http://localhost/index.php en andrew@interchill.com Copyright 2021 2021-10-26T22:22:+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/rip-michael-wadada-from-suns-of-arqa http://newsite.interchill.com/features/rip-michael-wadada-from-suns-of-arqa#When:22:22:00Z Michael Ward, aka Wadada of the groundbreaking band Suns of Arqa has passed on.  We give thanks for the inspiring musical legacy he has left us with, and for the opportunities of working with him and his music over the years.  Suns of Arqa were always ahead of their time and breaking new ground. They were the first to combine Indian ragas with stripped back heavy dub basslines, and from the early 90's up to the present day we've been fans of the band. In working with him he was dedicated, open, direct, inspiring and encouraging, with an attention to detail in the energetic realm.  Wadada was passionate about music and a real groundbreaker. He will be hugely missed.We had the pleasure of releasing Suns of Arqa music over the years, with Cosmic Jugalbandi on CD in Canada, then the deeply meditative Know Thyself ? featuring bansuri master Raghunath Seth, then the Ancient Temples ep (with remixes from Youth Gaudi, Astralasia and Gagarin) and most recently the Heart of the Suns 1979-2019 compilation, which explores the more psychedelic side of their output . sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/know-thyself sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-temples-ep sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/heart-of-the-suns-1979-2019 Beyond what we released check out Ambyss (recorded live at Ozora), and the early releases Kokoromochi, Cradle, and Suns of Arqa and Prince Far-I Live at Band on the Wall. And not forgetting Acid Tabla from their first album Revenge of the Mozabites - sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/track/acid-tabla RIP Michael Wadada from Suns of Arqa 2021-10-26T22:22:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-in-2021 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-in-2021#When:21:30:00Z As many of us emerge from the 2020/21 isolation it is great to see gatherings happening, shows being played, and re-connections happening.  Interchill has a busy release schedule for the second half of 2021 and this coincides with our move to becoming a Six Degrees distributed label. We released Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy's album Guardians in November 2020 and are happy to follow it up with two ep's of remixes from Kaya Project, Castanea, Adham Shaikh, Heather Christie, Grant Chambers and Liquid Bloom.  This time thankfully without the backdrop of Donald Trump's electoral death throes.  The original album is beautifully made and Evan & Vir are both huge talents.  As always it is a treat to hear the different perspectives other artists bring and we're thankful for everyone's work.  Artwork courtesy of Simon Haiduk and mastering by Gregg Janman for Hermetech Mastering. As some may recall, things slowed right down in 2020, and at Interchill HQ in Salt Spring Island in BC we were fortunate to be able to embrace the isolation.  The AUX25 project started and the first ep is due for release in July, with a remix from Adham Shaikh.  A second ep is due out in September with a remix from Eat Static.  Artwork on both ep's courtesy of Anthony Presley. A few years back at the excellent Harvest Festival we connected with the Icelandic band Stereo Hypnosis. This adventure involved long airport waits, Gaudi's lost luggage, the opening of a bottle of Brennivin on the highway journey north out of the Toronto sprawl and into moose country and the inevitable OPP roadblock outside the festival. Nothing to see here sir...   In rock star style they capped off a huge day with a 2am set, playing live under the stars at the impressive Heads Stage, surrounded by speaker stacks, monumental sculptures and raging fires... As things do, this has lead to an album release, Hvolf, due out in October.   Great music and very well put together arrangements and mix.  The trio play very well live and people can look forward to hearing the material in sets at the Extreme Chill Festival in Reykjavik (which they run) and also at the Space Mountain Festival in Andalusia. Seb Taylor's Hibernation and Greg Hunter have also stepped up with some remixes that will come out a few weeks before the album.  Stay tuned. June 25 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy with Rising Appalachia - Yes It's You feat. Leah Song (Kaya Project Remix)July 16 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy with Rising Appalachia - Water She Dances (Castanea Remix)July 23 - Aux25 - No Turning Back ep (4 tracks inc remix from Adham Shaikh)August 6 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy with Rising Appalachia - Fertile Ground feat Chloe Smith (Adham Shaikh Remix) [the full ep releases now too]August 27 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy - Walk Into the Forest (Heather Christie Remix)September 10 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy - The Condor feat Olox (Grant Chambers Remix)September 17 - Aux25 - Passing Through ep (4 tracks inc remix from Eat Static)September 24th - Stereo Hypnosis ep with remixes by Hibernation and Greg HunterOctober 1 - Evan Fraser & Vir McCoy - Rare Earth feat. Soriah (Liquid Bloom Remix) [the full ep releases now too]October 8 - Stereo Hypnosis - Hvolf album Interchill in 2021 2021-06-09T21:30:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/the-interchill-guide-to-good-streaming http://newsite.interchill.com/features/the-interchill-guide-to-good-streaming#When:03:18:00Z There's a lot of choice for playlists and mixes these days and here are some of our favorites. *   Interchill Sounds on Spotify is a regularly updated playlist of tracks we like.  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1SI5NAB7G7yQsBVDt0KJKwSpotify gets a lot of criticism for low royalties, and while there's something to that, it is the most widely used and great to use.  Much of what you'll hear on Spotify will be available on Bandcamp in high quality audio to stream and download, or in physical formats. Doing this guide is a nod to how maybe the majority of people consume music nowadays, even though as a label we're more into the album format as a listening experience, complete with art and liner notes. Fitting music into playlist moods and activities is just what people do more of these days and there's no question that music on tap follows the law of supply and demand, where over supply lowers value and signal is harder to pick out of the noise. However, selectors and mixers have been performing a valuable service to us for years, driven by a passion to share musical discoveries and take us on a journey. Also on Spotify we recommend these playlists:*   Guardians Global Roots and Earthtronicahttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/2V0MJGh39FiyXigdbIfgtJThis is selected by Vir McCoy and Evan Fraser and is a great jumping off point into world, electronica and traditional roots. *   Ambient Travelshttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Qw38VRuSH8W5M1jRhNNWNSelected by Six Degrees label head Bob Duskis and guests. The best in Downtempo, Ambient, Chill-out and Balaeric sounds.*   SoundBathhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/71OjVCz8N5eEHWMAO6QYIVAlso from Six Degrees. Music for relaxation, meditation, yoga, sound healing and interior journeys----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mixcloud is another good location to check out. As usual the challenge often is too much choice, so why not start with the list below.  https://www.mixcloud.com/Interchill/ *   Extreme Chill Vol. 19 (VA: Compilation) https://www.mixcloud.com/extremechill/extreme-chill-vol-19/ Mixed & Selected by the musicians & the co-Founders of Extreme Chill Festival: The father and son Pan Thorarensen & Óskar Thorarensen from Stereo Hypnosis. (Their whole series is amazing, try # 13 next)*   Tropical Insanity volume 2 https://www.mixcloud.com/Supercozi/supercozi-tropical-insanity-vol2/Mixed by DJ Supercozi. This is a beautiful listen and journey end to end*   Electrodelic Lullabies https://www.mixcloud.com/dubsahara/5th-dimension-surfing/ From Greg Hunter - travel to a beautiful space... *   Babylon and Beyond       https://soundcloud.com/naasko/babylon-and-beyondFrom the one and only Naasko - a great selection of deep dubs*   Chrysalid at Wildthings  https://soundcloud.com/nick_interchill/nick-interchill-at-chrysalid-wildthings-2016Great selections and mix from Nick Interchill. *   Indigo People   https://soundcloud.com/djdragonfly/dragonfly-indigo-people-desert-blues-north-african-groovesNorth African grooves from DJ Dragonfly*   Epic Ambient Mix V1   https://www.mixcloud.com/martinglover50/epic-ambient-mix-vi/ From Youth - heady selections well worth exploring. * Psychedlic Future Dub 4    https://soundcloud.com/gaudi/gaudi-psychedelic-future-dub-vol-4The most recent in Gaudi's quality dub mixes - highly recommended The Interchill guide to good streaming 2020-12-24T03:18:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/qa-with-evan-fraser-and-vir-mccoy http://newsite.interchill.com/features/qa-with-evan-fraser-and-vir-mccoy#When:01:42:00Z 1/ Tell us a bit about the new album Guardians; the recording process, the space and sound you’re after and anything else… Guardians was recorded at our buddy and bandmate (House of Hamsa) Grant Chambers’ studio in Nevada City. We used an old Neve Preamp and Nueumann mics to get a fantastic sound. His space is perfect- out in the woods to get the vibe. We even recorded outside. We wanted to get as organic and natural as a sound as possible, as we are primarily using traditional wood and skin ethnic instruments. These instruments are traditionally used as ceremonial instruments so we wanted to get that feel. -VM2/ When did the two of you first meet and play music together ? We met at a Beats Antique recording session in 2003 as David Sartori (Beats Antique and Dirtwire) had both of us on a track for the first Beats Antique album. 3/ What were some of the highlights when you were part of Hamsa Lila ?Hamsa Lila reached some of the most amazing highs I’ve ever had on stage. We play a lot of the same instruments we use with the new Guardians album. We were known for playing all night trancy grooves with chants. 2006 sunrise set at Burning Man is one that sticks out. After playing all night, the Sun came up, and the audience and the musicians were all transported to another realm. Amazing. -VM4/ You both play a number of musical instruments, and I’ll ask some specifics in a bit below, but for now, what drove your interest in instruments from other parts of the world ? My parents like to sing and had a big vinyl collection of all kinds of music that got me tuned into the diversity of music cultures around the globe and the richness of our own American music styles. I’ve always been fascinated by unique sounds from other places.   As an outdoorsy kid I studied piano through high school. Piano is a very big instrument and is usually indoors so I was on the lookout for smaller more portable instruments that could go outside. This led me to the accordion, harmonica, kalimba, and then percussion when I got to meet Babatunde Olatunji.  My high school music teacher, Mark Growden, introduced me to sax, jaw harp, didgeridoo & jazz theory. I took his Junk Ensemble class where we built instruments from scrap metal we found on a field trip to the dump.   When I realized that once music is inside the body, it can be played on anything and everything including the human body. I began seeing, experimenting, tapping, crafting, thrifting and finding instruments everywhere. I’ve been collecting instruments globally and building my own ever since. I am especially drawn towards organic sounds produced by plants, skin, seeds, stones, and metal materials. These elements connect me to the Earth through their sounds and have a song and a voice that really needs to be heard in this time we’re in. -EFI first heard Hamza El Din play the oud as a teenager and was fascinated by the vibe, tone and feelings I had from hearing that. Then when I heard the Moroccan Sintir on an album by Pharoah Sanders-Trance of the Seven Colors, I found the instrument I was looking for, that earthy sound is like no other...VM5/ How was is that you both came to play the Ngoni ? Is there a lineage ?We play different types of ngoni. Vir plays the djeli ngoni which is the smaller, 3 string, lute like instrument with a wooden boat shaped body played by griots in Mali, West Africa and made famous by Bassekou Kouyate. (Suggested listening: Bassekou Kouyate - I speak Fula).    Evan plays the kamale ngoni. This African harp is derived from the older 6 string dousso ngoni or hunter’s harp played by medicine men in Mali and Burkina Faso.   The kamale ngoni (youth harp) can have from 8 to 16 nylon fishing line strings and is tuned in any 5 note pentatonic scale. It is made from a gourd with a goat skin over it attached to a shaft of wood with tuning pegs.   Evan has bought from and learned to play the kamale ngoni from Yacouba Diarra (Burkina Faso) and Mamadou Sidibe (Mali). The kamale ngoni is often confused with another African harp, the kora, a 21 string diatonically tuned (7 note scale) African harp that has been played in the courts of kings by the griots for generations going back to the Mali Empire 1235-1670 AD. Toumani Diabate and his son Sidiki Diabate are current maestros of the kora. They are the 75th and 76th generation kora players of their lineage. (Suggested listening: New Ancient Strings by Toumani Diabate and Ballake Sissoko). -EF6/ What about the Sintir ? is there a story attached to how you came to play that Vir ?Continuing from above….I met Yassir Chadley in Berkeley in 1999. He’s a Moroccan Sintir player and started giving me lessons. He said “take this and do something new with it” Then Hamsa Lila formed and quickly exploded. Within two years we were headlining at the Fillmore in SF. VM7/ Old question, but if you both had to take one instrument during an extended time away, what would it be ?Guitar. Still my fave, even though I love other instruments.-VM The kamale ngoni is my favorite. I can express myself so many ways on it. It’s tonally very versatile and where I’m coming from as a musician resonates with it’s sound. -EF8/ Evan - tell us about the new album with Dirtwire ? when’s the release date and what stands out for you ? And how was playing in Europe at Ozora ? Dirtwire’s full length album Electric River comes out October 18th, 2019. We recorded a lot of it while tripping out on psilocybin mushrooms! We enjoy their creative boost that help to open the flood gates of creative inspiration. The trick is to make sure everything is plugged in and up and running before you drink the magic tea. Haha! Also we recommend having a sober designated engineer present for the session. :)    We were able to record what came through and shape it into what has become our upcoming album. Electric River features some very special guests including the great Trevor Hall, Aya, Mbilou from Gabon, and Emma Lucia. -EFPlaying with Dirtwire at Ozora in Hungary was a profound experience. The festival owns the land so there are a lot of amazing permanent structures there on site. Hope to get to go back there one day. -EF9/ There’s a new Dogon Lights album being recorded for release on Jumpsuit, Vir did you get to let loose on the guitar ? The Dogon Lights have been a solid crew for awhile (Evan Fraser and I, Garry Norris, Ashel Seasunz and Bongo Sidibe) and we combine Hip Hop, African Music and Funk/Rock. Our new album “Starborn” will come out in 2020 on Jumpsuit. And yeah I took a couple of raw guitar solos.10/ If you had to pick a few “most epic” places you’ve played live over the years, what are they ? Sunrise Burning Man 2006, Headlining the Fillmore, Morocco in the Sahara with Tuareg musicians. -VM Also Sunrise Burning Man ‘06, Red Rocks in Colorado, Ozora in Hungary, and DoLab Stage at Coachella. -EF11/ You can go back and do a collaboration with any musician from the past - who would it be and why ? “Hey Jimi- I got this idea for a track….”VMLed Zeppelin. Would love to explore the roots and connection between American blues and African blues with them. -EF12/ The secret to a good arrangement is ….. ?Well in this kind of music I would say- No arrangement…-VM Let your ears rest for a few days then come back to it. -EF13/ Finish the sentence…. ”Music is…..” GOD- VMmy offering, my service, my joy, my love, my dance, my prayer, and like food, it brings us all together. -EF14/ The title of the new album is Guardians…. Is there a story behind this ?Yes. We are in the midst of massive plant and animal die offs, Earth changes, pollution, and greed is alive and well. We felt that as Earth Guardians, protecting Mother Earth is paramount, thus Guardians. VMWe stand for Mother Earth and we’re all in this together. This planet is all we’ve got and it’s up to us to clean it up, plant trees, and protect the sacred. We are one.  