Egyptian Lover interview 10/8/15 by Kraftjerkz

at Good Room, Brooklyn 7/31/15 photo: Robin KG. Also featured that night were Entro Senestre, Bookworms, and Alex From Queens etc. Egyptian Lover has become a household name to anyone who has peeped their head in the door to what real freaks call "electro." "Egypt, Egypt" is excellent but so is the b-side we all know and his many records since the last 30 years. Here are some questions I have asked the king of LA electro. KG: First of all…tell me about this trick I've seen you do of playing "Planet Rock" in reverse on the platter. EL: Playing Planet Rock backwards is a trick I do playing it backwards by hand while mixing another record forward on beat. It's easy for me to do it but I've never seen another DJ do it. I guess you can say I'm Bad! KG: At what age did you express an interest in music and were your parents supportive? EL: I was interested in music at a very young age but it was my younger brother who taught me how to listen to music. Once I learned to listen to a record and all it had to it (drums, background, bass, strings, guitars) not just the vocals. I then became aware of how to put songs together. I think at that time I was 14 or 15 years old. My Mother saw that I liked music but didn't mind either way if I became a DJ because her Father was a DJ. But my Father told me not to do it because the one and only DJ he knew never made any money. And they both were shocked at what I did next and saw the outcome of it. I started making records on my own record label "Egyptian Empire Records" I guess I was doing more than just being a DJ. So they were both happy. KG: Did you ever play a melodic instrument before you were introduced to the turntables? EL: I never played anything, but my younger brother played the saxophone and could read and write music. He was in the local youth band. KG: did you enjoy the 3 turntable production of "...adventures on the wheels of steel?" did this influence you to get on the decks? or were you already mixing funk? EL: I was already doing my mixing and also doing serious pause button mixes in mix tapes. But when that record came out I learned everything on it and put it into my sets. It was the only thing that inspired me. KG: I assume you were happy when "planet rock" came out. personally it's a life-changing track and I know you DJ with it every day. what is it about it that you like the most? EL: That 808 beat from Numbers. I absolutely love how they took Kraftwerk and made it funky with more of the beat and sound fx. KG: Were there tape edits on your stuff and did you do them yourself? did you use midi on something like "Egypt, Egypt" or is it all hand-played, precise with a jupitor 8? the pads on it are so good and deep. EL: It's all played live with tape edits from the master tape to the mix down tape. I actually produced my record like that high school DJ I was in 1981. I recorded this record in 1984 before MIDI KG: I understand you told me earlier that you use the same gear on your brand new record "1984." We are all waiting for it. I have heard some tracks already and it will get burnt by needles of all of your DJ fans who love to mix with EL. Can't wait. It's going to be a killer hit on the platters. EL: Yes, I used all the early analog gear again like the Jupiter 8, SH 101, TR 808, SVC 350 vocoder, Matrix 12, Profit 5 and more. It has such a warm sound and authentic feel to it. I also recorded them all in professional studios. The same ones I used back in 1984 to do my original recordings. Many DJs and Fans will love this record and it is already a collectors item. KG: Im sure you guys enjoy Hashim over there. I have actually talked to Aldo at Cutting Records before. completely cool guy, like you:) completely independent label like Egyptian Empire. Congrats on making one of the best labels of all time. My favorite track of yours is "You're So Fine" EL: The track "You're so Fine" actually has a great story about it. I programmed the beat at my house, changing it all night long with my band kinda listening in as they got ready to go to Las Vegas to do a show with Rodney O (of Rodney O and Joe Cooley). When they left I booked some studio time and took my 808 and Jupiter 8 into the studio alone and created the music and lyrics to this track. I was in the studio all alone with my engineer and came up with everything without anyone giving me the thumbs up so I had no idea how it came out. So I waited for the band to come back to my house and played it for them and they all went crazy. I then knew it was a good song. KG: And with that…these are the questions I was interested in asking you. thank you to the king of LA! EL: Thank You! (((BOOM))) Egyptian Lover

Kid Ginseng / Lexander James - Curious Quartz Funk (Kraftjerkz 021) out now

to air on https://intergalacticfm.com Disco Panonia program next tues.6th of october 8pm CET. IFM 1 murder capital now available for purchase here: Bandcamp Do you find the funk, or does the funk find you? This is a split release featuring Lexander James and Kid Ginseng. The man behind Lexander James lives near the tar sands in the frozen city of Edmonton, Alberta, where artists are shut-ins to avoid frozen skin. Here he contributes two emotional and driving, electrofunk tracks perfect for mixing with LA electro. Kid Ginseng delivers a stellar egypt/latino hybrid track featuring the sexy vocals of Wendy James (formerly of) UK rock group, Transvision Vamp. San Francisco's DJ 2 Fresh provides this excellent edit of "So Furious." enjoy Curious Quartz Funk where it is intended to play. on the floor or in a frozen shack. Wendy James has a killer full-length rock LP coming in October.