- The final mix of 2019 comes from the artist behind our track of the year.
- Last year, when Kit Macdonald was in Copenhagen working on his piece about the city's techno scene, he felt compelled to ask Martin Schacke if he'd ever considered making "ultra-flamboyant Eurodance." The producer grinned, said "I already have," and showed him a SoundCloud account that contained, in Macdonald's words, "everything from Clams Casino-style instrumental hip-hop through to crunk, trance, and—yes—ultra-flamboyant Eurodance." Depending on your personal taste, that may or may not sound appealing. But 18 months later, one such track has riled crowds the world over, and earned our pick for the track of 2019. We're talking, of course, about "Kisloty People."
All that said, cheeky pop flirtations are only a small part of Schacke's sound. His records and cassettes, released under a rambling medley of pseudonyms, have dabbled in noise, black metal, industrial and trance. Of course, his main calling for the moment is techno, particularly the fast and colorful kind for which Copenhagen has become known, thanks in part to him and the Fast Forward collective he's a part of. Even in his club records and DJ sets, though, those other sounds lurk beneath the surface, giving his music its playful streak. Made up mostly of unreleased music by himself and like-minded artists, RA. 709 shows the sound that's landed Schacke in the spotlight.
What have you been up to recently?
I have been busier than ever, playing and producing a lot. I'm preparing to launch my new label SACRED INTERFACE and working on a new experimental sound project with my dear friend. I'm trying to spend as much time as possible in my studio and do some serious sessions, experimenting with all kinds of sounds and methods of expanding my musical universe. Producing is my way of processing all the things I experience and it's all been escalating a lot recently. I think a lot about how much my life has changed, what it means and what's to come.
How and where was the mix recorded?
In Ableton in my relatively new studio in Copenhagen, I've had it for a couple of months now and I am really starting to love it, it's close to home and it really gets my creative juices flowing.
Can you tell us a bit about the idea behind the mix?
It's a bit of a journey I would say. I guess I tried to give a streamlined presentation of a bunch of different emotions and sounds that I feel define the essence of my reality at the moment. Whenever I express myself musically it's always an attempt to communicate some abstract feelings or ideas, and music feels like the best tool to do that.
Let's talk about "Kisloty People." What was is about Klyb and St Petersburg that you connected with so much? Are you surprised about the reaction the track got?
My time with that club was a special chapter in my life. I learned a lot, both from the challenging and the wonderful moments I experienced in Russia. Connecting with people there and learning about their lives, struggles and passions has meant a lot to me. There is so many more layers to the Russian experience than media and prejudice would have you know, which is all very interesting to me. Kisloty was a pocket of freedom with the most positive and energetic inhabitants, and that made it very special. The track was made as a tribute to that place and I had no idea that it would blow up worldwide like it did. It was made in a rush and honestly I am not too satisfied with everything in it. At that moment I just thought it would be fun and cute to play at the club, since I knew that everyone there would probably know the lyrics and the lyrics were just perfect for the moment. Funny how the track I spend the least time on, was gonna be the one to be heard the most. But I hope it will act as a gateway for people to discover some of the tracks that I've spend a lot more time on lol.
Fun fact: I made it in a friend's studio in St. Petersburg, on speakers I was not used to, which resulted in the original version of the track having way too much bass in it and sounding too extreme on some sound systems (sounded great on Kisloty's system tho). My mastering engineer had to do some serious work on it to make it suitable for release.
What's new in Copenhagen these days? What are the clubs, parties, artists, labels that you're into right now?
Clubs: Ved Siden Af is the only nice permanent club really, maybe Jolene for the more intimate experiences. Parties: the recently started PRANCE party, organized by Club Mafia, was amazing. The rare but incredible Bedside Productions parties, at which I am a resident, held at VSA, is my personal favorite. Also Endurance, Seismo Festival and the big Fast Forward raves. Artists: Vixen, Peachlyfe, Ezy, Lund&Rønde, Otaku, Sugar, Repro, Funeral Future, Rune Bagge, Lasse Vind, Ibon. Labels: Everything that comes from Copenhagen's local techno labels is interesting to me. Apart from those, I'm very into Trip at the moment.
What are you up to next?
Launching that label of mine is the next great thing for sure, it's gonna be a challenge, but luckily I have the most amazing people around me to work with and I am generally really excited about it. I also have releases on Intrepid Skin and Instruments Of Discipline coming up, also working on something new for Kulør and working on a full-length album that I am probably gonna release myself. Also making music for a movie and playing insane amounts of gigs all over the world. Life isn't gonna slow down in 2020, that's for sure. Pretty excited to see what the future will materialize.
Tracklist01. Monolake – Index
02. Schacke – Interceptive (Unreleased)
03. Peachlyfe – This Morning (Forthcoming on Sacred Interface)
04. Vixen – Alkaline Daydream (Forthcoming on Sacred Interface)
05. Schacke – Full Contraction (Forthcoming on Intrepid Skin)
06. PTU – Mstera
07. Schacke – The Long Tongue (Unreleased)
08. Stanislav Toklachev – Ant Parade
09. Error Etica – Conflict
10. Schacke – No Es Amor (Unreleased)
11. Drexciya – Digital Tsunami
12. ????