Curate The Show _ Interview with Invite
ad.lib talks to Tim/ Invite – the man behind Invite Choice Podcasts. A series of 78 quality techno sets as of when we did this short interview.
Thanks for taking the time for a quick talk Tim! What got you into music? Is it only Techno or are you interested and involved in other music as well?
I’ve always been addicted to music. When I was very young I already listened to music. In 1989 when I was 8 years old I discovered house and acid music. A brother of a good friend of mine always played freaky tunes in his room. Of course I didn’t understand it yet but I was interested nonetheless, so he gave me a cassette with his own dj-mix. From that moment on I was addicted to house. Hiphouse, acid, house, hardcore it all started at a very early age for me. I discovered techno in 1995. In the beginning I didn’t get it though, that happened when I visited the 2nd Awakenings party in 1997.
Which music really influenced you and what is the source of your inspiration? Are there some timeless favorites which really made your taste in music become what it is today?
When I look back house music and later techno have been my biggest influences. I almost always listen to techno. From Berlin, Detroit, UK to loop techno. I’ve always been a big fan of people like Steve Rachmad, The Advent, James Ruskin, Surgeon etc. Without a doubt Steve Rachmad is my biggest influence in techno!
Let’s talk about your podcast: Invite’s Choice. It’s a series of 78 outstanding Techno sets. That’s quite a lot of music. So when did you came up with the idea of the podcast? What was your motivation?
I came up with the idea in the beginning of 2011. Just 2 months later in May the series started at XT3 techno radio. To me three things were crucial in my decision to launch the series:
– I love sharing quality music with people
– My intention was to balance the show between well-known names, upcoming names and everything in between.
– Most importantly I wanted to leave the artists I asked absolutely free in their choice of music; no rules, no bounds, anything goes.
Is there a big Invite Choice Archive somewhere?
Yes there is. I’ve made a set on Soundcloud where people can find all previous mixes. All podcasts are available as stream and 320kbps download.
Invite’s Choice Archive on Soundcloud
What do you think about the latest developments in Techno? I somehow feel that there’s a lot of new producers working hard to make their music more artistic, experimental and specific. But still the biggest labels are the ones who deliver generic peaktime / clubtechno..
I miss hooks in 90% of the tracks. At the moment you have dark pounding techno or berlin sounding techno. Most techno tracks right now are produced for this moment and not for a longer period! I also see that a lot of producers are producing offbeat and acid sounding tracks again!
I think peaktime / clubtechno reaches the largest part of people in the scene. Many visitors belong to a new generation that’s into techno. Like many people they’ll first get in touch with the well-known artists before they checking the more unknown names. The amount of people that really like obscure, deep and quality techno is still very small compared to those that like peaktime music.
Do you think there’s still a need for labels at all? As long as we’re talking about digital releases the only real advantage of labels is that they kind of categorize music. But can’t podcasts, radioshow’s or charts do this job also?
Of course there is a need for labels, but there is a need for good labels only 😉
I think social media, charts, podcasts, dj mixes etc are very important for the label to clarify their position actually. Especially for small and upcoming labels! They are not a replacement for the label itself.
What is your point of view on the digital/ vinyl discussion? Do you think there is an actually difference of quality; content-wise, between the digital and the vinyl labels?
There is a difference between the labels. Vinyl labels have to think twice or more before they will release music because the costs of releasing vinyl are really high compared to releasing it digital only. Because of that I think the quality is mostly better on vinyl only labels. Of course there is really good music on digital only labels but also a lot of crap!
The constant quality really is what separates IC from a lot of other podcasts. Making a series of quality podcasts seems to be like curating a museum or exhibition to me. How do you choose the artists? Do you talk to them a lot before they record the sets or is it completely up to them what they do for their sets?
Most artists I know from their releases or I’ve heard a liveset, podcast from them. But 90% I know from their releases. Like I said in the motivation part of this interview. It’s very important the artists have total freedom in their choice of music. They are producing the quality of the show. I try to ask a nice list of cool artists, well-known or upcoming.
Are there future plans for IC?
My goal is still to ask a nice balanced list between talent and established artists. This is something that will never change! I think it’s very important you never forget where you started! At the moment the show is broadcast in Amsterdam, London, Florida and Antwerpen. I really hope that the show will be broadcast on more stations worldwide in the future! And i am thinking about events. Doing some clubnights with myself and a few artists each night!
And any wishes for the future? What do you think could make the music world become a better world?
I will restart producing music. I took a break this year and I’m feeling ok now to begin making music again! I think when everybody does their thing out of passion and not for money the scene will be a better place! In the end it’s all about respect and love and passion for Techno!
________________________
You can check out Tim van Paradijs’ excellent podcasts; past & present from the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Invite/119580201423507
