Nathan Fake has a reputation of being notoriously shy and well mannered. Whilst the latter is certainly true, Nathan had no qualms about talking to his fans, including myself.
The Norfolk born producer has been the discussion of much genre debate for tech heads and the like. Using his unique blends of accentuated reverbs and midi synth’s he takes audiences through epic ambient landscapes to punchy, downright banging basslines.
Friend, Vincent Oliver, provides the artwork that accompanies his performances, which altogether gives another layer of intensity.
Taking the electronic world by storm with his first release ‘Outhouse’ at the tender age of twenty, Nathan has collected a loyal following after the anthemic ‘Drowning in a Sea of Love’ album that propelled his status. Few British acts have been able to reach the electronic dynasty such as Aphex twin or Four Tet, but many view his work as having the emotional depth to transcend the natural electronic fanbase.
Now touring with record label boss James Holden, and good friend DJ Petter, Nathan is set to keep on improving his reputation.
Playing through what he describes as ‘a laptop with some controllers and shit’, Nathan headlined for Edinburgh based techno event pioneers ‘Kapital’, their night at The Caves in March. Afterwards, I caught up with him to see what he had to say for himself…
Q: Aye Aye… Hows it going?
A: good thanks.
Q: Enjoy the gig on Sat (1st March)?
A: yeah man it was wicked. It was my 2nd time in Edinburgh and I really like the city, it’s the first time I’ve had a full on club gig though… really cool. Its always fun going somewhere with Petter too.
Q: Any plans for coming back to Edinburgh/Scotland?
A: not as yet… though hopefully quite soon, Scotland is always a really fun place to play.
Q: Any big gigs coming up? Got any plans for the near future? Any new remix’s or anything?
A: I’m off to Japan with some of the Border Community crew in June, which should be brilliant, we’re playing a festival that is set in the mountains in the middle of Japan. I actually went a couple of years ago with my friend Vincent, this time I’m going with James (Holden) and Petter… I’ve actually got a couple coming out this month – my remix of Shocking Pinks on DFA is out this week, and my remix of Vincent Oliver on LOAF recordings is out at the end of the month.
Q: What’s the most unusual gig or audience you’ve played a set to?
A: shit I don’t know, I’ve done a shitload of gigs in the last few years, it’s hard to single one out. I once played an Italian restaurant in Japan, that was pretty bizarre.
Q: Have you got a favourite place to play?
A: not especially… it’s always great to go somewhere unusual — like Japan I guess, also I played in Iceland which was ace… would love to play there again.
Q: What or Who Influences your music/sound?
A: all kinds of stuff I guess… I grew up listening to stuff like Orbital and Mogwai and stuff like that. Also place and time influences me, maybe not that directly but if I’m in a happy place or time then I’m usually a bit more productive… it can be really random though… my friends and stuff…. people I meet…. meeting new people can be really inspiring.
Q: Got any music or artist’s exciting you just now?
A: I’m really into Ariel Pink right now, he’s not a new artist or anything but I’m just so into his music. He records stuff on really old 8track tape and it sounds like it was made in the 60s but then he’ll use some trippy effect that didn’t exist in the 60s and its totally freaky… his lyrics and stories are really ace too. Check out an album called “worn copy” its fucking great. Other than that I’m into my friends’ music, I have some really talented mates… not all of them release stuff. Also I’m well into the Luke Abbot record on Border Community.
Q: How would you describe your music?
A: I don’t know, you should never ask a musician/artist that. You’ll never ever EVER get a straight or coherent answer
Q: Would you ever consider changing your sound/genre?
A: I’m gonna go all artisty ambiguous again but I don’t really know what my sound/genre is. I think I’ve done stuff in a few different styles already, as an artist or whatever I think its natural to do loads of different stuff, like a painter wouldn’t paint pictures of trees his whole life. Maybe some do, I dunno. But like, my last album was pretty different to the stuff I’d put out before and I’ve done different stuff since then I guess… though it all has a common thread running through it.
Q: Have you been musically trained at all?
A: no, I studied music technology at college for a while but dropped out.
Q: As an artist, does your music represent anything for you? or what did ‘drowning in a sea of love’ mean for you? (did it convey a message of some kind? or emit some sort of artistic conscience)
A: drowning was really personal I guess, when I wrote all the songs for it I never imagined it to be released as I assumed the label wouldn’t want to put them out or whatever. There’s never any direct message in my music no, as it would be pretty impossible to convey it via largely instrumental computer music. The titles might carry something, and they mean something to me, but the thing I like about instrumental music is that the listener can attach their own meaning and memories etc to it, like it can really strongly remind you of a certain time/place or feeling a certain way, I definitely get that with a lot of wordless music.
Q: …Have you got any plans to move away from the border label? or maybe set up your own?
A: no not right now. I’m well happy with the Border Community label and they’re really good friends so I’m totally comfortable there.
Q: Recently, the sets seem to have been less beat oriented and slightly more ambient, you’ve been described as following in the foot steps of outfits like Four Tet or Boards of Canada, has there been a deliberate choice away from “techno” say, to more chilled electronica?
A: I dunno… I think my live set is pretty full on. I’m definitely not trying to sound like Boards of Canada or Four Tet no. Like I was saying before there’s no deliberate move away or towards any kind of sound. Playing live is all about rocking out so I’m not really into playing ambient shit in my live set now.
Q: your obviously originally from Norfolk. Does it have a big electronic “scene”/music culture?
A: not that I’m aware of… but there are quite a lot of free parties and some festivals that go down on the coast. I didn’t experience much of it while I was growing up though; my school was full of meatheads and jocks.
Q: What was school like?
A: full of meatheads and jocks.
Q: Any mischievous schoolboy antics?
A: no I was shit at PE so was generally regarded a failure.
Q: ..you’ve chosen to stay what some might call a ‘bedroom’ DJ, and not really use big studio’s? James Holden not got a studio for ye?
A: no James hasn’t got me a studio, Border are a record label not a housing association! I’ve just always worked like this…. working in a big studio would be weird but I’m sure it’d have some advantages. I just like getting home and making tunes…
Q: Some say the dance culture is synonymous with drugs, do ye reckon?
A: yeah it probably is for the most part, I guess that’s pretty much how it started. I’m well not interested in dance music though, all dance music is total shit and the dance music scene is populated by the biggest spazzes in the world.
Q: If you were God and you had the power to ’smite’, who or what might you ’smite’?
A: people who make dance music…
