Artist of the Week - 2006-09-11 - Flavio Gaete |
Flavio Gaete read the full interview here
InterviewFOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Okay all you audio junkies out there. We have a real treat for you this week. I’m here talking to Flavio Gaete, a very professional electro producer from NYC. Well, Flavio, why don’t you start by tell me a little bit about your musical roots.Flavio Gaete: Back in Venezuela, I attended a “musical” school (I went to only one school from kindergarten to high school which included a conservatory) and started playing violin since I was 6 (and switched to viola when I was 12) so I’ve had a strong classical influence ever since. Then, when I was a teenager, I was influenced heavily by an older cousin of mine and got into Cure, Depeche Mode, Smiths and whatnot. I was really inspired by the “new” sound of DM and ever since I got kind of obsessed with electronic music. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Nice. I’m quite a fan of Depeche Mode myself. They’ve been a very big influence in much of my music. One thing I really love about your music is your use of stereophonics and dynamics. Dynamics is something that’s very easy to loose track of in electronica, but all of your productions are so delicate and carefully constructed. Tell me about what influences your productions. Flavio Gaete: I’m really interested in sound as a phenomenon: how it can grab one’s whole attention and then, through its own metamorphosis, it can change one’s perception. That’s my first concern. Then, I worry about songwriting and infusing some sort of narrative into my music. Just trying to accomplish these two has proven an enterprise! I still feel pretty initiated, attempting to match these two elements of my music (sound design and songwriting/composition). Add now my musical influences and you get pretty much what my sound is all about. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Yeah, I know what you mean. Music is the kind of phenomenon that can completely alter one’s state of perceptual awareness in a way that completely transcends time and space. Given your deep musical background, what would you say is the one thing that brought you to production? Flavio Gaete: Well, again, it was Depeche Mode. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Nice. Flavio Gaete: Yeah, I was both baffled and charmed with their sounds. It was a complete mystery how they were made and I really wanted to find out! That and the fact that I was already playing music pretty much led me straight into producing electronic music. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: I think that’s how most of us get hooked on electronic music… The first time you hear it… you don’t know what you’re listening to but hot damn… it’s curious. So is music your one and only love in the arts or do you have other interests and skills in that world? Flavio Gaete: More than an interest it’s rather a skill by trade. Because of my interest in electronic music, I got heavily into computers and technology, which quickly made me computer savvy. So I got to do tech support for MOTU, which led me into teaching about synchronization, audio post, and MIDI. Then, I got into web programming. I wanted to have a site and didn’t have the money or patience to have somebody else do it, so I learned about HTML and Flash and ended up getting some gigs doing that. But now I hate it because it really became a big distraction from doing music! FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Wow… tech support for MOTU… that must’ve been one hell of a job. Tell me a little bit about that. Flavio Gaete: Working for MOTU was great, for one thing because I didn't have to go through an internship! It was a modest entry-level position, but there was plenty of room to move up on the company. And the training was superb. I really got a handle on the industry, got to meet a lot of studio people (big and small) and really got my chops up in terms of learning the technology. 90% of the job was doing tech support. They would have you do a lot of hours on the phone and then it was responding to emails. Still, there were a lot of follow-ups with studios where we had to virtually take apart all of their equipment and put it back together, tracing where a sync signal would fail to go through and whatnot--but we had to do it all in our heads, with the clients waiting on the phone, having called from LA in the middle of a session! FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Ouch, that sounds… mildly stressful. lol Flavio Gaete: Yeah, sometimes it was nightmarish… but I really learned a lot. Then, if you were good, they would have you test prototypes and whatnot. Also, I got to mingle with the programmers, which was great (professional nerds, but very friendly people ;)) ...so, I'd highly recommend this type of job for those who are just out of school or somehow getting started (however, you need to have some background in audio/MIDI already). FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: That’s some great advice. I think I’ll just write that one down. ;) So getting back to you… have you read or seen anything interesting lately (like a book or film) that really inspired you? Flavio Gaete: I just finished reading Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” which blew me away! It was, for me (so far), what I think the “Doors of Perception” was for Aldous Huxley (though I’ve