The Turbo Records artists lineup could be considered one of the most prominent and future orientated groups of producers in the world today. Consisting of everyone from Brodinski to Proxy and Tiga, it's hard to find a rival in terms of global success, especially when you factor in the level of diversity the cohort holds. Perhaps one of the more prominent DJ/producers under the Turbo Records wing is the Montreal born musical sensation 'Tiga'. Luckily enough, Turbo have shot us over some answered questions to feature! They are based predominantly around the upcoming Turbo tour and the answers really tell you a lot about Tiga himself, alongside summing up his opinion on most of the current crop of international DJs. Read ahead, enjoy the chat and look forward to his set at Winter Sound System 2010!
Tell us a little bit about the upcoming Turbo Records tour?
The tour serves a few purposes; (1) I don’t have to tour alone. I think the audience really wants to see me have a good time up there. There's nothing sadder in this world than unrequited fun. It can get lonely touring by yourself. You come offstage with the vitamin water sweats, looking for the right lady to rate tracks on a scale of 1 to 10 with. And there’s no one there for you. No one who really understands. Now there will be at least two people who understand. (2) It forces me to evolve as a DJ, which is a very beautiful thing for a crowd to witness. Digital. Analog. And back again? Count on it. I’m like a shark: if I stop grooving, I’ll die. (3) We all get to hang out together, our loveable gang of huggable li’l misfits. I’m going to try to force everyone to dress like authentic street urchins (newsboy caps, burlap vests), to accentuate that special sense of boyish mischief. Every guest artist can play whatever they like, provided they stay after their sets and dance behind me as I DJ. You want to get paid, you get to the back of the conga line early and often. (4) We will be putting real effort into the production aspect and the visuals. People should expect a full night of magic and smiling and looking and sighing. Post-post-post-everything musical programming. I find that nothing excites the passions like the word “programming.” I feel I should mention that the initial idea was to tour with the same audience for every show. Unfortunately, we found that we couldn’t ship them as cargo, so we’ll have to see who turns up in each city. I can’t wait!
How long did it take to put the tour together?
It’s been a work in progress. On the admin/agent end it’s been a long time, and that’s probably too interesting a story to recount in its entirety. The musical/visual end started around February, so you do the month-math. I have other things to calculate. The tour will evolve a lot in those first few months. May is more about testing the limits of what we can do. By summer, we’ll be a well-greased machine. So try and hold on as we take you for a Greasy Machine Ride. In terms of talent, Planet Turbo is a perfect storm. Like that movie where the fisherman invites his wife over for a big fish dinner and there’s a romantic storm outside and he puts on the Hi-Fi and the feeling’s so right and they make love for the remainder of the film. This tour will capture the feeling of that fisherman having his way with you.
What would you say sets this tour apart?
For one thing, it’s the first tour I’ve made a point of constantly referring to as a “game-changer”. I think the main difference is that we are going to go for a full night of music that really fits together, and visuals that represent that. So, to use the ultimate cliché, it’s a journey. One on which I hope you will let us take you. We want to take the narrative approach of a 70-minute concert and merge it with the 12-hour feel of a warehouse party. Imagine watching “Rattle & Hum” for 12 straight hours in a filthy warehouse. Well, this is even better than that. Picture the entire INXS “Kick” album condensed to eight minutes…then spread that feeling over 6 hours. Then double it.
Your thoughts on...
Erol Alkan? Vowels. One of the big boys. And a great friend.
Boys Noize? Techno kid all grown up. Amazing DJ, and one of the few guys I really trust to destroy a party. Fits right into my Man’s Planz. 2manydjs? The masters of the genre, that genre being party destruction. I had to call in a favor. An inspiration in terms of taking DJ shows into "production" realms (read: bad economics).
Zombie Nation? A big of the extended Turbo family. And it really is a family. I’m the father, and everyone else is like a cousin or stepmother.
Proxy? makes the biggest tracks on Earth, and already a Turbo old-timer. Very much THE Turbo star.
Brodinski? He once told me he loved mayonnaise. I realize now that he was trying to ask me to make him a sandwich. NOBODY asks me to make them a sandwich. THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS. People see those butter knives backstage and they start making assumptions...
Felix da Housecat? Likes to laugh and drink and choke from laughing while drinking.
Gus da Hoodrat? The only guy that can really challenge Henry in raw party-vibe. The living embodiment of the Mick Jagger album Primitive Cool. Easily 300 times cooler than the singer/activist from Midnight Oil.
Finally, when and why did you start Turbo?
I started it in ‘98. I just wanted to work with artists and music and find a way to launder the money from my nightclub business. That’s just me joking around. You can’t launder counterfeit traveler’s checks. Turbo has always been about putting out the best possible music. We don’t do vanity projects. For instance, we decided against putting out my rock album, “Dungaree Heart”, as well as my devotional project “Rhythm of the Jesuits”.
