Famed for his tireless and exacting approach to production, Bülent Gürler, AKA Butch, is renowned as a chameleon of electronica, dabbling in a multitude of styles and genres. His new EP, "The Persistence of Memory,” sees the legendary German beat maker explore his softer, more psychedelic side, and is set for release on the Visionquest imprint, founded by the much lauded Visionquest crew of Ryan Crosson, Seth Troxler, Lee Curtiss and Shaun Reeves.
The EP opens in a predictably spectacular fashion with the A-side, “Peyote,” a tinkling twelve-minute epic of beautifully bubbling melody and dense futuristic percussion. The second track “Ozymandias” kicks the EP into a higher gear with its combination of hypnotic synths, soaring FX and powerful bass groove. Track three, “Missing Channels,” is a collaboration with Butch’s latest protégé, C. Vogt, and signals a brief return to Butch’s darker techno roots. A menacing belter of intermittent bleeps and chugging bass, it’s a tune seemingly designed for the Watergate dance floor. The final track of the packet is a welcome reprise of the EP’s stunning opener that transports “Peyote’ to a deeper and even more dulcet soundscape.
A fusion of Eastern inspired melodies, swelling percussion and space-age synths, “The Persistence of Memory” is a blissful, tripped-out journey worth investing in from start to finish. In wake of what’s set to be yet another widely acclaimed production, we sat down with Butch to discuss his latest work, new psychedelic direction and the revival of his collaboration with Riccardo Villalobos.
You’ve had a phenomenal amount of releases since 2007 and now you’re back with a new EP “The Persistence of Memory.” With such an impressive back catalogue, where do you continue to find inspiration for what you create? And with such an obvious wealth of ideas, how do you manage the issue of quality verses quantity? To be honest, I’m thinking all the time about music and I can’t switch off. It’s a good thing but it’s also a problem. It’s bad for your social life because I’m pretty focused. I have produced a large quantity of music, and I do a lot of music, but I’m not fast. I spend so much time in the studio. I wake up at 7 a.m., I’m in there by 9 a.m., and I don’t leave again till seven at night. I can make a track in one week minimum, and sometimes it takes up to three. Quantity comes from a lot of work and focus, some people can do a track in two hours, but I can’t.
On the EP you’re collaborating with Hohberg - a percussionist and close friend of yours. Can you tell us about your creative dynamic? And do you feel collaborative projects usually render better results than solo work?The thing is, I’m not good with collaborations. I’ve tried this with many people, but there are few people I can really work with. Hohberg can do stuff that I can’t do. He is good at percussions and playing instruments. I am more the programmer and the computer stuff. But ultimately, he needs somebody who to lead him. When I do work solo, it sounds completely different than what we do together because of Hohberg’s classical influence. He is a studied pianist and his father is a professor of classical music. He is one of the most intelligent people I know.
You’re also creating an album with Hohberg, which has been descried as a “Psycho-Acoustic” LP. In layman’s terms, what does that mean? And how will this been different from your previous two LPs? The album will be more home listening stuff. Maybe we’ll do some club versions but we’ll see. The music is trippy. You have many layers of music in your brain, and when you’re in a sober status, your brain filters out everything you don’t need. But if you expand your listening and open your mind, you’ll hear more than you ever have before. That’s what we’re trying to do with the LP.
I like the idea of tricking the brain. We use some special psycho acoustic tricks to do this on the LP by playing with tone and frequency. It’s not easy to do. We have also taken some pop tracks and reworked them in our own way. We’ve done about ten reworks. But only two or three will make the album.
Fans all over the world will no doubt be delighted to hear that you’re set to collaborate once again with Ricardo Villalobos under the ButRic moniker. Can you give anything away about what you’re working on together? More trippy music; it’s what I like at the moment. I wasn’t always into this type of music, but when I discovered it and started to make it, I loved it. With Villalobos, there is never much preparation to be honest. I just go to his studio and we start jamming, we just see what happens. It’s all very organic and it’s fun, but it does require a lot of editing afterwards!
You’re known for having a rawness and fluidity about your sets, a real sense of unrehearsed magic. What do you think about the balance between technical nous verse innate music ability when it comes to DJing? Do you think there is an element about being a great DJ that can’t be taught? There are a lot of things that make a good DJ. Of course, the selection of music is key but more importantly, it’s the time you play it. Some people have a great selection of music, but the time they play it and their order is not good. So you have constant ups and downs. There is no flow to the music.
