Interview with Carl Taylor
A DJ and producer from Yorkshire (UK) got his first break when he won an F Communications competition to remix Laurent Garniers ‘Greed’ a few years ago. It was Garniers seal of approval, and the fact that Mary Anne Hobbs was playing his tracks on her Radio One Breezeblock show, that actually prompted him to start sending out demos to record companies. In 2002 he released his first 12-inch ‘Exile’ / ‘Space Disco’ on Bugged Out label. Since then he’s had another record out under the name Auterform on the Room Tone label – that was a collaboration with Dean Jones. Then again on Bugged Out label comes out his new release ‘Static’ / ‘Compulsion’ which has received a great response from DJ’s and press alike. Carl Taylor is mainly a DJ, Derrick May once called his sets ‘mood mats’. And Carl himself says: “who wants one mood, flavour, style, sound, all night?”
Carl talks here to his recent release Simplex EP on the new, but already well-known Dust Science label.
Interview by Doronin Pavel, June 2005
Your name is unknown in Russia for the time being. Have you ever been to Russia?
No I haven’t actually. I have seen it on the TV & heard about it on the radio.
Do you want to visit Russia? Many DJ's say that the Russians are the most clubbing people worldwide, and they give the biggest feedback to DJ.
Yes. I have heard good reports from other DJ's.
For the present you’ve released only 3 vinyls. Since what time have you made music?
I’ve been making music since I was 16, I started by going on a music technology course in the UK, and I was addicted from then! I’m now 26, by the way.
Your last vinyl Simplex EP was released on Dust Science. Why did you choose Dust Science instead of Bugged Out?
Well, It wasn’t a matter of chooisng Dust Science over Bugged Out. Though I do think the tracks on the Simplex EP are more suited to Dust, very dark & maybe not what you would associate with Bugged Out...
Your tracks sound elegantly and intelligently. What devices do you use to create such sound?
Thanks. Well mainly I use the PC. I have software like Ableton Live & Cubase SX 1 (I prefer Ableton now though) I have all the Native Instruments stuff (from the Komplete 2 bundle) I use Reaktor a lot (in fact I’d probably say the Simplex EP is 80% Reaktor) Absynth 2, Battery, Kontakt. I also like the Ohm Force FX & Sonalksis EQ & Compressor. I do have some hardware, like the Waldorf Pulse (which has been used on nearly every track I do in the last 8 years) and also a MPC 2000Xl & Juno 60 (very nice string sounds!).
I know you made a remix for Laurent Garnier. Who else do you like to work together with?
I’ve just done a remix for Chris Cowie & DJ Lucca's track "Mirage" that should be out soon on F1 records. I would love to work with Funk D’Void, so hopefully we can maybe collaborate soon. In terms of remix's, well I would look at each individual offer as they come, if I think I can do something good with the track I will accept the offer, if not I won’t bother.
And who is your idol in music?
I don’t really have an idol as such, but I respect people like Laurent Garnier, Derrick May, Francois Kevorkian & Gilles Petterson. All fantastic DJ's and Derrick & Francois have made some amazing records. But there are a lot of artists that I really like: Recloose, Funk D’Void. I could go on for ever!
Do you draw a distinction between the commercial techno and underground techno? What is your attitude towards techno as a commercial product?
I think once you have a record in the shops it’s there for sale and therefore its becomes comercial, woudn’t you say? If you are talking about the difference between somebody who sells a lot of records and gets paid well for DJing. Jeff Mills & Dave Clarke get paid a lot for Djing, but I wouldn’t put them in the same category as, say, Judge Jules.
And what kind of plans do you have as a musician?
Just to improve all the time, that is what drives me on, I want to see my music get better all the time. Also keep putting records out and colaborate with other artists. I never really look more than 1 / 2 years into the future.. I just keep doing music, im addicted so I have no choice!
What would you do, if you were not a DJ and a musician?
I don’t really know to be honest. This is all I’ve had in my mind 24 hours a day for the last 12 / 13 years. I’ve never though about anything else really.
Whom do you prefer to be most of all – a DJ or a musician?
I started doing both around the same time. I’d probably say I love both the same. Though they are different things. In the studio you can work on a track for anything between 3 days to a month. DJing is instant fun. Making music is a lot harder for me.
What is the most unusual party you ever played at?
Well... I once got booked to play at a strip club! That was very strange. I was only young though :)
Did you have to take part in this show during your performance?
No :)
What books do you read? What book in your opinion is the “real techno-book”?
I don’t read many books to be honest, but the 'Techno Rebels' by Dan Sicko is very good (a great insight to early Detroit) and 'Last Night a DJ Saved My Life' is also brilliant and does cover techno. Reading that I discovered that DJing was invented in Yorkshire where I live!
In general, how do you think, is techno the musical culture only or a way of life including clothes, books, films, food etc.?
Good question... In a way I suppose you could say it was everywhere, movies can be very 'techno' like the Matrix. Computers are techno, mobile phones are techno I suppose... Though I don’t really see fashion as a techno thing, some people may disagree, but I’ve never associated techno with an image or 'look'. If you go to a techno club in the UK, everbody looks different. This is a good thing in my eyes, nobody has to fit in. You just dress as you want.. I never dress up to go out, just jeans and a t shirt. If a club has a dress code I won’t go there clubbing. I just like to be myself.
What does the word “techno” mean for you personally?
I think it can mean differnt things. We could be talking about having a good time at a party or looking at new technology that is coming out or maybe just listening to techno and thinking about life at the same time. Differnt things for differnt situations.
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