Original link: http://www.deinends.com/interview-alex-egan/

12-13-2013
Interview by Dickon Stone
Photo by Laura Coulson

Alex Egan is a man of many names but only one face. I had a little chat with him about the past, the present, and the future…

Why did you decide to name your most recent pseudonym “The Draughtsman”, after a redundant position in engineering? What’s the story behind the title of your latest EP, “1694″?

Careful, you’re belittling in-demand draughtsfolk everywhere! (UPDATE: AutoCAD) Well, I don’t want to give the game away too much, but the name, titles, artwork, everything about 1694 is based on one of my favourite films. So yes, I have to admit it’s a concept record. I gave myself a set of rules to follow which ended up being a useful way of staying focused and finishing it quickly. I holed myself up in Hove over Winter 2010/11 and recorded the EP while I lived down there briefly.

Let’s talk about Utter. It’s fair to say that this project is planned to be more than just a label, right?

Absolutely. I’ve been working on it for a few years now. I wanted to create a single platform for projects spanning music, film, art, design… So it’s AV focused I suppose, though not exclusively. I launched the website back in November 2011 and the first Utter event was in February 2012. Trevor Jackson, Raudive and Goncalo (who runs How The Other Half Lives) all played, plus my friend Goonie provided live visuals. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a false start as unforeseen problems scuppered my initial release plan. So I decided to keep everything quiet and mothball the label until the first release is actually in production. There’s been some progress recently, but I’m wary of speaking too soon again, so I’ll keep my mouth shut this time!

You’ve skipped around with various monikers over the years – people may not be wholly aware of the array of your releases on the likes of K7! (remixing Joakim), Turbo, Young Turks (where you remixed The XX), Marketing Music (the home of your Draughtsman EP) as well as a remix for Metronomy – do you have any plans to stick to one name? What warrants all the chopping and changing?

I’ve always had a soft spot for producers who work under lots of different names, like Gerald Donald, Danny Wolfers, Madlib, Aphex Twin, Mark Pritchard, Carl Craig… It’s just a bit of fun really and means you can pretend to be someone else for a while, work in a different way and not worry about confounding expectations. Saying that, loads of people have said to me I should just stick with one name. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.

Why did you and Ben bring Skull Juice to an end?

It just dawned on us in 2011 that after six years of working together things had naturally run their course. Our tastes had evolved and we were both going off in different directions. I was living in Brighton back then as well, so we hardly had time to collaborate anymore anyway. Our final set at Field Day that year seemed like the perfect opportunity to draw a line under everything. Funnily enough, when I moved back to London we were both working at Phonica for a while. He left the shop earlier this year but our paths still cross now and then.

It must have been both sad and exciting in the last couple of years to close up shop at High Horse and Skull Juice, and start lots of new projects. What’s been the biggest challenge for you?

2010/2011 was a really weird transitional period. Skull Juice, Blogger’s Delight and High Horse all came to an end within a few months of each other, which was quite sad, but we were all feeling restless and eager to try new things. It had an undeniably positive effect on everyone though, the others are all thriving in their different endeavors; Casper with BleeD, Matt with Clouded Vision, Ben with House Of Trax (where Nick is also a resident) and Trax Couture. So yeah, it might’ve felt like ‘the end of an era’ to us back then – and it was tough to adjust to – but it had to happen. Most importantly, we’re all still friends.

You work at Phonica Records in London, and are obviously into your vinyl, what is it that you think sets it apart as a unique medium for music?

What can I say that hasn’t been said before? They’re lovely objects. They can be made in so many different ways and I’m a sucker for 12″ x 12″ artwork. I like looking at and touching the grooves. It’s quite perverse really. Not that I have anything against other formats, in fact I disagree with the whole ‘vinyl sounds better’ argument. You might have a point if the entire recording and transfer process was analogue…but that nearly never happens these days. When it comes to DJing, I love the quirks of using vinyl, it’s great fun, but I’m no purist. I also think USB technology is brilliant. Finally, no more CD burning!

If 2011 was the year everyone identified themselves as a DJ, surely 2013 is the year they identify as a label boss. Everyone seems to have one these days, and I read that vinyl sales were up last year for the first time in quite a while. Besides the mainstay of old vinyl labels, do you see a trend, or tickbox-of-credibility in releasing vinyl as a new label on the circuit?

Honestly, I’m just happy people are still interested in pressing and buying records. The DIY attitude and democratisation of the manufacturing process can only be a good thing though. If I was being particularly cynical I’d suggest the downside is having to wade through an ever expanding ocean of new music… with a lower percentage of it being genuinely good. It doesn’t stop the good stuff being out there though, you just need to look a bit harder. As for the credibility issue, I couldn’t care less. DJs are no more credible using vinyl than USB or CDs or anything else. It’s the music that matters, the format is just personal preference.

Your mixes are often vast in their genre breadth, as well as in the range of the age of the tracks within. With an obviously rich taste and knowledge under your belt, can you give us a top 10? Feel free to do tracks or albums if it gets too hard…

I’d need a lot of time deciding on my top ten records ever! But to make up for it, here are twenty of my favourite albums/compilations/reissues I picked up this year, in no particular order…

Patrick Cowley – School Daze
William Onyeabor – Who Is William Onyeabor?
Various Artists – I Am The Center : Private Issue New Age In America, 1950-1990
James Holden – The Inheritors
The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
Jon Hopkins – Immunity
Beautiful Swimmers – Son
Craig Leon – Nommos
Streetwalker – Future Fusion
Syclops – A Blink Of An Eye
Aybee – Worlds
Finis Africae – A Last Discovery : The Essential Recordings, 1984-2001
Various Artists – Dark Matters Too
CFCF – Music For Objects
Dunkelziffer – Retrospection
Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven
Steve Moore – Pangaea Ultima
Donato Dozzy Plays Bee Mask
KWC 92 – Dream Of The Walled City
Bryce Hackford – Fair

What’s up next for you?

I have a previously unreleased track as The Draughtsman coming out in February called ‘Fade To Green’. That’ll be on the upcoming ‘Ten Years Of Phonica’ compilation and a sampler 12″. I always intended The Draughtsman to be a one-off project and to never use that name again, but as it’s a leftover track from the same sessions as 1694, it made sense. I’ve also recently been asked to record a mini-album for one of my favourite new labels, PRAH, so I’m looking forward to focusing on that during 2014.

NOTE: Alex has also recorded the second Deinends podcast, listen HERE!