We take pride in using natural sounds and instruments that are representative of the Earth’s voice and its inhabitants in our music. -EF15/ Your previous album Yakaruna was done as a collaboration with Shiva Rea - can you tell us a bit about this ?We had done a series of live shows with Shiva Rea and she suggested we do an album that would be for the flow of a Yoga Class. She was helpful in getting the album to a larger audience by using it in classes and DVD workshops. -VM16/ Vir, you and Ian Herman played in the Mickey Hart band… what were the highlights ?One time in rehearsals we got into a particularly trancy groove (I was on the Moroccan Sintir) and we went into that zone….Mickey took a cymbal and threw it across the entire room like a frisbee to hit a gong on the other side (He hit it) and then shouted “now this is REAL trance music!!” Also meeting Robert Hunter - the great lyricist for the Greatful Dead. RIP.17/ Ask each other a music related question…Evan to Vir: What’s your relationship to music in ceremony? Could you speak about your spiritual connection to sound?As a child I remember sounds on the radio had feeling in the instruments (or not) I remember thinking I could tell if someone was really putting in some feeling in a particular song or instrument track. So Tonality and feeling has always played a big part in my music and crossed into my love for world music and ceremonial or shamanic instruments. All around the world, most cultures have a pentatonic scale and simple form of repetivive music and singing that’s often played for hours, In my opinion it’s really designed to cross into the spiritual realms and get one out of their head. So we cross into the sensing rather than thinking realms. Vir to Evan: What’s the future of new music sound like?Stretchy and elastic with blurred borders. Probably multiple futures happening in many directions just like now… new paths can be forged by not being afraid of your own taste, following your ears and heart, mixing and matching old music traditions with new styles, languages, new instruments, and new music technology. -EFBuylink for The Condor ep - https://yakaruna.bandcamp.com/album/the-condor-epGuardians - https://linktr.ee/guardians  Q&A with Evan Fraser and Vir McCoy 2019-10-10T01:42:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/suns-of-arqa-heart-of-the-suns http://newsite.interchill.com/features/suns-of-arqa-heart-of-the-suns#When:18:06:00Z Great feedback on the album so far...Bob Duskis- Co-Founder Six Degrees Records.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A lovely sonic reminder that not only were Suns of Arqa one of the earliest ensembles to fuse the sounds of India with Ambient, Psychedelic Dub music, they remain one of the most interesting practitioners of Ambient Global Fusion to this day. A feast for both fans and newbies who are looking to dive into this group’s diverse and legendary catalog.YouthSuns of Arqa...Wow, you need this in your collection. Incredible compilation drawn from a vast catalog of rare and beautiful artistry . Lovingly curated by interchill ... world wide recognition and success awaits the mighty Wadada and SunsOf Arqa deserve every drop....pioneers and innovators, they have been pushing the threshold for decades. Essentially classical Indian ragas.... in Dub. Extasy for the soul and the dancing feet ...Some of the best remixes I’ve ever heard and been involved with.Rachel Sacks - MetaforceWhat a pleasure to re-encounter these magical compositions, refreshed and remastered! Way back when I started bringing instrumentation into my DJ sets in the mid-90s, Suns of Arqa showed me the way, and these tracks still resonate deeply. Michael Wadada is a one-of-a-kind maestro, bringing together diverse musicians and producers to integrate pure organic sound and Eastern musical traditions with technology and hypnotic beats. This is such a timely release to inspire a new generation of musicians and producers to keep pushing forward. Thank you Interchill!Liquid LoungeThis compilation, compiled by Andrew Interchill, cherry picks some of the less obvious, but equally important tracks from their back catalogue, to be given a remastering and a new audience...Suns of Arqa are recognized for being the first band to blend Indian classical music with dub and dance infused beats. They are one of the true originators of the whole global music scene and influencing many musicians, dj's and music lovers all over the world, playing everywhere from Womad to Ozora. They are as as valid today, especially in the 'ecstatic dance movement' that has evolved...http://freq.org.uk/reviews/suns-of-arqa-heart-of-the-suns-1979-2019/ https://newsflash.bigshotmag.com/videos/59795/https://sunisshiningdubnchill.blogspot.com/2019/04/suns-of-arqa-hearts-of-sun-1979-2019.html Suns of Arqa - Heart of the Suns 2019-05-17T18:06:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-mixcloud-page http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-mixcloud-page#When:00:31:00Z Check out the Interchill mixcloud page...www.mixcloud.com/interchillThe selections may have one or two tracks from our catalogue, especially from older releases.Check back from time to time as new bits get added.   Interchill Mixcloud page 2019-02-16T00:31:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/heart-of-the-suns-19792019-new-album-from-suns-of-arqa http://newsite.interchill.com/features/heart-of-the-suns-19792019-new-album-from-suns-of-arqa#When:17:33:00Z Interchill begins 2019 by celebrating the anniversaries of two favorite bands:  Suns of Arqa (40 years) and Eat Static (30 years)Suns of Arqa founder Wadada invited us to put together a selection of tracks from their catalogue.  There was so much to choose from and this was a golden opportunity to present our slant on their unique sound. Before the label started we were playing their music and have been fans all the way down the line. 40 years of recording, releasing and performing is a great achievement and Suns of Arqa have made a deep contribution to the audio landscape. The album is titled Heart of the Suns 1979♡2019 and will be released as a limited cd run and include a fully mixed version on Bandcamp. The tracks have been remastered by Gregg Janman for Hermetech Mastering in Paris.  Release date will be at the end of April Heart of the Suns 1979♡2019 - new album from Suns of Arqa 2019-01-30T17:33:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/zero-gravity-reviews http://newsite.interchill.com/features/zero-gravity-reviews#When:19:33:00Z We've had some great feedback on Zero Gravity - see what people are saying So much talent on this superb comp.  -  Pathaan When I get a new compilation from Interchill, I always know that the quality is going to be consistently excellent & that I am going to make some wonderful new, musical discoveries. Zero Gravity is no exception. This is cutting edge, state of the art, psychedelic ambient music which shows how diverse and dynamic the genre is right now. Bob Duskis/ Co-Founder Six Degrees Records A sound bath for the senses, and a much needed slow down into spacious contemplation and movement. - Richard Martin : Medicine Man / CUIT 89.5 fm What an excellent collection! The range of atmospheres run from deep and drifty through lush, magical soundscapes and snaky alien vibes to moments of pure jewelry-box ballerina. My top half-dozen picks include the ones from Adham Shaikh, Atmosphere Factory, Krusseldorf, Liquid Bloom, Master Margherita and the trip opener, Orangenie. Deeply emotional & inspirational music, a pleasure to hear! A couple tracks from the Zero Gravity will be featured on a new show coming on Beat Conscious Radio      - MadameFly A fantastic compilation, with lots of deepest ambient and chillout tracks, great listening flow and top quality productions! My fav tracks are by Loop Guru, Eat Static and by The Egg. -  Gabriel Le Mar / Saafi Brothers An unmissable collection of euphoric and deeply psychedelic classic chill tracks many of them sounding like bench mark production from earlier times. Treat yourself with listening pleasure.  - Ali Elias / DJ Aliji It’s a fantastic release ! Sort of back to the roots of Interchill !! Truly timeless .. especially CD1 is seamless.   - Supercozi Very much a head album, less for the soul and more for the head. This has a lovely old school feel to it, where the journey you take is exploratory and dark, but peaceful at the same time. A soundscape for the mind, that is edgy enough to keep your interest up, so easy to lose yourselves in the voids between the multiple layers of sonic goodness. Crossing multiple styles and heavy on both synth as well as eastern style instruments. Stand out tracks are Behind the Sky, Intertwined (notes of Vangelis which is no bad thing), Forgiven and Sakura. A peaceful masterpiece, which you would expect no less from the Interchill label.   - Charles Massey / Perpetual Loop Awesome compilation.. have already played some tracks out . Some real blinders in there. Some great names in chillout and some new discoveries for me.  -  DF Tram So the new VA. "Zero Gravity" via Interchill Records has landed and what a sublime collection of tracks that are presented… 21 in total featuring artists who have previously have released tracks and albums via Interchill, while some are new to the label and have been asked to produce a track for this VA. This is almost like a who’s who of downtempo producers with beautifully produced tracks from Adham Shaikh, Kaya Project, Eat Static, Ishq, Bluetech, Krusseldorf, Organismic, Waveshaper, Liquid Bloom, Master Margherita and so very much more to discover and explore… plus a vintage classic from Loop Guru all masterfully curated by Andrew Interchill. The tracks range in style from ethno infused beats to crafted electronica, spatial beatless ambience to bass laden rhythms and all filled with so much quality and diversity, that it is hard to find a favourite track or tracks… It is exactly what you’d come to expect from Interchill Records, top notch production and a choice selection of tracks for folks like us to enjoy time and again. As ever with Interchill, this is an album that you will return to when you need the space around you chilled to perfection and for to you to sink into sonically comfortable realms… A stand out release for 2018, for me, one that will get some heavy rotation from me.  - Ian Liquid Lounge Zero Gravity reviews 2018-07-09T19:33:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-maff-and-ned-scott-of-the-egg http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-maff-and-ned-scott-of-the-egg#When:22:56:00Z >> Maff and Ned - Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and chat about your music.>>Tell us about the band; who's involved, who does what and how long have you been playing together as The Egg ? It has varied over the years… everything is anchored by Maff (drums) and Ned (keys) with a different guest musicians. The new album Galactic Love Machine is a collaboration between us and Az-Ra (Greg Hunter), with us all co-writing and co-producing.We started playing and releasing as The Egg in the mid 90’s.When we were young we loved john Barry, film soundtracks etc.. stuff which worked with something visual. We started jamming scruffy blues with our Mum’s boyfriend’s band. Everybody would be involved around the table tapping cups with teaspoons. And it would get more groovy too. An old upright piano and a drum kit made out of a marching band bass drum with a self made wooden pedal which elastic bands would break every other hit. Tin plates for hi hats. We formed bands in Bristol. I went to Oxford brooks and Maff went to Edinburgh. I started forming bands in Oxford like The Cornflour Concept, which was quite Happy Mondays like and Maff came down eventually. We really tried with that one to get signed and even did a 7 week busking tour around the beaches of France and Spain. Then there was The Circle which was Acid Jazz groove stuff. The Egg was another side project with film projections all over us and us being in the films in white boiler suits. The illegal rave scene around Oxfordshire and so on had something to do with that too. And becoming more electronic in textures, houses, hypnotic etc…. but still always playing live.We also made lots of 16mm and 8mm films so the two things came together . Like the film would tell the story a singer might do- like making a soundtrack to our lives , but leaving the story open - if no one's articulating it with words you can add your own story over the top like you might do with abstract art - so it’s different every time - erm that’s our excuse anyway !>>Where and when were your first epic rave memories ?Flying Rhino parties, LTJ Bukem, Reclaim the Streets parties, some big nights in Oxford, techno parties in funny barns in the country…up till dawn. Also fighting the criminal justice bill (we made a flexidisc for all the clubs). Megatripolis was great and us and friends loved it.Techno/ whatever/ cant remember out the front..and the chill out room at the back really appealed to me and ned.>>You have tracks on more than 250 compilations, which is an impressive number. What was your first release and what came after?Our first release was an ep with Cup of Tea Records with some brilliant Bristol musicians. It was around the time Massive Attack’s Protection album came out, and Portishead released their first album. We had a couple of releases with China Records’s sublabel Indochina, then when Warner records merged with Emi the label disappeared, and we just did what we wanted again - not bothered about it being 'egg music’ and we had an opportunity with Backroom Beats on Twisted records to make the downtempo soundtrack stuff we'd been experimenting with. Working with Benji Vaughan we made Venice Beach from what it was to what it is now.. and also Lost at Sea. That's how we came across Interchill too. Then suddenly we had a new deal and then Tocadisco and Guetta's Electro house remix gave us a no3 and worldwide no1 which was another twist - kind of took us away from chill music.. for a while ... hah. We came back though.