Scottish techno producer Vince Watson has locked in the remaining legs of this upcoming Australian tour, adding dates in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Watson's first and only Australian visit went down in 2007. Since then, the producer has kept up his production output, releasing several singles on labels like Delsin and Carl Craig's Planet E. Chord-heavy analogue techno has long been Watson's tool of choice, and Australians will hear plenty of that when he heads to the country later this month, kicking the tour off with a date in Brisbane this Friday. Sets in Melbourne and Sydney will follow, as will a set at the Victorian Strawberry Fields festival.
We caught up with the Bio Music boss over e-mail recently, where he told us about his recent move to Amsterdam, the Glasgow music scene, and why he still loves his MPC.You'll be back in Australia in about a month. Can you remember much from your last visit?
Absolutely. 2007 was the last tour, and we tried to get back in 2009 but my other bookings meant we had to wait until now. The last tour was a great experience, that was my first time in Australia, so it was a whole new environment. The gigs and the punters were excellent, and couldn't of given me any more support. The promoters were really cool and the venues were great. The live set on the boat under the bridge in Sydney Harbour was nice. I think you generally get a warm reception down there because the scene is a lot fresher and not everyone gets to play there every few months.
Will there be anything out on Bio before the end of the year?
We relaunched with "A Very Different World" which had the Funk D'Void mixes, and was quite a hit, so we are planning on getting the next few releases ready soon. I launched the Everysoul label not long after BIO020 and plan on releasing a lot of music next year. I had to concentrate on some big projects in the second half of this year, so I've not been able to put out anything on the label since, but we're on it.
Are there any DJs on the rise in Glasgow we should be keeping an eye out for?
The Revenge and Gary Beck are putting out a lot of music now on lots of different labels and aliases. Neither make the kind of music I play, but it's nice to see local guys getting the breaks. So many DJs are happy to stay in their hometown and just be a resident. You've got to get out there. I live in Amsterdam now, since August. One of the reasons I left the UK and came to Amsterdam was the music environment. I think the whole of the UK, not just Glasgow or London has some real problems in club land, especially with the musical output sadly. There are still a few gems to be had of course, but it's such a small list of good solid clubs. When I compare it to where I am now there simply is no comparison.
A couple of years ago you were writing music for film and TV – how did this pan out? Is it something you'll keep doing?
I'm still working on a few different projects. It's something far more reaching than just the clubbing experience, and is definitely the path I will follow in later years. Although some of the guys out there are not far off it, I don't see myself as a 60 year old DJ.
Finally, are you still using an MPC in the studio? What is it about the MPC that you like?
The MPC is one of the best creations ever. It sits alongside the 909, 808 and 101 for me. It's so intuitive and fun to use. I still use it in my studio. It's hooked up to all my drum machines but the sequencing part of it has mostly now moved over to Ableton Live. I still jam and record live tracks when I'm in the mood, but the sheer flexibility of Ableton means I can get more out of it quicker. But yeah its still my drum programmer. The only VST or AU I use is Lounge Lizard, everything else is from hardware thru Onyx desks with Perkins EQ.
Tickets to Waton's Sydney gig are available through RA Tickets.