Rhythmism.comQ&A with LUKE FAIR (Saturday, June 16 @ Sullivan Room)
by rhythmism
Thursday, Jun 7th 2007, 12:51 PM
Luke Fair's career trajectory has taken him from nightclub bus boy to resident DJ to rising global star in a few short years. He received early support from some of dance music biggest stars including Deep Dish and Danny Howells and has gone on to tour with Sasha and John Digweed. With a compilation for Yoshitoshi and Digeed's Bedrock label already under his belt, Luke joins the esteemed cadre of DJs on the Balance series with his diverse selection of funky, tripped-out house music that has already garnered much praise from the industry and clubbers alike. In the club, Luke specializes in re-editing his tracks that include everything from groovy house and techno to funky progressive and electro. Now fully armed, Luke is set to ignite the dancefloors at Sullivan Room with People NYC on Saturday, June 16th with his unique blend of techy eclectic house for discerning music lovers.
You've now completed three compilations for what might be considered three of dance music's most reputable labels Yoshitoshi, Bedrock, and now Balance. How did the experiences compare?
I had the most freedom with the Balance album. The Bedrock CD was pretty open but it was only a single CD, and the Yoshitoshi mix was a single CD of only Yoshitoshi records. So having a double disc allowed me to go through a lot more sounds without any limitations. The label management was amazing as well, as they cleared almost every track I asked for. I initially expected to get about a 1/3 of the tunes rejected, but out of the 50 I sent through, only one came back with a 'no'.
What is it about the Luke Fair DJ mix that is capturing the attention of the industry?
Not too sure! I guess a main reason would be that I try really hard to find music that no one else is playing. Specifically on the Balance CD, and live shows as well. I think it's more important than ever now to spend lots of time searching for the harder-to-find music. That's because everyone has access to the virtually the same music these days; from the bedroom djs to the biggest names.
being booked at a progressive trance club in Asia was definitely a little odd.
We saw Digweed hanging out at your WMC Balance album release party. He has been a big supporter of your career from the beginning and you now share the same US booking agency (TCA) - are you guys still in touch? Any future plans to work together again?
Yeah we definitely still keep in touch. He's the main reason why I'm DJing for a living. I signed with Bedrock before I had ever played outside of Toronto, or done any real production. I definitely owe a lot to him, and he's been a big inspiration. He's hands-down one of the hardest working people in the business, and still finds time in his crazy schedule to develop new artists. My next release will likely be on Bedrock again, depending on whether or not they want it, of course!
We never used to bother asking DJs this before but recently we noticed that Dubfire was DJing using Serato Scratch Live. What's your DJing setup?
I spin strictly on CDs. Over half of the stuff I play I still buy on vinyl, because there's still so many labels that aren't making themselves available digitally, which is surprising. I'm definitely interested in getting into Ableton a little more and hopefully incorporating it into live sets.
What's in your personal DJ rider?
The only thing I ask for is internet in the hotel rooms. I'm pretty low maintenance! And I'll drink pretty much anything.
What is the craziest thing that has happened to you on tour so far?
Well, the tour's only just started. But I'd have to say that being booked at a progressive trance club in Asia was definitely a little odd. I basically cleared the floor within an hour, and still had 1 hour to go. Any other DJ can tell you how long that last hour must have felt! That's pretty rare though. Every other show on the tour so far has been great.
You're well-known for editing most of the tracks that you play - what software are you using?
I use Ableton for most of me edits now. It's such an amazing program and makes cutting up tracks so easy. You can basically move pieces around like building blocks.
You've been on the road non-stop in Australia & Asia these last few months. What keeps you sane on the road?
I just bought this piece of hardware called a Slingbox. It allows me to watch and control my home TV from my laptop, anywhere in the world. I'm a massive basketball fan and my beloved Toronto Raptors just made the playoffs as soon as I took off for Asia/Australia. I knew I'd go crazy if I couldn't watch any games, so I was able to tune in to every one, even though it meant waking up at 7 or 9 in the morning!
We love the LukeFair.com website, especially your Luke Fair as Elvis impersonation - lord have mercy! You're our hunka hunka burnin' love! Who was the designer behind it?
