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█▓█▓▒┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐▒▓█▓█
░ █▒╔┤ ├╗▒█ ░
█ █░║│ ARTiST........: lackluster │║░█ █
░ █░║│ TiTLE.........: wrapping │║░█ ░
█▓█░║│ GENRE.........: Electronic │║░█▓█
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
█ █░║│ PRE DATE......: Oct-17-2002 │║░█ █
░ █░║│ STREET DATE...: 000-00-2002 │║░█ ░
█▓█░║│ YEAR..........: 2002 │║░█▓█
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
█ █░║│ COMPANY.......: defocus │║░█ █
░ █░║│ CATALOGUE NO..: foc369cd │║░█ ░
█▓█░║│ │║░█▓█
░ █░║│ GRABBER.......: cooledit2 │║░█ ░
█ █░║│ ENCODER.......: LAME 3.92 │║░█ █
░ █░║│ QUALiTY.......: 192kbps/44.1Khz/Full Stereo │║░█ ░
█▓█░║│ NO. OF FiLES..: 14 │║░█▓█
░ █░║│ SiZE..........: 97,3 MB │║░█ ░
█ █░║│ │║░█ █
░ █░║│ RiPPER........: pulse │║░█ ░
█▓█░║│ SUPPLiER......: pulse │║░█▓█
█ █░╚┤ ├╝░█ █
█▓█░ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ █▓█
┌███▓▒░░──────────────────────────[TRACK LiSTiNG]──────────────────────────░░▒▓███┐
▒██▓▒┌───┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────┐▒▓██▒
░└█▒╔┤NR.│TRACKNAME │TiME: ├╗▒█┘░
░ █░║│∙∙∙│∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙│∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙│║░█ ░
░ █░║│01 │in passing │05:41 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│02 │gid │03:28 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│03 │close enough │07:40 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│04 │kcl1 │02:44 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│05 │too loose │07:10 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│06 │flitter │01:32 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│07 │st-00 │08:00 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│08 │tall#5 │05:13 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│09 │kvaak │06:58 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│10 │swirl │00:54 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│11 │ging gage │07:36 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│12 │wrist control │07:06 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│13 │shk2x │05:23 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│14 │hands hands │01:21 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │ │ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │ │∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙│║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │ │ │║░█ ░
░ █░╚┤ │ TOTAL TiME:│70:46 min ├╝░█ ░
█▓█░ └───┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┘ █▓█
┌███▓▒░░───────────────────────────[RELEASE iNFO]──────────────────────────░░▒▓███┐
▒██▓▒┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐▒▓██▒
░└█▒╔┤ ├╗▒█┘░
░ █░║│∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙│║░█ ░
░ █░║│ "the 21st release from deFocus, and in my opinion the highlight so far. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ esa ruoho, better known as lackluster, delivers 14 tracks of sublime │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ melodic electronics. there is a beautiful fragility to some of the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracks, whilst others have a tougher, more dancefloor feel (very │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ reminiscent of black dog). there is a real maturity to this album, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ evidenced by the range of emotions that esa manages to convey through │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ his music. variously pensive, melancholy, enlivening etc. the output │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ may have slowed down, but the quality on this label is still very high. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ recommended." --smallfish.co.uk │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ --- │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.defocusrecords.co.uk/ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.m3rck.net/lackluster │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ anyone who knows their scene history will know this guy as │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ distance/orange from the pc demo scene. This is his second album, for │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ those who don't know him or his music that well, below is an interview │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ with the man himself... │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ greets to our friends in MOD :) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ --- │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho/Lackluster │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho has been recording under the name Lackluster for several │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ years. With a number of releases on deFocus and a collection of mp3s on │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Monotonik he has built a name for himself. Most recent releases include │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a 7" as part of Zeal's Zealectronic series and an Esa Ruoho album │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ called Spaces on the U-cover label. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: Esa the first thing that made you interested in making music was │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ computer games - what was it about the sounds that were used that │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ interested you? Are there particular games that you think of that were │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ particularly influential? Having been inspired by this type of sound │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ how did you take you first steps to emulate that for yourself? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Ever since I was 2 I've had a special fondness for computers │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ and the sounds they can emit. Because I really didn't listen to tapes │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ or the radio or anythin, I hooked into game music pretty early on and │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ used to tape the likes of Mutants/ Menace/ Obliterator/ Starglider II │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ and play them over and over and over again. Later on taped tracks from │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ early c64/amiga demos, just cos they gave that shivers down your spine │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ effect which I still use to gauge if the music really is │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ brilliant/moves me or if it's just .. a track .. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Tried to do stuff on the amiga/protracker but just couldn't concentrate │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ back in '89. Around '93ish got into doin stuff on the pc, but couldn't │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ concentrate mainly because of the interface and lack of patience.. Used │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ to do 'hit the keyboard randomly for a melody' at high speeds and most │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ of it degenerated into un-gabber-like gabber... Then again, by then I │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ was listenin to c-tank and the likes.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ First real step would've been '95, on Screamtracker.. Finally found │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ something I could latch into and started working on actually gettin │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ better at that.. of course, havin an extensive module-collection helped │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a little, because there really is some good stuff out there (think old │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ amiga 4channel trackers) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ j0hn : : I'm aware of a certain snobbery from some parts of the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ "traditional" electronic music community toward musicians coming from a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracker background. Is that something you've ever encountered or been │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ aware of? