Interview: Funkagenda (SW4)

Funkagenda by name, Funkagenda by nature, where are your favourite spots to tear up the dance floor?

Hmmm do you mean dancing or playing? My favourite clubs to play are probably Ministry Of Sound in London, Monday Night Social @ Playhouse in Hollywood, Space in Ibiza or Space in Miami. The last two are probably the only places you’ll ever catch me dancing though!

How did you become involved with team Toolroom?
When they moved into their first office, the area at the back that was to be converted into a studio was still full of sheet ice from the Palaeolithic period. Whilst hacking into it to make space for the console they found my body, frozen in suspended animation. After hanging me over the tea urn for a few hours to defrost, they stuck me in some snow pants and some adidas and I was good to go!

What’s the best thing about being involved with the Toolroom crew?
I would have to say our team building exercises like Exotic Massage Thursday. We all bring in our own essential oils and rub each other to improve morale. Last week my essential oil was maple syrup.

You’re one of the top producers in dance music, what was the deciding influence for you to become a producer?
It was all down to the roll of a dice. In all honesty the dice had the word producer written on 3 of its six faces. The other 3 said porn star.

What is your first memory of music?
My Dad playing Jon Martyn, The Beatles & Paul Young to me in the car on long trips. Jon Martyn is still one of my favorite artists of all time.

You’re performing your South West Four debut this year, what have you heard about this event from fellow DJs?
I spoke to Morillo about it last year. He said there was a lot of wasps.

You’re playing in the Toolroom Arena, what are standard backstage shenanigans for you guys?
Our backstage tour rider includes many special requests. My personal addition is 2 Manatees and a 200 gallon tank of cola jelly.

We’ve all got them but any embarrassing skeletons in your musical closet from years gone by?
I have the skeleton of legendary jazz drummer and band leader Buddy Rich in my closet. I use him as a tie rack.

I have just been reading a blog of yours regarding illegal downloading, some say even though its illegal and depriving artists of earning a living it still serves to promote the artist therefore allowing them to get more gigs, what are your views and what can be done to prevent this?
Well I guess the question you have to ask yourself is “promote artists to what end?” If you’re going to promote somebody, then the end result has to be success. However if you can never make any money from your productions then the “promotion” is futile. Regardless, crime is fundamentally wrong and no amount of protest about the “good” file sharing does will ever detract from the fact that a vast majority of people have the disposable income to purchase music and yet choose not to. That’s nothing to do with promotion, its just opportunistic theft. Because they know they are unlikely to ever be caught they do it. If our whole society was based on this premise we would all run around like Winona Ryder whenever a store security guard’s back was turned.

Who is inspiring you in the studio?
My 3 all time biggest influences are:
BT
Prince
Orbital (Or Daft Punk - These two are kinda neck and neck)

What are your current favourite plug-ins and synths?
At the moment I am battering Camelphat’s Alchemy synth. Its ridiculously good. On the face of it, the interface is a little odd, but once you get involved and have a good rummage around it’s innards its probably the best software synth EVER made.

For any new promising producers currently trying to make the cut, what is your advice?
Knock off the cover versions now please. I know that this probably seems a little jaded coming from somebody who’s biggest track was a cover version of “Man With The Red Face” but honestly, there has barely been an original record released in the last 2 years. Covers/remixes of classic have a place. They are great at festivals and on nights like NYE but other than that it is far better to work on original stuff. Think about it... If I am saying this it MUST have gone too far.

How important is it for those wanting to produce dance music to get a formal education in production?
It totally depends what you want to do I guess. Sometimes formal production can hinder you. Most of the big respected audio educational institutes teach “classic” audio engineering. That stuff is great if you want to really learn about how to “engineer” sound (something I love personally) but for writing dance tunes I think you are far better just diving in. If you get stuck on something just google it.

What producers out there at the moment are really doing it for you?
ThreeSixty, Anil Chawla, Da Fresh, Adam K, Sultan & Ned Shepard, Kim Fai and BT, who is still rocking it better than ANYONE.

How has the Internet impacted on the industry, with regards to reaching your fans and promoting yourself?
Well personally, I think its great that I can speak to people directly through sites like Facebook and Twitter. And I always try to reply to as many people as I possibly can because people deserve it. They are the people who (hopefully) buy your tracks and come to see you play so you owe them everything.

Following on from that, is it easier for DJs/Producers to get noticed because of websites like MySpace or is it just as hard as say a decade ago?
I think people believe they are getting noticed, but just because somebody clicks your “like” button on Facebook, it doesn’t mean they are ACTUALLY your fan. I think its ridiculous when I get requests like that from countries like Egypt or Tunisia. “DJ Raqim Bonjella suggests you like DJ Raqim Bonjella” Oh ok then! I have never heard him play and I live 1000 miles away, but go on I’ll be fan.

What is your preferred method of mixing, what kit are you using?
Well I love CDs but just over a year ago I switched to Ableton Live and an Akai APC40. This allows me to remix and edit things on the fly which is pretty exciting. I just got bored of CDs. When you have mixed on them for the best part of 10 years it gets a little stale.

What can we all expect from your set, how do you plan on keeping it interesting and fresh?
Mid set I was planning on setting myself on fire and launching myself out over the crowd strapped onto the undercarriage of a Cessna light aircraft. After a series of daring loops and dives I will return to the stage via parachute and play “One” by the Swedish House Mafia.

One of your famous tracks ‘What the Fuck’ was an absolute tune, what are the secret ingredients of a great dance track?
Cornflower, Unicorn farts and fertilizer made from Percy Thrower’s bones.

And lastly, a message to the SW4 crowd waiting for you too come from the curtains to the decks?
Yes, there will be no curtains on the stage that day I am afraid so I will probably just walk out from behind some scaffold. I hope this doesn’t disappoint you too much... I know everyone loves a good curtain.

Links of Interest

http://www.myspace.com/funkagenda
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Funkagenda/23178364729
http://www.youtube.com/user/funkagenda

Source: SW4