>>You just released an excellent album with Az-Ra (Greg Hunter) called Galactic Love Machine. Tell us about the making of it and how you and Greg worked together.Well thank-you.. we’ve known Greg for a long time and always loved his music, as we worked with his brother Shaun for years, Not just Shaun's live sound but writing music together and learning all about electronic music, laptops, sequencing, live midi syncing and so on. It was fascinating stuff. We spent days/ weeks/ months writing tunes, bits, pieces, whilst on tour, and that all connected back to Greg, They both have the Hunter gene it seems...him more worldly, floaty, and obviously we loved his work with little fluffy clouds, Orb, Subsurfing, The Matrix soundtracks..and so much more.Psyfunk was the first tune we made - it took ages. Then we got more involved and excited about it all, and we did more, plus remixes/ versions etc.. and he really opened our eyes to more space in the music. Shaun his brother helped us make it all happen. Its been awesome to co write and bring ourselves into a different direction with Greg’s music and make something new together. He really helped us empty tracks out, bring out the purity of each sound, like the beauty of the moog on its own, for instance in Unfunkd, - when it gets that delicate the subtleties really sing out, and basslines we never thought were basslines but... Sometimes its hard when you come from a live background to not think of it as 'guitar type sound, or 'bass' or drums. or 'keyboards’. Because when you’re in a band you often delegate that department to that particular musician.. These were more 'sounds'- things were in between 'roles'. You wouldn’t jam it in a room with musicians.. but you jammed it kind of differently.. it worked and had its own rise and fall and interaction between sounds..A lot of the drums came from live sessions - and chopping up drum recordings can make a filtered question and answer all of its own ..In a way its like a conversation you may have in a verse; a/b mirroring, then a 4 part turn around, counterpoints, juxtapositions, combinations of electronic stutterings and soft piano. It kind of 'rewires the brain' but keeps it 'heavy but light' , playful.... and in some cases beautiful.We learnt how to play these tunes and some sounds/ loops into our live set which has been amazing, really bringing electronic sounds and that vibe live.. and bringing in our ideas to make it work.. We did a lot of textural making; many keyboard parts with Kaoss pad style sound development. Lots of editing. Pacing and detail. Often one or two of us going for hours on the computer and editing and moving >>parts in the arrangement while one or two are asleep on the sofa and floor. And then circulating around taking turns. Many into dawn and beyond sessions. Saw the leaves develop with the seasons and moisture in the air or shafts of sunlight.Our friend Jerry Bewley we'd played with for years in South Africa and UK parties [mostly gigs from 5am to 10am] played lovey slide guitar, you can hear that on Orangenie ,plus on other tracks on the album, and we also made another track with Ulrich Schnauss's synths , plus our live musicians, Matt White, Ben Cullum, Sophie Barker, all brought together via Greg.The track that we licensed from you for our compilation Zero Gravity is called Orangenie and has a great sample from William Segal. Tell us about him and what drew you to include his words.That’s a great sample eh The sample was Greg’s idea really but we all love it... Its about really focusing on what your doing, clearing the clutter out the way and bringing out the depth.Will Segal was a poet writer, self taught painter ,-he’s talking about painting in the quote, but really I think everything creative has that choice, to skim the surface, or really get involved.. Funnily enough when we’ve written tunes, it feels the further you go into depth, you bring people with you, generally they feel the journey you’re feeling- if you get it right of course... >>What's the most memorable place you've played a set at ? (high on my list was the Chill Stage at Samothraki with a 28K custom sound system from the Athens Conservatory - you were there too, right ?)Oh yeah we were ... I remember Samothraki.. . Pretty awesome place .. the ground was shaking.. USA gigs were all great.and we went 14 times .. - we did loads of gigs in the USA jam scene, and toured with those bands. Some highlights; Camp Bisco, Nokia theatre in NYC with the Disco biscuits, and sold out Highlne ballroom . Boston, Buffalo, Many tours with Lotus, with our dear friend and tour manager, Mike Kappelli Burning man, Joshua Tree Music festival [ we’re going back this year], Envision.>>The future music tour in Australia too, touring with Josh Wink, Fedde le Grande, Danny [LTJ bukem] who we'd been fan of them all already - was amazing.. we flew between 5 cites in 2 weeks, Brazil was awesome too.. Porte Allegre in front of 9000 people, and the Big Chill.. jeez too much too much... Secret Garden Party last year - Crazyness .. half naked fans doing acrobatics in the tent.The gigs at Youth's Space Mountain were also wonderful, not just the vibe because we got to jam the next day with the likes of Jah Wobble, Matt Black, Gaudi, Roger Eno. and on mixing desk was John LeckieAnd we are working on putting a live set together with Greg involved, we've talked about it a few times. I'm sure it'll happen... 
>>Please finish this sentence: Music is... ‘togetherness'erm... Music is a. Mix of muesli ...and brickMusic is my first love, music is my last Music is my future music is my past
>>Desert Island Discs time.... so you're marooned on an island but somehow can play music to keep your sanity... what 5 albums do you bring and why ?Ulrich Schnauss - A strange and Isolated Place - amazing sound.. like forwarding 50 years into the future and looking back 10.>>Blue Lines / Protection - Massive Attack. The deepness, the underlying feeling, it was really beautiful and warming, Dark Side of the Moon - the lyrics.. its not just about boys and girls. The chords… and its emotionally driven. In the studio Roger would say “something needs to happen ....now” .. and it did. Abbey Road. The ability to be truly creative..and a great reminder of our childhoodsAnything by John Barry. ‘The soundtrack to your life.' You can put this music on with headphones and watch the world go by like it was all a planned movie. It made everything look better too. What were you listening to before you got into electronic music - i.e. early influences
We grew up listening to the Beatles our Dad was a huge fan of Abbey Rd /White album/ George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord (& he eventually went to India and meditated for 7 years )Pink Floyd Supertramp [ Child of Vision]Captain Beefheart- our parents record collection.James BrownDJ Food, Fila Brazillia, Cup of Tea RecordsDJ ShadowLou Reed - Transformer [he was an Egg fan- he told us too]VangelisJohn Barry>>What's next for The Egg ?We will likely do an alternate version package of this album soon too, we already have enough tunes.We’re finishing a tune with Ulrich Schnauss . Sounding amazing ..:Working with producer/Dj John Monkman on some deep house stuff. Very nice.and Robin Twelftree who produced Woodstock etc with us..And had a couple sessions with Youth on new material - we hope to finish soon.We also made a really beautiful Floyd-esqe mellow tune with Matt Black whilst in India recently We've got some gigs coming up too. UK festivals, and Ibiza in June and California in October, Hope to see you there..>>What question did I forget to ask that you'd like to answer.... Ok then; which came first the chicken or the egg ?Oh thats easy . the egg .. they were around for millions of years before chickens. Lizards , crocodlies, and dinosuars laid them [Mixmaster Morris told me that funnily enough the Bible makes no mention of Dinosaurs , but plenty about unicorns]“What do you think of Time Travel?”“01101110001001000010001010000”>>Thanks to Maff and Ned for taking a moment to chat... the new album is well worth buying - check it here: https://theegg.bandcamp.com/album/galactic-love-machine Interview with Maff and Ned Scott of The Egg 2018-06-03T22:56:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-sam-dodson-of-loop-guru http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-sam-dodson-of-loop-guru#When:17:43:00Z Loop Guru were a firm favorite back in the day and their tunes made their way into many a dj set.  Their album The Third Chamber is an absolute classic and we include one of the tracks on the new compilation Zero Gravity.  Hopefully this will bring back some sublime and deeply imprinted memories for some...  it does for us.  Be sure to check out Sam's art Sam - thanks for taking a moment to chat about Loop Guru and your art. The first Loop Guru single was released back in the idealistic and heady days of the early 90's; can you take us back and talk about how it was from your perspective to perform live and release back then ?To play it live was precarious to start with, We never ever expected to have to do this EVER! We started out doing really small showcases with maybe just four songs. Basically the music was largely samples so we found away round altering and adding drums etc. The Percussion Monster came into play with Mad Jym to add a visual element to the show. I think we learnt how to play live after touring with Pop Will Eat Itself. We knew what to do after that. They were great!What were the some of the most memorable high-points for you of being in Loop Guru ? Playing the Filmore. San Fransisco Nuff said really!!! We had a ball. It was all great.What first got you into electronic music ? Was there a moment when it all came together ?When we started out a sampler was about £30.000 so we lined up a bank of cassette machines, used tape loops and had a real grounding in what sampling was all about without ever having a sampler. Some of this early stuff has been released on the cd's. When the first cheaper samplers cam out I guess we'd had such a background knowledge already everything just fell into place.You played at a bunch of Club Dog and Megadog events back in the day - do any of them stand out for you, and what other bands' sets would you try to catch ?Always good to catch System 7 and Transglobal Underground, Eat Static, Banco etc. we also toured the States with Meat Beat Manifesto, They were great !! We must have seen them about twenty timesListening to The Third Chamber I was struck by how it has stood the test of time and still sounds amazing. What was the inspiration behind the album ? Can you tell us about making it ?We'd just got back from Japan. We were armed with a bank of unusual cd's. That album is soaked in Japan. I still love that cd. It's the most spot on thing we ever did, and I guess it is timelessDid you have a favorite bass guitar ? An old Fender Precision Bass. I took the frets out! Probably lost a lot of value? I did it with a hammer and a chisel and filled it with plastic wood.Remember Radio Four's Desert Island Discs ? What five albums would you take and why ?Hey we still have that, great programme. My list would alter daily.Steve Reich - Music for 18 musicians - perfection I can always listen to thatCan - Tago Mago - Always inspiring, I love that album and actually all those early albums fantastic stuffMothers of Invention - We're only in it for the Money - makes me laugh and it has a feel to it that touches on a very old fashioned perfection - again all the early Zappa stuff is brilliant.Beatles - The White Album - hard to choose a fave Beatle album so I'll choose this one because it's longer (and Revolution no 9 is on it)Which brings me to Stockhausen - Gesang Der Junglinge - GeniusTomorrow it'd be different. The Fall, Beefheart, Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, The Beach Boys, ooh the sun just came out!!!Have you felt the urge to make more music ?From time to time. I have an unfinished project of about 15 pieces, but it's like I wasn't being stretched any more I was too comfortable with it all, it was too easy. I always wanted to push the boundaries and didn't feel I was doing that any more! So not really.Your creative journey continues in a different form with collage - can you talk a little about this ?Well, Loop Guru was always collage to me anyway, except you could dance to it. I started painting again about 6 - 7 years ago and slowly found myself drawn to collage. I was well trained from a past life :-) My artist statement now reads. Sam Dodson trapped in his own collage trying to find a way to break free, which really sums it up for me. Collage has a way of freeing the imagination that no other process does for me, it allows me to warp reality and really stretch myself and be unrestricted at all. It's a bit like free fall, I never know where I'm going next, there is no safety net at all.What source material do you particularly relish finding ? How do you go about tracking it down ?Everything from old comics, dinosaur books, vintage paper, old picture frames, anatomical books, old art books. Basically it's a non stop process. I can't walk past a charity shop ever! If a book comes from a charity shop it's already had a life it's been used so I feel I can rip, cut it up and recycle it. AND I'm giving to charity, all good really.Finish this sentence: ..."The best thing about good art is when...."there's magic"For people contemplating following an artistic path - whatever it may be, can you give them some words of advice ?Do it because you love it! Don't do it to be famous. Never play safe, don't worry if you make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, get up and do it some more. Enjoy it. Love it.-- www.samdodsonart.com Interview with Sam Dodson of Loop Guru 2018-05-24T17:43:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/eat-static-live http://newsite.interchill.com/features/eat-static-live#When:21:53:00Z Summer brings with it the festival season, and if you're an Eat Static fan and you're going to Ozora then you're in for a treat.   Considered one of the best festivals in the world Ozora brings people from all over to congregate in Hungary.  The music line-up is second to none and this year sees Eat Static hit the stage in four separate sets. First up will be a collaboration live set with System 7,  under the name System Static - featuring new material written by Merv, and Steve & Miquette especially for the performance.  There's then a set with Nektarios of Martian Arts under the name Strontium Dogs, which sees them both playing modulars live on stage, and while for the gear heads out there that's an impressive thing, out in front are the Yoni Tribe dancers. There's also going to be a set in the epic Chill Out dome, before a final set on the mainstage on Saturday. Before the Interchill label started a bunch of us used to go to the legendary Megadog parties and festivals in the UK - Eat Static (and System 7) were headliners then, and now more than 25 years later they're still at it.  The new album from Eat Static is called Last Ship to Paradise and is out on September 27th.  We'll be posting more info on the album as we get closer in... Eat Static Live 2017-07-17T21:53:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-seb-taylor-by-psybient.org http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-seb-taylor-by-psybient.org#When:22:42:00Z Psybient.org have done a great interview with Seb Taylor and we're posting a link to it here - http://www.psybient.org/love/interview-seb-taylor/ It was done by Kevin Fairbanks and Gagarin. Seb has been a huge and positive influence on Interchill and as well as being a super talented musician and producer is also a thoroughly nice person and a pleasure to work with.Enjoy the read and go purchase some of his music at www.sebtaylor.bandcamp.comOver the summer you can catch Seb at one of the following festivals:Midnight Sun Festival - NORWAY Samsara Festival - HUNGARY Dharma festival - POLAND Nova's Incident - BELGIUM Shankra Festival - SWITZERLAND CO-IN Festival - IZMIR, TURKEY OZORA - HUNGARY BOOM - PORTUGAL Whirl-Y-Fayre - UK PSY FI - HOLLAND HADRA - FRANCE Beats without Borders - VANCOUVER HARVEST Festival - TORONTO SYMBIOSIS, USA Event to be named - SEATTLE, USA Connection Festival, SPAIN InaVision, BRIXTON - UK The Promised Land - MEXICO Interview with Seb Taylor by Psybient.org 2016-07-01T22:42:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/label-news-spring-2016 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/label-news-spring-2016#When:17:15:00Z Merv from Eat Static is working on material for a new album - due for release later this year.  He's been working with long time Static member Steve Everitt and furthering their explorations into the world of modular synths, and the beast [as he calls it] now occupies a wall of his studio. The result will be sounds that you've never heard before and are unlikely to hear ever again...   Check this video for a tour of his live rig - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bpv4z8ioz0Seb Taylor just released a collection of remixes called ...& So it Was, based on his excellent third Kaya Project album release ... So it Goes.  The list of remixers is truly impressive and the album is well worth your support.  Check it here >>> www.sebtaylor.bandcamp.comEvan Bluetech just released the first in a series of 4 ep's - The Four Horsemen of the Electrocalypse.   Check it here >>> www.bluetech.bandcamp.comNaasko's Apparent Productions was recently behind the BC tour of the most excellent DJ Madd...  good times were had. Label news - Spring 2016 2016-03-08T17:15:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/top-ten-charts-2015 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/top-ten-charts-2015#When:22:02:00Z Here's a selection of charts from Interchill dj's Dominic, Neerav & Andrew, and esteemed guests Liquid Stranger, Supercozi, Aliji and Nils.     Liquid Stranger has been forging ahead with his label Wakaan - stay tuned for lots of great releases and mixes in the next year.  Supercozi has been busy in the studio and with her successful dj career, Aliji plays all over the place and holds down events at Inspiral in London, and Nils has our respect for his huge contribution to music in Vancouver, as well as his finely tuned ear.   