yet to write my own books!) However, that may not be a fair analogy (to either Shakespeare or Huxley, but especially for Shakespeare!) I know this is a stretch, but I’m trying to illustrate a point here—the book was radically transcendental and made a strong mark in my life (it was one of those “before/after” experiences completely changed the way I perceived things). It made me perceive my life as a very small thing. The time it takes for things to happen (e.g. graduating, getting a record deal, getting a new job, etc.) became relative and, again, small by comparison. The play takes about 3+ hours to read, back to back. It relates a story that occurs in real time, but it has references to events that happened 24 years before. And yet, it encompasses the lifespans of various characters, who go through so many experiences, way more than I have managed to go through in my petty 30 years of existence! It’s really amazing... Then, I saw Night Shyamalan’s “Lady In the Water,” which I really loved (as I did “The Village”). And (on a different note) I was also impressed with the latest François Ozon’s “Time to Leave” and “5x2,” and Olivier Assayas’ “Clean.” I’ve also been reading some graphic novels which I’ve found very witty and emotional: Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” and Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis.” All these are highly recommended. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: “Lady in the Water” was excellent. I love all of Shyamalan’s films (especially “The Village”). Paul Giamatti had such an excellent character in that film. So, moving on to the online world of music… are there any internet forums or communities in which you are active? Flavio Gaete: Besides FOEM, I’ve put some tracks on Stir, which is a netlabel based on NYC and I’m about to release my first track on Mek, which is an online label (also from NY) with distribution on Beatport and iTunes and others. Aside from that, I really like the mnml.nl site. They have some nice interviews there. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Excellent! Well we’re very happy to have you with us here! How did you come across FOEM? Flavio Gaete: Through a link in an electronic music ezine called Earplug. Either that, or through Philip Sherburne’s blog --he is one of the writers for Earplug and also Pitchfork. He actually mentioned the Gabriel Ananda competition, which I chose not get into at first but then was convinced by Rockmachine to do it. And it proved a great experience, because I was forced to come up with a full production in a week's time (it usually takes me decades!) It's a different kind of creative state when you have to put out so much emotion so quickly, so it was a new way of doing things for me. Definitely a learning experience. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Oh yeah… I think that’s the one thing that separates the pros from the hobbyists. I had that same experience about 2 months ago when a good friend of mine asked me to remix a track of his. While I was very turned on by the song, I was only given a week to hand in a final master. I really didn’t think I could do it and when I did… it was such a wonderful feeling. You’ve gotta keep in mind that quite often in the business… producers and labels will be on deadlines and may give you even LESS time. So it’s always good practice to see how fast you can put together a good quality track. Anywho, now that you’ve been with us for a bit, what do you like about FOEM? Flavio Gaete: Both the FOEM crew and its members rock! It’s a really strong community, which has only positive things to offer. It’s a great way to promote your music and meet like-minded people, plus I’ve been very encouraged and my own productions have improved greatly, all out of sheer inspiration from being involved with the community. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: That’s great to hear! I’m so glad that we’ve been able to have such a positive impact on your music. So what direction do you see FOEM going in the future? Flavio Gaete: It should get bigger and stay small at the same time! I mean, I’d love for the label to keep growing and do it in big steps (get more and more releases out, each stronger than the next). And the same I think for the publishing side: that more producers get the chance to place their songs on TV and film and whatnot. Always the problem then is to keep the organization as personal as it feels now. That tends to get lost in anything that grows too much. But so far, FOEM has proven the contrary to me, so kudos to all of you! FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Yeah, I definitely agree. I really like the intimacy of a small community. It’s like a small family. FOEM has come a long way, just in the past 6 months… I think we have nowhere to go but up. But enough about us, let’s get back to you… tell me about your aims in life. Flavio Gaete: I guess the one big dream I have is to be able to sustain myself just making—creating and performing—music. And then, to have the freedom to experiment and explore new musical options, to find my voice, while I’m paying my bills! FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Yes, unfortunately the unpredictable nature of this industry means that every independent artist will always live with the aspiration of… being able to pay the bills. But hopefully we can help your career grow enough that you won’t have to