Those early experiences in commercial studios staffed with people that have no commitment to your music (after all, why should they?) led me to conclude that the only way to really get what you want onto tape, cd or whatever, was to own the equipment yourself, learn how to operate it yourself, and record in your own time.
This has only really become possible since the advent of MIDI in around 1984 and more recently with Hard Disc Recording. A 24 track tape machine used to cost about Ģ25,000, and this was the medium that records were being made on at that time. And in order to gain access to that facility you needed to compromise your music to fit what the record companies wanted. Who incidentally, held the purse strings.
I think it was Karl Marx that said something about equality occurring when "the workers control the means of production" Not that I am a Marxist by any stretch of the imagination, well perhaps a Grouch Marxist :) but I do enjoy the the situation today, with top quality recording equipment available at easily affordable prices, and a host of independent record labels to release material on, levels the playing field considerably away from the major labels, most of whom dominated it for so long, back in favour of the artists who are just interested in being artists. Making music is very important to me, it always has been. Itīs a need. It must be a karmic thing because I donīt think that I could stop if I wanted to! I consider myself a creative artist with music being my expression. And if I have the time and tools available to make music, then I am a happy bunny.
What equipment to you normally use ?
The studio is based around a P.C running Cubase VST. I don't tend to use the audio a whole lot, I generally prefer to run the synths and
samplers "live" from the sequence. Personally I am not too sold on the internal fx thing in VST mainly because of the interface. Though it's very powerful. Moving virtual knobs and faders one at a time with a mouse just doesn't do it for me. This again may change but presently I much prefer using outboard, with an analogue mixer. I have an EMU E4X and Kurzweil K2000 samplers. As far as synthesizers go I have a Korg Prophecy, A Korg MS 20, a Waldorf Pulse, a Nord Lead, a Roland JP8000 and an Access Virus. All those cables go to a Behringer 8 buss Eurodesk, FX include 2x Ensoniq DP/2s, a Lexicon MPX1, and the newer Digitech Studio Quad 4. And a few other things including compressors, enhancers, sprinkings of fairy dust etc.
Tell us a little about your musical backgrounds ....
O.K here's some history..between about 1980-1987 I was a Semi-professional guitarist gigging in various funk, blues and
jazz fusion bands. In 87 I turned fully professional. And played with various cover bands around the U.K. and Europe, whilst writing and
recording original music in my home studio for my own project. Around this time I had my first encounters with the sampler and MIDI
sequencers. (Steinberg pro 24 on Atari) For the next couple of years I worked as freelance session guitarist, I did some international tours and some T.V and radio work.
About that time a mate took me to a club....and something happened. Suffice to say I had a Eureka experience with dance music and started to take it seriously, and partly as a result of this experience, I began to explore the possibilities of MIDI and dance music. Around this time my brother turned me on to some early German Techno and Trance records which I found really inspiring. Soon I began making some purely electronic music, ( the guitar just went right out the window, though it has crawled back in recently) and in 1992 I produced my first Techno/Trance tracks for Magnetic North Records. A couple of years later in 1994 I Formed the Cosmosis and Laughing Buddha projects with Jez van Kampen, which kind of brings us to date.
What are your future plans ?
Well I'm currently writing the new Cosmosis album, which I'm having a lot of fun with. So that will be out later this year.
I also have plans to write a couple of tunes with Tristan and to do some tunes with Pete Slide. On a less Techno tip I'm writing some
songs on acoustic guitar. I find it helps to keep my balance and stops me getting too Technoed out. Don't get me wrong, I adore
electronic music, but balance is always good, and helps me maintain a musical perspective. Actually it helps me keep my sanity.
What artists would you say have influenced you ?
Everyone I've ever listened to. From Aretha Franklin to Frank Zappa, from Mozart to Charlie Parker and back again. As far as Trance
goes I love Hallucinogen's production, Synchro's funkiness, Total Eclipse's musicality, Kox Box's psychedelia, X-Dream's bottom
end...there is lots of good sounds around, and also some not so good.
Ofer I like too and er, lemmee see..Nick Taylor's originality and angle on things. There are others.
Who would you most like to work with ? Any of the above. Also as I've said, Slide, Tristan and Mr. Suzuki himself, Tsyuoshi.
Cosmosis is you (Bilbo) and Laughing Buddha is your former partner Jez (apologies if I've got confused along the way!). Do you intend to work together in the future again ?
Perhaps. I don't know where he is at the moment. Last time we spoke he was getting itchy feet again. I think he has got travelling in his blood. I kind of got the idea he was heading out to the 'states via India. .
What is your connection with Pied Piper ?
He's a mate. I have just finished a collaboration with D.J Pied Piper. The track is called "Grinder-Winder" I've also just created 3 new tunes with D.J. Kuma which will be coming out on Phantasm Records under the name Mumbo-Jumbo
How do you see the psy-trance scene in the UK at the moment ?
At the parties I go to it's back to the Usual Suspects, the people that were around at the beginning plus a few newer converts that got
picked up in the . Generally speaking intelligent, fun people that think for themselves.
How do you think it has developed ?
It's sort of back to where it was before the press got hold of it and hyped it up to be something that it wasn't, i.e "gonna take over the
world", or "the next big thing" or whatever cliched headline. Actually it has taken over the world in it's own quiet way, because we now
have a trance Global Party Network, and I've spent the last three or four years playing on it all over the world. But obviously trance
music hasn't taken over the world on the sort of scale that the headlines claimed. Incidentally, press headlines only need to be sensational
in nature to qualify as headlines. Facts, truth or accuracy is not a requirement. So that is not a surprise.
The reason for this of course is that trance dancing all night to psychedelic music while under the influence of consciousness expanding drugs (or just getting into a trance state by dancing) is the sort of activity that only appeals to a small minority of people that share a particular world view and set of values. In fact, I only recently realised that lots of people live in mortal fear of being referred to as a hippie, like it's an insult. And I thought (and I still do) that it's the coolest thing, the most sensible thing. To me it's synonymous with a responsible and intelligent response to the world in which we now live.
What in your view, makes a Trance night?
Trance nights are for people that understand the notion that a night out can be about something other than an opportunity for some
sexual action with the opposite sex. It's like, what do you do if you aren't going to go out on the pull? Is there life beyond basic
survival/procreation modes of being? Beyond being pushed and pulled around by basic desires?
Sure it's fun to do that for a while, but a good trance night is a whole lot more sophisticated and refined. And civilised. It's always struck
me how very civilised trance nights are.
Do you have any parting messages ? To thine own self be true. At all times and in all circumstances.
Bilbo Bagginz,