Thanks to all the contributors and all the artists featured on their lists and also that we have worked with his last year and over the years.  Here's wishing everyone a great 2016 - peace, good health, prosperity and fun...And lastly - thanks to all the people out there who support good music.   Dig into these charts... go to bandcamp or wherever and buy the tunes - you can't go wrong with these selections. Liquid Stranger - Phoenix Space Jesus - Infinite Extravagance (Smokers Cough)Perkulat0r - Ascension (Gravitas Recordings)iLL Esha - Rising Sign (Street Ritual)Zebbler Encanti Experience - Inner G (Gravitas Recordings)Geode - Lark Ascending (Deep Heads)Dubsworth - Circular (Interchill)Nanopulse - Behold What’s Coming (Wakaan)Bassnectar & Levitate - Chasing Heaven (Amorphous Music)An-ten-nae - Harpy Dance (Clone Royal Oak)Desert Dwellers - Birds Over Sand Dunes (desert Trax)Aliji - LondonLemon Tree / Sausages / Liquid RecordsOïd Mü / Goatz / Mutantra Celt Islam / Earth City Rockerz .Featuring Inder Goldfinger / Earth City RecordsGnomes of Kush / Jah Love The Kush / Section RecordsEmanata / Taste / A Blagic ManketiLLU! / A1: Praze / Trap 93Another Fine Day / Spanish Blues (Hibernation Remix) / InterchillMaster Margherita & The Positronics / FrogsDub / Blue Hour SoundsSebastian Mullaert/ Direct Experience (Hannes Ramus remix) / TraumPlastikman / EXposed (Dubfire Remix) / MuteSupercozi - Bali1. Child's Play / Another Fine Day2. Trickle / Hibernation 3. Electric Spica / Vakula 4. For Marmish / Floating Points 5. Chromatic Wave / Chromatic Wave6. DUSK / Artman7. Orion / Makyo8. Kalimba ( feat.Malte Beckenbach ) / Robot Koch9. Berlin Panorama / Joe Le BonYou're An Orchestra in The Cosmos ( Blinkarp Dub ) / Sebastian Mullaert Nils - VancouverBasswalla - Adham Shaikh - Black Swan SoundsSueno En Paraguay (El Buho Remix) - Chancha Via Circuito - Wonderwheel RecordingsSpanish Blues (Hibernation Remix) - Another Fine Day - InterchillAnd Dream of Seals (Alucidnation Remix) - Another Fine Day - InterchillHabibi Taal - Alsarah & The Nubatones - Wonderwheel RecordingsOur Dream World (Drumspyder Remix) - Desert Dwellers - Desert TraxThe Great Mystery - Desert Dwellers - Black Swan SoundsForest Lovers - Drumspyder - IndepenentThe Mask - SaQi - SaQimusicHarwell Dekatron - Ott - OttsonicDominic Allen - TokyoFlying (Bhupali in dub) / Makyo / Dakini RecordsSpanish Blues (Hibernation Remix) / Another Fine Day / Interchill RecordsThe Colour Of Love (N-Port Version) / Mirror System / A Wave Records Ringlefinch / Eat Static / MesmobeatDreamer / Abakus / Modus RecordsThe High Pass / Ozric Tentacles / Snapper MusicAutumn Light Part 4 / Ishq / VirtualHello, My Name Is... / Ott / OttsonicSerious Bug Situation / Kuba / Self Release Boom Bap / Matt Deco / Interchill RecordsNeerav - Montreal “Huella” (El Buho Remix) / Tremor / Wonderwheel “Still Shakin” / Adham Shaikh / Black Swan “Suplex” (feat. Northern Voice) / A Tribe Called Red / Radicalized Records “On and On” (The Polish Ambassador Remix) / Erykah Badu / Jumpsuit “Spanish Blues” (Greg Hunter Remix) / Another Fine Day / Interchill “Cavity” (Shigeto Remix) / Hundred Waters / !K7 Records “Cucarachero De Niceforo” / Lulacruza / Rhythm and Roots “Jaguar Dreaming” (Medicina mix) / Desert Dwellers / Liquid Bloom “Waiting for a Surprise” (feat. Abrao) / Red Axes / Multi Culti “Flow” / Bob Holroyd / Bob HolroydAndrew - Salt Spring IslandAnother Fine Day - Dusty Feet - InterchillSuns of Arqa - The Truth Lies Therein (Eat Static Remix) - Liquid Sound DesignChanca Via Circuito - Jardines feat Lido Pimienta (Thornato Remix) - WonderwheelCongo Natty - UK All Stars in Dub (Adrian Sherwood Remix) - Big DadaEl Buho - Manana Tepotzlan - WonderwheelDub Trees - Future Roots (Youth vs Cosmic Trigger Dub) - Liquid Sound DesignBeam Up - Fisherman - BBELunar Sound - Step Beyond (Austero Remix) - UndergrooveOtt - Harwell Dekatron - OttsonicNanopulse - Behold What’s Coming (Liquid Stranger Remix) - Wakaan Top ten charts 2015 2015-12-31T22:02:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/eat-static-interview http://newsite.interchill.com/features/eat-static-interview#When:21:20:00Z Years before Interchill started as a label there were Ozric Tentacles gigs and Megadog shows...  and Eat Static were seriously inspiring - mixing innovative production, heavy psychedelia and a sense of humour with quirky B Movie samples, mostly relating to aliens.  I went to their shows, played their records at gigs in Montreal and later having started the label we went on to release tracks on compilations and the excellent album Back to Earth.  Merv has just released the new Eat Static album - Dead Planet, which is a double and is available here >>  https://mesmobeat.bandcamp.com/We sat down with Merv for ten questions...1/ What is new for Eat Static in 2015 ?The new album! I've been recording it for the last 18 months and wanted to make something special to mark my 25th anniversary..I got a little carried away and there is now around 24 brand new tracks recorded..so it will be a double CD for sure,with some extra tracks included with the download version. I have also done a few collaborations this time,including one i have been chasing for a long time....Robert Smith from The Cure! He has done an amazing job with the track i wrote for him..Others involved are original member Steve Everitt,Martian Arts,Hujaboy,Robbert Heijnen (PWOG/Exquisite Corpse),Chris Rich,System 7, Laughing Buddha,Georgina Brett,Elaine Frost & Mik Singh..so quite a good cross section of different musicians,many of them up and coming artists whom i admire and want to help promote.   Summertime will be the usual smattering of crazy festival appearances including Glastonbury, Ozora, Antaris, Sonica and many others...2/ You've made and played a lot of psychedelic music over the years, and yet a lot of psy or trance music seems predictable and formulaic to me  - What elements do you think are required for something to be truly psychedelic ?Couldn't agree more with your observations..I am pretty unimpressed with many of the current releases musically..so much sounds the same and as you say, is very predictable..'truly psychedelic' to me means taking you on a journey,sounds playing with your deepest emotions and steering you through cosmic worlds,never knowing what is lurking in the shadows...that it what i truly love about the whole music making process..to have that power to take people away is a wonderful thing... I guess,because i have such a broad range of musical interests,that this has become quite a natural way for me to work..i listen to a lot of world music at home so i'm always digesting strange scales and odd musical instrument sounds..the more open minded you are,the more this will nourish your own artistic output..3/ Tell us about your new Eurorack modular synth what makes it so good ?It's alive! That's what! I swear,little creatures live inside it and make strange noise after strange noise every night..I had already gone back to using mainly analogue synths again in the studio and had been planning to dive into the modular world,when along came Steve Everitt, who i hadn't seen for around 5 years..in fact,since we wrote those tracks for your Interchill album 'Back to Earth'..anyway,he had just hooked up with a guy called Tony Wride from 'Exclusively Analogue' who had some original 1974 Emu modular stuff for sale..stuff he had lovingly restored/built from parts rescued from a back room at the Emu factory...there were 5 in total,2 having already gone to the Chemical Brothers and Vince Clarke..so i nabbed the last one but had it custom built into a cabinet with some rows free that were in the modern Eurorack format..so its essentially a hybrid and ,like me,has one foot in the past and one foot in the frontline of new technology..I had got to the point where i couldn't listen to soft synths any more..the sound of them,the editing with a mouse etc...and its been liberating! And i also love the fact that pretty much every single sound i use in a track now,has been made for that exact purpose..i also love the fact that none of the sounds are ever saved..they come,they go..and there are billions of combinations..enough to keep me going a few years anyhow..funny enough,my next album project is your album for Interchill so expect music that will definitely be challenging and unique..4/ These days technology allows people to get quick results with their music making, but it has yet to solve the challenge of crafting a good arrangement.  - Can you give any tips for producers wanting to improve this invaluable skill ? Well,i do an awful lot of experimenting these days..with all the amazing crazy plug-ins and fx now..ya have to! So i generally write a few weird and wacky loop based things,copy them out for 64 or more bars then ride them and play about with them while recording the whole thing...afterwards,I pick through them,looking for interesting bits that spark off other ideas..its usually endless! Also, being a drummer, i am usually changing vibes every few bars..i can't get stuck on loops unless that particular track lends itself to being more 'loopy'..i like stuff to change and take you off on tangents..5/ What is your live set up - how does it differ from a laptop set in Ableton ? I'm using a digital ADAT running 16 channels of stuff..all the drums are on their own channels and certain sounds are grouped together for external effects, which i also take out with me..add to that 3 live synths,one digital (JV80) an sh101 and a custom home made analogue 'screeching thing'..Also some real hand drums and a Roland SPD 11 are on stage with me..oh,and sometimes the giant brain still comes out...I'm looking into a jamming set up for live again soon because things are coming on the market that look very interesting such as Octatrack Maschine etc...I also want to take a smaller travel modular out as this would be pretty fascinating for people to see used and to hear it through those systems...wow!6/ You have often incorporated B Movie samples and alien references into your music have you had any alien encounters that you can share with us ?I live in the West Country..we see flying saucers every week down 'ere! hehehe.   I had one major experience years ago,on the edge of Salisbury Plain,coming back from a gig that was a long way away..I saw it,my driver/roadie saw it...and Joie had seen it...from a different car..our car just stopped after we had been driving with no problems for 5 hours..we got out,my mate was trying to fix the car while i was staring up at a huge silent craft above us..it was 5 am and there was no noise from any direction..and this 'thing' was silent..with bright lights around it..  Funny,because it was the last thing i needed at that point,it was quite a bizarre feeling inside..something i had always dreamt of seeing but coming when you least needed it...i tried to flag down an oncoming car,which sped past me..i later learned from Joie that it was him in the car,driving like mad to escape the saucer he had seen following his car...it eventually just shot off sideways....again,still silent...after it had gone,the car just started no problem...7/ You live close to crop circle territory in the UK what's the story, have you ever seen one up close ? Of course! many many times..i went to my first one in 1977.. there was a rumour at school,that a saucer had landed at 'Cley Hill' which is a local landmark, and had left marks in the field..so i rode my bike there after school to check it out..i remember how eerie i felt and how scared...it was a big main circle with 4 satellite circlesat equal distance apart around the outside...8/ Where was your favourite place to perform last year, and why ?Hmmmm I would probably have to say Boom festival..it truly was an epic..the main stage production and the build of the huge towers all around the main arena were just awe inspiring..it brought a tear to my eye..and the actual gig was incredible..a huge system installed by Tony Andrews which was just...mind boggling...i also had an amazing chilled set there...a 3 hour epic set next to the lake..everyone was horizontal when i got there but after 15 mins,everyone was up and going crazy to all kinds of electronic styles/vibes...really magical place too,that site...But i pretty much love every place i go to for gigs..i usually stay around for the whole event and also love mingling with local cultures and trying local food etc..9/ When you're not gigging or traveling, how many hours a day do you usually spend in the studio ?I can tell you now, for the new album my days were averaging 35 hours! You figure it out!10/ What advice would you have for producers starting out ?You need endless passion,endless energy,you need to ditch your ego,you need to be prepared for pain...a lot of pain and hardship...make music that is true to YOU! Don't copy others! Push the music forwards not backwards! BE ORIGINAL!! Eat Static Interview 2015-07-30T21:20:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-naasko http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-naasko#When:19:33:00Z DJ, Label Manager, A&R, Compiler, Event Producer, Music Licensing - these are just some of the things Naasko has done during his time with Interchill. Usually he is behind the scenes but we managed to persuade him to step into the spotlight as we get set to release his new compilation Subtextures.Your first compilation with Interchill was Arcana (ICHILLCD023) - more than half a lifetime ago for the label. In terms of what you DJ, what were you playing then and what sounds are you playing out now?That was 9 years ago - hard to believe really! Back then I took a bit of a hiatus from DJ'ing and only played a small handful of gigs that year which ranged from the downtempo styles - dub, trip hop, world fusion and techy electronica - to the uptempo world of techno, tech house and progressive psy trance. These days, I tend to play more of a selection of deep dubstep, smoked out dub and atmospheric d'n'b but occasionally have the opportunity to play 4/4 tech sets. With Subtextures what do you see being the ideal location and time for playing these tunes? What were you aiming for with this compilation?There's such a diverse mix of vibes and styles on Subtextures that there's something there for almost any sort of time or place. Some tracks are well suited to an open minded, mid-tempo dance floor while others are more geared towards a listening environment whether that be at home, on highways or in headphones. The aim I started with stays fairly close to the mark though it pleasantly detoured in several places as the tracks started rolling in. Originally I was hoping to have a more uptempo collection of deeper dubstep tracks oriented towards the dance floor but as it turned out, we ended up with a collection that had an arc to it which is cool. As with any compilation there's diversity and, as a compiler, you're left with the choice of drawing somewhat of a coherent thread through a fairly broad range of tunes that get submitted. I think that continuity is apparent with the tracks on this album. A lot of the deeper dubstep tunes that I've heard over the years seemed to fit within the open stylistic parameters of Interchill's downtempo ethos and I'm happy to see that what we pulled together reflects that 'Interchill' quality across a relatively new genre for the label. Where / when did you first get into electronic music?Entry level began with hip hop in the mid 80s and carried on into the rave days of the early 90s in Vancouver. With time spent in the UK in '95 I spent more time in record stores than I did in class. Probably spent more money on music than I did on tuition too….What are your 3 most memorable sets that you’ve played, and why? - Shambhala 2006 @ The Portal playing a ridiculous psy-trance set after Simon Posford/Hallucinogen. I was fresh off the plane from Portugal and in some kind of blur after the dusty mayhem of 6 weeks at Boom Festival. Things hit a peak that night for whatever reason with the music, crowd and vibe. - Boom Festival 2012 @ The Alchemy Circle stage. I was the first DJ on opening night and people had been waiting a day for the music to start. I couldn't believe how hyped they were! It was incredible to play in front of such an up-for-it international crowd like that. - Exodus 2005 @ the hacienda in the Australian bush outside of Byron Bay. I was playing a morning trance set after