This interview was carried out for Bassdrop, New Zealand’s home of breakbeat culture online.
Redeyes is a name synonymous with smooth liquid beats. The Frenchman visited our shores back in 2007, and played an epic set in Auckland with people queued around the corner to get in and see him. He is going to be back in New Zealand next month for a tour of the main centres. Now with an album, Poetry in Motion, under his belt as well as a slew of quality releases, there is no doubt that we are in for a treat.
I had a chance to catch up with him ahead of the tour and here is what he had to say…
Me: This will be your second trip down to NZ, having been down and played Auckland and Wellington in late 2007. How did you like it down here last time?
Redeyes: I really liked it. After spending 24 hours on planes and in airports, it’s just like finding a secret island, with those beautiful beaches and cool people. Even after spending one hour with the custom guy at the airport, he was really cool and polite. I also have good memories about the parties, the Auckland one was just fire!
Me: When you were down here last you were working hard on your debut album ‘Poetry in Motion’ which was subsequently released in the second half of 2008. What else have you been up to in the 18 months since we saw you down here? What does the next little while have in store for Redeyes? Is there another album in the works?
Redeyes: It was a bit difficult to start making tunes again after finishing this album, because I don’t like making the same tune twice. So I just took my time, I played a lot also worldwide, from Europe to Japan. I have got a couple of things scheduled for Innerground, Play Muzik, a 12″ with Lenzman for Integral, a BCee remix with Lenzman too, and a Bonobo remix for Ninja Tune.
I haven’t planned a new album yet. If I do, it wont be the same. It will still be the Redeyes sound, but I’d like to play around with the BPM. The same vibes but with different tempos. I have done some abstract beats, hip hop things, but I still dont know if it will be a Redeyes project or something separate.
Me: Last time you were down here I had the pleasure of showing you around some of the local record stores and doing a bit of digging. The vast majority of travelling internationals are now playing off CDs, but it was cool to see you still out there looking for something special in the vinyl bins. Do you still manage to get out and do a bit of digging now and again?
Redeyes: I always dig, everywhere I go, cause it’s a way to support the local stores, to find different things, to spend some good times with the local guys, and to show the people who buy my music that I’m doing the same. You can’t ask people to buy your music if you don’t play the game! I know I play a lot of CDs, but its just cause its the cheapest and easiest way for me to play my music and my friends beats.
Me: I have just come back from a trip up to Europe and managed to catch a couple of big parties up there while I was there. One of the major differences was the length of the sets that the ‘main acts’ were playing. Up there they were generally an hour long, whereas down here they are usually 2 hours plus. Last time up in Auckland you stuck around to the end and even rolled out back to back with some of us locals at the end of the night… do you prefer playing longer sets?
Redeyes: 1 hour with 10 rewinds! (laughs)
I don’t remember playing back to back (more laughing)
I love playing long sets, last month in Vienna I played a 3 hour set. Such a wicked night! The thing is I always play live. If you play for one hour you’ve got to have a solid prepared set, but that’s not my thing. I prefer playing freestyle with the vibe, the crowd. So, the longer the set, the more the sound will be, with plenty of different vibes… and the more drunk I will be.
Me: Some of your biggest tunes have made great use of some awesome samples. How do you go about finding the samples that you use?
Redeyes: Finding good samples is as difficult as finding a good riff if you’re a guitar hero, its nearly a 24hr/7day job. I’m always looking for new music, for my listening pleasure, and of course for sampling. There’s a bit of luck in the job too, cause you can find something that is not so big the first time you hear it, but if you play with the loop you can make something wicked. Other times you find a sample that somebody already used and you had this tune in your library for a long time and didn’t think about it… I hate when it happens.
So to summarize, the keys to finding a good sample is digging everywhere you can (shops, internet, radio, TV, mum’s CDs, etc) and lot of luck.
Me: What kind of set up are you using for production?
Redeyes: A really basic setup: Dynaudio monitors and at the moment a little HP laptop because my computer crashed last winter. I lost all my samples and song files. I’m making tunes with Reason, and rewiring with Cubase if I’m working with full vocals.
Me: When you are out travelling do you take your laptop with you and write tunes on the road?
Redeyes: It depends how long it is for, but usually I prefer spending time with the local guys, seeing the country, drinking beers, eating local food, and enjoying life instead of making beats at the hotel!
Me: Your ‘Random Summer Flavas‘ mixtape from a couple of years back is one of my favourite hip hop mixes of all time. Do you often mix hip hop and/or other genres?
Redeyes: Yes. I did a volume two last year, more chilled with soul and jazz. But I just did another big 90s hip hop style mixtape. It’s always fun to mixes different tempos and styles. I usually do some mixtapes for my friends birthdays. It can be rock, or hip hop, or whatever they like.
Me: If a lovely young lady in NZ wanted to buy you a drink while you were here what should she buy you?
Redeyes: Nothing ’cause I always have some drink tickets in my pockets so it would be me buying her a drink. But if she insists, anything with Vodka would be cool, or Mojito, or Cognac, or Armagnac, or…
Me: And finally, can you give us a current drum and bass top 10 to give people a flavour of what you will be bringing our way…
Redeyes:
- Redeyes & Lenzman – Thieves in the Night/untitled – Integral
- BCee – Glitter Balls (Redeyes & Lenzman remix) – Spearhead
- SPY – Like a Dream – Innerground
- Marky & SPY – Tapestry – Innerground
- Random Movement – Change for the Train Home
- Lomax – Human Network
- Tokyo Prose – Echoes
- Marky, SPY and Random Movement – Give Me Your Love
- Lil Wayne – A Milli (Lenzman remix)
- Bonobo (Redeyes Remix) – Ninja Tune
Plus loads of stuff from Dave Owen, SPY, Lenzman, Mixmaster Doc, Random Movement, Mayhem, Eveson, Kjell, Brookes Brothers, Enei, BCee, Naibu, Oak, Soul Intent, Luca, etc…
You can catch Redeys on the following dates around NZ:
- Auckland, June 11th, The Carpark
- Christchurch, June 12th, Double Happy
- Wellington, June 13th, The Garden Club
For more check out Redeyes on MySpace.
