Jin Choi Talks about his new Album “A Thousand Whales Of Love”

With his imprint Private Gold Jin Choi wants to create a platform for emotional and soulful Dance Music, that doesn’t compromise to any trends or hypes. He incorporates electronic, analog and recorded sounds for a musical experience, which is supposed to touch the listener on the dance floor and the sofa alike.

“I produced the Album starting in January to May 2011 and came up with more than 30 tracks, which was a very intense phase of work and creative flow. From May to August 2011 I made the selection for the final release. If you want to grab the full story, you should listen to the 3x Digital Bonus tracks as well. The album in the digital format has 14x tracks and a running time of 90 minutes.

I wanted to create a consistent  “story”, as I don’t like “track collections” as Albums. There is a lot of melancholy and darkness in the music. I like that kind of feel, even when some tracks also provoke euphoric feelings. Music has more meaning to me, when there is a certain “gravity” in it.

With the album I was very happy to get rid of Dance music’s conventions and the 4-to-the-Floor formula. On the other side I wanted the more “lose” songs to connect with the ones, you can play in the club. Connecting these songs together first looked tough, but after I got into the “creative flow” it kind of naturally fell into its place from an emotional side. I hope that this is something you can follow as a listener.

The eponymous title “A Thousand Whales Of Love” kind of summarizes these feeling I was going for. It is driven by lyrics and vocals, and what seems to be a love song first, has definitely a darker meaning… Producing that track and the record in general I experimented a lot with arpeggiators. In this track the heaviness and static feel of the song is kind of pushed forward by the arpeggiated dark and dubby Bass line, which creates and interesting tension in my opinion.

“Godspeed Soul” shows the danceable side of the album. It has a creation dark tonality to it as well, but is also euphoric at the same time. I played and recorded guitars and bass for that track, which also creates a nice tension with the sequenced nord rack hook-line. It is possibly my favorite dance track of the album.

I am especially happy with the song “There Must Be Ways”, in which I tried to incorporate the overall darkness and melancholy of the track with an “open” and “epic” feel . Here I also used a lot of arpeggiation, but tried to loosen up the sequenced feel of typical arpeggio lines by creating rhythmic dynamics which constantly change their metrics along with the arrangement.

With both mixes of “Circles” I wanted to work out different emotions with the same core musical idea by different ways of arrangement. In a way these mixes show the main emotional sides of the album. It is really interesting how a beat and arrangements change the meaning of the same musical idea.

I hope you enjoy this tracks, but also the other ones like I really enjoyed to create them.”

Opening track Dark Sienna sets the mood and serves as a good taster of what you can expect from their highly accomplished debut. We’re talking looped up deep-disco territory here with a lovely mid-tempo rolling groove driven along by open hats and a square wave bassline, lush string sections and dubbed vocal hits all adding heat to the mix. Zoinks continues the theme with the perfect balance of organic drums, dusty stabs and a healthy dose of solid gold machine-funk. Push Comes To Shove follows, upping the pace slightly and resulting in one of the more obvious floor friendly cuts (or should i say as obvious as it gets with Session Victim!)

Next up is the more laid back yet still seriously head-nodding vibe of Alpine Glow on which the SV boys even manage to make a cut-up Mark King-esque slap bass sample sound good! Haunted House dives straight in next with an uptempo jam featuring a heavy disco groove and compressed pads laced with subtle arpeggiating acid lines. Some Balearic vibes are offered up next as things continue with Cow Palace and Bison until we’re hit with a special new LP version of Good Intentions, the original having been only available on vinyl so far.

Time to shake things up a bit next with a definite highlight of the LP – Light Scent of Decay. As the acronym of the title suggests we are heading straight into psychedelic territory with this beautiful 9 minute and 40 second long live jam drawing us deep into its pleasantly off-kilter confines. Next the boys drop it down a bit for Fine, which sees the duo opt for some headnodding hip hop vibes. And finally we have the spellbinding Flying Visit to leave us on a total high.

Coming on like some long-lost Nightmares On Wax classic, we are treated to a gentle Balearic beauty which should leave you in no doubt that you’re in capable hands with Session Victim at the helm.

