MDC Interview#68 " Audiotist "

PICTURE BY : WIMVANWAMBEKE

Audiotist
https://audiotist.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/audiotist

Audiotist is a Belgian Breakcore/Hardcore producer who can also be found abusing gameboys and other toys as deidream. After many years of creating tracks infused with Balkan music, Rave melodies, energetic breaks and skull-cracking Hardcore kicks, he has formed his own identifiable sound which delivers an assault on your eardrums you will thoroughly enjoy.

Working with Breakcore Gives Me Wood & RaggaTerrorFront. Releasing on HongKongViolence, SBMB, MxCx, BGMW, Bankizz, Dance Corps, Jigsore, .. and showcasing his music in dozen country's, Audiotist’s tracks resonate throughout the continent of Europe and continue to lure Hardcore/Breakcore/whatever fans to the darkest of rooms for nights of music fuelled chaos

Q. Please tell me about your activities over the past few years. You've been very active, playing with Dominator and Breakcore Gives Me Wood.

Breakcore gives me wood will always be my favourite. I started my love for breakcore with The Gigglin Dildas, Sickboy, Droon, Rik & Tim somewhere around 2000. Long before I started producing.

It’s great to see how they still make the effort to give the breakcorefans some wood. DaWijf & Droon are doing great work, I’m just lucky i get to play these parties honestly. Forced to skip the next few editions for the first in a very long time. But watch out for some great line ups coming!

Past years I got to share the stage with Ruby My Dear, Doormouse, Akira, Baseck, Limewax, The Destroyer, Drokz, Hellfish and many more artists who I’ve been listening too since I was a teen. Thats always surreal!

Thanks to Akira I got to play Dominator and make a release for HKV. Being on that Dominator line up and stage was crazy. Playing there has really never been anything I would dream or think about. Akira is a great support and has given me al the freedom and time needed to finish tracks, which is forever in my case.

Q. However, I also heard that you were going through a very difficult time at the same time. What did you learn and gain from that experience?

Past years were challenging for sure. We had to combine raising our son , while having 4 funerals in the family in his first 2 years. Including the sudden passing of my dad. So yeah, bumpy road but we’re still going!

At the same time i had both my eardrums ruptured. They probably were like that for a while. I had balance problems, and lots of pain when producing. 2 years later the perforations are supposably healed, but the pain stays so I’ll not be playing live untill this isseu is gone, or better.

I’ll always be making something. I just prefer listening too music instead of producing music. I’ve treated my ears way too bad in the past and I learned for sure.

Q. Your new EP “Robin” has been released on Murder Channel. Could you tell us about the theme of this EP and how long it took to make? What does the bird on the jacket symbolize?

Because just like my music, i’m all over the place, I let my mood decide what i’m making. I didn’t really have a concept going. This EP was made after losing my dad. But it reflects the before and after for me.

Because while griefing for our loss, we were playing and having fun with our son. For me, the contrast is also found in my tracks.

ROBIN was an extra for you, because I know we both love and crave more balkanbreakcore. It contains samples of Orchestre international du vetex , which I have used a lot with Wan Bushi (Circus Brekovic) and myself.

This track reflects the funny , happy moments in between the hard reality.

The bird is just my favourite. I kept seeing it appear on different places that still hold a link somehow. So I asked Droon for a Robin in Droon style, and he really delivered exactly what I was hoping for.

Big thanks to Shimon!! I found it funny he wanted a remix of me on his EP , that had a whole different style than my music.

But as we both have a very wide taste in music, I wanted him to do the same for my EP, and he delivered a great track!

Q. “Post Pa” is very melodic, emotional and tense. It's like your emotions are flowing along with the music. What were you thinking when you were writing this song? What does this song mean to you?

POST PA was the first thing I made in a year , with my damaged ears and after a big creative block. I will let POST PA speak for itself, except for the vocal sample. It is Joe Talbot from IDLES in Beachland Ballroom. That track was my dads, son, and my favourite . So This one is made in a very dark time, and helped me to get back into the mood for producing.

Q. This EP includes your remixes of Droon, Birdmask and R-MIT. What made you choose these songs? What do you keep in mind when you're making a remix?

During the past 2 years i’ve exclusively listened to IDLES and Zeal and ardor. Zeal and Ardor hit hard after losing my father, and the albums gave a whole different vibe than before. So I asked Manuel Gagneux if I could remix a track of his side project BIRDMASK. It is more of a live edit than a finished track because I wanted to respect the original.

R-MIT and DROON have heavily influenced my love for breaks, beats, samples and 8bit. R-MIT and me had some tracks together 10years ago, so he gave me a new pack with loads of beautifull stuff and I made SURE TROUBLE with it.

Droon - Screen has been my favourite since i saw it on youtube.

10years ago I got the sample pack to do the remix, and I never did. Because I couldnt mess with such a beauty. I knew I couldnt make it sound as original or good, but decided to try again.

