Dial back to earlier in the year and you’ll see that our long running appreciation of DVS1’s Mistress Recordings imprint hit a fresh high with an entry from Zurich’s Club Zukunft resident Look Like. As is usually the way with the hardworking resident, you may not have heard the name beforehand but the release has started to see a somewhat upward trajectory for the DJ and producer.
After exchanging a few appreciative words since Mistress 09, we managed to lock down the normally low-key producer for a mix session and quick-fire interview for Inverted Audio.
Interview by Simon Whight
"As a young producer it’s not always easy to get in touch with label owners. Sometimes it takes weeks for an answer and after that it goes even longer if they ever decide to release it."
You’re a resident of Zukunft, could you tell us a little about the club and your journey towards becoming resident there?
Zukunft is a club in Zurich, which is run by DJs and promoters formerly from Dachkantine [another venue in Zurich] and is a key club for the Swiss electronic music culture. They opened their doors in 2005 and have consistently kept to a strong and versatile programming philosophy.
I played there for the first time in 2014 and, as time passed, I started to get to know the people running the place. In 2015 I released an EP called “Babe“ on Drumpoet Community, which is a sister label of the Club, and from that point onwards it started to become my home.
Obviously you don’t just play at the one club, what has been your most memorable night on your travels recently?
Probably the Christmas night 2016 at the Hinterhof Club in Basel where they have the tradition of inviting DVS1 every Christmas. The year before that night, I had sent him some demos. We got in touch and after a while he picked up his favourite tracks and told me that they would fit on Mistress Recordings. So, when he came back for Christmas 2016, I was booked to open the club for him. It was a great night and kind of symbolic.
The last couple of years have really seen you go through the gears in terms of putting out productions, what spurred you to really accelerate your move into the production game?
I don’t think I’ve intentionally accelerated my output of productions, but early 2016 I started my own imprint ‘Akoya Circles’ with a good friend, so there is probably a relationship. The time felt right to have a platform where we could release music from friends and fit the gap between my releases on other labels. In this mix I have featured two tracks off my new 12“ ‘Delta’, which came out recently.
As a young producer it’s not always easy to get in touch with label owners. Sometimes it takes weeks for an answer and after that it goes even longer if they ever decide to release it.
Having a sift through your Facebook page, you’re absolutely into your hardware. Can you tell us a bit about a few of your favourite pieces?
Yes! Back in 2014 I started to build a Eurorack. It began with a VCO, a low pass filter, LFO and 2-3 other modules from a friend. Right now one of the pieces of gear that I love to use it the Metropolis sequencer from Intellijel. The MMG from Make Noise is also a favourite piece that I love to jam with. The DX7 from Yamaha is a synthesizer that I’m using often in my latest productions, I really like the tone of FM synths.
If you were to cite three pivotal pieces of music in your lifetime of listening, what would they be?
It’s really hard to answer this question but Drexciya ‘Andreaen Sand Dunes’ is a big track for me. Beside the genius, it means a lot to me because I connect it with some great memories.
In terms of house music, maybe I would say Truth ‘The End’. I re-discovered this one around two years ago and it still give me shivers every time. Sadly the record is way too expensive on Discogs, so it still a YouTube listening pleasure for me.
A hip-hop track that had a big impact on me as a listener is from the french crew IAM ‘C’est Donc ça Nos Vies’.
Tell us about the mix – how did you approach assembling it? Was it intently planned or did you just start off and see where you ended up?
I started the mix and my only plans was that I wanted to include some of my latest released productions. It ended up with some sunny house tunes in the beginning and ended up quite a bit faster by the time I got to the end. It combines a lot of different elements that I love in club music, with records new and old.
What does the future hold for Look Like – are there any more releases on the radar, and will you be hitting the road at all?
Yes, I’m in the studio right now finishing a new EP who’s gonna come out via Akoya Circles. I’ve also a kind of Latin house track coming out on the 12 years Drumpoet Community Compilation.
Also, I started a project involving a bunch of really gifted Swiss artists who have all a different electronic musical direction, it still in the making but should come out in 2018.
Discover more about Look Like and Mistress Recordings on Inverted Audio.
Look LikeMistress RecordingsElectronicHouseTechno