Hatiras exclusive interview: HousePlanet.DJ

Hatiras exclusive interview: HousePlanet.DJ

31 January, 2008 | 10.09AM

• Section: Music News
• Written by: HousePlanet.DJ

HousePlanet.DJ caught up with label owner, producer and DJ Hatiras to talk about his two record labels Blow Media and Hatrax.

Hataris also spoke about the negative affects of music piracy, and his thoughts on the North American dance scene.

Check out all of Hatiras’ best tracks in the player after the jump.

Over the last couple of years, you and your labels, Blow Media and Hatrax have had tremendous success, especially on-online, and in music stores like Beatport. What do you think about online music, and the general advancement of the internet age, how does it affect the global house community? How is it helping yourself and your roster of DJs?

First off, thanks for the kind words. In my opinion, the internet has really opened up the market for music.

In the past, there were a lot of expenses associated with putting out music.

Labels had to pay to cut masters, press hard product (vinyl or CD), pay for artwork (design and printing expenses), etc.

It also took what seemed like forever to put out a record.

Besides that, there were a ton of middle-men between the artist and the consumer.

This would leave artists with a very small amount of the profit.

The online music industry allows small labels and independent artists to put out music more quickly and with lower expenses.

There are also a ton of easy, immediate and affordable promotional vehicles online that allow artists to spread the word about their material (eg. MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, personal websites, etc.) With that said, the online music industry has really opened up the market for independent artists.

On the other hand, there are negative side effects. For one, music piracy is rampant.

It’s easy to download and share music.

It’s convenient for the consumer, and, in some ways it helps to promote the artist. However, it does hurt sales.

The same thinking applies to mix sets and podcasts.

Mixes that circulate online spread the word about the music and they help to create a fan base.

But sharing them does hurt the compilation market. I’d say that if people like a specific artist then they should go ahead and support them with purchased downloads at Beatport, iTunes, etc.

Another negative aspect of online music is that it’s led to an over-saturation of music out there.

In fact, the internet in general has shortened people’s attention spans and flooded them with content.

If artists want to be noticed amongst all the material out there they’ll have to increase quantity, quality, and come in with a unique angle. It’s not easy.

I could go on about these issues, but overall, I’ve personally tried to take all of the new technologies as an opportunity to create awareness about my musical vision.

I plan to continue to release a bunch of fun music and move forward and continually adapt with the changing technologies.

Since I’m such a huge supporter and fan of Beatport - make sure you keep checking there for new material.

What can you tell us about your style transition throughout the past couple of years?

For me, music production has always been about learning and trying out new things.

On one hand I make music that inspires and excites me.

On the other, it’s important to stay current with the changing trends.

When I started out, I used to rely more heavily on sampling and sample manipulation.

Over the years I’ve learned a lot more about synthesis, music theory, mastering etc.

These new tools and techniques have opened new creative doors for me. I tend to experiment with my sound quite a bit.

At the moment, I’m into a slightly harder, dirtier fusion of electro with techno and funk.

There are even some elements of hip hop and rock in there. That’s not to say I won’t make funky house or vocal-based stuff.

I have all kinds of unreleased ideas sitting around in my studio that range in style.

I’m thinking that right now that I want to bring a bit of the fun and dirty vibe back into dance floors.

Although, I might change my mind tomorrow and release something that’s completely twisted and unexpected. That’s the fun part of it all.

What do you think of the dance music scene in North America, how is it like compared to other scenes you have seen, like Japan for example?

The scene worldwide has its ups and downs. I guess you can look at each scene on a city-by-city basis.

A city like Tokyo or London obviously gets much larger crowds than small cities in Canada.

However, fundamentally they are all very similar in that there’s a true core of supporters in every city.

The US is still suffering somewhat because the mainstream media aims to control the people by spoon-feeding them MTV videos and corporate owned music.

However, the internet has really helped to unify the scene globally – it’s funny to watch a song get the same reaction on any corner of the planet.

It’s just that 100 people will come out to a show in Newfoundland where 10,000 will come out in Japan.

As far as my home town Toronto is going: I’ve gotta mention that it’s gaining a fresh new momentum here again with the opening of the new mega-club Circa out here and more promoters getting back into the game.

What do you think your most memorable performance of 2007 was?

There were so many that it’s a bit of a blur. December was a fun month. My shows in Japan were crazy.

Someone even brought their pet monkey out to meet me. The Winter Music Conference in Miami was also fun.

Playing at the Beatport Poolside party with rapper Lil’ Jon on the mic was pretty funny. It’s hard to pick… They were all a good time.

Can you update us on your upcoming productions/Remixes?

Here’s a little list:
-‘Bass Monkeys’ remix by Chris Kaeser out on Hatrax (Jan 30th).
-I collaborated with Toronto local Jelo to create a crazy monster of a techno-electro tune called ‘Donkey Punch’ (out Feb 14th).
-I remixed Joey Mazolla & Mike Balance’s ‘Flow’ coming out on DJ Dan’s In Stereo Recordings soon.
-I remixed ‘Just Like That’ by Nick Fiorucci. It’ll be out on Hi Bias.
-Another remix for ‘Just The Tip’ by Joey Seminara, Danny Nagels and Flipside coming out on PBR.
-An older original called ‘What Happened To The Funk’ will release on Hi Bias.
-A remix for Adam K’s ‘I Can Feel’ is coming out on Hot Box Digital.
-Expect some new remixes of ‘Poppin’ Beats’ coming out on Hatrax in the spring.
-I also finished a new remix of ‘Bass Monkeys’ that’s quite ridiculous.
-A whole load of originals and remixes are in the works. I’ve had a busy January in the studio.

How about an update on what your DJ roster at Blow Media and Hatrax are up to?

Through Blow Media I’ve helped to launch and push a bunch of artists.

I’m happy to say that some of them have gone on to branch out and create their own labels (eg. Adam K and Hot Box, Macca and Invasive Recordings).

I personally plan to focus on releasing more of my own music on Hatrax this year and collaborating with many of the Blow Media artists through remixes or joint productions.

Keep an eye out for a lot of the camp spreading their productions around the world.

Please give a few words to your fans on HousePlanet.DJ

I sincerely thank all of the people who have been supporting my music over the years.

Even though I’ve been around for a while I feel like I’m just warming up for another blast.

Expect a bunch of crazy new stuff this year as I plan to dedicate more time to producing through 2008.

Also, if you’re not already in the know, check out my weekly radio show at www.hatiras.com Again, thanks for keeping the music alive and kicking!

www.hatiras.com

Source: http://www.houseplanet.dj

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