worry about these things. So tell me about the best job or production you’ve ever done… your favorite. Flavio Gaete: Playing live so far has been the most rewarding experience (any and all of the times that I’ve had the priviledge to do it). The first memory that comes to mind is when I played Mahler’s 2nd symphony and the Mendelssohn’s Messiah (both of these happened when I was in college) and then, when I played with the Mendes Brothers (producers of Cesaria Evora and other African music) in Cape Verde, and got to mingle with African people and their culture. Also, my first time as a DJ was most memorable: it was at a friends’ party and I hadn’t really planned anything (in fact, I was playing my friend’s CD’s!) but was able to make everybody just euphoric. It’s a weird kind of high. It’s very ephemeral and takes (it’s taken me, at least!) so many sets to get back there! It depends a lot, I think, on the people and the circumstance. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Yeah, I remember my first solo DJ gig… it was a seventh grade dance lol. But despite the crappy music and young crowd… it was quite rewarding for me as well. Speaking of crappy music… what do you think about contemporary popular music played on commercial radio? Flavio Gaete: Ah well… I lost faith in commercial radio very early on. I remember a couple of programs which were exciting because the DJ was good! (he knew a lot of records and had a bit of an experimental nature). But most of what I heard was crap! And then, I could only listen to Venezuelan radio, so no chance of getting into John Peel or anything like that. So, I stopped listening to it since a long time ago. But now, the internet and the iPod have revolutionized all of this. Even AOL has good stuff! Now, as far as indie dance/electronic stations go, my favorite ones are deepmix.ru and oceanclub.de. You should also check my friend’s site. He’s a designer and a big music lover and has some great mixes up @ mogollon-ny.com. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Ah yes, well speaking of online music… what do you think about netlabels and the politics between them and the commercial record labels? FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: I don’t really know what to make of it. I mean, entrepreneurs will always have the upper hand. They have the advantage in this modern society. And there will always be those astute ones who will look to exploit a situation. So, that will happen again, I’m sure (the question is how). However, one should never underestimate the power of the small (didn’t Hip Hop get started that way?). Whether the netlabel communities end up organizing themselves and becoming an industry on their own or they remain strictly a social phenomenon, they will still have a great potential for influencing a larger scope of the music industry as well as the individuals themselves. I feel I've grown a better producer/musician and I’ve made strong, friendly, and lasting relationships with a minimal exposure to forums such as FOEM. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Yes, most industry peeps don’t take all the netlabels seriously and that’s mainly because… ANYONE can upload shit and call it music. So in the internet artist’s world, the problem isn’t the competition but getting people to actually listen to you. So now, we’ve reached our final and favorite question… Being a producer and artist, you’re fueled by inspiration and creativity. Sustaining these things over the years and continuing to maintain quality in your music can be very difficult. How do you handle this ‘burn out’ and how do you plan to keep it under control. Flavio Gaete: I don’t think I’m the right guy to ask advice in this department, since I tend to think I’m burned out most of the time and inspiration hits but rarely! And that’s really because I’ve come to think too highly of inspiration. But I do what’s probably the usual, looking onto other things that are different from what I’m doing. Anything that breaks the habit or whatever rhythm I’ve gotten into. So, I actually have gotten into playing tennis and going to the gym and taking Yoga classes (those break the habit on a regular basis!) Also, I’d think of going to the museum, paying old nature a visit (a mountain, a lake, a beach, whatever), or simply stopping doing music altogether for a while! I do have another secret (well, maybe not so secret) weapon, which I try to keep handy every time I sit down to create: Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s ‘Oblique Strategies’. They are a series of cards, which come with a message, an instruction to change your creative flow. They will say things like: "Go to an extreme, come part way back," or "Destroy -nothing -the most important thing." So, you can make up games with them. For example, you can grab five of them randomly and follow them to the letter, except the last one, which you can just do the opposite of what it's telling you. They are a great tool for undoing whatever’s stuck in your head or break whatever loop you’ve been trapped in. It drastically but effortlessly makes you think outside of your context. Highly recommended. FOEM/Jonathan vanAtom: Flavio, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. On behalf of all of us at FOEM/Electronic Youth, I’d like to wish you the very best of luck in all your future musical adventures and remind you that we are here to help your career in any way we can! |