TUNING IN - Christmas with Chuck, Erte Ale and Niser
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by Nicky Roland
That time of year is once again upon us when we eat too much, drink too much, sleep too little and try to reconcile our differences with family to come together and celebrate the holidays. This time of year can be especially difficult for those of us that feel alone, ostracized, or who have lost loved ones, which is all the more reason to connect with the ones you love and get back to the core pillars that unite this vibrant community. Peace, love, compassion, and understanding.
Merry Me Christmas It’s this sentiment that brings us a new Christmas release from the legend, the creator of the gospel of House, the one and only reverend Chuck Roberts. Chuck’s new song, Merry Me Christmas is a thumping, uplifting banger, meant to remind us of who we are.
Captain Christmas (AKA Jack) is the resident DJ at the North Pole, and after the strain of the last couple of years, Santa has decided to let Cap take some time-out to bring his message of love to the world. We can’t waste another minute, tomorrow is full of uncertainty, but love and family can truly be a catalyst for happiness, especially at this time of the year. Merry Me Christmas was released on December 8th, so by the time you read this, it will be available on all major distribution platforms. If you’re looking for some Christmas Cheer to pep up your holidays, be sure to pump this one up good and loud. Not only is the track a masterpiece, the sentiment behind it, combined with Chuck’s unmistakable voice, style, and huge heart all come together and permeate through this track to make it one of the best releases of the season.
Fireside chat with Erte Ale
We’ve featured numerous artists from across the globe over the past year, and I’m ashamed to say that I have not yet interviewed or written about one of the greatest of our era, Erta Ale. Erta is an all-around superstar DJ, House, and Techno producer, musician, and artist; he is one of a handful of new artists to feature on the recent Jackmaster 7 album from legendary Chicago House label, DJ International, and head of his own label, Solenoid Records.
Q: Erta, thanks for taking the time to chat with me today. As a starting point, I really want to give our readers a feel for the man behind the music. There’s a quote in your bio “Without a sense of risk there is no art and maybe there is no life.” that I absolutely adore. It sums up your approach to life, music, and DJ’ing perfectly. Could you take a minute to explain to our readers what this means, in terms of your approach to performances, production, and your general modus operandi?
A: Hi Nicky and thanks for having me here. Well, that sentence really reflects my way of producing music and playing. Since 2013 I quit using my laptop to create music and this choice adds a lot of risk in my approach for sure. Firstly, all my productions in the last ten years came from jamming in my studio, which means that I can’t rely on already made grooves and especially I can’t edit with software like Ableton for example. I have to record a lot of live sessions at the studio before reaching the final track. I want to be clear on this: I’m not working like this because I think that in the end the quality of my productions are better than a track produced only with a DAW, it’s not about that. For me it’s more about reproducing the feeling of playing an instrument (in this sense several instruments all together). It’s like playing with an ensemble. I grew up as a classical musician. For me, having rehearsals with a group of people and trying to achieve a great performance is the basis of my idea of making music and when you play an instrument live, the risk of making mistakes is always there. This makes me enjoy playing music, That’s it. The same thing applies to when I’m DJing. I love to play records where is more challenging than using CDJs or a laptop to create smooth transitions but also when I use the CDJs I like to be creative with that, putting CUE in the middle of the track, creating unplanned loops, multilayer using 3 CDJs and stuff like that.
Q: When did you first start making music and what was the spark that ignited the fire?
A: I have always loved music since I can remember. But I started playing an instrument kind of late, I was fifteen when I had my first electric guitar.
Q: Who/what were some of your earliest influences?
A: Like most of the guys in the 80s/early 90s I started with Rock music, then Hard Rock and Metal But every couple of years I was in love with a new genre. When I was 19 I studied some Jazz then I switched on piano and classical music. Following this, I wanted to deeply understand the grammar of music and I moved to Rome to study composition in the Conservatory of Music.
Q: When did you first hear House/Techno music?
