Steve Lalla
[email protected]
Ten years ago I was a devout fan of the chugging power chords of stoner rock outfits like Kyuss, Monster Magnet and their forebears Black Sabbath, so it was the discovery of the dark, repetitive elements of electronic music that drew me into vinyl, DJing and partying until dawn. Along with Frankie Bones or Richie Hawtin, the music of Todd Sines, who in 1995 recorded two EPs for Peacefrog Recordings as .xtrak, embodied my earliest preferences in techno. Performing in Montreal for his first time this weekend, Todd took some time to explain how his style has gradually changed, evolving to incorporate vocals and more organic elements.
Todd Sines My first musical endeavour was playing drums in a punk band, which turned directly into a new thing with Yamaha drum machines, Casio SK-1s, broken guitars, effect pedals and mics – a ghetto version of Cabaret Voltaire. I changed gears after moving from the industrial culture of Cleveland into the club scene once I was old enough to get into them. I sold my bass and amp for a Roland synthesizer and after that, it was all over. I went on a rampage, tracking down anything with a knob, slider or CV input, and studied analogue sound synthesis with a published author on the subject, Dr. Thomas Wells, and accumulated over 30 analog synths and drum machines, which were directly responsible for my sound. I was trying to emulate the flexible nature of communication in sound with .xtrak, so many of those tracks sounded like someone picking up a phone when someone
was online.
Hour It seems you’ve wandered more into house music in recent years?
TS Yes, I have changed directions musically, not to mention sonically, physically and conceptually. After taking a hiatus from 1996 to 2000, I had significantly less gear, and had to figure out how to get back into it. I got an Apple PowerBook, Logic and Reaktor, and started hacking up old sounds and my own voice for my first laptop track on Background. I then met my vocalist, Natacha Labelle, after doing a gig in Toronto. Also, I don’t typically listen to techno when I’m at home at night, or even during the day. It’s usually just something for the club and even then it’s starting to wear a little thin on me.
Hour The addition of vocals to your tracks is perhaps the most striking change.
TS Yes. The vocal element was a way for me, or her, to speak in my music. I had always loved the sound of the voice, from Sade to Elizabeth Fraser in Cocteau Twins and Neil Halstead in Slowdive. It’s a tone that makes us feel comfortable, but whispering and flowing voices are more seductive to me and therefore better matched with my sounds. I want people to feel like they’re in a haze, underwater, post-coital. I never really wanted my music to instruct someone – but just sit in the back of someone’s head and be a catalyst rather than an operative.
Todd Sines performs live, March 20, at Soir?e Risqu?e 13 with Natacha Labelle on vocals, and alongside DJs Mighty Kat and Vincent Lemieux ($5; O Patro Vys), and March 23 at La?ka with Jesse Morrison (no cover). For additional info about Todd check out www.scalestudio.com.
This weekend in an easy-to-swallow capsule: March 19, if Jeff Mills won’t quench your thirst for tek this weekend, warm up at Casa del Popolo with Jan Pienkowski, who performs live, VJ Fluid and DJs Cyan and Frankie Madgenta (no cover). Project 2012’s Synesthesia 2 promises a “higher connection with the universe” as Ottawa’s Zen, Mark Psy-kick, Freedomengine and Clone are joined by Montreal DJs Longstocking, E-Leven and more ($20; info: 514-938-1797). March 20, Gravity has Classic Recordings co-founders Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon down for an authentic underground afterhours hoedown, not to be missed ($25). March 21, Parking’s popular Playground welcomes Chicago’s Roy Davis Jr., primed to drop deep, soulful house sounds alongside resident Patrick Dream ($4 cover).