Defected's Ben Lovett does the right thing by giving the German producer a call to discuss his new album. Unlike those other pesky journalists...
Deutsch DJ-producer Ian Pooley is having a turbulent week, moving his studio around to accommodate major restructuring within the Berlin building where he works, as well as tackling waves of interviews on the subject of new artist album What I Do. Befitting his long service to BPMs, he’s reflective: “I remember when I dropped my first big album, Meridian, 15 years ago, and everyone went crazy; I did 200 interviews in a week. I thought that was nuts and complained about everything. But I was a lot younger back then. I fully appreciate the function of having profile now, even if I end up doing a lot of the work myself. It’s funny, because I’m not just writing things for Facebook and Twitter but, often, for journalists. I mean, they’ll send me their questions over email and then expect me to draft answers of a particular length, and provide all their background information.”
That must surely grate? “You do end up repeating yourself a lot” he redirects. “I’ve got plenty of well-formulated answers. But I welcome all of this. There are plenty of people who know me now, but others still who don’t. If have a profile, and platform, then I can help introduce them to house music. There are people out there who still have questions and want them answered.”
So how does Herr Pooley answer on What I Do, his first album in four years and a distinct shift back to the analogue studio gear he used so memorably during the Nineties? “I was conscious of being a late starter with computers and digital recording” he acknowledges, somewhat formulaically. “I started discovering that world about four or five years ago, discovering plugins, and evolving to bigger software platforms like Logic. But after a while I started getting bored; I was getting bored of the sounds I was creating. I decided to hook up some of my old analogue machines again, one day, and suddenly the magic was there.”
How does he define this magic? Can he look beyond well-worn interview scripts and explain his preference for old over new-school production? “I can’t” he pauses, “but a young female artist I’m working with [21-year-old Spanish DJ-producer Indira Paganotto] can. She’s a product of the digital age and, until recently, had no real concept of music being made any other way. Having heard some of the analogue equipment in my studio she said to me one day ‘it’s got a life of its own, you don’t know what it’s going to do’. That’s a perfect summary; these machines are unpredictable and I like that element within the creative process. It’s exciting.”
As such, What I Do is rawer fare, made literally by hand. Many of the album’s pads and basslines have been played by Pooley himself, rather than microprocessor; Pooley, too, has edited manually his tracks and attempted to keep them to two or three machines each. Tracks like CompuRhythm (released on Innversions to considerable dancefloor fanfare last year) and Tale Of The Big City build their club-friendly grooves with a pleasing sharpness and acuity, but Pooley’s association with warm, funky, mesmeric groove remains as strong as ever; exemplified by outings Swing Mode (beautiful disco filters) and I Should Be Sleeping (epic wandering piano). And then there are the stylish vocal outings 1983 (featuring Hogni Egittsson) and Bring Me Up (with Dominique Keegan), and even a mid-tempo, hip-hopped funker Get It On. Pooley has balanced continuity with progression.
“It has taken me longer to record this album than it usually does...about a year” he admits. “I had a lot of remix work in between and sometimes I get stuck on those, working out my ideas.” But were there mental blocks with What I Do as well? “The speed at which I work depends on the project,” he answers. “The album itself came together well but there is always that dangerous middle bit...you’ve organised a strong beginning and ending but there’s the potential for a slump in between. You have to avoid losing focus; find those good ideas and stick with them. There was a little of that going on here.”
What I Do is, Pooley urges, as its title suggests. There is no grand edifice or complex thematic concept; it is simply what the German does. “There is an atmospheric relationship between the tracks and my music in general; friends tell me that I have a very specific sound which they can recognise,” he says. “I am focussed on the sound...on the groove, definitely; this is dance music after all. There may be a sub-conscious level on which my personal experiences filter into the studio but that’s all. Sometimes I hear other artists making interesting, introspective records and wonder if that’s a path for me but we’re all different, with different personalities. I’m not always convinced getting too serious on a dance record works; it’s over complicating things. Ultimately, I do what I do and enjoy it.”
