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Luke Fair Balance 011 Interview w/ Phil Martinez (Eccentric Beats / 365 Mag)
05/15/2007
1) Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule, Luke. How has the Balance 011 CD Tour been so far?
It's been great so far. Just got back from the Australia/Asia portion and it was excellent. Really good turnouts and crowds. It was my longest trip yet...I was away for 33 days so it was nice to finally sleep in my own bed last night.
2) Do you tend to approach each region in the same manner when touring, or do you plan for a crowd in say Australia different than the crowds in Canada?
I usually ask what the crowds are into before I play, and cater a bit but it's never a massive difference between shows. Sometimes I play tech-ier and a bit darker, and sometimes it's more housey. Tempo also changes quite a bit, as not everywhere likes the deep stuff (I wish more places did!).
3) You are well versed in the art of mix cd’s with Balance 011, Bedrock OS_0.3 and In House We Trust Volume 3. In what ways was working on the Balance project different than the other two?
I had the most freedom with the Balance album. The Bedrock CD was pretty open but it was only a single CD, and the Yoshitoshi mix was a single CD of only Yoshitoshi records. So having a double disc allowed me to go through a lot more sounds without any limitations. The label management was amazing as well, as they cleared almost every track I asked for. I initially expected to get about a 1/3 of the tunes rejected, but out of the 50 I sent through, only one came back with a 'no'.
4) Have you learned more from making one than the others? If so, which one and why?
I learned so much from my first two, especially the Bedrock one. For that CD I tried to find a lot of upcoming big tunes, and didn't really look too far into the past. After it came out, I realized that it doesn't really matter if a song is released or not. An older track that was relatively under the radar is sometimes better than an upfront tune because it's likely never going to be big again, barring a re-release. An upfront one will come out around the same time as the mix CD (or just after), get big and played out and people will be sick of it a few months after. That will date the CD immensely within a year.
5) Describe your ideal opening DJ.
I guess it really depends on where I'm playing. In a perfect world, it would be nice and groovy deep house. But not every city is into that so it's pretty rare. I never ask a DJ to play a certain way, because I trust that they know what they can get away with on their home turf. I was an opening DJ for many years in Toronto, so I'm a big believer in making the whole night flow well from start to finish.
6) We are seeing more and more DJ’s use MySpace to stay in touch with their fanbase. Currently there’s an unofficial fan page for you (http://www.myspace.com/djlukefair), what is your opinion on MySpace? Can we expect to see you on there anytime soon?
Everyone asks me about that. I was avoiding MySpace until I started realizing that it might be a good idea to set up a site. Then a promoter made a $500 bet with me that I'd have one within a year. I don't want to lose $500 so I won't be having a MySpace site until November 27th, 2007.
7) Name 3 tracks that keep finding their way into your sets.
Danny Howells remix of Bent's 'Waiting For You'. Timewriter's 'Reaching Out'. And a Ricky Ryan edit of an old Planet Funk track called 'Inside All The People'.
8 ) What do you use to create the re-edits we hear in your sets?
I've been using Ableton for edits for quite a while now, and occasionally Soundforge. I'd like to eventually work Ableton into live sets, but only when I'm at the stage that I think I can do something creative with it.
9) Your record label Electraluxe is off to a great start with Manuel Tur and Roman Salzger's, "You Won't Change." Please tell us a bit more about the label and why you decided to start your own.
I basically started the label because of 'You Won't Change'. I had been playing it for over a year before I signed it. Manuel told me that the label deal he had for it fell through, so I told him I'd love to put it out. I can't think of another track I've played in more sets, so the idea of releasing it myself was too good to pass up. The next release is called Arcade Mode - Telesto, and should be out in the next month or so.
10) What do you have lined up next?
Now that I'll be home during the week for the next few months, I'll be finishing up an EP. I've done two tracks already, and want to get 4 done. It's my first production in 3 years. I went through a period where I didn't have much inspiration production-wise, but working on the Balance CD fired me up again, because I heard so much music in the process of making it.
11) Finally, who would you like to see do an installment of the Balance series?
Neil Quigley or Lucas Abadi. Two of my favorite DJs right now.
