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Features
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Interview with South Africa’s freshest export Anton Nathrass
Reported by The Greg & Gregology
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Submitted 18-05-06 11:35
10 years ago, all it took to amaze a crowd or be recognised was the ability to put a needle on the record and juggle a few beats. Obviously times have changed now and with every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to be a dj it has obviously become increasingly difficult for up and coming artists to be recognised. But when a certain talent does rise above the rest, you can be rest assured that it has taken much more than just a few sets to get to that level of respect in the scene we know now.
Anton Nathrass is South Africa’s freshest export and leader amongst this new wave of passion driven, talented young artists. Heralded by Steve Blues, Editor of South Africa’s largest dance culture website Mr Spencer (www.mrspencer.co.za), as a dj that has ‘injected a new enthusiasm into the local dance scene by pouring every ounce of his creative energy into the dance floors he serves’, it’s no wonder he’s made waves all the way back to the UK. After being voted the number 1 dj by the Clubber’s Guide of South Africa in 2005 and with enough momentum to carry a tsunami across the Sahara Desert, Anton has stormed the South African masses and has stirred up enough swells to make the Mecca of dance, the United Kingdom, sit up and take notice.
Making his debut international set in London at the Fridge for Innovate, it is certainly not a bad way to begin making his mark on the international circuit. From there he’ll be heading north to continue his UK tour and play alongside JFK for Tranceplant in Nottingham. We managed to catch up with Anton Nathrass to get the low-down on what’s currently happening in his world . . .
Hi Anton, thanks for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to catch up with us. So tell us some background information as to where you come from as a dj and how would you describe the sound you play?
As a child I mostly grew up in boarding schools and one of the few things we were allowed to have in our rooms was a radio, so I developed a strong passion for music at an early age. In high school I became good friends with our local school dj (Morne) who always played at the school dances and I was totally fascinated with what he did and how he did it those days. Just the fact that he was able to share the music he loved with the kids on the dance floor excited me and I also wanted to share all the music I love with people. From that point onwards the friendship grew mutually through music and he also introduced me to turntables, so that’s basically how it started for me.
I love most genres of electronic dance music and do bring certain elements of different genres into my sets, but if I have to describe my sound it would generally be trance, may it be progressive, tech or uplifting.
What is it about trance that first attracted you to it and have you always played trance?
I started out practicing with house music as it was easier for me to learn how to mix. At the time we (myself and Morne) used a normal CD player with no pitch control and an old hi-fi turntable with a pitch that you had to turn with a screw driver. I always loved warm beautiful music, with melodies and good vocals, so trance was naturally the genre that I loved from the start, and trance is what moves me the most. It totally inspires me and I am honoured to be able to share something I am deeply passionate about with people on a dance floor. It’s a huge kick and rush of energy that I can’t put into words.
South Africa is situated in a fairly remote part of the world in terms of clubbing hotspots and with so many djs out there trying to make it on the global scene, in your opinion, what makes a dj stand out from the rest of the djing crowd and sets the pace for others to follow?
There are many elements coming into play if you want to make yourself stand out, like promoting yourself, playing at the most recognised events and clubs, producing top quality tunes and ensuring that you deliver a good set to punters, but at the end of the day it’s all about passion. Passion is the root of it all. When a person is passionate there is a natural drive and desire to go further in all directions. People see the reality of themselves in others and who ever inspires or touches people the most is the one they follow or try and be in my humble opinion.
You are about to break onto the international circuit, you have held residencies at some of Johannesburg's and South Africa’s top clubs, (i.e. E.S.P. and Hideout) and you've already played alongside many world class djs, such as Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren and John 00 Fleming to name a few. Where to from here — what aspirations do you have for the near future as a dj/producer?
I would love to be able to make a living doing what I love and that is my goal. Currently I still have a day job in the corporate world to support my passion and to be able to pay all the bills at the end of each month. I also need to focus more on my music production as I am not satisfied with what we have done so far with local engineers. The downside of being in South Africa for a dj/producer is that we don’t have all the experienced engineers, music production schools or platforms for it. It’s only now starting to happen and sure it will take some time before S.A engineers/producers will be able to produce music of international quality. We lack all the specialized equipment, expertise and money. It’s very expensive to gear up a good studio due to our exchange rate. I must add that there are many promising engineers/ producers here in S.A and it’s only a matter of time before they make a mark on the international stage.
You've been buying and playing music for almost 10 years, which artists influenced you when you first started playing and which artists are currently inspiring your sound at the moment?
All the top trance djs/artists like PVD, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, John 00 Fleming, Armin van Buuren and particularly Paul Oakenfold. When I first started playing I always got my hands on live sets and Okey had this quality to touch you in just the right way at the right time. There are so many talented artists these days that push out top quality productions. Ian Betts, Martin Roth, Octagen, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Gabriel & Dresden, John Askew, John O’Callaghan, Kyau vs. Albert, Stoneface & Terminal, Sander van Doorn, Mac Zimms (hot property at the moment with his productions of late), Thomas Bronzwaer, Simon Patterson, The Thrillseekers, Kuffdam & Plant and Super 8 vs. DJ Tab to name but a few.