There are some people that have an incredible technical knowledge, like Richie Hawtin for example. I don't like his music but he knows how to play with all the machines and he knows everything about the equipment. How to make the sounds and how to create.
And if you mix up all these things, track selection, timing, knowledge, then you can be perfect. Funnily, there are some people who have none of those things but they have a good vibe. A good energy. And people like it. Some people have a amazing music but they stand there like a machine and it kills the vibe completely. It is all about balance.
With all these exciting releases on the horizon, where can we see you play this year? Is there a touring schedule, or are you planning to focus more on the production side of things? I’ll be playing this year of course. But I don’t really check my touring schedule and I just go where I need to play. I go where I go. But I never take time off. I don’t really do tours as such. Lots of DJ’s go to the States for weeks but I usually make mine a quick trip. When I went to Australia I was there only a very short time. I don’t stay, I’d prefer to come back here and make music.
I can’t make music on a laptop, I don’t know why. I’ve tried so many times. I think I need space and I need the big speakers. I need all my tools, I have all my samples and everything I need. But when I’m travelling I don’t have everything. I can’t do it.
Speaking of travelling, you’ve played in many incredible venues around the world including Fabric in London, Sankeys in Ibiza and Watergate in Berlin, to name but a few. Where is your favourite place to play? Where do you feel most at home? Watergate in Berlin. The best thing about Watergate is that it’s in Berlin so I always see friends from all over the world. If anyone wants to have a party, they go to Berlin. You will catch them there. I love the lights and the vibe of Watergate. It’s the best.
For any aspiring DJ, playing at Watergate must be a dream. How did it feel when you first started your residency, and how did it come about? The thing is, the first time I played there, it was my friend’s birthday and they didn’t even book me. But they liked me so they kept me in mind for future gigs. And then they booked me again. And they liked me again. And so it continued like this. They just kept booking me because they liked the music so much. And this is a special thing, because usually you get booked because of the numbers and how many people you can bring through the door. It’s about the business. It’s really nice to get book just for the music you do.
“Lullabies to Paralyse,” which was released on Visionquest in 2013, has more of a house vibe in comparison to some of your more techno driven work. Do you have a favourite genre ultimately? And how do you think you’ve managed to bridge the gap between dance music genres so successfully? I have a favourite type of music but it changes constantly. Sometimes the music I used to love when I first started, I listen to it now and I could vomit. There are some people who play exactly the same stuff year after year and continue to love it. For me, I fall in love and then after awhile I don’t like it anymore. I like change. I love it. I think life is process of change and I don’t want to be stale. It is a difficult thing to keep changing and to find something new, but it’s a challenge.
Speaking of Visionquest, label cofounder Seth Troxler has famously created an outlandish identity for himself in the media. How important do you think PR is for a producer? Is it imperative to create a public identity or should it just be all about the music? When I started playing, I went to places and they didn’t even know what I looked like. In the beginning they just cared about what I played. I got booked for my sound and for my mixes. And now, everything has changed.
The music doesn’t matter that much. If you focus on your personality and have a strong PR image, you can become the greatest DJ in the world without much of an idea about DJing. Just look at the mainstream. I could take a good-looking girl from the street, produce a great track for her and get a good manager and within a year she will be headlining festivals. Everywhere. This is the truth. Right now this is what’s happening. It can be good or it can be bad, but it is like this. For me it makes no difference. I just keep playing and doing what I do.
Finally, I’m sure many budding producers would love to emulate your journey and the worldwide recognition that you have gained. What advice would you give to young up-and-comers who are inspired by your success? People should just take music that they like, put it in a music program and try to rebuild it. This is how we learnt in school and this is how you can learn with music. Try to remake it, and when you come to a point where you can make it sound the same then it’s time to make your own.
There are some people who say don’t copy others, but this isn’t true. You need to copy and to copy a lot. And when it comes to a time when you have all the tools, then you can realise your own creativity. You need technical ability and you need creativity. This is the key.
Butch's “The Persistence of Memory” EP will be out on Visionquest on March 17th, 2014.
Listen to Butch on Pulse Radio.