Marking its 50th release, Skryptöm records’ label head, Electric Rescue, has invited a list of exceptional artists that have inspired and shaped the label’s sound since day one, to contribute to this anniversary compilation. With this project, Electric Rescue aims to cover all aspects of techno as expressed by the early pioneers like Scan X to the new generation’s talent like KUSS.
Gathering Generations represents all the sounds that someone could listen to on Skryptöm since its first release, from Deep to Banging Techno, from Ambient to Electro. Rrose, Umwelt, Amotik, Anechoic are some of the artists who took on remix duties on tracks taken from Electric Rescue’s recent Esquisse du Nouveau Monde album while this fantastic package gets completed with five special collaborations by Electric Rescue with Zadig, Scan X, Joton, Dyspal, and KUSS. Collectively, these 12 tracks constitute Skryptöm’s representative sound throughout the years.
Thanks for taking the time out for this interview. We are thrilled to have you at InDepth and talk about the 50th release of Skryptöm. The compilation includes 12 tracks which constitute Skryptöm’s representative sound throughout the years. Can you talk us about it?
I wanted to create something special for the 50th release. Not a compilation like everybody does, but something more like I was inviting some of my friends and favorite artists to share a moment of music together. I released an album in the beginning of the lockdown so I thought of proposing to my guests to choose between remixing a track from the album or doing a collaboration with me. And it gives this sort of album Electric Rescue and friends. All my friends are not here but I selected a sort of friends who represent all the techno generations. I was also hoping to have some female artists on this project but unfortunately I never received a feedback from any. Maybe next time 🙂
Take us back to how the label came about. How did it all start?
I used to have my first label at the end of the 90s named Calme records, I ran it for some years and in the middle of 2000’s I decided to stop it to build up Skryptöm because my sound evolved, my choices evolved too, so it was the time to focus on something more professional and more dedicated to the artistic development and make a real team, to leave a long time together and make great projects. So with that wishes I started Skryptöm and with the first release it was a big success with ‘Air Conditionné’ and all the other releases after, it was a big chance to start the label so strong. It allowed me to dream about more upcoming great projects for the future.
Gathering Generations represents all the sounds that someone could listen to on Skryptöm since its first release, from Deep to Banging Techno, from Ambient to Electro. We’d love to hear about the concept behind the label from your perspective. What’s the philosophy behind Skryptöm?
As I told you a bit before, I really wanted to build a real label who wanted to involve itself in the artistic development, believe in some artists and push them on any point and then creating a team with a nice spirit who gave the real personality of Skryptöm but also his own personal sound. I’m happy today because 14 years after its start, I think I’ve succeed to manage it, I have a team of 20 huge artists for the music but also some other visuals artists who are really creative and humble. It was a real wish to have only humble and creative people for the well health to the label. Egos are not the label priority but more the creativity and the team spirit.
And what about you? How did you come up with your alias Electric Rescue and what does it mean to you?
When i started djing in 1990 I used the very silly name d’jedi, and after some years when I was more adult, I decide to take the name Electric Rescue in tribute to the people from the parties i organized with friends and my wife Virginie named EL.UE (Electric RescUE). I took that name and directly released my first EP and Laurent Garnier label’s F communication (FUFcom) and it starts directly, and I had the chance to sign on many great labels with that name, Soma, Boys Noize, Cocoon,… This name really mean a lot to me, because all that people in the 90s and after in 2000’s they trusted me and allowed me to become serious and professional through the confidence they gave me and made me believe that I could work for a long time in music, so it was super important for me to keep them with me with that name Electric Rescue.
It seems that collaborating with other artists is an important part of your work. How did you start the collaborations on the new release?
Yes collaborations are a wealth, they bring new and fresh ideas to all the person who are collaborating. If you stay alone all time in your studio, you use all your energy and in the end you always do the same things. All the collaboration you do brings you things, energy, ideas, tips, etc. It make you win some more time to make more and more music. That’s why I love collaborating, as I love to discover, I love to be surprised, I love music and love the people so that’s make sense to collaborate. But of course sometimes I need to be alone and be with myself to go alone, and take a look of what was all that collaboration and try to express I have deeply in me.
Collaborations are a wealth, they bring new and fresh ideas to all the person who are collaborating. If you stay alone all time in your studio, you use all your energy and in the end you always do the same things.
Can you give us some insight on the nature of the production process behind your recent tracks?
I have no rules; it’s really a question of short ideas and emotion. I always have a template ready in my computer to create as quickly as I can some tracks to keep the idea alive, I don’t like to stay too much behind the machines. Not because I don’t like it but because I hate to lose a nice idea. When you have nice artistic idea, you have to put it as fast as you can to express it as closed as you have it mind. So your studio has to be adapted to the way you create to be quicker as it be done, to be truth. I have no way to create sometimes started by kick, sometimes by pad, or leads or whatever, just depend of the idea. On the technical side, I use every kind of machine, analog, digital, modular, and computer.
When you have nice artistic idea, you have to put it as fast as you can to express it as closed as you have it mind. So your studio has to be adapted to the way you create to be quicker as it be done, to be truth.
What was the first instrument or piece of gear you fell in love with?
The first one was the first I bought in the beginning of the 90s a GEM S2, it was super complicated to use but i succeed to do some things
Do you still have that synth today?
No I sold it some years after, it was better to do this ahahaha
For our readers who don’t know your different projects, can you tell us about Möd3rn? How is it different from your other work as Electric Rescue?
Möd3rn is an evolutive band with artists from Skryptöm team, we started it in 2013 with Maxime Dangles, Traumer and me, then Kmyle arrived and Traumer left, and then Moteka arrived and Kmyle left, but I twill surely move again, maybe Traumer and Kmyle will be back, sometimes Matho the sound engineer from Skryptöm join us for lives. It’s really a geometrical variable techno band 🙂 The sound is techno, with sometimes electro and electronica ambient.
Started by Laurent Garnier in 1992, Paris’ Rex Club is one of the city’s oldest and longest-running spots for techno and house parties. It seems you have a close connection to them. How did you started to collaborate?
Yes I’m resident from that club for more than 20 years now, it’s a nice family who evolve during the years but the spirit stay, the rave culture spirit stay in that club because that all the people who’s working their came from the rave culture. So the spirit is music first and friendly way of living is an important point in his evolution. I’m super happy and proud to be part of that legendary club history.
I don’t know how many parties I have organised there, but I think around hundred, I’ll to make a point on it one day maybe !!!
With the closure of almost every club, event and festival: What do you think are the consequences for the club culture and how can the damage be prevented?
It’s not possible to know today, everything move everyday about the situation; nobody can make a point today on it. It’s sure that many things will change. The only things to do it’s to be careful and be creative during that period, only be creative will bring us to the end of that bad period. We don’t have to wait, we don’t have to be sad, we have to be creative and looking to the future.
The only things to do it’s to be careful and be creative during that period, only be creative will bring us to the end of that bad period. We don’t have to wait, we don’t have to be sad, we have to be creative and looking to the future.
Lastly, what are your next projects and what can we expect from you in the future?
With the lockdown i worked on many projects. I open a club in Pantin city touching paris with my friend Nathan in December 2019 who’s stopped of course in march, now we are waiting for the reopen. In that club there is a second floor with studios, class rooms, radio, music and visuals laboratories to make like a little house for electronic music, so we wait to restart it.
I’m also doing so installations for digital arts like the Skryptöbox. We have some shows planed in the next months.
As we had a lot of time I also did albums we are finishing these days for Electric Rescue but Also möd3rn to be released later in 2021. So I have many things who will come out as soon as the virus will let us work. I’m staying creative, a lot 🙂
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