Tracklist:

1. Dark Sienna
2. Zoinks
3. Push Comes To Shove
4. Alpine Glow
5. The Haunted House of House
6. Cow Palace
7. Bison
8. Good Intentions (LP Mix)
9. Light Scent of Decay
10. F.I.N.E. feat. Grand Agent
11. Flying Visit

Tour Dates:

May 05  Schon Schoen, Mainz
May 17  Ego, Hamburg
May 25  Monocult, Leeds
May 30  Watergate, Berlin
June 16  Silbergold, Frankfurt
June 22 Chicago Social Club, Amsterdam
June 23 Kapitel, Bern
June 30  Auslage, Vienna
July 06  About Blank, Berlin
July 10  The Garden Festival, Tisno

“Mund und Ohr gefesselt” besteht aus 5 Stücken, die nicht vom Beat, sondern von diversen Synthesizern getragen wird. Die Texte, ausgenommen “Mund und Ohr gefesselt” (Lyrics Friedrich Schiller – aus Die Räuber und Vocals Katharina Vötter) sind ausschließlich einzeilige Texte, die ich ganz frech Medien-Poesie nenne. Dabei berufe ich mich auf George W. Bush, der durch das stetige wiederholen von “war on terror” den Refrain für den zweiten Irakkrieg gelegt hat.

“Hard Timz” basiert auf der einzeilen Lyrik “I feel so fine so happy” in einer Ausdrucksbandbreite von happy – ich bin auf pillen bis hin zu happy – ich könnte weinen, weil alles wegbricht. Der Beat dazu swingt luftig daher, bricht dann und wann. Getragen wird das Stück von den Bässen und Layern. Mein VST-Lieblingsbasssynth ist der ACE von U-he, der die Hauptline neben einem ALBINO3 Sound trägt und der Layer wird vom AUDJOO HELIX elegant luftig gelegt. Bei diesem Stück kommt kein analoger Synth vor, weil ich das Stück im Zug (Hallo Wien!) komponierte und im Speisewagen gleich mit meinem kleinen Korg Nanokey am Schoß einspielte.

“Mund und Ohr gefesselt” habe ich für DIE RÄUBER von Schiller (Landestheater Linz 2011) komponiert. Glücklicherweise spielte bei dieser Inszenierung Katharina Vötter die Amalia. Sie ist nicht nur eine begnadete Schauspielerin, sie setzt auch Texte genial in Gesang und Lautmalerei um. Der strange tiefe Bass kommt vom VST Synth AUDJOO HELIX. Der Rest sind Samples analoger Synths, der Beat sagt leise “Hallo Dub!” und die schönen Strings am Ende sind von Peter Siedlaceck.

“My Little Synthpop Inferno” ist eine kleine Synthieorgie, der Versuch eine simple Hookline so lange aufzuschaukeln damit auch ohne Text mitgesungen wird. Live singe ich oft “I don’t wanna stay here anymore” oder “I can live here anymore”, weil diese austriakische Enge aus Pensionistenangst, Juristenhegemone und Xenophobie mich massiv einengt. Wie immer sind der ACE, ALBINO3, AUDJOO HELIX und der WALDORF PULSE dabei. Der Beat kommt aus der kleinen Gratis-VST-Kiste DRUMATIC3.

“La Batteria De La Noce” ist ein weiteres Zugstück. Nur zwei VST-Plugins kamen zum Einsatz: Drumatic 3 und ALBINO3. Die Bassdrum der DRUMATIC3 ließ ich durch mein altes D&R Stylyx Mischpult laufen. Preamp im tiefrotem Bereich. Deshalb die schöne Verzerrung. Die zweite Verzerrung im Schlussstück kam von meinem Lieblings-VSt Verzerrer “BLOOD OVERDRIVE” im Totenkopfmodus . Die Batterie der Kopfnüsse ist ein kleine Hommage an Lenny D., der damals, Anfang der 90ier, 1-2 mal meine Knochen vaporisierte.

“Night Oh Night” ist eine Hymne an die nie enden wollende Nacht. Wie immer hat die Nacht zwei Seiten, so auch das Stück. Man will, dass sie nie aufhören mag, weil der Tag alle Sinne so schnell mit Blei füllt. Den Beat baut auf einer phasenbeschädigten Bassdrum auf, die wie ein Vinylkratzer den weich klingenden Teil der Bassdrum wegätzt. Der Basslauf ist euphorisch aber auch billig angelegt. WALDORF PULSE; ALBINO3, DRUMATIC3 und AUDJOO HELIX kompletieren den Track. Alles schon erlebt und dennoch: Es lebe die Nacht!

“Crying” “I am the one who is always crying gimme more gimme more gimme more …..”  Viele Samples, rasche Breaks, strange beats, alles ist in Auflösung. Wie lange lassen wir den sogenannten Eliten das noch durchgehen!?

