Having first arrived on our desks thanks to the sounds of his wonderfully cultured sounding Blu EP, his is a sound that belies his relatively short time spent in the production sphere. With three tracks of warped, trippy sounds, the EP in question is full of flair, while it also hints at a producer with much more to give.
This might be Stefan’s first proper interview, but we reckon you’re sure to hear a lot more from Subjekt’s latest signing over the next while...
Can you introduce yourself to people who might not have heard of you before?
Sure! My real name is Stefan Zlatarits and I produce various forms of electronic music from my hometown of Vancouver, Canada.
Who are your current influences? What’s really exciting you about modern day house music?
Well i’m not really sure about current influences as I feel that I am influenced by everything that surrounds me in my day-to-day life. Vancouver is a beautiful city but it also rains 3/4’s of the year so its really good for being putting your head down, focusing and being productive (except in the summer!).
I would say the most exciting thing about house music today is the opportunity that is available to anyone to produce high quality music and be able to share it with the world.
What was Canada like for growing up in in that regard?
Growing up in Canada is really amazing for certain things. In Vancouver you are surrounded by nature and can go to the mountains and the beach all in the same day. Vancouver’s electronic music culture is quite new and is currently in a growing stage with new promoters and producers popping up all the time. A lot of really cool stuff slowly starting to happen so lets hope it keeps going that way!
Can you talk us through your involvement in the local scene a bit?
I run a record label called Rhombus with long-time friend Oliver Nickels and we started doing events based around the label in 2012. We typically book international talent and host semi-monthly events in studio/warehouse style spaces around the downtown core of Vancouver. We would like to think that we have helped expose some great music/artists to people in Vancouver!
Have you traveled outside of Canada to see electronic music elsewhere? How did you find the Canadian scene holds up?
Yeah I’ve traveled around a bit to play some gigs as well as attend various music festivals and Canada’s scene can hold its own to a certain degree. The east coast of Canada (Toronto and Montreal) has always had a larger following due to many factors but the west coast has its own thing going on and i’m excited to see how it continues to unfold!
How long have you been DJing? What was your first introduction to electronic music? Why did it appeal over other styles?
I purchased my first set of 1200’s on Sept 11/2001 (yes it was a weird date to be making such a big purchase) so I have been dj’ing for around 12 years. This was fueled from a few experiences including long nights attending local raves and from a close friend buying a set months earlier which I could’t keep my hands off.
I went to my first rave after my last year of high school in the summer of 2000 and was hooked. The music was so fresh and I’d never experienced it presented in that capacity before!
I would say that it takes influence from both the grooves of house and the darkness and mood of techno and tries its best to combine the two in a way that makes sense to the listener.
Your new EP is out now on SBJKT. How did it end up there? Why did it feel like a good fit?
Yeah I’m really happy with it and I feel that it is a great representation of my sound! I think that we share a similar vision in regards to the sound that we go for and they are a really professional and well run outfit!
So did you find it difficult to get the EP signed then?
No not at all! It was quite seamless actually as they liked all three tracks I sent them!
Are you a self-taught producer? Or are you trained in music?
Self-taught as a producer yes but I have been involved with music most of my life. I played the piano, drums and trumpet from the age of 10 to the end of my high school days so I have a pretty good understanding of musical theory.
So where are you at now with your production in terms of where you'd like to be? Are you still hungry to learn?
Always hungry to learn. It is so exciting every time I sit down in the studio and its something that I always want to keep improving at!
Who/where do you garner much your information from then?
Well a lot of experimenting on my own and also researching techniques online. A lot of Pensado’s Place!!
Have you any plans to start your own label?
Already have yes! Its called Rhombus and you can check it out at http://ift.tt/1mK4Xtx !
What do you reckon are the biggest challenges facing producers from Canada these days? How do you overcome them?
Hmmm I don’t think that there are too many challenges facing producers in the production department but there is definitely a larger platform for house/techno gigs and performances in Europe and thus making it easier to live purely from music.
That being said, as long as you are somewhat established you can basically live anywhere!
What else has got you really excited right now?
I’m starting to tour more often now which is really exciting and I am relocating to London in September for at least a year!
No comments:
Post a Comment