Having a turn on the turntables (well, CDJ’s to be precise) is this weeks guest Ausgang. A mix which is one part pumping house and one part driving techno. His hour undulates between the dusty kick drums of lo-fi house and the complex synths of some serious techno. Ausgang rides these troughs and peaks with a deft hand, sending listeners into a spiral before pulling them ours with a serious vocal refrain of killer baseline.
AMF caught up with Ausgang on a sunny Sunday, having a few beers at Eastern Bloc. Talked turned to Ausgang’s suspect past, bootlegging baseline and Kanye West CD’s in secondary school.
Let’s start by talking about your mix. Punching house music and driving techno. Does this mix sum up your sound and how did you approach the hour?
I like to be quite versatile so the mix shows all the types of music I’m really enjoying within the 120 to 130 BPM range at the minute. I played a lot of different bits in there it starts off quite slow, a bit of lo-fi in there. I delve into techno and then smoothed it back out at the end. If you see me doing a set that sort of represents my sound. I like progression in my sets, musically I like to work a set up to a peak, drop it back down and then build the music up again.
Are there any DJ’s you cite as inspirations?
I started DJ’ing drum & bass so my biggest inspiration was Marcus Intalex. The way he’s gone from genre to genre, doing his Intalex stuff to his Trevino stuff and then his work with Solar and Revolver as well. He’s a big inspiration for me because he should me you can DJ so many different genres and that’s the sort of thing I want to go for as well. I don’t want to be strictly one sound I want to play sets that will surprise people and get them moving at the same time.
Are there any standout tracks in the mix you wouldn’t mind sharing?
Well, there’s the Sportsman track at the end, the very last track of the mix. That track really sums up the sort of stuff I’m getting into now. It’s that lo-fi 90’s house sounding stuff. I’m really feeling that sound, that dusty kick drum. There are a few heavy tracks in there too. The Alan Fitzpatrick Skeksis track, it’s one of those tracks you just gotta play because it’s a good track.
Cool, let’s rewind the clocks a bit. How long have you been DJ’ing & how did you get into DJ’ing?
I suppose my DJ’ing started just because I loved music. I wanted to start dj’ing when i was very young probably about 15 I used to pirate niche and baseline music. I’d burn tracks on to CD and sell them at school. I’d sell everything from baseline to Kanye West albums. (Editors note: you were basically a musical fence, selling knock of CD from under a novelty trench coat) So it started from there. One of my friends gave me a fabric live CD and started listening to more house and techno.
When I was 16 I got my first pair of decks, a pair of cams I bought of my friend for about sixty quid of a friend who was upgrading and i just went from there. Until I bought a pair of Pioneer CDJ’s I don’t think I could actually beat match, it was literally just me guessing and playing tunes I was enjoying.
How are you finding being a solo DJ? When I say that I mean you haven’t got a collective you’re working or a club night you’re using to catapult you into the ‘limelight’. So what are you doing to make a name for yourself?
At the minute I’m doing quite a few live streams, I’m trying to do a live stream every couple of weeks through my page. Also, I’m spending a lot of time in front of the computer getting some tunes built so when I start playing them in the sets or sending them out to labels that’s something else that’s going to differentiate me.
I’ve had a couple of invites onto a few radios shows so it’s just keeping on plugging away with that. Also because I’m not from Manchester, I’m going to start something a bit more local in Blackburn. There isn’t much of a scene from where I’m from but I’ve got a lot of connections now in Manchester I can bring up to Blackburn. That’s one of my plans is to start bringing a few people up to Blackburn for events and do a bit of a showcase at a little place called Sunbird in Darwen.
Tell us about your production setup then?
I’m using logic with my Mac. It’s mostly software at the moment I’ve got a little Novation Circuit Groovebox which is really good for just patterning out drums and playing with ideas. Also for loading samples in. But at the minute i’m after the SP 303 so yeah. . . if anyone knows where a cheap 303 is, hit me up.
I’ve got a lot of unfinished projects (Who doesn’t) I’m the type of person who’ll spend 6 hours on a track, get up the next day listen to it and go that’s whack and start again. So I’ve a lot of unfinished projects but I think when I find the sample that will work with the piece I’ll go and sit down and finish it. I am still learning at the minute so it’s probably good to have a few different styles going. I’m always learning a few different techniques.
As a DJ just starting out in the industry do you look around and worry the market might be saturated? Or do you welcome the competition and the number of people who are ‘DJ’s’ at the minute?
It is difficult in a sense but healthy competition is not a bad thing. I think going back to the previous questions it all about building good relationships with other nights and individuals. There’s gonna be loads of people out there playing the same sound you are and getting together to bounce ideas and work together on events is a great thing.
Is there anyone else around Manchester you look towards and think they’re doing some really cool stuff at the moment?
I really like a guy called Swales at the minute. He’s making a lot of interesting music at the minute and getting a lot of bookings. He’s got some good releases so I’m really liking his style.
What’s coming up for you in the near future?
Yeah, a few more live streams it’s a bit of a slow burner as I’m out of the city. I’m gonna start coming over to Manchester a lot more and work with some more collective and do some pop-ups around town and things. But in a nutshell its live streams and pushing the production.
Be sure to check out Josh De Silva’s mix if you’re looking for some more heavy hitters.
