Andrew Claristidge – The ‘Dance Epidemix – Danser Ou Mourir’ Ransom Note Mix

 
Music

You may well know Andrew Claristidge as one half of French house duo Acid Washed – pretty soon we're sure you're going to know of him as a solo act in his own right. The suave synth enthusiast has just added the finishing touches to his debut album, a 12 track rumination on the "plague of dancing" that siezed the citizens of Strasbourg in 1518. Clearly it's not going to be standard tech-house fare. In fact the album sounds like an instant classic, a trawl through electro and techno that thrums with dark wit squeezed from wheezing equipment.

To celebrate, we've asked Andrew to make us a mix, and he's obliged with an hour of the finest in modern electro – play away to your hearts content, read our quick interview below, go and check him out on Soundcloud, and rush out and buy the album, Danser ou mourir when it's released on November 21st. 

 

Please introduce yourself…

Andrew Claristidge, I am French and I am living in Bretagne and sometimes in Berlin. 

Who are you, where are you and what are you?

Who? I just told you… 
I am in my studio somewhere in the universe. 
I am a living organism.

Describe your sound without using the letter 'e’.

Cosmic, trippy & not too organic.

If you were trapped on a desert island with one other person, who would you choose? How long would it be before you eat them?

I would choose my wife. It would take time before I would eat her. Sex is better than food….

Your doctor says you need more exercise….what do you take up for exercise?

Riding my bike (I always do…)

If you could travel in time…where in time would you go? Why? 

July 1518. Those days of the Dancing Plague and make those sick people dance to my music.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Plague_of_1518

What was the first electronic record you heard and how did it make you feel?
Kraftwerk « Radioactivity ». I felt irradiated…

How does your brain work when making music? How does it work when you aren’t?

My brain is confused when I am making´music.
My brain is confused  anyway…

Who is your favourite musical Andrew?

I am not really into musical but if I have to name one: Leonard Bernstein´s « MASS » .

What about non-musical Andrew?

No music no pleasure… 

When did you last stick your head in a bass bin?

I never did but I am considering doing it tonight.. 

Are you a kick drum, hi hat or a snare? And why?

Snare. It is powerful and you can always count on it… 

What’s your shoe size?

Too small to talk about it… 

Do you read books still? If so what?

Sure. From Houellebecq to Asimov to Theodor W. Adorno… Very various. 

What would be your ideal date? Asking for a friend.

No ideal, no plan, always improvising… 

How far would you go to get your music heard?

Not too far. I just need a computer and a phone. 

How do you like your meat cooked?

Medium rare… But it can be changing according to my mood. 

Onto the mix…

Into the mix… 

Where was the mix recorded?

In my house in Bretagne. 

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

Driving a Delorean thru Detroit late night …

What should we be wearing?

What ever you want to… Maybe try to think John Carpenter « Christine ». 

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location/system/format?

I have my dream setting home… I do not need a lot. Maybe I would like to try at The Hacienda but I guess it is a bit too late…

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

They are all my favorite. I never play a track I do not love. 

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

The once which has the more clicks/views… đŸ™‚ 

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Liza N Eliaz. Because Liza was one of the most radical and skilled DJ. 

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

One technics mk2, one BST PR106 and a mixer I can not even remember the brand.
Now… 1 MK2, Computer & machines… Sort of an anti DJ set up…

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

All the tracks you are playing… The first will set the mood and the last track will engraved the memory of the listeners. 

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first: Blondie « Heart of glass » 
The last: Giovanni Di Domenico / Jim O´Rourke « Arco » 

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

It will taste like space food.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_food

If it was an animal what would it be?

Howl.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything?

You can mix everything. It depends how good your are… I am very good at mixing…

Upcoming in the world of Andrew Claristidge?

My very first solo album. Andrew Claristidge  «  Danser ou mourir » (WYN&M/Mille Feuilles) 

Anything else we need to discuss?

Oh yeah do you have few more hours and a bottle of Peat Monster?