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Tommy Four Seven - Primate

25 durable postsStarted 2011-03-25Latest 2011-03-31
#96842Post 1 of 25

OOOOHH IMMMMM GEEEEE! This album is NUTS! If you like dark techno, this will blow you away.

From RA:

[quote]The first album by DJ and producer [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1200"]Tommy Four Seven[/url] is called Primate, and will come out this spring on CLR.

Born in the UK and based in Berin, [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1200"]Tommy Four Seven[/url] takes an audiophile approach to making tough club techno. Much of his music draws from a raw, metallic aural palette, and in many cases this stems from his method of miking natural sounds and weaving them into his tracks. On Primate, he delves into this practice more than ever before, eschewing synths and conventional percussion sounds and using his own field recordings as source material. For vocals, he enlisted the help of Ema Jolly.

We recently caught up with [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1200"]Tommy Four Seven[/url] to talk about why he records the way he does, and what effect it had on his album:

Why did you choose the name primate?

Primate was stolen from a label that introduced me to techno when I was 12 years old. Since then the primate and ape logo of Primevil have stayed with me and influenced an ideology of how I like techno to be served; strong, tribal (I'm not talking bongos) and raw.

What kind of tracks can we expect from the album? Is it a different style from what we hear on your 12-inches?

It follows from the last few releases, keeping the primitive roll and industrial tones but the album also explores avenues of techno I've not released, i.e. non four-to-the-floor.

In the past you've been known to use live instruments in your recordings. Is their much live instrumentation on your new album?

I had a concept of not using any generic percussion sounds such as claps, hi-hats etc, in fact there is no use of synthesizers either. I also worked with [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1249"]Emika[/url] who delivered incredible textured vocal recordings, which were sculptured around the beats, replacing the use of synths. After the vocal recordings I'd say around 90% of the other sounds were recorded with microphones before being manipulated beyond recognition. The remaining sounds were pretty much all kick drums [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=216"]Chris Liebing[/url] and myself added for low frequency density. I don't have anything against synths or hi-hats, I just wanted to see what I could create by deliberately not using them.

You've been quoted as saying "Digital music doesn't have to sound like a computer has made it." What exactly do you mean by that, and how does it affect the way you make music?

I like music that has a certain amount of organic feel and I think even electronic music can sound too digital. A lot of electronic music I hear today sounds like a computer preset. This feeling got me to ditch my plug-in instruments and grab my field recorder and microphone for this album and I think my music benefited from it.

What's next for you after the album?

A few remixes including one for [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=606"]Lucy[/url]'s upcoming album on Stroboscopic Artefacts and also some new collab material I've been working on with Chris, perhaps Bauhaus 2.0.

Tracklist

  1. Sevals
  2. Talus
  3. G
  4. Ratu
  5. Track 5
  6. CH4
  7. Snout
  8. Verge
  9. Armed 3 [/quote] [url]http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=13402[/url]
#1478655Post 2 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Bought yesterday from CLR.

Sounds like what you would get if King Kong f****d The Terminator and had a baby. Or 100 Decepticons raving in a Warehouse. Or Darth Vader fighting Robocop in a steel mill. I dunno. It´s HUGE, and f*****g scary and I love it, a local promoter asked me to do a mix and two of it´s tracks are in there.

Word of warning though, it´s definitely not a straightforward techno album.

All in all 2011 is being an absolutely awesome year for techno, you have at least 5 amazing albums : T47, [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=606"]Lucy[/url], [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1387"]Sandwell District[/url], [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1001"]Mike Dehnert[/url] and Skudge. All amazing.

#1478658Post 3 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Kinetic;940310]Sounds like what you would get if King Kong f****d The Terminator and had a baby. Or 100 Decepticons raving in a Warehouse. Or Darth Vader fighting Robocop in a steel mill. I dunno. It´s HUGE, and f*****g scary[/QUOTE]

:roflmao: Funny enough, I can't think of a better way to describe what I heard

#1478697Post 4 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Massive release! Love the fact that NO synths were used for production, 90% tweaked microphone recordings.

