Back in November, we featured some new music by Milwalkee based DJ/producer/visual artist Richard Galling, aka Richard Richard. Well, we’re really excited to have him guest at BLISS this Saturday (RSVP here and purchase tickets here).
Richard’s productions just keep getting better as he finds more ways to reinvent classic House and Techno sounds. Case in point – check out this bassline in his remix of “Holiday Romance” by Detachments.
Detachments: Holiday Romance (Richard Richard Remix) by Richard Richard
Richard was kind enough to answer some questions for us. We picked his brain about musical influences, Modernism, his studio and more…
Can you give us a little context regarding how you ï¬rst got involved with DJ’ing and production? Were there any particular experiences/sounds/individuals which made you want to create and play dance music? Any major influences, music-wise?
I became interested in electronic music and production when I was 13 years old. At that
time I was taken by things like early Kraftwerk, Popol Vuh, Orbital, etc. I remember
trying to ï¬nd work where ever I could so that I could start saving up money to buy gear
and try to produce (although it did not sound like much of anything). By the time I was
in high school I was more curious about House and Techno, as well as learning how to
DJ. It was around then too that I started collaborating with a close friend of mine, Asher
Gray. He was really into French Disco House as well as a lot of Chicago stuff, which he
turned me on to.
We see that you’re a visual artist as well. Do you think your art background influences the way you go about making music? Are there any inherent principles or themes in both your art and music, and if so, are they intentional?
I get asked this a lot. I would not say that there are any intentional correlations between
the two practices. However I think they both reflect a similar relationship to their speciï¬c
histories. Much of my painting practice centers around the re-use and repurposing of
signs that refer to the history of Modernism. Likewise, my music practice centers
around the re-use and repurposing of sounds that refer to the history of electronic and
pop music. In that respect, they both reflect a sort of post-historical condition wherein
we are left to deal with the remnants of historical forms. I think it is also important to
note that in both cases I ï¬nd myself fundamentally detached from these respective
moments in time. Being 26, I clearly was not around at the height of Modernist art,
similarly, I was not able to go to clubs and properly experience a lot of the music I refer
to during the 70‘s through early 90’s. That literal distance fundamentally changes my
experience and relationship to history.
Can you tell us about your current setup in the studio (for production)? Mainly software? Are there any pieces of hardware you’ve been using?
It is pretty simple. I use Logic Pro, a lot of Arturia soft synths, and a few others. I would
love to pick up some hardware, but do not really have the money too.
You can deï¬nitely hear a Chicago and Detroit influence in your music. What is it about these classic House and Techno sounds that makes you inclined to use them in your productions? And how do you walk that ï¬ne line of not leaning on them too hard, making sure the ï¬nished product sounds fresh?
What I like most about a lot of early Chicago and Detroit producers/DJs is the influence
of early experimental electronic music in addition to Disco and Pop. For example when
I listen to early Carl Craig, I can hear the repetitive rhythms and deep, cool analog pads
of a late 70’s Kraftwerk. Since I have always enjoyed electronic music proper, I like how
early House and Techno almost popularized it; pairing those sounds with aspects of
Disco and Pop.
I suppose if there is any “freshness†to what I do it is because I do not merely try to
reiterate what I hear in those older records. I let the distance between myself and it
show through.
How would you describe the current state of electronic music in Milwaukee? On the up and up or not so much? Are there any local DJs, promoters or clubs that you feel are pushing things forward in the city?
The following for forward thinking electronic music in Milwaukee is small. There are
some small parties that friends and I throw that go over well. What excites me more is
some of the production work my friends are doing. Milwaukee based, Asher Diamonds,
has been working hard in the studio on a number of tracks you will surely be hearing in
2012. Chicago based, Kid Color, has a number of ï¬ne remixes due out in the upcoming
months as well.
What do you have coming up in 2012? Any new releases in the works
which you can let us in on?
Two singles planed so far for 2012. Toro will be out on Plant Music late January/early
Febuary. Remixers include Whatever/Whatever, Marcos Cabral, Populette, Asher
Diamonds, Kid Color, and DJ Wool. Biriba will be out on Nurvous Records later in the
Winter/early Spring. Remixers include Murphy Jax, Volta Bureau and Walker & Royce.