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Haven't come across scorn from fellow musicians for doing │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ modules.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ More people have complained about some of the defocus tracks lying │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ around on certain demo scene ftp-sites and the fact that they are being │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ recycled from the original format into a CD-compilation (Container).. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Frankly it seems like the people affiliated with the module-scene are │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ more eager to bite your head off for 'sounding like a module' (whatever │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that means).. most 'regular' ppl are more liable to doubt/ disbelieve │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that the stuff is (mostly) done with impulsetracker, instead of say, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ logic.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: Having found something you could work with what stages did you go │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ through to get to the point where you were ready to record as │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Lackluster and what were the most important things you learned in that │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ process? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Lackluster happened around '97 summer or so, as I started │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ usin this project name in my mod-releases. There was never a time when │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I decided 'right, now I'm ready to record'.. was just releasin tracks │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ thru the mod-scene and later on mp3s.. cdr#1 got created when Greg │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Davis@Warpcomm started goin off about 'hey!, let's do a comp based on │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ warp-comm-goers..!' so, put together a few tracks, sent them to him, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ and 'Laziness' ended up on his CDr-comp 'Close Parenthesis'.. I don't │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ remember why CDr#2 got compiled, but there was some sort of need to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ burn tracks on a CDr so I could listen to them.. gave a copy to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ h0l/Monotonik and he wanted to put it out. After all those mod-scene │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ releases, got contacted by focus cos Cim had heard some of the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ modules.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Truth to tell if it had been up to me, i would've sent a demo out to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ labels around '03.. and definitely none of those tracks that were │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ released on the mod-scene..but it was taken out of my hands rather │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ forcibly │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Learning process.. I believe the only real learnt thing was to do │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ whatever without thinking about it. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Eddie/BOVAFLUX : : So I see you were involved in that idm rmx project │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ over at www.remixworld.com ... What did you make of that then? What was │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ it like to work with cunts like that Bovaflux guy?? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Oh, and what's your favourite method of coming up with track names? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: I never had the time to download any of the other tracks.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ don't think I made much of anything out of it, except a crappy rushed │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ mix to get rid of the, err, 'fun'.. was disappointed at the first track │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I was supposed to rmx (triphop-py) and flunked that.. the second track │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ was a bit more drum'n'bassey but I still did nothin really. Slapped 3 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ different tries together into one huge mess and wondered if it was │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ worth the hassle for everyone.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ That Bovaflux! He kept on keeping on until I couldn't take it anymore! │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Favourite method for comin up with track names is to either name it by │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ dates, and then go thru my 'random names and good words' directories to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ rename them (goin thru old chats/messages to find specific strings of │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ words) or just call it by it's savefilename.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (tall5/0kottih/0today8/0tilde5/kosmos7)... favourite would probably │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ still be dates.. but nobody else can remember them, which is │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ unfortunate. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: Can you tell us about the various places where people can find │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ some of your online material? How much have you benefited from the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ support of mp3 labels and the like? What sort of feedback have you been │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ getting from this avenue? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Well, h0l/Monotonik kindly donated some space @ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ftp://mirror.support.nl , so the Lackluster mp3 archive resides there │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ at the moment, apart from the One-Offs EP & happyarpeg (Kahvi mp3 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ release) which I haven't mirrored there yet. ( │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ftp://mirror.support.nl/pub/mono/mp3/lackluster ) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Releases .. various places. Monotonik, which has been in existence │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ since roughly summer 1996.. run by h0l (a.k.a. Simon Carless) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ originally named 'mono', it split to mono211 (dnb/triphop/downtempo) & │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ monotonic (straight techno/eclectic) and switched from modules to mp3s │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ around 1999. 2 single mp3 releases in 99-00 and the One-Offs EP (6 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ track EP) around June'01. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Kahvi, run by VΣin÷ Ala-HΣrk÷nen (a.k.a. vae), 2 releases (07/10/99 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (retitled as strateface/kcl0 for a forthcoming 12" release) & │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ happyarpeg (friend and me playin on a juno60 live back around │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ christmas'99).. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ links to check out for quality music. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://kahvi.stc.cx - kahvi community │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.monotonik.com - mono211 & monotonik │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://milk.scene.org - milk │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://music.level-d.com - level-d music │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.tokyodawn.org - tokyo dawn records │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://theralite.avalon.hr - theralite │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ there are others, like rNO, tokaimura state, and whatnot. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Benefit? Exposure.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Used to get a bit of feedback back in 97-99, but it all kind of died │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ around '00.. in fact, there haven't been a lot of mails/comments on the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ one-offs ep release at all.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: Can you give us a summary of your "physical" releases as │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Lackluster to date? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: 2000: │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ foc349 12" ep │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a1. suntrap (tomas szepe remix) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a2. ix pen │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b1. cull streak │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b2. meanwhile │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ foc350 container CD/LP │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ foc354 r u oho? 12" │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a1. 20333 (13/10/99 lackluster sample mix) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a2. cull streak (bauri mix) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a3. meanwhile (xhale night edit) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b1. suntrapez (brothomStates timing techniques) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b2. cull streak (sense mix) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b3. meanwhile (rm xb y brothomstates) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ rikos005 7" │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a1. 01/10/00 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a2. 07/05/00 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b1. 18/10/99 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b2. 26/05/00 (dear laurent) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ 2001: │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ esa ruoho: spaces CD (u-cover005) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ lackluster: 7" (zealectronic purple) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a. 27/11/99 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b. 19/10/00 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ esa ruoho: spaces EP (inc.us05) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ a. pond assemblage │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b1. med test │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ b2. space │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Forthcoming releases.. deFocus 12" ep, deFocus cd/lp, merck 12" ep.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ And literally a ton of remixes (none of which are done yet--stress) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: You list foc349, foc350, foc354 - are these all on the same label? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Can you tell us something about this particular material - the label │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ involved and whether there are any particular ideas behind them? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Yes, they are on the same label, Focus, which later on │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ became defocus, due to problems with a larger label of similar name. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Got contacted by Cim @ defocus, him & Clair listened to a bunch of my │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ modules, and sent me a listing of tracks to provide on a CDr, which │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ became 2 cdrs, and which later on became foc349 & container. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ About 10 tracks got skipped altogether, and they'll be available only │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ as modules. Can't remember which tracks ended up as leftover-tracks.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ The idea was to get a shoe between the door. Could've said 'no, let's │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ wait 5 years for good material instead', but didn't. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.defocusrecords.co.uk │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: With R U Oho? 12" there are remixes of your material - how │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ involved were you with who mixed your material and how did you feel │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ about the end results? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Also you have done a number of remixes - how do you normally get │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ involved with those and how do your feelings about mixing someone │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ else's material compare to someone else mixing yours? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: With foc354 I handpicked people whom I wanted to remix, not │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ all could deliver, but in the end there were about 11 remixes, 5 of │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ which were selected (and the additional 13/10/99 track that Clair loved │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ so much) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ The end result was 4 Sense mixes (1 used), 3 brothomStates mixes (2 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ used), and remixes by Vim & Thug & others that were never used │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ anywhere.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ At first wanted Bola & Boards Of Canada to remix, but turns out they │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ would've probably a) been too busy b) not been interested c) demanded a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ fee over a thousand pounds.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ so went with a bunch of friends.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Received all the remixes, burned them on a CDr and sent them via UPS │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ express in one day to Clair, and she picked the track listing. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ About the end results. Well, there were some good remixes that could've │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ been put onto an additional foc354.2 release, but all in all am really │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ happy that 2 of the 3 brothomStates remixes are on there, that Sense & │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Bauri got remixes on it and that xhale got his first remix on a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ physical 12". │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ About remixing someone else.. well, people either mail a CDr without │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ any prior communication, or they contact via email/irc. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tend to not to volunteer. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ atmo am supposed to remix Sense, Thug, Viinikala, Proem, Multiplex.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I like remixing. Kind of. It's fun cos ya get someone else's samples │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (negates the problem of finding your own, see), someone else's ideas │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that can be chosen or culled.. The results aren't always exactly what │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ the remixed wants, or what the remixer was lookin for, and the fact │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that there's mostly deadlines and stuff kind of deters from the fun.