Nanotek Interview
Continuing through May, we leap the Cook Strait and sit down with Wellington's resident freak, Nanotek. After spending several years sculpting his sound, early this year he received the call-up from Dylan to become part of the Freak Recordings crew. For a producer with no releases to get such an offer speaks volumes for the quality of music bursting from Nanotek's studio. Known for the depth and brutality of his tunes, Matt Searle runs a few questions by him to see what makes him tick.
Do you find it hard to get in the right headspace when working on tunes? If so, what do you do to combat this?
Yeah sometimes it can be difficult, especially when there can be so many distractions and especially if you have a day job like me.
Most of the time though, the tunes just flow. When I do get stuck, I usually just stop and take a break. The music always comes back, even if it is a month. I do not mind taking the time to do other things.
You’ve cited Dylan as an idol of yours before, what was your reaction when he asked you to be part of the Freak camp?
It took me about thirty seconds to realise it was actually the Dylan. I sat there staring at the AIM window checking the username and wondering if it was an elaborate hoax. Then I was just shocked and amazed. Getting signed up to a label without a release is very, very flattering and humbling.
It took me a couple of months to realise that it was actually happening and that it wasn't a hoax! He is an amazing person and genuinely cares for everyone in the crew and most importantly the music.
What is your process for working on a new tune?
I usually start with a rhythm and then build it from there. Sometimes I get inspired by a small sample of dialogue from a film and build a song around that.
But yeah mostly just a rhythm and build everything on top of it. All the mastering is done from the ground up, so I basically have the sound sorted before the song is done. As long as I get the main hooks written down the rest just writes itself.
Your sound is quite a niche within drum & bass, do you think NZ is big enough to make music your main source of income?
This was one of the thoughts that originally held me back : The style I like is not commercially viable here. So I tried to make drum and bass that was more mainstream with elements of hard core. But at the end of the day I just wasn't feeling it. A good friend of mine told me I should think about the bigger picture, that the world is a huge place and I do not need to concentrate on writing for NZ. So I cut loose and started writing for myself with very little thought of commercial gain, and that is where I have had the most success. So Napoleon Dynamite was right "Follow your heart, that's what I always do".
What matters more to you, the vibe of a tune or the engineering?
I think it is a double-edged sword really and that both sides should be sharp. Initially when I started sending tunes out, the response was always "Nice ideas, need to work on the sound" etc. Basically you can have all the greatest ideas in the world, but if they are hard to listen to then people just switch off. On the flip side you can have a really great sound yet shit ideas. So it is important to conquer both in my honest opinion.
What are you listening to, outside of drum and bass, at the moment?
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Shihad Churn, Meshuggah, Sepultura's Arise & Chaos AD. Mostly metal.
What inspiration, if any, do you draw from your surroundings/location?
What like if there is a fire, throw yourself into it? Jokes. I think your environment can have a profound effect on your way of thinking. I generally like winter vibes, nice and bleak. Summer is good for relaxing and having a good time.
I generally like no distractions, so if I can lock myself in a room for a while that is good. No natural lighting, actually the darker the better. I generally have a TV going with the volume down, and chat programs running so I can distract others from doing anything constructive when I am not.
Where do you stand on the vinyl/digital debate?
Digital all the way. OK, I will explain myself then. Vinyl is a format which is cumbersome and fragile and because of this can be a very lossy format. One good scratch and it is all over and in some cases you may never see another pressing of that tune ever again. Digital is lossless, compact and you can always make a backup of CDs etc. Plus there are certain advantages to not having to put everything under 300Hz to mono.
Lastly, any shout outs you'd like to make and how about a May top ten?
Hi to the sewing circle! Thanks to everyone who has supported me, Descend, Noise Enthusiasts, Katie
Top Ten:
Limewax - Give Up
The Panacea & AC Slater - Ravemusic Resurrected
Robyn Chaos, Audio & Dylan - Rapture
Technical Itch - Last Hours
Audio & The Panacea - Designed For War
Future Signal - Death Mask
Limewax - Golden Path_second movement
SPL - Can't Live
Code Blue - Falling Sun
Dylan + Limewax - Cleansed by a Nightmare
Nanotek Interview