#1478923Post 5 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Gonna have to get this for sure, just yesterday I gave [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1200"]Tommy Four Seven[/url] and [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=879"]Monoloc[/url]'s CLR podcast a spin, I read something pickle wrote on [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=879"]Monoloc[/url]'s podcast that prompted me to do so but then the thread was locked so I could not reply... but hot diggity .... I absolutely loved those sets... mind blowing madness... I haven't been so impressed in a huge while, especially with artists that I've never heard off before.

Kinetic, I have yet to download your latest set, this is definitely the weekend to me to take if for a spin... so much good dark techno out there, I'm absolutely loving this :D

#1478950Post 6 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=dusk;940624] [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=336"]Kinetic[/url], I have yet to download your latest set, this is definitely the weekend to me to take if for a spin... so much good dark techno out there, I'm absolutely loving this :D[/QUOTE]

Lights Out 007 isn´t actually mine, it´s a guest mix from a good friend of mine, I don´t know if you were referring to that one :) My latest is the Into The Void III one.

Yeah, techno of the dark, dirty and rough variety is on the rise again for the past couple of years (well a bit before that actually but more since 2009), you have the [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1387"]Sandwell District[/url] guys going ballistic after a long time coming, Liebing´s CLR and Beyer´s Drumcode are having a new life, then you have the scottish guys ([url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]Perc[/url] Trax, Sleaze and of course Soma), the Naples scene in Italy (not particularly fond of that though), and then the more mental variety from labels like Time To Express, Stroboscopic Artefacts, Prologue, Aconito and Zooloft (both from Italy) and Horizontal Ground/Frozen Border, all of these are pretty recent labels. In the USA, [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=242"]Erphun[/url]´s Brood Audio is also putting out really nice stuff. And obviously, the whole scene around the Berghain and Ostgut Ton in Berlin.

Back in the 90´s when I started clubbing, I listened to techno more than anything else, and it´s been a long-ass time since I´ve been as excited with it as right now.

#1478979Post 7 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

m8 [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]perc[/url] trax and sleaze are not scottish lol although my m8s are on both ;) and they are scottish ;)

lucky bastards have just been booked to play berghain in a couple of months

#1478984Post 8 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Inspired by NIN?

#1478986Post 9 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=thebanned1;940683]m8 [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]perc[/url] trax and sleaze are not scottish lol although my m8s are on both ;) and they are scottish ;)

lucky bastards have just been booked to play berghain in a couple of months[/QUOTE]

You are right about [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]Perc[/url] Trax, but I think Sleaze is scottish, at least it says so on RA. Who are your mates? BCR Boys?

#1478987Post 10 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=dusk;940624]Gonna have to get this for sure, just yesterday I gave [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1200"]Tommy Four Seven[/url] and [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=879"]Monoloc[/url]'s CLR podcast a spin, I read something pickle wrote on [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=879"]Monoloc[/url]'s podcast that prompted me to do so but then the thread was locked so I could not reply... but hot diggity .... I absolutely loved those sets... mind blowing madness... I haven't been so impressed in a huge while, especially with artists that I've never heard off before.[/QUOTE]

:o:

#1478988Post 11 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Kinetic;940691]You are right about [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]Perc[/url] Trax, but I think Sleaze is scottish, at least it says so on RA. Who are your mates? BCR Boys?[/QUOTE]

yea m8 joe and colin ( bcr boys )

it was me that first introduced joe to making music over ten years ago when i was studying music production and i finally talked him into going to college to study it, he had been dj'n for quite sometime and was looking to forward his knowledge, i,m glad i did because he's not only taught colin everything he knows but he's also becoming quite a name in underground techno just now with guys like liebing hammering his tunes and guys like [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=750"]gary beck[/url] remixing him etc...his mastering is seriously fucking good and he offers a service to other producers really cheap to ( i,m not gonna name some of the guys he masters on a regular basis because it would seriously surprise u lol ), i have the up most respect for him because he really has a passion for making music like i,ve never seen in my entire life m8 even though some people find his music a little dark ( myself included lol ) but u know the thing is thats because he's different its taking him places and i,m so glad for him

these guys only stay a 20-30 minute drive from me and i usually go over to see them lol...i talk to joe every day man...he's a really down to earth guy....things are really starting to take off for the both of them

