Fischerspooner is THE band that jump started my electronic-music obsession almost ten years ago. When I was offered the chance to sit down and chat with Casey Spooner (half of the Fischerspooner duo), I gasped and squealed like an over-enthused 13-year-old girl and immediately accepted the offer. Though I tortured my brain for days on end to come up with ‘the best’ interview questions, as soon as I sat down with Casey and cracked upon a Stella, my preparation dissolved into thin air. Casey was (and is) a kind, gentle soul and easy to talk to. He looked dashing in his classic tuxedo topped off with long flowing coattails and a top hat. As soon as he removed his top hat, a head of purple hair glistened in back-stage-light and I thought, “Damn. This man is one elegant rock star.”

He was eager to share his experiences and our scheduled ten-minute interview turned into an hour-long conversation. His tone was genuine, sarcastic, and informative. It was the perfect conclusion to my BEMF experience and a night I will forever remember. Below are some highlights from our conversation.

HiFi: This is your first time at BEMF in the 4 years it’s existed. What do you think of it so far?

Casey: Well, I can’t be the best judge of it since I showed up 15 minutes before my set and now it’s 4 in the morning, but I’ve always wanted to be a part of it. I’ve always thought, well “I live in Brooklyn, why can’t I be a part of it [BEMF]? I AM Brooklyn electro. I invented it!”

HiFi: Your set tonight was very disco heavy. Are you gravitating towards a deep disco sound in your solo career?

Casey: It’s really hard to get away from disco. The more you DJ, it gets so exhausting, so tiring how psychotic modern dance music is. At first it’s fun, it’s two-tonic and aggressive, all these weird screeching, screaming, noodling, computer sounds, but that’s kind of like tonight. I was doing that and then all of a sudden I wanted to play something else. Lauren and I are about to embark on a world tour next week and I wanted to play this track that we had just created. That track was very euro, very cheesy, so I did it. I played it, and then realized I couldn’t stop there. So then I started playing these electro ragas, and realized I couldn’t end there, but people were dancing so I went back to disco. It was kind of a weird set, and not what I was expecting to play, but that’s the beauty of live music.

HiFi: Are you currently creating music?

Casey: I actually started the set with a remix I produced that I literally had to go home and download the final version before I got here; it was the Patti Smith track. That was the premier; I was testing it to see how the final mix sounded. I actually wanted to play it again!

HiFi: You should have! Have you ever repeated tracks in a DJ set?

Casey: I’m so bad like that. I love to have one song and just play it over and over and over again. I DJed a friends house party and I just didn’t want to stop but I didn’t want to play anything other than these two songs so I did it, and the audience was like. “Ohhh Kay, can you please stop?”

HiFi: What tour are you about to embark on with Lauren?

Casey: Lauren and I are about to go on a DJ tour. We’re heading to Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Milan, Florence, then and Athens, Greece.

HiFi: Have you performed live in South East Asia before?

Casey: No we haven’t. And everyone has always told us to go to Japan, I feel like they are my people! When we released the album on EMI, I tried very hard to get us to go over to Japan, but they only wanted us to do press in the UK and LA. I had never gone to Asia until last year and I wanted to open the market up for us over there. We DJed last year in Bangkok, Singapore, Bali, and Fuji-Rock (a big music festival in Japan). So now we’re going back and I can’t wait.

HiFi: Do you incorporate any of your solo work that you did on “Adult Contemporary” into your DJ sets?

Casey: Gosh, that’s so funny, you know I probably should. There is one remix of Faye Dunaway that could work. I’ve tried but it’s really tough. People come to the Fischerspooner DJ set wanting hard electro. So I feel obligated to stick within certain genre, obviously I’m playing ragas and Larry Levine, but that’s just because we’re at home and it’s comfortable. But when you’re headlining and playing for 2,000 people, you HAVE to play Emerge.

HiFi: Do you like your track Emerge?

