Having built a fantastic reputation for innovative, improvised & hardware-heavy live sets, Saytek is now widely regarded as one of the nation’s very best live performers. He has carved out a unique position for himself. The expertise and confidence he uses hardware to create totally original tracks right before the audience’s eyes, creates the perfect blend of entertainment and unpredictability for a great night out.
Only recently, Saytek released a four-track EP via the Lauter Unfug imprint called ‘Happy Endings’. The EP features driving grooves, all four are live recorded in his studio. This release will take you, listeners, towards a long and slowly evolving breakdown in this dark melodic journey. All tracks are shaped and arranged into perfectly playable club tunes.
We are very pleased we get to publish a very nice chat with Joseph Keevill (Syatek’s real name). We’ve talked about his recent release and the interesting things that happened over the past twelve months.
Are you ready for this ride?
How are things these days in London?
Yes very nice today it’s sunny and working in the studio so all good.
Tell our readers a bit about your latest EP ‘Happy Endings’ on Lauter Unfug – A few words about the live idea behind.
Well, its 4 live jams from my recent tour dates so stuff I have been playing in clubs on tour, all just jammed out live in my studio and recorded, mastered and released!
Is this the musical style which we can expect from you during a sweaty club night as well?
It’s a small representation of all I play. My sets span a broad variety of genres being techno, house, acid and more Leftfield and melodic stuff. But always tough, driving, deep and an emphasis on groove. I don’t like to follow trends, just take inspiration from many places I visit.
What were your most memorable moments of the last year?
Wow! It has been a really great year! Been touring heavily with the live shows in some great clubs in London & Berlin: Fabric, Egg, The Hammerhalle, Sisyphos, my residency at Golden Gate and a couple of great shows at Kosmonaut. I have also been playing in Montreal, Prague, Luxembourg, Split and many other places across the UK! Release-wise my ‘Machine Jams’ album dropped on my own label, Cubism records and went down really well. Six of the tracks became some of Carl Cox’s favourites for his last season at Space Ibiza. So, I am a very happy person! Besides all that I have been playing a lot on BBC radio 1 and Lee Foss & Jamie Jones asked me to remix ‘The Golden Boy‘ on their new label Emerald City.
Tell us the story of how you were introduced to electronic music at all.
Well, I was a geeky kid that was interested in programming computers, and for some reason I got interested in sound and early music technology at the age of 10. I was making bleeps on a computer and using a Tandy mixer, a Jen synth and a Roland TR606 drum machine to make music of sorts, recording my mom’s singing. I was totally obsessed with sound and manipulating it. When I was about 13 a friend introduced me to his older brother’s acid house collection, Detroit techno and rave tapes. I really loved this sound before I had even set foot in a club and was listening to it obsessively. So when I was old enough to blag my way in I was out clubbing every weekend, I totally immersed myself in the scene and all its trappings. I decided to study sound engineering and devote my life to music I spent my later teenage years putting on warehouse parties in London before working as a technician in clubs like Home and The End … it was here I made connections to sign my first record.
Many things changed in the music business in the last 25 years. What do you find most challenging nowadays?
Actually, I think its a good time to be a live act, people are understanding what it is to perform live and I can show people what I do through social media. But record sales are terrible. I mean the only people selling records are people making the latest fashionable sounds that are constantly in the Beatport top 10. If you’re making music that’s a bit different or not on trend then record sales are a lot slower. But that’s OK. I always say I am still selling thousands of records, it just takes me longer to do it.
What is your personal favourite gear in the Saytek live setup?
I don’t have a favourite, it all works together to make the show happen!
What news do you have in the works for 2017?
Well, it started well already! Got loads of cool tour dates in the diary and releases on Kevin Saunderson’s KMS and Darren Emerson’s Detone also working on a collab with a great singer called Alice Rose!
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