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Five Questions with AMBIVALENT (Minus/Detroit, USA)

Interview | From the mind of Deepak | 10/24/2009

Many people recognize Ambivalent (aka Kevin McHugh) as the upcoming artist featured on Richie Hawtin’s Minus imprint, and while that is true, there is the side I also remember from his days in New York when he hosted his “Micromini” nights at Filter 14, and was co-host with Camea on The Nerd Tank radio show on East Village Radio.  I know Kevin as a genuine purveyor and lover of techno, and before the craze of minimal, he was there from the early days.

I had a chance to speak with Kevin as he prepares to play in NY and LA Halloween weekend.  Now a Berlin transplant and in-demand artist globally, he still finds time to engage in a small chat.

Here are five questions I asked him. Enjoy.

Ambivalent

Deepak: It seems like you have been working with Richie for a long time.  when, where and how did you relationship develop and how has your relationship evolved now that your a Minus artist?
Ambivalent: I met Rich when I was doing a music festival for an arts organization called Creative Time. We did electronic music and art events under the Brooklyn Bridge. I kept asking Rich to do a show with us, and it never worked out. But we ended up talking about common interests and hung out whenever he was in NY. Eventually we started doing projects together. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that he asked me to join the label as an artist. That was the beginning of a different phase of my life, but our friendship definitely influenced me tremendously.

Deepak: How has the move to berlin pushed your career along?  did you think twice about it, or was it an easy decision?   why do so many artists flock to Berlin?
Ambivalent: It definitely wasn’t an easy decision. I moved to NY in 1996, so it feels like home. I loved my life there, and would have loved to stay. But ultimately there was no way to make a living on my music and still pay a New York rent. Being in Berlin has made it possible to focus on my music rather than a day job. I also love European audiences and their dedication to this music culture. People recognize your work more clearly and appreciate it differently. There are great audiences in North America, also, but it seems that things take hold more slowly in the US.

Deepak: Do you have a favorite gig from this year you can tell us about?
Ambivalent: There are a few that stand out. I just played with a bunch of other Minus artists in a Contakt show at Brixton Academy in London. Piknik Electronik in Montreal was awesome. A great show at Cocoon club in Frankfurt and also the Monsters of House festival in Munich.
One of my favorite gigs was on a Sunday afternoon in an abandoned warehouse in Hamburg. The guys who do this party are so cool. They made this massive space feel so intimate just by propping these shipping containers around the space, and then they had people in furry animal costumes running around…it just felt like the kind of thing where there’s so much love put into a really underground event. That’s the stuff I keep hoping to see more of…

Deepak: Do you miss NY, and anything in particular about the city?
Ambivalent: My girlfriend still lives in Brooklyn, so I go back pretty often to see her and she comes to Europe pretty often as well. That tends to keep me from getting homesick. Of course there are friends who I miss, and certain things that I rush to when I get back. Namely good mexican food. One thing that you don’t get so often in other cities is the busy streetlife and people watching. I was in Paris this summer and a bus blew smog in my face, and it actually made me miss New York. That sounds so twisted, doesn’t it?

Deepak: What are a few differences and similarities of the scene in Berlin and NY?
Ambivalent: Well, the music scene in Berlin is different than it was a few years ago. I think it’s changed because so many people have heard the legends about certain clubs, etc. So now there seems to be a pressure for things to live up to. There are definitely nice things about being in a city with so many clubs and DJs that you can go out any night of the week and hear someone really good. The flip-side is that you don’t have the same excitement as you’d have in a so-called “smaller” scene. The NY parties I’ve been to since I left have really impressed me with their energy. I think it’s getting better all the time.

Join me in welcoming Ambivalent back to NY as he DJs our final Hidden Recordings Residency Night of 2009 and Halloween Eve Special on Friday October 30th!

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Meet Dieter Krause

General | From the mind of Deepak | 09/10/2009

It’s been a while since my last blog post as it’s been a hectic summer, and I wanted to continue the story on how Hidden Recordings came into existence in hopes it’ll show people out there that life is truly random, and good things happen if you continue to push what you love.

Now onto the post for this month and I wanted to introduce my friend and production partner, Dieter Krause.

I often get asked, “Who is this Dieter Krause you work with and how did you meet him.  Does he really exist?”  The answer is of course yes, and here’s how it happened:

It ties into the Boogaloo compilation I released back in 2004.  I had licensed a moody hypnotic track named “Cherchez Moi” from the German label Plong, produced by Laplaceausoleil.  About a year after I released the compilation I received an email from Dieter who I wasn’t aware was a part of Laplaceausoleil.  We began to speak more and more on the music we enjoy and love, and I quickly found Dieter’s knowledge runs deep of all styles and genres, and most important, across generations.  Sometimes I even felt inadequate, asking what I felt was like dumb questions, about the artists he was talking about.  I realized I had spent so much time focusing on techno, that I lost part of old identity, and to what makes music so great – the different styles and genres that can evoke the same feelings of bliss.  It was a great reminder that I loved jazz, blues, and classic rock.  I also learned a ton about some of the older music from Europe, and even the States that Dieter loved, which I would then became curious and Google to learn all about.  To those reading, always remember your musical roots and what first inspired you before you took the leap into the world of electronica.

