LAMP Weekly Mix #124 feat. Eric Sharp
LAMP Weekly Mix #124 feat. Eric Sharp
Earlier on this year we featured another member of the Rock It Science Labs label, DJ Whitney Fierce. MR PUZL had the pleasure of interviewing her and published what we felt was one of the more in-depth and sincere Q&As the LAMP Weekly Mix has had to date. Today we return to the label with a feature on the head honcho himself Eric Sharp. Since his early days of underground warehouse promotions, Eric has been a purveyor of an eclectic but refined sound of electronic music spanning a multitude of genres. Today with a robust discography under his belt and at the helm of a thought-leading record label in Rock It Science Labs, Mr. Sharp is converting listeners to his own brand of house one beat at a time. To learn a bit more about this prolific producer and DJ check out MR PUZL's interview below.MR PUZL: We've been looking forward to your Guest Mix and it's a pleasure to have you on the series. What have you got in store for our listeners?Eric Sharp: Thanks Alex, it’s my pleasure to share some tunes with you. This mix is comprised of a couple of my own productions mixed in with some of my favorite new tracks that inspire me.MP: I've heard your music played in a variety of environments and settings. It is approachable yet carries qualities that invoke more experimental and abstract moods. Your label Rock It Science Labs insinuates the idea of music being sort of a science experiment at times. Would you draw a similar comparison to how you approach your own productions?ES: No, I don’t think so. Science experiments have a very clear structure and conclusion. The only scientific aspect to my productions is my approach to music theory, which I am constantly endeavoring to understand more deeply. I build chord progressions in an analytical fashion. Since I’m not a classically trained pianist that makes it difficult for me to write chords just by riffing. However everything else from drum programming to melodies to track structure/arrangement is about as unscientific as you could possibly get. I put things where they feel right. I aspire towards a surrealist approach in my work where my unconscious is made manifest through autonomous creations that I am a vessel for.MP: By the same token, producers can often struggle to break out of their comfort zone and freedom of expression can be sacrificed to garner attention from charts and mainstream media. You seem free of those tendencies. How do you observe that landscape and approach your production?ES: That sounds about as interesting as assembling toasters. If I don’t love what I am doing then I am wasting my life, and that is one of my biggest fears. I’m sure that there are things I could be doing (bootleg remixes, formulaic productions, etc) that would grow my “brand” faster. Whether a curse or a blessing, I possess a sense of integrity and a deep respect for music and art in general that doesn’t allow me to take these types of short cuts. My road may be more winding than some, but it’s a hell of an adventure.MP: This permeates into your DJ sets as well providing crowds with a unique experience each time you play. Given the opportunity to play and host your own event on a substantial budget where would it be and how would you curate the night?ES: This was fun to think about. I’d produce a 24 hour event at Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The event would start at noon with warm, vibey, mid tempo tunes of the sleazy disco nature. It would move into a deep house vibe as the sun went down, slowly building in energy toward a more assertive techno peak that would run from 2am to 5 am. I’m talking banging Detroit / Chicago style jack track techno here, not minimal k-hole soundtracks. The sunrise would be ushered in by some more introspective grooves and then the morning set would just get weird. I’m pointedly not taking this opportunity to namedrop my favorite artists, but find me this budget and I guarantee a night and day that would not soon be forgotten.MP: You came to LA via San Francisco a few years ago, but your originally from Natick, Massachusetts. How did you end up on the West Coast? What were some of your earliest musical memories from the East Coast? Did you play any instruments growing up?ES: How does anybody end up anywhere? I packed up a van with all of my belongings and moved to San Francisco for a change of scenery and pace. I heard that there was a great music scene, that it was a sexually liberated costume-wearing freak show, and that the dot com crash had made it pseudo affordable to move there. I feel very lucky to have experienced that city when I did. I see a lot of my favorite people from that era around LA these days.My first instrument was trumpet, which I learned by taking lessons and playing in my school’s band. This is where my understanding of theory has its roots. I can read music and I understand scales and keys from this early education. I later taught myself to play guitar. When I started producing house tunes I would write a chord progressions in my mind on a guitar. I would then have to figure out which keyboard notes corresponded with the guitar frets in order to lay it down.I grew up listening to everything from The Fat Boys to Michael Jackson to G’n’R & Nirvana. My first concert was Pink Floyd, and I went to a mind-blowing Lollapalooza that featured Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, RHCP and Ice Cube. In high school I got turned on to dance music when my raver friend at summer school played me an M Gee mixtape and some classic Chicago House. I had flunked out of gym class for too many absences. Liquid Todd used to broadcast live from Axis in Boston and I would tune into him and his guest djs. I was hooked on dance music immediately which began a love affair that has yet to cease.MP: In an interview back in 2012 you remarked that "I like writing music as a form of self-expression" and that "My tunes are very much influenced by my feelings and moods..." I agree and would say that many forms of art reflect those sentiments. What is it about music that guided you towards using it as your medium to create?ES: Two things. Firstly, dancing is a profoundly uplifting