Crate Magazine Sample by India Rose

CRATE MAGAZINE / ISSUE #1 / JUNE 2013 / FEATURING WILD OATS DETROIT Crate is a collectable, quarterly magazine that takes an innovative, cultured and intelligent approach to electronic music by connecting you to independent record labels you love, because we love them as much as you do. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find a magazine dedicated to celebrating the work of independent record labels, so we had to make one ourselves. Our magazine looks at music and art in a cohesive and unique way, with a keen eye to design and high quality writing. Our contributors are located around the globe, and our stories span accordingly. Crate is a direct response to the cosy, PR-led focus of mainstream magazines, and represents part of the growing resistance to the dematerialisation of music and art. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t answer to advertisers or music distributors; we answer firstly to our readers, secondly to the record labels we love and support, and thirdly to ourselves. Crate is all about the music. For us, nothing beats the tangible aspect of holding a vinyl, so we decided to embrace the niche-orientated mindset of the music lover and record collector by creating something with a sense of permanence, rather than trying to compete with the ephemeral nature of the internet. We wanted something clean and timeless like Acne Paper, with valued content and great music taste like Resident Advisor, but for a generation that lives predominantly online, unless something really, really special comes along. www.cratemagazine.com

INDIA ROSE

Founder, writer and designer Nottingham

CRATE MAGAZINE / ISSUE #1 / JUNE 2013 / FEATURING WILD OATS DETROIT In the first issue we welcome Wild Oats Detroit to the UK during Kyle Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s album launch tour. We meet Kyle and the Wild Oats crew to talk about his new EP, introduce a very special upcoming artist on the label, find out how the label came about and share exclusive artwork and upcoming releases with our readers. We hope you enjoy reading our first issue as much as we enjoyed making it here at Crate. See you at the party!

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ABOUT WILD OATS ABOUT KYLE HALL INTERVIEW: KYLE HALL INTERVIEW: JAY DANIEL UPCOMING RELEASES INTERVIEW WITH: FUNKINEVEN EVENT INVITE 3

wild oats detroit

RECORDS Established in 2008, Wild Oats Music is an electronic music record label independently operating out of Detroit and in the hands of DJ and producer Kyle Hall. Following his debut release on Omar-S’ label FXHE in 2007, Kyle knew he wanted to create his own label with his own vision. Wild Oats has given Kyle the ability to reach into the future of music with releases of first-timers Manuel Gonzales and Jay Simon, as well as reach back to his influences and release Anthony “Shake” Shakir’s Westside Sessions. The label boasts unprecedented collaborations such as Funkinevil (Kyle Hall and Funkineven), and the Zug Island EP by Kyle Hall and Kero. Wild Oats lives through what Kyle envisions in music now, and in the future. These elements make Wild Oats unique, and the label gives the listener a feeling of Detroit regardless of where they are in the world.

KYLE HALL is quickly rising to the level of the greats he studied under in his hometown Detroit (his mentors include Theo Parrish, Omar-S, Carl Craig, Rick Wilhite and Mike Huckaby), and is fast becoming on par with some of the most defiant, innovative DJs and producers in electronic music. The only thing that separates him is a handful of years - a decade or two in most cases: he’s still under the age of 20.