The music we had most in common was the psychedelic, emotional styles of the 60’s and 70’s with Pink Floyd being our favorite.  We would email back and forth about our favorites songs, and from there we would both give recommendations of similar styles and bands.  We both agreed that we should have been at Woodstock, taking in all the sounds, sights and vibe of the festival.  We often say to each other that we would have been hippies in former times.

A few months after we began exchanging emails, we began to exchange music files as I was beginning to produce and I wanted Dieter’s critique.  He was patient, probably laughing a little at the files I was initially sending.  But he was always supporting, complimenting my ear and offering suggestions.  I remember he (more…)


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Boogaloo. Brooklyn. 3:23 pm – PART TWO

General | From the mind of Deepak | 06/11/2009

CD Back including tracklisting

First, how’s everyone enjoying the amazing DEMF coverage on RV? Good stuff, huh? Who does video better??

OK, so now back to Part Two of my Blog which speaks to project in my life that really opened a lot of doors, the release of Boogaloo. Brooklyn. 3.23pm.

Last we left off, I had just hosted an amazing party at the small lounge in Brooklyn (named Boogaloo for those who forgot) with Tyrant (Craig Richards + Lee Burridge) on a Wednesday night.

Shortly after that I began to discuss with the owner of the lounge, Chance that we should release a CD for the bar thats indicative of the vibe and nights we had there. Besides the Wednesday soirée that was a huge success, we had many a crazy night at this small lounge, often times going well past closing hours. I fondly remember around 4:30am, the bartenders would pull down the shades overlooking the street and we would keep the party going. The crowd would be a mixed back, some would say even a bit rogue-ish; but they were all there to have a good time. Often the parties would end in daylight with a few continuing on, and that’s how I came up with the concept of the music for the CD – a soundtrack for after-hours. The number 3:23pm was random in choice, left up to interpretation. We wanted to assign a time not normally connected to electronic music, but for those who understand and were at Boogaloo, they would simply smirk at the time, since it was known that some of the afterhours would go into the afternoon. ;-)

I spent nearly two years on the project from beginning to end, living off of peanuts, in between jobs barely scraping by, my girlfriend at the time hating me because of how consumed I was with this project, (I remember one studio sessions beginning around 9pm and going until 8am, leaving and seeing people go to work) and running into obstacle after obstacle on why this project should have never been completed. The only reason this ever went to market, I would say is perseverance. There’s no need to go into all of the (more…)


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Boogaloo. Brooklyn. 3:23pm – PART ONE

General | From the mind of Deepak | 05/29/2009

boogaloo_cover_art

Instead of writing another “How Amazing Was Detroit and the Boat Party” (which by the way was ridiculous), I thought I’d leave that to experts at RV and tell you a bit more about my history.

For those who recognize the title of this thread, you’ll remember my first mix compilation that I released back in late 2004. For those who this is new info too, you’ll get a deeper understanding of where I came from and another one of the random steps that my career took to get where it is today. I’ve broken this out in two parts as I know it’s tough to stay focused on a long blog post. :-)

It was late 2001 and the mood was somber in NY; people weren’t going out, they were afraid, and sad from 9/11. To try and lighten the mood and to provide an outlet for friends to get together, I had decided to throw a few parties at a bar named Tiki Room. I had met the owner, Eddie Dean (who now owns Pacha in NY) through a mutual friend and after a few parties, I ended up working more closely with him in his new venture, which was opening up a nightclub in Manhattan named Discotheque.  At the same time, I was working Sunday’s at my friend’s online record shop in Queens, named Globalbeats.com encoding clips of new releases (I tell you this because I was trying to find any means necessary to stay close to the music, and begin to learn about the business side of things, no matter how small.  The record shop is also where I was first exposed to minimal techno and techno, although at the time, I didn’t really know what it was)  But working with Eddie and Discotheque was the real moment I went from being a fan to learning about the business side of things within the club industry.  I worked hard and with some luck, I managed to run a weekly Thursday party for six months which included booking like Craig Richards and James Zabiela’s second gig in NY was playing for me (His first gig was touring with Sasha on his Airdrawndagger Tour, and I remember picking him up from the airport and eating pizza in my apartment in Brooklyn before the gig.)  I fondly remember just how hard it was to run a weekly party in NYC – it left me a bit jaded with the highs of hosting a great party through the sky, and the lows feeling more lonely than anything.   It consumed my life, as I let it, not realizing that in order to have longevity, you have to have your health (mental, physical and spiritual), support from family and to always remember why you are doing this in the first place.  To this day, I give all the credit in the world to all the promoters who host parties every week, it’s a tough task and not everyone can do it.

