In advance of his appearance at this year's Red Bull Music Academy in London, Finn Johannsen plays some records with the producer behind Midtown 120 Blues, RA's #1 album of 2009.

slow dance at the house party...Irrealistic, but would be nice

thanks Finn. it is always a pleasure to read what Terre has to say. so intelligent, insightful and mobilizing without seeming overly academic.

Superb, superb. An excellent look in the mind of a gifted performer.

Also, Madonna just got served.

For those interested, there is a complete version of the interview here.

aaahhhhh <- was my first impression when I saw the feature on the home page

aaaahhhh <- was my impression all throughout

aaaahhhh <- is what im saying right now =]

its so weird seeing this guy with a shirt on hahaha, but nonetheless respect! for such good music.

From the interview:
"And if the reason that we're able to listen to it together now is because of some corporate distribution network, then for me this is totally boring, problematic and has nothing to do with anything that I find interesting."

Did this strike anybody else as a rather strange statement? As always, corporate sponsorship is involved in festival and party promotions, but that has less to do with the music and more to do with advertising to a gathering of people. But that's only incidental to the (relative) popularity of deep house. I've yet to see any major labels release any significant recordings from the deep house revival... You look at who's big, it's basically a bunch of relatively underground figures (DJ Sprinkles, Jus-Ed, Move D, etc...), none of whom receive attention from major labels, all of whom are still "independent".
So what's the fuss? Honestly, I doubt house music (deep house or otherwise) is more popular today then it was in the late 80s/early 90s. If it's more accessible, it's because music is instantly disseminated across the internet, rather than through corporate distribution networks.

Next!

el oh el!!!

yeah , that is what is called artist promotion big time ... who is this guy anyway ...

....someone who just happens to have a different point of view, how refreshing!

I'm so astonished by the number of people who don't know who Terre is!

good read, thanks for posting the un-edited version too.
always good to read what terre has to say, criminally under rated.

madonna - free zone

...realy nice interview. I'm happy about someone rememebering "subway ground master"!

She?

ok, thanks.

Everyday is a school day.

:-)

Hes spot on mostly, I have to say I see a slight disjuncture between popularity and deep house and the use of corporate networks although this may often be the way music spreads.

The best bit is where he disses Red Bull!

fantastic interview - thanks.

well how does it matters ? what did this guy do ? how influencial is he ? that is what defines the true value of an artist , not public relations , not the personnality , but what did he do to actually be considered as somehow influencial ...

Dubfire is influencial , So are Voorn , Hawtin , even douch bags like DeadMau5 or Guetta ...

i dont need to know an artist just because he's some kind of freak or whatever , that is not what art is about ... Van gogh was mad , yet every loco in town are not genius because they are mad ...

Van gogh was a genius because he created something that influenced a lot of people ... not because he was an intellectual of anykind ... as Basquia , or even Wharol ... even if i dont dig all the sexual factory porn thing ...

So i ask you buddy , what Terre did ? zero , zip , nothing , which artist did he influenced ? there is too much emphasis on this guy for a reason i'd like to know , but i'm sure this has nothing to do with music or EDM ...


Further more , what he calls deep house and he claims to make as deep house is not deep house , but like minimal before, folks put deep on everything and here we go ...
Now everything is deep hun ?...

If you want to know where i stand , just listen Pezzner or Kink , those a true artists , that dont need to open there mouth or to wear a dress to promote themselves as their music speak for them.

I have always loved Terre's music since I heard Hovering Glows and the Tranquilizer album.

Wow, camus dude, I think you ask questions in a rude way, seems you're trying to diss Terre as a wannabe or a johnny-come-lately, to be quite honest.
I think it's not fair to compare T. Thaemlitz' lifework to people like Dubfire or even Voorn, whose talents are quite limited, in scope, creativity, complexity and music-wise.

Ignorance (produced by the lack of reading, thinking, developing oneself), sickens me. I almost puked when you wrote "what Terre did ? zero , zip , nothing , which artist did he influenced ? there is too much emphasis on this guy for a reason i'd like to know , but i'm sure this has nothing to do with music or EDM ...."

Well, he's a classically-trained pianist, check his Rubato series.
He's a composer, mostly in the electroacoustic and experimental areas. "Lovebomb" is a freaking classic. He has also worked extensively in the field of gender theorization, both in writings and music.
His DJ Sprinkles moniker and music (that is, house/deep house) dates from early 90s but he never got that recognition. Instead, and almost at the same time probably, he was praised in the academic and experimental scenes, like those around WIRE magazine and the like, this since mid-late 90s.

He's getting only a little bit more of exposure toward the "big" audiences, probably thanks to sites like RA.

He has some strong connections to contemporary composition/avant-garde scenes.
For example, people from the Zeitkratzer collective called Terre one of the most exquisite and dedicated digital producers working with acoustic instruments, if not the BEST. I don't know if you know something about Zeitkratzer and/or working with acoustic instruments in a digital environment (in a contemporary/avant-garde/experimental scene) but believe me, it does not sound nor are easily made like Dubfire's loops in Ableton. And to be praised by classically trained german musicians who happen to form one of the most powerful european ensembles of new music, well, that for sure must mean something.
Terre worked also with the highly influential Mille Plateaux record label, releasing electroacoustic and experimental ouvres long before (as long as 10 years) this EAI/post-industrial movement began. His sense of humour and cleverly assembled pieces are instant trademarks of him.

Gritty! Terre's reputation is sealed as a provocateur, if nothing else.

If any of you London-based heads are interested in hearing/seeing Sprinkles perform in a techno context, you have to check this... Line-up's like this at a venue like this are EXTREMELY rare:
www.redbullmusicacademy.com/london/event/?id=5
TUBBS(RBMA)

"We really need to read our contracts, we really need to say no to things. This is important. This is not a price we have to pay. It's a price we pay without thinking often times."



Great read, thanks so much, Finn.

i wondered why there was a danny baker interview on here until i read it

my God, I couldnt have defended my post any better!

We've made this playlist available in Spotify or at groovenvibes.net.

he's not a classically trained pianist. check the red bull academy interview. redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/terre-thaemlitz-deep-thoughts