feeder insider w/ Minéo [EN]

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feeder insider w/ Minéo [EN]

Tom Dinsdale has been a music producer for more than a decade and was part of Audio Bullys from 2003 to 2012. In 2013, his career as Minéo took off with the release of Turn Out the Lights, a highly-acclaimed track under the label Hot Creations, founded by Jamie Jones and Lee Foss, members of Hot Natured. Minéo’s EP Ghju Lia, released by Hypercolour, was yet another fine example of his ability to combine heavy basslines with jazzy undertones and samples he records from all sorts of sources, like documentaries and interviews of artists and stuff he’s interested in. After remixing Psychemagik’s Black Noir Schwarz, Mineo continued his collaboration with Crosstown Rebels and released Get Out Fight, which is a fine example of UK sounds, juggling between genres and moods. His recent EP, Disappear, adds yet another driving force in contemporary electronic music to his affiliations, namely Leftroom, via its Ltd sub-label.

You can listen to title-cut Disappear, exclusively on feeder, until the end of the weekend. Enjoy!

In this week’s feeder insider, we get to talk to Minéo about the past, the present and the future of his music career, along with sources of inspiration and much more.

Keywords: bassline, UK sound, debauchery, house

Hello, Minéo!

Here is what feeder would like to know about you:

My favorite tool of the trade is… Akai MPC 3000 which I have 2 of now…
I’ve always wanted to play a gig in… the dance bit of Exit festival, Serbia.
My comfort food is… the things I make at home.
Music is, for me, a way to… make people dance and make a bit of money
It took me a while to figure out that… I still haven’t figured it all out yet
I find it easy to identify with… people who put something out there, be it some art or just a good spirit.
Had I been an animal, I’d enjoy life as a… vole or similar woodland creature.
I like to end my day… in bed, feeling accomplished
As a musician, I think it’s essential to… just keep learning, keep moving forward.

3 timeless tracks…

The Shirelles – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Brooklyn Zoo

Aphex Twin – Window Licker, and this video by Chris Cunningham is one of the best ever and the parody at the beginning is still funny no matter how many times I’ve seen it… Chris showed me how to use Final Cut, just like the real basics and it’s a life moment I’m fond of as I rate him highly as one of the most genius video directors thats ever been.

AMG: You grew up in Kingston, a little suburb close to London. Do you reckon it influenced your sound, and if so, which UK-native styles and genres are the closest to your heart?

Minéo:  Yeah, I think it did, there were pirate stations and cassette tapes I would copy from around the way and I got Technics when I was young, was the reason I got into music and making it. The garage music from New York, and house music from London and Paris. I played before Daft Punk at Coachella and it changed my perspective on what you can do on stage, which I still haven’t lived up to, but it pretty much changed my life that did. Bit of a sausage party here, but check this early footage.

Then DJ Premier was an early influence on me 100% and the way he cuts samples in a MPC, I just loved that. Still do. Kingston was also kind of boring, and that boredom played a part in wanting something a little extra out of life.

© Adrien Sauvage

“[…] music is, as much as it is an expression of one’s self, something to share […]”

AMG: Speaking of genres, what direction do you tend to follow and what are your signature sounds/beats, these little things that you tend to use recurrently, that you feel very connected to?

M:  I don’t tend to follow, although we are all influenced by the things we come into contact with, kind of why my tunes are all a bit different to each other, I sometimes think perhaps to my detriment as I find it a little hard to find a permanent home for my music. I like finding little samples out of odd things and love the idea of finding things no one else has found before, that gives me some joy but then I get bored of that even still, when you find yourself on autopilot, using a formula that worked before, kind of try to shake it up and come at things from a different view. I use Logic but try and switch to Ableton from time to time to just get out of a comfortable place where things are too easy. It’s so easy to get lazy, grab any old drum kit and say, “well, I’ll change it later”, you probably won’t, you’ll just make a shit track and bin it. Even with my Akai sampler, it’s just infinitely better at drums than anything else I own, but it sat for a long time when I got lazy and forgot how sick it was, embarrassed to say really, but maybe I needed a break to fall in love with it again…

AMG: Tell me more about your upcoming release. We’re super excited to preview it here, on feeder. Thank you!

M: It’s an EP on Leftroom called Disappear… it’s 3 tracks and it bumps.

AMG: What are the rules or habits you abide by when producing music? How do you approach the creative process? What are the most important lessons learned in all of these years as a music producer?

M: Just don’t stop for too long… I think everyone gets a little fear of whether your next thing is gonna be as good as the last but if you heed to that too much you never put anything out… keep making, buy a new piece of kit, swap your old stuff for new bits or other old bits if you have to because there’s nothing like the feeling of turning on a new piece of equipment and getting freshness from it. I wanted to do something on my own, but really music is, as much as it is an expression of one’s self, something to share and collaborating is key, I think, to growing…

© Adrien Sauvage

“[…] this is a big deal for creativity… natural light and fucking loud.”

AMG: 2014 has been a very busy year for you, releases and remixes kept on coming. What are your plans for 2015?

M: I don’t think it was quite as busy as it could have been. The latter half of the year was kind of halted by moving house and I didn’t have a studio in this time, so I haven’t made so much new music in these last months… I’m programming a live show which I will perform this year and, yeah, excited about that. I think after all these years I know what to do with that… keep it simple and make it beautiful to look at. Like the presentation of the stage, the kit you use, and how you carry yourself up there. I want to perform something that is a total signature of myself, not pander to the crowd and if people don’t like every part of a show then that’s cool, I’m not nice all the time either, you don’t want to clear the dance floor but you know what I mean.  I’m also building a new studio with the help of this company Audio Technica, who make audio equipment like headphones and shit but also design rooms for artists. I’m really excited to have a soundproofed room with a window and natural light… this is a big deal for creativity… natural light and fucking loud.

Artwork © Minéo

AMG: You’ve been to Bucharest in 2008, back when you were in Audio Bullys. How was the experience, are you planning to come back to Romania anytime soon? The electronic music scene here is growing quite quickly; do you happen to know any local music producers?

M: I’m getting to know… to be honest, back in 2008 a lot was a bit of a blur, I remember little about a lot.

© Adrien Sauvage

“I like finding little samples out of odd things and love the idea of finding things no one else has found before…”

AMG: What do you fancy doing, besides music? What’s your way to relax, hit the reset button, or to get a refreshing dose of inspiration?

M:  Pottery and painting.

AMG: It’s been a pleasure; I really hope to hear your live set in Bucharest soon. Cheers!
M: my pleasure. see you soon and take it ez xx

© Mia Dabrowski

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Words Ana Moca Grama
Photo Mia DabrowskiMinéoAdrien Sauvage

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