What's really cool about Montreal is that it's a small-ish city. I always tell people it's the perfect size because it's big enough to have a lot of people doing things you have no idea about, but still small enough to go out and actually find these people and check out what they're doing. I am really inspired by just meeting new people and seeing them work hard on what they love, music-related or not. There are a lot of talented people here doing really cool things.
Do you remember the first electronic live set that you ever experienced? Does this memory come with any emotional residue?
The first time I ever saw a band use mostly drum machines and synthesizers live was in 2005 when I went to see Shout Out Out Out Out. It totally blew me away. I was super young and I didn't understand what was happening on stage, how everything was connected and what machines they were using… so I started obsessively researching and learning all about synthesizers and drum machines. A few months later I got a Korg Microkorg and Electribe ESX-1 (which I still own!) and it pretty much began my obsession. I even did a power point presentation on the Prophet 5 for a school project that year.
Have you ever had a major gear malfunction during a show (as older gear has a tendency to do)? How did you manage it?
My studio always has one piece of gear that decides to bug out. I can usually sort something out quick before anything goes majorly wrong in the studio or live but during this one show everything went wrong super quick. I wanted to use two drum machines for this set and I didn't have anything at the time that could sync them together except my computer. In the middle of the set, both drum machines lost sync with my computer leaving me with no drums. I turned them off and on which is always a good place to start and restarted the clock on Ableton but it didn't work. At this point I think I needed to restart my computer so I ended up just turning the drum machines off and adding drum patterns on Ableton as the set went on. It was super stressful!
What different equipment that you have used over the years sticks out in your memory? Do you have a piece of equipment that you miss most? Do you have any pieces that you don't miss at all?
There's two pieces of equipment that really stick out for me, the Arp 2600 and Korg Electribe ESX1.
The Arp 2600 I dreamt about since I started getting into synthesizers, and I'm extremely lucky to be able to own one. It embodies the essence of synthesis for me. I use it on everything. No matter how much I explore it, I always find something new with it that freaks me out in the best possible way. It's a semi-modular synth, so it has a pre-patched design so you can just start playing with it. It was used a lot for educational purposes, and its layout clearly guides you so you can easily get started patching and exploring. It really invites you to explore it without being too overwhelmed. Even the bad sounds are great.
The Korg Electribe ESX1 is the first drum machine/sampler I ever used and it made a serious impression on me. I really love it, and I still use it today as the main piece in my live set. I especially like how hands-on it is. It's really cool for getting ideas out because it's a somewhat limited machine compared to a DAW like Ableton or even other samplers/grooveboxes. When working out a jam, you'll get stuck and start messing around. I find that a lot of amazing accidents happen that way which is why I think it's so special. I don't think I can live without it.
Out of the synths I don't have anymore, there's one I miss and one I don't. I used to own an Oberheim Xpander, which I've been missing these days. I didn't really get into programming it because it's a bit of a weird one, but now I feel like I'm ready for it. I revisited a few recordings I made with it and it had such a weird glassy Oberheim sound that I feel like I didn't really explore at all. The one piece I don't really miss was my Eurorack modular. I had one for awhile and then sold it and then bought another one, then sold it. They're super cool and with the modules out now it's so endless with what you can do with a system, but I think that's why I don't miss it. I like limitations - knowing there is always more I can add to it and more I can do with it really distracts me.
Any advice for a producer who is looking to start prepping/creating a live set? Any advice for the actual act of performing?
I'm relatively new to playing live myself but what I found helped me out the most was just saying yes to performing even if you don't have anything ready or anything you feel comfortable to play out. I think by saying yes immediately, it kind of takes off the pressure of thinking about whether or not your set is ready. Just say "ya" and then give yourself no choice but to get to work and start prepping and creating your live set. Once you get going, I find creating a live set can get tricky when trying to translate tracks you're working on in the studio to a live set. I think it's important to avoid a perfectly planned out set. Make some tracks semi-structured and leave some room to jam and improvise while playing. Let the energy of the room interact with you and your set.
https://soundcloud.com/mattsalaciak