Casey: I like it, but I don’t have to hear it. It’s such a cliché. But, there are songs that I love that I never get sick of. But I never would’ve imaged that I would make one of those “Underground-Cult-Hits”, but I did. So I am thankful that I got to make something like that.

HiFi: Do you prefer performing live or curating the music through a DJ set?

Casey: I am not a technical person. I hate computers, I don’t program music, I don’t know how to do anything. I never wanted to be a DJ because I grew up in Chicago and was immersed in the most amazing scene with all of these incredible DJs. I don’t feel like I transfer myself through machinery- it’s just not my thing and it makes me sleepy. The other thing is, if the music is really good and going well, the last place in the fucking world I want to be is standing behind a computer. I want to be enjoying it and dancing. I feel that right when the music gets good, I have to cue something and it makes me feel like I miss the party because I’m working. It is fun but to me it’s not as powerful as performing a live show. That is the great thing about performing with Warren [Fischer, the other half of Fischerspooner) because he’s manning the machines while I’m in-front and together we’re creating art and that art is our own world within our music.

HiFi: What is it like to tour with this world you created?

Casey: AWESOME. I fight and struggle to stay in that world. For our last record we spent two years developing the show and three years touring it, so for five years I was living in that world. But at the end of this past summer I sat down and realized, “I have performed this show and perfected it to its finest degree, and now it’s time to move on.”

HiFi: How did Fischerspooner start? Was there this small-scale alternative world that just happened when the two of you first performed together?

Casey: When we first started there was no big plan. It started with Warren Fischer, Karen Fischer and I working on a film project. The film project was a pitch for a TV show that a production company asked us to do. It was kind of lame, Warren was frustrated with being a commercial director, he wasn’t making music, and he had this amazing band in Chicago called Table that made beautiful, complicated rock music. So I said to him, “You really should be making music. Why don’t we take some of this film footage, you can score original music to it, and try it as a new way to incorporate music.” That’s what we did. After a series of events, we created this song and were asked to perform it at Starbucks on Astor Place. It was me doing this experimental theater, electro, dancing act while I was speaking in an Indian accent taking personal experience and putting it into song. It was mildly offensive, sort of filthy, and the punch line was “Do you want to see it? If you like it, you try. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to try.” And we looked at each other after the performance and said, “Oh Shit! This is interesting! Let’s do this again.” From there record companies started chasing us. But I was not naive. I was thirty when we started this whole process and knew that if we were going to do this, we had to be in total control. And it was like, “No.” We signed with EMI and all of those cliché things you hear are so true. It got out of control and I thought, “What the fuck happened? I was supposed to be an artist and now I’m dealing with corporate bullshit.”

HiFi: So do you think you will put out a 4^th Fischerspooner album?

Casey: We’re talking about it now. I’m not opposed to it, but I’m so bored with the format. It’s so formulaic. So I think we will put out an album, I’m just not positive.

After his set at Electric Zoo, French Ed Banger artist Sebastian chatted with us about making music for the girls. Read on after the jump. Continue Reading

Newly reunited Gabriel & Dresden sat down before their set at Electric Zoo for a chat about what they learned in their time apart and the direction of electronic music in the United States. Read on after the jump.

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Before his set at Electric Zoo, John Digweed sat down to talk to us about his process as a musician and his thoughts on the electronic music movement in the United States. Read on after the jump.

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Immediately following Guti’s set at Electric Zoo, we sat down to chat with him about his experience touring and his journey as an artist from jazz and piano, through rock, to electronic music. Read on after the jump, and check out his new site for all things Guti HERE.

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Friday afternoon, Canada’s Egyptrixx sat down with us to chat about his experiences touring the festival circuit and what’s coming up next. Read on after the jump.