all the main acts and, in the middle of it, someone handed me this old S.U.N Project CD with a request to play a track on it as a tribute to a friend of theirs who died tragically just a few days before. The disc was coated in surf wax and was scratched like it had been sitting on the floor of this dude's car for a season but track 7 was the deceased's favourite and apparently this was 'the moment' when all of his friends there would have a dance for him. The guy was pretty high, though very sincere and quite convincing, so I agreed and took the chance with the CD despite any discerning DJ's better judgement. When the tune came on, people knew what was up. It was emotional. Suffice to say the track played for a bit then starting skipping about half way through and there was this collective 'holy shit!' moment in the place. Somehow, by utter chance only, a quick tap on the scan forward button brought the track back and people flipped out in the best possible way. It was cool to see that level of randomness in action with such a positive and significant outcome for everyone. Tell us about your plans for In:Sight in Nelson this Fall?I'm working on bringing the visionary artists Alex Grey and his wife, Allyson, to town. They're making their first public appearance in western Canada and will be in Nelson from Oct. 8-10th. We've set up an event series for them that includes a day long visionary art workshop, a feature presentation at the local theatre, a book signing event and then finally a multi-media show at Shambhala's new venue 'Bloom'. I'm still working on the details for the multi-media showcase so I can't say too much yet but expect there to be a top notch music headliner playing alongside a live painting installation by Alex and Allyson complete with VJs, lasers, lights and good vibes. More info can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1540781466168686/What do you like best about living in the Kootenays, and what makes the area different from the rest of BC? The inspiring geography, seasonal variations, excellent water, clean air and above all else, the sense of community. There's a high concentration of interesting and unique folk out this way which never ceases to intrigue. OK it is desert island discs time - give us 10 albums you’d choose to take with you.Leftfield - Release The PressureLTJ Bukem - Logical ProgressionBeastie Boys - Paul's BoutiquePitch Black - Future ProofHappy Mondays - Pills, Thrills & BellyachesHariprasad Chaurasia and Zakir Hussain - VenuV/A - Bioluminescence K&D SessionsOoze - Where The Fields Never EndGaudi - Dub Qawwali The cover of Subtextures features work from Andrew Jones - where/when did you guys meet and where / when did you first get involved with / fall in love with psychedelic art?His work is incredible! We met in Tokyo in 2007 when we were both there to perform, along with a bunch of others, for a multi-media night called Crossroads. I'd been into visionary art since I first saw Alex Grey's paintings in '97 and I started to get more familiar with it through my work at Boom Festival in Portugal from 2002 - 2008. Andrew's take on visionary art took things to a new level though - particularly because of his use of the digital platform to express his ideas. Tell us about your project IMRSV?It's an informal studio project that my friend Jason Job and I recently started. Over the winter and spring of this year we got into making a couple of tracks together, the first of which made it onto Subtextures. Jason's been a closet producer for many years and is a talented one at that. I'm learning via osmosis as we go. We don't have any big picture plans and just want to jam when we can with sounds that strike a chord. Our second tune is up on Soundcloud at: www.soundcloud.com/imrsvmusicYou’ve done some stage management at festivals - which ones? What do you think makes a good stage manager?Regularly at Basscoast & Shambhala but I've also done stage management at In:Vision ('03 & '04), Symbiosis ('06 & '07), Emerg'N'See ('07), Glade Festival ('07 & '08), Waveform Project ('09), Gaian Mind ('09) and Boom (2012). First off, a stage manager should never be wasted on the job. Nor be overly distracted by any of the usual trappings that come with the position. Finding that right balance between casual and focused is an art. Beyond that, a good stage manager should be make a performer feel welcome, respected and that they're in capable hands - that if anything should happen to go sideways, technically or with the stage, crowd, etc., then the stage manager and crew will be able to sort it out quickly and professionally. Clear communication skills are important. One should always be in touch with the sound, lighting and power crews as well with security, first aid and central production and will know how to contact any of them if needed. Attention to detail and an ability to trouble shoot on the fly are key. Say, for example, you have a crowd of 1000+ at 1am and a guy jumps on stage, pulls down his pants in full exhibitionist revelry and proceeds to bend over, stick a dollar bill up his arse and light it on fire for the crowd. Security is elsewhere and you're the only one around to deal with it - what are you going to do? A) Pull him off stage and risk a bigger public spectacle than the one at hand? B) Push him off the stage and subject those unfortunate enough to be at the front to the unpleasant likelihood of handling his junk and burning themselves in the process? C) Rush to get the fire extinguisher while calling on the radio for security? D) Let him finish making his statement and hope that he leaves of his own accord? E) Ask the DJ to stop playing and roll out the giant gong that's stashed backstage? A good stage manager would keep all of these options open.   [true story !]https://www.facebook.com/naaskoselecta https://soundcloud.com/naasko 10 questions with Naasko 2015-06-11T19:33:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/daega-sound-interview http://newsite.interchill.com/features/daega-sound-interview#When:23:56:00Z Daega Sound, forged in 2008 by brothers Ben and Josh Searles, is one of the front running acts of the West Coast bass music scene. With a unique take on dubstep, D'n'B and electronica, they have built a solid foundation of releases and performances that have earned themselves international acclaim. Their sound is polished and sophisticated, where intricate syncopated drum rhythms are laced with unforgettable melodies and layers of ethereal soundscapes. Sub bass and dubbed out qualities feature prominently across every track resulting in their unmistakable signature sound. Daega has established a vital presence in the global bass music scene with a steadily growing discography and support from some notable heavy hitters including Truth, Commodo, Sam Binga, Loxy, RSD, OM Unit, Joe Nice, Phaeleh, DJG, Headhunter, Mary Anne Hobbs and Mr. Scruff. Daega Sound made their first appearance on Interchill with a stand-out track called 'Don't Stop' on the compilation 'Depth Charge' in 2013. We're really happy to have them back with their new tune 'Five Rings' on 'Subtextures' and wanted to ask the brothers some questions as we get set to launch our latest compilation.Name some of the things that influence the 'Daega' sound - musical or otherwise.Pretty much everything that can and will happen. We draw the most from our deep love of music and life long journey as makers of music, our devotion to the purity of creation and following our own roads. Big influence/inspirations are our epic surroundings in the Pacific Northwest, flora and fauna. Seeing whales, dolphins, octopus and phosphorescence to eagles and bears. Also making its way into our music is our society and how we as people fashion our life on the planet, politics around government and the military industrial complex, good things and frustrating things... So ya pretty much in a nutshell - life as we understand it to be.Where and when was your first pivotal rave or electronic music moment?In Toronto, summer '97 at a proper underground rave in an old abattoir. Follow the east street car line to the end, then walk around in an industrial zone til you find a door with a black light bulb above it and you were there. What is your most memorable performance and why?Dubloaded for Pinch on so many levels. Legendary series, legendary sound and crew, technical challenges, friends, good vibes - it just hit so many levels in one shot.What do you listen to when you’re not working on your own stuff?All kinds of stuff. Here's a snapshot: Rachmaninov, Faith No More Phillip Glass & Ravi Shankar, Speedy J, Richard D. James , Strunz and Farah, Photek, Bad Religion, Pig Destroyer, Guns & Roses, Smetana, Don Ross, Sunkissed, The Orb, Sound Garden, Peeping Tom, Amon Tobin, Peter Gabriel, many more.What steps to you go through to get the perfect bass sound?Starts with setting the mood/getting in the zone - everything follows and rolls out from there in its own way. All the tunes seem to take on a personality of their own and each one has its own idea of the perfect bass sound for itself. So you just kinda feel it out as you go along.Do you create most sounds in the box, or are there some synths that you regularly use?A bunch in the box but love out of the box sounds, wish we had hundreds of proper synths! In the outboard realm we have and use an emu 5000 sampler, an access Virus C desktop, a Korg MS 2000, a rack mount orchestra, an FX rack and some guitar pedals.What is your favourite plug in?Dune and Battery are pretty cool, can't really say we have a favourite. All depends on the individual track. Also we don't have a lot of plug ins, each one is pretty infinite with what you can do, so we work the ones we have.Finish this sentence: "In making music the most valuable skill is…."being creatively open with what you wanna do.Who would you most like to remix?So many, but Photek would be awesome.Tell us a bit about your track 'Five Rings' on the Subtextures compilation.The name is a reference to a text/book written by Miyamoto Musashi on kenjutsu entitled "The Book of Five Rings". "Timing is important in dancing and pipe or string music, for they are in rhythm only if timing is good. Timing and rhythm are also involved in the military arts, shooting bows and guns, and riding horses. In all skills and abilities there is timing.... There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this. In strategy there are various timing considerations. From the outset you must know the applicable timing and the inapplicable timing, and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing, first seeing the distance timing and the background timing. This is the main thing in strategy. It is especially important to know the background timing, otherwise your strategy will become uncertain."- Miyamoto Musashi from "The Book of Five Rings"What's next for you on the release front?We have a ton of content coming out over the next year, on some well reputed labels, keeping it under the hat for now. But one of the most exciting things is our new store with lots of new Daega Sound tunes as well as a never-heard-before series. We also have a merch section with all kinds of cool stuff, T-shirts, tank tops, buttons and stickers with more things in the works. It will be online at the beginning of the summer.Any signs of a full length album on the horizon?We've been simmering on an album for years, but we try to find a balance with creativity, a little push, a little let it happen on its own type thing, so we are just waiting for the right inspiration/timing to come along. We'd like to put something together that has some meaning behind it and carries some weight.links etc:https://soundcloud.com/daegasoundhttps://www.facebook.com/daegasoundhttps://twitter.com/daegasound Daega Sound interview 2015-06-10T23:56:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-byron-from-the-grove-stage-at-shambhala http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interview-with-byron-from-the-grove-stage-at-shambhala#When:19:08:00Z Byron runs and books The Grove stage at Shambhala, as well as producing / promoting other events [including the awesome Kamp Festival] and he dj's as Footprints. Naasko and Andrew spent some time with Byron and asked him a few questions...The Grove at Shambhala is an exciting addition to an already incredible festival - what is the overall creative vision behind the stage, and how is it different from the other stages?Our creative vision comes from the gnomes, caretakers of the earth. Our plan is to fully restore the forest, and create a lush inspiring setting filled with plant life, gardens, tree houses and waterfalls. Every stage at Shambhala has it's own vibe and design - that's what makes it so special. We are lucky enough to hold the most territory on the ranch, which allows us to design many different areas for each element of festival culture. On the music front, you've put together another top notch line up for the Grove this year. What went into curating the music programming? What are you most stoked for this year?To be honest, a lot of the music is what I've been playing out for the past year or 2. It's like going shopping for my favourite music…but to perform on a stage we built. Quite surreal. I'm most stoked for Bonobo, the return of Tipper, Rising Appalachia and a lot of the deep stuff - Leon Switch, Synkro, Biome, Jafu. There's obviously a lot more to the Grove besides just the music - what else does this zone feature?The Grove hosts 2 music stages, a tea lounge, art gallery, day time workshops, art installations and gnomes. You've recently sparked a new festival this summer called Kamp. What sets this event apart from many of the other summer festivals in BC?Kamp Festival has a bit of a different concept from most music festivals. We are essentially recreating the summer camp experience, for adults.. And incorporating our festival culture and values through music, art, and performance. Day time is loaded with recreation, education, workshops and games. At night we have an amazing music line up, art gallery with live painters, and Kampers market featuring local foods and artisan goods. The festival is being produced by a lot of the Grove team - I'm very excited to see where the concept takes us. What got you into DJ'ing initially and when did you decide to start producing events?I first started going to raves in the late 90s early 2000s. The underground culture captivated me and I admired the art of sharing music. I produced my first event in Winnipeg in 2003. Two years later, I decided to move to the Kootenays and study Event Management at College of the Rockies. I started AreaOne Events in 2005 and haven't looked back. You've been a promoter for many years and have produced countless shows around the area and coordinated tours with several notable world class acts, particularly in the breaks, glitch hop and bass scene - what are some of the highlights?There have been many highlights over the years for different reasons - all appropriate for their time. Renegade bush party with Krafty Kuts… Dub FX first performance in Canada… My 30th birthday full moon... Recently I did a tour of Western Canada with Opiuo. We sold out 9/10 shows across BC and Alberta and had some epic times. What is the most amusing rider request you’ve had to deal with?Skratch Bastid has a pack of Tropical Skittles in his rider. I've also had 1 x 32oz jar of Claussen Kosher Dill Pickles, and... "In the event of a riot or civil disorder, which jeopardizes the safety of the artists, the artists management may cancel the event with no prejudice to the payment in full". What do you do to chill out?I'm not sure if I do chill out much really… I mean, I'm pretty chill. But if I have free time i'm usually out hiking, or biking or doing something outdoors. For people who haven’t been fortunate enough to visit BC yet can you list 5 places / things to do that they check out?BC is the land of local secrets. I would definitely explore the coast and check out some of the Gulf Islands. Vancouver and Victoria are hotspots for music and entertainment. For myself - I love the outdoors. So moving inland is definitely where it's at. Mountains, lakes, rivers, trails, hot springs, wildlife. There's so much to see. But definitely don't try skiing at Whitewater, that place is terrible. Nelson and Shambhala are in the Kootenay region - what makes this area special?The people. The mountains. The music. There's so much. Where are you headed with music and events?In between all my projects, I do plan to put more focus on my own music. But I foresee that more as a hobby. I'm very happy where I'm at with the events I'm working on. Shambhala is opening a new club this summer that will give new opportunity in Nelson. Very excited to help build on our already healthy music community in the Kootenays. For more about Byron, AreaOne Events, Kamp and the Grove stage visit:www.facebook.com/AreaOneEventsCanada | www.kampfestival.com | www.facebook.com/TheGroveStage | www.facebook.com/footprintsbc Interview with Byron from The Grove stage at Shambhala 2015-06-04T19:08:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-sara-and-mike-from-the-living-room-stage-at-shambhala http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-sara-and-mike-from-the-living-room-stage-at-shambhala#When:20:43:00Z We chat with Sara and Mike who anchor the Living Room stage at Shambhala Music Festival in the Kootenay Mountains here in beautiful BC. These two are legends and the Living Room is a truly wonderful zone next to the river. They're both dj's of long standing - Sara as Lion-S and Mike as Hoola. They select, book and plan the flow of the stage and do it beautifully. Some of my best sets have been at the Living Room on a hot sunny afternoon, and if you're an Interchill fan then here and the Grove stage is probably where you'd gravitate to. If you've not yet been to Shambhala then make the journey... and do a proper road trip and discover what makes this place, the people and BC so awesome... 