spiritual experience for me. My connection to music and dancing all night completely sober at underground raves in New England got me through some very dark periods of my life. It offered a healthy release that my soul craved and I wish to facilitate that experience for others. Secondly, when I’m in a good writing zone the music explodes out of me faster than I can write it.MP: Your latest work 'A Little More' was a labor of love that started almost 3 years ago. What inspired you to revisit the track? How much of the original composition and structure remain in the final version?ES: I produced 'A Little More' initially as part of a proposed follow-up to my Sharp Cuts release on Win Music. Unfortunately while the EP that we did together was successful in many respects, it was clear that I needed a stronger team on my side to work with the label in order to maximize mutual benefit. After I tried a couple of managers over the next couple of years who didn’t pan out, Win was gracious enough to give me the rights back to these tracks so that I could continue to grow organically. This opened the door to releasing the tune, but I’d come a long way as a producer since then. The original composition and structure were virtually unchanged when I revisited the track. I worked with my good friend Chris Arvan on updating the mix, master, sound design and vocal arrangement.MP: Both of the featured artists on the track bring something exciting and dynamic to the table. I read about your encounter with Spencer at a Capital Cities show and how that working relationship transpired. However, I'm not as familiar with Shandra Dixon but know she's part of a 5 piece group called N.U.M. How did you first come to work with her on this track?ES: This was a chance meeting at an infamous Stafford Brothers mansion party in the Hollywood Hills. I met Shandra and her collaborator Milana, and was flirting at first until I found out that they were vocalists. This happens a lot since I don’t date in the industry. We swapped info and after checking out their music I was relieved to learn that they were legit. LA’s lip service to talent ratio can be out of whack at times. Anyhow I sent the track over and they jumped on it. I loved how uplifting the lyrics were, and the spot-on performance from Shandra really suited the vibe nicely.MP: Your track 'Time Drips' was used in a Major League Soccer PSA about discrimination a few years back. That must have been rewarding to have your sound associated with such a meaningful message. If you could create an original work for a cause you are passionate about today, what would it be?ES: Yes, having my music used in conjunction with such a great message was very exciting. I credit Win Music and Caroline Distribution for putting that together with MLS. However I don’t create original works for external projects to date. I have a lot of friends that produce demos for various media. While I can see the rewards there, it’s not something I’ve felt drawn to as yet. I create music. If someone is moved to use it with visual media and it’s a win/win then I’m stoked. I believe in a lot of causes; I don’t think I can pick one cause to answer this. I’m passionate about health and wellness, environmental action, and raising awareness around the stratification of wealth and power in our society.MP: Since 2005, Rock It Science Laboratories was known in San Francisco for throwing some of the coolest underground parties. Your collaboration with DJ Fame eventually pivoted the brand towards a record label format in 2010. What prompted this shift in focus and where do you see the label headed this year and beyond?ES: We stopped throwing warehouse parties because the cops started cracking down on them and confiscating sound equipment. Launching a music label just seemed like the next step. I had some marketing skills so I figured I could build some kind of a platform to push music and artists. As do all things, it’s evolved with time. Today RIS Labs is more of a collective of artists collaborating together and pushing each other to be their best. My goal is for everyone involved to grow together in their art and their business. I do see this taking place. I think Wild & Free is really about to explode. Obviously I’m pushing out songs of my own as well, and Whitney Fierce will have some new work out soon. We’ve also got some great collaborations and solo projects in the works from our other members, including a scorcher of a collab EP that Give In and Bystander made.MP: As you continue to grow your label as well as expanding your own discography. What kind of styles are you gravitating towards at the moment? What artists are inspiring your own work?ES: Our label isn’t driven by a specific sound, so it’s going to be whatever the artists make it. As for myself, I have continued to work with talented songwriters and producers in collaborative efforts. I’m very excited about the stack of music I am preparing for release. In terms of inspiration, I try not to make my work derivative so I’m not starting sessions with any other tracks or artists in mind per se. If I produce something that is too far afield from what I’m known for then I simply don’t release it but am happy to have expressed a mood or a vibe regardless. My influences generally range from classic house artists like Armand Van Helden, Green Velvet, Todd Edwards and Roy Davis Junior to current dons Disclosure, Alex Metric, Kidnap Kid and way too many others to mention. I like artists that break genre boundaries and make unique sounding productions that reach into my soul and move my body.
Tracklist
1. Eric Sharp - A Little More ft. Spencer Ludwig & Shandra Dixon2. Alex Newell, Jess Glynne, DJ Cassidy & Nile Rodgers - Kill The Lights (Yolanda Be Cool Remix)3. The Aston Shuffle - Only 1 ft. Nathaniel S. Lewis4. Friend Within - Move Me5. Gorgon City - All Four Walls (Terrace Dub)6. Riton - Rinse & Repeat ft. Kah-Lo (Alex Metric Remix)7. Get Real - Mind Yo Business8. Latroit - Need You Tonight (Kevin Saunderson & Tommy Onyx Remix)9. Baaba Maal - Fulani Rock (Henrik Schwarz Remix)10. Justin Martin - Hello Clouds ft. Femme11. Eric Sharp & Tenova - Slow Me Down12. Kidnap Kid - Moments ft. Leo StennardEnjoy,<3 LAMP