A: I remember in my town where I grew up there was a Disco Club and a lot of guys were DJing but at that time I didn’t really understand House music and the concept of DJing, for me that was not “real playing”. Only when I moved to Berlin did I finally understand that I was made for this music. It’s strange how things sometimes happen.
Q: Were you bitten immediately, or did it take a while before you got the bug?
A: It took a really long time I guess. As I said, only when I moved to Berlin in 2007 did I totally fall in love with electronic music. For sure I always liked going to dance but also in Rome there was not the same Club-Culture that you can see here in Berlin. I still don’t like Italian “Discoteche”.
Q: Who are your current top three producers/ DJs and why?
A: Lately I’m discovering a lot of incredible Italian producers. As I said there is no real club culture in Italy but a lot of incredible producers. I love the Italian Voodoos & Taboos, we.amps who are also producing a lot of amazing stuff for my Solenoid Records label, and I also love Driss Bennis, the boss of Casa Voyager from Marocco. Those guys are original and for me really fresh.
Q: You’ve traveled and played in a lot of different locations/countries, what has been your favorite so far?
A: In Europe, I really love Amsterdam and the Church Club. I’m having so many intense experiences there. Playing at Church Club is something that you cannot explain easily. And I’m also looking forward to being back soon in South Africa. I love Johannesburg and Kitcheners, one of the oldest bars in the city. But everything can be canceled because of the Pandemic, It’s a nightmare without an end.
Q: Do you have any plans to play in the US in the coming year (a pitstop in Chicago would be awesome)?
A: Yes for sure. I already wanted to go to New York and Chicago, I fixed a couple of Gigs in 2019 but suddenly everything was canceled, we know why. Now I’m getting new contacts and proposals but right now we are uncertain about everything. But yes, I hope to be there soon.
Q: If you could have your dream collaboration with any artist from any period of time, who would it be any why?
A: Wow, any period of time it’s a big thing. As I said till now I loved a lot of kinds of music, not just electronic dance music. My biggest loves from the past are for sure Frank Zappa, Prince, James Brown. I can’t even imagine “collaborating” with such amazing talent but for sure I would love to be with them in the same room and watch them play and perform. I saw Prince live one time in Milan and it was just incredible. I could put Prince at the same level as Mozart, without a doubt.
Q: What does the year ahead hold for you? Any new releases, collaborations, or online events we should look out for? Continued >>
A: Right now I’m really concentrating on Solenoid Records. We are already planning the next 3 releases. The next one is coming out at the end of March. A new “only vinyl” release that will be my personal homage to the progressive house sound of the early 90s. I’m really excited for that. Then we will have a solo EP from we.amps. As for gigs, I really don’t know what we are going through this winter. We are not having good news right now here in Europe. A lot of Clubs are closing again. I don’t know what to think.
Q: And as always, I’ll finish on the following question…If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
A: Right now I would like to say: no covid, please! But actually, there are more important things to achieve: there is still so much racism, intolerance, patriotism, stupidity, and inequality to name but a few. It sounds cliche but I think now more than ever we have to be together as humans and love each other like brothers. We have to face really important changes in the future and we have to be connected, not divided by old ideology.
I’d like to extend a big thanks to Erte for taking time out to chat with me and sharing some insight into his process, musical passion, and giving us a glance into the depth and beauty of his soul. If you’re not familiar with his work, it’s time to get educated. Do a search and take a listen, Erte is truly a one-of-a-kind artist, destined for greatness.
Stocking Stuffers
You may remember my feature a few months back on the rising star of the LGBTQ electro scene, Niser. Niser recently released his first album on CD to celebrate his first year in digital along with his first foray into a physical product line. If you’re still looking for some goodies to pop under the tree, or you’re just looking to treat yourself, head over to bit.ly/NiserStore and take a peek at what’s on offer.
On that note, that’s a wrap from me. Wishing you all a happy, loving and glorious holiday season from the bottom of my heart. Peace and love be with you.
Nicky Roland is a house music producer originally from the UK, now based in Denver, CO Find me on Spotify and on Twitter @nickyrolandmusic