1/ Sara and Mike - Tell us when and how you first got involved with Shambhala Music Festival ?Sara: Having had deep roots in the West coast rave scene, I was definitely involved with the cultivating the scene in Nelson in the early days.....but my official involvement with shambhala started year 2 (1999)....I had an opportunity to play in the Fractal Forest that year after arriving back from a 1.5 year stint on the East coast. Jimmy invited us to take over line up bookings and programming for year 4 and I was able to invite some friends out to play and made it a tribute to the west coast underground. I was the Talent Manager / music programmer for all 5-6 stages until the end of year 10. We continued on with curating the Living room ever since although I took a 3 year sabbatical and Mike did all the work. Happy to say I came back on board to do this year's line up on the LR and i'm pretty excited about it!Mike:well a bunch of our friends decided to throw a big annual party at the end of summer in 98 and wanted me to play at it but we had planned to move to Halifax a week before the party. So we played the 2nd year for the first time and by the 3rd year I took the reigns on scheduling the dj's and by the 4th year Sara and were doing the bookings and scheduling for all the stages, and that continued up until year 10.2/ You are both dj’s with a long track record - what sounds are featuring in your sets these days ?Sara:Well I always feel challenged with answering this question as it all depends on where and when I am playing. I am not genre specific. I continue to be inspired by global sounds especially of the tropical variety.......Zouk, kuduro, moombahton, blending in some deep and minimal house, ambient, slow and grindy down tempo, and some good bass weaved into all of it. I love the tear jerker morning stuff with a hint of bad ass. I am humbled to be able to play my talented friends music, shining the light on those artists is a passion of mine.Mike:Well I have always loved the funkier side of dance music but have slowed down a lot in tempo . I guess it all depends on the mood and type of crowd and what time of the night it is. I try to be prepared for any situation. I have been digging the more minimal sounds these days.3/ For those who haven’t been to Shambhala give us a quick rundown on the festival as it is now.Sara: Well....... It has gone in a direction that is pretty different from my personal vision / tastes to be totally honest......... A lot of the headliners are now the ones who have the most "Likes" on soundcloud etc. They are catering to the masses who will help the festival sell out quickly. I guess that's a smart strategy for selling tickets. If I may digress a bit: I'm proud to say we do our best to balance that out with what we do in the Living Room, being taste makers...We love to showcase new talent, breaking them into the Canadian market and beyond. We also bring a lot of eclectic headliners based on our music tastes. We are nostalgic and bring our favourite old schoolers once in a while. We also do our best to support our local Canadian scene....particularly west coast and Kootenays.....In general you can expect your first Shambhala to be a wild experience. The over all production is amazing and you are guaranteed an "out of this world" experience. It's pretty much a full power party in the woods experience 24/7. Bring your earplugs if you want to get sleep:) After all these years I still get excited to check out certain artists at all the stages over the weekend and love the pockets of magic that seem to still be preserved for those who remain open to it. MikeWell my honest opinion is that it has turned into a bit of an "edm" fest as far as the artists that get booked there nowadays. I guess because of the competition they have to get the big names to stay relevant and keep the masses coming year after year. There is a lot of magic that still happens out there and that is what keeps me interested in doing it year after year.4/ What was your intention musically and with the stage location when you both started the Living Room ?Sara:We needed a chill stage. I wanted to co-create a space that everyone could come to unplug from the full power vibes at the other stages. A place to find pockets of quiet, get grounded and come back down to earth.......A place to enjoy the softer, textures of ambient music, and experience the downtempo side of music. We even had a BPM rule back in the day you may remember. 110 BPM or less..........I also wanted it to be a more relaxed environment for the Djs,.....that they would have an outlet to play more laid back and experimental grooves, and not take things so seriously.....Mike:Well originally it was Sara's ambient/downtempo stage kinda like how the raves of the 90's always had a chill room that would play ambient music i think we were trying to recreate that type of vibe but with an outdoor setting. A place where people could get away from the party and chillout a bit5/ I have had some awesome times playing at the Living Room and also witnessed magic moments like a Tipper downtempo set, Hamsa Lila live in the sun, Ott on Sunday afternoon, El Papachango... - what for you have been the standout epic sets that shine ?Sara:It was an honour to bring you on board as well as showcase other Interchill artists over the years. I have much respect and love and appreciation for your Label. Some of the sets that stand out for me in the Living Room over the years: Random Rab's first LR set, Tipper's sunset set for sure, Crying over Pros was epic (Edit's live set) and all of Brother's sets......and it goes without saying that El Papachango's morning sets are always hot!!! and I love Sweet Anomaly's sets. Also i'll never forget Michael Red's first morning set in the LR back in the day.......I'm sure i'm forgetting some......Mike:Tipper was one to remember for sure. I loved Edit from Glitch Mob's live set . Every time Vinyl Ritchie plays funk in the day and of course Lion-S morning sets are always really good 6/ On a hot afternoon how many people congregate at the Living Room ?Sara: It's hard to say! I would imaging at least 3000 on a hot sunny day? And people really spread out down along the river....Mike:My guess would be a few thousand if you include all the people all the way up and down the river. And most of the people who aren’t sleeping and are too hot so they need to be in the water7/ Can you tell us about any plans or bookings you are excited for this year ?Sara:I am super excited to have Tipper back for a sunset set.....Also Dj Harvey will be a highlight for sure. I am personally most looking forward to El Buho's set. El Buho is from the Netherlands, I discovered him on soundcloud and he makes beautiful Zouk and Owl bass, and the kind of tropical that I love.....Thornato will be great too. I also look forward to Barisone....and my friend Joaqopelli will be doing an opening and closing flute ceremony:) oh and HANNAH on the violin is amazing. Mike:Well the return of Tipper is really exciting and I've finally after 4 or 5 yrs of trying to lock down one of my fave dj's the disco/house/re edit don DJ Harvey. El Buho and Thornato are really cool acts that Sara made sure to get on the bill this year that I am really looking forward to as well.8/ What projects are you working on ? Mike - I know you’re involved in the new Shambhala nightclub in Nelson… Tell us what you both have going on...Sara:I run another full time business that takes most of my focus and is not music related. Although it does support music artists and festival culture with regenerative nutrition and healthy aging as the focus. My passion is in helping people to be at optimal health and create strong residual incomes to support their bigger life's visions. The Music bizz continues to be a labour of love for me, keeping me tapped into my creative juices. Being an entrepreneur, I do love to put on events once in a while. We started a monthly event in Vancouver called HOME "a Kootenay time in the city" ..... Showcasing Kootenay artists as well as artists who have played in the Living room over the years. We are taking a pause on that for the summer and will resume with Home #11 sometime next fall. I should also put a plug in for my ladies of Meow Mix. We are an all female dj crew that have been playing together for 17 years. If you happen to catch us it's always a good time.Mike:Well as of right now I am working full time on the new club and it is scheduled to be open soon. Its really cool because i started djing in this building in 1997 and have seen 5 different clubs come and go through it. This is where we lived Shambhala year round for over ten years bringing all sorts of acts throughout the years to play. And now its come full circle around to the next chapter. And ya, still playing music whenever i have time. 9/ Outside of Shambhala what has been your most memorable location or event to perform at ?Sara:I would say on the big island of Hawaii, and Maui, were pretty magical as well as playing in Osaka Japan.....and some trippy vinyl melting morning sets at Burning Man many years ago. I have some fun memories of renegade parties in the kootenays as well:)Mike:I really liked Drewry point beach out on the Kootenay Lake. Its a beautiful remote location boat access only, so it made for really intimate gatherings that were really fun and quaint. The one time i went to Burning Man was pretty fun too. 10/ We recently lost Shambhala legend Buffalo Bob Borecky - what do you remember him most for ?Sara:Oh Bob. He is greatly missed. He and I shared a strong connection in the world of energy healing modalities. I will always remember him as being so passionate with bridging many different indigenous culture and shamanism with the music and festival scene. Fundamentally with his dedication to preserving the sacred space and honouring of the land and our elders. Creating that magic in the Inna Sanctum that evolved over the years to the Labyrinth, the Portal and now the Grove today. . ….I’ll always remember his passion for his visual art that always put me in a psychedelic trance. We used to spend countless hours at his place checking out what he was working on and mapping out the future of what Shambhala could look like for many years to come....... A true committed visionary remaining true to his path. Mike:Bob was a Kootenay mystic and a pioneer /bricklayer for the electronic scene here . He was a part of throwing some of the first parties in the Nelson area. They were acid/goa trance parties and that is the roots of our scene. And of course he was a part of Shambhala since the beginning running the trance stage the Labyrinth. It is a pretty huge loss to the community for sure . 10 questions with Sara and Mike from the Living Room stage at Shambhala 2015-05-27T20:43:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/mixmaster-morris-interview http://newsite.interchill.com/features/mixmaster-morris-interview#When:17:56:00Z Mixmaster Morris was and is one of the leading lights in the world of chill out music. He's responsible for some truly groundbreaking releases back in the day and keeps busy DJ'ing around the world and dominating the charts at Mixcloud in multiple genres. Morris truly lives and breathes music, and it is a pleasure to check in with him for ten questions...1/ Being a “chillout” dj now is far removed from how things were in the early 90’s - can you tell us about the chill rooms you did at Lost and Megatripolis and give a sense of then vs now ?In the 90s i popularised the idea of the chillout room as an essential part of any rave party. Lost was a Detroit-techno based event, with giants like Derrick May, Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, so I featured Detroit ambient tracks heavily but also other sounds of abstract electronica. Megatripolis was more psychedelically inspired, so I went deep into 60s and 70s music, Krautrock and early electronica....In the early days there was a complete sense of freedom, that you could play almost anything that wasn't pounding techno2/ You included Terrence McKenna in your track Mountain High [Live] - did you work together on that tune ? What inspired you to work with his words and message ?I was introduced to Terrence by Colin Angus, he did vocals on the Shamen’s last hit and even appeared on TOTP with them. Later on i did the music at a few of his shows, and i recorded some of his lectures from the desk while doing it.  He was one of the most charismatic speakers i have ever seen, able to ramble for hours on any subject and still manage to draw all the threads together at the end3/ Your first few albums Flying High and Global Chillage were notably psychedelic and made a huge impact. I remember hearing them and being amazed, and they certainly got lots of play at parties in Montreal where I was living at the time. Nowadays a trip through the Beatport chill chart just brings up mostly commercial rubbish - nowadays how important to you is depth, space and psychedelia ?There is still an audience for deep, spacey music, just look at the figures on Mixcloud where I now have 34000 followers4/ What music have you been working on recently ? anything coming up for release ?I am doing a new album with Youth at the moment, and recently did a track with Chris Coco and another one with Japanese star Coppe.I have a new single out in Japan, on the Psymatics label5/ Gaudi’s been asking people this one and it is interesting to hear the answers - What is music to you ? Music is organised sounds, but it can be so much more....6/ A quick check of your mixcloud page shows that as a dj you are incredibly versatile - which is how it should be. Is there one particular style or sound that you like playing best ? or put another way, what kind of set do you enjoy the most - rammed club, chill by the beach or… ?I cant understand people who only play one microgenre, its like eating nothing but one vegetable all your life. I like to do a long long set where I can dip into lots of genres7/ You play in Japan often and seem to enjoy and dive into the culture - tell us 10 must do things for any of us who might visit...If you go to Japan you have to... 1 Visit Kyoto where the old stuff remains2 Go to a hot spring Ryokan3 Visit Hokkaido for the best seafood especially giant crabs scallops salmon...4 Laugh at teenage fashions in Takeshitadori5 Visit the old capital and the Giant Buddha at Kamakura6 Drink the finest sake, shochu, awamori, umeshu7 Have a picnic under the cherry blossoms8 Try japanese herbal medicine - kanpo9 Go to tropical Okinawa and eat Goya Champuru, Soki Soba, Rafute...10 Wander round Akihabara, mecca of the nerds8/ What gives you inspiration ?Knowing that at any moment you might hear a piece of music that could change your life forever9/ What was your favourite location to perform at this last year ?So many good parties last year, i particularly enjoyed Glastonbury fest and Ozora in Hungary .....And Bali which i visited for the 1st time...10/ What country in the world would you most like to visit  ?I still haven't played in Brazil or ChinaAnd I want to go to Vietnam, Laos, New Zealand, Mongolia, Egypt... Mixmaster Morris Interview 2015-04-08T17:56:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-another-fine-day http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-another-fine-day#When:18:32:00Z 1/ How did you first get into music ? i.e. where / when and what were your influences ?I started playing piano young (maybe 5) but never really learnt to read the dots. In the late 70s I started fooling with multiple cassette decks, a piano, a Wasp synth, and a Wem Copycat echo box, just messing about. Later on a reel to reel with mono overdub facility. I learnt a lot from that basic gear... I was into all the Germans at the time (Can, Neu, some of the early Tangerine Dream), the dub music just appearing, later on Eno's 80s ambient. As well as people like Steve Reich and Miles Davis, always lots of classical, too, especially Ravel and Debussy. 