Další týpek, který se představí na BassTrap live – bristolský Phaeleh

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I would like to know where do you originally come from and where do you live right now. Tell us something more about „your place“… And do you think it affects your sound in kind of way?

I’m originally from a small town in a county called Wiltshire, in the UK. It’s about 40 miles east of Bristol. I moved to Bristol in 2007, and had previously been in Leicester and Guildford prior to that for music reasons. I think the friendly nature of Bristol has affected me more in terms of support and a platform to perform from, rather than the music of the city influencing me.

Do I feel the nuance right that you managed to produce in Bristol not being swallowed by the Bristol sound? Interesting… But my question was much more simple and a bit „non musical“…do you think city, people, nature and all other emotions surrounding you affect your ideas when writing beats and breathing melodies? I sense a lot of emotions in your music so I’m just curious…

Yes I agree with that, I’m more inspired by the place than the sound associated with it. I definitely think the things around me influence me more; my music is always a reflection of my thoughts and feelings in a given moment, rather than the result of a clear, set out plan.

Nice said! I see a focal point or maybe sense of something what I call “true art” in forming or creating something…picture, statue, music…which can (even beyond) affect sensible observer to catch some of that you’ve mentioned previously…some of thoughts of an author, his feelings in a moment or so. Do you think theres still art in contemporary electronic music that we like? And hard one…: do you feel yourself be able to do “true art”?

Hmmm, it’s a tricky question to be honest; I guess if there’s expression then there’s art. But in terms of my music I guess that’s up to other people to decide as it’s so subjective.

And similar question concerning your dj / producer name. Does it give a sense, a word or…? Sounds a bit like orient flavoured word…

It’s a mixture of words I liked the look of whilst flicking through a dictionary. I just liked the letters next to each other and the overall shape. Pronouncing it is a bit tricky though, but I just say ‘Fella’.

So no meaning? As I’ve discovered this (your) name to go with one of your tracks called Thirten I was wondering about a word from India or so…

Afraid not, there’s no hidden meaning to it. It’s a similar answer with regards to Thirten. I don’t name any songs until they’re finished, so all my tunes are just numbers until then, and Thirten was just tune number 13 in my project folder that I started when I moved to Bristol in 2007, and I was a bit lazy at naming it.

What does the word „dub“ in dubstep means for you?

The name doesn’t really have any significant meaning for me; I tend to find genre names slightly amusing most of the time. I would never say my music has any relevance to Dub music, so does seem odd when you think about it. For me when someone describes something as ‘dubstep’ I just presume its bass music somewhere around 140bpm.

Bristol is a city with remarkable musical history - what about your musical roots?

My musical roots go back to playing music at school, leading to playing piano and classical guitar, which moved onto electric guitar and electronics. I’ve covered a lot of styles, from Bach Lute Suites to Rinse out Acid Jungle, via some astral jazz funk, hip hop and Pantera style metal!

So classical musical education, yep. You’ve used the word „cover“ when mentioning styles and a question is - how much? What’s your producer range in the past and up to date? (Bach is good choice btw.)

I’d say I played classical music, rather than having a classical music education, I wasn’t locked away in some fancy conservatoire from the age of 4 by some pushy parents or anything. In terms of the different styles I’ve covered over the years, I guess a lot is referring to styles played in bands rather than what I was producing. In terms of electronic music, it’s always been quite melodic and chilled, so is only the tempo which really drifts.

Name just a few guys from your vicinity you recommend us focus our ears on. Any interesting & still widely unknown talents or just your personal tips?

Well I tend to know more about what’s going on outside of Bristol than in it, so I’ll recommend people go and listen to Sclist, TMSV, DJ Rum and J-One.

Listen to the production or to the dj skills onna party? Do you personally feel the difference? Do you attend to party? And do you party at all?

Well I guess that depends on the kind of set you’re watching. Most the time I’m in a club I tend to listen to the mixing and how the DJ works the mixer, as I haven’t been DJing for as long as I’ve been producing, so still find that genuinely quite interesting. Obviously if someone is doing a live set, or playing just their own stuff you’re going to take more notice of the production. I think my days of epic partying are probably behind me, as I did rinse it quite hard for a while when I was a bit younger and don’t quite have the same enthusiasm these days. I think I prefer to go to nights which aren’t dubstep or drum and bass, as I tend to enjoy them more.

