360 celebrates its 4th birthday with a double CD from MrMr and Funk D’Void

IT’S RANKED AS the 58th best venue in the world, it’s blessed with panoramic views of Dubai’s ever-expanding coastline and it’s set on its own pier, 200m out into the Arabian Peninsula. And the incomparable venue now has its secod double CD compilation, thanks to Funk D’Void and audio tonic head honcho, Mr Mr.

Set for commercial release on April 23, the fi rst disc comes mixed by Mr Mr and celebrates the last four years of music at 360. ‘More specifi cally, my mix will encompass the tracks that have quite simply, made Fridays,’ commented Mike Bufton, AKA Mr Mr. ‘It’s a mix of old and new, a 10 hour day squashed into 74 minutes if you like – expect Simian Mobile Disco, Arcade Mode, Solila, Jody Wisternoff, Tom Middleton and Orbital. It’s so hard to pick a range of tracks that encompass not only my sound, but the sound of the venue, so I’ve stuck  to tried and tested musical masterpieces that everyone should enjoy, not just the discerning connoisseur.’

And the second CD comes from Lars Sandberg, AKA Funk D’Void. A long-time techno legend, and the man partially responsible for pushing techno away from harsh, robotic rhythms and into a more lush, musical soundscape, he was originally set to play a three hour set last November for audio tonic. But he enjoyed himself so much he played a six hour marathon, providing the dancefl oor with 360 minutes of deep, techy yet soulful grooves. ‘It was an honour for him to be in the booth, and a privilege to have him play for so long, and comment “this has got to be one of the best venues and parties I have ever played – when can I come back?”’, said Mike. ‘It’s only fi tting that we have an artist of such high calibre mix the fi rst dedicated 360 guest CD.’

A quick word with...

DJ Magazine caught up with Lars Sandberg AKA Funk D’Void AKA Francois Dubuois to fi nd out more. Interview Lisa Sant

What is the focus of the compilation?
To promote the deep house sound! And to celebrate 360º as a temple for this music, it really is a global sanctuary. It really surprised me, the reaction and vibe there... it was one of my best nights ever. Very rarely do you fi nd a crowd like that into those specifi c sounds, so I went hogwild! Honestly, the masses don’t get this kind of
music, that’s why we feel special when the magic happens, and people “get” it. For me it’s a war and the deep house army is small. All my heroes and friends play in Dubai and we all talk about it how much fun it is, I can’t wait to come back for this CD launch!

Who are your heroes?
Jimpster, Shurikan, Milton Jackson, Soul Minority, Lovebirds, Vincenzo, Move D, Patrice Scott, Phonique, The Timewriter, 6th Borough Project and Aqua Bassino.

You extended your set by three hours last time which doesn’t often happen? Do you prefer to play longer sets?

It depends on the crowd, totally. It happened again the other week at Decadence in St Petersburg, so you kind of go with the fl ow. I always go with what I’m feeling while performing and of course zero in on some particular faces in the crowd, I’m good at reading that and I have enough of a repertoire to keep it going. It’s all about variety, the journey.

Last time you came to 360 you played under the Francois Dubois moniker, how did you come up with that name?

I did some deep techno under Frank Dubois so I decided to go all out French and create Francois. It’s such a cheesy name for the French but all my French friends understand my humour. It really gives me license to go all-out melodic.

You’ve started a new label - what motivated that?

I feel a need to show my A game now. I’m in this job for life and will focus 100% to keep it that way. I messed around with a label a few years ago, but now I have a team behind me to really step things up - these days you need all the help you can get. I’ve found a lot of my time is wasted on internet promo/blogs/marketing. I need to concentrate on my music. I toyed with the idea last month, and met the perfect team who are fans of my sound. I could’ve thrown in the towel or let things slip but I’m too ambitious. Plus I can’t do anything else, except maybe write a book with some nice photos. I still have a lot to prove, it’s a Darwinian race…

What’s the main style of sound you will be releasing on this label?

Emotional techno bombs, in a nutshell, kind of like my remix for Vince Watson, music that lasts for months and

How do you approach making a new track?

I usually sample old Drum n bass and jazz records and get a good pattern going with that. Then come the chords and bassline, and then I work the rhythm onto those sounds. I’m doing a monster right now!! I’m using an old jazz brass sample from a vinyl I had in my collection. I sliced it up and EQ’d it and it sounds great as a hook, deep techno with feeling and power!

What is your DJ set up?

I use a Macbook Pro with Traktor scratch and a midi controller, the new x1 Native Instruments for EFX using control CDs or vinyl.

When did you make the transition to Traktor?

It was years ago in the early nineties. It was the fi rst version, I remember Richie and John Acquaviva talking about the project ; it was also when Beatport was starting.

Do you think the essence of mixing is lost with Traktor, since the computer essentially does it for you?

Sometimes you miss the looseness. I like to use the controls. For house I think it sounds better when you’re mixing because it’s not so loop based. I’m a big fan of letting the track breathe, anything more than three decks is too much for my ears. My sounds are quite colourful with a lot of frequencies so it can be tough. I’m having fun with my Yamaha Tenori-on. It comes up with great hooks that you wouldn’t normally get by physically playing a keyboard; for writing chords and basslines it’s ace. I take it on the road and save any ideas into an SD card. It has an onboard synth plus you can put your own short sample into it. It’s an old way of step-sequencing. I use it in my studio then bring it home for my kids to play on it and then use it as an alarm clock. Sadly, it doesn’t make coffee though.