All these djs’/artists’ music and more inspires me. I love buying new tunes on the net as it excites me and gets all the creative juices flowing in a big way.
Have you ever hit a low point where you thought of hanging up the DJ gloves and if so, what motivated you to press on to where you are now?
I have thought of doing that on a professional level at times due to frustrations and challenges one faces following your dreams. I would never be able to stop playing music at home although I have thought of hanging up the gloves professionally in clubs, mostly due to lack of funds to support my passion.
The music, loyal support from local punters, my friends and fellow djs, girlfriend and family is what motivates me to work harder towards my goals. It also only takes one good tune to get you all fired up again.
You're sponsored by Serato Scratch so we don't really need to ask you what your take is on the whole vinyl vs. technology saga, but what made you choose to mix with this type of Digital Media (software to CD integration) instead of just mixing off the usual CDs or vinyl?
To say that digital will replace vinyl among DJs would be an overstatement. Vinyl remains the heart and soul of djs.
I decided to embrace digital music due to the high price we pay for vinyl in S.A. Once again this is because of our exchange rate and the weight of the vinyl. If I want to keep my tunes fresh and up to date I need to buy a lot of music on a regular basis so it made sense to go the digital route as it is simply cost effective.
I chose Serato Scratch because there is a difference in quality of analog (vinyl) and digital (Wave/CD/mp3). Vinyl simply sounds better and Serato Scratch manipulates the sound files to give you a good quality sound over the sound system. CD players like the pioneer CDJ 1000 series have built in compressors, but not all clubs and events have them.
A lot of djs here also use Ableton live, which is a stunning product yet I prefer mixing tunes myself. I would say it boils down to what you feel comfortable with and enjoy most provided you give the paying punter top class entertainment. Technology truly transforms today’s dj and technology changes at a rapid rate so who knows what djs will end up using in the future.
Obviously djing and spending time in the studio takes up most of your time, but what do you do in your spare time?
I spend time with people close to me as well as my boy who is three years old. South Africa is a beautiful country and there are many places you can break away to and humble oneself in nature or admire awe-inspiring places and views.
It must be difficult to narrow it down, but in the selection of all the tracks you’ve ever played in the past . . . a) which track has done the most damage on the floors you’ve performed on? and c) which track do you wish you’d actually made?
He he, yes it is difficult to narrow it down as I love so many tunes and a lot of them had a big impact.
a) Young Parisians feat. Ben Lost — ‘Jump the Next Train’
The tune had a large impact on dance floors here and I kept it in my box for some time.
b) Sisko — ‘Light over Me’ (Gate of Light mix)
An old one but there is so much beauty in this tune!
c) Sasha & Maria — ‘Be As One’
A message of true unity, something no religion, country or government has accomplished yet amongst mankind.
Most of the music on the harder edge of the spectrum is produced in Europe. In your last interview on MrSpencer.co.za (the most popular dance culture website in S.A.) you definitely come across patriotic and passionate about your home country. Does this show in the music you play or is there anything distinctly recognisable in the programming of your sets that would define a certain element or feel for being ‘Loudly and Proudly’ South African?
I must admit that I am patriotic because I love South Africa so much. I love the friendly people, open spaces and sunny weather. I also value all the support I get from local punters.
I wouldn’t say that there is a distinct sound or element in my sets that show I am South African. I always aim to play the best produced music from around the world and in the same breath I am a firm believer that electronic dance music speaks a universal language. Music in general is a reflection of human experience and emotion no matter where you are. Each dj has their own sound and feel, even if some have the exact same tunes, to me that’s the beauty of djing.
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to play with the Innovate crew at The Fridge as well as Tranceplant in Nottingham the weekend after. I am looking forward to the experience as I am sure that it would broaden my current perspective on things.
It’s such an overused question but we couldn’t help ourselves so what’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you in the club while you were playing a set?
Not too long ago I had a young, ‘very inspired’ bedroom dj walk up to the dj box with his record bag to ask me if he could play ‘one on one’ with me. It totally freaked me out and I couldn’t believe he asked me that in the heat of the moment of a packed club. It seemed so normal to him and he could not understand why I kindly declined.
Where in South Africa do you enjoy playing the most and why?
My favourite club without a doubt is E.S.P. The club has been going for 10 years now and can host up to 4000 people when all the floors are open. The trance floor is in what we call the cave, dungeon or sweat box (many people have their own name for the floor) and it has an amazing vibe.
My favourite event in S.A is Escape or Hangar 51. In winter it is called Escape and in summer it is Hangar 51 and hosts 8000 people in an aeroplane hanger with a house floor on the runway.
And finally, give your definition of the word ‘Innovate’ . . . meta-musically speaking.
Meta-musically speaking . . .
To me it means to begin or introduce some thing new for the first time. To be creative, fresh or to think outside of the box . . . . Better yet, there is no box!
Catch Anton in London at the Fridge for Innovate on Saturday 20 May (Details here: www.innovateuk.net)
and in Nottingham for Tranceplant at The Venue on Friday 26 May. (Details here: http://www.tranceplantuk.com/)
Anton is sponsored by Rane and Serato Scratch. For more info please log onto: http://www.antonnathrass.com
All photos courtesy of Adam Viles and Anton Nathrass. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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