And concerning the names you’ve mentioned? Are they good producers or we better go to listen to their djs sets? Sure, I know what you mean and it doesn’t mean “epic partying” sounds kind of weak…ehm…so what kind of night do you attend to? And maybe can you recommend some of the nights in Bristol?

Well DJ Rum is one of the sickest DJs you’ll ever see, so definitely recommend checking him out! Sclist always brings the party vibes too, but it’s generally the production of these guys which impresses me. There’s loads of nights in Bristol which are worth checking out, though I don’t think i’m the man to say which are the best at the moment, as I’ve not had any money to go out in a long time, so hopefully in 2011 the finances will improve and I can answer that question then ;)

Or recommend anything else in Bristol?

I think the people of Bristol are the best thing about it, such a down to earth friendly place. Definitely recommend a visit!

How does your dj setup looks like? And studio setup? Do you have kind of own studio?

Well I just moved house so finally got all my music kit set up again. I don’t have a studio it’s all in my bedroom. Essentially it’s all based around a laptop and monitors, with a hardware compressor involved too. I have a bookshelf with an MS2000, Nord Rack 2, Waldorf XT, Vermona DRM1 mk2 and some other gadgets. I also have a small area for my guitar stuff too, including all the pedals and a POD. I don’t have any DJ kit, I just steal my housemates stuff which annoys him greatly!

Bless ya! Sounds like a bit loud bedroom. Concerning hardware – can you estimate how often do you „chat with machines“? Do you keep any kind of producer(tion) approach – a procedure of steps you keep on repeating when creating a new track (idea) or does this procedure vary depending upon your feelings and lust?

Well in my old house I generally didn’t have most of it setup, so was quite random as to when I used hardware synths. But if I’m working on a tune now, it’s a lot easier to just power up the wall of synths and get stuff recorded in seconds. It’s the same with my guitars, having everything wired in all the time puts the emphasis on creativity rather than setting up. I guess the only thing like a set procedure is having the same default project in cubase, which just loads up all my send fx, which tends to be pretty similar for all tunes. But apart from that, it’s a blank canvas, and I very rarely have a plan for what’s going to happen. There are a couple of tunes forthcoming on N-Types label, Wheel & Deal which were written when I knew I wanted to do a heavy tune, but they’re about the only ones!

No, no, no…I just don’t mean if you plan what kind of tune come out but for example if it is set and best for you that the beat goes first or a synth or whatever…or if it really depends on. Talking just about kind of handcraft…

Ah ok, well the answer to that is no. Might start with a synth with one tune, drums for another, a vocal or even some fx. It’s all pretty random to be fair, no set order for it.

Concerning music production – what does it mean to you?

Well I think in recent years I’m better at engineering as I go. But I’d much rather focus on melody, harmony and evoking an emotional response in a listener before I mix a tune and get it sounding good enough to play out.

Well, I like this idea so much! What kind of response do you really appreciate? And is your approach the same when performing? What kind place to perform do you like? On Basstrap night I try to push very individual atmosphere…

I don’t expect anything specific from a listener; I just want them to connect to the music in their own special way. Some people find it quite therapeutic and can help to get through some dark times, whereas other people just like to chill to it. I like the thought of it being the backdrop to someone’s thoughts and feelings and being there for the ups, and helping with the downs. I think feedback which has the most impact on me, is when you can tell that someone has completely connected with the music, and it’s inspired them to do something positive. That for me is all I could ever ask for. In terms of performance I think it varies. I love intimate venues, where there’s a strong connection between the DJ and audience, yet at the same time, my favourite gig of the year is a little free party style thing a friend puts on each year. Get about 700 people in a field and I normally play a wobble set (please forgive me), but it’s so much fun seeing the kids go crazy to the music. Basstrap sounds like the perfect place for the kind of sets I’m playing at the moment though, so hope people are ready for eyes down deep rollers, I’m really looking forward to it!

Man! I’m afraid my English is not enough to go on and ask additional questions. I simple like how you can feel and describe the topic… I can just guarantee one thing to you…even you can close your eyes during your basstrap set…feel free to do so! And the last one… What should Prague expect from Matt Preston aka PHAELEH on 30. 10. in Crossclub? Three words max… :-)

Deep, Bass, Vibes.

links recommended:

http://www.myspace.com/phaeleh http://www.facebook.com/phaeleh http://www.soundcloud.com/phaeleh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APa6ey_Lto8