They do not come much more dedicated than UK live act Saytek, his versatile sound has been sound tracking club rooms and raves for many years, and in turn finds himself releasing on stellar labels such as TRAX, most recently with his “Crisis For Change” EP, Carl Cox & Christopher Coe’s Awesome Soundwave amongst several others during his colorful career. We discussed with him his recent highlights such as DC-10, his latest releases, and his vast live set up of which he takes with him around the world. Inside you can also find two recent live recordings from

Check out “Crisis For Change” here: https://www.beatport.com/release/saytek-live/3750199

Thanks for your time today. Where are you talking to us from? 
Thanks for having me! I am currently in my studio in Reading.
Tell us about your background in music? Where did the passion come from? How long have you been playing live? 
I have loved music all my life, my dad is a huge music fan and hi-fi lover. When electronic music came into my life, it changed everything. I loved this music and it was something that really belonged to our generation. I loved the idea that I could make this music all by myself with machines and a computer so I started really young. I put a few records out in the early 00’s and 2003 was my first live gig!
When playing a live set to a crowd, are you improvising or performing something you have planned? And how do you feed off of the crowds energy? 
I like to take 3 or 4 hours worth of live material to each show and I normally perform 1 or 2 hours so I have control what I can perform. I can take things in different directions and everything is arranged live with lots of improvisation. I maintain my integrity so would never play anything I don’t like, but I can certainly go deeper or harder, have bigger breakdowns, more percussive, more acid etc etc. A good example of me going in different directions are two sets recorded recently one at Dr. Mottes Birthday to 3000 people at Garten Der Welt in Berlin. It was very much a full on techno affair so I went a lot tougher than I would in different situations and then my set at Carl Cox invites at DC10 in Ibiza I performed a lot of deeper more melodic stuff!

 

Tell us a bit about your live set up? How it is looking at the moment? 
My set up is as follows:Novation Peak, Roland MC707, Pioneer V10, Novation Impusle 25 Korg Kaos, Pad Korg Volca Kick , Macbook Pro, Ableton, Focusrite audio interface REM MIdi Clock, Pioneer RMX1000
For me its the perfect combo of a great groove box, a very powerful synth, Ableton & Controller and DJ style FX. It means my set is very hands on but there is no scrolling through menus everything is done by touch. It gives me ultimate control and allows me to improvise, but also arrange everything in real time.
Your most recent release landed on the famous TRAX Records, how does it feel to release on a label of such stature? What does the title “Crisis For Change” mean for you? 
Yes, it feels great to be part of such a historic label, it is actually my second release with them! For me life has had its moments of crisis, but I suppose it’s how you deal with this stuff that counts taking action and moving forward has helped me make positive changes in my life!
What have been the highlights of the past few months for you? How was it to join Carl Cox at DC-10? 

The last few months have been amazing loads of great shows all across Europe! it was amazing to join carl at DC10! It is really something special he is doing in Ibiza bringing live electronic music to the island! It is an education for a lot of people and there is still a long way to go in places like the UK and Ibiza. In a lot of Europe a lot of partygoers already understand what playing live is. They appreciate the art but some places are lagging behind. Who better to be an ambassador for this than Carl? It was really nice to hang out with Christopher Coe, Carl Cox, Analog team and Carls team. Everyone is so nice and down to earth its all about the love of music!
Can you tell our readers about any forthcoming projects you might have? Exciting gigs? 
Yeah, I have releases on R&S, ASW, Superfreq, Cubism and some Vinyl stuff in the works! Also loads of amazing tour dates at festivals and clubs in Trogir, London, Zurich, Oslo, Amsterdam, Berlin, Birmingham, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and loads more TBC.
If you could recommend 3 other live acts you love, who would they be? 
Carl Cox & Christopher Coe
An On Bast
Nancy Live

Foto: Mark Richter