 |  |  |  |  |
LISTEN TO MIX: download listen
INTERVIEW
hey Ryan! Please tell us where you are from and how long you've been living there?
I've been based out of San Francisco for the last 10 years or so.
How did you get into dance music and producing?
I started producing with my friend as "the Dream Chimney" in Santa Barbara around 1997. Then as
Broker/Dealer in around 2000 we started to work on a live set and that kicked us off into writing
more and recording tracks. The dance music part of it was pretty much inspired by the sound of
Koln Germany with Kompakt records and all the new labels starting up at that time. We were pretty
hyped up about it and didn't really know of anyone else around here producing or djing that sound
at the time, so we thought wed take a crack at it. We did monthly, weekly parties in SF and recorded
for Traum, Asphodel and Spectral.
What is important for you when you make a track?
It really has to be something sort of hypnotic i can zone out on to take the edge of commuting and
going to work. Since its impossible to know if the track will ever be released, its really just making a
track for myself to enjoy. Melody is pretty important as well, easily the hardest part or me but needs
to have something to get stuck in your head. More recently it needs to be something I can potential
play out, its always more fun to hear your own stuff really loud even if its a super slow 100 bpm
track.
Where do you draw inspiration from ... is living in San Francisco an influence at all?
Usually comes from music i know i cant make, so the good 78-82 synth dance music. I will call on
parts to help me and add something modern. Right now the San Fran inspiration is from a bunch
of amazing local music happening. Windsurf and Jonas Reinhardt are both the best live music for
me right now. Pretty damn inspiring. Some great regular parties, Donuts, Public Release, OK Hole
and Anthony Mansfield's nights... and lot of great producers from here 40 Thieves, Michaocan and
some I'm only just finding out about, Marbeya, Loose Shus. Theres a lot going on so I dont want to
miss out.
Was your first record the one of Flexx?
Actually another 12" came out at nearly the exact sometime on a label called APT. The label never
released another record and I lost touch with the guy running it. A similar vibe as the Flexx one but
mellower. Both records came from tracks i was working on all around the same 06-07, tracks
intended really just to play on cdr at a former monthly party at Rx Gallery. I passed some tracks to
Flexx that I though would make a nice 12", luckily they agreed. APT heard an mp3 on my site and i
gathered up some other tracks I'd done to round it out. I love to have a slow, mid and up tempo
track all on the same record. Good for those that don't know exactly what style you will need for your
party... so you get it all on one record.
Love your new EP on Ghost Town ... pure dance floor dynamite!! "Contact" is just huge. What
can you tell us about it - the tracks are all edits right?
Yeah, they are edits/remixes. Body to Body track on there is more of an edit. Slowed way down,
cut.copy.paste. The others I've added and changed quite a bit. I heard the original of "Contact" a few
years ago when they used to play old soul train re-runs on late night cable. The combo of that
synth loop and seeing the dancers grooving and loving it made me HAVE to find that track. I'm sure
I planned to make the remix of it to dj but I never actually played it out until about a year later.
"Countdown" is a remix I made just for myself many years ago just because I loved that guitar
looped over and over and drenched with delay. I had been trying to release that track for a while on
a few different labels but never worked out. "Body to Body" I made to play at a Gun Club party here
in SF but never got to actually play it, there was a bachelorette party going on when i started and
that track wasn't really made for that...
I think most of you other releases are original tracks or remixes, do you have an opinion one
way or the other on edits vs original productions?
Most of my tracks have made have some sampled element in it somewhere, the more obvious the
parts the more it would be a remix. I usually get started on a track with some loops or pieces, that
will get me hooked on working on it enough to make something new out of it. The goal to eventually
have enough original stuff in the track to remove the samples from the mix but depends. Really
don't have a strong opinion on edits, seems like every dj would have some desire to make a track
fit perfectly into their set. Most sets I'll play edits of my own on cdr specifically for that party or set.
You've done quite a few remixes, which one are you most proud of?
Every remix I get asked to do seems at first like its going to be most difficult one of all time to do.
The windsurf remix though came out really smooth and natural for some reason which is so nice. I
guess my favorite is one that hasn't been released yet. Its a remix of a 9dw track, probably my fav
because I got to include all these great guitar licks and parts into a slow, club track. That was really
fun to make it all fit and sound exactly as if I could play guitar. They set me up nicely for that. BTW
everyone should get that 9dw cd on Catone records, its really good.
What are your top 5 tracks right now?
Marbeya - Non-Reciprocal (unreleased track at the moment, I've been listening to this and all their
tracks a lot lately)
Windsurf - Weird Energy (unreleased but probably not for long, classic windsurf style epic
retro-future tv soundtrack)
Sombrero Galaxy - Journey To The Center Of The Sun (Tako sent this over and have been tripping
out on how rad this is ever since, this will come out soon I'm sure)
Julian Love - Disco Queen (been listening to all his amazing unreleased demo tracks, this one is
my fav)
Danydorado - Crepusculo (Dany has posted some new demos on his myspace that I'm enjoying
as usual)
You can always find my top track of the day http://dreamchimney.com/tracks/profile/ryan
Where can people catch you djing?
Next gig is in LA, my first one out of SF in ages, its with Tony Watson and Ritesh for their new Adult
Contemporary label pre-launch party. Ill have a track with an amazing Reverso68 remix coming up.
This will be a good introduction before it drops. Nothing else booked at the moment but I try to keep
my site updated if you are in town please check for it.
Except music, what else are you into?
My 2 year old son gets all the rest of my available time. Trips to the park, teaching him how to kick a
soccer ball, skateboard and to find good rock'n'roll music on the radio on our ghetto blaster. Need
to get him a drum set next.
Would you like to give a shout out to anyone?
All the Chimneys at dreamchimney.com covers nearly everyone, Tony Watson, Dennis Kane, Travis
TK & Conor, SENTRALL, Flexx, Hands of Time records, Ritmolider & Mellophonia records.
Tracklisting:
Starforce 1 - Astral Jungle
Elitechnique - Autumn Abyss
Ghost town 003 - Body to Body
Secret Stealth - Stealth 2
Marbeya - Non reciprecal
Mark Seven - Deep Seoul
9dw - Stone and Fruits (Hatchback's Asteroid and Cantaloupes Dub)
Beatfanatic - Nights on ibiza
Kenneth Sherman - Why Can't We Live Together
Soft Rocks - Leave your earth behind
Grackle - Desert Acid (musiccargo mix)
the Beat Broker - Beach Beards
Tensnake - Congolal
Serge Ponsar - Out In The Night (inst)
Windsurf - Weird Energy