Das Mastering lag in den Händen von Patrick Pulsinger, den genialen Umschnitt besorgten Dubplates & Mastering und das wunderbare Cover wurde von der großartigen Künstlerin Julie Monaco gestaltet.

Release: DORN – Mund und Ohr gefesselt – hztk006 – Houztekk Records – 03-09-2011

Arbeitsweise: Für mich ist der Flow sehr wichtig. Ich will auf Alles gleichzeitig zugreifen können, ganz gleich ob virtuell oder per Hand. Ich mag analoge Synthesizer wie zb. den JD-800 nicht nur, aber besonders wegen seines wunderbaren Handlings, den Korg MS-10 habe ich bei jedem Konzert auf der Bühne – weil er sich immer durchsetzt – und in Verbindung mit dem Boss SE-70 auch ein breites Sound-Spektrum erzeugt und abdeckt. Virtuelle Synths wie ACE oder Albino3 sind schon lange nicht mehr aus dem Studio wegzudenken.

Verliebt bin ich seit Jahren die die gesamte Sonic Core Produktpalette und besonders in die SCOPE DSP Audio Platform. Ich liebe das Prinzip eines Soundservers, der mir alle Möglichkeiten einer Vernetzung (-kabelung) von unterschiedlichen Treiberarchitekturen und Geräten (hard und soft) ermöglichkeit.

In den letzten Jahren konnte ich feststellen, dass gerade aus Frankreich wunderbare Software kommt – von Programmierern die auch Musiker sind – wie Usine Pro (Sensomusic) oder Devine Machine (leider vom Markt verschwunden).

* digital

• Soundkarte: Creamware Pular & Luna (heute Sonic Core)

• Software: energyXT 2.6, Sound Forge 9, Usine Pro, Pure Data, Devine Machine, …

• Soft Synths: Meine VST-Favoriten sind ACE und Albino 3, fast alle Sonic Core Synths wie Minimax, Profit 5, Modular 3, Vectron oder Synths von Wavelength Devices und besonders Freakware.

* analog

Tascam TSR-8 (ist immer noch im Betrieb), D&R Stylyx 48 Kanal Mischpult, Sherman Filterstation, div. Mic-PreAmps, DBX Compressoren, … SPL Vitalizer, … Tannoy System 8, …

* hardware synths

• Roland Jupiter 4, Roland JD-800, Korg MS-10, Novation Bass Station, Novation Superbass Station, Yamaha FS1R, Waldorf Pulse, Oberheim Matrix 1000, TR-808 …. plus selbstgebaute Synths.

* sampler hardware

• Akai S-612, Emax, Emu e64

*midi

• Creamware (Sonic Core) Midiinterface (onboard), Emagic Unitor 8, AKAI ME30P

The releases:

Elgato – Zone / Luv Zombie – Hessle Audio – HES020 – 23-04-2012

Hessle Audio just never disappoints. Out of the two tracks here, Luv Zombie for sure is the more accessible one, starting off with lush pads and vocals embedded in a ocean of delays and reverbs – and then, after two thirds, the bass sets in – and what a bass it is!  Zone, on the other side, is a total minimized, abstracted track, consisting of not much more than a bass pattern which is destined to kill you sub woofer, a short vocal sample and some sparse percussion. But Elgato manages to use these few elements to maximum effect. Essential release.

Zomby – Rumours & Revelations – BRAiNMATH – MATH01 – 29-04-2012

Stonecold classic from the Ramp/ BRAiNMATH vaults.  Still sounding fresh and up to date and now finally available in digital form. One of Zomby‘s best, no less.

Distal – Civilization – Tectonic – TECCD014 – 27-04-2012

This Distal guy is a trickster for life. Seamlessly interweaving bass music styles from both sides of the atlantic like juke, hip hop, dubstep, sped up techno and slowed down Drexciyan electro plus a little bit of braindance electronica a la Rephlex in the mood he cooks up his very own witches brew of post modern dance music in a coherent album format. File under: Music for drunken robots.

Lazer Sword – Memory – Monkeytown Records – MONKEYTOWN025 – 27-04-2012

Another big album release on Modeselektor‘s Monkeytown. Leaving behind their cut up heavy glitch hop past Lando Kal and Bryant Rutledge come up with a brilliant collection of tracks which have their roots in the UK Hardcore Continuum as well as in Detroitian techno, Kraftwerkesque electro and deepest shades of house from Chicago or New York. And the two know their craft so well that the result is not a mere pastiche of reminiscences but a very own style of hypnotic, forward thinking dance music. This is how the future should sound. Highly recommended.

