Sat, 02 Apr 2011 / Post a comment
British born, Berlin based, Tommy Four Seven is one of the headliners of the new techno generation: it is already with his first productions that he changes the classic techno sound with deep tones that make his works very interesting. After studying Music Technology in London and being resident at Club Fire, Tommy Four Seven releases tracks on important labels and he is immediately noticed by Chris Liebing. In his productions, we can note the work of sound design that often turns his traces in real great rough surfaces: “Sor ” is a good example, it’s a powerful and hypnotic track made up of a crescendo of “croaking” sounds.
At the end of March “Primate” will be out, the debut album, in which the sound is the protagonist. In fact, in the album Tommy focuses on the study of sounds: the classic synthesizers are relegated to a second place while the sounds of everyday life together with the distortion of the most common rhythmic structures are brought to the attention. We are very curious to listen to this new project and waiting, we decided to find out more!
Welcome on Soundwall!
What were your musical influences and what brought you, when you were only 17, to the world of electronic music?
As a child I listened to my parents synth pop collection, such as Human League, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode. As a teenager I became hooked on more electronic dance music such as Jungle, Drum N Bass and Techno. At 6th from college I discovered my teacher was a techno DJ in his spare time and I would sneak into his raves. From my teens I was experimenting with producing and also with DJing. Around 17 I was sending demo mix tapes to promoters and I soon began to DJ around London.
How much and in which ways your portrayed study of music technology has influenced your productions?
Studying really broadened my perspective and certain topics such as more film related aspects influenced my passion for sound design. It introduced me to techniques such as foley and using sounds to create hyper reality within the film world.
Give us some tracks that marked your life.
Gary Numan – ‘M.E’
Throbbing Gristle – ‘Discipline’
Omni Trio – ‘Renegade Snares’ (Foul Play VIP Mix)
DJ Narrows – ‘Saved Soul’
Joel Mull – ‘The Mole’ (Ben Sims Just Don’t Understand Remix)
Bjork – ‘Joga’
Boards of Canada – ‘Dayvan Cowboy’
Silver Apples -’Oscillations’
Pierre Henry – ‘Mer Interieure’
Speedy J – ‘Borax’
In your official biography is written that you work a lot on the finishing touches of your tracks. What do you mean when you say you have to make “the bass sound mega-hot”?
haha that was really just a passing comment I said when at Chris’s studio which got used in the press release. I went to his studio because he has a great sounding studio and a huge sub! It allowed me to really feel the bass, it was mega-hot.
What is the idea behind “Primate”? Give us your personal presentation of the album.
I was becoming bored with a lot of the techno I was listening too. Many producers using the same sound and I wanted to search for new textures and tones. I decided to create a rule not to use any generic sounds such as hi-hats, claps and synths etc. This also created a box and allowed me to focus as its easy to get distracted and loose coherency. The album reflects how I like my techno, stripped down and raw with moody atmospheres.
What softwares and hardwares did you use to work on “Primate”?
A pretty simple set up; Logic, G5 Mac, Microphones used were an AKG C414, T-Bone Shotgun Mic, Zoom H4N recorder and Tascam DR2.
How did you feel the work with Chris Liebing?
It’s always fun to hang out in the studio, we bounce ideas off each other well.
After the release of the album, do you think you will focus on a tour around the world or do you have already new projects in your mind?
I’m currently touring now and soon I will begin some new projects including Bauhaus 2.0.
