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Features Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London!

Getting technical with Machine Func boss Saytek Reported by Tom Cypher / Submitted 25-04-07 16:12 Saytek or 28 year old Joseph Keevill is a unique talent that has been bubbling away on the underground since the turn of 2000. With releases on high profile labels such as Kingsize, Evolved, Console and Blue & Black his music has been championed some of the most respected DJ’s on the scene as well as gracing the CD decks and laptops of thousands of underground DJs across the globe. His work has attracted industry praise and critical acclaim with his unique take on ‘live’ electronic music already seeing him push overground. Because he prefers to generate hundreds of loops using Ableton Live and Roland hardware as his tools, his genre-defying shows take the rulebook and throw it out of the window. Improvisation is the key, taking the notion of a DJ crowd reading to the next level, arranging, mixing, triggering, re-sampling and tweaking effects on the fly to make his electrifying shows as live as pattern-based electronic music gets. His labour intensive sets never fail to rock the crowd and he has quickly established a reputation on Europe’s dance floors as one of the hottest live acts around. In a short period of time this has lead to bookings in top clubs across the UK and Europe where he has played peak time slots alongside some of the worlds most respected DJs. We caught up with this bright new talent as he prepares to launch his new digital label 'Machine Func Records' HF: Tell us about your involvement in Ableton. Why do you prefer this to other tools and what does it allow you to do? I love Ableton because it allows the creation of music on the fly. It takes out the bit in-between having an idea and having to reproduce that by putting block’s together on a screen (in an arrangement sense). So it makes the whole thing more intuitive. But don’t get me wrong I still love hardware, particularly the Roland MC-909 (synths, samplers, drum machines and mixer all in one box!) as a live tool. When I have them both synced up via midi with a controller keyboard, A DJ mixer and a Kaos pad 3 I‘m in my element! HF: You prefer playing live as opposed to making tracks in studios, what’s the attraction? I still love making tracks, but you have to bear in mind what’s going to appeal to the current market. When I play live I have hundreds of patterns and samples I’ve created at my disposal. I like to arrange, mute, trigger samples, tweak effects and mix between patterns DJ style all on the fly. I can delve in to anything at any time and do what I want, when I want, there’s nothing quite like responding to a crowd. It’s like I’m one of the crowd and I know what I need next. It’s pretty labour intensive but it’s worth every minute! HF: You’ve released music across a wide selection of labels, why have you decided to start Machine Func? I simply think that there is no need for the middle man in this digital age. All you need is a good mail out company, digital distribution and PR. I often felt a little frustrated by the lack of control. Now I can track every stage from production and distribution through to encoding and sales. HF: What can we expect from the label? Well I’m aiming to put out music that represents my live shows so it won’t be restricted to just one genre. Expect anything from underground house and techno to electro and electro breaks. Melodic or groove based, elevating or dark, deep or tough, whatever I feel like at the time. Basically I’m hoping to build up a diverse body of work over time. HF: When you’re not in Saytek mode, you can be found behind the lighting desk at The End. Does this position help inspire production? Yeah I’ve been lucky enough to work as both a sound and lighting engineer in top clubs and its been amazing to have seen so many different scenes, so similar but so detached. I am at such an advantage that I can be inspired by a DJ that before I worked in this world I would have never chosen to go out and see. It’s also given me an amazing insight on how to rock a crowd and keep an open mind! HF: You used to work with various underground sound systems – what’s the funniest / messiest party you’ve been involved in? There are a few stories to tell, although most of those days are a bit of a blur. We did some strange stuff back then! Once we did a party in a field and the next day a local rag claimed that we had killed off the last of an endangered species of mushrooms (not magic ones though). I actually felt really guilty about that although that could have been the midweek blues. I’m glad to say things have calmed down a lot since those days! HF: Minimal Techno – the best thing since sliced bread or the emperors new clothes? We used to listen to what we called minimal techno years ago. People like Jeff Mills , Robert Hood and of course Richie Hawtin (Plastik Man), back in the days when electro meant an 808 breakbeat! I think there are some truly great new minimal techno records out there that use fresh sounds in a new way, but there is also an element of pretence in the scene as it is now. I have seen a lot of nights where minimal (in the new sense of the word) has been played all night and the dance floor has been completely flat with people chatting, looking bored and sitting down all night - but ask them and they would swear that minimal was the best thing since sliced bread! Dance music should be exactly that, I think rocking the crowd should be balanced well with artistic integrity. HF: Who (or what) inspires you? Inspiration can come from many sources; a particularly good night behind the lighting desk at The End; listening to music from other genres or the stuff I grew up on; and mates DJ sets. It can also come at the most annoying times like when I’m taking my fiancé out for dinner, or when trying to get some sleep! HF: Where do you see yourself in five years? Being a successful globe trotting live act while running a respected label that I can champion my own music through as well as fresh new talent. Of course I also see myself being settled, content and married to my fiancé Dee! HF: What is your secret skill? I don’t think I have one, but I think my live act is unique and my lack of desire to follow the latest trends but to draw influence from a wide range of sources helps me stand out from the crowd. HF: What drives you to write music and play live? I think it all comes from feelings that I got from dance music in the days when I was a wide eyed and bushy tailed clubber in my teens during the 90s. It was then I knew it was a path I wanted to pursue. Also I think once you have played to a crowd or put out a record it becomes very addictive! HF: What are your thoughts on the digital revolution? I think it’s great the way DJs are buying digital releases, file sharing and falling vinyl sales threatened to destroy dance music! Now a label can put out the music they love, without knowing it’s going to make a loss or just break even, which means more variety and that can only be a good thing. HF: How do you see artists surviving in the future? Now the digital age is upon us I think the future is bright, hopefully there will be more live electronic music and people will continue to strive to create individual styles. I think we are seeing a shift from record sales to performance as the major form of income for artists I think this will probably continue. HF: What’s next for Saytek? Well of Course MF02 is on the horizon. I’ve got loads of live gigs lined up including Love Box Festival and some international stuff . Got a few radio shows including 10 sui’s show on Ministry Of Sound Radio where I will be performing a live set and being interviewed. I’m also close to finishing a 3 tracker for imminent release on Machine Func with my mate Ben Gomori (Turnmills Resident). Machine Func Records launches this week with the excellent 'Times Change EP' from Saytek himself for more info or for Free Ableton loops visit: www.machinefunc.com To buy Saytek or Machine Func Records visit: www.trackitdown.net Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Tom Cypher: Perfect Stranger Takes a Leap of Faith With His New Album Marco Scherer's Patchwork 17 Lee Mortimer goes Loopy. My Digital Enemy Studio Talk with Organ Donors The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: JC-TAKTIKAL on 23rd Apr 2007 20:54.28 Looking forward to having him play for us at Maximal Underground at The Cross May 18th! From: Ben Gomori on 24th Apr 2007 10:56.09 go on Joe! I'll give you a call later..... From: Not Marcus on 25th Apr 2007 12:06.09 His first EP was triffic. From: voodoobass on 26th Apr 2007 13:29.24 Interesting stuff, looking forward to hearing some Saytek shizzle. From: raving.looney on 26th Apr 2007 17:35.43 Hi...Nice interview mate, will pop round and see you when baz is nxt round ;0) x

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