Ian Pooley – real name Ian Christopher Pinnekamp - began his production career at the tender age of 16 working alongside friend Thomas Gerlach (AKA DJ Tonka), a fellow student at Mainz Grammar School. The pair dubbed themselves Space Cube (as well as Outrage and T’N’I) their energetic blend of Detroit techno and furious breakbeat earning them a deal, in 1991,with Frankfurt label Force Inc. As the label grew, Pooley and Gerlach started to pursue separate interests through it, Pooley fusing and house and techno to release influential solo EPs Celtic Cross and Chord Memory and an album, TheTimes. There were also releases for Jon Acquaviva’s Definitive Recordings, Effective and cult Bristol set-up NRK.
Pooley was eventually –crucially - signed to V2, where he would produce breakthrough long-player Meridian (featuring standout single What’s Your Number) and worthy follow-up Since Then; both demonstrated an engaging relaxation of the artist’s hitherto hard sound, injecting elements of soul, jazz, disco, garage, Latin and pop. Beyond this, three further albums arrived – The IP Series (2002), Souvenirs (2004) and In Other Words (2008) – and remixes of everyone from DJ Sneak and Shlomi Aber to Carl Cox, Daft Punk and even Swede rockers The Cardigans.
Impressively, Pooley’s career now spans over two decades. What is his view on the extent to which dance music’s landscape has changed since he debuted? “It’s a lot better now, when you consider that 20 years ago so much work was taken away from you,” he says. “The labels, particularly the major-backed ones, had a lot of power and, as an artist, it was impossible to watch over the process of releasing something...its PR, it’s marketing...artwork and remixes also. Whilst life was more convenient it was also quite frustrating. Today, the artist pretty much controls everything, and has access to everything, including their audience. It can be annoying when something like maintaining your Facebook page or responding to emails takes you away from making music but if you manage your time well then it’s not usually an issue. On balance, things are better today.”
And the electronic scene’s current trend cycle is also suiting Pooley rather well. “The influx of young people into our scene three or four years ago, across all the key global territories, helped push it away from minimal and those harder styles of house and techno. That has definitely suited my own tastes and inspired the new album, as well as my performances on the road.”
It is virtually impossible for Pooley to avoid the road; particularly when it leads just around the corner from his Berlin pad to regular haunt Watergate. Only last weekend he launched What I Do there, following warm-up drinks with friends at home. If he’s not playing there, then he’s often at the city’s equally impactful Panoramabar (“I’m back in March; there are some great venues on my doorstep.”) 2013 will, however, see plenty more action overseas, Pooley scheduled to play Japan, Korea and America for starters.
“I never tire of DJing” he enthuses. “People often ask if after 20 years or so I’ve had enough of travelling...been there and done that. The thing is there are always new places and scenes to experience in the countries and cities that you’ve been to before. Take Amsterdam for example, I hadn’t played there for a while and when I returned recently there were new clubs there, new scenes, new music. It was excellent.”
In terms of new music this year - beyond What I Do - plans are already afoot for the 10th anniversary of Pooled Music, Pooley’s own imprint. Most of Pooled’s output, to date, has been his own, but aside from arranging birthday parties and commemorative releases this year, Pooley is also keen to introduce a handful of new artists including the aforementioned Paganotto. Will these signings signal a departure from Pooley’s core house sound? “Not really. They’re like-minded so the overall vibe will fit in with that of the label. I don’t think it’s cool, at this stage, to move too far away from what Pooled is known for but there will, of course, be plenty of room for creativity. I am looking forward to exploring new ideas and evolution with them.”
Elsewhere, Pooley is planning the digital re-release of some of his NRK and Definitive material, now that he has acquired various key publishing rights, and is preparing to launch a techno sub-label, the details of which will remain close to his chest a little longer.
It was only a few years ago that Pooley moved to Berlin from birth city Mainz after its club scene started to weaken. It was an important decision: “How have I stayed motivated for so long? I tell newcomers that part of it is down to recording for fun in between the official projects...working when there are no deadlines and expectations, just for the fun of it. The other part is environment. I, personally, thrive on the environment around me. Berlin is super competitive and a bit disorganised; it could be more put together. But it has so many great sub scenes and so much creativity, and that works for me. At the same time, living in the capital helps remind me of my roots and the core of my sound which, as you can imagine, are the most important things. So much is happening today and without focus or perspective it’s easy to lose your way.”
Ian Pooley’s seventh album What I Do is released on Pooled Music (Ger) on January 25.
