MixMag Interview



Telemetrik featured in Mix Mag..


What did you think? Did it change your life in some way?


It really did. I would beat box and do the kick and snare pattern at my desk in class just to keep it going.


When did you start making music?


My dad had an old classical guitar in the closet. There was a book in the case with pictures of chords and numbers that told you where to put your fingers. I paid more attention to that book than I think anything else up to that point and after I'd memorized it, I started writing.


How did you get for first break?

 

You mean nervous breakdown?

Was there a moment where it all made sense? A moment where you suddenly realized things were really happening for you…

 

I go through phases where everything is pretty clear and I feel like things are really moving forward but there's just so many variables and so much to learn I just prefer not to think about it.


Which artists/music would you say have influenced your sound the most? Why? What have you gained from them?


Hyx, Houston, BSE, Impulse, Evancipation, and Duy Tran, were a huge influence. Each one helped me shape the look and sound of the record. All of them encouraged me to push forward, helped me get thru blocks, listened to my rants, and made the album better.


How long has the album taken to make?


6,000,000,000,000 miles


What was the most difficult thing about it?


For every track on the album there were multiple mixes, arrangements, recording methods, and even studios. Keeping myself from losing perspective was probably the hardest thing.


Is there a part you are most proud of?


Im actually really proud of BSE for giving me the space.


 


Does it have a particular theme?


Definatley. The art work, the music, all of it tells my story.


Do you DJ much?


Yes, I've had the chance to make friends and share stories in all parts of the world DJing. Its one of the things that helped bring me back to reality whenever I would lose my way in the studio. Those moments when your in a club full of people and everyone is on the same exact page and your at the controls setting the course. That's what fuels this whole thing I think.


How can drum & bass improve?


There's a whole generation of kids growing up who have never known a world without personal computers, the internet, musical software, mp3's, etc. They'll decide what happens to drum & bass.


How can YOU improve?


I just need to relax sometimes, I tend to swing back and forth between being thankful for what I have and being overwhelmed by it.


What have you got lined up for 2008? Gigs, tours, remixes, new music etc…


I did a crucial tour earlier this year with BSE to promote the ablums sampler release. Other than that im taking on some pretty lofty things with a few new projects. Fingers Crossed.


What do you do when you're not making music? Tell me about your passions…


Currently…graphic designing, filming, & social experiments.


If you weren't a musician, what do you think you'd be doing?


Rotting in the ground.


One last thing…Just a quick top three about something you are passionate or opinionated about.


Here are three dystopias you weren't forced to read in school:


We - Yevgeny Zamyatin 1924


One State is the setting for Zamyatin's mathematic future in which everyone's named after numbers and working on a ship to leave Earth.


The Wanting Seed - Anthony Burgess 1962


Overpopulation turns society inside out to the point wars are staged and its casualties are sold to feed people.


Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick 1968


In a post nuclear San Francisco machines have become indistinguishable from man, leaving special police to find and "retire" them.


Questions: Peter Rogers


Photo: Duy Tran


 

 
About Telemetrik
 

 
Marcio Alvarado (a.k.a. Telemetrik) is an electronic music producer hailing from Washington D.C.  He has been releasing electronica since 2002, when he started the independent label Telemetrik Recordings to distribute his music. Before returning to work last year on a solo album, he was best known for his involvement in Corrupt Souls, a Drum n Bass collaboration he formed with Josh Clark (a.k.a. Impulse) in 2003. 

Corrupt Souls released music under various established Drum and Bass labels including Moving Shadow, Renegade Hardware, and Black Sun Empire Recordings. Songs like “1138” on BSE, “Wicked Life” on Moving Shadow, and “Samsara” on Circle Recordings, helped propel the duo into the Drum n Bass mainstream. They were featured in KnowledgeUrb, and Rinse magazines, and toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Telemetrik’s first full-length solo album, My Lightyear,  was released in 2008 on Black Sun Empire Recordings. The record was praised for its technical and melodic style, and is performed by DJ's and producers around the world. 

 

Discography

Nova / Monochrome (12", Ltd)
Telemetrik Recordings 2003
 
• My Lightyear (CD, Album)
Black Sun Empire 2008
 
My Lightyear: Act I (12")
Black Sun Empire 2008
 
My Lightyear: Act II (2x12", EP)
Black Sun Empire 2008 
 
• My Lightyear: Act III (2x12", EP)
Black Sun Empire 2008