Published
Fri, Feb 16, 2007, 03:00
- Latest release ‘Concentricity’ from the Tresor stalwart promises to bring intricacy to the mix CD. “Studio vs. live ultimately translates into more detail vs. less detail,” says Walker.
The latest long-player the Tresor stalwart promises to bring intricacy to the mix CD format. ‘Concentricity’ arrives in mid-April.
Stewart Walker is known to the techno faithful for his releases on labels such as Tresor, Force Inc and M_nus, but perhaps he’s most celebrated for his innovative approach to live techno. Walker was one of the earliest producers to successfully transplant his studio setup out into the clubs, lugging his hardware around back in the day when the computers couldn’t hack it. But times have changed, and in 2007, even Walker has been seduced by the lure of the laptop: “It's difficult for me to remember having to buy a distinct synthesizer for every sound in a track,” Walker told RA. “I know I did it, but it must have been a lifetime ago. These days I'm grateful to have so many sounds available from the same source. With laptops these days, I don't think people realize how easy they've got it.”
Walker’s latest long player ‘Concentricity’ was originally intended as a sequel to his rated one-man-&-his machines release ‘Live Extracts’ from 2003, which rejigged his live sound in the studio. But Walker’s latest promises to be built from the ground up behind the desk, offering a more orchestral and broader timbral palette for your money. “Studio vs. live ultimately translates to more detail vs. less detail,” Walker explains. “Detailed music gets lost on club sound systems no matter how high-quality it is. I'm still partial to a glass of scotch and excellent headphones, because I like to have my own voyage with a favorite album.”
So if ‘Concentricity’ is aimed at the home listener, what can we expect from the inevitable supporting dates out in the clubs? “When I perform studio tracks on stage, I simplify them so there are fewer layers, and the rhythms are easier to follow. I can keep more people together that way. And actually, you can see that larger venues feature simpler music in rock and dance music.” You might have to wait a month for the lush CD version, but check Stewart Walker live over at Persona Records to hear a recent clubbier preview.
‘Concentricity’ arrives as an unmixed pair of 12” vinyls for DJs, while the CD is a mixed version. Some might say that as a format the mix CD is on its way out, but Walker is unfazed: “Techno albums should be mixed because this is how the music is experienced on a dancefloor. An album or a DJ set should ultimately lull the listener/dancer into accepting the rhythm as stasis, so that when the rhythm or tonality changes, the entire environment changes with it. That's why a good performance is like a roller coaster ride, especially when people throw their arms in the air and start screaming.”
’Concentricity’ CD tracklist
1. Last Week’s Disappearance
2. Water Wings
3. Madness, like schools of fish
4. Mylar Thought Balloons
5. Most Natural Thing in the World
6. Vibrating Hands of God
7. Fragile Chemistry
8. Fernbank 1991
9. We Welcome Utopia
10. Celestial Navigation
’Concentricity’ by Stewart Walker has a streetdate of April 13th, 2007.