For over eight years, the Balance Series has been a platform for various top-tier, progressive DJs and music producers to demonstrate their talent on the annual compilation. Formidable names such as James Holden, Chris Fortier, S.O.S Collective, and, most recently, Joris Voorn, have shone on the Balance Series. This past October, EQ Recordings released Balance 015, turning to UK’s master of the Deep, Will Saul, for mixing responsibilities. Saul may be best known for his championing of the Muzik Magazine’s “Bedroom Bedlam” mix-tape competition in 2000. Since then, he has worthily joined an elite set of DJs and music producers, wining over a sundry fan base who enjoy his unique treatment of melodic, deep, and mesmerizing “discohousetechno.”
Having kicked off his career with stints under Phonica Records and Sony International, Saul went on to establish his own imprints, Simple and Aus Music. Additionally, Saul took key residencies at memorable London hotspots such as The End and Cable.
TheMST.com recently caught up with Will Saul to ask him to divulge his experience of mixing Balance 015 and find out what’s on deck in the near future:
Benjamin-Émile Le Hay: Being tapped to take the mixing reins for Balance 015 is quite an honor. Tell us what a Balance collaboration means to you? What do you hope to convey through this project to your fans and Balance music lovers?
Will Saul: It’s an amazing opportunity. I wanted these mixes to be more than just a snapshot of how I DJ now, instead, more like a window into my record box over the last ten years, carefully edited and selected so that they sound fresh and current now. I’ve touched on the majority of styles of electronic music (and beyond) that I love, but I wanted to make the mixes as timeless as possible. Many of the tracks I’ve selected are not available digitally (and are now out of press on vinyl) so hopefully there will be some tracks that people have never heard. The records I’ve chosen for this mix have undoubtedly inspired my productions, label’s and A&R decisions over the years, so it’s a genuine insight into my musical DNA.
BL: The styles of tracks on this compilation run the gamut, but there seems to be a theme… What thematic approach did you take?
WS: My goal was to make each CD sound unique and very different from the other. I wanted each CD to be able to stand up on its own but also flow together as a 3 CD combination if anyone ever bothers to listen to them in one sitting [which theMST.com did, twice!] I definitely wanted there to be different moods, sections almost, within each CD to keep the listener interested – it was quite a challenge to achieve this without loosing the flow of the mix.
BL: Each CD is significantly different in tone, musicians and sound. Was this done on purpose? Is there a progression from disc 1 to disc 3? If so, why?
WS: CD 1 could be loosely described as disco, only ever going above 120 bpm at the very end and starting off at 100bpm. This is probably the most linear of the three mixes. I was never a massive old disco collector so it’s only really something that I’ve come to over the last 8-10 years and the tracks selected represent this time period for me. CD 2 is a more ‘techy,’ trippy, melancholic and finally euphoric house/techno/dubstep journey. CD 3 is supposed to feel more organic (in terms of beats and percussion) and overtly soulful. It touches on dub, dubstep, soul and house, in that order.
BL: I’m a huge fan of CD1 with the tracks by the Chromatics, Sally Shapiro and Bat for Lashes. What are some of your favorites? How did you select which artists to collaborate with/remix?
WS: I trawled through my extensive music collection and narrowed the short list down to about 350 of my favorite tracks from the last 10 years. It’s difficult to pick favorites from the CDs, as they are all really special for me. Then I spent a month in the studio with my Pioneer CDJ1000’s playing about with different combinations of records. Obviously from DJing most weekends, I have combinations of records that I know work really well but as I was trying to create something timeless with this CD, I tried to focus on combinations of tracks that will work at home, in the car and on headphones. The devil is hopefully in the detail.
BL: How is it to own Simple and Aus Music? How did you decide and go about establishing them?
WS: It’s a lot of hard work and tons of admin! No in all seriousness I wouldn’t trade what I do for anything else in the world. I’m very lucky to be able to do what I love and earn a living from it. I initially set up Simple with 3 other people (who I bought out about 5 years ago) that I’d met while working at Sony Music. You need to have a good core of friends around you who are making music and a vision for the sound of the labels. Once you’ve got the first 5 releases together, and your audio concept/sound and visual identity, then you can approach a distributor for a distribution deal. Then you need to promote the releases and keep everything crossed that they sell…The rest is all just the standard business admin that goes into setting up any company. Obviously this is a very basic outline…
BL: What is your upcoming tour plan? Any other music projects in the near future?
WS: I’m off to Brazil this week! Then I’ll be in the US for dates in San Francisco, LA, and NYC in Jan—then just touring Europe as usual. I’m currently working on some new singles, and early next year I will start writing my next artist album. I have a single with Mike Monday coming out on the Dutch label, Clone, early next year called, ‘Small Moments’ and I’ve also done a remix of a Cortney Tidwell track that we’re releasing on Aus at the end of Jan next year.
With Balance 015, Will Saul proves his vast grasp on various musical styles and genres. This compilation is indeed a testament to the Balance Series’ commitment to forward-thinking, multipurpose tracks that combine numerous sounds, beats, moods and artists. It will surely bring together a diverse range of fans, be they listening in a lounge, on their iPod during a daily run, or at a dance party driving into the early hours.
For information on Will Saul, Balance 015 and previous compilations, check out http://www.stomp.com.au/press/balance-series/balance.html
or www.myspace.com/willsaul.
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