Thanks! I wish I could say I designed it. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was done by a company in Italy called zerounodesign.net. They had done Alex Neri's website which I loved, so I contacted them to do mine. I told them I wanted something a bit light hearted as I felt that so many DJ sites these days are far too serious. They came back with exactly what I wanted.
Have you been able to keep up with producing music?
Yeah, I got really inspired after doing the Balance CD to get back into production. I spent so much time searching and listening to music for the CD that I heard so many great bits which gave me ideas. I went through a period of about 3 years where I didn't do any production at all, mainly due to really bad writers block and lack of inspiration.
I've finished two tunes since, and want to get two more done by September for an EP.
In the meantime who are a few of your current fave producers & labels?
It's so hard to pick. So many of the songs I play are on different labels, that I rarely play two from the same in one set. If I had to pick though, I'd say Urban Torque, NRK, Z (lately) and Plastic City are pretty fail-safe.
You started up the Electraluxe label with the first single Roman Salzger & Manuel Tur "You Won't Change." What are some of the challenges of running the label?
It's tough finding music that I want to sign. I'm trying to be extremely picky with the label and the quality control. There's so many labels out there now, especially digital-only labels that the quality of releases each week has dropped dramatically. I'm not in a rush to put out music or make money. I just want the label to eventually be associated with complete quality and consistency.
What are the future plans for releases and the type of music that you're looking to sign?
The next release is a song called Telesto by Arcade Mode. It's a double A-side. That should be out in the next month or so. As for the style, I'm looking for anything in the house or techno genres that I love. I want to put out stuff that I'd play to death, not just stuff that I might play or kind of like.
After the intense 'Balance 11' world tour schedule, what are your plans when you return home to Toronto?
My main priority will be to get back into production full-time. I want to get to the point where I'm releasing stuff on a pretty consistent basis. I've got plenty of ideas now that I think I'll be back into it more than I ever was.
Saturday, June 16th
People NYC & Sullivan Room present:
LUKE FAIR
2 DAMN CHEEKY
ALEX DIRTTT
and People NYC Resident
DEEPSPELL
2 for 1 drinks until midnight
$10 with rsvp to list@peoplenyc.com
advance tickets available at www.wantickets.com
10 pm til 5 am
SULLIVAN ROOM
218 Sullivan St
(btwn W3rd & Bleeker)
www.lukefair.com
www.peoplenyc.com
www.sullivanroom.com
www.topdjgear.com
www.myspace.com/peoplenyc
You've now completed three compilations for what might be considered three of dance music's most reputable labels Yoshitoshi, Bedrock, and now Balance. How did the experiences compare?
I had the most freedom with the Balance album. The Bedrock CD was pretty open but it was only a single CD, and the Yoshitoshi mix was a single CD of only Yoshitoshi records. So having a double disc allowed me to go through a lot more sounds without any limitations. The label management was amazing as well, as they cleared almost every track I asked for. I initially expected to get about a 1/3 of the tunes rejected, but out of the 50 I sent through, only one came back with a 'no'.
What is it about the Luke Fair DJ mix that is capturing the attention of the industry?
Not too sure! I guess a main reason would be that I try really hard to find music that no one else is playing. Specifically on the Balance CD, and live shows as well. I think it's more important than ever now to spend lots of time searching for the harder-to-find music. That's because everyone has access to the virtually the same music these days; from the bedroom djs to the biggest names.
being booked at a progressive trance club in Asia was definitely a little odd.
We saw Digweed hanging out at your WMC Balance album release party. He has been a big supporter of your career from the beginning and you now share the same US booking agency (TCA) - are you guys still in touch? Any future plans to work together again?
Yeah we definitely still keep in touch. He's the main reason why I'm DJing for a living. I signed with Bedrock before I had ever played outside of Toronto, or done any real production. I definitely owe a lot to him, and he's been a big inspiration. He's hands-down one of the hardest working people in the business, and still finds time in his crazy schedule to develop new artists. My next release will likely be on Bedrock again, depending on whether or not they want it, of course!