But the night wasn’t to last, and eventually Erick Morillo moved his Subliminal Sessions Thursday party from Shelter over to us. I saw myself being used less and less, and eventually I moved on and began to host a Wednesday night party in Brooklyn, at a lounge named Boogaloo. The first DJs to play with me were Nick AC and Dennis Rodger of Robots fame (Robots hadn’t started yet) along with friend Eric Andrew. Eventually Nick and Dennis began Robots and I was focused on Boogaloo. It was grungy spot in, some would say shady (but I say it had character!) the south Williamsburg neighborhood just below the Marcy Ave subway stop. I was still in contact with a few DJs including Craig Richards, and I was able to confirm him and Lee Burridge as Tyrant, on a Wednesday night would play at Boogaloo. The party was fantastic with an amazing vibe, and it was soon after in conversations with the owner, we decided to release a CD indicative of the music and vibe the venue our parties were known for…..

PART TWO Coming soon…..

hidden_recordings2


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HUSTLE & FLOW

General | From the mind of Deepak | 05/07/2009

Deepak Sharma

I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason and it’s all part of the flow of life.  It could be a loss of a job (but a new opportunity created), or a re-acquaintance with an old friend (who now helps manage your record label) or re-uniting with people who are now business partners.  In the ebb and flow of life, people enter and depart, but it’s your hustle that ultimately determines if the right people keep entering.

I first met Resonant Vibes back in 2006 when I was looking for digital distribution for my label, Hidden Recordings.  I was still learning the in-and-outs of owning a label, from the legality of it, to opening the bank accounts to reaching out to various distributors to carry our music. (I’ll go into how the label came about in a future blog)  It took a few months but we were finally up and running on RV.  Since the label at that time was only Dieter Krause and I, it was hard to give everyone the time they needed as we were drowning in work, only to come up for a few seconds for another deep breath before going under again.  I mean we were handling everything with the label, and still trying to produce music also.  Needless to say, a few partnerships never really got off the ground, with RV being one of those.

Fast forward to WMC 2009 and I’m working with Justin K from Rephlektor Ink who handles PR for Hidden Recordings, (BTW, It took 2+ years to work with Justin, and that’s another good blog for the future.  Oh, also, he became a father recently, and I wanted to wish him well here) and happens to mention that RV is hosting a booth at the WMC similar to what Hidden Recordings is also doing at WMC.  I had decided it was time to give the label a bit more push since we were more established.  The added visibility was good for the label, but I’m not sure if I would invest again in a booth at WMC. (Yet another future blog!)  RV happened to be only a few booths down from us and I swung by to introduce myself where I met Sam in person for the first time.  I didn’t even know he was a Brit, which got me thinking, how many Brits are there in Louisville KY?  Anyway, I sat down to set up a profile page and was immediately impressed with the progress of RV.  I saw the labels they are working with but Hidden Recordings was not listed.  I pointed that out to Sam, who responded, “Well, Deepak, you don’t send us music anymore.”  Ouch!  I quickly reached out to Dieter and let’s just say you can find a healthy amount of music and a mix from me on RV now, with more to come.

When I came back to NY, I had an email from Eddie from RV who was saying he was going to be in NY soon, and it happened to coincide with my gig at Rebel for Save the Cannibals, where I was playing with Paco Osuna.  I actually never met Eddie in Miami but after our first chat, I was impressed with his passion and professionalism.  I saw him at the gig and we spoke but decided to get drunk instead and continue the chat later in the week.  (BTW, the gig was AWESOME)  We grabbed lunch a few days later and really had a chance to understand what makes each other tick.  Our similarities range in how we approach our business, how we want to work with like-minded people, but most important how we like to work with good people.  I’m confident in saying the people involved with Hidden Recordings are a reflection of me (As I am of them) and Eddie is the same with RV.  We both agreed we are the types of people you want to root for!  We work hard, and are always hustling to meet new people and create more opportunities, and I think our growth speaks to that.

hidden_recordings1

One such opportunity is writing this blog.  I am excited to do it, as it will provide you more transparency into the day-to-day activities (often unglamorous) of running a humble techno label in NY.  My hope is you’ll connect further with the label and want to join in our journey as we continue to branch out and expand.  For example, I spoke with my vinyl distributor over the weekend, (www.complete-usa) and our 2nd vinyl’s test pressing is almost complete!  I’d love to get the record out before DEMF if possible, and it’ll be close.  Later this week, Pablo Bolivar arrives from Barcelona to stay with me for a few nights before he heads off to Toronto to play for Noah Pred at the Drake.  Then he’ll be back to play live at my birthday gig in NY at Bar 13 on May 15th.  For those who don’t know, he produced the 9th release from Hidden Recordings, which is due out the same day, May 15th, but I don’t think this will happen.  The hang-up is Dieter and I aren’t fully pleased with our remix, so I’d rather push out the date. (More blog material!)

I’ll be in touch soon, and thanks for reading the first blog (they won’t be all this lengthy) and you can reach me at deepak@hidden-recordings.com.

- Deepak


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