Born during the era of Detroit’s second wave of techno, Kyle grew up immersed a rich legacy of musicians and artists on both sides of his family. Jazz, soul and gospel came from his mother’s side (who is a professional singer), as well as his Uncle Ray (aka DJ Raybone, a local legend), while his father, on the other hand, owned a nightclub. From the age of 11, Kyle began producing wildly experimental electronic music, using basic software and found equipment to explore his imagination. By the time he was 13, record stores became his second home, spending most of his days at Rick Wilhite’s legendary Vibes store, the main headquarters for most Detroit DJs’ record collections. It wasn’t long before Kyle was hopping Detroit’s DJ circuit himself - and in less than 4 years, he found himself traveling dance floors around the globe. These days, he balances a world-spanning tour schedule - dotting from Singapore to Israel to Europe, and throughout North America - bringing his inimitable DJing style to world-class clubs (fabric, Panorama Bar, Space in Ibiza) and internationally renowned festivals (Coachella, Timewarp, Bloc, Outlook, Stop Making Sense, Source Festival). With a sense of intuition that spans far beyond his age, Kyle brings an energy to the decks that harks the generation before him, the real deal: strictly vinyl, and as gritty and raw as it gets. By 2009, the name Kyle Hall was beginning to spread throughout various magazine pages and webpages internationally, off the back of his ‘Plastik Ambash’ (released on FXHE in 2007) and the radio mix Omar-S created for fabric (which was comprised solely of Kyle’s productions), as well as the distinctive records that started surfacing on his own imprint, Wild Oats, including ‘Worx of Art,’ ‘The Perfekt Sin’ and ‘The Dirty Thouz’. Kyle has since landed releases on reputable labels across the board - including Warp Records, Hyperdub, Moods & Grooves, Third Ear, and Objectivity - and has been prized by the likes of The New York Times, Spin, Pitchfork, DJ Magazine, Clash and The Fader. Most importantly, he continues to expand the sound of Detroit through his own Wild Oats imprint, which acts as a platform for his prolific productions and captures the spirit of the city he represents. As he puts it himself:

‘

‘I want the label to represent the stuff from Detroit, the feeling that I get when I’m here. A non-corrupted, and not a scene-oriented, feeling of creating music. That feeling of just doing the music that you love without all the frills. Wild Oats is about what works for Kyle Hall, the music that I think is good, filtered through me. It’s my life.’

’ 7

kyle hall an interview with

Omar-S, Theo Parrish and other Detroit luminaries call him one of the most talented youngsters around. Now, if only he could get someone to let him chase them. Crateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s India Rose explains. Written by India Rose Photographed by Mirdori Hall

KYLE HALL has been DJing and recording music since he was prepubescent, and was mentored by some of the most notable names in contemporary Detroit techno. His first lessons came from DJ Raybone Jones, reportedly a friend to his mother and barber to other local DJs. Then he met Rick Wilhite, one-third of 3 Chairs (with Theo Parrish and Kenny Dixon, Jr.) and owner of Vibes New and Rare Music until it closed late last year. He learned the program Reaktor from Mike Huckaby. (On software and hardware: “If hardware was a person, it’d be jealous of all the things that software can do so easily.” He sips his hot chocolate and squints. “But then, like, software would be insecure, because hardware’s so stable. There’s so much texture in hardware.”) “Aw, come on,” he says, a little disappointed. Sense, Source Festival). With a sense of intuition that spans far beyond his age, Kyle brings an energy to the decks that harks the generation before him, the real deal: strictly vinyl, and as gritty and raw as it gets. By 2009, the name Kyle Hall was beginning to spread throughout various magazine pages and webpages internationally, off the back of his ‘Plastik Ambash’ (released on FXHE in 2007) and the radio mix Omar-S created for fabric (which was comprised solely of Kyle’s productions), as well as the distinctive records that started surfacing on his own imprint, Wild Oats, including ‘Worx of Art,’ ‘The Perfekt Sin’ and ‘The Dirty Thouz’. Kyle has since landed releases on reputable labels across the board - including Warp Records, Hyperdub, Moods & Grooves, Third Ear, and Objectivity - and has been prized by the likes of The New York Times, Spin, Pitchfork, DJ Magazine, Clash and The Fader.

At 16, Kyle met Omar-S (“a real… a real particularperson,” he says). And while he talks about Omar—and all his guides—with reverence, he’s already developed a sense of humor about having to drag around the myth of Detroit. “I’m always waitin’ for those questions, you know? Like, ‘man, tell me about Juan Atkins, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know Juan Atkins!’ Or they’re like, ‘what’s Omar-S’s favorite food?’ Once I had a guy say, ‘is it true that Theo Parrish doesn’t eat cheese?’ And yeah, he doesn’t—he just doesn’t like it.” He laughs. Most importantly, he continues to expand the sound of Detroit through his own Wild Oats imprint, which acts as a platform for his prolific productions and captures the spirit of the city he represents. As he puts it himself:

“So what is Omar-S’ favorite food?” “Oh, he likes lasagna a lot.”

