The Dubstep Extravaganza Interview:
Interview in May 2011 with Michael Janiec on The Dubstep Extravaganza blog:
Hi there. For the occasion an interview with Indidginus. After that he was so kind to drop a exclusive mix of his upcoming album, we decided to do an interview also :) Please tell us about the man behind Indidginus. (Name, age, where you live)?
I'm Michael Martin. I live in Cape Town, South Africa, and I'm older than I care to admit ;)
Can you tell us what/who motivated you to become more involved in music, how did the passion start?
I've always loved listening to music. At the Megadog Beach Festival in Cornwall in '98 I decided I could write music too. Amazing festival that one... Don't think I've been to better since...
Are there any influential artists that have helped to shape you that you would like to mention?
There's too many to mention. For the Sofa Surfer album I listened to a lot of Burial, Rusko, Boxcutter, Various, Skream, Chase and Status - artists in that vein...
What or who brought you to the idea to produce and play Dubstep?
One of the first tracks I started for Sofa Surfer was with Colin Angus. Whilst I was staying at his house he gave me a copy of a CD that his manager from The Shamen days had given him. It was full of great dubstep. That was my initiation into the wonderful world of riddim. And I've not looked back since!
For the people that not yet been there, how would you describe the South African club/party scene compared with Europe?
Small. Yet perfectly formed.
What's the setup you use mostly while spinning music?
I use Ableton Live with a Korg Nano controller. And when I'm playing live I incorporate slide didgeridoo.
What is your most exciting/memorable performance up to date and why?
Playing a live trance set from my Feast or Famine album at the Easter Vortex Festival in 2010 I think. I played as the sun went down so I got the best of both worlds. Amazing when the light show kicked in. And lots of people were on the dancefloor which helps ;) There's a video snippit of the set up here - http://youtu.be/1shXSzRBlSI
How did the idea for the Sofa Surfer album come about?
I went back to the UK for the first time in 5 years last summer to gig. Whilst I was there I thought I should make the most of my time and write an album too. It also occurred to me that I could connect with some of the musicians I know and collaborate. I figured I'd be sleeping on their sofas, so thought I'd call the album Sofa Surfer and go with that theme...
Are there any tracks on the album with a story that you would like to share?
They've all got a story, so I'll just give a brief background to a few of the tracks or this could turn into a long answer! I first got to know Colin Angus, Dom Beken and Alex Patterson through writing the soundtrack to an independent movie in 2007. They all contributed music to the project. I connected with Colin in London when I went over to the UK last year and wrote Lost Coast with him. I connected with Dom and Alex in Great Missenden to guest on their FNOOB radio show, then came back a couple of months later to write Algoriddim with Dom. Seb Taylor kindly played some lovely slide/blues guitar for that via the medium of the interweb. Perhaps the most fun I've ever had in a studio was working with Nick Brennan. I haven't laughed so much or for so long... ever... We finished our spacey dubstep track Sunrise over Sapporo in a tidy fashion, and then got to work on a spoof dubstep track and accompanying video called Rice and Pea which was the cause of much hilarity for us both. Fortunately he has a patient family.... Suns of Arqa were in Cape Town earlier this year so I took advantage of their visit and got them into the studio for Out of the Dark ;) Francesca Krnjak and Riccardo Moretti came to me looking for help with building a website. When they saw I had a studio, the idea of building a website went out the window and we just talked about music all afternoon. We got on really well, and they are very talented so I asked them to feature on Dark Sky Island...
When is the album coming out?
Provisionally July 2011 (distribution dependant). It will be a digital release on my Indidginus Music imprint. Anyone interested in being kept in the loop should sign up to my join the IndidgNation - http://www.deviantdidg.com/mailing_list.html. They'll get a free track from the Sofa Surfer album into the bargain ;)
Please tell us more about your label.
It's called (perhaps rather unimaginatively) Indidginus Music. Sofa Surfer will be the first release. It is a digital label since, as I was once told, cds are expensive business cards these days. I am keen to learn more about the release process to empower myself, so Indidginus Music is a sandbox in that regard. Maybe I should have called the label "Trial by Fire" ;)
Are there any people you would like to give a shoutout to regarding collabs/support?
Everyone I have worked with on the album has been amazing. So massive shout out to them all - EJ, Steve, Fletcher, Teba, Riccardo, Francesca, Colin A, Dom, Seb, Nick, Michael, Angela, China, Yves, Colin B, Steve, Rama and Ryo! You can access all their websites from my site - http://www.deviantdidg.com/about.html
