“I think it’s very important to stay true to your sound…” 909originals chats to Frazi.er
Scotland’s techno scene is in rude health at the moment, with emerging DJ and producer Frazi.er among its leading proponents.
The 26-year-old has already shared lineups with the likes of Dax J, Floorplan, Speedy J and Amelie Lens, releasing on renowned labels such as the latter’s Exhale imprint.
His regular appearances at venues and events such as Sub Club, Terminal V Festival and SWG3 have earned him a reputation for raw, energised techno, and this December, he’s planning one of his biggest events to date at Glasgow’s Hydro, for another edition of his Frazi.er Presents CONCEPT nights. He’s also just released a stomping new EP, A Moment of Mayhem, on Suara.
909originals caught up with him.
It’s been a massive year for you Frazi.er, congrats. It seems since your last show at Glasgow’s Hydro, things have continuously grown, with lots of big festivals played this year – can you tell us more about what other events you have planned this year?
Thank you – it’s much appreciated. In terms of my own events, everything has been mainly focused on the Hydro as we’re now into Q4. I have my first mini-Scottish tour running from end of November into first week of December, and some nice club shows like Fabrik Madrid, Anomalie Art Club in Berlin and BASIS in Utrecht.
How did you get into event planning alongside being a producer?
They both came at a similar time, after my second year in Ibiza at 19 years old. I started doing some local shows in my hometown, which then progressed into the city. I was always interested in offering something fresh and pushing boundaries.
With producing, one of my older music friends got me a copy of Ableton live and ever since then I’ve never had it off – literally. I always found it hard to watch any tutorials as my attention span is ridiculously bad. So, over the years I’ve found ways to craft the raw noises and energetic sounds I like in my own way, and its slowly but surely starting to pay off.
CONCEPT comes to the Hydro on 30th December. How’s the planning going for that? What is your goal with these events – are they actively helping to grow the music scene in Scotland?
The planning is going well. This year’s event has been a bit slower given the current climate, with the cost of living going up, and a huge saturation of events at once. We always knew that was going to be an issue for this one, but we’re challenging it well and are on track for another sold out arena.
The goal is to offer something that has never been done. The production for this event is a six-month design process, which all needs to be ticked off by a health and safety organisation and the venue events team. I think it’s been huge for the scene in Scotland, it’s a home-grown project and there’s literally nothing like it in the UK.
I compare it to the Gashouder in Amsterdam by Awakenings, it’s a similar scale to that and they have one of the biggest established parties in Europe.
When booking these line ups, do you always ensue to have local talent? Are there some UK producers right now you have you eye on and why?
For this event it’s very hard, because of limited set times and the 11pm curfew. The main event is focused on international talent, and the big warehouse after party is focused on local and UK talent.
ADE was a big week for you, with your set at Verknipt Hard Dance, coupled with your first release of the year, A Moment Of Mayhem, released on Suara. There are four big tracks on this EP – can you tell us about more about the inspiration behind them and when they were made?
Yes, it sure was. This EP is a special one for me as it really highlights my signature raw sound, and everything track has some sort of meaning behind it. Right now, we’ve seen the hardstyle sound really overpowering the techno scene, and so much of the same recycled rave sounds that’s becoming quite a big talking point, for let’s say not the right reasons.
I think it’s very important to stay true to your sound, not to jump on trends or to try get quick hype as it will only fall back on you as an artist and hold back any further evolvement. The vocals in Do U Want To Trip With Me – is actually my own voice, I felt like I wanted to try something a bit different and it actually worked very well with the intensity in the drums. I’m really excited for this release.
Why did you choose to wait so long to release an EP this year?
In actual fact, I was producing quite a lot of new music, but finding the right label was pretty tricky. I had put a lot of time into one or two labels in particular, but with the current vinyl delay it was going to be delayed a little. I had been back and forth with Coyu over the last couple of years and he was very keen to get an EP locked in. The release schedule worked well for me and we locked it in.
Finally, what’s your plans for NYE and into Q1?
This year for NYE I’m not planning to take on any shows so I can focus on the Hydro and after party on the 30th and enjoy it with friends.
On the first week of January, I’m going out to Bali for some downtime, and I have some shows lined up in Asia and Australia, so I plan to be away till mid-February which I’m really looking forward to.
Thanks Frazi.er for talking to us. You can buy his latest EP, A Moment of Mayhem, by clicking here.
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