It’s a statement of fact, a rant against our MP3-saturated culture, and a label that EQ reckons is destined for great things. Run by a shadowy figure who’s got some rather fine producers on board, Home Taping Is Killing Music has arrived with a mission to get house back on track. EQ speaks to Chris Duckenfield, The Revenge and Eddie C to find out more…
There’s not enough mystery left in music these days. Thanks to the internet, we can know everything about a producer – and their music, the label that’s releasing it and the type of toilet paper you’ll find at the studio where it was mastered – at the click of a mouse. And where’s the fun in that? So when EQ’s inbox pinged with the arrival of a slightly ominous-looking logo and the promise of some good old-fashioned house music, we were intrigued. Home Taping Is Killing Music had landed – and we wanted to find out more.
The Home Taper is a shy sort though, preferring the shadows to the limelight, and anonymity to fame. His ethos harks back to the golden days of house, when it really was all about the music, the parties and the joy of discovering sounds you’d never heard before. And by keeping his listeners in the dark – as much as that’s possible these days – he lets his label’s tunes do the talking. You can’t help but think he enjoys all the cloak-and-dagger shenanigans too – but then parties are meant to be fun, and house music is meant to be about parties.
All the intrigue, the integrity and the fun have managed to attract some pretty tasty producers to the label. There’s Chris Duckenfield’s Duckbeats alter ego, Glasgow stalwart The Revenge, Hot Coins alias Red Rack'Em, emerging Ukrainian producer SE62, and rising Canadian star Eddie C. And with them on board, Home Taping might just become a force to be reckoned with.
Nevertheless, the Home Taper declined to reveal his identity, but he did agree to an interview. Here's what he had to say…
What’s the story behind setting up the label?
Home Taping is all about trying to capture the excitement that comes from recording stuff at home onto cassettes, and making your first raw and rough mixtapes. It’s about the joy of taking lots of bits and pieces and sticking them together to make something new. Pretty simple, not so clever, some would say, but it's somehow great fun. And look at all the people who are addicted to doing it – hip hop, house, all forms of dance music really came out of this.
So why is it killing music then?
Well, that’s the point kind of – it’s not. In the 70s and 80s people said home recording onto cassettes was going to kill music. In fact it created a whole generation of samplers, DJs and producers who wanted to cut things up and rearrange them. So I suppose the house sampling and now the re-edit culture started in kids' bedrooms on cassette players.
Now people are saying the same thing about downloads and the internet, And in a lot of ways, this is killing music, but there’s also lots of new ways of connecting, making and sharing music emerging which is leading us into new spaces. So we have to have hope looking forward that good music will always survive and that the freaks and fanatics who make it will continue to do so.
What do you think of the current dance music scene?
Dance music lost its way and its soul for a bit, probably because it became too popular and people could make a lot of money out of it. It became like the prog rock of its times – over produced, short on ideas, big on technology and stagecraft and personality (or lack of), and sadly short on raw soul and emotion. But I think there are lots of very strong scenes emerging that are fighting against that direction.
So how did Home Taping come about then?
The idea was to bring together a gang of home tapers who shared an approach to making music, if not particularly a sound. People who make music that borrows a little bit from here and there, who love the rough and noisy routes as opposed to over-production, and who keep some space and feeling in there. The idea is that it would be an antidote to all the big, clumsy, obvious dance tracks kicking about with their big breakdowns, over-effected synths and lack of space. So it's kind of nostalgic, in the sense that it's a mission to strip things back and get back to the raw that inspired house music to begin with. Already we can see a scene of imprints and producers with the same ethos like Mark E, The Revenge, Henrik Schwarz, MCDE, Prime Numbers, Running Back…
So is it all about nostalgia?
No, although there's nothing wrong with nostalgia if you're being nostalgic about something special. A whole new generation of dance music fans need to be introduced to the reasons why so many people loved it, and why it happened in the first place. Then we can move forward based on those strong ideas and feelings. So yes, we look back with fondness, but we're trying to keep the music we love moving forward and on the dancefloor where it belongs.
Who are you?
