BnB Interview: Technasia

Written by the B&B Crew

Technasia recently released Central, its new artist album that already garnered numerous hyped reviews amongst clubbers the world over. Central's more or less a return to Technasia's root sound, in which looped Detroit-esque beats, samples and whirlwind melodies form a spectacular trip through Technasia's unique view on techno music. Technasia's history dates back to the second half of the nineties, during which they released timeless techno classics such as Force and Genesis, while churning out a wide variety of remixes and mix compilations in between.

In a matter of moments, the outfit found itself topping international charts and playing at the world's biggest clubs, a position Technasia occupies to this very day. In 2005, Technasia released the adventurous Popsoda album, which featured guest collabs from the likes of DJ Rush, Dave Clarke and Joris Voorn amongst others. 2008 saw founding member Amil Khan leaving Technasia to focus on the life of a family man, but Technasia's output has been stronger than ever. Just listen to the massive Central album and you'll know why. But why not have Charles himself explaining more about his life as one of techno's most appreciated acts...

It has been 5 years since your last album, what took you so long to complete it?
I personally think it's important to leave quite a long time between important projects such as albums. Of course, it really depends on the point of view. If an album is just a collection of EPs, with a similar sound from beginning to the end, or just some tracks made quickly around one or two big hits, then indeed, I think things could be released at a much faster rate. But I don't make music like that.

The thing is, I attached a lot of importance to the process of making an album, first for myself, because I need to be able to express freely into something timeless and that goes beyond the dancefloor and DJ aspect of electronic music. But also for the public because when you work on such an deep project, you need these 4-5 years to have time to evolve artistically and musically to be able to give something different every time to the public.

I like to be able to surprise people with what I do, and not just the same ol' shit until it's dry, and then jump onto the next trendy bandwagon. That isn't me. I don't think it was too much time between these projects, but I think artists today are releasing way too much music. A major portion of the recent productions totally lacks originality. It's very often the same formula applied over and over again. Electronic music has become for many artists just a tool to get their name out and DJ bookings. Its form over content and it's really killing this music scene at the moment, because it devalues it completely and in depth.

How long have you been working on the album?
Production from scratch to the final mastering took a bit more than a year. There are two distinctive moments in the production of an album. First the moment when you put all your ideas on the table, create sketches, loops, melodies etc... It's a very messy and erratic process.

You spend a lot of time searching, you need to absorb ideas from all over the place and try to define the overall mood you try to convey in the whole project. I made around 35-40 sketches of tracks, but only the 18 featured in the album made it to the end.

Once it is decided which track is worth being incorporated in the project, comes the second phase, during which you need to create the arrangements, mix the channels, program the beats, and so on. It's a very complicated process, and you need to be able to bring everything in question over and over again to obtain the best mix possible.

This is your first solo album under the Technasia moniker. How did you experience the production process?
To be honest, the working process is not that different from before, when Amil Khan and I were doing the Technasia duo together, as I've always been the one the most involved in the production of the tracks. Amil was more the projects planner and label manager. I guess the new thing for me is that I need to take much more decisions on my own, musically and also in my career, whereas I used to discuss and find compromises about everything with Amil before. It's a lot more of responsibility on me and at the same time, it's also more freedom for my creativity.

'Central' has become a diverse crossover between house and techno, whereas your last album Pop Soda reflected a 'richer' and more melodic techno sound. What has been the idea behind this 'new' sound?
I wanted "Central" to be broad and diverse. I wanted it to touch the different aspect of electronic music I've always fancied, regardless of popular trends. I wanted it to give different moods, dark, happy, sentimental. I wanted it to have raw Techno elements, some funky grooves and Deep House flavors as well, and lots of melodic epic moments.

I come from a very eclectic background of music, electronic and others. I made Popsoda in 2006 quite in reaction to that fortunately-now-dead minimal wave. People went so much for this style of music at the time, which was completely based on a trendy holier-than-god attitude, neglecting everything else that was not part of that movement. A truly sad moment for electronic music I think.

People forgot that diversity has always been the best idea behind electronic music, not some guys in Berlin doing the same empty music with the same plugins. Anyway, these last two years have seen the general public changing its global view about electronic music, and going back to its core again. It's now possible to present many different things to the public in an album, and not being spat in the face.
That's the idea behind "Central", a really true sonic voyage through some of the many influences that ruled electronic music throughout the years. I never liked to be labeled in any genre of electronic music. Electronic music is meant to be lived, not being formatted and labeled into something it is not.

