Few french electronic music artists combine experience, avant-gardism and guaranteed success on dance floors as Electric Rescue does. First noticed by names like Laurent Garnier, he is now signed on the some of the most influential labels going: Cocoon Recordings, Boys Noize Records, Sci + Tech, AFU limited, Communiqué, Subject, etc…
At the recent Potty Mouth Disco warehouse event in London, we caught up with Antoine Hussan, aka Electric Rescue to find out what this sought after Frenchman had to say…
HTF: For anyone out there who doesn’t know who Electric Rescue is, describe yourself and your sound in a few words…
ER: I’m a rave child, my feelings come from the freedom for that old school party but with the sound of today. I discovered that kind of music in 1988 in Paris and started to DJ in 1990, and started to make the people jump in 1992. In 1995, I started to produce and few years after push my first releases. During the 00’s I had the chance to sign on huge labels such are Fcommunications (Laurent Garnier’s label), Cocoon, boysnoize, etc. All the labels I signed really built my own personality, always in a ravey feeling. I have the rave feeling but I love many different kind of techno so my sets are mostly eclectic ravey techno. I think I’m eclectic ravey techno …
HTF: Do you like playing out in London, and what made you choose this particular event?
ER: I have already played at The Egg, the Eastvillage club and this potty mouth disco was my third gig in London. But I love London, people are really in my way of thinking, simple and party minded. It’s true that this time, as I said before, I am a rave child so the potty mouth disco which was a rave party is really into my spirit, so it was really a great moment, and I hope to find it again in London. Raving in London is huge. And I hope to come back to potty mouth disco too, but the next time as DJ, this time was as a live act.
HTF: What tunes made that warehouse crowd go crazy?
ER: Last Saturday people really enjoy groovy techno and ravey rising up techno. But they follow on all the tracks and bring me a lot of energy and smile. RAVEY man. Potty mouth disco have a very good eclectic public. You can give them anything you want if it’s good and well pushed.
HTF: What’s it like being part of the Cocoon family?
ER: There are different positions in being a cocoon artist. There are three possibilities, the high stars like Sven (Väth) or Ricardo (Villalobos), they are really easy to work because they are requested a lot and they are nice guys, it’s really the cocoon close artists. The second possibilities are to be high level confirmed artists who sell a lot of records and are really easy to work with too. And the third artists category like me, who are more underground, they release our tracks but it’s not so easy because our music is not easy listening techno, it’s sometimes complicated or underground, so it’s really complicated for the label to work our projects. So it’s a bit more difficult for us, but I thank cocoon every day to make confidence in my work, but it’s true that they take more time to decide and choose the next releases because they take risks with us. Anyway, it’s a big big pleasure to be part of the cocoon adventure and I’m lucky. But it’s good to say too, that it is not easy for everybody when you are on such a big label as cocoon, truth is that the actual market is the same for everybody, even when you are on cocoon. But as I say I’m lucky :)
HTF: House music seems to get a lot of press compared to proper techno, do you care, and do you think genres even matter anymore?
ER: I think the press write articles for the masses, so house is more the music for the masses and techno is more underground. don’t like it that the press take care more over house than techno, but it’s logical and I’m not angry against journalists for it. They follow the masses more than the underground. But for me, they might be logical but they are also wrong and they do not do their job as discoverers of good new music, they are more followers of the masses or trends and not enough of the other things. But maybe I’m wrong and they are good ….
HTF: I saw you performing on Saturday with Ableton – do you DJ using it? What can you bring to a set with that technology that you couldn’t with CD’s or Vinyl?
ER: I DJ using CDs and make my live sets as you saw on Saturday using Ableton and machines. But to be honest I’m thinking of a new way of doing DJ sets with another configuration, but as it’s not totally clear in my mind I prefer to not speak about it now. I don’t want to be like everybody else and use Traktor or whatever, I’m looking for a nice set up and think about it a lot these days. Concerning vinyl or cds I’m not materialist – only the result on the public and having fun interests me, but it’s not a problem, there are many solutions in my work.
HTF: For anyone from Britain who wants to visit France for a banging party, where would be a good place to visit?
ER: Of course, you don’t have to reflect for long – go directly to the Rex club in Paris, there is no better in France. It’s not the biggest club, or the most beautiful, but there is something in the air….
HTF: Your style has been described as very eclectic, varied – are you influenced by any other types of music other than techno?
ER: Not only music inspired me but everything in my life so that’s why maybe I’m eclectic. I love to listen to many kind of sounds. I can be influenced by all kinds of music, if I find something funny, I take it and bring it to my eclectic ravey techno way of doing things.
HTF: What have you got in the pipeline in terms of new productions?
ER: I will release again with the big labels that I released with in 2010, I’m already discussing track listings for the next releases on boysnoize, cocoon, sci+tec, skryptom and some remixes which will come before the summer for all of them I think.
HTF: Where can we see you DJ’ing next and have you got any big plans this year – maybe a UK festival or two?
ER: It’s a bit early to say if I will be at any UK festivals this summer, but I hope so because I love the UK public. The next days plans are blocked in France, Italy, New Caledonia, Germany, Japan… For the festival I advise people from UK, because it’s not so far from you, to pay attention to the Astropolis festival in France. It’s close to Brest and for me it’s the best festival in the world. Not the biggest, not the more technically pushed, but there is something more in the air. Check it. I will be there on July 26th to July 31st ….
HTF: Thanks so much for speaking to us – see you at the next rave!
Interviewer: Adam Brown
