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Rave's Guardian Angel - CGWW Speaks to Otiz F Angel |
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Redaktor: Sami
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01.02.2008. |
Untitled Document
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Otiz F. Angel is a truly interesting character in the world of Electronic Dance Music.
Otiz F. Angel is a truly interesting character in the world of Electronic Dance Music. Primarily a DJ/Producer, his music business CV also covers many other disciplines. Starting out as a raver in the golden days of Acid House in the UK, he went on to promote big Jungle/Drum and Bass events like Electrybe in London as well as the seminal Pure Pleasure House and Garage parties in Ibiza. From promoting he made the jump to club ownership, starting LOVE in London?s Shoreditch district.
A few years later and the LOVE organisation has become a respected worldwide clubbing brand.
Meanwhile, Otiz laid down the blueprints for a new musical style named 'Jaava', a fusion of electro, trance and gothic influences, securing gigs at top international events like the Ultra Festival in Miami and WEMF in Toronto to bring his sound to the masses.
He?s also found time to release a book, ?Rave Story?, telling of his experiences growing up in London during the birth of the British dance music movement and how he managed to get where he is today.
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I stopped by his studio in Hamburg, Germany where he was putting the finishing touches to some new material to have a quick chat about what he?s been up to lately?
CGWW: Hi Angel, thanks for making some time to see me. So, I guess we?ll start with the standard questions ? the first of which would be regarding your musical influences, and what they are?
OFA: Well, I would definitely say I was influenced and inspired by the early 80?s electro sounds, as I was really into the whole B-Boy scene. At the same time, however, I was listening to a lot of synth-driven pop music like Depeche Mode and New Order. I was really into the Sex Pistols too. I was blown away by the energy of the Prodigy. I also listen to a lot of Hip Hop and R&B, producers like Timbaland and Pharell Williams ? although that doesn?t influence the sound of the music I make to anything like the same extent. I can?t listen to House music all the time so I need to expose myself to other genres to make sure that when I am in the studio I can bring some fresh sounds to the table.
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CGWW: What about DJ?s?
OFA: I really rate Sven Väth ? he?s very experimental and always tries to push his music in new and different directions. Carl Cox is one of my favourites for the high energy of his sets. And Felix Da Housecat is another one I really rate for his diverse sound? and his technical skills are great, too ? he uses each track like an instrument and has a very aggressive technique with the which gets him reactions from the audience.
CGWW: So, you?ve become pretty well travelled, partying and DJing all over the globe. Where have been your favourite places to DJ so far..? |
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OFA: So far, my favourite places to play have been El Divino in Ibiza and the Ultra Festival in Miami. The crowd was really receptive to the Jaava sound, and the atmosphere was totally off the hook. Plus I love party spots that are near the beach!
CGWW: What about back home in London when you?re not travelling?
OFA: I party at the Cross a lot, although it's set to close soon. And the Shoreditch/Hoxton area of town is quite special, as it?s not just a case of any one venue being good, there?s a whole scene based around such a relatively small space so the whole district has an exciting, buzzy vibe. However, I feel that London as a whole is losing its edge slightly. It?s true that we have some of the worlds best DJs and producers, that that we?re really innovative when it comes to producing new music but as far as the scene itself goes, we?ve been at the top of the game for so long that it?s actually starting to feel a bit stale.
Also, many of the top players have left London in order to break into countries that are still just beginning to discover all that the Dance scene has to offer, and most of the new people who are coming in to replace them just don?t seem to have the same intensity and drive to create awesome events ? everything?s much more about the commercial side of things. The veteran ravers were more friendly. They were mainly concerned with uniting the community and creating amazing parties first, and the bottom line second.
CGWW: OK, so while I?m watching you work on a track here in your studio, let?s have a very quick technical question for all the production heads out there ? what is the key gear behind the Jaava sound?
OFA: Like many producers out there at the moment, I?m working entirely in software, with Logic Audio at the core of the setup. I love Logic but at the moment I am still working on a PC so I am forced to use an older version. I am looking at moving over to the Mac once I?ve finished work on the current crop of tracks, though.
CGWW: ?And what about VST instruments and Plugins?
OFA: The main ones for me at the moment are Novation?s V-Station, which is absolutely great, and Native Instruments Absynth. The EX-1 still packs a decent punch despite its age, but to be honest, plugins will only take you 20% of the way ? the rest is all down to what you do with them.
CGWW: Tell me a bit about your book, Rave Story. What made you decide to write a book?
OFA: Well, there was never really any conscious thought to produce a book, but after a few years of travelling around, taking Jaava on tour, and of course, creating the LOVE clubs, people were continually asking me how I got into the business, and how someone so young managed to acquire so many clubs.
At first I would try to simply cut a long story short, and not go into it too much, but it seemed that the less I wanted to talk about it, the more people wanted to know. Eventually after a long night in Canada, some quite influential people who I was with at the time asked, and I told them the whole thing. It was them that planted the idea in my head that I should document my life and the happenings going on around me at the time ? and here we are! |
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CGWW: It?s funny, although you?re from London and your music has quite an English feel to it, it seems to be most popular outside the UK. Why do you think this is?
OFA: Jaava was created in the UK, but it?s not really been marketed over there so much yet. When we exported the LOVE brand over to Ibiza and the US in ?02 and ?03 and concentrated on running our club business over there, it was logical that I?d end up getting the most gigs over there since I was there networking with the right people. However, in the next few months, we?ll be bringing Jaava back home to the UK with some big gigs.
CGWW: Excellent, I?ll be looking forward to that! London needs some fresh new sounds at the moment, the minimal thing is fun but can?t go on forever ? we need some tunes with hooks! Thanks a lot for your time, and good luck with everything!
OFA: No problem, thanks for stopping by! |
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