Dave Dresden - New Beginnings
by Polly Lavin
Dave Dresden comes across to one as an unassuming type of bloke, firstly it’s clear Dresden actually values hooking up with artists on domains connecting because of creativity and like-minded approaches to electronic music, in fact one of G&D’s finest partners Molly Bancroft came about through talking creativity online like moths to flames artists it seems attract artists; even online. To get 5 minutes with him is gold-dust as producing/remixing the likes of Lily Allen and touring the US, South America and China appear to be the drivers since splitting with his co-production partner of ‘Gabriel & Dresden’ fame, Josh Gabriel. It was suprising to many when ‘Gabriel & Dresden’ split as they were at the peak of their talent and had gained considerable notoriety in both domestic and international markets. It appears that Gabriel’s move to Amsterdam was the likely cause of the split, though Dresden did state in this interview that musically they were also moving in separate directions. Whether it’s inevitable that the two may produce again in the future is not clear though it seems that the split was amicable. Dresden seems to come from the school of the DJ whose drive is about making the people dance and that being the ritual and artists who understand and hold a sound (rather then dj divas) are hard to find. Amateur is not a word you would use to describe him as he’s re-worked the big boys - Kings of Leon, The Killers, New Order, Madonna, Jewel, Radiohead in fact most of our everyday heroes and coolest bands on the planet; to a sound that slides easily into a set and that the dancefloor can respond to. However, his calibre productions seem to evolve when he works with female vocalists – Molly Bancroft, Alison Ryeland and Jes, not names you would know on their own but you’ll have heard them in a Dresden set and you kind of go ‘That’s different whose that’ ?
To get my head around this guy I listened to his old G&D sets and his 76 mins set which is knocking around the net & his Myspace page. There’s definitely a different vibe going on in the G&D stuff to the DD stuff; like evolution has occurred for Dave Dresden since he absconded from Gabriel. Soundwise DD is cool, No, DD is hot, this is a juxtaposition that I am having here. Conclusion. DD is not an ‘In your face attack the noise’ DJ’s, he’s a journey DJ (you remember them ? ) and given lately that we’re being slammed with minimal and techno; journey is a good vibe train to get back onto. 2 words sum up his sound for me - hot and cool. These sounds are cool enough that your hooked, drawn into the journey he creates but heated enough that your just about ready to ask that barman for a few ice cubes to cool you down. Progressive, techy, wirey could Dresden be a modern day Sasha of his peak? There’s a pulse and a tempo to a Dresden set but there’s also a clarity and pureness in his sounds harking back to the progressive/trance leanings that he has evolved from. His sound in some productions is almost too wholesome for our dirty sweaty dance-floors own good but then he can spit out something nice, sweaty and grimy like the ‘Radiohead remix of nude’- that just takes you adrift into a nice dark place. Seasoned there’s no doubt about it - 20 years working in all aspects of the business ( DJ, journalist, A&R, radio music director, and remixer – hell there’s a lot of tags going on there) leads to a honed professional, so we decided to hook up with Dave and ask him some questions about all things music & creativity.
The interview
How has the re- branding process been going ? Is it a fresh sheet or do people still identify with you as part of gabriel and dresden ?
One thing you often overlook when you're in a duo is how much you've lost sight of your own self and your own goals. Getting to know myself and what I am capable of alone was the most important first step in making the switch from duo to solo. I feel that the fans and the industry are treating me in a way that is fair and doesn't put a lot of pressure on me for the first few months. Of course I will for a long time be associated with Gabriel & Dresden, partly because of what we did and partly because i feel we never completed the project.
How has the sound/music evolved since splitting from JG ? whats new in your sound that wasn’t there before ? You said recently that you love live drums/instruments can we expect this in the new album ?
I think that i may have moved closer to melding the sound of rock instruments into a format that works in dance music with my post G&D work. I recently did a remix of Deadmau5's "Not Exactly" as an experiment to see how close i could make this track sound like there was a band playing along and i feel that the result really pays homage to what i want my sound to be. I took a lot of the electronic elements of the song and then built this awesome live drum track around the sounds. I have been playing this track out in my sets and it totally rocks...it turned deadmau5's unassuming prog monster into a stadium anthem. Another example is the remix i did with Trent Cantrelle for Serge Devant's cover of The Beloved's "Sweet Harmony" -there's a huge rock snare and tom right up front in the drum track. I'm really into the idea of dance music having soul, musicality and the ability to make thousands put their hands in the air in unison.
In terms of dj-ing and creation of your own tracks/remixes which do you feel happier working on ? can you talk us through why ?
Well i truly feel that these things are very symbiotic of each other. When I was just a DJ i always wanted to inject "myself" into the mix, it was something i was always trying to push myself on. When i added the producer hat i feel everything changed for me and that i feel more complete as a dj playing music that i put my own personal stamp on. I get a lot of musical inspiration from dj-ing, and so its only natural that now i know how to do a lot of the technical aspects of production myself, that i would remix and re-produce almost every track i spin. I have made maybe 30 different edits and 5-10 bootlegs of tracks this year alone. So the answer here is that both of these things make me equally happy and that i feel i can't be successful in one without the other
How does the DD live experience compare with a DD production or the album that’s on its way ?