IN 2007, Kyle released his first official record, a single-sided EP on FXHE called “Plastik Ambash”—six minutes of hissy weirdness that sounds more like musique concrete than the jazz-influenced deep house of the Worx of Art 1 orThe Water Is Fine EPs. “Man, I was doing that with tapes and a Casio. It’s funny, people just remember you for your last thing—it’s like they already forgot about what I was doing before, on ‘Plastik Ambash.’” This bears mentioning because it seems like Kyle Hall still has a lot left to do. Which, for the foreseeable future, involves a lot of DJing. Before this year, the farthest Kyle Hall had been from Detroit was Canada, “which is about 10 minutes away.” In 2010, he’s scheduled all over Europe. “Some people are just producers who take up DJing to make extra money, but I was a DJ first, and it’s still a big part of what I do. Playing music for a crowd fills that void of human-to-human interaction that you have if you’re just a producer.” And the relationship—between DJ’ing and producing—has become symbiotic. “Now that I can play CDs, it helps. I’ve been working on new stuff, trackier stuff with longer intros. When I’m in the studio I might hear some intro and think it’s boring, but I play it out and think, ‘man, that intro doesn’t seem that long,’”—adding, in a back-pat of a voice—”’it kinda works!’”

Of the handful of Kyle Hall productions out there, my favorite is probably “I <3 Dr. Girlfriend,” five minutes of gauzy, mid-tempo house propped up by a drum pattern where every kick is syncopated against the downbeat—the track either tumbles or floats; it never steadies. It ends with a girl’s voicemail greeting. “Yeah, that’s a girl I was really, really into at the time. And then, you know. We still talk, but...” he says, shaking his head. “I mean, that’s all behind me, I’m done with that. Now when I go out and DJ and see all these girls I think, ‘This is what’s available to me?’” His face is a clash of confidence and disbelief. “Have you seen the titles on for my upcoming record [Dirty Thouz]?” No. He squares his shoulders and says, proudly, “Well, one’s called ‘I’m Kyle Mfn Hall Girl.’ And another’s called ‘Dunk Jiggla.’ And then there’s ‘B-Eatin Griz,’ and ‘Luv 4 KMFH,’ which means ‘love for Kyle motherfuckin’ Hall.’” Big smile.

We walk toward the East River. We talk labels—he has his own, Wild Oats, “Because I get tired of waiting for other people to put my stuff out.” On the other hand, he likes the feeling of leaving work to other people. It cuts both ways. He’s been sending stuff around—but, you know, it’s a hassle: “You might give stuff to twenty labels and only really end up working with three of them.” At one point, he thought about going to Wayne State—a college in Detroit—for electrical engineering. “But I’ve got these other opportunities now, so I’ll take them. Plus, I mean, I don’t know if I could’ve handled all that math anyway.”

I ask him what “dunk jiggla” means.

“I call it all kinds of stuff. I mean, I wanted a name, yeah, but I mostly end up calling it silly-ass shit,” he says, kicking a stone. “When I can actually get a girl down there, they just fall in love—they’re all ‘oh, you’re so talented.’” He grins.

“Well, you know Soulja Boy, right?” “Yeah.”

For the moment, Kyle Hall lives with his Dad. He still makes music in the basement. “So, does your studio have a name?”

“And then you play them some piano, right?”

“Well, he’s got this song, ‘She Got a Dunk.’ It just means a big butt.” Another big smile. Kyle Hall is definitely not imposing. Kyle Hall is 18.

“Usually just a little bit. A teaser. It’s funny because it’s this dark, dusty room, but they just love it.”

“I’m already in a totally different place from where I was when I put out Worx of Art,” he says. When I point out that that was only a year ago, he says, “Yeah, but I’m 18! A lot changes in a year.”

“But that’s sort of romantic, right? Like, you get to act all cool and indifferent, like, ‘It doesn’t matter—I’m an artist, I only care about my music.’” We’re both kidding at this point, but Kyle looks away from the sun and gets very quiet for about five seconds. “You know, though? It’s true.”

