Kenneth Graham UCMG NY - Interview

DHN: What would personally be your favorite tech-house track that you have produced?

KG: "The Strength to Carry on", Moments of Silence, PlacUSA, release TBA. Available via real audio at: http://www.controlteam.com/trax.html

DHN: I ve heard that at present you are working on a mixed CD of your best work, would you care to give us a few hints as to what the track listing might be ?

KG: Gee word gets around doesn t it? Doing a good mix of my own stuff has been difficult. For one, I m my worst critic, and two, I only have a handful of tracks to choose from. So I have to write new stuff to fill in the gaps. And that s were the problem starts. I start doubting the previous material because the new stuff seems better. It s probably because I haven t had the opportunity to burn my ear by listening to it over and over again.

DHN: As a producer/DJ do you try to reflect the style of music you make when you DJ ?

KG: I do try. But the only real way for it to happen is through osmosis. I usually just start messing about with samples and a groove and then something just clicks. I usually will follow that "click" rather than try to mold it into something else.

DHN: I ve noticed from your bio that you re an electronic engineer (I happen to be an electronic engineer as well 8-) ). Do you think that studying electronics/engineering has had an impact on the type/way/sound of the music that you produce ?

KG: Perhaps. I take sound quality very seriously. You really need to know about gain stages, op amps, impedance, noise etc. to go after it. The important thing is that it doesn t get in the way of being creative, Just like knowing how to drive a car. It also helps when a piece of gear is giving you problems, just pop it open and fix it. My REAL EE comes from H/P/V/A/C.

DHN: You go under a number of different pseudonyms, do you use each of these to reflect a distinct type of music ?

KG: I used to use KG Beat, now I m using "Kage" or "First Light". It s mostly a label thing, some want exclusivity on the name of a project.

DHN: You re a self thought musician, how long did it take you, before you could say I can competently play the keyboard ?

KG: We had a piano at home, I was playing with my friends when I was around 10. All we had was the piano and some pans and garbage can s. hmmm…..

DHN: Have you ever performed live? And if you have, do you prefer performing live or Dj-ing ?

KG: Haven t done anything live in about a year. It s a matter of economics really. I can t afford to have my studio torn down for more than a few days. Besides that it takes quite a long time to come up with an hour of original music and perform it live. On both occasions, everyone thought they were records anyway and that I was pretending to play or something.

DHN:Ever performed anywhere this side of the Atlantic? I notice that you (SunKiss) have a number of releases coming up on Plastic City, any sign of maybe a European promotional tour?

KG: Perhaps next year.

DHN:What was your inspiration/frame of mind behind the setting up of the website Control Team ?

KG: Just one of those things that I had to do. I had a BBS set up in 91 called Data Control, that is where controlteam comes from. I kept a hefty archive of various "textfiles". Then a friend from Sweden and I started controlteam as a ****ing group. Later on when I grew out of it, I sold that gear and used the money to start the label. On

DHN:Average how many people tune in from the live mix show ? Do you broadcast from a club/café/bar or is it all done in studio ?

KG: For the live show, about 100 per night, this was due to a bandwidth restriction on the live feed. The archives get about 200-500 per day. We moved the show around considerably over the course of 2 years. We had in the back alley of a video game company, some backyards (my parent s house included), And various coffee houses around town. That got quite tiring so Kuya scored a Internet café which ran the longest time. We then found a really dope spot in the middle of south central which we ran into the ground. That s when the cops said "We don t care if you re going worldwide with your shit, the parties over."

DHN:You at one stage used to be in a band, do you ever use acoustic instruments in your music ?

KG: We had Matt Norero play Guitar on the "Sunchildren Project" for Peacefrog, and I just took up the Bass again: "Smoke & Mirrors" on AV8. I m looking to do something like the Isolé thing that came out on Playhouse with the calypso guitar thing.

DHN:Would you care to share with us your studio kit list?

KG: This is what is important:

Emu E6400 - It s all about the sampler, I sold my 909 and got this to replace it.
Emagic s Logic Audio Platinum 4.0 - For the feel (groove) and versatility. VST can up their PPQ but it s timing still can t hold a candle to Logic.
Sonic Foundry s Sound Forge 4.5c - This is what I use to sample and edit with.
Propellerhead s Recycle 1.7
Roland JP8080 - I ve been using this for my pads
Roland JP-6 - for miscellaneous textures.
Roland SH101 - For the bass lines and occasional SFX.
Oberheim 4 Voice - For the Filters.
Behringer MX8000 - Cause I can t afford a Neve.
Ensonic DP4 - for it s 4 inputs.
Pro VLA - This is the front end to my DAT.
Vestax PDX-d3 s. - For the joysticks, and they play backwards.
AKG C3000 - Because it s cheap and it uses the same capsules as the 414 Peavey PC1600 - MIDI Controller.
Fender Jazz Bass -

DHN: Where does your schedule take you in the coming weeks, both Live & Djing ??