I am a home cassette player…
EQ was still hungry for information though, so in a bid to find out more, we collared Duckbeats, The Revenge and Eddie C for a chat…
Tell us a bit about your release on Home Taping Is Killing Music. What were you looking to do with your tracks?
Duckbeats: I wanted to reach into the archives a bit, revisit those incredible releases from labels like Prescription Underground and artists like Natureboy and Mood II Swing, and update the sound a little for today's floors.
The Revenge: I was mainly looking to get the Home Taper off my back as he kept emailing and emailing and emailing… Then he turned up at my door and it was the final straw. So I made him a cup of tea and knocked the first single out.
Eddie C: I did a remix for SE62 from Ukraine. He sent me the pieces and it was so easy to work with. I just reorganised it and added some drums basically. He's got a good ear that guy! Watch for more from him. But I'll have my own EP with Home Taping soon. There's some completely original material on there – and some surprises…
What was it about Home Taping that made you want to release your music on the label?
Duckbeats: I liked the ethos of the label, and have a lot of respect for the people involved. And I think it's important to shine a light on this era of house for people whose only experience of the genre begins and ends in the digital realm.
The Revenge: In all honesty, it was an open door to do what I wanted with house music – something that references the old, but with a nod to the future.
Eddie C: I believe that home taping is, in fact, killing music. And the label’s mastering is ace!
The label's releases so far have an almost nostalgic sound to them, like they're celebrating the golden era of house. Where do you think the label fits in with house music in general at the moment.
Duckbeats: I think it is nostalgic, but it speaks volumes to me that people are responding to simpler, rawer house music again. And in any creative field, everything comes around again. When you've done a few laps, you tend to see trends repeated.
The Revenge: It's got its own identity and doesn't take itself too seriously – so it fits right at the front of my box.
Eddie C: Isn't it kind of destructive to talk about this? Then everything gets categorised and boring. Nostalgia is nice – you have to learn about the past. I think music moves faster than time though which is why we have to rediscover records and styles. Everything is always most exciting when it’s in its beginning stages however. Raw and wild is good for sure. Listen to a Ron Hardy mix.
Have you tweaked your sound to fit in with the Home Taping agenda?
Duckbeats: Not particularly. I tailored the style somewhat, but I’ve not deviated too far from the Duckbeats philosophy.
The Revenge: It's house music for me. I've always loved it, so there was no need to tweak it.
Eddie C: Not at all.
What do you think of the current house scene at the moment and why do you think this kind of house sound is so popular?
Duckbeats: The house scene has always been strong, and it's weathered a lot of changes, but what works about it essentially stays the same – house music underpins everything we love about clubbing. Recently I do think it's lost its way a little, and visiting sites like Beat port is pretty soul crushing to be honest. Bad music is bad music, no matter how immaculately it's produced.
Clubs have been bludgeoned by one-dimensional DJing and music, so naturally people rebel against that and go back to basics. Shaking things up is good – even if it means going backwards to go forwards
The Revenge: I think people want less serious music at the moment, and that’s partly to do with the deep recession we're in. They want more honest music with a message. House has come of age in a way that rock music did 20 or 30 years ago, and people now recognise classic house records because their elements have become part of our daily lives in lots of ways.
Eddie C: I'm definitely buying way more new records than I have in years. Keep in mind this is a style of music that has been around for like 25 years. It's gone through so many incarnations. I think people can now just recognise what is correct and what’s not. It could be that enough people have been into it long enough to understand the difference. Maybe it’s just a refined style now and won't ‘progress’. It'll just be good like roots, country or gospel. Who knows? Maybe I'm contradicting myself. Precisely the reason it shouldn't be beard-stroked…
Duckbeats’ House Back Home Pt1, SE62’s Wall Ride (Eddie C Remix)/The Tape, and The Revenge’s Forever In Their Debt/Forever In Their Debt (Red Rack’em Remix) are out now. Watch out for Forever In Their Debt (The Revenge’s Pitched Down Mix and The Revenge’s Bottle Of Scotch Mix) coming soon. Visit www.soundcloud.com/home-taping and www.myspace.com/hometapingiskillingmusicrecordings