JAY DANIEL an interview with

After his recent visit to London, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that Jay Daniel is a name to look out for. An exceptional talent hailing from Detroit, he joins us here on Tela Bianca to speak about his craft. Written by India Rose Photographed by Tele Bianca

When did it all start out for you musically and how did growing up in Detroit affect the music you make? Well, I initially started out playing the drums. I don’t think growing up in Detroit particularly had an influence on how I produce or DJ. It was more the life experiences that took place that shaped my zeal for music. People I’ve met, places I’ve been, meaningful conversations I’ve had, etc. Could you speak a little about your mother, Naomi Daniel and her Planet E records? Were tracks like, ‘Stars’ a big influence on you growing up? It had a huge impact on how I perceive music. The label, I Ner Zon (a sub-label of Planet E used by Carl Craig) is defunct now; it was made only to release ‘Stars’ & ‘Feel the Fire’. Those records definitely acted as a foundation for my musical endeavours. Big up my mother she birthed me!!! What was your first musical memory? My Mom’s tracks! Having played in London now, what differences have you noticed in the scene over here from back home? I think they have a different appreciation for art in Europe as a whole. Here, music is sometimes viewed as more of a commodity. From what I noticed, going to the club in Europe is sort of an experience, whilst here it’s more of a thing to do. I think Detroit tends to take its musical products for granted because the city has such a rich musical history. It’s the gift and the curse. When did you start playing and what does DJ culture mean to kids growing up in Detroit? I started when I was 19, not really that young. I don’t think DJ culture or music in general plays a big enough role in Detroit right now. The media has done everything in its power to make the youth afraid of anything they’re not familiar with. A lot of the youth here in Detroit, and in other major cities are now much more consumed by material goods. Anything abstract, whether it’s House music or visual arts, are neglected because they don’t match the images portrayed on TV or even on the Internet. When did you start producing records and what method do you often take when starting on a track? I started producing last summer. To be honest, I have no true methodology to producing. I prefer to just play around with sounds. What is your favourite record? I’d have to say Les McCann – Sometimes I Cry is my favourite record ever. Everything else is irrelevant… Well, there are others but nothing else comes to mind right now.

What record labels do you feel are the most important in Detroit right now? Wild Oats & Sound Signature. Could you speak about your collaborative relationship with Kyle Hall, such as with your Fundamentals nights? How did it all start out between you guys? Yeah I met Kyle in 2009 through our friend Ajamu. We met before I started DJ’ing or producing, so from time to time I’d go over his crib & he’d work on stuff with me. Working with Kyle kind of helped shaped my ear as a DJ. It wasn’t until 2011 that we did our first Fundamentals & it kinda just took off. People were feeling the energy we brought so we made it a monthly thing. The next one is June 16th at Division St Gallery here in Detroit. We haven’t done one in awhile so I’m excited to get back to it. It was a couple of years now that Kyle was pushing your name over here. Are there any new artists from Detroit you feel could be big in a few years? Yeah my boy John Lawyer is an up & coming DJ/producer, David Robinson is another one. Oh and Big Strick’s son Generation Next. Outside of electronic music, what other sounds do you draw influence from? I like a lot of dub, spiritual jazz, & soul. What artists are you listening to from over in Europe now and do you think there are any influences from here being taken back to Detroit? I like Funkineven. Yes, Stevie has single-handedly influenced Me & Kyle’s gear buying decisions… What were your conceptions for your Pervasions mixes? The Pervasions mixes are kinda selfless promo mixes. I’d like to introduce people to as much new music as possible. The title Pervasions itself suggests that the music works thru the DJ; whereas the DJ is more of a vessel. I’d like to keep DJ’ing as impersonal as possible because it’s all about the music. What do you feel characterises the Detroit sound right now? Being in Detroit! To be honest, I don’t feel that there is anything concrete about Detroit that constitutes an overall sound. What makes a city a city is merely an idea; the city’s boundaries act as a limiting factor in that idea. Detroit is not a dense city; it’s vast & spread out. So on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think that interpersonal interactions play that much of a role in the creative process. I think the lack of propinquity shapes Detroit in a unique way.

wild oats

UPCOMING RELEASES ON

an interview with

FUNKINEVEN Since his very first release â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;KLEERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on Eglo records back in 2009, FunkinEven (aka Steven Julien), has been causing a buzz with his unique take on boogie, experimental swing, four-to-the-floor banging house and everything in between and outside these sounds. Written by India Rose Photographed by Mirdori Hall