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This past Friday at Electric Zoo, we sat down briefly with renowned DJ, producer, and Ovum label head Josh Wink before his set at the Sunday School stage. Read on to see what he’s up to, after the jump…

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Last Wednesday, Spanish producer and DJ Henry Saiz stopped by Bar 13 as part of his Balance 019 tour. He paused to chat with us for a few minutes before his set about his passion for emotional sound, his live performance, and what’s next for both himself and his label. Read on to learn more.

☞ HiFi Cartel: You’re known for not simply playing dance music, but creating productions that are a combination of your passion for art and your desire to evoke emotion. How do you translate this intention into music?

☞ Henry Saiz: That’s a very difficult question. When you’re composing or creating music, you’re always expression emotion. Depending on what you’re feeling it then becomes darker or more pop-like, etc. I guess I just need to make music, so I just sit down in front of the computer and go with the flow. It’s very hard to explain the process of translation because it’s very abstract work.

☞ HFC: Is it an organic process that occurs, or do you have a concept or idea beforehand that you then try to craft around?

☞ HS: I really need to work with a concept, because otherwise you run the risk of just going along with what the computer tells you. If you hear a sound and you follow it through the computer, then the computer is telling you what to do, so you need to take control of the situation. You have to prepare something and work in collaboration with the machine.

☞ HFC: Do you feel the same way about live performance? Do you craft a concept beforehand?

☞ HS: To play music for other people is all about sharing emotions and sharing the message you have with the audience. It depends very much on the vibe of the place and factors that are out of your control. You have to take stock of how the night is going and go with that. The challenge is to bring people into your sound, and your message.

☞ HFC: How did this then translate into your crafting of Balance 019?

☞ HS: It was a little different because the series is classic; very important. There are so many big names that have done it that I really respect, so the challenge was to make something that could really live up to the others. I thought that these days there are a lot of podcasts and radio sets, so you really have to do something different when you’re making a CD. I therefore tried to do something really exclusive, with about 90% of it being unreleased. It’s more of a mixture before an album and a DJ set. I just tried to do something really, really special that is a journey; something that you can listen to from beginning to end and feel something very intense afterward.

☞ HFC: Is that something that you look for in other artists on your label as well? That kind of uniqueness, and ability to evoke emotion?

☞ HS: Yes, I don’t think about music in terms of style like techno or house. I just take the emotions away; if it’s honest or pure I connect with it. I started with the label in 2007 and it’s continuously growing. I’m always doing things with new people; new artists and producers that have something fresh and interesting to say. I’m also collaborating with big names, but I have my little family there. I take care of almost everything with the label myself, it’s all about the art and sharing music with people.

☞ HFC: What are you currently working on as an artist?

☞ HS: I’m doing an EP for Bedrock’s, John Digweed’s label’s, 100th release that will feature a lot of great remixes from big names. I also have a new aka, Hal Incandenza, which is more disco house inspired. The Hal Incandenza tracks on Balance 019 are actually the first to be premiered. I’m going to work with a couple of disco related labels in Europe, and after this tour I’m going to focus on creating my proper artist album. I’m also doing an album with my band, which is kind of a mixture of Pink Floyd and electronica.

Twenty three year-old Maya Jane Coles is undoubtedly one of the most talented and hardest working producers in electronic music today. She has racked up releases on Hypercolour, Defected, 20:20 Vision, and Anja Schneider‘s Mobilee label to name a few. A few days ago the UK house queen made her brillant debut on Radio 1′s Essential Mix. Listen below and check the track-list and her recent interview with Beatportal after the jump. Let’s hope she comes stateside again soon!

Maya Jane Coles – Essential Mix [Download]

During our time at SXSW, world renowned DJ, producer, and live musician Trentemøller was gracious enough to set aside some time to chat with us after finishing soundcheck for his show at La Zona Rose. Read on to gain some insight into his experience touring with a live band, and what we can expect from him in the future.

The HiFi Cartel: So I understand this is your first time at SXSW? What’s your impression so far?