#1478989Post 12 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

NICE! Indeed they are taking off, they´re putting out records on [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]Perc[/url] Trax and Synewave (Damon Wild´s label), that´s some pretty high profile shit. I like their work :D

#1478990Post 13 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Kinetic;940696]NICE! Indeed they are taking off, they´re putting out records on [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1139"]Perc[/url] Trax and Synewave (Damon Wild´s label), that´s some pretty high profile shit. I like their work :D[/QUOTE]

m8 they have both been good friends of mine for over ten years now...i met joe online in a chat room lol

u wouldnt believe how down to earth these guys are

#1478992Post 14 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Awesome, and even better if you helped push joe in the right direction, that´s really great 8)

Congrats on their sucess from Portugal ;) I know a few promoters around here, maybe one day I can help bring them here :D

#1478995Post 15 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

i think its sleaze records that are doing the promo work for them just now, they are booked for zurich just after berghain and also the night before they play berghian they play edinburgh so things are really starting to get busy for them which is well deserved imo because they both have worked hard for it

if u want to get in touch with joe u can find him @ [url]http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=602661960[/url]

#1478997Post 16 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Thanks man!

This is my favourite of theirs

[video=youtube;2-K0mFt80kQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-K0mFt80kQ[/video]

:RockOn:

#1479001Post 17 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Kinetic;940705]Thanks man!

This is my favourite of theirs

[video=youtube;2-K0mFt80kQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-K0mFt80kQ[/video]

:RockOn:[/QUOTE]

get in touch with them, they are seriously down to earth guys man, just say u know me ( dom )

i would say this is their best tune to date though, i think this was the one that made them go from small time to people that were started to be noticed, [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=63"]speedy j[/url] played it for well over a year in his set and it was seriously hammered by liebing

[video=youtube;MpobWBoBdS0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpobWBoBdS0[/video]

btw u can find colin here [url]http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=724048517[/url]

#1479012Post 18 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Just sent requests to both ;)

Yeah, Delete´s my 2nd favourite 8)

#1479445Post 19 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Kinetic;940310] All in all 2011 is being an absolutely awesome year for techno, you have at least 5 amazing albums : T47, [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=606"]Lucy[/url], [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1387"]Sandwell District[/url], [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1001"]Mike Dehnert[/url] and Skudge. All amazing.[/QUOTE]

I need to catch up on some of these then....

And yes I was referring to Into the Void III :)

#1479456Post 20 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

I didnt realize Skudge released an artist album this year. Gonna have to locate it.

I'm not a huge fan of the [url="http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/djdb.php?id=1414"]Traversable Wormhole[/url] releases on CLR, however, his Resident Advisor podcast a few weeks ago was sick as hell.

#1479457Post 21 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=jarble187;941294]I didnt realize Skudge released an artist album this year. Gonna have to locate it.[/QUOTE]

Psst...Skudge did an Alphahouse record. ;)

#1479459Post 22 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=Jenks;941295]Psst...Skudge did an Alphahouse record. ;)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the belated update! I got Wiredrawn from 2009. Is there a 2011 release?

#1479468Post 23 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

[QUOTE=jarble187;941294]I didnt realize Skudge released an artist album this year. Gonna have to locate it.[/QUOTE]

It hasn´t actually come out yet, only next month, but you can find samples of it in online stores, and it´s sounding just amazing.

#1479591Post 24 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Will have to check this out. His single "Sor" from last summer was wicked good!

#1479740Post 25 of 25

Re: Tommy Four Seven - Primate

Yeah heard him on Liebing's show a few years back, saw a bit of his set at the CLR party in MIA, his sound is fierce.

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