I am working on ways of making my live show more exciting. When we spilt, I immediately decided that i was going to spin cd's for the first shows. But since i've been doing this, i have not felt very excited about it. After years of doing a duo thing with ableton, there's things that you just can't do with cd's that you can with mixing from a laptop. There's a lot of purists out there who will hate me for this, but its just more fun to present music in a seamless way. The idea of essentially EQ-ing my way through djing is more fun for me than trying to hold kick drums together. Having the computer hold the beats together is not cheating, it affords you more chance to do more things with djing. And as someone who embraced cd's a long time before everyone else, i don't see the problem with embracing a newer technology that's not the "norm" if it's going to make the output sound better.
Morgan Page and Jan Burton Collaborations - what can we expect from that ? Talk us through what we can expect to hear in the new album you are working on ? release date ? Is this more an artist CD or will it be a mix CD from DD ? Whats the vibe in it ?
Well, actually i'm very inspired by how Morgan has announced himself to the dance world. His album "Elevate" was a great idea in how to present himself as an artist at the time. He's a great A&R guy, he's a great DJ, he's a great remixer and producer. The album was a "state of the artist" and that's
pretty much where my thinking is going for my debut album. I have not set any guidelines up for the album yet and how i'm going to present it. But I have worked with a lot of different producers this year. That's where i'm at right now, my ‘state of the artist’. So, for the album I am planning on it being about 8-10 different collaborations with the producers who bring the best out in me. I am not afraid to say that i love to collaborate with other artists.
You’ve had a history of successful collaborations with female vocalists such as Molly Bancroft, Allison Ryeland & Jes - Do you think collaborating with females as opposed to male vocalists brings to a different vibe to a dance track ?
I never think of things in ways like this. I hear a vocalist and i think about how i can best capture that voice in a song and then work towards that goal. I've been working on a song that has a female verse and male chorus. I just want to make great songs with singers whose voices have a personality to them.
You said recently, that you might use MYLAR with Lasers in a set can you tell us more about MYLAR ?
Mylar and lasers is another way of saying you spin cd's. Mylar is what a cd is made from and a laser reads it.
With the all emphasis on live acts over the last number of years....are we shifting away from DJ's or is the scene just gone back underground ? DeadMau5 said recently the day of the DJ is gonna end, so is there days numbered or are they just going to have to up their game ? if, so where do you think its heading for future dj's
I think the day of the dj has ended - it ended with vinyl. the dj is expected to do more now because he has more tools at his fingertips to do this. The lazy ones are the ones who are playing cd's and records to present their music and i also think Deadmau5 is a perfect example of how you DON’T have to spend years learning how to dj as a way to present your music. So this makes it a clear cut case that if you don't evolve, you die. Hence, why i'm investigating which program and which controller i'm going to use. I feel very lazy playing cd's when i could be remixing songs live with a software program.
What advice would you give 'da kidz' who want to be dj's right now ? you’ve covered almost every spectrum of the industry in various roles, how would you tell the kids to try to cut it nowadays...
I always tell them to be original and that in order to make an impact they are going to have to make sacrifices with their personal life to do it more than likely.
You say that you write best just after you gig ? Why ? What is it that you take from the gig that goes into the creative process?
The adrenaline rush of the crowd is still in me, there are ideas i came up with while djing that i want to work out right away, chord progressions that enter my mind, drum beats i hear in tracks I’m spinning. all kinds of things that inspire me to make music are just present at this time.
What artists are 'doing it' for you right now ? Why ?
I like dabruck and klein - i think they bridge the gap between credible and commercial really well and their ideas flow very well. I'm a huge deadmau5 fan, i think how he mixed trance with techno ideas and solid production is right in line with what josh and i were doing. There are hundreds of amazing producers coming from Germany right now, making solid tracks with amazingly good musical ideas.
How do you feel about illegal downloading ? Has it now become an necessary evil to spread music and build artists in a competitive arena or should the law and the industry really be getting their fingers out...?
I think it has really helped me gain a career and so i embrace it as much as i can. i commonly give away tracks via my myspace that i'm hoping kids will put in their limewire folders and stick on blogs. it's how you gain market share now. The purchases are in line with your fan base in the end.
You've had nearly 1/2 million hits on your myspace page, what do you think about MYSPACE and the whole social networking phenomenon, is it still necessary to have the ‘industry’ there ?
Of course. It allows me to propogate information in a forum like setting and also to communicate with my fans in a way that i choose how close i get, how much time i put into it, etc. it's not like having a real email address where people are "expecting" you'll answer. It's more like an added bonus to the fans that you do respond. its been plenty helpful to me in the past few years.
This is political year in America and there's been a lot of talk by artists who are getting up and talking politics - do you think this is right for artists to do or should a line be drawn between art and politics ? What impact do you think an artist can have if they communicate a political message ?
I think that a lot is riding on this election and there is finally a candidate that i feel i can get behind, if i can do my part to help things evolve, i will.
You suffer from aspergers bi polar and ADD how as that shaped you as an artist ? What message would you communicate to those out there who might be suffering from this but are unsure what it is, how to recognise it, or how to treat it ?
I most certainly think its the reason i make such emotional music. Part of the reason why Josh and I could only go so far, and there is no easy way to tell whether you have any of these conditions except going to a doctor who treats these sort of conditions and they run you through a battery of tests.
I think that much of my musical output pre-2005 was very inspired by bi polar disorder and i have been learning ways to make music and not have to draw on the sadness, anger and pain that disease gives you on a regular basis. Being treated for it brings a whole set of new challenges because it's almost like you changed studios. Music sounds different.
www.davedresdenmusic.com
Interview/Article by courtesy of Polly Lavin
All rights reserved Polly Lavin
www.myspace.com/pollylavine
Photo By: Dennis Kleiman
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