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Interview with Holosound
— Henrik No Comments
The parallels between Holosound (aka: Alex Fish), and the sound for which he has become known are innumerable. Driven; polished; engaging; consistent—these descriptors apply as much to the music as they do to the man himself—and the parallels don’t end there. Alex had a few minutes spared for us at Cuepoint to discuss his unique sound where´s his going next and how the music scene is looking like in in New York City.
When did you start to develop an interest in electronic music
I actually went with a friend to Israel in 1993 and one of the first things we did upon arriving in Jerusalem was buy a hookah. When we got back to the hotel we found that the shopkeeper had replaced the tobacco with a Psy-Trance cassette tape. After the shock of being “ripped off” subsided, I figured we might as well listen to it. That coupled with Flute Loop from Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication album cemented a curiosity in all things electronic. Returning to the US in ’93 with 3 more years of high school to go and no real Internet made finding more music a bit of a challenge. But finding new music through exploring relationships and stepping outside of my comfort zone has always served me very well so it was ultimately a blessing in disguise.
What has been your source for inspiration? (artists that inspiring you to your sound / places etc)
I think that the most inspirational aspect of what’s happened since I began making and playing records has been the people I’ve met in the various different places I’ve gotten the chance to play. It’s so nice to be sitting in someone’s apartment on the other side of the world, have only the most basic English words between the two of you, and still be able to have a great time. I’m inspired to do what I do because I love the way good music levels the playing field for us all and gives us an experience we can all share regardless of where we come from or what we believe.
Your artist name Holosoud, does it have a special meaning or what is the story behind it?
When I was in high school, I watched a documentary about the Beatles in which they asked John how he’d come up with the name for The Beatles. He recounted how he’d woken up from a dream with the word “Beatles” stuck in his head. The next day I woke up with the name ‘Holobound” stuck in my head. When I moved to NYC to team up with my former partner, I thought “why not make it HoloSOUND?”……
Originally you where two individuals performing as Holosound, why did you split up and what happened?
Holosound began as a dual effort between myself (Alex Fish) and Noah Becker. I moved from LA to NYC to work with him and also started a monthly party in the city called CITRIC (which we expanded into a record label) which ran unbroken for 4 years. As time wore on, it became more obvious to me that DJing was a secondary interest to him and in many ways actually stood in the way of his trying to explore other avenues musically. Trying to keep a monthly party afloat while making music we both believed in became too much and we decided to part ways amicably at the end of 2008.
I learned a tremendous amount about music production from him, and also learned that sometimes it’s easier to do the learning on your own in order to really explore the exact sounds and techniques you want. We’ve remained friends and he now lives in LA and is working on a few exciting projects.
Holsound music style is unique, but if you never heard on your performances before what does you mixsets sound like?
It’s tricky to nail down what exactly to expect from me these days because I’ve kind of split my style into two camps: Space Disco & Tech House+Melodic Techno. I think when I’m given a longer set I’ll inevitably start in the disco end of the spectrum and gradually incorporate more and more tech house. If there’s even more time (and a legitimate sound system to back me up) I’ll continue to change things up by incorporating some melodic techno. I really try to incorporate as much soul as I can find which can be sorely lacking in the majority of the stuff that’s being released these days. I think another thing that might be evident if you examine my mixes or live sets is that I try to take some risks with more emotive tracks and samples. I think you can still be underground AND give people goose bumps if you work hard at it…..
Has the electronic music scene changed in US (NYC) and is it becoming more mature? (what is the major difference comparing to Europe)
The electronic scene in the US has changed and matured a lot in the last 10 years. I think its success is due largely to the hard work of people in NYC & LA with notable (and growing) contributions from SF, MIA and Chicago. Obviously Chicago and Detroit were important points in the inception of House and Techno but I think have played a lesser role in spearheading new sounds and parties of late. People like Black Market Membership & Autobrennt in NYC along with Droog (Culprit) in LA have chosen their artists and venues with an eye towards quality underground sounds and have developed a loyal and trusting following that believes in the promoters to choose good artists and make memorable experiences out of venues ranging from warehouses to boutique hotel rooftops.
If I could characterize one thing that’s being embraced all over the US is that day parties can often be far more exciting than a dark club at 4am.
Best place to visit in NYC if I want to dance to Holosound´s?
I’d say at the moment I’m a bit partial to Le Bain. Any place that lets me start with 100 bpm disco and groove on up to 122 tech house with a Funktion One sound system that also sports a pool-sized Jacuzzi and 3600 views is alright in my book. On the horizon though, I’m very excited to be returning to Cielo Friday August 12 for Sleepy & Boo’s monthly night there.
Favourite venues to perform at?
1.Vertigo in San Jose, Costa Rica: A gorgeous venue and Gary Stewart Audio system coupled with a sharp promoter and you have a big win. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbyn0nVCrpY
2.Private Island off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia: 6 hours of space disco, beautiful (inside AND out) people and perhaps one of the most gorgeous locations ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q50NcrWEalg
3. Cielo, NYC: It’s been around for a while so it’s easy to overlook one of NYC’s most influential and well designed (and sounding clubs). They’re always professional and the setting feels intimate even with a few hundred people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0C1uQwv0uA
4.PINK, Vermont: I’ve had the privilege to be involved with this project since it started two years ago and the third edition is in just a couple weeks. House Music outdoors on a 50,000 watt sound-system in the Green Mountains with a bond fire and a ton of great people can’t be beat.
Your music selection is just ace, just browsing thru The Holosonic BBQ mixset from last year, it almost seems that do you plan your sets before performing them, is that the case?
Thanks for the kind words, every mix is an adventure to put together but they’re all done live on CDJs on the fly. The only mix I’ve ever spent any time actually planning a portion of the tracklisting is the Post Miami Disco Decompression Mix. I don’t nail it all the time though, as for every mix I release there’s at least as many that I’ve put in the trash. I think the most important part of DJing happens before you leave your house. It’s about selecting only the music you can really stand behind and not just something that’s new that nobody else has. Playing CDs is almost outdated with Traktor as widely adopted as it is now, but it forces you to edit your selections far more carefully, and I know if I’m in a pinch and have to grab some thing real quick off of one of my discs, I know it’s going to be good and not just filler.
If you where only to perform 5 tracks in a mixset, which would those be and why did you chose these tunes?
I’d go pretty open format if I only had 5 tracks to play so I think I might start with….
Midnight in a Perfect World – DJ Shadow
I Can’t Go For That – Hall & Oates (Pop Out and Play’s Re-edit)
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams (Rocco Raimundo Edit)
Don’t Turn The Lights On – Chromeo
Luca C & Brigante feat. Ali Love – Morals (Clockwork Remix)
Heard that you where going to Europe. What´s the schedule looking like?
At the moment I’m going to be in EU from Aug 26-Sept 11. I’m playing in Aix en Provence at a private party on the 27th and then am shooting up to Helsinki to launch the Future Disco Helsinki residency at Ahjo on Saturday September 3rd. Then I’m off to meet some friends in Ibiza for the 5th-10th and then fly home. I’m speaking with a few clubs in France and Spain about my other available dates in between so stay tuned for more information :-)
Listen to Holosound´s latest mixset from NYC below:
Space Disco: http://soundcloud.com/holosoundnyc/h...en-bogota-2011
Tech House: http://soundcloud.com/clubsonica-cal...live-at-fragma
