DJ L'embrouille read the full interview here
This week's issue of Artist of the Week holds up DJ L'embrouille. Erwan Collec aka DJ L’embrouille, mixed the recently launched FOEM/Electronic Youth Vol.15 . More on him - in the following… Real Name | : | Erwan Collec | Artist Name | : | DJ L'embrouille | Aliases | : | Coco | Website | : | www.djlembrouille.net | | | www.myspace/djl39embrouille | Year of birth | : | 1974 | Gender | : | Male | Girlfriend | : | Girlfriend + two kids (1 year and 2,5 years) | Nationality | : | French (British in fact) | Location | : | La Roche Maurice (near Brest, west coast) | Work | : | Risk Manager | | | | Influences | : | Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, French djs squad (Laurent Garnier, Manu le Malin, Pacman, Bertrand, Toxic, Miss Kittin,...), Jeff Mills, 808 State, The Shamen among many more and now all netlabel activists. David Lynch! | | | | Netlabel Releases | : | netlabel sets in mixotic (5), sonic walker (3), for electronic youth (1 soon 3), op3n, avionix, zimmer (2), inv3rno, deepindub, pinksilver, torespont, offtechno, pentagonik, stirsound (2), aeronautique, loopzilla (1 soon 2), random access recordings, supersix, italobusiness (2), Melenick Session (46). Must be something like 84 sets in almost two years. | | | | Favorite FOEM/EY track | : | Lots! Just see my FOEM/Electronic Youth sets! | Interview: FOEM/Adinaaa: Hey, Erwan! You wrote on your website that you are not overflowed with messages; therefore a new E-Mail would please you. So starting from a pleased state of mind, tell me and our non-French speakers what does L'Embrouille stand for? DJ L'embrouille: Hey, hey, when I was young there was a famous TV show with Antoines De Caunes where he used to hide himself under different faces. One of those was a guy called Didier L'embrouille, biggest world fan of Dick Revers, very rock and roll. You can see him on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJc_pgXmjZM. So, because Didier in French sounds approximately like DJ and while drunky party was a good joke, I decided to use this name. It's my way of not taking this too seriously and it's also a way to remember the good times from my 20s later on. FOEM/Adinaaa: Oh, I'm turning 20 in a couple of months so judging from what you say, it's all up-hill from here, I guess. Looking forward to it. But besides the good times from your 20s you said that your artist name is a way of not taking your career as a dj too seriously. How come? DJ L'embrouille: About my 'career' as a DJ, I want to keep that just as a hobby, doing it from home, trying to play good transitions with great tracks and making people aware of the netlabel scene. Perhaps in the future, I will be more interested in playing in clubs (I do that on very rare occasions) and see people dancing, but at the moment it's almost impossible with two young kids that don't sleep at all at night! FOEM/Adinaaa: I understand your approach. Moreover, I think that it's absolutely great what you're doing - promoting netlabels and new producers. Mixing completely legal. But, how do you choose your next tracks from the multitude of producers desperate to be heard? DJ L'embrouille: It took me some time to find the right places with topics on new releases, also to form my own opinion of many netlabels and artists. So here is how I do the thing today: Step 1. Download many releases in the styles I like (minimal, techno, house, deep, dubby) which I find on forums (mnml, netlabel board, foem, livesets) and blogs (minimalnet, rowolo, archive). Keep the releases that I like (the entire release + the tracks I like less) and delete the ones I dislike. However, I try to include new netlabels when they are good (I think it's nice to support the rookies!) Step 2. Edit all the tracks in my soft (Virtual DJ) and place a comment with notes, style and other information to describe them. Step 3. Make a playlist in Foobar with all the new tracks. This is the point where I have to choose from about 100 - 200 tracks the 20 or 30 that I will play. Will try to place in the beginning the less bpm ones (120/122), then increase the beats. Step 4. When everything sounds good to me and the set is coherent, I play it. By now, I think I've played something like 1700 different free tracks. FOEM/Adinaaa: An impressive number if you ask me. Going through your playlists I've noticed that many tracks come from the same artist. I guess that you have some personal favorites? DJ L'embrouille: Well, for me, not only the quality of music counts, but also the quality of artists as human beings. I try to place tracks of people I know and appreciate - from the exchange I have with them on the net - let's quote Jerzz among many others! + when I