascent, spurred on by his endlessly inventive creative mind. As a hugely influential and pioneering producer (especially through his work with samples from cult films), Kane has vibrantly contributed to the development of various musical styles, and continues this through his own work, under aliases such as Octagon Man and Grimm Death, and collaborative work with labelmates such as Richard Sen; but it is also his unerring eye for detail, quality and talent that has made DC a label of note. The imminent Maximum Joy/DC Recordings night is a celebration of that, and a testament to a brittle kind of creativity that you cannot neatly package. As Chanel once said about rebellion - ‘elegance is in refusal’, and Kane is as elegant as they come. Siobhán Kane talks to him.
Why did DC ending up replacing Vinyl Solution?
Vinyl solution had done its thing; run its course… it reached a hundred, so it was a good time to kill it off in a legendary fashion.
You get samples from all kinds of less-obvious places, is there a J. Saul Kane 'library' of samples somewhere that you haven't even sorted through yet?
Man…there are areas I am scared to go into; records, videos…there
is a serious amount to be gone through - a veritable mountain.
Recently though, the “samples” have not even entered into things as they have to be cleared.
Do you have one of those small sampling machines like the QY20 that you can bring with you everywhere, capturing the sounds of the streets, nature etc?
Nope, but I do have a digital video cam which has a mic which can be used…it’s not great, but sometimes that's not a bad thing.
How did your relationship to music technology begin? Had you always been interested in it?
I have always loved the “sound of the synthesiser” and “the sounds
of space”, but the technology thing grew and grew as money appeared, it's what you need to feed that sort of habit.
DC's artist roster is very diverse, but how would you explain their “common ground”?
All the artists that we try to sign have a little of the “why?” factor, it's a thing where you say “why did he do that there?” and
“why do I like it?” It is the reason and the driving force behind the things I like and look for in music, film, art and so on…artists like Lee Perry and Clinton had this in abundance. The artists have to have someone that understands what they are doing and is willing to let people help shape what they do and take part in the labels
activities…playing live helps too.
How far do you think the label reflects your own musical tastes, or would you regard such criteria as a mistake?
In some aspects, but if you are running a commercial enterprise
there will be times when things you like or love will not be ready for the masses, but as far as taste goes, I would not release stuff I did not think had any virtue - this is against our ethos, and is not fun either!
Growing up, what artists really drew you in to music, and who do you keep going back to?
It hasn't really changed over the years. I do still love my soundtracks, reggae, hip-hop - everything good really. There are
so many great things out there, more than a lifetimes worth. I feel
for people in the future, as there will not be enough time to hear and appreciate all the great music and cinema. The saturation point is being reached now with the internet, and with people getting most things for free it will greatly speed this up.
You are playing along with Padded Cell at the gig, what drew you to them in the first place? Their sound seems partly indebted to the one you helped to create.
I knew Richard Sen from back in the day, and was aware of the Bronx Dogs stuff, so he came in for a meeting with Neil and we had a chat, and then some demos were done and we went from there! I don't really see their sound owing too much to me... its probably more early eighties New York, although that is an era I also love…
Your own work has been invaluable at developing various musical sounds and styles, how much of what you do is researched, or is it more a product of what comes out of experimentation in the studio?
My sounds usually come from ideas I have. Sometimes it’s a visual
thing where I try to make the image into a vibe or sound, but I really don't like the idea of trying out sounds or presets to make a track from – horrific! I try to have an idea and make it happen; it's so much more satisfying.
Your role at DC and previously with Vinyl and also Electron has been as both a musician and a mentor - how important is the latter role to you? Did you sense from early on in your career that this was something you could be really good at?
I might not be the best “mentor”, it’s a little too straightforward for me, lets say, but more and more its something I enjoy and am doing. I do give a lot of technical advice to people these days which I also enjoy.
Do you think that there is a really interesting creative flow at the moment in terms of labels? DC continues to flourish and there are interesting collectives such as B-Music/Finders Keepers, and labels such as Thrill Jockey, Full Time Hobby and Italians Do It Better. Though under pressure, smaller labels are thriving.
There are great tracks about at the moment, but it’s not really that
diverse. A lot of the labels you mentioned are reasonably similar, as
are the types of records they make, but unfortunately those are the times we live in - if it’s not got a house beat it probably won't get played in a club. This is also a problem that DC has, as I am sure other labels that you mention. It is true that in times gone by things
were more fun and experimental but if you didn't see that then you
won't miss it.
