Alex tuned into dance as a small kid, jiving on the streets of downtown Durban, South Africa.
She furthered her passion as a music journalist, did PR for bands and events and of course,
also hung out at clubs until the early morning hours,
as the sun came up and the last song was being played by the DJ to chase the people home.
Nowadays she fulfills her craze for music by buying CDs, DVDs and watches the music clips,
when there’s a channel not pushing the same old, same old tracks. Dance gets the blood flowing
- all she’s looking for is music which hits her musical G-spot
Beats ONE
Chris has the South African dance scene in the palm of his hand
I first met Chris Palmer in the early 90s at a live music venue in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was managing a rock band, Suburban Angel and we went on tour together, a motley crew of four bands sponsored by a tequila company. Shortly thereafter, Chris found dance and now is one of South Africa’s leading dance producers. Through modern technology and Facebook, I tracked down the follically-challenged one to ask him about vocoders,the fickleness of dance music.And also what you need for a decent studio. Chris has mastered just about every dance compilation released in South Africa recently and has been producing music for 14 years now. Five years ago he set up his label, Layered Records, plays at the Teknotribe parties (www.teknotribe.co.za) He had also DJd alongside Nick Warren, while touring South Africa and Germany extensively. Chris won DJ Mag’s Pick ‘n Mix in October 2008, with Kiss FM in London broadcasting his winning mix. He’s been producing a lot of underground dance and chill-out music and has his own electro-pop band Headier.
What is the hardest thing about being in the dance scene?
“The hardest thing?” he replies, “That the music has a very short shelf life. There’s a lot of it about and people are fickle when it comes to listening to it. There’s also very little money in it unless you’ve made it big”.
While people in the dance scenes recognise its players, many others still pour scorn on dance. Are dance tracks recognised as ‘real music’?
“Just look at Kraftwerk,” he says. “They made good dance music that has been around for a long time. Obviously you get good and you get bad dance music”.
The trend in dance has been to autotune and use vocoders – what is his opinion on both?
“Vocoder, yes. Autotune, definitely not. Autotune has just been so abused and all sounds the same. It sounds infantile on a lot of the tracks. A vocoder is different in that it can be used very creatively, with different sounds”.
What is important to make a decent sound studio?
He reckons, “You need a decent computer, some good software and some great reference monitors.Some good sound dampening for your room can also go a long way; careful placement of absorptive materials and bass traps can tune a room to sound a lot better”.
What are the most important things to keep in mind when producing a track?
“Stay focused on your original idea about how the music sounded in your head,” he advises. “It’s easy to wander off in different directions. Be minimal in your technique, use the least possible combination of sounds to create the best part of your idea”.
His favourite up-and-coming producer is Ryan Sullivan (Gut Feel Records).
“Ryan used to be my assistant, way back when, and now he writes really great music. He has a talent for great dance tunes and many of the world’s top DJs are taking notice”.
Chris’s upcoming projects include working with a new gothic electronic artist, VanishingAngels to produce his debut album. He’s also producing psychedelic country band, Them Particles’s first album.
“They sound like a mixture of early Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen”. Both of these albums will be available later this year.
http://www.myspace.com/djchrispalmer
Beats Two
The Farrad Interview
Lady Gaga is so yesterday, threatening her pop future is Farrad, a drop-dead gorgeous New York boy singing pop…
I asked him about Farrad, the man and Farrad, the musician –
Who recently released his debut album, ‘The Time is Now’ while his ‘Pick Your Face Up Off The Floor ‘video is sizzling airways.
1)Tell us more about Farrad, the person – what got you into music, where do you hail from and what was the first album you bought?
Music has always been a part of my life, as well as all the other disciplines of performance. I was singing and dancing as early as I was walking and talking.
I grew up very close to New York City, in the suburbs of Connecticut.
I always had access to the city and was fortunate enough to be exposed to tons of art and performance at an early age.
The first album I ever bought was actually considered a trade; I gave up the snacks in my lunch box for ‘Culture Club’s Greatest Hits’!
2) I’m presuming, a dancer first? Any professional training? Tell us about the Dazzle Dancers? What do you think about Lady Gaga – talent or all hype?
It’s funny to assume I’m a dancer first. Actually, I would consider myself a dancer last.
I LOVE to dance, but the majority of it has been done either in front of mirrors at home or in the club.
I so respect what trained and professional dancers do and the sacrifices they make to their body in order to do what they love, so I respect their craft by not fully claiming it.
I would actually consider myself a singer first, actor second, and dancer third.