We never used to bother asking DJs this before but recently we noticed that Dubfire was DJing using Serato Scratch Live. What's your DJing setup?
I spin strictly on CDs. Over half of the stuff I play I still buy on vinyl, because there's still so many labels that aren't making themselves available digitally, which is surprising. I'm definitely interested in getting into Ableton a little more and hopefully incorporating it into live sets.
What's in your personal DJ rider?
The only thing I ask for is internet in the hotel rooms. I'm pretty low maintenance! And I'll drink pretty much anything.
What is the craziest thing that has happened to you on tour so far?
Well, the tour's only just started. But I'd have to say that being booked at a progressive trance club in Asia was definitely a little odd. I basically cleared the floor within an hour, and still had 1 hour to go. Any other DJ can tell you how long that last hour must have felt! That's pretty rare though. Every other show on the tour so far has been great.
You're well-known for editing most of the tracks that you play - what software are you using?
I use Ableton for most of me edits now. It's such an amazing program and makes cutting up tracks so easy. You can basically move pieces around like building blocks.
You've been on the road non-stop in Australia & Asia these last few months. What keeps you sane on the road?
I just bought this piece of hardware called a Slingbox. It allows me to watch and control my home TV from my laptop, anywhere in the world. I'm a massive basketball fan and my beloved Toronto Raptors just made the playoffs as soon as I took off for Asia/Australia. I knew I'd go crazy if I couldn't watch any games, so I was able to tune in to every one, even though it meant waking up at 7 or 9 in the morning!
We love the LukeFair.com website, especially your Luke Fair as Elvis impersonation - lord have mercy! You're our hunka hunka burnin' love! Who was the designer behind it?
Thanks! I wish I could say I designed it. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was done by a company in Italy called zerounodesign.net. They had done Alex Neri's website which I loved, so I contacted them to do mine. I told them I wanted something a bit light hearted as I felt that so many DJ sites these days are far too serious. They came back with exactly what I wanted.
Have you been able to keep up with producing music?
Yeah, I got really inspired after doing the Balance CD to get back into production. I spent so much time searching and listening to music for the CD that I heard so many great bits which gave me ideas. I went through a period of about 3 years where I didn't do any production at all, mainly due to really bad writers block and lack of inspiration.
I've finished two tunes since, and want to get two more done by September for an EP.
In the meantime who are a few of your current fave producers & labels?
It's so hard to pick. So many of the songs I play are on different labels, that I rarely play two from the same in one set. If I had to pick though, I'd say Urban Torque, NRK, Z (lately) and Plastic City are pretty fail-safe.
You started up the Electraluxe label with the first single Roman Salzger & Manuel Tur "You Won't Change." What are some of the challenges of running the label?
It's tough finding music that I want to sign. I'm trying to be extremely picky with the label and the quality control. There's so many labels out there now, especially digital-only labels that the quality of releases each week has dropped dramatically. I'm not in a rush to put out music or make money. I just want the label to eventually be associated with complete quality and consistency.
What are the future plans for releases and the type of music that you're looking to sign?
The next release is a song called Telesto by Arcade Mode. It's a double A-side. That should be out in the next month or so. As for the style, I'm looking for anything in the house or techno genres that I love. I want to put out stuff that I'd play to death, not just stuff that I might play or kind of like.
After the intense 'Balance 11' world tour schedule, what are your plans when you return home to Toronto?
My main priority will be to get back into production full-time. I want to get to the point where I'm releasing stuff on a pretty consistent basis. I've got plenty of ideas now that I think I'll be back into it more than I ever was.
Saturday, June 16th
People NYC & Sullivan Room present:
LUKE FAIR
2 DAMN CHEEKY
ALEX DIRTTT
and People NYC Resident
DEEPSPELL
2 for 1 drinks until midnight
$10 with rsvp to list@peoplenyc.com
advance tickets available at www.wantickets.com
10 pm til 5 am
SULLIVAN ROOM
218 Sullivan St
(btwn W3rd & Bleeker)
www.lukefair.com
www.peoplenyc.com
www.sullivanroom.com
www.topdjgear.com
www.myspace.com/peoplenyc