www.dcrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/maximumjoyclub
www.myspace.com/paddedcelldc
catch Mr Kane DJing @ RiRa this Friday
Maximum Joy and DC Recordings present
HAIRY ON THE INSIDE
PADDED CELL (Live)
RICHARD SEN
J SAUL KANE
In the Globe
JAMES DYER
MICÍ DURNIN
9TH MAY
RiRa, DAME COURT, D2
11:30pm til 3am
Adm: €12
Music Interview – J. Saul Kane
Superhero Music
DC has very powerful connotations; Washington, the comic book world of Gotham City, and in terms of music, as one of the most interesting labels at work today. With founder Jonathan Saul Kane acting out a kinder version of his namesake Citizen Kane as part-benefactor, part recording/producing magnate and part-inspiration (and also part-Irish); the label has continued its ascent, spurred on by his endlessly inventive creative mind. As a hugely influential and pioneering producer (especially through his work with samples from cult films), Kane has vibrantly contributed to the development of various musical styles, and continues this through his own work, under aliases such as Octagon Man and Grimm Death, and collaborative work with labelmates such as Richard Sen; but it is also his unerring eye for detail, quality and talent that has made DC a label of note. The imminent Maximum Joy/DC Recordings night is a celebration of that, and a testament to a brittle kind of creativity that you cannot neatly package. As Chanel once said about rebellion - ‘elegance is in refusal’, and Kane is as elegant as they come. Siobhán Kane talks to him.
Why did DC ending up replacing Vinyl Solution?
Vinyl solution had done its thing; run its course… it reached a hundred, so it was a good time to kill it off in a legendary fashion.
You get samples from all kinds of less-obvious places, is there a J. Saul Kane 'library' of samples somewhere that you haven't even sorted through yet?
Man…there are areas I am scared to go into; records, videos…there
is a serious amount to be gone through - a veritable mountain.
Recently though, the “samples” have not even entered into things as they have to be cleared.
Do you have one of those small sampling machines like the QY20 that you can bring with you everywhere, capturing the sounds of the streets, nature etc?
Nope, but I do have a digital video cam which has a mic which can be used…it’s not great, but sometimes that's not a bad thing.
How did your relationship to music technology begin? Had you always been interested in it?
I have always loved the “sound of the synthesiser” and “the sounds
of space”, but the technology thing grew and grew as money appeared, it's what you need to feed that sort of habit.
DC's artist roster is very diverse, but how would you explain their “common ground”?
All the artists that we try to sign have a little of the “why?” factor, it's a thing where you say “why did he do that there?” and
“why do I like it?” It is the reason and the driving force behind the things I like and look for in music, film, art and so on…artists like Lee Perry and Clinton had this in abundance. The artists have to have someone that understands what they are doing and is willing to let people help shape what they do and take part in the labels
activities…playing live helps too.
How far do you think the label reflects your own musical tastes, or would you regard such criteria as a mistake?
In some aspects, but if you are running a commercial enterprise
there will be times when things you like or love will not be ready for the masses, but as far as taste goes, I would not release stuff I did not think had any virtue - this is against our ethos, and is not fun either!
Growing up, what artists really drew you in to music, and who do you keep going back to?
It hasn't really changed over the years. I do still love my soundtracks, reggae, hip-hop - everything good really. There are
so many great things out there, more than a lifetimes worth. I feel
for people in the future, as there will not be enough time to hear and appreciate all the great music and cinema. The saturation point is being reached now with the internet, and with people getting most things for free it will greatly speed this up.
You are playing along with Padded Cell at the gig, what drew you to them in the first place? Their sound seems partly indebted to the one you helped to create.
I knew Richard Sen from back in the day, and was aware of the Bronx Dogs stuff, so he came in for a meeting with Neil and we had a chat, and then some demos were done and we went from there! I don't really see their sound owing too much to me... its probably more early eighties New York, although that is an era I also love…
Your own work has been invaluable at developing various musical sounds and styles, how much of what you do is researched, or is it more a product of what comes out of experimentation in the studio?
My sounds usually come from ideas I have. Sometimes it’s a visual
thing where I try to make the image into a vibe or sound, but I really don't like the idea of trying out sounds or presets to make a track from – horrific! I try to have an idea and make it happen; it's so much more satisfying.
Your role at DC and previously with Vinyl and also Electron has been as both a musician and a mentor - how important is the latter role to you? Did you sense from early on in your career that this was something you could be really good at?
I might not be the best “mentor”, it’s a little too straightforward for me, lets say, but more and more its something I enjoy and am doing. I do give a lot of technical advice to people these days which I also enjoy.
Do you think that there is a really interesting creative flow at the moment in terms of labels? DC continues to flourish and there are interesting collectives such as B-Music/Finders Keepers, and labels such as Thrill Jockey, Full Time Hobby and Italians Do It Better. Though under pressure, smaller labels are thriving.
There are great tracks about at the moment, but it’s not really that
diverse. A lot of the labels you mentioned are reasonably similar, as
are the types of records they make, but unfortunately those are the times we live in - if it’s not got a house beat it probably won't get played in a club. This is also a problem that DC has, as I am sure other labels that you mention. It is true that in times gone by things
were more fun and experimental but if you didn't see that then you
won't miss it.
www.dcrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/maximumjoyclub
www.myspace.com/paddedcelldc