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Following their live PA at a Halloween massive, American breaks producer Q (known as his "brainchild" Uberzone), his companion DJ Davey Dave, Rick and I sit amidst the party's smoky backroom. In case Uberzone is a new name to you, Q has been revolutionizing breaks (along with the entire electronic scene) as we know it since he surfaced. With recognizable tracks coming all the way from 1995, Q prides himself on tying his love for technology to his music.  BRIAN: First off, that was an INCREDIBLE set you just cranked out. Thank you very much for joining me tonight to hang out and be interviewed. So, the last release you put out was the "Science" 12" with Simply Jeff if I'm not mistaken. What new music can we expect from you in the near future?
!Q!: Well, I've got some new stuff coming out soon on TCR (Thursday Club Recordings, founded by Rennie Pilgrem). Rennie will be coming back from vacation soon to hear some of it. At this point, I'm simply loving all music. Lately I've been getting bored with just one style of music. A lot of the time I'll get into the studio and just start producing random styles, based on what I'm feeling at the time. In retrospect the "Faith In The Future" record consisted of so many different styles. I simply got so excited writing, I feel like that record didn't have enough continuity!
I've been working on producing my new album since fall of last year and should be finished by year's end. BRIAN: Do you know what the name of the forthcoming album is going to be? What else can you tell us about it? !Q!:The album's going to be called "Ideology". I made an attempt to remove myself from the technology this time. I got way more into experimentation, and the tracks have come out with a much more cerebral sound than in the past. I mean, to me music is about soul, idea, and spark, rather than the pure technical aspects. I feel like I had a stronger focus working on this album. I pulled out some old synths, even my venerable Jupiter-6. I put a conscious effort into bringing the thoughts on this album out of the box. In a couple parts I even used an acoustic guitar, as a bit of a rhythmic element. Essentially I think I'm staying on the path really well with this one, and like I said before… I'm really excited about music in general and tend to be all over the place when it comes to producing. The album itself will be very eclectic. However my goal at the same time is for all the songs to work well and come out sounding good with each other, despite how different each one is.
 Also I've been working on and off on this project called "Plastic Astronaut”. It's basically something new that I've really been trying to get started. I'm looking for some backers as the budget could be hefty. So far it hasn't been completed yet, though I hope put it out in the near future. It's been a rough ride lately, what with record sales being down, and there aren't as many shows these days either. For me, it's consolation to always be doing what I'm doing for the passion, rather than the money. BRIAN: Definitely, and the projects you have coming sound very intriguing. I'll be excited to hear them when they're ready for release. What are your thoughts on the Christian dance music scene lately? !Q!:Well, to be honest with you I'm a bit of a space cadet when it comes to secular and Christian music. I hear music I like and even after I buy it sometimes can't remember who it is! I'd say before I could sufficiently answer that I'd need to be a bit more exposed. I know I liked some N'Soul stuff I heard a while back, but I was never sure where to find more.
However, as a Christian artist in a secular industry, I can honestly tell you it's rough. I would give up anything in my life for my faith. However, very often in the music industry you're confronted with the egos and ambition of other people who have no moral compass or rules to play by. I trust God and figure it's his will be done, not mine. That's what gets me though the rough patches. I grew up in a Christian home, strongly based in ethics. Early on in my career, I was bothered even by playing in clubs. As I progressed I made the decision that I could be a positive influence on the scene, by appearing at secular clubs or parties. In producing and performing, everything is based on faith for me. I use my music as a mechanism to reach people. I like to think that by putting such references to my faith in my music I'm unlocking doors for people. For example, because of the liner notes in "Faith In The Future", someone can come up to me after a show and be able to tell me about their faith, when they otherwise wouldn't. It's a learning path for me as well; I know that God meant for me to be in this position. In addition to being an example, I always want my faith to be a celebration, not a routine. In the end I've got to give all glory to God, as far as my music goes, I take no credit.
 Anyway, I still feel very conscientious at parties and clubs. Sometimes I feel like I want to just get up and walk out the door from places like this (artist/staff VIP room). It can be a din of iniquity. Though I'm not a judgmental person and believe, there but for the grace of God go I, I sometimes feel like, "I shouldn't be here". Ultimately though you need to look into your heart and ask God for answers to problems like these. Before I started performing and making music I was incredibly shy. It's really brought me out of my shell. While I'd like to share my faith openly and show my allegiance to God, it's been important for me to realize is that there's a line between loving someone, and being judgmental. What's sometimes hard to accept is that as people, we have to be careful with judgment. The only one who's got that right is God. I try to separate the man from the act. BRIAN: Do you have any opinion on where the Christian dance music scene is going? !Q!: Normally I tend to dodge answering where I think a scene is going. In this case though, I really think that it will be good to see more and more collaborative efforts as time goes on. I think people would be ready, and excited for that. In the Christian dance scene as well. Are there any good Christian IDM artists? BRIAN: What secular artists influenced you the most before becoming big as an artist/DJ? Do they still influence you now? !Q!: Well I was a youngest child growing up, so I ended up with a lot of hand me down music. The first group that REALLY inspired me was Kraftwerk. They were this incredible new sound for me at the time, which I simply couldn't get anywhere else. I was also a huge fan of Vince Clarke and Depeche Mode. Orbital had me really impressed when they came out as well. They managed to give this new electronic sound to the world without sounding cheesy like so many others. Around the same time as Orbital was getting big, Leftfield had me really intrigued. That "Leftism" record was simply amazing. I'd have to say though, that it all comes back to Kraftwerk for me. They were the first ones to be completely "dance", and have such a refined sound to them.  BRIAN: Finally, what are your favorite records at the moment?
!Q!: Well, again, I get so much new music on promo CD's I don't even always know what it is that I'm playing. Sometimes someone will come up to me after a show, "Oh hey glad to hear that new _____ track" and I'll be thinking "Oh…… right". However I can definitely tell you I'm into the new Brazilian Girls track. I'm still a big fan of Air, the "Talkie Walkie" record never fails to impress me. I'm also listening to a lot of Radiohead. Outside of dance music, I'm into Keane. I mean, the way I am about music I'll listen to 10 different styles in one day. One minute I'll be listening to Air, next I'll be listening to something like Zeppelin or Beatles. BRIAN: Well thank you very much for joining me. It was definitely a pleasure. !Q!: Thank you, great talking with you. Related Links: |