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ But sometimes it's very enjoyable. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Apart from whole of foc354 and the 1st track on foc349 (Tomas Szepe │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (Viinikala) rmx) there haven't really been that many remixes.. but │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ mostly when it comes to melodies I tend to have my own opinions on what │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ other people do to my melodies or, if anything at all.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: You have contributed to the Zealectronic series with Zealectronic │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Purple - how did you come to be involved with the Belgian label Zeal │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Records and how was this series presented to you? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: While I was in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, I got a mail │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ from Geert at Zeal Records, and it was basically a 'do you have time, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ are you interested in releasing thru us and this Zealectronic [colour] │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ project?'-message. Compiled about 15 tracks for him to listen, and he │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ mailed back quickly with 2 tracks he specifically wanted. After much │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ hassle (wave files for the A-side track were in Finland, and wave files │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ for the B-side track were on my hard drive, which I couldn't plug in │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ anywhere), the release was ready. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ The series was presented to me as a series with a bunch of tracks by │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ L'Usine ICL and Lilienthal in it. Those were the only names I knew of. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ To convince me, they sent me a copy of the Sybarite 7".. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Oh yeah, and the design toys on cover and the specific colour theme for │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ every release. yeah. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: Spaces was your first release under your own name - why did you │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ decide to do this rather than making it a Lackluster release? With │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Spaces you seem to have a different sound to the Lackluster I've heard │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (obviously part reason why name change) - but how conscious was this │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ change of sound? How did you come to be releasing on another Belgian │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ label - U-Cover - and why the EP on another label? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: The name change was suggested to me, because of the drastic │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ sonical difference. The next Lackluster album on defocus will be much │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ more in the vein of 'lackluster', if that makes sense. Except beatier. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho turned out to be a freeform 'I'll do anything under this' │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ thing. Might end up doing deephouse with this name.. once I actually │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ finish up the small loops that I've come up with. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Well, the thing with the older (97-99) material and the U-Cover CD is, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that even the newest of the defocus material (apart from the remix, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ which is from oct'99) was from may'99.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ After that started branching onto different software to 'better the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ sound'.. Around Nov'99 I entered a limbo of bein able to patch specific │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ programs thru my effects box and the mixer, and record them back │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (compensator, f.ex.).. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Also different programs lead to different sounds. All tracks on the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Spaces CD are made with audiomulch, a neat bit of software by Ross │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Bencina. It's got a bit of a more 'fluid' approach to sound-design and │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ is kind of meant (imho) for more of a textural approach.. not │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ necessarily tracks with form, more like sonic manipulations. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ There are a bunch of tracks on compilations and whatnot made with │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ audiomulch (31/10/99 on Autumnature, 11/11/99 on Initial Release, 2 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracks on the Rikos 7" for instance).. and more to come. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ While I was in Canada I recorded the 'meat' of Spaces, 'Med Test', │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ 'Pond Assemblage' and 'Departure'.. The rest of the tracks are mostly │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ from 1999 tries in sound.. Space is still the first 'real' ambient │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ track I ever made.. For the 3 tracks made in Regina, I was muckin │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ around with no sample bank so for instance 'Med Test' is made out of │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ whatever was lying around.. Casio ck-10, and as much AM-generated │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ things as ever possible. It's got a bit of a rough drilling sound to it │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ because of this. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Well, U-Cover connection was because Koen at U-Cover lives near or in │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ the same house as Geert at Zeal.. So Geert passed me along to Koen, and │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ things worked out from there.. At first I was going to say no, cos I │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ thought he wanted to put out a Lackluster release.. Then I listened to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ the tracks, and found out that there was much more of a freeform │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ambient thing (at least that was deduced from the 2 minute clips, the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ CDs turned out to be a bit more focused) goin.. so I tested the waters │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ by compiling only ambient.