receive promos from netlabels. I play one for sure if it's in the style that suits my mood for the weekly set. FOEM/Adinaaa: Speaking in more technical terms, on your website you also wrote that you make your sets using Hercule DJ Console and Virtual DJ soft. Is there a piece of equipment that you desperately want to have? DJ L'embrouille: Yep, but it's also a question of money. Anyway, Hercule + Virtual DJ are very cheap materials, not the best for sure, but they certainly suit the way I want to do this thing now. As for the soft, I like the way I can cumulate the two signals with Virtual DJ and the whole interface. However, I need some upgrades: another desk (two is definitely not enough), a more appropriate loop interface and no bugs on fxs! Also need more fxs. Sometimes I'm a bit sad that I can't take the best of Ableton, Traktor and Virtual DJ to place them in my own soft. Let's hope that in the future, things will change! But for today, I hope that what I manage to do with it sounds good! FOEM/Adinaaa: It does. A fan of yours actually referred to you as a 'MixMaster' and also used 'top sound, top tunes, top mixing'. You've retraced for me the steps you take when choosing your tracks, you've told me about the equipment too. I want to know one more thing about your work. Would you consider that you make music for listening or for dancing? DJ L'embrouille: Both, definitely. Anyway, I always try to have something groovy in my sets. It also depends on my mood, but I think that the tracks I play are good for both. FOEM/Adinaaa: Listening to your sets, I couldn't help but notice that you're toying with a lot of styles and genres, but which one is your favorite? DJ L'embrouille: Historically, my fav was techno (heavy beat, 135 bpm min). Then, I discovered more precisely the minimal sounds while downloading many netlabel releases. Nowadays, I can't say that I have only one preference, it depends on my daily mood (often minimal, techno, sometimes deep, house, drum and bass, electronica, ...). Also enjoy a lot of (but not for mixing) rap, reggae, dub, classical. FOEM/Adinaaa: In the last few years, minimal had a great impact on the masses. Can you predict what the next best thing will be? DJ L'embrouille: Can't predict for the masses. I can only predict for myself. But to answer your question, I don't think that the next step will be about the sound, but the way we can use it. More and more digital structures, compression and places to stock music. These will become better, more digital jockeys. I think that mixing with digital techniques open large possibilities. Surely it's not the same as with vinyl. It's totally different and will become more standard than today. That's why netlabel just rocks! FOEM/Adinaaa: Ok, I will continue with a personal curiosity. I once heard James Zabiela in an interview saying that probably by the age of 35, he'll be deaf. Are you afraid of ever going deaf because of music? DJ L'embrouille: Yeah, lots of professional djs have some problems with their ears! My case is a bit different since I don't play in clubs, but I like to listen and play music very loud, using only my headphones. I took some tests a year ago and it didn't turn up that bad. Just had some problems with the bass. I'm 33 now and perhaps will reach the 40s without going deaf. I'll get back to you in 7 years. FOEM/Adinaaa: And to sum things up here, what do you think djs do when they retire? Do you imagine them sitting on a beach and playing Backgammon while sipping from a cocktail or something like that? DJ L'embrouille: Hey, hey, I imagine them buying the new gadgets for their ears cause they're almost deaf, right? Well no, it depends on many things, like how much money they earned in their career, it also depends on their family, their love of music. Some will never retire! FOEM/Adinaaa: Will you? DJ L'embrouille: On many occasions I've asked myself why I spend so much time making my sets, my promos and the ones for the netlabels I've played, since sometimes I felt no interest in my action. But it's not the time to retire. I have huge plans for the future. The growth of the netradioshow -in livesets, proton, mth electro, ensonic, subflow, dolebrai. The netlabel scene grows each day and the music gets better and better. FOEM/Adinaaa: A very optimistic view on things. Let's wrap things up in here. Thank you for the interview DJ L'embrouille. As for the dudes and dudettes reading this, you can listen to his sets: Each wednesday at 06:00 pm, on livesets radio for two hours of fresh netlabel sets. Each 1st and 3rd thursday on Proton Radio at 03:00 AM EST. Each friday at 09:00 pm on dolebraï, the netlabel radio. Each 1st and 3rd sunday at 10:00 pm on mth.electro. Keep on going. |