Opened up my cracked 2007 FL studio on a dusty PC, and made this.

Q. This EP is dedicated to your father. Can you tell me what kind of person your father is?

My dad was always very supportive of my creativity in music or art. Hiphop/breakcore/Balkan or whatever, it didn’t matter.

We both loved basketball, joking around and music in all styles. He gave me loads of music througout my youth and later on. He was a die hard fan and influence. When I lost him , I needed him to live on in my music, and I want to keep his memory alive. So I dedicated this one to him. He had a very big influence on the first Audiotist live sets, filled with flemish ‘kleinkunst’ and riffs or samples from bands he taught me. It was my way of sharing music he taught me, but blending it with hardcore and breakcore or hiphop.

Q. “Robin” features your talent as a composer. Could you tell us the differences and merits of music production that focuses on sampling and music production that focuses on melody?

I coudn’t really, i’m not schooled in anyway. I let my emotions speak, and love sampling, resampling, glitching , etc..just messing around still.

I think this is my first release were I wasnt thinking about : “I have to play this in front of a crowd , so it has to be danceable or pleasing somehow”

I forgot how fun it was to keep it minimal, with not too much elements.

So for some tracks i had very few layers, shamelessly sampling and not heavily edited, while others are made in a totally different workflow.

Q. It's been 15 years since your first release, “Going Sane In A Crazy World” (Dance Corps). What has changed the most in those 15 years? And what has stayed the same?

Still FL studio but a decent version now , still the amen break, still sampling, recording, lsdj, midines, etc…still a lot of the same.

the world got darker and the internet is dead. So I’m paying less attention to the news and social media and make my own happiness.

Still working a job and finding ways to be creative.

I never had a plan and still dont have one, but i can say I have got the best list of releases and gigs I could ever imagine. Looking back on this 15 years, I had the best times, met the best people, and saw beautiful places because of breakcore. 

Q. Looking back over those 15 years, what events have left a particularly strong impression?

Dance corps is were it started and I will always remember that. Our mini tour with Goreshit and Annoying Ringtone was really fun.

I Played Trashncore in Berlin a few times, touring Poland with Rombanka , Germany with Airborne Drumz , Shared stage with Hecate/Igoa/etc…

London and Pokora soundsystem must be my best memories. I would have stayed there much longer if I could. I’ve never felt more like home when going abroad for Audiotist. They were the best family ever!

The people were so lovely, and I made some great friends, had some great gigs and saw even better performances.

Bangface weekender, Amsterbang, Dominator, Balter festival, Amenzoo , Ragga Terror Front, Coretrick, Shtampf , Breakcore gives me wood , etc… I

Lithuania Revolution festival was my best memory, playing at sunrise surrounded by loud noises and nature !

A special recent one was a gabber event in Amsterdam, as i’ve always got the feedback “too hardcore to be breakcore, and too breakcore to be hardcore”. But I’ve never hidden my love for 4 to the floor gabber , and I never thought my music was Breakcore. But I don’t care about what box it fit’s in. Being asked for a straight up gabber event, in the Netherlands, as a “Break” artist was something i’ve always wanted to do!

Q. How do you feel about the recent scene in Belgium? What artists, labels and collectives are you paying attention to?

I can’t say much about it as I havent been out in 2 years, except for playing few gigs. Stimular was great and they throw a lot of great line ups, variating for everybody’s taste. I don’t have much feelings about the scene, as I don’t want to be the typical old guy complaining about how it used to be better. I’m happy we can still dance at whatever we want, whenever we want. we are still very spoiled in Belgium when it comes too events and festivals. I love too see young talent and the nostalgic huge names. As long as it is not about the DJ or producer, but the music.

At Breakcore gives me wood I see a whole new generation of ravers, its great to see it is all still alive.

Sealand records, Suckpuck , GabberIndustries, PRSPCT , HKV , etc… they all deserve respect for keeping the vibes alive.

Q. What is your schedule going to be like?

Somebody asked me to do an expo with my collage work.

So I’m preparing for that right now. I find it very humbling too be asked for expo/releases/gigs , without the whole daily social media crap.

I’m used to throw stuff online and let people find it by themself.

Musically it will be very unpredictable for now, I am still having a lot of issues with my ears , and I have not planned any live gigs in the future. At the moment I’m working , having fun with my girlfriend and son. And I’m working on some instrumental stuff for a friend’s photo expo.

And I’m always making stuff , wether its on gameboy , fl studio , midines , C64 trackers, whatever… I’ll always make something I’ll probably never release!

Because I’ve never sent out a demo for release to anybody, I just never think its ‘good’ enough. So thank you again for the everlasting support Ume <3

Ow and before this EP , i’ve finished my Hong Kong Violence release. That one will be out some day, on some platform.<3