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All the best on the rest of the tour, we look forward to having you play for us in Minneapolis on May 25.
05/15/2007
1) Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule, Luke. How has the Balance 011 CD Tour been so far?
It's been great so far. Just got back from the Australia/Asia portion and it was excellent. Really good turnouts and crowds. It was my longest trip yet...I was away for 33 days so it was nice to finally sleep in my own bed last night.
2) Do you tend to approach each region in the same manner when touring, or do you plan for a crowd in say Australia different than the crowds in Canada?
I usually ask what the crowds are into before I play, and cater a bit but it's never a massive difference between shows. Sometimes I play tech-ier and a bit darker, and sometimes it's more housey. Tempo also changes quite a bit, as not everywhere likes the deep stuff (I wish more places did!).
3) You are well versed in the art of mix cd’s with Balance 011, Bedrock OS_0.3 and In House We Trust Volume 3. In what ways was working on the Balance project different than the other two?
I had the most freedom with the Balance album. The Bedrock CD was pretty open but it was only a single CD, and the Yoshitoshi mix was a single CD of only Yoshitoshi records. So having a double disc allowed me to go through a lot more sounds without any limitations. The label management was amazing as well, as they cleared almost every track I asked for. I initially expected to get about a 1/3 of the tunes rejected, but out of the 50 I sent through, only one came back with a 'no'.
4) Have you learned more from making one than the others? If so, which one and why?
I learned so much from my first two, especially the Bedrock one. For that CD I tried to find a lot of upcoming big tunes, and didn't really look too far into the past. After it came out, I realized that it doesn't really matter if a song is released or not. An older track that was relatively under the radar is sometimes better than an upfront tune because it's likely never going to be big again, barring a re-release. An upfront one will come out around the same time as the mix CD (or just after), get big and played out and people will be sick of it a few months after. That will date the CD immensely within a year.
5) Describe your ideal opening DJ.
I guess it really depends on where I'm playing. In a perfect world, it would be nice and groovy deep house. But not every city is into that so it's pretty rare. I never ask a DJ to play a certain way, because I trust that they know what they can get away with on their home turf. I was an opening DJ for many years in Toronto, so I'm a big believer in making the whole night flow well from start to finish.
6) We are seeing more and more DJ’s use MySpace to stay in touch with their fanbase. Currently there’s an unofficial fan page for you (http://www.myspace.com/djlukefair), what is your opinion on MySpace? Can we expect to see you on there anytime soon?
Everyone asks me about that. I was avoiding MySpace until I started realizing that it might be a good idea to set up a site. Then a promoter made a $500 bet with me that I'd have one within a year. I don't want to lose $500 so I won't be having a MySpace site until November 27th, 2007.
7) Name 3 tracks that keep finding their way into your sets.
Danny Howells remix of Bent's 'Waiting For You'. Timewriter's 'Reaching Out'. And a Ricky Ryan edit of an old Planet Funk track called 'Inside All The People'.
8 ) What do you use to create the re-edits we hear in your sets?
I've been using Ableton for edits for quite a while now, and occasionally Soundforge. I'd like to eventually work Ableton into live sets, but only when I'm at the stage that I think I can do something creative with it.
9) Your record label Electraluxe is off to a great start with Manuel Tur and Roman Salzger's, "You Won't Change." Please tell us a bit more about the label and why you decided to start your own.
I basically started the label because of 'You Won't Change'. I had been playing it for over a year before I signed it. Manuel told me that the label deal he had for it fell through, so I told him I'd love to put it out. I can't think of another track I've played in more sets, so the idea of releasing it myself was too good to pass up. The next release is called Arcade Mode - Telesto, and should be out in the next month or so.
10) What do you have lined up next?
Now that I'll be home during the week for the next few months, I'll be finishing up an EP. I've done two tracks already, and want to get 4 done. It's my first production in 3 years. I went through a period where I didn't have much inspiration production-wise, but working on the Balance CD fired me up again, because I heard so much music in the process of making it.
11) Finally, who would you like to see do an installment of the Balance series?
Neil Quigley or Lucas Abadi. Two of my favorite DJs right now.
---
All the best on the rest of the tour, we look forward to having you play for us in Minneapolis on May 25.
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