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ This was also the period that i had some brief dealings with Traum │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Records, they wanted to put out an ambient CD & 12", even sent me a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ contract via e-mail, but dropped me before we could sort anything out │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ (in Canada I had no tracks, so they recorded all the tracks they wanted │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ onto a tape and sent it to me.. Canadian post being what it is around │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ in the wilderness, it took 5 weeks to arrive, and by then they had │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ changed their minds.. another 5 weeks, and the CDr's I'd sent to Traum │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Records were back in my control, and I quickly compiled additional │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracks for the Spaces release) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Actually, the reason Spaces is kind of dark and foreboding is because │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ there were some brief dealings to do an additional release, with a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ lighter, almost childchime-ish touch (tracks like onuj (Merck Aurora │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ compilation), happyarpeg (kahvi mp3 release), kcl2 (monotonik "one-offs │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ep" mp3 release) and whatnot) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ But turned out that in the end it wasn't feasible.. only had about 25 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ minutes of music, and thus the project ended up a dud.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Nowadays I've got a bit of more melodic ambient tries floating around, │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ but sadly all of them end up being formless 1-2 minute tries. Don't │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ know if in the end there's interest for such short interludes. Perhaps │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ as filler for real records, but.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Koen at U-Cover sorted out the 3 tracks for the 12" EP, as he runs │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ inc.us afaik. Actually there was a project to get 3 more of the CD │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracks on a Hymen 12" release (check U-Cover L'Usine ICL CD and the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Hymen 12"s, to get an idea of what kind of 'recycling to vinyl format' │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ is goin on.. not a bad idea for dj's for instance) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ u-cover │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ zeal records │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ autumn records │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ rikos records │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ surgery records │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ audio mulch │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: From our conversations to date there seems to be a certain │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ negativity to your approach to your music - you want to distance │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ yourself from pre-Lackluster projects like Distance/Orange, and also │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ express a certain distaste for your work to date. Why so negative? How │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ do you maintain a drive to keep doing music when this is the way you │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ seem to feel about what you have done to date? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Why not? The stuff ain't that good. I don't maintain a drive │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ to keep doin music. In fact most of the time I'm so low on self-esteem │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that I can't even knock up a track together. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Had to drop the container methods, kind of, cos realized that I could │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ be doin stuff like that forever, if it didn't stop right now.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ It's a problem of bein blind to your own sound.. I'm so well versed on │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ how I work and what isn't worked out properly that the only things that │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ stand up on tracks I've made are the inherent laziness, the lack of │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ fine tuning arrangement-wise and just how rough the overall sound is. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Personally I believe that 1999 was the best year, after that I was │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ assaulted by the defocus hubbub and suddenly comin up with tracks got │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ riddled with second guessin yourself until ya couldn't even do up a │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ track without wondering where it'd be put out, or if it was any good.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Currently am tryin to come up with a track once per month.. Or at least │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ try to have programs open and doodle something. But it seems that the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ more loops I do, the grasp for arrangin the tracks into something │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ meaningful just deteriorates.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: -Again this answer seems to underline the contradictions in the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ way you express yourself, on the one hand negative, but on the other │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ you express a discipline/positiveness to keep producing material. There │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ is also the way in which you describe the material under your own name │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ as "free form" - this again sees some positive expression in a desire │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ to experiment, to further push what you have done. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ How much is your desire to improve upon what you have done and to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ experiment the driving force that keeps you producing music? What are │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ you hoping to achieve with the material that you are currently working │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ on/towards? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: I describe 'Esa Ruoho' as freeform because I might be puttin │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ out anythin thru that. i.e. it's not 'bound' to a specific style. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ That's the basic reason why Spaces is under my own name, and not │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Lackluster. There's a specific sound to Lackluster.. and I guess it's │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ one of those things that need to be sorted out. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ The fact is that I want to do music. I want to make it good, and I want │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ to be able to listen to a track from 96 and then put on a track from 01 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ and see that there's growth, not necessarily only sound-wise, but │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ arrangement/soul-wise also. The only reason I keep doin tracks is that │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ if I stopped (which I feel like constantly), nobody else would keep on │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ doin 'my' tracks for me. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ What I hope to achieve? Something that'll reduce me to tears every-time │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I hear it. Something that'll make people nod their heads for the whole │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ track and not just the first 20 seconds. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: So can you hear the change between 96 and 01? Wanting a track to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ evoke tears from you every listen sounds like an extreme standard to │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ hold yourself to - do you agree? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: Yeah, the more music you do the better your music should │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ get, content-wise. I want there to be an audible difference in skills │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ and musicality from tracks made in 1996 to tracks made in, say, 2001 or │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ whenever. Some sort of progression must be evident. Seems I've been │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ back trackin since 1999, as nothing I do nowadays seems to surpass that │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ year. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Extreme standards.. I can already knock up a track I vaguely like, or │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ zone out on.. why would that be enough? I want to be able to do tracks │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that bowl me over when I hear them somewhere else. Tracks that are │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ brilliant and shine out like a beacon I can hear a change from 96 to 97 │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ to 98 to 99, but after that it just gets less musical and more │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ obscure.. nice sound wise, sure, but the original ideas are lacking │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ miserably. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: We have talked about the emphasis on gear in this scene in our │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ conversations so far - why do you think there is so much gear emphasis │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ in electronic music? What effect do you think it has on the results? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ And how do you think that music should be approached (something I think │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ you've touched on already to some degree...)? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: I guess the gear becomes important when you want to start │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ from having a wicked sound, instead of having a wicked idea.. I know │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I'm the worst person to say this but sometimes startin with a good idea │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ is better than just muckin around until you've got a wow sound, and │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ then putting on another odd sound, and another, until you've got an │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ eclectic bunch of sounds and glitches that have no real point apart │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ from goin pop kzrrr hiss crackle snap plop in the night... sometimes │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that can be really interesting, especially if you don't just leave it │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ there, and work on snapping it together into a whole that gives │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ something to the listener.. and by that time we're pretty deep into the │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ fight about what is 'giving something to the listener' and why │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ something isn't.. and what gives me the right to say that something │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ doesn't 'have enough'. Generally I just like to listen to music with an │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ idea that's refined so that it's either really subtle and obscure, or │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ accessible.. dunno. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: You mentioned forthcoming releases on defocus and Merck - what can │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ you tell us about what will be on these releases, whether they have │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ names and when you reckon that they will be available? │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: merckLL 12" │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ 'a lackluster remixer' │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Out before november │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Currently in the process of being mastered, 2 out of the 6 tracks │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ aren't ready.. After that we'll wait till the merckBA (machine drum │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ tracks+remixes) 12" is mastered, and it'll all be released. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ 3 remixes (including Marumari + Machinedrum) 1 previously unreleased │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ track 1 track that appeared on the autumnature compilation and 1 track │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ that is freely available as an unmastered mp3. (kahvi) │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ -- │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ deFocus 12" ep │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ deFocus cd/lp "wrapping" │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ nov/dec │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ I have no clue. There's a bunch of tracks, about 16-17. Am eagerly │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ waiting for the track listing, so I can deliver the tracks to the guy │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ who will master them.. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ -- │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ rikos005 7" re-release thru merck │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ 500 copies, out before end of September │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Just a U.S. re-release of the Rikos 7" that's already sold out. Vinyls │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ in the printing factory, things are gonna be sorted. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ -- │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ That's it.. a bunch of remixes, compilations, and possibly a split with │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Vim. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ptr: if you have any final comments you would like to make about music │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ or on your work in particular now is the time to do it..... │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Esa Ruoho: just go and give a listen to the forthcoming brothomStates │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ Qtio ep and the forthcoming brothomStates Claro CD. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.warp-net.com │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ http://www.brothomstates.com │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ ---http://www.remoteinduction.co.uk/audio/esalacks.htm │║░█ ░
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░ █░║│∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙│║░█ ░
░ █░║│ No news. │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ │║░█ ░
░ █░║│ To contact us email pulsemp3@cannabismail.com. │║░█ ░
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░█░║│ Greetings to all our friends in groups such as... │║░█░
█░║│ │║░█
░█░║│ TCLUB - gEm - XSE - WCR - SnS - TR - kW - mCZ - m00tv │║░█░
█░║│ │║░█
░█░║│ And to anyone we forgot! │║░█░
▒░█░║│ │║░█░▒
░█░║│ <faz-> i would like to greet the oldtimers of the scene! :) │║░█░
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ASCii Painting by AyLieN of CHEMiCAL REACTiON 2oo2
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Files
Path
Size
[BMW]-[Electronic-2002]-(97.3 MB in 14 files of 192kbps Stereo)-[bende