14.5.2010 CLUB POMPADOUR WIRD 3 feat. GLIMPSE LIVE, Pratersauna, Wien Einstellungen

[mr.magenta]

update

[mr.magenta]

interview mit glimpse

This past week I got the chance to see live and speak with Christopher Spero, aka Glimpse. Mr. Spero is one of electronic music’s freshest acts today, composing minimal electronic that is quite inviting, often employing wispy vocal flourishes and crackling, warm analog sounds. His live set at Cielo this past Thursday continued in this stylistic vein, often mixing a variety of beautifully simplistic deep house tracks that seemed to float through the club. And with a sound system as high profile and precise as Cielo’s, every little detail in the tracks Glimpse played could be heard, dopplering back and forth within Cielo’s small yet intimate space.

Glimpse’s work has graced a multitude of high profile labels, including Luciano’s Cadenza, Carl Craig’s Planet E, Ben Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly and Booka Shade / M.A.N.D.Y.’s Get Physical. Much of his work is inspired by his earlier days as a jazz/blues musician and classic Detroit techno. His debut studio full length is set for release next March on Damian Lazarus’s Crosstown Rebels.

Our discussion took place at a quaint diner in Long Island City this past Saturday. His first time in New York, Chris delved into the NYC diner experience with full aplomb, ordering a hearty burger, a few cups of coffee and a couple of cokes (the diner unfortunately couldn’t satisfy his craving for Dr. Pepper).

Audratic: How did your recent releases “La Cocina del Cabron” (Cadenza) and “Drifting” (Planet E) come about?

Christopher Spero: The Cadenza release (”La Cocina del Cabron”) was a complete accident and the Planet E release (”Drifting”) was almost an accident as a well. [For] the Planet E record I basically wrote it and just didn’t know what to do with it. I had it on my external hard drive for five months and Dean, [my press agent], told me to just send him a bunch of tracks and he’d see what he could do with it, and he sent it to Carl Craig without even telling me, and well, that’s how that happened. It was kind of a shock. A similar thing happened with the Cadenza release. I didn’t even intend to release it, and a friend of mine, Lee Van Dowski, played it to Luciano in a carpark outside a club and he liked it. Those [releases] were kind of [my] happy accidents.

A: Can you talk a little bit more about your upcoming studio album?

CS: The album is coming out in March [2010] on Crosstown Rebels. I just finished it and I’m pretty excited about it. All material is new and it’s taken roughly a year and a half to produce it. Half of it was written while I lived in Berlin and other half in London. I liked doing the album because I got away with doing stuff different than on an EP because the pressure is not on to do a “big bomb DJ track.” But I think [what you'll hear on the album] is my true sound.

A: How was it like living in Berlin?

CS: It’s a great place – I lived there for six months. I didn’t know anyone there who wasn’t a musician, though. I was living in a building with all techno producers. At some point though you get sick of talking about bloody techno all the time. I actually remember meeting this guy in a bar and we were talking and I asked him, “What’s your label?” “I don’t have a label,” he replied. I said, “OK, what labels do you produce for?” “I don’t produce,” he answered. I asked, “Where do you DJ?” “I don’t DJ,” he says. “So you’re just a normal guy? You don’t do any of these things? You’re just a normal human being?” “Yeah!”, he replied. And I was thinking to myself “What went wrong? What are you doing here? You should leave now! Get out of Berlin quick! Save yourself!” I actually became good friends with him eventually – he was the only non-musical guy I knew. Because if you move to Berlin and you’re not in the arts, your screwed. There’s no work. Even for Germans it’s quite hard to get work there. It’s perfect for musicians because we just sit at home and make art.

A: How would you define your production technique and preferences?

CS: I’m pretty much all analog – hardly anything is done digitally. I’m pretty old school – I use vintage synths like Roland Jupiter 6s and 8s and drum machines. I’m a bit of “gear junky” – I get inspired just sitting in a studio with all my equipment. It makes me just want to write music. For me personally, the music exists in my body and hands as much as it does in my head, so I like to move around in my studio – I often work standing up. All of my synths are on my wall, so if I want to use them I get up, walk over and jam on them – it’s all a very physical [process] for me. I also don’t like really polished production. I think things need to sound a bit raw.

A: Can you talk a little bit about your thoughts on the anatomy of the club scene?

CS: Warehouse parties are what really feed the clubs, in my opinion. Before you get a really good clubbing scene in a city, you get a really good warehouse scene, and that sort of filters up. These warehouse scenes are filled with people [that want to know] what music is playing and who’s playing it. A really healthy warehouse scene will breed loads of other good stuff. If the clubs don’t have anything (i.e. a good warehouse scene) to take their lead by, they don’t quite get it right.

A: Did you start doing electronic music right off the bat or did you focus on something else before?

CS: I actually played jazz and blues before on the guitar. A bit of piano as well. So that all actually comes through in my music – the jazz influences especially. I’m mainly influenced by the “swing and the groove” and lo-fi sound of old jazz records, like when you can hear the crackles. It gives those records a really authentic feel. A lot of the tracks on the upcoming album [import that sound].

A: Talk a little bit more about Glimpse Recordings.

CS: It’s my label I’ve been running since 2003 with Kompakt Records, [who provides the distribution]. I actually just signed a record from a guy in New York – Reade Truth. He’s on Planet E as well. He’s going to be the first artist (outside of me) on my label – I’ve been only releasing my stuff on [Glimpse Recordings] up until this point.

A: Are there a lot of artists like yourself who run a label for purposes of releasing mainly just their music?

CS: Couple of people [I know] do it – Ben Klock and Marcel Dettman, for instance – but not that many people. I think artists who are insular like me [are more inclined to do it]. In the beginning I’d write my music, then simply put it out on my label. Then a couple of friends started labels and asked if I wanted to work with them. And [originally] I was never really down with sending music to other people – maybe I was scared of rejection or didn’t want to do things on their terms. With running my own label, I get to choose the artwork I want and put out the material when I want in the way that I want. I’m not interested in actually running a label because then it turns into a business. The goal is to just be able to have full control and share great music as well, like with Reade.

A: Talk a little bit more about your latest signing, Reade Truth.

CS: He’s from Brooklyn originally. He’s really talented. Some of his stuff is really synthy, electronic sounding but old school as well. He did a really great release on Planet E. The release he did for Glimpse Recordings features his vocalist Natasha Matria. The tracks he sent me sound a little bit like Cassy but more jacking. They’re really great tracks. I think he’s going to do really well.