Kowton – Never Liked Dancing – Idle Hands – IDLE011 – 30-04-2012

Tricky and hypnotic micro-house bass permutations in two minimalistic tracks, which are as sparse as it can get but nevertheless never get boring – something which shows the real mastery in Kowton‘s craft. Attention to the detail!

Bass Clef – Reeling Skullways – Punch Drunk Records – DRUNKCD005 – 30-04-2012

An album, which shows Bass Clef at the height of his artistic work. And also a quite unusual release for Punch Drunk, as these tracks contain only minor reminiscences to your typical post dubstep/bass music production while owing much more to early chicago house/ acid house tracks. But in a really fresh and unheard manner. And of course, there‘s still the element of dub, lots of it, but in a King Tubby kind of way. Big release.

Girl Unit – Club Rez EP – Night Slugs – NS013 – 07-05-2012

Thumping 808 kicks, hypernervous hi hat lines and synth pads heavy of 80s pop memories mark Girl Unit‘s clever marriage of the roughest of early chicago house with Miami Bass. Music like a retro futuristic Deja Vu in cyberspace. Best of the lot: the euphoria inducing Ensemble (Club Mix), a perfect tune for a summerly cruising trip.

Komonazmuk – Komonazmuk – Hench – HENCHLP004DA – 07-05-2012

After several EPs on labels like Applepips, Dusk or Mode, one of Bristol‘s foremost Bassologist, Komonazmuk, finally delivers his first longplayer – and it is something like a statement. Merging a bucket full of breakbeat affine styles, be it the electro antics of Underground, smooth 2step garagey rhythms in Down For, the fierce halfstepped wobble bass attacks of No Soul or the post dubstep meet drum‘n‘bass styles of Time Line this is like a journey through the history of bass – without sounding like a sense- and heartless compiled collection. Recommended.

Shackleton – Music For The Quiet Hour / The Drawbar Organ EPs – Woe To The Septic Heart – SEPTICCD001 – 07-05-2012

After a long abstinence Shackleton resurfaces not with one but two albums, nicely collected into one release. And once again these 15 tracks reinstate him as one of bass musics most forward thinkers and producers. Far from any dubstep cliches this music is as mystical as it is hypnotic, bordering on the magical even. Particularly the 60 minutes of Music For The Quite Hour are an aural trip, a sonic movie, which has to be heard to be believed. Instant classic.

Endian – Birdhouse / DBPLT01 – Nonplus Records – NONPLUS019 – 07-05-2012

George Levings, one member of the now defunct drum‘n‘bass duo Commix, surprises with two cuts which definitely lean more to the techno side of things. Sure, there are still hints of his past, especially in the percussion patterns on Birdhouse, but especially the darkly brooding DBPLT01 is nothing but straight forward technoid music, produced for those hours when everyone on the dancefloor is a hypnotic state of mind. Big one.

Soulcrash … the wind, the fresh air of the sea .. every time I hear it I always feel the same way. If I were to describe it, if I had to associate it with a place in Meanwhile in Madland, Soulcrash would surely be the beach the first day of summer when there is still a lot of people and the sea water is cold .. and at that point the only sound that you can enjoy is the waves crashing and the freshness of the breeze.

My Mono Relax reminds me of my ex-girlfriend. When I finished this track I was in her room, satisfied with what I believed was the best so far among all the tracks that I produced. Then my enthusiasm was brutally crushed by her “Mhmm.. they all look the same to me”.  Probably she didn’t realized I had made it for her!  Apart from that throughout the album, without doing an injustice to the other tracks, this one is my favorite. Every time I need a bit of relaxation and tranquility, I just put it on my headphones and I start the hypnotic rhythm .. that’s really My Mono Relax!

In The Right Way .. ahhh what energy I had at that time! A track like this, fun and full of life, could only come out of myself around with friends in summer, women, parties .. I was on the right way!  Every time I listen to this it gives me a charge of indescribable joy. This is definitely one of the tracks on the album that I feel very close to.