Anders Trentemøller: Well, I’ve only really been in the bus because I was in Mexico yesterday playing and got a little sick so I bascially just stepped out of the bus to come to sound check. We’re leaving quite late tonight though so we should have some time to go get a beer after the show. We’re not sure where to go though… the bars close so early!

HFC: You’re performing this show at SXSW with a live band. How do you feel that this is different from performing a traditional DJ set?

AT: It’s really two very different things. It’s possible to do much more improvising when you’re playing with a live band. Things can sometimes get a little out of control and I really like that,. When you’re playing as a DJ it’s basically just about playing some records in the right order. Our set has really changed from the first gigs that we played in Europe. The whole set list and the way we play the tracks is always developing while we’re playing; like the guitar player or drummer will have an idea and pick up the tempo, for example. What I really love about playing in a band is that suddenly you’re getting more input, because usualluy I’m sitting making music on my own.

HFC: You’ve always incorporated a lot of live instruments in your sound; do you find it is difficult to translate that complexity to the live performance?

AT: No, it was actually quite easy for me, also because I started playing in bands before I ever did electronic music. When I write music I of course use my skills as a musician, so it’s actually quite easy to transform the album sound to the live stage. Something I also want to do is make different versions of the tracks so the live performance isn’t just like hearing a louder version of the album. Sometimes it’s like remixing yourself for the live stage, and I really like that.

HFC: Do you feel like you’re drawing a lot of inspiration from your time playing in bands in your current sound?

AT: Yeah, but for me it’s always been a part of my music making. In the beginning I was creating more club music, but I was still doing other kinds of music on the side that just wasn’t released. It was great when I had the opportunity to make my first album to be able to show that different side of my composing.

HFC: Will you still be touring as a DJ in the future?

AT: Yeah definitely, it’s very fun for me. It also helps with the live tour because we have a big complicated set-up, so sometimes playing a DJ set here and there can be helpful.

HFC: Do you have a strong hand in the visual aspects of your show?

AT: For every show our drummer Henrik Vibskov and I do the stage design together and think about what we can do live. That has always been a big thing for me because most of the music is instrumental so I think it’s quite easy in a way to get this more cinematic feel when you’re playing the music if you have not only visuals but also complex stage design to create layers on the stage.

HFC: Your sound has eveolved a lot over the years. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

AT: It’s always so hard to explain because there are so many different things that inspire me. It can be a feeling or a mood… most of the time it’s like that. For this album I didn’t want to work so much with a computer but more in an old fashioned singer songwriter sort of way. So I started a lot of the tracks just playing my piano in the studio and then later tried to transform the meoldoies and chords into the electronic world in a way. Because of this it’s much more melodic rather than the first album, which was much more loops and glitch. For me it’s a natural development… I listen to so much different music and it’s just natural for me now to use my skills as a musician. Maybe next time it will be pure elecronic or folk, who knows. As long as it’s good quality… I think that’s what’s great about music; there’s really no limits and boundaries if you really try to take in elements from many diferent styles and do it in your own way.

HFC: What kind of equipment are you using in your live performance?

AT: We have Ableton Live that’s running our sequencing, and then we play a lot of instruments on top of that. Two guitar players, a drummer, and a bass player, as well as two singers. Pretty much the same people that toured with the first album.

HFC: What’s life like on the tour bus?

AT: I really like it because there’s much more time to get together and just have a good time. Flying is much more stressful. I like that you can just play a gig and then go to the tour bus and hang out with your friends.

HFC: What’s coming up next for you?

I’ve done sort of a remix swap with Unkle. I just remixed their single “The Answer” which you can download for free in the beginning. They’ve made a really cool remix of one my tracks called “Neverglade” from the album. I’m also producing a Danish girl duo called Darkness Falls, which is made up of Josephine Philip and Ina Lindgreen. They’ve just released an EP that’s out now. I’m going back to Copenhagen for a couple of weeks to finish their album, then getting back on the tour bus to play Coachella and some festivals in europe as well.