The album is named after the Hong Kong metro. What has been the thought behind this?
"Central" is the name of the central district of Hong Kong, a city that has inspired me in so many ways during these last 15 years. My former partner Amil is from there and we have based all of our labels and management agency in that city as well.

It's a place full of energy, it constantly vibrates, day and night, more than any other places I've been on this planet. It's extremely rich, diverse and creative but also true to its Chinese origins, and it has no strings attached.

Hong Kong has always done things its own way. "Central" is also the name of the main station of the very futuristic Hong Kong metro system, the MTR, from which all lines spread all over the city. I quite liked the allegory of Central, something really applicable to what the album is, diverse, bringing a different feel from one track to the other, the global vision of electronic music through my eyes.

Now that the album is finished, what are your plans for the coming months?
I'm wrapping up the remix contest made in collaboration with whatpeopleplay.com for the 10th anniversary of my track "Force". We've got loads of remixes submitted and it took quite a while to find the winners, but now we got them all.

The whole remix Ep will be out end of June and features 3 winners (Zadig / Petkovski / Matt Star & Michael Peter) as well as a Marc Romboy remix and a Dosem remix. Coming up after summer is a remixed version of the "Central". I'll do a few of the mixes myself but the other remixers list is not finalized yet.

I'm also planning an EP together with Ken Ishii on Sino, and will also continue the Sino EP series with Bension that we started last month. I've also just finished a remix for Sergio & Benoit on Spectral Sound to be out before summer as well.

Then I've got all the "Central" album touring, which is about 60-70 dates in total so it's quite hectic in the end. I'm also working closely with Dosem on preparing his first album coming out next year on Sino. Look out for that one!

The festival season is just around the corner? Any gigs/travels in particular you're looking forward to?
Yes indeed, quite a few. I'm looking forward the Monegros Desert Festival a lot. This festival is real madness! This year I'm be playing live on the main stage for the sunrise, which is really a magic moment at this time every year. I'm also looking forward my performance at Tribaltech in Brazil. I really love that country and I try to go there as often as I can. The people, the cities, the country, the culture, I really like it all. Too bad it's not closer to Europe.

Can you reveal a tip of what we can expect from Technasia in the near future? Any scoops?
Another album in 5 years! but that's not really a scoop is it hahaha. There's one thing I'm working on, but it will take a long time before I can make it happen, probably 2011 or 2012. I would like to re-record my whole back catalog from the 90's and 00's, but with the equipment I have today, and give it that more re-actualized feel to it. Something like what Jeff Mills and Mike Banks did with their X-102 re-recording project, but with a bit more freedom. Anyway, like I said, it's gonna take quite some time to work with all those old machines again, and find the proper sound as close as possible with the original tracks.

What can we expect from your label Technasia Records in the near future?
Technasia Records has only released tracks of my own since its inception, and I've never really been prolific on it. It's my very own, the label on which I only release the bomb tune when I have one. Some say that I don't release enough on it, but I think that being rare (11 catalog references in 15 years) is what makes it special.

To release other artists' production, I have my label Sino. We're planning releases in the close future by Zadig (the winner of the "Force" remix competition), Mr G, Delaze, Renato Cohen, and of course by Dosem, with his album and several singles associated to it.

Tell us about your first musical memory and how it influenced your further career later on?
My father was a true eclectic music lover. He liked absolutely any kind of music and had a huge vinyl collection. I don't really have a specific first music memory but instead, I'd say that I have this image of my father making me listen to so many different stuff since I was very young.

That went from Soul, Funk, Folk or Jazz at the end of the 70's, to early hip-hop, punk, indie rock or experimental electronic stuffs in the 80's. He made me discover it all, from the most unknown US Folk artist to the big 80's UK pop stuffs. This eclecticism is what has influenced the most my career, all the way to today. Music is rich in so many endless ways, that I always found it very limited when medias or artists tend to narrow to that very little thing and neglect its other aspects.

How do you see yourself in twenty years from now?
Doing the same thing as I'm doing today but in a much better way. I've always entered music to make a lifetime career in it. As far as I know, doctors don't become secretaries when they turn 40! There are many different ways to live electronic music, but one thing that doesn't matter in it is age. People will take you the way you are, if you bring it to them well. You just gotta stay young in your brain, the rest follows naturally.

Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience? Anything goes!
Don't believe the hype!

Click here for our review of Central!

Buy Technasia's music on iTunes

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