Here is some general info to Herva and his album:
HERVA is the artist moniker of Herve Atsè Corti. At just 19 years old, the artist by night, mechanical engineering student by day with Italian and African roots who hails from the picturesque Tuscan countryside just outside the city of Florence has been crafting some of the most pure, retro-tinged, forward-thinking electronica we’ve had the pleasure of hearing in years! Herva knows no boundaries when it comes to creativity and expression, and therefore his music remains genre-less by nature, intuitive and exciting, a melting pot of elements of Soul, House, Disco, Techno, Bass music and UK Garage. Herva’s love of music began with a happy childhood surrounded by creativity – Herva himself trained as a drummer, his father an avid tinkerer of vintage synthesizers, and his mother, a dancer. At the astonishingly young age of 8, he installed Fruity Loops on his PC thinking it was a video game, and the rest, as they say, is history! After years of experimenting with the program at his own pace, his passion for electronic music and production naturally grew along with his studio chops. With a handful of releases as one half of the mysterious analog duo Life’s Track, and his first solo ‘Skin’ EP – all released on Bosconi Records – Herva has enamored critics and music lovers with his cerebral, illustrious and raw take on electronic music, and he’s now prepared to release his fantastic debut solo album -Meanwhile in Madland- in April 2012 on Bosconi’s Extra Virgin sublabel. On Meanwhile In Madland, Herva’s experiments with a relatively restricted yet distinct palette of sound is no less than a masterpiece of rhythmic seduction and melodic arrangement; an ode to the incredible art of sampling, and a cultured, openminded approach to making music that will appeal to the mind and soul as well as the club. Like a deep breath of fresh air, Herva’s Madland drifts through a spacey, synthdrenched world. He enthusiastically digs through different genres, providing a refined and enchanting kaleidoscope of sound, thanks to his dexterous adaptation of a wide range of complex but deep and soulful musical stylings. Soul, down-tempo, and hiphop are the most frequent inspirational sources in the album. Indeed this can be heard in the lazy beats and vocal samples of the opening title track, as much as the abstract visionary hip-hop of “Broken”, not to mention the R&B stylings of “Breathe!”, with its sensual male and female vocal interaction, and “BFFMMM”, a downbeat Rhythm & Sound styled piece. The impressive depth of Herva’s songwriting and his ability to touch upon the subconscious might not have been reached without first cutting his teeth on early British ambient music and electronica. “Memories” pays love and respect to the Cornwallian soundscapes of the IDM classics, as much as “Soul Crash” a spiritualized electro-funk tune with angelic vocals and charming keys that evokes fond memories of Selected Ambient Works era Aphex Twin. On “Useful Distortion”, Herva assembles a broken cut-up groove, filtered vocals, warm Detroit stabs and delicate metallic snares resonating from far away. The delightful disco number “In The Right Way” is as perfect as a day at the beach in some Mediterranean paradise after a long night out. Listening through Meanwhile In Madland feels a bit like waking up slowly from a deep sleep, rejuvenated, and seeing the world differently with a kind of clear eyed wonder. “Bosconi Records stands as a shining example of creativity and craftsmanship in the Italian music scene. With a back catalogue rich in hand-crafted house music, unique downtempo beats and all the moods in between, the label has worked tirelessly to bring pride back to the musical output of Italy. – Oliver Warwick [I-DJ, Ibiza Paper]“

Tracklisting:

1) Philip Bader- Whisper – highgrade

2) Philip Bader-deep end -  – highgrade

3) Pier Bucci, Argenis Brito, otra -  WTM

4)Seuil, dOP -visionquest rmx-Prostitute EP -Eklo

5) Clockwork-It’s You Again  – It’s You Again  – Hot Creations

6) Lee Curtiss- Candy feat. Matt Tolfrey – Martin Buttrich Remix-Candy – Culprit

7) Mikael Stavostrand, Disorder, Cesare, La Plaisir feat. Lu&nl -Disorder, Clink

Philip Bader- American Boy-wishful thinking – highgrade

9)  Philip Bader- Sunshine feat. Ja Hier -wishful thinking – highgrade

10) Frivolous-One Final Solstice.- Meteorology – cadenza

11) Nu- This land- dantze

Hot on the heels of their debut release on Saints & Sonnets that saw massive support from the Deep House community, Amsterdam newcomers Detroit Swindle present their follow up ‘Nothing Else Matters Ep’ on Dirt Crew with a crackin’ deep and soulful sound, Heavy Bass lines and funky beats on the two versions of the title track and the second one ‘Jick Rames’. To top it of we have another dutch duo on the remix, Morning Factory equally got things going last year with their releases on Royal Oak and Fina.