NEWS
EVENTS
We got Santé's two pennies on deep house and debut album Current
House | Wednesday 22nd October 2014 | Cristina
Santé, AKA Germany’s Philipp Maier, is a prominent member of the international house and techno scene, with a manic global touring schedule which just this year, has included London’s XOYO, Sankeys Manchester, Amsterdam Dance Event and Ibiza opening and closing events. He is a certified ‘Viva Warrior’ – a member of Steve Lawler’s clan of house representatives which has been throwing parties since 2012, having released material on Lawler’s label Viva Music as well as Hot Creations and Defected, labels which need no introduction. He began his own label, Avotre, in 2012, to expand his creative freedom and platform like-minded artists. It is on Avotre that he will release his debut album, Current, on October 27th.
When I first spoke to Santé, it was a few hours before his Avotre boat party on the 24th September, which he co-headlined with close friend, compatriot and label-mate Sidney Charles. The event - the Lost in Ibiza Sunset Boat Party - represents the point Santé has come to in his career. "This is not boat party weather," he threatens on the phone, observing the ominous clouds looming over San Antonio. However, the closing party special was a packed-out success, boasting a catamaran ride into the sunset with dancers and massage angels, soundtracked by the Avotre duo. One who has earned the right to experiment with his sound, Santé is edging closer to a position of lasting influence, which the release of Current is sure to confirm.
Recorded mostly in London, with a lot of work done on the Roland FA101, the LP took a little over a year to make. Although the LP was a long time coming, it seems that hard work has paid off: "I’m happy with the album and the ‘Awake’ remixes are amazing. Pablo Nouvelle was a guy I wanted to work with for ages as he doesn’t normally remix, he does a lot of acoustic work, and that shines through on what he’s done with it."
Originally from Ulm, a small city near Stuttgart, Maier moved to Berlin about ten years ago and began working in a studio - the first big step towards Current. Maier explains how he bided his time releasing the LP, creating it across the world: "I wanted to comprehensively show where I was coming from, why I love house and electronic stuff like this. That’s why I took so much time before I ever thought of releasing an album, I never wanted to before. I didn’t feel it was the right time for me. An album is like an unborn baby. It’s not enough to produce something which is a partial accomplishment of your goals, it has to be complete".
Current is hugely different from previous Santé productions, embracing melodic deep house much closer to Maya Jane Coles than the work of his Berlin techno contemporaries. It steps away from the booming tech-house that characterised his earlier work and collaborations with Sidney Charles – music made to be played by serious techno DJs for the dancefloor of big rooms. Its contents couldn’t be further from tracks like ‘Blow’, the breathless, Berghain-ready stomper. It steps to the left, away from the warehouse rave and into home-listening territory, without losing the persistent beat which makes Santé unquestionably listenable and danceable.
Each track stands well alone and all are compositionally varied – the LP is song-based with its focus spread evenly across tracks instead of one or two long cuts. It finds Santé utilising pop structures to his advantage whilst most commendably, retaining the energy of his more techno-based work and keeping the LP firmly located in the underground. It is contemplative and moody, taking cues from atmospheric house like Stick by This-era Dusky and distantly, downtempo like Tycho or Lone.
As an artist riding the wave of the deep house boom of the last five years or so and clearly profiting from the success of the genre, I wonder how Santé views it and believes he fits into it. After all, with any swing in a certain musical direction comes the risk of oversaturation, as vision becomes fad. Current seems purposeful, not at all like deep house for deep house’s sake. How does he navigate the sometimes murky waters of the scene? I want to hear from a man at the centre of deep house which artists and releases are here to stay, rather than become a footnote in dance music history.
"When genres implode like that they become a threat to the artists, they restrict them and hold them in…I think it’s a real problem that businesses and promoters encourage rubbish music because it sells and as a result, originality ends up getting stamped out. Deep house sounded very different when I first started making music, when maybe DJs like Jamie [Jones] were pushing it forward. However, I don’t think it’s of a higher quality than what’s coming out now. There’s a fair amount of deep house in pop these days, but that’s different to it becoming commercial, and I think it’s a positive development. Artists like Route 94 are making great music.”
Having cleared that up, we go on to discuss the striking opening tune of the LP, ‘Intimacy’, featuring the vocals of J.U.D.G.E – Peer Music-signed Richard Judge, who appears once more later in the LP. One of the most melodic cuts from the release, it stands in contrast to Maier’s latest release with Charles, ‘All Night Long’ – bouncy, playful, four-to-the-floor, which is testament to Santé’s versatility.
‘Momentary’ is an album highlight, easily sporting the strongest groove of the album’s rough hour of running time, its heavy bass the starring role until a breakdown of cosmic New-Agey synths, which exit before they break the LP’s spell of subtle tension. ‘Interlude’ is perhaps the most surprising moment on the album, a minute of piano-led trapstep, tied to the rest of the LP only by its warm reverb and soft-edged percussion. It sounds relevant though, inviting a tense lull before the rhythm proceeds and the intensity of lead single ‘Awake’ kicks in.
A plaintive, high-energy anthem with a surging chorus which goes ‘I’ve been awake for too long’, it’s like a more radio-friendly version of Faithless’ ‘Insomnia’. "‘Awake’ is my favourite track from the album" says Santé. Lyrically and musically, the track is reflective, pensive and dark, along with the rest of the LP. I ask Santé if it represents his own recent experiences, if it’s a personal one. "It’s not about insomnia explicitly…I think everyone can relate to that feeling, of having been awake for too long. Like when you leave a club and it’s daylight and the glamour of the night fades." Maier spending a cold December in London whilst writing the LP undoubtedly influenced the more melancholic of the tracks, which are indeed suited to soothing afterhours comedowns.
Did he write the lyrics? "No, I left that to native speakers…I don’t think that I could ever write English lyrics to my satisfaction." It’s a sentiment which captures the perfectionist approach he took to the LP. One can hope for more of the same from Ulm’s biggest producer. Although, if Current proves anything, it’s that anything could come next.
For more information on Santé see below:
https://soundcloud.com/sante
For more information on Avotre see below:
