I was lucky enough to make it out to Brooklyn Bowl in 2011 when Stunna and Place 42 were on the bill with LTJ Bukem. Now it’s 2013, and both veteran artists were excited to have the chance to give fans a taste of original material. But before they took to the decks, I got to talk with them about life, love and labels.
Welcome back to Brooklyn.
Stunna: Thank you. It’s great to be back.
You guys doing anything fun?
Stunna: He lives here. The fun thing for me is just visiting here. I come here every few months, and we get to hang and go to shows.
Place 42: Fun in Brooklyn….
Stunna: He just got engaged.
Congratulations!
Place 42: Yes, recently engaged.
Stunna, how does it feel to be listed in URB Magazine’s “Next 100” list?
Stunna: That was definitely an honour because I’ve been reading URB Magazine for years – since ’94 or ’95. It actually came about from one of my friends in Chicago who is a local writer and DJ. He was like, “Hey, I really want to showcase all my friends.”
Oh so he nominated you?
Stunna: Yeah and it was right when I started releasing a lot of records, a lot of vinyl records, and it was cool to have my name in print. That was great.
Place 42, what’s new with Telluric?
Place 42: A lot. A lot of projects.
Do you want to give some background to those who may not be familiar with it?
Place 42: The label was started in 2005 back when vinyl was a viable product. It was strongly influenced by early atmospheric, early days liquid drum and bass. Good Looking Records. I have to give a shout to Good Looking – very big part of the creation at Telluric and Danny Bukem. Through the years, since we transitioned out of vinyl to the digital market, we started our own website about a year ago. We’re completely self-sufficient, free distribution, selling digital .wav and mp3 files, putting out about three projects – two albums.
Stunna Five artist albums.
Place 42: Five total artist albums, and really the focus right now for the label is continuing what we’re doing. We have a very close, tight-knit roster. A lot of what’s being represented tonight with Furney, Mr. Joseph, myself and Jay (Stunna). This is a very close, inner circle of what Telluric’s about. We have a full-length LP by Furney coming out in about two months, second compilation mixed by myself with ‘TELLURIC ACTIVITY VOL. 2’, which is a compilation of exclusive, hand-picked tunes. And what I think is going to be one of the biggest projects from the label to date is the album that myself and Stunna are working on. It’s been about two years in the making, and I’d say we’re about….We’re getting there. Early 2014, you should be seeing that, and believe it or not, we’re actually transitioning back to a very limited, exclusive vinyl release.
That’s a really good segue for me. Either of you can answer this. What do you guys think about the transition away from vinyl into CDJs, etc.?
Stunna: From a buyer’s standpoint, or from a DJ standpoint?
From a DJ standpoint.
Stunna: Me, personally, I’ve never been a vinyl DJ. That might rattle some cages, but I was a producer first, and I wanted a way to play my tunes. This was before Serato, and I didn’t have money to cut vinyl, so I actually burned CDs and taught myself how to DJ off those. From a more, I guess a more purist, artisan sort of way of DJing, the feel of vinyl, I love that. I mean, I know how to play vinyl as well, and if I had the money, I’d cut a lot of vinyl to play new stuff because people want to hear new tunes. It’s tough these days to be a guy that just plays vinyl. All the big guys now that are touring, all the UK guys, they play on virtual systems now. They play on Traktor and Serato, so they’re not actually even playing vinyl. They’re playing on vinyl decks. So, for me, it’s always just whatever the tune is, that’s what counts to me. It’s not a really big issue, one way or the other.
How do you feel about it?
Place 42: I came up as a vinyl DJ. I have a tremendous, old school, early atmospheric, early hardcore, beginning of the drum and bass vinyl collection that transcended through the early to mid-90s, Good Looking scene. I was a tremendous vinyl collector, and Telluric started as a vinyl label. It was very sad to see the digital sales increase to the level that it has. For me as a label owner, it’s more of a market viability thing. As far as playing as a DJ, the digital format, I think, is tremendously more accessible. I blasted over a tune by one of my artists, Blade, earlier tonight, and you know that that will be played – made yesterday, played tonight. That’s something that digital offers that gives the artist something at hand. As far as with the scene, there is a sentimental value to vinyl, but the market viability is not there anymore, unfortunately.
Do you guys think you’ll take the win over Technimatic?
Stunna: I think we’re playing a lot of different stuff than them. I’ve been a big fan of both those guys for years. I know they’re working on an album right now. I think they’re playing some of that stuff. For this type of show, I’m going to be playing all original tracks, and I think John (Place 42) will be playing mostly just Telluric label stuff, and that’s what’s cool about tonight. Everyone gets the chance to play all their own tunes if they wanted to. So, what might be a big tune in one person’s set, another big tune for us would be a totally different vibe.
Place 42: The one thing I want to add, I think we have the unique thing going for us. I think our music is very unique. I think our production style is unorthodox at times and very unique.
Is there anything else you guys want to talk about or shamelessly promote?
Place 42: www.telluricrecordings.com. We are completely independent, completely on the ground, and what we’re doing is really a testament to not what is big or necessarily commercially viable within the scene, but what we truly believe within our sound. That’s one thing that we’ve always stuck to is really a pureness within our sound, and the day that I deviate from that path is the day that I’ll no longer be doing what I’m doing.
That’s respectable. You’re good?
Stunna: I’m good. greenroomdnb.com
Place 42: Every Wednesday.
