I’ve recently sat down with Lance Blaise, owner of ”Teggno Records‘, one of the key contributers to the ever-growing spread of techno scene in the Miami area and internationally, due to his chart-topping productions that captured the attention of Beatport users. In case you’re wondering what his sound is all about, here are couple of promo sets for you to download: April mix and July mix. Quality-over-quantity is definitely Lance’s motto, and here’s your chance to learn more about the man himself!
FM: Hello Lance, pleasure to have you at ‘Feeling Mnml’! The first question I would like to ask is when and how did you get into electronic music?
LB: Hi, thanks for having me! To answer the question, I am a die hard 80’s music fan. My mother was always on top of her music, so I was always listening to what was hot back then, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Herbie Hancock, OMD, Kraftwerk, and so on… I consider those bands some of the pioneers of electronic music since they were incorporating keyboards, synths, and drum machines. I can remember I started getting interested in EDM and the rave scene in 1992. Back then I was really into The Orb, and also some of the more industrial electronic bands along with some DnB. But there was one track that really sealed the deal for me, and that was Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness.’ I remember I was at a rave in 1995, See No Evil Hear No Evil, and that track by Wink came on… It was a sound I just couldn’t get out of my head! From that day forward I was just glued to techno. From there I sought out buying mix tapes of techno DJs, and buying records and learning about the sound of techno.
FM: Success is no stranger to you, Teggno Records being one of the most respected and recognized labels out there, and your tracks being played by some of the biggest deejays. When did you realize that your music will take you that far?
LB: In the beginning I didn’t really know where production and DJing would take me, I was just doing it because I loved the music so much. But when I was DJing and people actually knew who I was because they were buying my music and DJs were playing my tracks I knew I was on to something different, a different sound. I would have people coming up to me telling me how one of my tracks was in their sets, or they loved what I did with a remix, stuff like that. That is what makes production worth it, because if I have people enjoying the productions and DJs playing them… then I am accomplishing my goal. As far as the label goes, I knew that Teggno was growing, but when I was constantly seeing the tracks we were releasing, including my own productions, in Beatports Top Charts I knew something was being done right. Today I see Teggno stuff and my own stuff all over the web. I search to see if my music is being stolen on sites and blogs, and it is, but sometimes I think that can be a good thing. I may be losing some money, ok well a lot of money, but people must really like the music to be searching all over the web for it and downloading it from these free sites.
FM: What are some of the future goals for your label, as well as your individual growth?
LB: Right now the label has grown tremendously with every quarter. Teggno is now focusing all of its sales efforts on Beatport. I have a friend of mine, Rod B., helping me with the A&R, and we are adding new names to the roster every week. In 2010 we will have a label based party that will be able to go from city to city with myself along with some others from the label delivering a more intensified live interactive show. As far as my personal career you will see my debut album dropping in early 2010. There will be two singles from the album dropping in December of 2009 with remixes from some big names. I am really excited about this because I know my style of music is quite different. I possess a very dark minimal style with my own twisted vocals and some organic beats that I make here in my bathroom and kitchen. My manager recently said to me “I don’t know what you are on, but keep taking it, you sound like you have gone over the edge with this stuff… in a good way!” I like for my music to really get into your mind.
FM: You’ve collaborated and worked with many artists. Any producers whom you haven’t had a chance to work with yet, but would like to?
LB: I would really like to sit down in the studio with my friend Anthony Attalla. I really like his sound, and I think we could make something really twisted, but with a sexy spin to it from his style! I would also love to do some collaborative work with Green Velvet as he has often been an inspiration for using personal vocals in my tracks.
Just recently I have begun another side project working on some more minimal/deep house stuff with a new female producer, Brooke. You will see some great new sounds in those tracks as well. Working with a female artist helps bring a definite sexy side to the music!
FM: How is the Miami scene developing? What are your thoughts on the techno scene around the globe today?
LB: Miami is a bit commercial at the moment. There are some decent parties going on here, but I am usually traveling so I don’t have time to get to them too often. If a friend of mine is coming into town to spin I always try to make it a point to go grab a drink with them and catch at least an hour of their set… A lot of stuff down here is mainly local DJs headlining with not a lot of big names coming through the city, I am not sure who is to blame for stuff like this but it doesn’t seem to happen that much outside the US. The US is still having some trouble grasping the whole techno/minimal scene, parties tend to be 10 local DJs on a line up because the promoter thinks they will bring 40 friends each… Me personally when I DJ I like to play for at least 2-3 hours and really build my set. I have been using Traktor now and it has really made DJing fun again. I was at a point where I was just mixing 2 tracks together and I was losing interest. Now I am able to incorporate 4 decks, controllers, multiple loops, add in new vocals on the fly, and create sounds that haven’t ever been heard. To me that is a show worth going to see, and it is a show worth a promoters money and hard work. Something like this should be able to sell it self here in the US, and in time I think it will!
FM: Give us one rare fact that fans may not know about you.
LB: Well, I played one year of junior pro ice hockey. Growing up it was all I did, hockey hockey hockey! I went to prep school on a hockey scholarship, as well as college. After college I played for a junior pro team for one year. Unfortunately I broke my shoulder in 4 spots and had to basically retire from competitive full contact ice hockey. So I went on to coach high school for 3 years, and I also still played in men’s leagues. Hockey helped shape who I am today and I am thankful for what all the hard work did for me and the values it instilled.
FM: Your favourite place and most memorable gig/moment so far?
LB: I really enjoyed playing with Carl Cox and Victor Calderone at Pacha in NYC. I play every year with Cox, but I remember this one as being one of the best shows to date! Anytime I get to play somewhat close to my hometown of Philadelphia it is always memorable for me. I get to see my friend’s, and my sister who I only get to see a few time a year. The people there were really great, the staff at Pacha took care of me the whole night better than any club I ever played. And the booth there, well it was top notch. I can’t wait to play there again!
You can keep in touch with Lance via his Beatport’s ‘Teggno’ site, Twitter or MySpace. Have a great weekend everyone!
