Perc & Truss – An Interview With Two Of Techno’s Hardest Hitting Disciples

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Perc & Truss – An Interview With Two Of Techno’s Hardest Hitting Disciples

Perc & Truss are one of those acts that will make a lasting impression on anyone who may happen to pass into the zone of a PA system being graced by the duo. Why? Look up one of their recorded mixes and you shall know in an instant.

Coming out of the UK, Perc & Truss bring the heavy pound with the power to flatten mountain ranges and leave you beaten up and broken. Behind the heavy industrial sounds, you find yourself in a world of intricate rhythms and moods that push the boundaries of your comfort zone, with sharp lashings of acid techno sounds that harp back to the days where this hard hitting style was in full force during the 90’s in London.

The duo shall be going into battle at this years earthcore alongside with a squadron of techno specialists from the homegrown Green Fetish Records crew. Ahead of the event, its was my pleasure to shoot them a few questions to find out the concept behind the duo.

Words by Australian techno producer Sweetland who is signed to Stoney Roads Records.

Perc & Truss - May 2014 (8) resize

S: For those in Australia who haven’t heard of Perc & Truss, what is the concept of you two performing together compared to when you would play individually and how did you two pair up to take on the techno world?

Perc: We’ve been friends for quite a long time now and both release individually and together on my Perc Trax label. Our solo sets are quite different from each other, but when we play together we push each other forwards in terms of energy and also the kind of music we play. Our sets together showcase the best tracks from our solo sets but also the more we’ve performed together the more we have realised there are tracks that might not fit into either of our own sets but work perfectly when we play together. We started by hanging out and making tracks together, it was always intended as a studio collaboration but after the first EP (‘Clapacid’) came out we started to receive booking requests and now really enjoy travelling and playing together.  

S: What differences have you two noticed between playing individually and playing together? How does a set usually run and what talk is going on up on stage?

Truss: One of the big differences for me is using Ableton Live when playing with Perc, as I usually use vinyl and CDJ’s when DJ’ing solo. The extra possibilities that Ableton enables is something I’ve found to be a very inspiring experience. I’ve even started to dabble with using it for production. It’s a pretty amazing piece of software.

Our set-up consists of a laptop and MIDI controller each. We don’t link the laptops and so we sync them by ear and nudge the pitch up and down accordingly, kind of like you would with a traditional turntable set-up. When we want to change tempo then we shout at each other which tempo we are moving to, although I often forget to do this and accidentally stitch Ali up.

Other than that we often have some good banter while performing. At the end of the day the emphasis on our sets is fun. If the crowd can see that we’re having a good time then that has a knock on effect, rather than (yet another) couple of po-faced techno DJ’s taking themselves too seriously. 

S: What is something you’ve learnt from playing with each other? Do you both bring a certain skill or ideal to the table when performing together? 

Perc: I think we’ve learnt that any track can work at the right time and in the right setting. I have become more open-minded when searching for music for my sets, both when going through new releases and digging deep for forgotten older tracks. When we play together there is a certain energy and sense of adventure that you might not see so often in techno sets these days. 

S: A Perc & Truss set is rhythmically intensive and pounding. What is it about the raw and gritty form of techno you lads indulge in that resonates most deeply with you and how did you come to this sound? 

Truss: We both grew up in Thatcher era UK when rave music first took hold and created one of the biggest cultural shifts this country has ever seen, the repercussions of which are still very much being felt to this day. Even though we were both too young to experience the early raves at first hand, it’s something that has had a big impact on both of us in terms of a general rough and ready DIY aesthetic to the way in which we make, present and play music. Rave / dance music was (and still is to my mind) inherently anti-establishment. There’s a sense of rebelliousness in techno that I’ve always been attracted to, even though I’m not a particularly rebellious person by nature. 

S: Techno is music with an interesting contrast of emotions, ie. some dark brutal tracks can make you feel euphoric or laugh. What emotions does the music you two play evoke? Does emotion something you bring to your sets or is there another prime motive as to the music you play?

Perc: I can’t speak for Tom, but I generally love every minute of our sets. I’m always nervous at the start of a set as we often play at quite large events and I don’t want to do something that killed the atmosphere or energy as we played. Once a track really connects with the crowd or Tom plays something that I’d never expect him to play, but which people love then there is always a smile on my face. I love to see the crowd enjoying what we play, this is not slowly evolving heads down techno, something is always happening and there are always a few surprises in our sets, both for the crowd and ourselves. 

S: Have you been anywhere on your travels where the music scene has surprised you?

Truss: I mentioned in a interview before about a form of dance music I heard when I was in China about 10 years ago. It was kind of a combination between hard house and happy hardcore. I’d never heard anything quite like it before and I’ve never heard it since. My friend and I were staying in quite a rural part of China when we tried to get into one of these clubs but we were refused entry. Guess it was a local’s only thing. Perc & Truss - May 2014 (3) RESIZE

S: What are your thoughts on the Australian techno scene and its unique outdoor festival experiences?

Perc: I’ve played in Australia before, in Melbourne and Sydney, but they were both club gigs, so the festival scene there is something new to me. I think we’ll bring a bit of everything with us and make sure we have a good amount of time to check out the festival and the stage we are playing on before we step up to play.  In terms of the wider scene, I can remember back to producers like DJ HMC and Simon Digby and his Wetmusik organization, and obviously now you have Green Fetish which is a label that I always keep an eye on. They seem to get the mix of new and more established producer’s right. I missed meeting Stevie on his recent European trip, so I’m looking forward to meeting him and everyone else in November.

S: Describe your ideal performing situation. If you were to run a festival, how big would you want it and what would be the dream location?

Truss: In terms of situation, the more unusual or different the better. Our sets tend to be slightly on the OTT side of things and so location, stage and general environment are all going to play a part in creating something that is engaging and fun, a place where you can lose your inhibitions. The size of the festival is generally not important. If you are able to create an environment where people can detach themselves from the drudgery of everyday life for a short while then that is what it’s all about. Considerations such as location, production values, sound system and a positive vibe are all crucial to achieving this.

I’ve just returned from playing a festival here in the UK called BoomTown. Got to say that, despite not being into a lot of the music there, it was probably the best festivals I’ve ever been to. They had literally created a small city in a very rural area of Southern England. Once you entered the festival site then you were completely immersed in another world. This level of production and attention to detail made for a complete detachment from reality for the whole three days of the festival. And there was not one drinks sponsor or any other type of corporate sponsorship in sight. Very refreshing. 

S: Do you have any horror stories from being on tour where something has gone drastically wrong?

Perc: I recently arrived in Porto for my first ever gig in Portugal. I was booked to play a live set at a festival there and all my equipment got stuck at Barcelona Airport where I had connected for my final flight to Portugal. That was pretty stressful. I played on borrowed gear but it felt really strange not having my usual setup there. Other than that I’ve generally been lucky, the occasional missed connection due to the weather but I normally get to a gig in one piece. Having said that I’ll probably now have a run of nightmares. 

Perc & Truss will be one of many acts to feature at this years earthcore, something that any techno punter will be looking forward to as its one of the strongest lineups to grace our country this summer.

earthcore runs from the 26th November 2015 – 30th November 2015. Head over to www.earthcore.com.au to find out more.

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