Thought TA would enjoy this interview I did recently with the man responsible for the current beat scene in Los Angeles and beyond, Flying Lotus. It's not trance, but he's got some interesting views on producing, "DJs," psychedelics, etc. Check out the whole article here for more context, or just skip to the questions below. Don't forget to pick up his new album, Until the Quiet Comes, when it drops on Oct 2.
Your sound has a very “human” feel to it. As a producer punching buttons on a computer, how do you avoid being too mechanical on record?
quote:
Record everything without quantizing it. Record everything raw. Don’t try to make everything perfect. Those little moments that feel human, you should leave it. It’s easy for us to nitpick as electronic musicians, easy for us to say, “Everything needs to be perfect.” But I think what keeps it fun, for me at least, is that things can be off a bit and kinda pull themselves together and do that one thing that happens one time, and it’s all good. I think just being open to the accidents is what makes it really fun.
At what point for you does a beat become a song?
quote:
When it’s arranged in a way that feels complete … it’s on an emotional level, when I can’t think of any more sounds to go in there.
Were you a deejay before you became a producer?
quote:
No. I’m still not a deejay, I don’t think.
Why not?
quote:
I can select records, I can play records, I can play a live Ableton thing, but I’m not really a deejay, I don’t think. I respect those guys, those turntablist guys, but I don’t do all that.
So, in your opinion, if you’re not using turntables, you’re not a deejay?
quote:
That’s a fine line. I feel like, in a way, I could easily in passing say, “I’m going to deejay this party,” but I don’t really feel like a deejay. I wouldn’t tell A-Trak that I’m a deejay. I’d tell the lady on the airplane that I’m a deejay. That’s the difference.
I’ve heard you’re a big gamer. Have you been playing anything lately?
quote:
I played [Batman:] Arkham City; I beat that recently. Sleeping Dogs, I just got that, and the Silent Hill HD Collection.
Would you ever score a video game?
quote:
I’d love to.
You often talk about telling stories in your music. What story does Until the Quiet Comes tell?
quote:
It’s funny, man, because for a while, I was talking about the story and telling people what it meant to me, but I feel like it’s better when people tell me what the story is. Everyone has their own interpretation of the music, and I don’t like to take that away from people. It means a different thing to everyone, and that’s so fun. To me, it’s a look at a new nocturnal universe, in a way, or just kind of seeing a new world with different eyes and going through the good and the bad and the light and the dark. It’s kind of like an inward journey in a new place, that’s what it feels like.
There’s a song on the album called “DMT Song,” which features Thundercat. Do you have any experiences there you’d like to share?
quote:
DMT is crazy, man. I’ve only done it twice, but it’s literally out of this world. It’s really, um … [laughs] I heard things, saw things, experienced things that you need a new language to describe. I found that to be really hilarious. When I realized there’s no way on Earth I could describe it, I think that I just died laughing.
Do you feel that the album describes it at all?
quote:
Maybe. I don’t know. I’m so close to it I couldn’t tell you; I feel like it would take another person to say. I can only do so much. There ain’t nothin’ like DMT, man. Nothing.
What’s one thing every amateur producer should know?
quote:
It’s easy to get discouraged in the initial stages, but if you’re not enjoying the doing, the process of making the tracks, it might not be for you. If people get discouraged while they’re doing it, they should know that it’s not going to come quickly, but at the same time, it should feel very natural, and it should be enjoyable getting there.