'Normal' pop and rock were never my thing.2/ You’re releasing your new album A Good Place to Be with us in April - what were your intentions in creating the music and how did the album take shape ? It has been some while since the last, and both the existing AFD albums are pretty different, so initially I basically started with a blank slate. It certainly wasn't ever going to be death metal or EDM, but otherwise it was the usual - throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. After a while you begin to see some kind of picture, and then you start filling in the gaps, the work itself tells you what you need to do next. I'm never really sure quite what my 'intention' ever is, beyond just making some nice music. But it's usually the music itself that chooses where it's going to go. I just do the driving.3/ You play the array mbira beautifully - can you tell us about it, how you discovered it and why you love it ?I've played kalimbas (the little hand held ones) since playing with African bands in the 80s, but those are restricted to one key, one scale, unless you retune them. The array mbira lets you play in all keys, any scale. I saw one on youtube and had to have one, just for that. Bill Wesley came up with the idea, and these instruments are amazing. It's been tricky for a pianist to get used to the 'circle of fifths' array arrangement, but I'm getting there with it. It is there, in the album, but mostly more a supporting role than upfront.4/ These days technology allows people to get quick results with their music making, but it has yet to solve the challenge of crafting a good arrangement. Can you give any tips for producers wanting to improve this invaluable skill ? If you're a player, it's easy. Just get a vibe going, then play your instrument, improvising, and record the result. There will be a structure and shape to that performance that 'is' the arrangement (regardless of the howlers and bad timing, whatever) since you'll change what you're doing, as you play, as you get bored of whatever you're doing at the time. Or at least ... that's pretty much what I do. I'll probably then refine and play around with all of that, quite possibly never use that performance (or anything like it) n the eventual result. But it gets me started on something. And regardless of whatever else changes, that performance will stay up top, on screen, even if muted, throughout the process. And if I get lost, I can refer back to it and remember "oh, yes, that's what this is all about". 5/ What is music to you ? That supremely infuriating but utterly charming friend of yours who always gets you into trouble, takes up all your time, and costs a fortune, but with whom you always have the best of times. It's been my life but I'd still like to punch it, sometimes.6/ You collaborate and perform with a number of musicians and bands - can you tell us a bit about your work outside of Another Fine Day ?At the moment that's mostly Newanderthal, a loose collective of acoustic players and singers from India, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, various parts of Africa, and Europe. We don't have that much time to get together, but it's a good mix up when we do. A lot is improvised, throwing Bengali and Ethiopian folk tunes over the same rhythms in one song, with mbira, kora, acoustic bass, guitar, tabla, esraj, etc, all filling it out behind. I like it a lot. Hopefully we can take it a bit further but we'll see. Otherwise these days I'm mostly writing work for media, tv, film etc. Just started on some work with a very old friend who did rather well back in the 90s but early days on that one...7/ What do you listen to when you’re not working on your own material ?There are some albums which are the 'foundation stones' for me (Reich, Davis, etc) and I'll listen to those every month, probably. Lots of classical and world music, all kinds. Not so much electronica, these days, unless reliable sources tell me I really should check something out, and then more likely the ambient end than dance music.8/ What gives you a burst of inspiration ?Nothing in particular I can identify. It's either there or it isn't - some days things just fly, other days you may as well go for a walk. Which can be tricky if you're on a tight deadline for a commission...9/ You played at the much loved Big Chill festival for many years. For those that weren’t lucky enough to be there can you expand a little on what made it so good ?- the people who put it together- Pete Lawrence & Katrina Larkin did it because they loved it, not because of the cash (which mostly didn't turn up, the first two were disasters, financially)- the people who came - mostly those looking for a bit more than most festivals supplied at the time (and have now copied) - ie, a bit more depth, in everything, art trails, superb site design, the idea that it wasn't about headliners, but everyone together making the thing work. There wasn't any 'artist only camping', everyone mucked in together. The Chillers made the Chill.- it was (mostly) a 90s thing. Pre- 9/11, pre Iraq war, pre financial crash, and pre Internet, mostly. That also meant it was a different, possibly more naive, but also happier world, at least for those in the West at the time. I wouldn't say it was like the 60s, but there was a vibe about it. And the Big Chill was where, for me, it was best expressed. It managed to hold on to that for a good deal of the noughties, too, but once Pete and Katrina bowed out, that was it, for most of us. Good times for 16 years isn't a bad run, though !10/ What country in the world would you most like to visit and why ?Mali. It has the best music in the world. 10 Questions with Another Fine Day 2015-03-18T18:32:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-sunmonx http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-sunmonx#When:18:28:00Z Oscar [Opiuo] and Albino [Austero] are Sun:monx. As we celebrate their new ep In the Trees it seemed like a good moment to get to know them better. Both are great producers and performers in their own right - together they bring heaps of good vibes and music for the sun…1/ How did you first get into music ? i.e. where / when and what were your influences ?Oscar:Music has been around me since day one. Whether my parents were throwing parties, or my uncle and aunties were jamming out. It's been a part of me. I dove into it myself during my high school years playing in bands and djing at local outdoor festivals. My influences were many, too many, but one festival and collective called The Gathering honestly changed how I saw and experienced music. I was only 14 at the time, but the first one I attended changed my world.Albino:I think I was like ten or eleven when I actually started to listen, really listen to music. An older friend from school who played the guitar introduced me to Guns n' Roses, it was 1990 i think and I still remember feeling a bit naughty looking at the art of the cassette portraying a semi naked girl. I was really into it, but It was until the summer of 1992 when it really hit me, I was 12. I was on Brownsville Texas on a holiday with my family, I don't know why but I was walking between towering stacks of Televisions, on this shady appliance store and i remember looking down, to the bottom Tv, there it was, one of the most haunting things i had ever seen in my life, both sonicly and visually, "plush" from Stone Temple Pilots. I couldn't stop watching it, it was like magic pouring into my eyes and something inside me changed forever, at that moment it didn't make much sense but it was definitely a planted seed. One of the most significant single moments that changed my life forever.  Influences:  Jeff Buckley, The Doors, Rage Against The Machine, Tool, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Guns n Roses, Alice in chains, Blind Melon, Radiohead, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Sublime. I think you get the picture.. 2/ Tell us how Sunmonx came to be…Albino:After hanging out and sharing Musical creations, Oscar and I started to spend more and more time in the studio, one day he gave me a call and said "Let's do Music together!" and that was it! Oscar:We like sunrises, and this is music for the sun. We met at a festival in 2008 and never looked back.3/ What things do you like best about being based in Melbourne ?Oscar:The people, parties, places, faces, spaces. Its a never ending mash of all things awesome, and its gritty charm entices me back every time I leave to tour.Albino: Good parties, Good job, Good friends, Good Music, Good food, and very Good coffee!4/ What simple set up would you suggest for a beginner looking to learn the basics of production and make some tunes ?Albino:Powerful computer, I think this is a must. I remember that it was a pain to constantly being unable to keep on working on something because the computer couldn't handle it. Half decent speakers, something moderately acceptable. Half decent audio interface, specially if your recording instruments. A simplified controller, it could be just the keys of the piano, a microphone, and guerrilla soundproofing, old mattress, couches, pillows and just surf the internet to find the best setup for the room your working on. Oscar:A good pair of speakers, a good room, and a free mind. Don't make what you think other people want to hear, make what makes you feel good. Confidence takes a long time to master, but the sooner you start being yourself, the sooner you will make it.5/ What is music to you ?Oscar:Everything.Albino:Hmmmmmm…. 20 mins later...... To many things in my head to answer. I will say everything. A fuelling tonic that heals the self unknown.6/ Do you have a current favourite synth or plugin ?Albino:Virus ti!!Oscar:I live u-he's Diva. An analogue style soft synth. I use it a lot.7/ What do you listen to when you’re not working on your own material ?Oscar:Hiphop, disco, funk, soul, folk, electronica mostly. But it constantly changes.Albino:Absolutely nothing, maybe some oldies like Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, super chilled stuff really.8/ What gives you a burst of inspiration ?Albino:Joy or sorrow fueled by morning coffee, also rainy days, or cold weather, [not freezing]. Oscar:Anything. From travel, to parties, riding my motor bike, to having a cup of tea.9/ What was your favourite location to perform at this last year ?Oscar:At Glastonbury on a giant mechanical spider with fire breathing legs.Albino:Japan 10/ What country in the world would you most like to visit and why ?Albino:Mongolia, I don't know why but it calls me, its said in some legendary stories of Mexican anthropological Chinese whispers that they were some of our first visitors, before every other country, and you can see it in features of some people that are still not that "westernised" in the hidden untamed Mexico. "No psss quien sabe!"Oscar:Iceland. They seem like they got it sorted!photos courtesy of Rebecca Metamorphograph 10 Questions with Sunmonx 2015-03-18T18:28:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-liquid-stranger http://newsite.interchill.com/features/10-questions-with-liquid-stranger#When:21:58:00Z It is early 2015 and we ask Martin Staaf ten questions...1/ We’re Spring 2015, what are you working on now ?I'm working on a new full length album and a new series of EPs.2/ Can you tell us a bit about them ?Since I got done with the Anomaly series, I've been writing an insane amount of new tunes and now my team is in the process of singling out the best ones.I've been focused on alternative styles of music for a while, and now I'm aiming to do some releases with more energetic dance music. However, I'm much more interested in writing actual songs than experimenting with sounds nowadays. The new tunes will feature more vocals and melodic elements than my previous releases on Rottun etc.3/ You’ve been working on a film score - what skills have you had to employ or sharpen to deliver here ?I've been working on a couple of smaller short films. I would love to get more involved in scoring. It's something that comes easy for me, and I really enjoy building a soundtrack for visual scenarios. I get to enhance a story with my music. I've gone back to my classical roots for this and incorporated a lot of orchestral arrangements mixed with my signature weird soundscapes.4/ What simple set up would you suggest for a beginner looking to learn the basics of production and make some tunes ? Nowadays, all that's needed is a laptop with a DAW and some plugs. I think it's wise to start with a very basic setup and learn it well, as opposed to buying excessive gear. There will be a somewhat steep learning curve in the beginning, so patience and discipline are virtues here. Don't get too wrapped up in technology. After all, inspiration comes from within.5/ What is music to you ? Music is an emotional catalyst that breaks down racial, cultural, and intellectual barriers. Music is how we humans decorate time.6/ Do you have a current favourite synth ? I have a lot of gear (too much) and it's hard to single out any particular favorite. I'd say that I've become more interested in the human voice as an instrument, and with that, I've been using a lot of cool plug ins such as bitspeak, and vocaloid. I've also put my hardware vocoders to good use.7/ Do you get a sense when you write that you’re a musical channel ? i.e. does the idea emerge and take shape, or do you pre-plan most of it, or somewhere in between ?I don't plan much at all because I've found that my pea brains gets in the way of free expression. Music is not a mental concept for me apart from learning how to operate the gear. It's more about letting the mind go blank and allowing my emotions be the guide.8/ What gives you a burst of inspiration ?Usually it comes from doing something else than music - nature has a profound creative influence on me, as well as traveling and and experiencing different cultures.9/ What was your favourite location to perform this last year ?Shambhala Music Festival probably took the cake in 2014 along with Paradiso Festival, but there was so many good shows that it's hard to choose.10/ What country in the world would you most like to visit and why ?I've been to a LOT of countries...would be cool to get back to South Africa. 10 Questions with Liquid Stranger 2015-02-19T21:58:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/insight-with-alex-grey-allyson-grey http://newsite.interchill.com/features/insight-with-alex-grey-allyson-grey#When:06:37:00Z Invisible Productions is organizing a 3 day event in Nelson BC with Alex and Allyson Grey.Invisible Productions presents In:Sight with Alex Grey & Allyson Grey October 8, 9 & 10th, 2015 Join world renowned artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey for their first ever public appearance in Western Canada. Hosted in multiple venues in Nelson, BC, this historic visionary culture event series will provide many points of access into the art and life of these iconic figures including their projects CoSM (The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors) and Entheon. