16.4.2010 Stadtpark Nacht Wien mit Mountain People, Planetarium, Wien Einstellungen

[-roland-]

ooh shit.. =) super booking.. können auch sehr gut spinnen.. freu mich!

[stadtpark]

Hello moutain people,
first of all, thanks for taking the time to answer us from whatpeopleplay a few questions.

Who are the moutain people and when and how did they meet?

We are Serafin and Rozzo, two perfectly normal swiss guys that have been active in the electronic music scene since the mid nineties.
in the later stages before the mp project, serafin ran cadenza alongside luciano, and rozzo worked for his own imprint trackdown records.
For different reasons we both were disconnected from the scene for quite some time at the beginning of the century, but came back because we didn't know any better.
We had known each other since the nineties, and when I (Rozzo) restarted buying records we got in touch again, because serafin was running a local record shop.
We were both not fully satisfied with the sound released at that time (minimal) especially in the later stages. since we both were rooted in the nineties we wanted to come up with a more housey and organic sound.


The first release was in april 2006, how did your sound develope since then?

That's hard to say. although people seem to recognise a certain mp sound, i personally think that the range of styles on the label is pretty wide, much as the dj sets we play.
We are often pushed into the super reduced minimalhouse corner, but i can only partly agree with that.
what we always try is to create music that is simple and has depth and soul. this became slightly more difficult after the fifth release, because hype and expectations were running high and to be unbiased in the studio is hardly possible. if you think you have to match or beat 4, 5 strong releases, that's kind of a tough.
furthermore we believe the 'house revival' has run much of its course and to get inspired by it is increasingly difficult. Lately i think we tend to be more inspired by techno again, as opposed to this so called 'deep' stuff floating around.

Since the start you released 9 records. not so much in 3 and a half years. Tell us a bit about your production work, does it take so much time or is it more the fact that you have to be 110% happy with the results before you decide to release. How long does this normally take from the end of the production til the point where you know we´re gonna release it?

First of all, we are just two producers working for the label. most other labels have far more acts releasing.
then, since we are no longer 20 and super ambitious, we just don't spend all our time in the studio. there is more to life than clubs and tracks.
Also, serafin has been busy with a new club project in zurich called cabaret, and i have a regular daytime job as a freelance it consultant.
But yes we have to be 110% happy with the tracks we produce, sometimes that is the case before we release and not that much afterwards, and sometimes we are 150% happy a couple of months after the release, which is the perfect case, when you are at peace with a release.
If anything, then we will increase quality control for the releases, which is basically we both have to support the record by playing it in almost every set. a standard we have kind of neglected a bit lately. so dont expect more releases on the label than 2-3 a year.
How do you think has the scene or clubculture and the musicbiz changed in the last 4 years? what are the biggest advantages what the biggest disappointments?

The most prominent development of this year in my opinion is that it gets much tougher for middle class djs/producers to stay afloat. the clubs/venues that feature this kind of music dont increase (probably decrease slightly), however djs/producers inflate at a very high rate. since there is hardly any change in the small layer of established top djs (5% of the djs getting 80% of the fees), there is a tremendous competition going on in the middle class. not being able to make any money anymore making music (thanks to the ripping scene), they have to release in order to create/keep the hype and get gigs, so they can pay their rent. this development is not helping the quality of the music because this kind of pressure is no basis to be creative.
to say something positive: there are quite a few young djs/producers around, developing a very good taste of music, quite independent of what the big djs play or what you hear in the beatport download charts.

What do you think are the biggest challenges for artists these days who start producing?

The biggest challenge would be to forget about becoming famous quickly with almost no effort. If you have that in mind, forget it, do something else. there is enough non-relevant music produced and everyone should ask themselves if they really want to contribute to that.
It's essential that a producer develops his own style. to say, ok i am going to copy this or that sound, that happens far too often.

Which artists do you find currently interesting and why?

The best dj set i heard this year was played by Cassy. i like the way she effortlessly switches between techno and deephouse, between psychedelic and uplifting.
Artist wise i am looking at an upcoming producerteam from amsterdam, esther duijn and her production partner.
They recently joined with anonym to come up with a bomb that i would have signed for mountainpeople. this will be released soon on...

Do you find the albumformat for yourself interesting are you considering a moutain people album in the near future?

We have been considering it for quite some time, also because we both have some unfinished tracks on our notebooks that might fit an album format.
However, it's not going to be the near future, if at all. again it is probably the lack of ambition that stands in our way


What are the next plans - where do the moutain people go, which hills to climb?

Since we are lower middle class djs, we are currently asking ourselves whether to push it more or to stop it altogether.
What's in favour of pushing it: i am convinced mp has a place in the scene, especially as djs we repeatedly succeed at playing sets that sound a bit different, that combine in a sexy way old and new, techno and house.