Since high school, my mate Robert Zile and I had a shared love of The Crystal Method, The Chemical Brothers and big beat style electronic music. I went over to his house one time and he showed me trance music he’d been making on this program called FruityLoops and I was pretty amazed – like anyone could make it (given enough time and practice haha) Well since then he hasn’t stopped making tunes, has honed his craft to a techno sound, and has seen his work released on labels around the world. I asked him some questions, so check em out after the jump, and then check out his tunes at the bottom!

“I dont get minimal techno” please explain.
Minimal can be pretty hard to listen to if you are not a big fan or never really heard it before. I do not and cannot listen to hours and hours of it. I suppose you need to experience it on a booming soundsystem in a small dark club/afterparty.. that’s when the magic happens! I do love playing a few minimal tracks in my sets but not too many. I think by only playing a few, it makes the minimal tracks stand out more. In saying all this, my best selling track is my quirky minimal remix of Tony Kanwischer – Moonhalo on Italy’s NBG Records. So maybe I should just shut up and make some more of it ahah

But there’s no peaks and troughs and it sounds like it’s building up forever and ever.
ahha I know what you mean.. but there is a time and place for everything. If you are playing to a room full of comatose patients, sending them on a neverending journey can be quite fun!

How would you describe your sound?
Probably a mixture of techno, house and a bit of electronica. I’m really not sure.. I like to make and play quite funky house music but I also enjoy the weird, afterparty type of tracks. Basically…tracks I like to call ‘face melters’ ahah.

You used fruity loops to make trance back in high school days… you’re still on it to this day yeah?
My secret is out!! Yes when I started producing, I made really crappy trance with Fruity Loops. I stopped playing video games and just focused on trying to make anything resembling a song. I had hours and hours of fun trying to make trance and basically just made things up as I went along. I am still using Fruity Loops but upgraded to FL Studio about 3 years ago. The next step is to finally learn how to use Ableton.. it’s on my to-do list, I swear!

Any hardware/equipment/instruments you like to play with or use?
I bought my first piece of hardware about two years ago, a Novation X-Station 25 midi keyboard. I am more software based but I do love plugging this baby in and messing around with it from time to time.

You’ve been noticed by some international dudes in your field… how does it feel to get some exposure and recognition?
It feels good!! It made me feel like I am on the right track and I thought well… if two of my favourite quality producers (King Unique and Hybrid) like my sound, then I must be doing something right. Before this, Valentino Kanzyani’s techno label ‘Jesus Loved You’ gave me quite a lot of positive feedback and encouraged me to keep sending them my demos. This reminds me, I should send them some of my new stuff!!

What are you listening to at the moment (any genre)?
I listen to all the promo tracks I get sent from record labels about twice a week, usually finding some seriously good music from artists I have never heard of (artists like me!!) Other than that I am listening to alot of Air, Modeselektor and of course, thy god Aphex Twin. Nothing partficulary new to be honest. Faith No More, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Dandy Warhols would be the most played non-electronic artists on my trusty Ipod.

What do you like to listen to when out at a club or music event?
I like to listen to everything!! Punk, metal, ska, techno, breaks, house… I really do not care just as long as it is not cheesy.

What are you working on at the moment?
A 4 track EP for a new UK label ‘OTG Music.’ This new label is focusing on broken beats, acid and left-field type of tracks. So far the EP is sounding very weird and I cannot wait to finish it so I can freak people out at 5am with these little beauties.

I am also working on a pilot tv show that hopefully will be picked up by SBS (keep your fingers crossed haha). It’s called ‘Planet 31‘, we shot the pilot a few weeks ago and it looks great. The show focuses on local non-commercialsed talent from industries such as film, music, the arts, comedy and food. (How’s that for a plug.. bam!!) Sean Pary (host and creator of the show) found me on Myspace a few years ago and we kept in touch.. then last year he asked me if I wanted to be the house DJ for the show and write the theme music. I have never done anything like this before but I’m having a good time!! Check out the website – www.planet31.com.au

Who are you working with/remixing?
I am currently working with the owner of Italian record label ‘NBG Music‘ – Gabriele Brunno. We have the same influences in music and remix each others tracks frequently. I just finished a remix of his progresive house track ‘You Are’ that will be released on his label in about two weeks. He also just remixed my new track ‘Wake The Baby’ coming out on Subtec Records at the end of the month. I am also working with UK label ‘Red Robot Records‘ quite a lot. Just finished an 11 minute Ibiza style house remix that is getting very good responses from the label, the artist I remixed (Boss T) and listeners on soundcloud. Not sure when that will be released, hopefully sometime this year.

How come I havent really heard of these techno artists, is it because they’re up and coming?
Yeah I suppose you could say that! All the artists and labels I work with produce and release great underground music.

Also what soundcloud links would you prefer up for peeps to listen to?
Cool, thanks for having me!!

My soundcloud page is
http://www.soundcloud.com/robzile but here are a few tasty treats.

Rob Zile – Wake The Baby (Subtec Records) by robzile

Boss T – Alright (Rob Zile remix) – coming soon to Red Robot Records by robzile

Rob Zile – Colour Full by robzile

Now I mentioned as an end-note to one of my posts on the weekend that I was off to look at houses and  most likely drown myself with a mortgage. Anyway, I’ve recently read that James May aka “Captain Slow” of Top Gear fame is deciding to build a full scale house on his property made of Lego as a part of his TV special, James May’s Toy Stories. According to the article the plan is for everything in the house to be made out of Lego including stairs, showers and even the fucking toilet?! Geez… So far over 3 million bricks have been delivered to the property with possibly more required.

So  anyway, in case you didn’t know I’m quite the fan of Lego combine this with the frugalness that comes with being Asian I started to think, “Would it be cheaper to build a house out of Lego instead of buying one?” Now assuming that 3 million bricks is required to build a two level house that should be more than enough for me to create a tiny little unit and furnish it… So time to whip out some token Asian maths skillz:

• Real House: $320,0000 loan + $20,000 furnishings = $340,000 +interest etc.
• Lego House: 3,000,000 2×6 Lego bricks @ $0.34 = $1,020,000 +interest etc.
  

Ummm… Shit. Oh well, one can dream. One thing is for certain, my house is definitely getting a foosball table…

That 90s dance/trance/tekkers sound is back people! Think Sash, Faithless etc… Whatever happened to Sash… Anyway, this is first track off Calvin’s yet to be released or titled new album which made its international debut up in Sydney during their NYE bash earlier this year. Yay for Australia, nay for it being Sydney…

I have a feeling this track is gonna get flogged a fair bit year. How flogged you might say? Let’s say if it makes a Ministry Of Sound or OneLove compilation, it’s flogged… Savour it now people before you have to get your music snob on with everyone.

Anyway, enjoy the great tune and experience the rather shithouse video.