The Soul Designer returns: Fabrice Lig interview

The Soul Designer returns: Fabrice Lig interview

28 June, 2008 | 11.28AM

• Written by: Lee Smith
• Filed under: Music News: soul designer

For the last fifteen years, Belgium’s Fabrice Lig has been knocking out literally reams of quality, Detroit-inspired techno under a plethora of pseudonyms.

Now he’s back as Soul Designer, the most orchestrally-inclined of his guises, with new album ‘Evolutionism’.

A masterful blend of classic moods and bang up-to-date production, it’s the sound of Lig at his very best.

We caught him at his home studio to talk about his musical skills, his love of Detroit, and his passion for the environment.

‘Evolutionism’ is the first Soul Designer album for a while—has it been difficult to make?

Yes, it’s a challenge because the first one worked really good and the people really enjoyed it, so I needed to do it right again.

I think each time you make an album it is always more difficult.

I have to do better or different, it’s always really hard.

Are you pleased with the end result?

Yeah, for sure.

It took a long time to do it, not only to record it, but I also had to think about what I was going to do.

It’s not just about making the tracks, it’s also the fact you go forward and to make something different better.

I like an album to be real album, not just a number of tracks in a row, that’s why it is really important to me to have a concept behind the new album.

I think what I’m doing is not really trendy, and I don’t really want it to be trendy, but also I really want it go forward in my own style.

I think it’s another challenge because if I’m not trendy, I have to be even better to attract the people—especially the people who are listening to another kind of music.

Could you describe the difference between the music you do as Soul Designer, and the music you do as your other aliases ?

I think it’s not a really big difference!

Except when I’m working with the Soul Designer project, I really want it to be soulful and melodic.

I try to go deep into the melodies and soulful atmosphere, that’s the first thing I’m thinking about when I’m working as Soul designer.

I’m the same guy, so even if I could do some other kind of music - like hip hop and stuff like that - I can’t hide my style behind the project

You talk about your use of melodies in your music. Are you a trained musician?

No, I’m not a musician, I just learn by myself.

I probably work slower than a real musician, and when I’m making chords, for example, I really need a lot of time to find the right chord.

A lot of people will ask me if I’m a ‘real’ musician, and then I say the first real jazz men were not musicians.

To be a real musician - what is that, exactly?

It’s not just someone who has spent a lot of time at school…

You’re well known as first white producer to have release on [Kevin Saunderson’s] KMS label, and you also get a lot of props from legendary Detroit heads like Mad Mike Banks. How did they come into contact with your music?

I was big fan of Inner City, and one of my friends was working at PIAS, who were doing stuff with KMS at the time.

They wanted to make a remix of an E-Dancer track called ‘Banjo’, and that friend said, “If you want to, you can make a remix”.

I think they liked the remix, but it was not possible to put it on a 12” cause they had a Mad Mike remix and a Funk D’Void one.

Then later, when Kevin Saunderson played in Belgium, I just met him and gave him the CD, and he told me “ok, thank you.”

Six months later, a friend called me and said, “Hey, congratulations on your remix on KMS!”

I thought it was a joke, and he told me, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve seen a KMS record with your name and your remix!”

Later I heard Mad Mike and Kevin had chosen that remix to be on the 12”, and I think that was the first contact Mad Mike had with my music.

And then he probably listened to some other stuff, ‘cause when I met him finally he was really updated on what I was doing.

I was a bit surprised!

Going back to the new album - I understand there is a link with environmental issues running through the tracks?

‘Evolutionism’ was the best title because everything in evolution is about people in nature.

I really wanted to talk about the way humans have evolved, and of course the environment is important because that’s what we’re talking about a lot – it’s just like in the intro on the album, I tried to think about what happened to the human race.

I wanted to try to understand what happened, and what mistake we made.

I have children, and that’s why I really want to talk about it, because when you have children you have to think about the future, because they will have to live in that future.

You don’t – your children will have to figure the problems.

The future is what you are doing today, and what you did in the past.

You have a huge back catalogue. What stands out as your proudest achievement?

I think it’s this new album, I know it’s obvious to say that, but it’s true.

I worked more than I ever have on melodies and harmonies, and it really touched my musical limit.

I think I may find that it’s the last of a period - it’s probably the best techno album I can do, so that’s why I’m thinking now about exploring some different things, funky stuff.

But for sure, it’s a big achievement for me.

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