Boasting a career spanning over two decades, German producer Ian Pooley continues to embody the heart and soul of real house music, remaining a highly regarded and respected figure with the modern electronic music scene. With a back catalogue containing five albums, Pooley has perfected the balance of classical and contemporary sounds in his ever-evolving production work. With a studio consisting of analogue gear and extensive musical knowledge, he is currently enjoying one of the most fruitful periods of his career with recent material attracting newcomers to his fanbase, and older cuts being reintroduced to new generations via mixes on esteemed labels such as Ostgut Ton.
Having already released on the likes of Force Inc, V2 Records, and his own Pooledmusic, as well as remixing for the likes of Daft Punk, Deee-Lite, Carl Cox and many more, Pooley arrives on Rekids with his first ever contribution to the label, delivering three direct and grooving house tracks. Packed with modulating synth lines, pulsing baselines and meaty acid lines, this release exemplifies the very best of Ian Pooley and is the first of three releases to be released on Radio Slave’s imprint. Entitled “Studio A Pt. 1”, the EP is available to listen and purchase here.
First of all how are you? And what have you been getting up to recently?
I’m good, thank you. Slowly getting back into touring and lots of fun time in the studio.
How have you found the last year and lockdown in general? What’s kept you ticking throughout the pandemic?
I call it the unwanted sabbatical. I moved to a new town in May 2020 coincidentally so I used the time to setup my new studio.
Having released “Good Things” at the beginning of the pandemic and Tubes Grande towards the end, how has the last year impacted your motivation and creativity levels as a producer?
I felt uninspired most of 2020 but it all came back at the end of the year. Also i had to get used to the new place.
You have quite the studio setup! You have to save just one piece of equipment, what would it be and why?
My trusted MPC 3000, I could never live without it. It’s possible to make whole tracks only with this machine.
For any budding producers out there, do you have any key tips when starting out?
Patience. Take your time to find and shape your own sound. It doesn’t come in 3-4 months, you need years to get there.
You have just dropped your brand new EP Studio A Pt.1. – can you tell us about the inspiration behind the record and how you would describe it?
After getting used to my new studio I wanted to make tracks with the vibe of the mid 90s where I’d limit myself to 2-3 machines per track. Each arrangement only consist of only 9-10 tracks. For every new track I switched the machines.
What was the creative and production process behind the record?
I created the core tracks out of the box, only with my drum machines and synths. After recording long takes into my DAW I didn’t want to be too much invasive with the final arrangement. Like this I was able to finish 12 tracks in a really short amount of time, not much more than a week.
If you had to choose a favourite track, which would it be and why?
Basic Juno, I love the stabs which go through an old stompbox that I haven’t used for a while. It was fun to do
The first of three, what should we expect from the following records and why have you decided to split them up into separate releases?
Some tracks will be a little more techno but the vibe will be the same.
Finally, are there any exciting projects or details coming up that you can share with us?!
It’s all still a secret!
“Studio A Pt. 1” is out now on Rekids.