The Dazzle Dancers are family. We are a collection of artists from many different worlds that come together to perform at parties and clubs.It’s more about freedom and fun than precision or even choreography. We all have individual pursuits and are individually famous for those pursuits as well. (We also just love crazy costumes, lots of body glitter, and nudity.
I love and respect Lady Gaga. I would say she’s all talent AND all hype. She deserves everything that is coming her way. She’s an excellent pop songwriter. The girl has worked her ass off the last few years. She hasn’t stopped touring since “Just Dance” debuted, and she still managed to write, record, and release a new package of music. In my opinion if people are both loving you and hating you with such passion, you’re doing your job very well! Go Gaga!
3)Madonna began as a dancer – what do you think about Madge? Do you see any parallels between you and her? Do you rate her – why or why not?
I love Madonna. She’s been around almost as long as I’ve been alive, so I’m going to give her the credit she deserves. She’s not only taken music to another level through the added visual component of music videos, but she’s exposed the world to many parts of life that otherwise would have remained on the outskirts. I also appreciate her having an open dialogue about sexuality. Many folks are just too wound-up and prude.
4)The gay scene has supported you – it seems, all the way. What do you think is special about the gay scene and how they support artists? Perhaps tell us where you first performed and of a few people who helped you on your way?
As an out and proud artist, I would certainly hope that the gay scene supports me! Typically the GLBT community is always on the cutting-edge of new artists before they hit the mainstream, and they are also more open-minded about what’s new and different, since they identify with being considered “different.”
I made my debut at the world famous Joe’s Pub here in New York City; a very special venue and a very special night.There are way too many people to name that have helped me on my way, but the most important of those have been my family that have always supported and believed in me, and my business partner and manager, Gabe Goldberg.
5)Having a foot in the door in Comcast (E! Entertainment) is a particularly good thing in the dance scene– how did you/your management achieve that?
Yes, that type of exposure and connection is a blessing. The lesson there is “never be afraid to ask!” I was given the contact information for the music supervisor for Bunim-Murray Productions, the company that puts out shows on MTV, E!, Oxygen, etc., and I simply sent her a nice letter along with my music. She loved my album, and before you know it, I have a licensing deal. It was honestly as easy as that!
6)The video to “Pick Your Face Up Off the Floor” was boss – where is it playlisted? If not, have you given it to clubs to play? Names… 
THANK YOU!!! The promotion for the video is just beginning, but it’s already been getting amazing response. As of right now it getting played in clubs all over North America, and I’m really hoping it hits the European market as soon as possible. It’s also about to make it’s debut on the MTV Network LOGO, and it’s on a ton of online networks as well. Fingers crossed! And anyone that wants to watch the video right away can see it at http://farrad.com
7)Your PR says you’re a regular to the New York performance scene – tell us more? Also, NY has such a reputation – is it warranted? Tell us what you find wonderful about the city?
In New York, it’s typically downtown where you’ll find creative and exciting new work being done by struggling artists determined to do what they love. It’s not about the money, but about the need to express yourself. This is where I’ve worked with groups like The Dazzle Dancers, or the world famous theatre company, Big Art Group.
Of course New York’s reputation is warranted! There’s no other place like it on Earth. It’s constantly changing here, which almost gives New York this feeling of “moving water” or electricity. It really is the city that never sleeps. And while there are plenty of native New Yorkers,
it’s also very special that so many people from all over the world all come to New York to live their dream, and you can feel that, without a doubt. I’ve been fortunate enough travel the world, and while there are many other cities I LOVE, there is no place like New York!
8)Listening to the album, I heard Prince and Maxwell as influences –Which current performer/musician inspires you and why? And which past performer/muso?
There is no doubt that Prince is an influence. What’s funny is that I had no idea how much until the end of the writing and recording of the album. It wasn’t my intention at all, but I love Prince and will take the comparison any day. Current inspirations would be Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, and of course Lady Gaga. They all take in so many worlds of music, whip it all together, and make great Pop music, which is what I’m trying to do.
And I really have respect for artists that work HARD, because I do as well.
Past influences include Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Aretha Franklin.
9)What advice would you give to dance artists starting out?
Work harder than everyone around you and never give up.
10)The most boring question to conclude with –where does the name hail from? You do know that in German, fahrrad means bicycle?
Yes I know my name means bicycle in Germany! I’ll never forget discovering that for the first time while in Berlin.It’s also a unit of electricity for engineers. But the name is actually given to me by my father. It’s my middle name by birth, and I was being called Farrad as early as when I was still in my mother’s belly.
It was my destiny to take the name on for my presentation to the world.
Thanks Farrad, It’s been a pleasure!
NO. Thank YOU!
And make sure people know they can visit my website (http://farrad.com/) and that my music in available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com
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