Your family was involved in sound systems, what’s your earliest musical memory? As a kid, staying up late for the first time at house parties at my mum’s house, with a big sound system in the living room playing and blasting out some rare groove while some people dancing slow together with women in their sequin dresses. What would you be doing if you weren’t involved in music? Interior design, barbering, selling clothes, selling DVDs and just selling!!! But I’m not involved in music, music is involved in me!! You started out in a hip hop crew, do you see the what you’re doing now as a natural progression from that – how do you feel your sound has evolved? Yeah, it’s a completely natural thing, but I always had an electronic twist in my music from the start, so it was only gonna go this way. My sound gets mature as I grow old, I’m looking forward to hearing how my sounds will fit in the future. You said in an interview you’re doing “something new and old at the same time” – is that intentional or is it something that comes out naturally? It’s definitely a natural sound; you think it sounds false? This is something that’s not thought about, in fact, the more I think while I’m creating, the worse it’s gonna sound… I’m influenced from music in the past but I’m making it now, so therefore it makes it current!! You’ve racked up a pretty impressive list of remixes what was your favourite to do and why? Yeah, I’ve just counted ten, but at the moment my favourites are between Inkswel [LFO Bounce] and Photomachine; maybe because it’s the most current and because I used my new Juno 6 on them, for a real FAT sound!!! Which was your least favourite (if you’re happy to talk about that!)? Ikonika, because I think there are too many sounds going through it at some points and I really don’t like the mix down and master. Clearly your influences are wide/varied, are there any comparisons people have made that you wonder how they came up with them? The only comparison I’ve heard is Dam Funk but I honestly think they said that because we are both black and we have the word ‘funk’ in our names. If my name was “Vogue” and I wasn’t black, I’m sure they wouldn’t be comparing us?!!.

How did your relationship with Eglo come about? Through Fatima; she was flatmates with Alex Nut and working on music with Floating Points… We made music for a while before anyone hearing them. One night at Plastic People we played a track we made and people went crazy – Alex and Floating Points being one of them, they asked m, “do I wanna release it on their new project ‘Eglo records’” So I did and everything became ‘KLEER’ after that. Why did you make the decision to start your own label APRON and release your music through that? Initially it was supposed to be a white label edit, then I thought if I’m gonna do a release for the first time putting it out on my own imprint then it might as well be my own production and not an edit of someone else’s song… So it all went from there. Do you have any plans to release other artists on APRON? Yeah defo I’ve got my eyes on a few people I would like to release but for now just myself, I’m just letting it grow with my own production for now!! You’ve also mentioned that you’d like to do a film soundtrack; what’s your favourite soundtrack? Beverly Hills Cop or Fletch but I guess it’s the same producer, Harold Faltermeyer. I would love to produce soundtracks as timeless as Faltermeyer. What film do you wish you’d done the soundtrack to? Hmm so many, but for now I would say Rise of the Planet of the Apes. What’s your favourite place/club/event you’ve played? Hmmm, very hard question, but for now I’ll say the Eglo Boat Party 2011 at Soundwave, Croatia… What a vibe!!!! You’ve received a lot of critical acclaim right from your first FunkinEven release, have you ever felt any pressure from this? No. I try not to feel any pressure from anything or any expectations from anyone, I keep my releases fresh. I never know where I’m gonna go next and that keeps it fun for me. Are there any new producers we might not have heard of yet you think are making great music? Yeah, Manuel Gonzales aka M Gun and Henny Moan. They both got some new fresh FIRE!!! Stay tuned.

PLEASE CUT OUT YOUR

CRATE X WILD OATS As a little treat for our readers we are hosting an exclusive event with the membes of Wild Oats. The event will start off with a lecture from Kyle Hall and the crew, followed by a question and answer session for you to ask them anything you want to know about them or the label. You are able to buy Wild Oats merchandise, and a few new releases will be available to buy on the night. The event will then end with live and DJ sets from Kyle Hall and the crew. You can also buy the next copy of Crate at the event too. Please cut this ticket out and bring with you to the Crate x Wild Oats event. One ticket per person, no tickets on the door. Exclusively for Crate readers. Enjoy!

CRATE MAGAZINE #1 featuring Wild Oats Detroit