Bullitt Spotlight on Joris Voorn
Joris Voorn claims his guilty pleasure is “guitar music” – a surprise given that this Dutch talent has seemingly spent every waking hour crafting, playing, and signing some of the most razor-sharp anthems currently setting the pace in electronic music. Catalyzing bombs like “Sweep The Floor,” “Chase The Mouse,” “We’re All Clean” are his endless interests and inspirations: Joris Voorn is a student of architecture, an accredited cinephile, and the only artist we’ve ever known with a “current reading list” on his MySpace page.
Although Voorn’s sound is informed by this heavy diet of non-musical creative expression, you can hear in his music a heavy dose of musical inspiration as well, drawing heavily from classic Chicago house, techno innovators from Detroit to Berlin and in his own words “Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.” It is this diverse palette of inspiration that bleeds through Voorn’s decidedly retro-yet-cotemporary sound and unites listeners and dancers of all ilks into a frenzy on the dancefloor, be it in a subzero setting at Montreal’s Igloofest or in an over-crowded and over-heated Fabric night.
Bullitt brings you the opportunity to show off how well you know Voorn’s tastes and sensibilities for a kingly prize. Our contest questions will admittedly only skim the surface of the deep river that is Joris Voorn (he cites Dostoyevsky as a favorite author) – so we’re not going to quiz you on Crime and Punishment. But whoever answers the below questions correctly, or comes the closest, will win two VIP tickets to one of Bullitt’s upcoming 10 in 2010 parties – and will enjoy the more danceable inclinations of the wunderkind in question.
- Not as notoriously picky as other Bullitt artists, what would Joris eat at his last supper?
- In which city would he choose to enjoy this delicacy? (It’s his favorite city and he describes it as “another world”)
Please email your submissions to info@bullittbookings.com (subject line should read CONTEST) and we will announce the winner in our next newsletter. Stay tuned...
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Tech Talk with Nic Fanciulli
Introducing Tech Talk, our regular new feature that sheds light on the ever-evolving technological side of DJing and producing. Early adopters can revel as our artists show off their latest gadgets and obsessions. Everyone else - just try to keep up!
This month, Bullitt artist Nic Fanciulli invites us into his studio for a private tour.
You have a very specific sound, how do you achieve that in the studio?
When making music, I pay as much attention as possible to every component of the track. Everything from the production of the drum hits to the levels of the main synth line. But I think everyone has a personal sound. Oh, and great mastering engineers help, too!
What is your favorite piece of gear, and what type of sound does it bring to your productions?
I have several favorites, each for different reasons, but I would say that the Moog Voyager is one of them. It has great sounds, especially the old school stabs. I’ve changed to the prism sound card that has helped too.
You recently remodeled your studio. What did you aim to achieve, and did this inspire any new approaches to producing?
I wanted to have my own studio away from home, but close to it so I can go to it at any time to work on tracks. In 2010 I want to be making more music and having the studio at my disposal is great.
What piece of technology do you find yourself using most on the road, and why?
While on the road, the technology I use most is the Maschine Controller from Native Instruments. I use Traktor Scratch on one laptop and the Maschine drum machine on another, and have one Maschine for each computer, triggering and arranging beats.
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Beatport has recently unveiled the nominees for its round of annual awards -- and Bullitt artists have been given the official nod in three different categories. On fire following a non-stop 2009 and the release of his thunderous new album Responding To Dynamic, Slovenia’s Umek holds it down in the Best Techno DJ category. Joris Voorn’s midas touch in the studio and behind the decks has garnered the young Dutch upstart a place among the Best Tech-House nominees and his smash “Sweep The Floor” earned a nod for Best Techno Track. Alongside “Swee p The Floor,” Dubfire’s Mega Remix of Paul Ritch’s commanding “Split The Line” is ready to do battle for the top spot of the year’s techno tracks as well. Go to Beatport for the full list of nominees and to cast your votes for the industry’s prime cuts of the past year.
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The Fourth release from newly founded Hideout Records comes from co-label owner himself, Luca Bacchetti. Hot on the heels of recent releases on Ovum and Be As One, Luca is back with a two track EP that will surely be the center of attention on this Summer’s dance floors. The Endless Summer EP is full of surprises, in typical Luca Bacchetti style, while still maintaining the man’s trademark touch, sound, and feel. On a release not to be overlooked, the Italian-born, Barcelona-based beatsmith plays two contradictory ideas against each other to reveal a new side of emotion. The sunny brightness of The Endless Summer shimmers into the darker, introspective world or What Your Soul Sings and leads the listener through seemingly disparate sounds.
We caught up with Luca just weeks before the release to ask about sound and his inspirations.
How do you start a song? Is it a sound or an idea or something else that comes to mind?
To be honest I've never followed set rules. A song can come about playing with loops and rhythms in the studio or as a result of real inspiration. There are infinite possibilities ... sometimes during my studio sessions I keep in mind a sort of imaginary set list into which I try to fit the piece I'm working on at the moment. Often the whole point is to adapt the music to the images and situations I'm experiencing at the moment.
What do you communicate with your audience through your music? Are you sending a message?
I believe that every artist is the bearer of his own message, which often within our club scene is subliminal in nature; but which in time helps to build a persona around the artist ... this message is all the more powerful when there is sincerity and genuine feeling in all that the artist does ... in our world often it's not with words that we communicate; but with sounds ...
This EP has two very disparate songs but both also sound uniquely in your style. Was this the point?
I follow my instincts and feelings of the moment: it may be that I'm in the studio during really happy or sunny period or instead when I'm worried, darker, or unsettled ... on the one hand it is just following my nature that makes me react in this way, on the other it is also my innate curiosity and wish not to repeat myself ...
What makes a tune sound Summer-y, what makes it sound dark? Can the sound of a song defy itself? Can music lie?
On a superficial level one could think: the instruments used, a funky groove is almost certainly gonna be more "sunshiny" than a bassline dub ... true ... but if you want to go deeper and really make an impression, then you need to work on the atmosphere ... when you get that right then you know the music isn't lying!
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