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Erol Alkan: Live Fast Die Young — That's Definitely Not About Me
Интервью · 11.05.2010
By Raketa
One of the headliners of the upcoming Transmusicales festival in Moscow, the renowned Englishman Erol Alkan told the DJ and music blogger from Yekaterinburg Raketa4000→ how much he drinks before a set, what impression Russian rock made on him, and why he enjoys clearing people off the dancefloor. 44100Hz thanks the author of the interview for the material provided and invites its readers to get acquainted with it…
R.: How long have you been involved in music?
Erol Alkan
: I've been a DJ for about 17 years now, and I took up studio work around 6 years ago.
R.: So why is it that all this time you've been producing bands, making remixes, releasing collaborative tracks, but still haven't recorded a single solo composition?
Erol Alkan
: Hard to say. I'm probably still searching for myself, trying to work out the formula for that ideal groove that will represent me precisely as Erol Alkan. Of what I've done so far, the collaborations with Boys Noize characterize me most fully. In essence, it's a mix of completely different styles of music, and that's what I like.
R.: I was just about to ask about styles – you've played a lot of indie, then music with vicious distortion, disco, techno… Do you already have an idea which direction you'll concentrate on in six months?
Erol Alkan
: I have problems with concentration; I'm usually drawn to the most varied sounds. Last weekend, for example, I played disco, and techno, and alternative music. Working in one direction quickly gets boring, and I want to play with fire in my eyes and keep up my heightened interest in what I do. Besides, having music of completely different styles in my inner record library, I'm more open to everything new.
R.: And what kind of set are you preparing for Moscow?
Erol Alkan
: I think it'll be exactly that – a mix of everything I like. A lot will depend on the specific situation – the size of the room, the number of people, and the music that plays before my set. I've wanted to visit Moscow for a long time, I'm very glad I'm coming to you! Besides, many of my mates have told me your audience is excellent – for example, Tiga came back from Moscow last time with fire in his eyes.
R.: And do you know any Russian musicians, or maybe even play them in your sets?
Erol Alkan
: Proxy, of course!
R.: Proxy goes without saying. Anyone else?
Erol Alkan
: Hmm, no one else comes to mind. I know you have a fairly strong school of rock music, and I've happened to hear a couple of excellent Russian rock bands, but right now I can hardly recall their names.
R.: How do you choose the bands you do production for?
Erol Alkan
: Production isn't just a job. Ideally it's the quintessence of a composition. It has to be done as well as is at all possible. That's why I work only with those whose music I truly adore. With bands whose songs, when I hear them for the first time, make me unable to hold back a WOW! Plus they absolutely must be cool people in ordinary life.
R.: And lately, who has made you go WOW?
Erol Alkan
: Lately – the band Kindness. And that's about it, probably.
R.: How do you cope with the amount of promos and mp3s that surely comes crashing down on your head every day?
Erol Alkan
: Yes, yes, finding your way around new tracks is getting harder and harder. Nevertheless, I try to listen to as much music as possible – even artists and labels that I know in advance I'll hardly ever play. Besides mp3s, every week I go to record shops and buy vinyl. Judging by the name, the cover, the track titles makes no sense – it's easy to be wrong and miss a gem. So I just listen to as much as possible. The fact that there are too few hours in the day to listen to all the new music is, perhaps, one of the main frustrations for a DJ, and indeed for any music lover.
R.: How much time do you spend on music?
Erol Alkan
: I'm busy practically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except that I sleep from time to time.
R.: And books, films, washing the dishes?..
Erol Alkan
: Of course, you absolutely have to switch off sometimes. Music mustn't become a paranoia. So as soon as I feel some tension, I immediately give myself a rest. Although it happens that I spend several weeks holed up in the studio, working excitedly on a new project.
R.: What kind of girl does a cool DJ need?
Erol Alkan
: I don't think DJs should be singled out as a separate category of people; they're built the same as everyone else. It only seems from the outside that we have some special kind of life. The girl you have is an indicator of what kind of person you are, not what kind of disc jockey.
R.: There are rumors that you drink a fair bit before your sets…
Erol Alkan
: The thing is, I used to hate airplanes, so I'd get loaded precisely during the flight, and I'd come down the airstair already merry. But these days during a set I usually have a bit of vodka with lemonade, or I even play sober altogether.
R.: DJing isn't a very healthy profession. Lack of sleep, very loud sound, stuffy smoke-filled rooms, a broken schedule… Is your philosophy live fast die young, or the opposite?
Erol Alkan
: I'm not a vegetarian and I don't do yoga, but «live fast, die young» – that's definitely not about me. And anyway, in modern music no such philosophy exists. If some rock musicians claim it's their life principle – don't believe them! In reality, those guys are tough, precise people.
R.: Does the audience always understand what you want to say with your music?
Erol Alkan
: That's a difficult question. It seems to me that people understand only what suits them, and on that basis they build assumptions about what kind of person I am. Though often it's only a quarter of what I'm trying to say. And it really annoys me when people think I'm just a DJ playing dance music.
R.: With all your experience, does it still happen that you clear the dancefloor?
Erol Alkan
: Yes, that happens.
R.: And do you still feel vexed when the room empties out?
Erol Alkan
: Not at all! I think there's nothing wrong with it – I like taking on a challenge, being the first to put on something special. Sometimes it's simply necessary! When I first played Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene at our Trash party, everyone left, but a couple of months later it was the main hit! Or, imagine, a similar story happened with Justice - Waters of Nazareth. Naturally, a disc jockey evolves somewhat faster than his audience; the crowd often expects from you what you played last year. But that's one of the reasons I try to position myself as a versatile DJ – so that fans of music in general come to my sets, rather than of some single direction or set of tracks.
R.: Are changes in music and culture usually the work of individuals or the result of large-scale social phenomena?
Erol Alkan
: I'd say it's always the result of some group's work. Often, when global achievements in music are attributed to one person, on closer inspection it turns out that he's essentially just carrying on the work of many other, no less significant, artists.
R.: To what track did you last dance like a madman yourself?
Erol Alkan
: Last Saturday we played at a party with Aeroplane, and they put on Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better. It's a very old and very cool song, but no one has played it in ages. The room just exploded, and me along with everyone else.
R.: Which not-too-mainstream places would you recommend a visitor to London from Russia absolutely must see?
Erol Alkan
: First and foremost – our excellent record shops, Rough Trade, West and Phonica. Right next to Phonica, by the way, there's a decent little vegetarian restaurant… Though how would I know how good it is? I'm not a vegetarian, ha-ha. And in general, if you've come to London from Russia, don't put on airs and be sure to visit our key sights – the Tower, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. True, I'm ashamed to say that for all the time I've lived in London, I've never had the chance to properly acquaint myself with them. But when I drive or stroll past them, I'm always overcome by the strongest feelings!
R.: What releases are in the works on your label Phantasy?
Erol Alkan
: New works by Gonzales, Connan Mockasin, and, of course, our fresh single with Boys Noize, called Avalanche / Lemonade. You'd do better to visit our site more often – everything is described there in detail, phantasysound.co.uk.
R.: And what are you yourself going to delight us with in the coming months?
Erol Alkan
: I have quite a lot of sketches, but it's still unclear what will come of it all in the end. Be that as it may, I hope you'll soon hear my first solo work after all, and may it be received by the Russian public with a WOW!