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: >>> Thursday Oct. 8 'Vision Practice' - A 6 hour visionary art workshop with Alex Grey and Allyson Grey Location: Kootenay Studio Arts, Nelson, BC Visionary artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey teach painting and drawing from the wellspring of divine imagination. In this workshop, artists at any level of experience create from the sacred ground and the mystic eye. Using guided imagery, meditation, shamanic ascent, we open the doors of the imagination to the theatre of revelation. Utilizing basic materials -- graphite, coloured pencils, pastels, and watercolours -- we commit mental pictures to paper and discuss the aesthetic dimension of our mystical experiences. An illustrated talk on the worldwide visionary art movement will prepare us for vision practices, art meditation, and group interaction that empowers the process of realizing our heart’s iconography to outer form. Explore art as a spiritual path with Alex & Allyson. Capacity is limited to 35 participants. For more details about the art workshop including pricing and registration please contact: insightnelson2015@gmail.com>>> Friday Oct. 9 'The Entheo-Generation' - An evening presentation featuring Alex Grey and Allyson Grey. Location: Capitol Theatre, Nelson, BC. Tix: $40 + applicable fees available online at: http://www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca/ or in person at the Capitol Theatre Box office (Tues - Fri, 12 - 4:30pm)>>> Saturday Oct. 10 (Daytime) Public appearance, merchandise and signing event with Alex and Allyson. Location: Hume Hotel banquet room Time: 11am - 3pm Free admission >>> Saturday Oct. 10 (Evening) A multimedia event featuring live painting by Alex and Allyson, DJs and video projections. Location and tix: TBA This event series is produced by Invisible Productions in association with CoSM and Dew. IN:SIGHT with Alex Grey & Allyson Grey 2015-02-18T06:37:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/new-albums-on-the-horizon http://newsite.interchill.com/features/new-albums-on-the-horizon#When:06:26:00Z Naasko is putting together a compilation and Eat Static and Greg Hunter are in the schedule for the end of 2015Naasko's compilation will be an exploration of deep dubs where depth, bass and subtlety come together. The dub element in music has long been a strong influence for us here, and this compilation will be a nod to the present and future of this ever-evolving sound. Release date for this summertime selection is set for early June 2015.We've long been a fan of Greg Hunter's work and have released a number of his remixes, collaborations and tracks on compilations. Talk of doing an album together has bubbled up a few times over the years and now firmer plans have been made.  Merv has been hard at work on his opus 20th anniversary double release for Eat Static, which he is going to release himself.  Along the way he's accumulated a number of ideas, as well as a monstrous Eurorack analogue synth and we're lucky that he's planning a follow up release with us for the end of the year. Expect the unexpected...  and something more electronic than Back to Earth. Stay tuned for more details on these upcoming releases. New albums on the horizon 2015-02-18T06:26:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/sinepearl-interview http://newsite.interchill.com/features/sinepearl-interview#When:00:00:00Z When / how did you start making music? Let us know about your journey up to this point...At the age of eleven I got my first computer and immediately got hooked on tracker programs. The first years I mostly made drum'n bass, but also some beats and dance music. Looking back I can see that I loved pads from the beginning... As time passed, new perspectives, music, fractal experiences and mystical insights changed the sounds and shifted the places from which the inspiration was channeled. For many years the music that came through was based on beats and melody. Some day when I have too much time I might put up a free download page for those songs. There's a couple of hundred of them! More reverb and soundscaping has entered these last 10 years as the mind got calmer and more spacious. The pads became more dominant and the beats are now softer and even rare. As i matured as a musician people started to encourage me to release and get it out... And in 2010 or so Matt Hillier heard some songs on myspace and wanted to make a release on Virtual World Records. That was of course an honor and a great joy since his music feels like home beyond this planet, and has opened many creative doors for me. This was also when my focus shifted and releasing became a part of giving birth to music. I spent one winter in Norway finishing that first album. Now a third album is being released on Interchill Records and a fourth is just about done, and I'm happy to see that the sinepearls are spreading and being heard. There are always new horizons for what I want to create and for what i see is posible to do, but I'm so pleased with and greatfull for this new album, Cycles Within Cycles Within. And Interchill Records feels like great soil for this music.Where do you live - and how do you fill your time?I live in an intentional eco-community on the countryside outside Göteborg in Sweden. Here I work as a therapist using acupuncture and other therapeutical forms. Veggie farming is something else I enjoy and spend alot of time doing. Music and relations does of course get alot of attention as well. My tea-consumption is high.If you could meet/spend time with any musician alive or past, who would they be and why?Mozart seems to have been a nutty character... Like many geniuses? It might be nice or at least interesting to hang out with him for a while and get a feel for his perspective on things and where his music came from. Another musician i have alot of respect for is Björk. Her music feels uncompromising, direct and "true". Spending time with her is high up on the list. Björks album Verspertine is such a creative pearl and one of my favourites for all genres.What is your process of composition?Listening is my process. Listening and then reflecting what has been "heard" into sound. It can mean that I listen to a field recording and the silence behind or inside the sounds will reveal inspiration.. And that inspiration then gets interpreted as sounds or music. It can also mean that I'm just playing around testing sounds and then one sound will open up and appear to have other sounds surrounding it. It could be a whole song or just some small detail. But yeah, that's what happens, one sound or recording opens a channel and triggers a kind of hearing of what is surrounding it. Or could be surrounding it. Something like that!?Do I do any field recordings -If so where from?Yes and I usually record the nature were I live. The streams, the birds, the lake, the trees and the insects. You can hear alot of birds in Cycles Within Cycles Within. I will repay them with food during the long winter. I have also recieved some recordings from travelling friends. One example of that are the crickets and frogs in the song Ceremonial Tea. It was recorded by a friend traveling around in South America. I also make simple recordisngs of percussions and other instruments like flutes and strings.If you had to name 5 albums that have been influential to you, or couldn't do without then what would they be?A very difficult question! But ok, here are some albums that I've enjoyed alot and for several years. In random order: Björk – Vespertine, Shpongle – Tales of the Inexpressible, Ishq – Magik Square of the Sun, Aphex Twin – Come to Daddy, Omnimotion – Waveform. I also listen to my own music alot.You are playing at Boom 2014 -have you been there before? What festivals have impressed you the most and why?My gig at Boom 2014 will be the first visit to this festival. But from what people have said about it I believe my music will fit very well into that atmosphere. Psychedelic permaculture! One festival I really enjoyed was Ozora. Back in 2008 when it still had a feeling of an intimate forest party in Värmland, Sweden. Even though there were several thousand visitors.What is music to you? How would you describe it?Maybe music and frequencies are like keys or like carriers of intentions and visions. Different inspirational sources opens us up for different experiences. But the way it is perceived and received is of course a composition of relations... From inspirational source to listener, from listener to her own mind to speakers to 10.000 other simultaneous relations. Music can be medicine but it can also take us deeper into disharmony and unhealthy states. I would like to say also that music is a creator of worlds through the listeners imagination, astral tentacles and later actions. So we better make beautiful music with loving intentions! Sinepearl Interview 2014-02-04T00:00:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-independent-consulting-and-artist-services http://newsite.interchill.com/features/interchill-independent-consulting-and-artist-services#When:00:00:00Z Interchill has gotten tired of turning away artists with great music looking for album deals. Our release schedule is set so far ahead of the present moment and artists are usually unwilling to wait for a slot to open up. In addition, we are also seeing increasing numbers of artists who are looking to release their own music, making use of the many means available to do so while retaining control over their rights and decisions that have a financial element to them.   We've responded to this situation by developing a consulting and artist services division in which we're able to give some focussed label expertise and useful solutions to artists to help them achieve their short term goals and set plans for the year ahead. We're also available to work for artists as a behind-the-scenes office, which is helpful if competing deadlines are looming.Andrew and Naasko work on this together, so you get our combined experience as well as access to our extensive network of industry contacts. If you're interested to know more about our new platform then get in touch!   Interchill Independent: consulting and artist services 2012-02-04T00:00:00+00:00 http://newsite.interchill.com/features/in-depth-with-liquid-stranger http://newsite.interchill.com/features/in-depth-with-liquid-stranger#When:00:00:00Z as a lead-in to the launch of the forthcoming album, the intergalactic slapstick, we present an up close interview with the multi-faceted producer known as liquid stranger.what is your musical background?i started playing piano at a tender age and did classical piano concerts between the age of 6-8. then i discovered the synthesizers and life was never the same again. i abandoned the classical music world and spent the next 10 years producing my own material. i never thought about releasing any of my music until i was 17. then, all of a sudden, it was time to get a job...and i realized that there was nothing else i wanted to do at that time than making music. what other work have you done in the music world?i have done my share of shady black-ops: i worked in a commercial studio for a while and engineered/produced a lot of jazz and rock bands...i even made a song for the euro-vision contest once - hehe. you had some notable success with your progressive trance project necton a few  years back - what lead you to move away musically from that genre to start developing a new sound and style?i never really moved away. i have always made tons of different types of music. during the time i toured with necton, i produced various stuff like soundscapes, electronica and blipp’n’bass. what excites me is the fusing of genres. i have no fixed style that i stay with too long. i do not like limitations and i get bored very easily. give us a bit of insight into the liquid stranger project.it started off as my ”everything under one roof project”. i wanted one alias that would encompass all my musical output. consequently, i have produced a wide variety of music under the name liquid stranger. at first, the plan was to keep my identity a secret, so i never did interviews or showed my face on stage. after a while it became quite tricky. in fact, interchill finally ruined this idea by writing my name on the record sleeves. ;) did you have a certain approach or philosophy in mind when you created the material for your new album?yes, but it never turns out the way i plan. i had lots of ideas for different tunes. however, as soon as i start producing, my ideas fade away and something else takes over. ultimately, i have very little control over the creative process. i have a very short attention span when it comes to music. a tune must not take more than about 4 hours to finish or else i will get bored and abandon the project. what collaborations have inspired you the most over the years?the candymind label was a really creative and fun project. no compromises, good vibrations. who would you like to work with?i do not really enjoy producing music with other people. most often it takes too long, or gets far too serious and pretentious. for the new album i asked a couple of talented vocalists to send me material that i could use in my productions. this worked out beautifully.my brother has started working on a sequencer program built around AI. the idea is that the producer inputs a basic concept (such as a bassline, a few chords, and a beat). then the software lets AI musicians with different styles and temperament elaborate on the idea. this way, the producer gets dynamic creative feedback from the computer. electronic music making will become a living, breathing, creative process between the producer and the software. and, you know, all time-consuming editing with drum fills and such would be taken care of as well. it is a brilliant idea. ultimately i am looking for a way to connect my brain directly to a wetware computer. tell us about your live set up.i mix beats from 2 cdj's and sync them to my cwejman s1 modular analogue system using an audio to midi converter. i never really know what is going to happen, so it is new and exciting for me. i can tailor the sets to fit the time and mood of the crowd. i also do not have to bring a computer on stage which, for a live set up, is kinda boring. what is your preferred piece of electronic music hardware and/or software?i love analogue synthesizers, but lately i am running almost everything from my computer. there are so many amazing virtual instruments and efx on the market.i recently saw a tv show where a bunch of really prominent classical maestros did a blind test with different versions of beethoven's symphony no. 9 in d minor. the first version was played by the british royal philharmonic orchestra, the second by the german chamber orchestra, and the third was made with computer software. everyone agreed that the software version was the most authentic, and best-sounding version. hilarious! favorite acoustic instrument?i would like to say the human voice...but that would not be true...i think my favorite acoustic instrument is the kazoo or possibly the accordion. favorite books?- 'a book of five rings' by miyamoto musashi - 'catch 22' by joseph heller - 'the hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy series' by douglas adams - 'the art of war' by sun tzu - 'tortilla flat' by john steinbeck - 'the kyokushin way' by masutatsu oyama. recommended movies?- amarcord (federico fellini) - pi (darren aronofsky)  - donnie darko (richard kelly) - brutti & sporchi e cattivi (ettore scola) - nuovo cinema paradiso (giuseppe tornatore) - benny's video (michael haneke) - pan's labyrinth (guillermo del toro) - dr. strangelove (stanley kubrick) - casino (martin scorsese) - apocalypse now (francis ford coppola) favorite way to unwind?a hard mixed martial arts workout. if you could time travel to a certain time and place in the history of music then where would you go?5000 years into the future.where do you see dubstep heading?dubstep is ultimately a mashup of different styles of music such as 2step garage, grime, reggae, electro, breaks, drum’n’bass, etc. dubstep has got an open frame, and has already evolved into a bunch of sub categories.today, artists such as snoop dogg and xzibit have propelled the genre into the mainstream market and i guess it is only a question of time before the hype is over. what is one thing that everyone should do at least once in their life?listen to their inner voice. you've played here in western canada a few times - how does it seem to you?i have a very busy schedule nowadays, and unfortunately i have to say no to a lot of gig requests. i always tend to squeeze in the BC gigs though. i love BC. beautiful nature and amazing people. it reminds me of my home country sweden.   In depth with liquid stranger 2009-10-15T00:00:00+00:00