KG:
Vancouver, BC.
Edmonton, Alberta.
Somewhere in South Carolina,
San Antonio-Texas.
Monterrey, Mexico.

DHN:What do you have planned for the Winter?Any new records coming out? Any gigs you are looking forward to?

KG:
Immigrant Recordings - Late Night Theory
Four Track - Gateway EP
AV8 - Smoke & Mirrors EP
Distant Music - "Feel Me"
PlacUSA - G.L.F.
PlacUSA - Moments of Silence
Fiji - Meke
Fiji - A future Remembered
PlacUSA - Ashtar Afterhours

DHN:Where did you first start DJ-ing ?

KG: A club called "In the Jungle" Around 1988. I was relief for my friend Charlie, spun mostly funk and old school stuff like Striffe s "Set it off". I d always try to pop in something like Magic Juan or Model 500. But people back then just didn t get it. Seems to me like only recently are people finding out about Kraftwerk. Back then Acid was just starting to come into LA. The only real thing that was going on was "Euphoria."

DHN:When did you start producing ?

KG: Around 1985. I had a four track a Juno-106 an MSQ-100 and a Yamaha RX21. It was quite raw, but this is really when I realized the potential that existed for electronic music. I hadn t even heard of ACID or anything like that yet. I had Kraftwerk, OMD, Depeche, Soft Cell, most of the Mute stuff and some industrial music like 242 s Sample-D and the Wax Trax stuff.

DHN:What was your most memorable experience while DJ-ing?

KG: Oceanic 2 in Acapulco, Mexico. The promoters did an amazing job. It really wasn t the party that Was most memorable. When I got off the plane in Mexico City, a luggage "boy" helped me carry my shit to my connector. He asked me what was in my crates, then he said ahhh "your Kenneth graham". That gave me the most awesome inspiration.

DHN:What was your worst experience?

KG: None really, it s usually about traveling and the usual shit associated with promoters and agents, dealing with customs, missing a connection etc. Sure there s been times where I should have thrown a fit when someone bumps my decks and throws up on my records, but that just comes with the territory.

DHN:Do you have any favorite labels?

KG:
Touché
i220
Svek
Plastic City
Playhouse

DHN:Who are your mentors?

KG: My Father and Mother.

DHN:What other music do you listen to and does it influence your sets?

KG: Sade & Depeche Mode. Not really.

DHN: What is the one record you will always play?

KG: Azmuth - Jazz Carnival - Farout. This record has a groove unlike any other, and it mixes with anything.

DHN:How long does it take you to complete a track?

KG: Anywhere from 1 hour to 1 week. I try to get a rough mix done in a night, then usually end up over producing it by the next day. Eventually it s up to the label which mix they like best.

DHN:What is the one piece of equipment that you could not live without?

KG: The Emulator E4 (6400). A sampler is timeless, you can do anything with it. I would sell everything (including my tables and records) to keep my sampler.

DHN: Of all the ppl that have helped you get to where you are now, who would be top of the list ?

KG: My Father and my Mother. They don t understand the "bang bang" but they still support me after 14 years. My mom is out there looking for shit for me to sample. She recently got me a tape from south America, and said try lifting something off this. In the scene though I d have to say that David Alvarado gave me new spirit. Around the end of 97 I was about ready to give it all up, and try to live a happier life. I went down to have lunch with David and he brought me back up again. That s when we got together and did "Unfiltered Sky." Since that release, doors have been opening like crazy.

DHN:Where do you get your ideas from?

KG: Some are technically preconceived, others just sort of pop into my head. More important than the ideas however is the inspiration to realize them.

DHN:What would you do if you weren t a musician ?

KG: Definitely something in engineering or product design.

DHN:Who would you most like to work with?

KG: Sade & Depeche Mode.

DHN:What s your most prized possession (anything)?

KG: I suppose it would have to be my ears, then my eyes, and the ability to communicate.

DHN:Desert island 5?

KG:
Sade - Love Deluxe
Depeche Mode - Violator
David Sylvian - Gone to Earth
David Sylvian - Secrets from the Behive
Kraftwerk - Computerworld

DHN:Current top 5?

KG: First Light - Moments of Silence - PlacUSA - White

DHN:Is there anything else that you would like to say?

KG: The following people have moved me in one way or another: Wes Osborne (aka M.E.S.), Gabriel Ortega(aka Aztec Sol), Walter Chao (aka DJ WAL), Robin Porter. David Alvarado. Rick Salzer.

DHN: Thanks for doing this interview, we look forward to hearing your releases on Plastic City.

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